 Okay, we're back, we're alive welcome to research in Minoa here on think-tech tonight We're going to go right into the center of that issue and talk with our special and honored guest Vassilis Sirmos the vice chancellor for research and innovation at UH. This is the man who runs it all Welcome to the show Vassilis. Thank you for having me. Great to have you here in 2013 when the border region supported Vassilis as the VPRI vice-president research innovation of the University replacing Jim Gaines as the VP of research It also added the word innovation to the vice-president's title one of the new VPRI's properties is to support Significant growth in research through the University of Hawaii's innovation initiative was that H 12 is that H I to where? H OH hi squared Okay, this initiative seeks to double the stakes research enterprise at least at the time to one billion annually I'm gonna ask about that over the next decade the VPRI is also charged with critical leadership and coordination of System-wide research around the University and innovation around the University including management and direction of UH's research support Technology transfer and many compliance functions for the seven years before that Vassilis Sirmos served as the associate vice chancellor for research at the University in that capacity He worked on a range of projects including developing major research facilities such as the Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education Seymour Dave Carl Seymour the state's only laboratory to be rated lead premium lead platform lead platform Platinum I get it Vassilis obtained his PhD at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in 1991 in Electrical Engineering since 1991 he served in the Department of Electrical Engineering at UH Manoa Where he was a professor there? He also served as associate dean of the College of Engineering He spent a sabbatical lead with the Boeing company as a research fellow his interests include this is important Geometric and algebraic approaches in linear system theory everybody my wife and I talk about little else computational algorithms Methods for signal and image processing robust optimal filter design in systems medical imaging and prognostics and diagnostic methods related to condition-based maintenance system across the board it touches everything He's the author or co-author of more than a hundred journal and conference papers and the book called optimal control second-edition John Wiley 1995 he was an associate editor of circuits systems and signal process they wouldn't find out about that He has served in numerous international scientific conferences and committees his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency There must be you work the Office of Naval Research the National Air Systems Command The Naval Sea Systems Command I could go on the Air Force Research labs at Wright Patterson the Army Research Labs Again the Boeing company Hawaiian Electric Company that we hear the last hour And Hamamatsu photonics. He's been a consultant for the Canada France Hawaii Telescope CFHT Innovative Solutions Nova Soul we know them science technology international and others He's a Walter well over make that a Boeing well over fellow a member of the advisory board of Hawaii Technology Development Venture program a member of the Sigma what is it X I? Research organization and a senior member of IEEE but of course we would assume that Tonight we'll see if we can get him to tell us how research is doing at UH. It's most productive areas It's successes and challenges. It's patents Commercialization and sale and what he sees for the future. Wow. Let's begin with the glamour vesselist We need to know what's hot in research at Manoa what research what fabulous Famous researchers are here now the discoveries and how the discoveries will change our science our community and our world Let's dive in and talk about disruptive science and science disruption is always good, right? So tell us about research and innovation at UH Manoa So let me start Jay from how we organize our innovation portfolio and it always starts with the excellence So we're looking how to strategically invest the next 24 months and therefore we're Partitioning our portfolio in five areas without without saying that these are the only areas We always being opportunistic, but these are the five areas. We've been working for a long time So without any surprises One of our hubs is ocean sciences climate sciences climate change conservation biology So that is always mostly mostly saw it as you know But there are in other campuses as well But mostly saw us that is actually one of the premier institutions in the country in the world And that is something we're excellent. We're outstanding and we need to invest in the future So we maintain our excellence The next one which it's not a surprise to anybody either is astronomy and I say astronomy But it actually is much more than that when I say astronomy is not just telescopes astronomy for us is instrumentation optical systems space We have a lot of research in space. We have a lot of recent research on mission support for Mars So there are a lot of areas under that That hub if you will and we've been doing extremely well This is a very important area for the university probably the university's world renowned for our research and instrumentation and then we're looking at areas where they're very important to our state and then one of the most important for us is Wealthness and health wellness and medical sciences cancer center our jobs Medical school not only because of the great research they do for infectious diseases for diabetes But also because they train great doctors. That's the innovation and whenever people ask me about medical school and a lot of a lot of Outside people sometimes says isn't the medical school expensive to run and the answer? Yes it's very expensive and we're going to support it and the answer and The question I have for them. Do you think this would have been a better place without a medical school without a cancer center? Would you like to live here? So that's the investment in that area. It's very important for us I even for the cancer center for right now you go to precision medicine personalized medicine You look at our ethnic diversity Our ethnic diversity is unique, but the way our state looks today The world is going to look 20 25 years from now So medicines and treatments that they are developed for for us They're going to be applicable for everybody in a decade or two And then of course it's a very we are an island community So energy is a big part of our portfolio. It's a big part of our word for enterprise and innovation And agriculture one we touch sustainability is a big area and we've been good We have been very good and because we want to be good stewards So I'm Ethan Allen host of likable sign very close to me is High-performance computing data intensive science data visualization Cybersecurity it touches everything else we do from astronomy from ocean from medicine From energy. So that's the way we are organized in our research and this institution is one of the best in the country Yeah, you know, I don't think people realize we we touch a little here and a little there We see newspaper article about this of that, but you know to hear you say talk about those five areas it makes me realize that it's enormous and it's world-class and we have this Enormous organ of information and data and research happening right here now. It's fabulous what you're describing. I I'm really impressed. I'm more impressed than I was before you started actually. So let me let me say this though It also it serves science It serves the world in terms of dealing with you know other institutions around the world and being at a par or better Then many of them, but it also serves the community. Yep, so you get it going in all directions Relative to every year in 2017 and the research if you think about the research that this institution does He has a broader impact for this community as I say Can you imagine the state without a medical school? Can you imagine this state without an oceanography program? That is one of the best in the country. We just realize where we are We're in the middle of the ocean Can you imagine the state without being pioneer in astronomy? It has a much broader impact We do research in agricultural system. We do research in energy. It has a broader impact And a lot of these things are going to save our state Yes, you know you have people in southwest who understand about sea level rise and climate change They're going to give us advice. They're going to help us save ourselves as and when it comes to us Yeah, so the climate change is real first of all and the school of ocean earth science and technology Saw as it is one of the best schools in that area. They actually work with the state They work with DLNR in order to Develop policies especially for sea level rising and if you think about it our tourism is Most of it is in Waikiki if it goes one foot If the sea level rises one feet then you start one foot You're going to have a lot of issues a lot of issues So I mean the mission for the city council for the state legislature is to listen to your scientists because they do come around They offer their thoughts. They're very community minded more and more as far as I can see and Government has to listen to them because they hold the keys to our future. They can save us If we listen to them. Yeah, it's they do great research We're very good at that and where we want to push now the envelope is also we want to push the envelope innovation We want to create more revenue. We have an excellent portfolio in extramural funds We're around four hundred million dollars to four hundred and fifty. I would create eight thousand jobs I don't know if people understand that we employed just another extramural funds. These are not state funds These are funds we compete And we get in the state and we create eight thousand jobs for these four hundred million dollars But we need to take this Further we need to create an innovation economy We need to create a workforce that is ready to get it into any type of a economy knowledge based economy Whether it's here or global and everybody talks about oh, we need to create all the jobs for the kids to stay here I take a different tack on that. Yes, we need to do that But in my opinion we need to create an economy innovation economy that even if we send our kids Outside of this state is not a bad thing. It's a great thing to experience Different things, but when they decide to come back They should be able to come back to well paying job or a job as well paying as they want to have in the mainland So that to me is much more important than hey, let's keep all our kids here on the island We can't you can't so we have to figure out how to make the best of what we have Trained and best we can and as you say or for them the opportunity to come back the environment to come back to and when we come Back from this break vessel us We're gonna you're gonna tell me how I will try We're gonna tell me how we're gonna do that really important question would be right back with this other sermons Thank you for watching think tech. I'm Grace Chang the new host for a global connection You can find me here live every Thursday at 1 p.m. We'll be talking to people around the islands or visiting the islands who are connected in various aspects of global affairs So please tune in and aloha and thanks for watching I'm Ethan Ellen host of likable science here on think tech Hawaii every Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. You'll have a chance to come and listen to the news I'm Ethan Ellen host of likable science here on think tech Hawaii every Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. You'll have a chance to come and listen and learn from scientists around the world Scientists who talk about their work in meaningful easy to understand ways They'll come to appreciate science as a wonderful way of thinking way of knowing about the world You'll learn interesting facts interesting ideas. You'll be stupid I'm Ethan Ellen host of likable science here on think tech Hawaii every Friday afternoon at 2 p.m You'll have a chance to come. We're back. We're live here on research in Manoa with the Silas Seamos Who is the the center if you will of research in Manoa these the? Vice president of research and innovation since 2013 and he's talking about you know how it works up there And what it means to the state one of the things to come up in a break is you know This is really the intellectual center of the juggernaut if you will of the state of the state's thinking in advance and Is recognized I can tell you from our shows on research It's recognized around the world as excellent. I don't think people fully appreciate that and your point also that you know Yes, we can train them and yes, we have to understand many of them are going to go away But we can get them back and the trick is when they come back or when they think of coming back There's us. There's a what do they call it a cloth mother? Yes a cloth mother for them How do we do the episode? Oh, that's a that's a very tough question. They will take actually days to answer but We need to create some of these jobs in order to create some of these jobs You need to create opportunities in order to create these opportunities. You need to create a small business environment That does engineering the science that's computing the cybersecurity energy So we need to actually nurture our small businesses. We need to nurture our startups So we need to teach our students not to be just a good employee But also to be a good employer. So they got it has Innovative skills. They got to be entrepreneurial and again it is different not only in Manoa But the whole system we need to be out there and teach our kids our students some elements of innovation Entrepreneurship and teach them again and again how to fail and get up dust themselves and go on and even if they Don't do anything with that in their life. It is a lifelong Experience and how we do that how we integrate that in the curriculum. It's a tricky situation So we need to train students not only to be good employees, but also to be good employer So that's I think the trick here Well, I can just some of the icons that I've seen you have the shy list school. Yes at the pace Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship is Susan Yamada. Yes Scott Yamada, whatever Susan. Yeah, and she's gonna come on the show pretty soon And and you know and you have the innovation Center, which used to be the David Lassner building Yes, yes, now they got another David Lassner. It's your building too, and you know you got these you know icons of Teaching people entrepreneurship teaching how to collaborate. Yes, and make business you have to accelerate. Yes, I accelerate you age is another activity, so First of all, let me go back to pace and as I tell Susan Yamada and the Dean of the of the business school Panzer Olli Pace is not just the Entrepreneurship Center for UH Minoa pace should be the Interpreneurship Center for UH System and they have done my knifes and job They have created programs beyond having a beautiful infrastructure nowadays They have created programs like the business plan competition the venture world the startup part and we can paradise So they create that activity the students come in the faculty. It is a great It is a great program. So kudos to them and and we like to To work with them all the time and support them and now we have the innovation lab Which is a co-working space it is in the mill Movie about that. It was very interesting. Yeah, how it worked. Yes, and it is in the middle of Over the campus where all the traffic the student traffic takes place is at close to the warrior rec center So it is a place where people can go can do projects. It's it's it's a good opportunity It's a good thing. We want to put more spaces like that on campus and in other campuses We're working also with Capulani community cause to put a space like that I will be working with UH Hilo to put a space like that and wouldn't be wonderful to create and Dedicated building for co-working space incubator startups for the university This is something that it's very dear to me and I would like to do in the near future You go to a lot of research one institutions like Mino and you see across the street. There is a Co-working space that does all the incubation for the startups. It does the accelerator programs technology transfer It's nice funky beautiful. So I think these are some of the things we need to To push for we need to expose our students to this type of activity now. What about the used to be known I'm not sure it's called the same thing anymore But the office of technology transfer and development help you get patents give you some money for protecting your property Yes, so we are just finishing up or breaking up the office and putting it together a little bit differently So we are out to their Advertising we're trying to include the chief innovation officer who is does more than just the patents and that the technology transfer But also that person will overlook the UH ventures nowadays. That's a better idea Yes, it's a broader idea. So we take also equity in our startups So the university invests in some of our startups and we take equity so we put some skin in the game and we want this These companies to to actually succeed and it takes one or two right? We're gonna find many but you're gonna take one or two Yeah, you have a success. It's a leadership thing. Everybody follows that. Yes and then the third part of that is we are creating an office of strategic grand developments and Especially to deal with small business innovation research SBIRs and STTRs are faggot. They are extremely good in life in writing grants We want to create a vehicle for them to write more SBIRs SBIRs and STTRs There's money out there still there's still money out there for that. Yes. Let's cross our fingers, you know, I think part of this Developing this mindset of innovation and commercialization and having a business so those kids can come back again It's coming downtown and I really appreciate you coming downtown talking to me Appreciate the research of Minoa show that's organized by Sowest and so many other scientists You come from the university sit here and and put it out so that people can see it and they do watch it and they're interested in it Just today earlier today. We had a meeting Think tech with one of our prospective guests who is one of the managers of one of the downtown office buildings and they were talking about Building a system in their building that would be like a commercial like a downtown serious business Co-working space where there'd be a place to park or park your bike and would be a shared space with all the accoutrements of an office building Right here right down the block from the capital interests and from the business and from the government And that would be a fantastic connection for the university to have to insinuate itself And to have access to all these business services. What do you think? Actually, this is great, right? Co-working space downtown or in Chinatown or kakak or you see young people like to be downtown That's where the action is they like to be at kakak. Well, they like to be now in Chinatown You see a lot of this co-working space incubator space is a I'm gonna open up and I think they're gonna do well and what I have to tell is one of the First times that you see as you said the business community has taken that movement seriously You have a white business round table a chamber of commerce. Yeah, they ask the banks They have actually Embrace that idea and if you do not have these entities embrace that idea, you're not gonna go very far Be substrate is a tough place to be so you need these bigger businesses to welcome you, right? And they have actually there have been very supportive. We have the Hawaii business round table innovation initiative They have been such support is not only for the university, but for everybody out there. So these are great things Hopefully we're gonna see more of that and we're gonna see our legislature actually to To appreciate that and not only by saying it but also funding it. Yeah, it's it is a good thing It's a very high priority. It's a future of the state really I mean, we have to we have to develop this kind of as an alternative to tourism Yeah, we have to hold the kids or at least train them really well here the university is really in many ways I've said this for many years is our future and We have to support it even if it hurts we have to support it But let me let me let me turn to money for a minute. Okay in that piece I was reading from in my opening, you know, they said that That the Marcy Greenwood wanted to have a billion dollars and she saw it as an income as a business itself Yes, because the billion dollars comes in and it comes to researchers and it's spent on research and it filters down through the community And and we have a substantial business You mentioned earlier a few minutes ago that last time we looked it was four hundred million. Yes How do we get from four hundred million to a billion? Yes, sorry But this this is a really Tough question in the sense that people need to understand and you don't wake up one morning And you say now I'm going to double my research expenditure and to give you an idea is To double something you need first of all to have the infrastructure that is physical infrastructure but also it is Intellectual capital infrastructure The idea is now you for example now our flagship institution, which is Manoa if you look at that research infrastructure over there Yeah, physical in buildings How can you double your research when your buildings are limited and they are in such poor state? How will you be able to attract these? Researchers and faculty into that type of infrastructure a really good question So there are a couple ways someone is going to have to find either you're going to find the infrastructure Or you're going to have to find the intellectual capital the university cannot do both So we have you know, we're out there. We are trying to educate the legislature We're trying to put our requests together the president is doing magnificent job for doing that But unfortunately someone is going to have to pay something to go from 400 million to a billion And then on top of that sequestration came in it was lifted. Now sequestration is back in the talk We don't know how the legislature this session. No, but I'm talking about the federal job Okay, so it's a very different environment federal government right now how research and development budgets are going to say I don't want to say suffer, but how they're going to survive where all these R&D money going to shift is it going to be very targeted or is going to be open All of these are questions that are very difficult right now The environment is not the best. Hopefully certain areas were good at going to survive going to do well And therefore we're going to be opportunistic Yeah, hard question hard. That is a very hard Yeah, so I mean what can we do leaving it, you know in this in this discussion? What can we do? What can the public do what can a legislature do? What can the university do? to raise the money to achieve that goal and to you know bring this to sort of a Global funding position. Yeah, I think what the legislature could do is actually Find our See it capital improvement requests the capital improvement requests at least will bring our physical Infrastructure up to par with our competition Once we have that we can go out there and hire the best of the brightest in order to increase our Extra-neural funding if we don't have that how are you going to bring people right there? You have to compete with other institutions and our peers or at least the most peers as a research Institution is the University of Washington or a good state. So You you know, maybe we need all to go take a tour and Compare facilities and compare infrastructure. Yeah, was it the cost of bringing infrastructure up would be about 500 million Yes, I think it will be around 500 million. So, you know to to close our show I'd like you to I'd like you to speak to the public Facilice service and tell them what they should be doing and by the way, you could you could fold in the legislature, too No, I as I said What I want everybody to take away from from this today is that the University of Hawaii system is a unique Institution we are 10 campuses that research like super institution is menor and it is one of the best institutions in the country and we need to be extremely proud of its success and actually celebrate its success be proud and Have pride in whatever we do We want our kids to be exposed to the best and menor and our u8 system is one of the best educational systems in the country You know when we were doing a white public radio a few years ago, maybe 10 There was a popular bumper sticker and it said have you hugged your researcher today?