GSA Technology Council

Clemson University — Clemson University Thursday broke ground for a center that will anchor a research and innovation complex at the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center technology park in Anderson County. The complex will enhance opportunities for Anderson County to take a leading role in the state’s advanced-materials industry.

Located on S.C. 187, a stone’s throw from Interstate 85, the innovation center will serve as a high-tech business incubator, providing space for advanced materials-related start-up companies and so-called “landing parties,” companies exploring the viability of locating new businesses or relocating existing businesses in the area.

Clemson University President James F. Barker said the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center already offers tremendous value to advanced-materials businesses.

“The state-of-the-art Advanced Materials Research Laboratory features exceptional research laboratories and equipment and one of the finest electron microscope facilities in the nation,” Barker said. “Even more important, however, is the intellectual power housed here. An interdisciplinary group of scholars in such fields as chemistry, physics, photonics and other materials science and engineering disciplines is increasing the body of knowledge and educating the graduate students who will become the next generation of leaders in their fields.”

Completion of the new facility, he noted, will complete the “innovation chain” from basic research to the startup companies that take a discovery to the marketplace.

“The location so near Interstate 85, in the heart of the eighth-largest regional economy in the world, offers the advanced-materials industry many advantages, and we look forward to significant growth and collaboration.” he added.

Barker praised the commitment of Duke Energy and AdvanceSC to the project. Each contributed $1 million toward the innovation center.

“Today we celebrate the dedication of these two organizations to the economic health of South Carolina and to the Anderson community,” he said. “Their support is essential to the success of the innovation center and to the growth of the advanced materials industry in this area.”

Barker said the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center follows the same economic development model that created the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville.

“It takes the focus and commitment of everyone in the state — business, academic and government entities — to move South Carolina ahead economically,” Barker said. “The economic-development model we have followed matches academic strength with the needs and goals of private industry in the state with support from public and private sources.”

The state of South Carolina provided $5 million toward construction of the building through the South Carolina Research University Infrastructure Act. Innovate Anderson, a public-private partnership focused on stimulating economic growth in Anderson County, purchased the remaining property in the Advanced Materials Center for $1.3 million for recruitment and development of advanced materials-related business.

Ellen Ruff, president of Duke Energy Carolinas, noted that company’s interest in the economic health of the region and the importance of maintaining a manufacturing base.

“When I visit with customers, they make it very clear that for manufacturing to thrive in the region, they must have a strong academic knowledge base, a well-trained workforce and reliable, cost-effective energy. This initiative brings those three priorities together into a partnership where everyone benefits,” Ruff said.

Carol Burdette, president of the AdvanceSC board of directors, said the board voted unanimously to support the innovation center project. 

“AdvanceSC remains very excited and honored to assist in the creation of this new innovation center,” Burdette said. “This facility well represents three of the main focus areas of our organization: education, economic development and manufacturing competitiveness, and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have across the entire region.” 

Mike Panasko, president of Innovate Anderson, said Anderson County leaders are poised to make the most of the opportunity the innovation center provides. 

“The Innovation Center is a great example of what it takes to build your community’s future in a progressive and positive manner. The impact this facility will have on raising not just Anderson County’s value, but the region and state as well, is tremendous,” he said

Chris Przirembel, Clemson’s vice president for research and economic development, added that the South Carolina Research Authority will build a $4-million companion facility adjacent to the innovation center to house SCRA contract and classified research.

“The financial commitment by SCRA was a very important element in matching the research infrastructure funds and making this entire project possible,” Przirembel said.

“We are pleased to join with Clemson University and our private partners to fulfill the vision of our legislators in delivering this Innovation Center,” said SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney. “Our partnership will provide two side-by-side facilities that will accelerate discovery and commercialization of advanced materials for both military and corporate applications, and help generate higher-paying, knowledge-based jobs in South Carolina.”

Construction of the complex is expected to be complete by August 2009.

via Clemson

The New Ideas for a New Carolina statewide business idea contest announced the winners of the 2008 competition yesterday at ThinkTEC.

The event’s Grand Prize of $5,000 seed money, a scholarship to FastTrac entrepreneurial training programs and access to a Dream Team of Mentors went to Dr. Ron Fulbright from Spartanburg. His idea is Scentinel, a rapid-deploy, all-weather, nanosensor system used to detect the presence of thousands of elements and chemical compounds in the environment such as levels of greenhouse gasses, atmospheric conditions, water conditions or toxic agents.

In addition to the Grand Prize Winner, four other award winners plus honorable mentions were named. Big news for us is that two of this year’s winners were FastTrac TechVenture graduates from the upstate! We’re especially proud of Ron Fulbright and Joe Milam! Go team!

Engineering

• Winner: Mount1 – Shaun Abraham and Anand Deekaram (Richland County); a robotic arm mount for flat screen televisions that can automatically adjust the position of the television using any universal remote control.


• Honorable Mention: Electromagnetic Enhancement of Crude Oil Recovery – Charles Stowers (Beaufort County); a method of electromagnetic stimulation used in heavy oil reservoirs, tar sand reservoirs, shale oil and secondary oil recovery to increase production rates.

Software/Information Technology

• Winner: BigLeapGPS – Joe Milam (Anderson County); a family protection company that utilizes the world’s smallest GPS device coupled with a 24/7 support network dedicated to locating and recovering lost, kidnapped, or injured family members, pets or assets anywhere in the world.


• Honorable Mention: oneZone Solutions – Jeff Beck (Charleston County); a home/business automation system that can control the temperature, lighting, security, irrigation and other home systems from any web-enabled device in the world.

Bio-Science

• Winner: Z Box – Jay Hughes (Charleston County); a compact CPAP medical device that creates a positive air pressure in the esophagus and sinus cavities for those suffering from mild to severe sleep apnea.


• Honorable Mention: Sleeve-On – Ron Norris (Richland County); a device for individuals with breast cancer who suffer from lymph edema and/or circulatory disorders to help them pull on their compression sleeve(s) using one hand.

Environmental Sustainability

• Honorable Mention: Palmetto Solar – Andrew Epting (Richland County); implementation of the creation, installation and maintenance of solar photovoltaic systems for manufacturing, warehousing and retail industries, government and institutions of higher education and the small business and residential sectors.

Wild Card category

• Winner: Azula – Julie McWherter (Spartanburg County); a pliable and fashionably-designed mat for women to sit on at the edge of the pool to protect their bathing suits from snagging.


• Honorable Mention: Charleston Fish and Chip – Andrew Smith (Charleston County); a facility where customers can either work on their golf game on a driving range and nine hole course or practice their cast in a stocked fishing hole.

Congratulations to all, and let this be a reminder to other budding entrepreneurs that 40% of this year’s winners graduated from the FastTrac entrepreneurial training BEFORE they entered!

PinPoint GeoTech has announced that SCLaunch! will be making an investment in their company. Pinpoint has developed a mobile system for coordinating the work efforts of combined municipal agencies. Since sanitation workers are driving through neighborhoods already, why not have them tag other problems, automatically creating a work order so that the appropriate organization can address the problem? This means that as a truck drives through a neighborhood, a driver can see that a traffic light is out, press a few buttons on his GPS enabled gadget and let the city services dispatch send a crew to repair it. While that crew is out, the could spot debris while traveling on their route, press a few buttons, and sanitation can integrate that pickup into their work flow. It’s a bit like integrating Getting Things Done in city services. Every group has the opportunity to know what needs to be done when they are ready to work on it.

Pinpoint GeoTech was a 2007 Innovision Award Winner, and the company presented as an entrepreneur at Innoventure in 2008. In his Innoventure presentation, President Jim Oswald said that cities are reporting a 45% fuel savings in curbside debris pickup operations when the system is deployed. With diesel fuel prices well over $4 a gallon, there is a lot of natural interest in Pinpint GeoTech’s system.

In his note to us, Jim Oswald says that SC Launch! voted unanimously to extend an additional $175,000, which combined with previous investments will represent the SC Launch maximum of $200,000.

via: Pinpoint Public Works

“Sixty Upstate plants were among the 134 plant sites recognized statewide by the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance for outstanding workplace safety in 2007.

Facilities with a low rate of accidents resulting in lost workdays, job transfers or restrictions were nominated for the safety recognition. Plants submitting an incident rate below the statewide average for their NAICS code received the award.

The awards were presented recently during the SCMA’s Plant Safety Conference in Columbia. Jim Knight, director of community and governmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, presented the awards.”

read more at Greenvilleonline.com

“A $100,000 grant through a Duke Energy program will be used toward construction of a new chemistry lab at Anderson University, school officials said Monday.AdvanceSC, funded with profits from Duke Energy’s Bulk Power Marketing program (BPM) and managed by an independent board of directors, provided the grant, said school spokesman Barry Ray.”

read more at Greenvilleonline.com

“CLEMSON — Close to 600 fourth through 12th grade students from Pickens, Anderson and Oconee counties are competing today in a science fair that showcases more than their science skills.

At stake are more than $15,000 in awards including cash, laptop computers and an all-expenses-paid trip for two students and one teacher to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Atlanta in May.

Nearly 200 scientists, engineers and other professionals from the community have volunteered their time as judges. They work in teams and question and talk with each budding scientist individually about their projects.”

read more at Greenvilleonline.com

“The future in Pickens County could be wireless.

A $60,000 grant from the S.C. Department of Commerce is making a study possible to determine what is needed to develop Wi-Fi in Pickens, Anderson and Oconee counties.

Pickens County Administrator Chappell Hurst said the study will determine what type of infrastructure would be needed, where it should be located, and what the cost would be for establishing a wireless connection throughout the tri-county area.”

read more at greenvilleonline.com

“A new Clemson University study projects an Upstate boom through 2030 with land development outpacing population growth by a ratio of 5 to 1 . . .”

read more at greenvilleonline.com

Sealevel Systems announces the introduction of the ACC-188 USB Synchronous Interface Adapter. The ACC-188 enables tactical radios currently utilized by the US Armed Forces to interface to PCs and transmit IP based data. “This product provides a tremendous improvement in the speed and reliability of battlefield communications,” says Marc Foster, Director of Sales for Sealevel Systems. “The high-data throughput of the ACC-188 allows our warfighters to quickly transmit and receive data such as GPS maps, images, coordinates, and IM type communications.”

“Another key advantage of the ACC-188 solution is the interoperability to allow communications among various radio brands and models most commonly used by the defense community,” says Foster. The ACC-188 is available with a variety of radio connector options that make it compatible with the most prevalent brands and models: Harris PRC-117 and PRC-150, Motorola LST-5, Raytheon PSC-5D and ARC-231, Rockwell Collins ARC-210, Thales PRC-148. Along with the radio sets listed above the ACC-188 can be utilized by most digital radio sets that have a synchronous serial data port.

“In addition to improving battlefield communications,” continues Foster, “it significantly reduces tax-payers costs compared to purchasing ultra-expensive proprietary hardware and software from the radio manufacturer. This allows our military to provide this technology to our troops in greater numbers than ever before. The ACC-188 is the right product at the right time to support the strategy of enhancing the network capabilities of legacy radios rather than moving to a new platform.”

The ACC-188 was developed by Sealevel Systems to operate seamlessly with PDA-184, a standard software product developed by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The PDA-184 software (shipped by Sealevel with the ACC-188 as part of the total solution) provides a Graphic User Interface (GUI) that allows war fighters to transmit and receive a variety of data types, including an instant message function and file transmission.

“Developing a synchronous interface capable of communicating to the host PC over the USB bus presented a tremendous design challenge due to inherent USB latency,” explains Frank Phelps, Senior Design Engineer on the project. “Despite the challenge USB was the ideal interface for the product because it is present on every contemporary desktop and portable PC. Our team rose to the occasion so that our warfighters in the battlefield can have the advantages of data communications with the ease and simplicity of USB plug-and-play.”

The ACC-188 is priced at $995 (includes PDA-184 software for qualifying customers), and is available from stock as part number 9065. The product is also available with PCMCIA connection as part number 9064.

The product will be on display at the Sealevel booth #521 at the AFCEA West show February 5-7, 2008 in San Diego.

via: Sealevel Systems

Product Highlights:

• Configurable for RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, RS-530, RS-530A, or V.35


• Z85230 Enhanced Serial Communications Controller (ESCCâ„¢)


• Data rates to 128K bps


• MD1 Low Profile and Universal Bus (3.3V and 5V) compatible


• DB-25M connector


• X.21 and RS-449 serial interface capability with versatile cabling options

“Sealevel Systems has long been a leader in serial products”, states Earle Foster, VP Sales and Marketing at Sealevel. “So it was natural to extend our product line with the new ACB-MP.LPCI low profile PCI adapter.”

The single channel synchronous serial interface can be configured for RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, RS-530, RS-530A, or V.35 communication protocols. The ACB-MP.LPCI is capable of data rates to 128K bps making it an ideal solution for DDS (digital data service), military applications, and banking communications.

The ACB-MP.LPCI meets the requirements for the MD1 “Low Profile” specification as defined by PCISIG in PCI 2.2 “Low Profile Addendum”. This allows the ACB-MP.LPCI to be used in a variety of systems, including low profile servers, network appliances, and desktop computers that do not have standard size PCI slots. Designed for compatibility with legacy and new computer systems, the ACB-MP.LPCI also features a Universal Bus (3.3 and 5.0V) as required by PCISIG specifications 2.3.

Software support, critical for successful synchronous communication implementation, is provided through Sealevel’s SeaMAC V4 driver. SeaMAC supports a variety of protocols under Windows 2000/XP including HDLC, SDLC, and various bisync, monosync, and raw (bit-shifter) modes. Clocking is selectable using the internal baud rate generator, an external source, or a clock-encoded data stream. Standard Win32 API functions are supported.

As an added value, customers also receive WinSSD, a full featured diagnostic application providing powerful testing and diagnostic capabilities. Use WinSSD for BERT (Bit Error Rate Testing), throughput monitoring, loopback tests, and transmit test pattern messages.

The ACB-MP.LPCI is priced at $409 and is available immediately from stock as part number 5102. All Sealevel manufactured I/O products are covered by a lifetime warranty.

Sealevel Systems, founded in 1986, provides industrial computing solutions in addition to a variety of communications and I/O products including PCI Bus cards, Ethernet serial servers, USB serial adapters, PCMCIA cards, and PC/104 modules. The product line includes multi-port RS-232, RS-422/485, RS-232/422/485 multi-interface high-speed sync/async, and digital/relay I/O.