NewsMARY L AN D TECH N O LOGY E NTE R PR I S E I N STITUTEMTECH
A. JAMES CLARK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Hinman CEOs Alumni: Changing the World
One Person at a Time
Continued on page 2
They are CEOs of companies, investment bankers, technology
creators, award-winning filmmakers, attorneys, and researchers. They’reinGreatBritain,SouthAfrica,NewYork,andSiliconValley.Theirreach
extendsasfarasJapan,Thailand,Mexico,andPortugal.
Theyareleadinganewwaveofwiselyplanneddot.coms,solvingtheemergency
responsechallengesofsociety,andarestudyinghowthepurestlevelsofdemocracy
canbeeffectivelyapplied.TheyarestretchingtheboundariesofartwithSundance-
boundfilms,andaredevelopingnext-generationtechnologies.
Someareworking80-hourworkweeks,whileothersareearningdualadvanced
degrees.Someareburninglongweeksatstart-ups,whileothersaregaining
Winter2007|Vol.4,No.1
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�
Continured from page 1
knowledgeatlargecorporationsand
consultingfirms.
Butonethingtiesthe181alumniof
theHinmanCEOsProgramtogether—an
insatiabledesiretomaketheirmark.
“Thereissomuchenergywiththese
students,”saidKarenThornton,program
directorforHinmanCEOs.“Thecommon
threadI’veseeninallofourstudentsisthat
theywanttobeempoweredandusethat
powertochangetheworldaroundthem.
Theywanttocreatevalueineverything
theydo,andtheydosofrommanydifferent
referencesandacademicdisciplines.”
ThatpotentialiswhatalumnusBrian
Hinman,(’82,electricalengineering)asuccessful
entrepreneur,envisionedwhenhecommissionedthe
programwitha$2.5milliongiftinin1999.
“Tosomeextent,theprogramisself-selectingthat
way,”saidHinman.“ItattractstheType-Apersonality,
thosewiththe‘worldismyoyster’attitudeeagerto
maketheirmark
intheworld.”
Themagic
oftheprogram,
accordingto
severalalumni,
liesinliving
with100orso
studentswho
havethesame
ambitions.Teams
andlifelong
friendshipsare
formed.
“TheHinman
programwas
fantastic,”
saidalumnus
NickAdasi.“It
surroundedmewithhighlymotivated,hungry,young
entrepreneurs—theguysoncampusbouncingideas
offeachotherat3a.m.Ittaughtmehowtothinkout
ofthebox,andthatentrepreneurshipisn’tsomething
thathappensovernight.Overtimeyoudevelopideas
throughexperiences.”
AlumnaSarahVogelworkedwithalumnusLee
FinkeltolaunchtheWebsiteforherproduct.Jason
VolkandBlakeRobertsonarepartnersatAlertus.
Acrosstheboard,studentsstayintouch—sharing
dreamsandideas,andmakingplans.
“Whenyouconnectwithpeoplewhoshareyour
visionandenthusiasm,therelationshipscanrunpretty
deep,”saidHinman.“It’saverypowerfulexperience.
Althoughgraduatesoftheprogrammightnotstart
companiesrightoutofschool,they’vealreadyformed
long-lastingorlifetimerelationships.They’llreconnect.”
Theydo.“Westillkeepintouchandsharecareer
ideasandtopicsandtalkabouthowandwhenwe’re
goingtobecomeentrepreneurs,andwhatinvestment
opportunitiesthereare,”saidAdasi.“Atsomepointin
ourlives,I’msurewe’regoingtohelpeachotherina
millionways.”
Lefttoright,toprow:MarcAnolik,DavidMarquart,AnarMikailov,Samuel
Arumala,JessieLeikin,CindyGilbertLefttoright,bottomrow:Diana
Bernstein,PamelaKalmus,LindseyBernstein,RebekahFinch,AlexBeuchler.
DianaBernstein,ErikaRichardson,
BornaGhavam
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“The common thread I’ve seen in all of our students is that they want to be empowered and use that power to change the world around them. They want to create value in everything they do, and they do so from many different references and academic disciplines.”
—KarenThornton,HinmanProgramDirector
Nick Adasi: four Years, Three Continents, and Helping Raise $60 Million for the first Television Network to Cover all of AfricaNick Adasi wanted to work on Wall Street. Little
did he know he’d be so successful that five short
years after graduating, he’d help raise $60 million
for a new television broadcast network that could
be the first to span the entire continent of Africa.
Itstartswithtenacity.The2001financealumnus
workedatfivemajorinvestmentbanksbeforehe
graduated:Prudential,FannieMae,LeggMason,Bank
ofAmerica,andGoldmanSachs.
“AnytimeIwasoutofschoolItriedtoworkata
bankbecauseIknewitwastoughtogetintoatop-tier
WallStreetinvestmentbank,”saidAdasi.
AftergraduatinghejoinedGoldmanSachs,where
hespent16monthsinNewYorkbeforetransferring
toLondontodoconsumerretail,healthcare,and
investmentbanking.
“IwantedtogotoEuropebecauseinvestment
bankingisconsideredacareerthere,”saidAdasi.“In
theU.S.,theyexpectyoutogobacktobusinessschool
toadvance.”
Accordingly,AdasiwaspromotedtoAssociateat
GoldmanandtransferredtoSouthAfricaforoneyear.
“OneofthereasonsIwantedtomovetoAfrica
wasI’dgettoworkwithatop-tierinvestmentbankin
anemergingmarket,”saidAdasi,whoseparentsare
Nigerian.
“InfouryearsI’velivedonthreedifferent
continents,workingonmergersandacquisitionsof
large,multi-nationalcompanies,”saidAdasi.“Thiswas
agreatwaytolearnbusinessfromaglobalperspective,
whichissomethingalotofpeopledon’thavean
opportunitytodorightoutofcollege.Manypeople
stayfocusedontheU.S.
“EverytimeItraveled,IfoundthatinAmerica
thingsarebuiltupanddeveloped.Whenyougoto
placeslikeEasternEuropeandAfricaandtheMiddle
East,youseethepotentialofsimpletechnologies
andideascomingtothatmarket.Ithelpsmekeepmy
globalglasseson,applyingtheAmericanmindsetto
globalmarkets.”
BeinginSouthAfricahelpedAdasiraisemoney
forhisfamily’snewcompany,FoisiBroadcasting
NetworkInc.(www.fbnafrica.com),apan-African
commercialbroadcastingandproductioncorporation
thatplanstoorganizeandbroadcastAfrica’spremier
intercontinentalradio,television,andInternetsignalsin
andoutofall53Africancountries—promotingpeace,
unity,andprosperityacrossthecontinent.
Thenetworkwillbroadcastoversatelliteand
HinmanCEOsalumnusNickAdasi
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throughterrestrialdatalinestoreachover250million
viewers.
why You Like what You’re Doing
“Financeisagreatwaytomeetalotofpeoplewith
accesstocapital,”saidAdasi.“Itgivesyouasound
understandingofhowtoanalyzeandmanagethe
financesofacompany.”
How the Hinman Program Helped You
“TheHinmanProgramwasfantastic.It
surroundedmewithhighlymotivated,hungry,young
entrepreneurs—theguysoncampusbouncingideasoff
eachotherat3a.m.Ittaughtmehowtothink‘outside
ofthebox,’andthatentrepreneurshipisn’tsomething
thathappensovernight.Overtimeyoudevelopideas
throughexperiences.Morethananything,itwasa
mindsetitgaveme.Thepeoplethatsurroundedme
werehelpful.Westillkeepintouchandshare
careerideasandtopics.Wetalkabouthowand
whenwe’regoingtobecomeentrepreneurs,and
whatinvestmentopportunitiesthereare.Atsome
pointinourlives,I’msurewe’regoingtohelp
eachotherinamillionways.”
Advice for Current Hinman Students
“Morethananything,youwanttofocuson
developingyourself.Alotofpeoplefocuson
developingaproductoridea,butifyoucan
spendtimeonyourfinancialskills,yourbusiness
planningskills,yourmarketingskills—allthe
thingsittakestobeagoodentrepreneur—over
timeyoubegintotakeaviewoftheworldasan
investment;youanalyzeandseewhysomethings
workandhowothersdon’t.Youbecomeastute
Anthony Casalena: fixing His way to SuccessSitting in his new office in New York City’s Tribeca
district, Anthony Casalena sums up his success
this way: when he doesn’t like the way something
works, he creates a product to fix it.
Squarespace(www.squarespace.com),a
publishingsystemformanagingwebsitesandblogs
Casalenalaunchedwhileincollege,startedthatway.
Squarespacenowhasover100,000trialregistrations
andover50millionmonthlypageviews.
Mentionedinthesamebreathbythemediaas
Google’sBlogger,Squarespaceevolvedsimply:“Ididn’t
likemakingawebsite,soImademyownproduct,”
Casalenaexplained.
“Peoplesometimesinventbusinessesbasedon
someveryelaborateconnectionsbetweenmarkets,”
saidCasalena.“Therearepeopleproducingvideo
contentformobilephones.Idon’tunderstandhow
“The Hinman Program was fantastic. It surrounded me with highly motivated, hungry, young entrepreneurs—the guys on campus bouncing ideas off each other at � a.m. It taught me how to think outside of the box.”
—NickAdasi,HinmanCEOsalumnus
inentrepreneurship.Entrepreneursarejacks-of-all-
trades.Focusevenonthingsyoudon’tlike.Makeyour
weaknessesintostrengths,becausedownthelineitwill
makeyouabetterentrepreneur.”
HinmanCEOsalumnusAnthonyCasalena
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astartupcanengageinthatsortofthing.Notto
saythat’sabadbusiness,butitmustbereallyhard
asastartuptodothatkindofthing.Thereareother
startupsthatarereallyeasy—andthosearetheones
wherethevaluepropositionisreallyclear.”
Squarespace’svaluepropositionisclear.“Doyou
needtobuildawebsite?Hereyougo.It’shardtobuild
awebsite.Squarespacemakesiteasy.”
Casalenadoesn’tlikeonlinechatprograms,sohe’s
workingononeofthoseaswell.Afterthat,hemay
buildpersonalinformationproducts.
That’snottosaySquarespaceisstagnating.Ten
minutesatwww.casalena.orgmakesyouwonderifhe
sleeps.Casalenaisconstantlyandthoughtfullyadding
newfeaturesandimprovinghissystem.
Squarespacehasattractedtheinterestofmajor
investors,includingsomemajorwestcoastVCs,which
flewCasalenatoSiliconValleytotalk.
“Itwasagreatexperience,”saidCasalena.
“It[Squarespace]justdoesn’tfitthemodelofall
firms.Squarespaceisn’tlikeYouTubeinthatitwon’t
experienceescalatedgrowth.Weleftonreallygood
terms.”
what Do You Like About what You’re Doing?
“It’sbeenreallyexcitingformetoactuallygotoan
office.It’sbeenre-energizing.Ilovecomingouttowork
anditputsareallygoodspinonthings(asopposedto
beinginadormroom).Beinginthesameplaceallthe
timeputsadrainonyou.Tribecaisaphenomenalarea.
It’salandmarkitself.TherearelotsofpeopleinNew
Yorkjusttryingtogetstarted.It’stough,butthere’s
lotsofenthusiasm.Oneincrediblethingthathelps
bringthetechcommunitytogetherinNewYorkisthat
everyoneisafive-minutecabridefromoneanother.”
How Did the Hinman CEOs Program Help You?
“TheHinmanProgramisagreatfacilitatorofideas.
Ifyou’resomeonelookingtostartacompany,Hinman
willbeverygoodforyou.TheProgramcanconnect
youwithpeopleyouneedtomeet.Itfostersamore
professionalwayofthinkingaboutabusiness,exposes
youtothingsyouwouldn’tseeotherwise,suchas
venturecapitalistsorevaluatingbusinessplans.It’s
valuableforyoutoseehowallthesethingsworkinthe
realworld.”
Advice for Current Hinman Students
“Fixproblems.Peoplewillpayyoutohavetheir
problemsfixed.Don’tletinvestorsdiscourageyou
fromdevelopingagoodidea.Imagineyouhavethe
bestideaintheworldforaproduct—butnotraction.
Asanewentrepreneur,youdefinitelywon’tbeable
togetfundingforthatidea.Thatdoesn’tmeanthe
idea—alongwithyourexecution—won’tgetfunding
insixmonthsafteryouprovethatitworks.Investors
areevaluatinganopportunity,ratherthansimplyyour
ideas.Don’tworryaboutinvestors’decisionsabout
reallyearlystagetechnology.”
kavita khurana and Google: The Perfect MatchKavita Khurana (’05,
Computer Science) is not
the type of computer
scientist who would
be content coding all
day. She’s outgoing,
inquisitive, and rarely sits
still.
Google,acompany
thatopenlyadvertises
“youwon’tfindanybored
engineershere,”and
workingatGoogleisan
“opportunitytotestthe
limitsofyourintellectual
abilities,”wastheperfect
matchforher.
“Peoplehere[atGoogle]
areverymotivatedand
“fix problems. People will pay you to have their problems fixed.”
—AnthonyCasalena,HinmanCEOsalumnus
Award-winning, living-learning entrepreneurship program for undergraduates
MTECH VenturesHinman CEOs
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HinmanCEOsalumnaKavitaKhurana
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU6
It’sveryexciting.Wearethegluethatsticksallthese
elementstogether.
“Googleisreallygreataboutmakingsure
employeesarehappy,”Khuranaadded.“Happy
employeesdoagreatjob.”
How Did the Hinman Program Help You?
“WhenIcameintotheHinmanProgram,Iwasa
CSmajorandknewthatifyoucode,yougetresults.
Hinmantrainedmetothinkofaworldbeyondjust
coding.Duringspeakersessionssomeonewouldtalk
aboutpatentsandintellectualproperty;Ihadnever
beenexposedtothem.Knowingthere’sanotherworld
youhavetoconsiderwhenyoudevelopsomething—a
classwon’tteachyouthat,butit’simportanttoknow
whenyou’reatacompany.
“Then,therewerethepeopleandtheresources.
Beinginaliving-learningenvironmentwherepeople
werehighlymotivated,inspired,andentrepreneurial
ensuredIwouldcontinuouslygrowandthrive.IknewI
wouldn’tgetthatelsewhere.”
what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman
Student?
“Makeuseofalltheresources.Thereweretimes
I’donlyfillclassrequirements.Wehadallthosegreat
peopleavailabletous.Makesureyoubuildyour
relationshipswithpeople.They’relasting.You’llrealize
itlateron.Makesureyoukeepintouchwiththepeople
youmeetandinteractwith.Youneverknowwhatyou’ll
learnfromthem.ThebestfriendsIhavearetheHinman
CEOsIlivedwithfortwoyears.We’relikeafamily.”
passionateandexcited,”saidKhurana,“andtheworkis
verychallenging.Everybodyhastokeepupandkeep
aheadofthecompetitors.Thepaceisincredible.I’m
busybutreallyhappy.”
AnassociateproductmanageratGoogle,Khurana
isjointlyresponsibleforthedesign,development,
deploymentandimprovementofmanyofthe
company’sproducts.
She’sworkedonGoogleAlerts,Personalized
SearchandSearchHistory.Nowshe’sworkingon
improvingGoogleAdWords.
“It’sexcitingbecauseit’salmostlikebeinga
jack-of-all-trades,butyouknoweverythingwell.You
analyzewhatauserneeds.Youworkcloselywith
themarketingteam;theycomeupwithmarketsand
competitors.Youworkwithengineers,partners,and
usersupport—askingdoesitmakesense,whatarethe
featureswecaninclude,whatistheroadmaptolaunch,
whatarethemilestones,andwhatarethedeliverables?
“Lastweekoneofmyprojectswasselectedfor
demonstrationtoGoogle’sboardofdirectors.Can
youimaginebeingtwenty-threeyearsoldandhaving
yourprojectgetselectedforademototheboard
ofdirectors?Youdon’tgetthatvisibilityatalotof
companies.”
why Do You Like what You’re Doing?
“Googlebelievesinlaunchearly,launchoften,and
getfeedback.There’slessopinionhere.Theybelieve
in‘let’sgetfacts,
let’sgetdata.’We’re
constantlyhaving
strategysessionsto
talkaboutGoogle’s
futureandwhatwe
shouldworkon.You
learnsomuchmore
aboutthecompany.
Youlearnaboutthe
bigbusinesspicture;
it’snotlikesomeone
tellsyou‘godoit.’In
theendyoulaunch.
“Make sure you build your relationships with people. They’re lasting. You’ll realize it later on. Make sure you keep in touch with the people you meet and interact with. You never know what you’ll learn from them. The best friends I have are the Hinman CEOs I lived with for two years. we’re like a family.”
—KavitaKhurana,HinmanCEOsalumna
HinmanProgramDirectorKaren
ThorntonandKavitaKhurana
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Anik Singal: from Lifestyle Business to Industry LeaderAnik Singal (’05, finance) started Affiliate
Classroom, a step-by-step training program to
help people launch and grow affiliate Internet
businesses, as a lifestyle business in October,
2004. Anik was a senior in the Hinman CEOs
Program.
Twoshortyearslater,70,000peoplesubscribe
toAC’saffiliatemarketing
newsletter.Over12,000people
havecompletedAC’saffiliate
marketingtrainingprogram.
Thecompanyhasgrown
tosevenemployees.They’ve
releasedanentireboxed
courseonaffiliatemarketing,
withtwoDVDs,12CDsof
audiointerviews,aworkbook
splitintotenmodules,eight
checklists,andaCDwithsix
templatesanaffiliatemanager
wouldneedtouse.
Thecompany’smonthly
AffiliateClassroommagazine,
nowovertwoyearsold,
alsohasa70,000-person
subscriberbase.
ThecompanyranksfirstonYahoo!whensearching
for“affiliatemarketing,”andconsistentlyranksinthe
topthreeonGoogle.
SingalrecentlymetwitheBay’sdirectorofaffiliate
marketingtodiscusscontributingcontenttoAC’s
magazine.
“IfIlookbacktowhenIfirststartedthistwoyears
ago,I’mmesmerizedbythegrowthofthecompany,”
saidSingal.“Thiswasnotsupposedtobeabig
company.NowthatIhavethebigpictureandknow
whatthecompanyiscapableofdoing,though,Iam
notassurprised.”
AftergraduatinginMay2005,Singalwasworking
HinmanCEOsalumnusAnikSingal
fromhomeandrealizedACwasgrowingtoofast.
HecalledKarenThorntonandJamesGreenfor
advice.TheyreferredhimtoMTECHVentures’new
VentureAcceleratorProgram,aselectiveinitiative
designedtohelpfacultyandstudentscommitted
tocreatingnewcompaniesbasedontechnology
innovations.
“Itwasperfecttimingformetogetmyselfsituated
andconstructedproperly,”saidSingal.“Thatreferral
itselfwasworthgold.
“VAhasbeenincredible,”
Singalexplained.“Scott
Laughlin[DirectorofVA]
expandedourvision.He
taughtmehowabigbusiness
getsbuilt.He’straveled
coast-to-coastwithmeand
introducedmetoeveryone
Ineedtoknow.Wejustgot
backfromSanFransisco,
wherewemetBrianHinman.
Duringthesametrip,wehad
coffeewiththedirectorof
eBay’saffiliateprogramin
PaloAlto.”
Morethananything,
Singalsaid,VAhelpedhim
refineAC’sbusinessmodel.
“Weknowexactlywhatwe
wanttogoafter,”Singalexplained.“We’vesolidified
ourprocessforapproachingthemarket.We’re
expandingourbrandandmeetingnewpeople.We’re
constantlybuilding.”
ForresterResearchreportedlastyearthataffiliate
marketingisa$95billionindustry.
“Weseeaffiliateclassroombecomingthecenter
oftheindustry—thesoleresourceforaffiliatemanager
trainingprovidingallthetrainingresourcessomeone
wouldneed,”saidSingal.“Wearethetrustedthird
party.”
AffiliateMarketing,accordingtoWikipedia,isa
“widespreadmethodofpromotingawebsite,inwhich
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anaffiliateisrewardedforeveryvisitor,subscriberand/
orcustomerprovidedthroughhisefforts.”
How the Hinman Program Helped You
“TheHinmanprogramwasincrediblyhelpful
becauseIhadsomeonetositdownandtalkto.I’d
meetJamesonalmostadailybasissometimes.He’d
walkmethroughideas,helpingmeshapethemsothey
madesense.Theentrepreneurshipcoursehelpedwith
networkingandconnections,aswellasenablingmeto
talktosomeone[theninstructorScottLaughlin]who
alreadyknewhowtobeasuccessfulentrepreneur.
Advice for a Current Hinman Student
“Don’ttaketheprogramlightly.Useresources.Talk
topeople;askquestions.WhenKarenandJamestell
youtocontactsomeone,gothroughwithit.James
isalwaysavailable.It’stheperfectopportunityto
brainstormandrunideasbyhim.Usetheprogramand
networkasmuchasyoucan.”
Zachary Bookman: Thinking Big—Democracy and Law for a Better worldZachary Bookman (’02, government and politics)
does not think small.
Duringhisvaledictoryspeechin2002,heoffered
hisvisionofhowtheUniversityofMarylandcouldbe
oneofthefivetoppublicinstitutionsinthecountry,
andhowstudentsfitintothatidea.
Nexthewantedtostudybothlawandpoliticsat
IvyLeagueschools,sohedid—bothatthesametime.
Bookmanisearningjointdegreesinlawandpublic
policy—aJDatYaleUniversity,andaMaster’satthe
HinmanCEOsalumnusZacharyBookman
HarvardUniversityKennedySchoolofGovernment.
HeplanstopursueaFublrightfellowshipnextyear
tostudythenewfreedomofinformationactpassedby
theMexicangovernment,believingitcanhelpboththe
countryandtheworld.Inpreparation,Bookmanhas
learnedSpanish.
“Thenewandsweepingtransparencylawpassed
bytheFoxadministrationhasgreatpotentialto
promotehumanrights,fightcorruption,andstrengthen
Mexico’sdemocracy,”saidBookman.
BookmanvisitedMexico’sFederalInstitutefor
AccesstoPublicInformationlastmarchthrougha
smallgrantfromtheKennedySchool.Thereheforged
relationships,garneringsupportfromthecommissioner
oftheagency.
“Mexicoisanexcitingandtumultuousplace,and
ofstrategicimportancetotheU.S.inwayswedon’t
recognize,”saidBookman.“Thisissueisofcentral
importancetoMexicorightnow.Itcouldalsoserveasa
globalmodelforemergingdemocracies.”
why Do You Like what You’re Doing?
“Beingabletoworkinourlegalandpolitical
systemisprobablythebestchanceforproducinggreat
changes.Allroads,ifyouhavethemotivationand
desiretomakeabetterworld,leadtothesameplace.
Iwanttomakeanimpact.Iwanttochangepeoples’
lives—aswellasoursociety—forthebetter,inasbiga
wayaspossible.”
How the Hinman Program Helped You
“All roads, if you have the motivation and desire to make a better world, lead to the same place. I want to make an impact. I want to change peoples’ lives as well as our society for the better, in as big a way as possible.”
—ZacharyBookman,HinmanCEOsalumnus
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“Twothingsinfluencedmethemost.Thefirst
wasthecontinualpresenceofreallyinteresting,
motivationalandinspiringspeakerswhotalkedabout
theirlives,businesses,andsuccesses.Ilovedhearing
entrepreneurstellusabouttheirqueststodowellfor
themselves,whichdoeswellforthepeoplethatwork
forthemandtheeconomy.They’rereallyinterestedin
buildingwealthy,strong,andinnovativesocieties.The
secondthingIenjoyedwasthepresenceofabunch
ofreallysmart,andsavvyyoungentrepreneurs—other
students.Gettingtoknowthem,andtoheartheirideas
anddreamsreinforcedwhatweheardinclassandfrom
otherswhoachievedsuccessalready.”
what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman
Student?
“Startthinkingdeeplyaboutwhatkindofcareer
youwanttohave,whatindustriesyoumightwantto
workin,andwhatkindofpersonyouwanttobe.”
Young Lee: Artistic Entrepreneur has film in SundanceFilmmaker Young Lee (’03, Computer Science)
has a movie in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
JustayearintotheNewYorkUniversityMasterof
SciencePrograminDigitalImagingandDesign,Lee
wasaskedtocreatea60-90secondshortfilmfora
contestsponsoredbyKrupsInternationalCoffee&
EspressoMachines.
ThefilmLeeproduced,“EspressoNinjas,”was
selectedasthewinningentry;thefilmisnowfeatured
onanewWebsite:www.espressoshorts.com.
Dubbed“brandedentertainment”byThe New York
TimesinaSeptember6articlethatalsospotlighted
Lee,thefilmwillappearinthe2007SundanceFilm
FestivalthroughasponsorshipbyKrups.
“Krupsinvitedalotofcelebtritiestothe
competition,”saidLee,“includingAMC’sRichard
Brown,JoanAllen(Face-Off),andF.MurrayAbraham
(Amadeus).“TheeventwasattheTribecaHotel;they
announcedthewinnerandIwentuponstage.”
WhileintheHinmanProgram,Leeworkedasa
freelanceFlashanimationandWebdesigner.
Aftergraduating,hewenttoTaiwanfortwo
months,whereheworkedatamuseumdoing
promotionaldocumentariesandshortfilms.
Shortlyafter,heenrolledatNYU.
Youngiscurrentlydevelopingaspecshortfilm
aboutninjasthataimstoseamlesslyblendvisual
effects,liveactionfootageandastrongstoryintoa
debutfeaturefilmhehopestopitchtostudios.
what Do You Like About what You Are Doing?
“I’vebeenmakingfilmsandwritingandfocusing
oneveryaspectofthefilmmakingprocess,”saidLee.
“Ijustfinisheda30-minuteshortfilmandhavebeen
sendingittofestivals.It’sagang-war,actiondrama
Left:HinmanCEOsalumnusYoungLeefilmingSundance-
bound“EspressoNinjas.”
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withastrongstoryattheheartofit.UltimatelyIwant
tocreatestrong,dramaticstorieswithhighconcepts
thatrequirevisualeffects.Specialeffectsareameans
totellbetterstories.”
How Did the Hinman Program Help You?
TheHinmanProgramwasoneofthoserareand
valuableopportunitiesthathadalife-longeffectupon
mycareer.Itgavemeanentrepreneurialmindset.It’s
especiallyusefulasanindependentfilmmaker,asyou
havetomarketyourselfincreativeways.Ithelpedme
developamindsettothinkaboutthemarket;inmy
casethatinvolvesthinkingaboutthetypesofstories
peopleareinterestedin.”
what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman
Student?
“I’dchallengeanyyoungstudenttoreallyutilize
alltheresourcestheyhaveavailabletothemthrough
theprogramtothefullestextent.It’sagreattime
tolearnandyouhavesomanypeopleyoucantalk
andnetworkwith.Ifyouhavedreamsandideas,it’s
veryefficienttobouncethemoffotherstudentsand
advisorsintheprogram.Beforeyouknowit,collegeis
gone,sostretchyourself,stretchyourmind.Ifthere’s
somethingthatyouwanttodo,don’twait—don’thold
back—thesky’sthelimit!”
Lee finkel: Big Moves in the Big Apple
Lee Finkel’s
(‘05, marketing)
clients include
AXE, makers
of deodorant
body spray, and
Viacom. His firm
has developed
e-vites for the TV
show “South of Nowhere” on the N Network, as
well as for an “AXE Hit Your Numbers Party.” He
has provided web, print, and multimedia services
to hundreds of clients across the country, and
still manages to plan and entertain at events for
thousands every year.
Finkel’scompany,whichhestartedasaHinman
studentasOptimumProductions,hasgrownintotwo
branches:OPDigital,specializinginwebdesignand
marketing;andOPEvents,aneventservicescompany.
“OptimumProductionsstartedasanevent
planningandservicescompany,”saidFinkel.“Itsroots
arestillgoingstrong.It’sfindingthebalancebetween
theeventssideandthemarketingsidethat’sthehard
part.Bothcompaniesaregrowingatsucharapidpace,
it’shardtokeepup,”hesays.
OPEventsisanentertainmentcompanyproviding
music,photography,video,andmultimediaservicesto
awideanddiverseclientele.ThoughmuchofFinkel’s
businessisinNewYork,wherehenowlives,hestill
hasmanyclientsinMarylandthroughasmallbaseof
employeeslocatedthere.
OPDigitalstartedin2004,whenFinkelwas
strugglingtofindahigh-qualityWebdesignerforhis
firstventure.AfterCarnegieMellonUniversitystudent
JordanDeVriesdesignedOP’sfirstWebsite,Finkel
proposedteamingtooffer
designservicesthrougha
companysubdivisioncalledOP
Digital.Therestishistory.
“It’sexpandedfasterthanI
everimagined,”saidFinkel.“It’s
nowalargepartofmyday-to-
dayoperations,bothintermsof
thetimeIspendandtheclients
Ihave.”
OPDigitaljustlaunched
anew,Flash-basedwebsite.
They’vedesignedwebsites
forAffiliateClassroom,I-
Receipts.com,andBabyfones—
companiesstartedbyother
Hinmanalumni.
“Withtheexpansion,we’re
busy.We’retargetingsmall
companieslookingforquality
work,”saidFinkel.“Lately,
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however,biggernameclientsarenoticingour
workandaregettingintouchwithus.”
AXEandViacomweretwo.
“Whenyoudeliveraproductthatwows
people,they’rewillingtolisten,”saidFinkel.
“Whetherprovidingentertainmentfora
groupofteenagersordeliveringaWebsite
toagroupofcorporatebusinesspeople,the
sameconceptholdstrue.Peoplewillpaya
premiumforaqualityproduct.”
what Do You Like About what You’re
Doing?
“WhatDON’TIlikeaboutwhatI’mdoing
now?I’mdoingwhatIlove.
“Attimesitcanbestressful,buttheindependence
makeseverythingworthwhile.Plus,Isetmyownhours,
althoughthatoftenmeans80hoursintheofficeevery
week.It’samazingtosee,though,thedirectcorrelation
betweenthetimeIputinandthebenefitsthatcomeas
aresultofhardwork.”
How the Hinman Program Helped You
“Theentrepreneurialspiritiseverwhere.You’re
livingwithstudentswhoarealllookingtogetinvolved
somehow;somehavetheirownideasforabusiness,
whilesomearelookingtogetinvolvedwithothers.
Therearedifferentspeakerseachweekwhoshare
theirlifestoriesandlessons;theseweekly‘classes’are
notonlymotivating,butinspiringaswell.Thementors
availableareinvaluable.PeoplelikeKarenThorntonare
alwaystheretolendahelpinghand.”
Advice to Current Hinman Students
“Takeadvantageofeverythingthatisofferedto
you.Therearesomanyresourcesavailable—mentors,
weeklyspeakers—evenyourfellowstudents.Network.
Don’tbeshy!Althoughstudentsintheprogramcome
fromdiversebackground,everyonearoundyouhasan
interestinentrepreneurship.Connectwithyourpeers
whilethey’restilldownthehall.Beforeyouknowit,
they’llbeacrossthecountry,makingmillions!”
Adam Ostrow: Two Start-Ups: One by Day, One by NightAdam Ostrow (’04, journalism) founded his
first company MindSay (www.mindsay.com), a
platform for sharing user-generated content and
social networking, with fellow student Brian Klug
(’04, computer science) while he was a Hinman
CEO.
AlthoughMindSayisnowhispart-timejobonthe
side,theplatformhasover125,000usersand5million
pageviewsamonth.Newfeaturessuchasvideoand
photosharingareplannedsoon,asistheroll-outof
standalonesoftwareforbuildingsocialnetworks.
Ostrow’sfull-timejobisproductmanagerforthe
Hawaii-basedInternetstart-upChipIn(www.chipin.
com).ChipInisaWeb-availableservicethatsecurely
managestheprocessof“chippingin”andcollecting
moneyforgifts,personalcauses,orforcommunity
fundraising.
Ostrowwasintroducedtothecompanythrougha
friend—whoalsohappenedtobetheleaddeveloper
forChipIn.
“ItisakintoasocialPayPal,”saidOstrow.“It
automatestheprocessofchippingin,whetherfora
groupgift,atravelexpense,orfornon-profitsand
individuals.”
HinmanCEOsalumnusAdamOstrow
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PriortojoiningChipIn,AdamworkedforVirginia-
basedmobilecontentcompanyOperaTelecom,which
soldringtonesandapplications.Ostrowhelpedthe
companyaddcommunityfeaturestoitsproduct.
why Do You Like what You’re Doing?
“Weworklonghours,buteveryoneownsapieceof
thecompany,soifwe’resuccessful,everyoneisgoing
tobenefit.”
Benefit of the Hinman CEOs Program
“TheBusinessPlanCompetitionwasterrific;we
wonanawardandit’snicetoputthatonmyresume.
IalsowontheHinmanCEOsMostOutstandingSenior
Award,whichhelpswheninterviewingforjobs.Istill
keepintouchwithalotofpeoplefromtheprogram.
Wesharewhatwe’redoingandbounceideasoffeach
other.”
Advice for Current Students
“ParticipateintheBusinessPlanCompetition.It
gotmealotofone-on-onetimewithpeopleinthe
program,andintroducedustoknowledgeablepeople
suchasScottLaughlin,whogaveusgreatbusiness
advice.Meetasmanypeopleasyoucan.Iwasonly
thereoneyear,butIwishIhadbeentherelongerand
metmorepeople.”
Sarah vogel: Babyfones: Headphones for Your BabyExperts have long thought that exposure to music
while in the womb might aid in a child’s cognitive
development. But getting babies that exposure in
today’s world can be difficult. Sarah Vogel (‘04,
business major) thinks she has the answer.
Vogel’scompany,Babyfones,islaunchingabelt
madeespeciallyforpregnantwomen,withbuilt-in
speakerstoprojectsoundintothewombfromanmp3
player.BabyfoneswillbesoldonAmazonanddirectly
throughthecompany’swebsite,atwww.babyfones.
com.
“Babyfonesisdesignedforbusy,modern-day
womenwhoareconstantly‘on-the-go’andwantto
playmusictotheirbabies,”saidVogel.“Researchhas
shownthatlisteningtorhythmicmusichelpschildren
developlinguisticskillsevenbeforethey’reborn!”
VogelwroteabusinessplanforBabyfones
whileshewasintheHinmanProgram.Sherealized
themarketpotentialwhenshewitnessedpregnant
womenplacinguncomfortableheadphonesontotheir
abdomenstoplaymusicfortheirbabies.
Currentproductsarelimitedinbothformand
function,accordingtoVogel.“Whilethereareproducts
thatcanplayCDs,therearecurrentlynoproducts
availablethatcanaccommodateyourownmusicfrom
anmp3player,”shesaid.
AftergraduatinginDecember2004,Vogeljoined
BoozAllenHamiltonasaConsultant.Sheisnowa
SeniorConsultant.Vogelattributesthereal-world
businessknowledgesheacquiredatBoozAllentothe
successfullaunchofBabyfones.
VogelwontheRobertH.SmithSchoolofBusiness’s
UndergraduateBusinessPlanCompetitiontwice—once
in2003aspartoftheCyprusPrecisionteam,which
HinmanCEOsalumnuSarahVogel
“Spend the time to come up with lots of great ideas. write business plans and try to implement them while you’re in school and still have the time and resources to do it. Learn from anyone who is willing to help you...”
—SarahVogel,HinmanCEOsalumna
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includedtwootherHinmanstudents,andin
2004withBabyfones,teamingwithanother
studentfromtheEntrepreneurshipCitation
program.
why Do You Like what You’re Doing
Now?
Vogellovesbeingabletouseher
entrepreneurialskillstocomeupwithcreative
solutionstocomplexproblems.“Iamvery
luckytoworkforacompanythatvalues
entrepreneurshipsohighly,”saidVogel.“My
managershavebeenextremelysupportiveof
myventures,andtheentrepreneurialskillsI
continuetohoneoutsideofworkalsobenefit
BoozAllen.”
what Did the Hinman Program Do for You?
“IlearnedagreatdealintheHinmanProgram:how
towriteathoroughbusinessplan,createanintegrated
marketingstrategy,andplanarealisticbudget.Butthe
mostimportantthingIlearnedwashowtomanage
mytime.Whenyougetoutintotherealworld,you’re
mostlikelygoingtobeworkingfull-time.Tryingto
startacompanywhenyougethomeatnightisnot
easy.However,withcarefultimemanagementitcanbe
done.”
Vogelalsolearnedagreatdealabout
intrapreneurship,orhowtoapplyentrepreneurialskills
toalargecorporation.“Ihavebeenabletoapplythe
entrepreneurshipskillsIlearnedintheHinmanprogram
toalargefirm.”
what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman
Student?
“Whileyou’reincollege,youaresurroundedby
knowledgeandresources.LivingintheHinmandorm
givesyouopportunitiestobounceideasoffeachother.
Youcaneasilyschedulemeetingswithprofessors,then
walkovertotheirofficestomeet.
“Spendthetimetocomeupwithlotsofgreat
ideas.Writebusinessplansandtrytoimplement
themwhileyou’reinschoolandstillhavethetimeand
resourcestodoit.Learnfromanyonewhoiswillingto
Terrence Hines: vision for AthletesTerrence Hines (’03, neurobiology/physiology)
launched Invision Sports Network (www.
isnsports.com), a service that creates custom
Web sites and media for athletes, in 2003.
Fouryearslater,theservicehasservedhundreds
ofhighschool,college,andyouthathletes.Invisionhas
contractswithseveralminorleaguebasketballteams
forcreatingWeb-basedcontentandstreamingvideo.
Thecompanyemploys12people,withoffices
justoutsideofAtlanta,Ga.,HamptonRoads,Va.,and
Lanham,Md.
“We’vedevelopedastrongleadershipteam,and
we’vedevelopedandtestedmanyproductsand
serviceswe’reoffering,”saidHines.“Ourgoalistobein
12citiesacrossthecountrybythistimenextyear.”
InvisionhostsindividualWebsitesforathletes.
Thosesitescontainprofiles,statistics,awards,photos,
andvideoofgamehighlights.
InvisionhasalsolaunchedaWebdevelopment
HinmanCEOsalumnusTerrenceHines
helpyou—yourfellowstudentswhomaybestartingup
theirownbusinesses,professorswhowillreviewyour
businessplan—andanyonewho’swillingtotellyou
abouttheirmistakessoyoudon’tmakethemyourself!”
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branch,www.ipraiseonline.
com,whichcreatesWebsites
andoffersvideostreamingfor
churchesandsmallbusinesses.
“It’sapeoplebusiness,”
saidHines.“I’velearnedthat
Packard’slawisareality—Ican
onlygrowrevenuesthroughthe
peopleIattracttoworkforthe
company.”
why Do You Like what
You’re Doing Now?
“We’vehelpedkidswho
typicallyflyundertheradarget
scholarshipsintosmallerDivision
I-AA,DivisionIIandDivision
IIIschoolssuchasNorfolk
StateandElizabethCityState
University,”saidHines.
How the Hinman Program Helped You
“TheHinmanprogramwasagoodplatformfor
metolaunchfrom.SinceIwasnotabusinessmajor,it
providedmeastrongfoundationofknowledgeabout
howtostartabusiness.IlearnedtheareasIneededto
focusupon.”
Advice for Current Hinman Students
“Takeadvantageoftheresourcesavailabletoyou,
andtalktoeveryoneyouhaveaccesstoatMaryland.
ReallygettoknowthegreatpeoplearoundtheHinman
Program,whetherinMIPSorinTAP,thathavealot
ofexperienceandyoucanhavearelationshipwith,
bounceideasoffof,andlearnfrom.”
Borna Ghavam: Shaping Next-Gen video in Silicon valleyBorna Ghavam (’06,
electrical engineering) is
helping pioneer the next
generation of video chips
for both consumer and
professional electronics.
Justafewmonthsout
ofschool,he’sdeveloping
compressionalgorithmsfor
SiliconValley-basedQpixel
Technology,aprivatelyheld
fablesssemiconductorstart-
updevelopinglow-power-
consumption,low-latency,high-quality,H.264-based
audioandvideoencoder/decodersolutionsfor
thedigitalconsumerelectronicsanddigitalvideo
communicationindustries.
“Iamanalgorithmengineer,”saidGhavam.“Iam
deepintodesigningexactlyhowourchipfunctions
ontheprocesslevel.Themainfocusiscreatingbetter
qualityvideooutofourchip.”
WhileintheHinmanProgram,Ghavamstarted
MenuTeaser™,aCollegePark-wideadvertising
bookletforrestaurants.Thefirstedition,distributed
toover70,000CollegeParkresidents,included
advertisementsandmenusfromJungleGrille,
Franklin’s,MarathonDeli,SantaFe,andCalvertHouse
Inn.
Ghavamlearnedmostaboutdeliveringonpromises
fromMenuTeaser™.
”Whenyou’restartingabusiness,buildinga
productanddeliveringonit,youlearnresponsibility
andhowtodeliveronyourcommitments,”said
Ghavam.“Youlearnrealfasthowtodealwithpeople
andmulti-task.”
HinmanCEOsProgrambenefactorBrianHinman
HinmanCEOsalumnusBornaGhavam
“The Hinman program was a good platform for me to launch from. Since I was not a business major, it provided me a strong foundation of knowledge about how to start a business. I learned the areas I needed to focus upon.”
—TerrenceHines,HinmanCEOsalumnus
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invitedGhavamtoSiliconValleyandintroduced
thetalentedengineertoQpixelTechnology.
why Do You Like what You Are Doing?
“Ifyouareinterestedinlaunchinga
technology-basedstart-upinthefuturebutwant
togetsomeexperienceunderyourbelt,then
workingforastart-upisagreatwaytogo.Ihave
seenalotofgrowthinthiscompany.Itforcesyouto
thinkhardandteachyourselfalotofthings.
“Everyoneatthisstageissoimportanttothe
livelihoodofthiscompanyandthere’sonlysomany
peoplehere,soeveryone’sjobcounts.There’san
urgencytocompleteyourtasks.Overall,I’msoakingup
alotofwhatittakestobeinvolvedatatechstartupat
anearlystage.”
How Did the Hinman Program Help You?
“ThementoringfromJamesandKarenwastop-
notch.Theyreallyhelpedmethinkaboutproblems
andsolutions.TheotherthingtheHinmanProgram
providedwasconfidencebuilding.Tobeapartofa
start-up,youneedtohaveenoughconfidencetotake
theriskandjumpintoit.”
Gary Yang: Learning then Doing—from Consulting to Start-UpGary Yang (’02, Computer Engineering and
Finance) is the anchor of London-based start-up
viagogo (www.viagogo.com), an online ticket
exchange that allows people to buy and sell
tickets to live events in a safe and guaranteed
way.
Asviagogo’sthird-
hiredemployee,hehas
helpedbuildthecompany
fromthegroundup.
“Ilaidthefoundation
forseveralfunctions,
includingoperations,
humanresources,
marketing,andfinance,”saidYang.“Asourcompany
hasgrown,we’vebeenabletohiremoreexperienced
peopletotakeoverseveralofthoseresponsibilities.
Overthepastyear,I’vedoneeverythingfromnegotiate
contractstodeterminehowtoscaleourbusiness,
whichhastaughtmeatremendousamount.OurCEO
hiredmeonthepremisethatIwasn’tanexpertin
everything,butthatIcouldlearnquicklyenoughtodo
agoodjobacrosstheboard.”
Yanghas.ThecompanysigneddealsinAugust
withChelseaFCandManchesterUnitedtooffera
ticketexchangesystemwhichpromisesseats“atnear
face-valueforticketlessbutdedicatedfans,”according
toacompanypressrelease.
“Thehardestthing
aboutworkinginastart-
upisittakespersistence
andtenacitytoget
anythingdone,”explained
Yang.“Vendors,potential
partners,recruits—they
don’tgiveyouanycredit
becausetheydon’tknow
“The Hinman Program opened me up to the idea of starting companies. Before joining the program, I had always planned on joining a corporation like Microsoft and working my way up, which wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting as what I’m doing now.”
—GaryYang,HinmanCEOsalumnus
HinmanCEOsalumnusGaryYang
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whoyouare.Theadagethatsuccessis99percent
perspiration—there’struthbehindthatstatement,
especiallyforstart-ups.Successonlycomesafter
pushingthroughobstaclestoachieveyourgoals.”
Outofschool,YangjoinedBoozAllenHamilton,
wherehespentoneyearbeforejoiningtheBoston
ConsultingGroup,wherehespenttwoyears.
YangmetaninvestorforviagogowhileatBCG,
whichledhimtojointhecompany.Heengagedin
fundraisingforviagogooutofNewYorkforseveral
months,thenhelpedthecompanyrelocatetothe
UnitedKingdom.
Buttheconsultingwork,hemaintains,laidthe
foundationforwhathe’sdoingnow.
“Ilearnedhowtogetthingsdoneinreal
environments,”saidYang.“IfIhadcometoviagogo
straightoutofschool,Iwouldnothavebeenableto
contributeasmuchasIdonow.
“Peoplestartcompaniesundermany
circumstances,”Yangexplained.“Forme,having
relevantindustryexperiencewasvaluableinteaching
mehowtostructuremythoughtsandhowtodeal
withpeopleinaprofessionalenvironmenttogetthings
done.”
why Do You Like what You’re Doing Now?
“Helpingthecompanygrowhasbeenfantastic.
We’verecentlylaunchedourproductwithkey
partnershipsinplace.Also,seeingrevenuecomeinthe
doorhasbeenprettyexciting—seeingthefruitsofour
labor.”
How Did the Hinman Program Help You?
“TheHinmanProgramopenedmeuptoideaof
startingcompanies.Beforejoiningtheprogram,Ihad
alwaysplannedonjoiningacorporationlikeMicrosoft
andworkingmywayup,whichwouldn’thavebeen
nearlyasexcitingaswhatI’mdoingnow.”
what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman
Student?
“Makethemostofyouropportunitiesandnever
stoplearning.”
Blake Robertson and Jason volk: Emergency Alert System for All HazardsFollowing the
attacks on 9/11
and the tornado
that struck
the University
of Maryland,
Jason Volk (’03
accounting, ’05
MBA) recognized
the need for a
better way to
notify people of an emergency.
In2002,VolkstartedAlertusTechnologies(www.
alertustech.com),acompanythathassincedeveloped
anall-hazardsemergencyalertsystem.
Alertus’ssystemenablessafetyleadersto
disseminatelocalized,customtextalertstowall-
mountedbeacons.Similartoafirealarm,eachbeacon
containsstrobelightsandasiren,butalsocontainsa
textLCDdisplay.Alertsaretransmittedinsecondsto
allbeaconsorspecificareas,buildingsorroomsusinga
reliableradiofrequencycommunication.
Forapproximatelythecostofconventionalsiren
towers,theAlertussolutionoffersaudibleandvisual
signaling,coupledwithtextinformation,empowering
everyonetorespondduringanyemergency.The
Alertussystemhasalowcostofownershipwithno
recurringservicefees.
Withcustomerssuchascollegecampusesand
schoolsystems,Alertusisalreadymakingeducational
institutionssafer
placestobe.
BlakeRobertson
(’05computer
engineering)
joinedAlertusin
2003toprovide
engineeringexpertise.
HinmanCEOsalumnusJasonVolk
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Robertsondevelopedboththehardwareandsoftware
componentsofAlertus’swall-mountedemergencyalert
system.Sincethen,hewasnamedchieftechnology
officerforthecompany,providingvisionforproduct
developmentandworkingwithmanufacturerstobuild
theAlertussystemtocustomers’specifications.
In2003,VolkandRobertsonwon$15,000inthe
UniversityofMarylandBusinessPlanCompetition.
AlertusalsoreceivedfundingfromboththeMaryland
IndustrialPartnershipsProgramandtheNational
CollegiateInventorsandInnovatorsAlliance.The
companyreceivedbothaC-E-OTechnology
EntrepreneurshipAwardandaSeniorSummerScholars
ResearchGrant.
why Do You Like what You’re Doing Now?
Volk:“Helpingcustomerstoensurethesafety
oftheirstudents,employees,andvisitorsishighly
rewarding.”
Robertson:“Ilikebeinginvolvedatthevarious
levelsoftheproductdevelopmentlifecycle.Atalarger
companyyoumighttypicallyspecializeinonearea,
buthereIgettoswitchgearsandworkonsomething
differenteverytwoweeks.
“AlthoughI’mheavilyinvolvedinthetechnical
deploymentaspectsofourcompany,therewere
weeksofmarketingwherewewereontheroadtalking
tocustomers,goingtoconferences,anddesigning
marketingliterature.OnthetechnicalsideofthingsI’ve
beeninvolvedinelectricaldesign,mechanicaldesign,
firmwaredevelopment,webservices,protocoldrafting,
andtesting.I’mconstantlylearningnewthings.”
How Did the Hinman Program Help You?
Volk:“HinmanCEOsofferedaninvaluable
opportunitytomeetandlearnfromotheraspiring
entrepreneurs.”
Robertson:“TheHinmanProgramtransformed
mefromaninventorintoanentrepreneur.Itprovided
mewiththeresourcestotakemyinventionstothe
nextlevel.Oneofthemostnotableexperienceswas
beingplacedinDr.NeilGoldsman’sresearchlaboratory
forasummerinternship.ThereIlearnedthetoolsfor
prototypingandfabricatingelectroniccircuitboards.
Whenmyinternshipwasover,Iwasofferedaresearch
position,whichIretaineduntilIgraduated.TheHinman
Programopenedthatdoorforme.Thenetworking
aspectoftheprogramenabledmetomeetJason.As
anengineeringmajor,thatopportunitymightnever
havearisenifnotfortheHinmanCEOsProgram.”
what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman
Student?
Volk:“Themostcriticaldecisioninstartinganew
ventureiswhoyourecruittotheteam.”
Robertson:“Don’tgetboggeddownbythe
seeminglyendlesschecklistofrequirementsfor
startingabusiness.That’sthe“Catch22”ofthe
program.Whileitteachesyouthedetailsforstarting
abusiness,thosedetailscanbeoverwhelming.It’s
importantforyoutoactuallystartimplementing
somepartofyourbusiness—evenifyoucan’tanswer
everydifficultquestionthrownatyoubyyourfellow
entrepreneurs.’”
HinmanCEOsalumnusBlakeRobertson
“The Hinman Program
transformed me from an
inventor into an entrepreneur. It
provided me with the resources
to take my inventions to the next
level. ”
—BlakeRobertson,HinmanCEOsalumnus
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Additional Hinman Alumni UpdatesPavalli Agarwal:Accenture
Jordan Baker:U.S.PatentOffice;www.Pastepunk.com
Adam Banes:CooleyGodwardKronishLLP
Nitesh Batra:FreddieMac
Namrata (Pinki) Boveja:earnedMBAfromSmithSchool;currentlyatU.S.PatentandTrademarkOffice;pursuinglawdegreeatUniversityoftheDistrictofColumbia
Gregory H. Chambers:KPMGLLP
Dennis Cinelli:GeneralElectric
Mikaela Rossman Clark:DavisUptonandPalumbo
Kushi Desai:UniversityofMarylandLawSchool
Obianuju Enendu:ColumbiaLawSchool
Alex Frey:T.RowePrice
Alsace-Lorraine Gallop:UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHillhealthpolicymaster’sprogram
Lee Gong:Microsoft
Rushi Gupta:Accenture
Rena Hahn:NBC(Universal)
Manny Herrmann:AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion
Sam John:BoozAllenHamilton;woncompany’sawardfor“entrepreneurialenergy”
Leah Jones:3yearswithJPMorgan;recentlymovedtosmallprivatewealthmanagementfirminChicago
Jeff Kayce:BozzutoDevelopmentCompany
Joseph Koicim:Marcus&Millichap
Ben Krefting:Accenture
Manisha Kumar:BankofAmerica
Joy Limpawuchara:T.RowePrice
Adam Lutz:DCEnergy
Matt Meneffe:Accenture
Geetika Nagpal:Microsoft
Masato Nakagawa:FreddieMac
Chris Newman:co-foundedTFGTechnologySolutions
Bernard Ng:JPMorganChase
Tuan Nguyen-Viet:JohnsHopkinsUniversity;completedMSinTelecommunicationsatUM
Ryan Ockuly:AVAYA;realestate
Kapil Pandit:HowardLawSchool
Rashida Petersen:DepartmentofCommerce
Jason Repac:graduateprograminchemicalengineering,UniversityofMaryland
Ari Resekh:SapientCorporation
Dan Roffman:computerforensicesconsultingfirm
Christian Rotter:Black&Decker
Rob Sherman:CovingtonandBurlingLLP
Joey Soleiman:realestatedevelopment
David Thaw:earnedamaster’sinPoliticalSciencefromBerkeley;pursuingaPh.D.inInformationSystems
Steven Tom:completedMBAfromMIT;joinedDeloitte&Touche
Lisa Vora:BoozeAllenHamilton
Matt Weinstein:AmericanUniversitylawschool
James White:mathematicsdoctoralprogram,UniversityofMaryland
Ilya Zusin:realestatedevelopment
Connect with other Hinman alumni at
www.hinmanportal.umd.edu!
Award-winning, living-learning entrepreneurship program for undergraduates
MTECH VenturesHinman CEOs
Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND 1�
Award-winning, living-learning entrepreneurship program for undergraduates
MTECH VenturesHinman CEOs
Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities
About the Hinman CEOs Program
As the nation’s first living-learning entrepreneurship program, Hinman CEOs is a
groundbreaking program placing entrepreneurially-minded students from all technical and
non-technical academic disciplines in a unique community. Students live together, learn
about entrepreneurship, and can launch new ventures. The mission of Hinman CEOs is to
foster an entrepreneurial spirit, create a sense of community and cooperation, and develop
ethical leaders. All undergraduates from the University of Maryland, College Park are invited
to apply for this competitive program.
LIvE with student entrepreneursEngage in a dynamic community to develop your entrepreneurial mindsets and
knowledge
Grow your ideas with our aspiring & active student entrepreneurs
Experience on-site coaching & mentoring from experienced staff
Become an entrepreneurial thinker sought by investors & employers
Enjoy our business center, conference room & social room in South Campus Commons
LEARN in a vibrant experiential environmentEngage with entrepreneurial leaders in our exclusive speaker series
Develop leadership, confidence & strategic skills to build a company today or later in your
career
Brainstorm in an open, diverse & ethical community
Earn internship opportunities with companies recruiting Hinman CEOs
Expand your network by making life-long connections to today’s leaders & tomorrow’s
CEOs
LAUNCH real companies 25% of Hinman CEOs develop & launch companies as undergraduates, while others attend
top graduate schools and join leading corporations
Students have won grants & awards exceeding $260,000
Student companies generate significant revenues
visit hinmanceos.umd.edu!
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MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�0
Brian Hinman: The Original CEO“I never regarded myself as an entrepreneur,”
Brian Hinman says, even after starting three
companies. “In the last couple of years I think I’m
finally coming to the conclusion that that’s what I
am.”
ButeveninhisundergraduatedaysatMaryland
heknewthathewantedtoownhisowntechnology
company.Onhisgraduateschoolapplication,he
wrotethatthereasonhehopedtoattendMITwasto
findsomeotherpeoplewhowouldeventuallywantto
startabusinesswithhim(agoalachieved).Sowhen
BillDestler,formerdeanoftheA.JamesClarkSchool
ofEngineeringandnowseniorvicepresidentfor
academicaffairsandprovost,firstapproachedHinman
withan“out-of-the-box”notiontoencouragestudents
withentrepreneurialaspirations,hefoundanotheridea
hecouldrunwith.
TheHinmanCEOsProgramwascreatedthrough
agenerous$2.5millioncommitment,establishingthe
nation’sfirstliving-learningentrepreneurshipprogram
attheUniversityofMaryland.
HinmanexpectedtheHinmanCEOsProgramto
attractstudentswitha“worldismyoyster”attitude,
creatingasenseofcommunityandcooperation
amonglike-mindedpeople.Thesestudentshave
auniqueopportunitytosharetheexperienceof
finishingtheirundergraduateeducationswithinthe
programthatwillimpactthewaytheythinkabouttheir
careersanddestiniesandencouragethemtopursue
entrepreneurialcareers.
HinmanhopesthattheWashington,D.C.,areawill
becomeamorefertilegroundforhigh-techgrowth
companiesasaresultoftheprogram.Hehadalways
feltthattheuniversityshouldbeacatalystforchange
inthearea,encouragingthegrowthofindustrialand
consumertechcompanies.Infact,beforemovingto
SiliconValleyinJanuary1991,Hinman,whowasraised
inWheaton,Md.,lookedatreturningtotheWashington
area,whichheconsidershome.Buthedidn’tseethe
infrastructureinthe
regiontosupport
thetypesofhigh-
techproductshe
plannedtomarket
tobusinessesand
consumers.
“Theultimate
measureofthe
program’ssuccess
willbethestartof
newcompaniesthat
createasubstantial
numberofjobs
intheD.C.area,”
Hinmansaid.
Biography
BrianL.HinmanjoinedOakInvestmentPartnersas
aVenturePartnerin2006.Hinmanistheco-founder,
andformerlythePresidentandCEO,of2Wire,a
providerofbroadbandserviceplatformsfortheDSL
market.Heisalsotheco-founder,andformerlythe
CEO,ofPolycom,Inc.,(NASDAQ:PLCM)theworld’s
leadingteleconferencingcompany.Hinmanwas
theco-founderofPictureTelCorporation(formerly
NASDAQ:PCTL)attheageof22,pioneeringthe
videocompressiontechnologythathasenduredinto
thestandardsoftoday.Heisanengineerbytraining,
aspecialistindigitalsignalprocessing,andholds
twelveU.S.patents.Hinmanhasreceivedseveral
awardsforentrepreneurship,includingbeingnamedan
EntrepreneuroftheYearbyErnst&Youngin2005.He
currentlyservesontheboardofdirectorsoftwoOak
portfoliocompanies,QpixelTechnologyand2Wire.
Hinmanhaspreviouslyservedonthenationalboard
oftheAmericanElectronicAssociation,andwasco-
founderanddirectoroftheInternationalMultimedia
TeleconferencingConsortium(IMTC).Heholdsa
B.S.E.E.SummaCumLaudefromtheUniversityof
Maryland,andanS.M.E.E.fromM.I.T.
BrianHinman
Award-winning, living-learning entrepreneurship program for undergraduates
MTECH VenturesHinman CEOs
Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND �1
Award-winning, living-learning entrepreneurship program for undergraduates
MTECH VenturesHinman CEOs
Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities
Entrepreneurship Starts YoungSecond-Year Summer, High School Entrepreneurship Course Draws 27 Students from Across the CountryMTECH Ventures’ James V. Green taught the
second year of the Washington Metropolitan
Region’s first entrepreneurship course for high
school students offered by a major university.
Entitled“ENES140:DiscoveringNewVentures—
FoundationsofEntrepreneurship,”thecourse,offeredthrough
theUniversityofMaryland’sYoungScholarsProgram,giveshigh
schoolstudentstheopportunitytoexploredynamicbusinessand
technologytopicsbyworkinginteamstodesignnewbusinesses.
Theclassof27studentscamefromBethesda,Md.(2);Boyds,
Md.;Germantown,Md.;Olney,Md.;Potomac,Md.;Rockville,Md.;
SilverSpring,Md.;IndianHead,Md.;Columbia,Md.(2);College
Park,Md.;Mclean,Va.;Malvern,Pa.;BaskingRidge,N.J.;Cherry
Hill,N.J.(3);Morganville,N.J.;Plainsboro,N.J.;Scarsdale,N.Y.;
Melville,N.Y.;BriarcliffManor,N.Y.;Uniondale,N.Y.;Lighthouse
Point,Fla.;Lawrence,Kan.;andCorpusChristi,Texas.
Sevenstudentteamspresentedplansforcompanies:
Bluetooth-basedcanalheadphonesenablinguserstoconnect
wirelesslytomusicdevicesandphones,withmusicauto-
pausingforphonecalls
New,two-in-onewasher-dryercombowithretractable
ventingforbetterheatdisbursement,improvedshock
absorbersandweldsforreducednoise,decreasedsize,and
shorterloadcompletiontimes
eBaycounterfeitmonitoringforpurchasesofdesigner
clothingandaccessories
Health-foodstoreandcaféwithin-housenutritionistsand
product-expertstaffabletocustomizenutritionforallpatrons
Graphicdesignservicescateringtosmallbusinesseswhofeel
currentmarketingoptionsaren’tinclusiveenoughforthem
Neighborhood-basedmovierentalchainusingmonthlyfees
andnolatecharges
Instantaneous,Web-basedmovieandgamedownloadswith
monthlyorone-timefees
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MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship
MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu
Entrepreneurship Education: Big ImpactJust six years after launching its first
entrepreneurship education intitiative,
MTECH Ventures now offers eight
distinct programs designed to
encourage entrepreneurship through
education.
Thoseprogramsincludefourcourses
(withtwomorecominginthespring),
theUniversityofMarylandBusinessPlan
Competition,theUniversityofMaryland
TechnologyStart-UpBootCamp,Hinman
CEOs,HillmanEntrepreneurs,andthe
MTECHVentureForum.
In2006,MTECHVenturesoffered11
coursesections,reaching373students.
Overall,MTECHVentures’education
activitiesreachedover1,000facultyand
studentsin2006.
MTECHVenturetransforms
technologycreatorsinto21stCentury
InnovationLeaders.Webelieve
technologystudents,faculty,and
researchersbenefitsignificantlyfroma
graspofentrepreneurialpracticesand
tactics.Entrepreneurialtechnologists,
whetherinsideauniversity,government
lab,establishedcompany,orstartup,
arewell-positionedtodevelopand
commercializeinnovationsthatcontribute
toeconomicexpansion.
Discrete entrepreneurship education programs 8
Course sections offered (2006) 11
Course enrollment (2006) 373
Technology Start-Up Boot Camp registrants (‘06) 404
Business Plan Competition submissions 300
Hinman CEOs, students since inception 280
MTECH Ventures Forum registrants (2006) 185
Encouraging entrepreneurship through education:
MTECH ventures Courses
ENES 140 – Discovering New Ventures:freshman-levelcourse
designedtoattractrisinghigh-schooljuniorsandseniors.In
apartnershipwiththeUniversity’ssummerYoungScholars
Program,highschoolstudentsearncollegecreditina
residentialacademicprogram.
ENES 460 – Fundamentals of Technology Start-Up Ventures:
studentslearntheprocessesandskillsneededtolaunch
andmanagenewventures.Studentslearnhowtoassess
thefeasibilityofastartupventure,aswellashowtoapply
bestpracticesforplanning,launching,andmanagingnew
companies.
ENES 489B – VentureCatalyst Entrepreneurship Lab:places
studentsonteamstocommercializeUniversity-developed
technology.Ideasaresourcedfromfacultyandgraduate
studentsworkingwithinnovativetechnologies.
ENES 498 – Special Topics in Entrepreneurship: Real-Life
Cases in Technology Venturing:seminarandcasestudy-based
courseexploringtechnologyentrepreneurshipwithafocuson
leadership,productdesignanddevelopment,andstrategiesto
launchandmanagetechnologyventures.
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New for �00�!Honors course in entrepreneurship (Spring)
freshmen Connection course in entrepreneurship (fall)
BIOE 6�� graduate course in tech entrepreneurship (Spring)
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SteveFredrick,GrotechCapitalGroup,speaksattheMTECHVentureForum
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship
MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu
Entrepreneurs Go to Boot CampMTECH Ventures-Hosted University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp Attracts 404 from 23 UniversitiesAspiring entrepreneurs packed the Stamp Student
Union in November for the MTECH Ventures-hosted
University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot
Camp.
Acomprehensive,one-dayworkshopandnetworking
eventabouthowtosuccessfullylaunchatechnology-
basedcompany,theeventdrew404participantsfrom
23universities,federallaboratories,andthebusiness
community.
Topicsfortheworkshopincluded:“ShouldYouTaketheLeap,”by
BrownellChalstrom,VenturePartner,AvansisVentures;“WhatisTechnology
Entrepreneurship,”byJonathanAberman,ManagingDirector,AmplifierVenture
Partners;“IncredibleIdeaorRealBusiness?”byAndrewScherer,CEO,Scherer
CybrarianServices;“Teams,theMostImportantAssetinaNewBusiness,”by
MartinKnott,ManagingDirector,TheShepherdGroup;“FinancingYourVenture,”
byChristopherFoster,DeputySecretary,MarylandDepartmentofBusinessand
EconomicDevelopmentandJohnP.(Jack)Hollerbach,President,HarVestBank
ofMaryland;and“KeystoSuccess,”byMarkKass,Member,Mintz,Levin,Cohn,
Ferris,GlovskyandPopeoP.C.;SrinivasMirmira,Associate,RedShiftVentures;
andAnikSingal,CEO,AffiliateClassroom.
AspeciallydesignednetworkinglunchfeaturedaBootCampspeakerat
eachstandingtable.
Theafternoonfeaturedbreakoutsessionsonintellectualpropertyand
authoringabusinessplan,byFish&RichardsonandtheMarylandTechnology
DevelopmentCorporation,respectively.
Participantsalsotookadvantageofone-to-onementoringduringthe
afternoon.
SponsorsfortheBootCampincludedFish&RichardsonP.C.;Mintz,Levin,
Cohn,Ferris,GlovskyandPopeoP.C.;theMarylandDepartmentofBusinessand
EconomicDevelopment;andAdministaff.Supportingorganizationsincluded
theGreaterBaltimoreTechnologyCouncil,theMarylandTechnologyCouncil,
theConsortiumofUniversitiesoftheWashingtonMetropolitanArea,andthe
EntrepreneurCenter@NorthernVirginiaTechnologyCouncil.
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Business Plan Competition winners Offer �-D Barcodes, Electronic Receipts, Affiliate Marketing TrainingUM $50K Business Plan Competition Yields Promising Start-Ups
MTECHVentureshosteditssixthannualUniversity
ofMaryland$50KBusinessPlanCompetitionlast
spring.
Sixfinalistteampresentedtheirbusinessplansto
adistinguishedpanelofjudges.Winnerswereselected
inthreecategories:undergraduatestudents,young
alumni,andfacultyandgraduatestudents.
Faculty & Graduate Student Category
First Place—Winner of the Maryland Department
of Business and Economic Development Award and
$15,000: Advanced Magneto-Optical Systemswill
providetechnologycompatiblewithcurrentoptical
scannersthatwillenabletheuseoftwo-dimensional
hiddenmagneticbarcodesandotherauthenticity
markstoenhancethesecurityofcriticalidentity
productssuchascreditcards,checks,banknotes,
drivers’licenses,medicationpackagesandother
manufacturedcomponents.
Mr.IulianNistor,researchassistant,Departmentof
ElectricalandComputerEngineering
Dr.IsaakD.Mayergoyz,professor,Departmentof
ElectricalandComputerEngineering
Dr.CarstenHolthaus,researchassociate,
DepartmentofElectricalandComputer
Engineering
Runner-Up—$3,000 Winner: Metatropihas
developedapatent-pendingmetabolomicstechnology
thatenableshighlyaccurateandsimultaneous
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measurementofhundredsofmetabolites(e.g.glucose,
aminoacids)inbiologicalsystems,forusessuch
asearlydiseasediagnosis,personalizednutrition
andmedicine,functionalgenomics,andsafeuseof
geneticallymodifiedfood.
HarinKanani,founder,Ph.D.candidate,Department
ofChemicalandBiomolecularEngineering,
expectedgraduationDecember2006
Dr.MariaKlapa,founder,adjunctassistant
professor,DepartmentofChemicaland
BiomolecularEngineering
Undergraduate Student Category
First Place—$12,000 Winner: I-Receiptsis
planningaservicethateliminatespaperreceipts
forconsumersandbusinessesbyprovidinginstant
databaseandInternetaccesstopurchaseinformation.
MichaelAltman,senior,DepartmentofElectrical
andComputerEngineering,HinmanCEO
SamFine,senior,DepartmentofFinance,Hinman
CEO
Runner-Up, $2,000 Winner: ORBSolution.com
(Online Realty Business Solutions)aimstobethe
firstnationwidelistingdatabaseforrealestateagents,
offeringeasy-to-useagentwebhosting,a“RealEstate
inabox”packageforcompanies,andanational
propertydatabase.
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A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship
MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu
AdvancedMagneto-OpticalSystemsteam,fromlefttoright:Dr.
IsaakMayergoyz,CharlesKrafft,Dr.CarstenHolthaus,andIulian
Nistor,alongwithElizabethGoodMazhariandKarenThornton.
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship
MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu
JohnKarvounis,DepartmentofElectricaland
ComputerEngineering,HinmanCEO,expected
graduationMay2007
JohnWyrwas,departmentsofElectricaland
ComputerEngineeringandPhysics,HinmanCEO,
expectedgraduationMay2007
WilliamLai,departmentsofComputerScienceand
Mathematics,HinmanCEO,expectedgraduation
May2007
PeterOrlicki,departmentsofFinanceandElectrical
andComputerEngineering,HinmanCEO,expected
graduationMay2007
Young Alumni Category
First Place—$15,000 Winner: Affiliate Classroom
providesanonlinetrainingfacilityforweb-based
affiliatemarketing,arisk-freeformofadvertising
throughwhichanonlinemerchantrewardsanaffiliate
siteforeveryvisitor,subscriber,and/orcustomer
referredtothemerchant—muchlikeafinder’sfee.
AnikSingal,Founder&CEO,UniversityofMaryland
alumnus,May2005,FinancemajorandHinman
CEO
Runner-Up, $3,000 Winner: Vforeisdeveloping
acontent-basedimageorganizerandsearchengine
capableoffindingimagesbasedontheircontent—the
objectsorpeopleintheimages—firstasadesktop-
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basedimageorganizer,andthenasanInternet-based
searchengine.
GauravAgarwal,alumnus,master’sdegree,
DepartmentofElectricalandComputer
Engineering,2005
SameerShirdhonkar,Ph.D.candidate,Department
ofComputerScience,expectedgraduation2008
Finalistswereselectedfrom16semifinalistsand58
initialentries.
Judgesfortheeventwere:HenryAhn,Program
Manager,TechnologyFundingPrograms,Maryland
TechnologyDevelopmentCorporation;ElizabethGood
Mazhari,ManagingDirector,MarylandVentureFund;
RichHarris,ManagingDirector,SpaceVest;KarlRenner,
Principal,Fish&RichardsonP.C.;andSteveMcVearry,
MemberoftheBusinessandFinanceSection,Mintz,
Levin,Cohn,Ferris,GlovskyandPopeo.
TheUM$50KBusinessPlanCompetitionis
sponsoredbytheMarylandDepartmentofBusiness
andEconomicDevelopment,Mintz,Levin,Cohn,Ferris,
GlovskyandPopeo,andFish&RichardsonP.C.
Thecompetition,nowinitssixthyear,has
historicallyawardedatotalof$285,000inprizesto
faculty,studentsandalumniwiththebestplansfor
innovativeventures.Previouswinnershavegenerated
millionsinrevenues,grantsandawards.
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I-Receiptsteam,fromlefttoright:MichaelAltmanandSam
Fine,alongwithKarenThorntonandKarlRenner.
AffiliateClassroomteam,fromlefttoright:HelenMontgomery
andAnikSingal,alongwithKarenThorntonandSteveMcVearry.
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�6
A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship
MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu
MTECH ventures, Prince George’s Community College Partner for New, four-Year Entrepreneurship Program$1.7 Million Gift from David H. and Suzanne D. Hillman Family Foundation Creates New InitiativeDavid Hillman believes the future leaders of
Maryland should hunger to find better ways
to do things. By founding the new Hillman
Entrepreneurs Program, Hillman plans to find
those leaders, and prepare them to think in ways
that effect positive change.
“Tomeanentrepreneurisnotnecessarilyaperson
whoownsabusiness,”saidHillman.“Heorshethinks
out-of-the-box,questionsthestatusquo,andtriesto
findnewandbetterwaystodothings.We’retryingto
helpeducatethefutureleadersofourcountry.”
TheHillmanEntrepreneursProgram,officially
launchedthisfall,offersscholarshipsand
entrepreneurshipcoursesforselectstudentswho
begintheireducationatPrinceGeorge’sCommunity
Collegeandcompletetheirbachelor’sdegreeatthe
UniversityofMaryland.MTECHVentureswillmanage
theHillmanProgramattheuniversity.
Thefour-yearHillmanEntrepreneursProgramis
offeredtostudentswhowanttostartabusiness,but
mightnotbeabletopursueacollegecareerwithout
assistance.
“Wehavetwovisionsfortheprogram,”said
Hillman.“First,westartedinPGCounty.Wefeela
strongobligationtosupportthecommunity.Second,
webelieveentrepreneurialthinkingisonewayto
influencethefutureofPGCounty,Marylandandour
regioninapositiveway.
“That’sthe
waywerunour
business[Southern
Management
Corporation].We’re
alearningcompany
thatoffersgoal-
orientedtechnical
training,aswell
asprofessional
andmanagement
development
experiencestoour
employees.We
teachpeopletothink
entrepreneurially,and
tocraveandthrive
onresponsibility.
Peoplerespondtothewaythey’retreated.Ifyou
givethemthetoolstoexcel,theywillexcel.”
StudentsintheHillmanEntrepreneurProgram
maypursueanycourseofstudyexceptpre-law.
HillmanEntrepreneursreceivespecialcoursework
andprogramstonurturetheirentrepreneurialskills
andspirit;intensivementoring;businessinternship
opportunities;meritscholarshipsof$500atPGCCand
$1,000atMaryland;andneed-basedscholarshipsto
coverupto100percentoftheannualcostfortuition
andbooks.
Twentysecond-yearPrinceGeorge’sCommunity
Collegestudentsenteredtheprogramthisfall;new
first-yearstudentswillalsobeselectedinspring2007
forthenextcohort.Thefirstclasswilltransferto
Marylandinfall2007.
Duringthesubsequentthreeyearsofthepilot
program,upto30studentswillentertheHillman
EntrepreneursProgrameachfallasfirst-yearPGCC
students.Thesestudentswillbeselectedfromapool
ofhighlyqualifiedstudentsacceptedforenrollmentat
PrinceGeorge’sCommunityCollege.
“Thisnewprogrammeansalottome,”saidHillman
EntrepreneursstudentChaeClark,whoisamemberof
HillmanEntrepreneursstudent
TrevorYoung.
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship
MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu
theScience,Technology,Engineering,andMath(STEM)
CollegianCenteratPrinceGeorge’sCommunity
Collegeanddirectoroffinanceandbudgetforthe
school’sStudentProgramBoard.
“Ilovebusinessandalwayshaveideasfornew
businesses,”Clarkexplained.“However,peopledon’t
alwayshaveanopportunitytocarryouttheirideas.
BeforeIgotintotheHillmanEntrepreneursProgram,
Iwasn’tsureifIwouldbeabletorealizemygoalsand
transfertoafour-yearschool.TheHillmansarethe
reasonI’mgettingintoMaryland,”saidClark,whosent
DavidHillmananotethankinghimforhis“generosity”
and“forcreatingsuchaworthwhileprogram.”
Hillmanbelievestheworthoftheprogramisa
combinationofthevalueofafour-yeardegreeandthe
characteritwillbuild.
“Wewanttotakepeopleinthisprogram,who
maynothaveanotheropportunity,andgettheman
education,”saidHillman.“Wealsowanttogivethem
theconfidencetofail,totry,towalkdifferentthan
anybodyelse.
“Wewanttocreatewell-roundedpeoplewhocan
changetheworld,”hecontinued.“We’renotjustwriting
acheckandwalkingaway.Wehopeit’ssosuccessful
thateveryotherlocalcompanywillwanttoemulateit.”
www.hillman.umd.edu
DavidHillman,right,LisaRawlings,programdirectorfortheHillmanProgramatPGCC,andtheinauguralprogramclass.
HillmanstudentChaeClark,MTECHDirectorHerbRabin,
UniversityofMarylandHillmanProgramDirectorKaren
Thornton,andHillmanstudentKizzahKnight.
HillmanEntrepreneursinauguralclass.
Photosb
yM
ikeM
organ
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Trufina Expands, Builds Product, PartnershipsTrufinaInc.,anonlineIdentityVerificationand
managementservicecompanyjoiningtheMTECH
Venturesportfolioin2004,hasprogressedsignificantly
inthepastninemonths.
Trufinaallowsconsumerstoselfverifytheir
personalinformation,aswellasmanyotherattributes
oftheiridentity,andhavecompletecontroloverwho
hasaccesstotheirinformation.Byputtingusersin
controloftheirowninformation,Trufinaprovidesa
uniquewaytoestablishtrustonlineandbuildtrusted
communities.
RecentTrufinahighlightsinclude:
New Hires to Executive Team
KurtBaumann,GaigePaulsen,DonnaHemmert,and
NickKovacichavejoinedTrufina,enablingthecompany
toexpanditsefforts,specificallyintheareaofsales
andmarketing.
Product ExpansionAdded new ID management capabilities.
Trufinamemberscannowcreatevarious‘ID
Cards’andsharethemwithanyonetheywish.
Completed and launched an affiliate program
(affiliate.trufina.com).Trufinasignedupits
firstseveralaffiliatepartners.Thisprogram
utilizesbannerads,trackingoforiginating
URLs,andpaymenttoaffiliates.Thecompany
alsooptimizeditssiteforGooglesearches,is
usingGoogleAdwords,andisintheprocessof
joiningseveralotheraffiliateprograms(suchas
CommissionJunctionandAzoogle).
Relaunched Trufina Web site in August.The
siteisnowmoretailoredtotheendconsumer.
TrufinahasalsobuiltoutitsPartnersection,
andiscontinuingtoimproveandenhance
uponit.
Working on implementations of OpenID
and Cardspace.Thesetwopotentiallygreat
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technologies
willallowTrufina
membersto
sharetheirID’s
withmoresites.
Themorethey
areadopted,the
moreTrufinawill
benefit.
Developing
custodial
accounts,
allowing
parents them to
set up Trufina accounts for their children.This
functionalitywillalsohavebusinessapplications
(i.e,aCEOcangetverifiedandthencreate
accountsforallhis/hercolleagues).Trufina
planstousethisfeaturetocreatemarketing
campaignsdirectedatparents,aswellas
teenagersatMyspace.com.
Trufina is implementing a renewal process for
users;thiswillbethebasisforthecompany’s
periodicre-verificationofusers’identitydata.
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NewTrufinaWebsite:
www.trufina.com
Trufina featured on CBS Early Show, in Wall Street Journal
TrufinaInc.wasfeaturedontheCBS Early Showon
Saturday,August19.
ReginaLewis,AOLConsumerAdvisor,talkedabout
thechallengesoftrustontheInternetasitrelates
toonlinedating,socialnetworks(suchasmyspace.
com),andontheInternetingeneral.Reginaexplained
howservicessuchasTrufinacanvalidatetheidentity
Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies
MTECH VenturesTAP
Technology Advancement Program
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
CapturesoftheCBSandWall
StreetJournalstoriesabout
Trufina
Innovative Biosensors Receives The Daily Record’s �006 Innovator of the Year AwardInnovativeBiosensorsInc.(IBI),
anMTECHVenturesportfolio
companydevelopingrapid,
ultra-sensitiveteststodetect
harmfulpathogens,announced
thatitisoneofseveral
recipientsofThe Daily Record’s
InnovatoroftheYear2006Award.
DuringaSeptember27reception,IBI’sPresident
andCEO,JoeHernandez,andIBI’sscientificteamwere
recognizedforcontributionstopathogendetection.
IBI’sversatileCANARY™technologywasdevelopedby
scientistsatMIT;IBI’sscientistsnowworkcloselywith
MITtoadaptthetechnologytotheneedsofvarious
industriesinneedofrapiddetection.
“ItisanhonorforthedevelopmenteffortsofMIT
ofpersonsyouare
interactingwithonthe
Internet.
WithTrufina,
identityinformationis
verifiedsouserscan
trustthataTrufinauser
iswhotheysaythey
are.
Trufinawasalso
featuredinThe Wall
Street Journalearlier
thisfall;thearticleis
linkedfromtheTrufina
Website.
www.trufina.com
andIBIscientiststoberecognizedbyThe Daily Record,
anaward-winningpaperwithadistinguishedhistory,”
saidJoeHernandez,IBI’sFounderandCEO.“Our
rapid,ultra-sensitiveCANARY™technologywillenable
ustorevolutionizepathogentestingintheindustries
weserve,suchashumanclinicaldiagnosticsand
biodefense.”
InnovativeBiosensorsisaalsoaMarylandIndustrial
Partnerships(MIPS)Programfundingrecipient.
Innovative Biosesors Expands A Round financing to Total of $6.�� MillionInnovativeBiosensors
Inc.(IBI),anMTECH
Venturesportfolio
companydeveloping
rapid,ultra-sensitive
teststodetectharmful
pathogens,today
announcedthatithas
expandeditsARound
to$6.25millionintotal
financingwithadditionalinvestors,includingChart
VenturePartnersandCNFInvestments,LLC,anaffiliate
ofClarkEnterprises,Inc.(CEI).
InMay2005,IBIcloseditsfirstroundofSeriesA
financing,whichwasledbyHarbertVenturePartners.
OtherinvestorsinthatroundincludedtheNewMarkets
GrowthFundandtheMarylandVentureFund.
Thecompanywillusetheadditionalfinancingto
fundthedevelopmentofhumanclinicalassaysand
commercializationofbiodefensetestingproducts.
Inconjunctionwiththeadditionalfinancing,IBIwill
welcomeJosephDelGuercioofCNFInvestments,LLC,
andColeVanNice,ofChartVenturePartners,tothe
BoardofDirectors.
www.innovativebiosensors.com
Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies
MTECH VenturesTAP
Technology Advancement Program
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�0
DataStream Content Solutions Grows from TAPCompany is Second to Join MTECH Technology Ventures BuildingWhen DataStream Content Solutions LLC joined
the Technology Advancement Program in 2000,
few imagined it would increase its revenue more
than ten fold in five years, as well as create 20
new high-tech jobs.
Thatgrowthhasdriventhecompanytoacquire
newofficespaceintheMTECHTechnologyVentures
Building,thefirstcorporatespaceofferedinthe
UniversityofMaryland’sMSquareresearchpark.
“Thisisfantastic,permanentspacewithroom
forustodoubleourstaffagain,”saidDataStream
PresidentMarkAnstey.“Theresearchparkisaperfect
location—withexcellentaccesstoroadandrail
transportation,aswellasitsproximitytotheUniversity
fortechnologyandstaffingpurposes.”
Thenewoffices,occupyingtheentiretopfloorof
theTechnologyVenturesBuilding,featureacapacious
5,500squarefeetofmeetingrooms,workspaces,and
administrativeoffices,repletewithpanoramicviewsof
thehistoricCollegeParkAirport.
DataStreamspecializesinapplyingeXtensible
MarkupLanguage,orXML,tomanytypesofdata,
helpingmanageorrepurposethatdataforWeb
publishing,hardcopydistribution,reportgeneration,
orforpopulatingdatabases.XMLtaggingmakesdata
accessibleacrossawiderangeofmachineplatforms,
accordingtoAnstey.
DataStream’ssuccessstemsfromthecompany’s
abilitytodelivercriticalinformationquicklyand
accurately.Overthepastfiveyears,thecompany
hasplayedanimportantroleinbuildingadvanced
legislativedatasystemsfortheboththeU.S.House
ofRepresentativesandSenate.DataStreamhaswon
moreXML-basedcontractswiththelegislativebranch
thananyothercompanyintheWashingtonarea,
accordingtoAnstey.
DataStream’scustomersalsoincludeLexis-Nexis,
GuideStar,andCongressionalQuarterly.
In2004,DataStreamacquiredPotomacPublishing,
enablingtheparentcompanytobecomeanelectronic
publisherinitsownright.DataStreamthentook
PotomacPublishing’soriginalasset,anelectronic
databaseoffederalstatutesdatingbacktothefirst
U.S.Congressin1789,andexpandeditintoanonline
servicewithexpansiveadditionalcontent,including
agroundbreakinglegislativeimpacttoolthatoffers
real-timeanalysisofhowproposedfederallegislation
impactsexistinglaw.
CongressionalQuarterly,oneofthecountry’s
oldestnewsorganizationsspecializingincovering
federallegislation,licensedPotomacPublishing’s
legislativeimpactproductandlauncheditonCQ.com
inJuly,2006.
“2007isshapinguptobeanexcitingyear,”said
Anstey.Wehavenewopportunitiesinthefinancial
servicesandlegalpublishingindustries.We’re
expectingrevenueandemploymenttodoubleagain
overthenextyear.”
www.dscs.com
www.potomacpublishing.com
Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies
MTECH VenturesTAP
Technology Advancement Program
DataStreamPresidentMarkAnsteyandChiefInformation
OfficerEdSchulke
PhotobyRonSolomon
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND �1
Applied Media Analysis Inc. Joins TAPCompany’s Technology Enables Smart Vision in Mobile DevicesBy Lindsay Mize
Applied Media Analysis Inc., a company
developing advanced mobile vision technologies
for handheld devices, joined the Technology
Advancement Program (TAP), a leading venture
incubator partnering with entrepreneurs to build
early-stage companies, this fall.
“TAPhasanexcellenttrackrecordofassisting
companieswithbusinessdevelopmentandfund-
raising,”saidDr.DavidDoermann,co-founderand
presidentofAMA,andco-directoroftheLaboratory
forLanguageandMediaProcessingintheUniversityof
Maryland’sInstituteforAdvancedComputerStudies.
“Welookforwardtogrowingourbusinessalongwith
TAP’stalentedteam.”
AMA’spatent-pendingtechnologygivescamera-
enabledhandhelddevicessmartvision—enablingthem
totranslatedocuments,enlargetextforthevisually
impaired,readandtranslatesigns,scanbusiness
cards,readandprocessbarcodes,andbothreadand
interpretmedicationinstructions.
“Peoplehavetraditionallyusedcameraphones
tosnaplow-qualitypicturesande-mailthemto
friends,”saidScottLaughlin,directoroftheuniversity’s
VentureAcceleratorProgram.“WithAMA’sapplications,
youcannowuseyourcamera-enabledphoneorPDA
todonewandusefulthings,suchasreadingbarcodes
andtranslatingforeigntext.Thecompanyisopeninga
newrealmforinexpensive,consumermobiledevices.”
Whenimagesneedtobeanalyzedorused,they
aretypicallysenttoacomputertodotheprocessing,
accordingtoLaughlin.AMA’ssoftwaremakesthis
possibleonresource-limiteddevices.
“It’sveryeasytoperformcomputervisionifyou
havesubstantialprocessingpower,consistentlightfor
imaging,andaknownsymbology,”saidLaughlin.“AMA
isworkingonthe
veryhardendofthe
spectrum—using
bothlowprocessor
powerandacamera
functioningwithout
aconsistentlight
beam.AnAMA-
enabledmobile
devicecaninterpret
anythingit’slookingat,aslongasyoutellitwhatit’s
lookingfor.”
AMAhasreceived$1.5millioningrantandresearch
fundingtomoveitstechnologyforward.Funding
agencies,throughSmallBusinessInnovativeResearch
(SBIR)programgrants,includetheU.S.Army,Defense
AdvancedResearchProjectsAgency,NationalScience
Foundation,DepartmentofEducation,andNational
InstitutesofHealth.
AMArecentlyunveileditsnewV-Code(video
code)product.V-Codeenablesbothbusinessesand
consumerstousecamera-enabledmobiledevices
forrapidlyextractingandviewinginformationfrom
two-dimensionalproductbarcodes—includingreviews,
coupons,pricesandsalesinformation.Video2D
barcodesalsogivecommercialvendorstheabilityto
packmoreinformationintoaproduct’sbarcode.
ThesecondproductAMAplanstolaunchisa
commerciallanguagetranslator,whichwillinstantly
translatethetextofanythingphotographedbya
mobiledevice.Theproductisslatedforamid-January
release.
AMAenteredtheuniversity’sVentureAccelerator
Program,whichoffersfacultyandstudentinventors
intense,hands-onbusinessassistance,lastyear.The
companyrecentlygraduatedintoTAP.
“TAPiscommittedtohelpingAMAexecute
itsbusinessplan,”saidSarahDjamshidi,associate
directorforTAP.“Ourgoalsaretospecificallyfocus
onincrementalfund-raisingandaugmentingthe
company’smanagementteam.”
www.appliedmediaanalysis.com
RenderingofAMA’sV-Code
technologyforcamera-enabled
devices
Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies
MTECH VenturesTAP
Technology Advancement Program
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies
MTECH VenturesTAP
Technology Advancement Program
Guardian Angel for firefightersCompany Developing Advanced Tracking and Monitoring Technology Joins TAPBy Megan Hartley
TRX Systems Inc., a company developing
technology to monitor firefighters, joined the
Technology Advancement Program’s portfolio in
November.
Onceafirefighterbursts
throughthecharredframe
ofaburningbuilding,each
secondspentlookingfor
victimscouldbedeadly.With
thehelpofTRXSystems’
FireSentinelSystem,fellow
fightersfromtheoutside
canmonitorthepositionand
movementoftheirembedded
co-workers.
“TheTRXSentinelBaseStationcanseenotonly
wherefirefightersare,butalsotheirphysicalstatus,
includingwhetherthey’vebeenhitbysomething,or
havefallenthroughafloorandarelyingontheirback,”
saidBenFunk,vicepresidentofdevelopmentforTRX
Systems.
TAPwillgivetheemergingcompanythespace
andmentorshipneededtoevolveintoasuccessful
venture.
“Ourduediligenceindicatestheirtechnology
exceedsanyproductcurrentlyofferedonthemarket,”
saidSarahDjamshidi,associatedirectorofTAP.“Our
initialfocuswillbetohelpTRXSystemsraisecapital
andexpanditsbusinessdevelopmentteam—bothwith
thegoalofenablingthecompanytorapidlybringits
producttomarket.”
Approximately100firefightersdieeach
yearinthelineofduty,accordingtotheU.S.Fire
Administration.TheterroristattacksofSeptember
11,whichclaimedthelivesof343paramedicsand
firefighters,spurredtheDepartmentofHomeland
Securitytorequestdevicesthattrackrescue
professionalsindoors.
AccurateindoortrackingmakestheTRXFire
Sentinelunique.ThesystemcombinesGPS—which
onlyworksoutdoors—withaninertialnavigation
unit—whichworksindoorsandoutdoors—tocreatean
integratedtrackingsystemforallenvironments.
“Inertialnavigationwasoriginallyusedon
missilesandairplanes,butwiththehelpofMEMS
technologyweareableto
compactitintothesize
ofapager,”saidGilmer
Blankenship,chairman
ofTRXSystemsanda
professorintheDepartment
ofElectricalandComputer
Engineering.
WhentheTRXFire
Sentinelbasestationdetects
thatafirefighterisaboutto
walkintoadangerousarea,
itcansendanevacuationsignal.Firefighterscanalso
sendalarmswhentheygetintotrouble.
“Wehavedevelopedtechnologytodirectly
communicatewiththefirefighters,butourtoppriorities
aretrackingandlocating,”saidBlankenship.
TRXSystemshasreceivedcontractsfrom
theNationalSecurityAgency,theNationalScience
Foundation,TEDCO,andTechno-Sciences,Inc.fora
totalsumofmorethan$700,000.
“WorkingwithTAPestablishesusasalegitimate
start-upcompany,sowedon’tlooklikeguys
workingoutofagaragetopotentialinvestors,”said
Blankenship.“Alotofpeopleareanxioustoacquire
thislifesavingtechnology;Ihavehadcallsfrom
SingaporeandtheUKrequestingit.”
TRX’smanagementteamalsoincludesPresident
NeilGoldsman,aprofessorintheDepartmentof
ElectricalandComputerEngineering,andVice
PresidentCaroleTeolis.
www.trxsystems.com
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
Pixelligent wins �006 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year AwardPixelligent Technologies LLC,
an MTECH Ventures portfolio
company developing nano-
materials for semiconductor
lithography, received the 2006
New Incubator Company of
the Year Award.
Theawardwasoneofsix
presentedattheannualMaryland
IncubatorCompaniesoftheYearAwardsinJune.
Judgesconsideredeachcompany’stechnology
orproductdevelopment;increaseinemployee
numbers;growthinrevenueorearnings;engagement
ofsignificantcustomersandstrategicpartners;
technologytransfer;receiptofawardsorgrants;
attractionofoutsideinvestors;innovation;
selfsufficiency;impactontheregion;andabilitytouse
anincubator’sservices.toitsinformation.
TheawardsweresponsoredbytheMaryland
DepartmentofBusinessandEconomicDevelopment
(DBED),theMarylandTechnologyDevelopment
Corporation,RSMMcGladrey,Inc.,andSaulEwingLLP
Pixelligenthasdevelopedproprietarynano-
materialswhichdramaticallyextendtheusefullife
ofsemiconductoropticallithographyinfrastructure
withoutsignificantcapitalexpenditures.
StartedbyGregoryCooper,aUniversityof
Marylandalumnus(Ph.D.,physics),Pixelligenthas
raisedover$2millioninfundingandcompleted
multiplestrategicpartnershipswithleading
semiconductormaterialsfirms.
Pixelligentwasalsoselectedasasummer2006
MIPSfundingrecipient.
www.pixelligent.com
AnthroTronix to be Mentored by Lockheed MartinMTECH Ventures
portfolio graduate
AnthroTronix Inc.
will be mentored by
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for three years in
developing a robot control system through a $1.9-
million, three-year contract awarded by the U.S.
Department of Defense Joint Robotics Office.
Undertheagreement,LockheedMartinAdvanced
TechnologyLaboratories(ATL)willhelpAnthroTronix,
asmall,privatelyheld,woman-ownedbusinessin
SilverSpring,Md.,developaJointArchitecturefor
UnmannedSystems(JAUS)-compliantrobotcontrol
system.CalledtheMulti-PurposeAutonomousTeaming
ControlofHeterogeneousRobots(MATCH),thesystem
willcontrolheterogeneousteamsofrobotsperforming
diversesetsofforce-protectiontasksforAirForce
ResearchLaboratory.
SponsoredbytheDoD’sofficeofsmallbusiness
programs,theMentor-ProtegeProgramprovides
incentivesforlargedefensecontractorstoshare
knowledgewithsmallanddisadvantagedbusinesses,
organizationsthathirepeoplewithseveredisabilities,
andminority-ownedsmallbusinesses.Theprogram
enhancestheabilityofprotegecompaniestowin
contractsandhelpthearmedforcestransformintoa
moreagile,versatile,survivableandsustainableforce.
Theprogramalsohelpseligibleprotegestransition
fromsubcontractorstoprimecontractors.
“TheentireteamatAnthroTronixisexcitedabout
workingwithoneofthenation’spremierdefense
contractorstosupportthechallengingandimportant
needsoftheJointRoboticsProgram,”saidDr.Corinna
Lathan,AnthroTronixpresident,co-founderandchief
executiveofficer.“Welookforwardtoasuccessfuland
prosperouspartnership.”
www.anthrotronix.com
Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies
MTECH VenturesTAP
Technology Advancement Program
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
ventureAccelerator: A Tale of Two Burgeoning CompaniesJust one year after joining the VentureAccelerator
Program, Affiliate Classroom is positioned to earn
more than $1 million in revenue this year. The
company has expanded its product line and is
well-positioned to lead its industry.
AppliedMedia
AnalysisInc.haswon
three,phase-oneSmall
BusinessInnovation
Researchgrants,hired
fiveemployees(including
adirectorofbusiness
development),released
asoftwaredevelopment
kit,focuseditsbusiness
model,andwasaccepted
intotheTechnology
AdvancementProgram.
Intense, hands-on assistance for faculty and students launching new technology ventures
MTECH VenturesVentureAccelerator
VentureAccelerator Program
Affiliate Classroom
Founded
2004;joinedVAin2005
Who’s in charge
AnikSingal,Founder&CEO,UniversityofMaryland
alumnus,May2005,financemajorandHinmanCEO
Web site
www.affiliateclassroom.com
Big Idea
“Theideawastoprovideatrainingcommunityforone
ofthefastestgrowingmarketingchannelsintheworld.
Wewantedtobuildaprofessionalcommunitywhere
everyonecouldhelpeachothergrow,”saidAnikSingal,
presidentandfounderofAffiliateClassroom.
How it works
AffiliateClassroomprovidesanonlinetrainingfacility
forweb-basedaffiliatemarketing,arisk-freeformof
advertisingthroughwhichanonlinemerchantrewards
anaffiliatesiteforeveryvisitor,subscriber,and/or
customerreferredtothemerchant—muchlikeafinder’s
fee.
“Wekeepourmembersup-to-datewithallthelatest
changesintheindustryandteachthemhowtheycan
increaseproductionthroughbetterconversationsand
moretrafficgeneration,”saidSingal.
Where you see yourself
in five years?
“Weseeourselvesatthe
centeroftheindustry
helpingbringtogether
thevariousplayers
andcreatingprofitable
relationships,”saidSingal.
Funding
“Wearecompletelyboot-
strappedfroma$100
investmentImadeyears
ago,”saidSingal.
Customers
“Sofarwehavehadwell
over10,000customersandareservicingnearly2,000
customersatanypointintime,”saidSingal.
Partnerships
Thecompanyisnegotiatingpotentialcollaborations
withkeyindustrypartners.
How did VentureAccelerator help you?
“VentureAcceleratorvastlyincreasedmyvisionfor
boththebusinessandthemarketopportunity,”said
Singal.“ScottLaughlinhasbeenanimmensehelpin
establishingthecorporatestructureofthecompany
andgettingusreadyforfundinginthenearfuture.”
What’s Next?
“Wearepreparingthecompanyforequityfunding
andalsonetworkingtobringintherightmanagement
group,”saidSingal.
AnikSingal,founderandCEOofAffiliateClassroom,andScott
Laughlin,directorofVentureAccelerator
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
Intense, hands-on assistance for faculty and students launching new technology ventures
MTECH VenturesVentureAccelerator
VentureAccelerator Program
Applied Media Analysis (AMA)
Founded
2000;incorporatedin2004,joinedVAin2005
Who’s in charge
DavidDoerman,co-founderandpresidentofAMA,
co-directoroftheLaboratoryforLanguageandMedia
ProcessingintheUniversityofMaryland’sInstitutefor
AdvancedComputerStudies;HuipingLi,Ph.D:co-
founderandchieftechnologyofficer;AndyBucholz,
directorofbusinessdevelopment.
Web site
www.appliedmediaanalysis.com
Big idea
AMA’spatent-pendingtechnologygivescamera-
enabledhandhelddevicessmartvision—enablingthem
totranslatedocuments,enlargetextforthevisually
impaired,readandtranslatesigns,scanbusiness
cards,readandprocessbarcodes,andbothreadand
interpretmedicationinstructions.
How it works
AMA’ssoftwareenablesresource-constraineddevices,
suchascellphonesandPDAs,toperformcomplex
computervisionanalysis—analyzingimagesand
translatingtextorotherinformation—actionsthat
usuallyrequireapowerfulcomputer.
Funding
AMAhasreceived$1.5millioningrantandresearch
fundingtomoveitstechnologyforward.Funding
agencies,throughSmallBusinessInnovativeResearch
(SBIR)programgrants,includetheU.S.Army,Defense
AdvancedResearchProjectsAgency,NationalScience
Foundation,DepartmentofEducation,andNational
InstitutesofHealth.
How did VentureAccelerator help you?
“VAprimarilyfocusedourbusinessopportunitiesand
allowedustoexplorespecificareasofthemarket,”said
Doerman.“Scotthelpeduslookintoboththeconsumer
andbusiness-to-busines-to-consumermarkets,so
wecanintegrateourproductintoothergroupswho
haveexistingworkflowsolutions.”AMAhasalsofiled
AMA
language
translator
prototype
forprovisionalpatents,hiredfive
employees,wonSBIRs,releasedits
SDKfordevelopers,andenteredTAP.
What’s Next?
IntheFall2006,AMAlauncheda
commercializationarm,MobileAMA,
todrivematureproductstothe
marketplace.Thecompanyalso
releaseditspatent-pendingV-Code
(Video-Code)technologyinearly
December,whichallowscameraphone
userstodownloadcontentdirectly
fromvideo2Dbarcodes.Userswill
beabletopointtheircameraphonesatV-codeto
downloadfileswithoutcables,networks,orpaying
serviceproviders.AMA’ssecondproduct,slatedfor
aJanuraryrelease,willbeacommerciallanguage
translator,whichcaninstantlytranslatethetextof
anythingphotographedbyamobiledevice.
About ventureAcceleratorVentureAcceleratorisaventurecreationassistance
programthatsystematicallyguidestechnical
entrepreneursfrominventiontoventure.Throughits
methodology,VentureAcceleratorhelpsinventors
significantlyreducetheriskoffailureinthecreationof
anewbusinessanditsfirstyearofoperation.
VentureAcceleratordeliversriskreductionbyusing
apowerfulcombinationofbestpractices,mentorship,
networking,leveragedUniversityresourcesandthe
investmentofsocialcapital.
Foundersgenerallytravelthroughtheprogram
within18months.Afterthisperiod,thenewcompany
isexpectedto“graduate”fromtheProgramandeither
competeforfurtherresourcesfromotherMTECH
programssuchTAP,orcommenceoperationsina
commercialenvironment.
www.va.umd.edu
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�6
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
MIPS Projects with Hughes Network Systems, John Baras Create New, Multi-Billion Dollar Internet-Over Satellite IndustryIt seems like yesterday to John Baras. It was 1993.
Though the Internet was known to researchers,
no AOL disks had yet slipped their way into
households. PCs and the Internet had yet to be
married.
ButGermantown-basedHughesNetworkSystems
contributed$20,000incashtoa$43,000project
withBaras,aprofessorintheDepartmentofElectrical
andComputerEngineeringandInstituteforSystems
Research,whichwouldonedaymakebroadband-over-
satelliteInternetpossible.
“NoonethoughttheInternetwouldworkover
satellite,”saidBaras.Theprotocolsjustweren’tmade
forthatmedium.
Fourshortyearslater,in1997,Hugheslaunched
DirecPC(nowcalledHughesNet),thefirstconsumer
product/servicetoofferInternetaccessviasatellite.
Fastforwardto2006.Internet-by-satelliteisnow
anindustryuntoitself.Over2millionbroadbandover
satelliteterminalsareinstalledworldwide,accordingto
JohnKenyon,SeniorVicePresidentforEngineeringat
Hughes.TheprotocolsdevelopedbyBarasandHughes
arenowcalledTIA-1008,astandardadoptedintactby
theEuropeanTelecommunicationsStandardsInstitute.
“Moreterminalsoperateunderthisstandardthan
anyother,”saidKenyon.“We’veshippedoverone
millionterminalsunderthoseprotocols.Ourbusiness
representsabout55percentofthetotalworldwide
businessinbroadbandsatelliteterminals.
“MIPShelpeddevelopnotjustanewproduct,but
anewindustry,”saidKenyon.“Tenyearsagoasatellite
terminalwas$5,000.Todaywe’rebelow$1,000.We’re
ontheroadto$500.”
That’snottomentionHughes’growth.
“Overtime,we’veprobablygeneratedwithinthe
stateofMaryland,alargeshareofourrevenue”said
Kenyon.Severalbillionofthatcanbedirectlycredited
totheworkdonethroughMIPS.Weemploy1,500
peoplehereinthestate.Manyofthemareworking
onbusinessesrelatedtothis
technology.
“IfAnnapolislooksatthe
valueoftheMIPSprogramto
Marylandcompaniesandthe
Marylandeconomy,they’ve
donealot,”saidKenyon.
Buteconomicimpactisn’t
thewholestory,saidBaras.
“VincentCerfwasjusthere[at
theUniversity]talkingabout
theInternetcoveringthe
planet.That’swhatwewere
doing.Satellitesarethekey.
“MIPS helped develop not just a new product, but a new industry.”
—JohnKenyon,seniorvicepresidentfor
engineering,HughesNetwoorkSystems
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
“Over time, we’ve probably generated within the state of Maryland, a large share of our revenue” said kenyon. Several billion of that can be directly credited to the work done through MIPS. we employ 1,�00 people here in the state. Many of them are working on businesses related to this technology.”
—JohnKenyon,seniorvicepresidentfor
engineering,HughesNetwoorkSystems
Theycanprovidestrongsupportfordisasterrelief,e-
government,e-health,e-commerce,ande-education.”
HughesrecentlypartneredwithMicrosofttobring
5,000broadband-enabledkioskstoruralpartsofIndia.
HughesisalsorollingoutbroadbandInternetaccessin
800schoolsinBrazil.
Formerelectricalengineeringgraduatestudent
AaronFalkworkedwithBarasandHughes’DougDillon
toturnconventionalwisdomonitsheadanddevelop
asymmetricInternetprotocols—whichsenddatato
thesatelliteat
onespeed,and
downtoamodem
atanother—for
useoversatellite.
Prevailingtheory
atthetimeheld
thatlonglatency
wouldmakethis
impossible.
“Inonesense
youcouldsaythat
thebreakthrough
ontheprotocols
basicallycreated
thiswhole
industry,”said
Kenyon.
“WeopenedupInternetoversatellite,”saidBaras.
“Itwaspioneeringatthetime.Peoplewerethinkingof
satellitesforlong-haulvoicecallsandtelevision.We
basicallyusedthesatellitesasanodeovertheInternet.”
TheworkalsogaveBarasthechancetowork
onsomethingthatwentstraightintoacommercial
product.
“ItwastremendoustoworkwithHughesbecause
wecouldtakeourtheoriesandimplementandtest
themrightaway,”saidBaras.“Wegottoinnovateand
gostraighttoindustry.
“Theprojectgaveusthetraditionalacademic
rewardsofpapersandresearch,butweweresolvinga
problempeoplethoughtcouldnotbedone.”
Over30paperswerepublishedasaresultof
theMIPSworkwithHughes,accordingtoBaras.
Hugheshasconducted15totalMIPSprojectswiththe
university.
FalknowchairstheInternetResearchTask
Force,whichpromotesresearchofimportanceto
theevolutionofthefutureInternet.Hehaschaired
theInternetEngineeringTaskForce(IETF)’sworking
groupsonTCPoverSatellite,PerformanceImplications
ofLinkCharacteristics,andDatagramCongestion
ControlProtocol.
www.hns.com
Other Successful Products MIPS Projects Have Contributed To
Company ProductRevenue/Sales
Martek
Biosciences
DHAandARA
nutritionaloils
$784.5million
MedImmune Synagis® $6billion
Black&Decker Bullet®Speed
TipMasonry
DrillBit
$21billion
(total2001-2005
PowerTools
andAccessories
sales)
ProfessorJohnBaras
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
MIPS Receives $1 Million funding IncreaseUp to 22 More Md. Companies, Faculty Could Benefit AnnuallyThe state of Maryland backed a high-
yield economic development initiative, the
Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS)
program, in 2006 with a $1 million funding
increase.
Theincreaseextendsthereachofaprogram
witha$12.1billioneconomicimpactonthe
Marylandeconomybyalmosttwofold.
MIPSselectsabout32researchprojectseach
yearteaminguniversityfacultywithMaryland
companiestodevelopcommercialproducts.The
approvedincreasenearlydoublestheprogram’s
$1.3millionannualbudget,enablingthesupport
ofupto22additionalprojectsyearly.
MIPShasasuccessfultrackrecordof
leveraginguniversityexpertisetohelpMaryland
companiesinnovateandbringtechnologiesto
market.
MartekBiosciences,HughesNetwork
Systems,MedImmuneInc.,andBlack&Decker—
eachhaveproductsthatbenefitedfromMIPS
projectswithMarylandfaculty.
MIPSsupportedMartekduringitsearly
stages,beforethecompanygeneratedover
$500millioninrevenuefromitspatented
Omega-3oils,whichappearinnearlyevery
majorinfantformulaproductintheU.S.
“Whenweweredevelopingtheorganism
thatmadeourprimaryproduct,wedidn’tknow
anythingaboutfermentation,andwedidn’t
havethenecessaryequipment,”saidHenry
LinsertJr.,Martek’sformerchairmanandchief
executiveofficer.“ThroughMIPS,wewere
abletoworkwiththeuniversity’sBioprocessScale-Up
Facilityanddeveloptheearly,small-scalefermentation
thatwelaterscaledupformakinghundredsand
millionsofdollarsofthisstuff.”
MIPS-developedtechnologieshavecontributed
toproductsgeneratingover$9.8billioninrevenue,
includingHughes’andMartek’sproducts,MedImmune’s
Synagis,alineofBlack&Decker’smasonrydrillbits,
andNavmarAppliedSciences’unmannedaerial
vehicles.
Annapolis-basedQuantumSailDesignGroup,
thenumbertwosailmakerintheworld,usesMIPS-
developedtechnologiesinnearlyallofitssails.
MIPShassupported512differentresearchprojects
teamingfacultywith345differentMarylandcompanies
since1987.Theprogramhasfundedjustunderhalfof
allproposalssubmitted.
MIPS’$26millioninfundingoverthattimeperiod
wasmatchedby$110millionincashandin-kind
contributionsfromMarylandcompanies—leveraging
theprogram’sresourcesbya5.2:1ratio.
Companiesofallsizesfrommanypartsofthestate
haveparticipated,ashavefacultyfromnearlyallofthe
UniversitySystemofMaryland’s13institutions.
MIPSprojectsarefundedtwiceyearly.
ProductscontainingMartek’sDHAomega-3fattyacid
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
Round �� MIPS ProjectsProjectscommencinginAugust,2006arelistedbelow.
University key:UMCP=UniversityofMaryland,College
Park;UMB=UniversityofMaryland,Baltimore;UMBC=
UniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty;UMBI=University
ofMarylandBiotechnologyInstitute;UMCES=University
ofMarylandCenterforEnvironmentalScience;UMES=
UniversityofMarylandEasternShore.
�CLogic Inc. (Rockville):developingenterprise-level
productstomonitorandmanagethepeer-to-peer
(P2P)trafficusedbyInternettelephonyandSkypeon
computernetworks.
UniversityPI:Dr.NeilSpring,AssistantProfessor,
ComputerScience,UMCP.
ACAGI Inc. (frederick):buildingaportablevideo
camerasystemwithreal-timefacerecognition,aswell
aslivemarkingandindexingforimmediatearchival.
UniversityPI:Dr.RamaChellappa,Professor,UMIACS
andElectrical&ComputerEngineering,UMCP.
Alba Therapeutics Inc. (Baltimore):examining
approachesforenhancingoral,nasal,andpulmonary
drugdeliveryusingAlba’stight-junctiontechnology.
UniversityPI:Dr.JamesNataro,Professor,Pediatrics,
UMB.
Ariavax, Inc. (Gaithersburg):developinganovel
vaccineagainsturinarytractinfection,oneofthemost
commonbacterialinfectionsintheU.S.,affecting
nearlyoneinthreewomenbytheageof24.
UniversityPI:Dr.JamesNataro,Professor,Pediatrics,
UMB.
AviHome LLC (Hebron):engineeringaventilatedfloor
system,retrofittedtoexistingpoultryhouses,thatwill:
controlmoisturelevelsinthebedding;reduceammonia
emissions;inhibitbacteriagrowth,fungusandinsects;
andpreventnutrientseepageintogroundwater.More
than88,000poultryhousesoperateintheU.S.,with
5,430growerhousesintheDelmarvaPeninsulaalone.
UniversityPI:Dr.JeannieHarter-Dennis,Associate
Professor,Agriculture,UMES.
axonX LLC (Sparks):testinganew,video-based
smoke,flame,andmotiondetectionsystemtoprovide
earlywarningforfiresandfewerfalsealarms.
UniversityPI:Dr.JamesMilke,AssociateProfessor,Fire
ProtectionEngineering,UMCP.
BioAssessments LLC (Elkton):developingasystemto
monitoraperson’ssaltsensitivity,whichcanindicatean
increasedriskofcardiacproblemsandstroke.
UniversityPI:Dr.MandeepMehra,Professor,Medicine,
UMB.
Cardinal Scientific Inc. (Clinton):designingaWeb-
basedinterfaceformanufacturingpartsusingawater-
jetcuttingmachine.
UniersityPI:Dr.SatyandraK.Gupta,Associate
Professor,MechanicalEngineering,UMCP.
Green Eyes LLC (Easton):creatingadevicetoprotect
mooredwaterqualitysensorsfromtheimpairmentand
degradationcausedbythegrowthandactivityofliving
organisms(biofouling).
UniversityPI:Dr.LouisA.Codispoti,Research
Professor,UMCES.
InvisiTrack (Annapolis):buildingasystemfor
thepredictionandearlydetectionoflandslides.
InvisiTrack’swirelesssensingtechnology,whichisalso
applicabletoothermarkets,worksthroughconcrete
walls,foliage,anddensefogatover2,000feet,giving
itdistinctadvantagesoverGPSandRFID.
UniversityPI:Dr.TonyFarquhar,AssociateProfessor,
MechanicalEngineering,UMBC.
In vitro Technologies (Baltimore):optimizing
methodsforisolatingandpreservingfishlivercells
(hepatocytes),whichcanbeusedcommerciallytotest
theenvironmentaltoxicityofindustrialcompounds
suchasfertilizers,herbicides,andinsecticides.
UniversityPI:Dr.AndrewKane,Director,Aquatic
PathobiologyCenter,Epidemiology&Preventive
Medicine,UMB.
Lentigen Corporation (Baltimore):creatingnew
modelstotreatlung-baseddiseasessuchaslung
cancer,pneumonia,asthma,fibrosisandemphysema
usinglentiviralvectors,powerfulsystemsfordelivering
genesintomammaliancells.
UniversityPI:Dr.RicardoA.Feldman,Associate
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�0
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
axonX’svideo-basedsmoke,flame,andmotion
detectionsystem.
Professor,MicrobiologyandImmunology,UMB.
Neocera Inc. (Beltsville):prototypingtechniquesfor
fabricatingsuper-hard,hydrogen-free,diamond-like
carboncoatings.Thehigh-wear-resistant,low-friction,
corrosion-resistantcoatings
couldbeusedforengineand
machineparts,medicaland
opticaldevices,bearingsand
electronics.
UniversityPI:Dr.R.D.Vispute,
ResearchScientist,Centerfor
SuperconductivityResearch,
Physics,UMCP.
Nora LLC (Baltimore):
developingmanufacturing
andpurificationprotocolsfor
Nora’spatent-pendingtherapy
forrecurrentmiscarriagesand
repeatedinvitrofertilization
failures.
UniversityPI:Dr.JulienneMullaney,ResearchAssociate,
Biochemistry&MolecularBiology,UMB
Pervasive Technology Engineering, LLC (Greenbelt):
testingthecompany’snewlylaunchedfiberoptic
sensor,whichmeasuresminutechangesinacoustic
pressure.Thesensorscangaugethestructuralhealth
oflongbridges,tallandhistoricbuildings,oilandgas
pipes,andotherstructureswheresensordatahasto
travellongdistanceswithoutlosingsignalintegrityand
precision.
UniversityPI:Dr.AbhijitDasgupta,Professor,
MechanicalEngineering,UMCP.
Pharad LLC (Glen Burnie):optimizingPharad’s
portablesystemfordetectingconcealedweapons
onindividualsfromadistance.Thesystemcanbe
usedinavarietyofindoorandoutdoorenvironments,
includingairportconcoursesandpassengertrain
terminals,publicbuildings,stadiums,andretailcenters.
UniversityPI:Dr.K.J.RayLiu,Professor,Electrical&
ComputerEngineering,UMCP.
Prime Circuits Inc. (Potomac):developingfast,three-
dimensionalx-raybaggagescreeningsystemsto
detectexplosives.
UniversityPI:Dr.MartinPeckerar,Professor,Electrical&
ComputerEngineering,UMCP
Profectus BioSciences
Inc. (Baltimore):support
foraclinicalstudy
investigatingthepotentialof
immunomodulatingagentsin
earlyHIVtherapy.
UniversityPI:Dr.GeorgeLewis,
DivisionDirector,Vaccines,
UMBI/IHV,UMBI.
Promogen Inc.
(Gaithersburg):optimizing
Promogen’stechnologyto
producecancer-targeting
genepromoterstotreat
neuroblastomaandprostate
cancer.Cancer-targetinggenepromoterscanswitchon
genesincancercellstokillthem,whileleavinghealthy
cellsalone.
UniversityPI:Dr.DeanMann,Professor,Pathology,
UMB.
Quantum Molecular Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda):
developinganewradiationsensorthatcould
significantlyreducethesizeandcostofpositron
emissiontomography(PET)scanners.PETisanuclear
medicinemedicalimagingtechniquethatproducesa
three-dimensionalimageoffunctionalprocessesinthe
body.
UniversityPI:Dr.PamelaAbshire,Director,Integrated
BiomorphicInformationSystemsLab,Departmentof
ElectricalandComputerEngineeringandInstitutefor
SystemsResearch,UMCP.
vivaLac Inc. (Brookeville):evaluatingthelowcaloric
valueandglycemicindexroleofVivaLac’snatural,
alternativesweetener,WheyLow®.
UniversityPI:Dr.ThomasW.Castonguay,Professor,
Nutrition&FoodScience,UMCP.
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND �1
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
K.J.RayLiu,professorintheDepartmentof
ElectricalandComputerEngineeringand
InstituteforSystemsResearch.
Security: It’s Still There…You Just Can’t See It UM, Pharad Developing System to Detect Weapons in Open Spaces Through MIPSBy Megan Hartley
Sick of leaving four hours before your flight
departs just to stand in a single-file security line?
PharadLLCisteamingwithClarkSchool
researchersinaMIPSprojecttofurtherdevelopits
weaponsdetectionsystem,whichscanspeoplefor
weaponsinopenspaces—suchasairport,train,or
subwayterminals—astheywalkby.
“Itisanalogoustoavideocamerainthesensethat
itconstantlyseesandmonitors
ascene,”saidPharadPresident
AustinFarnham.“Exceptits
eyesarewide-band,millimeter
wavesignals.”
Thesystememploysceiling
orwall-mountedsensors
thatsendoutradio-wave-
likesignalstoanalyzetheir
surroundings.Thesensorssend
datatoacomputersystem,
whichusesalgorithmstodetect
weapon“fingerprints”onthe
signals.
Whenguns,knives—oreventuallybombsand
explosives—aredetected,thesystemsendsanalertand
avideofeedtosecurity.
Dr.K.J.RayLiu,professorandassociatechairof
graduatestudiesandresearchintheDepartmentof
ElectricalandComputerEngineeringandInstitutefor
SystemsResearch,isworkingwithPharadtodevelop
thealgorithm.
“Thisisastate-of-the-artsignalprocessing
algorithmthatfirstdetectsifaweaponispresent,then
classifieswhatkindofweaponitis,”saidLiu.
Eachweapon
hasaunique
signaturedefined
byasetof
electromagnetic
resonancesthat
reflectdifferently
dependingonits
physicalmakeup.
Pharadistesting
variousweapons
todevelopa
signaturelibrary.
“Rightnowwearestillinthedevelopmentphases;
westillhavemorethanayearofdevelopmentwork
beforeitwillbeonthemarket,”saidFarnham.
Whiletheinitialsystemwilldetectconcealed
weapons,Pharadplanstoadd
signaturestofinddisguised
weapons,aswellasbombsand
explosives.
“Wecouldevendetect
somethinglikeagunintheshape
ofacellphone,”saidDr.Dalma
Novak,vice-presidentofPharad.
Theconcealedweapons
detectionequipmentmarketwill
benearly$10billionby2010,
accordingtotheHomeland
SecurityResearchCorp.The
DepartmentofHomelandSecurityrecentlygave
thecompanya$750,000PhaseTwoSmallBusiness
InnovationResearchGrant.BusinessWeekreportsthat
thereare300,000to400,000travelgatewaysinthe
U.S.andEuropealone,anumberthatcoulddoubleby
2010.
Pharadhopestoinstallitssysteminvenuessuchas
train,airportandbusstations,aswellasconvenience
storesandmalls.
Foundedin2003,Pharadsellsvariouswireless
sensors,communications,andantennaproducts.
www.pharad.com
ScreencaptureofPharad’sweapondetectionsoftware
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
Look Out fire...You’re on Camera axonX, University of Maryland to Validate Advanced Video Fire Detection SystemBy Megan Hartley
A hidden electrical wire shorts in an art gallery.
Smoke smolders and
a fire erupts under the
brushstrokes of Monet
and Manet. Before
the smoke can reach
the vaulted ceiling
to signal the smoke
detectors, countless
sensitive, irreplaceable
works are destroyed.
Thisisthefateof
manybuildingswhere
smokedetectorsfailto
senseafireandnotify
thefiredepartment
beforesignificant
damageoccurs.axonX
LLC,aSparks,Md.-based
company,planstoputanendtoravagingfiresby
teamingwiththeUniversityofMarylandtovalidateits
intelligentvideo-camerasystem,whichcanspotasmall
fireinlessthanfiveseconds.
axonX’sSigniFire™systemcandetectfire,smoke
andintrusioninstructuressuchaswarehouses,energy
plants,artgalleriesandhomes.Thecameraassesses
minutepixelchangeswithinitsthreedimensionalfield
ofview-occasionallyusingreflectionstogetaround
largeobjectsblockingthelineofsight-todetectfire
fasterandmoreaccuratelythananycurrentlyavailable
commercialproduct.
“It’stheonlyvideodetectionsystemthat
recognizesthebigthreedangers:smoke,fireand
intrusion,”saidGeorgePrivalov,chieftechnology
officerandfounder.“Iteliminatesmostnuisancealarms
becauseitactuallyseesthefireballandcoronaofa
blaze.Thecameraknowsit’safireratherthanalightor
hotsurface.”
ThecompanycametotheUniversityofMaryland
toworkwithJimMilke,associatechairandprofessorof
thedepartmentoffireprotectionengineering,through
aMarylandIndustrialPartnerships(MIPS)project.
ThiscollaborationwillhelpaxonXgetclassifiedasa
life-savingdevicebyUnderwritersLaboratories,as
wellasbyFactoryMutual,
aninsurancecompany
thattestsfireprotection
equipment.
Milkewillprovethe
camerasystem’sversatility
andprecisealgorithms
throughtestsinsimulated
dormrooms,aswellasa
possibletestinColeField
House,whichseats12,125.
“Thisisaleadingedge
technologyandasignificant
advancementinfire
detection,”saidMilke.“They
developedthedevice,and
wewillhelpthemproveits
capabilities.”
Thecamera’sfeedscanbesenttoanyremote
locationthathasinstalledaxonX’sSpyderGuard™
software,mostlikelyasecuritycompanysuchasADT,
who--whenafireoccurs--willgetanotificationofthe
fireaswellasastructuralplanofthebuilding.
TheNationalFireProtectionAssociationrecently
approvedvideosurveillancesystemsasaneffective
waytodetectfire,markingasignificantchangetoits
detectorcode.
AlthoughaxonXhasyettobeapprovedbyUL
andFM,variouscustomersarealreadyinstalling
SigniFire™’sgeneraleight-camerasystem,which
costsaround$20,000-halfasmuchassomeoftheir
competitors.Thesystemisscalabletofitanysizeand/
axonX’sSigniFireTMcameraforitsvideo-basedsmoke,flame,
andmotiondetectionsystem
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products
MTECH PartnershipsMIPS
Maryland Industrial Partnerships
orshapeofbuilding.
TheU.S.Navytested
SigniFire™withother
videoimageandspot-
typedetectionsystems,
andfoundthataxonX’s
technologywasfarmore
accurate.
Accordingtothe
concludingreportfrom
theNavalResearch
Laboratory’sAdvanced
DamageCountermeasures
VolumeSensorProject,
SigniFire™responded
fasterandtomorefires
thanalloftheothervideo
orspot-typedetection
systems.
“WehopetheU.S.NavyinstallsSigniFire™on
itsnewDestroyers,andGreatBritain’sRoyalNavyis
testingourproductrightnow,”saidLynch.
axonXisalsocollaboratingwith:Cameco,a
uraniumprocessingplant;aFamilyFunCenterin
Aberdeen,Md.;theMarylandGolfandCountryClub;
andChicago’sChildren’sHospital.
ThecompanyhasreceivedfundingfromJohnson
Controls,TEDCO,andangelinvestors.
AxonXreceivedtheWallStreetJournal2006
TechnologyInnovationAwardforSecurity(Facilities)
inSeptember.Thecompanywasselectedfrom
among600awardapplications.Winnerswerejudged
basedonwhetherthetechnologytrulyrepresentsa
breakthroughfromconventionalmethods,ratherthan
justanincrementalimprovement.
TheA.JamesClarkSchoolofEngineering’s
DepartmentofFireProtectionEngineeringistheonly
accreditedundergraduateprogram,andoneofonly
twograduateprogramsofitskindinthecountry.The
departmentcelebratedits50thanniversaryinOctober.
www.axonx.com
AssociateProfessorand
AssociateChairofFire
ProtectionEngineeringJim
Milke
Highlighted Current MIPS ProjectsFace Recognition
Frederick-basedACAGI
Inc.andRama Chellappa,a
professorintheDepartment
ofElectricalandComputer
Engineeringand
directoroftheCenterfor
AutomationResearch,arebuildingaportable
videocamerasystemwithreal-timeface
recognition,aswellaslivemarkingandindexing
forimmediatearchival.
Explosives DetectionPotomac-basedPrime Circuits
Inc.andMartin Peckerar,a
professorintheDepartment
ofElectricalandComputer
Engineering,aredevelopinga
fast,advanced,x-rayscreening
systemtodetectexplosivesin
baggageandlargecontainers.
Cleaner Poultry HousesHebron-basedAviHome LLC
andJeannie Harter-Dennis,
associateprofessorinthe
DepartmentofAgricultureat
theUniversityofMaryland,
EasternShore,areengineering
aventilatedfloorsystem,
retrofittedtoexistingpoultryhouses,thatwill
controlmoisturelevelsinthebedding,reduce
ammoniaemissions,inhibitbacteriagrowth,
fungusandinsects,andpreventnutrientseepage
intogroundwater.Over88,000poultryhouses
operateintheU.S.,with5,430growerhousesin
theDelmarvaPeninsulaalone.
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Joint MTES/State Program wins National Pollution Prevention AwardMTESandtheMarylandDepartmentofthe
Environment(MDE)reveivedaMostValuable
PollutionPrevention(MVP2)Project/Program
AwardfromtheNationalPollutionPrevention
RoundtableinSeptember.
Theawardrecognizesthetwoentities’joint
EnvironmentalManagementSystem(EMS)
ImplementationAssistanceProgram,whichhas
assisted30MarylandcompaniesinadoptingEMS
programs.
Criteriafortheawardincludedprograminnovation,
measurableresults,transferability,commitment,
andoptimizationofavailableprojectresources.The
NationalPollutionPreventionRoundtablepresented
theawardaspartofNationalPollutionPrevention
Week.
TheMDE/MTESprogram,subsidizedbygrant
fundsfromtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,
takesgroupsof3-5businessesatatimethroughEMS
implementation,fromstarttofinish,insixmonthsor
less.Whilesuchaservicecostscompanies$15,000
ormorethroughtheprivatesector,theMDE/MTES
programisfree.
“Maryland’sprogramwasatremendoushelp
forus,”saidReggiePrime,directorofenvironmental
affairsatCocaColaEnterprises.“We’renowina
positiontoprepareanEMStemplateforourother
bottlingfacilities,andwecouldn’thavedoneitwithout
thisprogram.IencourageotherMarylandbusinesses
totakeadvantageofthisvaluableservice.”
AnEMSprogramoffersasystematicapproachfor
organizationstobringenvironmentalconsiderations
intodecision-makingandday-to-dayoperations.Italso
establishesaframeworkfortracking,evaluatingand
communicatingenvironmentalperformance,aswellas
helpingtoensurethatmajorenvironmentalrisksand
liabilitiesareidentified,minimizedandmanaged.
TheMDE/MTESprogramworkswitheachgroup
ofcompaniesthroughfourworkshops,meetingwith
companieson-site8-12times,andofferingtechnical
assistancerangingfromidentifyingenvironmental
aspectsandpollutionpreventionopportunities
toestablishingreliablemeansofmonitoringand
measurement.Attheconclusion,thefacilityisoffered
afree,informalEMSaudit.
TheMDE/MTESprogramspendsan
averageof150hoursonsitewitheach
participatingcompany.
Manycompaniescompletingthe
MDE/MTESprogramelecttoapply
forISO14001certification,astandard
thathelpsorganizationsminimizehow
theiroperationsnegativelyaffectthe
environmentandcomplywithvarious
environmentalrequirements.
Fivecompaniesparticipatinginthe
programhavesincewonBusinessesfor
theBayAwards,giventocompaniesin
theChesapeakeBaywatershedachieving
pollutionpreventionsuccess.
PaulGietka,managerofthe
EnvironmentalEngineeringProgram
atMTES,providestechnicalassistance
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
Lefttoright,withtheMVP2award:MTES’JimSchaarsmith,MDE’sLaura
Armstrong,andMTES’PaulGietka.
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
toprogramcompaniesthroughpollutionprevention
assessments,measuringandmonitoring,and
environmentalcomplianceassistance—allofwhichhelp
companiesimprovethequalityoftheirEMS.
“Newgroupsarealwaysformingforcompanies
ofallsizes,”saidGietka.“Interestedcompaniesshould
contactMDEorMTEStoreserveaspotinthisfree,
provenprogram.”
P�’s Proactive Approach
EMSshelpfacilitiesbothstrengthentheir
environmentalcomplianceprogramandinstitutionalize
theconceptofpollutionpreventionthroughcompany
policiesandprocedures.P2offersaproactiveapproach
toenvironmentalmanagement,wherewasteisreduced
oreliminatedatthesource—ratherthanthrough
controlandtreatmenttechnology.Forinstance,
companieswithEMSsmusthaveenvironmentalpolicy
statementsthatincludeacommitmenttopreventing
pollution.Companiesarealsorequiredtoidentify
allenvironmentalimpacts,bothregulatedandnon-
regulated,andidentifyprojectsthataddressthese
impacts.
TheEMSprograminvolvesworkshops,on-site
meetingsandtechnicalassistance.Attheconclusion
ofthissix-monthprogram,anauditteamisavailable
tohelpassessthecompany’sEMS.Thereisnocostto
participateinthisvaluableprogram.
Formoreinformation,contactMTES’environmental
programmanager,PaulGietka,at410-706-3445,or
EMS Program Results30 Companies, Five Years
30Marylandcompanieshavemetthe
requirementsoftheglobalISO14001standard
forenvironmentalmanagementsystems
throughtheEMSProgram.
Cement manufacturer: undertookasuccessful
water-recyclingpilot,potentiallysaving17
milliongallonsperyearinwateruseand
discharge,saving$10,000-12,000/year
statewide.
Aerospace company:achieveda200-ton
reductionofsolidwastewithanassociated
annualcostsavingsof$90,000peryear,and
a600,000kilowattperyearenergyreduction,
saving$50,000peryear.Thisreduced1,200
poundsofcarbondioxideandotherair
emissionsfromenteringtheenvironment.
Bottling company:reducedelectricenergy
consumptionby7.5percent,reducedwater
consumptionby7.5percent,andsolidwaste
by10percent.
Automotive supplier: saved$150permonth
onhazardouswastereductionfrompaint
mixing,reducedsolidwasteby10percentand
saved$470onmonthlyenergycosts.
Aerospace manufacturer:increasedelectric
poweruseefficiencyandeliminatedtheuseof
chromatesbyreformulatngitsprimercoat.
food manufacturer:achieveda20percent
reductioninwastewater,5-10percent
reductioninwateruse,25percentreduction
(2,000lbs)inhazardouswaste,100,000
poundsinsolidwaste,anda10percent
reductioninenergyusage.MTES’JimSchaarsmithleadinganenvironmental
managementsystemtraining.
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�6
MTES Launches Continuous Innovation InitiativeNew Program Brings Innovation Processes to Small, Mid-Sized Manufacturing CompaniesToyota, Google and 3M don’t just get lucky with
market-shattering products. Instead, each of
these companies employs a vigorous business
model to stimulate constant innovation.
TheUniversityofMarylandaimstobringthese
typesofmodelstosmallandmid-sizedMaryland
manufacturersthroughanewprogramannouncedthis
summer.
TheContinuousInnovation
Initiative,partoftheA.JamesClark
SchoolofEngineering’sMaryland
TechnologyExtensionService,guides
companiesinestablishingrobust,
in-houseprocessestogenerate
perpetualinnovation.
“Acompany’ssuccessintoday’s
markethingesonitsabilityto
innovate,”saidDr.HerbertRabin,
associatedeanoftheClarkSchooland
directoroftheMarylandTechnology
EnterpriseInstitute.“Pointinnovation
isnotenough.Highlycompetitive
businessesintegrateprocesses
forcreatingideas—todelivernew
products,enternewmarkets,add
valueforcustomers,forgenew
partnerships,orincreaseproductivity.”
Meeting a NeedWithnearly40,000Maryland
manufacturingjobslostsince
2000,accordingtotheNational
AssociationofManufacturers—to
internationalcompetition,highcosts,
productivityimprovements,andthe
recentrecession—manyofthe4,300
manufacturingcompaniesinthestateshouldturn
toinnovationforacompetitiveedge,accordingto
AlEtheridge,manageroftheContinuousInnovation
Initiative.
“Ifyouarecompetingoncost,there’sa
goodchanceyou’lllosethebattletooverseas
manufacturing,”saidEtheridge.“Americancompanies
mustinnovatetostayahead.”
Nearly70percentofcompaniesciteglobalization
asamajorreasonfortheirapproachtoinnovation,
accordingtoaBostonConsultingGrouppoll
releasedinarecentissueofBusinessWeek.Thesame
percentageofcompaniesnamedinnovationasoneof
theirtopthreeprioritiesforthisyear.
“Ournationcannotaffordtoloseitsmanufacturing
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
innovationedgeandthewealththatitgenerates
throughoutoureconomy,”saidJerryJasinowski,
presidentofTheManufacturingInstitute,theresearch
andeducationarmoftheNationalAssociationof
Manufacturers.“Weneedprogramslikethistodevelop
humancapital,revitalizefundamentalresearchand
encourageproductivity-enhancinginvestments
inordertomaintainacriticalmassofproduction
andaviableinnovationprocessinthiscountry,”he
concluded.
How the Program worksCIIworkswithseveralcompaniesatatime,for
3-6months,leadingthemthroughafour-stepmodel
ofassessingcurrentinnovationpractices,aligning
resources,executing,andinstillingapermanentculture
ofinnovationintotheirbusinessenvironments.
“Beinginauniversity,we’reuniquelypositioned
tospreadknowledgeaboutestablishinginnovation
processes,”saidEtheridge.“We’renotguardingthe
secretsauce.We’llworkdiligentlytoshareitwithevery
companywecan.”
Overthepastfiveyears,companiesciting
commitmenttoinnovationhaveincreasedrevenues
byanaverageofalmost350percent,accordingtoa
recentsurveybyPricewaterhouseCoopers.
Thatsamebottomline,Etheridgesaid,isthefocus
ofCII:results.
www.mtes.org/innovation
“If you are competing on cost, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the battle to overseas manufacturing. American companies must innovate to stay ahead.”
—AlEtheridge,Continuous
InnovationInitiativeManager
Continuous Innovation Initiative Pilot
How CII Adds ValueCIIguidescompaniesthroughthefollowingprocess
forestablishingtheirownunique,sustainable
innovationprocesses.
ASSESS
CIIworkswithcompaniestoassesstheirexisting
innovationpracticesandchartsacoursefor
enhancingthem.
ALIGN
CIIleadscompaniesinaligningtheirresources
towardachievingtheirgoalsthroughinnovation.
EXECUTE
CIIguidescompaniesincreatingactionable,
measurablestepsforapplyingcontinuous
innovationthroughouttheirbusinesses.
INSTILL
CII’ssuccesshingesuponinstillingacultureof
innovationintoanorganization,enablingitto
continuouslyassess,alignandexecutetomeetthe
changingdemandsofbusiness.
Work with CII by calling Dr. Barry Frey, Director of
MTES, at 800.245.5810, or e-mail
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
ISO �000 Certification Helps USA fulfillment Instill Quality Throughout its BusinessQuality pervades nearly every aspect of USA
Fulfillment’s business, thanks in part to the MTES’
Maryland ISO 9000 Consortia, managed by Gene
Ritz.
TheChestertown-basedcompanyprovides
fulfillmentservicestonationalclientssuchasconsumer
goodsmanufacturers,cosmeticmanufacturers,and
otherbusinessesorassociationsthatsellproducts
usingUSAFulfillmentasa“silentpartner.”Those
servicesincludefulfillingcatalogandweb-based
orders,aswellaspremiumsandrebates.USA
Fulfillment’scustomersinclude,amongothers,
EsteèLauder,AffinionGroup,AmericanWellness,
Convergence,andNationalSafeKids.
With80full-timeandtenpart-timeemployees,
family-ownedUSAFulfillmentshippedbetween4-5
millionproductsforitscustomersin2006.
ThecompanycompletedMTES’18-monthISO9001
Consortiumprogram,aseriesofmonthlytrainings,
events,andon-siteconsultationsdesignedtohelp
companiesprepareforISOcertification.StanSanders,
USAFulfillment’sQualityCoordinator,ledtheeffortfor
thecompany.Sandersalsomanagesbothsecurityand
disasterrecoveryfunctionsforthecompany.
ISO9000isafamilyofstandardscreatedbythe
91-nationInternationalOrganizationofStandardization
(ISO),whichestablishesrequirementsforquality
managementsystems.Companiesconformingtothese
standardsqualifyforISO9000certification.Being
ISO9000certifiedmeansacompanyfollowsawell-
defined,process-basedmanagementsystemtoensure
thedeliveryofqualityproductsandservicestoits
customers.
MTES’ISOConsortiumprogramprovidedUSA
Fulfillmentwithdocumentationtemplatesforthe
company’squality
manual.Ritzalsoassisted
USAFulfillmentwith
on-sitesupportfor
documentationreviews,
internalauditingtraining,
andISOrequirements
interpretation.
However,Sanders
andtheentireUSA
Fulfillmentorganization
didtherealwork,
accordingtoRitz.
“HelpingUSAFulfillment
reachtheirgoalof
ISOcertificationwasarewardingexperienceforme
personally.Ican’tsayenoughabouttheleadershipof
Sandersandhisenthusiasmandcommitmenttothe
ISOeffort.”
“Hehelpedusunderstandwhatthebigscopewas
forworkingonourqualitymanagementsystemand
gettingthatintoaqualitymanual,”saidSanders.“He
helpedusrefinethingsthataremoreobscure.Withhis
background,hehelpedusunderstandwhatwasbehind
thestandardandwhatweweretryingtoachieve
throughit.”
USAFulfillmentleverageditsqualitymanagement
systemtoadvanceinmanyareas.
“Thereareinternalandexternalcomponents,”
saidSanders.Theobviousexternalcomponentisthat
becauseISO9000isrecognizedworldwide,it’sa
sellingpointwithclients.Sincewe’reanoutsourcing
agent,theycanmaintaintheirownqualitystandards
becausethey’rehiringapartnerthatisqualifiedand
focusedonquality.Theydon’thavetoauditusbecause
it’salreadybuiltintoourowncertification.It’sabig
benefittothosecompanies.
“Internally,itgivesusdisciplineinfollowingup
sothatwhenwemakeamistake,wecancorrectnot
onlythemistake,butalsoaddressitsrootcauses.
Oneofthewatchwordswehaveisthatwewant
mistakesnevertohappenagain.Butwedidn’thavea
USAFulfillment’swarehouse
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
formalframeworktodothatuntilweadoptedtheISO
9000standards—thingssuchasregularlyscheduled
managementreviewsandinternalauditing.Now,
whenwedoresearchonissuesthatcomeup,wehave
preventiveorcorrectiveactionplansinplace.There’sa
processtofollow,plusareviewprocessaspartofour
owninternalauditing.”
OnDecember8,2005,QMI,NorthAmerica’s
leadingmanagementsystemsregistrar,recommended
USAFulfillmenttoberegisteredfortheISO9001:2000
standardforquality.
“Everydepartmentinthecompanymadethis
prestigiousaccomplishmentpossible,”saidSanders.
“CompanypresidentandCEOShirleyMoorehaslong
hadadreamthatwewouldmoveintoournewhome[a
facilitythecompanymovedtoinAugust,2006]with
anISO9000bannerflyingproudlyoverthebuilding.”
USAFulfillment’sQualityManagementSystemwas
officiallycertifiedtoISO9001:2000inJanuary,2006.
“ISO9000istheworld’smostpopularand
widelyusedstandardforquality,”saidSanders.“The
certificationcoversallofourbusinessfunctionsand
reflectsourdeepcommitmenttoquality.”
OneofthemanypositiveaspectsofUSA
Fulfillment’sQualityManagementSystemlistedin
QMI’sCertificationAuditReportwas“Effortsat
continualimprovementofservicesandfacilitiesis
noteworthy.”
“Ourchallengenowistobuildonourquality
foundationbymakingmanymoreimprovementsinthe
future,”saidSanders.
USAFulfillment’squalitysystempolicyisto:
Deliverfulfillmentservicesthatexceedthe
expectationsofitsclients
Providetherightproductstotheright
customersattherighttime
Produceapositiveandprofitablefulfillment
experienceforallpartiesbyworkingtogether
Managebusinessfunctionsasprocessesand
continuallyimproveourQualityManagement
System
•
•
•
•
Ina2005report,USAFulfillmentciteda$100,000
increaseinsalesand$150,000inretainedsales,inpart
thankstoacquiringISOcertification.Thecompanyalso
citeda$230,000increaseininvestment.
ThebottomlineofISO9000certificationis
meetingyourcustomers’needsandmanagingyour
ownbusinessmoreeffectively,accordingtoRitz.
“Manycompanieshavenoformalmanagement
systematall,”saidRitz.“ISOrequiresyoutohavea
systemtomonitorandmeasureyourorganization’s
effectivenessandperformanceandfindwaysto
improve.Youevenhavetoshowimprovementto
maintainyourISOcertification—soyou’recontinually
improvingtoserveyourcustomersandgrowyour
business.”
www.usafill.com
USAFulfillmentPresidentandCEOShirleyMoore
USAFulfillmentwarehouse,upper-leftcorner,andnewfacility
inChestertown
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�0
SuperArray Offers New Gene Testing format with MTES’ AssistanceCompany, MTES Co-Design New ProductBy Megan Hartley
Frederick-basedSuperArrayBioscience
Corporation,whichdevelopsand
manufacturesgeneexpression
microarraysforbiomedicalresearch,wantedto
makegenetestingeasierandmoreefficientfor
customersusingitsmicroarrays.
Previously,government,universitylaboratory,and
pharmaceuticalcustomerswerelimitedtoasingle
arrayprocessingtubethatrequiredmanytedious
steps.
SuperArraycontactedtheMarylandTechnology
ExtensionService(MTES)—whichpreviouslyhelped
thecompanyexpanditsmanufacturingfacilityand
doubleinsize—forassistance.
MTES’GeneTaylorworkedwithSuperArrayVice
PresidentDr.SeanYu,SeniorScientistRayBlanchard,
andDanAlperofStraussCo.,tocreatetheGEArray
ExpressHybplate—acompartment-sealedchamber
enablingeight,simple,speedy,simultaneousarray
tests.
“Wetookitasachallenge,”saidTaylor.“Whenyou
firstlookatityouthink‘wellthat’ssimple,’butwhen
yougetintoitandseeallthevariablesit’sanything
butsimple.”
TaylorandAlperworkedwithcompanyscientists
onthedesignoftheHybplateandplateseal,
attemptingtocreateaproductsolutionthatwas
technologicallysound,easytouseandrelatively
cheap.YuandBlanchardhelpedwiththebiological
aspectsoftheprototypes,providingknowledgeasto
howreagentsandsolutionswouldreactwithdifferent
materials.
Afteraperiodof2-3monthsandtheevaluation
ofvariousprototypes,theteamsettledonaneight-
compartment,foil-sealedchamber.
Oneofthemostimportantpartsofthenewdevice
istheuser-friendlyseal.Ithasthreelayers—backing,
adhesiveandfoil—thatconsolidateintoonematerial.
Itiseffortlesslypeeledfromthebackingpaperand
placedonarectangularboxwitheightdifferent
sections.Theadhesivemoldsaroundtheouteredgeof
eachsectionpreventingreactionsfromcontaminating
oneanother.
Differentreagentsandsolutionscanbeadded
throughpipettepenetrationofthefoil,aprocess
considerablyeasierthantheopening/closingascrew
caprequiredbytheoldertubes.
ThesealsdevelopedbyTaylorweren’tjust
effective,buttheywerealsocost-efficient—requiring
lessthanonedollarperunit—notincludingthecost
oftooling.“Wecameupwithsomegreatideasbut
ifyou’regoingtopayfivedollarsapieceforit,itjust
doesn’tmakesense,”saidTaylor.
Customerscanpurchaseachamberspecificto
theirareaofstudyfor$60to$300perarray.The
HybPlate’sareequippedforgenetestinginhumans,
SuperArray’sfacilityinFrederick
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND �1
miceorratsandstudyingailmentsrangingfrom
cancertoheartdisease.
CustomerscouldpurchaseaHybplatewitheight
coordinatingarraysforbetween$480to$2,400
dollars,givingthemconvenienceforlesscost,and
higherrevenueforSuperArray.
SuperArraysellsitsproductstocustomersin20
differentcountriesrangingfromAustraliatoEuropeto
Asia.
“Wearetheonlycompanywhooffersanextensive
listofdifferentapplications,”saidDr.Yu.“Wewill
graduallysellallourproductsinthe[compartment]
Hybplates.”
www.superarray.com
Eight-compartment,foil-sealedchamberforgeneexpression
microarraysdesignedbyMTESforSuperArray.
Thermoshakerwithchamberinstalled.
ChamberbeingplacedintoaThermoshaker,whichcan
processupto32arraysinoneday.
MTES SuperArray Project Results
$200,000in
increasedsales
annually
$200,000inretained
salesannually
$20,000inlaborcost
savingsannually
$3,000increased
equipmentinvestment
Retentionofonefull-
timeemployee
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Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
MTES ASSISTED MANUfACTURES IN:Increasing sales by $�0.� million
Retaining sales of $60.1 million
Saving in costs $6.� million
Saving on investments made by $�.� million
Avoiding unnecessary investments of $�.1 million
Increasing investments, plants or equipment by $1�.1 million
Creating or retaining jobs �16 employees
MTES Six-Year Impact: $11�.6 MillionThefollowingtableshowsMTES’six-yeareconomicimpactonMarylandmanufacturers.Thedataisbasedupon
surveysofMTESclientsfromJanuary2000throughJune2006bytheNationalInstituteofStandardsand
TechnologyManufacturingExtensionPartnership.
�006 MTES ISO 1�001 Consortia MembersMTES,inconjunctionwiththeMarylandDepartment
oftheEnvironment(MDE)throughaU.S.
EnvironmentalProtectionAgencygrant,assistedthe
followingcompaniesinimplementingenvironmental
managementsystemsbasedontheISO14001global
standard.Businessesparticipateingroupsoffour
orfive.Environmentalmanagementsystems(EMSs)
helporganizationssystematicallyidentify,measure,
andmanagetheirregulatedaswellasunregulated
environmentalimpacts.
LorchMicrowaveStandardRegisterL3BAIAero-SystemsWashingtonMetropolitanTransportationAuthorityFreedomElectronicsRecyclingGeneralDynamicsRoboticsSystemsCocaCola–Baltimore
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�006 MTES ISO �000 Consortia MembersTheMarylandISOConsortiumprogramhelpsMaryland
companiesimprovetheirinternaloperations;establish,
maintain,and/orexpandtheirsupplierstatuswithU.S.
companiesandfederalagencies;andimprovetheir
competitivenessindomesticandinternationalmarkets.
EachConsortium,typicallylasting12-14months,
includescomprehensivetrainingeventscoveringall
aspectsofimplementinganISO9000-conforming
systemintoanorganization.Companiesparticipatingin
ISO9000Consortiumtraininigin2006include:
AmericanNursesCredentialingCenterAppliedQualityCommunicationsAscellonCorporationCamtecCOLACrownConsultingDataSolutions&TechnologyDeltaEngineeringDignaMachinesDiversifiedInternationalSciencesEagleSystemsEnergyEnterpriseSolutionsEnvironmentalEng&ConstructionERT,Inc.ExceedCorporationJEMEngineeringJohnsHopkinsAppliedPhysicsLaboratoryJonySolutions
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LivantaM.S.WillettMillenniumEngineeringandIntegrationNetcoGovernmentServicesPlexusComGroupReactiveNanoTechnologiesStrategicApplications&TechnologiesInc.TriTechEnterpriseSystemsWoodConsultingVisionSystems&Technology
••••••••••
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
311GarageAAICorp.AdvantEdgeAGNIK,LLCAirProducts&ChemicalsAlcore,Inc.ARCONWelding,LLCATKElkton,LLCAtlanticCoatingsAviHomeLLCBAIAerosystems,Inc.BaltimoreShippingTechnologies,LLCBel-ArtProducts,Inc.BlueSquareEnergyBSCOIncorporatedCambrexBioScienceWalkersville,Inc.CardinalScientific,Inc.CecilCountyDepartmentofHealthCecilCountyPlanning&ZoningCentralPrecision,Inc.ChesapeakeFinishedMetalsChicagoMetallicCorporationCITechnologiesClosetFactoryCocaColaEnterprises,BaltimorePlantColonialMetalsCrabPlaceCreaFillFibersCorp.CustomDirect,LLCDataStreamContentSolutionsDeesFluidPowerDelectableDessertsDenkmeierOptical,Inc.EAICorporationEasternPlatingExceedCorporationFalconSystemsEngineeringCorp.FiltronicComtek,Inc.FreedomElectronicsRecycling,Inc.GamseLithographingCompany,Inc.GeneralDynamicsRoboticsSystemsGoodHumor-Breyer’sIceCream,Inc./UnileverFoodsNorthAmericaGortonMerrick,Inc.GreenEyes,LLCGrizzlyServices,LLCH.R.NicholsonHanoverFoodsCorporationHappyHoppersHeidtmanSteelProducts,IncIcey-TekUSAIlexWoodworkingJEMEngineeringK&LMicrowave,Inc.K.NealInternationalTrucks,IncKopflex
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•••••••••••••
L.GordonPackagingLaMotteCo.,Inc.LenderKingLifeScienceProducts,Inc.LockeInsulatorLorchMicrowaveM.S.Willett,Inc.MarquipWardUnitedMarylandChemicalCompanyMarylandThermoformMedifastMedimmune,FrederickMidasco,Inc.MillenniumEngineeringandIntegrationNextDayBlindsNovaTech,LLCOptelecom,NKFOrionSafetyProductsRampfMoldsIndustries,Inc.ReactiveNanoTechnologies,Inc.REICOKitchens&BathRocklandMachine,LLCROITechnologiesRubbersetCompanySaftAmerica,Inc.SchoenbauerFurnitureStrippingSchroederIndustries,LLCSEMicroShastaBeverageSolidTops,LLCSpace,Ltd.StandardRegisterCo.StoneIndustrialStressIndicators,Inc.StructuralSystems,Inc.STX,Inc.SuperArrayBioscienceCorporationTanglewoodConservatories,Ltd.TechnigraphicsofMaryland,Inc.TeledyneBrownEngineeringEnergySystemsTruGamerz,LLCTRXSystems,Inc.TulkoffFoodProducts,Inc.U.S.BulletProofingUniversalForestProductsVictorGraphicsVictoryRacingPlateCo.WarnerAir,LLCWashingtonMetroAreaTransitAuthorityWillStandifordWilliamT.Burnett&CompanyYASPhotonics
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
�006 MTES Clients (10� Total)
Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers
MTECH PartnershipsMTES
Maryland Technology Extension Service
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
BSf Supports Biofactura in Developing Smallpox TherapeuticByMeganHartley
BioFacturaInc.isdevelopingatherapyforsmallpox
usingtheUniversityofMaryland’sBioprocessScale-Up
Facility(BSF).
TheRockville-basedcompanyiscollaborating
withFortDetrickinthelaboratoriesoftheU.S.Army
MedicalResearchInstituteofInfectiousDiseases,in
hopesofcommercializingaproductwithinfouryears.
BioFacturawillusetheBSFtofindthebestwayto
manufacturethedrugatalargescale.
“TheBSFhasstate-of-the-artequipment,”said
BioFactura’spresidentandCEODarrylSampey.“The
valueforpriceisunsurpassed,whichiscritically
importantforasmallcompanywithlimitedfunds.”
Smallpox,characterizedbyarashoflesions,killed
anestimated300millionpeopleinthetwentieth
centuryalonebeforeitwasdeclaredglobally
eradicatedin1980.Thegovernmenthaslabeledthe
diseasea“CategoryA”agent—presentingthe“greatest
potentialthreatforharmingpublichealth,”accordingto
theCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.
Thevirus,transmittedbycontactorthroughthe
air,cansurviveindust,beddingandclothing,even
travelingthroughairducts.“Althoughanthraxproved
tobeadeadlybioterroragent,asmallpoxattackcould
bedevastating,”saidSampey.
Sinceroutinevaccinationsforchildrenwere
discontinuedin1972andstudieshaveshownthe
vaccineislesseffectiveafterfiveyears,theAmerican
populationishighlyvulnerabletothevirus.Thethreat
ofthisagentinthehandsofterroristshascausedthe
governmenttopourfundsintodevelopingnew,safer
vaccines.Aneffectivetherapywouldbeofgreater
benefit.
BioFacturawasawarded$730,000inPhaseII
fundinginJulyfromtheU.S.DepartmentofDefense
throughitsSBIRprogram,tosupportpre-clinical
efficacystudiesofBioFactura’ssmallpoxtherapeutic.
Thechallengestudieswilldemonstrate
prophylacticandtherapeuticeffectivenessofthis
biodefensecountermeasureandwillleadtoPhaseI
clinicalsafetytrials.Thepre-clinicalstudieswillbe
performedatthebiocontainmentlaboratoriesatFt.
Detrick,Md.,incollaborationwithateamofscientists
fromtheU.S.ArmyMedicalResearchInstituteof
InfectiousDisease(USAMRIID).
“Thissignificantfollow-onawardhighlightsthe
U.S.GovernmentsupportofBioFactura’ssmallpox
biodefenseprogram.ThefundingwillallowBioFactura
tomakeamajorsteptowardsitsgoaltoprovidea
smallpoxtherapeuticforbothmilitaryandcivilian
defense,”saidSampey.
www.biofactura.com
Bioprocess scale-up and research, downstream processing, courses and workforce training
MTECH PartnershipsBREP
Bioprocessing Research and Education Program
“The BSf has state-of-the-art equipment,” said Biofactura’s president and CEO Darryl Sampey. “The value for price is unsurpassed, which is critically important for a small company with limited funds.”
—DarrylSampey,PresidentandCEO,BioFactura
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
Bioprocess scale-up and research, downstream processing, courses and workforce training
MTECH PartnershipsBREP
Bioprocessing Research and Education Program
�006 Industrial and Academic Research Projects
AdvancedBioNutrition
AdvanceBioscienceLabs
DepartmentofAnimalSciences
AFGBiosolutions
BioFactura
BostonLifeSciences
DepartmentofEntericInfections,WalterReedArmy
InstituteofResearch
Ghandehari,Hamid,CenterforNanomedicine,
DepartmentofPharmaceuticalSciences,UMB
Hutcheson,Steve,Dept.ofCellBiologyandMolecular
Genetics
IntelliTECH
Lo,Martin,Dept.ofNutritionandFoodScience
Meng,Jianghong,Dept.ofNutritionandFoodScience
NIH
NovaBiomedical
OmniaBiologics
ParagonBioservices
ProteinPolymer/NIH
ProteinTherapeutics
Tsai,W.,NAIMS,NIH
Vakharia,VikramN.,CenterforAdvancedResearchin
Biotechnology
�006 BSf ToursAnnapolisMen’sClub
CIAUniversity
CommunityCollegeofBaltimoreCounty
DiscoveringEngineeringattheUniversityofMaryland,
ClarkSchoolofEngineering
ExploringEngineeringattheUniversityofMaryland,
WomeninEngineering
ESTEEMResearchMentoringProgram,Centerfor
MinoritiesinScienceandEngineering
MinkonBiotechnology
PrinceGeorge’sCo.DBED
SAIC
SteppingStonestoYourFutureProgram,Womenin
Engineering
SummerBridgeProgram,CenterforMinoritiesin
ScienceandEngineering
SummerEngineeringOutreachStudents
YoungWomeninEngineeringTour
WashingtonSecurityGroup:Providedathreeday,
hands-onsiteinspectiontrainingforDoDbiochemical
inspectors.TheBSFsimulatedarealinspection
scenario.
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workforce Training/workshops
DownstreamProcessing,Protein
PurificationandFermentation:Five
dayworkshop,includingatwo-day
fermentationworkshopfollowedbyathree-
daydownstreamworkshop.
MedImmunepersonneltraining;130of
MedImmune’semployeeshavecompleted
theBREPtrainingprogram.
“SpecialTopicsinBioengineering—
undergraduateclasswherestudents
workthroughaproductioncampaign,
fromexpressionsystemtovialed
proteinproduct,providingavaluablefor
studentsinterestedinthegrowingfieldof
biopharmaceuticalproduction.
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Downstream Processing, Protein Purification and Fermentation Workhop photos
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�6
Bioprocess scale-up and research, downstream processing, courses and workforce training
BREPBioprocessing Research and Education Program
feature BSf Client: Zymetis, Inc.Company’s Technology May Hold Key to Economically Efficient Ethanol ProductionZymetis Inc., a company whose technology
may make inexpensive ethanol production a
reality, is scaling up its product through the
Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility.
FoundedbySteveHutcheson,aprofessor
intheDepartmentofCellBiologyandMolecular
Genetics,Zymetisisdevelopingenzymesand
enzymeproductsthatbreakdownplantmaterial
intoitsconstituentsugars—which,inturn,can
easilybeconvertedintofuel-gradeethanol.
“TheBSFishelpingusestablishinitialgrowth
parametersforourbacterium,aswellasoptimizethe
productionofourenzymes,”saidHutcheson.
TheBSFspecializesinpreparingbench-toporlab-
producedbiologicalsformassproduction.
Abiologicalproduct’scommercialpotentialcan
hinge—bothtechnicallyandeconomically—onthe
abillitytoaccuratelyandefficientlymanufactureitatat
largescale.
“OurgoalistoprepareZymetisforasmooth
transitiontoalarge-scaleproductionfacility,”said
BenWoodard,directoroftheBSF.“This,likemany
ofourprojects,requiresalterationsormodifications
thatproveprincipleandconceptwhileincreasing
productyieldsandefficiencies.Expensesforentering
productioncanexceed$100,000perday,soitis
criticalforustooptimizeZymetis’sprocesseswhilethe
companyisstillhere.”
IfZymetisissuccessful,itcouldrevolutionizethe
fuelindustrywithacompellingalternativetocorn
ethanol.
Thecompany’sinitialproduct,Ethazyme™,isa
proprietarymixtureofenzymesthatbreakscellulose
andothercellpolymersfoundinplantsintoglucose
andotherfermentablesugars.
Zymetisistargettingthe“biomass”marketas
apotentialsourceforethanol.Biomassbroadly
encompassesthevastsupplyofplantmaterialfound
ingrasses,forestryproducts,andagriculturalwaste
productssuchascornstover.
Sugarfermentedfrombiomasssourcesisknown
asBioEthanol.BioEthanolishighlydesirablenot
onlybecauseofitsenergycontent,butalsobecause
itisconsideredtheonlycarbon-neutralformof
transporationfuelonthehorizon.
Zymetisprojectsthattopsourcesofbiomass
couldyieldenoughBioEthanoltomeet100percentof
currentU.S.fuelneeds.
Thecompany’suniqueintellectualpropertywas
developedattheUniversityofMarylandthrough
theeffortsofHutchesonandRonWeiner,professor
emeritusintheCollegeofLifeSciences,andislicensed
exclusivelytoZymetis.
ZymetisrecentlyjoinedMTECH’s
VentureAcceleratorProgram,whichisworkingwith
Hutchesontodefinebusinessprocessesthatwillguide
thecompanytowardssuccessfulcommercialization.
www.zymetis.com
BioprocessScale-UpFacilityDirectorBenWoodard,left,andDr.Steve
Hutcheson,founderofZymetisandprofessorintheDepartmentof
CellBiologyandMolecularGenetics.
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
Life-Saving Technology Company Joins MTECH’s Technology ventures BuildingBy Megan Hartley
A company with the technology to save 1/4
million lives a year is the first to join the Maryland
Technology Ventures Building (TVB), part of M
Square, the university’s research park for science
and technology companies.
MXFTechnologies,whichmovedintothebuilding
inJanuary,hasdevelopedamulti-energyX-raythat
improvescontrastsignificantly.Thecoretechnologyis
aninexpensivefilterthatcanbeappliedtocurrentX-
raymachinesandpenetratesthedifferenttissuesina
woman’sbreastsimultaneouslywithlowerradiation.
“Thisisanext-generationmedicaltechnology,”
saidDr.YongCho,chiefexecutiveofficerofMXF
Technologies.“Today’stechnologycanbecompared
toaflashlight,nowweareusingalighthouse.”
Thenameofthecompanystemsfromthesingle-
wavelengthMonochromaticx-raysproducedbythe
filter,likeanx-raylaser.Thisstrongyetlessharmful
x-rayisidealforthedensetissueofyoungerwomen,
andtheenergylevelcanbeselectedtomatchbreast
density.
“Thefilterissimilartoacrystalthat’sexposedto
whitelight,itseparatesoutthedifferentcolors,just
liketheenergylevelsintheX-ray.TheseKeVlevels
havedifferenttissuespecificities,”saidMichaelChamp,
executivevicepresident.
Currentmammogramsworkonly40-50percent
ofthetimebecausetheyareunabletopenetrate
thedensebreasttissueofwomenwithleanbreasts,
includingmostwomenunder50.In2003theAmerican
CancerSocietylowereditsagerecommendationto40
forwomentobeginannualmammograms.
“Breastcancerinyoungwomenismore
aggressive,becausethecellsdividefaster,”saidRose
Bechtel,ChairoftheBreastCancerActionNova
Scotia.“Theolderyou
arethebetteryour
chancesofsurviving.”
However,breast
cancerisnotthe
onlyapplicationfor
themonochromatic
x-ray.Eventually,
itcouldreplaceall
polychromaticx-rays,
becomingthenew
industrystandard.The
UniversityofVirginia
MedicalSchooland
theMayoClinicare
alreadyusingMXF’s
technologyformedical
research.MXFis
currentlydesigningand
producinghighX-ray
energylevelMXFFilters
toproducespectral
signaturesofmaterials
forthedetectionandidentificationofliquidandsolid
explosivesatentrycheckpointsinhandcarryon,bags,
backpacks,luggage,etc.
TheTVBmanagedbytheMarylandTechnology
EnterpriseInstitute,isthefirstcommercialspaceto
emergeinMSquare.The49,480-squarefootoffice
building,withtwoclass-1,000cleanrooms,offersakey
locationforMXFTechnologies.
MXFisindiscussionwithSeoulNational
UniversityMedicalSchooltoconductpre-clinical
trialsforusingmulti-spectralX-rayimaginginmedical
applications.MXFalsohasOEMDemonstration
Projectswith:ImagingScienceInternationalin
Pennsylvania(Orthodontal/HeadCT);BoneDensity
inMassachusetts(Hologic,Inc.);NDT(QA/QC)for
ElectricCircuitsinKorea(LGElectronics);andMulti-
spectralDetectors(Hamamatsu)inNewJersey.
www.mxftech.com
MTECH
Accelerating technology entrepreneurship and leveraging university resources for companies
www.mtech.umd.edu
Pictured,top,anormalX-ray.Thesecond
twoshowvariationsofhowMXFtunes
monochromaticX-rayoutputtodifferent
energylevels(keV)tooptimizeX-ray
imagesfortissuespecificitytoproduce
thebestimage—thefishclosesttothe
bottom.
MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��
Nine Organizations Apply for �006 Maryland Performance Excellence AwardsNine Maryland organizations have
applied for the 2006 Maryland
Performance Excellence Awards, which
are given each year to honor quality,
productivity and business achievements
as measured through the National
Institute of Standards and Technology’s
Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.
Applicantsarejudgedby66volunteerexaminers,
whodonateasmanyas100hoursoftimetoassess
eachpotentialwinnerbasedupontheBaldrigeCriteria.
Nineteammentorsarealsovolunteeringtheirtime
tojudgetheninegroupsofexaminersassignedto
eachapplicant,asarenineexaminertrainersand35
newexaminermentors.
Winnerswillbeannouncedatthisyear’sMPEA
ConferenceandAwardsCeremony,tobeheldon
March12,2007,intheStampStudentUnionatthe
UniversityofMaryland.Theconferencewillinclude:
MorningPresentationsbyBaldrigeNational
QualityAwardRecipients
LuncheonwithU.S.Senators,Universityof
MarylandPresident,andStateleaders
Presentationofthe2006MPEAAwards,
includingtheU.S.SenateProductivityAward
andMarylandQualityAwards
AfternoonbreakoutsessionswithBaldrige
AwardRecipients
Lastyear’sawardwinnerswere:Delmarva
FoundationforMedicalCare(U.S.SenateProductivity
Award);ReedersMemorialHome(SilverMaryland
QualityAward);QueenAnne’sCountyPublic
Schools(BronzeMarylandQualityAward),andLorch
Microwave(CertificateofRecognition).
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MTECH Partnerships
U.S. Senate Productivity and Maryland Quality Awards
MPEAMaryland Performance Excellence Awards
A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��
�006 ASPIRE ProjectsTheASPIREProgram,shortfor“AScholarsProgram
forIndustry-OrientedResearchinEngineering,”
awardedthefollowingresearchprojectsduring2006.
Eachprojectteamedundergraduatestudentswith
facultyforresearchrelevanttoindustry.Students
receivedastipend,whichwasjointlyfundedbyboth
MTECHandsponsoringfacultymembers.
Spring 2006
Reversed Wormlike Micelles as Particle Dispersion Container;Yi-EnHuang(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Light Induced Changes in Rheological Properties of Self-Assembled Systems;PatrickElder(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Small Scale Potential of Biological Water Reclamation;BenMargolis(student);PatrickKangas(faculty).Algorithms for Data Compression and Secret Key Design;ArnabChoudhry(student);PrakashNarayan(faculty).Chitosan Microcapsules for Drug Delivery;RobertJosephBender(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Robotic Design;WilliamLee(student);GilmerBlankenship(faculty).Osteoprogenitor Cell Attachment to a Novel Material for Palate Reconstruction;DafnaKesselman(student);JohnFisher(faculty).Development of Degradable Polymers for Hernia Repair;EveRubenstein(student);JohnFisher(faculty).Improvement of Suspension System of An Ambulance Stretcher;JessicaSpires(student);YangTao(faculty).Synthesis of Stimuli Responsive Hydrogels;AlexanderNowodazkij(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Potable Water Filtration System for Rural Areas;NeftalemNegussi,OluwafunkeAdeyemo,SupreetRekhi,andB.Yohannes-Kassahun(students);AdelShirmohammadi(faculty).BioFridge: Self-Sanitizing Portable Hybrid Refrigerator;SarahAhmed,CliveButler,JosephDietrich,TayHua,RoshanKarunamuni(students);HubertMontas(faculty).Personal Flotation Device that Delays Onset of Hypothermia;SuzanneFrentz,DavidHwang,KristinKirk,DarrenLiang,EveRubenstein(students);AdelShirmohammadi(faculty).
Summer 2006
Flow and Fire Retardance Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites;GaryCheng(student);Srinivasa
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Raghavan(faculty).Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Recognition of Biologically Active Substances;MatthewJ.Getz(student);PeterKofinas(faculty).Aerosolization Studies of Vesicles with Applications to Vaccine Delivery;AndreaGray(student);SherylEhrman(faculty).Experimental and Modeling Studies of Oxide Nanoparticles;SicongHou(student);SherylEhrman(faculty).Increasing the Miscibility of EHD with PEGDA Using Lecithin, L-a-Phosphatidylcholine, as a Surfactant;ParthModi(student);JohnFisher(faculty).Characterization of Stimuli Responsive Hydrogels;AlexanderNowodazkij(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for BioMEMS Applications; Imran Shamim (student);RezaGhodssi(faculty).Development of Optic Sensor-Based Force Measurement System to Study Kinetics of Human Movements in MEG and fMRI;Seong-JinSeonwoo(student);JaeKunShim(faculty).
Fall 2006
Absorption of Charged Species by Nanocomposite Hydrogels;AlexanderSalimian(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Virus Traps—Engineering substrates with Polymer Films;TimonWanga(student);HelimAranda-Espinoza(faculty).Neutron Flux Measurement Using Gold Foils;MichaelFigueroa(student);MohammadAl-Sheikly(faculty).Molecularly Imprinted Polymers For Recognition of Biologically Active Substances;MatthewJ.Getz(student);PeterKofinas(faculty).Block Copolymer Nanoarchitectures for Radio Frequency Applications;SamuelJ.Lopez(student);Dr.PeterKofinas(faculty).Metal-Doped Block Copolymer Films for Electromagnetic Applications;JoshuaSilverstein(student);PeterKofinas(faculty).Reverse Aggregates Induced by Multivalent Ions;Yi-EnHuang(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Optical Measurements for Sensing and Communications;DmitriyFotiyev(student);ChristopherC.Davis(faculty).Hybrid Microcapsules For Targeted Drug Delivery;GabrielleC.Galvez(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).The Self-Assembly of Certain Diacetylene Surfactants Into Helical Tubules;AdeebRaziuddin(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Light-Induced Changes in Rheological Properties of Self-Assembled Systems;PatrickElder(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).RelationshipBetweentheFlowandFire-RetardantPropertiesofPolymer-ClayNanocomposites;GaryCheng(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).
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Research teaming faculty with undergraduates for projects with commercial potential
ASPIREA Scholars Program for Industry-Oriented Research in Engineering
Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDPermit No. 10
College Park, MD
A. James Clark School of EngineeringUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742-3415
www.mtech.umd.edu
MTECH Partnerships (www.partners.umd.edu)MTECHPartnershipsleveragesuniversityresourcestodrivegrowthincompaniescommittedtoadvancingtechnologyinMaryland.TheseresourcesincludeR&Dfunding,manufacturingsolutions,contractbio-processing,andperformanceexcellenceawards.
Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS):AcceleratesthetechnologyeconomyinMarylandbyjointlyfundingcollaborativeR&DprojectsbetweencompaniesandUniversitySystemofMarylandfacultytodevelopcommercialproducts.www.mips.umd.edu
Bioprocessing Research and Education Program:Providesbiotechnologycompaniesandprofessionalswithlow-costbioprocessscale-upandresearch,aswellasdownstreamprocessing,coursesandworkforcetraining.www.bio.umd.edu
Maryland Technology Extension Service (MTES):EnhancesthecompetitivenessofMarylandmanufacturersbyprovidingsolutionsandbestpractices,aswellasoptimization,implementation,andinnovationassistance.www.mtes.org
A Scholars Program for Industry-Oriented Research in Engineering (ASPIRE):Co-fundsresearchteamingfacultywithundergraduatestudentsforprojectswithpotentialcommercialapplications.www.aspire.umd.edu
Maryland Performance Excellence Awards:Measuresandrecognizesquality,productivityandperformanceexcellenceinorganizationsbypresentingtheU.S.SenateProductivityAwardandMarylandQualityAwards.www.mpea.umd.edu
MTECH ventures (www.ventures.umd.edu)MTECHVenturesprovidesentrepreneurshipeducationtotechnologycreatorsanddeliversaportfolioofservicesandresourcestoentrepreneurscommittedtobridgingthegapbetweentechnicalideasandviableventures.
Venture Creation
Technology Advancement Program (TAP):Leadingventureincubatorforearlystagetechnologycompanies.www.tap.umd.edu
ventureAccelerator Program:Intense,hands-onassistancetoguidefacultyandstudentsinlaunchingnewtechnologyventures.www.va.umd.edu
Entrepreneurship Education
Hinman CEOs Program:Award-winning,living-learningentrepreneurshipprogramforundergraduates.www.hinmanceos.umd.edu
University of Maryland $�0k Business Plan Competition:Mentoringandprizesforfaculty,students,andrecentalumni.www.bpc.umd.edu
University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp:Comprehensive,one-dayworkshopaboutlaunchingtechnology-basedventures.www.bootcamp.umd.edu
MTECH venture forum:Dynamic,interactivesymposiumseriesforentrepreneurial-mindedstudentsandfaculty.www.ventureforum.umd.edu
Hillman Entrepreneurs Program:EntrepreneurshipprogramfortransferstudentsbeginningstudyatPrinceGeorge’sCommunityCollegeandcompletingtheirbachelor’sdegreeattheUniversityofMaryland.www.hillman.umd.edu
Entrepreneurship Courses
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TheMarylandTechnologyEnterpriseInstitute(MTECH),aunitoftheA.JamesClarkSchoolofEngineeringattheUniversityofMaryland,acceleratestechnologyentrepreneurshipandleveragesuniversityresourcestobenefitMarylandcompaniesthroughitstwounits:MTECHVenturesandMTECHPartnerships.
Director:Dr.HerbertRabin|ExecutiveDirector:Dr.DavidBarbe|301.405.3906|www.mtech.umd.edu