Wake Forest considers renewable-energy plant that could create up to 200 jobs

A startup company wants to shine a brighter light on renewable energy with a potential $25 million manufacturing plant that could produce up to 200 jobs. Camel City Solar, formed in September, is the latest version of an entrepreneurial spinoff from Wake Forest University's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. Most of Camel City's research is being contracted through the center.

The company, based in Villanova, Pa., is trying to commercialize an optical fiber-based design for solar cells for uses ranging from solar farms and heat pumps to rooftop tiles.

CEO Bob Summers said he plans to request local and state incentives during the first quarter to help Camel City obtain a plant with manufacturing space ranging between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet. The company expects to look at plant sites in January with the expectation of moving forward with manufacturing by the end of March. More.

Wells Fargo Grant to Fund Recruitment of Researchers To Further Economic Growth in the Triad

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Wake Forest University have received a $2.5 million multi-year grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to create the Wells Fargo Faculty Scholars Program. The program aims to accelerate the growth of innovative research conducted at both institutions, which are the leading economic drivers in the Piedmont Triad.


The main purpose of the Wells Fargo Faculty Scholars Program is to fund recruitment of faculty whose research shows the promise to generate significant intellectual property and regionally-based commercialization efforts as either start-up or spin-off companies. This research is expected to produce job-creating ventures within the Piedmont Triad Research Park, North Carolina’s largest urban life sciences research park, attract more biotech research companies to the Park and increase the region’s employment base.

Winston Salem slips in Milken Institute Tech Ranking

The loss of Dell Inc. has caused the Winston-Salem MSA (consisting of Davie, Forsyth, Stokes and Yadkin counties) to slip to 164 up only 1 place versus it's ranking in 2003 at 165 in the Milken Institute rankings of top performing technology metro areas.   In more recent years, Winston-Salem climbed all the way to 92nd place reflecting economic growth and the Dell plant at its peak in 2009.  High unemployment also contributed to Winston-Salem's lower rankings according to the Milken Institute. 

"This year's ranking clearly reflects the loss of the Dell jobs", says Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.  However, Anderson anticipates improved rankings as a result of Caterpillar and continued growth in the Research Park.  See story.

Robotics Competition Honors Eleven Student Teams

Eleven local school teams received awards during the 2011 Forsyth County Invitational Robot Run Tournament on Dec. 10. The event, organized by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and its Technology Council, was part of the international FIRST LEGO® League robotics competition. The program is designed to develop our future workforce by promoting science, math, research and teamwork.

More than 200 students from 18 schools participated in the daylong competition. The winners were:

Core Values Awards:
Inspiration Award: Northwest Middle “Bacon Strips”
Teamwork Award: Northwest Middle “LEGO Terminators”
Gracious Professionalism Award: Southeast Middle “Jaguars”

Project Awards:
Research Award: Hanes Middle “Purple Dragons”
Innovation Solution Award: Hanes Middle “Golden Dragons”
Presentation Award: Northwest Middle “Gearoholics”

Robot Design Awards:
Mechanical Design: Hanes Middle “Black Dragons”
Programming: Jefferson Middle “Mad Minutemen”
Strategy and Innovation: Brunson Elementary “Robotics 1”

Robot Performance: Clemmons Middle “Cardinals”

Champion’s Award: Meadowlark Middle School “Mustangs”

Title Sponsor of the event was Cook Medical. Other sponsors included Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center; Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds initiative, Forsyth Technical Community College; JFK Consulting; Solid Space; and the Wake Forest Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials.

Learn more at www.wsrobotrun.com

WFU Schools of Business moves up in ranking

The Wake Forest University Schools of Business full-time MBA program is once again ranked among the Top 50 Business Schools in the U.S. by Poets&Quants. Wake Forest broke into the top 40 this year by climbing up three positions to #38.

The Poets &Quants list is a composite of five major rankings including Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report. It was founded by the former BusinessWeek.com editor-in-chief John Byrne. More.

SciTech Lecture Series - January 19th, 2012

On January 19th, 2012 at 4pm The SciTech Lecture Series welcomes Tim Bertram, DVM, PhD - President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer at Tengion, he is speaking on “Regenerative Medicine - Growing Today, Tomorrow and the Future”

4:00 PM Thursday, January 19, 2012
Ardmore Auditorium
Forsyth Tech Main Campus
2100 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103

To reserve a seat at this event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu

All lectures are free and open to the public.