CAMN Receives the Northeastern Pennsylvania Innovation Awards of Ben Franklin Technology Partners

(Photo by Hub Willson Photography)

On Tuesday, May 22nd, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania hosted its annual i xchange at the Zoellner Arts Center on the campus of Lehigh University. More than 650 technology entrepreneurs, manufacturers, venture capitalists, economic developers, regional influencers, political leaders, educators, students, bankers, lawyers, and accountants from Ben Franklin’s 19-county service area attended.

The event included the presentation of Ben Franklin’s Northeastern Pennsylvania Innovation Awards. Awards were presented in eight categories, to companies, organizations, or individuals who have achieved business success through Ben Franklin, have helped others to achieve success, or who have improved their business through innovation. Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (CAMN) of Lehigh University received the Academic Partner Award of this year.

Lehigh University’s Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (CAMN) conducts materials research and education, and directs an industrial liaison program with a successful 40-year track record.  Nanotechnology involves development, characterization, and manipulation of materials at incredibly tiny atomic and molecular levels, where matter can exhibit unique chemical, mechanical, or electrical properties. These phenomena create a myriad of commercial applications for materials in a growing range of industries, including biopharmaceuticals, chemicals, electronics, transportation, and manufacturing. The CAMN has worked with dozens of Ben Franklin clients and alumni, including Authentix, Ciclon Semiconductor, EMV Technologies, OraSure Technologies, Reading Alloys, Silberline Manufacturing, and Surface Chemistry Discoveries. It also serves as a resource for the Berks County-based Medical Devices Consortium, led by Ben Franklin. In 2004 the Center established the Lehigh Nanotech Network to connect and assist nanotechnology businesses and organizations. The CAMN links technology companies to expert researchers and state-of-the-art facilities, including Lehigh’s world-renowned electron microscopy lab. These industry relationships continue to accelerate technology commercialization in northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond.