Innovation News

Earthineer.com grows sustainable minded online social network with 11K members

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September 25, 2012

Dan Adams' online sustainable living social network has grown from an independent study project into an emerging part of the U.S. self-sufficiency community, with more than 11,000 members and 350,000 monthly page views. Adams, a Northern Kentucky University graduate student, launched Earthineer.com in late 2010. The Covington software consultant's interest in sustainable living practices was stoked by his home garden. The self-satisfaction that came from growing some of his own food led Adams to learn how to can, preserve and pickle. Earthineer.com is for people with the same interests as its creator. It's for people looking for tips on living more in tune with nature, creating a healthier home environment and creating less waste. Much of the site's content centers on food: preparing it, growing it and storing it. The site has a spot for blog posts for sustainable living "experiments" like different composting, canning or wine-making methods. It also has typical social networking features, including personal profiles, news feeds and status updates. The site should host a trading section by early next year. "If there's a bee keeper producing extra honey and wants to trade for something else, they can do it there," Adams says. Adams spent the summer updating the site, and received some expert mentoring in NKU's inaugural INKUBATOR program. The new 12-week program is for entrepreneurial NKU students looking to start businesses. The program ended with a Demo Day where participants pitched their products and services to a group of investors, entrepreneurs and advisors. Earthineer received $5,000 in seed funding. "I had great access to mentors and more networking opportunities," Adams says. "We had mentors from Queen City Angels and Mindbox Studios. They spoke on different topics like fine tuning your value proposition and business model." Adams has also been spreading the Earthineer gospel, talking about DIY Solar Panels at the Mother Earth News Fair and in an Edible Ohio Valley article on keeping backyard chickens. The site has a sizable following from Kentucky and Ohio. Adams' Mother Earth talks have upped the representation from Pennsylvania as well as the west coast, with members joining from California, Oregon and Washington State. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

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Family historians help preserve memories of a lifetime

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Diversity

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September 25, 2012

Kristi Woodworth and Jennifer Sauers tell stories for a living, but they’re not performance artists or members of the media. In fact, they’re licensed oral historians. The business they launched together, Beyond the Trees, offers design and printing services for small runs of books, many of them celebrating milestone accomplishments or memories of a lifetime. “You get really close to people,” Woodworth says, describing how she becomes enmeshed in family stories while working with groups of people to compile photos and written memories. “It’s sort of a privilege for us to be that close to the lives of these people, because what they’re doing with these books is creating a gift of love to honor the people in their life, and it’s a thrill to help them do that.” Moving to the Norwood-based Hamilton County Business Center in 2009 helped grow the budding business, says Woodworth. “We could kick ideas around more easily,” she says. The duo also received business coaching in speed sessions during morning mentoring sessions at the HCBC. The women are currently working on products that will allow people to complete their own projects, such as legacy letters to one’s descendants, or other projects. The company offers Cincinnati-based workshops, for example, and skills taught in these classes are now being leveraged into products that anyone can use, regardless of their location. Services provided by Beyond the Trees include tribute books that can be purchased as gifts for milestone occasions, such as graduations, birthdays or anniversaries. The company issues invitations by email or standard post to friends and family of the honoree, then compile the resultant memories and photos into a bound book. Beyond the Trees also provides self-publishing services for authors who want to print and sell books of prose, poetry or other creative work. Woodworth says the trend she sees now is how much easier it is to self publish. When the company began, it was something of a novelty, and Woodworth’s partner, Jennifer Sauers, took materials to Staples to have them printed, then downtown to be hand-bound. Still, the family cookbooks she produced were a smash hit, and, soon, other people were asking about having books made. “What we’re adding to it is the value of the service. We are adding the advice and the guidance through it and the design of the product,” says Woodworth. By Robin Donovan

MyHealthyTale app’s interactive, digital stories teach diabetic children

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Entrepreneurship

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September 25, 2012

Like all with an entrepreneurial spirit, Xavier University junior Anthony Breen is a problem solver. While he was spending a few days at a local hospital visiting a friend, he met some young children who'd been diagnosed with illnesses. He immediately saw a challenge that he could meet. "When kids are diagnosed, they are given pamphlets written for adults and by adults. It's not in any way engaging. It's scary," says Breen, a finance and entrepreneurship major, with a minor in accounting. It was from that experience that Breen developed a web-based app that uses storytelling to teach diabetic children about their disease in an understandable way. It's aimed at ages 2 to 12. The app, MyHealthyTale, follows a diabetic character through a 15-minute story where the child can answer questions about their chronic disease by following the character through the story. The story pulls from a database of questions, mixing them up. So each time children read the story, they get different questions. "The can name a bear that goes through the story and customize it," Breen says. "It's a fun way to learn that's not scary." MyHealthyTale is the inaugural offering of Breen's Minerva Health Learning Systems, one of the winning companies for the new Innov8 for health Startup Accelerator. MyHealthyTale will soon be available at the iPhone App store, and available on Android in the next three months. In addition to the story book, there's also information and support resources for parents, including the ability to direct email caregivers and other parents with diabetic children. Breen is working with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and diabetic educators at Cincinnati Children's and The Christ hospitals. Eventually, he wants to expand the app, with stories that cover a range of illnesses. "Really, this can be used for any medical condition," he says."Right now we're just entering the market, and we want to move this into asthma and obesity." By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

New STEM Academy opens at Cincinnati State

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Education + Learning

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September 18, 2012

Cincinnati is home to one of just three new state-sponsored STEM community charter schools in opening in Ohio this fall. The STEM (or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy, a high school, is housed at Cincinnati State, and opened its doors Sept. 4. The other two new community schools are in Cleveland and Dayton, sponsored by local public schools systems and universities. STEM schools are highly focused on developing science and math skills, with a emphasis on project-based learning and partnerships with the local community. The city already has two other STEM schools: Taft STEM Elementary and Hughes STEM High School. Both are part of Cincinnati Public Schools. These state-sponsored schools are non-profit and students don't have to pay tuition to attend. Through the partnership with Cincinnati State, STEM Academy students can take part in dual enrollment, earning college credit at no cost. Students who choose could earn up to an Associate's degree while still in high school. Like most STEM programs in Ohio, the new program one is on a growth path. This year's enrollment was limited to 200 students. Plans are to expand to 800 students in four grades and also offer a full slate of athletics. The STEM Academy is focused on students who haven't fared well in traditional schooling and may have turned to a GED program. or dropped out of school instead, says Beth Hensley, superintendent of The STEM Academy. “The interest shown in this project has been quite encouraging,” Hensley says. “To date we’ve hired an individual with a PhD in biology, two engineers with extensive professional and industry experience, and in many cases individuals with extensive teaching experience as well as significant professional experience." The STEM Academy will be housed in leased space in the engineering wing of the main building on Cincinnati State’s Clifton campus. Students will wear uniforms and work on provided laptops. Meals will be served by the College's culinary program in a cafeteria solely for the high schoolers. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

UC professor snags $1M INSPIRE grant from National Science Foundation

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Education + Learning

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September 18, 2012

Ali Minai, a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Cincinnati, recently was awarded the Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (or the INSPIRE award) for his project, “The Hunting of the Spark: A Systematic Study of Natural Creativity in Human Networks.” INSPIRE grants, from the National Science Foundation, target complicated and important scientific problems in interdisciplinary studies. Before coming to UC, Minai received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering in Pakistan; he then came to the United States in 1985 to study for his master’s and PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Virginia. After completing his post-doctoral work in neuroscience at the University of Virginia, Minai landed his first teaching job in 1993 at the University of Cincinnati. Q: What interests you the most about the work you do? What got you started in this line of research? A: My initial interest was in artificial intelligence because I have always been fascinated by how brains work. My PhD is in electrical engineering, but my dissertation focused on brain-inspired systems called neural networks that can learn from data. Since then, my research area has broadened to the field of complex systems, which are systems where a large number of entities (cells, computers, people, organizations, etc.) interact, which results in the self-organized emergence of structures and processes. Examples of such systems include living organisms, brains, societies, economies, markets, ecosystems and social networks. Scientists have gradually realized that the same basic principles underlie all such systems, which is why we can study them using the same mathematical and computational methods. My research in particular focuses on biological and human systems, although I have also worked on some others. In the last several years, most of my work has been on systems that underlie cognitive processes. Q: What does the INSPIRE award mean to you? A: Above all, it is an opportunity to do very exciting research. It is an honor that is both gratifying and humbling. I think it is also an indication that the scientific community considers the research we do at UC valuable. I am very grateful for all the support I have received at UC over the years, which has enabled me to pursue my research interests, leading to successes such as this. Q: What kind of research are you currently working on? A: “I am currently working on several research projects, including: 1) Understanding the brain mechanisms that underlie thought and action; 2) Understanding the cognitive and social factors that underlie creativity in individuals and groups, including social networks; 3) Understanding the co-evolution of ideas and communities in human networks; and 4) Analyzing large bodies of text (online news, blogs, etc.) to extract latent ideas, sentiments, opinions and biases. Q: What does your research involve? A: The projects involve building computational models of various regions of the brain, simulating multi-agent computational models of human communities, mining and analyzing large amounts of data from the Internet and developing new analytical algorithms. To do this, my students and myself have to read and synthesize research papers from engineering, computer science, psychology, neuroscience, systems biology, sociology, information science and a variety of other disciplines. Above all, our work is highly interdisciplinary. Q: Have you been granted any other awards like INSPIRE? A: Before the INSPIRE grant, I received several other research grants from different sources. Since 2007, my collaborators and I have received two grants from the National Science Foundation to work on models of creativity. However, the work we propose to do for the INSPIRE grant will be at a whole new level. Q: Is your research team strictly from UC? A: The INSPIRE award involves researchers from four institutions. UC is the lead institution, so I am the principal investigator for the overall project. Very important parts of the work will be done by my collaborators: professors Paul Paulus and Jared Kenworthy, both at the University of Texas at Arlington; Prof. Alex Doboli at the State University of New York-Stony Brook; and Prof. Simona Doboli at Hofstra University. All of us have collaborated on previous projects in this field of study, and I think the strength of our collaborative record was a critical factor in receiving the INSPIRE grant. Doctors Alex Doboli and Simona Diboli received their PhDs at UC, so UC is a big part of the team. By Caitlin Koenig

Adding patients to healthcare’s IT equation

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Entrepreneurship

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September 18, 2012

Steve Deal has one problem with the infusion of technology into today’s healthcare model: it leaves out the patient. “We have the government pouring money into health IT on the providers’ side, but patients don’t have anything,” he says. Along with co-founders Rene Raphael Vogt-Lowell and David Pingleton, Deal launched IFG Health, which is now in the beginning stages of launching a host of apps aimed at helping patients and families work more efficiently with their physicians and other healthcare providers. Their first app, the IFG Provider Journal is available in web and mobile versions, and has a Facebook-like interface that allows users to track vital statistics, such as height, weight or blood pressure, record details of care plans during appointments and note progress via text and photos. In many ways, the app is an electronic version of the notebook many people take to their physician’s office, and may be especially useful for caregivers who help a loved one manage complex conditions. Unlike a physical notebook, the app has search and sort functions for ease. Deal says that having information available – even basics that should be in a provider’s electronic medical record – helps appointments flow smoothly when time is limited. Also, not every physician or nurse is comfortable with EMRs, Deal points out. A video on the company’s website says physicians wait an average of 10 to 15 seconds for the answer to a question before they move on, with or without the necessary information. Deal has experienced this firsthand as a caregiver for his father and mother-in-law, but doesn’t fault physicians. Today’s primary care providers, he points out, “go from one life crisis to another every 15 minutes,” facing burnout along the way. He hopes that organized patients will be able to partner better with their doctors, and plans to unveil a host of new web and mobile apps to help. By Robin Donovan

Flywheel’s training series focuses on social entrepreneurship

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Education + Learning

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September 18, 2012

Flywheel, Cincinnati's social enterprise hub, has launched a new series of training sessions designed to develop marketing, planning, research and business skills in the nonprofit sector. Meetings run this month through November, beginning with a session on Market Research, Wednesday, Sept. 19. The session will help nonprofit's better use market research to test the feasibility of new programs or to improve existing ones. (The session runs from 2 to 4 pm at The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. You can register at Eventbrite.) This training series fits with Flywheel's mission to help non-profits in generating money through social enterprise, or products or services that have social value. The organization was formed early this year by the Leadership Council for Human Services Executives, the Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati, the Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Miami University, and Centric Consulting. Flywheel has scheduled two other workshops. Click on the links to register for the them. Social Enterprise 201 October 9, 1 - 4 pm Business Planning Training (in partnership with The Health Foundation) November 2, 9 am - 5 pm By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

Guerilla marketer helps small-budget companies

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Architecture + Design

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September 11, 2012

When Cheryl Walters was laid off from her corporate marketing gig last February, she was a victim of the same mindset she describes as the most common misconception about her field: thinking it’s not important. Marketers, Walters says, are often first to be cut in rounds of layoffs. Yet, “You don’t need to do big branding campaigns like [Procter & Gamble] to be effective. You do need to do something,” she says. After the layoff, she launched her own marketing firm, CheronaWorks, to address the marketing needs of smaller companies in a variety of industries. She specializes in budget-conscious work; many of her clients are just starting out, like Walters herself, or don’t have a marketing staff. “I respect that clients don’t want to spend a lot of money,” she says. “I make sure I don’t give them any costs they can’t handle, and I’ll be honest if they do something and I think it’s a bad investment; I’ll tell them not to waste their money.” CheronaWorks offers marketing services from direct response mailings to websites and email campaigns. Like so many startups, Walters is currently finding new clients through referrals and, of course, marketing herself. She says she uses social media to connect with local companies with marketing needs – and frustrations. “When I’ve had to do marketing to drum up business, I’ve had luck with social media. I look for people who are looking for help or seem frustrated or are just blatantly posting that they need something,” she says. Walters says her most common requests are designing logos and websites for new businesses or those “ready to move beyond their WordPress site.” By Robin Donovan

Nurse expands medical skin care startup

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Entrepreneurship

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September 11, 2012

Pellé Medical Skin Care products aren’t prescription strength, but neither are they drugstore pick-up items. They have a higher level of active ingredients than drugstore brands, and must be sold from a physician’s office, but no prescription is required. Chris Klueh, who co-founded the business with partner (and fellow nurse) Debbi Gittinger, says Pellé’s products cost roughly the same amount as department store cosmetics, but are formulated to penetrate deeply into the skin, addressing issues like dryness, acne, premature aging, rosacea and even skin damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Klueh says she always recommends three core products: a vitamin-C serum to protect skin, a sunblock to moisturize and prevent sun damage and a retin-A cream for nighttime use. She also offers treatments, sometimes called “peels,” though she warns the term is misleading; most of her treatments require little time away from the sun or normal activities. “We have a microexfoliation treatment that can be done every five to six weeks, and that’s what patients mostly come in for,” she says. Nurses at Pellé schedule consultations for patients, keep track of appointments and recommendations on medical charts, and often refer those in need of additional help to local dermatologists. Because her services are cosmetic, they are not covered by standard health insurance plans, but the staff treat consultations like any other medical appointment and maintain charts to track patients’ progress. “We see so many people get frustrated with the way their skin looks. It looks dull or they don’t like the crepe-y skin around their eyes,” Klueh says. “The beauty of medical skincare is that we can correct the premature aging process. Everyone’s going to go through the natural aging process, but we can correct some of the early onset wrinkles and damage.” By Robin Donovan

UC students win ‘zero energy’ national design competition

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Education + Learning

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September 11, 2012

A group of University of Cincinnati students took home first place at a national sustainability design competition, designing an essentially "zero energy" building. The seven-member team redesigned the innovative Joe and Rika Mansueto Library of the University of Chicago. Students were tasked with theoretically creating a building with net zero energy usage. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, sponsors the annual competition, and this is UC's first No. 1 finish. Six graduate students and one undergrad made up UC's team; their educational backgrounds include architecture/construction and mechanical (HVAC) engineering. The team worked on the design for about three months, says member Ravik Chandra, a grad student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The team divided into a group that worked on the building's architecture and a group in charge of mechanical systems. Both groups worked closely to assure the building would be both pleasing to look at and energy efficient. That teamwork paid off, and could serve as an example to professionals in the field, Chandra says. "It's the first time I've worked with an architect to solve a real-life problem. Usually the architecture or the engineering dominates (building design). It was quite a new challenge, and I never realized the many different aspects that go into architecture," he says. Teams were allowed to relocate the building to the state capitol of their home state, which the UC team did, bringing it to Columbus. Among the building's winning features were changing the orientation of the building to increase the amount of sunlight it would absorb. That cut cooling costs by some 20 percent. The team also altered the large glass dome that tops the building, using transparent photovoltaic cells that turned sunlight into electricity instead, says Dustin Altschul, the project manager who recently graduated with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering Technology. They also installed a system to harvest rainwater for the building's use to cut down on water consumption. The building wasn't 100 percent net zero, but it was the closest to achieving the goal. It's up to the Library itself to use any of the ideas, but UC team representatives will present their design concepts at the annual ASHRAE Winter Conference in January 2013 in Dallas. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter