Groveton Native Daegan Gonyer Receives Top Clarkson University Award for Young Alumni

Related Media

Left to right: Clarkson President Tony Collins and Daegan Gonyer.

POTSDAM, NY (07/24/2014)(readMedia)-- Groveton, N.H., native Daegan A. Gonyer, now of Madrid, N.Y., chief executive officer of Blue Sphere Industries and Illusion ATC of Potsdam, N.Y., has received the Woodstock Award from his alma mater, Clarkson University.

Given each year during Reunion Weekend, the Woodstock Award honors young alumni who have demonstrated outstanding loyalty and service to Clarkson and the Alumni Association and who have used their Clarkson experience to make a notable contribution to their careers.

Gonyer received his bachelor of science degree in physics from Clarkson in 2009. He is currently working on a master's in engineering science, an MBA and a Ph.D. in electrochemical physics, all at Clarkson. While an undergraduate, Gonyer earned the Clarkson Commendable Leadership award and was a member of Phalanx.

Since graduating, he has been involved in numerous endeavors. He is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. In this role, Gonyer studies lithium-ion and liquid sodium batteries. He is also a Shipley Business Fellow at Clarkson's Shipley Center for Innovation.

Gonyer has been a founding member of four start-ups and has served in an executive role in three of those firms. He is currently the chief executive officer of Blue Sphere Industries and Illusion ATC.

Blue Sphere Industries has developed a sustainable, modular aeroponic growth system designed for use in a controlled environment, so that it can operate year-round in any climate. Aeroponics allows plants to grow without soil and with very little water. Blue Sphere's techniques grow plants 20 percent faster than traditional farming, regardless of season. Gonyer is the lead grant writer for the company and oversees the day-to-day operations.

Illusion ATC is a rapid prototyping firm, with specialists in polymer matrix composites, polymer processing, electronic interfacing and automation, and general machining and fabrication.

In 2012, Gonyer was named the SNT High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year. He was also featured as one of the Top Twenty Under 40 Emerging Leaders by NNY Business Magazine.

Gonyer's passion for improving farming techniques and entrepreneurship have kept him closely tied to Clarkson. He continues to oversee the technical aspects of Clarkson's greenhouse and mentors aspiring entrepreneurs through the Shipley Center for Innovation.

Originally from Groveton, N.H., Gonyer now resides in Madrid, N.Y.

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.