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    2020 Research Park Year in Review

    In 2020, Research Park accomplished several milestones despite the numerous adaptions. Research Park offered several programming opportunities for small businesses, launched Illinois Reboot, and received a FAST Center grant to aid the impacts of the pandemic. Here is a glimpse of the 2020 Year in Review:  In a virtual environment, Cargill Innovation Lab, Genective, and the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub expanded into the Research Park community. The I-Hotel and Conference Center expansion, the greenhouse for the RIPE project, and the mixed-use building on 1907 S. Fourth St. completed construction during the fall as well.  After the initial lockdown of COVID-19 in March, Research Park offered over 59 hours of programming engaging 243 companies ranging from EnterpriseWorks graduates to current tenants.  In August, Research Park launched the COVID-19 Technology Acceleration Program. This program offered technical assistance, EDA Cares Act funding, and business development assistance. The EDA University Center received over $300,000 from the EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance program to assist companies impacted by the effects of COVID-19.  Several startups including EarthSense and Serionix transformed their technology to suit the consequences of COVID-19 such as beginning to create high-tech face masks.  Overall, Research Park reached several milestones in 2020 including securing the Illinois FAST Center grant from the U.S. SBA and the addition of two new staff members. Click to view: 2020 Year in Review View previous Year in Reviews: 2018 Year in Review 2019 Year in Review

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    Community Events News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    2021 Virtual AgTech Innovation Summit a Success

    The 2021 Agriculture Technology Innovation Summit was a success yet again, bringing together the biggest agriculture companies and brightest minds in agtech for the sixth year in a row; this time virtually. This year, Research Park held its first AgTech Networking Night prior to the AgTech Innovation Summit. This event allowed agtech professionals to connect with other conference-goers, hear pitches from agtech startups, and engage in meaningful discussion with one another on the night before the summit. This year’s event included remarks from industry thought leaders including Bayer’s Senior Vice President and Head of Seed Production Innovation Shannon Hauf, who delivered the keynote speech. In her speech, Hauf emphasizes the importance of innovation, diversity, and sustainability for the future of advertising. “If we are to meet the needs of the future, innovation is critical, it is needed. Everyone needs to be at the table to solve the challenges,” says Hauf.  The 2021 panels included discussions on agrifood innovation, regenerative agriculture, the ag sector’s role in carbon markets, AI farms, building the future agtech workforce, investment, and growers & producers. In addition to the unique mix of panel discussions, key individuals participated in fireside chats, where they could give brief presentations on their company, their technology, and their plans for the future. The day concluded with the AgTech Student Career Event, a first for the Summit. This interactive conference offers participants the opportunity to learn and share knowledge about the current state of agtech and looking into the future through dynamic panels, inspiring keynote presentations, and networking opportunities. The AgTech Summit is a collaboration between the University of Illinois Research Park, the University of Illinois, the College of ACES, and the Office of Corporate Relations. Thank you to all those from the local agriculture community as well as others from all over the globe that attended this virtual event. Another thank you to the moderators and panelists for sharing your time and talents. Last but not least, thanks to the AgTech 2021 sponsors who made this year’s event possible:  Bayer, John Deere, Moore & Warner Ag Group, Kin + Carta and Genective. To browse the event’s photo gallery, go here. For this year’s agenda, look below. And don’t forget to save the date for next year’s Agriculture Innovation Technology Summit on March 9, 2022. 2021 Agenda Wednesday March 10, 2021 8:00 AM: WEBINAR OPENS 8:15 AM: WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS Laura Frerichs | Executive Director, University of Illinois Research Park Chancellor Robert Jones | Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 8:45 AM: MORNING KEYNOTE Shannon Hauf |  Senior Vice President and Head of Seed Production Innovation, Bayer Crop Science 9:10 AM: FIRESIDE CHAT: JIM SPRADLIN, GROWMARK Moderator: Dean Kim Kidwell |  Dean, University of Illinois College of ACES Jim Spradlin | CEO, GROWMARK 9:45 AM: AGRIFOOD INNOVATION Moderator: Vijay Singh | Director, University of Illinois IBRL Michael Fassnacht | Interim President & CEO, World Business Chicago  Linda Mallers Porzenheim | CEO & President, FarmLogix Robbert Rietbroek | Senior Vice President and General Manager, Quaker Foods North America Samir Mayekar | Deputy Mayor for Economic and Neighborhood Development, City of Chicago 10:15 AM: BREAK 10:30 AM: REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE Moderator: Adam Davis | Department Head, University of Illinois Dept. of Crop Sciences Matt Duncan | Manager of Digital Agronomy, Nutrien Ag Solutions Tom Rabaey | Sr. R&D Manager, General Mills 11:00 AM: FIRESIDE CHAT: SETH CRAWFORD, AGCO Moderator: Cody Allen | Assistant Professor, UIUC Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seth Crawford | SVP, Precision Ag and Digital, AGCO  11:20 AM: GLEN “GB” BRANDT PRIZE FOR AG ENTREPRENEURISM 11:35 AM: THE AG SECTOR’S ROLE IN CARBON MARKETS Moderator: Megan Miller | Business Development Manager, Moore & Warner Ag Group Emma Fuller | Director of Sustainability Science, Granular Chris Harbourt | Global Head of Carbon, Indigo Ag Kaiyu Guan | Blue Waters Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 12:05 PM: FIRESIDE CHAT: JULIAN SANCHEZ, JOHN DEERE Moderator:  Laura Frerichs | Executive Director, University of Illinois Research Park Julian Sanchez | Director of Emerging Technology, John Deere 12:30 PM: EDWIN MOORE FAMILY AGRICULTURE INNOVATION PRIZE 12:45 PM: PAST MOORE INNOVATION PRIZE WINNERS Moderator: Jack Marck | Managing Director, Illinois AgTech Accelerator Angela Green-Miller | Co-Founder and President, TellTail Chinmay Soman | Co-founder and CEO, EarthSense Daphne Preuss | CEO, Aspiring Universe Kaustubh Bhalerao | CEO, Soil Diagnostics 1:15 PM FIRESIDE CHAT: KROGER Moderator:  Brendan McGinty | Director of Industry, National Center for Supercomputing Applications Dan Whitacre, Senior Director of Kroger Labs, Kroger 1:30 PM: FIRESIDE CHAT: SAM EATHINGTON, CORTEVA Moderator: Dean Kim Kidwell |  Dean, University of Illinois College of ACES Sam Eathington | Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Corteva Agriscience 2:00 PM: BREAK 2:15 PM: EMERGING DISRUPTION IN AGRICULTURE What technology or business model will be the next big disruption or game-changing paradigm in agriculture? For this session with Genective President & CEO Linda Jing, we will gather ideas in advance and select contributors to share their vision live during the program. During the AgTech Summit we will use the Zoom polling feature to ask participants to vote on ideas that they think will be most impactful the industry. Submit your idea. If you submit an idea, you will receive the collective input from all contributed ideas in this call for submissions.  The results will be aggregated and not attributed to individual names or companies. We will also share polling results from the event and notes from the overall AgTech Summit. Moderator:  Laura Frerichs | Executive Director, University of Illinois Research Park Linda Jing | President & CEO, Genective 2:40 PM: AI FARMS Moderator:  Germán Bollero | Associate Dean of Research, University of Illinois College of ACES Vikram Adve | Co-Director, Center for Digital Ag Matt Hudson | Co-Director, Center for Digital Ag 3:00 PM: BUILDING THE FUTURE AGTECH WORKFORCE Moderator: Laura Bleill | Director, Communications and External Engagement, University of Illinois Research Park Misha Shah | Site Manager, AGCO April Hoffart | Modeling Capability Manager, ADM Blake Giles | Head of Innovation Center, Bayer 3:30 PM: INVESTMENT IN AGTECH Moderator: Nancy Sullivan | CEO & Managing Director, Illinois Ventures Darren Streiler | Managing Director – ADM Ventures, ADM Dennis Beard | Managing Partner, Serra Ventures Michael Lavin | Founder & Managing Partner, Germin8 Ventures 4:00 PM: GROWERS & PRODUCERS Moderator: Jim Hedges | VP Seed & Services Marketing, Winfield United Mike Haag | Former President, Illinois Pork Producers Association Brady Holst | At Large Director, Illinois Soybean Association John Williams | Farm Manager, Sola Gratia Farm 4:25 PM: CLOSING REMARKS 4:30 – 5:30 PM: AGTECH STUDENT CAREER

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    Community Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Farmer Will Glazik Awarded 2021 Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism

    Champaign, Illinois (March 10, 2021) — Fifth generation Illinois farmer Will Glazik was named the inaugural recipient of the Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism, an award that honors an individual who exemplifies an entrepreneurial spirit and advances innovation through their business practices. The award was presented at the 2021 AgTech Innovation Summit, hosted by the University of Illinois Research Park. Glazik’s nominations highlighted these qualities as a farmer, researcher, public speaker, distillery owner, and entrepreneur.  “Will is blazing a trail for a new generation of farmers in Illinois who want to be active managers and marketers for a diverse array of products,” said nominator Dr. Adam Davis,  head of the Department of Crop Sciences in the UI College of ACES.  “He is creative and fearless in trying out new innovations in production methods, marketing and new product creation. He is generous with sharing his knowledge, reaching and teaching hundreds of other growers through his work with the IDEA Farm Network.” The Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism was established in 2021 in honor of Glen “GB” Brandt, a legendary figure in the field of Illinois agriculture, who passed away in late 2020. The BRANDT Foundation partnered with the University of Illinois to provide the winner a $10,000 prize.  Glazik manages Cow Creek Organics Farms in Paxton, Ill., where he has diversified the farming system, moving from producing grain to an integrated crop-livestock operation selling high-quality organic meats, grains, and seeds. His business ventures use modern technology to innovate more efficient processes and minimize the carbon footprint of farming, with the end goal of all being carbon negative. Together with his two brothers Clayton and Dallas, the family founded Silver Tree Beer and Spirits in 2017. Silver Tree is a carbon-negative farm distillery taking the organic grains they grow on their home farm to distill into spirits.  Silver Tree Spirits is currently working with the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab to research flavor profiles in bourbon. “I am honored and very excited to be awarded this grant,” Glazik said. “It comes at a very exciting time as our farm diversifies, and Silver Tree is transitioning from having our grain custom distilled, to now owning our own still, and will soon be doing everything in Paxton. “ Glazik also helped co-found the IDEA Farm Network, a peer-to-peer information exchange network for farmers in Illinois and beyond interested in innovative farm management that balances productivity, profitability and environmental health. The group is active through online discussion groups, webinars and on-farm field days. It has blossomed from 45 people to more than 400 members across the Midwest. A proud alumnus from the University of Illinois College of ACES, Glazik graduated in 2013 with a degree in crop science. About The BRANDT Foundation The BRANDT Foundation was established in 2012 as a philanthropic extension of BRANDT, Inc. The Brandt family has always stood with their communities and as their company grew, so did the opportunities to give back. The BRANDT Foundation offers donations, grants, and support to the charities, organizations, and communities that reside in the same area of the company; geographically and industry-related. About the AgTech Innovation Summit The AgTech Innovation Summit is an interactive conference where participants learn and share knowledge about the current state of agtech and get a looking into the future through dynamic panels, inspiring keynote presentations, and networking opportunities. It is produced by the University of Illinois Research Park in partnership with the College of ACES and the Office of Corporate Relations. One of the premier AgTech hubs in the nation, Champaign-Urbana is uniquely positioned to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and industry for learning, networking, and advancing this sector.

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    Community Events News Research Park

    Celebration of AgTech: Summit Brings Together Thought Leaders Across the Value Chain of Ag

    Champaign – The most innovative minds in agtech will convene virtually Wednesday, March 10 for the sixth annual AgTech Innovation Summit hosted by the University of Illinois Research Park and presented by Bayer. The free event features a lineup of panels, fireside chats and presentations, with a unique mix of industry thought leaders, agtech investors, academics, growers/producers, and startups to provide a well-rounded perspective on the future of AgTech. Attendees will explore how technology solutions are addressing some of the most significant challenges facing agriculture today, including sustainability, profitability, supply chain, carbon markets, data and more. “We look forward to the days when conference guests can visit the agtech hub of Champaign-Urbana again, but the virtual format facilitates engagement with even more industry leaders,” said Laura Frerichs, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park. “What started as a regional conference has grown into an event that attracts participants not only nationally, but from around the world.” Highlights of the agenda include fireside chats with GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin and Corteva Chief Technology Officer Sam Eathington, both talking live with Dean Kimberlee Kidwell of the College of ACES; Genective President & CEO Linda Jing talking about disruption; AGCO Senior Vice President Seth Crawford discussing precision agriculture and connectivity ; and Julian Sanchez, John Deere’s Director of Emerging Technology talking about his career path to agtech. Annual favorite panels return, including those featuring growers/producers, investors, and agtech entrepreneurs. New panel topics include regenerative agriculture and carbon markets. Another new panel highlights the connectivity between agtech and agrifood innovation, centralized in Chicago. Networking remains a key component of the event. Despite the virtual environment, the AgTech Summit offers opportunities to connect with other conference participants with an AgTech Networking night Tuesday, March 9 at 5 pm. The evening will feature startup pitches, engaging discussions, and meaningful connections. The generous sponsors who make the AgTech Summit possible include Bayer, John Deere, Genective,  Moore & Warner Ag Group, and Kin + Carta. The AgTech Innovation Summit is programmed by the University of Illinois Research Park in partnership with the Office of Corporate Relations and the College of ACES. Registration is available 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 researchpark.illinois.edu. Find the Research Park on Twitter at @UIResearchPark.

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    Events News Research Park

    Illinois Agtech Accelerator Announces Spring 2021 Companies

    CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – Illinois AgTech Accelerator, a gener8tor program based at the University of Illinois Research Park, has announced the participants in its gBETA AgTech Spring 2021 cohort — including EnterpriseWorks-based TellTail.  The five participating startups range from food ingredients to livestock management.  gBETA AgTech is a free, seven-week accelerator for early stage companies from around the country. Each of five participating startups receive a $25,000 investment via uncapped convertible note or on their existing financing terms. Each gBETA program is capped at five companies to ensure meaningful engagement with sponsors and other resources. Participants receive intensive and individualized coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. The program is designed to help startups gain early customer traction on their product or idea, and establish metrics that can make them competitive applicants for full-time, equity-based accelerators or seed investment. “This cohort was selected from among a highly competitive pool of applicants and we are excited to see the breadth of innovation this group of companies will bring to the ag and food industries.” said Jack Marck, Managing Director of Illinois AgTech Accelerator. The program kicks off on Wednesday, January 20 with five startups who will be working over the next seven weeks with the gBETA team to meet mentors, gain customer traction and pitch to investors. gBETA AgTech is held once a year with five companies accepted per cohort to ensure a high level of individualized attention. Startups interested in applying should contact Illinois AgTech Accelerator Managing Director Jack Marck (jack@gener8tor.com). For more information, visit gbetaagtech.com. gBETA AgTech Spring 2021 Cohort  Otrafy applies key disruptive technologies like Natural Language Processing and OCR to food safety processes and information to help quality assurance professionals manage the collection, storage, reviewing and renewal of supplier quality data. Nhat Nguyen: Co-Founder & CEO AgVoice, a mobile voice-to-data system, allows agri-food workers to capture and analyze field-level data more efficiently and accurately, hands-free. Bruce Rasa: Founder & CEO ClearLeaf designs and commercializes innovative pre- and post-harvest fungicides and bactericides to create sustainable crop protection strategies mitigating the negative impacts of harmful pests while maintaining balance on the farm, protecting farmers and consumers. Néstor Zúñiga: Founder & CEO TellTail, Inc develops digital tools to improve the management of pig production systems by bringing together people, pigs and facilities under a single platform. Based at EnterpriseWorks and founded at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Angela Green-Miller: Co-founder & CEO Spira uses CRISPR-edited carbon-negative algae to create replacements for artificial colors and animal proteins in the supply chain for food, cosmetic and textile companies. Elliot Roth: Founder & CEO About gener8tor gener8tor’s turnkey platform for the creative economy connects startup founders, musicians, artists, investors, universities, and corporations. The gener8tor platform includes pre-accelerators, accelerators, corporate programming, conferences and fellowships. About gBETAgBETA is a program of nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor. gBETA is a free accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots. Each program is capped at five teams, and requires no fees and no equity. For more gBETA statistics, visit www.gbetastartups.com/statistics.

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    Events News Research Park

    FAST Center at Illinois Announces SBIR/STTR Sprint for AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command)

    The FAST Center at Illinois, in collaboration with AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command), is running a SBIR/STTR sprint in order to enhance the number, quality, and diversity of applicants throughout the state of Illinois.  Through this four-week SBIR/STTR sprint, entrepreneurs/inventors/companies will learn what makes the AFWERX/SOFWERX process different as well as how to build a competitive proposal package. Teams will watch half hour lectures, work in collaborative workshops, and submit materials each week for review. The Department of Defense seeks small high technology firms with the R&D capabilities, internal and external, to deliver a technologically advanced solution for its expressed need. It is vitally important to understand this landscape before investing time and money to seek funding.  AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command) have revolutionized the way the DoD does business with startups and small business entities. Find the topics here. The workshops will be facilitated by Alex Gorsuch, who leads the FAST Center at Illinois. Teams with be contacted by Alex before the event to ensure it’s the right fit. Register for the workshops here: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsfuyvqzkvHdYElKF-uKu2rGJAUOPMhmms Workshop Dates (all are at 1:00pm Central):  Wednesday, 01/13: AFWERX/SOFWERX SBIR Overview and Checklist, Topic Selection Wednesday, 01/20: Customer Discovery Plan, Key Personnel, Principal Investigator Selection, Technical Objectives and Tasks Wednesday, 01/27: Budgeting, Letters of Support, Timeline and Deliverables Wednesday, 02/03: Commercialization Plan, Dual Use, Phase 2, Phase 3, Slide Deck Other Important Dates:  01/21: SBIR DoD 21.1 Applications Open 02/18: SBIR DoD 21.1 Applications Close For more information or questions, please contact Alex Gorsuch, Visiting Associate Director of Entrepreneurship, at Gorsuch4@Illinois.edu

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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 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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    Events News Research Park

    Research Park Board of Managers Meeting Rescheduled for June 8

    The UIRP LLC Board of Managers Meeting  has been rescheduled for Monday, June 8. The UIRP LLC BOM will meet remotely via Zoom on June 8 from 8:30 am to 11 am. The open session is open to the public. The Research Park is governed by the University of Illinois Research Park LLC Board of Managers, and it meets three times per year.  

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    Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Yahoo turned 25 this week

    Since 1995, Yahoo has been connecting people to their passions and amplifying what matters most to them. Yahoo pioneered communications with Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Mail as the internet was booming.  As the company grew, Yahoo became the premier destination for content including News, Sports, and Finance. Now, Yahoo is part of Verizon Media  with over 900 million visitors from across the globe. If you would like to build products which impact millions and change the world, see below for the exciting work Yahoo does in the Research Park. Verizon Media Group’s Data Measurements and Insights team works on one of the biggest online advertising and audience data sets in the world. They are responsible for providing fast, clean, and relevant data for VMG’s advertising businesses as well as key measurements and insights about VMG users. Verizon Media is developing next generation technologies to enrich their advertiser and user experience through complex, scalable data platforms, with ever growing and interesting challenges. The Big Data Platforms team powers the most demanding Big Data applications in the industry on some of the largest Hadoop clusters ever built. Yahoo pioneered this level of scale with Hadoop, and Verizon Media continues to be a leader in this space. The team is made up of several PMCs (Program Management Committee members) and Committers in key Apache open source projects like Hadoop, Storm, and Tez, just to name a few. Leadership keeps Verizon Media at the forefront of these projects, both directionally and technically. If you want to work with Hadoop, Storm, or Spark and get a deep understanding of cloud computing, this is the team for you. Fun Fact: Did you know that Yahoo was the first tech company ever to implement emoticons ? Come see what Verizon Media Group is doing in the Silicon Prairie, in Champaign, Illinois!

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