[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 93 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                  FLORIDA INVENTORS HALL OF FAME 2018

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                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2018

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the seven inventors 
who have been recognized as the 2018 Inductees of the Florida Inventors 
Hall of Fame. In order to be named as an inductee, these inventors were 
nominated by their peers nationwide and have undergone the scrutiny of 
the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Selection Committee. As a result, 
their innovations have been identified as significantly impacting the 
quality of life, economic development, and welfare of their 
communities, the citizens of Florida, and the United States.
  The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame was founded in 2013 by Paul R. 
Sanberg, Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge 
Enterprise, and Judy Genshaft, President, at the University of South 
Florida. It was recognized by the Florida Senate with Senate Resolution 
1756, adopted on April 30, 2014. Its mission is to encourage 
individuals of all backgrounds to strive toward the betterment of 
Florida and society through continuous, groundbreaking innovation by 
celebrating the incredible scientific work that has been or is being 
accomplished in Florida and by its citizens.
  Nomination to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is open to all 
Florida inventors (living or dead) who are or have been residents of 
Florida. The nominee must be a named inventor on a patent issued by the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office. The impact of the inventor 
and his or her invention should be significant to society as a whole, 
and the invention should have been commercialized, utilized, or led to 
important innovations.
  The 2018 inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame are:
  Sara Blakely, Tampa Bay native and graduate of Florida State 
University in Tallahassee, who invented the renowned undergarment SPANX 
and built a billion dollar enterprise that has influenced fashion 
worldwide;
  Emery N. Brown, born and raised in Ocala, anesthesiologist-
statistician at Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard 
professor, who made significant contributions to the advancement of the 
science and practice of anesthesiology;
  Phillip A. Furman, St. Augustine resident and distinguished alumnus 
of the University of South Florida in Tampa, whose revolutionary 
discoveries led to the development of antiviral drugs that are used to 
treat some of the most insidious viral diseases;
  Richard A. Houghten, founder and CEO of Torrey Pines Institute for 
Molecular Studies, headquartered in Port St. Lucie, who has made a 
significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry through his novel 
approaches to drug discovery;
  Edwin A. Link (1904-1981), former trustee and vice president for the 
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University in 
Boca Raton, who invented the flight simulator, commercialized in 1929;
  Sudipta Seal, Trustee Chair, Pegasus and University Distinguished 
Professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, whose 
discoveries led to groundbreaking therapeutic applications in 
regenerative nano-medicine;
  Herbert Wertheim, optometric physician, graduate of the University of 
Florida in Gainesville, and honorary alumnus of Florida International 
University in Miami, who was the first to discover and produce 
ultraviolet light dye absorbers for eyeglass lenses.
  Innovation and invention are the building blocks of our nation. I 
applaud these highly accomplished individuals and the organizations 
that support them in their quest to change the world in ways that truly 
benefit humanity. Furthermore, it is because of the perseverance of 
these inventors that future generations are encouraged to reach beyond 
their limits and push the boundaries of innovation.

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