Florida Inventors Hall of Fame celebrates 10 years and will induct 10 inventors who
have shaped our everyday lives.
TAMPA, Fla (May 1, 2023) – Ten Florida inventors inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame demonstrate
that a personal drive to improve the human condition is a powerful force for transformation.
Among them are Jonathan Rothberg who pioneered the next generation of human DNA sequencing,
enabling low-cost decoding of human and other living organisms’ genomes; and Daniel
Joseph whose advances in special effects and illusion at Disney Imagineering have
revolutionized the theme park experience at Walt Disney Parks around the world.
Together, the contributions of the 2023 Inductees include groundbreaking discoveries
that have transformed medicine and healthcare, computer technology and semiconductors,
optics and photonics, communications, nuclear energy, and modern color technology.
“The 2023 Inductees are a testament to American innovation. Each inductee has a remarkable
inventor’s story with distinct backgrounds across sector, industry, area of invention,
time, and locations throughout Florida,” said Paul R. Sanberg, Chair of the Florida
Inventors Hall of Fame Advisory Board.
The 2023 class also includes: James Cairns whose underwater electrical, fiber-optic
connector technologies revolutionized the fields of Oceanography, Marine Geology and
Seismology; Jason Eichenholz whose pioneering innovations in lidar are propelling
the self-driving vehicle industry; David Flinchbaugh who invented the UroCycler® which
has significantly reduced fatal catheter-associated urinary tract infection; Ophir
Frieder whose disruptive advances in health monitoring, predictive medical and well-being
treatment methods drastically improve patient outcomes; William Hauswirth who developed
Luxturna®, the first gene therapy drug to prevent blindness; Deepika Singh whose discoveries
in chemical/mechanical polishing of super-hard semiconductors significantly advanced
the 5G communications infrastructure; Krishna Singh whose landmark inventions provided
the foundational structure for modern nuclear power energy; and Gary Starkweather
(deceased) who invented the world’s first laser printer, leading the frontier of the
field of color management technology.
“When you look at the life of any inventor, you will see someone who has had to face
untold challenges and overcome adversity to make their invention a reality. However,
they are unwilling to let fear or failure stop them from moving forward. It’s that
kind of perseverance that reflects the spirit of an inventor. And it’s that spirit
that is reflected in these remarkable inductees,” said Sanberg, who also serves as
the President of the National Academy of Inventors.
The 2023 Inductees constitute the ninth class to be inducted into the Florida Inventors
Hall of Fame. They collectively hold more than 1,100 U.S. patents and come from across
industry, academia, and government. Since its founding in 2013, the Florida Inventors
Hall of Fame has inducted 68 inventors, who collectively hold over 5,100 U.S. patents.
“With Florida consistently ranking in the top 10 for states with the most patents
issued every year,” said Elizabeth Dougherty, the Eastern Regional Outreach Director
for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, “it is an honor to join the Florida Inventors
Hall of Fame in recognizing these outstanding Florida inventors and celebrating the
journeys that each of them has taken to get to this point.”
Inductees are selected annually through a nomination process open to all inventors
(living or deceased) with a connection to the state of Florida. The nominations are
reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of distinguished experts in relevant fields
of innovation.
The 2023 class of distinguished inventors will be formally inducted into the Florida
Inventors Hall of Fame at the 10th Anniversary Induction Ceremony and Gala on Friday,
October 6, 2023 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street in Downtown Tampa.
The 2023 Inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame are:
JAMES L. CAIRNS
Founder and Executive Director of the Cairns Foundation, and CEO of Abyssal Systems,
Inc, Dr. Cairns’ pioneering underwater electrical/electronic fiber-optic connector
technologies allowed circuits to be successfully and seamlessly mated and de-mated
reliably within the harsh environment of the deep ocean. His innovations revolutionized
anti-submarine warfare and subsea surveillance, expanded the industry of ocean energy
production, and significantly advanced the fields of Oceanography, Marine Geology
and Seismology. He co-founded two Florida technology companies which he later sold
to Lockheed Corporation and Teledyne Technology Corporation, respectively. He holds
62 U.S. patents and received the Marine Technology Society’s Compass-Rolex Distinguished
Lifetime Achievement Award and Lockheed Martin Award for Excellence in Marine Science
and Engineering. In 2017, he was inducted into the Offshore Energy Center Hall of
Fame for Pioneering Technology.
JASON EICHENHOLZ
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Luminar Technologies, Dr. Eichenholz is
a serial entrepreneur and recognized trailblazer in laser and optics enabled innovations,
product development and commercialization. His discoveries have led to advanced applications
in science, environment, industry and medicine. Most notably, his innovations in Lidar
are revolutionizing the self-driving vehicle industry. His advances in sensing technology
will become the core platform to enable safe, fully-autonomous vehicles. Eichenholz
holds 82 U.S. patents, many of which have been licensed and/or commercialized into
a variety of applications from battlefield explosives detection and fundamental science
discoveries to early cancer detection and environmental studies. He is a Fellow of
SPIE—the International Society for Optics and Photonics, and a Fellow of Optica (formerly
the Optical Society of America).
DAVID FLINCHBAUGH
CEO of Technology Applications International, and CTO of Medventions Technologies,
Dr. Flinchbaugh is a trained nuclear physicist, health physicist and prolific inventor
across a number of scientific sectors. Among his leading inventions are: a) the UroCycler®
which has been clinically proven to reduce 91% of fatal catheter-associated urinary
tract infection; b) ROSA, the world’s first Nuclear Service Robot—a complex, high-tech
robotic system for the maintenance, decontamination, and refueling of nuclear reactor
electric power generation facilities; and c) the first Imaging laser radar system,
among other breakthrough innovations. Flinchbaugh holds 11 U.S. patents and founded
four Florida companies. He is a Fellow of IEEE, Laser Institute of America, Optica
(formerly the Optical Society of America), and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
He also received the Medical Excellence Award, the Association for the Advancement
of Medical Instrumentation Award, and the DaVinci Award.
OPHIR FRIEDER
Professor, Georgetown University and Georgetown Medical Center, and scientific advisor
to several companies, Dr. Frieder’s inventions in scalable information processing
systems have transformed health informatics. In the medical arena, he is especially
recognized for developing behavioral health monitoring used to prevent self-harm;
and predictive medical and well-being treatment methods optimizing effective treatments
while minimizing adverse effects. His advances have been incorporated into national
programs that have enabled services such as the recently announced National Suicide
Prevention Hotline. In communications, he developed mood/sentiment detection approaches
for online marketing and social media interaction; and in home electronics his inventions
include interactive picture frames. Frieder holds 111 U.S. patents. He is a Fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association for Computing
Machinery, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, IEEE, and the
National Academy of Inventors; and is a Member of Academia Europaea and the European
Academy of Sciences and Arts.
WILLIAM HAUSWIRTH
The Rybaczki-Bullard Professor of Ophthalmology, at the University of Florida’s College
of Medicine, Dr. Hauswirth’s pioneering work in gene therapy has contributed to restoring
vision to the functionally blind for the last few decades. Most significantly, his
groundbreaking development of Luxturna® was the first gene therapy drug to treat children
and adults with inherited retinal disease. Hauswirth holds 20 U.S. patents, which
have been licensed to more than a dozen companies. He is the co-founder of AGTC, a
company which develops gene therapies to transform the lives of patients with rare
inherited diseases—especially those that cause blindness. He was named Florida Scientist
of the Year, and recognized in Time Magazine for the “Third Most Important Science Discovery of 2009.” His awards include election
as Fellow of ARVO-Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Alcon
Award for Vision Research, Foundation Fighting Blindness Trustees Award, and the John
Kayser International award for Retinal Research, as well as several Lifetime Achievement
Awards.
DANIEL JOSEPH
Principal Special Effects Designer and Illusion Developer at Walt Disney Imagineering,
Mr. Joseph has revolutionized modern design and implementation of special effects,
transforming them into three-dimensional, immersive and interactive experiences. A
trained Industrial Designer, Joseph’s advances in special effects have been created,
designed, and installed for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Parks around
the world. Most notably he led the efforts to bring to life the Hatbox Ghost for the
Haunted Mansion at Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, as well as Sorcerers of the Magic
Kingdom, Test Track, Magic Kingdom expansion, and both Trader Sam’s tiki bars, to
name a few. Additionally, he has applied his industrial design to create interactive
museum exhibits for such prestigious facilities as The Franklin Institute; and consulted
on product development for medical equipment to improve safety and usability. Joseph
holds 30 U.S. patents. One of his design patents was featured in PC Magazine’s article called “The Best Inventions of 2011 – So Far.”
JONATHAN ROTHBERG
Founder and Chair, 4 Catalyzer Corporation, Dr. Rothberg is the pioneer of next-generation
human DNA sequencing, a method for high-speed DNA analysis that enables low-cost decoding
of human and other living organisms’ genomes. This breakthrough has transformed life
science research, healthcare, agriculture, and the development of biofuels. Through
his company Hyperfine, Rothberg also developed the revolutionary Swoop™ Portable Magnetic
Resonance Imaging System with the mission of making MRI accessible to every patient,
regardless of income or resources. Rothberg holds over 600 U.S. patents. He is a recipient
of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and a National Academy of Engineering
Member. He was named a World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneer four separate times;
an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and received The Wall Street Journal’s First Gold Medal for Innovation. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Science from
Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
DEEPIKA SINGH
CEO of R&D Investment Holding, Dr. Singh is a pioneer in chemical mechanical planarization
or polishing (CMP), having developed and incorporated novel chemistries in the polishing
of a class of super-hard semiconductors based on silicon carbide and gallium nitride.
She commercialized these discoveries through Sinmat, a company she co-founded in 2002,
and they are currently being used by leading global companies in some of the fastest-growing
markets involving the manufacturing of smartwatches, smartphones, advanced silicon
carbide; and gallium nitride electronics for electric vehicles, 5G communications
infrastructure, and advanced defense electronics. Singh holds 18 U.S. patents. She
is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and was recognized by President
Barack Obama at a national press conference on Investing in the Clean Energy Economy.
She has received the R&D 100 Award four times.
KRISHNA SINGH
Founder, President and CEO of Holtec International, Dr. Singh’s innovations provide
the foundational structure for modern nuclear power energy, including systems and
equipment, safe storage, and transportation of spent fuel. His advances have allowed
for operational nuclear power plants to run more efficiently and safely, which is
critical given that approximately 20% of domestic electricity and 14% of global electricity
rely on nuclear power. Dr. Singh is also the visionary behind several national and
international codes and standards on pressure vessels and heat exchangers. Singh holds
185 U.S. patents. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Pan
American Academy of Engineering, and recipient of the Thomas Alva Edison Award. He
is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers.
GARY K. STARKWEATHER (Deceased)
Gary K. Starkweather is an American engineer who invented the world’s first laser
printer and pioneered the invention of color management technology. While working
at Xerox, Starkweather invented the first scanning laser output terminal. As a result
of his invention, Xerox launched the 700 laser printer, which would become the most
commercially profitable product coming out of Xerox PARC. He was also a consultant
to the film industry, helping the digital effects team on the first Star Wars movie
in 1977. During his tenure at Apple, he helped lead the development of ColorSync technology.
He went on to partner with Bill Gates and Microsoft to advance imaging displays. Starkweather
holds 53 U.S. patents. He received an Academy Award in 1994 for his work on color
film scanning with Lucasfilm and Pixar. He is a National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee,
Member of the National Academy of Engineering, and was awarded the David Richardson
Medal.
About the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF) recognizes and commends Florida inventors
whose achievements have advanced the quality of life for Floridians, the state and
the nation. Founded in 2013 and located at the University of South Florida Research
Park in Tampa, FIHF was recognized by Florida Senate Resolution 1756 in April of 2014.
FIHF encourages individuals of all ages and backgrounds to strive toward the betterment
of Florida and society through continuous, groundbreaking innovation, and, by commending
the incredible scientific work being accomplished in the state, to further the growth
of Florida’s innovation sector. FIHF is supported, in part, by the Florida High Tech
Corridor Council.
More information is available at www.FloridaInvents.org or contact [email protected].
Media contacts:
Jamie Spurrier
Email: [email protected]
