innovator of the year

The CSU STRATA award for Innovative Excellence is presented to a faculty member whose work and intellectual property has attracted significant industry interest. The awardee’s technology is at the center of one or more commercial partnerships, or may even have been already developed into successful commercial products. With this award, CSU STRATA seeks to recognize research excellence that is leading to impact outside of the University through the commercial translation of discovery into innovative new products and solutions benefiting the lives of people around the world. The 2025 Innovator of the Year will be recognized at CSU Demo Day on April 15, 2025.

Innovator of the Year Thomas Sale credits success to opportunity, collaboration, and persistence

Thomas Sale, Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been named the 2024 CSU STRATA Innovator of the Year. The award honors a faculty member whose work and intellectual property is at the center of commercial partnerships or has been developed into successful commercial products.

“The Innovator of the Year recognizes accomplishments in our field that greatly exceed the norm, vis-à-vis new technologies making a real-world impact,” said Richard Magid, Vice President of Technology Transfer at STRATA.

In his 26 years at CSU, Sale secured 13 patents and commercialized several products in environmental engineering and contaminant hydrology. He has also received approximately $20 million in research funding, mostly from such major industry partners as DuPont, Chevron, DOW, ExxonMobil, Suncor Energy, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

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2021

PhotonPharma, Solaris Vaccines
Ray Goodrich

2020
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2019
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2018

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2017

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2016

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2014

Biopoly, YoungHeartValve
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2012
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2010

Abound Solar
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2008

Keen Ingredients
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XY Inc.
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2005

Optibrand
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2004

Numerica Corporation
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2003

Brotica
Louis Bjostad

2002
Steven Strauss

2001
Douglas Ishli

2000
Yian Shi

1996
Al Meyers

1995

XUV Lasers
Jorge Rocca

1994
Ralph Baker

1993
Bill Cotton, Roger Pielke

1992
Patrick Brennan

1991
Terry Nett

1990
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1989
Ken Goldsberry

1988
John Stille

1987
Jim Hudson, Alvin Hoerlein

1986
Bruce Dale

1985
Glenn Schmidt

1984
Gordon Niswender