FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/30/01
Contact:
Lou Honary, director and UNI associate professor, ABIL, (319) 352-5218
Willis Greer, dean, UNI College of Business Administration, (319) 273-6240
Gwenne Culpepper, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Seeking to promote growth and vision in the field of agriculture, Pioneer Hi-Bred International has established a $250,000 Professorship of Innovation in the University of Northern Iowa's College of Business Administration (CBA). Lou Honary, associate professor and director of UNI's Ag-Based Industrial Lubricants (ABIL) research program, was named to the appointment.
According to Willis Greer, dean of the CBA, the professorship will allow Honary to host special conferences on innovation, and travel to businesses and other academic and corporate centers that are known for progress in the field. The professorship also will provide for research assistantships and internships, as well as equipment and supplies to support research projects and teaching.
"Of course, the state of Iowa will benefit from this professorship," explained Eric Fogg, program manger for Pioneer. "But who's to say that ideas stemming from research here won't be applicable in Nebraska or India? That's what education is all about –- helping all of us advance."
The $250,000 professorship is a five-year appointment.
ABIL introduced the nation's first soybean-based multi-grade hydraulic fluid, and is recognized nationally as a leader in the development and commercialization of soybean-based industrial lubricants.
Established in 1991, the UNI-ABIL Research Program brings together research and testing to identify soybean oil characteristics and match them to appropriate industrial uses.
ABIL's first commercial product introduction came in 1997, when it introduced a high-performance multi-grade hydraulic fluid, brand named BioSOY. The next product, BioTRANS, a patented electrical transformer fluid, was jointly developed with Waverly Light & Power Co., Waverly, Iowa. ABIL also manufactures SoyTRUCK™, a fifth-wheel grease for semi trucks; and SoyLINK ™, a lubricant for chainsaws. Both were introduced in 1999. This year ABIL is licensing 16 industrial lubricants, greases and base oils made of soybean oil. For more information about ABIlL, vist the Web site, www.uni.edu/abil.
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