Dr. CK Lin | Productivity. Innovation. Entrepreneur Profiles

Calculating Risk: Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger on Innovation and Getting it Right

“One does not stop learning when you finish your PhD, you’re only beginning.”

2000 was a pretty good year for Professor Alan Heeger. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his efforts in the discovery and development of conductive polymers and his first business venture, UNIAX was acquired by DuPont.

Nearly a decade later, he has yet to lose his nerve to innovate. Despite his remarkable success in both the academic and entrepreneurial sphere, he is still on the frontline of discovery and research, here at UC Santa Barbara.

He talks about the inherent risks innovation and starting your own business, the importance of being bold and the difficulty in getting it right. Read the rest of this entry »

Obama: Science Should NOT be an Afterthought

You hear the statistics over and over again about just how dismally low the US’s math and science test scores are.

But how did we get to this point? When did America become so apathetic about science education in schools?

This is exactly what President Obama addressed recently when he spoke at the National Academy of Sciences.

He explicitly stated that science is “essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life.”

What is the main concern?

That the US is falling behind in both education and research….and fast.

We need to be devoting more to our GDP to research and development.

Obama’s big GDP push represents “the largest commitment to scientific research and innovation in American history” according to The White House Blog.

Oftentimes it seems that since politics plays such a large role in science, the true intention of discovery gets lost.

By bringing science back to the core of expanding human knowledge, we can prevent our nation from falling behind globally-a fear that many feel has already come true.

By combining innovation and collaboration, we can accomplish a lot more than we think.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: How 3 College Students Took on the Medical Device Industry

Inogen founder, Ally Perry:

“Listen to as many people as you can, talk to people, get resources, but then internalize that and decide what’s right for your business.”

Motivated by her grandmother’s personal struggles with out-dated oxygen transport and conversion devices, Ally and two of her college buddies started Inogen, an innovation based company that since has transformed an entire branch of the health service industry. In 2005, Ally Perry and Inogen were recognized with The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and to date they raised nearly $55 million in venture capital.

Typical success stories only highlight, the high points, what works. So Ally wants to tell you what doesn’t. She shares her struggles with the entrepreneurial process, as well as, some advice for innovators who want to see their ideas materialize.

Website: www.Inogen.net/

Read the rest of this entry »

Making Connections and Knowing Your Market : Interview with Ben Kuo of socalTECH.com

socalTECH Founder, Publisher, Editor, Ben Kuo

“Because the barrier to entry is not the idea it’s the execution.”

Ben Kuo founded socalTECH in 1998 more or less as a hobby. Entrenched in new technology as in electrical engineer, Ben wanted to provide Southern California tech companies, innovators and entrepreneurs with a comprehensive database, for local technology groups and companies, VC and private financing firms, and service providers.

Now his site is a leading resource for finding venture funding and business news, a calendar of local events, and interviews with local technology entrepreneurs and champions of innovation.

Ben shares his personal observations of current market trends and lends some of his professional advice to all innovators looking to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.

Website: http://socaltech.com/
Blog: http://blog.socaltech.com/

Inside ECO:nomics (part 1)– Dr. Phyl Speser talks golf, education and the energy crisis

For an inside look at ECO:nomics, I’ve turned to one of the conference’s most vocal participants, the co-founder, CEO, and CTO of Foresight Technologies, Inc., Phyl Speser.

As you can tell from the video below (and this one and this one and this one), he’s a fairly animated guy.

In a room brimming with money and influence, this inquisitive Ph.D from “humble” Rhode Island stood head and shoulders… and arm and hand (his hand raisin’ rivaled only that of Amory Lovins during the 3 day event) above the fray.

I have successfully parlayed his fondness for questions into a response to one, very important question of my own: What steps need to be taken to ensure that our young people (researchers) are properly equipped to inherit our current energy crisis?

Needless to say he was not shy. Read the rest of this entry »