Border crossings, seaports and airports such as Logan, above, are slated to receive new detection systems based on a new technology application developed by a Massachusetts research center.
Thwarting the terrorist threat of nuclear materials smuggling
Research center plays key role in commercializing new technology to protect our nation from attackBOSTON -- A new detection system to prevent the smuggling of nuclear materials by terrorists through U.S. airports, seaports and border crossings is now in production at Raytheon, which won a $28 million contract in July from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Dr. Michael Silevitch
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“Money and support from the Innovation Institute were absolutely critical to facilitating the industry partnerships.”
Dr. Michael Silevitch, Robert D. Black Professor of Engineering at Northeastern University
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Homeland security officials, according to reports, said that they would like to deploy the new detection system at more than 600 ports of entry, a program estimated to be worth more than $1 billion over the next five years.
The system, called an advanced spectroscopic portal, is the commercial application of an emerging technology developed in partnership with Northeastern University’s Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS).
East Meets West
Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)
and UMass President Jack Wilson in conversation with U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA).
BOSTON -- U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Jack Wilson, President, University of Massachusetts, hosted an historic first: a gathering of economic development, industry and academic research leaders from Western Massachusetts with leaders of Boston’s Life Sciences industry and academic research community, in order to forge a new framework for intrastate collaboration.
The June 26 meeting at the University of Massachusetts Club in Boston featured Ranch Kimball, the Secretary of Economic Development, Congressman Richard E. Neal; Dr. Paul Friedmann, Director, Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI); Allan Blair, President and CEO, Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council; Dennis Guberksi, President & CEO, Biomedical Research Models, Inc.; Dr. Larry Schwartz, Research Director, PVLSI; Al Griggs, Chairman of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council Board; and Patrick Larkin, Director of the John Adams Innovation Institute.
The presentations emphasized strategic partnership opportunities in research, manufacturing, and supplier networks in the city of Springfield and the Western Massachusetts region.
At the September 15 meeting of the Regional Competitiveness Council, it was reported that a number of companies are actively pursuing initiatives as a direct result of the East Meets West gathering.
Joan Y. Reede, MD, MPH, MS, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership, Harvard Medical School
“. . . if students do not receive a rigorous science education, if they don’t have teachers who are prepared to teach those subjects, we won’t have students in the talent pipeline to fill the future need.”
| Changes in Attitude |
| Investing in a more rigorous science education and building diversity in the workforce |
Dr. Joan Y. Reede, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., was honored at Mt. Holyoke College this month as one of America’s women physicians who have changed the face of medicine. Her story is part of a traveling exhibition created by the National Library of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Reede, a member of the John Adams Innovation Institute Governing Board, currently serves as Harvard Medical School’s Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership. Her work focuses on promoting the careers of under-represented minorities at Harvard Medical School and its affiliate.
A graduate of Brown University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Reede was instrumental in developing the Biomedical Science Careers Program, a collaborative community-based organization involving academia; private industry partners such as Genzyme, Biogen, and Boston Scientific; medical centers; public education; and professional societies.
Dr. Reede spoke with Convergence recently, discussing collaborative approaches to workforce development to make Massachusetts more competitive in the Innovation Economy.
CONVERGENCE: At the Innovation Institute governing board meeting in February discussing the emerging marine science and technology sector, you asked an insightful question about workforce development. The answers to your question seemed to indicate that there was a growing gap in the ability of the sector to find qualified workers.
Dr. Reede: It is wonderful to think about the potential of our knowledge economy. I haven’t heard adequate discussion as to how to recruit and retain the talent pool needed to support continued growth. If we don’t have the knowledgeable workers, we won’t be able to expand.
It is both an immediate and a long-term issue. In the immediate future, the question is how we can retain the students who are the most capable, and at the same time, bring the best and the brightest students to Massachusetts from other places.
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| Tufts Vice Provost Peggy Newell, Secretary of Economic Development Ranch Kimball and Dr. Phil Cheney listen to comments made by fellow Governing Board members at the Innovation Institute meeting. |
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or Ranch Kimball, the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Economic Development, it is the greatest economic development opportunity for Massachusetts he has ever witnessed: the potential $125 million award by U.S. Department of Energy to establish a biofuels center in the Commonwealth. Boston’s wireless plan detailed for state’s ad hoc municipal broadband working group
WESTBOROUGH -- The recommendations for a Massachusetts “revolution” in ubiquitous wireless broadband service have not yet been televised (although they may soon be available for download on your iPod). Nor have they been reported on in depth by the news media.
“The Boston model is not a one-size-fits-all model for the Commonwealth, but its existence advances the discussion for all communities” Bill Ennen, program manager John Adams Innovation Institute |
This explains, in part, why there was a full house August 31 at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative campus to hear Nicholas Vantzelfde, a consultant to the Boston Wireless Task Force. He provided a detailed analysis of the City of Boston’s plans to achieve an open wireless broadband infrastructure through a not-for-profit corporation. (Link to Boston plan.)
Innovation Institute Investments
High-speed direct digital printing
BOSTON – Working with the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance, MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute has invested $150,000 through its Regional Priority Grants Program to conduct analysis and test process development techniques to improve textile production in Massachusetts. Read more >>
Micro-machining and micro-fluidic prototypes
FALL RIVER – The Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has received an investment of $70,238 from the John Adams Innovation Institute through the Regional Priority Grant Fund to expand its efforts in commercialization activities, focusing on the medical device and micro-fluidics industry. Read more >>
Growing Life Sciences in the Pioneer Valley
SPRINGFIELD – Working in partnership with the Regional Technology Corporation, the John Adams Innovation Institute has awarded $14,347 to develop a strategic plan to develop a robust, export-oriented, regional Life Sciences sector that will be a source of high-quality jobs and economic opportunity for Pioneer Valley residents. Read more >>
WPI Bioengineering Institute
WORCESTER – The John Adams Innovation Institute invested $25,000 in a delegated award to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Bioengineering Institute to spur the development of a healthcare technologies research and commercialization center which would serve as a catalyst for enhancing the regional economy of Central Massachusetts. Read more >>
Western Massachusetts Connect
PITTSFIELD – To forge a public-private solution for all the under-served communities of the region, the John Adams Innovation Institute has invested $300,000 in joint Regional Priority Grant award to Berkshire Connect and Pioneer Valley Connect. Read more >>
High-performance fibers,
commercialization focus of new initiative
NATICK – An investment of $207,708 to the Massachusetts Defense Technology Initiative by the John Adams Innovation Institute will develop a nine-month technology exchange demonstration pilot at the Natick Soldier Systems Center, which has an estimated $254 million annual economic impact on the state’s economy. Read more >>