SSTI Digest

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Kansas Bioscience Authority is seeking someone to serve as the director of Heartland BioVentures (HBV). The position is responsible for working with HBV's leadership to develop and sustain a robust pipeline of fundable bioscience companies by implementing a technical and business assistance activity following consultative evaluation of investment opportunities.  The best candidates will have substantial business development experience, a proven record of success in a start-up environment and/or investment firm, and experience working in one or more facets of the bioscience industry.  Experience working with boards of directors and/or advisors is preferred as is experience in the bioscience sector. Penn State, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, recently announced two position openings: Director Economic Engagement Initiatives. This position will engage with communities and organize University resources in support of transformative regional engagements; coordinate major statewide initiatives in economic development; facilitate…

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The KTEC Pipeline is seeking a program director to work with its president to help sustain the KTEC Pipeline fellowship program and related entrepreneurial programming. This position assists the president in many areas, including cirriculum development, finanicial organization, program tracking, sponsorships, publications, alumini programming and outreach, mentor programming, and presenter/speaker recruitment. A bachelor’s degree and three years of experience in one of the following fields is required: entrepreneurial ventures, finance, program management, or public policy related to entrepreneurship or economic development. The University of Missouri System is seeking someone to serve as assistant vice president for research and economic development. This position is responsible for promoting the commercialization of intellectual property and products of faculty discovery, innovation and development and working closely with the vice president for research and economic development to identify research results that can promote innovation and…

Armed with professional advice from mentors in scientific fields and free access to sophisticated design and engineering software, teachers and students from Hawaii, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Vermont and Virginia will participate in a national competition to solve a real-world engineering challenge defined by the aviation industry.   The idea behind the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Real World Design Challenge is to create a pipeline of highly qualified workers by preparing high school students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields based on issues facing high-tech and defense industries.   Ralph Coppola, director of Worldwide Education for Parametric Technology Corporation, said many aerospace and defense companies that work as contractors to national security agencies are concerned the U.S. is not producing enough qualified workers who must be able to work on both the defense and commercial side. A survey conducted with these companies in the Northeast found 54 percent of the workforce is 45 years or older and one-third are eligible for retirement today. At the same time, engineering…

National Governors Association Twelve states recently received grants of $50,000 from the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices to support clean energy initiatives and to overcome obstacles preventing the adoption of clean energy technologies in their region. The awards were made through NGA’s Clean Energy State Grant Program, a part of the association’s Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative. Several companies and foundations, including American Electric Power, Dominion Resources, The Ford Motor Company and The Rockefeller Fund, have provided financial support for the grants, which are intended to fund state projects that support research, analysis, training or outreach to advance clean energy implementation. Highlights from the list of awardees include: Colorado - for the Colorado Carbon Fund to provide carbon offsets for consumers and to fund community-based clean energy projects; Maryland - to fund EmPOWER Maryland, which offers energy efficiency programs to low-income consumers; Hawaii - for the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative and efforts to evaluate the costs and benefits of electric vehicles and their supporting…

Summer camps focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are typically designed to spark youth interest and introduce students to career options in these critical areas. However, a vital component of these programs is exposure to scientific challenges that many classroom settings cannot provide. Recognizing this exposure as beneficial to both teachers and students, several programs are targeting educators with the goal of enhancing instructional methods in the classroom in order to increase student achievement in the STEM fields. The following are examples of professional development programs for science teachers from across the country offered over the summer months.   Kansas Middle school science teachers in Kansas are moving out of the classrooms and into University of Kansas (KU) laboratories this summer to participate in university-level research with the goal of enhancing their content backgrounds and ability to apply research-based instruction. The Middle School Science Academy Research Experiences program is a three-year, multi-phase initiative funded by the Kansas Board of Regents that targets two school districts…

The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) has announced the launch of a statewide trade association to provide support to Kansas' software and information technology industry. The nonprofit has been registered with the state as the Software and Information Technology Association of Kansas (SITAKS) and is designed to support Kansas software, information technology and telecommunications companies. Susan Strommer announced she will step down as president and CEO for the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF) to explore a new opportunity.

Offering customized workspace such as wet laboratories and specialized research equipment is one of the many benefits provided by technology-focused incubators. Access to university research, business mentoring and administrative support services often accompany the reduced rent facilities with the goal of growing technology companies into successful, self-sustaining enterprises. Following are select announcements of recently launched incubators and partnerships from across the nation.    GateWay Community College recently received a recommendation from the Phoenix Parks, Education, Bioscience and Sustainability subcommittee of the Phoenix City Council to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the college to build a bioscience incubator laboratory with wet lab space, the Arizona Republic reports. The wet lab would be a minimum of 5,000 sq. ft. and located near the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.   Colorado’s first aerospace business incubator will provide services, less the office space, for companies involved in space technology and resource development. The 8th Continent Project at the Colorado School of Mines announced a $150…

Several key proposals championed by Gov. Kathleen Seblius to prepare the state for an innovation-based economy were adopted by the legislature in the approved fiscal year 2009 budget signed into law by the governor earlier this month.   In February, Gov. Sebelius signed an executive order forming the Kansas Innovation Consortium announced during her State of the State Address (see the Jan. 23, 2008 issue of the Digest). The initiative brings together key industry clusters within the state, including animal, plant and life sciences, health, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics and energy, and is charged with attracting new investments in R&D and ensuring the state has a prepared workforce. Lawmakers did not, however, include the governor’s recommendation of $150,000 in the FY09 budget for related start-up costs.   The FY09 budget allocates $5 million each for aviation training and aviation research at Wichita State University (WSU). The governor originally recommended $4 million to WSU for a National Institute for Aviation Research Grant and $2.5 million for the institute.   In support of Kansas’ bid for the…

Lori Broyles was appointed coordinator of the Women's Business Center in Oklahoma City. University of Arizona Economic Development recently made three staff changes: Molly Gilbert was promoted to assistant director of the Office of Economic Development. Ken Marcus, previously the director of the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park (UASTP), continues in the role of chief financial officer (CFO) for UASTP and the Arizona Center for Innovation and expands his duties as the CFO for the Arizona Bioscience Park and the Arizona Research Park Authority. Marshall Worden was named director of UASTP. The Angel Capital Association and Angel Capital Education Foundation have named Stephanie Hanbury-Brown – founder of Golden Seeds LLC, an innovative network of primarily women angel investors who identify and invest in women-led ventures – as the recipient of the 2008 Hans Severiens Award. The award recognizes one person each year for outstanding accomplishments in the advancement of angel investing. Mike Kluse is now the permanent director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) after having served as PNNL's interim director for 16…

John Austin is the newly appointed executive director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan. Tom Cech announced he will return to the University of Colorado at Boulder next year to pursue laboratory research and teaching after eight years as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Sarah Djamshidi was selected as executive director of the Chesapeake Innovation Center. John Hardin was named the acting executive director for the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology. Wayne Hicks announced he is stepping down as the president and CEO of the Cincinnati Business Incubator to focus on other interests, including his work as executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. Paul Wooley will serve as R&D director for Via Christi's Orthopedic Research Institute and a faculty member in engineering and biology at Wichita State University.

Kansas University has appointed Steve Warren as its first full-time vice provost for research and graduate studies.

The agricultural states that lie east of the Rocky Mountains are at the center of an escalating decline in population, far exceeding that of other regions of the country. Of particular concern is the effect of population loss among young, educated workers on the states’ economies, resulting in a brain drain that could leave the region lagging the rest of the nation for many years to come.   A number of areas cry “brain drain” whenever they see statistics for where graduates go after finishing college. Often, those arguments are made without looking at the more useful measure of net migration, the result of considering in-migration as well as out-migration.   One look at the map of the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates for 2006, published in a recent issue of The Economist, graphically illustrates where brain drain is really occurring. And, brain drain is mainly on the plains. The extent of population loss stretching from eastern Montana to west Texas leads the country. The Economist article states that certain areas of the Great Plains are more sparsely populated now than they were in the late 19th century when…