Three engineers associated with the University of South Florida were inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for their work, which includes a Bill and Melinda Gates-funded invention and more than a dozen patents.
Two engineers, Sylvia Thomas and Daniel Yeh, work at the university, while inductee Rachana Vidhi is a USF alumna and a director of technical sales at Minnesota-based renewable energy firm NextEra Analytics. The inductions — three of nine total for the year — represent some of the top innovators in Florida, according to a release.
“Their achievements underscore the critical role that innovation plays in driving progress and improving the quality of life for people in our state, our nation and around the world,” Paul Sanberg, chair of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Advisory Board, said in a statement.
Thomas has been at USF for more than a decade. She’s a professor of electrical engineering and serves as the vice president for research and innovation. She holds 13 patents and several awards, according to a release. Wilson’s and the university’s work “underscores USF’s stature as a top public university,” she said in March, as research funding reached all-time highs in 2023.
“The USF innovation ecosystem has expanded the breadth of my research and deepened my career-long commitment to creating and championing technologies that make a positive impact on society,” Thomas said in a statement.
Vidhi holds nine patents and several awards. Her work focuses on driving sustainability in energy, according to a release.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal reported in April that the University of South Florida is ranked among the top 40 universities worldwide for the number of utility patents issued in 2023. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is located on USF’s campus.
Yeh is a professor and engineer at USF who works with sustainable technologies. Yeh and his team made headlines for their project, the NEWgenerator. The device is a portable, solar-powered toilet that converts waste into fertilizer. It has won awards and was funded by the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation. NASA has also enlisted the technology.
“As an environmental engineer, I hope the induction will help draw further awareness to the needs of billions around the world, including tens of millions in the United States, who still suffer from inadequate infrastructure for water and sanitation,” Yeh said in a statement.
