Working in the Valley of the Shadow of Death - Transferring New Technologies from the Research Lab to Commercial Manufacturing

Career Story by Rick Lawless, Director of Industry Programs at NC State University

During the first 21 years of my working career, I performed various roles associated with the commercial production of industrial biochemicals, clinical diagnostic products, and vaccines.  My instructions were simple: manufacture products that met all expectations for quality, compliance, cost, and supply.  Of course, no one should die or get hurt in the process.  While I had some appreciation for product features and knew that countless preclinical and clinical evaluations had been conducted to prove that the products were safe and effective, I must admit that I rarely thought about how the processes made it to the manufacturing floor.

A Career Filled with Opportunity, Therapeutics, and Music!

Career Story by Gerhard Bauer, PhD, Professor of Hematology and Oncology, and Director of The GMP Laboratory at UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures

I was born and grew up in Austria, in a small town about 100 kilometers west of Vienna. At age 6 already I started to learn the classical piano, and I remember being featured as a “Kid Star” pianist at age 7. I continued to study the piano for another 8 years, but when my piano teacher wanted me to switch to atonal music and would not let me play the jazz and popular music of the 1920s and 1930s, I quit and never really touched the instrument again. And to be fair, there was no real way of studying jazz and syncopated dance music in Austria; it’s the land of classical music.  I soon moved to Vienna where I attended college and medical school.

Bringing Science into Policy

Career Story by Katrina Korfmacher, PhD, Associate Professor for Environmental Medicine and URBEST Policy Leader

I grew up thinking I wanted to be a scientist and entered college interested in “genetic engineering” -having absolutely no idea what that was.  My first environmental studies class in college got me hooked on the idea of using science to solve imminent social problems, and I refocused on ecology and geology.

My Experience in Technical Entrepreneurship For Scientists: How It All Began

News Article by Omar Mbowe, PhD, UR Research Assistant Professor and URBEST Trainee
 

The first thing that caught my eye was, “If you are interested in learning more about Technical Entrepreneurship for Scientists, you might consider attending this lunch information session for the spring course TEM411.” The session would be led by Professor Duncan Moore “one of the heroes who rescued the Hubble Space Telescope from ruin.” Meeting someone who worked that closely with the US president on scientific matters and someone who led a team that corrected the Hubble Telescope’s “nearsightedness” was a big motivation for attending the URBEST event. The free food was an added bonus.  

Kyle’s Tips for July: Writing Habits

News Article by Kyle Trenshaw, PhD, Educational Development Specialist for STEM at University of Rochester

Kyle is the leader of Page Turners For Teaching, the new bi-weekly discussion group for grad students, medical students, postdocs, and residents interested in exploring their teaching practice with like-minded colleagues. In the meantime, here are some tips to get you started with your writing practice.