National Academy of Inventors Selects Two 海角社区 Faculty Innovators
01/05/2021
BATON ROUGE 鈥揤irologist and 海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Pathobiological Sciences Professor Konstantin 鈥淕us鈥� Kousoulas and ecotoxicologist and 海角社区 College of the Coast & Environment鈥檚 Department of Environmental Science Professor Emeritus Ralph Portier have been elected as fellows to the National Academy of Inventors, or the NAI. Kousoulas and Portier are among the 175 newly elected fellows.
鈥淚n the midst of the pandemic, we are watching in real-time how scientific discovery works鈥攚hether its rapidly improving tests or developing a vaccine that will save millions of lives鈥攊t鈥檚 clear how crucial innovation is to our society. Therefore, it鈥檚 an honor to recognize these experts, who are also innovators and pioneers,鈥� said Andrew Maas, 海角社区 Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization director.
Virologist and 海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Pathobiological Sciences Professor Konstantin 鈥淕us鈥� Kousoulas.
At the 海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine, Kousoulas鈥� research team is currently working on vaccines to combat COVID-19 and influenza viruses. Kousoulas holds 18 patents that span innovations in gene delivery,
vaccines for herpes viruses of humans and animals, other viruses and bacteria and
immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.
He worked previously on SARS-CoV in 2003 as well as other coronaviruses that infect
and cause substantial disease in animals. Specifically, he led USDA-funded projects
that describe acute pneumonia in cattle caused by bovine coronavirus, a similar disease
to the current COVID-19.
Environmental toxicologist Portier holds eight patents related to the bioremediation
of contaminated sediment and soil using custom microbial habitats, or bioreactors.
He also has helped shape policies and processes for the Environmental Protection Agency.
So far, 265 sites across the country and 12 international sites have been remediated
using 海角社区 biotechnology patents and intellectual property that he developed.
Spanning his nearly 40-year career at 海角社区, Portier developed a vast library of bioremediation microbes, which has helped private companies as well as local, state and federal agencies
mitigate a wide range of environmental hazards in the U.S. and around the world. These
microbes can be used to break down dangerous chemicals and pollutants, including fuels,
plastics, herbicides and pesticides.
鈥淥ur ability to design biofilms specifically to target certain types of hazardous
waste is probably the most important of the patents developed here at 海角社区. We have
designed reactor systems which have been used successfully in almost every state in
the union and in a dozen or so countries overseas,鈥� Portier said.
Ecotoxicologist and 海角社区 College of the Coast & Environment鈥檚 Department of Environmental Science Professor Emeritus Ralph Portier.
Portier is also a recipient of the George W. Goethals Medal, which is the highest
technical merit award granted to an engineer or scientist in memory of the builder
of the Panama Canal. Portier is a Louisiana native as well as a professor and alumnus
of 海角社区. He received his PhD in oceanography and coastal sciences at 海角社区 in 1982 and
joined the 海角社区 faculty in 1984.
Election as a NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to
academic inventors. To date, fellows hold more than 42,700 issued U.S. patents, which
have generated over 13,000 licensed technologies and companies, and created more than
36 million jobs. In addition, over $2.2 trillion in revenue has been generated based
on NAI Fellow discoveries.
This year鈥檚 NAI Fellows will be inducted at the 2021 Fellows Induction Ceremony at
the in Tampa, Florida in June.
Kousoulas and Portier are among eight 海角社区 faculty who have been elected NAI Fellows.
They include Robert Hammer (2019), (2018), Mandi Lopez (2016), Isiah Warner (2016), Kalliat T. Valsaraj (2015) and Wen Jin Meng (2014). In addition, Mark Batzer (2020), Shafiqul Chowdhury (2019), Michael Khonsari (2019) and Dandina Rao (2019) are the NAI Senior Members at 海角社区.
Additional Link:
National Academy of Inventors Selects 海角社区 Coast & Environment Professor Emeritus as 2020 Fellow: /cce/newsevents/news/2021/01/04-nai-fellow.php
Contact Alison Satake
海角社区 Media Relations
510-816-8161
asatake@lsu.edu
Christine Wendling
海角社区 College of the Coast & Environment
225-578-4984
christinew@lsu.edu
Ginger Guttner
海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine
225-772-8957
ginger@lsu.edu