Innovation


UConn Online Grad Programs Lauded for Quality, Value for Veterans

UConn Today – Several of UConn’s online graduate programs are highly ranked for the quality, value, and flexibility they offer to veterans, including one that recently earned the top spot nationwide in U.S. News & World Report’s annual review.

The UConn School of Nursing’s programs were named No. 1 for veterans wishing to pursue online graduate studies in that field, along with high rankings for others: the School of Business (no. 8); the College of Engineering (no. 22); and the business school’s MBA program (no. 62).

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Innovation Quest Turns Students into Entrepreneurs

UConn Today – If there is one thing that Gaofei Zhang learned from a night-time equestrian class at UConn on a bitter cold evening is that a warm, comfortable pair of boots is one of life’s necessities.

“After that night, I tried a lot of brands of boots,’’ says Zhang, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural History (CAHNR). “They either weren’t warm or weren’t waterproof, or they were slippery or stiff or hard to clean. I didn’t understand why you’d call them ‘snow boots’ if they aren’t good in the snow!’’

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Alum Hayley Segar Wows ‘Shark Tank’ Judges, Lands a Deal with Two of Them

UConn Today – UConn alum and swimsuit entrepreneur Hayley Segar ’17 (CLAS) impressed ABC’s “Shark Tank” judges, and left the entrepreneurship competition with a business deal with two of them.

Despite a case of nerves prior to the segment’s taping, Segar was confident and composed when describing onewith, a women’s swimsuit startup that eliminates seams and other uncomfortable features of swimwear. Segar has repeatedly described her business as a UConn-fueled company.

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Swimsuit Entrepreneur, UConn Alum Hayley Segar to Appear on ‘Shark Tank’

UConn Today – Women’s swimsuit entrepreneur and UConn alum Hayley Segar ’17 (CLAS) will appear on next week’s segment of “Shark Tank,’’ the competitive entrepreneurship TV show with almost 3 million viewers.

Segar, whose swimsuit company onewith came to fruition with the support of UConn entrepreneurship programs, will appear on the show at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 on ABC.

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Camaraderie, Enthusiasm Punctuate Wolff New Venture Competition

UConn Today – A novel treatment for long-term pain management that could revolutionize post-operative care and eliminate the need for opioids for many, won the first-place, $30,000 grand prize at the Wolff New Venture Competition last week.

Professors and esteemed UConn Health researchers Lakshmi Nair, Ph.D. and Yusuf Khan, Ph.D. say they were both surprised and thrilled that their startup, Soleia Biosciences, received the award. With the financial and business support they’ve received, they hope to advance the treatment that has been in development for 10 years.

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UConn Alumni, Car Fanatics Creating Marketplace for Second-Hand Auto Parts

UConn Today – When they were college students at UConn, Kyle Mayers ’13 (BUS) and Wally Namane ’13 (BUS), ’18 MBA both drove identical older, red BMW coupes. Friends used to confuse them as they zipped around campus, until one of them finally connected the two men on Facebook.

Mayers and Namane had a great deal in common. They were both ambitious, both car enthusiasts, both first-generation college students.

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Medical Startup Soleia Biosciences Aims to Eliminate Severe Pain–Without the Opioids

UConn Today – Surgeons perform almost 800,000 total-knee replacements, and more than a half-million hip replacements, in the United States each year.

And while those procedures are typically life- and mobility-enhancing, the initial post-surgical pain can be very unpleasant for some patients. Opioids remain among the most popular prescription medication to combat orthopedic post-surgical pain, but two UConn Health faculty members think they’ve found a better solution.

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Startup ‘Vamos’ Seeks to Help Companies Thrive—Even When Their Employees Live Thousands of Miles Apart

UConn Today – Niko Zurita ’10 (BUS) remembers how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, almost every human resource executive in America tried to arrange a “Virtual Happy Hour” in an effort to keep employees connected.

And while it was better than nothing, those end-of-the-workday gatherings, conducted through a computer monitor, were clearly no substitute for an in-person event, Zurita says.

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Alum Roars into Children’s Toy Market with Colorful Plush Dinosaurs, Plans for Complementary Books

UConn Today – As a UConn student, Lyla Andrick ’24 (CAHNR) created about 2,000 brightly colored dinosaur stuffed animals in her dorm room, while also juggling schoolwork and a job at a veterinary clinic.

The plush animals have become so popular that the small New England boutiques where they are sold can’t keep them on the shelves.

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A Marriage of Land & Sea: UConn Agricultural Startup Seeks to Slow Food Spoilage

UConn Today – Who hasn’t purchased a pint of mouthwatering strawberries and two days later had to toss it in the trash because the berries became mushy and moldy?

A staggering one of every three pieces of fresh produce ends up in the garbage, a frustration for farmers, grocers, and consumers alike.

But a team of UConn scientists think they have a solution. Their startup, Atlantic Sea Solutions, is using seaweed extracts as a coating for peaches, berries and other fresh produce. They believe the natural ingredient can double the shelf-life of perishable foods by reducing shrinkage and spoilage. The seaweed-coating can be applied without changing the flavor or texture of the food.

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