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Joe Ferry
Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic Airways, London
www.virginatlantic.com
Innovation Revolutionizing airline seating
Backstory Ten years ago, Ferry's seat-design project at the
Royal College of Art won him a six-month stint with Virgin Atlantic. Today, that seat—which
tucks under the seat in front of it when it's fully reclined—is the business-class standard
on most airlines. His seats for Upper Class are similarly ingenious. Now on 29 Virgin planes,
they convert to the industry's largest in-flight flat beds. Next up: Premium Economy Class
seats with seven inches more pitch than those on other carriers, and built-in inflatable support
cushions behind the knees, thighs, and lower back.
Kanta Subbarao, M.D.
Molecular geneticist, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland
www.niaid.nih.gov
Innovation A nasal-spray vaccine for avian flu
Backstory Of the several types of avian flu vaccines that are
under development, Subbarao's "live attenuated" one, which is made from weakened influenza
viruses, is the most promising. (DNA and cell-based vaccines will take years to manufacture.)
Last summer, a nasal spray that Subbarao created for the H9N2 strain of bird flu appeared
to be safe after its first crucial human trial. She is now testing a vaccine on mice for the
notorious H5N1 strain; a human test takes place this spring.
Steven Brill
Entrepreneur and CEO, Verified Identity Pass, New York City
www.flyclear.com
Innovation Privatizing airline security
Backstory Brill's Clear, which launched last June at Orlando
International Airport, will soon be at airports in Indianapolis, San Jose, and Sacramento,
and it's being considered by 30 to 40 more. Overseen by the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) but financed by private investors, Clear allows travelers who have submitted biometric
information and paid an annual fee to whiz through security. At press time, 15,000 travelers
in Orlando had registered.
Lindy Roy
Founding principal, Roy Co., New York City
www.roydesign.com
Innovation Provocative hotel environments
Backstory Roy is best known for her design for André
Balazs's Hotel QT— the first Manhattan hotel with a lobby pool. Her other projects have
been no less brazen, negotiating what Roy calls "the boundaries of pleasure and danger." At
the Okavango Delta Spa in Botswana, her steel-framed lap pool immerses guests in pristine
delta water while protecting them from the crocodiles that lurk below. Soon Roy will be working
on a residential high-rise in Singapore and two stylish hotels for dramatic sites in southern
Africa.
Steve and Nicky Fitzgerald
Chief executive and director of sales and marketing, Conservation Corporation Africa, Johannesburg
www.ccafrica.com
Innovation A network of safari lodges in India
Backstory Twelve years after acquiring three safari properties
in Africa, the Fitzgeralds have expanded their company to 37 lodges in six countries and have
become leaders in the sustainable tourism movement. Their Africa Foundation has raised $5.5
million for African communities and funds conservation lessons for local children. This year,
with Taj Hotels and Resorts, the couple will bring its eco-safari model to India—five
lodges will open in tiger reserves across the country.
Sam Keller
Director, Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland
www.artbasel.com
Innovation The art fair as destination
Backstory It was Keller's brilliant idea to launch an outpost
of the venerable Swiss art fair in Miami. Since its first year, in 2002, Art Basel Miami Beach
has drawn huge crowds, and attracts a more diverse audience than its sister fair. And Keller
keeps raising the bar, establishing new concepts each year, such as Art Positions—avant-garde
works displayed on the beach in shipping containers converted to mini galleries. Keller's
goal is to get people outside the art world to have unexpected encounters with art.
Robin Chase
Environmental entrepreneur, Cambridge, Massachusetts
www.zipcar.com
Innovation Solutions for urban traffic congestion
Backstory Founder of Zipcar, the country's largest eco-friendly
car-sharing company, Chase has long been concerned with the impact of transportation on the
environment. She's now pioneering a new traffic management system in Curitiba, Brazil, that
employs wireless technology to ease congestion. She'll be testing dynamic traffic-light changing;
rapid accident removal; real-time emissions analysis; and up-to-the- minute bus arrival information
via cell phone. Chase hopes to expand this system to other cities.
