News

NASA Goddard Celebrates Five Decades of Technology Spinoffs

GREENBELT, Md. -- In honor of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s 50th anniversary, the Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office hosted an evening event that commemorated Goddard research that has developed into spin-off technologies.

Attendees at the Goddard Visitor Center were presented information about how Goddard technologies have facilitated the creation of cordless tools, insulin pumps, survival kits, improve medical imaging and more. The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) recognized Goddard Space Flight Center with a resolution of appreciation for 50 years of "Scientific and Engineering Excellence in the State" of Maryland.

Representatives of highly successful products based on Goddard technologies benefiting the space industry and the U.S. economy spoke at the event. Former NASA Deputy Administrator and veteran shuttle astronaut Fred Gregory reminded attendees that innovation will remain key to NASA’s ability to research, invent and explore. “Those innovations developed for NASA programs have always led the way to technological advances that have strengthened our national economy,” Gregory said.

The oral time travel revealed 1960s technology for the original SPACE Blanket was developed into a life-saving product that can be found in emergency kits owned by thousands. According to Travis Smith of Grabber, Inc., this technology began as a plastic film originally used to improve the reflection of radio signals from NASA balloon satellites. Greg Moores told the story of how Black & Decker teamed with Goddard researchers to develop a drill Apollo astronauts used to collect the first lunar soil samples. Today this technology has led to a multi-billion-dollar cordless tool industry.

Representing technology from the 1980s, Steve Sabicer of Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., spoke about the company’s MiniMed insulin pump. The pump is based on NASA’s Programmable Implantable Medication System, or PIMS, and evolved from several NASA technologies, including one originally developed for life search experiments on Mars. “Originally developed for space research, the MiniMed pumps have been used in medical applications to dramatically improve the quality of life for thousands of patients here on Earth,” Sabicer said.

Benefiting the nation’s current "green" movement and developed in the '90s, QwikBoost refrigerant and lubricant helps customers save money while protecting the environment. Greg Cole of Mainstream Engineering Corporation said, “The QwikBoost additive was originally developed for NASA and is based on a chemical/mechanical heat pump that increases the performance of air conditioners, heat pumps, refrigerators and freezers.”

One of the latest products on the market using NASA technology is Bartron Medical Imaging. The Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation software system developed at Goddard enhances a digital medical image uncovering features in the image that are not visible to the naked eye. “The MedSeg device allows physicians to more quickly and more accurately diagnose diseases and other medical conditions,” Fitz Walker, of Bartron Medical Imaging, said.

Ja Hyun "Ashley" Lim, a student at North County High School in Glen Burnie, Md., was recognized for winning Goddard’s 50th Anniversary Spin-Off Art Contest. Additionally Gregory presented Megha Subramanian, a student of Hershey Middle School in Hershey, Pa., an award for her essay, "NASA In My Food."

Orlando Figueroa, Director of Applied Engineering and Technology at Goddard thanked those in attendance and the many who have contributed over the decades to improving life on Earth while exploring the unknowns of outer space.

For more information about Goddard’s IPP Office, please visit:

http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov/

For more information about NASA technologies please visit:

http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/

Source: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

MEDi2008

Grace Schaefer,RN, Project Coordinator, Ryan Kleckner, Programmer

 and System Analyst, Ryan Crean, Senior JAVA programmer

 and Jennifer Walker, V.P.

MEDi2008 at Connecticut Convention

Center, September 9-10

Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. had the opportunity to showcase its MED-SEG™ system at the MEDi2008 conference and exhibit in September, 2008.

The latest medical devices “that can change the world and how we will live” were on view at MEDi 2008, a comprehensive medical device conference
and exhibition held at the Connecticut Convention Center, in Hartford, September 9-10, 2008.  Joseph Bronzino, PhD, PE, President of BEACON
said, “MEDI 2008 will showcase advancements designed to improve the way we live our day to day lives.  Bringing new medical devices to market
MEDi 2008 spotlights advancements in medical devices and helps innovators bring their products to market-the sooner the better-to save and change
lives.  The medical device industry is growing at an exponential pace, with technological advancements taking place every day.  It is essential for such
an industry to gather at one time in one place…”

Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc., Recognized as one of

100 Technology “Companies to Watch”

By the Connecticut Technology Council

SEPTEMBER 17, 2008: NORWALK, CT

Mr. Fitz G. Walker, Pres/CEO and Jennifer Walker, V.P. of Bartron Medical Imaging Inc. (BMI) of New Haven, CT attended the second
annual Innovation Pipeline Awards and Technology Showcase in front of over 350 guests at the Dolce Innovation Center. The
Connecticut Technology Council, the state’s industry association for the technology sector, annually recognizes companies at this
event with sales under $10M, an innovative product and a business model that demonstrates potential for future success. Bartron
won in the Life Science category.

Grace M. Schaefer, RN is Bartron’s Project Manager and has been working with Mr. Walker for the past ten years.  “Our logo is, “A
good image is worth a thousand words.” and we are very proud of what we do.  It is cutting edge technology and we’re excited
about processing 3-D images.”

Matthew Nemerson, the CTC President and CEO, notes “we look at hundreds of new ideas and start-ups every year and the companies
recognized here are the ones we feel are not only the most exciting but have a real chance to become fast growing new firms.”  

Awards are the result of a nomination and judging process that engages dozens of technology leaders from corporations such as  Pitney
Bowes, GE, UTC and Open Solutions and firms such as law firms Cantor Colburn, LLP,  Edwards Angell Palmer and Dodge, LLP and
accounting firm Fiondella, Milone, and Lasaracina. State  

Fitz G. Walker, Jr. Pres/CEO of Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. said, “This is a great honor because it recognizes Bartron’s innovative
product which we think is revolutionary.  Investors are already asking for more information. This will be helpful for our business. “

Bartron Receives Trailblazer Award

 Photo by Maurice G. Fitzgerald

Trailblazer Award recipients Stephen Neil receiving for K. Neal of International Trucks; Ralph Bazilio of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio and Associates;
Denise Rolark Barnes, Washington Informer Newspaper, Publisher; Fitz Walker, Jr., Bartron Medical Imaging; Albertina Luis, Luis Construction;
with Prince George’s Office of Central Services, Director Pam Piper.

County Government Gives Small Business Tools to Build Capacity

By Tia Carol Jones

WI Staff Writer

Maryland State Senator David Harrington (D-Dist. 47) told attendees of an awards luncheon the role of government is to create an “economic
venue for which opportunities exist.” “This is the time we should be taking risks, this is the time when investors want to invest,” Harrington said.

Harrington was the keynote speaker at the Prince George’s County Trailblazer Awards.  The awards luncheon was a part of the Capacity Building Expo
hosted by the Office of Central Services at the Camelot in Upper Marlboro. According to Harrington, the focus of government should be to build an
inclusive net so people can seize opportunities.  He said Prince George’s County is seen as a place of investment across the country.

Denise Rolark-Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer Newspaper, received an award for her commitment to the community.  Other award
recipients included Ralph B. Bazilio, president of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates; Albertina Luis, owner and founder of M. Luis Construction
Company;  Stephen W. Neal, president and CEO of K. Neal International Trucks, Inc.; and Fitz G. Walker, Jr., president and CEO of Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc.

Elliott Rogers, owner of Platinum Services, said he gained some valuable information from the seminars.  Platinum Services, which was started in 2000, is
responsible for construction on some of the houses in the Woodmore development project in Prince George’s County.  Rogers called the seminars an
important event which allows him to meet new people and offer his services to potential clients he might not have otherwise had access to.

“I’ve been able to network with people and I’ve been able to offer my own services,” Rogers said.

Denise Roberts, Prince George’s County spokesperson for Economic Development, said this expo was the first of its kind by the County government. 
The expo included a panel with the developers and construction company responsible for building National Harbor in Fort Washington.

“This is about getting ready for success.  We put this on because we want small minority businesses to take advantage of this opportunity,” Roberts said.

Pamela Piper, deputy chief administrative officer for Government Internal Support Services/Director of the Office of Central Services, said it is important for
companies and the government to come together.  She found the expo successful because the businesses that participated got a chance to walk away with
something, and increased their chances at winning a bid for a development project. “I think what this is telling us is that we’re going to have to repeat this,” Piper said.

Piper said she would consider additional seminars from the Expo in a smaller setting each month.  She said they are going to take the input from the attendees
and look at the results. “The key with something like this is that the follow through continues,” Piper said.

Tia Carol Jones can be reached at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net.   The Washington Informer.

Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. A Contender for “World’s Best Technology”

Local MED-SEG™ Technology Grabs Attention at the 2008 WBTshowcase

March 27, 2008 | Arlington, TX – Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. was among the top technology innovators from across the nation and around the world presenting at the March 26-27
WBTshowcase in Arlington, Texas.

Bartron Medical Imaging’s MED-SEG technology, which allows the viewer to see details in a medical image not visible to the naked eye, was rigorously screened and mentored by WBTshowcase

commercialization experts to present to an audience including over 100 venture investors and Fortune 500 licensors.

“The revolutionary nature of the technologies presenting at the WBTshowcase makes it a must-attend event for investors and licensing scouts,” said Paul Huleatt, WBTshowcase CEO.

The WBTshowcase is the nation's premier event showcasing the largest collection of undiscovered technologies emanating from the world’s leading universities, labs and research institutions. 

Fitz Walker, Pres/CEO stated, “The show allowed the product to be seen and it was a phenomenal hit.  The enthusiasm the product received was more than we expected.”

Each year, just one of the WBTshowcase’s carefully selected presenters receives the "Best of Show" award and the event’s $10,000 Platinum prize.

Mr. Huleatt highlighted that the companies groomed to present at the WBTshowcase leave with new knowledge and contacts to take their technologies to market and beyond.

The 2008 World’s Best Technologies Showcase brought together over 75 world-class deals and attracted over 450 attendees including over 100 bona fide investors and Fortune 500 licensees.

According to Mr. Huleatt, approximately one-third of past WBTshowcase presenters have gone on to secure venture capital or a licensing/strategic partnering agreement with a Fortune 1000 company. 

To date, past presenters have raised over $400 million in first- (or next-) round venture capital.

ABOUT Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc.

Bartron believes MED-SEG™ will provide enhancement of diagnosis power for a wide range of medical images. The MED-SEG/RHSEG Viewer provides the medical analyst ultimate control over selection of segmentation results.
The MED-SEG System is the next tool in the evolution of medical technology that will bring more precise imaging benefits to the health care system. The MED-SEG System is especially suited to assist in the diagnosis and
management of diseases that are imaged using digital X-rays, soft tissue imaging, mammograms, ultrasounds, MRI, CT scans, and PET scans.

Incorporating NASA’s Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation (RHSEG) software, MED-SEG processes image data to reveal patterns that cannot be seen with the naked eye. For example, RHSEG can distinguish between natural forests and golf courses and other types
of vegetation in a satellite image. Bartron’s MED-SEG product uses RHSEG to differentiate details in medical images to improve diagnoses.

See more about Bartron at www.bartron.ws

ABOUT WBTshowcase

The WBTshowcase is the nation's premier event showcasing the largest collection of undiscovered technologies emanating from the world’s leading universities, labs and research institutions.
The 2009 WBTshowcase will be held March 24-25 in Arlington, Texas. www.wbtshowcase.com

Photos from the WBT 2008 show

  BMI’s RHSEG Process used in MED-SEG Wins Connecticut

Quality Improvement Prize Silver-2007

Peter Jenkin, CMA, CFO, Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc., Terry F. May, Pres. MESA Products, Malcolm Baldridge winner and Fitz G. Walker, Jr. Pres/CEO,

Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc.

The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnerships, Inc. (CQIA) presented Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. a silver CQIA Innovation Prize in this year’s competition at their annual meeting in October 2007.  The CQIA, America’s first state level quality award, was founded in 1987 utilizing the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence criteria in an effort to advance innovative programs that improve quality, performance, and marketplace competitiveness in Connecticut organizations.

Bartron Medical Imaging (BMI) has a license from NASA/GSFC for the use of both HSEG and RHSEG software developed by Dr. James Tilton originally written for earth science; BMI rewrote the source code and developed the Bartron MedSeg™ system under NASA’s tech transfer program.  BMI MedSeg™ can be used for a broad range of medical imaging modalities: including compute tomography (CT) scans, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, digitized mammography, dental X-ray and soft tissue analysis.  The BMI MedSeg™ System is an open front-end system composed of a front-end terminal for segmentation, featured extractions, and pattern recognition, which classifies the medical images that are received.  The BMI MedSeg™ System RHSEG utilizes a parallel processing platform on what is called Bartron Beowulf Cluster.  The BMI MedSeg™ system receives unmanipulated images from a radiographic system, and then transmits the raw data to the Bartron Beowulf Cluster for image processing.  BMI’s encrypted security process ensures that all transmitted data is protected and HIPAA compliant.  In addition to upgrading performance of all imaging instruments, even those considered past their utility.  BMI MedSeg™ with sub-pixel analysis is intended for use as an adjunct processing device for digital mammography imaging to upgrade identification of an increased proportion of lesions.  This augmented performance includes differentiation between early malignant lesions and benign structures, such as connective tissue, cysts and scars.  Because it can more sensitively and precisely determine the shape and regularity of densities, pixel analysis of mammographic lesions may correctly identify benign conditions and avoid biopsies that are painful, anxiety producing and confuse further diagnosis.  Unlike CAD products now available, BMI MedSeg™ allows successive levels of segmentation, eliminates artifacts, allows similar Regions of Interest to be identified, does not require extensive on site processing equipment and allows the clinician to reach their own conclusions after displaying deep insight into these images.  BMI is presently working on a 3-D version of RHSEG in accordance with a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with NASA.

New Technology to Improve the Reading

of Mammograms wins Connecticut Quality Improvement

Prize Silver-2006

Terry F. May of MESA Products, Inc. winner of the Small Business Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence, Grace M. Schaefer, RN,

Project Coordinator, Fitz G. Walker, Jr. President, Chief Technology Officer,

Jennifer S Walker, Vice President, Business Manager of Bartron

Medical Imaging, Inc. and Sheila Carmine, Founder

& Executive Director of CQIA

New Medical Director

Dr. Thomas J. Rutherford has recently become the Medical Director of Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. He is presently the Division Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the Yale University School of Medicine.  His educational background started with a B.S. in Chemistry from Roanoke College and continued with an M.S. in Chemistry from John Carroll University.  He continued at Medical College of Ohio at Toledo and received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and four years later received his M.D. from the same institution.  He has been associated with Yale University Medical School since 1993; previously he was involved with Cooper Hospital/ University Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, and Albert Einstein Medical Center.  Dr. Rutherford has been the author of numerous articles, case reports and abstracts.  He is currently involved in three research projects.

Artemis Cluster

Bartron continues to expand at its Maryland location with both personnel and technology. The staff is now headed by William Kelly, Jr., a mathematician from Howard University who joins Bartron after years of experience in management and senior level engineering positions with NASA and related programs.  Kelly began his NASA career as a technical support staffer working on the teams that had major roles in the design, development and testing of ground and command support for NASA projects such as Apollo, Apollo Soyuz, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs. Kelly and the two-member support staff in the Maryland lab are working on the Artemis Medical Diagnostic 64 bit dual core cluster.