March 31, 2017
Reception showcases SIU inventors, innovators
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Throughout the years, Southern Illinois University Carbondale has been a leader in research, discovery and innovation, resulting in nearly 100 patents for faculty and staff since 1960. An April 6 event will showcase some of these inventors and their work.
“Inventors and Innovators at SIU: Through the Years” is a business after-hours exhibit and reception set for 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, April 6. It takes place at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, located at 1740 Innovation Drive in Carbondale.
SIU’s John H. Erickson and Benny S. Vineyard received the first university patent, “#2960125 Depth of Cut Gauge for Jointer,” for a jointer woodworking machine depth gauge on Nov. 15, 1960. Since that time, 97 more design, utility and plant patents have been awarded for a wide variety of innovations. There are still 28 active SIU patents.
The technological advancement and innovation continues at SIU. There are four pending provisional patents and another 15 patent applications being processed to address challenges relating to everything from animal cages to soybean diseases, from coal mining to computer routing protocols.
The reception, which will feature remarks by Interim Chancellor Brad Colwell at 4:30 p.m., is open to the public. Those attending will have the opportunity to view some of the ingenuity credited to SIU faculty and staff. They can also meet some of the inventors and hear them explain their work.
“We’re excited to share the inventions with the public and greater SIU family,” Lynn Andersen Lindberg, director of business innovation and research for SIU’s Office of Economic and Regional Development, said. “The exhibit and reception will celebrate the innovation and creativity of SIU’s inventors and innovators and serve as a reminder that research leads to innovation, which leads to promoting the industrial and technological progress of the United States and strengthening our regional and national economies.”
The event, held in conjunction with SIU’s Da Vinci Days celebration of innovation and creativity in the sciences, humanities and arts, will include refreshments by Hunan Fine Asian Cuisine. SIU and the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce are the sponsors of “Inventors and Innovators at SIU: Through the Years.”