The Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest announced the Class of 2024 inductees.

The individual and team winners were determined by their innovative ideas and inventions.

“The quality of the inductees identified this year by the selection committee is outstanding and showcases the wide swath of innovation in Northwest Indiana,” said Gary Johnson, chairman of the board for the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest, in a press release. “These stories of success provide role models for others and demonstrates that innovation flourishes in our Region.”

Winners will be inducted into the Society of Innovators during its annual luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20 at Purdue University Northwest’s Westville campus, 1401 S. U.S. 421.

A new category this year includes inductees as Advocate for Innovation.

Emmani Ellis, co-founder and chief operating officer for IronWorkz, was one of the winners in the new category.

“Being recognized by the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest really shows that the community is recognizing our impact,” she said.

The Class of 2024 includes:

John H. Davies Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

• Barbara Eason-Watkins (Michigan City) – retired superintendent, Michigan City Area Schools

Richard C. Sussman Award for Team Innovation

• Food Bank of Northwest Indiana (Merrillville)
  • Innovation: OrderAhead food lockers
  • Team Members: Victor Garcia, Julie Anderson, Tricia Sheaks, Steve Mehmert, Diane Wortz

Team Inductees

• ArcelorMittal Global Research and Development Center (East Chicago)
  • Innovation: Coil rotation system for advanced high strength steel
  • Team Members: Gleyson Barbosa, Joe Xiao, Evgueni Poliak, Henry Williams, David Colbert
• Erosion & Construction Solutions Inc. (Merrillville)
  • Innovation: Siltworm and BioWorm sediment filtration devices
  • Team Members: DJ Moore, Joe Moore, Mike Lorenzo, Tiff Arcella, Ben Landis, Scott Shelton
• Kidstuff Playsystems (Gary)
  • Innovation: KidsVision modular commercial playsystems
  • Team Members: Richard Hagelberg, George McGuan, Ed Rodriguez

Individual Inductee

• Tyamo Okosun (Hammond) – Research associate professor, Purdue University Northwest Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation
  • Innovation: Integrated Virtual Blast Furnace (IVBF)

Advocate for Innovation Inductee

• Kristin Burton (Hammond and Westville) – Assistant professor of entrepreneurship, Purdue University Northwest
• IronWorkz Corp. (Gary)
  • Team Members: Faith Spencer, Emmani Ellis

Advocate for Youth Innovation Inductee

• Krissy LaFlech (Munster) – Business teacher, Munster High School

Innovations were judged based on how new the innovation is, how it benefits society and its ability to create value that can be measured.

The selection committee included:

• (Ken) Patrick Barry: Co-founder, Uthiverse, Inc. (2020 inductee)
• Wade Brietzke: CEO, WeCreate Media
• Kristin Burton: Assistant professor of entrepreneurship, Purdue University Northwest
• Eric Beschinski: Business adviser and ecosystem navigator, Northwest Indiana SBDC
• Magesh Chandramouli: Professor of computer graphics technology, Purdue University Northwest (2020 inductee)
• Mont Handley: Associate director of the Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center at Purdue University Northwest
• Dushan Nikolovski: Director, Valparaiso University Innovation Hub
• Julie Rizzo: Founder and CEO, Recycled Granite/Organic Granite (2011 inductee)
• Cynthia Roberts: Dean of the School of Business and Economics at Indiana University Northwest

Register for the luncheon, which is $50 a person or $450 for a table of 10, here.