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The state of Maryland normally goes unnoticed in regards to the medtech and bioscience sectors when compared to California, Massachusetts and Minnesota. However, the state has the research facilities, governmental institutions and programs, corporate partnerships, funding and ambition to advance its biosciences marketplace into an international hub for medtech innovation.

At the heart of Maryland’s medical device and broader biotech industries is the state’s network of institutes and universities, which includes the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Standards & Technology, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Each one of these entities boasts an array of specialized laboratories for the study of bioimaging, biomolecular modeling, drug delivery, biomaterials, MEMS, microfluidics and more.

What Is Baltimore Innovation Week?

Baltimore Innovation Week is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation in Baltimore. The annual week of events is intended to grow the impact of this innovative region through programming focused on technology, collaboration and improving Baltimore.

Last year, Baltimore Innovation Week 2012 had impact:

• More than 30 events from 25 partners with more than 1,500 attendees
• Startups and products launched, including NewsUp, Crowdstich and Easy WebContent’s Presenter.
• GBTC held Maryland’s first hackathon that featured representatives from city, state and federal government agencies.
• 15 projects launched as part of the latest Startup Weekend Baltimore, including winner TeamPassword.
• Venture for America unveiled plans to launch its fellowship program in Baltimore.
• TechBreakfast continued its growth as the region’s premiere startup demo event.
• Pitch Across Maryland brought Gov. O’Malley to Baltimore to show off his entrepreneurship-fueling work.
• The University of Maryland Biopark launched a new entrepreneurship demo series, starting with its incubated healthcare applications platform startup Analytics Informatics.
• Education Ignite welcomed more than 200 people to hear about the changing education climate in Baltimore.

In the downtown of the nation’s capital, there is a magnificent building of steel and glass that is now home to what may be a remarkable tech experiment.

The D.C. Public Library took an 11,000-square-foot space and installed 80 computers, including 16 Macs. A 3D printer was added as well as a machine that can print and bind a book from a file in just minutes. There are tablets of all types — Android, Windows, Apple — and e-reading devices, available to try out. It opened last week.

Regular marijuana use in adolescence, but not adulthood, may permanently impair brain function and cognition, and may increase the risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, according to a recent preclinical study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Researchers hope that the study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology — a publication of the journal Nature – will help to shed light on the potential long-term effects of marijuana use, particularly as lawmakers in Maryland and elsewhere contemplate legalizing the drug.

Karen Vignare, Ph.D., an innovator in curriculum design and in the use of technology in learning, has been named associate provost and will lead University of Maryland University College’s new Center for Innovation in Learning. Vignare began her new post on June 3.

The Center for Innovation in Learning will be a laboratory for continuous improvements to the university’s curriculum, faculty development model and student support through its own work and through partnerships with high-profile organizations that will help further the work of the center.

A new mobile health trends report released Wednesday underscores the mid- to low sophistication of current mHealth application technology but also emphasizes the explosive growth and integration headed for the market .  

The Research and Markets mHealth trends report shows the industry poised for a compound annual growth rate of 61 percent by 2017, to reach a value of $26 billion. This revenue, researchers project, will be derived predominantly from mHealth hardware sales and services. 

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is leading a 2013 trade and Sister-City China Mission trip from Sept. 15 to Sept. 25, 2013. The Mission is organized by Montgomery County Government and Maryland China Business Council ( MCBC ) with the support of the State of Maryland ’s Maryland Center China ( MCC ) in Shanghai, which has been assisting local companies in China since 1996. This combination of experience and long term relationships offers a unique opportunity to explore, enter or expand in one of the world’s most dynamic and fast growing markets and destinations.   Mission Statement:

Sister Cities create relationships based on cultural, educational and trade exchanges, creating lifelong friendships that provide prosperity and mutual benefits through “citizen diplomacy.”

Participants for trip include:

County Executive; State and County Government Representatives; Business, Education, Academic and Science Leaders; Chinese Community Leaders

The bridges had to be strong and stable — and made of spaghetti.

Charged with this unusual engineering task, a group of about 40 high school students worked intently Thursday with the uncooked yellow strands to build a roughly half-meter structure they had designed to support more weight than their competitors’.

Washington, DC, is growing as a close-knit entrepreneur community where startups can find angel investors who will also act as mentors to grow a business, venture capitalists say.

The DC area has fewer venture capital firms than Silicon Valley, but steady startup investment is coming from tech industry veterans who have experience working with area universities, government agencies, and telecom companies including AOL, said John Taylor, head of research for the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).

The Daily Record is proud to announce its 2013 Most Admired CEO award winners.

The award recognizes men and women who have excelled professionally and in serving their communities.

The nominees were evaluated in terms of leadership and vision, competitiveness and service, community leadership and service, financial performance and growth and corporate leadership and board service.