Michael Goldfarb, the H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt, was among three finalists for the first Governor’s Award for Innovation Excellence for his development of a bionic leg.
The award recognizes Tennesseans “whose dedication to enhancing our world through innovation has made a major impact on society” and it was presented last week by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam during the inaugural Governor’s Innovation Conference at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel.
Jeffrey Conn, who directs the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD), won the award for his efforts to accelerate the discovery of new drugs for Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and other brain disorders.
The conference was hosted by the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation, a non‐profit organization that seeks to increase statewide science and technology business development, and by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Alan Bentley, assistant vice chancellor for Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Development, and David Owens, Ph.D., professor of the Practice and Management of Innovation at the Owen Graduate School of Management, moderated panel discussions during meeting.
For more information, go to www.tntechnology.org/conference.