College of Engineering spinoff SenSound highlighted in national report on economic benefits of federally funded, university-based research

DETROIT - May 11, 2010 A College of Engineering spinoff company is highlighted in a national report that shows how investment in basic research leads to innovation and job creation.

The report, "Sparking Economic Growth: How federally funded university research creates innovation, new companies and jobs," released by The Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of 45 of the nation's leading public and private research universities, identifies 100 success stories-examples of companies started through university innovations.

The WSU spinoff SenSound is one such story featured in the report. SenSound offers software, systems and services for noise source identification and noise-related quality control testing.

Sean F. Wu, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at Wayne State University's College of Engineering, developed this technology to help quiet the noise that surrounds our daily lives. He says that seeing sound through science is the perfect solution to noise problems such as squeaky brakes, noisy dishwashers and more.

SenSound's technology creates a 3-D image of sound in space and time that can pinpoint the exact source of noise in a large number of products with a high degree of resolution and accuracy. It will provide manufacturers of automobiles, airplanes, ships, consumer appliances and industrial machinery with an invaluable tool to quickly and accurately isolate and resolve problems of unwanted sound. It also serves architectural firms that want to reduce the intrusions of external environmental noise or internally generated noise from heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment and other sources.

"Wayne State University is playing a major part in the revitalization of Detroit and Michigan as we transition from a manufacturing-based market system to a global, knowledge-driven economy," said Hilary Ratner, vice president for research at Wayne State. "Our research activities provide new opportunities for commercialization as we transfer university-based intellectual property into the marketplace and create startup companies that generate new jobs and product and service innovations. TechTown, Wayne State's research and technology park, is home to many of these new ventures and brings the resources of Wayne State to high-technology startup companies to diversify and strengthen Michigan's economy in emerging high-growth industries."

To view the full report and database of companies created from university research, visit www.sciencecoalition.org/successstories.

For more information about The Science Coalition, visit www.sciencecoalition.org.