U.S. Awards Three New STEM-related Patents to Morgan State University
MSU Faculty Inventors Contribute Innovation in Crucial Fields
BALTIMORE — Morgan State University (MSU) received three United States patents awarded in the spring and summer of 2020 — an unprecedented number for the university in a single year — for inventions conceived by teams that include Morgan faculty. The innovations are representative of the University’s commitment to evidence-based research designed to meet the needs and challenges of diverse stakeholder communities. MSU’s roster of patent-holding technologies bridge advancements in critical science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-related fields including alternative energy, aquaculture, environmental remediation, and military and cellphone communications.
(Photo Courtesy of Morgan State University)
The recent awards bring to seven the total number of U.S. patents awarded to MSU, all since the university established its Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) in 2016. Last year, Morgan filed a record 20 new U.S. patent applications. Currently there are 26 U.S. utility patents pending in Morgan’s growing portfolio. In 2018, a report by an independent consultant revealed that Morgan generated significantly more patents and other key innovation outputs and outcomes per research dollar than the state and national averages for research universities.
The three patents awarded thus far this year include:
Patent No. US 10,626,363, awarded to Morgan on April 21 for “Engineered Cyanobacteria with Enhanced Salt Tolerance,” an invention of Viji Sitther, Ph.D., MSU associate professor of biology, and Behnam Tabatabai, Ph.D., MSU lab manager.Patent No. US 10,673,469, awarded to Morgan on June 2 for a “Multi-Band Multi-Mode Software Defined Radio,” which was created by a team of MSU researchers: Willie L. Thompson II, D.Eng., senior principal investigator of Morgan’s Center for Excellence in Tactical and Advanced Communication Technologies (CETACT) from 2009 to 2019, and Morgan engineers Samuel Berhanu and Jan-Paul Alleyne. Patent No. US 10,688,541, awarded to Morgan and a partnering company on June 23 for a “Portable Shellfish Basket Washer,” a three-part system that automates the time-consuming, manual process of cleaning and restoring the shellfish baskets used in the cultivation of oysters.
