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    Community Events News Research Park

    Big Data Summit Goes Virtual

    Champaign, IL – The eighth annual Big Data Summit hosted by the University of Illinois Research Park is going virtual on Thursday, November 12. This year’s Summit will be focused on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. This interactive conference offers participants the opportunity to learn and share knowledge about key aspects of big data and its business applications through dynamic panels, networking opportunities, and inspiring presentations including a presentation from our keynote speaker Phil Hajduk, Vice President of R&D Information Research at Abbvie. Attendees will hear from industry experts including scientists from Corteva, Jarai Carter on AWS DeepRacer, Ken Taylor’s experience with All Covid Tests (ACT) Pipeline, SimBioSys’ Chief Scientific Officer John Cole, Amobee VP of Engineering Larry Lo, Ensaras President Nina Kshetry, and more. The Data Science User Group will be hosting a kick-off event for the Summit on Friday, November 6 from 12 to 1 pm. The aim of the user group is to build a community of interest around data science to foster learning, collaboration, and networking. Students, academics, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals are all invited to join this event. Following the event will be the Big Data Student Career Mixer from 4 to 5 pm. The Student Career Mixer is intended to bring together students with a common interest in big data and data analytics. It also allows students to connect with companies who have opportunities in big data. The agenda is available online here. The event will take place virtually through Zoom. Register online here. About the Research Park at the University of Illinois The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within the Research Park there are 120 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information at researchpark5.wpenginepowered.com. Find the Research Park on Twitter at @UIResearchPark.

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    Community EnterpriseWorks Graduates News Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Mesh++ Helps Champaign Schoolchildren Access Internet for Remote Learning

    Mesh++, a startup that came out of the University of Illinois startup ecosystem and graduated from EnterpriseWorks, is part of a collaborative effort to provide wireless Internet connectivity to Champaign Unit 4 students living in the Shadowwood Mobile Home Park. The partners include Ameren Illinois, which is a division of Ameren Corporation that also has a presence in the University of Illinois Research Park. New wifi equipment is being installed in Shadowwood with the goal of having the equipment fully operational to support online learning by the start of the fall semester. The City of Champaign is coordinating the project with cooperation from Unit 4 Schools, i3 Broadband, Mesh++, Ameren Illinois, and Shadowwood Mobile Home Park. “Helping bridge the digital divide by providing free Internet service to our underserved students to facilitate distance learning has never been more important than it is right now. I applaud everyone who quickly pulled together to make this project possible and wish all our students the very best as we kickoff a very unique school year,” Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen said in a news release. The project will provide wifi Internet connectivity for Shadowwood’s students to Unit 4 School’s online learning applications. This will be accomplished utilizing mesh-network wifi technology developed by Mesh++. Mesh++ spent a year at the EnterpriseWorks incubator, leaving in 2018. The company participated in various University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign entrepreneurship ecosystem activities, including placing as a finalist in the Cozad New Venture Competition and going through the iVenture Accelerator. It also received investment from Illinois Ventures. Now headquartered in Chicago, Mesh++ is led by president and CEO Danny Gardner, a University of Illinois alumnus. Underlying fiber connectivity for the project will be provided by i3 Broadband, who has waived all recurring fees for connectivity associated with this project while it is used to provide student access to online learning. Ameren Illinois is also assisting with the project by allowing the mesh-network equipment to be mounted on its light poles. Ameren Illinois and the City of Champaign will each provide bucket trucks and personnel to facilitate the equipment installation.

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    Community Events Internships News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Interns Recognized at 2020 Summer Intern Award Ceremony

    The Research Park gathered virtually to celebrate the most outstanding interns across its 120+ companies on Thursday, July 28. Fittingly, the ceremony was held on National Intern Day. The students honored as finalists and winners encompass a variety of disciplines, majors, and colleges from across the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, exemplifying the nature of interdisciplinary work that happens at Research Park companies. The end of the academic year and summer has posed many unique challenges for Research Park interns, although they proved surmountable. In the midst of a pandemic, interns definitely had unconventional learning experiences at the Park in comparison to past summers. They formed connections with peers, co-workers, and supervisors while working remotely – without having the chance to meet in-person. Many of them were even in time zones around the world. These interns have impacted the Research Park and their employers through the countless projects they conceived, worked diligently on, and followed through to completion. Thank you to all the managers who took the time to nominate their students. Thank you to the panel of professionals who judged these awards. To watch the entirety of the Intern Awards ceremony, click HERE. Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup Grayson Schaer, Research Associate at EditekkUndergraduate in Aerospace Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Grayson is a joy to work with because he is a receptive listener and an effective communicator. Grayson is passionate about his work and a quick learner who adapts to various challenges very quickly. Although his undergraduate training was in Aerospace Engineering, he has touched on many areas in his time with us that go well beyond this focus.”   Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern Harry Zhao, Engineering Intern at CaterpillarUndergraduate in Aerospace Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Harry holds a high work ethic; he started on time even when working from home and finished all committed work on time. Harry also has a high potential to be a great leader. This summer, he was assigned three tasks in one week. However, he had long term insight and ask me to change the priority because one customer is desperate to get the correct result from a 1-click tool. The internship in Caterpillar prepares him for his future career and applies his STEM knowledge in real-world problems.” Anders Cox, Plasma Processing Intern at Starfire Industries LLCUndergraduate in Electrical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Anders embedded himself with one of our Ph.D. researchers and became both the ‘right’ and ‘left’ arms of two different projects. Anders worked as an intern last summer, through the fall and into spring, and his dedication and commitment to Starfire, its team, and our mission show that motivation, behavior, and work ethic are valued. Anders deserves this award for his technical contribution and the personal side.” Finalists: Domenic Di Girolamo, Actuarial Intern at State FarmUndergraduate in Actuarial Science | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Jessica Huang, Market Research Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterUndergraduate in Accounting & Information Systems and Information Technology | Gies College of Business   Most Outstanding Graduate Intern Eric Cheng, Data Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Food Science and Statistics “Eric is a conscientious student, bringing attention to detail, a strong work ethic, and a varied skill set to his position at AbbVie. He has contributed value in supporting and expanding his team’s ability to make decisions through the creation of a novel software package. Furthermore, he has supported the long-term use of his contributions with the creation of additional documentation and a more user-friendly interface for future data analysis. His advisor sums up Eric by stating: ‘As a former Professor of Preventive Medicine, I would certainly rank Eric in the top 0.5% of all graduate students that I have ever had.’” Finalists: Jialu Yan, Data Science Intern at CargillPh.D. in Physics Jack Massey, Actuarial Intern at State FarmMasters in Statistics Grant Greenberg, Neuroscience Bioinformatics Intern at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering   Best Technical Innovation Award Katherine Ritchie, Cancer Metabolic Modeling Intern at SimBioSysUndergraduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering “Ms. Ritchie’s work ethic, leadership, and behavior have been exemplary over the course of this internship. Despite having to work remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Ritchie has maintained a professional attitude and a dedication to maintaining an office environment. Ms. Ritchie is routinely early to meetings and has no trouble describing her work, presenting challenges she is facing, proposing solutions, and offering suggestions for the work of others in the company. Her diligence, intelligence, and commitment to understanding our workflow have earned the appraisal of the entire leadership team.” Finalists: Ali Taghibakhshi, Student Robotics Intern at John DeerePh.D. in Mechanical Engineering Eric Cheng, Data Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Food Science and Statistics   Best Non-Technical Innovation Nupur Bhardwaj, Human Resources & Community Intern at Motorola SolutionsUndergraduate in Marketing | Gies College of Business “Despite having to work independently and remotely, and Nupur has done a tremendous job with overcoming these obstacles. She has been a self-starter and comes up with all of the wonderful ideas for these events at Motorola Solutions. Nupur deserves this award because she stepped into a role we had never envisioned – creating community – which was very different than what she expected the internship would be. However, she not only embraced the role but excelled in it, far exceeding my expectations. Her efforts made the difference between having an okay internship experience due to COVID-19 and having an amazing internship experience in spite of the circumstances.” Finalists: Vishaank Ghai, Project Manager at COUNTRY Financial DigitaLabUndergraduate in Computer Science & Economics | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Anne Zulkarnain, UX/UI Designer at CargillUndergraduate in Industrial Design | College of Fine Arts   Most Competent and Collaborative Team Granular Flex Team: Jake Stahl, Undergraduate in Agriculture Business Market and Management | College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental SciencesJordan Breedlove, Undergraduate in Agriculture Business |College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences “Our Flex Team is

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    Community News Partnerships & Acquisitions Recognition & Awards Research Park

    New Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation Has Significant Ties to Research Park

    Champaign – The National Science Foundation has awarded a $15.5 Million grant to four Illinois universities, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to create an Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI). The aim of the IMSI is to bring powerful mathematical ideas to bear on key contemporary scientific and technological challenges. Laura Frerichs, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park, has been selected for one of the seven IMSI Board of Trustees. In addition to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IMSI will include a collaborative group of mathematicians and statisticians from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The $15.5 million grant will be provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the next five years. “The project builds on the leadership of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said Matt Ando, associate dean for life and physical sciences at the College of LAS, who played a key role in forming the institute. “The university’s outstanding record of success with interdisciplinary institutes, such as the Beckman Institute and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and the innovative record of the departments of Mathematics and Statistics in workforce development, in collaboration with the University of Illinois Research Park, were important strengths of the proposal.” Researchers at the new IMSI will build a platform that efficiently applies mathematical and statistical techniques into solutions for urgent real-world applications. Some of these applications include climate change, health care, quantum information theory, artificial intelligence, data science, economics, and materials science. IMSI will also have a sustained focus on communication with researchers in other fields, and in educating the public about how mathematics and statistics can be used for everyday problems and social issues. IMSI will sponsor outreach and workforce development programs aimed at K-12 students, teachers, undergraduates, and graduate students. With the goal to introduce participants to career opportunities in mathematics and statistics, especially to communities who traditionally have been underrepresented in STEM. To read more about the IMSI grant, click here.

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    Community Media Mentions News

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign EDA University Center Issues Report on Economic Gardening in the State of Illinois

    CHAMPAIGN — The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s EDA University Center published a report on how downstate Illinois communities are utilizing — and can continue to employ – economic development strategies that focus on enhancing and growing the existing assets of each community. The report, authored by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urban Planning Professor Marc Doussard, was supported with funding from the university’s EDA University Center. The report points out successful examples of economic gardening strategies already happening in downstate communities, such as:– Building up fermentation expertise and resources in Carbondale– Students gaining business experience by operating arts-based ventures in Decatur– A partnership between a university medical system and local healthcare system that supports medical entrepreneurs in Peoria. The report identifies further opportunities to leverage assets such as healthcare systems, agricultural resources, and an abundance of highly educated, experienced human capital. “In our work with the University Center meeting with communities across downstate Illinois, we realized there was a need for incubator and entrepreneurship assistance along with “economic gardening” fundamentals to grow jobs and companies based on community assets and opportunities,” said Laura Frerichs, director of the University Center. “We worked with Professor Marc Doussard to develop strategies to help communities and assess the differing economic potential in downstate Illinois, and incorporate challenges and opportunities we experienced in regional economies.” Some of the report’s findings:– Whether entrepreneurs make software, whiskey or biomedical devices, most communities can support them by identifying ways to mitigate some of entrepreneurship’s basic and enduring challenges such as funding and risk.– Most economic gardening strategies can be initiated quickly, simply and without extensive up-front costs.– Retirees, students and immigrants all stand out as under-realized sources for new businesses. The full report is available online at https://go.illinois.edu/GrowOurOwnIL. The University of Illinois Economic Development Association (EDA) University Center exists to promote and foster entrepreneurship in Illinois south of Interstate 80. This program is supported by federal grant funding from the United States Economic Development Administration. For more information, please contact us at research-park@illinois.edu or 217-333-8324.

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign EDA University Center Issues Report on Economic Gardening in the State of Illinois Read Post »

    Community News Research Park

    New Monument Sign on Corner of First and Windsor

    New directional signage welcoming visitors to the south end of the Research Park has been erected at the corner of Windsor and First Streets. “The Research Park has grown significantly over its almost 20-year history,” said Executive Director Laura Frerichs. There are now 120+ companies in the Research Park, with 17 buildings – and three are currently under construction. “Our hope is that this sign will be helpful to visitors and residents alike. The Research Park is a bridge between campus and community, and this sign is another way to indicate that relationship,” Frerichs said. 

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    Community EnterpriseWorks Graduates News

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate, Serionix, Uses NASA Tech in Face Masks

    Serionix, an EnterpriseWorks graduate, may combat the face mask shortage with their Colorfil coating. Serionix’s proprietary, lightweight Colorfil coating is working on being used in NASA’s spaceships and space suits. The Colorfil technology can quickly soak up toxic chemicals and visibly changes color once it is saturated. Since Serionix technology is made of a self-sterilizing material that can filter harmful particles as well as viruses and bacteria from the air, it decided to implement this technology for face masks. Compared to other face masks, Serionix’s material features color-changing properties. Effectively sterilizing masks is difficult, even for medical professionals with access to methods like ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide vapors. For consumers, a color-changing mask would eliminate the need for mask-cleaning by visually showing when it is safe to reuse a face mask and when it is time to replace it. This sterilization technology has proven effective against other viruses in the past, so Serionix is looking into adding antiviral applications for their face masks. Serionix expects to hire more people to meet demands for their products and aims to solidify partnerships that can provide the materials that can be coated in the Colorfil Technology. If all goes according to plan, Co-founder Will Zheng said, “consumers could expect to see these masks in the next few months.” To read the full article by BuiltIn, click here

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    Community News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Local Inventors and Entrepreneurs Innovating for COVID-19

    In addition to companies seeking support from federal loan programs to help sustain their businesses, local entrepreneurs and inventors are creating new products and technologies to help fight COVID-19. Serionix’s novel material filters toxic particles in space. Soon, its creators will know if it protects against the coronavirus in masks. Serionix co-founders Will Zheng and James Langer and their doctoral advisor James Economy from the University of Illinois Department of Materials Science, spent years developing a self-sterilizing material that can filter harmful particles, which is now being applied to face masks. Serionix was a winner of the Cozad New Venture Challenge and graduated from the EnterpriseWorks incubator, the company is now manufacturing its products in Urbana. Read more here. Three Nick Holonyak Jr., Micro and Nanotechnology Lab (HMNTL) faculty members have received NSF Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program grants, all of which aim to shorten the amount of time it takes to process a COVID-19 test. A team led by Rashid Bashir, Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering, has proposed the development of a point-of-care device that uses nasal fluid samples to detect the presence of COVID-19 within 10 minutes. A team led by Prof. Brian Cunningham combines capturing intact COVID-19 viruses with custom-designed DNA nanostructures so they can be immediately counted with a newly-invented type of biosensor imaging.  A team with Prof. Yi Lu (founder of Glucosentient and Andalyze at the Research Park) is working with Lijun Rong from UIC to develop a biosensor that could detect and differentiate infectious SARS-CoV-2 from the SARS-CoV-2 that have been rendered noninfectious by patient’s antibodies or disinfectants. This would allow patients to receive proper treatment in a timely manner, and would allow people who aren’t infected or contagious to be released from quarantine. The SBIR/STTR Technical Assistance program through EnterpriseWorks and the IL University Incubator Network (IUIN) is providing free 1:1 assistance with companies pursuing federal funding opportunities to address COVID-19 opportunities. Examples of federal funding opportunities can be found here, and from G2G.

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    Community News Research Park

    Continued Construction in Research Park

    Research Park is expanding as construction continues for the I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1907 S. Fourth St., and the Greenhouse. I-Hotel and Conference Center The I-Hotel and Illinois Conference Center expansion construction continues, and the walls of the expansion space are going up. The opening of the renovated I-Hotel and Conference Center is set to take place in September of 2020. 1907 S. Fourth Street A new multi-tenant building in Research Park is in the works to enhance the technological efforts in the Research Park community. Walls and floors are set, and now only the finishing touches remain. The development of this building will continue throughout Summer 2020 with an expected completion date this fall. Pre-leasing is available now.  The Greenhouse Construction is progressing on the greenhouse, which will support the RIPE research project. Crews completed the groundwork and began framing for the building. Completion of this project is expected in September 2020.

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    Community Investments News Research Park

    Watch the Research Park Grow: Construction on Three Building Projects Continues

    With the exception of essential workers, Research Park companies are primarily working from home. What hasn’t come to a halt: construction. Below is a video of the walls rising at 1907 S. Fourth Street, the newest building in the Research Park. It is scheduled to open for occupancy in August. In addition to work on 1907 S. Fourth Street, the Illinois Conference Center expansion building walls will go up the week of April 13. The Gates Greenhouse — a very specialized build — will arrive from the plant on April 20. We are grateful to Fox/Atkins Development and all of its subcontractors for their commitment to forward progress on these projects.

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