From 1975 to 1988 Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin created the monthly “Golden Fleece Awards,” which was given to federally funded programs that Proxmire considered to be superfluous. This award was often given to obscure or peculiar scientific research that was considered by Proxmire to be superfluous and unnecessary. This attitude, which states that unique and arguably odd scientific research is a wasteful use of federal funds, is still a common belief today. In response to this negative attitude the Golden Goose Awards were created in 2012 by: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, The Breakthrough Institute, the Progressive Policy Institute, the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, the Task Force on American Innovation, The Science Coalition, and the United for Medical Research with the support of multiple congressional members, organizations, and universities. It was created to recognize federally funded idiosyncratic scientific projects with huge benefits and socially significant applications. These awards are meant to highlight, that like the proverbial goose with the golden egg, some of the most miraculous and valuable ideas and innovations can come from the most unlikely sources or inquiries. Awardees can be nominated by
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Video Teaching Tool for Prostate Cancer
Today, when someone wants to learn how to play the ukulele or write an app they go straight to YouTube. Video based learning is ingrained in 21st century culture and is also used in a multitude of educational environments. So, why couldn’t this tool be used to teach patients about their prostate cancer, wondered Viraj A. Master, MD, PhD, Winship Cancer Institute Urologist and Director of Clinical Research in Emory University’s Department of Urology. In 2013, Master along with Ashesh B. Jani, MD (Radiation Oncology) and Michael G. Goodman, MD (Epidemiology) published a groundbreaking study (i) that demonstrated the staggering lack of knowledge, which Grady Hospital patients in Atlanta, had in regards to their own cancer. These prostate cancer patients were unable to define key medical terms related to their illness; with half of the subjects unable to define “impotence,” and two thirds not knowing the meanings of key phrases like “urinary function” and “bowel habits.” These disturbing results lead him to spearhead another project that used a video based learning system to teach prostate cancer patients about their disease (ii). Master’s and his team approached this by developing a video tool that depicted 26 routine medical terms related to
Continue readingThe 12 Days of Christmas OTTer Style
On the first day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, A new disclosure form On the second day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Two patent applications On the third day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Three new blog posts On the fourth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Four featured innovations On the fifth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Five Licenses to sign! On the sixth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Six new start-up projects On the seventh day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Seven commercial evaluation reports On the eighth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Eight marketing contacts On the ninth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Nine clinical trial agreements On the tenth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Ten new emails On the eleventh day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Eleven non-disclosure agreements On the twelfth day of Christmas, my OTTer gave to me, Twelve new meeting requests
Continue readingBeowoof! Meet Emory’s New Therapy Dog Beowulf – Not a King, but A Hero All the Same
Josh Billings once mused, “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” Able to relieve stress and make almost anyone around them feel comfortable, it’s no wonder that canines are commonly referred to as “man’s best friend”. For years, Emory has tapped into this sentiment by bringing therapy dogs to campus during finals weeks to provide a healthy way for students to relieve stress. This fall, the University went one step further, adding its first-ever full-time therapy dog, Beowulf, to the team. So what makes therapy dogs so great, eh? Well for starters, dogs are much more intelligent than many people realize. On average, they’re capable of understanding as many as 250 words/gestures, can count up to five, and are able to complete simple math equations.[1] In addition, they’re natural experts at understanding body language and facial expressions, making them quite adept when it comes to knowing how someone’s feeling. Further, with a sense of smell more than one million times more sensitive than ours, dogs can even detect whether you’re sick based on your breath.[2] One might even say that our furry companions know us better than we do. But beyond
Continue reading‘Tis the Season of Anxiety: How to Stay Sane During the Holidays
Oh, the holidays. While undoubtedly a wonderful time of year – who doesn’t love reconnecting with family and friends? – it’s also very stressful. Whether due to all the unhealthy temptations, the financial burdens of gift-giving/hosting parties, or feeling drained after an abundance of forced socialization, there’s an uptick in anxiety and even depression around this time of year. By now you’re probably wondering how to enjoy the holidays while avoiding all that dreary stuff? Well, you’ve come to the right blog! Get ready for some suggestions on how to stay sane during the holidays: Smile – Even When You Don’t Feel Like It This one’s easy. The face we make – whether it be happy or sad – actually influences how we feel, react to situations, and more. For example, the simple act of consciously smiling releases endorphins that make us feel happier and less stressed. Beyond that, smiling is an attractive expression, and a contagious one at that. People don’t remember what you say or do nearly as much as the way you make them feel. So smile – there’s literally no downside to doing so! Think Positively, Even When Things Don’t Go as Planned According to Harvard,
Continue readingStudents: Looking for Writing Opportunities to Support My Journalism Ambitions
I began working at the Emory Office of Technology Transfer as a writing assistant during my sophomore year of college here. I was a pre-med turned journalism student, hungry for any writing opportunities I could get my hands on. Having spent the previous year taking courses in biology and organic chemistry, I was eager to take on the task of translating seemingly complex concepts into stories our readers would be interested in. The job’s intersection of science and writing was the ideal opportunity for me, someone interested in health and science journalism. I’ll be honest. When I first started the job, I wasn’t exactly sure what “technology transfer” actually meant. Through my time working in the office however, I’ve gotten to fully understand and appreciate OTT’s vital role in Emory’s standing as a leading research university. I’ve also gotten the opportunity to sit down and chat with some truly awe-inspiring, accomplished researchers and scientists about the exciting projects they’ve been working on. I wrote about Dawn Laney, a genetic counselor who wrote a series of books to help children understand genetic conditions. I covered the development of iCHOOSE Kidney, a mobile app that helps patients make decisions about treatment options
Continue readingEmory Has an App for That!
As part of our month-long effort to highlight Emory’s work in the area of software, we are highlighting a brand new mobile app catalog that the University launched which offers one-stop shopping for all apps at Emory. The catalog allows Emory to distribute and maintain its mobile apps outside of the public marketplace for Android and Apple. Emory has more than 22,000 mobile devices accessing its network at any one time, but less than 1% of those devices are actually administered by the University. Because Emory is primarily a “bring your own device” employer, it wanted a way to help its constituents to access and download internally and externally available apps as easily as possible. The Mobile App Catalog was launched in late 2014 in a limited fashion that focused on development, testing, and focus groups. Now it is being launched campus-wide for all Emory University and Emory Healthcare staff, faculty, and students to use. Several of the key benefits to utilizing this app catalog are: The ability to manage and apply security polices without controlling the device, The ability to distribute apps not intended for public distribution, The ability to monitor and control access to apps. The Emory Mobile
Continue readingOTT’s Own Cancer Survivor
To complete our month-long focus on cancer, we asked our own Connie Newsome, Senior Program Associate and Executive Assistant, to talk about her experience with breast cancer, including her time at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University and how working in technology transfer influenced that experience. Thankfully Connie has been cancer free now for two and a half years. Connie, how were you originally diagnosed? I was diagnosed during an annual mammogram at Winship. When the results came back, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, stage 2. Shortly after that I saw a surgeon and an oncologist. Both of these physicians had credentials that were really high. I also consulted with my internist who is one of Emory’s lead internists. The treatment plan that was initially prescribed consisted of a regime of chemotherapy spread over 4 months, followed by radiation and surgery. My team of physicians gave me two options for radiation – one that consisted of 15 days the other of 30 days. After consideration and consulting with several of my family, friends, and colleagues, I decided to go with the 30 days of radiation. Once radiation and chemo were complete I went back for another
Continue readingTech Transfer Jingle Bells
Dashing through the lab In my new lab coat Cleaning pipettes I go Can’t find my lab notebook Filling out the disclosure Making spirits bright What fun it is to laugh and sing A tech transfer song tonight … [Chorus] CER reports, CER reports Triage all the way Oh! What fun it is to write these Every single week CER reports, CER reports Triage all the way Oh! What fun it is to write these Every single week Dashing through the prior art Please no public disclosures First to file I go God please let it be enabled Useful, novel, non-obvious Making spirits bright What fun it is to laugh and sing A tech transfer song tonight … [chorus] Dashing through the literature Writing that old tech brief Through the database I go Sending lots of marketing Finding that perfect partner Making spirits bright What fun it is to laugh and sing A tech transfer song tonight … [chorus] Dashing through the agreement Can’t read all these definitions Red lining I go And hoping that they’ll sign Bells for signed licenses Making spirits bright What fun it is to laugh and sing A tech transfer song tonight …
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