Three groundbreaking technologies developed by UCF researchers have been recognized as among the top innovations to be presented at an international conference in two weeks.

The discoveries – each of them unrelated – will be presented at the 2015 TechConnect World Innovation Conference in Washington, D.C., from June 14-17. The annual event is designed to accelerate the commercialization of innovations out of the lab and into industry, and draws some of the brightest and most innovative researchers, funding agencies, national labs, international research organizations, universities, investors and corporate partners.

The University of Central Florida discoveries are among the top 20 percent of submittals selected to receive TechConnect Innovation Awards. The technologies include:

  • A method of using gold nanoparticles to screen for prostate and other types of cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases. The technology was developed by Qun “Treen” Huo of UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center. Huo also has a spinoff company, Nano Discovery Inc., that has developed the medical device used to examine test samples.
  • A color-changing tape that can be used at power plants and other facilities to detect hydrogen gas leaks. It’s being commercialized by HySense Technology, a company founded by Nahid Mohajeri of the Florida Solar Energy Center.
  • A nanoparticle system whose light-scattering properties can be controlled to display an image with depth perception – in essence, holographic — on non-powered transparent or opaque surfaces such as windshields, windows, glasses, handheld devices and even fabrics. The research was led by Ayman Abouraddy and Aristide Dogariu from the College of Optics and Photonics.

    • Another member of the UCF faculty, Jayan Thomas, will speak at the conference. Thomas, an assistant professor with the NanoScience Technology Center, the College of Optics and Photonics and the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was a finalist for a prestigious 2014 World Technology Network Award for his research on cables that can store and transmit energy.