Research Park Chronicles University of Tennessee Research Park

Welcome back to the Research Park Chronicles as we continue to cover the wide ranging and extraordinary work being done in the park itself. Recently the Research Park has established a phenomenal program that is designed to house innovative start ups who are are the cutting edge of the emerging “clean tech” space. The Spark Innovation Center, which is housed in the park, is home to two unprecedented programs, the Spark Cleantech Accelerator and the Spark Incubator Program.

While the Accelerator is just now getting off the ground, and loaded with potential, the Incubator currently houses a handful of companies that are making technological leaps and bounds, all under the guidance of John Bruck, the Director of the Spark Innovation Center. For this episode we sat down with John and two of the companies that are working in the center. SkyNano, which is lead by CEO and founder Dr. Anna Douglas, is creating ways to change in the mind boggling space of carbon capture. EONIX and its CTO and founder Don DeRosa are revolutionizing the ways we stabilize lithium batteries, which are crucial to a clean future!

In this episode we cover:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:25 - Tom Rogers on the Spark Innovation Center
00:02:57 - John Bruck introduces Spark’s work
00:07:50 - The Spark Innovation Cleantech Programs
00:10:26 - Dr. Anna Douglas and SkyNano
00:19:00 - Don DeRosa and EONIX
00:26:33 - Working with the local community and the University of Tennessee
00:29:35 - John and Tom on what is to come

For this exciting episode of Research Park Chronicles, we’re steering away from the park’s older history, and into its more recent! Over the past few years the Research Park has been a pioneering center for a wide array of work, to include work with the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Now, with the innovations that are going on with orthopedic research and care, the park is at the forefront of another fascinating world of research.

Rickey has a wide ranging conversation with members involved in the newly founded Advance Orthopedic Institute on the research that they are conducting at the park. Rickey guides us through the UT Medical Centers role in teaching new residents, their dedication to the local community. We also get insight into the incredible collaborations and partnership in orthopedics, and the leaps they’re taking toward the future of orthopedic practices at the Institute as it nears its opening date!

In this episode we cover:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:06:20 - Collaborations and Partnerships
00:09:45 - The Advance Orthopedic Institute
00:16:40 - Breakdown of the Institute
00:23:30 - Working with Multiple Parties
00:28:40 - A Natural Fit
00:31:00 - The Future/Outro

Welcome back to Research Park Chronicles! In the last episode we took a dive into what exactly a research park is, how it works within the university, and the wide range of partner organizations involved with the research park here at the University of Tennessee. The next step, and the subject of this episode, is how the research park came to be in the first place.

Join Rickey as he interviews a diverse spectrum of individuals at the university who are associated with the research park via multiple facets. They lead us on a journey from what the landscape along the bank of the Tennessee river was like thousands of years ago, to its evolution into a functioning farm, to the beginnings of the research park itself. We cover the significant influence of Dr. David Millhorn in establishing the park and making the park an innovative aspect of the UT and Knoxville community. Come along, and hear how the research park took on many forms across time in its path from agriculture to academia.

In this episode we cover:
00:00:00 - Stepping Back in Time
00:06:30 - From Farm to Park
00:09:08 - Dr. David Millhorn
00:12:52 - The Research Park’s Contribution to the University
00:18:00 - Research Park Beginnings
00:25:00 - Spark Innovation Center and the Future
00:29:00 - Reflections on Dr. Millhorn/Outro

Research Park Chronicles highlights the technological advancements being shaped at the University of Tennessee. For the first episode, host Rickey McCallum introduces the mission, work and players involved at UT’s Research Park. UT faculty discuss how international car manufacturer Volkswagen joined forces with the university, bringing students on board to research new, innovative features for its future models.

Rickey McCallum is the vice-president of UT’s Research Park, which brings together the best minds at the university, nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and businesses. Research Park Chronicles showcases specific projects and partnerships in tech, medicine and manufacturing. The research facilities are located at Cherokee Farms in Knoxville, with the help of funding from public donors and private investments.

In this episode we cover:

00:00:00 - What is a Research Park?
00:02:05 - The Arrival of Volkswagen and the PhD Program
00:07:55 - Volkswagen and UT's Innovations
00:13:10 - The Fruits and History of the Partnership
00:20:30- What the Future Looks Like
00:27:25- Outro

Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum explores the incredible innovation that’s taking place at the University of Tennessee Research Park. Find out why the research institute has become the gateway to collaboration between the University of Tennessee, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the private sector—helping unleash Knoxville’s entrepreneurial spirit while opening up amazing opportunities to organizations around the world.