In a sidebar titled "Honoring Heroes," the Rare Foundation recognized nine everyday heroes, including Gregory Auner, professor in the Wayne State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Auner developed the Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems Program at WSU, developing new materials, devices and methods for a variety of applications that are helping solve problems, such as delicate fetal and infant surgeries, auditory and visual implants to restore failing eyesight and hearing loss, and chemical detection using robotic platforms.