More than 20 teams participated in the Polsky Center I-Corps program this academic year – including several teams composed of students and faculty from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering – all with new research and ideas addressing challenges across various industries.
The goal of the eight-week program is to help scientists, researchers, and students test the commercial potential of their research and ideas.
Supported with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Great Lakes Region I-Corps Hub, and run by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the program is designed for participants working on projects related to the STEM fields.
I-Corps provides participants with opportunities to expand their network and gain insight from industry stakeholders on the commercialization pathway, identify potential partners for future technical and business development, and receive individualized coaching.
Participants also work to access additional NSF funding, including a potential $50,000 through the National I-Corps program, prepare for SBIR/STTR or other commercialization grants, and engage with other programs at the Polsky Center.
For more information on the program, visit the Polsky Center I-Corps program website or contact Ellen Zatkowski at Chicago Booth.
Pritzker Molecular Engineering teams participating in the Polsky Center I-Corps program
Diamond Stacks // Diamond Stacks seeks to manufacture diamond-integrated wafers for the semiconductor and quantum industries.
- Team members: Xinghan Guo, student, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Avery Linder, student, College
QubitConnect // The team has developed an interconnectable quantum processor that can form larger quantum systems, allowing for secure communication.
- Team members: Shankar G Menon, student, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Erik Wang, student, Chicago Booth; Ethan Chan, student, Chicago Booth
Ultra-hard Crystal Slicing // The team utilizes a controlled spalling technique to reuse and repurpose semiconductor substrates, enabling greater adoption of new and promising semiconductor materials systems to address the needs of modern electronics and information technology.
- Team members: Connor Horn, student, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Nitika Kurma, student, College; Junlin He, student, Chicago Booth
Valjuvant Vaccines // The team is using immunomodulators as secondary effectors to fine-tune the immune response. We have two goals for this: to reduce inflammation/negative side effects of vaccines, and to improve their durability and efficacy.
- Team members: Aaron Esser-Kahn, Professor of Molecular Engineering, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Jeremiah Kim, student, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Irena Kaplan, student, Chicago Booth; Kara Scheer, student, Chicago Booth
—See the full list of teams in the original article on the Polsky Center website