Date: Jul 11, 2011 Source: (
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A blind Purdue University alumnus and entrepreneur who founded a startup company based at the Purdue Research Park was recognized Friday (July 8) at the National Federation of the Blind's 2011 Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla.
Cary Supalo (suh-PAWL-oh) was one of four winners of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that have contributed to the full integration of the blind into society. Bolotin was the first person born completely blind to become a fully licensed medical doctor.
"Dr. Bolotin was a highly esteemed physician in Chicago in the early 20th century, and he raised the public's awareness of blind people's abilities," Supalo said. "He was a true trailblazer for blind physicians and scientists. Without him, it would have been much more difficult to be where I am now."
Supalo, who also earned a doctorate in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University, was recognized for his work in Penn State's Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind (ILAB. The lab's goal is to encourage students who are blind and visually impaired to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. ILAB applies existing laboratory tools and develops new ones including talking tools for physics experiments, color identifiers, handheld submersible audible light sensors, volumetric syringes and laboratory benches.
The products and services developed by ILAB are being commercialized by Purdue Research Park-based Independence Science LLC. Supalo is the company's founder and president.
Tom Mallouk, the Evan Pugh Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics at Pennsylvania State University, said Supalo has been the main driver of the ILAB project since its inception in 2004.
"Cary was not only involved in the design of many of the ILAB tools and experiments, but he also conceived of and organized the study that demonstrated their effectiveness in the high school laboratory. He wrote the proposal to get the project funded, ran all the ILAB workshops and training sessions, and gave numerous presentations about ILAB at professional meetings," Mallouk said. "Cary has also been the main person driving the licensing and commercialization of the technology. His energy, insight, commitment, and connections to the community of educators and students with disabilities have been essential factors in the project's success."
Mallouk said Supalo also recognized that connecting electronic laboratory instruments with text-to-speech software would enable blind students to be more actively involved in science experiments. The result is an interface of Logger Pro 3.8.4, a tool that collects and analyzes data, with the JAWS speech output software package.
"Cary worked closely with Beaverton, Ore.-based Vernier Software & Technology and professional software engineers to create and test the interface," Mallouk said. "We are very grateful to Dave Vernier, CEO of Vernier, for his consistent commitment to this project."
Other winners of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award were the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, La.; Jerry Munden, Charlotte, N.C.; and the Braille Institute of America's Braille Challenge®, Los Angeles.
About Independence Science LLC
Officials at Independence Science are making their expertise available to help school districts, colleges and universities, and state rehabilitation agencies across the country meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements in the science curriculum. These technologies are being made available to further serve as a dissemination tool to benefit any blind and low-vision student in the United States.
About Purdue Research Park
The Purdue Research Park, with four locations across Indiana, has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The parks are home to about 200 companies that employ 4,000 people and are located in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany. The park is managed by the nonprofit Purdue Research Foundation.
Purdue Research Park contact: Steve Martin, 765-588-3342, sgmartin@prf.org
Source: Cary Supalo, 814-441-2589, csupalo@independencescience.com
