Dr. Misra’s selection was based on his advances in removing radioactive particles from soil, removing toxic metals from drinking water, and cleaning up pollutants discarded in the wastes of mining operations. Misra’s successes have resulted in the awarding of commercially valuable patents to UNR as well as the donation of several patents to the university from Dupont Company.

Misra has several more patents pending that involve nanostructured protein fibers for removing nano-sized pollutant particles, nanocrysalline materials for arsenic removal from drinking water, and mitigation of acid mine drainage. A member of the UNR faculty since 1988, Prof. Misra has been honored as the university’s Foundation Professor and Outstanding Researcher. He has edited two books and published more than 120 papers in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings.

Gunnerman, a Nevada industrialist and inventor, established the annual award in 2000 to recognize scientific achievement and technology development in Nevada and to showcase the state as a strong supporter in key areas of innovation. The Gunnerman Award program is administered by the Desert Research Institute, which solicits candidates statewide.

Nominees must demonstrate the highest quality of research, work accomplishment and commitment to the field and be involved with work that will have a direct and favorable impact on the greater population. The majority of the work cited for the award must have been completed in Nevada. For further information, visit the award web site: http://ia.dri.edu/Gunnerman.

Gunnerman is an environmental inventor and scientist who came to the United States from Germany in 1945. His firm, Reno-based Sulphco, Inc. (http://www.sulphco.com), is actively involved in the development and commercial application of technology to cost-effectively remove sulfur from “sour” crude oil, thereby reducing sulfate emissions produced during combustion. He holds seven U.S. patents and over 70 international patents in the area of energy-related sciences and has devoted a significant portion of his life to studying the effects of pollution and the technological responses to these effects. He is a trustee of the DRI Research Foundation.

A nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national, and international scale. Nearly 500 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff conduct some 150 research projects at DRI annually. More than 85 percent of DRI's annual $33 million operating budget consists of research grants and contracts obtained by its scientists. The balance is received from the state of Nevada for administrative costs.