[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1651-E1652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      13TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST INDIANA INNOVATION INDUCTION CEREMONY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2017

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and admiration 
that I congratulate Ivy Tech Community College and its regional 
partners who recently celebrated their 13th Annual Northwest Indiana 
Innovation Induction Ceremony. At the ceremony, which reflects the 
``Spirit of Innovation'' in Indiana, nineteen individuals and twenty-
one teams were inducted as members of the 2017-2018 Class of the 
Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana. Of these individuals, 
several members were inducted as Society Fellows for their exceptional 
efforts in innovation. These individuals are Dr. Teresa A. Eineman, 
Norman-David P. Fischer, Chris Mahlmann, and Michael E. Schrage. Also 
honored were the recipients of the Leonardo da Vinci Accelerating 
Greatness Award for Team Innovation, which include the Plate 
Accelerating Cooling Technology Team, a project of ArcelorMittal Global 
R&D, East Chicago, and its partners in France, along with Burns Harbor 
Plate, and the Arconic Power and Propulsion La Porte Engineering Team. 
The Hammond Group Incorporated was honored with the Chanute Prize for 
Team Innovation. In addition, Chenn Q. Zhou, Ph.D. was named the 2017-
2018 Gerald I. Lamkin Fellow for Innovation and Service. For their 
truly remarkable contributions to the community of Northwest Indiana

[[Page E1652]]

and their unwavering commitment to cultivate a culture of innovation, 
these honorees were inducted at Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, on October 
26, 2017.
  The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana was created by Ivy 
Tech 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 Lake County Campus is led by Chancellor R. Louie Gonzalez, 
Ivy Tech Community College. The importance of innovation in Northwest 
Indiana, as well as globally, is crucial in today's ever-changing 
economy.
  The fellows selected by the Society of Innovators were chosen for 
their innovative leadership throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond. 
Dr. Teresa A. Eineman, Superintendent, Crown Point Community School 
Corporation, implemented a continuous improvement model that applies 
proven business practices to education and has led to the overwhelming 
success of the high performing school district. Norman-David P. 
Fischer, Chief Engineer, The Fischer Group, invented an energy 
efficient compressed air desiccant dryer, a unique design that creates 
energy savings without using plant air for the drying process. The 
invention has been used at ArcelorMittal, providing over seven million 
kilowatts of energy savings annually. Chris Mahlmann is the founder of 
Ideas in Motion Media, which is an on line ``good news'' company that 
covers Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. Today, the company produces 
four editions and serves approximately 65,000 readers. Michael Schrage, 
Chairman, President, and CEO of Centier Bank in Merrillville, 
transformed a small family bank into the largest bank of deposit in 
Northwest Indiana; as well as Indiana's largest private bank.
  The Leonardo da Vinci Accelerating Greatness Award for Team 
Innovation was presented to the ArcelorMittal Global R&D Center, East 
Chicago, and its partners in France, along with Burns Harbor Plate, for 
creating a unique accelerating cooling technology called ACCtec, which 
greatly improves steel plate production and will make ArcelorMittal 
more competitive globally. The award was also presented to the Arconic 
Power and Propulsion La Porte Engineering Team. This group pioneered 
the manufacturing process for a newly invented single-piece casting for 
Pratt & Whitney's next generation Pure Power' Geared 
TurbofanTM jet engine. The casting is nicknamed the 
``cornerstone'' because its implementation laid the foundation for a 
$100 million plant expansion. The expansion has captured growing demand 
for advanced jet engine components and created more than 300 advanced 
manufacturing jobs since 2015.
   The Chanute Prize for Team Innovation was presented to The Hammond 
Group, Incorporated (HGI). In 2015, HGI completed its cutting-edge Lead 
Acid Battery Laboratory, which was created to improve battery 
performance in order to successfully meet the demands from automobile 
manufacturers and renewable energy markets.
   Chenn Q. Zhou, Ph.D. is the recipient of the 2017 Gerald I. Lamkin 
Fellow for Innovation and Service Award. Dr. Zhou is the founding 
director of the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization 
Consortium established at Purdue University Northwest. She has helped 
to successfully advance the steel industry by focusing on new and 
innovative technologies, including simulation and visualization.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in commending these noteworthy, inspiring innovators. The 
contributions each has made to society here in Northwest Indiana and 
worldwide are immeasurable and lifelong. For their truly brilliant 
innovative ideas, projects, and leadership, these recipients are worthy 
of the highest commendation.

                          ____________________