July 31, 2015 | Congratulations are in order for several NCAR staff members who have obtained patents for their inventions. The staff members were recognized during an awards ceremony at the Mesa Lab on July 8, 2015.

“Innovation is at the core of the work throughout our labs and programs. It's always an honor to gather inventors and celebrate their successes in receiving patents,” said Meg McClellan, UCAR's Chief Legal Officer.

“The patents are just one reflection of the hours and years of research that was undertaken by these individuals. These inventions really do reflect the old saying that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ - many were created out of a need to find a better solution to a problem.”

The NCAR|UCAR inventors and their patents are:

• Steve Semmer, John Militzer, and Gordon Maclean (all from EOL), “Self-Orienting Embedded In-Situ Flux System
• Steve Semmer, Steve Oncley, and Karl Schwenz (all from EOL), “Radiometer Including a Cleaning System”
• Jacob Fugal (formerly of EOL), “Method and System for High Volume Sample Rate Holographic Particle Measurement”
• Dirk Richther (formerly of EOL), “Optical Multi-Pass Cell”
• Roy Rasmussen (RAL), “Thermal Plate Precipitation Measurement System”
• David Johnson (RAL), “Optical Device for Correcting Geostationary Satellite Imagery for Earth Curvature Effects”  

NCAR|UCAR inventors receive patent awards at Mesa Lab ceremony. From left: Roy Rasmussen (RAL), Gordon Maclean (EOL), Steve Semmer (EOL), Karl Schwenz (EOL), David Johnson (RAL), and Interim UCAR President Michael Thompson. Not pictured: John Militzer (EOL) and Steve Oncley (EOL).

“It's enjoyable to be a part of creating new ideas," said engineer Steve Semmer. My colleagues in EOL have such a can-do attitude. Whether we're going into the field or designing a new instrument, we will take on any challenge.”

“Working at NCAR gives us that great balance between development and deployment," added software engineer Gordon Maclean. "This is where development gets recognized.”

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) oversees the patents program for NCAR|UCAR. To view their recent webcast on Copyright, trademark, or patent? and learn more about ways to protect and promote your work, visit the Intellectual Property Services for Staff page on OGC's newly relaunched website, which includes other new features.

Writer

Rebecca Swisher, Internal Communications Specialist

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