Archive for November, 2011

Leonardo After Hours presents Innovation Idol: Superhero Edition

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Leonardo After Hours is back with “Innovation Idol: Superhero Edition,” the inaugural After Hours event held inside The Leonardo, Utah’s newest museum.

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, four fantastic entrepreneurial innovators will assemble in the hallowed halls of The Leonardo to battle it out for the coveted title of “Innovation Idol.”

Contestants will have just seven minutes to demonstrate their innovations, and persuade the panel of expert judges and audience members that their idea deserves the title—as well as a $500 cash prize. Each contestant represents a super-heroic innovation with the potential to save lives, increase safety, and improve quality of life for thousands and even millions of people.

When: Wed. Dec 7, 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Free Preview of The Leonardo: 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm

Where: The Leonardo, 209 East 500 South

Contestants were chosen from the top ranks of projects that have received grant funding through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Technology Commercialization and Innovation Program.

Participants can arrive at 5:15 p.m. for a FREE preview of Utah’s newest museum. Admittance is free, but RSPVs are required. Please respond to rsvp@theleonardo or 801/531-9800, ext. 100.

Leonardo After Hours is a joint production by The Leonardo and the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR).

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Brookings cites USTAR best practices in Nevada economic development report

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Brookings has published a report on Nevada entitled “Unify, Regionalize, Diversify: an Economic Development Agenda for Nevada”. The report seeks to comprehensively define the nature of the economic challenges that Nevada faces and identify industry areas with the highest potential for growth and diversification. In the report, a number of state initiatives – including Utah’s USTAR – are cited as best practices.

Brookings suggest a major three-part economic development policy stance aimed at enabling the state, its regions, and the private sector to work more effectively to build a more unified, regionally vibrant, and diversified Nevada. The full report (authored by Mark Muro) and executive summary are available here: http://www.brookings.edu/metro/nevada

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Hinckley Institute Policy Forum to examine USTAR at the five-year mark Dec. 6

Monday, November 21st, 2011

The Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah will tackle the subject of technology economic development at a Policy Forum Tuesday, Dec. 6. The event is free and open to the public.

The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a state-funded, industry-led effort that leverages the success of Utah’s research universities in creating and commercializing innovative technologies to expand and diversity Utah’s economy.

The March 2006 legislation that created USTAR provides funding to:

  • Recruit top-level researchers
  • Build state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research and development facilities
  • Form science, innovation, and commercialization teams across the state

In five years of operation, USTAR has hit significant milestones in its three program areas – Research Teams, Building Projects, and regional Technology Outreach. The panel will discuss technology economic development policy and USTAR performance in light of regional and national trends.

The session takes place from 12:15 to 1:15 pm at 260 South Central Campus Drive, Room 255 (map). Panelists include:

  • Ted McAleer, USTAR executive director
  • Wesley G. Smith, executive vice president of government relations and general counsel at the Salt Lake Chamber
  • Jan Elise Stambro, senior research economist with the Bureau of Economic and Business Research and author of an economic impact study of USTAR
  • John A. White, USTAR researcher, professor of bioengineering, executive director of the U of U Brain Institute

Michael O’Malley, Marketing Director for USTAR and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, will moderate.

Hinckley Forums enable students, faculty, and community members to discuss a broad range of political concepts with political experts several times each week. Past guests include President Bill Clinton, President Gerald Ford, Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator John McCain, Utah Governor Michael Leavitt, and many other notable professionals.

The Hinckley Institute is dedicated to teaching students respect for practical politics and the principle of citizen involvement in government. It is a bipartisan institute dedicated to engaging students in governmental, civic and political processes; promote a better understanding and appreciation of politics; and train ethical and visionary students for service in the American political system. Robert H. Hinckley founded the Hinckley Institute of Politics in 1965 with the vision to, “teach students respect for practical politics and the principle of citizen involvement in government.” Since its founding, the Hinckley Institute has provided a wide range of programs for students, public school teachers and the general public

Robert H. Hinckley served in the Roosevelt Administration as Director of the Civilian Pilot Training Program, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, and Director of Contract Settlement. He later went on to found the American Broadcasting Company in 1946. “Every student a politician” was the dream of Robert H. Hinckley.

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Utah State University spin-out receives $2.7 million federal transportation grant

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

 Utah State University has hit a significant milestone toward creating the public transportation system of the future, starting – of all places – on the University of Utah campus.

WAVE, Inc., a USU spin-out company, has received $2.7 million from the Federal Transit Administration to electrify a bus route on the U of U campus. The funds will be dispersed via the Utah Transit Authority.

[SEE THE KSL STORY.]

Using wireless power transfer technology developed at USU by the USTAR-supported Energy Dynamics Laboratory, WAVE tackles the problem of heavy and expensive electric vehicle batteries by using inductive power to transfer electricity between vehicle and roadway. WAVE capabilities transfer energy wirelessly to stationary vehicles using infrastructure embedded in the roadway to vehicle-mounted receiver plates. This wireless charging ability reduces battery size requirements and allows for continuous use of the electric vehicle.

WAVE’s solution for bus routes will electrify sections of roadway at specific intervals—where a bus loads and unloads passengers, and where it waits to begin its next route. The installation on the U of U campus aims to demonstrate the viability of large-scale mass transit systems powered by wireless power transfer.

The FTA grant is part of a capital investment program to reduce transit system energy consumption and to reduce emissions.

According to WAVE CEO Wesley Smith, “WAVE is the result of two main efforts; one is the responsive technology commercialization model that USU has put in place under the leadership of Rob Behunin, and the second is the support that USTAR has given to this commercialization effort, including the initial financing of the Energy Dynamics Laboratory.”

 

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Southern Utah Code Campers wow judges in 24-hour contest

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Have you ever been stumped by that famous whodunit  board game in the  amount of notes you must keep in order to play the game successfully? Now, thanks to a group of tenacious programmers, there’s an app for that. In the 24-hour Code Camp contest, team members D.J. Holt, Daniel Evans, Daniel Gubler, and Curtis Larsen created an application called C.L.U. that allows players to keep track of all the suggestions and clues for more efficient game play.

Second-place winner in the November 10-11 event was Four Estate, for their app that allows those shopping for a home to collect significant amounts of information from a QR scan on a real estate sign. The Four Estate team includes Andrew Page, Joe Ferguson, Justin Steele, and Andrew Neff.

QR Hunter, a scavenger hunt type app that Code Camp judges believe could have commercial value in local business promotions, took third place.  QR Hunter involves a trail of phone scans in various locations of a region which eventually result in a prize. John Leith, Brian Olsen, Dave Johnson and Nolan Bradshaw created this application

Code Camp rules decreed that teams of one to four members bring their laptops and project ideas to the Dixie State College Gardner Center Ballroom where tables, chairs, electric and Internet wireless connectivity were provided.  While teams were allowed to design and collect data prior to the event, no coding took place until the 6:00 pm Thursday kick-off.

Judges Eric Pedersen, Ron Woodland, and Russ Ross from Dixie State College (DSC) and Rob Robertson from Southern Utah University (SUU) said the 17 projects created in the 24-hour coding blitz were very difficult to judge in five-minute presentation slots.  “I’ve never been assaulted with so much tech entrepreneurism in such a short amount of time in my life,” Pedersen said.

Judges also picked a unique education application called Don’t Lecture Me: Teach Me to receive the business viability award. While most teams included four members, Trent Staheli and Steve Whittekiend were the only two creators of this project.

Projects were judged on technical expertise, completeness, novelty/innovation, aesthetic appeal, and business viability. Judges were impressed with the variety of projects produced by a variety of skill sets. Some applications, such as Cash Dragon, featured impressive graphics while others had definite business and education appeal.

Campers were a mix of industry professionals, many of whom were graduates of DSC and SUU, as well as students of the two institutions. Zack Alvey, a computer teacher at Pine View High School, also brought students who completed an app called Dinner Bell aimed to help extended families schedule and send out reminders and texts for family gatherings.

Campers did get tired during the marathon event, and by Friday morning, at least half a dozen were fast asleep in the Gardner Center lounge.  Throughout the day participants could be seen taking short breaks with faces planted on pillows next to keyboards and bodies stretched out on the ballroom floor.

Despite the long hours, organizers were amazed at the amount of work accomplished in the compressed time frame. Chair Jeff Poulton noted that many of the project that could be developed for viable use. “The teams need to do the rest of the work and finish these,” he said. “ Some of these will make money.”

Sponsors of the event were also encouraged by the projects, but their primary purpose was to encourage talent. “We always need people,” Shane Callahan of Steton Technologies said.

Code Camp was produced by the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) Initiative and SEED Dixie. Sponsors were: Dixie State College, Overact Dev, Steton Technologies, Durham Jones Pinegar Law, True Scale Technologies, CaboSoft, Tonaquint Data Center, Lava Subs, Infowest, Wilson Electronics, In Your Face, Velocity Webworks, and Kari Design.

About SEED Dixie:
After an extensive strategic planning process,WashingtonCountyeconomic developers adopted SEED Dixie (Stimulating Expansion of Entrepreneurial Development inDixie) in January 2008. The initiative focuses on strengthening the southernUtaheconomy by fostering and supporting emerging value-added businesses that create high paying jobs and sustained growth in national markets. SEED Dixie programs discover talented entrepreneurs, help match them with promising opportunities and support them with the resources they need to succeed. The expected benefit is to diversify the southern Utah economy.

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Douglas Kondo, M.D.: Helping Kids Beat Depression

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Between 15-25% of American teens will experience depression within their lifetime, their symptoms ranging from low-level depression to suicidality. “If the same number of kids had cancer, there would be panic in the streets,” said Douglas Kondo, M.D., Brain Institute and USTAR investigator, and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah. “The difference with mental illness is you can’t see it.”

Stigma is part of the reason why research on depression has not received the attention it deserves. As a result, diagnosis is still based on patient questioning, not an unbiased blood test or scan. Another shortcoming, common antidepressants were found to be only marginally more effective than placebo in well-conducted studies. “Diagnosis and treatment are where psychiatry lags behind the rest of medicine,” said Kondo.

Giving mood a boost
Creatine – a nutritional supplement frequently taken by athletes to improve muscle performance – may provide answers to these problems. Produced naturally by the body, creatine fuels a metabolic pathway that generates energy within muscle and brain cells. The extra boost provided by creatine may help brain cells to better perform basic neurological functions involved in mood regulation.

On this basis, Kondo is investigating whether creatine can help alleviate major depressive disorder (MDD), a condition that adversely impacts an individual’s work or school, health, and family. In part because women are disproportionately affected by depression, he is assessing the effectiveness of creatine treatment in adolescent girls who fail to respond to approved antidepressant treatments.

Under the auspices of a 5-year, $3.4 million initiative funded by the Veteran Administration (VA) Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Kondo is also conducting creatine studies in veterans, whose depression can be complicated by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other factors.

Building on a strong foundation
“I am not necessarily a proponent of alternative medicine,” said Kondo. “I am a proponent of evidence-based medicine (EBM) that is hypothesis driven.”

Kondo’s research follows up on work by his colleague and mentor, Brain Institute and USTAR investigator Perry Renshaw, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., professor of psychiatry at the U. Using a non-invasive technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI), Renshaw found that the brains of depressed adults who respond well to prescription antidepressants have higher levels of phosphocreatine (PCr) – a form of cellular creatine – than non-responders. What’s more, when non-responders took creatine, their PCr levels rose significantly. Preliminary evidence suggests their depression improves, too. 

Douglas Kondo, M.D.

“Think of a water tower,” explained Kondo. “If the reservoir is full, you can turn on the faucet in your house. But if it’s too low, there is no pressure in the system and you’re out of luck.” Kondo’s work will determine whether creatine works in depressed adolescents as it does in adults.

In similar studies, Kondo is pursuing whether supplements of another naturally produced molecule, uridine, will help treat the depressive phase of bipolar disorder – also called bipolar depression – in adolescents. Renshaw’s MRSI studies in healthy adults demonstrated that uridine supplements increase production of a fundamental building block of brain cells, membrane phospholipid precursors. Similar to creatine, uridine may also enhance energy metabolism and other basic cellular functions that impact mood.

(more…)

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Start your (app) engines! Code Camp to showcase region’s top tech talent Nov. 10-11

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Code Camp is the high-tech equivalent of the 24-hour Le Mans endurance road race. Participating teams from throughout the region will have 24 hours to build the best web or mobile application.

Called the “unconference” for southern Utah techs, Code Camp will kick off its second annual competition on November 10-11 at the Dixie State College Gardner Center Ballroom.

Developers, designers, artists, user-interface/user-experience experts, or anyone else interested in the creation of web or mobile applications are welcome to assemble a team, come with an idea, and fight for the title of Southern Utah Code Camp Champion. Companies, students and individuals may participate. Registration and rules can be found at www.southernutahcodecamp.com.

Following the 24-hour marathon building session, Code Camp teams will be judged on technical expertise, completeness, aesthetics, commercial viability, and novelty/innovation. Judges are top industry experts and professors from Southern Utah University and Dixie State College. Teams with a variety of skills will have the advantage, according to Jeff Poulton, event chair.

Joshua Aikens, chair of the Dixie Technical Association and host of the event, says Code Camp is not only a fun event, but a great opportunity to showcase talent in the region. “Every tech company in southern Utah is desperate to hire the best,” Aikens said. “Even in this economy, this industry is struggling to find people.”

Thanks to sponsorships from many of the southern Utah technical companies in the region, the event – including food, drinks and prizes – will be free of charge to participants. Sponsors include SEED Dixie, USTAR, Dixie State College, OverAct Dev, Steton Technologies, True Scale Technologies, CaboSoft, Durham, Jones and Pinegar Law, Tonaquint Data Center, Lava Subs, InfoWest, Wilson Electronics, In Your Face, Kari Design and SteamRoller Copies.

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Save the date: Governor’s Energy Development Summit Feb. 15

Monday, November 7th, 2011

The Office of Energy Development (OED) has announced the Utah Governor’s Energy Development Summit will be held Feb. 15, 2012 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.

The summit will highlight Utah’s 10-Year Strategic Energy Plan and provide industry insight and education in existing and emerging technology fields.

  • National and State Keynote Speakers
  • Energy Resource and Development Breakout Sessions
  • Trade Show

For more information visit: http://www.ener​gy.utah.gov

For a pdf version of the Save the Date announcement, visit http://www.utah.gov/ustar/documents/163.pdf

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Researchers from Utah and Wyoming join forces to understand complex water problems facing western states

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Project to take comprehensive look at how different factors impact resources

 An interdisciplinary team of Utah and Wyoming researchers has received a $6 million, three-year award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a better understanding of the interconnectivity of natural and human water resources systems – a critical environmental sustainability problem facing both Western states.

The award will allow the team of researchers to develop high-performance computer modeling and computational resources (known as cyberinfrastructure or CI for short) to simulate and study how factors such as population growth, shifting land uses and climate variability will impact water storage and availability in the Intermountain West. This award is made under the NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which supports states’ efforts to enhance research, science and mathematics education, and workforce development.

The CI-WATER project includes researchers from Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah State University, and the University of Wyoming. BYU and the University of Wyoming are the lead institutions for their respective states in the consortium.

“The work of this team, which includes some of the leading researchers in hydrology and related fields in the Western United States, will lead to a greater understanding of long-term water resource forecasting than ever before,” said Norm Jones, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at BYU and the overall project lead. “The value of combining our expertise in one project cannot be overstated.”

This award will enable the simulation of the hydrologic processes in greater detail, accounting more comprehensively for variability in topography, land cover, geology and water management infrastructure, leading to improvements in predictions needed to better plan and manage water resources. Researchers on this project also will have access to the new NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) located near Cheyenne and slated to open in early 2012.

Public outreach and community engagement is a key element of the project. As part of the effort, public media partners Utah Education Network (UEN) and Wyoming PBS will bring results of the CI-WATER research to the public through community events and activities for teachers and students.

The award represents an early success for Utah’s new EPSCoR office, which connects ideas and emerging technologies in target markets with entrepreneurs, industry leaders, students and researchers from Utah’s research and regional colleges and universities. The goal of the office is to allow the state to more effectively compete for federal research funds.

“While numerous researchers have looked individually at the components that impact water systems, this project will allow a comprehensive examination of overall system sustainability,” said Fred Ogden, civil engineering professor and University of Wyoming project leader.

According to Suzanne Winters, director of the Utah EPSCoR office, the interdisciplinary effort follows a model that Utah hopes to promote in its future research and development efforts.

“The CI-WATER project is an example of aggregating expertise across institutions – and, in this case, state lines – to encourage collaboration in areas that have huge impacts on our lives,” Winters said. “Our new EPSCoR office will work with Utah’s research institutions and regional colleges, public and higher education, and the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative to promote even more opportunities like this.”

In its application to the National Science Foundation, the CI-WATER team said the project would ultimately result in “the development and use of large-scale, high-resolution computational water resources models to enable comprehensive examination of integrated system behavior through physically based, data-driven simulation. Successful integration requires data, software, hardware, simulation models, tools to visualize and disseminate results, and outreach to engage stakeholders and impart science into policy, management, and decisions.”

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USTAR “spider silk” researcher to speak at USU’s Science Unwrapped Nov. 4

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Imagine a material that’s stronger than steel yet light as a feather. Imagine bullet-stopping body armor so comfortable it feels like a second skin.

Science fiction? In the not-so-distant future, maybe not.

Friday, Nov. 4, Utah State University’s Science Unwrapped welcomes USTAR professor Randy Lewis as featured speaker. A molecular biologist in USU’s Synthetic Bio-Manufacturing Center, Lewis presents “Spider Silk: An Ancient Biomaterial for the Future.”

Lewis speaks at 7 p.m. in the Emert Auditorium, Room 130, of the Eccles Science Learning Center on campus. Hosted by USU’s College of Science, admission is free and open to all ages.       

During the past 20 years, Lewis has pioneered methods of manufacturing artificial spider silk. By transferring silk-producing genes from spiders to silkworms, goats, E. Coli bacteria and alfalfa, the scientist and his team have developed “factories” capable of mass producing the super-strong, lightweight fiber.          

Future applications for the manufactured silk, in addition to body armor, could include artificial tendons, ligaments and bones; artificial skin to treat victims of severe burns and improved parachutes, cables and vehicle airbags.

Hands-on learning activities coordinated by USU’s Department of Biology follow the presentation. Free refreshments will be served.  

For more information, call 435-797-3517, visit www.usu.edu/science/unwrapped or view the ‘Science Unwrapped at USU’ page on Facebook.

Thanks to Mary-Ann Muffoletto for sharing this with us.

Randy Lewis

 

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Entrepreneurs: Last call for submissions to WBI Deal Forum in Provo, UT

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Due date is Wednesday,  Nov. 9.

The Wayne Brown Institute (WBI) and VentureCapital.Org are seeking submissions from entrepreneurs by Wednesday, November 9, 2011 for the Deal Forum that will be held on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 in Provo, Utah. The Deal Forum provides start-up and early stage companies with venture-based mentoring and advice from venture professionals that are essential to help accelerate their growth.

Early stage companies specializing in high tech or life sciences should apply for this opportunity. With the help of WBI and VentureCapital.org, a company’s prospects of raising money are greatly heightened.

Through the WBI and VentureCapital.org’s Deal Forum process, selected companies are mentored on presenting themselves effectively to prospective investors. All companies are reviewed by members of the angel and venture investment community, and receive immediate and highly effective feedback.

The forum will be held on Tuesday December 6, 2011, but submissions are due by Wednesday November 9. The submission fee is $25 and the cost to attend, learn, observe and network is $10.

A candidate should have high growth potential, $30-$100 million a year in revenues after 3-7 years, and have sales or cash flow. A candidate’s management should also have relevant experience.

The Deal Forum will commence on December 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and will be located at Zions Bank Financial Center on the 8th floor at 180 N. University Ave Provo, UT 84601.

If you are interested in submitting a deal to be considered for an upcoming Deal Forum or would like to attend, please go to http://www.venturecapital.org/vc-events-deal-forum .

For More Information:
Brad Bertoch
President of Wayne Brown Institute
801-595-1141
Info@venturecapital.org

Thanks to Kaylene Moulton for sharing this information with us.

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Latest USTAR e-Connections newsletter is here

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Once or twice a month, we send an electronic newsletter called e-Connections to our contact list. The latest issue covers:

  • USU USTAR building achieves LEED Gold certification
  • NIH funds U of U Down Syndrome research
  • New state EPSCoR office
  • SCIx open house
  • Nanotechnology winners
  • Annual reports out from GOED and USTAR
  • USTAR in the news

Email ustarinfo@utah.gov if you wish to subscribe.

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University of Utah receives grant for groundbreaking Down Syndrome research

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Studies including Utah families will provide insights into the human brain and treatment strategies for mental disability

A multidisciplinary team of University of Utah investigators has received a grant for innovative research that will shed new light on the genes that cause Down syndrome (DS), as well as the defects of brain development and function that lead to intellectual disability. The $2.96 million grant co-funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support cross-disciplinary research that studies not only genes and brain structure, but also the circuitry and chemical signals within the brain that lead to the development of DS.

“We’ll be taking a revolutionary first look at how brain circuits are related to behavior, intelligence and brain function,” said University of Utah USTAR Professor Julie Korenberg, Ph.D., M.D. “The team’s approach to the study of Down syndrome is unprecedented and integrates genetics, neuroimaging and cognitive testing into the research. Winning this highly competitive grant speaks well to the university and to the support we’ve received from the entire Down syndrome community in Utah.”

The team Korenberg has brought together—the DS Therapeutic Consortium—is a group of internationally recognized investigators at the University of Utah who represent more than 10 highly interactive departments with a strong commitment to DS research. Local families, coordinated through the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation (UDSF), will participate in the study.

Julie R. Korenberg, USTAR researcher

“Our state has an amazing network of support, which includes families, community members and professionals,” commented Ann Marie Christensen, UDSF board president. “The UDSF is happy to strengthen these bonds of support by working with such a wonderful group of medical professionals for the potential benefit of all individuals with Down syndrome.”

DS affects more than 400,000 individuals in the U.S. and is the most common genetic cause of cognitive disability and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to defects in memory, language and brain anatomy, DS is also associated with physical changes, congenital heart disease and abnormal intestinal development. Individuals with DS are born with an extra copy of all or most of the genes on chromosome 21. While most genetic diseases are caused by mutations on a single gene, the characteristic features and developmental problems of DS are a complex function of over 220 genes on chromosome 21. 

There have been significant advances in the understanding of DS over the last 10 years, including research on treatments that boost the growth of brain cells and improve memory. However, most of these studies were performed in mice with an equivalent of DS. Korenberg and her colleagues will be studying DS in humans, including a unique group of individuals with DS caused by duplication of only part of chromosome 21, a rare condition referred to as partial trisomy 21. Korenberg has amassed the world’s largest cohort, or patient group, with this characteristic. People with partial trisomy 21 provide a unique opportunity to link specific genes with defects in brain development and function.

Even though a complete list of chromosome 21 genes has been identified, researchers still don’t know which of those genes is responsible for the mental disability associated with DS, Korenberg said. “Now, powerful advances in medical genetics and human brain imaging have given us new techniques to link genes to the structural abnormalities and changes in brain circuitry that occur in people with DS. The ultimate goal is to develop novel treatments for DS and other intellectual disabilities.”

“The University of Utah has fantastic talent and resources in toxicology, imaging, pediatrics, mouse behavior, data management and more. Around NIH circles, we heard the term ‘dream team’ used, and I think that’s accurate,” Korenberg said.

The team assembled on this new grant includes co-principal investigator and imaging expert Guido Gerig, a USTAR professor at the University of Utah’s Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. Other key team members include: E.K. Jeong, associate professor of radiology; Jeffrey Anderson, professor of cardiology; John Carey, professor of pediatrics; and Nicola Longo, professor of pediatrics. University of Arizona psychology researchers Lynn Nadel and Jamie Edgin are also participating.

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