Innovation Celebration awards are not merely an award for accomplishment, but benchmarks of success for those outstanding individuals, organizations and corporations who are nominated and selected to receive these prestigious awards.  Additionally, Innovation Celebration serves as a tangible collaboration between the University of Illinois, Parkland College and the community that clearly establishes the power of cooperation and united vision.

Ten awards have been established, recognizing the various ways in which individuals and organizations have utilized innovation, creativity, and leadership for entrepreneurial endeavor and economic development in the community.

Award Finalists

Innovation Discovery – University of Illinois Award

Brendan Harley
Gabriel Popescu
Yi Lu

Tech Transfer Award – University of Illinois Award

Vijay Singh
Dave Kranz
Diagnostic Photonics, Inc.

Innovation in Engagement Award – Parkland College Award

(Winner will be announced at event.)

Social Entrepreneurship Award

IntelliWheels, Inc.
Avicenna Community Health Center
Sarah Zehr & Alex King, CUvolunteer.org

Student Startup Award

Serionix, Inc.
Oso Simple Technologies
Effimax Solar

New Venture Award

Green Purpose, LLC
Sung Chul Bae
Nuvixa, Inc.

Entrepreneur Advocacy Award

James Economy
Liz Kellner
Andrew Singer

Economic Development Impact Award

Shahid Khan
Dr. Kevin Wan
Predrag Pega Hrnjak

Entrepreneurial Excellence in Management Award

Brian Jurczyk
Charlie Li
Pat Jeng

Longevity Through Innovation Award

Gene Zimmerman
Betty Brennan
Bill Cope

The winners will be announced at the 2012 Innovation Celebration, held at Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology on Thursday, February 23, 2012 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, award & program begin at 6:00pm. RSVP and learn more about the event & previous winners at www.innovationcelebration.com. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required.

CHAMPAIGN– Dioxide Materials is located within Research Park at the University of Illinois. The company has discovered new technology for carbon dioxide sensing and remediation.

C.E.O. Rich Masel says, “One of the key things we’re trying to do is to lower the amount of electricity used, lower your utility bill, and so if you use less electricity and less natural gas it’ll help global warming and you’ll save money.”

One of the projects they are working on attaches a CO2 sensor to a thermostat that in turn lowers people’s heating bills.

A research scientist at Dioxide Materials says, “It works by automatically turning down your heating and air conditioning system when you are not at home. It also can adjust the amount of air that is going through the system according to how many people are in the room.”

Another project looks to recycle carbon dioxide by turning it into gasoline.

Masel says, “So what we’d like to do is anytime a wind farm has excess energy take that excess energy, take CO2 which is a waste product, add a little water, put it in our magic process and end up with gasoline.”

What is UC2B?

UC2B is an intergovernmental consortium of the University of Illinois and the cities of Urbana and Champaign dedicated to building and operating an open-access fiber-optic broadband network throughout the Champaign-Urbana area. The project is made possible by a $22.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The State of Illinois provided a $3.5 million grant and local matching funds added an additional $3.4 million to fund the project.

The foundation of the UC2B network will be the fiber-optic “backbone” infrastructure that will be constructed with the grant money. The grant also will provide “fiber-to-the-premises” (FTTP) connectivity directly to well over 150 Community Anchor Institutions throughout Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy and to households in several underserved neighborhoods in Champaign and Urbana.

This direct connectivity will enable improved access/support to health care, educational and recreational institutions, public safety and government agencies, and social service and religious organizations, as well as increased access to public computing centers. and a sustainable adoption and educational outreach program for vulnerable populations. Training, entertainment, and social networking opportunities will also be enhanced.

A Collaborative Effort

The UC2B consortium is governed by a Policy Committee consisting of representatives from the three consortium member agencies: the University of Illinois, the City of Champaign, and the City of Urbana. Community members also sit on the UC2B Policy Committee. The Policy Committee is governed by the rules as set forth in bylaws as adopted by the Policy Committee on June 3, 2010. Regular meetings of the policy are held on the first and third Thursdays of each month at noon in the City of Champaign Council Chambers at 102 N. Neil Street in Champaign. Meetings are open to the public.

To keep current on the activities of the UC2B Policy Committee, visit their working space.

The UC2B Technical Committee reviews all aspects of the design, construction, and operations of the UC2B network. The Technical Committee makes recommendations on these matters to inform discussion and decisions of the Policy Committee. The Technical Committee meets regularly on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 3:30 in the City of Champaign Council Chambers, 102 N. Neil Street in Champaign. Meetings are open to the public.

To keep current on the activities of the UC2B Technology Committee, visit their documentation space.

Subcommittees

In an effort to help address the many complex issues surrounding the UC2B project, the Policy Committee has authorized the formation of several subcommittees. These meetings are also regularly scheduled and open to the public. Click on the links below or attend the meetings to get more information.

IRU & Existing Fiber Subcommittee

Marketing & Outreach Subcommittee

Operations Support System/Business Support System Subcommittee

For more information on UC2B, please visit the UC2B wesbite.

The University of Illinois engineering professor creates self-healing materials, and has successfully applied the idea to electronic circuits.

Scott R. White has an unusual distinction for a scientist: His work has inspired jokes on late-night TV. Researchers “have developed a plastic that repairs itself,” said Jay Leno during a monologue in February 2001. “If it cracks or breaks, it automatically mends itself. … That means Cher could finally achieve immortality.”

“I found it hilarious,” says White, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At the time of Leno’s crack, he and his colleague Nancy R. Sottos had just published a paper detailing how to create self-healing materials, like paint that instantly repairs scratches and dings. In December 2011, he announced that his lab had successfully applied the same idea to electronic circuits. That could be a big deal: “Semiconductor factories yield 80 percent good product at the end of the fabrication process,” says Risto J. Puhakka, president of VLSI Research, a semiconductor market research company. “A 1 percent improvement would have a big financial impact.”

The technology developed by White and Sottos during the late 1990s and early 2000s consists of globules so small they can be seen only with a powerful electron-scanning microscope. They’re filled with some of the chemical building blocks of plastic and can be applied to the surface of epoxies like paint. When the epoxy is scratched or fissures, the capsules rupture and release their gluey cargo into the damaged area, instantly mending it. In 2005, White founded Autonomic Materials to create products for industries including autos, aerospace, and oil exploration. The company has raised $4 million from investors and anticipates its first sales this year. Chief Executive Officer Joe Giuliani won’t name clients due to nondisclosure agreements.

In 2010, White joined a group at Argonne National Laboratory to create self-healing batteries. Batteries are believed to die because of the loss of electrical conductivity. In late 2011, White’s group demonstrated a simple circuit covered by micro-capsules containing a liquid metal. When the circuit breaks, the conductive metal fills the gap in less than a millisecond. Argonne now plans to build a prototype battery, and White says semiconductors using self-healing technology could be available in five years.

White says his parents realized early on that he’d be an engineer or scientist. At age 10, while growing up in a small town in Missouri, he got a new bike as a present, then promptly disassembled it to see how it worked. He studied mechanical engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and earned his PhD in materials science at Penn State in 1990.

He likes the idea of materials that behave more like biological systems, because his dance teacher mother taught him to appreciate the body. He envisions products that grow and change organically, the way bones and organs do. “Maybe we’ll build bridges that continuously remodel themselves with parts that are never older than 10 years,” he says.

UPBRINGING

His dance teacher mother taught him to appreciate biology.

LATE-NIGHT MATERIAL

White’s self-healing plastics inspired Jay Leno jokes.

FUTURE

Satellites and phones with microchips that repair themselves.

FastTrac® programs are practical, hands-on business development courses designed to help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage and grow successful businesses. FastTrac® participants don’t just learn about the business, they live it. They work on their own business ideas or ventures throughout the program – moving their ventures to reality or to new levels of growth.

Mr. Gonda is the Director of the SBDC and was certified in the FastTrac® GrowthVenture™ program. This program provides the tools and support to carefully review and evaluate important aspects of your business, explore next-stage growth and opportunity and reshape your existing company for future profitability and improved operating performance.

Mr. Shah is the Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialist and was certified in the FastTrac® TechVenture™ program. This program provides the tools to develop and/or hone the skills you need to understand the business behind the technology – skills to start, operate, fund and grow a technology or science-based business.

The SBDC at Champaign County EDC offers no-fee counseling for existing and startup businesses. It is partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. All SBA programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.