Senator Reid Meets with First Nevada Winner of the Prestigious Tibbetts Award

Reid Delivers Floor Statement Commending Torch

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Washington, D.C. – Senator Harry Reid of Nevada met with Dr. William C. Torch, MD, MS, winner of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program’s Tibbetts Award. Torch’s achievement is the first for a small business from Nevada.
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U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada and Dr. William C. Torch, MD with the Small Business Innovation Research program’s Tibbetts Award. The Tibbetts Award is presented annually to small firms, projects, organizations, and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement.

Reid also delivered a statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate recognize Torch. “I am proud to have such a distinguished individual represent Nevada,” Reid said. “He has demonstrated a commitment to research, innovation, and social improvement, and medical research has had extensive and positive results. Dr. Torch also spearheaded the development of Eye-Com, an important technological advancement which originated in Nevada. I am pleased that his efforts have been recognized and rewarded.”

Torch is the founder and director of the Eye-Com Corporation and the Washoe Sleep Disorders Center in Reno. He has played a significant role in advocating the policies of the SBIR Program with members of Congress.

The Tibbetts Award is a national award presented annually to small firms, projects, organizations, and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement. Reid wrote a letter commending Torch and offering his full support to Dr. Torch’s nomination for the Tibbetts Award.

Reid’s remarks, as prepared, follow below:

Senator Harry Reid
Floor Statement Recognizing
Dr. William C. Torch
2006 Tibbetts Award Recipient

Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Dr. William C. Torch of Reno, Nevada, who has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Tibbetts Award. Significantly, Dr. Torch is the first individual from Nevada to receive this honor.

Each year the United States Small Business Administration celebrates the accomplishments of a handful of firms, organizations and individuals nationwide with the Tibbetts Award, the agency’s highest recognition for innovative technology. Named for Roland Tibbetts, the father of the Small Business Innovation Research Program, the award honors those who best exemplify the philosophy and doctrine of the SBIR program. Recipients are selected based on overall business achievements, the economic impact of technological innovations, and demonstration of successful collaboration, among other factors. An individual may only win once in his or her lifetime.

Considering the purpose of the Tibbetts Award, I find it very appropriate Dr. Torch is a recipient. A neurologist specializing in sleep disorders, Dr. Torch has long been an innovative leader in modern, medical research and social improvement. I have been very impressed by Dr. Torch’s unique contributions to the field of medicine and the State of Nevada.

Dr. Torch is perhaps best known as the inventor of EYE-COM, a biosensor that monitors the frequency and speed of the human eye blink. Small enough to hide inside of a pair of glasses, EYE-COM uses an alarm to alert wearers if they begin blinking slower than normal. Already this technology has had profound social effects; it holds great potential for even more social and medical utility in the future.

For example, EYE-COM has improved the therapy and lives of many patients by allowing them to better interact with the world around them. In a 2002 interview, Dr. Torch said he hoped truckers and pilots would use EYE-COM to warn them if they were getting too tired, thereby increasing the safety of our nation’s airspace and highways. Law enforcement officers might also use the device to determine if individuals were driving while impaired. As I speak, researchers across the country are working to cultivate the inherent potential of EYE-COM.

Beyond being a noteworthy inventor, Dr. Torch has significant business achievements to his credit. He is the founder and director of the Eye-Com Corporation, the Neurodevelopmental and Neurodiagnostic Center, and Washoe Sleep Disorders Center in Reno, Nevada, which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He is also the founder of Sleep-Management, a Nevada corporation, specializing in jet lag and shift work fatigue research. From 1998 to 2003, he was the director of neurology at Northern Nevada Medical Center.

Dr. Torch, who has been licensed in Nevada since 1979, received his medical degree with distinction in research and a master’s degree in neurochemistry from the University of Rochester. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Brooklyn College. He completed a residency in pediatrics and a residency and fellowship in child and adult neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York.

The Tibbetts Award presentation ceremony is on September 26, 2006 in Washington. I wish to congratulate Dr. Torch on this significant achievement and express my confidence that he has great contributions yet to come. I hope that you will join me in recognizing Dr. Torch’s significant achievement.

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