University of Memphis projects

University of Memphis Researchers Awarded Key Patents

The University of Memphis’ Office of Technology Transfer, housed out of the Division of Research & Innovation, received word that a number of patents submitted have been allowed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as internationally in Australia, Japan, and China.

Dipankar Dasgupta, a professor in Computer Science at the U of M and director of the Center for Information Assurance, was the lead designer on the patent, with assistance from Roy Arunava, Ghosh Debasis, and Kumar Nag Abhijit.

The patent, which is for “Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication System with Multi-User Permission Strategy to Access Sensitive Information,” allows admin users the ability to give different permissions to other users based on their positions in a network. The goal of this system is to allow companies and government entities more control when handling sensitive data.

“Classified data breach and sensitive information leakage continues to be a major concern,” says Dasgupta. “We need a robust auditing mechanism of such information access, and the novelty of this innovation lies in combining adaptive multi-factor authentication to verify identity of the user and permission-based user access to sensitive information, providing end-to-end non-repudiated accountability in cyber systems.”

The University of Memphis and SweetBio Inc. also received patent allowances from Australia and Japan, and an issued patent from China for their work in tissue regeneration. The patent for “Compositions and Methods for Enhancing Healing and Regeneration of Bone and Soft Tissue” lists Gary Bowlin, a professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Isaac Rodriguez, a former postdoctoral fellow in Biomedical Engineering and co-founder and chief science officer at SweetBio Inc., as the named inventors.

The patent outlines a technique in which soft and hard tissue could be regenerated using polymer, honey, and a synthetic filler. The invention is currently being commercialized by SweetBio, Inc. for wound-care applications.

“Honey has been used for millennia as a topical, short term, yet slightly messy material to treat wounds,” Says Rodriguez “These newly granted patents push the boundaries of how honey can be used for tissue regeneration both outside and inside the body.”

More information on these patents as well as other work done by the Office of Technology Transfer can be found at the University of Memphis’ website.

A lot of development has been happening at the University of Memphis in the past couple of weeks. With all of these new projects come picture-perfect renderings of what the spaces will look like, grand hopes, and, with some, the promise of a great community benefit.

The most recent notable development at the university was the completion of the new pedestrian bridge crossing the Southern Avenue railroad track. That project also includes a new five-story parking garage and amphitheater.

Who benefits from community resources?

All together, that’s a $36-million project. Hearing all of the hype, I took a drive to my alma mater’s campus this week to check out the new masterpiece. And I must say, it was quite impressive. I’m all for it.

The university also filed a building permit late last month for a new music center. The $35-million Scheidt Family Music Center is going to be state-of-the-art, university officials have said. Along with a number of cool additions, including recording studios and rehearsal spaces, the new center will be about double the size of the existing school of music.

Officials say the facility will be an asset for not just the university but the community as a whole.

Also last month, the university and the city, along with the Tennis Memphis organization, announced the $19-million renovation of Leftwich Tennis Center. If you’re not familiar, the tennis center sits on Southern, sandwiched between Audubon Park and the Memphis Botanic Garden.

I grew up playing tennis in Whitehaven, but I played my fair share of matches at Leftwich. Actually, I’ve played or taught tennis at least once at each of the six public centers around the city. Leftwich, as it is now, is by far the cleanest, safest, and largest of the bunch. Soon it will be “one of the finest in the country,” according to U of M president M. David Rudd. Although the center is sufficient as is, that thought is exciting.

Though there are more pressing matters in the city and at the university than nice tennis courts, the Tiger tennis teams needed a new home court, and that’s completely valid. I’m just concerned that recreating this tennis center into something grandiose might be a barrier to some. I hope the city will keep its word and ensure that Leftwich remains open and accessible to the public.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has said the new facility will be a “true gem for our community.” The city is investing $3 million into this project, so I truly hope that the community — all of the community — will be able to benefit from this “gem.”

Another new project proposed with the promise of community engagement is the $10-million Mike Rose Natatorium. This is a part of the $30-million Center for Wellness & Fitness project. The university is building a new fitness center and renovating the old one. The natatorium will be an enhanced and expanded version of the existing swimming pool.

The natatorium was recently in the news after Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris moved to withhold $1 million in county funds for the project until the university presented a plan to pay all employees a livable wage. Rudd said at the time that the university did in fact have a plan to raise hourly wages to $15 an hour over the next two years, but evidence of the actual plan has not emerged.

I know nothing about university budgeting, but I do know that people deserve a living wage to support themselves and their families. So if the university can afford state-of-the-art, world-class facilities, it should also be able to afford to pay its employees what they deserve.

We’ll see.

I’ve seen a lot of renderings for a lot of projects, and sometimes the final product is not quite what was promised. That can be a bit of a let-down, but that’s okay. We can move past that. It’s not okay, though, for the promised community engagement aspect of these projects to fall short. So when the projects materialize, it’s crucial that the university and the city (in the case of Leftwich Tennis Center) follow through, ensuring that the center is a tangible asset for all of the surrounding residents — those in East Memphis and those in Orange Mound. It’s also important that this new natatorium does in fact “promote water safety and enrich community health among diverse populations,” as the university has said.

I think the university should keep growing, developing, and adapting to stay competitive, relevant, and attractive, but at the end of the day, it’s the University of Memphis, so the city should always, in some way, reap the benefits of the school’s growth. The community will be watching and waiting. Make us proud, University of Memphis. We believe in you.

Maya Smith is a Flyer staff writer.