Moving academic technology into an arena that benefits the public and your bottom line is the focus of an upcoming daylong symposium at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Being the benefactor of several universities and a talented work pool, St. Louis is fast becoming a hot spot for scientific research. Moving those ideas from academia to the market place is the next logical step, and a potentially lucrative one.

The St. Louis Institute of Nanoscience & Nanomedicine will host a symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 4 in the Century Rooms of the Millennium Student Center at UMSL. The overall theme of the symposium is “Translating Science into Economic Development.” SLINN 2013 is a joint venture sponsored by UMSL, Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis.

The goal of the scientific symposium is to bring together academic and industrial scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, service providers and investors, as well local and federal legislators to showcase and to promote the region’s resources and research in nanoscience and nanomedicine.

One breakout session will focus on “elevator pitches.” Individuals with ideas for a startup or hoping to expand on an existing business will have the opportunity to share their vision with audience members, composed of scientists, entrepreneurs and investors, who in return, will advise, suggest and encourage developing technological enterprise.

The day will also consist of panel sessions with the key themes being investors, regional business development and regulatory issues. Experts in those fields will lead the discussions.

Panel Sessions Speakers:

Investors

• Mike Nichols, University of Missouri System
• Bill Simon, consultant
• Vicki Gonzalez, Nidus
• Bill Anderson, Missouri Technology Corporation

Regional Business Development

• Dennis Lower, Cortex
• Derek Rapp, Monsanto
• Eric Gulve, BioGenerator

Regulatory Issues

• Kevin Kercher, Thompson Coburn
• Matt MacEwen, Retectix
• Tara Nealey, Polsinelli Shughart PC

Attendees will hear from UMSL Chancellor Tom George and Nasser Arshadi, vice provost for research at UMSL, as well as a number of academic and local leaders in economic development, nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Science in Missouri Speakers:

• Ken Harrington, managing director, Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
• Gregory Lanza, professor of medicine and bioengineering, Division of Cardiology, Washington University School of Medicine
• Shashi Jasty, director, global government/hospitals sector, Sigma-Aldrich
• Xuemin (Sam) Wang, holds joint appointment as member of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor in Plant Science at UMSL

The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register online at chemistry.slu.edu/SLINN/registration.php. For more information on the symposium, including the full conference schedule, visit chemistry.slu.edu/SLINN/index.php