Innovation finalists announced

A suicide prevention app, a laser sensor to measure aircraft speed, and a toolkit for point-of-care DNA diagnostics are three technologies in the running for the 2013 UNSW Innovation Awards.
Twenty-eight UNSW researchers behind 13 different innovations – in some cases, developed with partner organisations – have been announced as finalists.
The annual Innovation Awards are coordinated by the University’s commercialisation company NewSouth Innovations (NSi) and recognise major research discoveries and inventions made by staff and students.
This year the categories for entrants included both early stage and advanced stage innovation. Some of the finalists across both categories include:

• A team of chemical engineers led by Dr Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou, which has synthesised a new nanoparticle with remarkable hydrogen storage properties.
• Dr Sean O’Byrne, an aerospace engineer from UNSW Canberra, who has developed a low-cost laser-based sensor that can measure the velocity of an aircraft in flight.
• Professor Helen Christensen, a mental health researcher at UNSW and head of the Black Dog Institute, who has designed a mobile app to help people deal with suicidal thoughts and psychological distress.
• Professor Maria Kavallaris, a cancer researcher from Medicine, who has developed a “first-in-class” therapy for lung cancer.
• A team of UNSW students that has developed a technology that could be suitable for point-of-care DNA testing, enabling rapid diagnosis of certain infectious diseases.

For a full list of finalists visit the NewSouth Innovations website.
Last year’s overall Innovation Award was won by a team that developed a technique to breed bacteria that can break down industrial pollutants in groundwater. 
The winners will be announced on 12 September 2013.
Media Contact: Myles Gough, UNSW Media Office, 02 9385 1933
Image: A low-cost laser-based sensor to measure air speed. The technology could augment existing instruments and improve aircraft safety. (Credit:Sven Wittig)