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Walsh University to Host Annual Science and Technology Summit November 14

Start-Ups, Entrepreneurs and Companies to Showcase Their Innovations for a Chance to Win $10,000 in Scientific Analytical Services

 

Walsh University’s vision of enhancing the quality of life through the advancement of the sciences will be on full display as more than 230 high school students, education administrators, business professionals and government officials convene on campus for the annual Science and Technology Summit on November 14, in the Barrette Business and Community Center. This year, the focus of the Summit will be on how academia can partner with private industry and government to foster advances in science and technology to promote innovation and entrepreneurism and economic development. 

A new addition to the Summit this year, Walsh will host an Innovation Challenge where ten start-up companies will present their innovative ideas to a review panel with projects ranging from cancer research to advanced manufacturing.  The winner of the Innovation Challenge will be presented with a plaque and awarded $10,000 worth of analytical services at Walsh’s Center for Scientific Excellence, a state-of-the-art fee-for-services analytical laboratory.

The Summit will also include a networking luncheon for business professionals, thought leaders, top scientists and Walsh faculty, staff, and students to expand their professional networks and share ideas. Guests will hear from distinguished speakers, including Dr. Jonathan Gruber, Chairman of the Economics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-author of Jump-Starting America, Dr. James Moore, Assistant Director of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation, Dr. Victor McCrary, Vice Chair of the National Science Board and Abdou Ayoub, Founder and CEO, Paragon Shift.

In attendance will be Mr. Yoshiaki Maeda, president of Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (SSI) and top executives from the Shimadzu leadership team. These distinguished guests will meet with the Walsh University leadership and thought leaders and economic development professionals from across the region to discuss ideas for economic development opportunities through the sciences and announce that Walsh University has been awarded a second SPARQ (Shimadzu Partnership for Academic Research and Quality of Life) grant. This highly selective grant will provide an infusion of millions of dollars of some of the most sensitive and high-end scientific equipment on the market for chemical and elemental analysis and materials testing.  The suite of equipment would be very rare to be found in a small private liberal art setting and will provide businesses in Northeast Ohio with a unique resource for collaborative opportunity.

Walsh was awarded it’s the first SPARQ grant in 2021.  Shimadzu will recognize Walsh for outstanding achievement as a SPARQ partner and for exemplary service to the community as the program has been an extraordinary success. To date, Walsh University’s Center for Scientific Excellence has saved businesses millions of dollars of costs, generated hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue to support the science department and has created numerous internship and job opportunities for undergraduate students.

As part of the Summit, Walsh will host nearly 230 top science students from 12 regional high schools.  Students will hear from dynamic speakers to foster their enthusiasm toward pursuing exciting careers in the sciences, and they will hear from speakers who will discuss topics including how AI (Artificial Intelligence) is changing the career landscape and they’ll learn about some of the latest NASA projects.  Students will also participate in peer-to-peer learning with Walsh students, hands-on science experiments and learn how experiential learning in real-world problem solving and internship opportunities have led to exciting and fulfilling career paths for young scientists. 

To register, click here. For more information, contact Dr. Dan Passerini, Executive Director of Cross-Enterprise Operations at Walsh University, at 330.244.4746 or dpasserini@walsh.edu.