Soileau, who oversees the office responsible for taking research from UCF labs into industry, is also an accomplished scientist, researcher and professor. It was his innovative research in the advancement of high-energy laser optics that earned him this recognition.

His pioneering work has been recognized multiple times by a variety of organizations, from the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, where he was elected a fellow in 2007, to the National Academy of Inventors, which named him a fellow in 2013. He is a fellow of The Optical Society (OSA) and he earned a gold medal from SPIE and OSA’s Esther Hoffman Beller award.

Soileau was the first director of UCF’s internationally recognized Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL). In 1999, he was named vice president for Research and Commercialization. The office also provides contract and grant services for UCF faculty. Under Soileau’s leadership, research funding increased from $36.6 million in 1998 to an accumulated $1.2 billion since 2000.

Just as important, under Soileau’s leadership UCF has made its mark commercializing technology, stimulating the local economy, and helping to establish a strong concentration of companies in optics and lasers, simulation and training, computer science, alternative energy and biomedical sciences.

Even as he worked to help position UCF for success, Soileau continued to conduct his own work in the area of nonlinear optical properties of materials and lasers. He holds patents for optics devices that have contributed to the advancement of high-energy laser optics.

Soileau, a Louisiana sharecropper’s son who hoed cotton to pay for college, received his Ph.D. in quantum electronics from the University of Southern California and is a distinguished professor of optics, electrical and computer engineering and physics. He announced last year he would step down from his position in the Office of Research and Commercialization this year, but will continue to serve as a professor.

Seven inventors, including Nobel laureate Andrew Schally, are part of the 2016 inductees into the Florida Hall of Fame. The recipients will be honored at a gala Sept. 16 in Tampa.

“We are delighted to be announcing this class of exceptional inventors whose work has greatly impacted Florida and our nation,” said Randy Berridge, who serves on the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame advisory board and as chair of the selection committee.

Wu is one of UCF’s most highly awarded researchers and was recognized in 2012 by the National Academy of Inventors as a charter fellow. He has been awarded 80 patents for technologies that continue to improve clarity on the devices the world has grown to depend on for communication and entertainment.

“I am honored to receive this recognition and I appreciate UCF, my students, and my family members for working with me to achieve these accomplishments,” Wu said.

Wu is joined in the inaugural class by a team of innovation heavyweights including Thomas Edison, Gatorade inventor Robert Cade, and John Gorrie, the air conditioning pioneer whose statue represents Florida in the U.S. Capitol. Edison, who died in 1931, is the most prolific inventor in U.S. history with 1,093 patents. His inventions range from electric lighting and power systems, batteries, recorded sound, and film. His home and laboratory were in Fort Myers.

Also announced as part of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame were the inventor of the high-definition camera for NASA, William Glenn; and Shyam Mohapatra, whose nano-HIV detection kit provides a diagnosis in just 20 seconds. The hall will hold an induction ceremony Sept. 10.

“We are thrilled to be announcing this charter class of outstanding inventors whose work has had such an impact on the lives of Floridians and the world,” said Paul R. Sanberg, chair of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame advisory board and senior vice president for research and innovation at the University of South Florida, where the hall is located.

“Our hope is that the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame will encourage individuals of all ages and backgrounds to strive toward the betterment of Florida and society through continuous, groundbreaking innovation,” said Sanberg.

The new Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, was recognized in April with a resolution passed by the Florida Senate to honor outstanding Florida inventors. The resolution, adopted at the request of state Sen. Jeff Brandes, recognized the hall “for its commitment to honoring inventors and celebrating innovation, discovery, and excellence.”

Inventors, who must have at least one U.S. patent, were identified through an open nomination process and elected by a selection committee comprised of leaders in research and innovation throughout Florida.

“Florida has become a national leader in research and innovation, and each of these inventors is an outstanding example of the creative thinking that has distinguished Florida both in the past and today,” said Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Hall of Fame advisory board member.

“Every new generation of scientists and inventors generates discoveries, economic growth and opportunity, not only for Floridians but for our nation and the world,” said Berridge.

For more information on the 2014 inductees, the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame and the 2014 Induction Ceremony and Gala on Sep. 10, visit or contact info@FloridaInvents.org.

“The Starter Lab is a great place for students to collaborate with others and ‘noodle’ with preliminary innovation and new venture ideas. We intend for the Starter Lab to be a community center for student starters from all disciplines,” said Dr. Cameron Ford, director of the CEL and the Blackstone LaunchPad at UCF.
Ford continued: “The space features meeting space, pervasive whiteboards and post-it notes, as well as materials to experiment with preliminary ideas for innovative solutions. We think it will become an important space that fosters the development of an entrepreneurial culture at UCF.”

“This campus was in dire need of a place where all UCF starters could collaborate and share ideas—finally, that place exists. This space is important to the community because when two like-minded people come together, great things are bound to happen. I love being able to take my ideas and put them all over the walls. This space inspires creativity and is the ideal area for innovative starters,” said Oluwafunlola Falade, ‘14, founder of Quarterwear.

Established in 1968, the UCF College of Business Administration offers degrees at the �����������ǰ�’s, �������ٱ��’s, doctoral, and executive levels. All programs, as well as the Kenneth G. Dixon School of Accounting are accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The college provides high-quality academic programs designed to give students a competitive advantage in the world of business now and in the future. As such, the college establishes partnerships with some of the nation’s most innovative leaders to model new and best practices that harness evolving technology. In addition, the college promotes a unique culture of engagement, risk-taking, cross-disciplinary collaboration and data-driven decision making in an effort to ensure students are well prepared to enter a dynamic marketplace.