The University of Arizona’s Innovation Day on Tuesday will offer the public a look at technologies developed by faculty, staff and students.
“The event is showcasing leading-edge research being done at the university,” said Jessa Turner, media and public relations coordinator for the UA Office of Economic Development.
Innovation Day will run from 9 am. to 5:30 p.m. at the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.
The event will feature an innovation showcase that will highlight displays of new businesses developed by students in the UA McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, as well as startup companies from the Arizona Center for Innovation, a business incubator at the UA Science and Technology Park.
The innovation showcase will run from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the North Ballroom on the third floor of the Student Union.
The 21 McGuire student teams participating will have a chance to pitch their business plans to investors, said Sherry Hoskinson, McGuire Center director.
“They will be showing ‘farm-in-a-box’ technologies, unmanned space vehicles and all kinds of interesting things,” Hoskinson said.
The potential investors will evaluate the student displays for awards and invite up to six groups to make formal presentations following the innovation showcase, Hoskinson said.
“Hopefully the angel investors will find something they want to back,” she said.
More than 35 angel investors – individuals who provide funding for startup business ventures – are slated to attend a Tucson summit Monday. Many of them are expected to attend the innovation showcase and take a look at student projects Tuesday, Hoskinson said.
Student projects include Impex Technologies, which develops consumer electronics to improve the interface between humans and computers; SeeSwag.com, a Web site that enables users to identify and purchase items seen in the media; and Verdant Earth Technologies, a company to manufacture, sell and support turnkey crop growth systems that are scalable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
A presentation called “UA at the Leading Edge” will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Gallagher Theater on the second floor of the Student Union.
The presentation will showcase prominent UA researchers who have demonstrated excellence in technology and innovation.
The presentation and innovation showcase are free and open to the public.
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Learn more about Innovation Day activities at http://innovation.arizona.edu