Arizona Technology Roundup

Biotech Funding: Never Mind!

2006-05-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Remember earlier when I mentioned that the state was proposing a $150 million investment in Arizona biotech advancement? Well, funny thing. Seems they've changed their mind. Since then, they've slashed the amount to $15 million. For you readers who aren't engineers (or who don't have your HPs available), that's one tenth of the amount. Worse than that, they're talking about taking it out of job training funds. Now while I grok the Indian Casino blackjack dealer argument, given the stability of the engineering profession, I'd really like to have the funds available to diversify my skills should the need arise.

Diversified Energy, LLC

2006-04-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

They finally have their website up! I was beginning to wonder what had happened to them.

Arizona 21st in Industrial R&D Intensity

2006-04-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

According to SSTI, Arizona ranks 21st in the nation in Industrial R&D Intensity based on the ratio of Industrial R&D expenditures to Gross State Product (GSP). Not bad, but you Arizona R&D entrepreneurs would be wise to budget for travel to California. They're #5 in the US but first in both R&D expenditure and GSP. Numbers are for 2003 which, upon a quick perusal of the links, is the latest year for which GSP data is available, I guess.

At first I misread the table and thought we were 44th ("Holy crap! We suck!"), but that distinction belongs to Arkansas. Alaska is dead last, which is fine. I like my fishing, hiking, and sight-seeing in Alaska; I don't need high-tech development screwing things up there.

Edit: New Hampshire is eighth. Huh.

BattleBots Lives!

2006-03-31T23:57:00.000-07:00

Six high-schoolers at the East Valley Institute of Technology have channeled their skills and talents into creating a robot whose sole purpose is to destroy other robots. The competition is tomorrow which means that, by the time you read this, it'll be over.

Man, I love BattleBots. I totally lost track of it when Comdedy Central cancelled the show. I'm happy to see it's still growing strong.

Now I have a serious decision to make as to what to do with my Saturday. BattleBots competition, or Book Festival? Quite the conundrum.

Governor's Council on Innovation and Technology Meeting

2006-03-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Shoot, they had one today and as an Arizona Tech blogger, I'd intended to try to attend these things and discuss them here. Oh well, I do have a real job that I get paid for, and I do this blog for free, so guess where my priorities lie. I see from the agenda that there will be a presentation on Science Foundation Arizona. I'm hoping that GCIT will have the presentation posted at their web site. If not, I'll try to get a copy and link it here.

Fascinating Discussion on Offshoring

2006-03-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Read the article here and then click on Read other comments on this issue. The comments are in reverse-chronological order so you'll probably want to go to the end and read backwards. I'm particularly impressed with the substantial research and concise commentary by Dr. W. J. Golz, although it probably helps that I agree with him.

Science Foundation Arizona's Lucky Charm

2006-03-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Science Foundation Arizona has named Bill Harris, former head of Science Foundation Ireland, as its director, according to the Arizona Republic. Mr. (Dr?) Harris is charged with building an industry in Arizona whose salaries will average about a tenth of his. While many people are excited about the prospects offered by the man credited for the growth of the "Celtic Tiger," others are more skeptical.

Personally, I'm excited excited about what future research we can look forward to with the former head of Science Foundation Ireland heading up our science efforts.

Mmmmm...Computational Fluid Dynamics. (Yeah, that's my comment down there.)

Another Successful Pegasus Launch

2006-03-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Full disclosure: I work at Orbital Sciences.

After a slight glitch a few days ago, one of Orbital Science's Pegasus rockets was successfully launched today. The rocket contained three small satellites which are used to measure the earth's magnetic field as part of NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST5) program.

Since the launch was at mid-morning, we weren't treated to the light show we got with the twilight launch of the Minotaur a few months ago.

Rather than being launched from the ground, the Pegasus, which has wings (get it?) is carried to launch altitude by an L-1011, which essentially acts as its first stage. The Pegasus is then dropped from the aircraft at which point the motor ignites, lifting the rocket into space.

Bioscience Seed Fund Matched

2006-02-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

66.67% of it anyway, which is a much higher percentage than I, personally, would be able to contribute.

A local philanthropist is pledging $100 million to Arizona's bioscience industry if the state Legislature agrees to contribute $150 million over the next four years.

Jerry Bisgrove, chairman of Stardust Charitable Group, has pledged to give $25 million in each of the four years to boost research, development and other areas in bioscience without spelling out how it should be spent. His main stipulation: that the Legislature earmark $50 million of taxpayer money for the same purpose this year and pass a current bill that would add $100 million over the next four years. The bill requires renewal each year.

Edit: Robert Robb, a columnist at the Arizona Republic, doesn't like it. He calls the offer of funding only if the legislature approves the $150 million package blackmail and the idea of using taxpayer money to invest in bioscience highly speculative.

Honeywell Scores Huge APU Contract

2006-02-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Honeywell's Aerospace Division, based in Phoenix, has won a $4 billion contract to supply the new long-range A350 aircraft with the HGT1500 auxiliary power unit (APU).

The new HGT1500 is a high-power density gas turbine APU configured to provide pneumatic and electric power to support aircraft operations. The pneumatic and electric power supports cabin conditioning and main engine starting during ground operations and emergency power for in-flight operation.

Conehead Man, Conehead Man. Does Whatever a Conehead Can.

2006-02-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

A little more info on that Homeland Security Grant recently awarded to ESA Corp. Seems that Martin came up with the "crazy idea" (probably over a pint of Guinness) of firing a sticky web of any size into the undercarriage of fleeing vehicles. This would enable pursuing cops to catch the thieves, just like flies*. The "web" would have applications for the military, Border Patrol, and local law-enforcement. In response to the idea, the Department of Homeland Security has awarded ESA with a $100,000 SBIR to do a feasibility study. He has six months to get it working after which he can possibily win another $750,000 grant to develop a prototype, which I suppose could be tested on vehicles that cut him off or pull out in front of him (that's how I would test it, anyway).

By the way, Martin turned 45 a few days prior to this posting. I just want to make sure all the information discussed here is accurate.

*I could keep going, but I won't.

Four Out of Five Politicians Agree: Bioscience is Good

2006-02-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

They've said so by proposing a $150 million fund to invest in medical, bioscience, and bioengineering advancement. This is in response to the Innovation Arizona fund proposed by Governor Napolitano.

The planets are truly aligned on this proposal, gaining the backing of Republican House Speaker "Ho-Hum is the Governor Done with Her Speech Yet?" Weiers and liberal business columnist Jon "I'd Rather Be Writing Mystery Novels" Talton.

$150 million, huh? Surely there's something I can do with these fuzzy green leftover hot dog buns I discovered in the back of my pantry.

Raytheon and General Dynamics Celebrates Engineer's Week

2006-02-24T22:37:00.000-07:00

They did it by giving presentations on engineering to local students, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Raytheon also participated in science fair judging, math enrichment programs and a careers display.

TIME: Is America Flunking Science?

2006-02-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

I saved $4 at Albertson's by reading this article online. The article provides a fascinating overview of the current state of scientific innovation, from an academic, political, corporate, and individual perspective. The other links are good reads as well.

For my part, I am mostly in agreement with the statements in the article. This past weekend at the Barnes and Noble I took a gander at The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christianson and noticed some definite tie-ins between why previously dominant companies have lost their footing and the culture and trends currently surrounding scientific innovation in the U.S. I don't feel that the state of affairs is as doom and gloom as the Time article makes it appear--we're still leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world in our technical capabilities--but I do feel that we need to make some serious changes in our attitudes and values to retain our competitive edge.

National Engineers Week

2006-02-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, this week is National Engineers Week! If you're not an engineer, you can participate in the festivities by hugging at least one engineer this week. If not that, then at least you can avoid walking away when the engineer you meet at the club tells you what he does for a living.

"All the President's Tech Initiatives"

2006-02-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

Interesting analysis of the tech initiatives outlined in Bush's State of the Union speech, particularly in reference to alternative energy development. And yes, I totally ripped off the headline from the story because I was unable to come up with anything more clever.

There's one thing that sticks in my craw that the politicians, Democrat or Republican, never bring up. The linked article doesn't mention it either. There's all this talk about our dependence on "Middle Eastern" oil and yet, only 24% of our oil imports comes from the Middle East, based on the 2005 YTD numbers here. While that's not insignificant, there's not nearly as much dependence on the Middle East for our oil as we've been led to believe. The proposed 75% reduction in Middle Eastern oil dependence looks pretty paltry once you realize it only amounts to an 18% reduction in our total oil imports.

Now don't get me wrong. Reducing our overall demand for imported oil while simultaneously developing clean, renewable energy technologies and cranking up our GDP is something I can certainly get on board with.

Bolstering the Burgeoning Bioscience Business

2006-02-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Science Foundation Arizona, a non-profit oganization founded this week, aims, according to the Arizona Republic

"to build and strengthen medical, scientific and engineering research programs and infrastructure in the areas of greatest strategic value to Arizona's competitiveness in the global bioscience economy."

I've sat in during a couple of meetings of the Governor's Council on Innovation and Technology. There is a huge push to build the biotech industry in Arizona.

Hitting the Target in Gilbert

2006-02-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Stara, a relatively young company specializing in precision air-drop systems, is moving from some scattered suites in Mesa (I know the feeling) to a 15,000 sq-ft building right next to General Dynamics in Gilbert, according to the Arizona Republic.

Pretty cool stuff. Kind of reminds me of a physics project from high school: "OK, kids, now your payload will be dropped from a C-130. You'll want to hit the school logo in the middle of the football field. The team that comes closest gets ten points extra credit on the final."

Investing in the Knowledge Economy

2006-02-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

According to the Arizona Republic, the state is hoping to set up a $25 million fund to attract engineering and tech talent. The proposal has support of the Governor and Republican Representative Bill Konopnicki. However Republican Russell Pearce, the House's key budget writer, is against the proposal saying that the private market should be the ones investing. He also criticizes the bill's lack of details regarding who owns the intellectual property and states that the state should see how other technology investments pay off before forking over more money.

Spouting Off, Part 2: Dynamic vs. Transactional Engineers

2006-02-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

The study I mentioned in my previous post contains a subtopic worth discussing: Classifying Engineers. The study classifies two types of engineers: dynamic and transactional. The qualities of each are as follows.

Dynamic engineers:

Are capable of abstract thinking and high-level problem solving using scientific knowledge
Thrive in teams
Work well across international borders
Have strong interpersonal skills
Are capable of translating technical engineering jargon into common diction
Lead innovation

Transactional engineers:

Possess engineering fundamentals, but not the experience or expertise to apply this knowledge to larger problems
Are typically responsible for rote or repetitive tasks

These lists provide some good guidelines for assessing how engineers fare competitively. In order to remain competitive, engineers should consider where we lie on the scale between Transactional and Dynamic and continuously progress toward a more Dynamic position. In an effort to become more dyanamic, engineers should seek opportunities to expand our breadth of capabilities or improve upon specific ones. Ideally we'll do both.

Shortfall of U.S. Engineering Graduates(?)

2006-02-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

You've seen the news stories. The U.S. is falling way behind China and India in the number of engineering students it graduates, threatening to transform the country into a nation of Britney Spears fans and Fear Factor viewers (wait, that's already happened). The numbers quoted are along the lines of 15 total engineers graduated in the U.S. in 2005 versus approximately 800 million in India and China (I'm going from memory here; please forgive me if I'm off somewhat). However, a recent study conducted at Duke University indicates that, in the words of Sportin' Life, it ain't necessarily so. The numbers coming out of China and India are greatly inflated due to the inclusion of three-year degrees (the equivalent of U.S. associates degrees) in the tally, whereas the U.S. generally includes only bachelors degrees and higher. No word as to why the typical U.S. number is so grossly underestimated though.

If you're an engineer, you probably had a strong inkling that the projected shortfall of U.S engineering grads is highly exaggerated--just a bunch of made up numbers so the beancounters can bring in more H-1B workers, right? Now you have some data to back you up. However, make sure you read the report in its entirety before you get too complacent. We're doing better than the news stories would have you believe, but we can't afford to rest on our laurels either.

Just Call Me Matthew Lesko

2006-02-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

I hope you entrepreneurs and small business owners aren't passing up Maricopa County's free job training and recruitment programs. This part stood out as being most relevant to this community:

Maricopa Workforce Connections also offers technical-skills training aimed at information technology, engineering/manufacturing and biotechnology companies.

ASU Student Entrepreneurial Initiative

2006-02-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

According to the East Valley Tribune, eighteen ASU student groups have won financial backing from the 2006 Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative for business implementation. Future contributors to the engineering and technology sectors include:

Hydro Hat – Manufactures and markets a soft, fabric headwear that utilizes water absorbing crystals to reduce body temperature acting as a personal evaporative cooler.
I & E Electronics – Develops and markets wireless technology solutions utilizing the latest design theory to access and transfer crucial energy data efficiently and economically.
Ideal Capacity Plasmid Preparation Machine – Develops and markets a machine to efficiently and automatically produce high-yield, pure samples of plasmid for biotechnology research and development.
Integral Science Supply – Produces and markets specially designed, prefabricated “science learning/exploration kits” that offer an innovative new interdisciplinary approach to for teaching science to elementary and high school students.
Max Power Motors – Develops and markets a light, compact, portable, energy efficient and permanent magnetic electric motor for bicycle transportation.
Mobile Powered – An event-based service that provides user interaction and feedback for large groups via
cell phone interface and specialized software.
Onto IP – Develops and markets intellectual property analysis software.
Strategic Engineering Group – Manufactures and markets a line of highly cost effective products for people with disabilities enabling greater access and mobility.
Three Space Technologies – Develops and markets a revolutionary alternative to the computer mouse.
Visudi/Sufficiently Advanced Technologies – Researches and develops a revolutionary, green, robust water purification and fluid-processing solution.

Kudos for the students for such impressive achievements and to the Edsons for making this program possible.

Chips in Space

2006-02-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

By now you've probably heard about the spacesuit that was converted to a radio transmitter and released from the space station. If you haven't, click on the link. Go ahead, I'll wait.

OK, ready now? Anyway, you can thank Microchip Technologies for volunteering their services to the effort. Led by engineer Steven Bible and supported by upper management, a group up Microchip's engineers developed the switch and controller boxes for the spacesuit/radio station and programmed the recorded greetings into its memory.

The mission was a success!

Edit: Well, mostly a success.

Spouting Off, Part 1: Conflicting Goals

2006-02-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

This article had me banging my head against my desk. What did it was this sentence (my bold):

...the country needs to improve math education to win an economic race with China and India and a national security race against terrorism.

My question is, if we're in an economic race against China and India, why are we sending so much of our engineering work and technical knowledge to them? And yes, I'm talking about engineering--not call centers or programming, but engineering. It's like giving a bicycle to a foot race opponent and then complaining when he catches up with you.

If this initiative works, I predict a future of even more Americans who are angry about their work being offshored. Then again, if they get good at math, they'll probably figure out that an MBA presents much sweeter deals than a degree in engineering.

Alternative Energy Company Starting Up In Gilbert

2006-02-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

A new company called Diversified Energy, founded by W. David Thompson, seeks alternatives to oil by focusing on coal gassification (aka "Syngas") and liquefication. The company will also develop wind and solar power technologies. Dr. Thompson has a proven track record as the founder of Spectrum Astro, which he sold to General Dynamics, providing financial backing for his new venture. Read more in the East Valley Tribune.

Only a few months ago, they were pursuing hydrogen as a primary alternative energy source. I'm guessing that feasibility studies and a cost/benefit analysis led them to coal gassification and liquefication instead.

I'm pretty excited about seeing how this develops. Should be interesting.

Now We're Cooking With GaAs

2006-01-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

According to the Arizona Republic, Freescale Semiconductor in Tempe has developed faster chips using gallium arsenide instead of silicon. How much faster?

...GaAs, or gallium arsenide MOSFETs are said to conduct electrons up to 20 times faster than traditional silicon MOSFETs.

Don't rush down to Fry's Electronics just yet though. It's going to be a while.

Another problem with gallium arsenide MOSFETs is cost: Gallium arsenide tends to be more expensive since it's less abundant than silicon.

It may be a technical milestone for the semiconductor industry, but it could be years before consumers reap the benefits.

Darn right it's expensive. You never see gallium arsenide in the discount bin at Walgreen's. I hear some Paradise Valley residents bathe in it though.

Learning from Real Life

2006-01-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

News item courtesy of Martin Martinez of Engineering Science Analysis Corporation (ESA):

An ASU senior-level course is using ESA's SBIR win as a case study:

Professor Layton
MGT 405
Project Scope:

The ASU Team will define the process for winning Phase Three. This will be accomplished by documenting the general SBA process, modified to fit the specific characteristics of the ESA initiative. This work will include examining successful projects as well as those that failed. The plan will include timing, dependencies, "gates", and most important, a "stub" of required functions.

No word yet as to whether the Psychology department has chosen to use Martin himself as a case study (I can say that; he's a friend of mine).

East Valley High Tech Employment Picking Up

2006-01-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

Or at least remaining stable. So sez the East Valley Tribune.

Two major corporations — Intel and General Dynamics — dramatically increased their employment, but Freescale Semiconductor and Motorola Inc. experienced small drops. Other top 40 high-tech employers including Boeing, Insight Enterprises, Honeywell International, Microchip Technology and ON Semiconductor, are at about the same level of employment as last year.

Solar Energy Progress

2006-01-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

"Hey, we have a sun. We should use it!"

Thus formed one of the main topics of discussion at a recent Valley Forward luncheon, according to the Business Journal of Phoenix.

"There's no silver bullet for energy future," [APS Vice President Ed Fox] said. "But I think it will end up like the telephone industry and all the options you can choose like land line or wireless. Down the road you could choose between solar roof panels or a fuel cell. Americans will choose in the future."

Itty Bitty Technology Committee

2006-01-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

From the East Valley Tribune: ASU Forum to Focus on Nanotechnology.

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society will be launched with a public forum on ethical, personal privacy and other issues raised by nanotechnology from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the College of Law at ASU’s Tempe campus.

This part is kind of cool:

But nanodevices too small to be seen by the human eye also have potentially malevolent uses such as controlling human brains or recording and transmitting private conversations, raising questions of how nanotechnology should be regulated. Proponents of firmer controls say the dangers could lead to a crisis of public confidence of the type that has afflicted nuclear power and genetically modified foods. (my bold)

I question whether these concerns are legitimate or just paranoid rantings, along the lines of the hysteria surrounding genetically modified foods. Let's hope nanotechnology doesn't get smothered by overregulation.

McChopper Folks Get to Stick Around

2006-01-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

Boeing's Restructuring Not Expected to Afffect Mesa Plant

Boeing's going through some consolidation in the defense sector, but Mesa's not expected to feel too much impact from that. There could be some layoffs between the Longbow contract expiring in July and the next generation of Apaches ramping up in '08 though.

Seven Arizona Companies Awarded FAST Grants

2006-01-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

From the Arizona Department of Commerce website:

The FAST grant program (Federal and State Technology Partnership Program), equally funded by the US Small Business Administration and the Arizona Department of Commerce,... is earmarked for education and grant programs that will help technology entrepreneurs in Arizona commercialize their technology through the federal Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Programs.

Recipients include:

Blue Mountain Technologies
NEST Energy Systems, Inc.
ieLinks
ViaRes
ComLSI, Inc.
Paragon Space Development Corporation
Ridgetop Group, Inc.

More here.

Two Arizona Companies Awarded Federal Defense Grants

2006-01-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

The grants are focused on Homeland Security and Miliary Software Systems. From the Arizona Department of Commerce website:

ESACORP was awarded $100,000 from the Department of Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (DHSARPA). The funds will be used to develop a new vehicle stopping technology that can be utilized by Civilian Police Departments, Border Patrol Agencies, and the Military.

...ESACORP used the AZ FAST Grant to engage the mentoring and coaching services of Dan O’Neill and Sharon Ballard.

The U.S. Navy awards Tucson Embedded Systems Inc., located in Tucson a $100,000 Phase I SBIR grant to develop reusable "plug and play" software systems. TES will create a modular Mission Package Infrastructure (MPI) to support the seamless integration of common capabilities across the U.S. Naval fleet.

"We are very pleased with the AZ FAST GRANT TO SBIR process. Tucson Embedded Systems won its first Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant on its second proposals submission", says Michael Lupien, Director of Business Development. "The winning proposal was a direct result of using Arizona FAST Grant funds to retain the grant writing services of Mathias Hecht. His experience was invaluable to our success, helping us structure our software strategy in a beneficial way."

More here.

(Hat tip: Martin Martinez, Owner, ESA Corp.)

"Innovation Arizona"

2006-01-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Good news for R&D and small technology firms.

At the top of the list is the creation of a public-private partnership that she envisions calling "Innovation Arizona." This group, which would be run by a non-government board of directors, would use $25 million in state dollars to leverage private efforts to attract researchers to the state, as well as to help move research projects from the laboratory to the market.

Welcome!

2006-01-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Arizona Technology Roundup. The Roundup's goal is to foster an awareness of and interest in technological developments in Arizona. This will be accomplished by:

Consolidating news stories about hi-tech companies, both large and small, from around the state.
Highlighting developments in various technology fields ranging from biotech to aerospace to chip manufacturing.
Highlighting legislation that would potentially affect technology development in Arizona.
Covering interesting news items from smaller hi-tech companies who typically do not get much press.
Providing commentary from an engineer's perspective.
Translating technical jargon from press releases into layman's terms when necessary.

Please feel free to submit news items and comments to the Arizona Technology Roundup.