SIU To Present System Technology & Innovation Expo March 30

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The Southern Illinois University system, which for decades has provided a fertile environment for the development of major technologies, will showcase current research and inventions March 30 when the system presents the Technology and Innovation Expo on the SIU Edwardsville campus.

Edwardsville, Ill. (Vocus/PRWEB ) February 12, 2010 -- The Southern Illinois University system, which for decades has provided a fertile environment for the development of major technologies, will showcase current research and inventions March 30 when the system presents the Technology and Innovation Expo on the SIU Edwardsville campus.

Faculty inventors in the fields of biochemistry, engineering, medicine and pharmacy from SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield will combine forces to showcase the latest research under way on the three campuses. The Expo also will focus on opportunities for potential partners to help make this cutting-edge research a commercial reality.

The Expo is scheduled from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. that Tuesday in SIUE’s Morris University Center. The event will feature presentations by SIU faculty inventors who have technology to license. The event promises to bring together academics, entrepreneurs and business people to increase awareness of available technologies that can lead to new products and innovations in a networking environment.

“American universities have carried much of the responsibility for technology transfer from the laboratory to the commercialization of ideas and inventions," said SIU President Glenn Poshard. “The SIU system is proud to have played a major role in this endeavor over many years.

“The SIU Technology and Innovation Expo allows the campuses to display our efforts in this process,” he said.

Faculty inventors will present throughout the day, including SIU School of Medicine's William Halford, PhD, who will talk about the latest progress of his work in herpes vaccine. Inventors from SIU Carbondale will reveal the latest research in biofuels and advanced materials startup companies that have resulted from university research.

SIU Edwardsville’s featured inventions range from new drugs for treatment of Alzheimer's to magnetic refrigeration, a promising energy technology.

Keynote talks will be given by successful industry collaborators James Bashkin, chemistry director/co-founder of NanoVir, and Matt Kulig, serial entrepreneur and currently COO for Aisle411.com

Also featured at the Expo in the afternoon will be a panel of experts discussing “Ideas to Markets: Successful Technology Commercialization.” Panel members from industry, university administration, inventors and investors will provide insight into the technology commercialization process.

Throughout the day exhibits and poster presentations by speakers, SIU faculty, students, and event sponsors will be on display in the common areas. The event will include lunch and a catered reception for attendees. Registration is required and tickets are $25 per person.

Event information—including the Expo agenda, speakers, sponsorship opportunities and registration—is available online: http://techtransfer.siuc.edu/tie/s10, or by calling (618) 650-2166.

Sponsors for the event include Ameren Economic Development, Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, Madison County Community Development, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, the Madison-Bond Workforce Investment Board and Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois.

The event is being organized by the SIUC Technology Transfer Program, the SIU School of Medicine, the SIUE Graduate School, the SIUE Southwestern Entrepreneurship Center and SIUE’s University Park, a research park on the campus.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale:
Founded in 1869 as a small teachers college, SIU Carbondale is a student-centered, comprehensive research university offering more than 200 majors, minors and specializations. SIUC is a Carnegie II doctoral/research-extensive (the highest category) institution offering more than 60 master’s and 30 doctoral programs. The National Science Foundation ranks SIUC 101st among public universities in the United States for total research and development expenditures, and 142nd among all universities in the country—placing the University among the top 4 percent of U.S. higher education institutions for research.

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine:
The mission of the SIU School of Medicine is to assist the people of Central and Southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community. The School of Medicine trains caring and competent physicians, while developing new models for providing health care in rural areas. Our medical research provides the engine for continued growth in biomedical related economic development and clinical care. Our 220-plus full-time faculty physicians, who practice as SIU HealthCare, offer primary care and a variety of specialized services, many not available elsewhere in downstate Illinois.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville:
SIU Edwardsville boasts a unique academic portfolio offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the arts and sciences, nursing, education, business and engineering as well as professional degrees in dental medicine and pharmacy. In fiscal year 2009, SIUE faculty and staff received more than $29 million in grants and contracts for research, teaching and service initiatives. For the fifth consecutive year, U.S.News & World Report has heralded SIUE for its Senior Assignment Program, and lists SIUE among the top 15 public Master’s universities in the Midwest and in the top one-third of all public and private Midwestern universities. Also, in its 2010 Best College edition, U.S. News included SIUE as one of 77 “up and coming” schools in the nation, specifically referring to SIUE as “firmly focused on improving the job they’re doing today.”

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SIUC Technology Advances to the Semi-Final Rounds of Global Venture Challenge 2010

The Center for Innovation is excited to announce that Dr. Andrei Kolmakov's Nanoscopic Electronic Nose technology advanced to the semi-finals round in Global Venture Challenge 2010.

C4I has been spearheading efforts to advance select SIUC technologies via participation in new venture competitions, with support from the SIUC Tech Dev team members. The extra focus the competitions bring to the technologies can lead to additional research and commercial opportunities.

For the next step of the Challenge, teams are required to complete a 5-page commercialization plan for submission by March 8th. First place winners will be awarded $25,000.

Read more about Dr. Kolmakov's technology on the SIUC Technology Transfer website or in this summary (PDF).