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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    Recognition & Awards

    Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards

    Oso Technologies Product Inspires Letterman “Top Ten” and Conan

    The “Top Ten List” segment from David Letterman’s Late Night show on Feb. 7 was inspired by Oso Technologies’ PlantLink system. Its product was also mentioned on Conan, CBS This Morning, and Drudge Report the week of Feb. 4. Top Ten Things House Plants Have To Say Thursday, February 7, 2013 10. “Watching you eat salad is creepy” 9. “Please ask the dog to stop ‘watering’ me” 8. “I had the most amazing photosynthesis last weekend” 7. “Your wife is sleeping with the UPS guy” 6. “I’m not going back on tour with Led Zeppelin” (Oh, I’m sorry, that’s what Robert Plant has to say) 5. “I absorb the CO2 you exhale–maybe try a breath mint” 4. “I’d like to thank the people of Colorado and Washington for legalizing me” 3. “For the love of God, put on some pants” 2. “With my ass in the dirt all day, I feel like the 49ers defense–Hey-o!” 1. “Your cactus is a real prick”  

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    Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon Performs Ribbon Cutting at Grand Opening of Weatherization Training Facility

    The new Indoor Climate Research & Training (ICRT) program training facility held its Grand Opening Ceremony on October 16, 2012.  Dr. Manohar Kulkarni (ISTC Director) and Paul Francisco (Research Engineer and Program Leader for ICRT) kicked of the ceremony with welcoming remarks and short history of the ICRT program.  Special guest Lt. Governor Sheila Simon was given the honor of cutting the ribbon for the official opening of the training facility. In addition to the Lt. Governor, Naomi Jakobsson (Representative from the 103rd district) and Paul Faraci (local representative) were in attendance as well as Dr. Howard Guenther from the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research (UI), members from the Prairie Research Institute, the ISTC Advisory Board, the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), Business Innovation Services (UI), Masha Trenhalie (VP of Operations for Fox Development), Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (UI), Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department (UI), Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (IDCEO), Community and Economic Development Association (CEDA), and a number of training instructors and contractors. The new weatherization training facility is 6,700 square feet and is located at 2111 S. Oak Street, Suite 106 in Champaign.  The program  is the only one in Illinois that includes space for both classrooms and hands-on training opportunities for the home performance industry. It is expected to serve thousands of trainees. Funding for the training center was provided by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program.

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    Internships News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Honors Most Valuable Interns of 2012

      Outstanding student interns working for companies in the Research Park were honored Aug. 2 at the annual Intern Recognition Event. Supervisors nominated a broad spectrum of interns for this year’s awards; all the awardees are students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At any given time more than 400 highly-skilled student interns work for Research Park tenants, gaining valuable experience while making real contributions to internal corporate research and development programs. The judging team received 38 nominations this year, almost double last year’s total. Five awards were given out, with finalists honored in each category. The winners are: Most Valuable Marketing/Business Development Intern: Anne Wessel, junior in industrial design, IPT: Anne designed dramatic innovations in the sewing components of IPT’s prosthetic arm. (Finalists: Carol Grzych, State Farm; Jon Striegel, State Farm)   Most Valuable Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup: John Stratton, PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, MulticoreWare: He has been the primary developer of a new product line that has been getting consistently high interest from clients. Finalists: Sam Rappeport, Serionix; Philip Jurik, 4D Teleport; Christina Korp, Dioxide Materials   Most Valuable Tech Innovation in the Research Park: Daniel Herber (pictured with manager Hank Roark), graduate student in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, Deere & Co.: Created a significant computational simulation and developed a method for calibration of the models. His work will be the basis for a patent application and/or submitted for publication. Finalists: Josh Eckhardt, Caterpillar; Hee-Seok Kim, MulticoreWare   Most Valuable Graduate in the Research Park: Jibo He, Psychology graduate student, State Farm: Developed a high functioning smartphone prototype that has the potential to prevent thousands of drowsy driver-related crashes. Finalists: Saurav Mohapatra, PowerWorld; Rohit Naini, Neustar   Most Valuable Undergraduate in the Research Park: Anna Oldani, recent graduate, Caterpillar: Anna’s modeling and structural analysis work is very comparable to the work done by full-time engineers, and allowed her team to serve more customers that it could otherwise serve. Finalists: Zack Stone, Waterborne Environmental; Alex Ratcliff, MulticoreWare  

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Innovators Win Big at Innovation Celebration

    Several companies and individuals with close ties to Research Park won awards at Thursday night’s 7th annual Innovation Celebration. Research Park director Laura Frerichs was the emcee for the event, which took place at the Beckman Institute. Innovation Celebration recognizes those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, taken risks, and provided leadership to ensure the continuing economic success of Champaign County, the ongoing success of the University’s economic development mission, and the growth of entrepreneurial talent and energy in our community. The winners with Research Park ties include: Brian Jurczyk, co-founder of Starfire Industries, won the Entrepreneurial Excellence in Management Award. The company, an EnterpriseWorks graduate that remains in the Research Park, employs 17 and is a leader in neutron sources and plasma engineering. Nuvixa, founded in 2009 by electrical and computer engineering Associate Professor Sanjay Patel, won the New Venture Award. The company, based at EnterpriseWorks, has used new sensing devices, advanced algorithms, and new computing power to expand the potential of video presentations. Serionix, founded by materials science doctoral student Jim Langer, won the Student Startup Award. The company is developing technologies for air and water purification. Serionix recently moved into space at EnterpriseWorks. Scott Daigle and Marissa Siebel of IntelliWheels received the Social Entrepreneurship Award for developing an automatic gear-shifting system for wheelchairs. The device reduces shoulder pain for those using wheelchairs. IntelliWheels is housed at EnterpriseWorks. Professor Dave Kranz, co-founder of both Immuven and Biodisplay, won the Technology Transfer Award. Immuven, an EnterpriseWorks tenant, is developing new drugs based on the engineering of T-cell receptor proteins. Yi Lu, co-founder of ANDalyze Inc., received the Innovation Discovery Award. A professor of chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics, he has 41 invention disclosures and 14 issued patents. ANDalyze Inc. is an EnterpriseWorks graduate and Research Park tenant. Liz Kellner won the Entrepreneur Advocacy Award for nearly 20 years of work to support and encourage entrepreneurship in the community. She has worked at the Technology Commercialization Lab, in TechCommunity and with the Second Saturdays group. Kellner is the entrepreneurship specialist at Singleton Law Firm, a tenant in the Research Park.

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    AURP Honors Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the 2011 Outstanding Research Park

    NEW ORLEANS — The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) named the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the 2011 Outstanding Research Park during its annual Awards of Excellence ceremony on Dec. 1. The awards were presented at the AURP 2011 International Conference in New Orleans. The 16th Annual AURP Awards of Excellence recognize the achievements of outstanding research parks and industry veterans and encourages the development of best practices among research and science parks. “AURP recognizes exceptional leadership in innovation by honoring university research parks, individuals and companies who are driving innovation in their communities,” said AURP President Harold Strong. “Among this year’s AURP Awards of Excellence recipients, we are proud to name the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the 2011 AURP Outstanding Research Park.” The Outstanding Research/Science Park Achievement Award recognizes parks that excel in bringing technology from the laboratory to economically viable business activities, thus promoting the growth of businesses, jobs and public revenue. “Over the last 10 years, the Research Park has had a significant impact on its community by incubating new startups, attracting large corporations to the region and creating jobs,” said Strong. “The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has demonstrated leadership in the research park profession and is deserving of the honor and recognition as the 2011 Outstanding Research Park.” Laura Frerichs, Director of Research Park, accepted the award on behalf of the University of Illinois. “We are honored to receive this recognition, especially as we culminate our 10th anniversary celebration,” Frerichs said. “It reinforces our continuing efforts to build a community of technology entrepreneurship – one that fosters collaboration between the university and industry in addition to creating opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and members of the community at large.” About AURP: The Association of University Research Parks is a professional association of more than 700 university related research and science parks. AURP’s mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth through university, industry and government partnerships. For more information, visit AURP’s Web site at www.aurp.net or contact Chelsea Simpson at chelseasimpson@aurp.net. 

    AURP Honors Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the 2011 Outstanding Research Park Read Post »

    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Celebrates 10th Anniversary

     CHAMPAIGN – University officials, government representatives and members of the technology community will join together to celebrate a decade of innovation at the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during ceremonies on Nov. 10. The first building at Research Park opened in 2001. Today, the complex has 12 buildings with more than 90 companies – from one-person startups to offices of 11 Fortune 500 corporations– that employ approximately 1400 workers. The public is invited to the formal celebration on Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. in the Atkins Building (formerly the Gateway Building). “Celebrating milestones like this gives us a chance to affirm our commitment to supporting innovation, creating jobs and ultimately, adding value to our community,” said Vice President for Research Lawrence Schook. “The Research Park is an integral component of the economic development mission of the University, and while we acknowledge 10 years of hard work to get to this point, I know the best is yet to come.” In 2010, Forbes.com named Research Park as one of the Ten Technology Incubators Changing The World. In 2011 Inc.com named EnterpriseWorks, the Research Park’s early-stage technology incubator, as one of the top 10 start-up incubators in the nation. Research Park is a hub of entrepreneurial activity, from technology commercialization by startups to research and development innovation by corporate partners. It facilitates the establishment and strengthening of research connections between companies and the University; its companies also employ students for hands-on learning opportunities throughout the year. A recent economic impact study performed by the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission showed the Research Park’s considerable imprint on the community, from construction to operations. Its wage impact totals $81 million a year, for an annual economic output of $169.5 million. Since 2001, the University has invested $101 million in Research Park facilities and infrastructure; construction job impact, combined with purchase of construction materials, has created an economic output of $159 million. “The Research Park is the result of the Board of Trustees’ vision to transform agricultural property and fish ponds into a vibrant technology community,” said Laura Frerichs, Director of Research Park. “We look forward to the next 10 years as we attract more large companies as well as new entrepreneurial ventures started right here.” The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with faculty and students to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research.  Located on campus, the Research Park is home to more than 90 companies, employing 1,400 people in high-technology careers.  Publicly traded firms in the Research Park include: ADM, Abbott Laboratories, Caterpillar, Deere & Company, Eastman Chemical, Littelfuse, Raytheon, Riverbed, Sony, State Farm, and Yahoo. The Research Park is also home to 30 startup companies that are commercializing technology. For more information, visit researchpark5.wpenginepowered.com.

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    News Recognition & Awards

    Research Park Honors Most Valuable Interns of 2011

    CHAMPAIGN – Outstanding student interns working for companies in the Research Park will be honored August 4 at the Intern Recognition Event in the Gateway Building. Supervisors nominated broad spectrum of interns for this year’s awards; all the awardees are students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At any given time more than 400 highly-skilled student interns work for Research Park tenants, gaining valuable experience while making real contributions to internal corporate research and development programs.   Awardees will be announced at 6 p.m. and will be available for interviews at the conclusion of the awards ceremony, Best Tech Innovation in the Research Park: Sean Hurley, Sophomore in Computer Science, State FarmSean is a project lead of a six-member team focused on mobile application trends. He developed a prototype for a car shopping application. Best Tech Innovation from an Undergraduate in a Startup: Chun Yang, Senior in Computer Science, CatervaProductive, creative, and committed, Chun developed an extremely fast algorithm to advance significant product development. Best Tech Innovation from a Graduate in a Startup: Mert Dikmen, Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student, NuvixaMert has assumed a technical leadership role as resident computer vision expert and has able to quickly and adeptly improve product demonstration. Most Valuable Graduate in the Research Park: Megan Danko, Aerospace Engineering graduate student, CaterpillarMegan helped to successfully execute combustion simulation for future low-emission engine concepts and 3D oil flow simulation for energy-efficient power transmission concepts, projects typically performed by full-time simulation specialists. Most Valuable Undergraduate in the Research Park: Jack Dintruff, Junior in Computer Science, Yahoo!Jack has demonstrated motivation and leadership skills necessary to keep a ground-up software development project on track, driving complex features into a new framework from Day 1. The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with faculty and students to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research. Located on campus, the Research Park is home to more than 90 companies, employing more than 1,400 people in high-technology careers. Publicly traded firms in the Research Park include: ADM, Abbott Laboratories, Caterpillar, Deere & Company, Littelfuse, Riverbed, Sony, State Farm, and Yahoo. The Research Park is also home to 30 startup companies that are commercializing technology.

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    Internships News Recognition & Awards

    2010 Outstanding Research Park Student Interns Announced

    Roman Semenyuk, BS Molecular & Cellular Biology, Autonomic Materials:Roman advanced the research and development of self-healing coatings and healing chemistries while also providing direction on projects to the other interns.Ryne Beeson, MS Aerospace Engineering, Caterpillar Simulation Center:Ryne mastered the use of complex engineering simulation software and contributed to over 30 projects over three years alongside full-time engineers.Tyler Deitz, BS Business, Cazoodle:Tyler singlehandedly established contacts with clients and handled sales and negotiations with local and national media executives.Nicole Phillips, BS Community Health, State Farm Research and Development Center:Nicole is a business research analyst and is contributing to the start-up of a new department. She also serves as a senior resource and corporate liaison for her team members.David Goldstein, BS Computer Engineering, Watchfire Signs:David was a strong contributor on software projects: streamlining the distribution the company’s art collection, and automatic driver installation for end users.Jude Holscher, BS Agricultural Engineering, Waterborne Environmental:Jude traveled the country completing water quality sampling and data analysis projects from Indiana to Nebraska, with very little oversight needed from his supervisors.The event also recognized additional nominees that were selected by their companies including: Conner Grant, BS Chemical Engineering: Archer Daniels Midland, Inc. (ADM) Bryan Mishkin, BS Computer Science: State Farm Research & Development Center Kai Van Horn, Ph.D Electrical and Computer Engineering: Waterborne Environmental Carrie Cuno-Booth, BS History: Green Purpose Kyle McElmury, BS Aerospace Engineering: Caterpillar Simulation Center Roshan Choxi, BS Electrical Engineering, Merge.fm Eric Wilson, BS Speech Communications and Business: Serra Ventures Pawan Gaargi, MBA Program: Cazoodle Truman Shuck, BS Computer Science: Cazoodle Brian Gladden, BS Computer Science: SAIC, Inc. Hio Lam Lao, BS Actuarial Science: State Farm Research & Development Center Bob Skowron, BS Applied Mathematics: State Farm Research & Development Center

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    Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards

    Forbes Cites University of Illinois Research Park as a Technology Incubator Changing the World

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Forbes.com’s list of technology incubators that are changing the world included the University of Illinois Research Park. The Champaign park was included in an April 16 online story — “In Depth:10 Technology Incubators That Are Changing the World” –because of it’s the combination of established firms and start-ups in close proximity, student employment in companies and the history of innovations from the University of Illinois. The University of Illinois Research Park was lauded for having a combination of large corporate operations alongside new technology startups. This creates an opportunity for interaction that allows small firms to learn from large corporations and for the established firms to develop entrepreneurial approaches to innovation. “The Research Park at the University of Illinois has effectively attracted and grown operations for large corporations and also supported technology commercialization,” said Avijit Ghosh, U of I vice president for technology and economic development. Located on campus, The Research Park at the University of Illinois opened in 2001 and has grown rapidly. Currently the park has 80 companies and 607,000 square feet of building space. The Research Park has been developed as a public-private partnership between the University of Illinois and Fox/Atkins Development. The Research Park at the University of Illinois provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with the research faculty and students at the Urbana campus to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research and easy access to University labs, equipment and services. Publically traded firms in the Research Park include: ADM, Abbott Laboratories, Caterpillar, Deere & Company, QUALCOMM, Littelfuse, Riverbed, SAIC, Sony, State Farm and Yahoo. “One of the secrets to our success has been the growing employment of students by Research Park companies,” said Laura Frerichs, associate director of Research Park and Incubation Facilities. Research Park companies employ 440 students in positions that are typically year-round placements and provide hands-on learning in paid positions.   “This continuity of employment allows companies to leverage student talent all year, reduce workforce costs by hiring students as research staff, achieve a flexible staffing model and create a recruiting pipeline of future talent to cherry-pick after graduation,” said Frerichs. The article and full list of incubators selected by Forbes is available at:http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/16/technology-incubators-changing-the-world-entrepreneurs-technology-incubator_slide_8.html.                                                              #### University of Illinois/Research Park contacts Research Park website: researchpark5.wpenginepowered.com Avijit Ghosh, Vice President for Technology and Economic Development (217) 265-5440 vpted@uillinois.edu Laura Frerichs, Associate Director of Research Park and Incubation Facilities  (217) 333-8324 lfrerich@illinois.edu Fox/Atkins Development, LLC Peter FoxManaging Member(217) 351-1430peterf@fox-companies.com About the University of Illinois: The University of Illinois is a world leader in research and discovery, the largest educational institution in the state with more than 71,000 students, 24,000 faculty and staff, and campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a long history of innovations and technology invented by students, faculty, and alumni that have changed the world including: the first public demonstration of sound on film; Prof. John Bardeen’s theory of superconductivity and his previous work inventing the transistor; Illiac, the first digital computer built and owned entirely by an educational institution; Mosaic, the first popular graphical browser for the World Wide Web; Plato, the first computer based education system; nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) that led to the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); You Tube developed by former computer science students Steve Chen and Jawed Karim; PayPal founded by Max Levchin; Siebel Systems founded by UI alumnus, Thomas Siebel; and Beckman Instruments founded by UI alumnus, Arnold Beckman. About Fox/Atkins Development, LLC: In a joint effort with the University of Illinois, Fox/Atkins Development, LLC, a partnership that was formed between Fox Development Corporation and The Atkins Group, was selected to develop The Research Park at the University of Illinois. www.foxcompanies.com.

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