2013 Issue

23 lege and Utah Valley University to train themicroscopy techni- cians that industry needs. The Sorenson building is an integral part of a second en- gineering-related initiative, called USTAR. In March 2006, at the urging of then Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, lawmakers passed legislation to create a long- term, state-funded industry- led agency positioned to help strengthen Utah’s knowledge economy. This measure drew from best practices of other states such as Georgia, Penn- sylvania, andArizona, and struc- tured USTAR with three main elements. First, USTAR provides funding that accelerates the ability of the U of U and Utah State Uni- versity (USU) to recruit world- class researchers, specifically into high-growth focus areas such as energy and biomedi- cal innovations. Second, the initiative enabled the construc- tion of two state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research and development facilities. In ad- dition to the assets that the U of U’s Sorenson building represents, USU’s 118,000-sf USTAR Bioinnovations Center in North Logan offers themost advanced Bio Safety level 3+ lab in the state. Third, USTAR operates outreach teams across the state to help entrepreneurs and existing companies commercialize new tech- nology and access the resources available at higher education institutions. In the most recent legislative session, USTAR received $19 million in funds to pursue its research, commercialization and outreach missions. USTAR Executive Director TedMcAleer is excited about the unique opportunities the programoffers. “In themost basic sense, USTAR is increasing the innovation capacity of Utah. We’re doing that through capital investments such as the research buildings and business incubators across the state.” “Equally important, USTAR is investing in human capital,”McAleer said. “The innovators we have recruited to Utah are working on a diverse range of research and commercialization projects that are based on information technology, biomedical, nanotechnology, energy, and other key fields. In other words, across the spectrum of engineering disciplines.” “The research efforts of our USTAR innovators are training the next generation of engineering talent,” McAleer continued. “That’s a very important by-product of the entire initiative.” Technologies under development with USTAR support at our two research universities include: • More efficient battery systems, including bio-inspired designs • Wirelessly powered transportation systems • Higher-resolution medical imaging • Large-scale data management and analysis • Carbon capture and sequestration • Severe storm tracking satellite technology • Early detection and targeted drug delivery to combat cancer • Biomanufactured “spider silk” for protective clothing, ligament repair, and other high-durability uses • New-generation solar energy technology In broad terms, the Engineering Initiative and USTAR research augment the industry cluster strategy of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “This coordinated effort in cutting-edge research and workforce development contributes to making our state more attractive to companies in aerospace, advanced com- posites, energy, life sciences and more,” McAleer said. “The combination of the USTAR and Engineering Initiatives to transform our state is unique,” he continued. “Through the fore- sight and dedication of state government and business leaders, we are simultaneously powering up our human capital, our innova- tion infrastructure, and the workforce of the future. You combine that with already strong spirit of creative entrepreneurism and a business-friendly government, and you have a recipe for long-term growth and success.” A full description of USTAR research projects can be found at www.innovationutah.com.