Brandeis Innovation

2018 April Newsletter

Spring Into Innovation
Earth Night Edition
April, 2018

Brandeis Environmental Innovators to Present at Venture Cafe's Earth Night
April 19, 2018
African Women Energy Solutions and GreenChoice, two of the winners of ths year's SPARKTank competition, will be featured at the Venture Cafe's Earth Night mini-confrence, taking place April 19. A.W.E.S., as they are known, works to empower women in Africa to be biofuel entrepreneurs, thereby contributing to economic development, gender parity, and sustainability across the continent.
Founded by Brandeis students Enet Mukurazita, MA SID '19, Gbenga Oni, MA COEX '19, and Priscilla Rwandrugali, MA SID '19, the startup came in second in the highly-competitive pitch competition earlier this year.
GreenChoice , which also successfully participated in our Mass Innovation Nights event , will also present their app, which helps consumers verify the sustainability of the products they purchase. Founded by Galen Karlan-Mason, MBA '17, the app is already gaining traction with consumers.
They will join sustainability startups from across the region, showcasing their initiatives at the conference.

Brandeis Innovators at BIO Connect:
Innovations in Life Science
April 26
See Brandeis biotech innovators at Venture Cafe’s BIO Connect mini-conference, taking place on April 26th, 2018. The annual mini-conference will feature the latest business, technology, and regulatory developments in drugs and therapeutics. Join experts, innovators, and investors for a dialogue about funding and successes in the sector. Among the Brandeis University researchers presenting will be Ingrid Marko, developer of the scoliosis device Modibrace, and Isaac Krauss, Associate Professor of Chemistry, who will be demonstrating his vaccine research, including his progress towards an HIV vaccine. Space is limited, so attendees should pre-register.

Past Event Recap:
NewCo Boston's
How Do We Really Increase Diversity in STEAM
and MakerLab Demo

Participating for the first time in Boston's NewCo festival for innovative organizations, Brandeis Innovation successfully hosted a panel on how to really foster diversity in STEAM. Our three panelists, Rebecca Menapace, Jessica Yu and Ian Roy shared their experiences of diversity in their fields of work. The conversations varied from issues about race, gender and hierarchy in the workplace and how to cope with them to interesting questions such as how systems that are above human consciousness (i.e. Artificial Intelligence) will transform how we view ourselves as humans. In addition, before and after our panel, the MakerLab demonstrated their 3D printed molecules and all other innovative inventions.

Brandeis Innovation Takes the Lead in Funding Diverse Teams

Lack of diversity is one of the most important issues facing the field of STEM today. Though STEM jobs are growing faster than any other U.S. sector, white males still dominate it, making up 69% of the workforce. Perhaps as a result of unequal educational opportunities, or not feeling like it’s a viable career option, only 7% of African Americans, with a Bachelor’s degree or higher, work in STEM. (Hispanics comprise 6%.)
Furthermore, underrepresented groups in this field often feel alienated or unwelcome: 45% of women leave the industry within their first year of employment, citing a hostile work environment. Women face financial as well as social tension. They earn, on average, about $16k less than men in STEM. With sobering statistics like these in mind, Brandeis University is utilizing some of its influence in this field to promote inclusivity. We are proud to announce that 100% of teams newly funded by Brandeis Innovation in 2017-2018 are diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity.