WELCOME to the 39 North monthly Newsletter

Your source for news and happenings in our innovation neighborhood. | January 2023

Weekly: Danforth Center Scientific Seminar Series The Danforth Center hosts a complimentary virtual weekly Scientific Seminar Series on a variety of topics. Click here for a listing of upcoming seminars and join the conversation!  If you would like to participate or be on the email list for these seminars, please contact Terri Burton, tburton@danforthcenter.org.

January 25, 4 - 6 PM 39 North Happy Hour   Helix Center Please join us for another "Pop-Up" happy hour!  Register Here

January 31, 5:30 - 7 PM Women Who Tech Panel   RUNG for Women Did you know that in 2022, there were 70,000 tech jobs posted in the St. Louis region? With technology careers in high demand, it's time for more women and women of color to become a part of this career field to fill open positions. Attendees will learn how to become a Rung member of our 2023 Spring & Geospatial Cohort which begins in April. If you want to join Rung and learn a new career pathway in tech or geospatial, this event is for you! Register Here

January 31, 10 - 11 AM Market Research for Tech Startups  Via Zoom This one hour free webinar is designed to introduce technology startups to the basics of market research. This includes the initial steps, tech startups can do to understand the market and how to begin to conduct customer research to determine product market fit. It also includes an introduction to primary (customer) and secondary (market) research, market segmentation and how to get started as a tech startup with limited resources. Register Here

February 1, 11 AM - 4 PM Blood Drive Benson Hill Join us for the first blood drive of 2023! Sign-ups are live, walk-ins are welcome and we are looking for volunteers to work the check-in table. $10 Amazon gift cards will be awarded to all donors. Check your email after the event for the e-card. Walk-ins are welcome. Bring a friend or family member and share in the giving! Eligibility requirements can be found HERE) Sign up to donate HERE Want to volunteer? Sign up HERE

February, 13 - 17 2023 North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN) Annual Conference Danforth Center and online   NAPPN, a regional partner of the IPPN will host the largest annual conference designated to accelerate North American research in the emerging field of plant phenotyping and precision agriculture. The conference will assemble a range of science and engineering disciplines, from academic, federal, and commercial entities to address the plant-environment-society triangle. A diverse set of speakers and topics will foster cross-disciplinary collaborations and ensure that our community remains on the cutting edge. The event will cater to all career stages through scientific sessions, hands-on workshops, podium debates, and plenty of networking sessions. Register Here

February 21 - 23, 2023  Midwest Climate Summit The summit is a premier regional gathering of climate leaders, researchers, and practitioners to expand knowledge and accelerate action, hosted by the Midwest Climate Collaborative. Learn More

March 2, 16 & 30 8:30 - 11:30 AM PAINTING the TECH BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS Via Zoom   This six week online free offering by the Missouri SBDC will introduce technology start-ups to the steps necessary for developing a business model canvas for their early concept. This includes a framework that focuses on discovering the customer problems in the space where their potential solution may live. In addition, this course will include steps to develop a value proposition that fulfills the customer’s need, that differentiates them in the marketplace. Participants will learn the basics of conducting customer discovery interviews and will apply real-life learning by completing interviews outside of class. In addition, one-on-one counseling is available following the workshop. Register Here

March 9, 10 - 11:30 AM Got R&D Money? Top Tips for Funding R&D with Grants via Zoom This free offering is designed to introduce technology start-ups and existing businesses on how they might fund R&D through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants. This is an introduction to the topic that has been developed for companies that are new to seeking grant funds and is not a “how to apply” course. This course will also offer specific directions on how to search research topics at various government agencies to determine if grants are available for your unique technology. In addition, participants will be provided a list of additional resources for assistance on how to apply for an SBIR grant. Register Here

April 12 - 13, 2023 InvestMidwest is back and applications to pitch at the event are open! We’re are looking for growth and newbie companies in Life Sciences, Food / Agriculture, and Technology, with a focus on geospatial companies. If that's you, this is an opportunity to pitch and meet with multiple investors at one event. Learn More

April 30 - May 4, 2023 The 16th Annual International Society for Biosafety Research (ISBR) Symposium  Union Station St. Louis Be part of the only meeting in the world that integrates bio-innovation R&D, regulation, policy, and social engagement in support of sustainability. Participate in an exceptionally relevant and interesting program of keynote, plenary, parallel, Pecha Kucha, and poster sessions, together with topic-focussed workshops to explore the theme of Advancing science in support of sustainable bio-innovation. Learn More

Company Spotlight: Pivot Bio With a mission to change the way crops are fed; Pivot Bio is tackling how fertilizer is produced and used by the world’s farmers. These crops feed our families worldwide and the company’s microbial nitrogen product works in harmony with crop roots to meet a meaningful portion of the plant’s nitrogen needs throughout the growing season. In 2020, Pivot Bio moved to the 39 North Innovation District to take advantage of the growing high-quality talent and other resources the community has to offer.  Read More

Have you met? Russell Williams, PhD Scientific Manager, Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility Describe your journey to the 39 North  I grew up in rural Oklahoma and attended a small country school. My hobbies as a kid were spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, and exploring. Every year my parents and grandparents would plant a large garden, which always meant work that I did not enjoy as a child, but it gave me a great perspective about where food comes from and all the many things that can go wrong. Between the garden and my outdoor hobbies, it is no surprise that I was fascinated with science and nature and watched every science and nature show that I could find on PBS with dreams of exploring the rainforests when I grew up.    As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to participate in research looking for alkaloids in native Oklahoma plants while earning a BS in Chemistry from Northeastern State University, Oklahoma. That exposure led me to attend graduate school at Virginia Tech where under the guidance of Dr. David G. I. Kingston, I studied bioactive (anticancer) plant secondary metabolites from Suriname and Madagascar and earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry. Though I did not get to go to Suriname or Madagascar as a part of that work, I did get to explore the rainforest remotely! After graduate school, I was a postdoc at the University of Oklahoma in the lab of Dr. Robert Cichewicz where we studied bioactive secondary metabolites from plants, marine organisms, and fungi. Following my postdoc, a job offer from Sequoia Sciences brought me to St. Louis. Sequoia Sciences is a small biotech company focused on the discovery of secondary metabolites from plants. Many of those plants were collected from Gabon by the Missouri Botanical Garden, so that’s right, more vicarious rainforest exploration! During my more than ten years at Sequoia Sciences, I had the opportunity to work with a lot of great people and conduct a lot of really fun research, but as the focus of the company shifted from research to development, it was time to move on. After a few additional stops in biotech companies, I accepted a position in the Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility (PMSF) at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center just before the pandemic. Now almost three years later, I have the privilege of leading PMSF and continuing my exploration of nature.      What are you most excited to be working on right now?   I am excited to continue all of the great research and service that we have been a part of over the years in PMSF, and I look forward to building new relationships and collaborations. I am also excited to work with my PMSF team (Shin-Cheng Tzeng and Michael Wei) to make sure that when people need assistance obtaining proteomics and metabolomics data, or if they have questions about the chemical nature of their project, we are the first place that comes to mind. Given the chance, I like to remind people that genome, proteome, and metabolome all fit together to produce the phenotype or trait you observe, and we want to help you understand those phenotypes from a proteomic and metabolomic perspective.     What do you enjoy doing in your free time?   I suspect the pandemic has had an interesting effect on the way many people spend their free time. I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids, though our kids are all adults now, which means they have less time to spend with us. I still love exploring nature, and two of our favorite places are Creve Coeur Lake and Shaw Nature Reserve. But I have also picked up some new indoor hobbies now that our kids are older and as a result of forced time at home. I enjoy making fermented foods, especially sauerkraut and hot sauce, and I have started doing some woodworking projects in my garage.

Using state-of-the-art instrumentation, the Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry Facility (PMSF) at the Danforth Center provides identification of proteins, lipids, and metabolites that control gene expression, perform enzymatic reactions, play a role in signaling and other cellular functions. It enables our scientists to explore complex biological systems through qualitative and quantitative proteomics, metabolomics analysis, and targeted biomolecule analyses. The PMSF team lends its services to internal and outside researchers and helps train scientists who are interested in developing their knowledge and skills in these essential fields. Learn More

Have news to share? Please contact: Dena Holtgrewe, at dholtgrewe@danforthcenter.org