SARA and Various White Papers

If anyone wishes a copy of the paper I gave at the recent SARA conference held at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Green Bank, WV), send me a private e-mail and I'll send along the presentation, which essentially looked at strategies and tactics for funding the next generation of small radio telescopes (interferomenters, etc.).  You may want to Google my name and manned space exploration to see my White Paper published on the future of NASA, particularly my suggested repurposing of it as Nanotechnologies, Astrobiology, Space Telescopes, and Advanced Materials (NASA).  Separately, spool up the AIAA Commercial Space website for my White Paper on venture capital and space exploration.  Also, my work on e-motorsports as a disruptive formula earned me a national award (3rd place, Technical/Magazines) in the 2012 AARWBA competition.  Clearly the line of demarcation between aerospace, automotive, and advanced materials has blurred.

Websites for science continuing education courses

Two free, "distance" learning websites that are extremely useful in meeting Continuing Education requirements and Lifelong Learning are--www.meted.ucar.edu and www.coursera.org

The first is a bonanza of meteorological and satellite offerings, with a host of one to multiple-hour coursework at levels ranging from layperson  to post-doc.  The second, which features courses ranging from Astrobiology to European Union law, is multi-week and as intellectually engaging as your imagination.  Both have a wide range of offerings and are highly-recommended.

Next-gen vehicles in Hollywood film

Check out the current issue of StudentFilmmakers for our lengthy article on next-gen vehicles in Hollywood film.  Includes an interview with Christian Ruoff at ChargedEVs.  Separately, go to YouTube, enter "William Vartorella" and you will see the unedited version of the interview I did at the IEEE lst global conference on electric vehicles, where I presented on my emerging business model for funding cutting-edge motorsports (and, by inference, new car companies and racing venues).

Carbon neutral motorsports

Getting a lot of buzz on our CarbonMETRICS (C) approach to sponsoring next-gen, carbon neutral racecars and teams.  Demonstrated the METRICS aspect of the equation as part of a start-up panel presentation at the IEEE Electric Vehicles (EV) conference (Greenville, SC USA), which emphasized how the new sponsor categories interplayed with venture capital (VC) interests and those of "green" companies.  Followed up with the Carbon Offsets part of the equation in an article which recently appeared in Charged!,
the slick, edgy electric vehicles publication with Christian Ruoff at the helm.  I have a large-scale piece on next-gen vehicles appearing soonest in another publication that touches base on the key players from hydrogen to electrics and beyond.  More on that when it hits the street next month.  Also, my recent appointment to the Commercial Space Group is getting increasingly interesting, particularly as I'm the "outsider" (here in a formal sense) working on the interface among automotive, aerospace, the Internet entrepreneurs and how that plays into profitability in LEO, GeoSynch, and Lunar orbital business plans.
And, yes, I've been in some of the next-gen cars at high speed and these ain't your Grandma's "pretty-in-pink" ugly, slow little hybrids.  These are kick-ass, high g-force green monsters.  More soon and hope to see you at the racetrack.  To paraphrase Steve McQueen, "Racing is life, everything else is just waiting."

Satellites, Electric Cars, and the Future of Motorsports

Lot going on here that impacts science and exploration funding. In March, our article on the intersection between venture capital and "small satellites" will appear in one of the leading satellite trades. Simultaneously, we shall attend the IEEE EV Conference, where we shall participate in a panel examining factors related to successful EV corporate start-ups. Recently, our brief article on the Future of Motorsports appeared in AARWBA's monthly newsletter. We're also preparing a piece on MilSats, which will explore a mixed-use platform.

New Sponsorship Model for Carbon Neutral Motorsports

“Peak oil (?), carbon neutral racing, and the sprint for 21st Century Sponsorships”

Pace Notes by Bill Vartorella ©2011

Executive Summary: Steve McQueen—“Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” In terms of waiting for a return to the glory years of racing as we knew it, we may be “Waiting for Godot.” The short-term good news, according to IEG, which monitors sponsorships worldwide, is that North American-based corporations expect to spend an estimated $3.5 billion this year primarily to sponsor teams and tracks--up more than 4% over last year. Looks great on paper, but the devil is in the details. J.D. Powers has just released a report indicating that by 2015, some 55% of the global hybrid market will be the U.S.—10% of the entire U.S. automotive market. Like it or not, the future of motorsports is the rise of “carbon neutral racing.” METRICS is a transitional strategy for sponsorship. We'll be lecturing on this soon at a meeting in NYC, then in our forthcoming book. Essentially, we're advocating think fast, dare to be green, and target the pool of rising hybrid sponsors.

In the Shark Tank: a workshop on Documentary Film Pitches

"Live from the Shark Tank: Strategies and Tactics for Surviving an Investor Pitch. Get Your Film Project to the Silver Screen." Experience real-life film pitching and critiquing with William F. Vartorella, Ph.D., C.B.C. The event will take place at the StudentFilmmakers.com headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 3:00pm-6:00pm. First 15 to register online get a complimentary book. (View program details.)

Speakers for Into the Field III

Some 6000 field expeditions worldwide are preparing to descend upon whatever funding sources they can identify to secure support for the 2012 season. Unless you have a rich uncle, trust fund, or corporate benefactor already lined up, in this darkest economy you are going to need an edge. On Saturday and Sunday, November 12-13, the Philadelphia Chaper of The Explorers Club is providing proven solutions to the funding dilemma with a series of no-nonsense talks, panels, and workshops addressing primarily corporate, media, fundation, and individual donor strategies for attracting cash and in-kind donations for your deserving expedition. On Sunday, selected expeditions will get hand's-on help by the speakers to fine-tune pitches and proposals. Cost: $125/person, in advance, $150 at the door. Venue: Atlantic Cape Community College, just outside Philadelphia in scenic New Jersey.

This is a nuts-and-bolts symposium for Expedition leaders, field scientists, Institute/NGO heads, and museum professionals who have scheduled (or are contemplating) a serious field expedition in 2012. This isn't about theory; rather, successful practice. These speakers have
raised $ millions for field science. Don Keel, a top fundraiser, author, and expert on investment philanthropy, is reprising his ITF I and II appearances with the latest thoughts on donors, constituencies, and the importance of people giving money to people, rather than ideas. Our Keynote speaker Kevin Anderson, MN `05 is a SciFi writer and explorer with a vision for the future. He is the author of more than one hundred novels, 47 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists. Anderson has coauthored ten books in Frank Herbert's classic DUNE universe with Herbert's son Brian. He has climbed all 54 mountain peaks in the Colorado Rockies higher than 14,000 ft elevation. With the Civil War's 150th Anniversary, ITF co-founder Peter Hess's, FN `88, experience with risk and the U.S.S. Monitor is timely and has that sense of urgency for discovery and preservation. Dr. Mike Manyak, FN`92 is looking at risk from the medical perspective, which is new to ITF and adds views of how to mitigate risk (particularly for donors). Marie Levine, FN `90, Executive Director of Shark Research Institute, is a case study of how to bring a fledging NGO to prominence (witness the triumphs of anti-finning legislation/initiatives worldwide, plus overall shark research). Jeff Blumenfeld, MR `89 is a media maestro and will take us through the steps of press exposure and the sponsor interface. Explorers Club President Lorie Karnath, MBA, Ph.D. (Hon.), FI `89 will introduce us to role of philanthropy in field research and her vision of the next generation of explorers. ITF co-founder Bill Vartorella, Ph.D., C.B.C., FN `91 will explore corporate and foundation trends from a proposal reviewer's perspective, as well as his experience negotiating a successful
deal with The History Channel. Then there will be the usual perspectives of one or more of the documentary, docu-drama community. Expeditions interested in participating in the one-onone sessions on Sunday need to prepare a one-page summary for review and vetting by the ITF Committee. For more information, please contact me at globebiz@juno.com