Athens, OH: Stirling Ultracold, one of the top producers of ultra-low temperature storage in the United States, toured the Ohio University Innovation Center on Friday, September 26th. The company also donated a new VAULT100 ULT freezer to the Innovation Center. The Innovation Center had a need to store samples at -100°C and the Stirling VAULT100 provides a temperature range of -20°C to -100°C.

“Based on our longstanding relationship with Ohio University, as we develop new technology, who better to work with than OHIO and its Innovation Center?”, noted Clayton Newman, Chief Executive Officer of Stirling Ultracold.

Newman was one of three Stirling executives that toured the facility on the 26th, others included Tracey Deal, Director of Customer Experience and Lindsey Denney, Stirling Ultracold’s Marketing Manager. The tour was hosted by Andrew Turcker, Director of Labs and Regulatory Affairs Coach at OHIO’s Innovation Center.

Stirling Ultracold has a long history with OHIO. The Free-Piston Stirling engine was developed at Ohio University, and the developing faculty was instrumental in the founding of Global Cooling, of which Stirling is a subsidiary. Today, Stirling Ultracold’s headquarters and primary manufacturing facility is still located in Athens, Ohio, with an international client base.

Andrew Tucker, Director of Labs and Regulatory Affairs Coach, sees this as another step in OHIO’s relationship with Stirling, “Both organizations have a longstanding commitment to innovation and novel technologies. We are looking forward to additional collaborations with them in the future. It’s all very exciting.”

The donated freezer was immediately installed in one of the Innovation Centers shared “wet” labs where it will be used to hold hundreds of samples at temperatures reaching -100 degrees. This level of cold storage is vital to maintaining a variety of biologic samples in Ohio University’s labs and Ultra-Vault space is available to both the OU and larger SE Ohio community to meet ultra cold freezer space needs. The donation will save OHIO more than $13,000 in equipment purchases in this fiscal year alone.

“ We could not be happier with the donation.”  noted Maggi McCord, a Director of Development for Ohio University Advancement, “but even more than this, it is another example of OHIO working with a local innovative company within our region.”

About Stirling Ultracold and Global Cooling: Global Cooling, Inc. manufactures and sells Stirling Ultracold freezers, a new generation of environmentally friendly ultra-low storage solutions which operate between -20°C and -86°C. These freezers do not use compressor-based or cascade refrigeration systems. They use patented free-piston Stirling engine technology that was originally developed for energy, aerospace and industrial applications before successful commercial application in ultra-low temperature cooling systems.

About the OHIO University Innovation Center: The Ohio University Innovation Center is an internationally acclaimed business incubator that provides resources and guidance to startup companies located in Athens and the surrounding region. In its custom-built and newly renovated 36,000 square foot facility, the Innovation Center is a key player in fueling the economic development of Southeast Ohio. The center supports its clients with a considerable range of resources which includes executive coaching, professional office space, laboratories, conference and meeting spaces, discounted vendor contracts, and access to an expansive network of public and private business industry experts. Additional amenities include a fully equipped business center, high-speed internet, parking, and more. For more information visit https://www.ohio.edu/research/innovation