27 18 20 27 Idaho Innovation Awards INL had two finalists recognized at the 13th annual Idaho Innovation Awards, presented during the Idaho Technology Council’s ninth annual Hall of Fame celebration. Innovator of the Year Dr. Hussein Moradi was recognized in the Innovator of the Year category for his groundbreaking research as chief wireless technical director in National & Homeland Security, including his multipart invention, Wireless Spectrum Communication (WSComm). Moradi was honored as INL’s 2017 Inventor of the Year for this technology, which enables more efficient and secure wireless communication over a wide range of devices and transmission frequencies. Early-Stage Innovation of the Year INL’s LoTempLene technology, a revolutionary electrochemical refining process that converts natural gas fractions into chemical building blocks for plastics and synthetic fuels, was recognized as a finalist in the Early-Stage Innovation of the Year category. LoTempLene, developed by Dr. Dong Ding, Dr. Wei Wu and Dr. Ting He, creates synthetic fuels and plastics in a way that uses 65 percent less energy and produces up to 98 percent less carbon dioxide than traditional steam cracking. Technology Transfer Working Group INL’s Wendy Skinner was awarded the Technology Transfer Working Group Contributor of the Year for 2018. This Department of Energy group works together to improve the technology transfer activities of DOE laboratories and facilities. Skinner was recognized by 150 other technology transfer employees from across the DOE complex. Dr. Hussein Moradi Dr. Dong Ding