Fall 2013 Saluki Idea Competition Rules and Timeline Available

Visit http://siu.launcht.com for all the info. The competition will open for submissions August 26, 2013.

If you have a great idea, you could win cash! SIU students can compete on their own or as part of a team. Our theme this year is "Innovating for Impact."  Your idea needs to be technology-based, for-profit and have measurable social and/or environmental impact.

Fwd: Apply by September 16 for University Innovation Fellows Program

UNIVERSITY INNOVATION FELLOWS Apply by September 16, 2013 for Fall Training       The University Innovation Fellows are part of a national movement to ensure that students gain the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge required for them to compete in the economy of the future. These student leaders from schools around the country work with their peers to catalyze even greater levels of innovation and venture activity on their campuses.   CURRENT FELLOWS. Our 37 students from 33 schools are mostly undergraduate engineering majors. As interdisciplinary collaboration is vital, we also have several graduate students as well as undergraduates majoring in biotechnology, biochemistry, business, entrepreneurship and child psychology.   BECOME A FELLOW. Apply online at dreamdesigndeliver.org/apply to become a University Innovation Fellow. Interested students should apply by September 16, 2013 to attend the Fall Training. Each student application must have a matching faculty sponsorship; online form also located at dreamdesigndeliver.org/apply.   CRITERIA FOR SELECTION. The ideal candidate demonstrates a strong interest in innovation, creativity and the entrepreneurial mindset coupled with a genuine desire to inspire fellow students and make a positive impact on campus. We like to select students who are: Actively enrolled: ideally rising juniors, but underclassmen/women and graduate students will also be considered. Engineering, STEM majors AND any students who realize the importance of these technical majors paired with an entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, design thinking and innovation to excel personally and as a society. Students in no-STEM majors who value innovation should also apply! Action oriented: students who possess a great attitude, strong listening skills and exceptional execution abilities. Respected by friends and classmates: candidates who can inspire peers and recruit/manage/empower a team of volunteers. Insightful and mature: students who can develop a rapport with faculty and institutional leadership, build support and form coalitions. Strategic thinkers: students who understand that change in academia is not easy, but possesses the persistence, perseverance and willingness to set up systems that will continue even after they graduate. Cool all 'round individual: candidates who the other 33 University Innovation Fellows would want to have in their network as peers, friends and potential collaborators. TRAINING AND SUPPORT. We train students to conduct in-depth analyses of their campus ecosystems; provide them with tools, resources and year-round mentorship; and connect them with one another digitally and at conferences and events. Having a national network of like-minded students helps our ambassadors learn from one another and create multi-institution collaborations.   PROGRAM SPONSORS. The program is run by the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter), funded by the National Science Foundation as a partnership between Stanford University and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). We call on students and their peers to dream, design and deliver innovations that solve real-world problems.

New SIU Patent Issued Today: Intermetallic Bonded Diamond Composite Composition and Methods of Forming Articles from Same

Southern Illinois University is pleased to announce that US patent number 8,506,881 has been granted for the invention "Intermetallic Bonded Diamond Composite Composition and Methods of Forming Articles from Same."  Also known as IBD's, the material is a novel composition of nickel, aluminum, metal carbide, and industrial diamonds.  Tests have found IBD's to be several hundred times more wear-resistant than carbide.  IBD's have shown great potential in numerous industrial applications including a broad array of cutting tools, mining tools, and drill bits.  Inventors Peter Filip and Dale Wittmer of the SIU College of Engineering have recently founded Advanced Diamond Composite Materials, LLC to commercialize the technology.

Link to the SIU technology page for more information.

Gap Funding Report for Q1 2013

By Innovasource: "The goal of the Gap Funding Activity Quarterly Report is to advocate for and inform practitioners and the general public on the importance of this funding mechanism to the future of technology and start-up development. Through this report, we will establish and share the first and most comprehensive set of activity data through close partnership with university-affiliated gap funds."

Read the Report (pdf).

Visit the Saluki Concept Fund for information about one of SIU's gap funding mechanisms.

Coffee Talk Tomorrow

Dear SIU Community: Please join us tomorrow, Tuesday, August 6, at the Student Center McDonald's any time between 9:30-11:00 A.M. for an informal gathering to discuss patents, innovation, and start-ups.  Bring your questions about your inventions, the Tech Expo, the Saluki Idea Competition, or whatever's on your mind.  We hope to see you there!

New SIU Patents Filed: Computer Science and Coal Processing

Invention: Multicast Routing Protocol for Computer Networks
Inventors: Bidyut Gupta, Shahram Rahimi (LinkedIn Profile), Sindoora Koneru

Invention: Automated System for Coal Spiral
Inventor: Manoj Mohanty (LinkedIn Profile)

Good news for student innovators

Growing the region's economy: 'A priority for us' The Southern ... Dallas, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, United States Department Of Agriculture, Technology Entrepreneurship, Small Business Development Center, ...