THE UNIVERSITY DARYA KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2009
NEWS
3A
MEDICINE
Institute selects projects to receive research funds
BY JESSE BROWN jbrown@kansan.com
The University of Kansas Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation recently announced the 15 projects that will be funded by $16.1 million in gifts from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Kansas University Endowment Association.
The projects will be conducted by eight graduate students, called fellows, who will work with 15 professors. The projects include research in medical technology and engineering.
Joshua Sestak, Philadelphia, Pa, graduate student and fellow for the institute, has spent the last year working with polymer-based therapeutics to treat autoimmune diseases. He said with this new funding he hoped to create something that would interest other corporations so that some day they would be able to buy the rights and develop his ideas further.
"I'm hoping I could finish my part in about two more years," Sestak said. "But it's definitely an ongoing thing. As long as it keeps
working, the finish point would be a final product you could give to humans."
Katie Ferro, Kansas City, Mo. graduate student, will work with each professor and graduate student on their intended products with the hope of commercializing and selling the products.
"I'll spend maybe two to three
weeks with each fellow with whatever device, product or chemical compound and help them look at a market in a correct way." Ferro said. "I'm helping them write a business plan or helping them understand
what market it can go in."
Wally Meyer, director of entrepreneurship programs and Ferro's academic sponsor, said the role Ferro would play would be different from the other fellows because she would be assisting all of them.
"Katie will be helping her colleagues as well as the faculty," Meyer said. "The real grass-cutting
issue is feasibility analysis for each of the inventions."
The new advisory board the institute appointed in July selected the fellows who would assist the professors.
Meyer said her family background in the medical and pharmaceutical fields made her a good fit for the role because she had already participated in the business in some capacity.
"The real grass-cutting issue is feasibility analysis for each of the inventions."
WALLY MEYER
Dir. of entrepreneurship
programs
The funding the institute received is intended for a five-year deal. Ferro said the grant was a great way to get the institute up and running.
"To see them allocate this grant
The institute said in a press release that after five years it hopes to be self-sufficient from selling the products.
is a one-time deal," she said. "It's the largest grant they have ever given and will be the largest one. Period."
Edited by Samantha Foster
SCIENCE
Discovery flight grounded
Bad fuel valve postpones mission until futher notice
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA called off the launch of space shuttle Discovery on Tuesday, the second day in a row the liftoff was scrubbed, this time because of a bad fuel valve.
Space Shuttle Discovery is seen on pad 39A on Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Discovery and a crew of seven are scheduled to lift off Wednesday morning on a mission to deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
Launch officials halted the countdown midway through the fueling process. The seven astronauts had not yet boarded the shuttle for the scheduled early Wednesday morning flight to the international space station.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A new launch date was not immediately set. It was also unclear whether NASA would be able to meet the end-of-month deadline for sending Discovery on its way. Over the weekend, managers said if Discovery was not flying by Aug. 30 or so, the flight almost certainly would slide into October because of a pair of upcoming launches to the space station from Japan and Russia.
The problem cropped up while engineers were trying to open and shut the fill-and-drain valve in Discovery's engine compartment. It appeared to be broken, said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel. He stressed that the exact condition of the valve was not known; it could be sticky.
Workers will need to get into the engine compartment in order to check the valve, a potentially time-consuming operation.
The valve, a critical part of the main propulsion system, is used for the flow of liquid hydrogen from the external fuel tank to the main engines. It needs to be closed
CRIME Vandals target window displays in Denver
At least two people smashed windows bearing health-care reform posters at the Colorado Democratic headquarters in Denver in what party officials are calling an act of political vandalism
Police say the windows were broken at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. A policeman on regular patrol witnessed two people smashing windows with hammers, stopped, then pursued the suspects as they fled on bicycles.
State party chairwoman Pat Waak says most of the 11 shattered windows were directly in front of posters supporting health care reform and President Barack Obama.
Associated Press
for launch, and open in order to drain the tank following a launch delay.
"You don't want it to get stuck in the position where it's closed because you cannot drain the tank that way," Beutel said. Rules prevent engineers from cycling the valve back and forth because "you don't take chances" with it, he said.
"Teams here are looking at the
next steps," he added.
Discovery is loaded with thousands of pounds of space station supplies and equipment, including a new treadmill named after Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.
The valve worked fine during the first launch attempt, but thunderstorms prevented Discovery from blasting off early Tuesday morning.
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Fowl play
A brave seagull snatches food from under the nose of an unsuspecting tourist on Tuesday at Circular Quay in Sydney, Australia ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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