Science Coalition puts two UCLA profs in spotlight as top federally funded innovators
The Science Coalition has selected two UCLA researchers — Electrical Engineering Associate Professor Aydogan Ozcan (left) and Dr. Erik Dutson, an associate clinical professor of surgery — to exemplify the enormous contributions that federally funded university researchers make to the nation. The two are among six top researchers selected from around the country to represent scientists who fuel America’s innovation pipeline. They are featured in a new video series produced by the coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of the nation’s leading public and private research universities dedicated to sustaining strong federal funding of basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation and drive America’s global competitiveness.
The six researchers highlighted in the “Innovator” video series provide proof that when the federal government funds scientific research, the return to the American public far exceeds the initial investment, said Abby Benson, president of the Science Coalition and assistant vice president for research and federal relations at the University of Colorado.
Ozcan of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a novel technology that utilizes standard cell phone components to create mobile medical labs to aid in the fight against global disease.
Dutson, a surgeon with UCLA’s Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology, is focusing on giving surgeons better vision by interweaving technology and information among the surgeon, surgical tools and patient. He and his research team are working on training surgeons in computer-mediated, minimally invasive surgery.
“As the specter of automatic, across-the-board budget cuts draws closer, it is essential to remind people not just of the role that science-driven innovation plays in our economy, but also of the caliber of people who conduct that research on our behalf,” Benson said.
In addition to the video series, the Science Coalition has produced a complementary brochure and a new webpage that is dedicated to telling the stories of federally funded university researchers across the country. The work of these researchers, and many thousands of others, will drive innovations in medicine, technology, energy, safety and the environment – leading the way toward a healthier, more sustainable, secure and prosperous future for all Americans, according to the coalition
The videos on the two UCLA faculty members can be seen below. The links to all the videos are available here.
