Category: play

Fostering the Next Generation of Startups

“We posted a job for a Chemical Engineer and only got a handful of responses,” explained Jamie Beard from FastCAP Systems.  “We figured if that talent isn’t out there, we’re going to grow it from within.”  That future talent took the shape of 20 students from Boston Public Schools this past Wednesday, who toured through a number of Innovation District Green and Clean Tech companies.

This ‘exposure’ tour for students from Boston Green Academy, Boston Latin School, and Boston Latin Academy kicked off at GreenTown Labs.  Students got the opportunity to talk with young entrepreneurs from Coincident, Promethean Power and others.  From the scrappy start-up prototype floor at GreenTown, the tour moved across the Innovation District into the Marine Industrial Park.

FastCAP Systems featured mechanical, design, and chemical engineers, who explained how and why they do what they do.  At one station students passed around a small postage stamp sized square containing ‘a billion-quadrillion’ nano-tubes, while a chemical engineer and FastCAP CEO Riccardo Signorelli explained the full range of amazing applications for nano-technology (including making your socks stink less).

 

 

 

 

The day concluded with a visit to SatCon – where an engineer explained solar inverters and students checked out the assembly floor.  The range of companies visited – both in size and products – showcased not only the exponentially expanding green jobs sector but the growing cluster of Green and Clean Tech here in Boston.  In a few years, these students could be the engineers launching their own start-ups or making breakthroughs at FastCAP and SatCon.

(Special thanks to Jamie Beard of FastCAP for organizing the program and lending her photography skills.)

Press & Posts 1/6-1/12

2011 in the ID…What’s next for 2012?

  • Vertex and the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum are under construction, and 368 Congress Street has begun its rehab!
  • Of the 90+ companies that have moved into the Innovation District since January 2010, 75% have moved in the past year.  Below are some highlights:
  • BRA Board approved the following projects in 2011:

    319 A Street Rear
    381 Congress Street
    Pier 4
    West Square

    So that was 2011, the quick and dirty version….what will 2012 bring?

    Share your plans, and tell us what you want 2012 to bring to the ID.

    Here are some fun facts to start:

    • The BCEC announced that 2012 will be its biggest year since 2007 and is set to generate $625 million in economic impact with over 600,000 hotel nights, a 34% increase from 2011.
      • The International BIO Convention, the world’s largest biotechnology meeting, arrives June 19!
    • BRA Board approved 20,000 SF to be leased to Geekhouse Bikes to run Headquarters Boston, a creative incubator.  Apply now to join the fun!
    • Fraunhofer will begin the $20M retrofitting of its headquarters in Channel Center.  2012 = living laboratory.
    • Boston Transportation Department and Boston Bikes are working with Toole Design on the expansion of bikes lanes across the city; where would you like them seen in the ID?  Click here to share your thoughts.

    Press & Posts 12/30-1/5

    NYE in the ID

    Three Steps to Guarantee a Great NYE

    1. Grab $18

    2. Run to the Boston Children’s Museum, the New England Aquarium, or the nearest Shaw’s, Au Bon Pain, or Tedeschi’s.

    3. Buy your First Night 2012 button

    FLASH YOUR FIRST NIGHT BUTTON for access to the special events and promotions along Boston’s waterfront on New Year’s Eve.

    Thank you, Mayor Menino, The Boston Harbor Association, and First Night Boston!

    Schedule of Events, courtesy of Friends of Fort Point Channel

    Fort Point Channel Information: Pick up your “passport” to New Year’s Eve activities on Boston’s waterfront at Waterfront Square in Atlantic Wharf, 280 Congress Street, from 10-11:30 a.m. before viewing the cyber art installation, “Vast Vistas”, and outdoor winter art by students from Wentworth College.  Refreshments provided by Boston Properties.

    Norman B. Leventhal Boston Harbor Map Collection:  View original historic maps of Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay from the Norman B. Leventhal Map Collection while enjoying hot chocolate, hot mulled cider, and Boston Harbor Hotel holiday cookies in the Magellan Gallery, Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

    Made in Fort Point: Join Fort Point artist Hilary Law in art activities for children and adults from 10- 11:30 a.m. at the Fort Point Artists Community Store, 12 Farnsworth Street.

    Boston Harbor and the Environment: Listen to story-telling about the environment and family-oriented activities at Independence Wharf’s interior public space next to the HarborWalk, 470 Atlantic Avenue, from 10:30-11:30 a.m.  Free coloring books provided by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and refreshments provided by Cushman and Wakefield.

    Boston Clam Chowder: Sample Boston clam chowder at Smith & Wollensky‘s newest location on the Fort Point Channel.  Complimentary samples from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 294 Congress Street, Atlantic Wharf.

    First Night on the Rose Kennedy Greenway:  Enjoy educational programs, harbor island tours, and book signings at the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion on the Rose Kennedy Greenway from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m.  At 4:30 p.m., view the “Lighthouse” art installation and video displays of goodgood Studio and New American Public Art, part of the “Winter Lights” series along the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

    Maritime Museum:  Learn about Boston’s maritime past at a one-of-a-kind pocket museum on Battery Wharf along the North End waterfront.  Ultimate hot chocolate bar and cookies provided by Fairmont Battery Wharf in the museum from 1 p.m. to  3 p.m.

    View the fireworks on Boston Harbor (open to First Night button holders and the general public):  The first 275 guests will view the midnight fireworks on Boston Harbor.  Boarding begins at 10:30 p.m. from Gate C, Rowes Wharf, with departure at 11:30 p.m.  Boat will return at 12:30 a.m.  Hot chocolate available for purchase.  Sponsored by the Boston Harbor Association, Mass Bay Lines, and the BRA.

    Arts and Culture along the Waterfront:

    Atlantic Wharf, 280 Congress Street.  Cyber art installation, “Vast Vistas”, and outdoor winter art by Wentworth College students.

    Boston Children’s Museum, 300 Congress Street.  Free admission to First Night button holders from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, with “Happy Noon Year” celebration from noon to 3 p.m.

    Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Avenue.  Free admission to First Night button holders from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Made in Fort Point, The FPAC Store, 12 Farnsworth Street.  Free art activities lead by Fort Point artist Hilary Law from 10- 11:30 a.m.

    New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf. Two-for-one admission to First Night button holders.  Ice sculptures on the Aquarium’s Plaza.

    Rose Kennedy Greenway.  View the “Lighthouse” art installation and video display, part of the “Winter Lights” series along the Greenway, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

    Getting around the Waterfront:

    Free MBTA service from 8 p.m. until closing, with some extended service.  Discounted parking available at Gale International Parking lots across from the Moakley Courthouse and at Atlantic Wharf parking garage.