UA ‘Innovation Day’ to Feature New Technologies, Guidance for Entrepreneurs

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama students will showcase a concussion detection system and cellular signal strengthening technology, and entrepreneurs will detail the ins and outs of starting and running a successful business during the third Office for Research and Economic Development “Innovation Day” to be held on campus Dec. 2.

Created to give student and faculty researchers and startups a platform to showcase new technologies and to provide valuable information about business licensing, intellectual property and funding, the tech showcase will kick off Innovation Day at 10 a.m. in room 3700 of the Ferguson Center on the UA campus.

To RSVP for Innovation Day, which is open to the public, visit http://ott.ua.edu/innovation-day-3/.

In addition to the tech showcase, Innovation Day will feature four information sessions and eight guest speakers on topics ranging from leveraging social media and growth-hacking, to crowd funding and protecting your business.

“Research has been an essential link in The University of Alabama’s mission to advance the intellectual and social condition of the people of the state,” said Dr. Carl A. Pinkert, vice president for research and economic development at UA.

“Innovation Day is one of our many campus-wide opportunities highlighting UA’s programs, innovative technologies and early startup efforts,” said Pinkert.

Dr. Whitney Hough, assistant director of the UA Office for Technology Transfer, said the most difficult aspect most entrepreneurs face is the transition from building to selling, like understanding intellectual property laws, which protect inventors’ works used in the marketplace.

“IP is something no one ever really thinks of until something bad happens,” Hough said. “Most students come to us with apps and web sites, and, most of the time, early in the process, you don’t have something tangible, and competition is high, so how do you sell it and get known? We have a great lineup of guest speakers who’ll address these topics.”

Hough also advises the Venture Development Interns, teams of tech and business students at UA who decide on direction for their respective technology and gather the necessary data to back up their commercialization plans.

OTT uses the information to continue efforts once the internships have ended for the semester. The Venture Development Interns will be allotted eight minutes to explain and demonstrate the technology and three minutes to answer questions during the showcase.

Three intern teams will represent RetinaCam, a mobile camera unit using UA-based technology to capture images with the same efficiency and clarity of the human eye; AI-FI, a wireless protocol with an artificial intelligence program that increases cell signal integrity, strength and reliability, particularly in crowded areas; and Detekt, a technology a sports technology that uses microphones to remotely detect a potential concussion by using the acoustic waves generated of two helmets colliding.

Guest speakers will include various faculty and staff from across UA, including researchers and professors from the Culverhouse College of Commerce, and the Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs Center.

Additionally, Josh Sahib, instructional designer and co-founder of Brewery Buddy, a start-up that helps breweries manage their brewing process, and Jake Tyler, a junior public relations major and CMO of Drunkmode.org, an app with more than 1 million users, will share their entrepreneur experiences at the end of the event.

Chris Curfman, principal at Meunier Carlin & Curfman, LCC, will open the information sessions with “Protecting Your Idea.” His practice is focused primarily on counseling start-ups, large and small corporations, particularly in chemical and biotechnology-related technologies.