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Software cluster hosts 2nd annual Fresno State
Student Showcase
Last Thursday, the Central Valley Software Partnership hosted its 2nd annual Fresno State Student Showcase with presentations by five teams of Fresno State students about their current projects.
Steven Read, graduate of UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, demonstrates the project for art historians that he is working on with Fresno State faculty member Dr. Yu Cao.
Presentations included topics such as developing a dodgeball game using 3D tracking with a Web cam; video tracking using an object’s shape, color, texture and edge; developing software using mathematical representations of patterns in art in order to identify artists of unknown works or assess the authenticity of an art piece; and developing software for robotic swarms for military uses, toxic/hazardous waste situations, border patrols, search and rescue operations, and exploring unknown surfaces.
One group did a service learning project to develop a Web-based database for the Center for Multicultural Cooperation. The team was given eight weeks for the analysis, development and launch phases of the project. One team member noted that the most difficult part of the project was trying to figure out what the client actually needed the program to do. Another team member commented that the most interesting part of the project was the dynamic of working in a group. Unlike traditional school projects which move slowly because they are only being done by one person at a time, this project had five people doing different things, which allowed the group to see its progress quickly.
With local software companies in attendance, cluster leaders expect that students will be offered internship and/or employment opportunities once the semester ends May 16.
“The Student Showcase is a great opportunity for Fresno State students to gain exposure to local companies. The companies are then able to preview the up-and-coming talent pool,” said Ian Duffield, Central Valley Software Partnership chair. “It’s a win-win situation for all involved.”
For more information about the Central Valley Software Partnership, contact Allyson Robison at 559.294.6025 or arobison@csufresno.edu.
$250,000 business plan competition kickoff event
to be held May 15
An exclusive reception to kick off Fresno’s first national business plan competition will be held on May 15 in downtown Fresno at The Penstar Group.
The competition, which has been newly named “Start It Up—Fresno’s $250K Entrepreneur Challenge,” invites entrepreneurs to compete for $100,000 cash and $150,000 of in-kind services. Unlike most business plan competitions that are only open to students or local residents, “Start It Up” is open to all entrepreneurs who have the courage, desire and drive to reach their dreams. This competition also is unlike others around the nation because all of the prize money and benefits will be awarded to one person. However, hopes are that even the participants that do not win the final prize also will be recognized.
“Our anticipation is that the ideas will be good enough to receive recognition and help with growing their ideas,” said Project Director Christine Cerda.
Initially launched by the RJI’s Innovation Task Force, the competition is designed to show the rest of the world that Fresno is a place for business, innovation and entrepreneurship. It hopes to attract contestants who represent businesses for high-growth industries that will fit well within the community and lure venture capitalists from around the country.
Applications will be accepted until July 31, and the top 20 entries will be selected by mid-August. Contestants are only required to submit a five-page summary of their business plans to enter the competition. More detailed business plans will be required for the top 10 entries. The final competition will take place Oct. 3 and 4, and the winner will be announced during the half-time show at the Fresno State football game on Oct. 4.
For more information about the competition or how to become a sponsor, please visit www.lylescenter.com.
Record passenger growth continues at Fresno Yosemite International Airport
Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FYI) reported last month that passenger traffic continues to rise despite a slowing economy, high fuel prices and airline bankruptcies.
Passenger traffic in February and March 2008 increased by more than nine percent over the same periods last year, a sharp contrast to the national trend. According to the Air Transport Association, national commercial passenger traffic rose 2.2% in February 2008 and fell 2.1% in March 2008 compared to the same periods last year.
FYI-based air carriers continue to meet the regional demand for air service by sustaining seat capacity and flight frequencies. Within the recent months, Mexicana increased its flight frequencies from five to seven flights per week in March; while ExpressJet added a third daily flight to San Diego at the beginning of April. Additionally, other FYI-based airlines continue to provide the much needed seat capacity to popular, non-stop destinations and connections.
Although pleased with its passenger traffic growth, FYI management staff are continuing their efforts to recruit new airlines and expanded air service for the Central Valley region. Nine carriers currently offer Valley passengers nearly 50 daily departures from Fresno.
For more information about Fresno Yosemite International, please visit www.FlyFresno.com.
Visit the VIBE at Sports Town on Kern Street
On Friday, May 16, from 5 to 8 p.m., you are invited to attend VIBE, a City of Fresno/Fresno Area Express sponsored event designed to celebrate the revitalization efforts of Sports Town on Kern Street from Chukchansi Park to N Street in Downtown Fresno. Activities include:
- Salsa Music & Dancers
- Live Music – 40 Watt Hype
- XBOX Rock Band Stage Competition
- Tour the new ‘Sports Town’ on Kern Street!
- Visit Kern Street Restaurants
- Food Vendors
- Beer, Wine and Margarita Gardens
- Jack FM, Mega 97.9, KISS & Y101 Giveaways
- Car Show – Exotics, Transformers, etc.
- Children’s Area
- Sports Memorabilia
- Free Grizzlies Ticket Vouchers will be given away, don’t miss it!
This is the second of five VIBE events this summer. The others will be held June 27, July 18 and August 22. Parking will be available at the City parking structure behind the Saroyan Theater at Inyo and O streets. For more information, please call 559.621.CITY.
Downtown hotel plans support RJI Tourism cluster, add to Downtown revitalization
The revitalization of downtown Fresno continues to attract private investors. Recent developments in the number of hotel beds available in downtown will positively affect the evening foot traffic and attract larger events and conventions.
The Holiday Inn’s renovation of the hotel on Van Ness is almost completed, and it is expected to open in June 2008, adding 200 rooms.
Plans for a Downtown Convention Center Hotel have moved forward. On Tuesday, April 8, the Fresno City Council voted 7 – 0 to approve an exclusive negotiation agreement (ENA) between the City of Fresno, the Fresno Redevelopment Agency, and Fresno Convention Center Hotel Properties, LP, for the City-owned property located at 800 – 808 M Street.
The City of Fresno property located on the northeast corner of M Street and Inyo, adjacent to the Convention Center Exhibit Hall, is currently vacant. The property was purchased by the City for the purpose of a hotel development to serve the Convention Center, Exhibit Hall, Saroyan Theater, and Selland Arena, and to attract more events to Downtown Fresno.
Fresno Convention Center Hotel Properties, LP, will fund the necessary market, financial, and environmental analyses required to determine project feasibility within the time frame covered in a negotiated ENA. The ENA will serve to protect the developer’s investment to produce the necessary studies, determine project feasibility, hire a major hotel operator, and pursue financing.
For more information about the Downtown Hotel Convention Center, please contact Kelly Riddle, City of Fresno, at Kelly.Riddle@fresno.gov or call 559.621.8814.
Fresno State to offer Regenerative Bioscience Summer Symposium
Stem cell research is the next frontier of biotechnology. Stem cells hold the promise for treatment of several chronic diseases, such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, cardiovascular disease and spinal cord injuries. Many fundamental concepts have changed since the field of stem cell research took off five years ago. Education, awareness and discussion are vital to understanding the complex issues that surround the issue of stem cell research.
The Regenerative Bioscience Summer Symposium offered by California State University, Fresno, in collaboration with UCSF Fresno, will present to attendees the ethical, social and legal implications of stem cell research through the biomedical ethics component. Industry leaders, academic researchers and program instructors will present both basic and advanced techniques and theories of state-of-the-art stem cell culturing. Both animal and human stem cell models at the embryonic, fetal and adult stem cell level will be presented.
The Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 12, at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research Auditorium. The Symposium is intended for professionals in the health/biomedical community and laboratory technical personnel, as well as individuals who wish to further their knowledge of stem cell research and the surrounding issues.
For more information, contact Dolores Rodriguez at 559.278.0418 or drodrig@csufresno.edu. Fresno State CEUs will be available.
Business market data now available on City of Fresno Economic Development Department Web site
Businesses use data for decision making. Among the most important data that businesses use are demographics. Businesses need to know the size, composition, and characteristics of any market, to know if the market will support their business now and in the future. For that reason, the Economic Development Department keeps fresh, reliable data on its Web site and in its marketing materials. Every year on May 1, when the California Department of Finance releases updated population numbers for the cities and counties of the state, the Economic Development Department uses those data to update its Web site.
So how many of us are there? The population of the City of Fresno has grown to 486,116. Fresno County's population is now up to 931,098. Our six-county region (Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings, Tulare, and Mariposa counties) now numbers 1,945,315 residents. Want to know more? Would you like to know how many of us there are by ethnicity, gender, the projected population in 2010 or 2020? Please visit the Economic Development Department's Web site at www.Fresno.gov.
FYI Airport continues improvement projects
Last month, Fresno Yosemite International Airport began construction on the much anticipated Airport Baggage Claim Expansion and Terminal Remodel projects, as well as the “Sense of Place” project designed to reflect the personality of the region with replicas of giant Sequoia trees.
The remodeled terminal lobby will feature raised ceilings with an efficient lighting, way-finding carpet motif throughout the terminal, the consolidation of airline counters along one wall, and other innovative enhancements designed to improve the overall customer experience. When completed, the baggage claim area will be double its current size with two modern, T-shaped baggage carousels. Also, the six rental car agency counters will be consolidated along one wall.
Construction on the three projects is expected to be completed by summer 2009. For more information about Fresno Yosemite International, please visit www.FlyFresno.com.
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