Age: 23
Education: Degree in biomedical sciences from UAB and incoming student at Samford McWhorter School of Pharmacy
Why is innovation important to you and why do you think it’s important to the future of Birmingham?
I believe that innovation is vital to society because it gives each person a window to create or discover something that will benefit the greater good. That’s important in Birmingham because this city is equipped with many intelligent minds; when innovation is valued and promoted, more people will have the resources and support to share their ideas allowing for a window of advancement to be open to all.
What is Birmingham doing right and what can we do to improve our innovation scene?
What Birmingham does right to promote innovation is by preparing students with stellar education at institutions such as UAB and Samford. Furthermore, these students are exposed to networking and making contact with people and companies who can bring their ideas and innovations to life. Institutions such as UAB have improved their campuses tremendously in recent years and have opened up a plethora of opportunities for students and professionals to join the world of research.
What Birmingham could do to improve its innovation scene is to broadcast it more, to allow more people to know and understand what amazing work is being done in our city. This will bring in more companies as well as innovators.
How is Birmingham competing with larger innovation and entrepreneurial markets like Nashville, Austin and Atlanta? What do you think we have that they don’t?
In comparison to larger innovation and entrepreneurial markets, Birmingham follows closely in regard to advancement and prestige. The work being done in Birmingham is highly respectable and should not be undermined for the fact that the size and population of its city is smaller than most innovation hubs. Something that Birmingham does to take advantage of its size that larger cities can’t is the ability for innovators to have closer relationships to other innovators here. For instance, many research labs know one another and because a certain subject might not have many labs open, the ones that are available will more likely know of one another and if needed, collaborate. There is a sense of community in Birmingham that makes the innovation scene more warm, welcoming and prosperous.
