November 13, 2015
Industry leaders gather at first ever University of Washington Innovation Summit in Shanghai
Speakers at the University of Washington’s inaugural Innovation Summit, held November 13 in Shanghai, China. From left: Adina Mangubat, Jiande Chen, Chris Gregoire, Ralph Haupter, Ana Mari Cauce, Yuan Ming, Vikram Jandhyala, Shwetak Patel, Gina Neff and Ben Waters. (Not pictured: Wang Jian)Dan Schlatter/University of Washington
The University of Washington 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’s most pressing problems.
“As one of the world’s leading innovation universities, it was fitting to hold our inaugural global summit in Shanghai, which like Seattle, is known as a hub for innovation,” said University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. “Our presenters demonstrated the power of innovators from different disciplines and nations working together to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. We look forward to forging new relationships with partners here in China and beyond.”
Serving as honorary chairman at the Innovation Summit, Dr. Jiande Chen, CEO of IMAX China Ltd. and UW alumnus, opened the afternoon event at Le Méridien Hotel in Shanghai.
“As a proud UW alumnus, I was delighted to serve as honorary chairman for the University’s first-ever Innovation Summit today in Shanghai,” said Dr. Jiande Chen. “Today’s event provided an excellent opportunity to further link academia to industry, and connect leaders from China and the United States.”
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 UW innovators, followed by Q&A sessions hosted by UW Vice Provost for Innovation Vikram Jandhyala and Shanghai Dragon TV’s Yuan Ming.
Associate Professor of Communication Gina Neff spoke about the need for innovators to learn “data empathy” 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 – such as using the phone’s 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 – eliminating the need for external wires.
And Adina Mangubat, CEO of Spiral Genetics and a 2009 UW 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 UW when founding her company.
After the afternoon’s discussions, the event was closed with a speech from Wang Jian, co-founder and president of BGI and former UW 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’s basketball game ever hosted by a U.S. league in China, to be followed by an all-Asia reception for UW alumni and friends.
For more information about the UW in Shanghai, please visit: http://www.washington.edu/shanghai/
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Contacts:
Jack Martin in Shanghai
jmuwcn@uw.edu
Victor Balta in Seattle
balta@uw.edu
