IBIT

Engages with industry to develop digital knowledge and talent

IBIT News

UfarmX wins 2024 Digital Innovation Award

The Digital Innovation Foundry is pleased to announce that UfarmX is the recipient of the Spring 2024 Digital Innovation Award!

UfarmX is a tech-driven agricultural platform, founded by Alexander Zanders, Andrea Kamara Dunbar and Segun Fagbami that utilizes AI and Blockchain solutions to empower smallholder farmers in Africa. They provide tailored support for crop management, market access and financial inclusion as well smart farming practices.

UfarmX was selected to receive $2,500 and support from DIF to further develop and commercialize its platform.

The Digital Innovation Award is open to all Temple University students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The award is presented by DIF in partnership with Temple University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) Be Your Own Boss Bowl. Awards are based on the following criteria:

  • Digital – does the idea apply technology in an interesting and/or novel manner?
  • Problem – does the idea solve a real business or societal problem?
  • Practical – is the idea practically doable given current technology, context, and resources?

Dinesh Desai grew Emtec into a high performing mid-market IT services firm

Dinesh Desai and colleagues grew Emtec into a high performing mid-market IT services firm, by creating a unique culture, acquiring firms, and digital co-innovation.

In the newly published case titled Emtec: Culture, Acquisitions, and Co-innovation as the Upstream Future for Midmarket Firms, Munir Mandviwalla, Larry Dignan, Laurel Miller, and Bertrand Guillotin tell the story of a how a start-up grew through acquisitions and an entrepreneurial cooperative culture in the cut-throat trillion-dollar IT services market. The case also shows how co-innovation enables digital transformation.

The case is dedicated to Dinesh Desai, Fox’78, founder, CEO, and Chairman of Emtec. He received the 2015 Fox IT Award for Distinguished Alumni and served on the IBIT board. Dinesh passed away on March 27, 2024.

Note: Colleagues of Dinesh interested in reading the case, please contact ibit@temple.edu

Cencora presents Virtual Reality and Bots workshop for students

Mike Marzano, mobile solutions analyst and Emily Rattner, business solutions analyst, at Cencora, led a workshop on Exploring Virtual Reality and Bots on April 3, 2024.

The 15 workshop attendees consisted of graduate and undergraduate students from three different schools at Temple.

The participants learned how Cencora is creating immersive spaces and how they build RPA bots.

DIF Workshop Series

Cencora presents Generative AI workshop for students

Amrut Patil and Parijat Naik, both architects at Cencora, led a workshop on Implementing Generative AI Applications on February 23, 2024. 

The 22 workshop attendees consisted of graduate and undergraduate students from three different schools at Temple and faculty members. 

The participants learned about the mechanics of Generative AI, understanding its ability to employ algorithms and machine learning techniques to create original content.

DIF Workshop Series

Mitchel Zilbershteyn receives scholarship to explore digital innovation

Mitchel Zilbershteyn received the Persson-Barbour Endowed Scholarship in fall 2023 to explore digital innovation.

Mitchel is currently working on a Generative AI prototype using ChatGPT to create a guide for MIS students. The guide focuses on the Temple Association for Information Systems (AIS) and the Temple MIS PRO points program. It enables students to ask relevant questions such as how to earn PRO points and how to maximize their PRO point earning activities.

Previously Mitchel worked on a DIF project to envision use-cases for no-code metaverse development platform.