Monthly news, events & updates |
Building a Rainforest in the Desert | June 2021 |
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New Mexico Technology Council’s Women in Technology Awards to Honor Sandra Begay, UNM Rainforest Innovations Board Chair |
The New Mexico Technology Council has announced their 2021 Women in Technology honorees, including UNM Rainforest Innovations Board Chair Sandra Begay. The annual Women in Technology Awards recognizes outstanding women who represent STEM industries in New Mexico and show an exemplary commitment to mentorship and community impact. This year’s event will be held virtually on June 10. The New Mexico Technology Council is an association of professionals working together to promote the growth and success of New Mexico’s technology business sectors.
Sandra Begay serves as a Principal Member of the Sandia National Laboratories Technical Staff and is a member of the University of New Mexico Board of Regents. She has mentored over 40 young Native Americans through the energy program she created at Sandia and the Department of Energy. Ms. Begay is a former Executive Director of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), former chair of the AISES Board of Directors, and the recipient of the AISES Lifetime Achievement Award. The mission of AISES is to substantially increase the representation of American Indians and Alaskan Natives in STEM studies and careers.
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UNM Startup Avisa Diagnostics Begins Trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange |
UNM startup Avisa Diagnostics, Inc. (Avisa) announced they have begun trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:AVBT). Last year, the startup announced their share subscription and drawdown agreement with Global Emerging Markets Limited (GEM) which would provide them access to an approximately $41 million line of equity of the next three years. This public listing now enables Avisa to access the funding which will help them complete the development and FDA regulatory approval process for their BreathTest™ device.
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Startup Centrillion Technologies Developed Chip to Aid in Tracing Covid-19 and Other Respiratory Viruses |
UNM inventor Dr. Jeremy Edwards and his team at Centrillion Technologies have been working on a chip that provides a faster and more accurate method of genome sequencing for respiratory viruses like COVID-19. Typical clinical testing can only confirm the presence or absence of the virus and can produce false positives or negatives. This traditional method of testing is both time-consuming and expensive. Centrillion’s full viral genome sequencing technology is beneficial because it will allow scientists to more accurately track the progression of a virus and also better prevent the onset of another pandemic.
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Albuquerque Business First’s Women of Influence Awards Honors Susan Cornelius |
Albuquerque Business First has announced their honorees for this year’s Women of Influence awards, including Susan Cornelius, Principal of Accelerate2Solutions. Honorees are chosen each year based on the positive impact they have made in the New Mexico business community.
Ms. Cornelius has worked with UNM Rainforest Innovations for over 6 years and has provided tremendous value to our local innovation ecosystem. She serves as a site mentor for the New Mexico Rainforest University Center and provides regular mentoring office hours and webinars to the UNM community. The University Center program provides entrepreneurial training and technical assistance to individuals and small businesses who are looking to start or grow their idea.
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An Entrepreneur’s Journey – EDA NM Rainforest University Center |
In March 2019, the EDA NM Rainforest University Center kicked off its first seminar at UNM-Gallup on “How to Generate a Business Idea” presented by Sandra Begay. In that Gallup auditorium sat, Virginia Primozic, a UNM student, aspiring artist and entrepreneur. Inspired by the seminars and resources provided by the University Center, Virginia embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey. As one of the most dedicated initial participants in the NM Rainforest University Center Program, Virginia earned her Entrepreneurial Capabilities Certificate in December 2019 for attending 7 or more University Center seminars throughout the year and successfully completing their associated quizzes. In addition to earning her certificate, as a UNM student, Virginia was able to participate in the Lobo Rainforest NSF I-Corp Site Program to engage in 10 weeks of customer discovery regarding her invention the “CoverJack.”
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In the Spotlight - Featured UNM Inventor |
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Eva Y. Chi, Ph.D.
Professor & Regents’ Lecturer
Associate Chair
Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering & Center for Biomedical Engineering
Member, Center for Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Chi’s research areas include elucidating protein aggregation mechanisms in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and in the development of biopharmaceuticals; developing sensors for biomarkers for the early detection, tracking, and potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
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Student Interns @ UNM Rainforest Innovations |
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Kaitlin Bunzel
Innovation Student Intern
Our featured intern this month is Kaitlin Bunzel. She joined UNM Rainforest Innovations in the summer of 2020 as an Innovation Intern. “I am an innovation intern, so I write NCS’s which are summaries on the technologies. I also put together mailing campaigns and novelty searches. I also do data entries quite a bit because I enjoy it. Here and there I will do a special project for someone at the office”.
Kaitlin was born and raised in New Mexico and recently moved to Albuquerque from Rio Rancho. “I just moved to Albuquerque last year and its very different to Rio Rancho. I really enjoy the art everywhere and how many cool things there are to do in the city. Most of my family lives in New Mexico as well; I’m the third generation in my family to attend UNM.” Kaitlin is currently a sophomore at UNM studying post-secondary education with goals of becoming a teacher. “I want to become a teacher because I think there are many faults in how we teach children. I believe these issues cause children to be disinterested in subjects that are incredibly interesting if they’re presented the right way. I want to get kids excited about what they’re learning, and I believe I have the insight to do that. My whole life I have analyzed and critiqued my teachers and the education system as a whole. I love learning but there are major issues that students have to face that get in the way of enjoying learning. I want to become a teacher to help fix those problems or at the very least, create a space in which kids can be excited about learning.”
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UNM I-Corps Site Program Trains Spring 2021 Cohort |
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UNM Lobo Rainforest I-Corps program completed their training of nine teams during the spring 2021 cohort. The 10-week program trains entrepreneurial-minded faculty and students from the University of New Mexico on how to transition their STEM-related technologies to the marketplace.
During the program, teams learn how to determine value propositions, customers, size of market, and market trends for their respective technologies. Each team consists of an academic lead (typically a UNM faculty or staff member), an entrepreneurial lead (a UNM student or post-doc), and an external industry mentor provided by the I-Corps program. The program also provides $3,000 in seed funding to each team to fund their customer discovery efforts and proof-of-concept prototyping.
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Lobo Rainforest I-Corps Site at UNM
Accepting Applications for Fall 2021 Cohort
Receive Entrepreneurial Training, Mentoring & $3,000!
Do you have an idea for a technology? Explore the transition of your technology to the marketplace through this entrepreneurial training program to help determine if your technology is ready for the market. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this program’s purpose is to teach UNM faculty and students to identify market or product opportunities that can emerge from academic research or student ideas.
Program Details:
The online program will run on Mondays, 4:30 - 6:00p.m. from October 4, 2021 – December 13, 2021 online via Zoom meetings.
Deadline to apply to the Fall 2021 I-Corps program is September 26, 2021
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Attend Upcoming Virtual Open Office Hours Providing Mentoring for Your Startup/Idea
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Mr. Stacy Sacco teaches entrepreneurial studies at the Anderson School of Management, serves as the Director of the UNM Small Business Institute and is President of Sacco Connections, a management consulting firm.
Mr. Sacco will be available for one-on-one mentoring where he will give guidance, coaching and perspective to enhance entrepreneurship and provide connections to resources at UNM and in the community. There are many resources available to those who have ideas that they may want to turn into a business!
Upcoming Rainforest Mentoring Office Hours:
June 18, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (MDT)
These are virtual office hours, click Sign Up below to select the time frame you plan to attend and a Zoom link will be emailed to you.
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Kara Q. Smith is the executive director of Gallup MainStreet Arts & Cultural District in Gallup, NM, where she focuses on small business support, creative economic development strategies, and community engagement.
Sign up for virtual 1:1 office hours with Kara Smith, where she will provide guidance, coaching and perspective regarding your entrepreneurial pursuits.
Virtual Mentoring for Entrepreneurs:
June 25, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (MDT)
Click Sign Up below to select the appointment time frame for a 30-minute virtual appointment and a Zoom link for your meeting will be emailed to you.
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Life-Science Presenters:
Kathryn Frietze, Ph.D.
Michelle Ozbun, Ph.D.
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Physical-Science Presenters:
Mahya Hatambeigi
Ivy Hurwitz, Ph.D.
Lydia Tapia, Ph.D.
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Advanced Economic Development Leadership Program - Fall 2021 Cohort
Register early. Space is limited!
The Advanced Economic Development Leadership (AEDL) executive education program is one-of-a-kind, with applicants needing five years professional economic development experience and completion of a basic certificate. The program is online and will provide an engaging and immersive experience. Apply now to reserve your spot for the next two-week learning experience that is becoming the standard for advanced EcD training. All economic developers who successfully complete the program earn an Economic Development Master Practitioner diploma from the four partner universities.
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Week One
November 8-11, 2021
Kauffman Conference Center
Kansas City, MO
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Week Two
May 16-19, 2022
The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park Campus
Long Beach, MS
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UNM Rainforest Innovations | Website
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