Cockrell School of Engineering Professor of Innovation Bob Metcalfe has been recognized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce as a 2014 Volunteer of the Year for his contributions to the city’s business community in the areas of technology and innovation.
The Austin chamber will honor Metcalfe, who leads innovation initiatives at The University of Texas at Austin, and 11 other volunteers at its annual meeting on Jan. 28. The 2014 Volunteers of the Year were selected for supporting the chamber with both their time and talents, the chamber said.
"We’re proud to honor the many great individuals that help make Austin such a tremendous place to work and live,” said Phyllis Snodgrass, chief operating officer at the Austin chamber.
Metcalfe, who is the inventor of the Ethernet, serves as faculty director of the Cockrell School's Innovation Center, where he advises and mentors UT Austin faculty members and students who are exploring entrepreneurial endeavors. His Professor stARTup Studio provides guidance to faculty and local entrepreneurs in the "art" of technology commercialization, working with the Austin Chamber of Commerce to bring together business experts and entrepreneurs to hear the results of faculty research, with the goal of advancing startup activity.
Metcalfe joined UT Austin in 2011 and is a fellow of the Clint W. Murchison Sr. Chair of Free Enterprise. He created the first undergraduate entrepreneurial program on campus with the Longhorn Startup Program, for which he serves as a director and mentor. He is also a professor in both the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the McCombs School of Business.
