Michelle Stiles Posted by Michelle Stiles 13 May 2013

The RTP Goes to the Movies

We, here at the Research Triangle Foundation have been on pins and needles with the excitement surrounding the opening of the new Iron Man 3 movie.  You see just about a year ago Marvel Studios camped out at the RTP Headquarters to build the set for Stark Industries and the office of Pepper Potts.   It took about two weeks of construction for two days of filming.  I felt so important coming to the office on film days because we were given special bracelets to wear to show that we “belonged” there.  We were part of the “in crowd”.  Of course we couldn’t wait until May 3rd to see if we made the cut or were left on the editing room floor.  Well, we’re in!

A few coworkers and I ventured out to see for ourselves and YEP, there is the RTP Headquarters, I mean Stark Industries on the big screen.  If you have ever visited the headquarters building there are particular items that are unmistakable identifiers.  From our deep, heavy, chunky front desk to our grand video wall, copper patina walls and custom leather chairs (all of which make an appearance in the film).  I was surprised however at just how many of the actors were in this particular scene.  There was, Gwyneth Paltrow (aka Pepper Potts), Jon Favreau (aka Happy Hogan), Guy Pearce, and James Badge Dale and lots of local extras.

Personally I think the best thing about the movie was that, as a surprise to us all, our own Conference Center Manager, Linda Rozet, who was imperative to this whole process was mentioned in the credits!  Way to go Linda R!  There it was in black and white scrolling up the big screen a thank you to “Linda Rozet and the Research Triangle Park“.  The Research Triangle Park is known all over the world and now we are also known in a little place called Hollywood.

*The burgeoning NC film industry brought created over 4,000 jobs and $376 million in spending in the state for fiscal year 2012.

Craig Reed Posted by Craig Reed 15 Apr 2013

RTP’s ‘Books On Break’ To Benefit Durham Students

The presence of books in a child’s home is said to be one of the biggest predictors of academic success. Unfortunately, less than half of America’s lower income children are without a single book in their home.

“Books on Break” is a program aimed to provide lower income children with reading material for the summer months when many experience “summer learning loss.”  The Research Triangle Park is joining together to try and help collect over 5,000 books for children in grades 1-6.  The books will range from picture books to short novels and both new and gently used books are accepted.  In the past this event has been a huge success, bringing together efforts from companies across RTP and helping to show what a philanthropic entity the park can be.  With combined efforts of companies and the surrounding community we have the ability to make a truly amazing difference in these children’s lives.

In 2012 the program collected over 4,000 books for children in the Durham County area. This year, we hope to exceed that.

There are several ways to donate books to the program: drop off at RTP headquarters (12 Davis Drive) in one of the drop off bins in our lobby, at one of the bins located at select RTP companies, or you can go online to Amazon.com and buy books from the wish list and they will be shipped directly to the drop off location (http://amzn.com/w/1HQGXBNUBPF0X ).

Over 100,000 books have been placed in deserving homes through our partner Book Harvest and all of the books collected will go to benefit children in Durham Public Schools. Whether it be donating one of your old Dr. Seuss books or helping to purchase a few new books online, anything helps and makes a significant difference to these young growing minds.

The program starts April 15 and will go through May 15, if you have any questions please email me at reed@rtp.org.

Julie Terry Posted by Julie Terry 10 Apr 2013

Raleigh’s New Trail, Courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC

Since moving to Raleigh in October, the North Carolina Museum of Art has quickly become one of my favorite places in the city. I love the rotating collection and the brightness of the West Building, but I’m obsessed with the Museum Park and the art housed there. Trotting around outdoors is relaxing to me, and the art hidden throughout the trails makes it even more so. I’ve dubbed Museum Park my “happy place.” Judging by how many people I see using the space, there’s no way I’m the only one. Mike Cindric & Vincent Petrarca, 'Lowe's Pavillion'

Earlier this week I noticed some new wayfinding signage along one of the trails highlighting something called the Blue Loop. The signs stuck out because they had mileage on them, and I never know how far I’m running (err…slow jogging?).

As it turns out, the Blue Loop is being officially unveiled this weekend with an awesome sounding event at the NC Museum of Art. Sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, attendees that complete the 1 mile Blue Loop on Saturday, April 13th will get free admittance to the new, 0 to 60 exhibit.

A few weeks ago I was surprised to see an artist placing desks and chairs among some trees in the middle of the park. After some quick Twitter investigating, I discovered that I had viewed an installation of one of the 0 to 60 pieces. There’s nothing better than watching contemporary art in action!

Tom Shields, Forest for the Chairs

The Blue Loop was constructed as part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC’s GO NC! initiative.

For full information on Saturday’s event, visit the museum’s website for more info.

 

Julie Terry Posted by Julie Terry 9 Apr 2013

Spring Into April’s Food Truck Rodeo

The sun is shining and the birds are chirping, and hopefully your allergies aren’t acting up because it’s time for the April’s Food Truck Rodeo! Join us on what we hope will be a beautiful day for some of your favorite trucks from across the Triangle at RTP HQ!

The Deets:

When: Thursday, April 18th, 11:30am – 1:30pm
Where: RTP HQ, 12 Davis Drive
Who: You, your friends, and beautiful weather, and these trucks:

Pie Pushers
Twitter: @PiePushers
http://piepushers.com/

Only Burger
Twitter: @OnlyBurger
http://onlyburger.com

Chirba Chirba Dumplings
Twitter: @ChirbaChirba
http://chirbachirba.com

The Parlour
Twitter: @parlourdurham
http://theparlourdurham.com

Monuts Dounuts
Twitter: @monutsdonuts
http://monutsdonuts.com

Greek Gussys
Twitter: @GreekGussys
http://gussys.com

Fahsyrah’s Lemonade
@fahsyrahlemon

Please remember that parking is limited here at RTP HQ and we encourage you to carpool, ride a bike, or jog over to the rodeo!

The RTP Food Truck Rodeo is brought to you by the Research Triangle Foundation and sponsored by RTP company Fidelity.

Erin Monda Posted by Erin Monda 25 Mar 2013

We Must All Become Bearodactyls

I am not an event planner.

Coordinating people, answering 10,000 questions, juggling finicky speakers, and corralling late caterers: these are the things nightmares are made of.

I also hate public speaking. Sweaty palms, unflattering angles, stuttering, stage fright.

But I do both of these things anyways, out of love of a place. That place being North Carolina’s Triangle.

If you made our 180° event last week, you know exactly how inspiring that love can be.

You’d have felt the electric energy – that hungry, entrepreneurial spirit that manifested physically in the room. You’d have seen the bright eyes, the knowing grins of the audience. You’d have heard the crowd roar, at the very end, as emcee Will Hardison said, “Let’s show these people what there is to love about the Triangle” as he casually snapped a Vine video with his iPhone.

It was proof consummate that we who live here love our Triangle. And what’s not to love? The area is saturated with brilliant minds, brilliant research, brilliant achievements. And we still get to enjoy all of the benefits of a tightly knit community.

But while we’re busy stuck in books and solving all the problems, our competitors are wearing ironic black-rimmed glasses and skinny jeans, listening to Skrillex and generally being cooler than cool-flavored Doritos.

Plus, they’re marketing themselves accordingly – and that’s the crux of the matter.

Yes, Houston – we’ve got a marketing problem.

Because we’re sexy. We’re cool. AND we’re smart. There should be no competition.

We’ve got just as many hipsters as Brooklyn, and we’re just as bright as MIT or Stanford. In short: we should obliterate them all out of the water with our sheer amounts of epic. But when I went to SXSW, and mentioned RTP to a collective band of 100 interactive attendees, nary a lash was batted among the 20s and 30s set. They did not know what RTP is. Or what it has been.

We’ve become quiet in our works; and somehow, we’ve lost ourselves to an entire, implicitly-ironic generation.

This is a problem — and one that can be fixed.

But for that to happen – for that to really happen – we need to stop being shy, studious bookworms. We have to evolve past our comfort levels into dinosaur-class, disproportionately awesome entities capable of ruling the sky.

–

Our footage from March 19’s “180°: Entrepreneurship in the Triangle” isn’t online yet – but it will be soon.

And your best way to get your hands on it is to follow our Twitter, @TheRTP – and our YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRTPNC.

The bearodactyl is a noble concept created by @TheOatmeal.

James Lim Posted by James Lim 1 Mar 2013

We’ve Got What You’re Craving: The March RTP Food Truck Rodeo

It seems like just yesterday that we had our last mini food truck rodeo, but there’s another one just around the corner!  Emerging from winter hibernation is an old favorite, The Parlour (I’m a fan of the salted butter caramel), and they will be joined by Pie Pushers,  Chirba Chirba, Only Burger, The Humble Pig, and Sweet Stacey Cakes.

RTP Food Truck Rodeo

Here are the details you’re craving.

When: Thursday, March 7th, 11:30am to 1:30pm
Where: RTP Headquarters, 12 Davis Dr.
Who: YOU + the following trucks

Parking is limited so consider carpooling, biking, walking, or other creative form of transportation. 

The RTP Food Truck Rodeo is brought to you by the Research Triangle Foundation and sponsored by Fidelity.

Erin Monda Posted by Erin Monda 26 Feb 2013

RTP’s February Social Media Council Notes

Erin Monda, Research Triangle Foundation of NC - NC Science Fest is coming up., NC BEST Fest takes place at the NC Natural Sciences Museum, Gov. McCrory has not visited RTP HQ yet, City of Raleigh Datapalooza is happening – if you want to be involved contact Jason Hare. RTP is launching an event series in March called 180. Tickets are limited, if you’d like to attend get them now!

Anitra Johnson, Fujifilm Diosynth – RTP facility is expanding, and they have jobs available. TWEET!

Hallie Sessoms, Sigma Xi – March 18-23 they will be hosting at virtual student showcase on Tumblr. 100 submissions have been received so far, and 400 judges from around the world will be assessing the content.  Nov. 8th and 9th will be the Student Research Conference.  Hope to host a career expo in conjunction with the conference. Members of the Sigma Xi development office might be reaching out to park companies to provide support. Their in-house publication, American Science Magazine, will be developing a phone app that will be released in conjunction with their June issue.

Jamie Nunnelly, from SAMSI and NISS– SAMSI will be hosting one of the few Simons Public Lectures in the US, at the UNC Friday center at 7pm on April 24th. The Simons public Lectures are held worldwide. Dr. Francesca Dominici will be presenting on “The Public Health Impact of Air Pollution and Climate Change.” She is the Asst. Dean of the Harvard school of Public Health. For more info visit: http://www.samsi.info\simons2013

Robin Decale, NC BioTech - #lsc2013, annual biotech conference with CED. BioInternational Convention is April 22nd – 25th in Chicago.

Andrew Sawyer, RDU – Rdublog.com, adding new content about 2-3 times a week. Some of the info could be very helpful for RTP companies. There is also new info about the USAir/AA merger, and how this could affect RDU. TSA Pre-check is also coming to RDU in March.  Recently announced the new restaurants for Terminal 1, when the project opens next spring. RDU currently has daily non-stop flights to San Fran, and they’re launching two daily non-stop flights to LA on American and Delta.

Kelley Thompson, Fidelity – Just had 10 year anniversary of campus in NC, called Millennium Way. Fidelity is actively hiring for the growth they’ve experienced. Currently, Fidelity is a sponsor of the RTP Food Truck Rodeo. They have launched @FidelityJobs to help get the word out about openings with their company,

Melissa Kotacka, UNC –Launch of http://money.unc.edu – great planning resource for students and families for entirety of UNC career. Two Luce scholars (our student body president and one of our Morehead-Cain scholars) – UNC is the only university with two for 2013-14 class and leads nation overall with 35. NC Science Festival special event for HS juniors coming up in the spring; event is by invitation only (already sent) and in collaboration with other UNC/Morehead Planetarium events

Keanne Hoeg, NCSU Industrial Extension Services – Has partnered with FedEx to provide a training on how manufacturers can export products. The session consists of three day-long trainings throughout a two-month period. Visit ies.ncsu.edu for more info.

Allie Sandoval, RTI – Opened new research operations center in Raleigh. Recently wrote a report for the NC Sustainable Energy Association that received a lot of press.

Linda Taurasi, RTI Intl – Just attended Washington DC social media week and got to meet with the USA Social Media Team. RTI Intl is currently partnering with Duke in a sustainability business and social impact degree through the Fuqua School of Business.

Amy Blalock, City of Durham – The City of Durham is currently in the final stages of hiring a Social Media Manager. New person should be on board in a month.

–

These Social Media Meetings are organized by Erin Monda, Communications Director, Research Triangle Foundation. She is assisted by her most excellent Department Coordinator, Julie Terry.

If you wish to participate in future meetings, please email communications@rtp.org; generally speaking, you must represent a Park company, a founding university — or an international airport.

Erin Monda Posted by Erin Monda 13 Feb 2013

North Carolina’s Need for Speed

We’re Switzerland. It’s a designation that came about from our very nature; RTP came out of a joint collaboration between universities, government and industry.

In most cases, we strive to honor our foundation by being neutral in nearly all matters of a political flavor.

But sometimes there are matters that we cannot help but champion. North Carolina’s Next Generation Network (NCNGN) is one such project. Comprised of a partnership between Cary, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem, Duke University, NC State University, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and all associated chambers of commerce, the aim is to feed North Carolina’s need for speed.

Next-gen networks lead to next-gen opportunities and fiber and bandwidth are required infrastructure for the future economic development of our state; for the future of innovation. The NCNGN will bring competitive Internet speeds to the Research Triangle and greater Piedmont Crescent Corridor.

The NCNGN is powered by Gig. U, a collaboration of over 30 leading research universities from all over the United States, the goal is to accelerate the deployment of high-speed networks around the leading universities and their communities – to drive economic growth and stimulate new generations.

According to Marc Hoit, North Carolina State University’s vice chancellor for information technology and CIO, “If North Carolina has ultra high-speed (e.g. 1 GB) Internet, it will allow our innovators to remove the constraints of limited bandwidth to create ground breaking changes in healthcare, education and new businesses.”

A collaboration of six municipalities and four universities, the NCNGN provides assets to help reduce the costs and aggregates demand to demonstrate the need which together reduces the risk for a company to provide the services requested.

Hoit added that the effort “…is an outstanding example of collaboration between universities, municipalities and the business community supported by the chamber of commerce.”

For companies that want to change the world; that care about giving North Carolina the speed it needs to move forward; there is a joint RFP that launched February 1 that is open to any provider that can meet requirements and service goals.

Download the RFP and submit a proposal here: http://www.tjcog.org/nc-next-generation-networks.aspx.

James Lim Posted by James Lim 8 Feb 2013

Nothing Says Love Like Food from a Truck

RTP Food Truck Rodeo

Don’t have plans for Valentine’s Day yet?  Well, join us for our next RTP food truck rodeo:

Thursday, February 14th, 11:30am – 1:30pm, at RTP Headquarters, 12 Davis Drive, brought to you by Research Triangle Park and sponsored by Fidelity Investments.

Whatever your deal, we’ve got your angle covered:

Make it a Date
What a great way to enjoy a lunch time date with that special someone in your life.  We’ll have tables both inside and out.  If the weather’s nice, bring a blanket and have a romantic picnic, food truck style.

Find a Date
Still looking for that special someone? What a great opportunity to find yourself a date for the evening. Make use of the time you spend waiting in line and chat, flirt, and mingle!

Be Bitter
Angry at the world for creating a holiday to rub your singledom in your face?  What better way to soothe your rage than with the delicious comfort foods our trucks have to offer?  And you don’t even have to share.

Take a Picture with a Cow
(You weren’t expecting that one, were you?) Visit the RTP Headquarters lobby and meet the newest member of our team, Bessie, the Binary Bovine.  Take a picture with her.  Scan her QR code.  Instagram the two of you together (and tag it #BinaryBessie).

Just Eat
No problem.  Here’s the list of the trucks that will be joining us:

As always, parking is limited, so get creative with your transportation. Carpool, rollerblade or skip on down to the RTP HQ!

Linda Rozet Posted by Linda Rozet 5 Feb 2013

Leadership Lessons Learned

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

                                                          John F. Kennedy

In this changing economic business environment it is more important than ever for companies to optimize their resources and operate more efficiently.  Nurturing and training good leaders to manage and protect your brand is crucial.  This was the focus last Thursday at the Archie K. Davis Conference Center located in the RTP Headquarters.   Led by renowned training expert, Dr. Bauback Yeganeh, RTP company managers learned how to hone their leadership skills in the first of three events focused on leadership.

The first session – Intentional Leadership – examined practices and routines that may have worked well in the past but need to be reviewed and updated to reach new personal and professional goals.  “Being aware of accumulated work routines and how they may help and/or hinder performance is the first step to practicing specific mind-management techniques that enable us to be intentional in the actions that impact our organizations and lives,” stated Dr. Yeganeh.

There was plenty of lively discussion and group interaction as participants explored ways of utilizing different leadership tools in addressing their own personal business challenges, replacing “automatic” thoughts and reactions with behaviors that would more positively enable their desired outcome.  Participants were also given “Intentional Leader Practices” to assist in mindfully developing productive reactions and outcomes based on different result scenarios.

There are two more sessions planned in this series:

  • Intelligent Communication – February 28th
  • Developing Others at Work – March 28th

Both sessions are offered at no charge to RTP employees by the Research Triangle Foundation through the Archie K. Davis Conference Center located in the RTP Headquarters at 12 Davis Drive, from 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm with a reception following.

Space is limited.  This offer is only available to RTP employees, verified with a RTP email address.

Click Here to Register

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