Q&A WITH CHANDRA BROWN Executive Director at MxD In late September 2018, DMDII got a new Executive Director, Chandra Brown. Less than six months later. DMDII announced $10 million in new funding and a five-year contract with the U.S. Department of Defense worth up to $60 million. This was followed by the news that UI Labs […]
The Illinois Science and Technology Institute (ISTI) hosted its inaugural Student Research Showcase on Friday, March 22nd at MxD, the Design and Manufacturing Institute, as a celebration of inquiry and student-mentor collaboration. The Showcase highlighted a selection of the vast student research that has been taking place throughout the 2018-19 academic year over the Mentor […]
Q&A WITH HAVEN ALLEN CEO and Co-founder at mHUB This month marks two years since Chicago makerspace mHUB opened its doors. Since then, mHUB’s community of entrepreneurs, manufacturing mentors, industry experts and investors has grown exponentially. In just two years, mHUB has grown to more than 240 member companies—while helping those companies raise more than […]
Q&A WITH SMIT PATEL University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign senior in computer engineering and City Scholars participant Despite the common narrative that most of the state’s top tech talent leaves Illinois, ISTC analysis through the Illinois Innovation Index shows the Illinois’ recent computer science graduates are 4.5 times more likely to work in Chicago than […]
Q&A WITH STEPHEN SCHUTT President of Lake Forest College In this issue of Catalyst, we sit down with Lake Forest College President Stephen Schutt. Lake Forest College is one of ISTC’s newest members and a place of growing excellence in research, science education, and entrepreneurship. It’s not unusual for students at the four-year liberal arts school to […]
Of the 6 million seniors living in the U.S. with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, more than 60 percent suffer from one of its most common and frightening symptoms: wandering. Given the disorientation and confusion that comes with the disease, those that wander away from caregivers put themselves in harm’s way. Recently, wearables have become an increasingly […]
Q&A WITH GERALD C. BLAZEY, Ph.D Vice President for Research and Innovation Partnerships; Northern Illinois University In this issue of Catalyst, we sit down with Northern Illinois University Vice President Gerald C. Blazey, Ph.D, to discuss NIU and Discover Financial Services’ new campus collaborative innovation opportunity, Discover Campus Innovator Program, launching this fall. Tell us about […]
On June 12th, the Illinois Science & Technology Institute (ISTI) and NIU’s Education Systems Center hosted our 2nd STEM Employer Summit focused on STEM talent pipeline development and building effective learning partnerships in Illinois. Employers and stakeholders discussed best practices for impactful talent development models through K-20 mentorship, internships, and college apprenticeships. Speakers shared their […]
BY ISTC Board Chair Shelley Stern Grach, Director, Civic Engagement for Microsoft Chicago For the past five years, Microsoft has participated in ISTI’s STEM Challenge program to authentically engage with Chicago Public School students by presenting a technology challenge that allows students to develop their own innovations under the guidance of Microsoft mentors. Microsoft deepened its […]