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Consortium awards Lab research and tech transfer

Two representatives of the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) visited LLNL last Monday (Dec. 9) as part of a trip to the Bay Area to visit several federal laboratories.
 
The pair, Brian Suh, the Far West regional coordinator for the FLC and the director of technology transfer at the San Diego-based U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center, and Rick Shindell, a consultant who provides support to the FLC, also visited NASA Ames and the U.S. Department of Agriculture facility in Albany.

During their visit, Suh and Shindell presented LLNL's four FLC Far West regional awards for 2013. For more on the Lab's awards, see the Nov. 1 Newslinestory.

Before presenting the LLNL researchers and technology transfer professionals with their plaques, Suh provided an overview of the FLC and the federal agencies represented in the Far West region, as well as the resources and support available for technology transfer to assist federal agencies.

Suh particularly drew attention to LLNL's award for "outstanding commercialization success" -- for the licensing of digital polymerase chain reaction technology for DNA and RNA analysis -- as a premier example of technology transfer.

The aim of technology transfer, he noted, is to move technologies into the marketplace, start companies and create jobs.

The FLC is the nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides a forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking laboratory mission technologies with the marketplace. More information about the FLC can be obtained on the Web.

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This award was given to scientists from LLNL and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for developing a rapid method for detecting viable anthrax-causing spores. Shown left to right are: Rich Rankin, director of LLNL's Industrial Partnerships Office (IPO); researchers Gloria Murphy, Teneile Alfaro and Staci Kane; Brian Suh, Far West regional coordinator for the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC); and Charity Follett, a business development executive in the IPO and the Lab's representative to the FLC. Not pictured is LLNL researcher Sonia Letant. See photo.

This award honors the work of LLNL and 11 partner institutions for developing the Earth System Grid Federation to serve the data-driven needs of the climate research community. Shown left to right are: Rich Rankin, director of the LLNL Industrial Partnerships Office; researchers Gavin Bell, James "Jim' McEnerney, Dean N. 'Williams, Jeff Painter, Charles Doutriaux, Matthew Harris, Elo Leung and Renata McCoy; Brian Suh, Far West regional coordinator for the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC); researcher Carla Hardy; and Charity Follett, a business development executive in the IPO and the Lab's representative to the FLC. Not pictured is retired LLNL researcher Bob Drach. See photo.

This award was presented for the work of a team of LLNL scientists and engineers that developed a safe and versatile material, known as DNA Tagged Reagents for aerosol experiments (DNATrax), that can be used to reliably and rapidly diagnose airflow patterns and problems in both indoor and outdoor venues. Shown left to right are: Rich Rankin, director of the LLNL Industrial Partnerships Office; researchers Sally Hall, Cindy Thomas, George Farquar, Maxim Shusteff and Ruth Udey; Brian Suh, Far West regional coordinator for the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC); and Charity Follett, a business development executive in the IPO and the Lab's representative to the FLC. Not pictured are researchers Elizabeth Wheeler, Beth Vitalis, Roald Leif, Brian Baker and Christine Hara. See photo.