Portland State Magazine Spring 2009

The tides, they are a-changin' Engineering professor David Jay discovered that tides on the West Coast are getting bigger. Photo by Kelly James. TIDES ARE GETTING BIGGER alongtheWescCoascand global climate change is the likely culprit. Engineering Prof. David Jay says the amplitude of rides from Alaska co Mexico has increased, meaning the change between the highest and lowest rides is bigger. Though the rise in global sea levels is well documented, the rides themselves were, until now, thought co be constant. Jay came upon the tidal change almost by accident. He was training a high school student in how co run a tidal analysis program when the student's results indicated an increase in tidal an1plicude near Astoria. Jay had him recheck his work, and then suggested analyzing data from a San Francisco sire. It's an angel of a deal FOR A STARTUP COMPANY, receiving angel funding from the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network is nothing short of heaven– sent For Portland State, the stars couldn't be better aligned . From a group of 50 new companies, the network chose only two to receive 2009 Angel Oregon funding. Both are located in the PSU Business Accelerator, and one was started by a Portland State professor. At the University's Business Accelerator on Southwest Corbett Avenue, the two winning companies, DesignMedix, Inc., and WeoGeo, are in a building that can accommodate 25 businesses. With occupancy comes affordable rates, specialized services from the business community, and access to the research and develop– ment potential of the entire University. There, coo, tidal amplitude was increasing. Thar began a five– year project co collect and analyze historic tidal readings along the West Coast. Study findings were published in a Geophysics Research Letters article early this year. The growth in tidal amplitudes may accelerate coastal erosion, says Jay, especially in areas along the Oregon coast where the sea level is rising and storm waves are growing larger. Tides also play an important role in oceanic processes related co healthy ecosystems, bur the role larger rides may play in these complex processes, and what effect the increased rides may have on nutrient supplies and fisheries, requires further study. DesignMedix, started by chemistry professor David Peyton, modifies drugs to make them effective against drug-resistant diseases. The company's first product is showing early success in treating malaria. WeoGeo creates map-managing software for surveyors, engineers, architects, and other professionals. DesignMedix garnered a $150,000 investment from the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and WeoGeo won $80,000. The judging panel was made up of 46 angel investors who each pledged $5,000. Angel investors, by definition, take a leap of faith when they invest their own money in startup companies. DesignMedix impressed the investors. "The company has an absolutely unique technology that could solve a major health problem," said Drew Smith, panel chairman. ■ WINTER 2009 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE S