December 15, 2023 | Issue 13

A Conversation with Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor became Auburn University’s senior vice president for research and economic development on June 1, 2023. In July of 2023, he was named president of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. His career at Auburn spans more than 34 years. Taylor previously served as interim dean of Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, as the College of Engineering’s associate dean for research, head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering—where he is a tenured professor—and as director of the Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts.

Dr. Taylor, thank you for taking the time to chat with me for The Park’s newsletter, CONVERGE.

Auburn’s tri-fold mission is “teaching, instruction, and extension.” Economic development isn’t expressly called out, but as a land-grant institution, when Auburn executes the tri-fold mission well—with an eye toward the practical application of research—economic development is a natural and powerful outcome. As senior vice president for research and economic development, you have the opportunity to guide and develop efforts to translate activity here on campus into economic impact in the state, region, and beyond. Are there areas where we have been particularly successful that you would like to support and expand? Are there new areas that represent opportunities for growth or increased impact? 

I will be focused, of course, first and foremost on our research program and fostering growth of our research enterprise.  But, economic development is completely connected with research through the new technology solutions that our researchers are developing and any spinoff businesses or business solutions that are developed. So, yes, economic development is a logical extension of our research program; after all, that is why we do research: to drive our economy and improve our quality of life.

There are many successful areas of research across the campus that are right at that nexus of research and economic development.  Some example research programs that are perfect fits for economic development include advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing of metals and polymers, and electronics packaging.  These programs are doing so much to keep our American manufacturing sector profitable and healthy.  While affecting quality of life, our research in improving rural health and eliminating health disparities directly affects the economic prosperity of our state.  Our programs in transportation and infrastructure are making sure that we have safe and efficient transportation systems across the state that allow economic growth, but through their technology developments also spurring manufacturing in Alabama communities of products that are used in our transportation systems and our infrastructure.

Auburn University Neuroimaging Center brings a first in class MRI Scanner to The Park

Headquartered in the Thomas Walter MRI Research Building in the Auburn Research Park, the neuroimaging center focuses on solving critical neurological health challenges. It is home to the Siemens Terra.X 7 Tesla MRI scanner—the first in the world shipped from the factory and the only one in the United States according to director, Thomas Denney.

“Today, we can literally say that the best MRI scanner in the world is sitting here in the research park in Auburn, Alabama,” said Steve Taylor, Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development

“Our vision is to become a leading center for MRI research with emphasis on brain imaging, cardiovascular imaging, orthopedic imaging and coil design,” says Denney, “These areas represent an intersection between the needs of the MRI research community and existing expertise and strengths of Auburn University.”

Auburn Entrepreneur inspired

by Ironman, Legos and a passion for change

It’s hard to trace exactly when Shay Pilcher, founder

of Archangel Defense and a research engineer at Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, began her entrepreneurial journey, but clearly, it was very

early in her life. An incident that occurred in 2020 solidified her mission.

Rep. Mike Rogers visit the

New Venture Accelerator

In September, the New Venture Accelerator welcomed Congressman Rogers for a tour and meeting with Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development Steve Taylor and NVA Director Lou Bifano. Rogers also had the opportunity to chat with start-up founder Shay Pilcher of Archangel Defense and Michael Zabala of XO Armor.

AbGlo Wins 2023 Halloween Business Idea Pitch Competition

The 5th Annual Halloween Pitch Competition, hosted by the New Venture Accelerator and the Harbert College of Business, saw 20 teams representing seven colleges compete for $5,000 in seed funding.  

“The Halloween Pitch Competition has grown exponentially since we began this concept in 2019 and the business ideas just keep getting better,” said Lou Bifano, director of the New Venture Accelerator. “This competition continues to diversify itself among the academic disciplines across campus, including business, engineering, forestry, human sciences, liberal arts, veterinary medicine, and architecture, design, and construction. Entrepreneurship and innovation continue to blossom across the region, and we’d like to think that Auburn University is playing a big role.”

After more than three years of service to Auburn University and to the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation (ARTF), Bill Dean, executive director, ARTF, has announced his retirement, effective October 31, 2023.  

“We are grateful to Bill Dean for his service to Auburn University and to the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation,” said Steve Taylor, Auburn’s senior vice president for research and economic development and president of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation.

The search for a new executive director will begin in 2024.

Auburn start-up, Autonoma, wins $50,000 Alabama Launchpad pitch competition

Will Bryan, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, won first place and $50,000 at Alabama Launchpad's early-seed stage Cycle 3 pitch competition final round Thursday, Dec. 7, in Birmingham.

Bryan is the CEO and founder of Autonoma, which creates autonomous vehicle and simulation validation tools. The startup combines an autonomous vehicle simulator with high-bandwidth, low-latency wireless communications to allow a real vehicle to “see” a virtual environment around it – allowing for safer transitions from simulation to on-road operation and is less expensive/more efficient than current validation methods.

“Participating in Launchpad was a great experience. As a first-time founder there are a lot of unknowns, so it is crucial to learn from the experiences of others while still being true to myself,” said Bryan, who competed in Alabama Launchpad’s Cycle 2 final round Aug. 17 at Auburn University’s New Venture Accelerator.

Auburn University announces official Vapor Wake designation program

Intellectual Property Exchange (IPX) in coordination

with the College of Veterinary Medicine is rolling out

an official designation program for entities who have licensed Auburn’s patented Vapor Wake technology. Vapor Wake is a unique approach to canine detection developed by researchers and canine training experts



in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Canine Performance Sciences program. It is a scientifically based method for selecting, training and employing dogs to detect hand-carried and body-worn hazardous materials such as improvised explosive devices.

Given the reliability and effectiveness of this advanced detection technology, Vapor Wake is in demand to safeguard public spaces. To help meet this need, Auburn University is providing access to patented Vapor Wake technology by licensing professionals to provide a range of related services — from training Vapor Wake dogs and handlers to providing certified dogs and handlers who are ready to get to work. Only these designated entities will be licensed to provide Vapor Wake technology and to use the Vapor Wake name.

The first three members of the Vapor Wake designation program include K9 Guild, LLC of Edgewater, Florida, Global K9 Protection Group of Opelika, Alabama, and The Parker K9 Group, LLC of Woodbridge, Virginia.

Auburn Startup, VivoSphere wins $25,000 Concept Stage Prize at Alabama Launchpad

One of 11 finalists in the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama’s statewide pitch competition, Auburn-based VivoSphere, LLC, co-founded by Dr. Yuan Tian and Dr. Elizabeth Lipke, won the concept stage prize of $25,000. The company creates human-like tissue for more human-like drug response, reducing false positive drug candidates at early stages to avoid costly failure during clinical stage. Vivosphere was born out of research conducted at Auburn University by Dr. Tian, a postdoctoral researcher, with Dr. Lipke as his advisor.

“It took a lot of hard work to get to this day,” Tian said. “It’s certainly an encouragement for us to go forward, especially in the state we call home.”

Now Open: The Corner Office

The café in the Research and Innovation Center, Corner Office, is rapidly becoming a campus and community favorite for breakfast, lunch, and coffee. Led by Chef Morgan McWaters and the team behind The Hound, The Depot and Coffee Cat, Corner Office is serving up fresh takes on regional favorites with growing numbers of fans. Open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Auburn’s newest eatery is ready to welcome you for your next business lunch or get-together with friends. They are also the preferred caterer for our event center, 540 at The Park.  To learn more, check them out on Facebook or Instagram, or visit: cornerofficeau.com

New Faces

ARTF Staff Spotlight on

John Eric Miller

Albertville native and graduate of the Auburn's College of Liberal Arts, John Eric Miller joined the IP Exchange in the Spring of 2023 as senior negotiator for intellectual property agreements. His long-standing interest and expertise in IP law make him a welcome addition to the team.

Tell us a bit about your background.

After graduating from Auburn University in 2019 I moved to Birmingham and started law school at Cumberland School of Law at Samford. In law school, I helped restart the IP Society and served as the first president. I have been interested in copyrights since high school because it connects many of my interests together. From the time I started law school I knew I wanted to work in IP law. While at Samford I also got an MBA. I graduated from Samford in April 2022 and passed the bar a few months later in July. Fast forward to July 2023 and I started at IPX.

FROM THE EDITOR

CONVERGE: News and Notes from around The Park is a publication of Auburn Research Park. CONVERGE aims to connect with members of The Park community and in turn, help them connect with one another, 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, for example, if you 're interested in technology that is available for licensing through Auburn, visit the IPX Available Technologies page. If you have a startup and you'd like to learn more about resources available to help you start and grow your business, visit the New Venture Accelerator site and be sure to check out their Opportunities and Events pages.

Looking ahead to the new year, plans are already in place for the 2024 Research Symposium which showcases the innovative research of Auburn’s undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral researchers. The event is free and open to the public. If you are interested in participating, register and submit an abstract by February 11, 2024. 

In the meantime, 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 and creativity begin,

Leslie Chapman

leslie@auburn.edu

334.844.6047