Virginia Martin

Is Technology Any Match for a Dog’s Nose? This Project is Trying.

In some ways, Birmingham-based medical technology company AerBetic is attempting to imitate one of the most sensitive detection devices in nature: a dog’s nose. “The idea came from diabetic alert dogs,” said AerBetic co-founder Eric Housh, referring to canines trained to alert diabetic owners when their blood sugar is too low. While those dogs are effective, Housh said, they can be prohibitively expensive. “Plus, there’s a long wait time to get one, and you can’t really take the dog everywhere, right?” he added. His proposed solution is a “non-invasive diabetes alert device that uses your exhaled breath to infer your diabetic status.” It’s a product that’s been in development in Birmingham for two years, with assistance from the city’s medical and technical research community. Read more.

‘Milk the Moment’ Fights That Phone Habit

The idea behind Milk the Moment is, at first, counterintuitive for a mobile app: it’s meant to get users off their phones. The app, re-launched in Birmingham, is one of seven startups now participating in Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator, a program that provides up-and-coming tech companies with funding, mentors, office space and other resources. Milk the Moment founder Courtney “Coko” Eason said that her experience at Innovation Depot – and in Birmingham in general – has her considering relocating the company’s headquarters from Nashville to the Magic City. “We’re calling it Milk 2.0,” she said of the app’s relaunch. “We’ve totally redesigned it … . It’s very brand-spanking-new, and it’s all happening out of Birmingham.” Read more.

Birmingham‘s Technology, Start-up Scene Thrives, ‘Innovation District’ in Development Spotlight

As 2020 rolls in, BirminghamWatch looks back at its biggest stories of 2019, highlighting a different one each day. Metro Birmingham’s powerhouses of tech and innovation – including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Southern Research and Innovation Depot – are among dozens of businesses and organizations that believe the time has come to put a fresh focus on the city’s tech savvy and its Innovation District. The amped-up effort to establish Birmingham as a Southern tech hub intersects with a plethora of mostly homegrown tech companies already setting up shop in downtown and Southside and coincides with new Opportunity Zone incentives for investors. Innovation District plans also benefit from increasing national attention for its tech scene, said Birmingham Business Alliance’s Lauren Cooper, who noted that metro Birmingham being called a possible Southern Silicon Valley boosts momentum for the idea of the Innovation District. “A defined home for technology and innovation around Innovation Depot will allow more companies to easily access the resources needed for growth, including collaboration, funding research and workforce,” said Cooper, who is vice president for communications at BBA. The official roll-out of new branding plans and strategies for metro Birmingham’s Innovation District is planned for summer 2019. An updated City Center Master Plan will be revealed later in the summer, said Josh Carpenter, director of economic development for the city of Birmingham. The Innovation District will include established high-tech employers UAB and Southern Research and the city’s business incubation nonprofit Innovation Depot, home to more than 100 startups and 1,000 employees, plus a growing number of startup companies establishing offices in downtown Birmingham. Read more.

More of BirminghamWatch’s Best in 2019

Alabama Site for Detained Immigrants Has History of Abuse Charges, Efforts to Close It

First Class in More Than Name Only: Why Alabama’s Preschool Program Is Best in the Country on National Standards

On the Up and Coming Lists

Birmingham’s growth as a tech and innovation hub has been attracting interest from a variety of national publications. Read more.

ICYMI: Woodfin’s Team Updates Progress on Economic Opportunities and Other Initiatives

Woodfin updated the public on progress toward key goals, including workforce development and economic opportunity. Read more.

Deer-Baiting Bill Passes House

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday voted to allow people to use bait when hunting deer and feral hogs, for a fee. Read more.

Protective Life Buys Naming Rights to New Downtown Birmingham Stadium

As a Diana Ross classic blared across the speakers in the grassy area in front of Birmingham’s Uptown District, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said he never thought the mountain was too high to achieve the goal of a new stadium downtown. “At a certain point, no mountain is high enough if you’ve got enough people pushing and pulling with you at the same time, in the same direction,” Woodfin said after Protective Life was announced as the title sponsor of the stadium, the construction of which could begin this summer. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and Protective Life Corporation announced today a 15-year agreement for the naming rights sponsorship of Birmingham’s new multi-use stadium, which now will be called Protective Stadium. “Each step makes it more real, more tangible,” Woodfin said. “This is just another step within the process as we continue to move this project forward.” Protective committed to pay $1 million per year for 15 years for naming rights at the stadium. The insurance company joins the BJCC Authority, city of Birmingham, Jefferson County, UAB and other corporate partners in funding the new stadium. Read more.

PARCA Survey Says Alabamians Want Fewer Non-Violent Criminals in Prison, More Money for Education

The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama in a new survey said Alabamians favor supervising non-violent criminals in the community and giving them more rehabilitation opportunities rather than sending them to prison. In the ”Public Opinion Survey: 2019 Edition,” released Wednesday, a slight majority of residents surveyed, 58 percent, oppose building new prisons. Almost that many, 54 percent, thought only violent criminals should be held in the state’s prisons. As in previous PARCA surveys, Alabamians ranked education as the most important service the state provides, followed by health care, public safety and highways. Read more.

Bills to Prohibit Cities From Banning Plastic Bags Advance

MONTGOMERY — Some state lawmakers want to stop local governments from banning plastic bags, even though no Alabama cities have considered such action as of yet. Bills sponsored by Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, and Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, would prohibit counties or municipalities from enacting any ban or tax on bags or other similar single-use items. Senate Bill 244 and House Bill 346 were approved in committees this week and now move to the Senate and House. “We’re just trying to provide a uniformity of commerce for the state and protect Alabama businesses and consumers so they are not charged for that,” Livingston said. Read more.

Bill to Require County School Superintendents Be Appointed Clears Senate

Legislation from Sen. Tom Butler, R-Huntsville, would require that county school superintendents be appointed, not elected.