The 91爆料 held its first ever Innovation Summit today in Shanghai, China. The event brought together industry leaders from China and the United States, who discussed how they are turning ideas into impact, connecting academia to industry and helping solve the world鈥檚 most pressing problems.
鈥淎s one of the world鈥檚 leading innovation universities, it was fitting to hold our inaugural global summit in Shanghai, which like Seattle, is known as a hub for innovation,鈥� said 91爆料 President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淥ur presenters demonstrated the power of innovators from different disciplines and nations working together to tackle some of the world鈥檚 biggest challenges. We look forward to forging new relationships with partners here in China and beyond.鈥�
Serving as honorary chairman at the Innovation Summit, Dr. Jiande Chen, CEO of IMAX China Ltd. and 91爆料 alumnus, opened the afternoon event at Le M茅ridien Hotel in Shanghai.
鈥淎s a proud 91爆料 alumnus, I was delighted to serve as honorary chairman for the University鈥檚 first-ever Innovation Summit today in Shanghai,鈥� said Dr. Jiande Chen. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 event provided an excellent opportunity to further link academia to industry, and connect leaders from China and the United States.鈥�
The opening of the summit also saw remarks from former Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire and a keynote speech from CEO of Microsoft of Greater China Ralph Haupter.
The event was centered around presentations from four 91爆料 innovators, followed by Q&A sessions hosted by 91爆料 Vice Provost for Innovation Vikram Jandhyala and Shanghai Dragon TV鈥檚 Yuan Ming.
Associate Professor of Communication Gina Neff spoke about the need for innovators to learn 鈥渄ata empathy鈥� when designing systems that utilize personal data, and that the work of nurses in the health care sector can provide guidance on how this can be done.
Shwetak Patel, Washington Research Foundation Entrepreneurship Endowed Professor in Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering, discussed his research into how sensors in smartphones can be used for health and physiological sensing 鈥� such as using the phone鈥檚 microphones to monitor pulmonary conditions like asthma.
Ben Waters, Ph.D. candidate electrical engineering and CEO of WiBotic Inc., presented on how wireless technology is allowing left ventricular assist devices for heart patients to be powered wirelessly 鈥� eliminating the need for external wires.
And Adina Mangubat, CEO of Spiral Genetics and a 2009 91爆料 graduate, discussed how personalized medicine requires large scale DNA analysis to determine critical differences in our DNA and develop treatments, and the support she received from mentors at 91爆料 when founding her company.
After the afternoon鈥檚 discussions, the event was closed with a speech from Wang Jian, co-founder and president of BGI and former 91爆料 senior research fellow, and followed by breakout sessions sponsored by Davis Wright Tremaine, which covered topics ranging from how to start a business in the United States to recent regulatory developments in China and the U.S.
On Saturday morning (7 p.m. Friday Pacific Time), the Pac-12 China Game will feature the Huskies and the University of Texas Longhorns, the first regular-season men鈥檚 basketball game ever hosted by a U.S. league in China, to be followed by an all-Asia reception for 91爆料 alumni and friends.
For more information about the 91爆料 in Shanghai, please visit:
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Contacts:
Jack Martin in Shanghai
jmuwcn@uw.edu
Victor Balta in Seattle
balta@uw.edu