Austin Technology Incubator Recognizes Dr. Michael Webber As Inaugural Recipient of the John Sibley Butler Distinguished Alumni Award
Austin, TX (PRWEB) January 30, 2014 -- Last night, at a joint graduation and 25th anniversary celebration, the Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), part of the IC2 Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, recognized Michael E. Webber as the first recipient of the new John Sibley Butler Distinguished Alumni Award. As those gathered celebrated ATI’s 25th anniversary and the Incubator’s newest 25 graduates, Michael E. Webber was recognized for his outstanding achievements since graduating from UT, and the countless contributions he has made to ATI, to UT, to the Austin community and beyond.
Michael E. Webber was a Longhorn from the start, graduating from The University of Texas with a double major in Aerospace Engineering and Plan II Liberal Arts and serving as drum major of the Longhorn marching band. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford where he was also a National Science Foundation Fellow from 1995 to 1998.
Dr. Webber returned to UT in 2006, and now serves as Deputy Director of the Energy Institute and Associate Director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy in the Jackson School of Geosciences. He is also a Fellow of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Additionally, Dr. Webber helped establish, and is now co-director of ATI’s Clean Energy Incubator, one of the world’s first clean tech-focused incubators.
"I was so very honored and humbled to have an award named after me, and there is no better first recipient than Michael who has made all of us Longhorns so proud," said Dr. John Sibley Butler, IC2 Research Fellow and director at UT’s McCombs School of Business. "My passion is blending academics and entrepreneurship, helping young companies develop from the earliest stage to long-term growth businesses. That’s Michael’s passion too, and the list of those positively impacted by him over the years is long and growing."
Begun this year, in 2014, the John Sibley Butler Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes former University of Texas student associates at the Austin Technology Incubator who have gone on to have exemplary impact through entrepreneurship, academia and/or community service. The award is named for Dr. John Sibley Butler who has had a 40-year career at the University of Texas, where he is noted for his dedication to serving and creating opportunities for students, both inside and outside the classroom. Dr. Butler was part of the IC2 Institute's founding team, where he served as Director for more than a decade.
Dr. Michael E. Webber trains the next generation of energy leaders at the University of Texas at Austin through research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy and commercialization. He has authored more than 200 publications, including 75 scientific articles. He holds 4 patents, and serves on the advisory board for Scientific American. His television special Energy at the Movies is currently in national syndication on PBS stations, and his massive open online course (MOOC), "Energy 101," launched globally in September 2013 to over 44,000 students. He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund, an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow, and on three separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.
The 25th anniversary event included the graduation of 25 ATI portfolio companies and was held last night, Wednesday, January 29. ATI deeply appreciates the following companies whose sponsorship helped make this event possible: AT&T, HPI, IBM, Norton Rose Fulbright and Pike Powers Lab.
About the Austin Technology Incubator:
The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) is the startup incubator of the IC2 Institute of The University of Texas at Austin. ATI works with seed and pre-seed-stage companies, helping prepare these businesses for commercial success, with a particular focus on helping startups compete in the capital markets. The Incubator has operated since 1989 with a dual mission: create jobs and wealth in Central Texas through technology entrepreneurship, and provide distinctive teaching and research opportunities to the UT-Austin community. Over the past 10 years, ATI companies have created more than 5,500 jobs, nearly $1 billion in economic impact, and over $20 million in tax revenues in Central Texas.
Laura Beck, Austin Technology Incubator, http://ati.utexas.edu/, +1 (512) 786-1098, [email protected]
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