CONVERGE
News and Notes from around The Park
April 1, 2022 | Issue 8
Auburn Research and Technology Foundation Board Members selected for top leadership roles
Chris Roberts named Auburn University's 21st President

The Auburn University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to select Dean Christopher B. Roberts of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and Auburn Research and Technology Foundation Board Executive Committee Member as the university’s 21st president. Roberts will begin serving on May 16 and replaces Jay Gogue, who announced his retirement in June.

In discussing Roberts’ campus visits, Trustee Wayne Smith, who chaired the 22-member presidential advisory search committee, said Roberts’ visit to campus was an unequivocal success.

“Personally, I could not have been more pleased,” Smith said. “We all have every confidence that he is the right person to provide strong and thoughtful leadership that will enhance Auburn’s visibility and impact for the 21st century.”

Read More and be sure to check the message from Dr. Roberts below.
Vini Nathan selected as interim provost, vice president for academic affairs

Vini Nathan, Auburn University’s dean and McWhorter chair in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, and member of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation Board, has been named interim provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Nathan succeeded Provost Bill Hardgrave on March 7. Hardgrave was named president of the University of Memphis and begins his appointment on April 1.

As the university’s interim chief academic officer, Nathan will provide leadership to Auburn’s 13 colleges in addition to numerous academic programs and units that support the university’s instruction, research and outreach mission.

“Dean Nathan is a seasoned academic leader who is knowledgeable about Auburn’s culture, traditions and policies,” President Gogue said. “She has a demonstrated commitment to students, faculty and staff as well as all aspects of Auburn’s land-grant mission. I am confident Vini can seamlessly move into the interim position and provide the provost’s office with expert leadership.”

Pictured above: Today's Flashtract is building on early successes--here, a young Flashtract team wins funding in the 2019 Auburn Regional Launchpad Competition
Former New Venture Accelerator Start-Up, Flashtract, Raises $15 to Streamline the Business of Construction

Flashtract, a cloud-based software company, started at Auburn University by then students, now alumni, Blair Chenault and Ben Conry recently announced $15M in Series A funding to accelerate growth for their construction industry billing and payments platform.
 
"The mentorship we received from Auburn allowed us to turn our passion and drive in the earlier stages of Flashtract into a real operating business. We surrounded ourselves with experienced mentors that helped us navigate some of the pieces of starting a business that are largely unknown to many early entrepreneurs.
 
We feel very blessed when we look back at Flashtract’s evolution over the past few years. We are in a great industry, work with awesome customers, and have the most amazing and driven team. With this new round of funding, we’ll be able to continue building out the best team and products in construction technology, " said co-founder and head of customer success, Ben Conry.

Learn More about this latest milestone for Flashtract and their plans for the future.
IGNTE student team wins top prize at Auburn University’s Tiger Cage pitch competition

The student startup team IGNTE won Auburn’s 2022 Tiger Cage business pitch competition on March 25, earning $25,000 in startup capital and a $5,000 legal services in-kind award from the law firm of Burr & Forman LLC. IGNTE—led by Emmett Deen, left, computer science, and Jacob Cordero, business administration—is a platform that gives organizations a means of showing their sponsor’s ads on Twitch.

“One of the greatest struggles with our startup was taking the idea and refining it to a real-world application,” said Cordero. “Tiger Cage has helped us immensely with that process, as well as prepare us in our journey to obtain funding.”
New Faces: Staff Spotlight on Dr. Aly Hoeher

Aly Hoeher is the Office of Innovation Advancement and Commercialization's newest technology licensing officer. Her PhD in Geosciences made her a natural fit for working with faculty in the physical sciences at Auburn. We caught up with Aly earlier this month for a quick Q&A.

What exactly does a technology licensing officer do? What does a typical day look like for you?

My job is to protect the creative and inventive works developed at Auburn, identify the best path for them to grow and advance outside of Auburn, and then try to connect them to that path. Often this means finding a commercialization partner in an existing company or start-up, but sometimes things can be adopted just through publication. I work specifically with ideas and inventions in the physical sciences. My current to-do list includes:

  • File a provisional patent application to protect a new idea from chemical engineering

  •  Assemble a term sheet to send to a company interested in licensing a software program

  • Create a list of company contacts to market an invention from mechanical engineering

  • Review the prior art search from an intern, to try and evaluate the potential patentability of an invention

  • Meet with an industry contact about consulting with one of our faculty start-ups
Auburn University expands footprint in Huntsville with purchase of former LogiCore facility

Auburn is expanding its footprint in the Huntsville area with the acquisition of a new research facility located in the Cummings Research Park.

The university reached an agreement with LogiCore Corp. to purchase two buildings with more than 40,000 square feet of space situated on a nine-acre parcel of land located minutes from Redstone Arsenal.

Designed to foster a new era of interagency and interdisciplinary collaboration necessary to secure the nation into the next century, the facility will serve as a state-of-the-art research space, collaboration engine and conference center.

“This is a defining moment for Auburn University and the Huntsville community where today meets tomorrow,” said Jim Weyhenmeyer, university vice president for research and economic development. “This facility will fast-track connections that change the world through our valued research partnerships.”
The New Venture Accelerator, located at 540 Devall Drive, Suite 101, in Auburn, will be hosting a free workshop on Friday, April 8 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm open to those in the Auburn-Opelika area and surrounding communities who may be thinking about starting a new business or who may need help growing an existing one.

The workshop will be led by attorney Ben Finley of The Finley Firm with special guest Jeff Smith of GreenbergTraurig. Smith has represented leading entertainers and sports figures including Aerosmith, Magic Johnson and Justin Timberlake. Both Ben and Jeff have considerable experience with intellectual property, branding and the implementation of new business plans.

To RSVP, please contact Ward Swift, Communications Director, New Venture Accelerator at [email protected] or use the QR code below.
New Venture Accelerator Startup, We Parlay, hosts Black Business Entrepreneurship Forum

We Parlay recently welcomed local black-owned businesses to The Park to share experiences and leverage the value of business-driven digital networking.

We Parlay Chief Operating Officer Monroe Clayton, a 2020 Auburn grad who served as the lead organizer and moderator of the event, explained the vision behind bringing together local area Black businesses owners and entrepreneurs to explore opportunities for collaboration. “We created this event to address the specific needs of local Black business owners for closer connections between their businesses and their customers, partners and suppliers,” noted Clayton, “particularly small business operators and aspiring entrepreneurs serving primarily the local Black community.”

LAUNCH slide image
Alabama Power Foundation awards the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation $225,000 to support LAUNCH program

In research and development, there is a place known as the Valley of Death—it’s the gap between applied research and viable products. To help bridge this gap so that powerful, useful research can make an impact on the market and improve quality of life, Auburn founded the LAUNCH Innovation Grant Program in 2015. LAUNCH recognizes faculty with innovative ideas, then provides both funding and business expertise to put those ideas to work in ways that benefit the state and regional economy. 

In March, the Alabama Power Foundation announced that they would be providing $225,000 in support of the LAUNCH program.

“The Auburn Research and Technology Foundation serves a critical role in promoting knowledge-based innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development throughout the state and region,” stated Leslie Sanders, Vice President of Alabama Power’s Southern Division. “The ideas nurtured and products developed by students and staff at ARTF are transformative within industry and are making the lives of others better. The Alabama Power Foundation is proud to support organizations, like ARTF, which promote, encourage, and prepare a next-generation of business and thought leaders.”

“We are grateful to the Alabama Power Foundation not only for their significant support, but for their shared vision of the role that knowledge and tech-based entrepreneurship can have in driving the state’s economy and improving quality of life,” said Bill Dean, Executive Director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. “Auburn’s world-renowned faculty deliver solutions to pressing regional, national, and global challenges. The Launch program translates those solutions from ideas to impact. Thanks to partners like Alabama Power, this critical work will now be amplified and extended.”
Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine awarded $24 million Homeland Security contract to advance detection canine science

The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $24 million contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to advance detection canine sciences and enhance operational threat detection capabilities.

“Auburn has long been recognized for its world-class detection canine sciences research, and this funding from the Department of Homeland Security will allow significant enhancement and expansion of this critically important work,” said James Weyhenmeyer, Auburn vice president for research and economic development.

The contract will support initiatives in Auburn’s recently established, transdisciplinary Detection Canine Sciences, Innovation, Technology and Education (DCSITE) program, which will serve as the primary academic resource to the DHS S&T for expertise in all areas of detection canine sciences.

“Our DCSITE program will promote continual improvement and best practices for domestic production of detection canines to respond to evolving Homeland Security priorities,” said Frank “Skip” Bartol, College of Veterinary Medicine associate dean for research and graduate studies and DCSITE program project investigator.

“It will foster technological innovation, sharpen responsiveness to emerging threats, create formal educational programs and provide a centralized hub for expertise and knowledge in the field of canine detection.”

Learn More about this unique collaborative effort bringing world class minds (and noses) to the science of detection,
Pictured above: Auburn University Executive Vice President Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ron Burgess, left, and Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahoe, commanding general, Fort Benning and the Maneuver Center of Excellence, celebrated the signing of a new environmental services partnership between the two institutions at The Park at Auburn in the university's Research and Innovation Center.

Auburn University, Fort Benning agree to $18 million, 10-year environmental services partnership

An Intergovernmental Support Agreement, or IGSA, signed in early March connects the university and military base—which are located just 40 miles apart—in a long-term partnership that will expand research opportunities for Auburn’s colleges and units. The university’s Department of Risk Management & Safety, or RMS, will support Fort Benning’s environmental compliance program needs for the next decade as part of the $18 million deal, which begins in April.

“This long-term partnership between Auburn University and Fort Benning is a welcomed joint venture that will link our two great neighboring institutions for years to come,” said Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ron Burgess, Auburn’s executive vice president and a 38-year U.S. Army veteran. “Auburn has long been a friend to the military and veterans, and this collaboration will strengthen that bond as we help the Army manage the base’s environmental needs through our Department of Risk Management & Safety. The potential for faculty research opportunities through this agreement will be a profound boost across campus, and we look forward to a long alliance with Fort Benning.”

Learn More about this first of its kind partnership and be sure to check out the video below.
New Investment Equals New Features for Award-Winning, Auburn-based Tennibot

Originating at Auburn University in 2016, Tennibot is a venture-backed robotics startup that builds autonomous robots for sports--particularly tennis.

"We are proud of Tennibot’s success here in Auburn,” said Auburn Mayor Ron Anders. “Not only do they represent the great innovation out of Auburn University, but they demonstrate the effectiveness of having local incubators in an entire ecosystem to cultivate and nurture startups.”

A recent over-subscribed funding round raised by existing and new investors will allow Tennibot to accelerate production and scale its supply chain to meet the unprecedented demand in addition to rolling out new features and capabilities.

Read more about Tennibot's latest funding and their innovative blending of robotics and sports.


CONVERGE: News and Notes
from around The Park is a publication from Auburn Research Park. CONVERGE aims to connect with members of The Park community and in turn, help them connect with one other and with university expertise.

Our goal is to highlight innovative activity in The Park and on campus, and link you to resources that may be useful to your organization.

In the months to come, we will be able to share those resources more broadly thanks to a recent $1.3 million Build to Scale Grant jointly funded from federal and local sources, and administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The services supporting entrepreneurial students and faculty here on campus can now be expanded to the local community.

The New Venture Accelerator, with their unique combination of resources including consulting expertise, networking opportunities, collaborative workspace, mentoring, skills development and educational programming, will be leading this effort in partnership with The Park and The City of Auburn. If you are interested in learning more, connect with program manager, Ayshia Green-Calloway.
Thank you for checking out this issue of CONVERGE. You can stay up to date between issues by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and by keeping an eye out for us in your inbox.

Thank you, again, for your role in making the Park the place where innovation begins,

Leslie Chapman
334.844.6147




FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY AT THE PARK
with Mama Goldberg's Deli & Muse

Spring has arrived at The Park and with it, wonderful weather for enjoying the outdoor patios and eating areas at the Research and Innovation Center. With that in mind, we've planned a FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY for April 8th from 11:30am to 1:30pm with two local legends, Momma Goldberg's Deli and Muse.

Join us at 540 Devall Drive with colleagues, family, and friends for a music and dining experience that combines two long-time Auburn's favorites.

Abundant free parking, no permit required. See you there!
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