IdeasThatWork Incubator

In Collaboration with George Mason University

What is the ITW Incubator?

The IdeasThatWork Incubator embodies research-to-practice. As a partnership between the Northeast Center and George Mason University, the program seeks to support individuals who have innovative ideas about improving the health and safety of workers in AgFF (agriculture, forestry, commercial fishing) industries.

Moving ideas that reduce health and safety hazards from the drawing board into widespread use is the ITW Incubator’s main goal. We built a team of experts to provide awardees with mentorship and training, as well as to help connect them with additional resources and funding opportunities.

Meet the Awardees

Farrell Davis

Round One Awardee

Farrell Davis, deckhand on the sea scallop F/V Small Stuff and research technologist with the Coonamessett Farm Foundation, is our first awardee. He is interested in developing an ergonomic sea scallop shucking knife. Farrell is working closely with the ITW Incubator team and advisory board to receive training, financial support, and mentorship to move his idea into practice.

Miles Amaral

Round Two Awardee

Our second and most recent awardee is Miles Amaral of Timberdoodle Farm and Sawmill. Check back soon to learn more about his project!

Incubator Advisory Board

Jessica Bunting

CPWR

I am currently the Director of the Research to Practice (r2p) Program at CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training and have been with the r2p Program in various roles since its inception in 2010.

I have a bachelor's degree in psychology from The George Washington University and a Master of Public Health in Community and Behavioral Health from the University of Maryland. I have spent the past two decades working in the field of public health, with more than 12 years focused on construction occupational safety and health at CPWR. My team and I work to encourage widespread adoption of evidence-based solutions by construction contractors and workers through improving partnerships between researchers and stakeholders, increasing r2p capacity of intermediary organizations, helping stakeholders influence future research, and developing tools, strategies, and resources to translate and disseminate research findings. With a background in mental health and a strong interest in promoting mental wellness in the construction industry, I also serve on the Board of Trustees for the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP).

Ted Clark

Acadia Insurance

I have a proven track record of delivering customer-focused risk reduction solutions that successfully address key risks associated with lines of coverage offered.

I work with a variety of high hazard businesses including trucking, logging, construction, farming, and manufacturing. Each customer is treated as an individual, developing customized risk improvement plans through a variety of methods including site visits, training, data analysis, and recommendations. I serve on the Northeast Center's Logging Advisory Board.

Lili Colby

Industry & Non-Profit Relations Specialist, Mustang Survival

As the former co-owner of MTI Life Jackets, a US brand of paddlesports specific PFDs, I am fortunate to be able to continue my role as a “PFDiva” after we sold MTI to Mustang Survival in 2020.

I have served on the board of directors of the American Canoe Association for two terms when they became the NGB of the Olympic Canoe and Kayak Teams and was a judge for the 2015 BoatUS Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition. More recently I’ve been working on the Steering Committee to help establish the new Paddlesports Trade Coalition, and in June was inducted to the Canadian Safe Boating Council board of directors – the first American to be appointed to this 30-year-old organization dedicated to boating safety.

Carrie Edsall

Black Willow Pond Farm

I own and operate pasture-based Black Willow Pond Farm in Cobleskill, NY, with my husband Dan Zeh. We raise beef, chicken, turkeys, sheep, and pigs.

Over years of grazing and working the land, we have increased soil fertility with strict pasture management and intensive rotational grazing. We sell our products at local farmers’ markets and also have a large on-line business. In addition to running the farm, I teach Animal Science at SUNY Cobleskill.

Charles Hall

Retired

My experience consists of more than 30 years in manufacturing (10 specifically in safety systems) including leading roles in companies ranging from a big dreams but little pockets start-up, to those transitioning from design through to high volume production, to well-established companies that are leaders in their field.

I have been an individual contributor, project leader, and director, for a myriad of diverse projects involving design for manufacturing, industrialization (transfer of products from an idea through to volume manufacturing), and process/product optimization to improve manufacturability, build in quality, and reduce waste. I have generally taken a hands-on approach from brainstorming designs, creating requirements, running vertical lathes and other metalworking tools, generating solid models (AutoDesk Fusion) for 3D printing, writing software, and whatever else was needed to create a prototype or other piece of equipment. I love this stuff!

Insoo Kim

University of Connecticut

I have applied electrical engineering methods to solve problems in the areas of mobile and wearable sensors for activity, health, environment and wellness monitoring.

My research has involved narrowing the gaps between larger clinical grade devices and various newly developed mobile and wearable health sensors in terms of the hardware, algorithms and signal processing techniques used by the two different areas. In particular, my research has focused on the development of wearable biosensors, bio-circuit systems and therapeutic devices.

Dr. Maria Kontaridis

Masonic Medical Research Institute

I am the Executive Director, Gordon K. Moe Professor and Chair of Biomedical Research and Translational Medicine, and the Director of Research at the Masonic Medical Research Institute in Utica, NY.

I also hold a part-time faculty appointment as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology in Boston, MA. My research focuses on the mechanisms underlying congenital heart disease and end-stage heart failure, as well as the processes that lead to abnormal development, signaling and disease onset of lupus, gastrointestinal disease, autism, and cancer.

Tony Lane II

Treeline, Inc.

I come from a long line of woodsmen and bring over 20 years' experience in the industries of logging, forestry, trucking and running heavy equipment.

I have passed all of the requirements necessary to be a licensed forester in the state of Maine and bring to the table a wealth of knowledge about forest management, safety and longevity. My passion for the woods has extended to my professional career as a multi-faceted employee of a reputable and sustainable company, Treeline, Inc.

Andre Marshall

George Mason University

I am Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact at George Mason University (GMU) and President of the George Mason Research Foundation, providing overall leadership for the portfolio of research, innovation, and economic development activities.

Before joining GMU, I served as Program Director for the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center and Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where I advanced NSF’s university-based tech translation and commercialization programs through national initiatives strengthening industry-university engagement and collaboration, new partnerships broadening participation in innovation and tech entrepreneurship, and program virtualization increasing accessibility to the highly regarded national I-Corps Teams program. Prior to NSF, I served on the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering where I founded the Fire Testing and Evaluation Center (FireTEC) and launched a tech-startup based on patented technology stemming from his research and inspired by my participation in the NSF I-Corps program. At GMU, I am also a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Volgenau School of Engineering, where I focus on experimental characterization and computational evaluation of complex turbulent reacting flows and sprays.

Rachel Moore Weller

Self Employed

I invest in enterprise software startups, particularly machine-learning and AI companies and interesting hard tech. I am a science writer and editor by background, and I still do some of that, particularly for my favorite companies.

Sam Paling

Maritime + Coastguard Agency (U.K.)

I am the Fishing Safety Strategy and Behaviours lead for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in the UK; I have previously worked as a Pilot Boat Coxswain and Accident Investigator. I am interested in applying the theories and models of behavioral science to help better understand challenges and develop interventions.

Donald Peterson

Northern Illinois University

I have over 30 years of experience in biomedical engineering and medical research, which has been focused on measuring and modeling injury biomechanics and human, organ, and/or cell performance, including exposures to various physical stimuli and the subsequent biological responses.

My research has involved the investigation of injury mechanisms and human–device interaction and has led to the generation of new technologies and systems, such as personal protection technologies, occupational exoskeleton systems, long-duration biosensor monitoring and reporting systems, medical devices, and biotechnology systems. I have expertise in national and international codes, regulations, and standards, and I am currently serving as chair of standards committees in ISO, ANSI, and ASTM. I was a co-executive director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of collaborative research, translation, and partnership among academic, medical, industry, and entrepreneurial professionals in the development and support of new medical technologies and devices. I worked with entrepreneurs and start-up entities on developing business plans and marketing strategies, including identifying and obtaining investment capital and connecting with collaborative partners. I was also employed in industry with engineering experience in electrical and mechanical systems design, instrumentation and controls, manufacturing, and public utilities.

Christopher Reid

Boeing, Clemson University

I am a Human Factors & Ergonomics (HFE) Associate Technical Fellow for Boeing’s Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) organization in Charleston, SC, where I serve as the EHS portfolio manager of wearable technology (e.g., exoskeletons, mixed reality, and wearable sensing and computing systems).

Prior to Boeing, I worked for Lockheed Martin on astronaut spacesuit assessment as a Human Factors & Ergonomics Discipline Lead at NASA and as a Human Factors Engineer for the US Army assessing Warfighter personal protective equipment. Outside of Boeing, I am an Adjunct Professor of Practice at Clemson University Department of Industrial Engineering. I serve in a leadership capacity on a number of organizations, including the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Executive Council as Immediate Past President, ASTM’s International Board of Directors, Chair of Subcommittee F48.02 on Human Factors & Ergonomics for ASTM F48 Committee on Exoskeletons & Exosuits, and the National Safety Council’s Delegates Committee.

Ken Rother

NY NSF Funded UNY ICORPS

My varied business experience and personal interests have led me to explore techniques for leveraging the intersection of the Business Model Canvas, Design Thinking, and rapid hardware/software prototyping to create highly effective customer products and experiences.

Mark Searle

Innovation Acceleration Group

I am a new-business launch expert, and a former multi-time award-winning startup CEO, COO & Co-Founder. I now teach entrepreneurship and innovation part-time at the University of California, Berkeley and in other international universities; I also train new-business founders around the world. I have worked in a wide variety of industries ranging from software to manufacturing and vertical farming.

Jenn Smith

Cornell University

I lead food and ag startup programs for Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, including the Grow-NY program, an annual $3M competition for innovative, early stage, high growth potential businesses working anywhere in the agrifood system.

Through CREA I co-direct an ag tech hardware accelerator and a Dairy Product Innovation initiative, both supporting the cultivation of Upstate New York’s regional agrifood ecosystem. I draw on my background in entrepreneurship in the food and farming space and subject matter expertise in craft beverage market development, gained while the Executive Director of the New York Cider Association and the New York State Distillers Guild. In addition to leading NYCA and NYSDG, previous work includes helping entrepreneurs throughout the Northeast launch value-added products, agritourism ventures and hospitality businesses.

Tom St. Claire

Sullivan Plastics

I live just outside of Acadia National Park in Lamoine, Maine. "Downeast Maine " is not known as the land of opportunity and I have spent a lifetime as a business owner and entrepreneur, doing whatever it took to survive.

Over the years I have been 1st Mate on 132-ft 3-mast schooner Victory Chimes, Harvest Contractor for Wyman's Blueberry Company harvesting 1 million pounds a year, owner of a wholesale and retail Christmas tree and wreath company, owner of Coastal Crane and Construction with over 100 buildings completed, and owner of Sullivan Plastic Products. Sullivan Plastic Products specialized in extrusion welding of HDPE sheets. I custom-designed and fabricated hundreds of products for my customers needs, providing common sense and cost-effective solutions to their problems.

Adam Whiting

FisherBroyles

I am a US patent attorney with a Ph.D. in chemistry and over 20 years’ experience preparing, prosecuting, licensing, and litigating patents for clients in the chemical and life sciences. My legal career spans 10+ years as both a patent prosecutor and litigator at a large international law firm, and nearly 5 years as Senior Director of IP at a publicly traded biotechnology company.

Getting The Word Out

Incubator Awardee Farrell Davis Interviewed on "The Mason Mechanical Engineer"

2/18/2025: Incubator Chair Leigh McCue-Weil interviewed Farrell Davis, the incubator’s first round awardee, on George Mason University’s podcast “The Mason Mechanical Engineer”

Listen Here

Pathway to Innovation in Occupational Health and Safety

1/8/2024 and 1/9/2024: Project Coordinator Liane Hirabayashi presented a poster and a talk about the incubator at the International Fishing Industry Health and Safety Conference in Rome, Italy.

View Poster

BeSafe International Farm Safety Conference

8/24/2023: Co-Investigator Pam Milkovich presented a talk about the incubator at the BeSafe International Farm Safety Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

NEC r2p Featured on "The Mason Mechanical Engineer"

8/19/2023: Incubator Chair Leigh McCue-Weil interviewed Principal Investigator Julie Sorensen about the incubator on George Mason University’s podcast “The Mason Mechanical Engineer”

Listen Here

Questions?

Contact the IdeasThatWork Incubator Team at IdeasThatWork@bassett.org or call 800-343-7527.

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