UBC This Week

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Find out what else is happening at UBC this week. For sports events, visit the UBC Athletics site at http://www.gothunderbirds.ca/calendar.aspx.

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UBC engineering and science students win grand prize at Robot Racing 2010

The UBC Thunderbird Robotics Team Snowbots won the grand prize at the International Autonomous Robot Racing Challenge 2010 held in Windsor, Ontario. The team’s Blizzard robot won several individual awards and Oscar Junior robot took second place in the design competition.

The UBC interdisciplinary team members include Ian Philips (leader, computer science), Jarek Ignas-Menzies (engineering), Navid Fattahi (electrical engineering), Jeremy Whyte, Nick Adams (computer engineering), and Mark Cho.

The Robot Racing competition promotes research in autonomous mobile robotics technology for the competitors and spectators.  The students are given real-world, hands-on engineering design challenges and build robotic vehicles that can navigate twisting, obstacle-filled courses without any human guidance or control.

For more information www.engineering.ubc.ca/news/2010/jul24.html

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Companies founded by UBC alumni receive Government of Canada investment

Companies founded by two UBC Engineering alumni received investments from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) program. UBC spin-off Boreal Genomics Inc., founded by Andre Marziali (BASc ’89), professor in UBC’s Dept. of Physics and Engineering Physics program director, received $273,000. Day4 Energy Inc., founded by John MacDonald (BASc’59, DSc’89 and former faculty member), received $496,000.

The funding supports innovative research and development projects that will assist both firms in developing high-tech solutions for global markets.

The contribution to Boreal Genomics Inc. will help develop a new technology that can search for specific diseased DNA codes in blood or environmental samples. This will enable Boreal Genomics Inc. to develop new portable instruments for disease and cancer detection, allowing rapid diagnosis in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

The contribution to Day4 Energy Inc. will support the development of a new photovoltaic cell and module that will decrease manufacturing costs, while increasing efficiency. This will eventually help bring solar energy closer to cost parity with conventional energy.

For more information, visit www.engineering.ubc.ca/news/2010/jul22.html

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UBC student and alumni entrepreneurs invited to present in Silicon Valley

entrepreneurship@UBC invites students and recent alumni for an opportunity to present their UBC entrepreneur-founded companies to a panel of venture capitalists, members of the C-100, and distinguished UBC alumni in Silicon Valley. 

Six will be selected (three founded by students currently enrolled at UBC and three founded by UBC alumni in past three years) to profile their business venture at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, CA on Aug. 31, 2010. entrepreneurship@UBC will cover travel and accommodation costs for up to two people per company (up to $680, based on flights out of Vancouver).

The entrepreneurs will join Prof. Stephen J. Toope, UBC President and Vice Chancellor, Dan Muzyka, Dean of the Sauder School of Business, Tyseer Aboulnasr, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, and a panel of local alumni entrepreneurs in a discussion of the role of universities in fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs.  Each company will have five minutes to pitch to a panel of investors moderated by Toope.

Application deadline is July 31.  The selection process will include a pitch to a Vancouver-based panel in early August.  Successful candidates will be announced on Aug. 10. 

To fill the on-line form, visit http://www.surveyfeedback.ca/surveys/wsb.dll/s/1g78c .  For more information, visit http://www.entrepreneurship.ubc.ca/2010/make-a-splash-at-silicon-valley.  For inquiries, contact Mark Mawhinney at info@entrepreneurship.ubc.ca or 604 250-9817.

entrepreneurship@UBC is a UBC campus-wide initiative led by the Sauder School of Business, the Faculty of Applied Science, the Faculty of Science and the University-Industry Liaison Office, in partnership with the BC Innovation Council.

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