GARY | Ivy Tech Community College Northwest announced the 2011–12 finalist candidates for Fellows and the Chanute Prize for Team Innovation in The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana.
"These finalists demonstrate great talent and stunning diversity in innovation across the region," said J. Guadalupe Valtierra, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College Northwest.
Up to six of the individuals will be inducted as Fellows along with the Chanute Prize recipient during the seventh annual Innovators Induction Ceremony, set for 5:15 p.m. Oct. 20 at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.
Ivy Tech Northwest launched The Society in 2005 through its Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.
Finalist candidates for Fellows include:
• Janet Brown, dean of the Valparaiso University College of Nursing, for launching overseas cultural immersion experiences for nursing students.
• Kevin Brunski, Crown Point dentist, for inventing a personal identification system involving a chip for implantation in a tooth or dental prosthetic.
• Mayor Jon Costas of Valparaiso, for creating a "culture of innovation."
• William Halliar, of Hammond, for launching the Alternative Power Initiative to encourage alternative ideas for power sources through the "Race for the Future."
• Angela Hambling, principal of Rolling Prairie Elementary School, for creating an activities center that lifted the educational outcomes for minority students in a mobile home community.
• Henry Hansen, a retired engineer from Portage, for inventing a process at U.S. Steel Gary Works that results in a "brilliant" finish on automobiles.
• Robert Johnson, president of Cimcor in Merrillville, for developing cutting edge IT security software.
• Julie Rizzo, president of US Greenworks and executive director for My Choice Recycling in St. John, for launching a national granite recycling initiative.
• Carolyn Saxton, executive director, Lubeznik Center for the Art, for expanding an after–hours gallery event as a catalyst to make Michigan City an "artists' colony."
• Mayor Joseph Stahura of Whiting, for improving government efficiency, building partnerships with neighboring communities, and revitalizing infrastructure.
• U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky for launching The Marquette Project with the goal of reclaiming at least 75 percent of the lakeshore for public use.
Finalist Candidates for the Chanute Prize include:
• IVDiagnostics at Entech in Valparaiso, for launching a new diagnostic tool to fight cancer that is non–toxic and eliminates the problem of current methods.
• SolaRover Manufacturing in Michigan City, led by Winn Machine Inc. and MCTD Inc., that designs and builds highly portable and zero emissions solar generators.
• Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk, the first project of the Marquette Plan that today is an internationally recognized park.
For more information, contact John Davies, assistant director of the Lamkin Center., at (219) 981–1111 ext. 2292.
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