ATAI hires Vincent Caprio to identify water, energy technology opportunities

Wichita State University’s Applied Technology Acceleration Institute (ATAI) has hired an advisor to aid in expanding the institute’s impact in the water and energy industries.

Vincent Caprio, Founder and Executive Director of the Water Innovations Alliance Foundation, will provide ATAI with the insight and connections necessary to identify technology-based solution opportunities in these new fields.

Caprio will serve as a cloud director, a new model being pioneered by ATAI to bring unparalleled talent to Wichita State, regardless of physical geography, and leveraging Cisco’s Telepresence Collaboration technology and Jive Software’s Jive-n Community solution to connect industry leaders with ATAI partners, students and staff.

“Vincent is exceptionally well-versed in a broad spectrum of emerging technologies that impact our country’s energy and water infrastructure,” said Ken Russell, ATAI Executive Director. “He understands the dynamic role technology can play in solving current problems as well how market-driven technology solutions can provide keen insight into future trends.”

Caprio has coordinated numerous Water 2.0 conferences during the past five years and has been a noted speaker at numerous emerging technology conferences throughout America over the past two decades. He is also a frequent contributor to GE’s Our Water Counts, a movement dedicated to bringing proven solutions to the municipal water industry in order to help utilities work smarter and upgrade systems effectively.

“I am thrilled to become part the ATAI team and to collaborate on finding innovative solutions to difficult challenges,” said Caprio. “That’s what Wichita State’s Innovation Campus is all about.

Having been an association leader for years in both the water and energy sectors, I know the challenges facing the nation’s water infrastructure are extremely difficult and these sectors will greatly benefit from ATAI’s strategy to promote a practical approach to solving such complex technology problems.”

The Water Innovations Alliance Foundation, a founding partner of ATAI, is dedicated to informing the public about emerging water technologies, which can play a critical role in maintaining and repairing the nation’s outdated water infrastructure.

ATAI is a key component of WSU’s Innovation Campus strategy. The institute promotes a practical approach to solving complex technology problems. ATAI is focused on building strong partnerships and providing applied and experiential learning opportunities for students while transforming the very way the educational experience is developed, packaged, delivered and supported.