GREAT News
Entrepreneurial State of Mind Series
How does g.e@ubc define entrepreneurship? from UBC UILO on Vimeo.
At g.e@ubc, entrepreneurship transcends a financial goal. We define entrepreneurship as a pathway that allows researchers to mobilize their discoveries out of the lab and into the real world, which we loosely define as ‘uptake’. In the ‘Entrepreneurial State of Mind Series’, we interview our team members, collaborators and partners about what ‘entrepreneurship’ means to them. Click here to access the series.
Katia Truong, Animation Intern and Dr.Marta Guarna, Bee IPM Scientific Director, Win Entomological Society of America YouTube Competition
Katia joined our creative team of interns in the spring of 2013, and has been working closely with the Bee IPM and Applied Metagenomics of the Watershed Microbiome projects to create visually captivating communication pieces. Katia collaborated with project partner Dr. Marta Guarna (Bee IPM’s Scientific Director) to create an animation video titled Of Bees and Mites: A Model for the Behavioral Response of Bees to Varroa Destructor. The video won first place at the Entomological Society of America ‘s YouTube competition.
Our Intern& @MartaGuarna from BeeIPM win @EntsocAmerica Youtube Entomology vidcontest http://t.co/xE9baWLDtj #scicomm pic.twitter.com/QqkMX53w55
— g.e@UBC (@UBC_GenEnt) November 24, 2014
GREAT Partner Project News
UBC Projects Tap Microbial Genomics to Boost Sustainable Bioenergy
Two new Genome BC-funded projects led by UBC researchers will harness microbial community research to help tackle sustainable development challenges in biofuel and BC shale gas development. The initiatives, led by UBC microbiologist Steven Hallam in collaboration with researchers Sean Crowe and Uli Mayer, will receive $830,000 in funding through Genome BC’s User Partnership Program. The work could inform a range of issues faced by industry—including environmental monitoring, water management and site risk mitigation. Read More.
Jörg Bohlmann Featured in Canada Foundation for Innovation
The University of British Columbia’s Jörg Bohlmann has helped sequence the genome of Canada’s most economically important tree, and his research could contribute to the protection of the boreal forest from the devastating threat of the mountain pine beetle. Read More.
Bee IPM’s Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) Tool Receives Strong Support from Industry
The BeeIPM team has spent the last several years identifying, testing and evaluating new genomics tools that will help to mitigate significant honey bee losses in Canada. The Bee IPM team developed a new genomics breeding tool called marker-assisted selection (MAS) to identify hygienic behavior, a social immunity trait associated with disease resistance in honey bees. By introducing MAS-led colonies into a honeybee yard, a beekeeper has the potential to increase colony health, productivity and ultimately profit. Healthy, productive colonies produce more honey and are more successful pollinators. The results have been groundbreaking. Compared to the control colonies, the MAS-led colonies achieved higher levels of hygienic behavior, fewer negative symptoms of disease and pathogens, increased removal of dangerous varroa mites, good winter survival rates and equal or greater productivity levels. The results from the Bee IPM project provide an unparalleled opportunity for the future of the Canadian beekeeping industry. The beekeeper interviews conducted by our genomics.entrepreneurish@ubc’s interns provide a strong case for industry’s backing new breeding technologies in the future. Read More.
Dr. Shawn Mansfield was Nominated for Science Magazine’s Breakthrough of the Year
Great news! MT @ubcforestry Congrats to Shawn Mansfield for nomination for @sciencemagazine Breakthrough of the Year! http://t.co/4RfBtQGhlo
— g.e@UBC (@UBC_GenEnt) November 20, 2014
Dr. Steven Hallam, Principal Investigator at the Hallam Lab on TEDxRenfrewCollingwood
His talk, titled The Power of Microbial Cooperation, is available on YouTube. Microbes represent the invisible majority of living things on Earth. Interacting microbial communities drive energy and material conversion processes essential for ecosystem function on a planetary scale. We can harness the collective problem solving power of microbial communities to build better biological systems to reverse centuries of environmental damage and shift our global future onto a more sustainable path.
Lean Launch Pad News
The Lean Launch Pad for Genomics Is Back – February 2015
Take the leap and amplify the impact of your research. Our fourth cohort of the Lean Launch Pad for Genomics program begins February 2015. The Lean Launch Pad (LLP) program is not a traditional class or workshop. It is more like a “science laboratory” coupled with a series of “What did we learn in the lab?” and “What should we do next?” classroom session. LLP is designed to engage you in moving potential products out of the lab and into the market through talking to customers, partners and competitors, and encountering the challenges and uncertainty of creating successful innovations. Read More
Lean Launch Pad Instructor Feature: Iain Verigin
In our Mentor Profile series, we profile genomics.entrepreneurship@UBC Lean Launch Pad mentors & instructors who play a key role in guiding our cohorts throughout the entrepreneurial process. This month, we are pleased to introduce you to Iain Verigin, Lean Launch Pad for Genomics instructor. Read his bio here.
UBC Lean LaunchPad Instructor – Iain Verigin from UBC UILO on Vimeo.
Lean Launch Pad Alumni Spotlight: Interview with Dominique Williams, Former MetaMixis Intern
Dominique Williams is currently a Research Development Coordinator at STEMCELL Technologies in Vancouver. She previously completed her Master in Biomedical Technology (MTB) in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary and graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology. Read More.
December 2014 Lean Launch Pad Feature: Dominique Williams from UBC UILO on Vimeo.
David Lloyd, Co-Founder and Director of FREDsense Technologies, Among The 16 Finalists Chosen to Present at Cascadia Summit 2014
Launch Academy, Plug and Play and Boast Capital drew a crowd of almost 600 investors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, government representatives, media, and more to Cascadia Summit, the official closing event of Startup Week Vancouver. After receiving more than 100 applications from startups around Canada and the US, 16 finalists presented to an esteemed panel of judges, including Dafina Toncheva from US Venture Partners, Sumeet Jain from Intel Capital, Bill Bryant from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Alireza Masrour from Plug and Play Ventures, Mahendra Ramsinghani from Mod N Labs, and Frederic Lardinois from TechCrunch. Prior to the pitch contest, the judges also participated in a panel discussion on investment trends. David Lloyd, Co-Founder & Director of FREDsense Technologies, was among the 16 finalists to present his pitch.
The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research Reviews MS+™, A Product Developed by Tait Laboratories Inc.
Shortly after Health Canada’s approval of Mandarin Skin Plus (MS+™) as a Natural Health Product to improve digestive symptoms, the product was featured by The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research. Tait Laboratories Inc. writes in response: “It really is an honor to join the short of list of products that make it to this list of great products that support good digestive health. The review on MS+ can also be found in the Society’s latest newsletter, The Inside Tract® issue 190.” Read the feature, click here.
Intern Updates
Intern Feature: Danie Easton 
Danie recently joined the creative team as a videographer. Danie has had the opportunity to film Lean Launch Pad mentors, our project partners’ principal investigators, as well as other interns such as herself. Danie posts videos monthly on our Vimeo account. Click here to read the interview.
For more information on our Internship Program, please visit the Internships page or contact us.
Recent Events
Logic Models: A Tool for Strategically Framing Your Research Project Performance Story – November 4th
UBC Wine Research Centre and genomics.entrepreneurship@ubc hosted a second offering of logic model workshop for our research project partners’ Principal Investigators on November 4th, 2014. Logic models, accompanied by impact stories, are increasingly recognized across industry, government and funding agencies as indispensable tools to illustrate and communicate the intended outcomes of research projects, as well as the rationale for the work. Read More.
Introduction to Intellectual Property – November 4th
You made an amazing discovery in the lab, what’s next? This event, hosted by the Life Sciences Institute included two panelists: Alaka Chatterjee, Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, and Lynsey Huxham, Technology Transfer Manager at The University of British Columbia. More information, here.
Life Sciences Institute: Intellectual Property Session from UBC UILO on Vimeo.
Spotlight Series: Fund Your Startup with Genome BC!, October 29th
Dr. Gabe Kalmar (Vice President) and Dr. David Charest (Director, Sector Development) discussed Genome BC’s suite of programs and support for entrepreneurial researchers within the UBC community who are pursuing genomics-based innovation. Genome BC administers a number of programs aimed at funding innovation with a basis in genomics. genomics.entrepreneurship@UBC and e@UBC work with Genome BC to facilitate the migration of innovation from universities into society through startup creation, from discovery to commercialization. Access presentation slides
Upcoming Events
The 2015 GREAT Program Showcase Event, January 29th: Save the Date!
GREAT Program 2015 Showcase Event – Save the Date from UBC UILO on Vimeo.
Visit our events calendar to see all upcoming events and workshops.
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Newsletter Subscriptions
If you would like to receive monthly genomics.entrepreneurship@UBC updates and notifications of upcoming events, please sign up here. genomics.entrepreneurship@UBC is in partnership with Genome BC and Genome Canada.
