[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16688-16689]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         8TH ANNUAL ``SPIRIT OF INNOVATION'' INDUCTION CEREMONY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2012

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sincerity and admiration 
that I offer congratulations to Ivy Tech Community College Northwest 
and its regional partners, who recently celebrated their 8th Annual 
``Spirit of Innovation'' Induction Ceremony. At the ceremony, thirty 
individuals and teams were inducted as members of the 2012-2013 class 
of the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana. Of these 
individuals, certain members

[[Page 16689]]

were inducted as Society Fellows for their exceptional efforts in 
innovation, including Eugene S. Smotkin, Ph.D., Pearl Prince, Olga 
Petryszyn, Gus Olympidis, and Neal H. Haskell, Ph.D. Additionally, 
Gregg A. VanDusseldorp Sr. was honored at the event with the Gerald I. 
Lamkin Fellow for Innovation and Service, a special recognition named 
for the president of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. Also 
honored were the Chanute Prize team recipients, the Center for 
Innovation through Visualization and Simulation of Purdue University 
Calumet and ``S-in motion,'' ArcelorMittal Global R&D Center, East 
Chicago. For their truly remarkable contributions to the community of 
Northwest Indiana and their continuous efforts to cultivate a culture 
of innovation, these honorees were inducted during a prestigious event 
that took place at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, on October 
18, 2012.
   The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana was created by 
Chancellor J. Guadalupe Valtierra of 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.
   These five Fellows selected by the Society of Innovators were chosen 
for their extraordinary innovative leadership and the impact of their 
accomplishments throughout the community of Northwest Indiana and the 
world. Eugene S. Smotkin, Ph.D. is a professor of Chemistry at 
Northwestern University and the Chief Executive Officer of NuVant 
Systems, Incorporated in Crown Point. NuVant develops and distributes 
electrochemical equipment and materials for the research and 
development, manufacturing, and educational markets. Pearl Prince is 
the principal of Frankie Woods McCullough Girls Academy in Gary, the 
city's first public all girls school for kindergarten through seventh 
grade students. Pearl developed and implemented an educational model 
that has led the academy to become an award winning elementary school 
for students from low income areas. Olga Petryszyn was named one of the 
top hosta plant hybridizers in the United States. Since 1993, she has 
registered twenty-four hosta plants with twenty-two varieties 
commercialized. In 2012, the world famous ``Niagara Falls'' variety was 
honored by the American Hosta Society. Gus Olympidis, Founder and Chief 
Executive Officer of Family Express, developed a nationally recognized 
business model that measures up to global competitors. The business 
model includes the ``Living Brand'' for customer service, innovative 
logistics, and state-of-the-art technology linking the 57 stores to 
their headquarters in Valparaiso. Neal Haskell, Ph.D., Saint Joseph 
College, Rensselaer, is one of the foremost scientists of forensic 
entomology in the world. Using his expertise of the life cycles of 
insects to determine time and location of death in criminal cases, Dr. 
Haskell is a pioneer and truly an innovative leader. He has assisted 
the FBI, Indiana State Police, New York State Police, Florida 
Department of Law Enforcement, and Canada's Office of the Chief 
Coroner, among others, with criminal cases across the county and 
throughout the world.
   I am also honored to represent Gregg A. VanDusseldorp Sr., who was 
awarded the Gerald I. Lamkin Fellow for Innovation and Service. Gregg 
is the President of Omnitech Systems, Incorporated in Valparaiso, 
Indiana. Gregg founded this medical device company that has developed 
products to assist with surgeries associated with urology and 
gynecology. He currently holds eight patents for products that are used 
by surgeons worldwide.
   Finally, the recipients of the Chanute Prize for Team Innovation 
should be commended for their contributions. The Center for Innovation 
through Visualization and Simulation of Purdue University Calumet has 
been able to save more than $30 million dollars for local business, 
industry, and communities by implementing its modeling, visualization 
and simulation technologies, researchers. Additionally, ``S-in motion'' 
is a revolutionary concept of designing lighter and safer automobiles 
utilizing new steel products that was created with the assistance of 
ArcelorMittal Global R&D Center in East Chicago. This innovative 
program works to create steel for automobiles that reduces the weight 
of vehicles in order to meet higher fuel standards and to guarantee the 
use of steel in automobiles in the future.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
commending these outstanding innovators. The contributions they have 
made to society, here in Northwest Indiana and worldwide, are 
immeasurable and lifelong. For their truly brilliant innovative ideas, 
projects, and leadership, each recipient is worthy of the highest 
commendation.

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