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USF’s Richard Gitlin elected to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame

TAMPA, Fla. (Mar. 22, 2017) – Richard D. Gitlin, a University of South Florida Distinguished Professor, is among the eight inventors announced today as the 2017 inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (www.FloridaInvents.org). Gitlin is a State of Florida 21st Century World Class Scholar, and the Agere Systems endowed Chair in USF’s Department of Electrical Engineering.

Gitlin, who holds 60 U.S. patents, is being recognized for his innovative research and development in digital communications, broadband networking, and wireless systems that transformed communication technology. Most notably, Gitlin is the co-inventor of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), which allowed Internet access over telephone networks. He has more than 40 years of leadership in the communications and networking industry.

USF Distinguished Professor Richard D. Gitlin, ScD

“The entire USF community is fortunate to have Dr. Gitlin as a colleague, professor, mentor and friend, and we are thrilled to celebrate this significant achievement with him,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft. “Dr. Gitlin’s inventions have played a leading role in revolutionizing communications around the world, and as a USF Distinguished Professor he continues to push the boundaries of discovery to bring new and better technologies to our daily lives.”

Prior to coming to USF, Gitlin performed and led pioneering research and development at Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies for 32 years. At the time of his retirement he was serving as senior vice president for communications and networking research.

“I am honored to join such an esteemed group of inventors in the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame – inventors whose innovations have changed our society in the way we think, work, and live,” Gitlin said. “Coming to USF after almost four decades in the private sector, in the northeast and Silicon Valley, I have been very pleased by Florida’s emphasis on fostering and recognizing important new ideas and technology.”

Gitlin’s latest focus is one of great promise at the intersection of communications and medicine: Miniature and Anchored Remote Videoscope for Expedited Laparoscopy. This invention is aimed at taking minimally invasive surgery to new technological heights by creating a single device – with a light source, multiple cameras, and a wireless transmitter – allowing a surgeon to work with both hands and potentially preventing dangerous accidental incisions. He also has developed a compact VectorCardiogram that can provide diagnostic quality ECG information in a wearable format that ultimately uses machine learning to predict a cardiac event.

His commitment to educating the next generation of engineering leaders is evidenced in his co-authorship of Data Communications Principles, an electrical engineering textbook published in 1992,that was the standard text for data communications students for a decade. Gitlin is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), a Fellow of the IEEE, a Bell Laboratories Fellow, a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and a co-recipient of the 2005 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award and the S.O. Rice prize.

“Dr. Gitlin is a leader in American innovation whose career achievements have changed the way people communicate and live,” said Paul Sanberg, USF Senior Vice President for research, innovation and economic development. “His technological and intellectual abilities, along with his immense inventive spirit, now inspire a new generation to conduct the kind of high-impact research that will shape our future.”

This year’s Florida Inventors Hall of Fame inductees also include: Issa Batarseh, whose innovative research led to the creation of the first compact single solar photovoltaic (PV) panel; Michael DeLuca, electrical engineer and IP counsel for NextEra Energy, for his groundbreaking technology known today as “voltage scaling,” which significantly increased the battery life of portable communication devices; Kenneth Ford, for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence and human-centered computing; Phillip Frost, physician, inventor, and internationally-lauded businessman, who invented a revolutionary disposable punch biopsy tool; the late Thomas Maren, for inventing Trusopt®, the first commercialized topical treatment for glaucoma; and the Hall of Fame’s first scientific couple, T. Dwayne and Mary Helen McCay, whose novel approaches to laser-induced surface improvement (LISI) have greatly contributed to increased patient safety and improved medical outcomes in facilities nationwide.

The inventors will be inducted at the 4th Annual Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Gala on September 8, 2017, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown.

A complete list of Florida Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, including biographical information, is available here: www.FloridaInvents.org

The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is located at the University of South Florida in Tampa and supported, in part, by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.

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The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF) recognizes and commends Florida inventors whose achieve­ments have advanced the quality of life for Floridians, the state and the nation. Founded in 2013 and housed in the University of South Florida Research Park in Tampa, FIHF was recognized by Florida Senate Resolution 1756 in April of 2014. FIHF encourages individuals of all ages and backgrounds to strive toward the betterment of Florida and society through continuous, groundbreaking innovation, and, by commending the incredible scientific work being accomplished in the state, to further the growth of Florida’s innovation sector. www.FloridaInvents.org