FSU Prof Gets Venture Funds for Electronic Paper Technology

A venture capital firm specializing in nanotechnology has bought licensing rights to commercialize thin film transistors, flexible electronic devices for products ranging from flexible displays, radio tags, and electronic paper, which are being developed at Florida State University (FSU). Under the deal, Arrowhead Research Corp. will pay $647,000 over two years for work by Andrew Rinzler, an FSU physics professor. Rinzler has made strides developing carbon nanotube processing – the basis of thin film transistors – that “could break open this field,” according to Arrowhead officials.

Unlike conventional electronics manufacturing, flexible electronics are likely to be produced with low-cost inkjet printing technologies. According to estimates from NanoMarkets, the total market for products based on thin film transistors could reach over $20 billion by 2012.

For more information, click here.

N.C. State Incorporates ERP Platform into Business Curriculum

N.C. State College of Management said it will use Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology from NetSuite Inc. in its business and accounting master programs. The school said it is one of the few business colleges in the country to offer an ERP course in its MBA and MAC programs.

Using the platforms, students learn key business processes by carrying out various transactional roles, from sales rep to warehouse manager. Students produce documents and reports at each point in the process, which officials called particularly important in light of federal Sarbanes-Oxley regulations that require companies to document key business process controls.

“I have been teaching ERP classes at the graduate level for five years using various software packages, including the traditional ERP systems, but they were not user-friendly. I spent most of my time managing the software, versus teaching my students,” said Marianne Bradford, associate professor of accounting at NC State College of Management. “I no longer have to hover over students to help them with the software program – they simply get it.”

For more information, click here.

Indiana State Picks Open Content Manager for Laptop Program

Indiana State University (ISU) announced that it would use a content management suite from Xythos Inc. to support a campus initiative to require all faculty and students to use laptop computers starting with its fall 2007 freshman class. The program already awards students with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher complimentary laptops from the university.

The content management technology, Xythos’ Digital Locker Suite, is an open-standard, Web-based system that provides secure document and file management and sharing between administrators, faculty, and students.

Bob Jefferson, ISU’s executive director of information technology, said the Xythos software supported “collaborative learning process beyond the classroom and even our own campus [yet was] familiar and easy-to-use for our faculty and students.” The solution “helps address our content storage, sharing, and security requirements all together,” he added.

For more information, click here.