The University at Buffalo's Esther Takeuchi is being inducted into the "National Inventor's Hall of Fame," reports Jay Rey at the Buffalo News:
Takeuchi, nominated by the American Chemical Society, is also one of only 19 women to be inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame, Paiva said. Takeuchi, 57, invented the silver vanadium oxide battery, which powers many of the world’s implanted medical devices — a life’s work that began more than a quarter-century ago at Greatbatch Inc. The daughter of Latvian immigrants, Takeuchi grew up in Akron, Ohio, where she followed her father around the house watching him fix things. “It wasn’t so much that one day I was going to be an inventor. I didn’t set out with that in mind,” Takeuchi said. “I think it was No. 1, kind of a natural curiosity, and No. 2, the belief that it’s possible to make things better by looking at things in a different way.”
UB departure
Bert Gambini at WBFO has an interview with outgoing UB president John Simpson, about his administration and the school's "UB2020" strategic plan (audio only).
New business minor
The University of Rochester is adding an undergraduate business major to its stable, according to the school's press service:
The major, which has been in development for two years, was created by [Arts and Sciences dea Richard] Feldman, [business school dean Mark] Zupan, Ronald W. Hansen, senior associate dean for program development and William H. Meckling Professor of Business Administration at the Simon School, and Mark Bils, professor of economics. It will be supervised by a steering committee of faculty and administrators from both the College and the Simon School, including Feldman, Hansen, Bils, and Sanjog Misra, associate professor of marketing and applied statistics at Simon; Joanna Shuang Wu, associate professor of accounting at Simon; and Michael Wolkoff, senior lecturer in economics. The steering committee will monitor the program's enrollment numbers and course offerings, and oversee internships, special lectures, and other opportunities that can enhance the student experience. The program will be jointly managed through the Multidisciplinary Center in the College and the Simon School. Students who complete this major will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree with a major in business from the College.
Diversity in science
The University at Buffalo, University of Rochester, and Upstate Medical College are teaming up to boost diversity in the sciences. The catalyst: a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. UB's press service has details.
Want more news from the Innovation Trail? Subscribe to the feed.
