Building a Rainforest in the Desert
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David G. Whitten, Ph.D. – 2020 STC.UNM Innovation Fellow
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The 2020 STC.UNM Innovation Fellow being honored this year is an individual whose work is not only driven by the pursuit of innovation and knowledge, but also by the objective of positively impacting our society.
Dr. David Whitten has over 50 year of experience as a scientist and an academic. He joined the University of New Mexico in 2005 and has since excelled as an inventor, disclosing 33 technologies and has received 17 issued patents. He was selected as a Distinguished Professor in 2016 and is the Associate Director for the Center for Biomedical Engineering.
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2020 Innovation Awards Webinar Recognizes Talented University Inventors
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On April 28th, University of New Mexico faculty, staff, and student inventors were honored for their achievements. This year a webinar was hosted due to the pandemic. STC’s Innovation Awards Webinar recognized the accomplishments of UNM inventors who have received issued U.S. patents, trademarks, and registered copyrights within the past year.
Remarks were made by:
- Sandra Begay, Chair, STC.UNM Board of Directors, Secretary Treasurer, UNM Board of Regents, Principal Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories
- Garnett Stokes, President, UNM
- Doug Brown, President, UNM Board of Regents, Dean Emeritus, Anderson School of Management, UNM
- Richard Larson, Executive Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Research, Health Sciences Center, UNM
STC’s CEO and Chief Economic Development Officer, Lisa Kuuttila, acknowledged each of the inventors for their work.
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Survey Open: New Mexico's Economic Future
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The University of New Mexico and its partners from the private and public sector have been planning an economic development summit. Some of you may have received information before the COVID shutdown. In light of New Mexico’s sense of urgency to envision a new economic future, we are asking for your creative help and valued input as we plan for a statewide Economic Summit that will build towards a prosperous New Mexico for generations to come.
The survey will close on May 15, 2020
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UNM School of Engineering Faculty and Students Producing Respirator Masks and Hand Sanitizer
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The UNM School of Engineering faculty and students are hard at work producing face masks for medical workers at UNM and medical providers across the state. Christina Salas, an assistant professor of the Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation at UNM and special assistant to the dean of the School of Engineering for Health Sciences Center relations, is coordinating these efforts. Heather Canavan, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is also supporting the community by producing fabric face masks and partnering with a local brewery, Broken Tail Brewery & Distillery, to produce and distribute hand sanitizer.
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UNM Inventors Release Paper Offering Insights on Covid-19
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Two scientists from the University of New Mexico, Dr. Graham Timmins and Dr. Vojo Deretic, released a paper on bioRxiv that offers insights as to why certain drugs have helped in COVID-19 therapy. See the released paper, “Azithromycin and ciprofloxacin have a chloroquine-like effect on respiratory epithelial cells,” on the bioRxiv website at
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.29.008631v1.full.pdf
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UNM Graduate Students Design Simple Ventilator for COVID-19 Patients
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A couple from the University of New Mexico, graduate students Mostafa Peysokhan and Maryam Bahmani, have designed a simple yet effective ventilator for COVID-19 patients. States in the U.S. and countries all around the world are finding it increasingly difficult to procure new ventilators as the numbers of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. To help combat this issue, Mostafa and Maryam have designed a ventilator that is inexpensive to make and easy to assemble. For step-by-step instructions on making this ventilator, visit Mostafa Peysokhan’s design page, “CorVent,” at
https://www.mpeysokhan.com/corvent,
and his YouTube video, “Very simple and cheap ventilator for Coronavirus patients,” at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPTDgdBdPhU&feature=youtu.be
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Welcome New STC Board Member - Christos G. Christodoulou, Ph.D.
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Join us in welcoming:
Jim and Ellen King Dean of Engineering and Computing
School of Engineering
Distinguished Professor
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
The University of New Mexico
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Lobo Rainforest Virtual Pitch Competition Winners Announced
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This year the competition was completely virtual, and students were given one chance to submit a 90-second pitch to be judged by industry leaders. The results are in and 10 students were awarded their share of the $4,750 prize pool.
The top three prizewinners of $1,000 include:
- Mechanical engineering graduate student Anthony Menicucci for Cloudshine, ArmaTech LLC, a product designed to predict solar irradiance
- Biochemistry graduate student Amelia Bierle for Disinfect Right to Fight, a cleaning solution that goes on red to help ensure the surface is fully saturated for proper disinfection
- Undergraduate chemical engineering and international studies student Tina Memariant, for the Retractable Smart Syringe, a syringe that automatically retracts to lessen the chance of accidents and/or re-use
The seven remaining finalists will each receive $250.
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In the Spotlight
Featured inventor in the STC 2020 calendar
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Plamen B. Atanassov, Ph.D.
Chancellor’s Professor
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Formerly, UNM Research Professor
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
The University of New Mexico
2014 STC Innovation Fellow
As the 2014 STC Innovation Fellow, Dr. Atanassov is recognized as an outstanding example of how one individual can have a tremendous impact on fostering a culture of innovation that is felt on the local, national and international level. His most notable achievements over the last few years have been the development of catalysts materials for the first platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in collaboration with Daihatsu Motor Co., a Toyota company.
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Webinar - Success Factors to Achieve Business Longevity
May 8, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
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Presented by
Stacy Sacco
, this webinar will examine the the long list of one-thousand year old businesses on the planet and how they stayed in business so long.
Stacy Sacco teaches entrepreneurial studies at the Anderson School of Management, serves as the Director of the UNM Small Business Institute and is President of Sacco Connections, a management consulting firm.
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Virtual Rainforest Mentor Office Hours
May 15, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
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Stacy Sacco
will also be available for one on one mentoring where he will give guidance, coaching and perspective to enhance entrepreneurship and provide connections to resources at UNM and in the community. There are many resources available to those who have ideas that they may want to turn into a business!
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NM Small Business Recovery: Take and Expand your Business Online - Part 1
Registration deadline is May 31, 2020
Online course runs from
June 1 through July 10, 2020
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The University of New Mexico's Innovation Academy and STC.UNM are offering a special course to help New Mexico businesses at this critical time for our state's economic recovery. This is made possible thru a grant from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration called the NM EDA Rainforest University Center.
During this time of economic uncertainty, many New Mexico small businesses need to build or increase their online presence to offset a decline in retail in-person traffic, as well as grow businesses beyond New Mexico borders.
The UNM online course for the community, New Mexico Small Business Recovery: Take and Expand your Business Online - Part 1, will teach businesses e-commerce techniques including developing storefronts and driving traffic to your store.
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