NUtech Ventures hosted its annual Innovator Celebration on Nov. 17, an event that highlighted research, innovation and community. The gathering, held at Nebraska Innovation Campus, recognized faculty, staff and students whose discoveries are improving lives and fueling economic growth across the state. 

The event kicked off the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s annual Nebraska Research Days. 

“Today’s celebration is our opportunity to recognize the creativity, dedication and collaborative spirit that drive innovation and commercialization across the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” said Cheryl Horst, president and interim executive director of NUtech Ventures, in her opening remarks. She highlighted the partners who make research translation possible, including innovators, administrators, NUtech staff, community partners and intellectual property law collaborators. 

Jen Nelson, interim vice chancellor for research and innovation, also spoke at the event, underscoring the importance of celebrating the real-world outcomes of research.  

“Innovation and translational research are integral to Nebraska’s research mission and help ensure the work we do here on campus reaches farms, clinics, schools, and businesses,” Nelson said. 

Nelson said that during fiscal year 2025, Husker innovators disclosed 144 new inventions, received 36 issued patents, and secured 26 licensing agreements. Also in that time period, NUtech’s licensing revenue totaled $5.3 million, with $4.1 million distributed back to inventors, colleges and the campus. 

The event culminated in the presentation of five awards honoring standout achievements in innovation, technology development, entrepreneurship and commercialization.  

Emerging Innovator of the Year award: Jun Wang 

Jun Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, received the Emerging Innovator of the Year award for his advances in power electronics and semiconductor packaging – critical technologies for next-generation energy systems. 

Wang’s research focuses on converter hardware for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems and new semiconductor packaging that enables ultra-efficient energy infrastructure. These innovations support rapidly expanding needs in AI data centers, electric-vehicle fast-charging networks and even future space exploration. 

“Our work is the foundation to enabling an ultra-efficient, compact, scalable, resilient, and future-ready electrical infrastructure,” Wang said. “This will fundamentally change human advancement.” 

NUtech Ventures partners closely with Wang to support patenting, proposal development and market pathways for his technologies.  

“They will discuss technical details with me to let me know these rules behind and how to avoid disclosure of important information,” Wang said. “They are also doing a great job in helping me form the technology-market pathway.” 

Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award: Sean Carr 

The Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Sean Carr, CEO and lead scientist of Molecular Trait Evolution. The Lincoln-based startup is turning some of the world’s strangest microbiology into renewable-energy solutions for agriculture. 

MTE engineers extremophiles – microbes that thrive in boiling vents, acidic lakes and other extreme environments – to break down tough agricultural waste and convert it into biofuels and valuable biochemicals. 

“Life shouldn’t work there, but it does,” Carr said, “and the things that do live there allow us to do things that shouldn’t be possible.” 

MTE’s flagship system, Extremase, is an enzyme cocktail that converts non-food plant waste into sugar for ethanol fermentation and biorefining. Carr and his team believe the technology could strengthen the United States’ position as a global leader in fuel ethanol production and expand the biotech industry’s ability to use alternative feedstocks – all while reducing agricultural waste.  

Carr said NUtech’s mentorship, industry connections and commercialization support were essential to taking the technology from concept to company.  

“Every new innovation that we have is something that no one has seen before.” 

Breakthrough Innovation of the Year award: Neuromorphic MEMS Sensor Network 

Fadi Alsaleem, James S. and Virginia A. Blackman Associate Professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, received the Breakthrough Innovation of the Year award for developing a Neuromorphic MEMS Sensor Network – technology that performs computation directly at the sensor. 

“For the first time, we can do computing at the sensor level,” Alsaleem said. “That’s huge, because now you eliminate the need for all the overhead circuitry for signal processing and digital conversion.” 

By integrating machine learning with micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), Alsaleem’s sensors can collect data, analyze it and make decisions without needing a separate computer. This reduces power consumption and enables long-term monitoring in remote or resource-limited environments, from bridge safety to wearable devices. 

After securing federal funding, patent protection and early prototypes, Alsaleem is now exploring commercialization opportunities with NUtech Ventures.  

“It’s a full cycle here – from idea to commercialization is being covered by the university, which I’m really excited about,” he said. 

Startup Company of the Year award: A+ Berry 

The Startup Company of the Year award went to A+ Berry, founded by Husker food scientists Xiaoqing Xie and Changmou Xu. Their company is transforming the aronia berry – a native Midwest fruit with high antioxidant levels but a notoriously bitter taste – into flavorful, functional health products. 

Using a patented clean-processing method, A+ Berry removes the berry’s natural astringency while preserving its high nutritional value. The company now produces Aro Juice, Aro Powder and Aro Boost, available in more than 150 retail stores nationwide. 

“We want to use our technology to develop a good product, a tasty and healthy product for consumers,” Xie said. “And we want to show the world how the regional crops powered by university innovation can become export-ready and good for you.” 

Prem S. Paul Innovator of the Year award: Carrick Detweiler 

The event’s highest honor, the Prem S. Paul Innovator of the Year award, was presented to Carrick Detweiler, co-founder and CEO of Drone Amplified and professor of computing. 

Detweiler’s company develops drone-mounted systems for wildfire response, mainly IGNIS, a payload that safely deploys chemical ignition spheres used in backburning and prescribed fires. 

Firefighters can now conduct controlled burns at night, in smoke and at a distance – conditions unsafe for piloted aircraft. Hundreds of IGNIS units are deployed across the country, used by federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. 

“Firefighters are now using our system on pretty much every major wildfire that’s happening in the country,” Detweiler said. 

Drone Amplified grew directly from Detweiler’s UNL research lab and now employs engineers and technicians in both Lincoln and New Jersey. NUtech Ventures played a key role in early business-model development, intellectual property protection and scaling the technology. 

“Without NUtech, we would not be where we are today,” Detweiler said. 

Celebrating Nebraska’s innovation ecosystem 

As the event concluded, Horst encouraged attendees to connect, collaborate and continue driving research toward real-world impact.  

“Your hard work, creativity and dedication continue to strengthen our university and make an impact far beyond campus,” she said. 

With groundbreaking technologies, thriving startups and strong partnerships across campus and industry, this year’s awardees reflect the momentum of Husker innovation and its far-reaching benefits for Nebraska and beyond. 

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