Make Your Silence Heard: 2012 Ride of Silence

By Blanche Dean, Guest Blogger from Team MSFITS.

On May 16, 2012 at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists (and the obligation to follow the same rules of the road as motorists), the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

Please join Team MSFITS as they host the 7^th Annual RTP Ride of Silence starting and finishing at RTP Headquarters, 12 Davis Drive, RTP.  The Research Triangle Foundation has once again granted us permission to stage the ride at their facility and they are endorsing this ride.  The Durham Police Reserves will once again lead our procession, adding dignity and safety to our journey.

The Ride of Silence is a free ride, approximately 5 miles in length, that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride. There are no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for and honor the lives of those who have been killed or injured.

I know you’ve been out there riding and had things thrown at you, been “buzzed” by a motor vehicle trying to see how close they could get, been screamed at to get off the road, and worse.  You may have been injured and probably know someone or of someone who has died as a result of a motor vehicle/bicycle crash.  THIS is the ride to show your solidarity as a cycling community – to raise awareness and say “shame on you” to those who carelessly travel our roads without regard to life or limb.

We will supply black armbands to all cyclists to wear in memory of those who have been killed and red armbands to those cyclists who join us and are survivors of motor vehicle/bicycle accidents.  Please arrive early enough to prepare yourself and your bike to ride, to sign waivers, and participate in a tribute to cyclists before we head out at 7:00 sharp.  Read more »

SwitchPoint: Great Ideas with Real Impact

We’re always eager to share news on events and initiatives that make RTP and our region a neat place to live and work. The following blog post details an event on April 20 that seeks to bring together innovators across a number of industries and disciplines from more than 20 countries to focus on how the latest inventions, entrepreneurial ideas and real-world experiences can be applied to address global health challenges. It’s another great example of  the spirit of innovation and cross-collaborations of our State and region.

Guest blog post by Heather LaGarde, IntraHealth International

Imagine bringing together thought leaders, inventors, industry greats, tech superstars, multi-disciplinary entrepreneurs, academics, crisis responders, innovators, brand makers, communication specialists, community builders and funders from all over the world and asking them to apply their best thinking to the critical challenge of global health.  That is what we are doing April 20 at the first annual SwitchPoint Conference.

SwitchPoint is organized by IntraHealth International, a global health leader headquartered in Chapel Hill with offices in Washington, DC, and many countries around the world. Why is IntraHealth organizing a global gathering on entrepreneurship and innovation? Because we believe organizations and individuals are seeking greater alignment between bottom-line business interests and doing good in the world. Public-private partnerships and multi-industry collaborations are on the rise around the globe. Resources are being shared, local capacity is being built and sustainable relationships are being fostered in our growing global ecosystem, where the latest article, the latest invention, the latest course, the greatest challenge, can be shared exponentially and at light speeds.  In the world of global health it’s what we might call going “viral viral.”

SwitchPoint speakers are people who are doing concrete work to make the world a better place. They are doing it with inventiveness and social entrepreneurship at the core—with a sense of openness and sharing tempered by savvy business acumen and a focus on ideas that can succeed and scale, and be sustainable.

Presenters are coming in with affiliations to such corporations as Google, Red Hat, Intel, and Cisco.  Representatives from USAID and The World Bank will be on hand to share their goals and expertise.  Award-winning and globally recognized tech entrepreneurs building the latest messaging, mapping, and communications tools will share stories about applying design thinking and responsive engineering to save lives on the ground (think Haiti, Japan, India, and throughout Africa.)  Specialists in global engagement, global business, global health, global gatherings, international competitive challenges, celebrity engagement, social media and campaigns, branding, communication, and funding are among the speakers.

There are 30 speakers, in one day, on one stage–so even the conference organizers had to get innovative.  Expect fast-paced, compelling talks and multi-media group presentations. We made a ‘dynamic presentation’ using the great tool Projeqt to give conference goers a more visual schedule and a better sense of the day.  The conference will be live streamed so that people all over the world can join in.

Though the focus is on global health, many of the speakers are not global health specialists – they are individuals and organizations at the cutting edge of innovation in their very diverse fields. The lessons, tools and resources they can share are being used across many areas of focus. Whether your interest is global health, or climate change, clean water, mobile phones, emerging markets, development, aid, academia or business we believe you will find value in SwitchPoint.

The event will take place in Saxapahaw’s award winning Haw River Ballroom, a geothermal and solar-powered music and event hall built in the former Dye House of an historic Cotton Mill on the banks of the Haw River just 15 minutes outside Chapel Hill. We chose Saxapahaw because of its unusual nature, its proximity to Research Triangle Park, the Triangle and the Triad and also because in addition to being the Technology and Innovation Advisor at IntraHealth and one of the SwitchPoint organizers, I am the co-owner of the Ballroom and very glad to merge my own local and global worlds for this event. Saxapahaw in itself is a nationally recognized model of unexpected collaborations and partnerships and is redefining the word rural with a renaissance that fuses art, music, farming, food, recreation, education, environmental sustainability and locavore ethics. This tiny community was recently featured in The Washington Post and The New York Times.

The setting allows for a retreat atmosphere making the conference a fuller experience with a lunchtime riverside concert, kayaking breakouts before dinner and a food truck rodeo.  And the whole event culminates in a benefit concert featuring a host of national and local musicians coming in to play us all home, inspired, networked, informed and eager to collaborate, develop, invent and engage.

This is, to me, the best of what North Carolina has to offer.  It is the driving entrepreneurial spirit, the opportunities, the resources, the goodwill, the beautiful countryside and the creative people that draw so many of us to this area. And it’s innovation, new technologies, social venture, start-ups, hubs like RTP and increasing global partnerships that are taking our state to the next level.  What will it take to flip your entrepreneurial switch?

Heather LaGarde launched the IntraHealth OPEN initiative in partnership with Youssou N’Dour and other artists, building a coalition of leaders in global health and technology focused on local leadership and innovation in open source solutions for critical global health issues. She has also worked for War Child and Human Rights Watch. On a local level she runs a music series and a farmer’s market in partnership with her husband Tom LaGarde, and is a co-owner of the award winning Haw River Ballroom. She has lived in NYC, London, Geneva and Lome, Togo and now spends much of her non-traveling time on an old dairy farm in Saxapahaw, NC. Twitter @heatherlagarde

Start-Up Alley: Advance Your Start-Up

Guest blog post by Jeff Tippett, Calvert Creative

Are you an entrepreneur who wants to put your ideas in front of thousands? Start-ups of all types can enter to win the opportunity to claim a spot on the all-new Start-up Alley at the Greater Raleigh Chamber’s 2012 Business Expo.  Start-Up Alley is a contest for area start-ups driven through community voting and powered by social media. The winners will get to showcase their products or services to attendees in a special section of the show floor and connect with fellow start-ups and also get to pitch their business to angel investors and experienced entrepreneurs at a special panel event during the show for invaluable feedback.

Start-ups can register their companies on the Chamber’s registration page. They then promote their companies through social media, email marketing, word of mouth, etc. The nine companies with the most votes will win an opportunity to display their company on showroom of the Raleigh Convention Center at the Business Expo ’12. In addition, they will have the opportunity to pitch their company to an expert panel in an afternoon session. And following the expo they will be invited to a private networking event.

Why should a start-up participate?

Brand Awareness: Opportunity to tell THOUSANDS about your start-up at the largest B2B expo in our state. You get consumer feedback and potential customers.

Expert Advise: Pitch your company to angel investors, a business attorney, a product specialist, and a tech start-up CEO. You walk away with tons of expert advice to take your start-up to the next level.

Networking: Guaranteed invitation to a private networking event following the Business Expo.

Steps to move forward:

1. Register your start-up here on the Chamber’s UserVoice registration page.

2. Promote your company to everyone you know.

3. Promote more.

Need more information? Contact Jeff Tippett at jeff@calvertcreative.com or 919.459.8662.

Register now!

UNC Science Expo

Guest blog post by Denise Young of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

If you’re looking for a local celebration of science during the upcoming North Carolina Science Festival, be sure to visit the UNC Science Expo.

The Expo will be held Saturday, April 14, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. Admission is free. During this year’s UNC Science Expo, you’ll have the opportunity to go “behind the scenes” into cutting edge science labs and meet the scientists behind their discoveries.

The Expo will also feature hands-on activities, a science stage featuring action-packed shows and science storytelling and much more. You’ll even be able to meet a Nobel Laureate, UNC-Chapel Hill’s own Dr. Oliver Smithies.

The UNC Science Expo is appropriate for all ages and is a great way to spend the day with family, friends, scout troop or students. While on campus, plan to stay for the Carolina Spring Football Game at 3pm in Kenan Stadium. Admission is free.

For a full listing of Expo activities, please follow this link:

http://www.moreheadplanetarium.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news_item&id=662

The UNC Science Expo is a signature event of the North Carolina Science Festival, a two-week celebration of science April 13-29, 2012. Fine one of more than 500 Festival events near you at www.ncsciencefestival.org. The North Carolina Science Festival is proudly produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.”

Photos courtesy of the North Carolina Science Festival.

2012 North Carolina Science Festival

Guest blog post by Julie Rhodes, North Carolina Science Festival

The North Carolina Science Festival is a multi-day celebration showcasing science and technology. The Festival highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of science in our state. Through hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits and performances, the Festival engages a wide range of public audiences while inspiring future generations.

Hands-on activities provide a glimpse into real-life science challenges. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Science Festival

Attention all science enthusiasts! The North Carolina Science Festival, the annual statewide Festival celebrating all things science and technology –related, is about to arrive near you!

With more than 500 events on this year’s Festival calendar, there’s sure to be something for everyone. The North Carolina Science Festival runs April 13-29, 2012.

With a mission to inspire and inform the public about the foundations and frontiers of scientific discovery, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center proudly produces the North Carolina Science Festival.

With more than 500 choices, there's sure to be anl event to suit nearly every science tastebud. Photo courtesy of Counter Culture Coffee.

The Festival, a two-week, statewide series of programs that showcase science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of the STEM disciplines on North Carolina. It includes hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits, performances and other events, and engages a wide range of audiences while inspiring the next generation. It serves as a vehicle for encouraging students to pursue STEM careers and for businesses to invest in North Carolina.

This year the Festival is bringing three TV science personalities that you won’t want to miss. Jeff Corwin, wildlife biologist and Animal Planet TV host, is coming to Greensboro; Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of PBS’s “NOVA scienceNOW,” in coming to Chapel Hill; and Adam and Jamie, hosts of Discovery Channel ‘s “MythBusters,” are coming Charlotte.

Curious about the science-economy connection? Some businesses are hosting behind-the-scenes tours during the Festival. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Science Festival.

But it’s not all superstar talent at the Festival. You can get your science kicks with events like the Kannapolis Zucchini 500, the Robot Rumble in Durham, or Train Rides in New Hill! To find more events near you, visit www.ncsciencefestival.org.

The 2012 Festival Champion is Time Warner Cable. 2012 Platinum sponsors include Burroughs Wellcome Fund, NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and SAS. 2012 Gold Sponsors include Biogen Idec Foundation, Duke Energy and News 14 Carolina. The Festival is proudly produced by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Charlotte’s Discovery Place is a key strategic partner.

Startup Madness: ACC Tourney for University Startups

Guest post by Scott Kelly 

March Madness is in the air!  While we love college basketball here in the Triangle, we also love startups!

On March 14th (the day before March Madness), 19 of the best student entrepreneurial teams from ACC schools will converge in American Tobacco in a bracket style competition. At the end of the day, one team will emerge as the best student entrepreneur in the ACC and take home the $5,000 prize.

Check out the Startup Madness video below & join the Madness by registering here.

Summer Fun

Guest post by Stephanie Baber, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

A few weeks ago, we provided a snapshot of some of the summer camps in the RTP area aimed at the “science attentive.” Here’s more info on one of the camps we noted: the Morehead Planetarium campus at Kestral Heights.

It’s that time of year again — time to choose summer camp experiences for your children. And there’s a new summer camp option for the children of RTP workers this year.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is expanding its popular science camps to a new RTP site at Kestrel Heights Charter School. Morehead Summer Science Camps provide a fun and educational way for children to spend their summer, with hands-on learning activities, science-themed crafts and outdoor recreation.

The new RTP site is conveniently located near the intersection of N.C. 54 and N.C. 55, perfect for busy parents who work in Research Triangle Park. Morehead offers one-week, full-day sessions from July 9 through Aug. 3, with drop-off beginning as early as 7:45 a.m. and pick-up continuing through 5:30 p.m.

Each camp session pairs a morning theme with a afternoon theme:

• Grades K-1“Dinosaur Detectives” and “Magic Tree House Explorers”"Aquatic Addresses” and “Bodies in Motion”
• Grades 2-3“Cricket Coding” and “Me and My Shadow”"Secret Formulas” and “Magic Tree House Researchers”
• Grades 4-5“Fizz! Bang! Boom!” and “Test Pilots”"LEGO Lab” and “Sky Searchers”
• Grades 6-8“Rocket Science” and “Moon, Mars and Beyond”"Astronomical Wonders” and “LEGO” Lab Challenge”

Morehead Summer Science Camps present science to kids in new and exciting ways. Camp curricula are developed by science educators at Morehead and presented by camp counselors who are science and education majors at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Registration for these camps is open now through Morehead’s website. And if you’re a Morehead member, you’re eligible for a $30 discount on each camp session.

Bus on Shoulder in the Triangle – 1st Road Test Complete!

Guest post by Brad Schulz, Triangle Transit Communications Officer

If you’re like me, you start your car already late for work. Once you’re finally on I-40, you lead foot it – hoping you can make up a few minutes and can get to the office on time if traffic will, for once, cooperate. But as sure as Murphy made a law, it doesn’t happen. Traffic slows to a crawl. You’re gripping the wheel and watching the minutes tick by, wondering what the boss will say when you finally get to work.

Now imagine this– as you’re stuck in that traffic you look in your rear view mirror and see a Triangle Transit bus on the shoulder. No, it’s not having mechanical problems. In fact, it’s the only thing moving as it pulls by you on the shoulder while you stay super glued in another congested weekday commute.  Suddenly you wish you were on the bus instead of mired in traffic.

Fantasy? Nope. It’s not a dream. Triangle Transit, the Regional Transportation Alliance and the NC Department of Transportation recently did just that – ran a road test of a full size transit bus on shoulder. If the planets align for weary travelers, North Carolina’s first bus on shoulder demonstration project could be a reality by summer.

Where would it run? It would operate westbound on I-40 between the Durham Freeway (NC 147) and the 15-501 Exit. Eastbound buses could travel on the shoulder between 15-501 and Page Road. If the NCDOT approves the plan, signs would clearly let drivers know they could see a bus beside them on the right.

When would it run? Triangle Transit buses with trained operators could only use the shoulders when travel speeds are below 35 MPH in the main lanes, and buses could only travel up to 15 MPH faster than other vehicles. If there’s a car in the breakdown lane or an emergency on the shoulder, the bus driver can’t use it.

Has this worked in other places? Before you think we just dreamed this up, Minnesota’s Department of Transportation implemented the idea around 20 years ago, with nearly 300 shoulder-miles in use today. More than 10 states now use bus on shoulder lanes and no state has discontinued a bus on shoulder program once it began.

Minnesota's Bus on Shoulder System has been in place for nearly 20 years.

So what could it mean for me? Transit customers have shorter, more predictable and reliable travel times. If you’re a regular rider, your chances of missing a transfer would drop. The Minnesota experience has shown that riding the bus means you’ll spend less time fuming behind the wheel. With those stress-free extra minutes, you’ll have more time to read, catch up on that work you promised the boss, or surf the Web with Triangle Transit’s free Wi-Fi.

We’ll keep you posted on next steps and remember… the next time you’re stuck in traffic on I-40, just picture yourself in that bus riding around that gridlock. There you go… you’re already smiling.

Envisioning RTP for Future Generations

A guest blog post by Bob Geolas, the new President & CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation

The Research Triangle Park in 1959

Growing up in North Carolina, I have always believed that our state was special, capable of achieving “big things” and destined to play a leading role on the global stage. It does not matter whether you were born and raised in North Carolina or moved here from somewhere else, we all seem to share this confidence in our state.

To me, this comes from our great Research Triangle Park and its history. A bold, even risky, proposition fifty years ago, North Carolina announced its intentions to build a cutting-edge research park in a scrub-pine forest in a state that ranked 49 out of 50. Despite all the challenges, it worked.

Today, RTP stands as a global brand, an innovation hot spot and economic engine for our country. Now, it is time for us to think big again for RTP and North Carolina. Throughout this year, we will begin launching a new development plan.

A vision for the Research Triangle Park of the future

This plan will embrace four principles:

• RTP should be highly collaborative – a place that brings people together in new dense, urban centers with amenities and services.
• RTP should be authentic to North Carolina -  representing modern design and quality work and living spaces.
• RTP should be inspiring - representing the excitement of the future in science, technology, arts and humanities.
• RTP should be accessible – affordable to new technology companies and those looking to grow and expand.

This will be an exciting time for our great Research Triangle Park and I am honored to represent such a special place. I hope you will join us as we begin to launch our next fifty years and the continued promise that is our destiny.

A new public charter STEM high school in Research Triangle Park

By Dr. Amanda Marvelle, Guest Blogger from Research Triangle High School

Did you know that RTP will soon have its very own high school dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning?  Research Triangle High School (RTHS) is anticipating opening as a public charter school in RTP this August 2012.  The school’s launch is spearheaded by Pamela Blizzard, a founder of nationally-ranked Raleigh Charter High School, and of the science education non-profit Contemporary Science Center in Durham’s Museum of Life and Science.

RTHS will offer an education that blends digital materials with experiential learning, enabling us to reach a broad spectrum of learners, and to develop young people into mature, sophisticated thinkers and doers. We hope to draw applicants from a range of academic, economic and minority backgrounds… a school that will represent the diversity of the Triangle. Our goal is to accelerate learning for all who come to this school, preparing them for college and our globally competitive work world.

Innovations at RTHS:

* Cutting-edge instructional techniques will blend digital material and collaborative experiences, reflecting the mobile world in which we live and work today.

* ‘Flipped’ course work will allow students to learn from digital lectures and material outside of class time, and to learn from group labs, seminars and collaborative projects during class time, allowing much greater differentiation for students’ learning.

* Research Triangle industry internships and projects, developed through partnerships with surrounding companies, will allow students to develop skills and a solid sense of the work-world around them and their place in it.

* An extended school day will provide more opportunities for instruction and help outside of class, as well as overcome transportation barriers.

* Learning Teams of teachers and industry experts will support key STEM learning objectives, creating a fertile field of experts collaborating to create better learning opportunities for students both at RTHS and beyond.

Are you the parent of a rising 9th grader and looking at high school options?  We are anticipating charter approval by February 3^rd. The student application period will open for rising ninth grade students on February 4th and close on March 15.  The school will begin with a ninth grade class of 160 students, and add a new grade each fall until grades 9-12 are covered with a projected student enrollment of 420. For more details visit:www.researchtrianglehighschool.org.

Research Triangle High School RTP Open Houses

Friday, February 10^th 12 PM to 1 PM
Wednesday, February 15^th 5:30 PM to 7 PM

Research Triangle Park Headquarters
12 Davis Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709