UTSA Faculty Member Markets His Inventions and Plans to Teach Others to Do the Same
(August 10, 2001)--University of Texas at San Antonio faculty member Jim Gallas is balancing a life in academia with a business venture. An associate professor of physics in the College of Sciences, he also serves as chairman of the board of Photoprotective Technologies, a company he started.
It is through this company that Gallas, a successful inventor who holds three patents, produced his most successful product to date—melanin lenses that help to protect the eye from macular degeneration, a growing problem with aging babyboomers. The lenses work by reducing the amount of high-energy visible (HEV) light--the blue and violet rays--as well as the UV rays that damage the eye.
"As people age, the macula, which is in the back of the eye, starts to degrade due to these high-energy, visible rays, and eventually images will start to appear as dark objects," explained Gallas.
His theories on the filtration of light through melanin lenses are detailed in the Mare Nostrum Report, released this January. Mare Nostrum, a respected, Austrian-based nonprofit research institute formed 50 years ago, has historical roots going back to 1850. Six of their researchers tested the carbon melanin lenses at the South Pole. The researchers reported that the lenses decreased the damaging effects on their eyes of very intense sunlight, as well as dust, wind and low temperatures.
For his achievement, Gallas received an award from Mare Nostrum’s board of directors recognizing his contributions to improved vision health for people around the world. To access the full report online, go to melanin products.
Gallas’ reading glasses with melanin were test marketed in 250 Wal-Mart stores, including one in San Antonio at Nacogdoches and Loop 1604. Recently the melanin-based reading glasses were stocked in all 1,250 Wal-Mart stores nationwide.
Now that he knows how the invention game works--his other patents are for a "fool proof" coffeemaker and a golf stroke speed monitor--Gallas wants to teach others how to win. He searched the Internet for Web sites covering inventing/marketing techniques, but when he had no luck, it gave him the idea to invent something else… a class for other would-be inventor-entrepreneurs.
The class, offered at UTSA for the first time this fall, will guide students through the process of creating an innovative idea, applying for a patent, producing the invention and then marketing it to the consumer. The novel aspect of Gallas’ course is that it teaches the techniques and craft of inventing based on the principles of simple physics principles.
"It really works", said Gallas."The techniques allow one to actively invent, rather than wait around for an invention to happen. While it is true that most of the ideas generated by the new 'active' method will be inconsequential, one can play the invention game over and over, thereby increasing the chance of a really good idea."
A pre-requisite for the course is either General Physics or Technical Physics.
For more information on the invention class "Entrepreneurial Physics" call (210) 458-5446.
To learn more about Jim Gallas melanin lenses go to San Antonio Express-News.