Mark Skinner is Vice President of SSTI and director of the Regional Innovation Acceleration Network Project. He has participated in technology-based economic development for 27 years, working for Ohio's Thomas Edison Program, establishing Ohio's SBIR assistance program and consulting on several Battelle directed projects prior to joining SSTI in 1998.
A new Lexington-based high-tech company, Seikowave Inc., wants to improve lives by making three-dimensional imaging faster, cheaper and more accessible. The company's 3D technology under development in Daniel Lau's University of Kentucky lab has multiple potential uses from improving medical practices to making cars safer to drive.
Seikowave formed in early 2010 with Lau's real-time 3D measurement research as the cornerstone. The company has since created a versatile platform for 3D imaging that is already being tested for medical and industrial uses.
The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) today released a report showing U.S. trade in private services totaled $526.6 billion in 2010, representing a trade surplus that is growing, rising from $66.7 billion in 2003 to $168 billion in 2010.
As the nation continues to recover from the deepest recession in decades, the challenges facing our young people have been especially difficult. Last summer, the unemployment rate among 16 to 24 year olds was 19.1 percent -- the highest since 1948. Nearly 4.5 million young people who wanted to work could not find jobs. For youth of color, the numbers were even worse with unemployment rates of 33.4 percent for African-American, 22.1 percent for Hispanic and 21.6 percent for Asian youth.
Smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small business can now find helpful resources at their fingertips via a new SBA mobile application from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The mobile app will help users connect with SBA district office staff and SBA-affiliated counselors and mentors who can provide free, personalized small business assistance. The user-friendly format of the app will help answer questions such as: How do I start a business? Where can I go in my area to get free help with writing a business plan? And where do I begin finding funding for my business?
Over the past two months, President Obama has signed Disaster and Emergency Declarations for a number of states impacted by recent natural disasters, particularly in the South and Midwest. The National Weather Service estimates that, so far, over 500 people have been killed by this series of storms.
Recently, President Obama announced the nomination of John Bryson as the next Commerce Secretary and Terry D. Garcia as Deputy Secretary.