Steven DenBaars and Shuji Nakamura, UC Santa Barbara professors of materials and of electrical and computer engineering, have been selected as this year’s recipients of the Spirit of Innovation award, a business community celebration of local inventors, their accomplishments and entrepreneurship.

“It really is an honor to recognize Shuji Nakamura and Steve DenBaars,” said Henry Dubroff, founder and editor of the Pacific Coast Business Times (PCBT), which hosts the awards. “They have been on our short list since we started the Central Coast Innovation Awards six years ago.” Travel schedules always got in the way, he added, “so you could say we are taking the opportunity this year of having a remote event to honor them.”

The Spirit of Innovation awards, one of several to be awarded at PCBT’s Central Coast Innovation Awards, he said, is their version of “a capstone award to true innovators with world-class standing.”  read more

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