Professor Balachandran Part of Business Plan Competition Finalist Team

Pervasive Technology Engineering was a finalist in the 2004 University of Maryland Business Plan Competition, earning 2nd place in the Graduate Category on Friday, May 7.

Mechanical Engineering Professor Balakumar Balachandran is the consultant for the group, which consists of Mechanical Engineering Research Assistant Moustafa Al-Bassyiouni and Mohamed Eltowissy, faculty member from Virginia Tech.

Pervasive Technology develops fiber optic pressure sensors for automobile and airplane engines to help increase fuel efficiency, reduce harmful emissions, and to predict dangerous engine malfunctions and breakdowns. Balachandran has been working fiber optic pressure sensors, or 'optical microphones,' since 1995, and is the Director of the Vibrations Laboratory on the College Park campus. Pervasive’s sensors won the University of Maryland 2002 Invention of the Year award.

The competition is open to students and recent alumni who generate the best plans for new companies. The finalists, whittled down from an original field of 56, are in such areas as emergency data recovery, hacker protection, optical fiber sensors, Internet publishing, blogging and video game enhancements.

Published May 7, 2004