Technical Group Honors Electron-Beam Sterilization Pioneer

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society, has named The Titan Corporation as a recipient of its 2003 IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition for the company's leadership in developing electron beam technology that revolutionized the fields of medical sterilization, food safety and bio-security of the mail. Titan's founder, Dr. Gene W. Ray, will accept the award on behalf of the company on June 21, 2003 at the annual IEEE Honors Ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.

The IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition was established in 1985 to mark outstanding contributions by an industrial entity, governmental or academic organization, or other corporate body. The contribution may be achieved through innovative products, product lines, systems or concepts that have produced major advancements of the arts and sciences of electrotechnology.

A former U.S. Pentagon physicist, Ray founded The Titan Corporation in 1981, and sought, among other efforts, to improve "Star Wars" weapons concepts through the use of high-powered electron beams. Ten years later, the firm employed similar technology to revolutionize the field of medical sterilization. By 1999, Titan had opened America's first electron beam national service center to help eliminate deadly E. coli and other pathogens in raw meats, improving food safety.

Titan's innovative use of electricity-to eliminate harmful bacteria in everything from ground beef to medical supplies-became a matter of U.S. national security during the bioterrorism attacks of 2001.

Using a powerful electron beam produced by a linear accelerator, the company's SureBeam technology killed anthrax spores contaminating the mail system, effectively nullifying the dire consequences of the first bioterrorist anthrax attack ever launched against Washington, D.C. and other parts of the nation.

As a clean technology, Titan's electron beam irradiation eliminates the need for toxic chemicals, gases, heat and gamma irradiation in medical product sterilization systems. More than 4,000 U.S. supermarkets use SureBeam technology to electronically irradiate meat and fruit, protecting consumers from deadly bacteria and environmentally harmful pests.

Titan and its former subsidiary, SureBeam, have garnered 19 patents for electron-beam technology and processes.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers counts more than 380,000 members in approximately 150 countries. Through its members, the IEEE is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed more than 900 active industry standards.

Source: IEEE