[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 191 (Tuesday, December 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2238-E2239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE SOCIETY OF INNOVATORS CLASS OF 2011-2012

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2011

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to commend Ivy 
Tech Community College Northwest and its regional partners, who 
recently celebrated their 7th Annual ``Spirit of Innovation'' Induction 
Ceremony, in which twenty-three individuals and sixteen teams were 
inducted as members of the 2011-2012 class of the Society of Innovators 
of Northwest Indiana. Individuals were selected from these new members 
and inducted as Society Fellows for their exceptional efforts in 
innovation. These individuals include: Mayor Jon Costas, Robert Johnson 
III, Julie Rizzo, Angela Hambling, and Janet Brown, Ph.D. Also honored 
was the Chanute Prize team recipient, IVDiagnostics at Entech, 
Valparaiso. For their outstanding efforts, these honorees were inducted 
during a prestigious event that took place in the Pavilion Ballrooms 
located at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, on October 20, 
2011.
  The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana was created by Ivy 
Tech Northwest with the goal of highlighting and encouraging innovative 
individuals and groups within the not-for-profit, public, and private 
sectors, as well as building a ``Culture of Innovation'' in Northwest 
Indiana. The importance of innovation in Northwest Indiana, as well as 
globally, is crucial in today's ever-changing economy.
  The five Fellows selected by the Society of Innovators were chosen 
for their remarkable

[[Page E2239]]

diversity of innovation and the impact of their efforts throughout the 
community of Northwest Indiana. The 2011-2012 individuals named Society 
Fellows are as follows: Mayor Jon Costas, of Valparaiso, has worked 
hard to ensure that the City of Valparaiso is an innovative leader. 
Revitalizing the downtown area, creating a new urban park, improving 
the city's infrastructure, and launching a citywide bus service, as 
well as a commuter bus to Chicago, are some of the many outstanding 
projects completed under the direction of Mayor Costas. Robert Johnson 
III is the President/CEO of Cimcor, Inc., Merrillville. Robert 
developed cutting edge information technology security software that 
takes real time change detection to the next level by offering instant 
remediation of unauthorized changes. This security software system is 
used by the United States Army and the National Nuclear Security 
Administration, among others. Julie Rizzo is the President of US 
Greenworks, LLC and is also Executive Director of My Choice Recycling, 
Saint John. Julie's network of granite recycling centers has saved an 
estimated five million pounds of granite and stone scraps from being 
dumped into landfills nationwide. Angela Hambling, Principal of Rolling 
Prairie Elementary School in La Porte County, created an offsite 
activities center that is used to improve the educational outcome of 
underserved minority students. Angela, along with school administrators 
and teachers, was able to help over 100 students this past year. As a 
result of this exceptional program, the school's status was raised to 
``exemplary.'' Janet Brown, Ph.D. is the Dean of the College of 
Nursing, Valparaiso University. Under Dr. Brown's direction, the 
College of Nursing's enrollment went from 25 students to 350 
undergraduate students, 45 master's program students, and 28 doctoral 
students. Dr. Brown also initiated the overseas ``cultural immersion'' 
experiences for nursing students.
  The recipient of the Chanute Prize for Team Innovation is: 
IVDiagnostics at Entech Innovation Center, Valparaiso. IVDiagnostics 
launched a new diagnostic tool to help in the fight against cancer by 
indentifying rare circulating tumor cells in vivo. This procedure is 
non-toxic and also helps to eliminate issues that arise in current 
methods, which calculate high false positives and negatives. 
Preclinical studies have been conducted at two medical centers which 
illustrate the effectiveness of this innovative technology.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
commending these outstanding innovators on being named Society Fellows 
and the Chanute Prize recipient. Their dedication and commitment to 
innovation is truly an inspiration. Their years of hard work have 
played a major role in shaping future development in Northwest Indiana 
and communities worldwide, and each recipient is worthy of the highest 
praise.

                          ____________________