Podcasts about research park

On episode 60 of the Innovators Podcast, Alison Doyle, Associate Director of the ISURP, interviews Jennifer Margrett, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, and researcher of the PROPEL study. In this episode we discuss the study that Dr. Margrett is leading, the search for participants, and how they are able to contribute to the Research Park ecosystem. Thank you for listening! Contact Dr. Jennifer Margrett:Phone: 515-294-7804Email: margrett@iastate.edu

In this episode, we sit down with Tim and Oscar, the duo behind Nicas Grill, a Nicaraguan-American fusion food truck that's become a favorite across Huntsville and Madison. Tim and Oscar share how they transitioned from full-time careers to building a family-run business that's now a regular at NASA, Research Park, and The Orion Amphitheater. They discuss their culinary roots, the evolution of their menu, and how they tailor their offerings to different events and audiences. From meeting music legends to supporting local festivals, this conversation is packed with stories, advice for aspiring food truck owners, and a glimpse into what's next for Nicas Grill—including their plans to build a commissary and expand their community footprint.https://nicasgrillcafe.comhttps://www.instagram.com/nicasgrillcafe/SponsorYellowhammer is a local craft brewery serving Huntsville for the past 14 years. They are known for their premium craft beers like T-Minus and Rebellion, but what you might not know is they also offer spirits, wine, seltzers, and non-alcoholic drinks. Next time you stop by their location try one of their seasonal cocktails made with Gemini Bourbon or Yellowhammer Vodka. Or try this year's big hit, Pineapple Punch seltzer. You can find out more information about Yellowhammer Brewing by visiting their website ⁠⁠⁠https://www.yellowhammerbrewery.com⁠⁠⁠ or visiting their taproom located at Campus 805.MusicAny Day by Them Damn Dogs⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/3HrncTSw4a7J9YiyMIxHdu?si=qw6Df7J6SwKm6-WOEc7U7w

Orlando is buzzing with new developments and tonight, we're diving into all of it. From a massive new project on I-Drive that could bring thousands of apartments, hotels, and commercial space, to the recent sale of an office building in Celebration currently occupied by Disney, there's a lot to unpack. We'll also break down Universal's latest permit that points to a possible Rip Ride Rockit replacement, new deals in the Research Park, and a big land buy on the Space Coast. Plus, Gov. DeSantis made a stop in Orlando this week, we'll talk about why.

University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones discusses the importance of agriculture and the collaborations which happen at Research Park. ★ Support this podcast ★

Leading simulation data company VRAI have announced they will open their first US office in Orlando, Florida having raised a $5m (£4.2m) investment round to fund their US growth. VRAI is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, expanded into the UK in 2020, and is now looking to grow its presence in the US over the next three years. VRAI plans to double its overall employee headcount from 25 to 50 and triple annual revenues from €5m to €15m over the next three years. VRAI will be creating up to 10 high value jobs in their first year in Orlando, including BD & sales, customer solutions engineers, data engineers and software developers, as well as relocating some senior leadership to show our commitment to the market. VRAI is seen as one of the niche leaders in the simulation data space in Europe, and is now looking to bring its cutting edge products to the US market. VRAI provides human performance data products for simulation training in aerospace, defence, security and offshore renewable industries. Orlando is the global hub for simulation and training with the National Centre for Simulation based there, of which VRAI have been a member since 2017, which sees simulation end users such as the US Army, Air Force and Navy, industry and research community working together on over $6bn worth of contracts annually. VRAIs initial office will be located in Research Park, next to the University of Central Florida and in the heart of global hub of simulation end users, companies and research community. VRAI's first three local contractors are all US military Veterans with decades of experience in simulation. In addition to Orlando being the global hub for simulation, Florida is the 16th largest global economy in its own right worth $1.2tn annually, is ranked as the No 1 state in the US for entrepreneurship and No 1 for attracting talent. Irish electrical and electronic equipment exports to the US were worth $1.1bn in 2023 and there are currently over 900 Irish owned companies exporting to the United States. Ireland is now the 6th largest source of foreign direct investment into the US, with the value of investment by Irish companies worth $322bn in 2023. VRAI CEO Pat O'Connor commented: "We believe that the insights we can deliver from human performance data can transform how simulation is delivered, and ultimately how people are trained. Orlando is the best place we could invest to make that happen, as the global hub for simulation. We are excited to be investing $5m in our US Office, we look forward to bringing our niche leading technology here, creating high value jobs and scaling our operations in the US from Orlando." Consul General of Ireland in Miami, Sarah Kavanagh, said: "We are thrilled to see this significant investment in Florida by VRAI. Ireland and Florida are both leaders in innovation and share an important bilateral investment and trade relationship. Currently, Irish companies employ 15,700 people across a range of industries all across the great state of Florida, and the Consulate will continue to support and grow that important investment." Carol Ann Logue, Director, Innovation Districts Programs & Operations, University of Central Florida, said: "VRAI is a perfect example of who we want to bring to Central Florida through the Soft Landing Program as they have a significant track record of success already and has the potential to become a major company in our region too," says. "Their technology can improve the data coming from simulations and we're looking forward to being a part of their expansion into this market." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to ...

This week's episode features an insightful discussion with Roz Bird (Anglia Innovation Partnership) and Dr. Nicola Hancock (University of East Anglia) on the cutting-edge research, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem at Norwich Research Park.“We have more microbiologists here than anywhere else in the UK—possibly the world. That's a testament to the depth of expertise we're building.” – Roz BirdKey takeaways:A Hub for Science & Startups – The park hosts top-tier institutions, including the John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute, and the Earlham Institute, alongside the University of East Anglia and a thriving community of startups.From Lab to Market – Norwich Research Park fosters commercialisation through the ICURE programme, which helps scientists explore market applications for their research, and a £200,000 pre-seed fund supporting early-stage spinouts.Bridging the Talent Gap – The university and research institutes play a critical role in supplying skilled graduates and researchers to the growing tech and biotech companies in the region.A Future Accelerator – Plans are underway to launch a venture builder programme in 2025, offering targeted support to high-growth startups in biotech, #agritech, and #medtech.We were also joined by two standout startups who shared their journeys: Sophie Vaud, Head of Microbial Engineering at Colorifix and Rory Hornby, Cofounder of Alora.This episode is a must-listen for tech founders, investors, and anyone interested in #deeptech and #biotech innovation.Produced by Cambridge TV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a special episode to celebrate a great year at UIRP! Research Park's very own Laura Appenzeller and Laura Bleill join the podcast to talk about startup and corporate highlights from the year, plans for 2025, industry trends, and more! VISIT researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast for the full catalog of episodes.

It is the start of the new year and Univeristy of Utah Hospitals and Huntsman Cancer Institute are short on every blood blood type needed to care for local patients. But, when local Utahns give blood to ARUP Blood Services, those donations go directly to Utah hospitals to meet the demand for life-saving blood transfusions.  That's because 100% of the blood and platelets given local through ARUP stay local.  In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by ARUP Blood Services Community Relations Supervisor Deborah Jordan who explains why its urgent that Utahns give blood now. Currently at least 75 donors per day are needed to meet the growing demand for blood transfusions to treat local patients recovering from trauma, surgery, complicated medical conditions, and cancer. ARUP has two locations in Sandy and at the University of Utah's Research Park open 7 days a week. Donors can call 801-584-5272 or visit UtahBlood.org.

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Founded almost 40 years ago, The Research Park at Florida Atlantic University has served as the incubator for numerous technology startups and as a real-time learning experience for everyone from students to entrepreneurs. In this episode, SFBJ Editor-in-Chief Mel Melendez invites President Andrew Duffell to share the impact on the region's growing tech scene.

Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Monday, 19 August 2024. My name is Nelson John. Let's get started. The Adani Group is on an aggressive expansion bid - from realty to cement. Now, the Gautam Adani-led company is eyeing a thermal power plant. Sources told Mint's Anirudh Laskar and Dipti Sharma that the group is keen on buying Anil Ambani's bankrupt company Reliance Power's 600-megawatt thermal power plant in Butibori, near Nagpur. The potential acquisition, valued between 2,400-3,000 crore rupees, aligns with Adani's strategy to expand its thermal power capacity amid growing electricity demands, particularly in Maharashtra, India's largest power-consuming state. This move could integrate Adani's existing coal-based power plant in Tiroda with Butibori, enhancing its competitive edge in the region.  In March this year, Swedish investor EQT and Singapore's Temasek - joint owners of O2 Power- decided to sell the renewable energy company. Since then, buyers have lined up to buy the company in a one-billion-dollar deal. The company has drawn significant interest, with seven major entities submitting non-binding offers. These include prominent firms like Stonepeak, I Squared Capital, JSW Neo Energy, Sekura Energy from Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors, Actis Llp, Sembcorp Industries, and Macquarie Group, reports Utpal Bhaskar. Managed by Barclays, the sale process values O2 Power at $2.3 billion in enterprise value. Seven bidders were selected from thirteen who had signed non-disclosure agreements. In her second full year at the helm of India's market watchdog, Madhabi Puri Buch oversaw a record 342 investigations by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the most in nearly 30 years. Behind this spike is a mix of a bustling equity market with more everyday investors jumping into both stocks and derivatives and Sebi's smarter use of tech to keep an eye on things. The regulator's getting sharper, using AI and other tools to sniff out market manipulation and insider trading like never before, writes Mint's Neha Joshi.  India is planning to establish a new independent regulator for its upcoming coal exchange, which is expected to be launched within the current fiscal year, FY25. Originally, it was considered that the Coal Controller Organisation would regulate the exchange, but concerns about independence and market trust have led to discussions about creating a separate regulatory body. As the government aims to boost domestic coal production to 1 billion tonnes annually and reduce import dependency, the need for a modernized and efficient coal exchange becomes crucial, writes Rituraj Baruah. This exchange will serve as a marketplace where buyers and sellers of coal can transact, offering options in terms of coal grade and location. Nestled within IIT Madras' Research Park, Agnikul Cosmos stands out with a life-size rocket prototype at their doorstep. This Chennai-based startup isn't just about the show; they've made real strides in the space race with their recent milestone, earning them praise from even PM Narendra Modi. They've successfully test-launched their 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket, Agnibaan–SOrTeD, using technology that allows them to create rocket engines in under a week. This test not only demonstrated their tech prowess but also gathered essential data for their upcoming orbital launches. Mint's Leslie D'Monte takes a deep dive into Agnikul's vision which extends beyond just launching rockets; they aim to revolutionise how small satellites reach space.   Show notes: Adani plans to buyout Reliance Power's thermal power plantStonepeak, I Squared, Actis, 4 others submit bids for O2 Power in $1 bn dealSebi ramps up investigations amid market turmoilCentre evaluates setting up separate regulator for coal exchangeAgnikul Cosmos: It's definitely rocket science

Matt Ahrens oversees performance and tools work for the Accelerated Big Data Platforms group at NVIDIA. He's a long-time leader in the University of Illinois  community with a story that spans the 20-year history of the Research Park.  Tune in to hear about his career journey, his perspectives learned along the way, and what he sees as the future of AI. ADDITIONAL LINKS- Matt's LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ahrens-b62984/ NVIDIA at RP- https://researchpark.illinois.edu/tenant_directory/nvidia/ VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.

Originally uploaded Feb. 27th, re-edited Mar. 11. Chris Holman welcomes back Jeff Smith, Director of the University Corporate Research Park, East Lansing, MI. Welcome back Jeff, tell us about your role as Director? You're involved with the MARS Tech Hub project, let by the MSU Research Foundation, tell us about that? What makes East Lansing a good candidate as an (EDA) Tech Hub for advanced materials science? Will the FRIB come into play for some projects? What has it mean to have so many quality Letters of Consortium and Non-Consortium Commitment? Is this project a done deal or are you still competing against other regions? What else should we know about MARS? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNX… » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

Dr. Brad Miller is the Co-Founder and Chief Linguistic Officer of Puzzle Labs, a software platform that uses AI to make knowledge transfer easier.  Previously, he was the Site Director for P&G's Smart Lab in the Research Park, and he's also spent time traveling the world from Ecuador to India studying the impact of languages ADDITIONAL LINKS- Puzzle Labs- https://www.puzzlelabs.ai/ Brad Miller- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradbmiller/ "Speaking Like a Brahmin: Social Aspects of a Register of Spoken Telugu"- https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3517/ VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.

This is a special episode to celebrate a great year at UIRP! Research Park's very own Laura Appenzeller and Laura Bleill join the podcast to talk about startup and corporate highlights from the year, plans for 2024, industry trends, and more! See you back in 2024 for Year 4 of the podcast! VISIT researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast for the full catalog of episodes.

Diwali celebration at Research Park, Krannert Art Museum renovations, Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall planned visit to U of I, concern over indoor plants for pets during the winter, and the U of I basketball team lost yesterday.Hosted by Peter Derrah.Stories by Emily Huffman, Ethan Oskroba, Nick Roacho, Peter Derrah, and Joy Quezada.Music by Boxout.

Andrew Duffel is the president of Florida Atlantic University's Research Park, based in Boca Raton. Born and raised in the UK, Duffel relocated to the US post-graduation and has been residing there ever since. His expat journey is brimming with unique experiences. One particular aspect of this forms the crux of this podcast episode - discussing an often-neglected financial aspect of expat life, that several British expats are bound to face in the near future. In a detailed exchange, Andrew shared his experiences about moving to the US in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He reminisces about how travel, once celebrated for its simplicity, has since become something of an ordeal. Life in the US introduced Andrew to a cultural melting pot, Florida, where about 60% of the population originates from other states or countries. As a British expat in such a culturally diverse state, he relished this acceptance, rivalling any presumed notions of the region being conservative or unwelcoming.This account serves as a pertinent reminder that being an expat encompasses a gamut of experiences. From the joys of exploring a new city to the trepidations of dealing with unfamiliar policy changes, these stories embody resilience, growth, and most importantly, the human spirit of adventure.Always an Expat is affiliated with Plan First Wealth LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Plan First Wealth. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Plan First Wealth does not provide any tax and/or legal advice and strongly recommends that listeners seek their own advice in these areas.

September 20 is the 263rd day of this year, a period of sun-loop that many refer to as 2023. That means the year is now 72 percent full, which is as good enough as a segue as any to tell you this is also National School Backpack Awareness Day. Readers and listeners are asked to make sure that anyone in your lives who use such a conveyance device to do so safely. I'm Sean Tubbs, because of course I am. Who else would write Charlottesville Community Engagement? On today's program:* Campaign finance reports are out for candidates in Fluvanna, Louisa, Nelson, and Greene counties * The Minority Business Alliance and the United Way award $40,000 in grants to business owners through the ENVISON initiative * The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors review three big projects at the Fontaine Research Center * And podcast listeners get the audio from two stories from the last installment   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

“Behind the Mitten” is Michigan's premiere travel radio show and Podcast, and since 2015 it has published more than 500 episodes. It is co-hosted by veteran journalist John Gonzalez and longtime chef & beer expert Amy Sherman. The show has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as Best in Category.This week we spend time at the Western Michigan University Solar Farm, which uses "grass-powered woolen mowers" - a.k.a. sheep - to keep the vegetation in check. It's all part of Consumers Energy renewable energy programs.On the podcast, John Gonzalez goes on site to talk to Josh Paciorek of Consumers Energy and Lauren Burns of Tending Tilth, who manages the sheep for Consumers. Some of the sheep even come up to them as they do the interview right in the Solar Park.The Western Michigan University solar garden is part of a pilot program on vegetation management for other solar farms. The sheep keep the vegetation trimmed around the solar site's 3,900 solar panels and 8.5 acres of land.Important facts:Consumers Energy's WMU Solar Garden was completed in 2016 at WMU's Kalamazoo campus at the Business, Technology and Research Park. It generates up to 1 megawatt of electricity.The WMU Solar Garden was Consumers Energy's second solar garden. Today the energy provider has three located at Grand Valley State University, WMU, and in Cadillac.Customers enrolled in Consumers Energy's Solar Gardens program pay as little as $10 a month to support solar projects and receive bill credits based on electricity that's generated.Learn more about Consumers renewable energy programs at consumersenergy.com/residential/renewable-energy.This segment aired as part of BTM's show on July 1-2, 2023.BTM airs on radio stations across the state, and you can always find us as a podcast on your favorite streaming service.Affiliates:*8 a.m. Saturdays on WBRN - 1460 AM and 107.7 FM in Big Rapids*8 a.m. Saturdays on Kalamazoo Talk Radio 1360 WKMI*8 a.m. Saturdays on WILS-1320 AM in Lansing*10 a.m. Saturdays 95.3 WBCK-FM in Battle Creek*10 a.m. Saturdays on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM in Benton Harbor*4 p.m. Saturdays on WIOS "The Bay's Best!" - 1480 AM & 106.9 FM in Tawas / East Tawas*7 a.m. Sundays on the following Black Diamond Broadcasting stations:-WCFX - CFX Today's Hits (95.3) in Mt. Pleasant-WGFN - Classic Rock The Bear (98.1 & 95.3) in Traverse City-WMRX - Sunny 97.7 in Midland-WUPS - The Classic Hits Station (98.5) in Houghton Lake-WWMK - 1063 MAC FM in Cheboygan*Noon Sundays on News, Talk and Sports - 1380-AM WPHM in Port Huron*1 p.m. Sundays on WSGW-AM (790) and FM (100.5) in Saginaw*6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM (1300) and FM (106.9) in Grand RapidsFollow John and Amy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/behindthemitten orTwitter at @BehindTheMitten and Instagram at @BehindTheMitten_.

Contact your host with questions, suggestions or requests about sponsoring the AppleInsider Daily:charles_martin@appleinsider.comLinks from the showApple is the world's biggest company at $3 trillion — againGoldman Sachs may be trying to get out of its Apple Card dealApple & Nokia renew long-standing patent licensing agreementApple's North Carolina Research Triangle Park campus will be enormousUniversity guard charged with stealing $200,000 of Apple hardwareApple Original sci-fi drama 'Invasion' returns for second season in AugustFacebook wants to become an App Store in EuropeTSMC & hack group differ on whose data got stolenSubscribe to the AppleInsider podcast on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Pocket Casts Spotify Subscribe to the HomeKit Insider podcast on:•  Apple Podcasts•  Overcast•  Pocket Casts•  Spotify

Welcome to a new year of the Innovations at Research Park podcast! We are so excited to continue bringing you new conversations, new insights, and new perspectives from the Research Park community.  This episode highlights conversations held on-location with several panelists from the Research Park's 8th annual AgTech Summit held on March 7, 2023: Kim Kidwell - Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at UIUC. Discusses UIUC's continued presence in agtech innovation, among other topics. Brad Arnold- SVP, General Manager Precision, AGCO Corporation. Discusses trends in precision ag and data management among other topics. Michael Tai- Co-founder & CEO, Boston Bioprocess. Discusses importance of bioprocessing techniques for agricultural and non-food products such as alternative proteins, among other topics. Eric Barnard- Co-Founder and CTO at Farmers Risk. Discusses farmer risk management through advanced analytics, among other topics. Dennis Beard- Managing Partner & Tim Hoerr - CEO, Serra Ventures. Discusses venture capital investment in agtech space, among other topics. Nick Reinke- CEO, HabiTerre. Discusses quantifying agricultural outcomes, among other topics.

The first Monday of February does not come with any special remarks, treats, or rules. This particular one is called February 6 and my handy-dandy reference guide to imaginary holidays indicates this may be Pay a Compliment Day.This is perhaps a time I should exclaim my notion that the audience of Charlottesville Community Engagement is made of a wonderful assemblage of human beings and likely at least one example of artificial intelligence. Always flatter Hal.  On today's show:* UVA Health is one of the area's major employers and they have just unveiled a strategic plan for the next year, including construction of a new biotech research center at Fontaine Research Park* Charlottesville City Council will be asked tonight to hire an appraiser for land on the Rivanna River for which plans for a 245-unit apartment building have been filed* A round-up of some of what's in tonight's monthly report from Interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers* The city is looking for people to work in summer camps and are offering signing bonuses This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

As 2022 wraps up, we'd like to highlight the outstanding students that made this another great year for Research Park. Tune in to hear from David An and Natalie Xiong, two winners of this year's Research Park Intern Awards. They discuss their perceptions of RP, memorable moments, skills gained, and advice for students listening who are curious about what Research Park has to offer. From the team behind the pod and host Tanmay Shah, thank you to our listeners for continuing to support this podcast series! Happy Holidays, and we'll see you in 2023.

Today, David is talking to Les Craig. Les joined Next Frontier Capital in 2017. During that time, he has led the investments and serves on the board of Special.tv, S2 Corporation, Bandwango, EveryoneSocial, and Gravwell.Before joining NFC, Les served as the Executive Director of the Montana State University Innovation Campus. In less than 16 months, he successfully built a partnership between a private developer, the MSU Office of Research and Economic Development, and the MSU Alumni Foundation to develop a 42-acre Research Park in Bozeman, MT, focused on technology and research commercialization.Les moved to Montana because of MSU's national search to hire a Director for the Blackstone LaunchPad, a campus-based entrepreneurship program funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. In February 2015, Les became the Director of MSU's Blackstone programming, where he passionately mentored and encouraged students, alumni, and faculty to pursue entrepreneurial careers. In the Summer of 2016, Les received funding from the Small Business Administration to launch 406 Labs, Montana's first accelerator program. The program ran its first cohort in the Fall of 2016 and is strategically positioned to focus on preparing MSU's highest potential technologies and founders for growth and scale.In 2014, Les Co-founded The Twenty, a data science services company based in Bethesda, MD, which operates a high-profile network of senior mathematicians and computer scientists focused on specialized project-based work for clients ranging from start-ups to publicly traded companies and even government organizations.Before The Twenty, Les Co-founded RedOwl Analytics, a software product company that built a platform for identifying trends and anomalies in the digital trail of corporations to combat insider threats and mitigate risk in financial services, cyber security, and US government spaces. RedOwl was acquired by Forcepoint (Raytheon) in August 2017.Previously, Les served as a Technical Operations Officer at the Central Intelligence Agency, receiving specialized training in telecommunications and computer network operations.Before his time at the CIA, Les was a member of the professional staff of the National Security Technology Department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. He led an Operations Research team developing powerful predictive and geospatial analytic products to make battlefield decisions related to the counter-improvised explosive device fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.While on active duty, Les served on multiple special operations task forces and was an Aide-de-camp to a senior intelligence professional on General Stanley McChrystal's staff at the Joint Special Operations Command.Les is grateful for the opportunity to raise his family in Montana with his amazing wife, Anne Meree, and three beautiful children – Max, Emi, and Hunter.What You'll Learn:Military to Entrepreneurship to InvestingFirst Experience Raising Venture Capital as a FounderCash Burn After RaiseUnderstanding the Concept of “Founder Friendly”Investor/ Founder Relationship StrategyStrategy changes from Fund I to Fund IIRegional and Nationwide InvestingPotential of Underserved MarketsFavorite Quote:“If a founder has clear what I need to see, I get to a NO. I will have a 30 min call with that founder and say here is why we got to a...

Julie Lenzer is the Chief Innovation Officer of the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute ( ARMI - https://www.armiusa.org ) and BioFabUSA ( https://www.armiusa.org/biofabusa ). Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), is one of 14 institutes of the Manufacturing USA network and is a member-driven, non-profit organization, whose mission is to make practical the large-scale manufacturing of engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies. BioFabUSA, created by ARMI, was established to lead the charge in large-scale manufacturing of engineered tissues and regenerative medicine research, turning foundational breakthroughs in the manufacture of engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies into life-changing possibilities for everyone. Prior to this role, Julie served as Commissioner of the Maryland Economic Development Commission, as well as Chief Innovation Officer at University of Maryland (UMD) fostering and supporting UMD's innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization enterprise, including the development of the UMD's Research Park, the Discovery District, and the Greater College Park initiative. She was also involved in promoting and facilitating university-wide collaboration to launch startup ventures based upon University intellectual property, as well as providing support for entrepreneurs and small business across the state through Mixed/Augmented/Virtual Reality Innovation Center (MAVRIC), the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the TechPort incubator in St. Mary's County. Prior to that role, Julie lead the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) within the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) where she drove programs and policies that support innovative economic development such as innovation-based entrepreneurship and regional innovation clusters. Prior to that appointment, Julie was the Executive Director of the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE), the co-chair of Startup, as well as co-founder and former CEO of the Path Forward Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a non-profit that helped women expand economic opportunity by starting and building growth-oriented businesses using technology transfer. Julie has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M and a Masters in Machine Learning from University of Maryland.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Innoventure in Greenville, S.C. John talks about Clemson University exploring the possibility of establishing a small business incubator in the Anderson, SC Research Park.

When the Innovation Center opened in 2003 - in one of the first buildings in the Business, Technology and Research Park - the concept made sense: Create an environment where life science and technology businesses can grow. Nearly 20 years later, the center - now part of the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine - looks back on an impressive history of doing just that.A few stats: The center boasts more than 350 companies served, over 500 jobs created and millions in angel and venture capital funds invested - and more than 100 patents issued to resident companies.Click to hear Assistant Dean of the Innovation Center Sandra Cochrane shed light on how the center works - and how some companies have spun off from the center or have been purchased. Episode ResourcesWMed Innovation Center WebsiteWMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Website—-Could your organization or business use purposeful exposure like this in order to share your story? Check out Livemic Communications for more information.

Links Referenced:Spark Innovation Center: https://www.tnresearchpark.org/spark/ TranscriptRickey McCallum: Welcome back to The Research Park Chronicles podcast, where we're documenting the exciting innovations of the University of Tennessee Research Park. I'm your host, Rickey McCallum. For this episode, we're looking into the progressive and inspiring work being done at the Spark Innovation Center, which is currently housed inside the university's Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Facility at the Research Park. Spark Innovation Center focuses on entrepreneurship development and commercialization of regional technology-based startup companies. With a focus on clean technologies, a space in which Knoxville was rated as the 16th cleantech hub in the country, Spark has quickly become a significant contributor to the efforts here in the East Tennessee region.The Spark Innovation Center is designed to be a place where selected startups come to meet some of their fundamental needs, primarily those looking for wet lab space, or sophisticated prototyping shops, with capabilities for providing high-level mentorship in business model development, financial planning, and investor readiness at its core. As a result, these young startups have access to some of the best entrepreneurial leadership the university has to offer. One of the leaders in the center is Tom Rogers, CEO of the UT Research Park, who sat down with us to give an overview of the Spark Innovation Center, its mission, and its purpose.Tom Rogers: I became completely convinced that working with entrepreneurs, helping them find ways to take new ideas to the marketplace is a key to success in our local economy. We're blessed with a national laboratory, our Research 1 university, a culture of ideas being valued, and putting together a support structure around that has really great potential for the future of this region. So, I think a lot of the challenges that entrepreneurs face is interaction with potential customers, spending time doing customer discovery, understanding, will the dogs eat the dog food? We have a lot of great technology around here and I've seen hundreds of would-be entrepreneurs talk with great passion about what they do and their little gizmo, and ‘look, it works' without ever considering, does it solve a need in the marketplace? And that's really one of the primary things that we emphasize, not just here at Spark, but in the other business accelerators in the region as well. Try to get real. Try to understand that your idea may be the greatest thing in the world, but if customers aren't going to buy it, it's not going to be a successful company.Rickey McCallum: With a passion for getting early tech companies off the ground, the Spark Innovation Center and its programs are proving to be the perfect place for the region to manifest itself as a leader in tech. Another key figure in this regard is John Bruck, the director of the Spark Innovation Center. John's history of success in engineering and his commitment to the Knoxville area, as well as his role as mentor and investor puts him at the cutting edge of helping the startups that are associated with the center and his two primary programs to ensure its success.John Bruck: I am drawn to tech-based companies that are in their earliest stages. And there are really what has grown to be a hub of technological innovation and entrepreneurship here in Knoxville. I think one of the popular business journals has ranked Knoxville as the 16th largest innovation hub in the country, and that's because of programs that have grown out of the University of Tennessee, that have grown out of Oak Ridge National Lab.Rickey McCallum: An integral part of the local technology community, there are a handful of programs across the region in different organizations that have contributed assistance to help foster these young startups. One notable program is the Innovation Crossroads, housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and most recently Techstars, which is a co-sponsored program between ORNL, TVA, and the University of Tennessee, all of which are working in collaboration with the Spark Innovation Center to create the ideal environment for tech startups to grow and hopefully call East Tennessee home.John Bruck: Along with the Innovation Crossroads program, and particularly at UT and now the Research Park, we are positioned to really be a focus for early-stage tech-based companies and that's specifically what has drawn me here, this particular region—specifically Knoxville region—along with the many sources of high intellect and innovation. The challenge that it faces is one of being able to provide the space that's required by tech startups—and by that, I mean laboratory space—and tech-based mentorship and access to tech-oriented capital. But what we saw was the need for those things to match against companies that were growing out of the University of Tennessee and graduating from the University of Tennessee, companies that were graduating from the Innovation Crossroads program, and being able to place those companies into space that met their needs, was affordable, that was readily available, and could provide them with the other kinds of support that they needed to make the company successful. So, if they need programming, for example, a series of workshops on leadership or financial modeling or customer discovery, we're equipped to help those companies, along with providing them with physical space that matches their needs. So, what I think Spark did that is turning out to be quite successful is matching what we offer with what our customers really require, which truly is even less than that we teach to our startups themselves. So, the Spark Innovation Center is an early-stage organization, and it has begun to really meet those needs.Rickey McCallum: Within the Innovation Center, there are two major programs that help early startups get the assistance that they need to flourish in their respective areas of expertise. The first is the Spark Innovation Center, and the second is the Spark Cleantech Accelerator. Both programs bring specifically crafted support for cleantech startup companies in various stages of growth. Let's look at the Spark Innovation Center, Spark's flagship program.This incubator is meaningfully crafted for early tech startup companies who must identify a clear need in cleantech marketplace and are producing a product that demonstrates a solid product-market fit. Companies in the program often build a working prototype before engaging with initial customers, of which there are some pretty interesting ones, to say the least. The incubator is designed to allow these companies the room to scale, both in terms of product and in capital. While this program serves as a catalyst for helping these young companies, at the end of the day, it's the companies themselves who need to strive for excellence. For John, those companies need to demonstrate certain strengths and attributes.John Bruck: The programs need to be collaborative. In fact, I like the mantra, “Collaborate first.” And we do. So, the three technical hubs which are Innovation Crossroads is the oldest, Techstars, and the Spark Innovation Center. The directors of those organizations are actually very close, they know each other, and we collaborate on things like how to increase our number of applications and the quality of our applications.Rickey McCallum: With an emphasis on collaboration at the forefront, John fills us in on what companies can expect once they get accepted into the program.John Bruck: Typical laboratory requirements are made available that aren't really available in any other spaces. First and foremost, there is wet lab space, there is fume hood availability, there are higher than normal power resources that are available, there are gases that can be made available, benchtops, sinks, and DI water sources, all that stuff's available. We're sitting in one of the most sophisticated research labs, probably, in the world. So, that's tremendous to have. In addition, there is day-to-day mentoring and there is periodic programming that falls into the workshops that I mentioned before.Probably the most valuable resource that we provide are connections. And by connections I mean, we can strike up conversations, develop relationships with our strategic partners. So, we have tax experts, we have audit experts, we have energy experts. One of our primary supporters is TVA. We have experts that are in all sorts of supportive supply chain kinds of roles for our companies. We've got quantum computing simulation, and we have pharmaceutical molecular programming, and just, you name it and the connections are possible for us to make and to help the companies out. And then ultimately, we want to connect with customers and we want to connect with investors. So, those connections I think broadly are the biggest resource that we can offer.Rickey McCallum: With all of the support that the Spark Innovation Center provides, it is crucial to see that companies in this program scale, strive, and succeed. Of the current lineup of companies housed in Spark, there are two that are notable. The startups are exemplary cases for the reason, Spark exists to begin with: they identified an area in cleantech where progressive leaps and bounds needed to be made. The result is some of the most exciting work to come out of the Spark Innovation Center so far.I recently caught up with Dr. Anna Douglas, the CEO and co-founder of SkyNano, whose potential contributions to the future of cleantech are limitless in vision. SkyNano made headlines recently with some very exciting news. Anna and her team were named as a finalist in Elon Musk's 100-million dollar XPRIZE carbon removal. Naturally, the work that Dr. Anna Douglas is doing is certainly pushing the cleantech envelope.Dr. Anna Douglas: My name is Anna Douglas. I serve as the co-founder and CEO of SkyNano. SkyNano was really born out of my PhD research at Vanderbilt. So, I went to Vanderbilt to pursue a degree in material science. I primarily studied battery technology as an early graduate student, and I just kept coming across the challenge that the way we synthesize and mine battery materials today is not very sustainable. It puts a huge upfront carbon burden on a battery to last for a very long time in order to actually get the benefits of batteries being clean energy technologies.And so, we started to think about how can we better make materials that go into batteries? Carbon is used in every kind of battery and every kind of next-gen beyond lithium-ion batteries. And so, we started to look at how else can we make carbon structures that are important for these technologies? That's really kind of where the ethos of SkyNano's core technology came from. Once we started to realize, hey, we could make a business case out of this, that's really where that project evolved from just a science project and part of my dissertation into a startup company.Rickey McCallum: When we asked Dr. Douglas about why she chose to apply to the incubator program, her response spoke volumes to the benefits of working at the exceptional facilities at the UT Research Park.Dr. Anna Douglas: So, I think one thing that's unique to hardware-based startups is the need for specialized space. When you're talking about a software startup or an app, you can do that from basically anywhere, you know, laptop, couch, in someone's basement, you got a company. That's not the same for hardware startups, we need very specialized space, we need lab equipment, we need very specialized utilities, waste disposal, things like this. And you can't find that everywhere.And so, for us, really space was the biggest thing we were looking for as we exited the Innovation Crossroads program, you know, looking for a residency program, essentially. And Spark is the only program around that offers that, and there's very few programs like Spark really across the country where space is a part of being a part of the program. The added benefit, of course, is the community and the mentorship that you get alongside of that, but I think the real asset that we were really looking for was space. And this is a pretty second-to-none space you could be in.Rickey McCallum: A second-to-none space. This is exactly the kind of support that Spark wishes to provide to its startups. We asked Dr. Douglas what exactly second-to-none encompassed and what attracted her to the facilities that Spark Innovation Center could provide.Dr. Anna Douglas: Yeah, so we currently rent, we share a lab with Eonix, which is another local Knoxville company. And so together, we lease about 600 square feet. So, SkyNano is 300, Eonix is 300. The really unique capacity of that space is—so SkyNano has a fume hood in that space, so we can do work with chemicals that require ventilation.We have great electrical power. SkyNano is now looking for more electrical power, but for now, this has been really amazing electric capacity. Waste handling and disposal—EHS—comes once a week to come pick up chemical waste, just general good lab ventilation. So, the lab air is replaced six times an hour with fresh air from the exterior. It's basically like working outside without any of the elements.And so, for us, those things are really important and you can't find them anywhere. So, that has been really where Spark has been amazing. Of course, then there's the added benefit of being right on the river, having access to all the walking trails, being close to downtown and all the amenities here. For us, it's been a great recruitment tool [laugh] as we show people where we're located. We've brought on more people since we moved to Spark, and I do think our location has been a factor in that.Rickey McCallum: SkyNano was the perfect fit for the Spark incubator, and with a focus on decarbonization, SkyNano is unprecedented in its timing and application. But it begs to question, what exactly is decarbonization? And how is SkyNano making that happen? Dr. Douglas explains.Dr. Anna Douglas: [electrification 00:15:22], decarbonization, making materials for batteries. I would say, you know, in terms of decarbonization, one thing that has been really tough in industry is finding solutions that can deal with a wide variety of CO2 sources, right? Anything from really high purity carbon dioxide to more industrial sources like what comes out of, you know, a natural gas power plant, which is only, like, four-and-a-half percent by volume CO2, all the way to direct air capture, which is 412 ppm or so.One of the really cool things that SkyNano is doing is we're actually able to address pretty much the whole spectrum of CO2 sources. And so, we can really work with essentially any kind of industrial client or customer who wants to decarbonize their operations, provide a solution for them to get to net-zero on their chemical emissions, but with that, actually make a valuable product. So, it's an overall profitable operation, it kind of helps everyone. And this is a way that a free market solution can win because there's such demand for the end products and there's demand for people who can offtake different types of CO2.Rickey McCallum: The complexity and technical detail of decarbonization are well beyond the reach of what we can offer here, but at the end of the day, it is a technology that can take significant measures to decrease carbon emissions across our society. With the climate crisis—an ever-looming threat and reality—it becomes more crucial with every passing day. But SkyNano is still a company and that company needs to sell a product. So, who exactly is their target customer, and what are they trying to sell?Dr. Anna Douglas: So, we have a solution that is really important to two different types of people. On the CO2 emitter side, right, a lot of, particularly, energy production is trying to move towards a decarbonized economy. So, onboarding things like renewables, nuclear, things like that, to replace our existing coal and natural gas infrastructure. One of the challenges with that, though, is the intermittency, right?And so, the sun's not always shining, the wind's not always blowing, and we don't have enough nuclear sites licensed to just move to nuclear. And so, if we were to onboard pretty much all renewables, that would make the everyday consumer's electric bill just skyrocket. So, when we think about the transition towards a cleaner energy economy, carbon capture and utilization is a very important piece of that because we're actually able to partner with a local utility and decarbonize their operations without the everyday consumer's energy bill going up. Energy pricing influences everything from heating and cooling your house to the cost of your food to the cost of goods, all of it. And so, that's a really important piece.The other way that we really can touch the everyday consumer is just through your materials and devices performing better. So, the materials that we're making, carbon nanotubes, they really should be used in all kinds of things, in your batteries and your tires, in your coatings. If anyone's ever sat on a tarmac waiting for their plane to be de-iced, it's a nightmare. Just a tiny coating of carbon nanotubes on the exterior of planes could de-ice planes in a matter of minutes. The reason that they're not is because of their price today; they're just way too expensive.So, SkyNano's solution really is a way to make these materials at a much lower cost in a way that decarbonizes heavy industry and provides just better technology solutions to everyday consumers.Rickey McCallum: Dr. Douglas and SkyNano's work is but one of many companies housed in the Innovation Center. Another rising success in the incubator program is Eonix. We were joined by its co-founder and CEO Don DeRosa, who spoke to us about how Eonix is changing the game when it comes to the future of battery technologies. Their focus is to make them safe, more stable, and usable across a wide spectrum of markets. Don fills us in on how, as a graduate student, he had a small side hustle that ended up serving as his ignition for his entrepreneurial spirit.Don DeRosa: When my adviser found out, he was actually shocked because he was very entrepreneurial himself as well. So, he thought I was, kind of, a pure-play scientist and when he discovered this, he was like, “You should start using these talents for something else.” So, he gave us an opportunity to commercialize some molecules out of the university that showed a lot of merit for energy storage at the time. He showed us the initial steps to building a hard tech company, and that was fantastic. I don't think we would have been able to do it without him.You don't go from repairing water-damaged iPhones in a one-bedroom graduate school apartment to an electrolyte company right out of the gate. But yeah. So, that was the initial inception. So, around 2013 to 2014, we founded the company.Rickey McCallum: Don has to keep the company secrets close to his chest, so he could not provide us with a technical deep-dive into what exactly he does. But ultimately, Eonix has one major objective.Don DeRosa: We look to commercialize two molecules. We received about a half-a-million dollars in grant funding right out of the gate. And although the two molecules showed a lot of merit in the lab, it took quite some time to figure out how they perform in commercial devices. And that's really the first pivot for our company where we decided that the real problem when it comes to developing materials for energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries, it's not the material you don't have—it's not the absence of some novel, super-crazy compound—it's the fact that it takes years and typically millions of dollars to determine if it's even worthwhile. So, our goal at that time was to develop a technology that could reduce the time and cost it took to comprehensively evaluate a material for new batteries.We eventually were accepted into the Innovation Crossroads program at Oak Ridge National Lab, and we were able to build out this system. And then somebody at the lab was like, “You have this phenomenal system for evaluating materials. Why aren't you using them for lithium [laugh] ion batteries? That's a massive market.” And he was completely right. So, that was the second major pivot. First, it was determining that we really needed a quicker, cheaper way to look at materials, and then we should have focused on a much larger market.Rickey McCallum: With their initial project gaining momentum, Don and Eonix needed to tap into the next stage, they needed scale, and they found the right place to do so.Don DeRosa: That eventually brought us to the Spark Innovation Center at the conclusion of Innovation Crossroads program where we were able to take that system, scale it up, deploy it towards discovering materials for lithium-ion batteries. And honestly, once we came into Spark, we got funding from the US Army, we were able to develop a nonflammable lithium-ion battery electrolyte within four months. So, it's a very quick process. We're currently going through the commercialization and scale process with it. And yeah, that's where we're at today.Rickey McCallum: The business of Eonix aside, Don and his team also needed to find some more practical support that Spark provides.Don DeRosa: To fabricate a battery, you need a lot of materials that aren't necessarily very safe, independently of being packaged in a battery. And they present a lot of environmental health and safety complications. So, out of the gate, you need a facility that recognizes that level of safety is necessary and then has the infrastructure available to account for handling those materials, bringing them in safely. Safety is the most important part when it comes to handling these kinds of materials. And the Spark Innovation Center located at this facility has all of the infrastructure necessary so that we can safely experiment with new materials, we can build batteries here in an environment where we don't have to be concerned with faulty [laugh] infrastructure or endangering anybody.So, that's the first issue. So, Spark Innovation Center, we came in, we were up and running within a month. It was a very smooth process. Smoother than we've had in a traditional academic environment or in a government lab before. So, it was very startup-friendly.Rickey McCallum: With all those needs met, Eonix began to work on their primary focus, which was on making lithium-ion batteries more stable and safe.Don DeRosa: With our system, our screening system that we developed, we were able to in a phase one project, develop materials that were nonflammable substitutes in four months. So, it's like, essentially the Diet Coke of lithium-ion batteries. It's the nonflammable lithium-ion battery. Same exact device—looks the same, manufactured the same—but it just doesn't have any of the flammability in it. And that's a market-specific application. That's just for the defense industry.There are going to be different applications that we're going to target from a materials perspective. So, we're going to rapidly design materials for electric vehicles where you have different concerns than the battery in your cell phone or the battery that might be in your Apple Watch. They're all lithium-ion batteries, but they have different needs and as a result, different materials would perform better. Just takes a really long time to find them. And we're trying to shrink that process.Rickey McCallum: Another core objective for the Spark Innovation Center, especially when it comes to fostering these young entrepreneurs, is to create a gateway to collaboration. Ultimately, we want to extend this beyond the Research Park and university as well as the greater Knoxville area and across the state of Tennessee. Don offers up an excellent take on how this is happening.Don DeRosa: This is actually a great win-win opportunity for our company and the university. We're looking for talent all the time, and the university is looking for workforce training opportunities and giving their students the best possible education for them to either work at a company like ours or work in that field. Now, what's fantastic is we're in the lithium-ion battery space and this market is starving for people to jump into this career in terms of research, manufacturing, all this stuff. And we're looking to hire as well. So, we're able to offer UTK students internships where they can help learn about what's going on at our company, we can get a feel for the roles that we want to explore in the future as well because we're a growing company and we're trying to figure out what direction to grow in.And that's really a win-win opportunity. There's poised to be thousands of manufacturing lithium-ion battery jobs, so that gives them insight to how a battery is fabricated, what materials go in there, what are the safety precautions associated with fabrication, and just gives them a huge leg up in terms of going out and pursuing these careers and landing great jobs. So, in either outcome, we get a great individual to work with us, the university has a great employment track record and graduates a student that's very capable to go out in the job market. And then there's the whole R&D phase where evaluating new materials for lithium-ion batteries is a very big publication space right now. So, any university professor that has a new material, we're able to quickly evaluate it, so something that might take them a few months, maybe even a year, we're able to do in a few weeks.Rickey McCallum: The focus on collaboration is shared by Dr. Douglas as well. Much like Eonix, SkyNano is another excellent relationship to foster for both the Research Park and the local community. Dr. Douglas has already interacted with UT students and she shares her own hopes for the role that collaboration can play.Dr. Anna Douglas: Yeah, absolutely. And I think if I had been exposed to entrepreneurship as a potential career path earlier, perhaps it would have been a bit of an easier transition. And so, I think as a student, that would be a really cool opportunity.So, SkyNano has collaborated a little bit with the university. We've helped support proposals, we've been a subcontractor on some proposals with different faculty across campus, including some in [unintelligible 00:27:15], some outside of [unintelligible 00:27:16]. You know, for us, we can provide a solution in a variety of ways. We have electrochemistry experts on staff, just due to our technology, but certainly, we're also making materials, so we've actually provided carbon nanotube samples that we've made in the lab to a professor on campus to use in an application that we would never have thought of on our own. We've had students come by and look at the lab and help get inspired to think about entrepreneurship as a potential career path. And for us, that's just been a really exciting opportunity because it's not something you get in just a general commercial space.Rickey McCallum: The Research Park and Spark Innovation Center are postured to serve as pillars within the local community, to act as that gateway for collaboration. Following the example of SkyNano and Eonix, there are untold opportunities in the future of other companies to collaborate, contribute, and to become local figures. So, the question is, what's next for our innovators and entrepreneurs? Where do their hopes lie for the future of their companies?Dr. Anna Douglas: On the five-year horizon, we would be looking at actually installing SkyNano plants co-located with heavy-emitting industries—so whether that's energy industry, chemical production, et cetera—and actually serving a pretty significant market with the carbon materials that we're making. On the ten-year horizon, I would imagine every carbon additive material that goes into your tire, your battery, your paints, coatings, whatever is made from carbon dioxide.Don DeRosa: What we do from the materials perspective is we look at what a real pain point is for the application that we're targeting. In the instance of the defense industry, the most paramount thing that they're concerned with is mitigating risk and safety in their system. It's a huge liability to have a lithium-ion battery in a lot of the environments that they work in. I think that's a very compelling market. And it not only offers peace of mind for people installing large grid storage battery systems that would help manage, let's say, wind or solar, but there's definitely an element of cost reduction there as well.So, there's potentially a 20 to 25% CapEx savings out of the gate that you could get on the commercial side for grid storage. And if anybody thinks of anything else, they could feel free to email me. We are always looking places to sell stuff.Rickey McCallum: Let's turn back to John, the director of the Spark Innovation Center. With the great potential of companies like SkyNano and Eonix, John is enthusiastic about the cleantech initiatives that are coming out of the Spark and its incubator and accelerator programs.John Bruck: Those are two programs that work pretty well together and they're very different. One is a two-year program, one is a 12-week program. The longer-term vision I think is that we are able to support, contribute to the advanced energy and high tech business community in the region and in the state. If you look, for example, at the global advanced energy market of $1.4 trillion, the state of Tennessee contributes percentage-level component to that global market.So, we're in the 45 to $50 billion a year range. That's huge. The state of Tennessee has 400,000 employees in the advanced energy space, 20,000 companies. So, when you look at the big picture economy in this space, I think what the dream for the Spark Innovation Center is to work to help the earliest stage companies grow to eventually enter into that space, financially sustainable, and from a business standpoint, very competitive.Rickey McCallum: The stories of Eonix and SkyNano are only the beginning. The Spark Innovation Center is positioned to become a leader in cleantech and an integral part of the Research Park future. Here's the Research Park CEO Tom Rogers again with some thoughts about the role of the Innovation Center.Tom Rogers: The university is a Research 1 university and they've picked up on this momentum in the entrepreneurial world as well. So, the college of business has an Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The College of Engineering teaches entrepreneurial courses. The College of Law has a business clinic that teaches law students how to work with startup companies. The UT Research Foundation hires interns that help them look at intellectual property and decide what to pursue in terms of patenting.There's entrepreneurial activity all over this campus. And what we've done collectively—not the Spark Innovation Center so much as the entire region, whether they're part of the university or not—become part of the community and succeed here in Knoxville.Rickey McCallum: The possibilities for what is to come for the Spark Innovation Center and its programs and the future of cleantech are exciting to say the least. The Research Park in collaboration with its member organizations are working hard to stand above the crowd as examples of progressive entrepreneurial spirit. This is a story that is just in its beginnings and the best is still, without a doubt, yet to come. Thank you for joining our brief look into the exciting work being done within the UT Research Park and the Spark Innovation Center. The Research Park, with its history rooted in agriculture and the rise of the fundamental ideas of the Park to the advancements being made within its walls, the atmosphere around the Research Park is only becoming more electric.In our next episode, we'll turn our attention to the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, where some incredible work is being done in the world of material sciences. Check out the next episode for an extensive and exciting look at the mind-boggling science being done there.Rickey McCallum: Thank you for listening to The Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum. Keep up with the latest episodes by subscribing on Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever fine podcasts are found.

This is a very special episode of the series, and a bit different than our usual podcasts. The Cozad New Venture Competition is an annual event at University of Illinois which attracts student teams looking to get funding and support for their innovative ideas. There were some incredible winners this year, and this episode profiles the 3 top place finishers-- all who received thousands of dollars in funding from the Research Park and other UIUC entities. Tune in to hear from Jonathan Politzki (Nephra), Jeffrey Lu (Ferritiva), and Namin Shah (Haylon Technologies) as they talk about about their ventures, Cozad journeys, and tips for aspiring student entrepreneurs. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast for other podcast episodes.

On episode 30 of The Innovators Podcast, we talked with Adam Jackson and Sarah Lagomarcino, Iowa State Research Park Interns. In this episode, they shared their future plans, favorite memories and projects while working at the Research Park, advice for future interns, and mentors that have helped them along away. Listen in to learn a little bit about these two awesome seniors!

Leveraging product-market fit is a critical factor for business success. We go deep into the powerful impact of embracing a customer-first approach in the world of innovation. Whether you're writing a book, developing a product, or disrupting the industry, this episode with Neil Kane is for you.Key Takeaways from This EpisodeInnovation: An inner perspectiveQuantitative indicators to assess product-market fitTwo domains to improve product-market fitThe significance of innovation in writing a bookThe importance of matching expectations of what you're willing to doResources Mentioned in This EpisodeNational Science Foundation: NSFHenry FordAbout Neil KaneA leading authority on technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, and innovation, Kane is the Director of Curriculum and Capstone Advising in the ESTEEM Program at Notre Dame. He is the former co-Executive Director of the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center at Argonne National Laboratory and recently was Innovation Executive in Residence at the Research Park at the University of Illinois. He was the founding CEO of several startup companies based on university research in nanotechnology and advanced materials. He was the first Entrepreneur in Residence at both the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University. Earlier, he held engineering, sales, and business development positions at IBM and Microsoft. His other startups include a toy company and a barbecue sauce company. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from The University of Chicago. Named a 2007 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, he attended their annual meeting twice in Davos, Switzerland. He was recognized for Outstanding Entrepreneurship by the National Science Foundation. Twice an invited witness on tech transfer for the U.S. House of Representative's Subcommittee on Research & Science Education. Contributor to Forbes.com. Co-author of The Innovator's Secret Formula. He is trained in improvisational acting and is a graduate of the Player's Workshop at The Second City in Chicago. Website: Illinois PartnersLinkedIn: Neil KaneNeil's Book: The Innovator's Secret Formula: For Innovation, Disruption & Market LeadershipLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How » Join The Author's Corner Community today:Website: Robin ColucciLinkedIn: R Colucci, LLCFacebook: Robin ColucciTwitter: @Robin_ColucciRobin Colucci's Book: How to Write a Book That Sells You: Increase Your Credibility, Income, and Impact

"RP" stands for "Research Park," just so you know.

By Karey Barker's estimation, she's only had one job in her entire career. When you found and lead a successful venture firm, you need not apply elsewhere! Garrett sat down with the Cross Creek founder and Managing Director in her Research Park office for a fun and fascinating look at her 25-year journey. Tune in to hear how she got her start, how she navigates the intense world of venture investing and who's influenced her success. She also shares her wisdom and philosophies on all things venture, her risk appetite and investing philosophies. We are thrilled to showcase Karey's unique perspective.

For this exciting episode of Research Park Chronicles, we're steering away from the park's older history, and into its more recent! Over the past few years the Research Park has been a pioneering center for a wide array of work, to include work with the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Now, with the innovations that are going on with orthopedic research and care, the park is at the forefront of another fascinating world of research. Rickey has a wide ranging conversation with members involved in the newly founded Advance Orthopedic Institute on the research that they are conducting at the park. Rickey guides us through the UT Medical Centers role in teaching new residents, their dedication to the local community. We also get insight into the incredible collaborations and partnership in orthopedics, and the leaps they're taking toward the future of orthopedic practices at the Institute as it nears its opening date! In this episode we cover: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:06:20 - Collaborations and Partnerships 00:09:45 - The Advance Orthopedic Institute 00:16:40 - Breakdown of the Institute 00:23:30 - Working with Multiple Parties 00:28:40 - A Natural Fit 00:31:00 - The Future/Outro

TranscriptRickey: Hello, and welcome back to The Research Park Chronicles. I'm your host, Rickey McCallum, and throughout this podcast, I'm going to lead you on a journey through the gateway to collaboration. We talked about what a research park does in the last episode, and today, we're going to dive into how one came to be here in Knoxville, Tennessee, and what it's already accomplished. This modern research park at the University of Tennessee would have never been possible without the vision of one influential scholar. But more on that in just a minute.To fully appreciate and understand UT's Research Park, it's important to start by looking back in time to understand the land's Native American roots. At one corner of the University of Tennessee Research Park lies a serene bank of the Tennessee River. As researchers, we're always focused on developing new and exciting projects, but every now and again, it's worth taking a moment to pause and reflect.As we look over the waterway, Sequoia Hill stands in the distance. And with the familiar sounds of running a creek and birds chirping, it's easy to forget that behind us is a collection of modern buildings that make up UT's Research Park. What was this campus like before these buildings were built, before it was a dairy farm, and before the city had ownership of the property, back hundreds and even thousands of years ago, at a time when the land was inhabited by Native Americans? For that answer, I asked Tom Rogers, the current President and CEO of the University of Tennessee Research Park, who knows quite a bit about the site's ancient history.Tom: The site itself is 200 acres, but as they did the environmental scans required to get the development underway, only 75 acres of that 200 acres is really developable. The rest of it is down near the river and has been preserved in perpetuity because of its archeological significance. As they did that original archeological investigation, they actually found artifacts that date back to 6000 BC.Rickey: The university works with Dr. Candace Hollenbeck, a professor of archeology at UT, to help preserve that history and culture, and so we decided to visit her in her element on site at the Research Park to learn a little bit more. And to help us put this area into its historical context, Dr. Hollenbeck starts at the beginning.Candace: Here in East Tennessee, pretty much anything flat next to a river is going to have several thousand years—five to ten thousand years—of occupation on it. That's the case here, too.Rickey: Dr. Hollenbeck says that this land has changed a lot over the past 10,000 years, with river movement and flooding, creating ‘build up' as she calls it.Candace: So, if we were to take a big backhoe and dig straight down right here, we could probably go down about four meters or so and maybe hit the bottom, maybe hit 10,000 years ago, or maybe not. Even going down four meters—12 feet or so—we may hit around 6000 years ago and could probably keep going. And then, river stabilized, probably around 5000 years ago or such, and that's when we start seeing people, even to 3000 years ago, and people could become more sedentary.Rickey: There have even been some interesting archeological finds from these digs, says Dr. Hollenbeck.Candace: There are these Mississippian time period villages down here houses, house structures, that are dotted along that area. And so those are really neat. They date to around 800 years ago or so. And so, those are probably some of the most exciting parts of it. You know, there's a little hamlet and then some individual farmsteads, homesteads in between. So, kind of imagining those communities I think is fun.Rickey: Once people started to settle at the site, we can see their history in the archeological record. Dr. Hollenbeck breaks that down for us as the riverbanks transition over into farmland over the years.Candace: Tennessee in the mid-south is one of eight to ten independent centers of domestication around the world. So, native peoples here, around 4000 years ago, domesticated a set of crops, including sunflower seeds, which we know today, squashes—a little bit earlier than 4000 years ago, even—another one called sumpweed, which is very similar to sunflower, and then [quinapod 00:04:23], which is similar to quinoa. Quinoa is the South American cousin, but people up here domesticated a similar relative of it, too. And so they settled down and became farmers around that time.Rickey: These early cultures were just one part of the history of the site. Later tribes would come to the region as well.Candace: We see some similarities and some continuities from those Mississippian cultures to the Cherokee, historical Cherokee cultures, and such, but they are also changes and things, too. It gets really complicated. But yes, a lot of shifting and a lot of movement of people, a lot of trade, even back 5000, 10,000 years ago. A lot of people moving. And we're so used to our cars and such, we forget how—we have no concept, we have no concept of how they could have relatively quickly gotten across the landscape. These rivers and creeks and such are a huge avenue as well.Rickey: Artifacts are still being discovered on site and Dr. Hollenback and her team are taking measures to help further protect them.Candace: Whether we entice students to become archeologists or not, I think just to give them that appreciation of the history and kind of have pride in it so that we can protect archeological sites like this one here. We're really lucky because we do have this overlay and UT Research Park that is committed to preserving that area.Rickey: The university is working on ways to formally recognize indigenous people and their native connection to the land upon which UT now stands, such as through a committee tasked with drafting a land acknowledgement statement. Though this is still being created, several members of the committee have begun to use this statement that, reads, “The land upon which the University of Tennessee-Knoxville is built is part of the traditional territory of the Tsalagi [Sal a ghee] peoples, now Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. The Tsoyahá [Soy Ah Hey] peoples of Yuchi, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Shawnee peoples (Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Shawnee Tribe).”As Dr. Hollenback has illustrated, farming is nothing new to the landscape of the park. Farming came to dominate the site for thousands of years. So, here's Tom again to tell us a little bit more about that.Tom: Back in the 1890s, this property was actually sold by the city of Knoxville to a private developer who laid out a plan for a residential development that he called Cherokee. And we think that's where the name originally came from. He actually built a bridge from what is now Sequoia Hills over into the park, and had a layout that looked very much like Sequoia Hills. This city eventually took the property back for non-payment of taxes, but the bridge stayed for nearly 40 years until it became so dilapidated that it was torn down. You can still see the abutments of the bridge on both sides of the park. So, that was an interesting beginning. The city then sold the land to the university and it became a dairy farm. That's what I remember it as when I came to this town many years ago.Rickey: The 200 acre stretch of flatland remained a dairy farm for many years. Rogers says many of the University of Tennessee alumnus first and foremost remember the land as a dairy farm.Tom: They talked about having milk delivered to their dormitories every morning from the dairy farm.Rickey: Though this old dairy farm is currently home to a burgeoning Research Park, about 75 acres of the property is being preserved and recognized due to its Native American history. The Park may also soon serve the university's mission and the public's interest by utilizing the Cherokee Landing site for educational and recreational purposes.Tom: Over a several year period of time to develop the park-like portion of the Research Park into something we hope to call Cherokee Landing to have a synergy with Volunteer Landing, and Suttree Landing, and the other areas here and in town. That would be open for recreation, as there's a greenway now, and lots of people come here and walk and ride bikes and bring their dogs on the weekends. But we'd love to have access to the water so that people can use kayaks and canoes and paddle boards. And build some structures and some ways of celebrating the Native American heritage that's here. So, on the longer range horizon, that's definitely in our plans.Rickey: This project is a collaboration between the university's Research Park and the Legacy Parks Foundation, which is helping to coordinate the development of the concept and the plan of the design for the sprawling Cherokee Landing site. At this point in our story, it might seem as though the plan for the Research Park at the University of Tennessee sprang into life overnight, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It took a lot to bring this idea to where it is today, and none of it would have been possible without the efforts of one man: Dr. David Millhorn. So, who was Dr. Millhorn?Stacey: Dr. Millhorn was my mentor. He became my friend and even kind of a father figure for me in many ways.Rickey: That's Dr. Stacey Patterson, current president of the UT Research Foundation. Dr. Millhorn passed away in 2017 and had previously served as president of the UT Research Foundation.Stacey: Many people described him as stoic and to himself, but that was only if you didn't really get to know him. Dr. Millhorn had a small circle, but once you were in that circle, you her family to him. He was the type of person that took care of the people that he worked with. He really believed that this University had the potential of any place in the world. And he had been at many different places, but Tennessee was his home, and he really believed that this was his opportunity to realize a big vision. And that's what he spent his whole time, his whole 11 years here doing.Rickey: While Tennessee may have been home. Dr. Millhorn didn't start his career at the University of Tennessee.Stacey: Dr. Millhorn had spent a number of years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he had been a department head of physiology, and then he had moved to the University of Cincinnati, where he developed the inaugural Genome Research Center with a pharmaceutical company. So, he had a vision already coming in as to what it meant for a university to work with the private sector and what that could mean for the faculty, staff, and students of the university, but more importantly, even the region in which that opportunity was taking place.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn joined the University in 2005, where he oversaw the management of science and technology programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and for much of his time, he served as Vice President of Research and Economic Development. Along the way, his responsibilities grew, becoming the Executive Vice President at the University in 2007, and later becoming the president of the UT Research Foundation in 2014. His work during this time was significant to the development of the university's research enterprise, which included, amongst other accomplishments, a contract with the US Department of Energy to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a $65 million NSF grant, which is the largest of its kind during the time, to build the world's fastest supercomputer, and of course, the establishment of UT's Research Park. Throughout his career at the University, Dr. Millhorn had a vision in mind for what would ultimately become the Research Park as we know it today. Dr. Patterson describes his vision in this way.Stacey: He had a vision that we would bring in large companies that faculty could collaborate with, we could build big research programs, and we could provide opportunities for students. One of the challenges we have in this region is we educate some really top notch students, and in the graduate programs, oftentimes those students have to go to other parts of the country to get gainful employment. And so Dr. Millhorn's vision was, if we could bring those companies here, then we could offer high pay, high technology jobs right here and we could keep those best and brightest students in this region, and it would lift the whole community up.Rickey: As I'd mentioned in episode one of this podcast, university research parks are the physical locations developed and designed to foster an environment of collaboration between universities, the public and private sector, and federal research labs. In addition to the way research parks benefit local economies, research parks can also benefit their respective university systems. Let me explain.The University of Tennessee is a Tier One research university, which means it is a university that's known for world-class research, academic excellence, and exceptional student body—as Dr. Patterson noted—as well as high levels of innovation, creativity, and scholarship. Like all universities, UT looks for ways to draw in that top tier talent to the university, and in turn this benefits not only our students and faculty, but our current Park tenants, and the local community. Dr. Millhorn knew that we would need a dedicated research park with the likes of MIT, Cal Berkeley, and other universities in close proximity to major national labs to increase the recognition and prestige.But for many at the University of Tennessee, this combination of academic, community, and economic drivers was a challenge to understand at first. It took a lot of trust building to convince them that this effort was worth pursuing. Naturally, Dr. Millhorn got to work. He leveraged his many contacts and developed a very clear vision for what a collaborative space could look like.Over the early years of his time at UT, Dr. Millhorn developed a plan that would convey the case for a research park to the university and how having a dedicated research park would help the faculty at the University further develop the University, and also have a positive economic impact on the region as a result of this park. So, in addition to the development of the Research Park, a small business incubator was constructed on the Ag campus. Here, students and faculty could go to further develop their entrepreneurial endeavors, giving the university, and the public a glimpse into the future of what a collaboration could look like with a full-fledged research park. In 2009, when Dr. Patterson joined the UT system as a director of research partnerships, the case for the Research Park had already been submitted in the mind of the university and plans were already underway for the development of the Research Park property.Stacey: The concept of the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm was actually developed by Dr. Millhorn prior to me joining his office. But I joined in 2009 right when the infrastructure project was underway and we were finishing up the master plan and development guidelines so that we could move things forward.Rickey: Development quickly became the next challenge. With the university on board for this project, they had secured a grant for more than $30 million to purchase Cherokee Farm from the state for use as the University of Tennessee Research Park. Now, the main obstacle was to get the residents of Sequoia Hills on board with the concept of trading in a cow farm for a massive research complex.Stacey: The residents were really concerned about what the differences were going to be, going from a few cows on that property to what Dr. Millhorn was envisioning as an active, thriving public-private partnership type research park. So, there was a lot of outreach, a lot of community meetings, we went to neighborhood meetings, I even did a couple of Sunday school classes at the churches that were across the neighborhood and talked about the vision of the Research Park and what it would mean to the region. And one of the things if you knew Dr. Millhorn and what he was interested in doing, he always looked out for the institution first, so it was always clear to the constituents that that this wasn't about him; this was about making the university and Knoxville, the Knoxville region, a better place for its citizens.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn stressed the value of the Research Park and its intersection with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the residents of Sequoia Hills. To Dr. Millhorn, those who called Sequoia Hills home needed to know that the park would bring skilled workers to the town and keep Tennessee's best and brightest in their home state.Stacey: When companies come in, they think about this region. They're impressed that we have the University of Tennessee, the state's flagship research public institution here in Knoxville; we have what I consider a national treasure, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. And it's really the combination of those two institutions and the brain power that they represent that really make this region special. It makes it a special opportunity for companies to come and engage with those kinds of people and the technologies that are developed here, the opportunities.I think that Dr. Millhorn was—I'll say he was an early adopter. He saw that. He was able to see what that potential could be, and he was bought in completely and wholly. And I think the Research Park is part of that, of his vision of how those two institutions could work together to just make this region a really spectacular and special place.Rickey: Eventually the land was secured and approved by surrounding stakeholders. The university began constructing its first research park facility in 2014. Tom Rogers recalls his first time looking at the plot of land where they were planning to build.Tom: First time I drove over to see what Dr. Millhorn's vision really looked at, I was pretty much overwhelmed, wondering where people were going to park. There were beautifully laid out one-acre parcels, about 16 of them, but it wasn't logical to me where people were going to park. As we've discovered since then, the original master plan called for parking garages, about 4000 parking spaces in two parking garages.Rickey: Dr. Patterson says parking may not have been the top concern for Dr. Millhorn. For all he brought to the Research Park and the university, this was a guy that wanted to discuss big ideas rather than minutiae.Stacey: So, Dr. Millhorn is one of the biggest thinkers I've ever had the privilege of working with. He would often say, “Oh, I can't be bothered by these small things.” He wanted to be part of a big transformational things like the relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, like the UT Research Park. He would thrive on it, and there aren't as many people in the world that can have that big vision like he does.Rickey: Oh, and the parking situation did get worked out, of course.Tom: For better or worse, we now have a PhD in parking lot and parking garage construction and finance, and they're just not feasible at this time. And so actually later on this afternoon, we're going to begin a process to update our master plan that focuses more on reality. I think there aren't 16 developable lots out here; there are probably eight or nine as you include the surface parking that goes around them. And as you also know, we're hopeful that we'll soon have three projects under construction at the same time. And so that the park is going to look a little bit different than I think it was originally envisioned.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn didn't shy away from taking a leap of faith. Dr. Patterson says that her mentor taught her the value of taking risks.Stacey: I was very privileged to be able to work side-by-side with him, hand-in-hand, really getting to understand that sometimes you have to lean forward, you have to take a little bit of risk for a big reward. And he would do that time and time again. And by taking a little risk, pushing the envelope, frankly, making people a little bit uncomfortable, doing things differently than what they've ever been done at the University before, he was able to transform this institution.Rickey: As far as risk goes, building the first building of the Research Park was one of the first challenges Dr. Millhorn and his team ran into.Between 2014 to 2015, the first building was developed at the UT Research Park. It was built as a collaboration between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the UT Research Park. It was very aptly named the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials, or JIAM for short. The first building on site was a direct result of the collaboration between the University and ORNL, an outside organization. As Dr. Patterson points out, it was a challenge to determine where to break ground on the new building at first.Stacey: That project actually has a very interesting history. There were a lot of different people that had a lot of different ideas of where that building should be located. Some people thought it should be located at Oak Ridge, some people thought it should be located on the Knoxville campus; there's not a whole lot of room for a building that size on the Knoxville campus. But Dr. Millhorn was a real advocate for putting that Joint Institute for Advanced Material Science at the UT Research Park, to act as a catalyst to get things going, get researchers and students out at the park, get some buzz going, make sure that it was in a space that made sense.So, it was in advanced materials, which is an area that is a special area for the University of Tennessee as well as at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We have lots of joint faculty who are world-renowned experts in this space. So, he really saw that as making sense as being a catalyst and hopefully launching the Research Park in a direction where we could potentially attract private sector partners. I think that's worked, right? So, JIAM opened several years ago, and since that time, many of the companies that we've been able to attract to the park and who are interested in being at the park have some affiliation with JIAM or want to do some collaboration with the researchers that are represented by the JIAM faculty. And so I think that's really exciting.Rickey: Clearly no challenge was too big back in 2014. Dr. Millhorn left his role with the university in 2016. After Dr. Millhorn's departure in 2016, Dr. Patterson was confirmed by the UT board of trustees to assume Dr. Millhorn's former roles as Vice President for Research, and Outreach, and Economic Development, as well as President and CEO of the UT Research Foundation. The university also looked to Tom Rogers, a veteran of ORNL, to become President and CEO of the Research Park. As a result of overcoming these challenges, Tom shares with us that—Tom: The University of Tennessee is one of a half-dozen universities in the country that manage national laboratories, along with the University of California, the University of Chicago, State University of New York, and a few others. And so it's a real feather in our cap. We've seen it as we visited with prospects interested in the park to explain to them that we're a gateway for collaboration with the University, but to also be able to say, “We're able to help you leverage the resources and talents of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as well,” will really raise some eyebrows. So, I think the relationship that UT has with the laboratory is a real asset. We're sitting today in the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials.The ‘Joint Institute' means Oak Ridge and UT. With your background at UT and mine at the laboratory, we know a lot of people and are able to help prospects that we have—companies, students, entrepreneurs—find the right people to work with at both institutions, and that's a great value proposition for this research park.Rickey: And even though Dr. Millhorn is no longer part of the institution, his legacy remains. Tom's vision for what the Research Park should be today and in the coming years is not wavering from the original vision.Tom: Another key tenet of successful university research parks around the country is embracing entrepreneurship and innovation. It's fine to work with professors and work with companies that want to collaborate with professors on research, to work with students, but it's really important to embrace young people and their ideas about the future. So, everywhere I've been, dating back to my early career days at TVA, I've been involved with small business startups, mostly on the technology side. I was involved with a great program at Oak Ridge called Innovation Crossroads.Rickey: As a result of his experience and the original vision for the Research Park, Tom has helped the Research Park launch the Spark Innovation Center, which assists early-stage tech companies with the right kind of support to become successful companies, right here in East Tennessee. Here's Tom with more about the Spark Innovation Center.Tom: We early on decided that entrepreneurship needed to be a focus out here. We've started something called the Spark Innovation Center and have six really talented young entrepreneurs growing companies here. The University is excited about that initiative. As we look to build our next building, they're going to incorporate more space for Spark in that building. I think you'll see that entrepreneurship really becomes an important part of the fabric that we're weaving here at the park.Rickey: As the park grows in size, and new buildings and partnerships get added to the park, there is a lot to be optimistic about. It's not just about the new buildings and businesses. The park is truly becoming a gateway to collaboration.Tom: My four decades plus of work has brought great relationships with the state and with TVA and others, and being involved with all of that gets the park in the middle, in the mix, for some really interesting prospects. We're in the homestretch of working with one now that would never have even thought about looking at the park, but on my first week of the job, got random call and said, “We hadn't thought about this, would you be interested in a prospect like this?” And they are a great fit for the Research Park.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn had a vision for what the park should become, but he also didn't stress too much about the details. Under Tom's leadership, the details are coming into focus and we're beginning to see where this path will take us in the next five to ten years. Tom and I reminisced about this during our conversation.Tom: Now, I think we're beginning to see some themes naturally emerge. One, of course, is advanced materials and manufacturing, with the work here at JIAM and the industry collaborations. Second is medical research because the University of Tennessee Medical Center and OrthoTennessee are building an ambulatory surgery center here and have committed to include research on the top floor of that facility. And there's a lot of interest at UT, both at UT Knoxville and at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis, about capitalizing on that opportunity.And the third, I probably can't coin as quickly as the other two. But it has to do with information technology, business analytics, supply chains, cybersecurity, that whole realm. There's just a lot of interest in the private sector, and it's some of the stronger programs at the university. So, we're seeing more and more companies saying that it really makes sense to be at the park, to be right across the river from the campus and those incredible students that they're producing. I'd say those three themes are going to emerge.There could be others as time goes on, but materials, medical research, and whatever we're going to call the analytics portion of it seemed to be the three themes that are most likely to lead us forward.[SPEAKER5: 00:28:06] I think the development of this new vision of being the gateway to collaboration with the University and ORNL has really driven the interest in what we're doing over here, far beyond what I remember it being when I was over on campus. So, I think the involvement, and the communication, and the buy-in from leadership on campus has really driven home that we have a unique opportunity to be able to develop something very special here that is going to help get our students get jobs, it's going to help build the economic development for the community of Knoxville and be able to help build this bigger ecosystem as we, kind of, move forward in the future development.Tom: I think the relationships that we are building on campus are really going to be mutually beneficial. It's pretty remarkable to see what we've been able to do in the last year with COVID. Originally, when we [headed for house 00:28:54], I was concerned that we might be dead in the water for a while. Now, I'm really looking forward to three to six months from now when we can start being face-to-face with people because we got an infrastructure built that can really, I think, accelerate the development of this park.Rickey: With Tom at the helm, the future of the UT Research Park is in good hands.When it comes to evaluating the Research Park's rich past, there is no doubt that Dr. Millhorn left a lasting impact. As Dr. Patterson puts it.Stacey: Dr. Millhorn's legacy is his vision. He was a big thinker. There was no project that was too big. There was no hurdle that you couldn't overcome.Rickey: Dr. Patterson says she knew he was the right person for the job since the beginning, as he strengthened UT's relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Now, Dr. Patterson has taken over much of the role that Dr. Millhorn had, and she is carrying on his legacy, visions, and readiness to take risks with her.Stacey: Dr. Millhorn had made the decision with his family that it was time for him to take a little bit of a step back and to transition to more of an advisor role between the University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the National Laboratory advisor. He actually set up an office at Oak Ridge. He was having a lot of fun thinking about the [science 00:30:13] and having some time. He used to say a lot that, “I'm going to go home for the afternoon so I can think.”Because that was really a big deal for him, to be able to have some quiet time where he could just think and make sure that all those puzzle pieces were coming together. And I think this gave him an opportunity to do that and to think about how the relationship was working, and what wasn't working, and for him to really contribute further. I have truly appreciated the opportunity to serve as the Vice President for Research, Outreach, and Economic Development for the University of Tennessee, and I certainly could not have done it without the experience that I had with my mentor and friend, David Millhorn.Rickey: Dr. Patterson says she'll remember Dr. Millhorn as the caring man that he was: A father, an army veteran, an academic, an entrepreneur, and mentor.Stacey: He was a tough nut to crack. People didn't really know that. I can't tell you how many times in the last three years that I have asked myself, “I wonder what Dr. Millhorn would do in this situation?” It may sound weird, but I kind of feel like he gives me some guidance in those moments.Rickey: For me personally, while I did not have much time with him, I do recall the first time I ever met him. The reason I can remember this so vividly is that I can remember looking at him and thinking, “He is a spitting image of my grandfather,” a man that I hadn't seen since I was ten years old. And from that moment, he and I shared a very special connection, and one that I cherish today. In remembrance of Dr. Millhorn, Dr. Patterson's goal is to make him proud of the work that we're continuing to do.Stacey: One of the things that I want to make sure that we do is I want to make sure that we make him proud, that we do push on his vision, that we are always focused on what's in the best interest of the university, and what's in the best interest of this region, and the people of this region because that was really where his heart was, was around doing what's best for others. And I want to take just a little bit of that and make sure that we're following through with that, and in some way making him proud and making sure that his family is proud of the legacy that he's left here.Rickey: He would definitely be proud. Since breaking ground on the JIAM building, the Research Park has experienced several accomplishments over the past five years, like the development of our first public-private partnership, the announcement that Volkswagen is moving their North American Innovation Hub to the Research Park, the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Spark Innovation Center, and most notably, the collaborative partnership between UT Medical Center and OrthoTennessee to develop their 93,000 square-foot ambulatory surgical center that's scheduled to open in the spring of 2022. And we're well on our way to a bright future as a research park, an economic driver, and a park for the community.On the next episode of The Research Park Chronicles we're going to be speaking with the University of Tennessee Medical Center and OrthoTennessee about the orthopedic surgical center that's coming to the Research Park, and the medical research that will be happening in this facility.Rickey: Thank you for listening to The Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum. Keep up with the latest episodes by subscribing on Apple or Google podcasts, Spotify, or wherever find podcasts are found.

Trevor is the Site Director for the Brunswick Corporation's Innovation center located in the Research Park, and Meghan is a Software Engineering Intern. Brunswick is an industry leader in the marine space and they manufacture recreational boats, marine engines, and other products. The Brunswick I-Jet Lab at the University of Illinois Research Park works on prototypes to modernize and improve customer experience. Tune in to this episode to hear about what Brunswick works on at the Research Park, their recent CES Show display, and the intern experience!

Season 4 Episode 4: Research parks create opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, serve as tools in the state's economic development toolkit.   The University of Utah Research Park is an award-winning entity that brings together Utah-based companies, U faculty and students, resulting in breakthrough innovations.   Listen to a discussion about innovation and growth in Utah with Jonathon Bates, executive director of University of Utah Research Park, Brian Darmody, CEO of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP), and Pete Codella, Go Utah's communications director, as they discuss why 85% of the state's life science companies trace their roots to the University of Utah, why NASA and the U.S. Air Force lean on Utah, the impact COVID-19 has had on businesses headquartered at the university's Research Park, and much more.

On this episode, we discuss the role of downstate innovation within the future of IL with Gary Kinsel, the Vice Chancellor of Research at Southern Illinois University. Our conversation highlights SIU's Research Park and the entrepreneurial support among their student and faculty. We also dive into the wins that have come through their focus on industry relations, technology transfer programming, and the pipelines being developing between research and commercialization. 

Links in Transcript UT Research Park: https://www.tnresearchpark.org/ Volkswagen: https://www.vw.com/ University of Tennessee, Knoxville: https://www.utk.edu/  Oak Ridge National Laboratory: https://www.ornl.gov/  TranscriptRickey McCallum: So, what are research parks? Why do we need them? What makes collaboration between educational institutions, public entities, and private companies so powerful and finding innovative, adaptive, and real-world solutions? This is the story of the University of Tennessee Research Park, and it's going to talk about that exact thing. So, welcome to the Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum.Rickey McCallum: Hello and welcome to the very first episode of Research Park Chronicles. I'm your host Rickey McCallum and throughout this podcast, I'm going to take you on a journey through the gateway to collaboration. We're going to talk about why university research parks are so integral to innovation, how the UT Research Park came about here in Knoxville, Tennessee, and what it's already accomplished. And in future episodes, we'll dive in even more to future projects within the park, developments between Volkswagen, which is the power behind the research park in UT, and what research parks mean in the future of scientific discovery, technologies, economies, and consumers.But I'm getting ahead of myself here, so let's start from the beginning. I know you're all dying to know, “Rickey, what exactly is a research park, anyway?” Well, I'm glad you asked. University research parks are the physical locations developed and designed to foster an environment of collaboration between universities, the public and private sectors, and the federal research laboratories. In the case of the UT Research Park, the goal is simple: to become a bridge between science and technology companies and the best up-and-coming scientific minds at the University of Tennessee.These are places established to enable a free flow of ideas between R&D institutes, universities, and research labs in order to solve real-world problems with innovation and cutting-edge solutions. And Volkswagen, the powerhouse German car manufacturer known for leading the industry in innovative developments, wanted to create one right here in little old Knoxville, Tennessee. But why? The answer to that question lies 112 miles south of Knoxville. In 2008, Chattanooga, Tennessee, came into focus when VW chose that scenic southern city as the location of its first U.S. auto plant since the closure of the Westmoreland Assembly Plant in Pennsylvania back in 1988. Now, the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly plant builds the US-specific VW Passat and the VW Atlas.With their own assembly plant located just over a hundred miles away, the well-established research-centric UT Knoxville at hand, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory just down the road, how could Knoxville not be the perfect location for researching composite materials?Of course, I say that as if it makes complete sense, but when I first began researching this podcast and reading about the UT Research Park, all I could think of is, why Knoxville and how did we get so lucky?But I had a conversation with my good friend of mine, Dr. Leon Tolbert, who works in the electrical engineering and computer science department at the University of Tennessee, and he gave me a little backstory that will put it all of this into perspective.Dr. Leon Tolbert: So, when Volkswagen first built their plant in Chattanooga, they came to the University of Tennessee—and that was probably more than 10 years ago—and wanted to engage the university because they were looking at hiring graduates of our university, they were looking at working with faculty, and they donated, I think, a pretty substantial sum of money at that time to fund research in engineering. And so, the College of Engineering then gave out grants to faculty who were doing work related to electric vehicles and, I believe, got a couple of those grants, and worked with students on things related to power electronics for electric vehicles. But then, I guess things just kind of coasted along there for a few years, and then, more recently, a couple of years ago, they approached again wanting deeper involvement, and came and looked at the work we were doing already related to electric vehicles, visited our department several times, and then approached us about establishing a Volkswagen fellowship for graduate students, and in that fellowship, they would hire the students to work full-time at Volkswagen while they were pursuing their PhD. And this kind of follows the model in Europe where a lot of the PhD students basically are full-time employees of companies, but they're pursuing a PhD, and they wanted to do something similar here at UT.Rickey McCallum: And they did just that. VW approached UT and created an incredible program for PhD students to work full time on research projects that directly impact real-world struggles. Now, when these students complete this program, they're going to be ready and have applicable real-world experience to show for all their hard work, and have a foundation of research already in place. So, Dr. Hendrik Mainka, project manager and team lead of UT's Innovation Hub, told us a little bit more about the PhD program.Dr. Hendrik Mainka: Yeah, I think that the PhD program probably is pretty unique for the US. I mean, we have a PhD program in Germany at our headquarters where, always, the PhD students are Volkswagen employees. I think that's a huge one, too, a lot of the PhD fellows here and in the US, so PhD fellows you will talk to later, they are all Volkswagen employees, and we're really working with them as our people to make sure we having this close connection, not only to the university, also for our students to really real-life problems, you know? You're working on a wireless power transfer, for example, that's something we want to see the next years being implemented in our cars. And so your PhD research really has a high impact. Same with the research on sizing to optimize our composite parts. That's really applied research on a PhD level, which really helps the company moving forward with the innovations, and also having the students working on real-life problems. I think that's really unique and hopefully, it's beneficial for both sides.Rickey McCallum: It all already sounds pretty great right? A world-renowned, industry-leading auto manufacturer choosing our Knoxville, Tennessee university to start exploring composite materials for more affordable, energy-efficient vehicles we can make right here in the same state.Yeah, it's really awesome, and it gets better. VW didn't just stop at the UT Research Park. In 2019 they announced that they wanted to use Knoxville as the site of their very first North American Innovation Hub. Now, in a partnership between Volkswagen, UT, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Innovation Hub will be an extension, or rather an expansion of the Research Park, and it will further develop research opportunities for UT doctoral students with a focus on electrical engineering and developing lighter components for composite materials.And those opportunities have already begun with the very first wave of doctoral fellows. William Henkin, a VW research fellow at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, gave us a little more insight on just how incredible this PhD program has already been.William Hankin: It's an incredible experience and the fact that I'm the first one kind of paving the way, trailblazing it makes me kind of smile to myself and, like I said, it's validation on everything I've done to this point. As a grad student, you don't necessarily get those feelings all the time, so you got to take advantage of it when you do. [laugh].Rickey McCallum: trailblazing. [laugh]. I like that. That's the perfect way to describe both the program in general and your research projects and goals. What is it specifically that you're focusing on in the Innovation Hub, William?William Hankin: Volkswagen is very interested in next-generation vehicles. And an extension of that is electrification and lightweighting. And so a lot of the work I'm doing is in the lightweighting aspect. And so I'm looking really at composite materials: how to make them stronger, more efficient, and how to implement them in automotive application. So, Department of Energy here in the East Tennessee area is huge. They have the National Transportation Research Center, and they work closely with University of Tennessee, Knoxville, so we have great supporting casts, academic, adjunct faculty, collaboration is prolific and Volkswagen really saw that as an opportunity to put down some roots in this area. And we're really the first generation of fellows here, but I expect this to grow, a lot.Rickey McCallum: and grow it most certainly will. So, this is VW is the very first North American Innovation Hub. And as I said, it means that Knoxville is going to be joining the ranks of Berlin, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo, renowned sites for establishing VW Innovation Hubs.It still sounds just a little too good to be true, or at least it did to me. So, I asked Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee rather bluntly, “What's up with that?”If you look at Volkswagen's global footprint, where the Innovation Hubs and their centers and stuff are located, Knoxville's not considered a Tel Aviv or a Tokyo type of location. And so I'm curious if you have any insight of what may have been their thought process, and why Knoxville? I mean, why move here to establish this Innovation Hub?Marc Gibson: Yeah, so that's a good question. I had the opportunity, actually, to visit their Tel Aviv hub last November and I was kind of wondering the same thing, to be honest. I was like, “That puts us in pretty, pretty prestigious company,” I was really excited about that. I had an opportunity to sit down with the folks in Tel Aviv and they outlined why they're there and what the motive was for Volkswagen to locate a hub in Tel Aviv. And certainly, it was around their innovation, their startup culture that they have there, so I knew right away, it was a little bit different why they were looking into Knoxville. I think they look at Knoxville as the future hub for materials and manufacturing. And I think there's a lot to be said, obviously, for the strengths that we have here. But I think they also looked at the vision that the University of Tennessee had and the relationship that we have with ORNL, and I think they really felt like we could move together. Together we can move a mountain and really create something special here.Rickey McCallum: Dr. Uday Vaidya, a Governor's Chair for Advanced Composites Manufacturing at UT followed that up.Dr. Uday Vaidya: as you know, the ecosystem here in Tennessee is very unique. We have a very large, signature flagship university, University of Tennessee, the world's largest DOE lab in terms of materials research, Oakridge Lab, just 20 miles away, the manufacturing demonstration facility at Oak Ridge, and the industry network, which combines along with IACMI which is, again, a very unique piece in this whole equation. So, the entrepreneurial aspect of it is almost natural in that because there are so many technologies that are at play, and a lot of the students and personnel work throughout, you know, in terms of progressing to a certain endpoint as part of their academic career, many of these students are extremely entrepreneurial already. But now that gives them a purpose and a real vision of where their business and entrepreneurial skills could get to. So, we have a number of such examples of students starting companies as part of their PhD or masters training, like the Innovation Crossroads program between Oak Ridge and UT makes a very good case for these students to get seed funding and going. So, the hub that you have here, or the Innovation Hub is a key part of the entire process because now that gives a real home to these kind of ideas to set up, whether it's a space, or an asset, or a process, or the infrastructure required for such a daunting step that they would take. So, such a thing is extremely easy because of operation like the Innovation Hub.So, I believe it should become a very natural relationship on multiple fronts. The technology is just one piece of it. I mean, you have the manufacturing side, you have the materials side, the electrification, battery, so many aspects of Volkswagen's interests which fall within that. But alongside, there's a huge need for the workforce development and then the training, not only at the PhD level but also all the way from the technician people on the shop floor. So, you need multiple points of engagement with the company. So, I think the vast range of programs that UT could offer, along with Oak Ridge and the ecosystem, will continue to engage VW in a continuous way. So, that will also then excite their supply chain, the tier suppliers, tier one, two, three. So, they will want to set up operations in the proximity. So, it has a cascading effect of benefit for sure.Rickey McCallum: A cascading effect. That's the perfect way to describe the blossoming partnership that just keeps going between UT and Volkswagen. And it's certainly cascaded into some wonderful research opportunities and projects. And since Dr. Hendrik Mainka has been there from just about the beginning of the cascade, we turned to him for a little more information on that partnership.Dr. Hendrik Mainka: The conversations, at least, I have been empowered, have started around about in 2015. I think everybody remembers when IACMI, the Composite Institute, was founded in Knoxville. Awesome event with President Obama on-site announcing the DOE-sponsored institute and, yeah, Volkswagen is proud to be a founding member of this Institute, which is basically led by University of Tennessee in Knoxville. And I think that's basically how everything started. And in the following years, we had several IACMI projects together with UT to develop lower-cost, high-speed manufacturing, really efficient method for automotive lightweight composites. Also looked at recycling processes with UT together and the last years. And I think, really, the highlight of this project is a Volkswagen Atlas liftgate. And I think that's pretty much how it began, and how we started our cooperation with UT. And finally, in 2015, we opened the Innovation Hub in Knoxville, which is another major milestone in this development. A big part of innovation is basically co-creation. So, if you're working with companies or experts from different fields, that basically creates a lot of innovation in the way that new ideas are trickling into your field of expertise, and we see that, for example, with some of the UT faculties where we combining fields like AI with material research, which is really kind of a new way to create innovations. Or when we're working with experts of your Carbon Renewable Center to create really innovative materials for automotive applications. We're working with producers of paper and plastics on the other side, and then combining that to awesome new products. I think that's really where you see innovation taking place. So, it's really the capability of having all these different people available for Volkswagen to work with and have this cooperation with UT. I think that's how you might want to describe innovation.Rickey McCallum: Throughout this whole discussion, we've heard from several different perspectives of the evolution of where the partnership came from, and most importantly, where it evolved into. But which really came first? Was it the Innovation Hub that started the conversation? Was it the liftgate project, or specific research that defined really what the Innovation Hub was going to be? Or was it neither? Don't worry, listeners, this isn't the chicken or egg scenario. We do have an answer. A good one, from Marc Gibson.Marc Gibson: Yeah, that's a good question. So, the liftgate project was really kind of our launchpad. That's an IACMI project, led by several of our faculty members here that I think you're probably also going to talk with Dr. Uday Vaidya, and then Dr. Dayakar Penumadu. That project got off the ground and really, I think, excelled their thought process on the confidence that they would have and what we are capable of doing. And so I think once we established that we could do the work and that we had the expertise—and that we had the equipment here. I mean, if you look at the resources that we have here, it's pretty phenomenal. On a global scale, I'm not sure that anyone in the world has the type of capabilities that we have here between UT and ORNL. The cool nuance there is essentially what they do is they identify a project, okay. And they come to us and they say, “Can you solve this project?” And we connect them with a faculty member that we think can solve the problem. And then they create a statement of work, the faculty member goes and identifies a PhD student, and then Volkswagen pays the PhD student to go to school at UT. We're talking about the liftgate on the back of one of these vehicles. To do something like that—you know, I think Volkswagen told me at one time—and you have to ask them, but I think they told me at one time to get something like that changed and on the assembly line on one of their vehicles, it typically takes, like, five years. And, you know… we [laugh] we fast-tracked that. I mean, you look at what we were able to do. I mean, we were able to do that really in like two to three years, and it's now going to be manufactured, going on the assembly line, and consumers are going to be able to buy vehicles that are going to be manufactured in Chattanooga, that had University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology in it. I mean, how cool is that? But you can kind of look at some of the other projects that are taking place now, too. I mean, it's not just around lightweighting and composites. Now they're moving into batteries. One of the big things—and you'll have to ask Volkswagen a little bit more about this, but one of the big things about that plant is they've also started almost a billion-dollar infrastructure improvement slash addition, in Chattanooga—and you got to think, that plant's less than 10 years old—to do all battery work and battery research. And so they're really going to be looking at faculty members here. In fact, two of the projects that they've kicked off already are going to be housed in our Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and doing battery work. And I think that speaks volumes; they're not just here to do composites and manufacturing, but they're here to access other areas of expertise, too, which I think is pretty cool.Rickey McCallum: So, Marc mentioned the liftgate project. Let's talk about that. It's the project that is really the main focus right now here at the UT Research Park. So, we're going to get into a little bit more details and specifics about that in one of our next episodes, but it's the first project in which the Research Park is actively working to find an innovative solution to a real-world problem. And it is very important to Tennessee specifically because while research parks do work hard here in Knoxville to create the solution, the VW plant in Chattanooga is working hard to implement that said solution. So, the entire project from start to finish is being handled right here in East Tennessee. So, of course, when it comes to a project like that, we have to think ahead to the impact the project will have on the future. So, what does this project mean for the future of the Innovation Hub in 5, 10, 15 years?Dr. Uday Vaidya: Sure, so in the liftgate project one type of intermediate materials have been used, but composites offer such a broad design space. It's like a painter's palette, really, you can choose a range of different things and come up with unique innovations every single time. So, it just offers innumerable possibilities for futuristic designs. So, the Volkswagen liftgate project, as you know, was one of the first signature projects for IACMI under the Composites Institute. Volkswagen is a key company in the Tennessee area. In Chattanooga, they're producing vehicles. Most of the current vehicles require lightweighting because of possibilities for energy savings, energy efficiency, less fuel consumption, and so on, so every ounce that you save from the vehicle's weight impacts the economy in terms of its cost savings down the road. So, the whole idea from Volkswagen, currently their liftgates are made out of stamped steel, sheet metal, which is good. Excellent material, but there's a lot of potential that composites offer, such as high-impact resistance, ability to tailor, create deep draws, complex shape parts, and near net shape parts. So, we had a good potential there to use all the attributes of composites towards this application, and that's where the unique combination of IACMI, Oak Ridge, University of Tennessee, this ecosystem came into play, of course with other partners as part of this project.So, really, all our industry-related projects are highly valuable because it provides the students and the staff working on it a real-world opportunity. So, everything they're doing has a purpose, meaning, and an actual tangible product, process, et cetera, down the road, that they can see what their research is actually leading into. The Volkswagen project, like any other project, obviously engaged a number of students—both undergrad and grad students—towards problem solving all the way from design process, process modeling, testing, characterization, you know, the whole process of designing a part all the way to the end product, so they could actually see the fruits of the labor at different stages as it was going on. So, that led to a lot of fundamental research along the way for PhD and masters students, as well as a lot of experiential learning for undergraduate students, who had never even seen or known what composites was about, that gave them the opportunity. So, when they now put their CV together—or resume—they would have a huge impact. When they go to their interview, they can actually speak in terms of real-world opportunities they have been faced. So, it's a very valuable relation and experience.Rickey McCallum: And of course, the liftgate project is only the beginning, only one of many projects and research studies being done in the Innovation Hub. So, Dr. Tolbert, some of the topics of discussion that we've had around Volkswagen's partnership is around technologies for future electric vehicles, including power electronics and wireless charging, what's the future of EV, in your mind, with this partnership, and how the University of Tennessee can help advance the technology and innovation that Volkswagen is looking for?Dr. Leon Tolbert: So, I was really excited when Volkswagen approached us to talk about electric vehicles and their plans that they're doing in Chattanooga to build new vehicles, mostly because I've worked on electric vehicles since the 1990s. A lot of that was through Oak Ridge National Lab and the research that they're doing at National Transportation Research Center; they've been working on electric vehicles since the early '90s. And I really see electric vehicles, and just electrification of transportation in general, as a bright future and a trend that's global. We've done quite a bit of work on looking at traction drives using silicon carbide wide bandgap materials to electrify vehicles. And I think, as we've seen, a lot of companies are pursuing autonomous vehicles and that's also going to require electrification of vehicles in order to be able to charge a while they park and things like that. So, we really see a bright future, and we're very excited when Volkswagen came and wanted to work with us on this.So, at the University of Tennessee in our department, we have a wide bandgap traineeship for graduate students, and that was funded by the US Department of Energy specifically to attract US citizens to work on wide bandgap power electronics. And we've had probably more than two dozen students in that program since it's initiated, and most of them are MS students. And I think Volkswagen saw that program, saw our general strengths in power electronics, saw the tremendous amount of work being done at Oak Ridge National Lab, and came and wanting to partner with us in that area. And so they were interested in a couple of students coming out of this traineeship, transitioning to become VW Fellows and pursue PhD, and I think what we like as faculty in working with industry is we want our research to eventually end up being used somewhere. And so it really helps inform our research to make it real-world applicable. And I think students, too, really gain a lot in working with industry because what they're working on, they hope one day will show up in a vehicle. So, I think obviously, there's lots of technologies that go into cars, and we've talked about the electrification of transportation, and so I do think there is quite a bit of room to grow in just drive train technology, there's a lot of room to grow in autonomous vehicles, a lot of room to grow in energy storage and battery technology. And I think this is a unique place, having Oak Ridge National Lab, TVA, University of Tennessee, and all of the research that goes on here. I would be remiss if I don't also mention CURENT. It's an NSF DOE engineering research center dedicated to looking at the future electric grid. And so we have one of the top programs in the country in power systems and power electronics, and more than 100 graduate students in that area. And so this is just really a great place for things like that.Rickey McCallum: So, there you have it. Now you know exactly what a research park is and how Knoxville ended up not only with one but also as the home of a VW Innovation Hub. So, next time we're going to dive in a little deeper. That's right, we're going to get into the projects, specifically the liftgate project, which is the UT Research Park's first project to solve a real-world problem in the VW Atlas. And it just may have been the siren's call that drew attention back to Knoxville and convinced VW to bring their North American Innovation Hub to us. So, find out more next time in the Research Park Chronicles.And thank you for listening to the Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum. We'll pick up here next time with the rest of this story. Keep up with the latest episode by subscribing on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever fine podcasts are found.

We've got a podcast first happening on Episode 2! Our special guest this week is Riley Northway, a current patient at our Research Park clinic, and she's giving us the inside scoop on her experience as a patient! We put her on the hot seat and asked about her home exercise program, how she overcame the idea of being too busy for PT and what she had to say to potential patients ignoring their pain!  Then on Therapy on the Rocks Janine continued Low Calorie January with a show-stopping Hibiscus Margarita! Trust us, you're going to want this recipe! 

This is Derek Miller Speaking on Business. Water is the lifeblood of the West, and taking care of it is an absolute necessity. Fortunately, Purestream Services is doing that for all of us. Amy Hansen, Sustainability and Business Development Officer with Purestream, explains what they do to make life better. AMY HANSEN Purestream Services is a wastewater treatment services provider headquartered at the University of Utah's Research Park. We operate nationwide and are proud to be a homegrown Utah Company. Purestream provides innovative mobile and custom water treatment technologies and solutions for industries including oil & gas, mining, agriculture, aerospace and municipal water systems. Many of the technologies were developed in partnership with Utah State University. In California and Texas, we work with oil and gas companies to treat and clean wastewater for reuse. Back in Utah, we engage with communities to develop cost-effective water treatment systems, and we're creating innovative solutions for agriculture to conserve and reuse water. Purestream is now part of Swire, an English company that has also acquired Utah-based company WesTech Engineering, a global leader in water equipment and engineering. Together, we employ 500 people in the US and around the world. DEREK MILLER Utah's population is growing fast, and we are fortunate to have companies like Purestream that create the hardware and software to ensure that the water we have is clean and used efficiently. For more information, visit Purestream.com. I'm Derek Miller with the Salt Lake Chamber, Speaking on Business. Originally Aired: December 20, 2021

Dr. Deana McDonagh is a Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Illinois as well as the Designer-in-Residence at the Research Park. Dr. McDonagh is an experienced strategist who works with startups at the Research Park to help them incorporate design thinking in their development workflow in order to improve user experience and create delightful products for consumers. Tune in to the episode to hear about her journey, perspective on design in tech, and what kind of support she offers to students & faculty at Research Park. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

Episode 19 offers us another opportunity to reflect on the robust economy in South Florida. Our guest is Andrew Duffell, President & CEO of the Research Park at FAU. Duffell's international background and multiple economic development roles have shaped his forward-thinking and problem-solving approach regarding the development of South Florida's economy using technology as a catalyst. Since becoming president & CEO of the Research Park at FAU in 2011, the Research Park's contribution to the region's economy has surged The mission of the Research Park is to promote scientific research and development in affiliation with Florida Atlantic University, to foster economic development and broaden the economic base of Broward and Palm Beach counties. Listen to how the South Florida economy is benefiting from this business catalyst!

Laura Frerichs, Executive Director at the University of Illinois Research Park and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Economic Development, speaks with host, Tom Osha, about The University of Illinois' Research Park and the importance of student engagement in corporate innovation activities.The interview was conducted during Day 3 of the Association of University Research Parks 2021 International Conference held in Salt Lake City Oct 18 - 21.For more information, please visit www.researchpark.illinois.edu

On this episode of The Innovators Podcast, we interviewed former ISURP intern, Abigail Miller. Abigail graduated from Iowa State University in May, 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in marketing. She is currently working at Ag Certain Industries as business analyst and talent coordinator and at OEI as a community coordinator. In this episode, we talked about Abigail's past internships along with her current work experience. She has had some incredible opportunities and many of them have stemmed from her time as an intern here at the Park. Enjoy this podcast and hearing from one of the many Iowa State University Research Park success stories.

New guidance from IDPH on outbreaks in schools, UIUC stacks to move to Undergraduate Library, supply chain issues to last into 2022, new wet lab spaces in Research Park and more. Hosted by Josie Alameda Stories by Mac Dudley, Tara Mobasher, Jane Knight, Emily Crawford and Anne McKeown Music by Boxout Support this podcast

We hear reaction to the Government's solution to the current problems facing pig farmers: 6 month visas for foreign butchers. Farming unions had called for a 12 month 'Covid recovery visa' to allow more workers from abroad into jobs in the food supply chain, or for the Government to relax language rules for foreign butchers working here, but all that was rejected in favour of temporary visas. This week Radio 4 dedicated a day to the scientist. As part of that Anna Hill went to the Research Park in Norwich to hear about the latest in agri-science innovations. The National Trust and Forestry Commission say they are considering what to do with the bans on trail hunting on their land, following the conviction of the Director of the Master of Foxhounds Association for encouraging and assisting people to evade the ban on fox hunting. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Today we mark BBC Radio 4's Day of the Scientist with an in-depth look at how collaboration between agricultural and human health scientists will bring about long-term change in a post-pandemic world. Anna Hill visits the The Research Park in Norwich, where scientific institutions have gathered so their work together becomes much more than their research in individual labs. The science here goes from seed, to field, to food, to human, to health, and the scientists come from the John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Lab, The Earlham Institute, The Quadram Centre, the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich Hospital Trust. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Today, the Safari takes an old dirt road to an incredible facility, the Mote Aquaculture Research Park, to explore the new International Coral Gene Bank there!  You'll learn all about what coral is (it's an animal, I swear), the dangers facing this amazing group of creatures, and what is being done to preserve them!  This is an episode unlike any you've heard to date!  EPISODE LINKS: www.mote.org @motemarinelab on social media ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.patreon.com/rossifari www.rossifari.com @rossifari on Insta, Facebook, and Twitter @rossifaripod on TikTok 

Paul is the Co-Founder & CEO of Ascent Integrated Tech, a startup company in the Research Park that is building technology to improve safety for people in hazardous environments including firefighters, industrial operators, and aviation mechanics. Paul is a seasoned entrepreneur and well-known in the student startup ecosystem on campus, having previously co-founded a technology company for solar integration for which he raised more than $2.5M in private equity funding. Tune in to the episode to hear about his journey and what invaluable advice he offers to other young entrepreneurs about going all-in and overcoming mental obstacles to achieve success. Head over to project-20.co/researchparkpodcast to leave show feedback. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

Dr. Gerald Wilson is President and CEO of Autonomic Materials, a homegrown U of I startup, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Research Park. He joins the show to share lessons learned on his fascinating startup journey as well as provide insight into how he helps budding entrepreneurs as an EIR. Head over to project-20.co/researchparkpodcast to leave show feedback. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

John Cole, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of Research Park startup SimBioSys, joins the podcast! He discusses the breakthroughs his team has created for "transforming decision making and patient experience in cancer care” through a powerful software platform. Tune in to hear more about his entrepreneurial journey, success stories & lessons learned, and partnership with the Research Park community. Head over to project-20.co/researchparkpodcast to leave show feedback. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

Harmons is deeply involved in our community, and so is Red Butte Garden, so the fact that we partner with them is pretty much a no-brainer. In today’s episode of the Taste of Harmons Podcast, Eddy Dawson, director of programs at Red Butte, joins our hosts Chef Lesli Sommerdorf and Brandon Young to talk about something a little different from the food we eat—but it’s still related. Red Butte Garden is a museum of living plants, according to Eddy. And its history is long and storied. You’ll definitely want to tune in to learn the history of the Garden along with a lot of interesting stories and sidenotes. For more information please visit https://www.harmonsgrocery.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarmonsGroceryStores/ Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/harmonsgrocery?igshid=6ir2kf3qy3jy For our podcast blog directory: https://www.harmonsgrocery.com/podcast-archive/ To find something to do this summer: https://redbuttegarden.org/free-garden-events/boredom-busters/ To Volunteer with Red Butte, sign up at: https://redbuttegarden.org/volunteer-at-red-butte-garden/ The Red Butte Concert Series information: https://redbuttegarden.org/concerts/ Eddy shares the interesting story of Dr. Cottam and how his beginnings led to the eventual forming of Red Butte Gardner, located in Research Park at the University of Utah. The visitors center was opened in the 1990s and while more than 35 years old, it’s still young in the terms of arboretums around the country and world, Eddy says. The Garden consists of 21 acres of highly maintained gardens, with another 78 acres of natural area and five miles of hiking trails. Unique to many arboretums is its location in the foothills of Salt Lake City, and there is a lot of wildlife that also enjoys roaming around the garden, including moose, deer, bobcats, and turkeys. Eddy says they also saw some cougar tracks this past winter, but never did spot the wily cat. Like most of us during the COVID-19, Red Butte Garden had to alter how they did things, including virtual classes and zoom lessons videography held with teachers and their classes. And like the rest of us, they are anxious to get back to normal, in particular, the very popular and oft-asked about Red Butte Concert series. Eddy says the series is “brewing” this year, but he doesn’t have any information because he’s the plant guy. That said, he, too, is excited for some of the amazing talent that is in the lineup of performers at the Garden. The beautiful venue, in the amphitheater, is a one-of-a-kind experience, and one everyone should get a chance to enjoy. That said, the concerts usually sell out during the “presale” which is exclusive to members of Red Butte Garden, so along with supporting and donating to an amazing community partner, that’s another reason to join forces with Red Butte Garden. Eddy Dawson has a passion for connecting people with the importance of plants in all aspects of life.  His life’s mantra is “everyone loves plants, not everyone knows it.” He has spent 20 years working at Red Butte Garden in a variety of roles, including Curator of Plant Records, Director of Information Technology, and currently serves as the Director of Programs.  In addition to his Red Butte Garden experience, he has 30 years combined experience in the plant science and horticulture industries and is a volunteer leader engaged in the national American Public Garden Association.  He strives to continue learning and making new connections with plants and people as part of the mission at Red Butte Garden. He has degrees in Horticulture and Botanical Informatics from Texas A&M University. 

On this episode, we interview senior ISURP interns, Carter Mumm, Matt Stenzel, Tori Novotny, and Tavin Hays. They share some of their favorite memories of working at The Research Park as well as advice to others and plans after graduation. Each intern was able to mention a few mentors that they have had during their time as an intern and a student at Iowa State University. Hear their stories and learn about what it takes to be a successful ISURP intern.

Srijith Srinath joins the podcast to share his insights on being a Research Park intern turned full-time employee at Motorola Solutions Innovation Center. Tune in to hear what kind of experiences he had as an internship applicant, what tips he offers for having a successful summer, and what takeaways he provides for anyone unsure about pursuing the internship experience. Head over to project-20.co/researchparkpodcast to leave show feedback. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

Laura Frerichs joins the show to discuss how the UIUC Research Park has built its brand over 20 years, highlight what impact it has made in the Champaign community, and showcase a few of the many stories of homegrown entrepreneurship & student talent. Laura is the Executive Director of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Research Park, "where she oversees operations & development, manages entrepreneurship programs, and supports the University’s economic development efforts." Head over to project-20.co/researchparkpodcast to leave show feedback. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

Mark Moran joins the show to discuss AgTech innovations at John Deere, fueled by student projects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Research Park. Mark is the Site Director for the John Deere Technology Innovation Center at Research Park, as well as the Lead for John Deere’s next-generation sensing technology for their IoT devices. Head over to project-20.co/researchparkpodcast to leave show feedback. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu for job postings, social platforms, and more.

On episode 6, we host Kenny Kyle, General Manger of the TMC Student Training Center located right here in the Research Park. The TMC Student Training Center hosts around 20 interns every year during the summer, fall, and spring semesters. This episode will really appeal to students who might be interested in an internship or career with TMC!   TMC is recognized as an industry leader in flatbed transportation. Their Ames office was opened in 2017 and has since hosted dozens of student interns year-round. Kenny has worked with various universities expanding TMC's internship opportunities. His background in running his own businesses make him a great Innovators Podcast guest!   We loved hearing about some of the great things TMC interns get to work on. If you'd like to learn more, check out their website at tmctrans.com!

Episode 5 of The Innovators Podcast features Rick Sanders, President and Director of the Iowa State University Research Park. Rick began his time at the Park in May of 2019 after stints in county government and athletics administration. Rick gave us some insight into his background in leadership that sets the stage for his work with the ISURP, including his mantra of "finding wins for as many people as possible."   In this episode, we explore what makes the ISU Research Park great and what to look forward to in the future! Rick talks about the interconnected ecosystem of innovation in Ames, including (but not limited to) the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Iowa State University, and programs like the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship which you will recognize from our last episode with Judi Eyles. In addition, Rick shares some personal stories of how the Research Park impacted his own family before he ever took the job.   To make this podcast even better, Lehr Thorson joins us from the ISURP intern crew to co-host. Lehr has been behind the scenes thus far, but will be a regular on The Innovators Podcast from now on! We hope you enjoy.

El mundo de la ciencia avanza a gran velocidad y muchas veces los avances pasan desapercibidos para el público en general. Esto es un poco triste porque dentro de unos años avances actuales provocarán mejoras cotidianas. Hoy la bioinformática da pasos de gigante para ayudar a entender nuestro entorno, y entre los avances está el determinar la estructura en 3D de las proteínas, algo que parece sencillo pero que ha sido uno de los grandes problemas a resolver para los científicos. ¿Qué por qué es importante? Lo hablamos directamente con un experto, Baldo Oliva Miguel, PhD Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory (GRIB-IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona y parte del Research Park of Biomedicine (PRBB). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/peter-parking/message

On episode 3 of The Innovators Podcast, we chat with Clayton Mooney, co-founder of Nebullam. Nebullam is an indoor farming company located right here in the Research Park.   After spending time at Iowa State and in Europe playing professional poker, Clayton returned to Ames and started his first company, KinoSol. KinoSol manufactures solar food dehydrators for farmer in developing countries. After his time with KinoSol, Clayton co-founded Nebullam, the main topic of our conversation. Check out Nebullam's website at EatLettuce.com.   About The Innovators Podcast: The Innovators Podcast was started in 2020 to highlight some of the incredible people in Ames, at Iowa State, and in the Research Park. Hosted by Research Park staff, the Podcast aims to share the stories of innovation and entrepreneurship that often go unseen in our communities.

Today we have something a little different in the books. Jim was recently a guest on The Innovators Podcast. This podcast is produced out of Brian and Jim's alma mater, Iowa State University. This was a great conversation around one of Jim's current undertakings along with some more details into Jim's background. We hope you enjoy this podcast swap and go support The Innovators Podcast! More Episodes of The Innovators Podcast can be found here: https://www.isupark.org/the-innovators-podcast/ About The Innovators Podcast: The Innovators Podcast was started in 2020 to highlight some of the incredible people in Ames, at Iowa State, and in the Research Park. Hosted by Research Park staff, the Podcast aims to share the stories of innovation and entrepreneurship that often go unseen in our communities. Though we have been away for a while, we have some more episodes in the works so follow us on your podcast platform of choice! If you got something out of the conversation, share it with a friend and start a discussion on the topic. If you have a topic that you would like Jim and Brian to discuss, leave a comment on the episode so we can check it out. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more episodes coming soon!

For episode 2 of The Innovators Podcast, we host Jim Fay, ISU alum, inventor of the Diaper Genie, and serial entrepreneur. Jim was the father of Huggies Pullups and Huggies Baby Wipes while working at Kimberly-Clark and later founded the company that invented the Diaper Genie (the #1 non-disposable baby product in the U.S.).   Jim has returned to Iowa State to teach classes in the Engineering and Business Colleges, in addition to his new startup venture, “Fin and Viola”, located right here in the Research Park.   Alison stepped in to host this episode; she and Jim talked about everything from entrepreneurial inspiration to cycling. Check it out and let us know what you think. Be on the lookout for our podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify soon!   About The Innovators Podcast: The Innovators Podcast was started in 2020 to highlight some of the incredible people in Ames, at Iowa State, and in the Research Park. Hosted by Research Park staff, the Podcast aims to share the stories of innovation and entrepreneurship that often go unseen in our communities.

In 1968, the University of Utah purchased 300 acres along the valley’s east bench to create a hub where up-and-coming companies could set down roots, grow and develop innovative products and provide jobs for entrepreneurs and researchers. This year, Research Park received a national award for its fulfillment of that goal. What’s next for Research Park? Patti Ross, chief business strategy officer, and Jon Bates, executive director of the Department of Real Estate Administration, discuss the past and future of Research Park in this episode of U Rising. Recorded on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. Thanks to Brooke Adams and Dave White for technical assistance. Original music by Taylor Hartley.

On episode 1 of The Innovators Podcast, we host Alison Doyle, Chief Relationship Officer at the Iowa State University Research Park. Alison talks about her background, goals for the podcast, and why Iowa State University is the place to be for Innovation!   About The Innovators Podcast: The Innovators Podcast was started in 2020 to highlight some of the incredible people in Ames, at Iowa State, and in the Research Park. Hosted by Research Park staff, the Podcast aims to share the stories of innovation and entrepreneurship that often go unseen in our communities.

On episode 1 of The Innovators Podcast, we host Alison Doyle, Chief Relationship Officer at the Iowa State University Research Park. Alison talks about her background, goals for the podcast, and why Iowa State University is the place to be for Innovation!   About The Innovators Podcast: The Innovators Podcast was started in 2020 to highlight some of the incredible people in Ames, at Iowa State, and in the Research Park. Hosted by Research Park staff, the Podcast aims to share the stories of innovation and entrepreneurship that often go unseen in our communities.

I’m talking with Tom Rogers, CEO of the University of Tennessee Research Park, a university facility that offers an ideal location for companies and entrepreneurs to collaborate with UT talent. We discuss recent ribbon cutting for the Spark Innovation Center, the Volkswagen Innovation Hub, and persevering through difficultly. Tom is reading Peace Like A River.

Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum explores the incredible innovation that’s taking place at the University of Tennessee Research Park. Find out why the research institute has become the gateway to collaboration between the University of Tennessee, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the private sector—helping unleash Knoxville’s entrepreneurial spirit while opening up amazing opportunities to organizations around the world.

Apr 15, 2020The strength of the U.S. economy is dependent upon a strong business community and the entrepreneurs behind these successful businesses. Andrew Duffell, the President of Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, wholly supports this notion and expressed to Abby Melone that it is essential for there to be continuous investment in education and research to support these entrepreneurs. He also noted that, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of adaptability and collaboration happening within the business community, as demonstrated by those businesses in the Research Park. For more information, visit: https://www.research-park.org/

Neil Kane, a leading authority on technology commercialization and innovation, is the president and founder of Illinois Partners Executive Services, LLC. Most recently he was the CEO of Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc., a company he co-founded in 2003 by licensing technology from Argonne National Laboratory (U.S. Dept. of Energy). Mr. Kane is the former co-Executive Director of the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center at Argonne and was Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Northern Illinois University. In these roles he was founding CEO of several startup companies based on university or federal laboratory research in areas such as nanotechnology, advanced materials, software, renewable energy and printed electronics. He has closed multiple rounds of venture capital from investors worldwide and has secured numerous SBIR/STTR and other government contracts and awards.

Hear the extraordinary story of what God can do through those who are willing to show up. This is part five of the Mark Stearns story.   Lincoln Village Ministry: https://lincolnvillageministry.com YouTube: Search “Lincoln Village History Huntsville AL SongLever: https://songlever.com  Epic Friday Five: https://epic2.com/pages/contact Submit Questions for Q&A Episode: call 833GOEPIC2 Lincoln Village History:  Located about a mile north of downtown Huntsville, the Lincoln neighborhood traces its beginnings to December 1900 when Madison Spinning Company laid the foundations for a short-lived textile factory  named Abingdon Mill. In 1918, Massachusetts textile baron William Lincoln Barrell bought the factory out of bankruptcy and turned it into Lincoln Mill, a fabric-making factory.  Lincoln Mill became the largest of the city’s four textile plants with its own housing community of tidy, shotgun-style rental houses a short walk from the factory. After a series of strikes, the property ceased operation in 1955. In 1957, Huntsville Industrial Associates, an alliance of 35 local business and government leaders led by Carl T. Jones, purchased the property. This center went on to bridge the era of production to technology. Brown Engineering, now known as Teledyne Brown, performed some of the early contract missile work from Lincoln. Much of the work that occurred in this building was instrumental in helping put men on the moon. Over time, these companies relocated to Redstone Arsenal or Research Park. As the companies left, their space was either abandoned or rented as storage.  The abandonment of the mill led to the downfall of the neighborhood where mill workers had taken such pride in their family homes. In 2002, Mark Stearns walked the streets of Lincoln to see the living conditions and realized there were no options for under-resourced citizens to provide a decent housing option for their family. Lincoln Village Ministry was formed to help address this issue.  The median income in the Lincoln community is $21,365 for a family of four. Many of the families served are victims of childhood trauma and most lack a support system. The Lincoln community consists of 98% single parent households, 100% working families, and widespread generational poverty. Thirty-seven children receive counseling from an on-site NOVA counselor. 

Hear the extraordinary story of what God can do through those who are willing to show up. This is part four of the Mark Stearns story.   Lincoln Village Ministry: https://lincolnvillageministry.com YouTube: Search “Lincoln Village History Huntsville AL SongLever: https://songlever.com  Epic Friday Five: https://epic2.com/pages/contact Submit Questions for Q&A Episode: call 833GOEPIC2 Lincoln Village History:  Located about a mile north of downtown Huntsville, the Lincoln neighborhood traces its beginnings to December 1900 when Madison Spinning Company laid the foundations for a short-lived textile factory  named Abingdon Mill. In 1918, Massachusetts textile baron William Lincoln Barrell bought the factory out of bankruptcy and turned it into Lincoln Mill, a fabric-making factory.  Lincoln Mill became the largest of the city’s four textile plants with its own housing community of tidy, shotgun-style rental houses a short walk from the factory. After a series of strikes, the property ceased operation in 1955. In 1957, Huntsville Industrial Associates, an alliance of 35 local business and government leaders led by Carl T. Jones, purchased the property. This center went on to bridge the era of production to technology. Brown Engineering, now known as Teledyne Brown, performed some of the early contract missile work from Lincoln. Much of the work that occurred in this building was instrumental in helping put men on the moon. Over time, these companies relocated to Redstone Arsenal or Research Park. As the companies left, their space was either abandoned or rented as storage.  The abandonment of the mill led to the downfall of the neighborhood where mill workers had taken such pride in their family homes. In 2002, Mark Stearns walked the streets of Lincoln to see the living conditions and realized there were no options for under-resourced citizens to provide a decent housing option for their family. Lincoln Village Ministry was formed to help address this issue.  The median income in the Lincoln community is $21,365 for a family of four. Many of the families served are victims of childhood trauma and most lack a support system. The Lincoln community consists of 98% single parent households, 100% working families, and widespread generational poverty. Thirty-seven children receive counseling from an on-site NOVA counselor. 

Hear the extraordinary story of what God can do through those who are willing to show up. This is part three of the Mark Stearns story.   Lincoln Village Ministry: https://lincolnvillageministry.com YouTube: Search “Lincoln Village History Huntsville AL” Epic Friday Five: https://epic2.com/pages/contact Submit Questions for Q&A Episode: call 833GOEPIC2 Lincoln Village History:  Located about a mile north of downtown Huntsville, the Lincoln neighborhood traces its beginnings to December 1900 when Madison Spinning Company laid the foundations for a short-lived textile factory  named Abingdon Mill. In 1918, Massachusetts textile baron William Lincoln Barrell bought the factory out of bankruptcy and turned it into Lincoln Mill, a fabric-making factory.  Lincoln Mill became the largest of the city’s four textile plants with its own housing community of tidy, shotgun-style rental houses a short walk from the factory. After a series of strikes, the property ceased operation in 1955. In 1957, Huntsville Industrial Associates, an alliance of 35 local business and government leaders led by Carl T. Jones, purchased the property. This center went on to bridge the era of production to technology. Brown Engineering, now known as Teledyne Brown, performed some of the early contract missile work from Lincoln. Much of the work that occurred in this building was instrumental in helping put men on the moon. Over time, these companies relocated to Redstone Arsenal or Research Park. As the companies left, their space was either abandoned or rented as storage.  The abandonment of the mill led to the downfall of the neighborhood where mill workers had taken such pride in their family homes. In 2002, Mark Stearns walked the streets of Lincoln to see the living conditions and realized there were no options for under-resourced citizens to provide a decent housing option for their family. Lincoln Village Ministry was formed to help address this issue.  The median income in the Lincoln community is $21,365 for a family of four. Many of the families served are victims of childhood trauma and most lack a support system. The Lincoln community consists of 98% single parent households, 100% working families, and widespread generational poverty. Thirty-seven children receive counseling from an on-site NOVA counselor. 

Higher education will need to increasingly focus on innovation in both how it operates and how it educates students in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant recession. So what does that look like? This podcast focuses on taking innovation to the next level. Julie Lenzer serves as the University of Maryland’s chief innovation officer. As an entrepreneur, she worked extensively in the private sector, including owning Applied Creative Technologies, which handled data analytics and collection for food manufacturing companies. Lenzer also worked in the Obama Administration as the Director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which was housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. She has been in academia for 3 years where her focus is on creative problem-solving and making things happen. Lenzer fosters and supports UMD’s innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization enterprise, including the development of the UMD’s Research Park, the Discovery District, and the Greater College Park initiative. She also promotes and facilitates university-wide collaboration to launch startup ventures based upon University intellectual property. Sparking Innovation The coronavirus pandemic is forcing higher education institutions to embrace innovation at an extremely fast pace. Everything that institutions (especially those that are not purely online) thrive on—sense of community, students on campus, research labs—is being rethought during the pandemic. Higher education also has been forced to embrace changes on numerous fronts during this pandemic, including managing team members who are working remotely. Lenzer believes this approach to work will continue, which will be good for employees and the university because of greater organizational and personal efficiencies. Additionally, this remote-working approach is good for the environment. The pandemic also is offering higher education the opportunity to infuse students with the mindset of “How can we….?” Through that problem-solving, entrepreneurial mindset, creativity is being enhanced. Going forward, institutions will need to encourage broader connections in order to spark innovation. Many institutions tend to be siloed, although progressive institutions have started to figure out that they need to have greater connections across campus. To achieve this level of connection, we recommend finding ways to connect individuals across disciplines and functions since innovation comes from differences in thought and perspectives. This approach to creating innovation also should be adopted to connect students who have different majors and interests. For example, the University of Maryland just created an immersive Design Media major, which is a collaboration between the art and the computer science departments.  The creative mindset and liberal arts education are not going away; in fact, this approach is becoming more important in the STEM-focused world because it is proving to be the differentiator. In another example of this type of cross-pollination, the University of Maryland offers a program called Quest that brings business students and technical students together to work in diverse teams focused on problems faced in industry. This type of program exposes students to real-world issues and requires them to be innovative through applying the knowledge they gained in class to create a solution. At many institutions across the nation, faculty members and students offer their knowledge and skills in the fight against the coronavirus. For example, one University of Maryland incubator, TechPort, brought in engineers from a nearby U.S. Navy base. These engineers used 3-D printers to create facemasks, developed frames for facemasks and created a large device to sterilize PPEs. One person took a breast pump and redirected it to be a ventilator. Fostering Creativity Fostering creativity is based on allowing and even encouraging failure, which is often difficult in higher education which focuses on pass/fail grades. One of the key concepts in this requires embracing the concept of measured failure, i.e., when someone tries something and then is positively acknowledged for the effort and thought process that was underlying the measured failure. However, this approach can be a conundrum between the current version of higher education and the need for developing and encouraging creative problem-solving people. A good example of this was Thomas Edison, who failed numerous times before he created the light bulb. Institutions shouldn’t look down on people because they failed. In fact, the University of Maryland actually celebrates spectacular failures and now hold a conference where people talk about where they’ve failed, but more importantly what they’ve learned from it and how they changed what they were doing and improved on what they are attempting. That is the tool that is going to help students the most in their future careers because everyone will be focused on challenges and improvements. The next level of academics The cross-disciplinary approach is critical to prepare students for the world they will enter. Students increasingly can create their own majors and craft their own paths based on their interests and skills. While this is not a new concept, many institutions do not do this. It’s also an institutional mindshift away from “I know what’s best for you” to instead embracing a more personalized education. Higher education needs to find ways to expose students to new ideas and unlock something—a skill or interest-- in them that they didn’t realize they had. The institution should support these students in this inquiry but not hand them everything as they go forward. It’s also important to connect students with individuals with similar viewpoints and interests as well as with others who think differently. Students’ own exploration through their classwork as well as their interactions with a variety of classmates will offer more important insights and learnings that ultimately will be more useful to them. This model also means that higher education institutions aren’t driving the students’ academic progress as much as they have in the past; instead, the institution’s role is more about unlocking, supporting, connecting and encouraging potential. Online education also is creating innovation through allowing students to make higher education their own. For instance, students who are not morning people don’t have to take 8 a.m. classes, which provides real efficiencies. Institutions need to consider the blend of synchronous and asynchronous delivery in relation to how the faculty develops curriculum, delivers knowledge, and provides students with opportunities to apply what they have learned. Students need to learn how to think, find meaningful resources, problem-solve, break down barriers and go around obstacles. The focus needs to be on creating adaptable, resilient, persistent, resourceful citizens. And higher education needs to see themselves as part of the talent-supply pipeline. Higher education faculty and leaders also are determining is that some of the instructional methods and techniques that work in the classroom don’t translate to online education. This means that faculty members are having to learn to teach in different ways that go beyond their standard Powerpoint and lectures. As higher education moves forward toward totally on-line or hybrid models, faculty will need to explore other ways to more effectively engage students. Lenzer believes this will be critical because the “new normal” will require colleges and universities to make better use of technology going forward. Additionally, institutions need to consider an individualized approach to learning. While this can be very difficult when a class has 100 or more students, this approach still can offer significant benefits to students. Furthermore, adopting this student-centered approach to learning can differentiate the institution in potential students’ minds, serving as a major enticement to enrolling. This approach may be an easier transition for younger faculty, who have a different perspective. While the traditional “tenure” approach offers faculty the chance to explore new worlds in research, there needs to be accountability in relation to students and what they want from their college experience. Change Agent Lenzer was brought in to the University of Maryland as an outlier on purpose because flexibility is becoming increasingly more important because the world is changing so rapidly. Higher education needs to keep up, because some studies show that what students learn in their freshmen year could be obsolete by their senior year. Lenzer believes her role is to continually ask, “Help me understand why we do it this way.” She finds that most of the time, people don’t know. While people need to be cautious about crossing a legal line and a moral/ethical line, they also tend to be worried about the policy and accreditation lines. However, these last two lines can be changed. With that said, it’s critical to speed up the system to make these changes to reflect the continuous change in a rapidly evolving society. Institutions should also find quick leading indicators for success. Data is a really powerful resource that institutions need to leverage, especially in relation to students and their successes. Tracking data from alumni also can provide important information to inform higher education programs. Innovation becomes more important in a crisis. During these times, institutions are forced to be less risk-adverse as far as trying new things. Faculty and researchers like to wait to have all the data and be right; however, in these times you can’t be right. You need to focus on being close. Three Recommendations for Higher Education Leaders Lenzer suggested several takeaways for higher education leaders: Engage students to help them develop an entrepreneurial mindset that encourages them to take ownership of their own destiny. The siloed approach in higher education isn’t helpful. Higher education needs to break down those siloes – whether created by schools/colleges, discipline or function – to more effectively drive institutional goals and innovation. True innovation comes from diversity of thought and discipline. Therefore, try to bring individuals together who have different backgrounds, ethnicities, experiences and disciplines. This will drive innovation among faculty and students, and also will help attract a new generation of talented faculty and students as well. The traditional university culture of “let’s build a building” no longer works in the age of coronavirus. It also doesn’t work for economic development if that’s part of the institution’s mission. Instead, focus on what is happening inside the building – the people, programs, community and culture. Bullet Points The coronavirus pandemic is causing extreme change for higher education institutions. The parts of university life – a sense of community, students, research labs—have been negated for the moment due to the pandemic. This also is offering a sense of innovation to emerge. Broader connections among faculty and students that span the breadth and depth of the higher education institution can lead to the high level of innovation that can take the institution to the next level. Creativity is fostered through creating a culture that allows for failure. People need to be celebrated for trying and talking about the lessons they have learned to refine their projects. Institutions can also highlight these efforts through conferences and other outlets. To foster this level of innovation and creativity, students should be encouraged to build their own majors through combining their own interests and skills. Faculty members should move into a role that encourages, opens doors and unlocks a student’s potential. Online education offers an opportunity to individualize instruction for students. This will be challenging for faculty members who are set in their ways. Higher education leaders need to continually ask, “Why is this done this way?” in order to spark innovation. Many people will reply that it’s due to legal or moral/ethical groups. However, others will say it’s a policy or accreditation issue, without noting that these can be changed. It’s important for higher education to speed up in making these types of changes in order to stay relevant in these rapidly changing times. Higher education also needs to be better about tracking data. This can include student data as well as alumni data. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: University of Maryland Guests Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julielenzer/ Twitter: @ChiefMuse Personal website: https://www.julielenzer.com/ The Change Leader’s Social Media Links: Website: https://thechangeleader.com Website: https://changinghighered.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

In partnership with the 2020 EnTERPreneur Conference we sat down with Julie Lenzer, Chief Innovation Officer of UMD. Lenzer fosters and supports UMD's innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization enterprise, including the development of the UMD's Research Park, the Discovery District, and the Greater College Park initiative. #entrepreneur --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-district-channel/support

John Smothers, President and CEO of Reproductive Solutions, Inc., sits down with Katherine White to share his experience building a research company at the Innovation Hub at Research Park. Smothers credits the success of Reproductive Solutions to the mentors and environment the Hub fosters. The post S2E5: John Smothers with Reproductive Solutions, Inc. appeared first on Hub City Spokes in Lubbock, TX.

Recently named the Associate Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Innovation Hub at Research Park, Kimberly Gramm, along with Cara Wells, Founder and CEO of EmGenisys, sit down with Katherine White to discuss the successes they have been apart of within the Hub. Through the opportunities offered at the Hub, researchers and entrepreneurs like... The post S2E1: Kimberly Gramm and Cara Wells with TTU Innovation Hub and EmGenisys appeared first on Hub City Spokes in Lubbock, TX.

On this episode of Hub City Spokes, Katherine White talks with Carder Brooks and Cole Siefert, co-founders of Gap Peptides. The two go in-depth on the advantages of starting a business in Lubbock with the assistance of the Innovation Hub at Research Park. The post S2E3: Carder Brooks and Cole Seifert with Gap Peptides appeared first on Hub City Spokes in Lubbock, TX.

Katherine White sits down with Siva Vanapalli, a professor of chemical engineering at Texas Tech University and also Co-founder and CEO of Nemalife, a biotech and scientific community dedicated to identifying molecules that promote healthy human life. In this podcast they discuss how the Innovation Hub at Research Park helped launch his company. The post S2E4: Siva Vinapalli with Nemalife appeared first on Hub City Spokes in Lubbock, TX.

Will LaBar, Vice President of CGI Federal’s Digital Service and Onshore Delivery Center Programs, is our guest. A native of Somerset County, New Jersey, he graduated in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Upper State New York. After college, Will moved to Northern Virginia where he met his future bride, Carlee Alm. He dated Carlee long distance for a year and took a leap of faith by moving to Lafayette in 2000 so he could be close to her as she worked in Church Point for Teach for America. Will actually has French Canadian roots, as his dad was born outside of Quebec City, Canada, and maintained dual citizenship. So while Lafayette LA was not on his radar as a young man growing up in New Jersey, Lafayette's Acadian and French heritage was appealing to Will. Will's employer at the time, American Management Systems, accepted his request to work from Louisiana. The company was purchased by CGI in 2004 and Will continued to work as a telecommuter until 2014 when CGI selected Lafayette for its facility. CGI was attracted to Lafayette due to several factors: 1) The company strategically locates in parts of the U. S. where there is not historically a technology workforce in place; 2) CGI recognized the ready partnership opportunity with UL-Lafayette, LEDA, LED and our local government working together to diversify the economy; 3) The existence of LUS Fiber provided the necessary technological infrastructure; and 4) Valuable incentives were offered by the State of Louisiana such as LED FastStart, ranked the nation’s No. 1 workforce development program for nine years in a row. CGI's Digital Service and Onshore Delivery Center program is at UL - Lafayette's Research Park. The program was begun in 2006 and has 7 centers across the US and has created more than 1,600 jobs in partnership with local communities and universities. 400 employees are based here in Lafayette and CGI plans to double that number of workers to 800. When asked what "onshore delivery" meant, Will explained, "The company assists both government and business clients and serves as an interface to make it easier to input data and compress the time it takes to retrieve the data. The end result is that the public can more easily obtain information and businesses stay in compliance. CGI modernizes IT." For more information, visit CGi's site here. Ever wonder how big CGI really is? It is the world’s 5th largest independent IT and business process services company with over 74,000 members in 400 offices across 40 countries. One program of importance to CGI is the STEM@CGI Program. This nationwide K-12 program aims to train and mentor young people for STEM careers and teaches the students computer building and coding in one-day programs. Launched in Lafayette in 2016, STEM@CGI was envisioned by Anne Swanson, CGI's U. S. Education and Workforce Development Coordinator, and resulted initially in a partnership with UL Lafayette and the Lafayette Parish School System. The program took off like wildfire and CGI's team members have now taught over 3000 students at 45 events in 10 communities nationwide. Local partners include GEAR Up and New Vision Leadership, and the students utilize UL - Lafayette Computer labs and resources at the Lafayette Parish Library. Half of the local team members are recent graduates of Louisiana universities and half are hired on the open market. The majority of employees have technical backgrounds in traditional programming, yet some have backgrounds in non-traditional studies that offer transferable skills to the IT sector. Will spoke of the importance of hires trained in "informatics," offered at UL - Lafayette in fields such as business, healthcare, digital media and more. Informatics is a blend of technology and business application that teaches the student to solve problems with an understanding of the business objective. Will spoke of the high quality of the talent hired out of UL-Lafayette, and stated,

Guest: Jeff Smith, MSU Foundation

Alexander Luthor Jr. walks through his recently ransacked Research Park, and catches a glimpse of who caused all the damage. Guest Commentator: Matthew Coon

Alexander Luthor Jr. walks through his recently ransacked Research Park, and catches a glimpse of who caused all the damage. Guest Commentator: Matthew Coon A Too Old Media Podcast

Dr. Katherine Albion spoke with Lambton Shield editor J.D. Booth about how the Research Park is working to help businesses take the next step in their development.