Five Purdue University researchers received nearly $150,000 from the Trask Innovation Fund to further develop their technologies. The innovations originate from multiple disciplines and range from water purification to a drug-delivery technology.

The Purdue Research Foundation-managed Trask Innovation Fund is an endowed development fund to assist faculty and staff whose discoveries are being commercialized through the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization. Purdue innovators from any Purdue University campus are eligible to receive funds. In this round, four West Lafayette researchers and one Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne researcher received funds to advance their innovations.

David Ebert, Silicon Valley Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received $40,000 for "Decision Support Technology and Practices Under Changing Climate and Drought Conditions." This technology uses visual analytics to reduce the impact of climate change and drought conditions.

Babak Ziaie, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, and his collaborator Shirley Rietdyk, an associate professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology and a faculty associate with Purdue's Center on Aging and the Life Course, received $20,000 to advance "SmartGait: A Device to Assess Gait Parameters and Predict Falls." The technology modifies a smartphone to measure a person's walking gait to help prevent falls in those with compromised balance, such as the elderly or people with Parkinson's disease.

"We know that people who are more likely to fall have slower gait speeds and variable stride time, step length and step width. But it's hard to gather that information in an everyday environment," Rietdyk said. "Our hope is that this innovation will help people adjust their gait and ultimately help prevent injuries from falling."