Advanced technology making big strides in Greater Reno-Tahoe area – March 2008
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Each month, I’ll share with you in this column news about some of the incredible strides being made in technology right here in the greater Reno-Tahoe area. In addition to being home to many innovative high-tech companies, we’re also fortunate to have a great deal of cutting-edge research taking place at our institutions of higher education. Today, I’ll give you a snapshot of a few amazing technological advancements gaining ground in Nevada.
Reno-based Pindi Products, Inc. is a high-tech innovation company that’s winning acclaim for its non-invasive sensing technology known as Pin-SCAN, which offers a new way of seeing into the human body and into physical substances. This technology is expected to have broad applications in the medical and security industries, placing it on-par with leading technologies such as X-ray, MRI and ultrasound.
In Sparks, Biodeisel Solutions is manufacturing the BiodieselMaster line of continuous-flow automated processors. The invention allows for the production of professional-grade biodiesel from local oil crops for use on farms, ranches and in smaller communities.
On the wind energy front, Reno-based Mariah Power boasts “the Windspire,” a low-cost “plug-n-produce” wind power appliance that harnesses power from the wind. Mariah Power’s patented technology includes a rotor, generator and inverter designed as a complete system to optimize the conversion of wind energy into electricity.
We also have an impressive number of research projects taking place in academic settings. University of Nevada, Reno’s research programs in agriculture, environmental sciences, physics and biology are ranked in the top 100 of the National Science Foundation’s 400 best programs.
Desert Research Institute’s expertise can be found in the areas of water, atmospheric and earth-and-ecosystems sciences. DRI’s renewable energy program is operated through the institute’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences. DRI’s Division of Earth and Ecosystems Science encompasses a broad range of research specialties as well.
Perhaps most impressive is the DRI Center for Advanced Visualization, Computing, and Modeling, which uses computer technology to conduct and enhance research at DRI. CAVCaM’s full-immersion artificial-reality visualization facility provides researchers with the perspective they need to undertake advanced experiments.
Truly, we have much to be proud of on the technological front here in Greater Reno-Tahoe.
