Gamechangers
@uofcincy
Alumnus, architect and designer Michael Graves exemplifies the spirit of creativity and invention we showcase in this issue of NEXT, which is devoted to the renowned innovations sparked by University of Cincinnati alumni, faculty, students and staff. One of the “New York Five” modernists, Graves pioneered the post-modernist movement in architecture and products. With more than 300 awards, 350 buildings and 2,500 products, his name lives on at the Michael Graves Architecture & Design firm he founded in 1964. Featured here are Graves designs including a teakettle, the Sentosa Resort in Singapore and one of his favorites, the Denver Library (main).
DENVER LIBRARY Main
SENTOSA RESORT – Singapore
Learning
Reimagined
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION — Invented by Engineering Dean Herman Schneider in 1906.
SEE WORD LITERACY apps and web portals — Created by Associate Professor of Design Renee Seward.
THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE — Published in book form by his student, E.B. White, in 1959, alumnus William Strunk (Class of 1890) created the first versions of this writing manual for his students.
Playtime
STAR WARS ACTION FIGURES AND TOYS — Designed by Jim Swearingen (Class of 1972), Mark Boudreaux (Class of 1978).
MAGIC EIGHT BALL — Co-invented by Abe Brookman (Class of 1917 & 1921).
JIMMY NEUTRON — DAAP alum Mike Gasaway is a two-time Annie Award winner and worked as an animator for two Nickelodeon Jimmy Neutron films as well as the TV spinoff.
EASY BAKE OVEN — Created by Ronald Bruce Howes Sr. (Class of 1940s).
NERF BALL — Co-invented by David Laughridge (Class of 1962).
Leading tech
Forward
GORILLA GLASS BY CORNING — Aided by discovery of Boolchand Intermediate Phase by engineering professor Punit Boolchand and team.
APPLE’S FIRST MOUSE — Designed by Douglas Dayton (Class of 1973).
PENTIUM CHIP — “Father of the Pentium Chip” Vinod Dham (Class of 1977).
DOTLOOP — Created in 2009 by engineering and law grad Austin Allison (Class of 2004, 2011) to simplify real estate transactions. In 2015, he sold it to Zillow.
FITBIT— Lead research scientist Logan Niehaus (Class of 2008).
Improving
Lifestyles
BENADRYL — Alumnus/chemistry professor George Rieveschl Jr. (Class of 1937, 1939, 1940) invented the first commercially viable antihistamine.
ALWAYS DISCREET BOUTIQUE — Co-designed by alumnae Vanessa Melendez (Class of 2011) and Stevi Gable Carr (Class of 2008) with contributors Rosie Kovacs (Class of 2009), Cory Fits (Class of 2009), Jessica Owen (Class of 2010), Lauren Koch (Class of 2009).
FROZEN OJ CONCENTRATE — Developed by alumnus and researcher George Sperti (Class of 1923).
PURELL ADVANCED HAND SANITIZER — Developed by alum Kelly Dobos (Class of 2012).
PRESCRIPTION AUXILIARY LABELS — Co-invented by pharmacy alum Dick Wuest (Class of 1971).
ASPERCREME — Invented by George Sperti (Class of 1923)
VITAMIN D IN MILK — Invented by George Sperti, following his discoveries on “tuned” ultraviolet rays.
Advancing
Medicine
FIRST ORAL POLIO VACCINE — Developed by Professor Albert Sabin, it nearly eradicated the disease around the globe (approved in 1961).
INDEX MEDICUS — Often considered the USA’s greatest contribution to medical knowledge, created by John Shaw Billings, MD (Class of 1860).
FIRST HEART LUNG MACHINE — Developed by professors Samuel Kaplan, Leland Clark and James Helmsworth (1951).
EXTENDING BLOOD SHELF LIFE — Professor Samuel Rapoport’s work extended it up to three weeks; “Father of Transfusion Medicine”/SOLX System lead inventor Tibor Greenwalt developed additive to prolong it; faculty member Ian Pauptsky and alumnus Ali Bhgat developed device to separate and count particles in blood, now a startup called Biolidics.
COVID-19 TESTER – Alumnus Jay Han (Class of 2005) developed a new one-hour, lab-on-a-chip tester for coronavirus, with MiCoBioMed.
BLOOD CLOT LIFE-SAVER — Thomas Fogarty (Class of 1960), holder of 100 patents, invented the Fogarty balloon embolectomy catheter, the standard to treat blood clots without major surgery. His work also led to angioplasty.
Saving
Our kids
SAVING PREEMIES’ LIVES — Protein identified by Professor Jeffrey Whitsett led to routine treatments for premature infants’ immature lungs.
BABY SNUGLI & WEEGO — Invented by alumna Ann Moore (Nursing, Class of 1956).
OUT-GAMING INFECTIONS — UC’s Live Well Collaborative created a gaming device to remind kids of three daily steps to reduce bloodstream infections following bone marrow transplants.
Making
a mark
TIDE PODS — Many UC design alumni
contributed to the look and shape of
the iconic P&G laundry pods and its
packaging, including Drew Heigle
(Class of 2008), Gil Schmidt (1980),
Tony Sieber (2002), Michael Roller
(2005), Ramsey Ford (2003) and
Demetrius Romanos (1995).
‘DESIGN IS ABOUT EVERYTHING’ — DAAP alumnus Michael Bierut (Class of 1980), a member of the Art Directors Hall of Fame, espouses democratizing design. His works include the iconic 110-foot sign and entry to The New York Times building, UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub and the H for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
LEADING-EDGE NASA MARK — DAAP alum Bruce Blackburn (Class of 1961) pushed the boundaries of design with this 1975 NASA “worm” logo, used for 17 years.
SUBLIMINAL ARROW — DAAP alum John Lutz was part of a team creating the original FedEx logo in the 1990s.
PRINGLES – UC astronomer/alumnus Paul Herget (Class of 1931, 1933, 1935) helped make the manufacturing process possible for the chip’s famous stackable shape.
PIONEER OF BRANDED SPACES — Alumna Eva Maddox (Class of 1966) led the way in branding environments, opened Eva Maddox Associates in 1975 and later merged it with Perkins+Will.
Crafting
masterpieces
PROLIFIC COMPOSER — Randy Edelman (Class of 1969), writes pop songs plus scores for TV and film, including “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Mummy 3” and “Leap Year.”
THE MUSIC OF GRINCH — Tony winner and CCM alum Albert Hague (Class of 1942) composed music for TV’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and many other musicals.
RENOWNED PRODUCER — Pulitzer and Tony-winning alum of CCM, Kevin McCollum (Class of 1984), Broadway producer, made hits that include “best musicals” Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights.
PIONEERING PAINTER — Elizabeth Nourse (Class of 1881) became one of the first females accepted into the Paris “New Salon,” devoting her career to realist painting.
ANASTASIA — Music by CCM alum and renowned composer Stephen Flaherty (Class of 1982).
Achieving the
impossible
NASA’S NEW HORIZONS — Chris Hersman (Class of 1988) serves as mission systems engineer for the project that is exploring Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
FIRST MAN TO WALK ON THE MOON — UC engineering professor Neil Armstrong.
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE — Chief engineer, Joseph B. Strauss (Class of 1892).
What's
next?
With its Next Lives Here strategic direction, the University of Cincinnati is creating the future with a culture of innovation like never before. Its frictionless intellectual property process provided a model for Ohio’s IP Promise at universities across the state. Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted came to UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub in March to announce a JobsOhio investment of $100 million focused on innovation and talent. The funds will accelerate STEM graduates of UC by 15,000-plus over the next decade, expand research at UC and adjacent Cincinnati Children’s, and launch the new Cincinnati Innovation District (CID) in the community around the Uptown campus. With UC and 1819 as anchors, the CID is expected to create a blueprint for the state to attract and retain key talent.
Credits
- Michael Graves’ images courtesy of Michael Graves Architecture & Design
- Jimmy Neutron image courtesy of Nickelodeon Inc.
- Gorilla Glass image courtesy of Corning Incorporated
- FitBit photo courtesy of FitBit Inc.
- Index Medicus, first edition, courtesy of National Library of Medicine
- Fogarty Catheter image courtesy of Edwards Lifesciences
- New York Times building photo courtesy of Pentagram
- Pringles photo courtesy of Kellogg’s