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Connectivity Expo '98 Will Feature Research Ready for Market
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- A virtual "flight" through a colon can identify abnormal growths more quickly and comfortably than a traditional colonoscopy. New math and computer technology has helped create the highest-resolution telescope on Earth. A promising new cancer-fighting technique alters the way genes work in the white blood cells. And space technology generates new information about plant growth hormones.
What do all of these technological innovations have in common?
They are among about 120 research projects that will be featured at Connectivity Expo '98, a major event for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, manufacturers and businesses who want to know about cutting-edge science. The Expo will take place March 18-20 at Winston-Salem's Benton Convention Center.
With the theme of "Putting Research to Work," Connectivity Expo '98 highlights projects that are ready to be developed for market or industrial applications. The research will come from world-class scientists at three university campuses.
One of those, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, is the nation's fifth fastest-growing academic medical school in funding from the National Institutes of Health. In the past year alone, the school has announced breakthrough research in cancer, AIDS, nutrition, imaging and public health.
Researchers from Wake Forest University and from Winston-Salem State Unversity will present projects at the Expo. Ranked among the nation's top colleges and universities by U.S. News & World Report, Wake Forest is home to a growing research enterprise. Pioneering advances have fueled a 220 percent increase in sponsored research support since 1990.
Winston-Salem State University scientists attracted international attention in 1997 for research leading to early detection of human breast cancer. Other studies at the university include the toxic effects of methyl mercury and the causes of high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.
Connectivity Expo '98 is the creation of a community-wide coalition of education and business, with active support from the Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and banking, financial, manufacturing, publishing, legal, and real estate firms. Other colleges and universities are involved, along with the public school system.
The Expo exemplifies the new focus on technology development in Winston-Salem, a city with a long history of manufacturing. The city's direction has evolved dramatically, with an increasing emphasis on higher education, medicine, and biomedical research. To focus on this new direction, the Chamber of Commerce recently released a "Blueprint for Technology Development."
Winston-Salem is well suited to incubating and growing new technology businesses. The ideas and expertise are here. Much of the city's work force is highly skilled and technically oriented. Excellent space is available, including former tobacco factories that have been transformed into the Piedmont Triad Research Park. And the community itself is an attractive place to live and work.
"The Expo is an excellent opportunity for people interested in new business ideas to explore technological innovations," said Dr. Jay Moskowitz, chairman of the steering committee for Connectivity Expo '98. "In recent years, many of our researchers have successfully licensed their ideas for commercial development. The Expo is a chance for more individual investors and businesses to see firsthand what Winston-Salem and its scientific community have to offer."
The city has received widespread attention in the past few months for technological advancements in education. Wake Forest is an international leader in computer-enhanced learning, helping to develop programs that other universities will use. Another community-wide initiative, Winston.Net, will soon link schools and research centers in a high-speed fiber-optic network.
For more information or to register for Connectivity Expo '98, call (336) 716-EXPO. Visit the Expo web site and register online at http://www.connectivity.wfu.edu
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NOTE TO MEDIA: For more details, additional story ideas, or media registration for the Expo, call the media contact numbers at head.
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