Inventor Recognition Program
The UC Santa Cruz Office of Research has created the Inventor Recognition Program (IRP) to acknowledge researchers on a quarterly basis for their U.S. patent awards and to showcase the groundbreaking research that is conducted on the UCSC campus every day. Launched in December 2016, the IRP is meant to recognize the hard work of UCSC faculty, students, and staff and to help them realize the value of their inventions by commercializing their inventions and discoveries.
March to June 2023 IRP Award Winners
CONTROL AND PROGNOSIS OF POWER ELECTRONIC DEVICES USING LIGHT
Patent Number: US 11,621,774
Current UCSC Inventor:
Keith Corzine, Professor – Electrical and Computer Engineering
Light emission from a semiconductor device can be an indicator of how that device is operating. This patent, in collaboration with researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School, describes methods for determining the temperature and current of semiconductor devices by measuring light emitted from those devices. The patent also describes methods for measuring light emitted to estimate the long-term degradation for those devices.
CRYSTALLIZATION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES COMPRISING MULTIPLE THIN FILMS
Patent Number: US 11,621,163
Current UCSC Inventor:
Nobby Kobayashi, Professor – Electrical and Computer Engineering
METHODS OF PRODUCING NUCLEIC ACID LIBRARIES AND COMPOSITIONS AND KITS FOR PRACTICING SAME
Patent Number: US 11,629,345
Current UCSC Inventor:
Ed Green, Professor - Biomolecular Engineering
Josh Kapp Postdoctoral Researcher
This patent describes the production of nucleic acid (e.g. DNA or RNA) libraries from single stranded nucleic acids through the use of single stranded nucleic acid binding proteins. These libraries can then be used for downstream analysis like PCR or DNA sequencing. Importantly, this method allows accurate sequencing of nucleic acids from low quality samples such as ancient DNA and follicle-free hair.
The technology described in this patent has been licensed by and is being commercialized by Claret Bioscience in Santa Cruz.
GAZE-CONTINGENT SCREEN MAGNIFICATION CONTROL
Patent Numbers: US 11,640,200
Many people living with low vision use screen magnifiers to read documents and web pages on a computer. Screen magnifiers give users visual access to graphical information and allow them to appreciate even complex layouts displayed on the screen, like a magnifying glass. Conventional screen magnification technology can be slow and a burden to a user in that it requires continuous manual scrolling (using the mouse or trackpad) in order to move the focus of magnification (located at the mouse cursor). This patent includes alternative methods and systems for magnifying text or graphics on a screen, as a more modern aid for reading of the text or graphics.
NATURALLY SOURCED CHITIN FOAM
Patent Numbers: US 11,667,770
Current UCSC Inventor:
Marco Rolandi, Professor - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Inventor Previously at UCSC:
John Felts
This patent describes a closed cell foam made of chitin, the main component of shrimp shells and other aquaculture waste. It also describes methods of making the foam and resulting products. The foam is biodegradable and can be used in any of a number of products.
MICROFLUIDIC ACOUSTIC DEVICES AND METHODS
Patent Numbers: US 11,668,676
Current UCSC Inventor:
Ali Yanik, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Inventors Previously at UCSC:
Xiangchao Zhu, Evan Peterson, Yixiang Li
Microfluidic devices provide control and manipulation of fluids in microfluidic channels and are useful for processing, detecting or analyzing particles of interest in a fluid sample. Applications of microfluidics include immunoaffinity assays, which are designed to detect and isolate analytes of interest, such as low-abundance rare cells, among a larger population of cells in a sample. Traditionally, rare cells have been difficult to effectively and efficiently detect against a large population of background cells. This patent describes advanced ways to isolate targets in a microfluidic channel using a unique arrangement of acoustic waves and capture agents.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SENSING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Patent Number: US 11,680,934
Current UCSC Inventor:
Peter Weiss-Penzias, Faculty Researcher, Chemistry & Biochemistry; Microbiology and Environmental Toxicity; Earth and Planetary Sciences
Inventor Previously at UCSC:
Mauricio Rojas-Andrade
The patent describes an accurate and low cost sensor for the detection of volatile organic compounds such as ethanol. The gas sensor makes use of a metal oxide nanostructure layer that has a resistance that varies in response to the concentration of the volatile organic compound. This invention is particularly useful in breweries, wineries, and composting facilities that are in need of such sensors.
Honorable Mentions
Patent(s) Issued as Continuation of Patent Previously Recognized
NETWORK CONGESTION REDUCTION USING BOOLEAN CONSTRAINED MULTIPATH ROUTING
Patent Number: US 11,621,912
UCSC Inventor: Brad Smith
SYSTEMS FOR REMOVING PERCHLORATE FROM WATER
Patent Number: US 11,649,177
Current UCSC Inventor: Scott Oliver
Inventor previously at UCSC: Ian Colinas
CATALYSIS OF HYDROGEN EVOLUTION REACTION USING RUTHENIUM ION COMPLEXED CARBON NITRIDE MATERIALS
Patent Number: US 11,674,232
Current UCSC Inventor: Shaowei Chen
Inventor previously at UCSC: Yi Peng, Bingzhang Lu
COMPLEMENTARY CONJUGATED POLYELECTROLYTE COMPLEXES AS ELECTRONIC ENERGY RELAYS
Patent Number: US 11,682,742
Current UCSC Inventor: Alex Ayzner
See all IRP award winners
The IRP is managed by Jeff Jackson, Director of Innovation Transfer in the office of Industry Alliances and Technology Commercialization (IATC).
For more information about the IRP, the honorees, their patents, other campus inventions and discoveries, or IP portfolio management services, please contact the IATC.
Would you like to be an IRP award winner?
Check out the list of technologies available from the University of California.
University of California, Santa CruzIndustry Alliances & Technology Commercialization
Kerr Hall — Room 413
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Tel: 831.459.5415
innovation@ucsc.edu
