Kevin Gardner – UofL News

UofL awards celebrate year of research, scholarship and creative activity

Baylee Pulliam — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 19:46:36 +0000

The University of Louisville celebrated more than 80 faculty and staff for their work to expand knowledge and understanding at its 2023 Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Awards, held Oct. 19.

This year’s honorees, representing nine UofL schools and colleges, include researchers, scholars and artists, along with those who provide critical support as administrators.��Their work over the past year helped to advance health, grow our technology workforce, improve equity and more.

“I continue to be impressed by the bold and dauntless sense of curiosity and exploration that’s so foundational to our campus and what it means to be a Cardinal,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel, speaking at the event. “Each and every one of you here tonight brings a passion and energy to that work, and it’s just incredible.”��

Nine major awards were presented at the 2023 UofL Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Awards including Administrator, Center and Researcher of the Year.

At the event, hosted by the , several major awards were presented to:��

- , of the College of ��ֱ�� and Human Development, who won Researcher of the Year for his work to shape mental health practice, especially for adolescent trauma-informed care and treatment;
- , of the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, which won Center of the Year in part for its recent $12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study links between the human microbiome and disease, which could lead to better treatments for a range of conditions;��
- , of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won the inaugural Creative Works Award for her innovative work to marry technology and art, via an artificially intelligent painting collaborator;
- Cheri Hildreth, of , who won the Unsung Hero Award for leading the launch and growth of the environmental health and safety programs over her 30-plus years of service to UofL;
- Natalie Christian, of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won Early-Career Researcher of the Year for her work to harness plant-associated microbiomes to improve crop health;
- and , of the Kent School of Social Work, who won the Grand Challenger Award in Empowering our Communities for their work to create supports for youth and their families most impacted by community violence and racial trauma;
- , of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the Grand Challenger Award in Advancing our Health for work to integrate biological and clinical information, paving the way for personalized medicine;
- , of the College of Eduacation and Human Development, who won the Grand Challenger Award in Engineering our Future Economy for her commitment to workforce up/re-skilling in the field of technology, including via innovative badging programs; and
- Joan Scott, of the School of Dentistry, who won Research Administrator of the Year for providing integral research support to her school and department for more than 20 years.��

In the past year, UofL researchers and scholars submitted 1,075 proposals and received nearly $176 million in external grant funding to support groundbreaking discovery and exploration.��

“I believe what we celebrate is what we value as an institution,”�� said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “With awards like these, we show that we value research, scholarship and creative activity. And, that we value you. The work you do is the backbone of UofL’s knowledge enterprise.”

UofL, partners named finalists for manufacturing innovation grant

Baylee Pulliam — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 19:21:11 +0000

The University of Louisville and partners have been selected as finalists for a grant worth up to $160 million to accelerate regional innovation and adoption of additive manufacturing technologies.

Their proposal, dubbed the Additive Manufacturing Forward Engine (AMFE), was selected as one of 16 finalists for a 10-year type-2 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s inaugural Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program. The potential award is the largest NSF has ever offered.��

“UofL is proud to partner on this work to advance use of additive technology in manufacturing through workforce development and research,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “Together, we can put these innovations to work to exponentially grow our nation’s additive manufacturing capabilities.”

AMFE is led by the , and partners include UofL and other universities and trade organizations throughout Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Together, they will work to improve use of and innovation in additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3-D printing, which can help manufacturers reduce part lead times, material costs, energy usage and waste. Louisville alone more some 2,400 manufacturing firms in areas ranging from food and beverage to automotive, with a total workforce of more than 82,500.

As part of AMFE, UofL will leverage its top-notch degree and technology badging programs to build a qualified workforce and its research and innovation strength to further technological innovation. This includes connection to the UofL-based statewide resource center, along with labs, inlcuding the multi-disciplinary .

“This recognition [being selected as a finalist] speaks to the immense impact additive manufacturing can have both regionally and nationally,” said KSTC President and AMFE project lead Terry Samuel. “This project forges strong partnerships among research institutions, nonprofit organizations and industry leaders to bring innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions as well as high-paying manufacturing jobs to our local, regional and national economies.”��

UofL and partners also were recently awarded a $1 million type-1 NSF Engines grant, dubbed Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change (GAME Change), aimed at securing economic competitiveness throughout the Southeastern Commerce Corridor (SCC) of Kentucky and Tennessee, with a focus on next-generation and advanced manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, more durable and sustainable materials and more. Type-1 awards are meant to help applicants prepare for a type-2 proposal.��

Launched by NSF’s new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships and authorized by the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,” the NSF Engines program uniquely harnesses the nation’s science and technology research and development enterprise and regional-level resources. NSF Engines aspire to catalyze robust partnerships to positively impact regional economies, accelerate technology development, address societal challenges, advance national competitiveness and create local, high-wage jobs.

Awarded type-2 proposals will receive up to $160 million over 10 years, with each awardee receiving $15 million for the first two years. NSF anticipates the list of awardees will be announced this fall.

Taming a frenzied immune system

Betty Coffman — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 17:39:18 +0000

Researchers at the University of Louisville have received $5.8 million in two grants from the National Institutes of Health to expand their work to better understand and prevent immune system dysregulation responsible for acute respiratory distress, the condition responsible for serious illness and death in some COVID-19 patients. A separate $306,000 NIH Small Business Innovation Research grant supports early testing of a compound developed at UofL as a potential treatment.

During the pandemic, health care providers worked tirelessly to treat patients who became seriously ill with COVID-19. Some of those patients developed severe lung disease known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to an excessive response of the immune system often called cytokine storm.

As they treated these critically ill patients, physicians and other providers at UofL Health shared their clinical insights and patient samples with researchers at UofL to discover the cause of the immune system overresponse.

“At one time we had over 100 patients with COVID in the hospital. Once they were on a ventilator, mortality was about 50%. We were looking at this issue to see why some people would do well while some developed bad lung disease and did not do well or died,” said Jiapeng Huang, anesthesiologist with UofL Health and professor and vice chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine in the UofL School of Medicine.

The UofL researchers, led by immunologist Jun Yan, discovered that a specific type of immune cells, low-density inflammatory neutrophils, became highly elevated in some COVID-19 patients whose condition became very severe. This elevation signaled a clinical crisis point and increased likelihood of death within a few days due to lung inflammation, blood clotting and stroke. Their findings were published in 2021 in .

With the new NIH funding, Yan is leading research to build on this discovery with deeper understanding of what causes a patient’s immune system to respond to an infection in this way and develop methods to predict, prevent or control the response.

“Through this fruitful collaboration, we now have acquired NIH funding for basic and translational studies and even progress toward commercialization of a potential therapy,” Yan said. “That’s why we do this research – eventually we want to benefit the patients.”

Yan, chief of the UofL Division of Immunotherapy in the Department of Surgery, a professor of microbiology and immunology and a senior member of the Brown Cancer Center, will lead the new research, along with Huang and Silvia M. Uriarte, university scholar and professor in the Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the UofL School of Dentistry.

“COVID-19 continues to spotlight the impactful synergy between the clinical and research teams at the University of Louisville,” said Jason Smith, UofL Health chief medical officer. “Innovation is in the DNA of academic medicine. We collaborate to provide each patient the best options for prevention and treatment today, while developing the even better options for tomorrow.”

In addition to two research grants of $2.9 million each awarded directly to UofL, a $306,000 grant to a startup company will support early testing of a compound developed in the lab of UofL Professor of Medicine Kenneth McLeish that shows promise in preventing the dangerous cytokine storm while allowing the neutrophils to retain their ability to kill harmful bacteria and viruses. The compound, DGN-23, will be tested by UofL and Degranin Therapeutics, a startup operated by McLeish, Yan, Huang, Uriarte and Madhavi Rane, associate professor in the Department of Medicine.

“This is one more example of how UofL has led the charge in finding new and innovative ways to detect, contain and fight COVID-19 and other potential public health threats,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “This team’s new research and technology could help keep people healthy and safe here and beyond.”

The knowledge gained through these studies may benefit not only COVID-19 patients, but those with other conditions in which immune dysregulation can occur, such as other types of viral and bacterial pneumonia and autoimmune diseases, and patients undergoing cancer immunotherapy and organ transplantation.

The grants

Grant 1 – $2.9 million, four-year grant to UofL. Investigators will study the new subset of neutrophils Yan identified to better understand how they contribute to acute respiratory distress and clotting. They also will determine whether a novel compound will prevent these complications. They will use lab techniques and studies with animal models that allow for manipulation of certain conditions that cannot be done in human subjects.

Grant 2 – $2.9 million, five-year grant to UofL. This work examines a more comprehensive landscape to characterize different subsets of neutrophils and measure their changes over the course of COVID-19 disease progression and how neutrophils contribute to immune dysfunction.

Grant 3 – $306,000, one-year grant to Degranin Therapeutics and UofL for early testing of DGN-23, a compound developed at UofL, to determine its effectiveness in preventing or reducing immune dysregulation.

This research is supported by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute under award numbers R01HL158779 and R43HL169129 and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under award number R01AI172873. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

UofL, partners receive $1 million in potential ‘GAME Change’ for manufacturers

Baylee Pulliam — Thu, 11 May 2023 17:41:19 +0000

The University of Louisville and partners have been awarded $1 million to launch a new coalition aimed at cementing the region’s role as a leader in next-generation manufacturing through diverse innovation and talent development.��

Funding for the effort, dubbed Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change (GAME Change), comes via the U.S. National Science Foundation’s inaugural Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program. GAME Change received one of just 44 type-1 NSF Engines planning grants, qualifying it to compete for a type-2 award worth up to $160 million — the largest award NSF has ever offered.��

“UofL is proud to help lead the GAME Change coalition and work to ensure regional next-manufacturing competitiveness through research, innovation and workforce development,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “Kentucky and this region are ripe with opportunity, and through this work, we can accelerate our strong manufacturing sector’s growth as a national leader.”��

The goal, he said, is to secure economic competitiveness throughout the Southeastern Commerce Corridor (SCC) of Kentucky and Tennessee, with a focus on next-generation and advanced manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, more durable and sustainable materials and more. Louisville alone more some 2,400 manufacturing firms in areas ranging from food and beverage to automotive, with a total workforce of more than 82,500.

As part of the coalition, UofL will leverage its manufacturing and technology expertise to provide research support and talent development to industry partners. This includes connection to the UofL-based statewide resource center, along with labs, inlcuding the multi-disciplinary Louisville Automation and Robotics Reseach Institute (), led by J.B. Speed School of Engineering researcher and GAME Change teammember, Dan Popa.��

UofL also will lead the development and launch of a manufacturing-centered venture studio, offering funding, mentoring and training to help new tech-based companies spin up and out. The venture studio will draw on programming and resources offered through , part of the Office of Research and Innovation, inclduing innovation training and funding via UofL’s eight-week startup bootcamp and a suite of focused on translating research into marketable products.��

“UofL already has a long track record of success in getting its research out into the world as new products, businesses, and more with the power to radically improve the way we live and work,” said UofL principal investigator Will Metcalf, an associate vice president for research and innovation who leads UofL New Ventures and the new venture studio. “With GAME Change, we can catalyze that earned expertise to help our regional manufacturing economy thrive.”

In addition to UofL, the GAME Change coalition includes research, education, economic development, industrial and manufacturing leaders of the SCC, spanning the I-65 and I-75 thoroughfares and the promising high-growth centers of Louisville, Lexington, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga that outline an Appalachian region in need of greater connectivity and economic resiliency.

“These NSF Engines Development Awards lay the foundation for emerging hubs of innovation and potential future NSF Engines,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “These awardees are part of the fabric of NSF’s vision to create opportunities everywhere and enable innovation anywhere. They will build robust regional partnerships rooted in scientific and technological innovation in every part of our nation. Through these planning awards, NSF is seeding the future for in-place innovation in communities and to grow their regional economies through research and partnerships. This will unleash ideas, talent, pathways and resources to create vibrant innovation ecosystems all across our nation.”

UofL celebrates big ideas and invention at Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards

Baylee Pulliam — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:52:35 +0000

More than 70 faculty and staff were recognized for their work to bring big ideas to life at the University of Louisville’s 2023 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards, held April 18.��

The event, hosted by the UofL , honored faculty and staff from five schools and colleges for accomplishments in developing new technologies, working with industry and launching research-backed startups.

“We like to say UofL’s ‘igniting innovation’ — and that’s absolutely true,” said president Kim Schatzel, giving opening remarks at the event. “Since joining the UofL community, I’ve seen that our campus is full-to-bursting with creativity and ideas, some with the power to transform the way we live and work. If UofL is igniting innovation, our innovators are the spark, and the work they do has a lasting and positive impact here on our campus and well beyond.”

Six major awards were also presented, including Innovator of the Year. This year, that honor went to School of Medicine researcher Nobuyuki Matoba, recognized for his work to tackle devastating diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, through groundbreaking new vaccines, immunotherapeutics and treatments that leverage protein engineering and plant-based biotechnology.��

In addition to Matoba, major awards were also presented to:��

- Dan Popa, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the Catalyst Award for his work to build an environment that encourages innovation at the Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI);
- Geoff Clark, Joe Burlison and Kenneth Palmer, of the School of Medicine, who won the Industry Partnership Award for their longstanding commercialization relationship with Qualigen Therapeutics;��
- Cheri Levinson and Christina Ralph-Nearman, of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won a Trailblazer Award for their work to develop novel virtual reality and personalized treatment tools for eating disorders and launch a startup, Awaken Digital Health Solutions, to drive them to market;
- Kunal Kate, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won a Trailblazer Award in part for his work with the Kentucky MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center to help minority-owned businesses leverage cutting-edge technology;��
- Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the night’s final Trailblazer Award for his work to develop new ways of producing sustainable fuels and chemicals from waste materials;

Over the past two years, 57 of the honorees earned new patents, 28 had their technology optioned or licensed to a company and 68 were awarded innovation grants, such as or , aimed at driving technologies to market. In the past fiscal year, the work of these innovators led to one new startup, 319 agreements, 49 new patents and $15.6 million in innovation-related income.

UofL Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner, whose office organizes the event, said those numbers represent real-world impact — and more, impact that can save and improve lives.��

“The innovations our researchers are developing have the potential to diagnose, treat and cure disease and overall make the way we live and work better,” he said. “What we celebrate reflects what we value as an institution — and with awards like these, we show that we value entrepreneurship and innovation.”

UofL receives $3.4 million to grow cybersecurity workforce

Baylee Pulliam — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 18:30:23 +0000

The University of Louisville has been awarded a $3.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help grow the cybersecurity workforce.

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The funding, via , will cover full tuition and stipends for dozens of students over the five-year project period. Students must be enrolled on-campus in the B.S./M.ENG. in computer science and engineering program or M.S. in computer science degree program offered through the UofL J.B. Speed School of Engineering and serve in federal, local, state or tribal government roles in cybersecurity after graduation.

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UofL NSF CyberCorps Scholarships for Service project team with NSF/NSA/OPM and White House officials.

The project is led by principal investigator Wei Zhang and co-principal investigator Adel Elmaghraby, both from the Speed School.

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“Our lives are becoming increasingly connected and digital, and the same is true for our nation’s critical infrastructure,” said Elmaghraby, also a professor of computer engineering. “As a result, the need for highly trained cybersecurity professionals who can protect those systems is high and rapidly growing. UofL is already leading the development of this workforce and looks forward to expanding efforts through CyberCorps.”

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According to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s Data Breach Report, there were a record 1,862 data breaches in 2021, with more than 80% revealing sensitive personal information.

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Meanwhile, demand for cybersecurity professionals is high and growing, and the White House’s new calls for “developing a diverse and robust national cyber workforce.”

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“Cybersecurity is one of the most important issues confronting society in the information age,” said Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF director, in a . “As our reliance on the national cyberspace evolves, so does the complexity of the cyber threats we face. It is imperative that we support the development of a strong cybersecurity workforce to ensure we can all benefit from secure and trustworthy cyberspace.”

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UofL is the first and only school in Kentucky to receive an NSF CyberCorps Scholarships for Service grant. To be eligible, schools must be designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in cyber defense education, cyber operations or research by the U.S. National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

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As a Center of Academic Excellence, UofL has led the charge in growing the nation’s cyber talent pool, receiving development of a new microcredential-backed Cybersecurity Workforce Certificate. UofL is also leading another coalition to train high school teachers to teach in their classrooms. In January, Sen. Mitch McConnell announced will soon be made available to support cybersecurity training efforts, calling UofL “the center of the growing cybersecurity field.”

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Last year, UofL also was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense aimed at cybersecurity strategy and talent pipeline development. UofL was the only school selected from Kentucky for both networks and one of only a handful to hold the competitive Carnegie Research-1 classification.

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“With technology continuing to become more of an integral piece of our everyday lives, a strong cybersecurity industry and workforce are the most important protections we have to ensure secure businesses and critical infrastructure across the Commonwealth and nation,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “UofL is proud to lead the charge on this important work.”

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UofL receives $10 million to add more world-class researchers

Baylee Pulliam — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 16:37:45 +0000

The University of Louisville will use millions in new funding to add endowed faculty positions to advance groundbreaking research in cybersecurity, energy, health and more.

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The new positions are backed by a $10 million state investment in the Research Challenge Trust Fund, also known as Bucks-for-Brains. The program supports research at Kentucky universities by matching state dollars with private donations, effectively doubling the total funding.

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“Since its inception, the Bucks-for-Brains program has been invaluable in supporting the university’s efforts to recruit and retain exceptional talent and, in turn, accelerate economic development,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel. “With this new funding, combined with private donations, we hope to expand this effort, drawing even more world-class faculty to UofL and to Kentucky.”

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UofL has launched a fundraising campaign to match the state investment. More information is available . Once the match funding is raised, UofL will recruit top talent in the following areas:

Inflammation and Microbiome
Bioinformatics��
Medical informatics
Immunogenomics��
Pandemic preparedness��
Nutrition and health
Improved health outcomes
Cybersecurity��
Energy storage��
Nano-enabled medicine and healthcare

Prior to this new investment, UofL had received $116.7 million in Bucks for Brains funding since 1998, which more than doubled with private donations. That funding has supported the creation of more than 160 endowed chair, professor and fellow positions with a focus on groundbreaking and impactful research.

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“These researchers’ important work, supported by the Bucks for Brains program, improves our world in a very real way,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “Their work creates new products, companies, a trained workforce and jobs. Their work shows that the university, and its home state, take a leadership role in bringing those big ideas to life.”

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Never has that impact been more evident, he said, than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when UofL researchers and innovators worked to combat health, societal and economic impacts here and around the world.

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Over the past two fiscal years, UofL’s Bucks-for-Brains endowed researchers developed , worked to and took . In the 2021 fiscal year alone, these researchers’ work created 946 jobs and contributed $169 million to the Kentucky economy.

UofL awarded $13 million to launch statewide manufacturing resource center

Baylee Pulliam — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 21:44:33 +0000

The University of Louisville has been awarded up to $13 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to launch a new statewide manufacturing resource center.

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The center, known as the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KMEP), will sit in the UofL and leverage university expertise and capacity to provide research, business development, access to talent and other supports. The goal is to help manufacturers boost productivity, retain and create jobs and compete in new markets here and abroad.

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“This competitively won grant illustrates the confidence that the University of Louisville holds in the research and development sphere,” said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “Business and industry leaders – from CEOs at multinational corporations to entrepreneurs ramping up operations on their first viable idea – know that UofL has the resources they can draw upon to take ideas from concept to reality.

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“The Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership will help small- and medium-sized businesses accelerate and strengthen growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace.”

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KMEP is part of the��MEP National Network, led by the DOC’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The network is meant to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturers and is composed of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.��UofL will host Kentucky’s MEP after a competitive selection process.

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UofL Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation announces the new Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will be housed in his office. More photos from the press conference .

“As a research powerhouse institution, UofL is committed to making a meaningful impact on the economy of the Commonwealth,” said Kevin Gardner, executive vice president for research and innovation. “Through KMEP, we will leverage the resources of our campus to help Kentucky manufacturers grow and thrive.”

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KMEP will be led by , director of manufacturing engagement in the Office of Research and Innovation. Broughton has extensive experience in manufacturing and business development and led the state’s previous extension partnership.

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“UofL has vast resources, technologies, capabilities, training in operational improvement, etc. that manufacturers simply do not know are available to them,” Broughton said. “Through the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership, I look forward to connecting manufacturers with those resources to solve problems and innovate.”

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The center, he said, will work closely with UofL’s prominent manufacturing-related research centers, including the ) and the , as well as its experts in fields across the campus.��UofL also has previously received numerous grants aimed at programming to help manufacturers adopt additive manufacturing and the smart, connected technologies of .

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“One of our driving goals is to build supports, like these, to better connect with and serve our industrial partners,” said Will Metcalf, associate vice president for research and innovation. “KMEP is another step toward that goal, and we look forward to being a resource for Kentucky manufacturers.”

UofL hosts AOL founder for day of entrepreneurship and innovation

Baylee Pulliam — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 22:01:53 +0000

The University of Louisville hosted serial entrepreneur and America Online co-founder Steve Case and others as part of a summit focused on growing regional startups and innovation.

The Louisville Entrepreneurship Summit, presented by the , brought together more than 300 innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and supporters from throughout the region for a fireside chat, startup expo, networking and signing of Case’s new book, “.”��

“Entrepreneurship and innovation is so core to what we do and who we are as a university, whether that’s by educating the next generation of founders, developing research-backed products or launching new companies,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation, who leads the organizing office and gave opening remarks. “We’re proud to work with Case and our community partners to support startups here and beyond.”

View more photos from the event here: https://tinyurl.com/25sanjb5

In addition to Case, speakers included Elliott Parker, CEO of Indianapolis venture firm, High Alpha Innovation; Jonathan Webb, founder of Kentucky-born agtech startup, AppHarvest; and Monique Quarterman, executive director of KY Innovation. Selected entrepreneurs also participated in a roundtable and had the chance to pitch their ideas to Case’s venture capital firm, Revolution LLC, which invests in early-stage companies located outside of major startup hubs, like New York City or San Francisco.

This event, held at the university’s newly renovated Angel’s Envy Bourbon Club, marked Case’s third visit to UofL and the region; in 2016, he toured UofL engineering facilities and FirstBuild makerspace, and in 2018, he heard pitches from Louisville startups that resulted in a $100,000 investment in a company born from UofL research. Case said Louisville’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has huge potential.

“Louisville has so many of the right elements in place for a robust startup ecosystem, including a great research university,” Case said. “I’m excited by what I’ve seen here, and look forward to following the city’s startups and future success stories.”

At UofL, the Office of Research and Innovation has launched a number of key supports driving regional entrepreneurship. That includes , a new team led by Will Metcalf, associate vice president for research development and strategic partnerships, dedicated to launching and growing innovative new companies to move research-backed technologies to market.

“We’ve had a lot of success and built momentum with these efforts to spur entrepreneurship and innovation on our campus and beyond,” said Metcalf, who emceed the Louisville Entrepreneurship Summit. “Our work at UofL, and this event, are meant to accelerate that momentum throughout our regional ecosystem, creating meaningful impact through translational research, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development.”

Metcalf said those seeking to become more engaged can contact the UofL New Ventures team directly or to learn more about resources for entrepreneurs, such as the eight-week product innovation bootcamp (enrolling now for the spring 2023 session).��

The Louisville Entrepreneurship Summit was powered by Donna and Charles Denny, the Dan Jones Family,��Frost Brown Todd,��AppHarvest, AMPED, PNC, Blue Sky Ventures and��UofL.

UofL receives $750,000 in federal funding to enhance advanced manufacturing workforce

Betty Coffman — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 15:17:51 +0000

The University of Louisville has received $750,000 to launch the Robotics and Additive Manufacturing Pathways to SUCCESS (RAMPS) program aimed at preparing workers for the automated workplaces of the future that involve collaborative human-machine interfaces and 3D printing.

The skills needed by nearly all manufacturers soon will be shaped to some degree by the rapidly accelerating robotics and machine learning revolution, including automation, robotics, additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence. RAMPS will allow UofL’s Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI) and other centers to purchase additional advanced equipment, such as a robotic quadruped, and introduce future workers to these devices.

“We want to make this technology accessible for people or students who don’t necessarily have the advanced technical skills, but they are enthusiastic,” said Dan Popa, director of LARRI and lead for the RAMPS project. “They want to learn about robotics, AI and additive manufacturing, how they are used in industry and what kind of skills you need to operate this type of equipment.”

Inside UofL’s Micro/Nano Technology Center

Made possible by funding secured by U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth from the U.S. Department of ��ֱ��, RAMPS aims to address workforce needs in the advanced manufacturing industry sector and enhance employment opportunities for underrepresented groups. It will allow LARRI, the Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science and Technology (AMIST) and Micro/Nano Technology Center (MNTC), all based in the at UofL, to obtain additional equipment and pilot programs to increase awareness and access to training in robotic and additive manufacturing technology over the next year.

“I’m so proud to have secured $750,000 in federal funding for UofL’s RAMPS program, which will help students excel in the industries of tomorrow,” Yarmuth said. “Manufacturing is a key sector of our local and state economy, and robotics and automation will have a tremendous impact on how businesses and industries operate moving forward. UofL is a national leader in innovative training programs, and through its RAMPS program, students will have access to the state-of-the-art equipment and training that will best position them to succeed in our rapidly changing workforce.”

“The RAMPS program not only will help fulfill today’s workforce needs of our commonwealth, it also will enhance the University of Louisville’s work in advanced research and education in robotics and additive manufacturing,” said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “We are extremely grateful to Congressman Yarmuth for his support in helping us obtain this funding.”

Using existing and new equipment and leveraging the knowledge and skills present in the UofL facilities, RAMPS leaders will introduce K-12 students, high school graduates and university students to robotics and additive manufacturing and help train them to use these advanced technologies in the workplace.

Dental mold printed at UofL’s Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science and Technology

“The goal of this program is to help future technicians and engineers prepare for employment in additive manufacturing fields that are both high-paying and growing in need. Whether it is a mid-career person looking to transition professions, a currently enrolled college student or someone with no post-high school education, we will be delivering workforce training tailored to an individual’s starting education and skills level,” said Thomas Berfield, co-director of AMIST.

Berfield anticipates that AMIST will add equipment used in the aerospace, automotive, dental and biomedical industries, among others.

Workers at Kentucky’s multiple manufacturing facilities are expected to be disproportionately affected by the shift toward automation, making programs like RAMPS essential to advance employment opportunities in the commonwealth.

“While it is true that automation is expected to displace workers in manufacturing, the adoption of robot technology actually predicts wage growth as those positions are replaced with higher skilled workers in high-tech positions needed to interface with the robots,” Popa said.

RAMPS leaders expect around 200 students will be exposed to these technologies in the first year as part of pilot projects, followed by more robust and formalized workforce training programs and curricula to be developed in future years.

In addition to training workers, RAMPS will elevate UofL’s programs at LARRI, AMIST and MNTC by further improving the high-quality learning environment within these centers, attracting highly qualified faculty and talented students and increasing opportunities for additional funding.

Since the opening of LARRI’s dedicated robotics lab on the UofL campus in October, it has hosted more than 400 K-12 and college students, industry professionals and researchers to learn about existing and potential uses of robots, drones and other technology.

“The research we do here at UofL has real impact in engineering a future technology-driven economy in Kentucky and beyond,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “We are grateful to Congressman Yarmuth for securing this funding to expand that impact and support our work to build the next generation of robotics technologies and professionals.”