Enitiative Projects in Technology

Enitiative funding has been awarded to the following projects that exemplify the vision of entrepreneurial Scholarship in Action for technology:

•An Advanced Noninvasive, Oral Route to Basal Insulin Delivery
•Entrepreneurship in Emerging Technology Wireless Grids
•Entrepreneurship in Information Technology
•Entrepreneurship Knowledge Bridge
•Environment, Energy, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
•Green Entrepreneurship
•Innovations in Food, Health, and Nutrition
•Innovations in Human Computer Interface Applications
•Integrating Project Management in Entrepreneurial Projects
•Kids, ETC. (Entrepreneurship, Technology, Creativity)
•Launching Technology Entrepreneurs
•Music Leadership Lecture Series
•Online Farmers Market for New York State Agricultural Producers
•Online Financial Resources Project
•Salina Connect
•Standardized Parent/Caregiver Conferencing Model
•Seed Capital Funding for Central New York Entrepreneurs
•Syracuse Community Geography Internship Program
•The BOOST Initiative
•The iSchool Internship Institute
•The Pre-Seed Workshop Program

An Advanced Noninvasive, Oral Route to Basal Insulin Delivery
Robert Doyle, Assistant Professor in the chemistry department at Syracuse University, has been awarded an Enitiative grant in support of his research to develop an oral insulin system for the treatment of diabetes.
This project exemplifies the spirit of innovation by providing the solution to a problem that has been in existence for over 80 years, namely the availability of oral insulin. The work reaches into the community by involving diabetes centers, such as the Syracuse-based Joslin Diabetes Centers. Doyle will give community seminars to communicate that a method to avoid the use of needles in diabetes treatment is actively being sought. The project is woven into the curriculum both for undergraduate and graduate students who will work on all facets of the project, from computational modeling to patent writing.

Entrepreneurship in Emerging Technology Wireless Grids
Lee McKnight, Associate Professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, and David Grandinetti, lead architect at WGC, a Syracuse start-up company, have been awarded an Enitiative grant to incorporate the real world commercial application development of cutting edge technology into dormitory learning communities, the classroom, and a business incubator, and to share this learning experience with the broader community.

Students will learn about, and participate in, product development and marketing for a new software application, Innovaticus, derived from SU intellectual property and developed by WGC. Students will follow the business development process as the product is fashioned into a viable commercial application. Aspiring entrepreneurs and business persons from the community will be involved in the process and may develop new applications, products, or services based on the product and information learned through the process.

Entrepreneurship in Information Technology
Jeff Rubin is a Professor of Practice at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and President/CEO of Internet Consulting Services, a company he founded in 1995. Rubin has received an Enitiative grant to infuse entrepreneurship into IST 195, a core undergraduate course at the iSchool. IST 195 (Information Technologies) covers state-of-the-art technologies in the field, such as computer architectures, telecommunication networks, software design and applications, and issues in information management and technology use. Rubin plans to bring an aspect of entrepreneurship into nearly every class by relating real world examples from his own business and experiences to the classroom. The goal is to have every student see information technology as more than just a means to an end. Students will be visionary and will see all aspects of information technology as an opportunity for creating or enhancing new/existing IT infrastructure that all organizations use, with the possibility of changing the future of the information age.

Entrepreneurship Knowledge Bridge
Murali Venkatesh, Associate Professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, has been awarded an Enitiative grant to enable the iSchool Entrepreneurship-Club, in coordination with the School of Information Studies and the Whitman School of Management, to build the Entrepreneurship Knowledge Bridge (EKB), an information system accessible over the World Wide Web.

The project targets entrepreneurs in the South Side and near West Side of Syracuse, two economically-depressed neighborhoods recently targeted by Syracuse University for intensive developmental initiatives. By providing entrepreneurs, would-be entrepreneurs and residents a comprehensive, convenient, user-friendly one-stop shop to access unique, customized and archival online content, the EKB hopes to catalyze innovation and business activity in these two Syracuse neighborhoods.

Environment, Energy, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
Can Isik, Associate Dean of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University, has been chosen as an Enitiative eProfessor.

Professor Isik will lead a team of seven faculty members to develop and deliver the course Environment, Energy, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, which will serve as an educational outreach for activities in environmental and energy systems supported by The Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE) in Environmental and Energy Systems. Isik is a professor and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at S.U.

Green Entrepreneurship

Gary Lim, Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, has been chosen as an Enitiative eProfessor.

Professor Lim will develop a new workshop series on Green Entrepreneurship for professionals, infuse Green Entrepreneurship into current and planned continuing professional education programs through a portfolio of green E-ship case studies, and enhance linkages among and between academic and professionally-focused curricular and co-curricular activities. Lim founded Aurarius LLC, a consulting firm with expertise in the areas of corporate strategy, organizational excellence, marketing/competitive strategies, and new product development.

Innovations in Food, Health, and Nutrition
Norman Faiola, Associate Dean of Syracuse University’s College of Human Services and Health Professions (HSHP) has been chosen as an Enitiative eProfessor.

Professor Faiola will develop a new college-wide course designed to prepare HSHP graduates to view their professional expertise as a springboard for small business creation or as the inspiration for new technology solutions to existing problems in their work world. Faiola’s long-term plans include the creation of a new Center for Food, Health and Nutrition located in downtown Syracuse. This center would provide training, counseling, and professional development in the areas of food, health, and nutrition to the community by faculty, supervised students, and professional staff of HSHP. His research focuses on food safety and the development of products to minimize the risks of food borne illnesses. He has developed and holds patents for several widely used food safety products.

Innovations in Human Computer Interface Applications
Edward Lipson, Professor in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been chosen as an Enitiative eProfessor.

Professor Lipson will develop a new course, Entrepreneurship and Human-Computer Interface Applications, which will involve students in creative projects including the use of provided electronic and software tools for applications in environmental and energy systems and in assistive technology to enable individuals with physical disabilities. Professor Lipson will work closely with the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems and the Burton Blatt Institute. Lipson is a professor in the Department of Physics. His research interests include photosensory transduction in microorganisms, medical imaging and nuclear medicine, telemedicine and distributed medical intelligence, and human-computer interfacing. He is a founding partner of two technology companies, MindTel LLC and SenSyr LLC, that are affiliated with the CASE Center at Syracuse University.

Integrating Project Management in Entrepreneurial Projects
Kenneth Patterson, Professor in the Computer and Technology Department at Morrisville State College, has been awarded an Enitiative grant to infuse experiential learning and entrepreneurship into the capstone project management course in the Computer and Information Technology department.

Teams of students will apply the academic training acquired in class to real world projects for outside businesses. Projects might include non-profit and commercial websites; marketing assessments or documents (advertising pamphlets, GPS map making, brochures, etc.); feasibility studies for potential construction projects or concepts; tracking databases; E-commerce trade websites; computer security audits; computer networking assessment and design; interactive training databases; wireless audits; wireless network design/installations, etc.

Kids, ETC. (Entrepreneurship, Technology, Creativity)
Syracuse University’s Center for Digital Literacy (CDL), led by Ruth Small, has received an Enitiative grant to support its fall 2008 Institute on Digital Empowerment. The conference theme will be “Kids, ETC. (Entrepreneurship, Technology & Creativity).” Enitiative funding will also support a preliminary research symposium in spring 2008 which will bring selected researchers in the area of young people and creative entrepreneurship to the Syracuse University campus to discuss their research (ongoing, in-progress, and potential) at a public forum and to meet with Center for Digital Literacy faculty and students to provide input for the 2008 conference program.

Launching Technology Entrepreneurs
Karl Klein, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Studies at Onondaga Community College, has been chosen as an Enitiative eProfessor.

Professor Klein will create an interdisciplinary survey course in the Computer Studies Department at OCC that will prepare students for entry into careers in the exciting, rapidly changing, and increasingly interconnected world of energy, technology, and the environment. The course will have a strong entrepreneurship component to provide students with skills they would need to start a small business in this rapidly growing field. OCC’s Small Business Development Center will provide information and assistance with the creation and preparation of business plans and sources of funding/capital.

Music Leadership Lecture Series
David Rezak, Director of the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, has been chosen as an Enitiative eProfessor.

Professor Rezak will use Enitiative funds to enhance the Soyars Leadership Lecture Series, which puts top level music executives in direct contact with students on a weekly basis, by attracting prominent speakers and opening some events to students at partner campuses and to community members. He will also acquire cutting-edge subscription services currently in use in the music industry, so that students in experiential learning classes can gain practical real time experience in digital distribution and e-commerce and touring.

Online Farmers Market for New York State Agricultural Producers
Kim Mills, Assistant Professor in the Computer and Information Technologies Department at Morrisville State College, has been awarded an Enitiative grant to develop components of www.newyorkfarmersmarket.com, an online farmers market for New York State agricultural producers. The project is also supported by the New York Farm Viability Institute with the goal of enhancing profitability of agricultural producers by opening new online markets.

Students in the Large Scale Web Programming and Enabling Technologies of E-Commerce courses will participate in class projects to develop technology components (e.g., software for a producer to manage pending product orders from the online storefront) and e-business strategies (e.g., understanding the role of information in adding value to online products).

Online Financial Resources Project
The Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union (SCFCU) and the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University have been awarded an Enitiative grant to provide online entrepreneurial business support to micro businesses, including the business clients of the South Side Entrepreneurial Connect Project and WISE Women’s Business Center.

The project will create and offer a variety of new resources to businesses over the Web, including inexpensive and easy to use web tools, pre- and post-micro loan support, data recovery systems, catalogue services, basic Internet training, and webinars. The Falcone Center and SCFCU offer one-on-one partnerships with micro-credit recipients and graduates of the South Side Innovation Center to ensure their complete understanding of the financial tools and advice offered by this project. The goal is to build a rich, collaborative web site and delivery system that is informative, helpful, easy to use, and engaging for clients.

Salina Connect
Murali Venkatesh, Professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, has been awarded an Enitiative grant to begin building out the Salina Connect wireless connectivity infrastructure as part of a larger initiative called the Salina Electronic Village.

Salina Connect will use innovative wireless (WiFi) technology to connect households, agencies and small businesses on the South Side to the Internet over the Syracuse MetroNet at low cost to the user. Every step of the Salina Connect project – planning, design, installation, testing, and documentation – will be carried out by iSchool undergraduate students enrolled in IST 466 class sections, under the overall supervision of Professor Venkatesh and guidance of the iSchool’s Center for Emerging Network Technologies (CENT). The ongoing network management will be done by students in IST 466 until the Salina Academy & Technology Center is operational in 2008, at which point these duties will be transitioned over to SA&TC personnel.

Standardized Parent/Caregiver Conferencing Model

Benjamin Dotger, Assistant Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Education, has been awarded an Enitiative grant to work with SUNY Upstate Medical University to design and implement simulated parent-teacher conferences that employ the use of a “standardized parent.”

Teachers are not well prepared nor are they currently being trained to communicate effectively with a wide range of parent groups from different backgrounds and cultures. In direct response to this gap in teacher preparation programs, the Standardized Parent/Caregiver Conferencing Model (SPCM) is a teacher development model that enhances communication between teachers and parents, bridging the gap between medical profession training and education profession training through the use of the “standardized” individual signature pedagogy. Faculty and students will work with Syracuse University’s Technology Transfer to develop a marketable form of the SPCM and learn the processes of patent, copyright, and/or trademark agreements.

Seed Capital Funding for Central New York Entrepreneurs
Nasir Ali, Vice President of New Venture Development for the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of the Seed Capital Fund of CNY, LLC, has been chosen as an Enitiative ePractitioner and will work with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

The Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce’s New Venture Development programs are based in the Syracuse Technology Garden and focus on providing support services for the region’s high-tech entrepreneurs, as well as building an ecosystem of personal, regional and inter-organizational relationships necessary for sustained entrepreneurial growth.

The Syracuse Technology Garden is a key sponsor and supporter of the newly formed Seed Capital Fund of CNY, LLC (SCF). The fund’s members are 40 highly successful business people who are committed to assisting start-up companies in Central New York by providing management guidance and early stage funding. The fund’s primary goal is to help entrepreneurs define and shape ideas into ventures which can develop into successful companies that create wealth and jobs for the region. MBA students will apply the fund’s specially developed due diligence process to a number of prospective investments and evaluating how the results of the process square with the gut instincts and business experiences of the fund’s members. By participating in this process, students and professors will have a firsthand opportunity to interact with successful business people and learn about business/investment decision making in a real-time, high uncertainty environment.

Syracuse Community Geography Internship Program
The Syracuse Community Geographer (SCG), situated in the Syracuse University Geography Department, has been awarded an Enitiative grant to develop an internship program to prepare students to meet local Geographic Information Systems (GIS) community development needs. The internship program will welcome applications from students from all five partner institutions.
The SCG responds directly to appeals for GIS analyses from grassroots citizen-based associations, community-based organizations, and human service agencies in Syracuse and Central New York. The US Department of Labor identified geospatial technologies as a “high growth industry,” with annual revenues in excess of $30 billion in 2005. Examples of local employment opportunities for graduates trained in GIS include Home HeadQuarters, Inc. and the Syracuse City Department of Community Development.

The BOOST Initiative
Syracuse University's Women in Information Technology (WIT) and the Women’s Opportunity Center (WOC) have been awarded an Enitiative grant to create a new program, the BOOST Initiative (Bolstering Original Opportunities & Self through Technology).

The Women’s Opportunity Center is dedicated to helping women and men overcome obstacles to gain employment. BOOST focuses on teaching basic technology skills and accounting software. The BOOST Initiative will teach participants to identify and understand business opportunities that will enable them to start a home business that matches their skills and interests. Combining the technology skills of WIT members and the resources and structure of the WOC, the BOOST Initiative will build greater awareness and cooperation between Syracuse University and the Syracuse community.

The iSchool Internship Institute
Professor Dave Dischiave, of the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, has received an Enitiative grant to add a new “entrepreneurial thinking” dimension to the iSchool internship experience. The iSchool Internship Institute, or I3, is a curriculum-based, experiential leaning environment integrated into the graduate program in the School of Information Studies as a credit-bearing course, IST 971. The optional entrepreneurial component of the course will be designed to motivate students to think about and focus on how employees add value to an organization’s existing products, services or processes; or how employees develop brand new products, services or processes. Participating students will be required to observe, participate, and document entrepreneurial thinking and post their observations to the appropriate IST 971 discussion forums. They will also prepare, document, and present “How the I3 prepared me to be an entrepreneurial thinker,” and present their findings to a panel of industry professionals. Prizes will be awarded to the students with the “best” presentations.

The Pre-Seed Workshop Program
The Pre-Seed Workshop (PSW) is a two and a half day “build-a-company” event which draws principal investigators from Upstate New York to engage in a process to determine the commercial potential of the subject research. PSW rallies community talent and resources to investigate and transform potentially commercializable technologies (developed primarily at universities, corporations, and major research centers) into pre-seed stage companies.