News Summary - 3/11

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Mar 11, 2008

Biomass breakthrough at UMCP

The University of Maryland, College Park said some of its scientists have come up with a new biomass-to-ethanol process that takes advantage of a bacteria found in the Chesapeake Bay two decades ago. Enzymes produced by the bacteria, which was found breaking down bay grass, can also digest cellulose in other plant matter, a key step in the ethanol production process. A university startup company, Zymetis Inc., has been created to commercialize the process, the university said.

Lockheed seeks NASA contract

Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, the world's largest defense company, said it submitted a bid to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to design and build weather satellites in a program valued at more than $1 billion. The contract is scheduled to be awarded by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in late 2008 and will include two satellites -- with first delivery in 2014 -- and options for two more. The satellites will be used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide real-time advance weather warning to protect lives, property and the environment.

BofA promotes Flanders

Bank of America said it promoted Cindy Flanders to global commercial banking executive for the mid-Atlantic Region. In her new role, Flanders is responsible for leading the delivery of the full resources of Bank of America to companies with revenues of between $2.5 million and $2 billion in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Flanders, a 30-plus-year employee of Bank of America and its predecessor organizations, most recently was the bank's commercial banking executive for Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia.

Capital Classic's new sponsor

Under Armour Inc., of Baltimore, a developer and distributor of athletic performance apparel, and Corrigan Sports Enterprises, of Elkridge, a sports promotion and events marketing company, announced Under Armour's title sponsorship and the team rosters for the 35th Annual Capital Classic Game on April 13 at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center. The headline game, the US All-Stars vs. Capital All-Stars, starts at 5 p.m. and will be aired live on MASN. Since its inception in 1974, the Capital Classic has showcased the nation's top high school basketball players. More than 125 Capital Classic participants have gone on to play in the NBA.

Richmond selects Metastorm

Metastorm Inc., of Baltimore, a developer of business automation and Web-based workflow software, said its software has been successfully deployed by the city of Richmond, Va., as the foundation to automate its citywide processes. Richmond selected Metastorm BPM to automate the processes critical to running city government and, at the same time, transform its operations into an automated environment. Other American governmental units that use the Metastorm BPM suite include El Paso County, Colo; New Orleans; Norfolk, Va.; Philadelphia, and Winston-Salem, N.C.

Sourcefire down under

Sourcefire Inc., of Columbia, a developer of network security technology, said its 3D System has been selected by Woodside, Australia's largest publicly traded oil and gas exploration and production company, to improve its global network security with increased network visibility and proactive threat protection. The product enables Woodside to easily identify new systems, vulnerabilities and policy violations throughout its worldwide network without impacting network performance. The company then uses this information to proactively enforce policies and tune its security devices for increased accuracy and protection.

Nuclear site decision in Nov.

Constellation Energy Group Inc., of Baltimore, the biggest U.S. power marketer, said it will decide whether to build a nuclear reactor at the Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland later this year. The Constellation board of will make the decision in November, Vice Chairman Michael Wallace said Monday at a conference in London. The "key focus" of the decision will be how the U.S. government's loan guarantees for nuclear construction develops, he said. Constellation last year formed a joint venture with Electricite de France SA to build reactors. A new atomic unit will need regulatory approval.

Questions over Canal Place

Some Western Maryland state lawmakers, frustrated by a lack of progress on Cumberland's Canal Place tourism development, have requested a performance audit to find out what's going on. Republican Delegate LeRoy Myers said legislators representing Allegany County -- as well as members of the House Appropriations Committee -- want to know why it's taking so long to build a hotel for visitors to the state-subsidized project at the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Canal Place board announced last week the signing of a lease with a private developer that obtained an option on the hotel site nearly seven years ago.

Brain injury center in place

In an effort to further basic, translational and clinical studies in injury research, the University of Maryland School of Medicine said it has designated its Charles McC. Mathias National Study Center for Trauma and Emergency Medical Systems as a new Organized Research Center. This will clear the way to the center becoming a world-class, multidisciplinary research and educational center focusing on brain injuries, critical care and organ support, resuscitation, surgical outcomes, patient safety and injury prevention. The new center is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation.