{"id":538,"date":"2013-02-04T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-02-04T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oxygenworldwide.wordpress.com\/?p=538"},"modified":"2023-05-08T09:25:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T09:25:50","slug":"airsep-exec-wins-national-medal-of-technology-and-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oxygenworldwide.com\/en\/airsep-exec-wins-national-medal-of-technology-and-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"AirSep exec wins National Medal of Technology and Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"
Jan 8, 2013, 2:38pm EST\u00a0UPDATED:\u00a0Jan 9, 2013, 3:52pm EST<\/div>\n

AirSep exec wins National Medal of Technology and Innovation<\/h1>\n

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Dan Miner<\/a><\/dt>\n
Reporter-Business First<\/em><\/dd>\n
Email<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Norman McCombs<\/a>, a\u00a0University at Buffalo<\/a>alumnus and executive at Amherst-basedAirSep Corp.<\/a>, has been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the U.S. government\u2019s highest honor for technological achievement.
\nMcCombs, who lives in Tonawanda, \u201cdeveloped an oxygen production system that spawned a billion dollar industry and helped ease the pain of millions suffering from lung diseases,\u201d according to a release issued by UB. He is AirSep\u2019s senior vice president of research and development.
\nPresident Obama will present the medal to McCombs and other award winners at a Feb. 1 ceremony at the White House.
\nThe award is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019sPatent and Trademark Office<\/a>\u00a0and recognizes those \u201cwho have made lasting contributions to America\u2019s competitiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the nation\u2019s technological workforce,\u201d according to a White House statement.
\nMcCombs is the third person with UB ties to receive the medal. Former engineering professor\u00a0Esther Takeuchi<\/a>\u00a0was honored in 2007 for developing a battery used to power implantable cardiac defibrillators. Wilson Greatbatch, founder of Greatbatch Inc. and a UB alumnus and faculty member, received the award in 1990.
\nMcCombs developed a method of separating gases that produces oxygen, leading to a device called an oxygen concentrator, which is used to treat people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There are currently about 1.2 million oxygen concentrators in the U.S. alone, a more than $2 billion industry.<\/p>\n

Dan Miner is Business First’s enterprise reporter. He also covers education and public companies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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