09/29/2008

We at bwtech@UMBC are proud to announce that Kathleen and Frank Turano, founders and owners of Plant Sensory Systems, an Incubator company, have received an Innovator of the Year Award from The Daily Record. The awards are presented annually to Maryland residents and companies who have introduced innovations that have had a positive effect on their business, industry or community. Founded in July 2007, Plant Sensory Systems is an agricultural biotechnology company that is developing plants that can help the environment by producing oils for biofuels or by requiring less nitrogen in fertilizer, thereby decreasing chemical run-off into streams and rivers.

Also among the winners is Kris Appel, a graduate of bwtech's ACTiVATE program, which trains mid-career women to start businesses based on technologies developed at area universities and research institutions. Appel is the CEO of EncorePath, which develops rehabilitation devices that aid stroke survivors. The company is based at the Emerging Technology Center in Canton.

More information about the awards, including a list of this year's winners, can be found here: http://www.mddailyrecord.com/events.cfm?fuseaction=eventDetail&eventID=2