No, it’s not déjà vu! For the second year in a row, Omni Nano, the non-profit organization for nanotechnology education, has been selected as a finalist for the Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Awards, widely dubbed the “Oscars of Innovation.” The prestigious award is given to innovative companies by the Los Angeles Business Journal in collaboration with philanthropist Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.
“It’s truly a honor to be chosen as a finalist for the prestigious Oscars of Innovation, especially for the second year in a row,” said Dr. Marco Curreli, founder of Omni Nano. “I deeply admire physician, scientist, and entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong for his innovative work at the interface of medicine, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. Being recognized by Dr. Soon-Shiong as an innovator is an immeasurable compliment; we feel like we’ve already won.”
Last year, Omni Nano was honored as the first non-profit to ever be nominated and selected as a finalist in the history of the Awards. This year, their continually innovative efforts in education and community leadership have once again secured them a spot among 15 outstanding finalists.
“Omni Nano is working to provide an entire industry with a pipeline of knowledgeable, skilled workers,” said Dr. Curreli. “Students today can learn how to code and use computers as early as elementary school, which yields a robust computer science workforce. But students are seldom exposed to nanotechnology or its array of exciting applications until graduate school. The industry, as a result, is losing tons of potential employees each year. Omni Nano seeks to bridge that gap by providing the educational resources required to instruct nanotechnology courses to younger students.”
The Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Symposium & Awards Ceremony will be held at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. The breakfast symposium will take place from 7:00am – 10:30am with the awards dinner following from 6:00pm – 9:30pm.
