NSF BIG DATA grant winners include RENCI and UNC researcher

CHAPEL HILL, NC – Arcot Rajasekar, professor at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and chief scientist at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), is the principal investigator of one of eight new Big Data research projects receiving awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read more

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RENCI to lead effort to conceptualize NSF-funded Water Science Software Institute

CHAPEL HILL, NC – RENCI, the Renaissance Computing Institute at UNC Chapel Hill, will receive $729,686 from the National Science Foundation to begin a process that could lead to the development of a multimillion-dollar Water Science Software Institute (WSSI) led by RENCI and UNC Chapel Hill with partners across the U.S. Read more

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UNC startup Gift Boogle acquires MatchServ, selected to demo at CED’s 2012 Tech Venture conference

Above: Gift Boogle CEO Eric McAfee (left), and COO Scott Kleist.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Gift Boogle, a startup out of UNC Chapel Hill, has acquired MatchServ, a provider of web-based matching technology and a former strategic partner. MatchServ’s technology will be integrated into Gift Boogle’s gift matching social media application.

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Extending the REACH of NC experts

For Tom White, director of North Carolina State University’s Economic Development Partnership, a typical day includes answering a wide range of questions from business and industry representatives, economic developers and workforce specialists seeking university expertise to help solve problems, conduct research, or determine whether a business expansion makes sense. Read more

HydroShare aims to help scientists collaborate on water-related problems

CHAPEL HILL, NC – RENCI, the Renaissance Computing Institute at UNC Chapel Hill, will work with Utah State University and water scientists across the U.S. on a $4.5 million collaborative project funded by the National Science Foundation aimed at giving hydrologists the technology infrastructure they need to address critical issues related to water quality, quantity, accessibility, and management. Read more

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Making genomes make sense

CHAPEL HILL, NC – Sometimes, technology progresses faster than our ability to take advantage of it. The Internet was the domain of the U.S. Department of Defense and a handful of scientists before enterprising college students and technology geeks figured out how to make money off it and launched the “dot.com” era. Similarly, in only a decade, technology has transformed the sequencing of a whole human genome from a scientific milestone costing about $3 billion to a relatively routine affair costing several thousand dollars. But using this wealth of genomic data to improve healthcare and human health has proven to be a tougher nut to crack. Read more

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Second beta release of E-iRODS now available for download

 

RENCI is pleased to announce the second beta release, version 3.0b2, of the new E-iRODS binary distribution.  This release marks a continued progress toward the first full release of E-iRODS, which will be backed up by extensive unit, functional, and regression testing, running continuously on RENCI’s open infrastructure. Support and documentation will also be available. Read more

RENCI-affiliated teams elected to Federation of Earth Science Information Partners

The Assembly of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP Federation) elected four new member organizations, two of which have an affiliation with RENCI and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, bringing total membership to more than 140 organizations. Read more

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Carolina Launch Pad names four new ventures to its 2012-2013 class

CHAPEL HILL, NC, June 6, 2012—A new crop of Carolina entrepreneurs have joined Carolina Launch Pad, the university’s pre-commercial technology startup incubator. The companies will participate in the program for the next year. Read more

Carolina Launch Pad company Sqord recognized for innovation in fighting childhood obesity

Sqord bands

Students display their Sqord Power Bands, electronic devices that record their physical activity. Players can instantly upload data from the devices to the Sqord website, a safe and exciting environment where they can keep track of their activities and engage in competitions with their friends.

CHAPEL HILL, NC–Sqord, a UNC Chapel Hill startup that uses an online social game environment to encourage kids to be more active, was named one of two national winners in a competition to recognize innovative technologies used to combat childhood obesity. Read more