Fermilab is working with innovation leaders across the University of Chicago to help highlight the best in entrepreneurship, technology and science at the upcoming UChicago Innovation Fest. Hear Fermilab scientist Anne Schukraft discuss the hows and whys of the elusive neutrino on May 13 and 14 in downtown Chicago.
And while you’re at it, hear about big solutions to problems in Chicago and across the globe, learn about the world around us, find new collaborators, and rub shoulders with leaders in business, health care, tech, and social and environmental policy. Nearly all events are free and open to the public.
UChicago Innovation Fest kicks off May 12 and runs through June 2, with more than 35 sessions scheduled across the city and UChicago’s downtown and Hyde Park campuses.
Highlights of this year’s celebration include the 20th anniversary of the Polsky Center’s Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge, a behind-the-scenes look at life as an entrepreneur at the university’s Chicago Innovation Exchange, and events featuring scientists and faculty who are bringing groundbreaking advances out of the lab and classroom by commercializing their research, and making groundbreaking advances that transform our society.
This annual festival is led by UChicago’s innovation leaders, including Arete, the Chicago Innovation Exchange, the Institute for Translational Medicine, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Social Enterprise Initiative, and UChicagoTech. Additional sponsors include UChicago Urban, UChicago Urban Labs, and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
While we’ve included a few event highlights below, please visit the UChicago Innovation Fest website to learn more and view all of the events.
Featured Events
Systematic Serendipity: How to Engineer a Scientific Breakthrough
Friday, May 13, 2016 | 3:30-6 p.m. (including reception)
1871 in the Merchandise Mart, Auditorium, 12th Floor (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago)
A discussion of how cutting-edge research can help address some of the biggest intellectual and societal challenges, and what the University of Chicago is doing to support bold scientific risk-taking. UChicago faculty from psychology, neuroscience, and physics will present their breakthrough ideas. This event features a discussion titled ‘Design by Disorder’ by PSD faculty Heinrich Jaeger and Sid Nagel.
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-02
Illinois Science Council’s Science Fest
May 13 and 14 in downtown Chicago
Enjoy talks and demonstrations from scientists across the Chicago area on their research in science, technology, engineering and math. This event features several speakers who are part of or are affiliated with the University, including:
· Anne Schukraft, Fermilab – The How & Why of Tracking the Invisible, Elusive Neutrino
· Volker Rose, Argonne National Lab – Microscopy and the Mystery of Pablo Picasso’s Paints
· Allan Drummond – Holding Science in Your Hands: 3D printing at the interface of art and research
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-03
Technology and Life Sciences Entrepreneurs Boot Camp
Saturday, May 14, 2016 | 11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Chicago Innovation Exchange Skydeck at Harper Court, 11th floor, Harper Court Conference Center, (5235 S. Harper Court, Chicago)
An exclusive one-day program designed for those in the process of, or considering, starting a new venture. Get practical information on the legal and business issues facing today’s entrepreneurs.
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-04
Science on the Screen: Ex Machina
Saturday, May 14, 2016 | 7-10 p.m.
Watch a screening of sci-fi thriller ‘Ex Machina’ and join scientists and experts at the University of Chicago who will explore the technical challenges of building machines with artificial intelligence, and the ethical considerations for us humans. There will be a $5 cash-only admission charge at the door. Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-07
Computation Institute Research Software Showcase
Monday, May 16, 2016 | 12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Searle Chemistry Laboratory, Room 240 (5801 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago)
New computational resources and tools offer researchers from all fields innovative, faster, and more efficient paths to discovery. Visit the Computation Institute and see demos of software for data management and publication, urban science, climate research, parallel computing, genomics, and more, including a virtual reality tour of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Lunch will be provided.
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-08
Argonne Out Loud: The End of Water as We Know It featuring Seth Darling
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
International House, Assembly Hall, 1414 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL
We are witnessing the end of the golden age of water. Freshwater was once abundant, cheap and safe for humans, but that is changing rapidly.Seth Darling, Argonne National Laboratory scientist and Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Molecular Engineering (IME), will provide a public lecture on how we can reshape a better future for water. In his talk, Dr. Darling will discuss how we got to this point, what lies ahead, and what can be done now to respond and adapt. He will also give an overview of the research Argonne and IME are doing in this space, including innovative approaches to water treatment.
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-14
The Push for Precision: Cutting-Edge Tech Transforming our Health Care
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 6 – 8 p.m.
MATTER Chicago in the Merchandise Mart, 12th Floor (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago)
With big data booming and the technology to explore your genome more accessible than ever, precision medicine is changing health care and saving lives. Join us for an evening of TED-style talks from UChicago faculty who are using their research to change the health care system and build dynamic companies that tailor the world of medicine to YOU. Organized by The University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) and UChicagoTech, Center for Technology Development & Ventures.
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-39
Scientist as Entrepreneur: Harnessing UChicago Research for the City of the Future
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 | 6 – 8 p.m.
1871 in the Merchandise Mart, Auditorium, 12th Floor (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago)
This event will focus on the ways in which research and innovation on campus can help to transform our cities – specifically, how researchers use entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial skills to translate their work. Top researchers from UChicago will present on an issue facing our cities and then will discuss this work and other topics in a panel discussion.
Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/innofest-26