NSU VP Appointed as Judge for ‘Patents for Humanity’ Award Program

Program Hosted by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Recognizes Patent Owners and Licensees Who Help People in Need

Gary S. Margules, Sc.D.

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – The U.S. Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced that Gary S. Margules, Sc.D., vice president for research and technology transfer at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), was selected as a judge for the prestigious Patents for Humanity program.

Started in 2012, the program honors businesses, inventors, non-profits and universities that leverage their intellectual property portfolio to tackle global humanitarian challenges.

“Dr. Margules exemplifies Nova Southeastern University’s core values of research, innovation and community and is well deserving of being on this panel,” said NSU President George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D. “His integrity and knowledge of the sciences and research are of the highest standard.”

Qualified judges from outside the USPTO, including Margules, will review and score the Patents for Humanity award applications in the categories of medicine, nutrition, sanitation, household energy and living standards. USPTO will then forward the top-scoring applications to reviewers from participating federal agencies to recommend award recipients.

“The USPTO plays a crucial role in helping protect the cutting-edge ideas that drive our economy and keep the U.S. globally competitive,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “The Patents for Humanity program supports American businesses and inventors who are helping solve some of today’s toughest global challenges. The Commerce Department is committed to helping foster the innovation that protects and promotes our ideas-driven economy, which is essential to economic growth.”

Patents for Humanity advances President Obama’s global development agenda by rewarding companies that bring life-saving technologies to underserved people of the world, while showing how patents are an integral part of tackling the world’s challenges.

Highlighting success stories of humanitarian engagement that are compatible with business interests and strong patent rights demonstrates how companies can effectively contribute to global good while maintaining commercial markets.

The USPTO expects to select approximately 10 winners this cycle that will receive public recognition and an acceleration certificate to expedite select proceedings at the USPTO. Honorable mentions will also be awarded with a more limited certificate to accelerate a patent application of the recipient’s choosing.

See the Federal Register Notice for more details on awards.

To learn more about the Patents for Humanity program, please visit www.uspto.gov/patentsforhumanity.

Margules was appointed as NSU’s vice president of research and technology transfer in 2008. He has several decades of business experience in technology management, academic technology transfer, strategic planning, corporate ventures, R&D/project management, licensing, regulatory affairs, clinical trials, and product development. Prior to joining NSU, he spent nearly 30 years in research management, including eight years with Cordis Corporation as senior scientist, three years with Pfizer Hospital Products as assistant director of technology development, three years with Senmed Medical Ventures as director, medical technology, and 15 years with the University of Miami as assistant vice provost for technology transfer and industry research.

Margules’ broad experience has given him an in-depth knowledge in medical devices, therapeutics, biotechnology, and diagnostics. He earned his Doctor of Engineering Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical/bio-engineering from Columbia University in New York and a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical/biomedical engineering from the University of Miami.

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About Nova Southeastern University:Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 27,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.  Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!