University Connections Launches New Speaker Series About UH Research

University of Hawaiʻi
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Posted: Oct 23, 2002

University Connections will kick off a new monthly speaker series about UH research with commercial potential on Wednesday, October 30, 2002. ʻMeet the Researchers‘ will be a series of free talks by different UH scientists about their research projects and how they might eventually be commercialized. At each talk, an investor, business executive, or industry scientist familiar with the topic will also comment. These lay-audience presentations will be oriented towards the business community, but the general public is also welcome to attend.

"UH has a wealth of exciting research that we‘d love to share with the public," said UH Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert. "Meet the Researchers will help us get this valuable information out into the community." UH Manoa‘s Interim Vice-Chancellor for Research Ed Laws concurs, noting, "In many cases scientists who are involved in cutting-edge research have little time or inclination to explore the economic implications of their often highly specialized work. We hope this speaker series will open some new doors."

"This series will help us cross some of the artificial boundaries between UH research and Hawaii‘s business community," says Keith Mattson, Director of University Connections. "Throughout the world, it‘s the boundary-crossers who lead the way in developing a knowledge-based economy."

University Connections Co-Chairs Dr. Ed Cadman and Bruce Coppa are enthusiastic about bringing UH scientists downtown to talk with the business community. "One of my greatest pleasures since coming to UH from Yale has been learning about the depth and quality of our research in many different disciplines," said Cadman. "Meet the Researchers will enable others to make that same discovery."

"This is precisely the kind of connection we need to generate economic development based on UH‘s research," notes Bruce Coppa, Executive Director of the Pacific Resource Partnership. "It‘s sort of like opening the vaults at Fort Knox and displaying the value of what‘s there."

The first Meet the Researchers talk will be on Wednesday, October 30, 2002 from noon to 1:00 p.m. in Room 20-A of the Aliʻi Place Building, 1099 Alakea Street, downtown Honolulu. Dr. Song Choi of UH‘s Department of Mechanical Engineering will talk about his team‘s development of a Semi-Autonomous Underwater Robot for deep ocean repair, reconnaissance, and intervention missions. Todd Peltzer from Navatek, Ltd. will comment on some of the potential commercialization avenues for this technology.

Meet the Researchers is free and open to the general public, but individuals must RSVP by emailing connects@hawaii.edu, or by calling 547-5644. Guests may bring their own lunch. More details are online at www.connections.hawaii.edu