Wow! More than 500 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, technology professionals, students and faculty attended Tech, Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll, OTD’s first annual networking reception on July 27th at the George Sherman Union. What a great turnout for our first year!

Flat-screen TVs played interactive presentations from university start-up companies as well as the Coulter Foundation, Fraunhofer USA, the Photonics Center, BU Biomedical Engineering, and the BU Clinical and Translational Research Science Institute.  Representatives from each group answered questions and chatted with guests.

Boston University President Robert A. Brown provided a keynote speech addressing the history and importance of research and development at the university level. He also presented Boston University Professor Mark Grinstaff with the 1st annual Innovator of the Year Award. The Innovator of the Year award was created to recognize a faculty member who translates his or her world-class research into inventions and innovations that benefit humankind.

OTD Managing Director Vinit Nijhawan highlighted his goals for the future of technology development at BU, including increased student participation in entrepreneurship and mentoring programs, more facilities for start-up companies, and greater support for university-developed research.

Outside on the patio the bright sun, tasty barbeque food, and great music from Joshua Tree Band made for a picture-perfect summer evening.

Our goal for TDRR was to create an event where technology professionals and the University community could come together to establish connections, foster discussion, educate and explore. From the positive comments we received, we can proudly say that we exceeded our expectations. We hope you all got as much out of the night as we did.  We’re already looking forward to next year: stay tuned for updates!

What did you think of TDRR? Leave a comment with some feedback so we can improve on next year’s event!