Cohort 9 Fellows

Wara N. Laura
SAS, Computer Science
GS-LSAMP

“I-Corps helped me understand that
our ideas need to be looked at from
an outside perspective. I also
learned that to commercialize
an idea, one needs inputs from
the target market.”

Francis Libutti
RBS, Finance; EOF Scholar

“I’ve already used the customer discovery
process in a United Nations sponsored competition and I plan on using the customer discovery
process in the future when working with
any kind of start up.”

Zoya Sood
Communication and Information

“This experience taught me how to work collaboratively with professionals and
really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
I was surprised to learn how the data we
gained really pushed us to condense and
fine tune our customer segments, and even
led to new segments we had never thought of.”

Cohort 8 Fellows

Chloe Conover,
Materials Science & Engineering,
GS-LSAMP

“My opinions were valued even
thought I was the youngest member of
the team. I learned how to conduct
professional interviews and to be brief. 
I am definitely more passionate
about getting a patent.”

Sydney Simonitis,
Economics

“I learned if I focus and believe in myself,
I can be calm under pressure and execute tasks
at a high standard.
Watching the teaching team work together
was a really valuable experience for me –
they modeled what effective
collaboration looks like.”

(Mero)line Bazile,
Chemistry, GS-LSAMP

“I-Corps has supported and 
peaked my interest in STEM
and innovation.
When I go to grad school,
I hope to produce research
that is innovative
and cost-effective for the consumer.”

Jinson Buri, Pre-Business

“Through I-Corps, I learned how
to approach
and interview clients,
I also learned how much
potential I have.
I-Corps helped me be more confident.”

Dunbar P. Birnie, III

Professor & Corning/Saint Gobain/ Malcolm G. McLaren Chair Materials Science Engineering.  dunbar.birnie@gmail.com, Phone: 848-445-5606

Dr. Birnie is the PI on the Rutgers I-Corps Site Grant and participated as an academic lead for a National I-Corps team. He received his BS and PhD degrees from MIT and is deeply involved in solar innovation at many levels. His class on “Solar Cell Design and Processing” integrates innovation and practical engineering knowledge to help students evaluate new solar technologies as daily class discussion topics. Prof. Birnie has been modeling and measuring how solar power overlaps with the emergence of electric transportation through his “Solar-2-Vehicle Project”. Through various NSF funding he has worked extensively on dye sensitized solar cells and improving the nanoporosity channels that are important for enhancing efficiency. Present device-level work is aimed at wide-band-gap thin-film semiconductors to pair with silicon for application in 1-sun tandem architecture modules. The Birnie group is also actively involved in entrepreneurship related to renewable energy research and actively working to translate in-the-lab discoveries to commercial success.

Lori B. Dars, MBA

Associate Director of Office of Economic Development, Founder and Chair of the Rutgers Entrepreneurship Coalition. Rutgers I-Corps Site Director

lori.dars@rutgers.edu  Phone: 848-932-4481   Cell 732-642-9691

Lori Darsprovides leadership and support for programs and resources that facilitate collaborations between the University, industry, and government and is an essential member of development team for Innovation Park at Rutgers.  She works with stakeholder groups and regional networks.to identify programs that can build on current capabilities and resources to further develop entrepreneurship programs throughout the University, local community, and state. Last fall, she organized the first student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Expo held on campus
Previously, she was a member of the Technology Commercialization Office as part of the New Ventures & Entrepreneurship team, providing guidance to faculty, staff and student entrepreneurs on funding programs and resources to encourage start-up company activity at Rutgers; she was the university’s liaison for the National NSF I-Corps and University City Center QED programs. Prior to joining Rutgers, Lori worked in various industry positions in both corporate communications and marketing, overseeing activities for a variety of products and services.  She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Delaware and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University.

The Office of Grants Facilitation (OGF) is a unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Economic Development and Innovation at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).  The OGF provides support to faculty in the pursuit of securing and maintaining grant funding.  Through a combination of outreach and education endeavors, the office is able to help faculty take full advantage of all funding opportunities.  The OGF also works in conjunction with NJAES Office of Capacity Funding to develop broader impact statements derived from capacity and competitive funded projects.

The OGF is also responsible for overseeing all aspects of grant submissions.  This office supports University regulatory compliance, interprets contractual terms and conditions, and mitigates risk for SEBS and NJAES. This office provides guidance to faculty and staff on sponsor requirements for all competitive grants, contracts, and agreements.  This office is responsible for improving the transition from pre-award to post-award. The OGF staff works with senior leadership to develop and modify policies, procedures, and systems in accordance with governmental regulations and organizational needs and objectives.

What We Do

• Focused search for potential funding sources
• Develop funding plans to help build program/project capacity
• Help establish and build connections to funders, collaborators and partnering organizations
• Serve as a liaison to funding agencies and organizations, including cultivation activities
• Deliver educational programming on compliance regulations
• Create educational programs to support research faculty and staff to be responsive to funders
• Provides assistance with budget development
• Responsible for reviewing and interpreting grant submission guidelines
• Review and edit proposals for completeness before final submission to ensure compliance with funding guidelines

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