CIS Research Spin-Off Honored by Local Businesses
Life Technologies, LLC, a tech transfer company that resulted from Professor Steve Fickas' research group, has been nominated as finalist for an Emerald Award for Innovation. The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce developed the Emerald Awards program to honor businesses in the Eugene and Springfield area that contribute to the community's vitality and quality of life. Emerald Awards are given in four categories: Innovation, Growth, Environmental Values, and Community Caring. Each award represents a core principle of sustainability and demonstrates the important connection between the success of local businesses and the quality of life in Eugene/Springfield. The other nominees for Innovation are Invitrogen Molecular Probes and Rafter Footwear Company, which makes sandals from recycled water bottles and tires. Award winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Hult Center on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
Life Technologies provides a subscriber email service for over 50 people with cognitive disabilities. The original research was part of a five-year grant with principle investigators Prof. Steve Fickas in Computer and Information Science, and Prof. McKay Sohlberg in Communication Diseases and Disorders in the School of Education. The grant was funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and provided funding for about ten graduate and undergraduate students from both departments. The design of the software used a Participant Assisted Research (PAR) model to develop the product with active input from the cognitively disabled community, and the software was released as open source, so other assistive technology companies can also use it as a standard interface. Life Technologies is now developing an new product, Television Assistance Program (TAP), a TV-based system for in-home rehabilitation.
For more information, about Life Technologies' email product, go to Coglink.com.