Technology and Innovation Commons^™

A New Course Offered At Nebraska Innovation Studio On Nebraska Innovation Campus, Nebraska Innovation Campus

Nebraska Innovation Studio

A new course offered at Nebraska Innovation Studio on Nebraska Innovation Campus.

In spring semester 2014, Shane Farritor, PhD, and Liana Owad, MFA, taught “Making for Innovation” which covered techniques used to bring ideas to reality. This was the first class to meet at Nebraska Innovation Studio – the UNL makerspace – located on Nebraska Innovation Campus.

The course was built on two basic ideas. The first, that building and hands-on problem solving are important paths to innovation. The act of building prototypes and physical models leads to improved creative thinking and is in important path to the conception of …

City, Unl Partner To Create Unique Renewable Energy System At Nic, Leslie Reed

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Through a unique renewable energy system, UNL students and Lincoln residents help provide energy to heat and cool Nebraska Innovation Campus when they shower and flush. The Centralized Renewable Energy System, or CRES, warms and cools buildings by exchanging heat from treated wastewater discharged from a city facility next to the research park. Sustainable energy strategies are an important part of Nebraska Innovation Campus' value proposition, NIC executive director Dan Duncan said. "It's part of the culture we want to build at Innovation Campus," he said. "We need to do things differently and we need to think about things differently." …

Nebraska Innovation Campus Poised For Next Phase Of Growth, Melissa Lee

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Phase I of development at UNL's Nebraska Innovation Campus is ahead of schedule, with facilities taking shape that will attract talent, open new opportunities for students and faculty and grow Nebraska’s economy. The historic 4-H Building, linked to a new building, forms Innovation Commons, a state-of-the-art facility that houses a conference center and where Innovation Studio, a “maker space” for innovators and a business accelerator are underway. Already, the conference center has hosted a “demo day” for Nebraska startup businesses that attracted 300 attendees interested in entrepreneurship. A Food Innovation Center, scheduled to open in 2015, will house UNL’s growing …

Innovation Campus Newest Piece Of Nu'stradition Of Excellence, Mike Johanns

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Throughout the years, the University of Nebraska (NU) System has transformed and adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of our state. It continues to innovate and adapt to new technologies, ensuring our students receive a quality education while providing top-tier research for the nation. Part of that evolution is the Nebraska Innovation Campus(NIC) that will bring new opportunities to our students and state. I enjoyed touring the new facility this month with Chancellor Harvey Perlman and NIC’s Executive Director Dan Duncan. Still in its first phase of construction, the impressive facility is a research campus designed to facilitate new and …

Startran To Add Route To Innovation Campus, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

StarTran will add a bus route to shuttle University of Nebraska-Lincoln students to and from Nebraska Innovation Campus beginning in August2015. The NU Board of Regents approved a five-year, $4.1 million agreement for bus service with the city of Lincoln on Friday, including the new route connecting UNL’s City and East campuses with Innovation Campus. The agreement comes on the heels of the board acquiring $4.5 million in additional lease space at Innovation Campus in February, furthering plans to move the Food Sciences and Technology Department from its home in the Food Industry Complex on East Campus. Under the terms …

The Relationship Between Fashion Blogs And Intention To Purchase And Word Of Mouth Behavior, Cassidy L. Vineyard

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Blogs are an influential social media platform and a powerful marketing tool (Hsu & Tsou, 2011). A corporate fashion blog is an online product community. Online product communities established by retailers enable customers to interact with the company as well as amongst themselves (Nambisan & Watt, 2011). Online communities are a social space wherein relationships and ties are formed among the members and a common set of values and norms are established and shared (Nambisan & Watt, 2011).

The objective of this study was threefold. First it explored what factors shape readers’ intention to browse products on blogs. Based on …

Food Sciences Moving To Innovation Campus, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The University of Nebraska added $4.5 million in leased space at Nebraska Innovation Campus Friday, bringing its total lease commitment at the research and technology park to $7.8 million. The NU Board of Regents approved a plan adding 117,000 additional square feet of space tothe campus and moving the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Food Science and Technology Department to the campus in 2015. NU committed in 2012 to more than 31,000 square feet of office space in the Innovation Commons -- the former 4-H Building at the old State Fair Park -- expected to open later this year. Last year, NU …

First Nic Facilities Roll Toward Summer Finish, Troy Fedderson

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus will open for business this summer as the first two buildings and a four-season greenhouse go online. Construction on the former State Fair Park continues as the two buildings — the former 4-H Building and new Companion Building — are scheduled to open for a June move-in. Work on the state-of-the-art greenhouse will begin soon. “This will again be a key year for Nebraska Innovation Campus,” said Dan Duncan, executive director of the private/public research campus. “Last year was key because we started construction. Next year will be key as we continue to develop and build. This …

[Shane] Farritor, Student Group Help Propel Maker Space Concept, Troy Fedderson

Nebraska Innovation Studio

Shane Farritor, student group help propel Maker Space concept.

A quiet staging area for ongoing NIC construction, the space is reservedfor a proposed Maker Space and the private/public research campus’ new business accelerator. NIC planners and UNL administrators hope the mix bubbles forth into a cauldron of hands-on creativity and innovation.

“That is an area of Nebraska Innovation Campus that is generating a lot of excitement,” said Dan Duncan, NIC’s executive director. “The general idea is to create the Maker Space where individuals can come to work on projects and interact with others, including people who are in a business …

Two Stage Procurement Processes With Competitive Suppliers And Uncertain Supplier Quality, Yue Jin, Jennifer K. Ryan, Walter Yund

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

This paper considers a sourcing problem faced by a manufacturer who outsources the manufacturing of a product to one of several competing suppliers, whose cost and quality capabilities are unknown. We consider a two-stage sourcing process in which the first stage is the qualification stage, while the second stage is the supplier selection stage. In the first stage, the manufacturer exerts effort to learn about the quality level of each of the suppliers and then must determine the set of qualified suppliers, subject to some tolerance for error. In the second stage, the manufacturer runs a price-only procurement auction, in …

First New Building Taking Shape At Innovation Campus, Kevin Abourezk

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The first new building at Nebraska Innovation Campus is taking shape. Construction workers have completed much of the shell for the Companion Building, a three-story building just north of and adjacent to the former 4-H Building on what used to be State Fair Park. They’ve also nearly finished renovating the 4-H Building, which will include a conference center and office and research space. Renovation of the former Industrial Arts building continues at the south edge of the campus,with exterior brick walls propped up by braces and virtually nothing left inside. The university has yet to start work on a fourth …

Embracing Change: Exploring How Creative Professionals Use Interactive Media In Advertising Campaigns, Adam Wagler

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Advertising agencies are incorporating new forms of interactive media into campaigns as media continues to rapidly change. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to explore how five creative professionals at leading advertising agencies in the Midwest are integrating interactive media into campaigns. Through a series of interviews this project helps solidify what it means to integrate interactive media. The findings illustrate a fundamental shift in an industry that is moving away from “advertising.” An industry built around traditional media now requires creatives to incorporate dynamic, mobile, and social media into the marketing mix. Advertising agencies must engage audiences …

City, Unl Partner On Nebraska Innovation Campus Renewable Energy System

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman announced Friday a joint project to use reclaimed, non-drinkable water from the city’s Theresa Street Wastewater treatment plant to heat and cool facilities at Nebraska Innovation Campus. UNL’s investment of $12 million in the Central Renewable Energy System, or CRES, has been approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents and will be introduced to the Lincoln City Council on Sept. 30. The reclaimed water from the city’s Theresa Street Wastewater Treatment Plant will be diverted to a heat exchange facility located on Nebraska Innovation Campus. The reclaimed …

The Cio: Defining A Career For The Future, Mark Askren

Information Technology Services: Publications

Those of us who are IT professionals in higher education spend a lot of our time focused on the “new normal” of accelerating demand, flat resources, and constant change. But we often invest little time in assessing and advancing our careers. As a community, we are typically self-motivated to reach our potential and, in many cases, to extend the boundaries of our potential. However, if we are laissez-faire in our approach to career growth—in other words, if we are “too busy” to focus on ourselves—reaching our potential becomes much less likely.

In 2013, information technology matters . . . a …

Modeling Social Transmission Dynamics Of Unhealthy Behaviors For Evaluating Prevention And Treatment Interventions On Childhood Obesity, Leah M. Frerichs, Ozgur M. Araz, Terry T.-K. Huang

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

Research evidence indicates that obesity has spread through social networks, but lever points for interventions based on overlapping networks are not well studied. The objective of our research was to construct and parameterize a system dynamics model of the social transmission of behaviors through adult and youth influence in order to explore hypotheses and identify plausible lever points for future childhood obesity intervention research. Our objectives were: (1) to assess the sensitivity of childhood overweight and obesity prevalence to peer and adult social transmission rates, and (2) to test the effect of combinations of prevention and treatment interventions on the …

Gendered Narratives Of Innovation Through Competition: Lessons From Science And Technology Studies, Scout Calvert

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Library and information science is a technologically intensive profession with a high percentage of women, unlike computer science and other male-dominated fields. On the occasion of the 2011 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) conference, this essay analyzes the theme “Competitiveness and Innovation” through a review of social psychology and science and technology studies literature. Both theme concepts have ramifications for library and information science (LIS) education. Librarianship and teaching are both professions that resist commodification because they rely on embodied labor and personal interaction. Competition, as a management or learning style, may not promote meaningful innovation in …

Coordinating A Supply Chain With A Manufacturer-Owned Online Channel: A Dual Channel Model Under Price Competition, Jennifer K. Ryan, Daewon Sun, Xuying Zhao

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

We consider a dual channel supply chain in which a manufacturer sells a single product to end-users through both a traditional retail channel and a manufacturer-owned direct online channel. We adopt a commonly used linear demand substitution model in which the mean demand in each channel is a function of the prices in each channel.We model each channel as a news vendor problem, with price and order quantity as decision variables. In addition, the manufacturer must choose the wholesale price to charge to the independent retailer. We analyze the optimal decisions for each channel and prove the existence of a …

Nebraska Innovation Campus To Collaborate With Conagra Foods

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

"Breaking Ground for the Future" was the theme for a major announcement today on a new level of collaboration between University of Nebraska-Lincoln and ConAgra Foods. The collaboration continues and accelerates research and development projects at Nebraska Innovation Campus -- the university's project for private-public innovation and research. Through the collaboration ConAgra Foods hopes to foster a culture of innovation related to food science. For example, the collaboration will help to further understanding and knowledge related to popcorn and tomato breeding and research. Alongside university students and faculty, ConAgra Foods will leverage leased space in greenhouses at Nebraska Innovation Campus, …

Perceptions Of Personnel At Selected Texas Community Colleges Regarding The Impact Of Technology On Their Libraries, Sharon K. Kenan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technological innovations have transformed all areas of community college libraries. Automated library systems, office software, and Internet access have altered work processes for library personnel and have changed research methodologies for students and faculty. The purpose of this bounded multiple case study was to explore how the adoption of technology has changed important areas of four community college libraries in Texas. Using purposeful sampling to select community colleges with high technology libraries, the study explored how the adoption of technology by the case college libraries changed the libraries and the roles of people employed within the libraries by examining the …

Simulating School Closure Policies For Cost Effective Pandemic Decision Making, Ozgur M. Araz, Paul Damien, David A. Paltiel, Sean Burke, Bryce Van De Geijn, Alison Galvani, Lauren Ancel Meyers

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

Background: Around the globe, school closures were used sporadically to mitigate the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. However, such closures can detrimentally impact economic and social life.

Methods: Here, we couple a decision analytic approach with a mathematical model of influenza transmission to estimate the impact of school closures in terms of epidemiological and cost effectiveness. Our method assumes that the transmissibility and the severity of the disease are uncertain, and evaluates several closure and reopening strategies that cover a range of thresholds in school-aged prevalence (SAP) and closure durations.

Results: Assuming a willingness to pay per quality adjusted life-year (QALY) …

What's Your Pitch? The Power Of Wow! (Worksheet For The Webinar On January 18, 2011), Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Elevator pitches are created to sell your idea, business, product or service in 30 seconds or less (the time it takes to go from the first floor to the top of the building in an elevator). A great pitch has the power to help anyone...from a University employee to a new entrepreneur to a team working in a high-growth firm.

It’s important to develop and practice an effective pitch, complete with an awesome "Wow Factor," so you are ready to use it under fire (pretend you just stepped onto an elevator with Warren Buffett or Bill Gates)!

This interactive webinar …

What's Your Pitch?, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

We all need to have our "pitch" ready! This PowerPoint, when used with the corresponding worksheet of the same title (What's Your Pitch), walks people through the process of creating an Elevator Pitch or Quick Pitch for their idea, business or organization. In the global economy, it is important for all of us to be able to clearly communicate what we do so we can sell ourselves and help others understand the purpose of what we are working to accomplish. A great pitch has the power to help anyone...from a University employee to a new entrepreneur to a team working …

Coaching Leaders: Co-Creating Purpose Based Innovation, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

The purpose of the presentation was to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of coaching leaders in today's global economy. Leadership coaching has the potential to co-create innovation in organizations of all sizes. Three case studies were shared. In each example, Dr. Connie presented the effectiveness of her coaching program. Each case study demonstrated the power of leadership and innovation on the economy, society and individual.

Application Of Open-Source Enterprise Information System Modules: An Empirical Study, Sang-Heui Lee

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Although there have been a number of studies on large scale implementation of proprietary enterprise information systems (EIS), open-source software (OSS) for EIS has received limited attention in spite of its potential as a disruptive innovation. Cost saving is the main driver for adopting OSS among the other possible benefits including security and reliability, transparency of development process, etc. Due to the costly implementation of proprietary EIS, small- and medium-sized organizations have given attention to OSS as an alternative. OSS EIS can also help create a competitive advantage by enabling organizations to customize their information systems by modifying the open-source …

Leadership And Innovation Program, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

No abstract provided.

An Entrepreneurial Approach To Career Development, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

This article explains how people can use an entrepreneurial approach to career development in and effort to advance their careers and employment opportunities.

Sustainability Through Profitability: The Triple Bottom Line, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

Today’s highly competitive, globalized world requires organizations and businesses to think differently about how they are going to stay in business. Businesses can no longer afford to focus on profits as their sole purpose for existence. Organizations must instead think about the “Triple Bottom Line” and its implications for their ability to grow their brand, customer loyalty and profits.

Making Biomass Pay: Obstacles And Opportunities, Gail Wells

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Removing hazardous fuels to reduce the risk of wildfire has become a priority for land managers across the United States. Utilizing biomass taken from forests to cover the cost of fuel reduction is an attractive ideal. Effective utilization could also address important national challenges such as improving forest health, increasing domestic energy supplies, reducing carbon emissions, and revitalizing rural economies. However, getting woody biomass from the forest to the consumer is economically and logistically difficult, and efforts to make biomass utilization profitable have been disappointing so far. JFSP-funded researchers have found that, while there is no recipe for building a …

Economic Impact Of Railroad Branch-Line Abandonments: Results Of A Southcentral Nebraska Case Study, Dale G. Anderson, Floyd D. Gaibler, Mary Berglund

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Some 249 miles of Nebraska rail line have been abandoned since 1963; another 310 miles are in contention at abandonment proceedings. The abandonment of these and other lines could have serious economic implications for grain elevators, farmers, and rural communities.

Track abandonment is occurring during a time of rapid expansion in the grain industry. U. S. corn and grain sorghum production increased more than 40 percent during the decade ending in 1973. Exports of these commodities increased 157 percent during the same period. Increases in grain production and exports, along with a shorter harvest season, are placing great strains on …