Daily Business Report: June 9, 2022
Take the Leap
A conversation with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir
on the eve of her UC San Diego commencement address
Jessica Meir had dreamed for decades about what it would be like to sail among the stars. And when she got her chance in 2019, the experience surpassed all of her expectations. This weekend, the UC San Diego alumna will return to the university to share the wonders of her journey to space as a NASA astronaut and offer words of wisdom to the Class of 2022 at All Campus Commencement on June 11.
In advance of her visit, writer Erika Johnson of UC San Diego spoke with Meir about the potential for scientific breakthroughs without the influence of gravity; how her love for our planet exponentially grew after seeing the magnificent landscapes from above; her belief in the power of getting out of your comfort zone to achieve great heights—literally; and how even astronaut training could not prepare her for the pandemic when she returned home in 2020.
Top Photo: Jessica Meir hovers for a portrait in the weightless environment of the International Space Station. (Photo by NASA, March 29, 2020
Bluetooth signals can be used to
identify and track smartphones
A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has demonstrated for the first time that the Bluetooth signals emitted constantly by our mobile phones have a unique fingerprint that can be used to track individuals’ movements.
Mobile devices, including phones, smartwatches and fitness trackers, constantly transmit signals, known as Bluetooth beacons, at the rate of roughly 500 beacons per minute.These beacons enable features like Apple’s “Find My” lost device tracking service; COVID-19 tracing apps; and connect smartphones to other devices such as wireless earphones.
Prior research has shown that wireless fingerprinting exists in WiFi and other wireless technologies. The critical insight of the UC San Diego team was that this form of tracking can also be done with Bluetooth, in a highly accurate way.
“This is important because in today’s world Bluetooth poses a more significant threat as it is a frequent and constant wireless signal emitted from all our personal mobile devices,” said Nishant Bhaskar, a Ph.D. student in the UC San Diego Department of Computer Science and Engineering and one of the paper’s lead authors.
The team, which includes researchers from the Departments of Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, presented its findings at the IEEE Security & Privacy conference in Oakland, on May 24, 2022.
Mounting supply chain issues force local businesses to adapt
Gridlock at U.S. ports, rising shipping costs, tariffs, and China’s manufacturing industry have caused a plethora of supply-chain issues for local North County businesses.
Carlsbad-based MRIAudio is one of them. The company, which uses fiber-optics to provide noise-canceling technology, audio (music, podcasts and streaming radio) and wireless communications between patients and laboratory technicians during an MRI scan, has gotten creative to mitigate its losses and keep inventory in stock.
By making the move to a local machinist as the supplier for a key component in their devices, they streamlined their supply chain.
Now they have a standing order they pick up each month, which creates a sustainable source and cuts down on shipping costs. COO John Hornbrook estimates that this move to managing the transportation themselves is saving the company about $15,000 to $30,000 per shipment. About 35 percent to 40 percent of the company has moved to domestic sources, which they believe will likely remain its primary sources, with international sources as backups.
Pediatrician becomes the first Black woman to serve
as president of San Diego County Medical Society
Dr. Toluwalase “Lase” Ajayi, a pediatrician on the Scripps Mercy Medical Staff, has been inaugurated as the first Black woman to serve as president of the San Diego County Medical Society.
Ajayi is a palliative care consultant for Scripps Health; a pediatrician and palliative care consultant at Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego; an assistant professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego; and a clinical researcher with Scripps Research.
In her remarks, Ajayi promised to prioritize physician wellness as she works with the medical community to address the impact of systemic racism and bias on the most vulnerable and least served patients.
She declared, “SDCMS has opened my eyes and allowed me to work on these larger systemic issues while introducing me to so many new allies in the quest to fix our broken health care system. And I believe that I’m bringing more than a little of my own lived knowledge, too, particularly about how we need the health care system to work for our most vulnerable and least cared for.”
San Diego Beer Weekend: A toast to local breweries
The San Diego Brewers Guild is a nonprofit that supports and promotes local small businesses and entrepreneurs of craft beer across the county. In their 25 years of operation, the number of independent craft brewery locations in San Diego has grown from 15 to over 150.
To celebrate their anniversary, San Diego Brewers Guild invites beer enthusiasts to support a small and independent San Diego craft brewery at the San Diego Beer Weekend Friday through Sunday.
Participating breweries will have a limited number of commemorative 25th anniversary glasses for sale. Glassware can also be purchased at Northern Pine tasting room atop the Del Mar Highlands Town Center’s Brewer’s Deck and Westbrew in the Del Mar village.
Find a list of participating breweries here.
Read more about San Diego Beer Weekend here.
Chula Vista resident honored with Let’s Eat Healthy Award
In support of its cause to elevate the health of children and families through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits, the Let’s Eat Healthy initiative is honoring Chula Vista resident Heather Cruz with a Let’s Eat Healthy Leadership Award.
Cruz is one of six recipients honored through the recognition program, which is part of the Let’s Eat Healthy initiative launched by Dairy Council of California. The Let’s Eat Healthy initiative brings together educators, health professionals and community leaders to coordinate, collaborate and co-create opportunities to champion community health.
Cruz is a Chula Vista resident who has worked in the Chula Vista Elementary School District for the past six years where she leads the district’s wellness committee. With the support of this committee, she has implemented programs that improve nutrition access, resources and support for the well-being of students, staff and the community.
Cruz developed a Site Wellness Leads program and initiated community partnerships. She received the San Diego County Office of Education’s comprehensive health education grant to write lessons for teachers. Her passion has led her to focus her efforts on both students and employees.
Viasat holds Veteran’s Transition Workshop
Carlsbad-based Viasat Inc. will hold a Veteran’s Transition Workshop taking place on Thursday, June 23, at their Carlsbad office location. During this workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to receive mentorship, resources, and tools to help support their transition out of the military and into the workforce.
Veterans and spouses are welcome. Reserve your spot by June 9 to be considered for the workshop, as seating is limited. This workshop is not a hiring event, but rather an opportunity for us to provide mentorship, support, and resources during your transition out of the military.
To learn more, click here.
Meet the Lenders Expo June 24
Come in person to meet many different lenders in the San Diego region at the Meet the Lenders Expo June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Handlery Hotel, 950 Hotel Circle North, San Diego.
The program will include educational panels where you’ll hear from a variety of lenders and local support. There will also be time to meet with lenders who have tables during the event as well.
San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network and local small business lender professionals will provide information about what it takes to access funding in this current environment, including start-up and working capital from a range of providers. Receive an overview of the lending process, business and industry specifics, first steps, credit repair, hot tips, and inspirational stories.
For more information or to register for the event, click here.
PetDx and Antech Diagnostics expand
access to cancer-detection test for dogs
PetDx, a San Diego-based molecular diagnostics company dedicated to unleashing the power of genomics to improve pet health, and Antech Diagnostics have entered an agreement to make OncoK9, a multi-cancer early detection test for dogs, available to all Antech customers across North America.
“Cancer is by far the leading cause of death in dogs and the vast majority of cases are diagnosed after the onset of clinical signs, by which time the cancer is often advanced and the chances of achieving a cure or long-term control are low,” said PetDx founder and CEO Daniel S. Grosu, M.D. “Our relationship with Antech broadens access to this breakthrough innovation and is expected to have a profound impact on dogs, the people who love them, and the veterinarians looking to provide the very best care for their patients.”
OncoK9 is a first-in-class multi-cancer early detection test that enables veterinarians to detect cancer in dogs with a simple blood draw.
Netradyne named to Forbes AI 50 list of top
artificial intelligence companies of 2022
Netradyne, a San Diego company, has been named on this year’s Forbes AI 50 list 2022 for North America. Produced in partnership with Sequoia Capital, this list recognizes the standout privately held companies in North America that are making the most interesting and impactful uses of AI.
Netradyne provides fleets of all sizes and vehicle types with an advanced video safety camera, fleet performance analytics tracking, and driver awareness tools to help reduce risky driving behavior and reward safe driving decision-making. Fleets see reduced accidents, higher safety scores, lower insurance costs, improved driver retention, and better fleet performance in increased profits.
Kyriba honored as one of world’s most
innovative financial tech companies
San Diego-based Kyriba has been recognized by Global Finance Magazine as one of the five most innovative global financial technology companies of 2022. The Innovators Awards — the publication’s tenth annual recognition program — honors banks, fintechs and other companies that excel at advancing new tools and paths in finance.
Kyriba joins an elite group of global financial technology innovators recognized by the highly regarded industry publication including Stripe, Capitolis, Dwolla, and Keo World.
In the past 12 months, Kyriba has invented and brought to market new solutions that unlock value for CFOs, enable real-time decision support, reduce the cost and time to value for new product integration and implementation and more. Kyriba also continues to rapidly grow an unmatched ecosystem of innovative partnerships.
Rebus partners with San Diego’s Rosalind
to co-develop spatial omics software
Rebus Biosystems Inc., an Illumina Ventures-backed life science technology company, is partnering with San Diego-based Rosalind Inc. to co-develop new spatial omics software. The technology will democratize data from single cell spatial analyses from the Rebus Esper system, making important spatial omics insights accessible to the broader research community.
ROSALIND is the first-ever genomics discovery and collaboration platform specifically designed for scientists and biologists. The new software being developed by Rebus and Rosalind will combine the power of the Rebus Esper spatial multi-omics capabilities with the highly interactive and intuitive interface of ROSALIND. The partnership will also allow customers to eventually integrate multi-modal datasets together in one interface to build higher orders of biological understanding.
