University of Washington (UW) has selected Presi- dent Yongmin Kim to receive this year’s Inventor of the Year Award. The cere-mony was conduc-ted on Sep. 5 in Seattle. For a long duration, President Kim has been recognized as a distinguished leader in the area of medical imaging and next-generation ultrasound. In the past, ultrasound imaging required complex hardware to function. However, President Kim has successfully developed reprogrammable processors for use in ultrasound imaging. Through this achievement, he has enhanced the flexibility of the ultrasound imaging device, reduced its costs, and improved the resolution of 2-D and 3-D images.
President Kim has published more than 450 research papers. He and his research group have invented 85 technologies that have led to 60 patents, and they have transferred 25 of their licensed technologies to industry for greater commercialization.