UMBC professors are navigating the startup economy – and finding harmony between research and commerce.

By Elizabeth Heubeck ’91

UMBC professor of music Linda Dusman found herself sitting next to UMBC PresidentFreeman A. Hrabowski, III at a UMBC Orchestra concert in 2010. Between movements, she whispered snippets of background information about the music to one of the orchestra’s biggest fans.

Because Dusman is a musical composer with a deeply ingrained respect for the traditions of classical concerts, the experience provided a rare “aha” moment. What if there was a way to convey real-time information about the music and its meaning to audience members in an appealing yet unobtrusive way?

“I was looking at it as a way to give audiences the backstory, a fuller palette of information, so they can re-engage with a symphonic piece,” Dusman explains.

Around the same time, Dusman observed how her adolescent son and his friends quickly became enraptured by Apple’s new iPad, which had just come onto the market: “Watching how the entire existence of my son and his friends began to revolve around screens from school to entertainment made me think there has to be a way to harness this for good.”

Fast forward just six years later. Dusman’s notion to marry technology and an enhanced audience experience is now in beta-testing with professional orchestras.

How? Dusman and Eric Smallwood ’03, visual arts, and ’10, MFA, imaging and digital arts, an assistant professor of visual arts, co-founded a startup company called Octava to develop a mobile app that provides smartphone users explanatory text and subtle visual imagery in real time to accompany music at symphony concerts.

Concert goers are usually reminded to turn off their phones. But they might soon be turning on Octava at concerts for a brief text-based explanation of what the composer had in mind when he wrote that dark, moody movement. Background imagery in the app synchronizes with thematic elements of the work as it is performed.

“I look for that nice edge between visuals that adds to the experience without distracting from it,” Smallwood says.

Dusman and Smallwood say that their journey has not always been easy. They were twice passed over for faculty grants, experienced some technological failures, and got negative initial feedback from test audiences. But they credit a $150,000 Maryland Innovation Initiative grant and industry advice they received from experts at UMBC for their app finally hitting its high notes.

The tweaks that the duo made to Octava have won rave reviews from professional symphonies. This summer and fall, they’ll be testing the app at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. And Dusman and Smallwood are exploring whether Octava can work in other mediums, including theatre. This summer, they will get feedback from audiences at the Houston Shakespeare Festival.

The Maryland Innovation Initiative and the outreach and advising program (dubbed “site mining”) that aided Octava and its founders are both part of a robust University System of Maryland (USM) initiative to promote faculty entrepreneurship. These efforts – and others – are paying off in a number of research-based startups founded by faculty in offices and laboratories throughout UMBC.

SHIFTING CULTURES

Support for faculty-based entrepreneurship endeavors is rising, especially as funding for traditional research grants has dropped steadily over the past decade or so . Between fiscal years 2003 and 2015, for instance, research grants provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – a key engine of research support – fell by almost 25 percent, primarily due to budget cuts.

Yet this emerging model of encouraging faculty members to find commercial applications for their research as well as publishing it represents a profound shift in academic culture for universities and their research faculty. To accelerate the transition, faculty entrepreneurship is supported by the broad-based Maryland Innovation Initiative launched in 2012 by the USM and run by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, or TEDCO – an independent organization created by the Maryland state legislature to support the transfer of technology from Maryland’s research universities and laboratories to the marketplace.

The program – budgeted at $5.8 million annually – invests in new technologies developed by faculty members at five of Maryland’s leading academic research institutions: Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), Morgan State University, and UMBC.

To date, UMBC faculty members have received more than $1.7 million for a total of twenty projects from the initiative. Out of 21 awards made by the program to UMBC researchers, 13 projects are in a developmental phase (Phase 1) and six projects, including Octava, are in a testing and beta mode (Phase 2).

Two projects have reached Phase 3, in which a company moves from product development toward profitability. One is Tarsier Optics, founded by professor of physicsYanhua Shih, which focuses on development of a high-resolution camera system for surveillance. The other is VakSea, a company in which Vik Vakharia, a professor of marine biotechnology at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), serves as chief science officer.

Ultimately, the goal behind the initiative is for universities to become a greater piece of Maryland’s economic engine. And UMBC is making great strides toward that goal.

“UMBC is successfully moving technology through the program from the validation phase to company formation,” notes Jennifer Hammaker, director of the Maryland Innovation Initiative. “It doesn’t happen overnight. When you’re changing the culture and educating faculty members, it’s a process.”

MINING FOR POTENTIAL

A key aspect of the initiative is identifying technologies that might be suited to the program and getting the ball rolling. It’s called “site mining” and resources have also been deployed to create opportunities to dig deep into research at UMBC and other schools covered by the initiative.

“For years, when faculty members would get tenure, there was no recognition related to commercialization. Everyone focused just on education, research, publications and service. That’s changing,” says David Fink, who is the entrepreneur in residence at the bwtech@UMBC Research & Technology Park. Fink is a site miner at UMBC, and he brings immense experience in founding and working for startup biotech companies to his role as an adviser to the 20 early-stage incubator companies at the university.

Fink also actively seeks out potential entrepreneurial ventures among faculty members at UMBC along with two other dedicated site miners. Once UMBC’s miners identify prospective projects, they serve as mentors to develop the projects, prepare a solid business application, and then act as champions throughout a rigorous review process.

This support is paying off. Fink estimates he’s talked to 60 professors across campus to gauge whether or not their research could be the foundation for a startup.

“We’ve identified about 25 projects we’ve thought were commercially viable,” says Fink. Eight companies have formed with UMBC faculty members as founders, and several more are in development. “That’s probably more than in the university’s entire existence,” he adds.

REALIZING ENTREPRENEURIAL GOALS

When officials at the Maryland Innovation Initiative consider which projects to fund, Hammaker says they weigh the commercial viability and potential marketplace competitiveness of a proposal. She adds that the initiative is also one path for faculty startups to win the support they need to take their project to the next level. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all program,” she observes. “We’re one element of a broader ecosystem that works for some people.”

Indeed, UMBC researchers have found additional resources to pursue entrepreneurship. One resource is Innovation Corps (or I-Corps) – a National Science Foundation-backed program designed to bring university researchers’ discoveries to market.

Mark Marten, a professor of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, was recently selected to participate in I-Corps. His startup, MycoInnovation LLC, is working to develop an additive for chicken feed that would be cheaper and safer than antibiotics, which are currently used in the majority of chicken feed to make the animals grow more efficiently. (The startup also received a $100,000 award from the Maryland Innovation Initiative.)

Marten has been at the university for two decades. He describes I-Corps as “entrepreneurial boot camp,” and he credits the program for making it possible for him to even imagine starting a company. “We have a lot to learn,” he adds. “We’re not business people.”

Fink says that the intense, two-month immersion program offered by I-Corps, which draws on the experience of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, helps professors understand the underpinnings of commercial ventures. “It completely turns around the thinking of academics,” he observes.

The pivot to entrepreneurship in the academy has other effects as well. Faculty who acquire the skills and ability to bring academic knowledge to the marketplace can also shape how students view the role of academic research. And faculty members such as Dusman see a pedagogical aspect to their pursuit of success with projects like Octava.

“I’m now aware of the increasing pressure on higher education to not be an ivory tower,” says Dusman, “and to create, to help students think of themselves as citizens of the world, and to have a positive impact on the world, and to think entrepreneurially.”

Meet Nick,
He is a Biochemistry major and a URA Scholar. He is a real proponent in developing future researchers. He advises, "If you are really interested in the work you are doing and want the project to succeed, then observing and looking into work that others have done in your field is a truly great thing to do. It will give you great insight not only on your own project, but also on the general knowledge associated with the field in which you are working." Nicholas would ultimately like to become a biomedical researcher to assist on developing cures and vaccines for infectious diseases. 

His research will explore the microscopic world of Nanoscience. Electrochemical aptamer-based (E-AB) sensors can be utilized to detect a multitude of different target molecules in a sample. Current methods, however, are limited to ensemble measurements of a large number of target molecules. Conversely, specific single molecule sensing at low detection limits represents a highly sensitive method of detection of analytes in a sample. In this project, I aim to detect Immunoglobulin E (IgE), a protein that is involved with the immune response in the human body, with specific single molecule sensitivity. 

Read more about his research project here...

Here is a great way to catch up on all our events for the month.

Check out our Mosaic and Interfaith Center Newsletter - December Edition! 

Courtesy of Jessica Williams

After three months of resting, relaxation and a lack of academic responsibilities, the fun came to an end as students moved in to their homes for the next two semesters, some more readily than others.

The Retriever contacted Jessica Williams, assistant director of Conferences and Market at Residential Life, and John Fox, director of Residential Life, to learn more about this year’s move-in day. The pair were in charge of supervising the Residential Life staff and providing services to students among other things. Everything from managing operational functions of each residence hall to maintaining liaison relationships with other Student Affairs and Campus Life Offices was on their agenda for the momentous day.

The high points of the move-in process, according to Williams and Fox, were abundant.

“We had a team oriented staff that worked together to help one another out that helped welcome the 50th class to campus by increasing the bed space to accommodate greater numbers of transfer students and completing the wonderful West Hill renovation.”

Overall, ResLife noted no complaints about the move-in process or any areas in which they saw needed fixing to make next years process easier or more satisfying for incoming and returning students, saying that, “The excitement, energy and high touch approach make things work well.”

Despite the lack of concerns put forth by students and faculty, there are many parts of move-in with which ResLife would like to incorporate for the beginning of the fall 2017 semester. They felt specifically excited about incorporating university spirit into the move-in process, as they would like to replicate “the school spirit created through the 50th anniversary.” This spirit was emphasized with True Grit taking photos with families as well as increasing marketing efforts for on-campus living this year.

As great as John Fox and Jessica Williams are at managing ResLife, they made a point to emphasize that the success of this year’s move-in was a team effort. “The staff at the front line in our facilities work really hard to ensure everything goes smoothly. At the global level, Associate Director, Frank Caldwell, does a fantastic job of coordinating all of the necessary components and people key to the success of Residential Life,  that includes internal staff, as well as partners across the University.”

While move-in went well, we students must acknowledge the effort put in by the great people at ResLife and university faculty for allowing everything to run smoothly and going above and beyond expectations.

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Shannon Carney for The Retriever

The student-created project group, Retriever Treasures, braved the sweltering heat on Wednesday to host their first yard sale. With the goal of reducing waste on campus, the group collected donated items from students moving out of their dorms at the end of the spring semester.

Maddie Dahne, a junior biology and environmental science double major, led the project with her fellow students and enthusiastically sold goods to those passing through the quad on their way to classes.

“Going through the move-out process, we saw that perfectly usable stuff was being thrown away,” Dahne said. “At the end of last year all of the stuff here would have been thrown away.”

They prevented quite a bit of landfill waste. Their donations filled up eight long fold out tables piled high with t-shirts, shoes, lamps, laundry detergent and other dorm room knick-knacks. Plastic storage bins sat underneath each table with even more clothing, comforters and blankets.

The members of Retriever Treasures weren’t shy about calling out to passersby that every item for sale was under $10. Their dedication to the cause was evident as they kept upbeat and friendly attitudes even without tents to shield them from the sun.

Across the pathway, workers took down the many tables and the large tent used for orientation. The metal poles banged loudly on the ground, but the commotion didn’t deter the Retriever Treasures group or the shoppers.

A steady stream of people stopped by the tables to rifle through the goods and purchase new clothes or an item they may have left behind. Some people left empty-handed because it was a cash-only sale. Even so, Retriever Treasures considered their day a success.

“We haven’t even been open for an hour and we’ve already made a lot of money,” Dahne said early into their sale.

All the money goes toward sustaining the project, including storing the donated items throughout the year.

Rushika Nayak, a freshman biology major who lives on campus, was clothing shopping at the yard sale. After receiving a text message from a friend about the sale, she decided to check it out. While she said she doesn’t typically seek out secondhand sales, Nayak does enjoy coming across them.

“If [a sale] is there I’m going to check it out,” she said.

She purchased a bright orange shirt and still looked through bins of clothing with a friend.

In addition to the good value, Nayak also felt the project was useful for college students and sustainability.

She said, “It’s a community thing. It’s better than just throwing stuff out.”

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Courtesy of Amanda Lo

UMBC receives a lot of praise for its budding and ‘innovative’ undergraduate program, but this attention often leaves the university’s graduate programs (and subsequently its students) ignored.

Thankfully, the PROMISE Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate caters specifically to these students of higher education. Founded over a decade ago in 2003 as an alliance between three of the biggest Maryland Universities – UMBC, University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland College Park – the organization describes itself as a “university system-wide effort for the state of Maryland to facilitate underrepresented STEM graduate student and postdoctoral professional development and pathways to careers.”

On Friday, Sept. 9, PROMISE held an opening event designed to bring together new and returning PROMISE members to get to know each other and get welcomed back into the new semester. To find out more about the organization and what makes it beneficial to the university’s graduate students, The Retriever got in touch with Amanda Lo, a graduate assistant for the PROMISE AGEP team and for the Career-Life Balance Initiative.

When asked about what PROMISE does for graduate students, Lo discussed how the group helps them towards their future degree and career goals. “[It] assists UMBC graduate students by providing professional development seminars and workshops, while providing a sense of community where attendees can feel welcomed, be mentored, feel inspired, receive support throughout their graduate career, be recognized for graduating and meet students from other disciplines who are also on their way to receiving a Master’s or Ph.D. degrees.”

In this way, Lo described PROMISE as providing a “support system and a sense of belonging for graduate students, particularly underrepresented minorities in STEM fields and increasing the graduation rate of underrepresented minorities.”

According to Lo, these opportunities and advantages are what help make PROMISE a successful organization, stating that, “It welcomes members from the entire University System of Maryland through providing a plethora of professional development workshops and opportunities to attend conferences that can assist the participant on their way to graduate completion.”

While PROMISE already appears to have a firm goal in mind, this doesn’t stop the organization from looking into ways to grow their organization and make it even better than it currently is. Lo describe how the organization hopes to use the current seminars and workshop they currently provide to help graduate students, “receive support, mentorship, opportunities for networking, advice, inspiration and a sense of belonging as they complete their graduate studies or postdoctoral experiences” through events such as “TA Training, Work-Life Balance Workshop, Funding Your Graduate Education, Dissertation House, Financial Literacy on Credit Scores, How to Develop a Syllabus, and Grant Writing.”

Not only does PROMISE provide a boost of encouragement and opportunities for graduate students, it also reminds us all of the crucial role that higher level education plays at UMBC and how the university’s undergraduate reputation isn’t the only shiny trophy on the university’s mantle.

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Courtesy of Mary Arsenault

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The Retriever File Photo

UMBC’s 50th anniversary celebrates not only a long record of higher learning, but also an environment that allows students to get involved in new hobbies and give back to their community. Kicking off the semester as well as anniversary festivities, the semiannual Involvement Fest was held Wednesday.

In spite of the 90 degree heat, the quad was packed with hundreds of students looking to join one of over 200 clubs and organizations at UMBC. Acapella groups took turns singing at the bottom of the hill in front of the commons. People handed out freebies like pens and popsicles to attract students to their booth. The organizations represented were as diverse as the student body.

The student groups were separated by type. Greek life and service-oriented organizations were closer to The Commons, cultural organizations were near the pool and recreation and hobby groups were closer to the math and psychology building.

The students were incredibly enthusiastic about greeting passersby and inviting people to give their organization a try. Many of them found their groups through Involvement Fest and were happy to share the experience with their fellow students, such as Maya Hale.

Hale, a Junior biology and psychology double major, is the president of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed, service-oriented fraternity. Hale found APO her freshman year at Involvement Fest.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do.” Hale said. “APO handed me a card. I liked the group, I liked what they were doing.”

Volunteering in service was important to Hale, but she did not know what opportunities were available to her until she visited her first Involvement Fest. She believes many other students share the same problem.

“I think that people don’t realize what the school has to offer. Having events like this, we get to get our name out and we connect with people who also love service. They get to find an outlet on campus,” Hale said.

Finding a place to connect on campus is good not just for the community, but for students’ well being as well. Breana Echols, a senior political science major, found a great support group in her student organizations. Echols is the president of UMBC’s Panhellenic Association which oversees five sororities that are focused on leadership, service and personal development.

“Involvement Fest is a great way to find your place at UMBC,” Echols said. “It’s all about your experience based on what you get involved in.”

Echols has seen a positive effect on the community through student involvement as well as a positive effect on the students.

“It’s about having that common bond and those people to turn to when you’re stressed. I’ve never been in an organization that hasn’t supported me,” she said.

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