Innovation, technology collide at UT System SXSW event

AUSTIN – Brilliant minds, pioneering research and innovative technology will be on display March 14 at University of Texas System Future Finders, an official South by Southwest Interactive event.

Sponsored by the UT System’s Office of Technology Commercialization, UT System Future Finders is free, open to the public (registration required) and will be held 3:30 to 6 p.m. on the plaza located south of Ashbel Smith Hall, 201 W. 7th St.

Billed as a fireside cantina and conversation for the curious, the event will host two panel discussions and showcase innovative start-up companies developed by students and faculty from across the UT System.

Participating panelists include:

• Thomas Geisbert, Ph.D., UT Medical Branch at Galveston
  A professor of microbiology and immunology at UTMB, Geisbert is currently testing potential Ebola vaccines and treatments and was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 2014 People of the Year.

• Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  As section chief of pediatric cell therapy at UT MD Anderson, Cooper is providing new hope in the fight against aggressive childhood cancers by helping to develop and manufacture targeted therapies. He was also instrumental in helping MD Anderson secure $100 million in funding for game-changing immunotherapy research.

• Maninder “Mini” Kahlon, Ph.D., UT Austin Dell Medical School
  As vice dean for strategy and partnerships at the UT Austin Dell Medical School, Kahlon is active in building the ecosystem of partners needed to achieve the transformative goals for medicine and health set forth for the new Dell Medical School.

• Robert Metcalfe, Ph.D., UT Austin Cockrell School of Engineering
  A professor of innovation and the Murchison Fellow of Free Enterprise at UT Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering, Metcalfe invented Ethernet and is an Internet pioneer. He is the recipient of numerous industry awards and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

Moderating the panel discussions will be Cecelia Conrad, vice president of the MacArthur Fellows Program, a fellowship initiative dedicated to discovering talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.

“The combined accomplishments of this year’s participants are astounding,” said Julie Goonewardene, associate vice chancellor for innovation and strategic investment at the UT System. “Our entrepreneurial spirit is flourishing and this event provides a venue for us to showcase the truly world class research and innovation taking place on campuses throughout our system of higher education.”    

Start-up companies and technology initiatives on display will include:

• TEx: Total Educational Experience, UT System Institute for Transformational Learning, is an engaging and highly personalized learning platform. Together with UT System faculty and partner institutions, this initiative is helping to develop transformational, cross-institutional models of education that are student-centered, industry-aligned, personalized, data-driven and scalable.
• Inluuent, UT System Office of Strategic Initiatives, is a free, online tool that connects industry with university researchers and facilities, as well as other resources, to facilitate collaboration.
• Decisio Health, Inc., UTHealth, is a clinical decision support platform designed by clinicians, for clinicians, with a focus on helping medical providers reach quick, accurate decisions to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
• Noninvasix, UT Medical Branch at Galveston, is commercializing a noninvasive monitor of cerebral venous oxygenation to reduce the incidence of cerebral palsy and unnecessary c-sections.
• EduMR, UTHealth, is an extensive cloud-based medical education software platform that delivers clinical case content in an environment that mimics the electronic medical record (EMR) students encounter in clinical practice.
• Protogem Therapuetics, UTHealth/UT MD Anderson, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, is a biopharmaceutical startup dedicated to advancing therapies for the early stages of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
• guideVUE, Inc., UTHealth, created award-winning technology to convert procedures of all kinds into step-by-step interactive, media-rich mobile apps that are accessible even without Internet connectivity.

This is the second consecutive year the UT System will sponsor an event in association with SXSW Interactive, a five-day festival dedicated to bringing people together to share ideas, discover emerging technology and pioneer future innovation.

Free registration for the event can be completed online. Refreshments will be provided and registered guests may park in the UT System Ashbel Smith parking garage, located on the northwest corner of Lavaca and 7th streets.