The Origins of Braille

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

At the root of accessibility technology lies braille, a code composed of 63 characters that can be depicted using a six-position matrix of raised dots. The inspiration for braille came from a 12-dot system designed by Charles Barbier. His intent was to enable communication between the mostly illiterate soldiers in the French army and to make communication possible at night; the embossed dots represented sounds that could be felt. This system was not a great success in the army, but young Louis Braille recognized the start of an ingenious concept. Louis was blinded at the age of three during an Read More …

What does that Venture Capital Term Mean? – Part 2

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

Venture capital (VC) is a form of financing that is private and provided by investors, investment banks, or other financial institutions to startup companies and small businesses, particularly those with long-term growth potential. Often seen as the “engine of economic growth”, venture capital investors provide funds to early-stage companies or start-ups in exchange for equity or ownership stake. To help introduce you to the world of Venture Capital, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most common terms in this field. You can find part one of this blog here. Common Venture Capital Terms & Concepts Securities and Exchange Read More …

A New Facet: Accessibility on the Internet

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

The Internet is tangled with almost every aspect of daily life, from online learning to accessing banking information to communicating with coworkers. It has become a means for finding general information like bus routes, restaurant menus, and local government contact information. Our general reliance on websites to convey this information can prove problematic when the sites in question are not accessible. Accessibility must address a number of facets. Disabilities that may limit web accessibility include visual, cognitive, and hearing impairments, as well as learning disabilities and mobility restrictions. What makes a website accessible? The Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Read More …

What does that Venture Capital Term Mean? – Part 1

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

Venture Capital (VC) is a form of financing that is private and provided by investors, investment banks, or other financial institutions to startup companies and small businesses, particularly those with long-term growth potential. Often seen as the “engine of economic growth”, venture capital investors provide funds to early-stage companies or start-ups in exchange for equity or ownership stake. To help introduce you to the world of Venture Capital, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most common terms in this field. Common Venture Capital Terms & Concepts Venture Capitalist (VC): A venture capitalist is the first term that is Read More …

Reflecting on Over 20 Years of Service to OTT – Kevin Lei

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

Kevin Lei first joined Emory in 1997. Since then, he has served the Office of Technology Transfer for over 2 decades in a variety of roles. He has helped to advance the intellectual property of the university, built strong relationships with Emory faculty, and has been a strong promoter of Emory technologies. He also served as the university’s first Technology Scout, which has proven to be an important role for researchers with novel technologies or start-up concepts. His contributions to OTT have been invaluable. To celebrate Kevin’s retirement after an incredible career, we asked him to reflect on his time Read More …

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

With the improvement of medicine and technology, the life expectancy of most people is increasing. While that is an incredible feat of human progress, age is one of the primary risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease, though researchers believe that the disease may develop from a number of factors. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of Dementia, is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. Symptoms include memory loss, decline in executive functions such as problem solving and judgement, navigation problems, language difficulties, and social withdrawal. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive, meaning that symptoms grow more severe and cognitive Read More …

Intern: Experience by the Numbers

Posted onAuthorLinda Kesselring

5 boot camp sessions 3 rotations 5 wonderful supervisors 19 commercialization evaluation reports 14 technology briefs ~377,286 database searches 1 year of invaluable experience in the technology transfer field I decided to apply for the OTT internship at the end of my third year of graduate school for two reasons. First, I knew that academia wasn’t for me and wanted exposure to alternative careers and second, the daily lab slog (grad students, you know what I’m talking about) had me feeling burned out and in need of something new to channel my energy into. At the time, my PI was Read More …

What is the Nutraceuticals Market?

Posted onAuthorJessica Beach

As a child, the highlight of my morning routine was eating Flintstone vitamin gummies with my breakfast. I delighted in munching on Dino and Fred Flintstone, and picking my exact combination of red, yellow, and purple gummies for the day. While gummy multivitamins may have added some joy to breakfast, they also provided valuable supplements to my diet. Multivitamins are just one example of nutraceuticals, products derived from food that provide health benefits. Nutraceuticals include items such as functional food (food with extra health benefits such as seeds, nuts, and milk with extra protein), medicinal food, and dietary supplements. Functional Read More …

Mark Goodman: The Radiologist

Posted onAuthorLinda Kesselring

Mark Goodman, PhD holds the Emory University Endowed Chair in Imaging Science. He is Professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Director of the Radiology and Imaging Sciences Radiopharmaceutical Discovery Laboratory. Goodman received his BA in chemistry from Monmouth College, Illinois, and a PhD from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale and Harvard University in radiopharmaceutical chemistry. His research is directed towards the development of new radiotracers for the study and management of treatment of myocardial disorders, Read More …

Ken Cornell: The Patient

Posted onAuthorLinda Kesselring

Ken Cornell is the general superintendent at JE Dunn Construction. He was been with JE Dunn for a little over five years and has worked in the construction industry for 38 years. He has a degree in construction engineering and has done lab and hospital construction work for the past 28 years. He is currently working on the construction of the new Health Sciences Research Building II (HSRBII).  Can you give an overview of how you got into construction, specifically the construction of medical and research facilities? I have a degree in construction engineering. That is my initial start in Read More …