Women Gold Medals Awarded at Geneva Exhibition of Inventions

[WIPO Magazine - May 2000, page 9]

WIPO presented two inventors with Gold Medals at Geneva's 28th International Exhibition of Inventors in April. An international jury designated by the organizers of the Geneva Exhibition decided on the winners for the best invention by a woman and the best invention by a national from a developing country.

The WIPO Gold Medal scheme is part of the Organization's commit-ment to promote innovation at every level of society in every part of the world. Since the 8th Geneva Exhibition in 1979 when WIPO first participated, a total of forty-three WIPO medals have been awarded to inventors at the exhibition.

Mr. Omar Husaini, a national of Malaysia, received recognition for his invention of a strength-measuring device for weak rock and hard soils (H-Ometer). A German national, Mrs. Katja Hardenfels, was awarded the medal for her "Master Pad", a universal memory aid for use especially as a notification system for medical treatments. The "Master Pad" can also be used during natural disasters and deep-sea diving.

WIPO's Gold Medal Award program seeks to stimulate inventive and innovative activity around the world, particularly in developing countries. The award serves to attract and enhance public recognition of inventors and their work. The granting of the medals improves the image of inventors through recognition of their merits as creators who contribute to national wealth and development. Some 573 WIPO Gold Medals have been awarded to inventors from 78 countries, including women, young inventors and children.

H-Ometer is a cylindrical probe with an expandable flexible membrane designed to apply a uniform pressure to the walls of a cavity, such as a borehole. It is a hollow steel tube 12mm in diameter open at one end with a hole in the mid-portion of the curved surface, and 50mm in length. The H-Ometer is mainly for use in civil engineering especially in geotechnical engineering and geological engineering. It was developed by a group of researchers headed by Mr. Husaini Omar at the Mountainous Terrain Development Research Center, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia.

For more information about women inventors awarded a WIPO gold medal or other distinction, see "Women Inventors Awarded a WIPO Gold Medal or Other Distinction."