{"id":66799,"date":"2025-04-03T08:19:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T12:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=66799"},"modified":"2025-04-11T15:57:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T19:57:28","slug":"utc-mini-grants-pushing-research-from-concept-to-creation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/utc-mini-grants-pushing-research-from-concept-to-creation\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC mini-grants pushing research from concept to creation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Professor

Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship Thomas Lyons is the Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and executive director of UTC\u2019s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.<\/p><\/div>\n

Not every great idea makes it out of the lab.<\/p>\n

Some stall on paper. Others get bogged down by process or lack funding.<\/p>\n

At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, targeted seed funding is helping change that by giving early-stage research the support it needs to move from concept to creation.<\/p>\n

MOCS Innovate! mini-grants\u2014funded by the Gary W. Rollins College of Business\u2019 Clarence E. Harris Chair endowment with support from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research\u2014help both established and emerging researchers at UTC build, test and refine their concepts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just investing in ideas. We\u2019re investing in researchers who are ready to engage the world,\u201d said Dr. Thomas Lyons, Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship in the business college and executive director of UTC\u2019s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

All MOCS Innovate! grant recipients will present their work at the inaugural MOCS Innovate! UTC Innovators Showcase during the Spring Research and Arts Conference<\/strong><\/a> on Wednesday, April 9. They\u2019ll be joined by Fly for Researchers pitch competition participants and other UTC innovators showcasing demos, prototypes and early-stage breakthroughs.<\/p>\n

The Spring Research and Arts Conference is an annual campuswide event showcasing original work by students, faculty, staff and community partners. Hosted by the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor, the conference is free and open to the public.<\/p>\n

\"Mechatronics

Mechatronics Professor Erkan Kaplanoglu is director of UTC’s Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab.<\/p><\/div>\n

The 2025 mini-grant lineup spans health care tech, smart city tools and solutions to UTC-specific challenges.<\/p>\n

Featured researcher Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, a mechatronics professor and head of the Department of Engineering Management and Technology, previously earned a MOCS Innovate! mini-grant and placed third in the UTC Fly! Pitch competition. It deepened his understanding of market needs and strengthened his ability to communicate technical ideas with broader impact, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt pushed me to think about how to present my work in plain language for non-engineers and has helped shape how I approach research and how I coach others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Since arriving at UTC in 2019, Kaplanoglu has championed collaborative, industry-focused research, tapping into UTC\u2019s commercialization resources, the UT Research Foundation and a network of colleagues across disciplines\u2014from physical therapy to math and even art.<\/p>\n

He also founded and directs the UTC Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab, where a team of undergraduate and graduate students design adaptive health care technologies for people with neurological and muscular conditions.<\/p>\n

His work has already led to a design patent for a pneumatic balance board developed with UTC Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Max Jordon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal isn\u2019t just to invent something cool in the lab,\u201d Kaplanoglu said. \u201cIt\u2019s to make something useful. Something that helps people. And that\u2019s where collaboration and support make a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, Kaplanoglu mentored the team that earned a 2025 MOCS Innovate! grant for an adaptive smart insole designed to prevent diabetic foot ulcers\u2014a leading cause of hospitalization among diabetic patients.<\/p>\n

Other standout 2025 projects include The Brooks Band, a wearable voice modulation device created by Megan Cales in the Rollins College of Business to help neurodiverse children self-regulate; an AI-powered predictive driver-monitoring system led by Dr. Maged Shoman to reduce distracted driving accidents; and a Google Maps-based landscaping management tool by graduate student Cecily Holland and landscaping crew foreman Chance Scrimshire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a university puts real support behind early ideas, it changes how researchers think about what\u2019s possible,\u201d Kaplanoglu said.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Skjellum, UTC\u2019s commercialization counselor, emphasizes the importance of supporting researchers beyond the lab.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearchers know how to build incredible things,\u201d Skjellum said. \u201cOur role is to help them think through the next steps like how to reach customers, navigating the market and just generally how to move ideas forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2020, Skjellum has been pivotal in shaping UTC\u2019s innovation culture, including building grant programs, launching pitch competitions and growing the University\u2019s partnership with the UT Research Foundation.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

–<\/span><\/p>\n

Supporting self-regulation through wearable tech<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Brooks Band, a wearable voice modulation aid<\/h4>\n
\"Megan

Megan Cales<\/p><\/div>\n

Researcher: <\/strong>Megan Cales, coordinator of career engagement, Gary W. Rollins College of Business. The project was developed independently. Cales is also the founder and CEO of Sensory Bridges, LLC.<\/p>\n

It started with a question at the Thanksgiving table. Megan Cales was watching her partner\u2019s 5-year-old son, who is autistic, struggle to control his voice in a room full of family and noise. She searched for a solution online but couldn\u2019t find anything discreet, wearable and designed with kids in mind.<\/p>\n

So she built it.<\/p>\n

The Brooks Band is a wearable wristband that vibrates when a child\u2019s voice exceeds a preset threshold. A companion app allows caregivers to customize feedback settings and track progress, helping neurodiverse children self-regulate without stigma or interruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of kids just need a gentle cue to help with voice control\u2014especially when they\u2019re excited or overwhelmed,\u201d Cales said. \u201cThis gives them that support without interrupting or calling them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Helping diabetics stay on their feet<\/h2>\n

Adaptive insole for diabetic neuropathy patients<\/h4>\n
\"Dr.

Dr. Gazi Akgun<\/p><\/div>\n

Department of Engineering Management and Technology research team:<\/strong><\/p>\n