GSA Technology Council

A new agreement was announced today between Collexis Holdings Inc., a developer of semantic knowledge discovery software, and JISC Collections for an online resource, which aims to encourage greater collaboration and expand scientific knowledge amongst the biomedical research community in the UK. For specially negotiated subscription fees, researchers, teaching staff and students at universities and research councils in the UK, will be able to access Collexis’ Expert Profiling. This online resource enables users to quickly identify experts within their institution as well as identify, locate and collaborate with other experts from around the world.

Using the Collexis system, subscribing institutions can create expert profiles of investigators, researchers and departments to disseminate ground-breaking research and biomedical advances. These profiles are generated using researchers’ publications from a variety of sources. Profiles are then available to all researchers, allowing them to easily find what is being published, what researchers are active and the pace of research in a particular area of interest.

“Collexis’ Expert Profiling System fosters collaboration among researchers, allowing them to leverage the information of their colleagues and work to enhance, stimulate and create new ideas and discoveries,” said Bill Kirkland, CEO of Collexis Holdings, Inc. “We are excited about working with JISC Collections to create internal expert profiling systems that bridge the gap between departments, cooperating organisations, basic research and clinical research.”

Lorraine Estelle, CEO of JISC Collections, says that this agreement will “save researchers time identifying expertise within their institutions, but provides opportunities for research and help widen access to essential sources of biomedical research. We also hope that it will encourage greater collaboration across our community through increased awareness and through the sharing of research outputs amongst institutions.”

In addition to the new agreement with JISC Collections, Collexis Holdings Inc. is bringing its innovative technology to other research organisations and universities worldwide, including the Mayo Clinic Libraries; Johns Hopkins University; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the University of California, San Francisco; the University of South Carolina; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Lockheed Martin; World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health; and U.S. Department of Defense.

via Collexis

 KeyMark Inc. welcomes their newest employee Trudy M. Crowley. Trudy joins KeyMark as a staff accountant. She is responsible for the accounts payable procedures and serves under the Director of Finance and Legal, Dan Christie.

KeyMark is a document management systems integrator located in Liberty SC. They provide document capture, management, and workflow systems to help customers increase efficiencies and decrease operating costs. KeyMark provides services to various industries and business departments including, but not limited to: healthcare, government, insurance, lending, accounts payable, account receivable, and human resources. They were recently recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the 5000 fastest growing companies in America in 2007. Due to their exceptional growth, they have been able to hire highly qualified individuals like Trudy to fill strategic roles within the organization.

Trudy comes to KeyMark from Resurgent Capital. She has 30 years of experience in accounting and a degree from DeKalb Technical College. She also holds a CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) certificate.

via KeyMark

Greenville, SC — Selah Technologies, an advanced materials manufacturer, and the University of South Carolina (USC) announced today the signing of a definitive cooperative research agreement to investigate the use of Selah’s carbon quantum dots in biological diagnostic applications. The collaboration will permit USC access to Selah’s proprietary Selah Dots while allowing Selah access to world class research at the USC NanoCenter.

“Since the creation of Selah Technologies as a consequence of licensing two platform nanotechnologies from Clemson University, we have focused on the need to expand the breadth of our technologies through partnerships and collaborations. The NanoCenter at USC offers a distinctive opportunity to leverage our joint expertise to do just that. Selah is thrilled to be advancing Clemson technologies via this collaboration with USC,” said Michael Bolick, President & CEO of Selah Technologies.

Dr. Chris Przirembel, Vice President for Research & Economic Development at Clemson University, added, “With the recent groundbreaking for the innovation center at the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center, the Upstate is rapidly expanding its emphasis on advanced materials technologies. We applaud Selah’s commitment to advancing this important Clemson discovery from the laboratory to the marketplace. This agreement sends a strong message of collaboration among the research universities and the private sector for economic development and, in this particular case, for application in critical health care issues.”

”USC is excited by our collaboration with Selah. Combining Selah’s unique nanomaterials with the outstanding researchers at the USC NanoCenter creates a win-win situation for USC, Selah and indeed, the State of South Carolina. Collaborations such as this one are a primary objective for USC and a driving force behind the development of Innovista,” says Dr. Harris Pastides, Vice President of Research & Health Sciences at USC.

Selah Dots™ are carbon-based quantum dots that can be used for various applications, including life sciences, solar cells and anti-counterfeiting, among others. Selah Tubes, enriched carbon nanotubes, have a number of applications due to their impressive electrical conductivity properties.

via Selah Technologies

Liberty, SC — Sealevel Systems has announced two additions to the to serial product line, the SeaLINK+4M.SC and SeaLINK+8M.SC. Offering four or eight serial ports that are software configurable for RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485, elminating the need to open the enclosure to change jumper settings or dipswitches. The devices maintain their electrical interface settings locally, allowing the host computer to be repaired or upgraded without reconfiguring the serial ports. Additionally, the devices can be configured at one computer and deployed to other computers.
 
The serial ports on each SeaLINK adapter appear as standard COM ports to the host computer enabling compatibility with legacy software. All Sealevel SeaLINK USB serial adapters use a state-machine architecture that greatly reduces the host computer’s overhead when communicating over multiple serial ports simultaneously while supporting data rates to 921.6K bps. Status LEDs on the front of the enclosure indicate power, serial data activity, and electrical interface.
 
The SeaLINK+4M.SC and SeaLINK+8M.SC are housed in rugged metal enclosures and include two convenient USB 1.1 hub ports for easily connecting additional SeaLINK devices and other standard USB peripherals. These adapters integrate SeaLATCH locking USB ports, which are fully compatible with standard USB cables. When used with the included USB cable with a locking type B connector, the metal thumbscrew provides a secure connection to the device and prevents accidental cable disconnection. Both USB hub ports can also be secured using optional SeaLATCH USB cables.
 
Each adapter includes an industrial grade wall-mount power supply. Input power is connected to pin 9 on each of the DB9M connectors for easily powering common 5V serial peripherals such as bar-code scanners, receipt printers, and signature input devices. Each serial port can provide up to 500mA to connected serial peripherals.
 
All SeaLINK products ship with the Sealevel Systems SeaCOM™ suite of Windows drivers and diagnostic utilities. WinSSD, a full-featured application providing powerful testing and diagnostic capabilities, is also included. Use WinSSD for BERT (Bit Error Rate Testing), throughput monitoring, loopback tests, and transmit test pattern messages.

Standard operating temperature range for SeaLINK products is 0-70°C, and extended temperature range (-40°C - +85°C) models are available. Both are available immediately from stock priced at $399 for the SeaLINK+4m.SC (Item# 2433) and $619 for the SeaLINK+8M.SC (Item# 2833). Like all Sealevel I/O products, the adapters are backed by a lifetime warranty.

via Sealevel
 

Charleston, SC — Benefitfocus announced today that Blue Shield of California (BSC) has selected Benefitfocus eEnrollment software technology for BSC’s mid-to-large groups during the enrollment process. Used by group administrators, brokers and members, the Benefitfocus eEnrollment platform will provide BSC the ability to enhance customer service while continuing to efficiently meet market demands. Serving more than 3.2 million members throughout the state, BSC is one of the largest provider networks in California.

“The partnership with Benefitfocus profoundly contributes to our principal goal of upgrading health coverage for Californians. By giving our clients access to Benefitfocus eEnrollment’s one-thought-per-screen, decision-making procedure, we will be able to transform a formerly complex and complicated system to one that is simple and easy to navigate,” said Paul Markovich BSC senior vice president & chief executive, Large Group Business Unit.

As the flagship product of Benefitfocus’ suite of end-to-end solutions, Benefitfocus eEnrollment replaces conventional paper-based enrollment with an easy-to-use, automated application delivered via the Internet. Benefitfocus eEnrollment features technology that enhances information management by streamlining processes for group administrators, brokers, members and carrier representatives.

With the Benefitfocus eEnrollment product, additional tools for benefit management and administration are available. This includes coordination of benefits support, COBRA administration support and secure messaging, allowing all forms of eligibility to be completely automated while ensuring the appropriate changes for new hires, termination, life events occur seamlessly. In this age of consumerism, Benefitfocus eEnrollment provides the ability for members to make choices and a platform to meet consumer demands.

“We are very excited and honored that Blue Shield of California has chosen Benefitfocus to be their healthcare technology provider,” said Shawn Jenkins, president and CEO of Benefitfocus. “We believe that both Blue Shield of California and their clients will be able to reap great benefits from the flexibility, cost savings and ease-of-use relayed by our Benefitfocus eEnrollment platform which gives consumers empowerment. This further reinforces our leadership position in the marketplace.”

The partnership with Blue Shield of California will further expand Benefitfocus’ West Coast presence. Benefitfocus is currently increasing its investment in California and plans to open a West Coast office in early 2009. This new facility will provide the opportunity for increased services to the thousands of corporate customers and millions of members in the region.

Benefitfocus eEnrollment technology application is currently underway for BSC. The first phase will be deployed for select members as early as this fall with a complete roll-out to the BSC membership in early 2009.

via Benefitfocus

Clemson University — Clemson University and Okuma America Corp. announced a partnership that includes investments by Okuma and Morris South, Machine Tool Systems of $1.5 million in the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). 

Consignment of $1.1 million of Okuma machine tools and $400,000 in training and support from Morris South will benefit post graduate-level education and research in areas that include automotive, industrial automation, production launches and proposal development.

Okuma America Corp. is the U.S.- based affiliate of Okuma Corp., a world leader in the development of computer numeric controls and machining technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Okuma and regional distributor Morris South will provide equipment and support services for the automotive engineering research and graduate education programs in the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center (CGEC), the academic anchor for CU-ICAR. Okuma also will provide an annual internship with the company for a student enrolled in the automotive engineering graduate program.

CGEC Director Tom Kurfess announced the first Okuma intern, Chan Wong, already is working in the company’s U.S. headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. He noted that with locations throughout the world, Okuma offers students outstanding internship opportunities.

Instead of donating specific equipment, Okuma is providing state-of-the-art equipment in a consignment agreement that will continuously upgrade equipment for new versions as improvements are made. The arrangement also enables the CU-ICAR team to effectively tailor their capabilities to meet industry needs by working with Okuma to identify and provide the best possible equipment for newly initiated research and education projects.

“Okuma is committed to making sure our students and faculty have access to the latest technology,” Kurfess said. “They have allowed us to avoid obsolescence, one of the biggest problems we face in terms of equipment. We do not have to dispose of or replace equipment; they will update as new generations of this machinery become available. The assurance that they will be working on the latest equipment from one of the world’s most outstanding machine tool companies is extremely important for our current and potential students, and it is also important for those who will be hiring our graduates. We are very grateful for the very generous terms of this agreement.”

The Okuma equipment will be used in both research and education programs, according to Kurfess. Research applications will include machining, metrology and machine-integration research projects — such as National Science Foundation and U.S. Army machining projects — as well as serving as available resources for developing new proposals. The equipment will be integrated directly with graduate engineering classes such as automotive manufacturing processes, production preparation and launch and industrial automation. The faculty will use the equipment to provide demonstrations and data to reinforce class concepts.

After spending many years in the automotive industry, Bob Kral, vice president of operations for Okuma America, sees extensive value in automotive industry research. 

“As a car guy, I know how important it is to find those new innovations that break through the technological barriers we are particularly facing now in the domestic market. Okuma appreciates the opportunity to be a part of a premier global initiative that supports research for advanced manufacturing and promotes higher learning.”

Kurfess said the partnership with Okuma and Morris South will improve the automotive engineering graduate program significantly by providing practical reinforcement of modeling and control concepts. 

“It improves our capabilities to enable research in advanced machining and machining control areas, which is critical to automotive manufacturing,” he said. “Through the expert support the companies will provide students will also interact with some of the machine tool industry’s top control-system developers. Additionally, domestic and international internships are a critical part of our graduate program, and this partnership offers our students tremendous opportunity. We look forward to working with these outstanding companies.”

via Clemson

Rock Hill, SC — 3D Systems Corporation, a provider of 3-D Printing, Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing solutions, has announced that it will run a newly developed polypropylene-based material on its Sinterstation Pro SLS System at the Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS) from June 25-27, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan.

3D Systems is developing this new Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Plastic, DuraForm XR300, jointly with TRIAL Corporation of Kanagawa, Japan. This material is translucent, white in color, flexible, and has good chemical resistance and elevated impact strength. It is designed for a wide-range of applications, such as automotive interiors, requiring parts that are soft and flexible, yet durable. While not yet commercially available, DMS attendees will have the first opportunity to preview DuraForm XR300 Material.

“3D Systems is pleased to unveil to the Japanese marketplace a newly developed polypropylene-based material designed exclusively for our advanced selective laser sintering rapid manufacturing systems,” said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems’ president and chief executive officer. “After more than a decade of laser sintering technology dominated by polyamide based materials, we are very pleased to be the ones making a significant technology announcement regarding a truly breakthrough material for rapid manufacturing applications. Japan continues to be an important leading-edge marketplace for 3D Systems, and it is appropriate that this advancement was made possible through collaboration with a Japanese research company. We are pleased therefore to have the opportunity to share our next generation systems and materials with our Japanese customers and advanced users at the DMS Expo.”

3D Systems will exhibit its new, high-definition ProJet HD 3000 3-D Production System using Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM) technology and its direct-metal producing Sinterstation Pro DM250 SLM System. It will also exhibit its large-frame Pro systems, the Viper Pro SLA and Sinterstation Pro SLS Systems. All of these systems use CAD data to build three-dimensional parts in hours using advanced Additive Manufacturing technology.

via 3D Systems

Clemson University — Clemson University has made its first appearance on the list of the top 500 supercomputing sites in the world, debuting at number 62.

The 31st edition of the TOP500 list was released Wednesday at the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany. Since 1993, the list has been produced twice a year and is the most extensive survey of trends and changes in the global supercomputing arena.

“Clemson is on the move in a big way,” said Jim Bottum, Clemson’s vice provost and chief information officer. “In a very short period of time we have moved from outside the top 500 computing sites in the world to solidly within the top 75. That is tremendous progress toward Clemson’s goal of becoming a top 20 public university; but even more important is how this enables and empowers our faculty, students and staff to conduct competitive, engaging and collaborative work in a global environment.”

Bottum said he was brought to Clemson to build a world-class cyberinfrastructure for education, research and service. However, he maintains that enabling learning and discovery is more than just offering compute cycles; it requires creating a collaborative environment where IT specialists work in partnership with faculty and students to create an advanced cyberinfrastructure that serves the needs of a multi-disciplinary set of programs.

The Palmetto Cluster, for which Clemson is ranked 62nd, is an example of the collaborative partnerships driving Clemson’s progress. It also enables research and other computationally intense work that could not be done prior to the development of the system.

“This ranking recognizes Clemson’s new role as a leader in campus-based high-performance computing systems,” said Jim Pepin, Clemson’s chief technology officer. “Plus, our academic community is now equipped to compete for and win contracts and grants that were previously out of reach.”

via Clemson

Clemson University — The College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University has received a $1.1 million gift from Samuel and Patricia Deal earmarked for research for alternative energy sources.

The announcement came at the 2008 Major Donors Breakfast Sunday at the Madren Center. 

Samuel B. Deal is a graduate of the class of 1943 and has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He received his master’s in chemistry from Ohio State University. He is a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient and invested more than 40 years with RCA, where he pioneered the development of color TV tubes. 

In thanking the Deals, engineering and science Dean Esin Gulari said, “The innovative combination of engineering and science disciplines facilitates study and research across departmental boundaries. An endowment like the Deals’ will allow us to continue current research in alternative energy and pursue new avenues of exploration.”

Alternative energy research at Clemson falls under the area of advanced materials. Some of the researchers and areas currently being explored include:

• Stephen Creager, professor and department chairman in chemistry, is developing new materials for proton-exchange-membrane hydrogen fuel cells and electrochemical energy-storage devices, such as rechargeable lithium ion batteries
• Jim Goodwin, chairman of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is looking into ways to expand the production of biodiesel. He and David Bruce, an associate professor, are studying the synthesis of ethanol from coal and biomass
• Terry Tritt, professor of physics, is investigating new and novel solid-state materials with the goal of achieving higher-efficiency thermoelectric devices
• Tetramer Technologies LLC is a Clemson start-up company owned and founded on technology developed by Clemson faculty and patents. Chemists and material scientists are exploring novel uses of materials that generate an electrical charge when pressure is applied. Possibilities include energy harvesting from vibrational environments such as tire rotation and aircraft vibration or even the footsteps of soldiers, and
• Creager and Darren Dawson, the electrical and computer engineering chairman, are bringing resources together that will evolve, develop and advance photovoltaic technology, which holds the promise of maintaining an energy-intensive standard of living while not contributing to global warming and pollution

via Clemson

Students from Stratford High School in South Carolina earned 2nd place among the US finalists in the 2008 Oracle Academy Global Data Modeling Competition, and 11th place globally with their project “Weather Co.”.

The winning students, led by teacher Michael Eason, were recognized for outstanding analytical and technology skills used to create a database that tracks and stores meteorological data.

The U.S. students were honored along with students from Egypt, Romania, Serbia and Singapore.

The Oracle Academy sponsors the annual competition to help students develop the business and technology skills required for 21st century careers. Students who participate in the competition utilize advanced analytical and technology skills — skills that are in high-demand in a global workforce.

The competition, which is open to students from participating Oracle Academy institutions worldwide, challenges students to analyze the requirements of a particular business and develop a data model that demonstrates the flow of information within that business, a sophisticated process that is typically taught in the university setting and is critical to building database systems.

The 2008 competition included more than 100 entries. A global team of volunteer experts from industry and education reviewed each entry for business, technical, and communications excellence.

via Oracle