East Lansing, MI—The Michigan State University Innovation Center hosted its annual Innovation Celebration on campus at the Kellogg Center on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024. The celebration showcased the cutting-edge technologies and startups emerging from the brilliant minds of MSU faculty and students and featured more than 30 faculty and student exhibits highlighting some of the innovative technologies and startups developed at MSU.
The 2024 Innovation Celebration drew more than 350 of the region’s top innovators, visionaries, and entrepreneurial supporters who gathered to celebrate and promote the research, innovation, and entrepreneurship that is happening across MSU’s campus.
This year’s event recognized six awardees whose innovations, technologies, entrepreneurship, and corporate partnerships exemplified the culture of research and innovation at MSU.
The 2024 Awardees include:
- Innovation of the Year Award: Bjoern Hamberger, Ph.D.
- Innovator of the Year Award: Wen Li, Ph.D.
- Technology Transfer Achievement Award: Xuefei Huang, Ph.D.
- Corporate Connector of the Year Award: Mahmoodul Haq, Ph.D.
- Startup of the Year Award: RedoxBlox
- Student Startup of the Year Award: Reel Free
Innovation Celebration Awardees
Innovation of the Year Award: Bjoern Hamberger, Ph.D.
Björn Hamberger, an Associate Professor at Michigan State University, and his team have been recognized for their pioneering work bioengineering bacteria to produce valuable compounds like carotenoids. Inspired by nature’s medicinal plants and their centuries-old impact on human health, Hamberger’s research delves into leveraging microbial engineering to create commercially valuable molecules, with a focus on nutraceutical components like lycopene. Their breakthrough technology, supported by MSU Technologies and translational research funding, not only showcases the potential of microbial production but also underscores the importance of commercialization in translating scientific innovations into real-world impact, highlighting the fusion of scientific excellence and business acumen in advancing human well-being.
Innovator of the Year Award: Wen Li, Ph.D.
Wen Li, a Professor at Michigan State University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is at the forefront of a sensor revolution, focusing on micro technologies with macro impact. Her team’s research spans various areas, from developing neural activity recording devices for brain research to wearable sensors like contact lens-based ones for glaucoma detection. They also work on electrochemical sensing using polycrystalline diamond to detect environmental pollutants. Li’s innovative work has to numerous patents during her time at MSU, with MSU Technologies supporting her in commercializing her inventions, highlighting her commitment to bridging technology and real-world impact for societal benefit.
Technology Transfer Achievement Award: Xuefei Huang, Ph.D.
Corporate Connector of the Year Award: Mahmoodul Haq, Ph.D.
Startup of the Year Award: RedoxBlox
Student Startup of the Year Award: Reel Free
About MSU Innovation Center:
The MSU Innovation Center is dedicated to fostering innovation, research commercialization, and entrepreneurial activities from the research and discovery happening across our campus every day. We act as the primary interface for researchers aiming to see their research applied to solving real-world problems and making the world a better place to live. We aim to empower faculty, researchers, and students within our community of scholars by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to bring their discoveries to the forefront. Through strategic collaborations with the private sector, we aim to amplify the impact of faculty research and drive economic growth while positively impacting society. We foster mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with the private sector through corporate-sponsored research collaborations, technology licensing discussions, and support for faculty entrepreneurs to support the establishment of startup companies.