One of the most innovative programs on the UC Santa Barbara campus, the Technology Management Program (TMP) benefits students, employers, and the community at large. The TMP focuses on practical applications of tech and engineering skills in the workplace, and now offers a fast-tracked master’s degree program for those wishing to further their education. “We think we have a very unique program that is designed to accelerate how quickly an early-career engineer or scientist can become a leader in a technology company, by emphasizing human capital skills like communication and leadership,” said David Telleen-Lawton, Career Development Manager for the TMP. In the process of developing the Masters in Technology Management (MTM) track, a team from TMP conducted extensive market validation research, including speaking with executives at 24 local, Bay Area, and Southern California tech companies, including Yardi (pictured), to determine what skill sets and educational backgrounds were most needed. “We learned that companies need more software developers. They also told us that they could not find enough technically trained people that would take initiative. They need people who see the bigger picture and realize that the organizational problems are often more intransigent than the technical problems,” Telleen-Lawton shared. The MTM team also met with potential program students, where they learned that interest in the program was not just from engineers and scientists, but others with non-technical degrees already or wanting to work in the tech space. As a result, the MTM “is a curriculum of leadership skills for those who are comfortable working at fast-moving technology companies,” Telleen-Lawton said. The nine-month program is designed to quickly return students to the job market after packing in a year of management-level education focused on business, leadership, human resources, and product marketing. TMP leaders are proud to...

Local students are back in class, and that means back to awesome after school activities for the young ladies who participate in Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara’s afternoon programming. Yardi is a longtime philanthropic supporter of Girls Inc.’s efforts in the community. For the second year, this fall a partnership with UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education will expose several dozen fourth to sixth grade girls to career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The program is called the Curie-osity Project (after trailblazing female scientist Marie Curie), and it was a runaway success when it started in Winter 2017. “The girls are exposed to women who are in the STEM profession. They are experiencing hands on STEM projects and having the opportunity to really dive in and and learn about those areas,” said Kristina Webster, director of programs for Girls Inc. The success of the program highlights two of the things the non-profit organization excels at: creating meaningful community partnerships, and enlisting the support of dedicated volunteers. 12 female UCSB scientists donated their time to welcome the Girls Inc. students to their laboratories and offices last year – a similar number will do the same this fall and winter. “We wanted to create a program that combined literacy and science for girls,” said Danielle Harlow, an associate professor of education, in a UCSB press release. Harlow and colleague Diana Arya were the leaders on the UCSB side of the project. “We specifically wanted the girls to come to UCSB’s campus because research tells us that children who spend time on university campuses see college campuses as places they belong and are more likely to pursue higher education,” Harlow said. Last year, the girls in the program learned about how computer programs...

Yardi is proud to be a silver sponsor of the 2013 UC Santa Barbara Summit on Energy Efficiency, where U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will be among the featured speakers. The event will take place May 1-2 at Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort on the Santa Barbara Waterfront. The emphasis of this year’s summit, the fourth annual event, is “Materials for a Sustainable Energy Future.” Session foci will include: Materials for Energy Technologies: What are the key issues around extracting, processing and using the materials needed for our increasing global energy demands? Innovations in Solid-State Lighting: The latest developments in this growing field. Energy Efficient Information and Communications Technologies: The future of scalability and energy efficiency for next generation ICT core networks. Electrochemical Energy Storage Technologies: What are the latest technologies and materials that will enable more efficient, economical and reliable energy storage? Utilities Discussion: The need for, and implementation of, new technologies for energy efficiency. High Efficiency Power Electronics: Using materials to minimize energy loss and make power electronics more efficient on all levels. Keynote speakers scheduled to appear at the summit include: Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997, Dr. Chu is a former Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and a distinguished professor of physics, molecular, and cellular biology. Michael McQuade, CTO and Senior VP for Science & Technology, United Technologies Corporation, who provides strategic oversight and guidance for research, engineering and development activities at UTC. George Crabtree, Director, Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), Argonne National Laboratory. Also a Senior Scientist and Distinguished Fellow at Argonne, he has won numerous awards for his research, including the Kammerlingh Onnes Prize for his work on the physics of...