Oil Patch Bits: PND staff engineer earns fish disposal system patent

PND Engineers Inc. staff engineer and University of Alaska Anchorage graduate Alexandra West, EIT, has been awarded U.S. Patent 8,833,682 B2 for a water-powered fish carcass disposal system, an innovation inspired by growing up on the Kenai Peninsula among fishermen, salmon and wildlife. West designed a system that floats in a body of water, grinds fish carcasses into pieces and returns them to the water. The goal is to decrease human-bear interactions by more thoroughly disposing of fish remains that would otherwise attract dangerous predators to populated river areas.

The patent was awarded on Sept. 16. With this achievement, West also becomes the first student to earn a place on UAA’s Patent Wall of Fame in the UAA Administration Building, established by the Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Helena Wisniewski to celebrate innovation, invention and entrepreneurship.

“I am very proud of Ms. West,” Wisniewski said. “She exemplifies the ideal student who applied her talent beyond her classroom studies. She observed a need and invented a device that will benefit fishermen and the environment, with the potential to contribute to the economy. I look forward to inducting her as the first student into the UAA Patent Wall of Fame.”