Heller Receives Inventor of the Year Award

Adam Heller, acclaimed chemical engineering research professor and professor emeritus, will be honored at the first University of Texas at Austin Inventor of the Year Awards on December 6 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center from 5:30-7 p.m.

The event honors faculty members whose inventions have changed the world.  Heller will be recognized for developing the Freestyle and Freestyle Navigator Glucose Monitoring Systems, which offer painless methods for diabetics to measure blood glucose levels.

Heller’s Freestyle system requires minuscule blood samples and frees users to test on forearms and not just the fingers.  The Freestyle Navigator makes it easier for diabetics to regulate glycemia with continuous readings provided every minute through wireless transmitters. Both products were ground-breaking for diabetes management and improved the quality of life of millions.

In 2008 he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technical achievement awarded by the United States President, for developing these products.  With 102 patents, including 35 still in use, Heller holds more patents than any other faculty member at the university. 

John Goodenough, professor of mechanical engineering, will also be honored at the event.  Goodenough developed the lithium-ion battery, the rechargeable power supply for electronics including cellular and smart phones, music players, tablets and electric and hybrid vehicles. 

Another 48 faculty members who received U.S. patents from Sept. 1, 2010-Aug. 31, 2011 (the university’s fiscal year) will also be acknowledged.

Watch the video about this year’s award recipients, produced by the Cockrell School of Engineering.