Two Michigan State University researchers have netted national recognition for their support of innovation and invention.
Stephen Hsu, MSU vice president for research and graduate studies, and Satish Udpa, MSU executive vice president for administrative services, were named National Academy of Inventors Fellows. Hsu and Udpa earned the honor for their contributions to patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.
"Invention and entrepreneurship are the backbone of America's innovation economy,” Hsu said. “I'm very enthusiastic about an entity such as the NAI that recognizes and furthers this important activity."
Hsu, whose career is a blend of high-tech and higher education, focused his inventions on information security and used them as the basis of two startup companies he ran in Silicon Valley. He holds multiple patents for software technologies that protect encrypted communications to a secure server. He also has patents that cover intelligent secure data manipulation as well as combating malicious software.
Hsu is the founder of SafeWeb, a pioneer in computer network security, and Robot Genius, an Oakland, Calif.-based information security company.
Udpa’s patents span the fields of manufacturing and medicine. One of his inventions scans for defects in aluminum cans as they speed through production lines. In the medical field, he created an optoelectronic device capable of reconstructing an image from CAT scan measurements.
Udpa also has invented an alternative to CAT scans. Rather than using damaging X-rays, his system employs microwaves. The advantages include higher contrast ratios, which make cancerous tissues easier to see. In addition, the system doubles as a treatment option, using microwaves to attack tumors.
Prior to his current post, Udpa served as dean of MSU’s College of Engineering for the last seven years.
Hsu and Udpa were two of 143 innovators who earned NAI Fellow status. The complete list can be found at http://academyofinventors.com/search-fellows.asp.