Contact:
Believe in Ohio Co-Director, Stephen McConoughey, PhD, 614-488-2228, smcconoughey@ohiosci.org
Believe in Ohio Co-Director, Mr. John Klipfell, 440-821-2357, JKlipfell1@aol.com
Believe in Ohio to Challenge STEM Students to Think Outside the Box
at its Northeast Ohio STEM Forum at Hudson High School
More than 500 students from across Northeast Ohio expected to gather at Annual Event
(Hudson, OH. September 29, 2015). The Believe in Ohio (BiO) program today announced the roster of
more than a dozen extraordinary speakers who will participate in its annual Northeast Ohio STEM
Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Forum. The Forum is being held at Hudson High School on
Saturday, October 10, 2015. High school and middle school teachers and parents throughout Northeast
Ohio are invited to register their students to attend.
“Rarely do high school students have such an opportunity to interact with so many STEM Research &
Development thought leaders as they will at our Forum,” stated Stephen McConoughey, PhD, CEO of
The Ohio Academy of Science and Co-Director of the Believe in Ohio program. (STEM is the mastery
and integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.)
The STEM Forum will begin at 9:30 am and end at 2:45 pm. At the forum, teachers and students will:

Participate in an extraordinary program that will open their eyes to the future, inspire them to “think
outside the box” and experience an opportunity to interact with one of the most impressive groups of
STEM and venture development thought leaders ever assembled for a high school audience.

Learn how Ohio high school students can participate in the larger Believe in Ohio program, including an
opportunity to compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash awards and scholarships to Ohio’s
colleges and universities in a statewide STEM Commercialization and Business Plan competition.
“If our country is to continue to enjoy prosperity in the future, we must encourage today’s students to
become the innovators and entrepreneurs Ohio and our nation will need to develop the new products,
services and jobs of the future,” said Mr. John Klipfell, Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Engagement
Ohio and Believe in Ohio Co-Director. “That is the goal of both our STEM Forums and the entire Believe
in Ohio program and why we strongly encourage students to attend our Northeast Ohio STEM
Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Forum on October 10, 2015 at Hudson High School.”
Online registration is available: https://fs19.formsite.com/targetmar/form16/index.html and complete
details are available online: http://www.believeinohio.org/hudson-forum
Following you will find the bios of our many Forum speakers.
Believe in Ohio Northeast Ohio STEM Commercialization & Entrepreneurship Forum
Roster of Distinguished Speakers – October 10, 2015
Dr. Katrina Cornish, Ohio Research Scholar at The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural & Research
Development Center, will speak about Sustainable biomaterials for value-added products and biofuels.
Dr. Brian L. Davis, Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Akron, will
give two separate talks, one about biomimicry and the other about medical devices.
Dr. Ali Dhinojwala, Morton Professor in Department of Polymer Science at the University of Akron, will
speak about Developments in the Field of Polymer Science
Dr. Julian M. Earls, retired Center Director at NASA Glenn Research Center and Executive in Residence at
Cleveland State University, will speak about the challenge and opportunities for today’s students.
Mr. Johnathan M. Holifield, nationally recognized leader on Inclusive Competiveness, will give the
Keynote talk titled, “Will you be a competitor or a bench-warmer in the innovation world of the future?”
Mr. John M. Klipfell, Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio and Believe in Ohio CoDirector, will speak about the Believe in Ohio Program
Dr. Kurt Sacksteder, Chief of the Space Environment and Experiments Branch at the NASA Glenn
Research Center, will speak about harvesting resources in space to enable sustainable space exploration.
Mr. John (Jack) A. Scott, President of Applied Systems & Technology Transfer, will give a talk titled
“Crossover into the Twilight Zone: A Journey Limited Only by Your Imagination” about the impact that
3D Printing will have on the future.
Dr. Regan Silvestri, Asst. Professor of Chemistry at Lorain County Community College, will speak about
Condition Monitoring of In-Use Lubricating Oils
Mr. Theodore C. Theofrastous, General Counsel & Chief Innovation Officer at the Tech Belt Energy
Innovation Center, will speak about developments in the field of advanced energy.
Mr. Pat Valente, Executive Director of the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition, will speak about developments in
Ohio’s growing fuel cell industry
Dr. D. Geoffrey Vince, Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute at
the Cleveland Clinic, will speak on the subject of “Biomedical Engineering: Bringing a Means to the End”
Dr. Woodrow Whitlow, Jr., former Associate Administrator for the Mission Support Director at NASA HQ
in Washington, will speak about how NASA’s Research & Development over the years has been a
catalyst for innovation throughout our economy.
Dr. John L. West, Trustees Research Professor in the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, will
speak about developments in liquid crystal technology.
About the Believe in Ohio program:
Believe in Ohio is a comprehensive, free program developed by The Ohio Academy of Science and
Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio with the support of the Ohio Board of Regents and Ohio General Assembly
that helps students prepare for the future. It is the objective of the Believe in Ohio (BiO) program to:

Help students understand the challenge and opportunity the future presents for them and how to
prepare for it through STEM forums, virtual field trips and online courses into Ohio's Innovation Economy
of the future.

Help students understand the importance of a STEM education and an entrepreneurial mindset to
become competitors in Ohio's Innovation Economy through engagement with STEM & entrepreneurial
experts and mentors, and participation in the BiO STEM Commercialization Plan & STEM Business Plan
competitions.

Inspire students to Believe in Ohio and pursue their education and careers in Ohio by introducing them to
Ohio's robust R&D and entrepreneurial ecosystem that offers great opportunities for their future.
The program helps prepare students to become “competitors” in Ohio's innovation economy and to be part
of Ohio's next generation of innovators who will create the new product services and jobs of the future
through the application of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
While the Believe in Ohio includes multiple components and activities, the centerpiece of the program is an
Annual Statewide STEM Commercialization Plan and STEM Business Plan Competition in which Ohio High
School students can win hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash awards and scholarships to Ohio colleges
and universities. Believe in Ohio’s many programs and activities include:
1. Regional STEM Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Forums where High School and Middle School
students can interact with Ohio’s leading STEM researchers and innovators.
2. STEM Video Gallery including more than fifty 20-25 minute presentations that introduce High School and
Middle School students to Ohio’s cutting edge research and development thought leaders.
3. Six Regional Online Courses that introduce Ohio’s High School and Middle School students to Ohio’s
Innovation Economy.
4. Local Competitions for student STEM Commercialization and STEM Business Plans. (Note, High School
and Middle School students compete in separate local competitions.)
5. Statewide STEM Commercialization and STEM Business Plan Competitions in which High School
students can win hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash awards and scholarships to Ohio
colleges/universities.
6. Statewide Mentor Program providing teachers and students with real world STEM researcher and
practitioner mentors.
7. Urban STEM Mentor Programs providing inspirational role models and mentors for Ohio’s urban youth.
8. Professional Development and Resource Support Programs for Ohio teachers.
To find out more about the Believe in Ohio program, visit our website at www.BelieveInOhio.org or call The
Ohio Academy of Science at 614-914-5095.
About The Ohio Academy of Science:
Since 1891, The Ohio Academy of Science has been promoting science and science education in Ohio as a
membership based, volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization. In addition to its pre-college students
programs (Believe in Ohio, State Science Day, and Invention Convention), the Academy conducts an annual
meeting which brings together scientists and students from all disciplines across the state and publishes an
international, multidisciplinary, scientific journal. www.ohiosci.org
About Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio:
Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio (EEO) is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation formed for the educational and
charitable purpose of promoting student and community awareness as to the challenges and opportunities
the changing regional, national and global economies present for the future; and providing educational
instruction, curriculum, mentoring and other information that helps develop the entrepreneurial, economic,
business, and scientific literacy of students and the community that will be needed for the 21st Century.
www.EEOhio.org