Speaker/Lecture/Seminar

During the next several Wednesdays, CREOL faculty will present brief highlights of their research activities. The talks take place at noon in Room 103, with two professors each giving a 25-minute presentation.Attendance is mandatory for all first-semester Ph.D. students.SEPTEMBER 312:00: Ayman Abouraddy12:30: Christian HeideSEPTEMBER 10No presentationsSEPTEMBER 1712:00: Sean Pang12:30: Yannick SalaminSEPTEMBER 2412:00: Konstantin Vodopyanov12:30: Shin-Tson WuOCTOBER 112:00: Joshua Kaufman12:30: Kristopher DavisOCTOBER 812:00: Kyle Renshaw12:30: Peter DelfyettOCTOBER 1512:00: Eric Johnson12:30: Ivan DivlianskyOCTOBER 2212:00: Murat Yuskel12:30: Li FangOCTOBER 2912:00: Kyu Young Han12:30: Leland NordinNOVEMBER 512:00: TBD12:30: Midya PartoNOVEMBER 1212:00: Sasan Fathpour12:30: Debashis ChandaNOVEMBER 1912:00: Stephen Eikenberry12:30: TBD

In engineering innovation and entrepreneurship, deciding whether to patent an invention requires balancing alternatives like trade secrets against key business considerations. This startup skills workshop overviews patenting versus trade secret pros and cons.Key issues:1. Trade Secrets vs. Patents: When to protect inventions secretly (e.g., Coca-Cola's formula) over patents, assessing reverse-engineering risks, enforcement and non-compete clauses that may restrict disclosure or mobility.2. Non-Compete Agreements: Identifying/negotiating covenants in contracts to avoid startup barriers, tying into IP choices like trade secrets that preserve flexibility without public disclosure.3. Startup Patent Strategies: Balancing high costs, timelines and risks -- including invalidity challenges in district court and the Patent Office -- through provisional filings and targeted IP portfolios to enhance investor valuation while minimizing exposure.Registration Link: https://ucf.startuptree.co/event/s/C8VSsnHA8E2gxTjLdUFsFB/To-Patent-or-Not-To-Patent%253F-

Your business needs a roadmap for every stage of its growth. We'll remove the mystery of how to create a business plan, the information that should be included, and how to use it as a tool to keep your company on track for long term growth.Virtual Location URL: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/6g3Q8Wa7/g/x4W8BcsAj4/business-plan-writing-made-easier-webinar-5a1eVO9qPhu Registration Link: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/6g3Q8Wa7/g/x4W8BcsAj4/business-plan-writing-made-easier-webinar-5a1eVO9qPhu

Alexander Mertens is vice president of investments and finance at Elevation Financial Group, where he oversees all fund acquisition and disposition efforts, capital stack initiatives, and the development and implementation of fund reporting and management programs. As the leader of Elevation's investments and finance team, Mertens optimizes fund performance through robust asset management and fund modeling initiatives.* Join Alexander Mertens as he shares his pathway from intern to vice president of investments. * Learn how Mertens took his experience learned from UCF's Burnett Honors College and College of Business to chart his path to earn the top Investment spot at Orlando-based PERE firm Elevation Financial Group. * The workshop will explore opportunistic real estate investing and the parallels of this principle in professional career advancement.Registration Link: https://ucf.startuptree.co/event/s/fhQtjtgQd7yT9xeDRvGzzz/From-Intern-to-Vice-President-of-Investments-%257C-Finding-Your-Pathway-to-Professional-Success

Amy Giroux and Mike Shier will deliver a talk about their recent work with Plains Indian tribes, entitled "And so, They Took Our Children: The Fort Marion Origins of Carlisle Indian Industrial School"