Colleen Kearney Rich

George �鶹��Ƶ makes the National Academy of Inventors Top 100

ckearney — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:04:53 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ makes the National Academy of Inventors Top 100 ckearney Thu, 03/19/2026 - 14:04

�鶹��Ƶ, a university that has been recognized consistently for its innovation and entrepreneurship, has been named to the top 100 U.S. universities for patents. This spring, the National Academy of Inventors ranked George �鶹��Ƶ No. 92 on its list for patents granted during 2025.

Utility patents cover the creation of a new or improved product, process, or machine. In 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 14 utility patents to George �鶹��Ƶ inventors for methods to improve virtual reality (VR) navigation, traffic congestion, and wound healing.

Craig Yu with VP Andre Marshall. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

“This recognition from the National Academy of Inventors signals more than a ranking—it reflects George �鶹��Ƶ’s vision for how research can shape the future,” said Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact. “Each of the 14 patents granted in 2025 represents an idea with the potential to improve lives, strengthen industries, and fuel economic growth. Our place among the nation’s top 100 universities affirms our commitment to turning bold research into meaningful solutions, expanding our global impact, and creating an environment where innovation thrives and talent is drawn to make a difference.”

Scene-aware teleportation, developed by George �鶹��Ƶ researcher Craig Yu of the College of Engineering and Computing and his former doctoral student Changyang Li, PhD Computer Science ’24, gives VR users a significantly smoother navigation experience in virtual environments. The technique improves the navigation through teleportation by determining the most suitable teleport positions for the user. This invention may be used in a wide range of applications, such as gaming, virtual touring, and VR-assisted navigation of hazardous and military environments.

Brian Mark of the College of Engineering and Computing and Melvin Friedman, a retired physicist from the Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, developed a method for coordinating traffic lights and reducing traffic congestion. In 2023, Mark worked with three senior design teams on the traffic light control methodology, road geometry design, and hardware, which enables motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to make every traffic light with a suitable road geometry. This invention can eliminate or minimize traffic congestion by substantially reducing red light wait time while maximizing traffic flow.

Monique van Hoek (right) in her lab on the Science and Technology Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers Monique L. van Hoek and Barney M. Bishop of the College of Science were awarded an additional patent for their work with antimicrobial peptides inspired by the Komodo dragon’s natural defenses. The duo has been collaborating since 2009 to study the peptides and their activity against important bacterial pathogens. These synthetic peptides represent a breakthrough in the fight against drug-resistant infections.

Also among the patents awarded in 2025 was the GMU Dynamic Low Visibility Pneumatic Cofferdam, invented by George L. Donohue, professor emeritus and founding director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at the College of Engineering and Computing, and a team of students, now alumni. The coastal resilience system designed to protect against flooding was licensed by serial entrepreneur Anthony Fung and his company Valorlox LLC earlier this year and is the first commercial product to move forward under the state’s new Lab-to-Launch initiative, marking an early milestone in the commonwealth’s push to accelerate university research into the market.

“We are incredibly proud of the innovative work coming out of George �鶹��Ƶ’s research community,” said David Grossman, senior director of technology transfer and industry collaboration. “Our role is to help move these ideas beyond the lab and into real‑world applications. By working closely with industry partners, we reaffirm our commitment to translating research into solutions that benefit society.”

The academy’s Top 100 lists are created using data provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The last time George �鶹��Ƶ made the list was in 2022. Other Virginia universities in the top 100 included University of Virginia ranked at 38 and Virginia Commonwealth University at 88.

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James Trefil celebrates 55 years of service

ckearney — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 16:43:44 +0000

James Trefil celebrates 55 years of service ckearney Thu, 10/28/2021 - 12:43

Robinson Professor James Trefil is the first �鶹��Ƶ faculty member to reach the milestone of 55 years of service. Trefil taught at the University of Virginia for more than a decade before joining �鶹��Ƶ’s then brand-new Robinson Professor Program in 1987.

A theoretical physicist and huge proponent of science literacy, Trefil has written extensively about science for a lay audience, including more than 50 books. With his colleague, Robinson Professor of Earth Science Robert Hazen, he created and taught the popular PROV 301 Great Ideas in Science, a class for nonscience majors that introduces ideas that have shaped science, from the building of Stonehenge to the Big Bang.

A Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association of the Advancement of Science, and the World Economic Forum, he has received numerous awards including the Andrew Gemant Award from the American Institute of Physics for “outstanding and sustained contributions in presenting a broad range of topics in physics to millions of nonscientists around the world,” and the inaugural AAAS Science Book Editor’s Award.

In 2021, when Trefil was the third George �鶹��Ƶ faculty member to hit the 50 years of service, we sat down to talk to him via Zoom about his life, work, and role in �鶹��Ƶ’s history.

James Trefil in his office in 2001. Photo by Office of University Branding

On becoming a scientist

I had a really good chemistry teacher in high school named Willard Meuhl. He was the first person who told me, “Hey, kid, you're good at this.” I came from a blue-collar neighborhood, and it wasn't clear to me until he told me that I could actually do it. I grew up in Chicago, where they have a lot of good museums, which were free at the time. I would go down to the Field Museum or the Adler Planetarium on a weekend and just hang out. I found this world of beauty and order that was very appealing to me. And I got the idea that I could be part of that. Also reading science fiction. I still go back and read Isaac Asimov stories.

On choosing physics as a discipline

When I went to University of Illinois, I was going to major in chemistry because of my high school teacher. But in the chemistry class, I kept asking questions like ‘Why do electrons go in those orbits and not some other orbits?’ And the instructor would always say, ‘Well, you got to go to physics to get an answer for that.’ The short answer is physics is where you ask the fundamental questions about the nature of the universe.

Theoretical physics is where you try to find the answers to what the experiments are finding. I worked with a couple of experimental groups early on in my career at the German Electron Synchrotron Laboratory in Hamburg. It was very corporate. Everybody had their assigned tasks, and you do what you're doing and you report it to your boss. That wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to think my own thoughts and do things on my own, and a theorist doesn't need anything more than pencil and paper, or these days a laptop.

On becoming a Robinson Professor

I got this letter from Steve Diner who was vice provost at the time. It was sort of the standard ‘We have this position open…do you know anybody who'd be interested.’ I looked at it and said, ‘Hell, yes—me!’

Clarence Robinson had given George Johnson this money to move the university forward. And George decided that what he saw as the biggest problem in academe was senior faculty didn't talk to undergraduates. He started looking for people who were established in a field, but who thought across disciplinary lines, and had a history of teaching undergraduates.

Coming to �鶹��Ƶ back then—we're talking about the 1970s and 80s—it reminded me of these towns in Western movies with unpaved streets. I remember they brought the new faculty together for a reception at what was then the Patriot Center. We were looking out toward what would become the Center for the Arts. At that time, it was just a swamp, and they had a drawing of what it was going to be like in the future with all these buildings. But I remember looking at that drawing and thinking “in your dreams.” But it happened. Watching this university grow has been an amazing experience.

James Trefil and Honors College Dean Zofia Burr (far right) meet with Honors College students in 2010. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

In those days, we were kind of a kitchen cabinet [for George Johnson]. I remember one meeting where George came in and said, “We're going to get rid of the geology department.” [Hazen] and I started arguing with him. We suggested turning it into the planetary science and earth science department. And George listened to us. In fact, that was the start of a major program here that spawned several departments.

On teaching undergraduates

I love it. They have their whole lives in front of them and are so full of enthusiasm. It's just fun being around them.

On science literacy

I wanted to teach what I called a scientific literacy course. The idea is very simple. To live in the United States in 21st century, you really should know a little bit about science. You don't have to be a scientist, you don't have to do calculus, but you should be able to read the newspaper. Then if somebody is talking about whether the use of stem cells is moral, you should know what a stem cell is. The course doesn't have a lot of math in it, but it has these great ideas. Bob and I taught it for many years. The first time I offered it I limited the enrollment to 10, because I didn't know if I could actually do it. But it went well. Bob and I are now working on the ninth edition of a textbook that came out of this course, “The Sciences: An Integrated Approach.” It's used in a couple of hundred universities around the country.

On partnering with Bob Hazen and other ‘Robinsons’

There were three scientists in the Robinson program—myself, Bob Hazen, and the late Harold Morowitz, and any possible permutation of collaboration between the three of us that you can imagine happened at one time or another. We wrote books together. We wrote articles and opinion pieces. We designed courses together. In fact, it was a Christmas party at my house when Harold asked a very simple question: What minerals were here when the earth was formed? Bob started to think about the idea of minerals accumulating over time and evolving, which is a major new breakthrough in that field for which he has been recognized. But it started with just a simple question.

Also three of us Robinsons were at Oxford at the same time. I was there as a Marshall Scholar, John Paden was there as a Rhodes Scholar, and Paul D’Andrea was there studying literature. John was captain of the basketball team, and I was a second-string power forward. So we actually played basketball on the same team a hundred years ago. Then we wind up with offices next to each other at �鶹��Ƶ.

On establishing a College of Science

I think probably the most important thing that I did for �鶹��Ƶ was chair the committee that founded the College of Science. I was asked to chair because I was the only scientist they could find who didn't have a stake in how things turned out—I didn’t need more space or another faculty slot. It gave me kind of a different standing with the committee that was very useful. In the end, I wrote the proposal that the Board of Visitors approved, and we now have a College of Science. We were just getting into being a major research university. And if you want to attract big money from one of these agencies, you got to convince them that you're ready. The College of Science has helped us do that.

On writing books

One of my favorite books is one I wrote very early on in my career called “Meditations at 10,000 Feet.” I used to spend my summers in Montana and go hiking in the mountains. In that book, I talked about different kinds of things that happened on my hikes and then how they led to lessons about the way the universe works. I also took a lot of photographs, which are in the book. My most favorite book is the one I just wrote with [�鶹��Ƶ professor] Mike Summers, “Imagined Life: A Speculative Scientific Journey among the Exoplanets in Search of Intelligent Aliens, Ice Creatures, and Supergravity Animals.” We were trying to figure out what kinds of living things could exist in the universe. That that was a lot of fun.

Learn what makes a Robinson Professor