Dr. Feinerman Recognized for his Passion and Commitment to

Developing Novel Energy Conserving Technologies

It is with great honor and pleasure that the UIC Office of Technology Management (OTM) is proud to announce that Dr. Alan Feinerman has been named the 2011 UIC Inventor of the Year. Dr. Feinerman is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UIC. His groundbreaking research into the development of ultra-low thermal conductivity insulation panels combined wit h a firm dedication to seeing his discoveries transit from the lab to the marketplace are truly a reflection of the outstanding spirit of innovation and inventorship which exists across the UIC campus. The Inventor of the Year Award aims to recognize and honor an exceptional UIC inventor, or co-inventors, whose research efforts have led to the discovery and development of a technology that exhibits the potential to make a significant impact and contribution to both their field of study and to society. Dr. Feinerman is being recognized for his commitment to the design and development of energy conserving technologies, most notably his recent invention of a high-performance vacuum insulation panel (VIP) known as Klimate Kontrol™. It is hoped that in the future, use of this novel technology will result in a drastic reduction in the amount of energy required to heat and cool dwellings, or to refrigerate trucks used in the transport of perishable goods. Dr. Feinerman has estimated that his VIP can reduce diesel fuel consumption by 75 percent for refrigerated trailers and would save 360 million gallons of diesel fuel each year in the United States — “nearly the volume of the Willis Tower.” In addition, Dr. Feiner man is founder of Thermal Conservation Technologies (TCT), a UIC startup venture focused on commercializing the Klimate Kontrol™ panels. TCT was recently chosen as a finalist in the 2012 Clean Energy Challenge Competition which is sponsored by the Clean Energy Trust and seeks to ide ntify Midwest clean energy businesses with the potential to bring novel innovations to the marketplace. You can read more about Dr. Feinerman @ UIC News.The OTM would like to gratefully acknowledge all the UIC inventors who were nominated for the 2011 Inventor of the Year Award and would also like to thank members of the UIC community for the nominations which they submitted. Nominations were received from nearly all Colleges at UIC, which the OTM sees as reflective of a Community of Innovation growing across the campus.    

About the OTM

The mission of the UIC Office of Technology Management (OTM) is to encourage innovation, enhance research and facilitate economic development through the effective management, transfer, and commercialization of UIC technologies and intellectual property.   Our focus is on ensuring the results of the outstanding research at UIC are successfully transferred outside the University to drive economic growth in the State of Illinois and benefit the general public. Please continue to visit our website to keep up to date on new developments and initiatives our Office will be launching in the coming year.