CHAMPAIGN – "Inventor extraordinaire" might be the best description of Mark Shannon.

The University of Illinois mechanical engineering professor has submitted more than two dozen inventions to the UI's Office of Technology Management over the last 14 years.

Among projects he's worked on: a portable water desalinator, a DNA amplification and detection chip, a formic-acid fuel cell and a processor for medical identification and diagnostics.

Shannon has seven patents and six more pending. His technologies have been licensed to three different companies.

Little wonder he won the Innovation Discovery Award at Thursday's annual Innovation Celebration, held at the Gateway Building in the UI Research Park. Shannon's sister accepted the award for him since he is recovering from surgery.

Shannon is co-founder of Cbana Laboratories. He also has one of the best-funded research programs at the UI, with more than $1 million a year in federal funding.

Also receiving awards Thursday were:

– David Carroll, vice president and chief operating officer of CU Aerospace, who won the Longevity Through Innovation Award. CU Aerospace has been in business 12 years. Last year his company participated in a video presented by the Discovery Channel encouraging kids to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Carroll also co-founded Autonomic Materials, a developer of self-healing coating technologies.

– David Kellner, vice president of engineering for ANDalyze, who received the Technology Transfer Award. ANDalyze products test for water contamination using catalytic DNA technologies. Kellner was also co-founder and CEO of Caviton, where he worked to develop micro-gas discharge devices, and is founder and president of Cogent Innovations, a consulting company.

– The Illini Prosthetic Technologies team, winners of the Social Entrepreneurship Award. The nonprofit organization is designing affordable prosthetic arms for amputees in the developing world. It's doing its second round of product development, culminating in testing of the devices this spring. "This team is a wonderful example of innovation, philanthropy and entrepreneurship," its nominator wrote.

– Laura Frerichs, associate director of the UI Research Park, who won the Entrepreneur Advocacy Award. Her nominator called her "a tireless promoter for entrepreneurs, start-up companies and established businesses in the research park and beyond. ... Her positive, optimistic efforts permeate the research park affecting our business and larger Fortune 500 companies in the park."

– Jacqueline Hannah, general manager of the Common Ground Food Co-Op in Urbana, who won the Economic Development Impact Award. "In 2 1/2 years, there has been no aspect of Common Ground that has remained stagnant," a nominator wrote. "Revenues, stocked products, producers and suppliers, members, staff and volunteers have all skyrocketed." The co-op had $2.2 million in sales in 2010, more than four times what it sold in 2006.

– Lori Patterson, president of OJC Technologies, who won the Entrepreneurial Excellence in Management Award. Her nominator said the firm's success "stems from Lori's ability to identify and nurture top-notch talent, challenge clients to expand their vision and structure a company that can turn on a dime, thriving in the best and worst of economic climates. ... This is a company where people are happy to go to work every day."

– Hieu Le, founder and chief technology officer of Caterva, who won the Student Start-Up Award. Caterva builds Web-based software to classify and catalog social media information so that users can search for and discover people based on their social profile. The company changed directions several times, but now has commitments for more than $1 million in funding and is close to launching its first product.

– Isotech Laboratories, which won the Thank God It's Monday Workplace Excellence Award. The award sponsor, Serra Ventures, presented President Dennis Coleman with a $500 check, a $500 United Way contribution and a $75 gift card for each employee.

Innovation Celebration sponsors include: the Champaign County Economic Development Corp., Fox/Atkins Development, Singleton Law Firm, the UI Research Park, the UI Office of Corporate Relations and the UI's Technology Entrepreneur Center.