SUBJ: Funding opportunities for hi-tech projects & ventures – APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Looking for funding for your tech project or venture?  Penn Engineering is pleased to offer funding opportunities for high-tech project and venture development. We are soliciting proposals for projects and venture concepts that might develop into companies, and these funds are available to help:

• Berkman Opportunity Fund ($500 or $1,000 per project)
  The Berkman Opportunity Fund provides support for students (or teams of students) with innovative ideas that might turn into products and companies. Click HERE to apply
• Miller Innovation Fellowship ($15,000 per venture)
  Miller Innovation Fellowships are designed to allow students (or teams of students) that have made use of Penn’s innovation & entrepreneurship resources to further develop ventures based on high-tech products & services and to have focused capital and advising resources to explore a venture.  If you have previously participated in and received funding from other Penn programs (e.g., iCorps, Penn Wharton Innovation Fund, Weiss Tech Fund, Venture Initiation Program Accelerator), click HERE to apply

Applications opened on Wednesday, September 22 and the application deadline is 11:59 PM EDT on Friday, October 8, 2021.

Contact Angela Busichio, Administrative Coordinator for Engineering Entrepreneurship, with any questions: busichio@seas.upenn.edu.  Apply today! 

Join us to learn more about Machine Learning and AI with the Society of Women Engineers and AI@Penn!

What do the invention of dynamite, government allocation of radio frequencies, prediction algorithms for protein structures, and securities trading all have in common?! Find out in our upcoming talk with members of the OneChronos team, Jesse and Iris, who will also discuss their career paths from Goldman Sachs to a venture-backed fintech startup, how engineering skills apply in these organizations, and how to consider different career paths and employer cultures.

When? October 4, 6-7 PM

Where? https://upenn.zoom.us/j/94178045122?pwd=SFlDbkRVVTV2bm1XSjFYMWJjanZmdz09  Hope to see you all there!  Mark your calendars! 

Check us out through our website: https://www.edabpenn.com/ 

The MBA Fund invests primarily at the pre-seed/seed stage in companies with founders from the Stanford, Harvard, and UPenn ecosystems. In the last year, we’ve backed >30 startups, many of which have gone on to raise capital from top funds (e.g., Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, YC).Our LPs include both founders (Doordash, Trulia, etc.) and VC firms (like Crosslink, NFX, Contour, Bessemer, and others). We’re also imminently closing a fresh multi-million dollar dedicated fund!

We’re looking for new Campus Investment Partners to join our Penn/Wharton team! This is a great way to get meaningful VC experience across sourcing, diligence, and execution – especially for those with ambitions to break into or continue within the industry (can attest the MBA Fund was instrumental in my own recruiting process!) Please find additional detail on the application form linked HERE; we will be interviewing candidates on a rolling basis.

Register to vote! Encourage others to participate in the democratic process!

Penn Engineering is in a friendly competition with the other UG Schools in how many Penn Engineers will participate in the Motivote voter drive. You can register to vote and take other actions to earn points. Not a citizen? No problem. You can still earn points for the School!

Participants should first sign up at http://upenn.motivote.us and then can join the Engineering Team: Undergraduate https://upenn.motivote.us/t/penn-engineering-1/overview/

FLU CLINIC 

What? Wellness’s annual Flu Vaccine Clinic! 

Why? Getting your flu vaccine is the single most effective way to prevent the flu. 

When? October 4^th-7^th, 10am-6:30pm & October 8^th 10am-3:00pm 

Who? Everyone in the Penn community! Flu vaccines are required for all students.  

Details: Flu vaccines are required for all students, faculty, and staff this year. The 2021 Flu Clinic will be held in Gimbel Gym (Pottruck Health & Fitness Center) on Monday October 4^th through Friday October 8^th. 

Penn Leads the Vote encourages you to make updating your registration part of your back-to-campus to-do list.

Right now: take two minutes to update your voter registration address or register for the first time online. Live in a College House? Make sure you specify your mailing address and residential address, learn more here.

If you prefer to register in person, join us on September 28th for a National Voter Registration Day Celebration on College Green from 11am to 3pm.

PLTV staff and volunteers will be on hand to help you register to vote answer any voting questions you may have. There will be free swag, free food, and more.

Visit us at our new website for more information – https://vote.upenn.edu

Opportunities to get involved:

We are looking for students, faculty, and staff to join us in making Penn a more civically engaged campus.

Consider joining us through one of the following opportunities (ordered from least to most commitment):

1. Volunteer: This is a high impact, low commitment opportunity for those who want to multiply your impact. Volunteers receive free PLTV swag and get priority access to events like National Voter Registration Day.
2. Fellowships: If you are looking for a longer, more professionally-oriented opportunity to support voting and civic engagement on campus, a fellowship is for you! Fellows work closely with PLTV staff to complete high impact projects over the course of the semester.
3. Paid Positions: PLTV is hiring an undergraduate partnerships coordinator and diversity and inclusion coordinator. These are paid positions open to students who are passionate about civic engagement and are able to commit 10 hours a week for the remainder of the year. Learn more on our website.

James Dyson Award.

What is the James Dyson Award?

The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. The challenge is simple: design something that solves a problem.

Who can enter?

It is open to current university students of engineering, product design and industrial design – and those who have graduated in these subjects in the last four years. We’ll ask to see official documentation that proves it.

What can you win?

Students that enter have the opportunity to win $2,500 as a national winner and $35,000 as an international winner, along with a donation of $6,000 to the departments that supported them. New this year! We will offer an additional $35,000 prize for the sustainability award winner, which is the best entry that addresses an environmental issue. The award not only provides an opportunity for students to commercialize their ideas through funding, it also provides an international media platform and exposure which has allowed previous winners such as MarinaTex, a home compostable material designed as an alternative single-use plastic films, to develop into businesses. Be sure to also check out our US National Winner, Thipok Cholsaipant, who is the inventor of Aerolyze, the world’s first breath glucometer for prediabetics. By replacing blood with a breath, the design eliminates the pain and inconvenience of pricking your finger altogether. .

Learn more about the James Dyson Award here: https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-us/home/ 

Dorm Room Fund  Partner Application and Zoom Event

Dorm Room Fund is the original student-run venture fund spun out of First Round Capital.  Their nationwide teams of student investment partners are instrumental in helpming them locate and invest in the most promising startups.  To date, they have invested in over 300 companies, such as Snackpass and Brooklinen, creating over $3B in value.

Applications to join the team are now open until September 24, 2021.  Access the application here: https://airtable.com/shrH740LMuSzfifEW

Feel free to reach out to Alex Spagnola at aspagnola@dormroomfund.com or email info@dormroomfund.com

The Penn Libraries is hiring students in a variety of roles. Daytime, evening, and weekend hours are available at library locations across campus.

Applicants should search “Library” in Workday for open positions.

Learn more: https://www.library.upenn.edu/about/hr/students

At this time, positions are open only to students with Federal Work-Study awards.  See more details here:https://ugrad.seas.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Penn-Libraries-Student-Employment.pdf 

The Red & Blue Engagement Center is looking for enthusiastic students (both undergraduate and graduate level) who love Penn or freshman who are learning to love Penn and want to connect with alumni and parents about the great things happening at the University! The center is open year-round and always hiring for the fall, spring, or summer semesters.

The job is posted to Handshake but students can also apply directly at  https://upenn.theengagementcenter.com/

Platt House is seeking a designer to create a user friendly app where student artists can connect with other student artists for projects and independent work. We would like to call it Debut or something similar and a description is below.  Compensation will be provided and determined before work is started.

Debut is an app for student artists looking to connect on short term projects. Debut provides a platform for student artists to connect, portfolio-build, and gain experience. This role would require the ability to program an app and would provide creative development and leadership opportunities.

Contact Laurie McCall, Platt House Director (lmccall@upenn.edu) for more information.

The FAA-sponsored Airport Cooperative Research Program’s University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs provides an outstanding opportunity for individual students or student teams working under the guidance of faculty advisors to design solutions to real world issues addressing our nation’s airports and the National Air System.

Students win cash prizes ($3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third place) in each of four different broad categories:

• Airport Operation and Maintenance
• Airport Management and Planning
• Airport Environmental Interactions
• Runway Safety/ Runway Incursions/Runway Excursions Including Aprons, Ramps, and Taxiway

A variety of multidisciplinary topics are suggested, but students can come up with their own relevant topics for their design solution.

First place winners present their work at an award ceremony at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in Washington, D.C. and also at a relevant national professional conference.  All expenses are covered.

Competition runs from August 16, 2021 to May 13, 2022.  Find more information here: ACRP Design Competiton .  Access guidlines here.