Innovation Lab at East Tennessee State University

Celebrating Innovation: The 2025 Core4ce/ETSU Innovation Challenge!

What an incredible culmination to the 2025 Core4ce/ETSU Innovation Challenge! Nine talented teams tackled one of today's most critical public health threats: the management and mitigation of HPAI A(H5N1) Bird Flu.

The 10-Day Challenge: Unifying Data for Bio-Event Management

The recent transmission of H5N1 from dairy cows to humans underscores the urgent need for integrated solutions. The teams were tasked with designing and prototyping the Bio-Event Tracking System (BETS)—a functional, interactive platform to combine disparate data sources (animal, human health, environmental, and resource) into one cohesive operational picture.
This challenge aimed to solve the problem of fragmented data that currently hampers effective decision-making and timely intervention, ultimately protecting both animal and human populations.

Pitch Event Highlights:

The competition culminated with an electrifying pitch event on November 21st at Tennessee Hills Brewstillery in Johnson City, TN. Teams made their final case to a judging panel, showcasing rapid software prototypes and key functionalities with the winning team showcasing their comprehensive demo video. The level of innovation and strategic thinking on display was truly inspiring!

A Focus on Collaboration:

A huge thank you to the 9 participating teams, each consisting of ~5 members. We are especially proud of the collaboration between Core4ce colleagues and our outstanding students from East Tennessee State University (ETSU).
A special shout-out to the seven ETSU student participants for bringing their fresh perspectives and academic rigor to the challenge:

• Gracie Wright
• Noah Ashmore
• Samuel Deaton
• Lydia Yoakley
• Samuel Caleb Nkrumah-Appiah
• Luke Seal
• Justin Dubin

Thank you to all the Core4ce participants for dedicating their time and expertise in working with our students to develop innovative solutions that could have a significant impact on public health security.

A special thanks to:
Core4ce Managing Partner, Todd Harbour,
Core4ce Vice President, Communications and Marketing, Alex Bender
Core4ce Chief Information Officer Shane Breland
ETSU Director of Military & Veteran Services Colonel Daniel Bishop
ETSU Cybersecurity Innovation and Outreach Center Director Michael Lehrfeld

The ETSU and Core4ce partnership yields another engaging event. Tonight marked another milestone in our ongoing public-private partnership with Core4ce. Rick Hubbard, Chief AI Scientist, spoke to ETSU students, faculty, and administrators about the crucial intersection of AI and cybersecurity.

Many thanks to Dr. Michael Lehrfeld and Col. Dan Bishop!

The vibrant Q&A session, which had to be cut short due to time constraints, was a true testament to the students' deep interest and intellectual curiosity.

A fantastic night of learning, collaboration, and potential internships/employment.

Today, I had the opportunity to guest lecture in one of Dr. Henry Antkiewicz's classes, which is always a highlight of my year. The students' inquisitiveness and engagement made for a dynamic session. Interacting with bright, curious minds is the best part of working at a university.

Thank you, Henry, for the invitation! Looking forward to next year!

A proud moment: My ETSURC team member, Eric Jorgensen, spoke on the "Tennessee Innovation Parks Driving Life Science R&D" panel this morning at the Life Science Tennessee annual conference.

As a board member for Life Science Tennessee and part of the ETSU Research Corporation team, it’s fantastic to see my colleagues contributing to vital industry discussions.

Great job, Eric!

Another highlight of the Core4ce/ETSU Research Corporation Innovation Lab/CBAT/Military Science Collaboration, Innovation Challenge, is this talk by Rick Hubbard, Chief AI Scientist from Core4ce.

https://lnkd.in/e3-WMa-k

For my ETSU peeps: The Historic Eureka Inn and Event Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee would like to offer visitors to ETSU a special price for staying there. They look forward to welcoming the Buccaneers in their warm and cozy Inn located in the heart of the oldest town in Tennessee.

On December 1st, I’ll be celebrating 14 years at the ETSU Innovation Lab, and I can confidently say that I have the best job on campus! As part of the ETSU Research Corporation, I have the unique privilege of transforming the world through innovation, positively impacting our region and beyond.

Today, I had the pleasure of touring the Blowing Cave Mill—a true piece of Americana—in Sevierville, Tennessee, alongside Steve Nice, President of Shield Nutraceuticals. It was fantastic to reconnect with my friend Gary Baker, the dedicated owner, restorer, and preserver of this historical site.

This setting was perfect for brainstorming innovations and collaborations focused on designing new technology and protocols in agriculture, nutrition, and land & water remediation.

Here’s to many more years of innovation and collaboration!
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🎉 Congratulations to ETSU Innovation Lab members, Les and Derek Baker at Flowgoat, Inc! 🚀I’m thrilled to celebrate the launch of your innovative software that brings advanced AI chatbot technology to businesses and nonprofits alike.Your features, including:

Advanced conversation analytics
Real-time keyword and sentiment tracking
Seamless CRM integrations
Actionable reporting

…are game-changers that provide business owners with invaluable insights and enhance their customer service. Wishing you both continued success as you empower organizations to harness the power of AI!hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

What a pleasure it was to speak at the Tri-Cities Airport Authority's economic development meeting today! Representing the ETSU Innovation Lab and Research Corporation is always a privilege, particularly when connecting with folks so committed to advancing Northeast Tennessee as a prime location for living and doing business.

The atmosphere was electric, undoubtedly fueled by the exciting news of Breeze Airways adding two new non-stop flights to Washington D.C. and Orlando, Florida! This is exactly the kind of momentum that drives our community forward. hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

Looking forward to representing ETSU, The Innovation Lab, the Research Corporation and Life Science Tennessee at Bio2025 in Boston next week.

Come and visit us at the Life Science Tennessee booth in the exhibition hall.

Is Boston losing its biotech crown? BIO conference takes place amidst industry fears The annual Biotechnology Innovation Organization trade show is expected to bring about 20,000 participants to Boston starting on Monday. Here are the expected key topics of discussion.