GREAT News
Policy Entrepreneurship Program
Jumping Through Hoops? Overcoming Policy Barriers and Institutional Hurdles that Prevent Your Research from Achieving Its Full Impact
Join us on March 31st, 2015, for the launch of g.e@UBC’s Policy Entrepreneurship Program. This program offers a combination of workshops and speakers to provide you with the tools you need to develop strategies to address the policy and regulatory challenges you face in your research.
Check out this video for more information on the program.
This program is open to anyone who has an innovative idea that they want to develop to its full potential. To register please visit our Policy Entrepreneurship Program page.
Introducing Emma
We are pleased to welcome Emma Gaiger to g.e@UBC! Emma has worked in various different environments, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, a back-country skiing company in Whistler, and has even spent time in Australia working for a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef. More recently, Emma spent 3 years working for Sauder S3i at the UBC Sauder School of Business. In her role there as Centre Coordinator, she created a collaborative and inclusive organizational culture, where students, social ventures and partner organizations could work together to advance social innovation and sustainability.
GREAT Partner Project News
Lignin Project Member Produces New Science, Action! Video
Lignin team member James Round recently released a new video titled, “Biomass for the Future“. This video is one of the 32 that have qualified for the first round of NSERC’s Science, Action! competition. These videos showcase exciting research stories in 60 seconds or less to show how Canadian research is touching lives.
In Canada, the forestry and agricultural industries produce over 40 megatons of waste biomass every year. The Lignin team is engineering a bacterium as a biological tool to convert this waste biomass into valuable lipids. These lipids can be used to create cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biolubricants. Technologies such as these are important to develop Canada’s green economy, ensuring a sustainable future.
Bee IPM Scientific Director to Participate in TEDx
Bee IPM Scientific Director, Dr. Marta Guarna, will be one of the 2015 TEDxStanley Park “Ideals to Action” presenters! Her talk “What’s the buzz about bees?” explores why bees and beekeepers are in the news, the challenges they face, and what we can do to help. Find out more about the May 23rd event at TEDxStanley Park.
Entrepreneurship News
Lean Launch Pad for Genomics and Life Sciences
We are pleased to announce that another successful cohort of the Lean Launch Pad for Genomics and Life Sciences just concluded on March 23. There was a record level of engagement from both participants and mentors. This cohort’s eight teams conducted over 300 customer interviews in a 5 week period. Congratulations to the teams! We look forward to tracking their progress – stay tuned for updates.
The Lean Launch Pad Sketchnotes
Missed out on the session? Find out what our entrepreneurs are learning!
Intern Updates
Katie Verigin Joins MaRS Solutions Lab
g.e@UBC is excited to announce that Katie Verigin, member of the Creative Team, will be joining MaRS Solutions Lab as a Summer Associate. The MaRS Solutions Lab is a public and social innovation lab that helps tackle complex social and economic challenges that require systems change. As part of her internship, Katie will be working on a systems change project in the employment training sector as well as creating visuals for the Solutions Lab’s tools and methods which will be developed into short manuals. Congratulations to Katie on her new position and the best of luck!
Jamie Lee Martin’s New Position
Bee IPM Apicultural Specialist Intern (Summer 2014), Jamie Lee Martin, will be stationed at The National Bee Diagnostic Centre (NBDC) in Grande Prairie, Alberta! As Laboratory Technician, Jamie Lee’s responsibilities include performing diagnostics, preparing results and participating in research projects in the lab and in the field.
The NBDC is the first comprehensive laboratory in Canada to provide a full array of diagnostic services for honeybee pests, diseases, and parasites. It comprises state-of-the-art equipment for classical and molecular diagnosis, and a team of highly trained and motivated staff that apply the latest techniques on pathogen identification. Congratulations to Jamie Lee!
Fraser Larock Invited to Volunteer at Seth Godin’s Workshop in New York
Fraser Larock (g.e@UBC Intern Summer 2013; Marketing and Development Analyst at e@UBC) was in New York this March making a ruckus! Seth Godin, who is a renowned marketer, best selling author, and entrepreneur, put on one of his rare workshops recently. Eighty business owners from a variety of industries came together to discuss and overcome similar challenges they face in making an impact in the world. Fraser was lucky enough to meet a woman who worked with Seth through his blog, and she invited him to New York to volunteer for the two and a half day Ruckusmakers workshop.
When asked what his biggest takeaway was, Fraser responded that
“It was the realization that all entrepreneurs in every industry struggle with a similar problem: how do you build something someone will be excited about?”
For more information on our Internship Program, please visit the Internships page or contact us.
Upcoming Events
Policy Entrepreneurship Program
Join us on March 31st, 2015, for keynote speaker, Al Etmanski’s talk: Nurturing Innovation Across Boundaries
“Just because you have a shiny new solution, the world will not beat a path to your door.”
Our keynote speaker, Al Etmanski, will share stories about individuals and groups who have successfully piloted their proven solutions from the margins to the mainstream, and by doing so have changed their industry, shifted culture and made the world a better place. Al, an accomplished policy activist and social entrepreneur, has spent 10 years exploring the world of social innovation.
Upcoming Policy Entrepreneurship Speakers:
- April 14, 2015: Research and Policy Influence – Dr. Evert Linquist
- May 12, 2015: Measuring Change – Sarah Stochowiak
Upcoming Policy Entrepreneurship Workshops:
Overview of the Workshop Series from UBC UILO on Vimeo.
- April 7, 2015: Diagnose the Policy Problem
- April 21, 2015: Map the Landscape
- May 14, 2015: Build Your Strategy
Register here to receive updates on all upcoming sessions:
More Events
Visit our events calendar to see all upcoming events and workshops.
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Newsletter Subscriptions
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genomics.entrepreneurship@UBC is in partnership with Genome BC and Genome Canada.
