NDSU’s Chad Ulven to explore bringing innovation to market at next Knowledge on Tap

In the third Knowledge on Tap event on Tuesday, Nov. 10, NDSU University Distinguished Professor Chad Ulven will explore the impact of AI on bringing innovation to market and what is needed in the region to move research and new ideas to industry.

This is the third of four monthly sessions held at Junkyard Brewing in West Fargo, and hosted by NDSU and The Study, formerly Humanities North Dakota. Attendees spend an hour of their evening learning from experts in their field and asking questions.

University Distinguished Professor is the highest academic honor at NDSU. The prestigious designation recognizes individuals who exemplify the very best of NDSU’s mission as the state’s land-grant, R1 university.

Ulven’s presentation “Tales of Bringing Innovation to Market” will examine the impact of new technologies on bringing innovation to market, while sharing perspectives on innovation, entrepreneurship, research and the process of translating new technologies for real-world use.

An NDSU faculty member since 2005, Ulven teaches and conducts research in the area of advanced materials, with an emphasis on polymer matrix composites for commercial and defense applications. His work focuses on training university researchers to think more entrepreneurially and helping translate research-developed technology to industry. He also serves as associate dean for research in the College of Engineering, director of the Great Plains NSF I-Corps Hub and site director for the NSF Center for Biopolymers and Biocomposites I/UCRC.

“Great technology is invented and developed on university campuses, but there are obstacles to commercializing it,” Ulven said. “I look forward to diving into this topic with the general public and discussing new ways we can overcome these challenges as well as brainstorm other ideas attendees might have to help.”

This conversation will be moderated by Dr. Heidi Grunwald, interim vice president for research at NDSU. Grunwald brought 20 years of experience in research leadership roles, including work in research administration, technology transfer, clinical trials, survey research and legal epidemiology to NDSU from Temple University in 2023. At NDSU she works with faculty to secure external funding for research and sponsored activities.

The ongoing Knowledge on Tap schedule:

• Tuesday, Dec. 8; Metaphor and the Body: Explorations of Head-Heart Dualism
  • Dr. Michael D. Robinson
• Tuesday, Jan. 12; Paradoxical Acts in Turnarounds of Declining Firms
  • Dr. Chanchai Tangpong
• Tuesday, Feb. 9; Chaos and Risk in International Agricultural Markets
  • Dr. Bill Wilson
• Tuesday, March 2; Saving the World: One Molecule at a Time
  • Dr. Mukund Sibi
• Tuesday, April 13; Nanomedicine for Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Dr. Jagdish Singh
• Tuesday, May 11; Maternal Nutrition and Pregnancy Outcomes
  • Dr. Larry Reynolds

Advanced registration for the events is required and tickets will not be available at the door. Tickets are $5 and available through The Study.