Pseudo-Sun Instrument tops Invent ÐÓ°Épro Competition
June 6, 2018
Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
Recent ÐÓ°Épro graduate Brandt Lomen has taken the top prize in the university’s 2018 Invent ÐÓ°Épro Competition for a device that can test solar cells on Earth, in space and on other planets by mimicking the light of the sun.
Lomen’s Pseudo-Sun Instrument was initially designed to test the solar cells on satellites, but when Lomen presented the instrument at a conference, researchers there had ideas for numerous applications, terrestrial and extraterrestrial.
The Pseudo-Sun Instrument uses a combination of colored LED lights to mimic the sun’s spectrum and can be adjusted to match the sun’s location in relation to the solar cell.
The $7,500 in prize money from the competition will fund a student to continue Lomen’s work and to conduct research on potential customers. Lomen has accepted a job at BAE Systems Inc. but will continue to be involved in the development of the Pseudo-Sun Instrument.
The Invent ÐÓ°Épro Competition, sponsored by the UAF Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, aims to encourage invention and commercialization of inventions by UAF and University of ÐÓ°Épro Southeast students and employees.
Other winners of this year’s competition include:
- UAS researcher Heidi Pearson for a video camera and sensor system to record dolphin behavior and life events in their natural habitat.
- UAF undergraduate student Aaron Rouse for a radio frequency check-in/check-out system for mining operations.
- UAF affiliate professor Lee Santoro for Arctic Automatic, a smart controller that can help prevent vehicles from freezing up in Arctic conditions.
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ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Amanda Byrd, agbyrd@alaska.edu, 907-474-7544.