The Water Innovations Alliance Foundation (WIAF) is proud to select Watercura’s portable water filter as our 2015 Innovative Product of the Year.  We have followed the evolution of this product from concept, to design of a prototype, to manufacturing.  Congratulations to Kevin McGovern and the Watercura® team for bringing this product to market.

Watercura® Portable Water Filter

There is no other water filter in the world as effective, as the compact Watercura® Portable Water Filter. This unique, easy-to-use portable filter brings you the safest, cleanest drinking water possible.

Watercura’s advanced filtration technology not only eliminates harmful Synthetic Hormones, Pharmaceuticals, Steroids, Cadmium, Pesticides, and Pathogens — it is the only filter on the market to eliminate 99% of bacteria found in tap water every day.   This filter doesn’t just take out harmful contaminants in your water – it leaves in healthy nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.

Compact in design, the Watercura® Portable Filter is small enough to go anywhere and is engineered to fit most of your drinkware, pitchers, bottles and pet supplies.  It is easy-to-grip and simple enough for anyone to use. Watercura’s unique top-fill design allows you to scoop water or fill it from virtually any source. Its innovative portable design features a large ½ liter funnel, germ resistant BPA free plastic, soft non-marking exterior grip, and a powerful replaceable filter that lasts for 150 liters. The Watercura® Portable Filter is ideal not only for home, but can travel with you too … to sporting events, work, school, gym, camping, boating, travel, etc.

Clean Water. Healthy Life. Clean water starts with Watercura®.
www.watercura.com

For further information please contact Jeff Howes, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at jhowes@thewaterinitiative.com.

Kudos to Watercura® for successfully accomplishing the goal of providing portable access to clean water.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio
Founder & Executive Director
Water Innovations Alliance Foundation
vince@waterinnovationsfoundation.org
203-733-1949
www.waterinnovations.org

The Water Innovations Alliance Foundation is proud to announce the Speaker Lineup for our Water 2.0 Conference – Data Analytics for the Water Industry.

Water 2.0 – Data Analytics for the Water Industry Conference
Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Conference Location:
Foley & Lardner LLP
3000 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20007-5109

Water enters the digital era. Big Data Solutions, Information Powered Utilities and Smarter Customers. The Water 2.0 – Data Analytics for the Water Industry Conference will focus on the use of data analytics, software and cyber security for water utilities. Participants will include water and energy industry authorities, utilities professionals and representatives from the EPA.  Registration will open at 8:AM.  Lunch is included in the registration fee.  The conference will wrap-up at 5:PM followed by networking.

REGISTER TODAY – $250

Speakers for the Water 2.0 – Data Analytics for the Water Industry Conference include:

Chanley T. Howell, Partner, Foley & Lardner, LLP

Kenneth E. Russell, Ph.D., Executive Director, Applied Technology Acceleration Institute – Wichita State University

Robert J. Gates, P.E., Global Marketing Director Manufacturing, GE Intelligent Platforms

Christopher Peacock, Director Strategic Accounts, FATHOM

Paul Gagliardo, M.P.H., P.E., Manager – Innovation Development, American Water

Alan Hinchman, Chief Operating Officer, The Water Initiative

David Schoenberger, CIO, Secure Cloud Systems, LLC

Erik Hromadka, CEO, Global Water Technologies, Inc.

Richard E. Hyman, Author of FROGMEN

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WATER NEWS

The Conference Treadmill
By Christopher Peacock
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

California Rain Showers: Small Things Matter
By Erik Hromadka
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

Protect What You Love
By Richard Hyman
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

The Power of One: A Tall Order for Overcoming Water Shortage
By Jill Burdette
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

The Drought Comes East: All Water Is Local
By Vincent Caprio
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

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CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP

Please join our roster of Corporate Members.  For further information, please contact Vincent Caprio vince@waterinnovationsfoundation.org or 203-733-1949 to discuss.

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INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

We encourage individuals interested in continuing our efforts to provide information in regard to emerging water technologies to become individual members of the WIAF.  Click here to become a WIAF Individual Member.  The annual Individual Membership fee is $100.

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Looking forward to seeing you on November 18^th in Washington, DC.

The NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA) would like to congratulate the winners of the 20th Annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing landmark green chemistry technologies developed by industrial pioneers and leading scientists that turn climate risk and other environmental problems into business opportunities, spurring innovation and economic development. “From academia to business, we congratulate those who bring innovative solutions that will help solve some of the most critical environmental problems,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “These innovations reduce the use of energy, hazardous chemicals and water, while cutting manufacturing costs and sparking investments. In some cases they turn pollution into useful products. Ultimately, these manufacturing processes and products are safer for people’s health and the environment. We will continue to work with the 2015 winners as their technologies are adopted in the marketplace.” The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award winners were honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The winners and their innovative technologies are:

Algenol in Fort Myers, Florida, is being recognized for developing a blue-green algae to produce ethanol and other fuels. The algae uses CO2 from air or industrial emitters with sunlight and saltwater to create fuel while dramatically reducing the carbon footprint, costs and water usage, with no reliance on food crops as feedstocks. This is a win-win for the company, the public, and the environment. It has the potential to revolutionize this industry and reduce the carbon footprint of fuel production.

Hybrid Coating Technologies/Nanotech Industries of Daly City, California, is being recognized for developing a safer, plant-based polyurethane for use on floors, furniture and in foam insulation. The technology eliminates the use of isocyanates, the number one cause of workplace asthma. This is already in production, is reducing VOC’s and costs, and is safer for people and the environment.

LanzaTech in Skokie, Illinois, is being recognized for the development of a process that uses waste gas to produce fuels and chemicals, reducing companies’ carbon footprint. LanzaTech has partnered with Global Fortune 500 Companies and others to use this technology, including facilities that can each produce 100,000 gallons per year of ethanol, and a number of chemical ingredients for the manufacture of plastics. This technology is already a proven winner and has enormous potential for American industry.

SOLTEX (Synthetic Oils and Lubricants of Texas) in Houston, Texas, is being recognized for developing a new chemical reaction process that eliminates the use of water and reduces hazardous chemicals in the production of additives for lubricants and gasoline. If widely used, this technology has the potential to eliminate millions of gallons of wastewater per year and reduce the use of a hazardous chemical by 50 percent.

Renmatix in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is being recognized for developing a process using supercritical water to more cost effectively break down plant material into sugars used as building blocks for renewable chemicals and fuels. This innovative low-cost process could result in a sizeable increase in the production of plant-based chemicals and fuels, and reduce the dependence on petroleum fuels.

Professor Eugene Chen of Colorado State University is being recognized for developing a process that uses plant-based materials in the production of renewable chemicals and liquid fuels.  This new technology is waste-free and metal-free. It offers significant potential for the production of renewable chemicals, fuels, and bioplastics that can be used in a wide range of safer industrial and consumer products.

During the 20 years of the program, EPA has received more than 1500 nominations and presented awards to 104 technologies. Winning technologies are responsible for annually reducing the use or generation of more than 826 million pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving 21 billion gallons of water, and eliminating 7.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent releases to air.

An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute formally judged the 2015 submissions from among scores of nominated technologies and made recommendations to EPA for the 2015 winners. The 2015 awards event was held in conjunction with the 2015 Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference.

Please help us spread the word about the 2015 winners and their innovative technologies within your own communication channels and through social media and web.  Feel free to share this email with your contacts and repost the social media content.

* Share our Twitter post. [ https://twitter.com/EPA/status/620652522844368896 ]
* 2015 Presidential Green Chemistry Award winners and share the blog. [ https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2015/07/american-innovators/ ]

For more information on this year’s winners and those from the last two decades, visit http://www2.epa.gov/green-chemistry

Once again, the NanoBCA is proud to congratulate our colleagues in the nanotechnology community.

The Deadline for Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges is July 16

Click here to view in your browser<http://nano.gov/node/1448>

This is your opportunity to help shape the future direction of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has issued a Request for Information (RFI) entitled Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade, and is seeking ideas for bold but achievable goals that utilize nanotechnology to solve problems of national or global importance. Responses are due by Thursday, July 16th. Visit the official Request for Information<https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/06/17/2015-14914/nanotechnology-inspired-grand-challenges-for-the-next-decade> to find out how you can respond.

For additional information, please contact NNCO Communications Director, Marlowe Newman at mnewman@nnco.nano.gov or call 703-292-8626.

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NANO NEWS Very Important Reminder

EPA Announces Extension to Wednesday, August 5, 2015 for Public Comment Period on Proposed Nanotechnology Rule

EPA published a Federal Register (FR) notice on Thursday, July 2, 2015, announcing that the public comment period on the proposed rule on Chemical Substances When Manufactured or Processed as Nanoscale Materials has been extended until August 5, 2015.  The link to the FR notice follows: http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0572-0079

Industry’s Response to EPA Proposed Nano Rule
posted on The National Law Review: Monday, June 22, 2015

EPA held a public meeting on June 11, 2015 on EPA’s Proposed Rule imposing one-time electronic reporting and recordkeeping requirements on manufacturers and processors of certain nanoscale materials under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

EPA began the meeting by clarifying that the Proposed Rule targets nanoscale versions of substances that had previously been exempt from reporting requirements. New nanoscale materials are already subject to TSCA and over 170 premanufacturing notices have been filed for those new materials, including many for carbon nanotubes. EPA’s goal for the rule is to provide missing information on nanoscale versions of existing substances to evaluate whether further regulation is needed.

Commenters
Five individuals made comments: Steven Gordon of 3M speaking on behalf of the American Chemistry Council; Dan Russell of Pixelligent New Technologies; Jo Anne Shatkin of Vireo Advisors; Martha Marrapese of Keller and Heckman LLP speaking on behalf of the NanoManufacturing Association; and Vincent Caprio of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association.

Issues Raised
Definition of Reportable Chemical Substances. The definition of “reportable chemical substances” uses vague terms like “unique,” “novel,” and “trace,” which will make it difficult to determine whether something is a “reportable chemical substance.” The terms should be better defined and justified.

Discrete Forms of Nanomaterials. EPA should provide better guidance on how to measure discrete forms of nanoscale materials because the model used will affect the resulting measurements. One commenter objected to certain properties chosen by EPA to determine whether a discrete form exists, such as dispersion stability and surface reactivity, because they are not sufficiently linked to risk to human health and environment.

135-Day Review Period. Most of the commenters objected to the 135-day review period, which is longer than the 90-day review of reports for new substances, including because of the adverse economic effects of the additional delay.

Harmonizing U.S. and Canadian Approaches. EPA should reduce the burden on industry by aligning the forthcoming rule with the Canadian process announced earlier this year.

Availability of Required Information. Companies will not have certain of the required information readily available, burdening industry and violating TSCA 8(a), which only authorizes EPA to require information that companies already have or can reasonably ascertain.

What Next?
Public comments are due on July 6, 2015, but EPA did not specify when it will respond to the comments and what that response will be. One commenter suggested that EPA re-propose the rule for additional comments after it has been revised. During Nanotech 2015, a nanotechnology conference and exposition that occurred the week following the public meeting, it was suggested that the Proposed Rule would likely be finalized in late 2016, requiring reporting in 2017. In the meantime, those potentially subject to the rule can review the proposed form companies would be required to submit under the new rule.

Jo Anne Shatkin, of Vireo Advisors, is co-author of this article.
©1994-2015 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. All Rights Reserved.

As a person who attended and testified at the Public Meeting in regard to TSCA section 8(a) Proposed Rule on Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Nanoscale Materials on June 11, 2015, I would like to share with you the presentation that was given at the EPA meeting.

Click the link below to view the presentation:

TSCA Section 8(a) Proposed Rule for Chemical Substances Manufactured or Processed as Nanoscale Materials

– Written comments are due by August 5, 2015

– Submit comments to Docket # EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0572 at www.regulations.gov

– Instructions are in the proposed rule on other methods for submitting comments including comments containing confidential business information

– Contact Jim Alwood at 202-564-8974 or alwood.jim@epa.gov for further information

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NANO NEWS

A Call for Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
By Lloyd Whitman, Assistant Director for Nanotechnology, OSTP and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation, OSTP

Read more about what makes an effective Grand Challenge and how to propose your own Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade and comment on these examples here. Responses must be received by July 16, 2015 to be considered.

QEEN Workshop: Quantifying Exposure to Engineered Nanomaterials (QEEN) from Manufactured Products – Sponsored by CPSC in Collaboration with the NNI
Tuesday, July 7^th and Wednesday, July 8^th, 2015
Holiday Inn, 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209

The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge
The 2015 winners will be announced at the 20th Annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony, July 13, 2015, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC

VC-backed Nanotronics completes Franklin MCI acquisition
PE Hub

Nanosys First to Achieve EPA Approval for Mass Production of Quantum Dots
PR Newswire

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CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP

Please join our roster of Corporate Members.  For further information, please contact Vincent Caprio vincent@nanobca.org or 203-402-7200 to discuss.

————————————————————————–
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

We encourage individuals interested in continuing our efforts to provide information in regard to emerging technologies to become Individual Members of the NanoBCA.  Individual Membership includes participation on our monthly conference call. Our next call is on Thursday, July 16th at 2:PM ET.  Click here to become a NanoBCA Individual Member.  The annual Individual Membership fee is $150.

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Enjoy the summer!

We would like to share with you an announcement (Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade) posted on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) website by Lloyd Whitman, Assistant Director for Nanotechnology at the OSTP and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation at OSTP.

On June 17, the Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking suggestions for Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade. A Grand Challenge is an ambitious but achievable goal that requires advances in science and technology to achieve, and that has the potential to capture the public’s imagination.

Under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), scientists, engineers, and educators are building a future in which the ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale leads to a revolution in technology and industry. The collective effort of this community to achieve the vision of the NNI has greatly accelerated the discovery, development, and deployment of nanotechnology to address broad national needs.

In a recent review of the NNI, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology called for government agencies, industry, and the research community to identify and pursue nanotechnology Grand Challenges. Through today’s RFI, we want to hear your game-changing ideas for Grand Challenges that harness nanoscience and nanotechnology to solve important national or global problems. These Grand Challenges should stimulate additional public and private investment, and foster the commercialization of Federally-funded nanotechnology research.

What would a nanotechnology-inspired Grand Challenge look like? Although nanoscale science and technology is a broadly enabling discipline, not every worthwhile Grand Challenge is going to be solved using nanotechnology. But we believe there are compelling, ambitious challenges where the known benefits of nanoscale science and technology are likely to play an important role in solving the problem. Here are some examples developed by the NNI agencies, working with the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office and OSTP (see the RFI for more details):

By 2025, the nanotechnology R&D community is challenged to achieve the following:

1. Increase the five-year survival rates by 50% for the most difficult to treat cancers.
2. Create devices no bigger than a grain of rice that can sense, compute, and communicate without wires or maintenance for 10 years, enabling an “internet of things” revolution.
3. Create computer chips that are 100 times faster yet consume less power.
4. Manufacture atomically-precise materials with fifty times the strength of aluminum at half the weight and the same cost.
5. Reduce the cost of turning sea water into drinkable water by a factor of four.
6. Determine the environmental, health, and safety characteristics of a nanomaterial in a month.

What would you propose? Read more about what makes an effective Grand Challenge and how to propose your own Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade and comment on these examples here. Responses must be received by July 16, 2015 to be considered.

I encourage all NanoBCA members and members of the nanotechnology community to respond to the White House OSTP challenge.  I know I am going to!

Regards,

Water 2.0 – Data Analytics for the Water Industry Conference
Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Conference Location:
Foley & Lardner LLP
3000 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20007-5109
202.672.5300

The Water Innovations Alliance Foundation (WIAF) is proud to announce our Water 2.0 Data Analytics for the Water Industry Conference.  The event will take place on Wednesday, November 18th at the law offices of Foley & Lardner in Washington, DC.  This event is being organized by our newest WIAF member, Wichita State University’s, Applied Technology Acceleration Institute (ATAI).

Water enters the digital era. Big Data Solutions, Information Powered Utilities and Smarter Customers. The Water 2.0 – Data Analytics for the Water Industry Conference will focus on the use of data analytics, software and cyber security for water utilities. Participants will include water and energy industry authorities, utilities professionals and representatives from the EPA.  Registration will open at 8:AM.  Lunch is included in the registration fee.  The conference will wrap-up at 5:PM followed by networking.

REGISTER TODAY – $250

We have recruited some of the water industry’s top software professionals.  Speakers will include:

Kenneth E. Russell, Ph.D., Executive Director, Applied Technology Acceleration Institute – Wichita State University

Robert J. Gates, P.E., Global Marketing Director Manufacturing, GE Intelligent Platforms

Alan Hinchman, Chief Operating Officer, WaterCura

Christopher Peacock, Director Strategic Accounts, FATHOM

Erik Hromadka, CEO, Global Water Technologies

Further agenda updates will be available next month.

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WATER NEWS

Here Come the Waterworks: An Anniversary Perspective on Water’s Past and Future
By Alan Hinchman
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

Are You Tired of the Drought Yet?
By Chris Peacock
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

Water Crisis Becomes Food Crisis
By Richard Kreidler
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

What Analytics Do Water People Need?
By Jeff Martin
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

Will Science Help Ease Our Water Issues?
By Laurence Mann
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

Innovation Returns to Water Utilities in America
By Vincent Caprio
GE – Our Water Counts Blog

Start making your plans for the fall.  We hope to see you in DC in November!  Save the date, Wednesday, November 18^th.

Regards,

New Initiatives to Accelerate the Commercialization of Nanotechnology

Posted by Lloyd Whitman, Tom Kalil, and JJ Raynor on May 20, 2015 at 05:42 PM EDT

Today, May 20, the National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy held a forum at the White House to discuss opportunities to accelerate the commercialization of nanotechnology.

Participants in the White House Forum on Small Business Challenges to Commercializing Nanotechnology. (Photo credit: Lloyd Whitman)

Over the last fifteen years, the Federal government has invested over $20 billion in nanotechnology R&D as part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), working towards breakthroughs such as smart anticancer therapeutics that will destroy tumors while leaving healthy cells untouched, and lighter, thinner body armor that could save the lives of America’s soldiers.

A recent review of the NNI by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) concluded that:

“…the nanotechnology field is at a critical transition point and has entered its second era, which we call NNI 2.0.  This next technological generation will see the evolution from nanoscale components to interdisciplinary nano‐systems and the movement from a foundational research‐based initiative to one that also provides the necessary focus to ensure rapid commercialization of nanotechnology.”

In recognition of the importance of nanotechnology R&D, representatives from companies, government agencies, colleges and universities, and non-profits are announcing a series of new and expanded public and private initiatives that complement the Administration’s efforts to accelerate the commercialization of nanotechnology and expand the nanotechnology workforce:

• The Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany, NY and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are launching the Nano Health & Safety Consortium to advance research and guidance for occupational safety and health in the nanoelectronics and other nanomanufacturing industry settings.
• Raytheon has brought together a group of representatives from the defense industry and the Department of Defense to identify collaborative opportunities to advance nanotechnology product development, manufacturing, and supply-chain support with a goal of helping the U.S. optimize development, foster innovation, and take more rapid advantage of new commercial nanotechnologies.
• BASF Corporation is taking a new approach to finding solutions to nanomanufacturing challenges. In March, BASF launched a prize-based “NanoChallenge” designed to drive new levels of collaborative innovation in nanotechnology while connecting with potential partners to co-create solutions that address industry challenges.
• OCSiAl is expanding the eligibility of its “iNanoComm” matching grant program that provides low-cost, single-walled carbon nanotubes to include more exploratory research proposals, especially proposals for projects that could result in the creation of startups and technology transfers.
• The NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA) is partnering with Venture for America and working with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote entrepreneurship in nanotechnology.  Three companies (PEN, NanoMech, and SouthWest NanoTechnologies), are offering to support NSF’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program with mentorship for entrepreneurs-in-training and, along with three other companies (NanoViricides, mPhase Technologies, and Eikos), will partner with Venture for America to hire recent graduates into nanotechnology jobs, thereby strengthening new nanotech businesses while providing needed experience for future entrepreneurs.
• TechConnect is establishing a Nano and Emerging Technologies Student Leaders Conference to bring together the leaders of nanotechnology student groups from across the country. The conference will highlight undergraduate research and connect students with venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.  Five universities have already committed to participating, led by the University of Virginia Nano and Emerging Technologies Club.
• Brewer Science, through its Global Intern Program, is providing more than 30 students from high schools, colleges, and graduate schools across the country with hands-on experience in a wide range of functions within the company.  Brewer Science plans to increase the number of its science and engineering interns by 50% next year and has committed to sharing best practices with other nanotechnology businesses interested in how internship programs can contribute to a small company’s success.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology is expanding its partnership with the National Science Foundation to provide hands-on experience for students in NSF’s Advanced Technology Education program. The partnership will now run year-round and will include opportunities for students at Hudson Valley Community College and the University of the District of Columbia Community College.
• Federal agencies participating in the NNI, supported by the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, are launching multiple new activities aimed at educating students and the public about nanotechnology, including image and video contests highlighting student research, a new webinar series focused on providing nanotechnology information for K-12 teachers, and a searchable web portal on nano.gov of nanoscale science and engineering resources for teachers and professors.

As the President observed in his most recent State of the Union, “Twenty-first century businesses will rely on American science and technology, research and development.”  We call on all sectors of the nanotechnology community to identify additional ways to work together and make sure more of those businesses are built on nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Learn More:

• Report to the President and Congress on The Fifth Assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (October 2014)
• National Nanotechnology Initiative
• White House Forum on Small Business Challenges to Commercializing Nanotechnology

Lloyd Whitman is Assistant Director for Nanotechnology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Tom Kalil is Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

JJ Raynor is Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council.

ATAI hires Vincent Caprio to identify water, energy technology opportunities

Wichita State University’s Applied Technology Acceleration Institute (ATAI) has hired an advisor to aid in expanding the institute’s impact in the water and energy industries.

Vincent Caprio, Founder and Executive Director of the Water Innovations Alliance Foundation, will provide ATAI with the insight and connections necessary to identify technology-based solution opportunities in these new fields.

Caprio will serve as a cloud director, a new model being pioneered by ATAI to bring unparalleled talent to Wichita State, regardless of physical geography, and leveraging Cisco’s Telepresence Collaboration technology and Jive Software’s Jive-n Community solution to connect industry leaders with ATAI partners, students and staff.

“Vincent is exceptionally well-versed in a broad spectrum of emerging technologies that impact our country’s energy and water infrastructure,” said Ken Russell, ATAI Executive Director. “He understands the dynamic role technology can play in solving current problems as well how market-driven technology solutions can provide keen insight into future trends.”

Caprio has coordinated numerous Water 2.0 conferences during the past five years and has been a noted speaker at numerous emerging technology conferences throughout America over the past two decades. He is also a frequent contributor to GE’s Our Water Counts, a movement dedicated to bringing proven solutions to the municipal water industry in order to help utilities work smarter and upgrade systems effectively.

“I am thrilled to become part the ATAI team and to collaborate on finding innovative solutions to difficult challenges,” said Caprio. “That’s what Wichita State’s Innovation Campus is all about.

Having been an association leader for years in both the water and energy sectors, I know the challenges facing the nation’s water infrastructure are extremely difficult and these sectors will greatly benefit from ATAI’s strategy to promote a practical approach to solving such complex technology problems.”

The Water Innovations Alliance Foundation, a founding partner of ATAI, is dedicated to informing the public about emerging water technologies, which can play a critical role in maintaining and repairing the nation’s outdated water infrastructure.

ATAI is a key component of WSU’s Innovation Campus strategy. The institute promotes a practical approach to solving complex technology problems. ATAI is focused on building strong partnerships and providing applied and experiential learning opportunities for students while transforming the very way the educational experience is developed, packaged, delivered and supported.