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WiSys names UW-La Crosse’s Seth King 2022 Innovator of the Year


UW-La Crosse's Seth King receives the Innovator of the Year award from WiSys President Arjun Sanga, right, during a special banquet at the WiSys SPARK Symposium. (Photo: Sashi Popke, UW-La Crosse)

LA CROSSE—WiSys named UW-La Crosse Physics Professor Dr. Seth King as a Carl E. Gulbrandsen Innovator of the Year at the nonprofit’s WiSys SPARK Symposium on Aug. 1.

The award is bestowed upon UW System faculty, staff, students or community members who make exemplary contributions as a WiSys innovator. The award is named for the former managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation who supported WiSys throughout his tenure.

“Dr. King embodies the ideals of a WiSys innovator—he is an inventor, scholar and educator who believes strongly in student research opportunities,” said WiSys President Arjun Sanga. “His work and collaborations contribute greatly to the innovative communities at UW-La Crosse and across the UW System.”

King’s research at UW-La Crosse has led to a number of discoveries. Along with collaborators, he has disclosed two inventions to WiSys related to novel methods for synthesizing nano-composite materials.

King has also been successful in obtaining funding for his work. Over the past decade, he has been awarded more than $143,000 in Ignite Grants. The Ignite Grant Program is funded by the UW System, in collaboration with WiSys, to fund applied research for UW System faculty and academic staff to develop advanced human potential and the knowledge economy that employs that potential.

He is an active supporter of student research, and much of his funding has been used to support student researchers, including summer research stipends and materials needed to complete projects.

King has also been a strong supporter of the WiSys SPARK Symposium and the opportunities it creates for faculty and students to interact and build collaborations. He served on the 2022 planning committee.

King received the award at a special Innovation Awards Banquet during the WiSys SPARK Symposium, the organization’s annual celebration of the best and brightest researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs working in or with the UW System’s 11 regional universities.

WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UW System to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries, and foster a spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.