L-R: Prabhas V. Moghe, executive vice president for Academic Affairs and chief academic officer; Michael E. Zwick, senior vice president for Research; Ag Innovation Award team members Ivelisse Irizarry and Kathryn Kingsley; Ag Innovation Award winner James White; Deborah Perez Fernandez, executive director of Technology Transfer; and Vincent Smeraglia, executive director of New Ventures. Photo credit: Rutgers Office for Research.
James White, Professor in the Department of Plant Biology, was presented with the Agriculture Innovation Award at the first-ever Rutgers Innovation Awards that recognized researchers who have demonstrated excellence by developing a breakthrough idea, process, or technology that has the potential to improve lives and create economic value.
White was honored along with members of his research team, Kathryn Kingsley, former graduate student and current manager in the White lab; Kurt Kowalski, wetland ecologist and research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Xiaoquin Chang, post-doc in the White lab; Matthew Elmore, associate extension specialist in weed science, Department of Plant Biology; and Ivelisse Irizarry, former graduate student and now Assistant Professor at InterAmerican University in Puerto Rico.
Professor James White speaks after being presented the Agriculture Innovation Award.
“I am surprised, pleased and honored that we are receiving this award on innovation in agriculture,” said White. “We conducted this research to have a positive impact in agriculture and conservation biology. This innovation award is an indication that we are in fact having a positive impact. The entire research team is grateful for this award.”
The Rutgers Office for Research celebrated the awardees, who were either nominated by their peers or self-nominated and then reviewed by external experts. The inaugural event also celebrated current Rutgers inventors who were issued U.S. patents during the fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway opened the event with a video tribute, followed by speakers that included Prabhas V. Moghe, executive vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer, and Michael E. Zwick, senior vice president for Research.
“Today is a day for highlighting the best of the university and honoring those who work so hard to achieve these innovations – research faculty, staff, postdocs and students alike,” said Holloway. “Across Rutgers, we see breakthrough research, award-winning scholarships, and deeply inspiring creative endeavors. I am proud of the nearly 150 applications we received and the fantastic work that stood behind each of them. I salute those who won awards, those who were recognized for patents issued over the past two years, and those who completed technology transfer training. Together, you give us countless reasons to take pride in Rutgers research and innovation.”
“Empowered through scholarship and novel endeavors, the Rutgers Innovation Award honorees are model innovators whose work seeks to transform lives and address some of the most pressing challenges facing society today,” said Moghe. “Their commitment to advancing knowledge and pushing the boundaries of science and technology reflects the highest ideals of academic excellence and serves as an inspiration to all of us. I congratulate each honoree on this most-deserved recognition.”
Attendees at the inaugural Rutgers Innovation Awards in 2024 hosted by the Rutgers Office for Research.
“The winners of the inaugural Rutgers Innovation Awards have made remarkable inventions and discoveries, and they represent why we are all here: to translate our research into solutions for societal challenges, and to change the world,” said Zwick. “The incredible researchers being recognized tonight are why Rutgers continues to become an ever greater 21st century research and innovation powerhouse. Their inventions improve our increasingly interconnected and complex world, and I congratulate them on being honored for their contributions.”
Teams of experts in each award field scored winners based on metrics such as novelty, competitive advantage, impact, utility and socio-economic value of the innovation, and significance of the problem solved.
Read more in the original Rutgers Office for Research article.
