Two FAMU Researchers Named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members

Two FAMU Researchers Named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members

Two Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS) professors were recently named in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) 2022 Class of Senior Members. 

Satayanryan Dev, Ph.D., associate professor and program chair of biological systems engineering, and Charles Magee, Ph.D., professor of biological systems engineering, were named as members of the world’s best emerging academic inventors. Senior Members are elected annually on National Inventors’ Day, February 11.

The announcement came just days after Magee received his latest patent for various embodiments directed to an anti-icing and ultra-violet reflective apparatus for vehicle windshields and windows. With patent No.11,370,285 B2, the Anti-Icing and Ultraviolet (UV) Reflective Apparatus is a dual-purpose device to prevent ice sheets from forming on vehicles’ windshields and windows in sub-freezing weather, preventing UV light from entering vehicles. The invention can be placed inside or outside the windshield to prevent UV light from entering. Additional features of the device include providing a canvas for advertising by businesses, organizations, and institutions.

In March, Magee secured a patent (No.11,279,182, B2) for his Magnetic and Osmotic Inner Tube (MOIT) invention, for insertion into any inflatable tire to turn the tire into a device to insert air inflatable tire to turn the tire into a self-plugging never-flat-tire (NFT) when punctured with an object.  

“Vehicle operators are often faced with the harrowing situation of changing a flat tire in potentially unsafe environments, such as on deserted roads, during nighttime, during hazardous weather conditions,” said Magee, a native of Prentiss, Miss., who has taught at FAMU since 1995. 

Magee received a U.S. patent in December 2021 for his Osmotic System for Maintenance of Perishable Items, a system and methodology for rehydrating perishable items (Patent No.: US 11,206,854 B2). 

“My invention will probably be a game-changer regarding how we disinfect, sanitize, store, rehydrate and ship fruits, vegetables, flowers, and nuts,” said Magee. “It will be especially useful for limited-resource farmers, to help them achieve Good Agri-cultural Practices certification and reduce produce loss.” 

Magee has eight U.S. patents and eight pending patents.

FAMU now has five members – two fellows and three senior members – in the 83-member group, including Mandip Singh Sachdeva, section leader, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who was also named a Senior Member in 2022.

“This means 50 percent of the BSE program is being recognized as innovative by the National Academy of Inventors,” said Robert Taylor, Ph.D., dean and director of land-grant programs at FAMU CAFS. “We congratulate Dr. Dev and Dr. Magee for achieving this outstanding milestone.” 

Dev received a recent patent for the design and development of a Microwave-Assisted Raw Food Pasteurizer (U.S. Patent No. 2020/0128837 A1), which also earned him the “2019 Most Innovative Product of the Year” AE50 International Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASBE). Using a non-linear slotted wave-guide technology, the equipment pasteurizes raw foods such as eggs, shellfish, fruits, vegetables, and meats to reduce harmful pathogens to undetectable levels without altering the raw food’s characteristics. 

Two additional patents by Dev, awarded in 2020, include Dielectric Detector for Pest Infestations (co-inventors A. Anandhi and B. Hottel, U.S. Patent No: US10765109) and Microwave-Assisted Portable Solar Vapor Absorption Refrigeration Systems for Sustainable Cold Chain (co-inventor – Charles Magee. U.S. Patent No.: US10648712Bl). 

A Canadian citizen who was born and raised in India, Dev has taught at FAMU since 2015. He is also an adjunct professor in the chemical and biomedical engineering department at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists, and administrators from NAI member institutions who have demonstrated remarkable innovation-producing technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, tangible impact on the welfare of society. They also have growing success in patents, licensing, and commercialization while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors. 

According to NAI, this latest class of NAI Senior Members comes from 41 research universities. They are named inventors on more than 1,093 issued U.S. patents. 

The 2022 new Senior Members were inducted at the Senior Member Ceremony during the 11th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Inventors in Phoenix, Arizona, in June.

“Today, these Senior Members, on their path of prolific discovery, join the NAI innovation community,” said Paul R. Sanberg FNAI, president of the NAI. “With the NAI Senior Member award distinction, we recognize and honor these innovators who are rising stars in their fields.”

Following a nomination for NAI Senior Member, individuals undergo a rigorous selection process by the NAI Senior Member Advisory Committee, comprised of elected NAI Fellows who are considered pioneers in their respective fields. A complete list of NAI Senior Members is available on the NAI website.

Nominations for the 2023 Senior Member class will be accepted from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2022.