[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 26, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S10152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING DR. WILLIAM C. TORCH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Dr. William 
C. Torch of Reno, NV, who has been selected as a recipient of the 
prestigious Tibbetts Award. Significantly, Dr. Torch is the first 
individual from Nevada to receive this honor.
  Each year the U.S. Small Business Administration celebrates the 
accomplishments of a handful of firms, organizations, and individuals 
nationwide with the Tibbetts Award, the agency's highest recognition 
for innovative technology. Named for Roland Tibbetts, the father of the 
Small Business Innovation Research Program, the award honors those who 
best exemplify the philosophy and doctrine of the SBIR Program. 
Recipients are selected based on overall business achievements, the 
economic impact of technological innovations, and demonstration of 
successful collaboration, among other factors. An individual may only 
win once in his or her lifetime.
  Considering the purpose of the Tibbetts Award, I find it very 
appropriate Dr. Torch is a recipient. A neurologist specializing in 
sleep disorders, Dr. Torch has long been an innovative leader in 
modern, medical research, and social improvement. I have been very 
impressed by Dr. Torch's unique contributions to the field of medicine 
and the State of Nevada.
  Dr. Torch is perhaps best known as the inventor of EYE-COM, a 
biosensor that monitors the frequency and speed of the human eye blink. 
Small enough to hide inside of a pair of glasses, EYE-COM uses an alarm 
to alert wearers if they begin blinking slower than normal. Already 
this technology has had profound social effects; it holds great 
potential for even more social and medical utility in the future.
  For example, EYE-COM has improved the therapy and lives of many 
patients by allowing them to better interact with the world around 
them. In a 2002 interview, Dr. Torch said he hoped truckers and pilots 
would use EYE-COM to warn them if they were getting too tired, thereby 
increasing the safety of our Nation's airspace and highways. Law 
enforcement officers might also use the device to determine if 
individuals were driving while impaired. As I speak, researchers across 
the country are working to cultivate the inherent potential of EYE-COM.
  Beyond being a noteworthy inventor, Dr. Torch has significant 
business achievements to his credit. He is the founder and director of 
the EYEcom Corporation, the Neurodevelopmental and Neurodiagnostic 
Center, and Washoe Sleep Disorders Center in Reno, NV, which is 
accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He is also the 
founder of Sleep-Management, a Nevada corporation, specializing in jet 
lag and shift work fatigue research. From 1998 to 2003, he was the 
director of neurology at Northern Nevada Medical Center.
  Dr. Torch, who has been licensed in Nevada since 1979, received his 
medical degree with distinction in research and a master's degree in 
neurochemistry from the University of Rochester. He received his 
bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Brooklyn College. He completed 
a residency in pediatrics and a residency and fellowship in child and 
adult neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, 
NY.
  The Tibbetts Award presentation ceremony is on September 26, 2006, in 
Washington. I wish to congratulate Dr. Torch on this significant 
achievement and express my confidence that he has great contributions 
yet to come. I hope that you will join me in recognizing Dr. Torch's 
significant achievement.

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