The IDEA Center at Saint Francis University

Innovation Development Ecosystem for the Alleghenies

Connecting ideas, industries, and students

About the IDEA Center at Saint Francis University

The IDEA Center at Saint Francis University was founded in 2024 with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships directorate. Directed by Drs. Tim Miller and Rachel Wagner, the Center strives to uplift the innovative ideas found within industries across the Pennsylvania Allegheny region. We aim to connect those industries to one another, to funding sources, and to students at our university. In collaboration with the Competitive Innovation Council at Saint Francis, our partners find supportive faculty, students, and administration at our university.

Questions We Ponder

Can waste plastics be used to strengthen concrete?

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How can we easily keep track of rail cars?

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Can operator time be reduced when collecting data from remote passive AMD treatment systems

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Can we integrate radio wave signals & satellite sensors to better understand our solar system?

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Companies We Work With

[Map with moving elements to go here Beth to provide assets for Marie to build]

Meet The Team

People involved in the IDEA Center – Tim, Rachel, directors; students = Nathan Cammarata,

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Work with Us

The Innovation Development Ecosystem for the Alleghenies (the IDEA Center) at Saint Francis University is eager to support more projects like the ones showcased above. Interested in partnering with us? Fill out the contact form below to learn more about the Center's capabilities and explore collaboration opportunities.

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Blog

SFU's IDEA Center: Smartphone-Based Rail Car Tracking for Geo-Spatial Organization

Dr. Rachel Wagner, Department Chair | 08/18/2025

As rail cars are constantly moved for cleaning, repair, or inspection, Curry Rail Services needed an efficient system to quickly identify the location of each car. Nathan Cammarata, an SFU engineering/mathematics major is collaborating with the company todevelop a smartphone-based strategy for tracking the location of rail cars in real time.

SFU one of 50 emerging research institutions to receive NSF funding

Marie Young, University Communications & Marketing | 10/10/2023

The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a $399,727 award to Saint Francis University as part of its first-ever Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) grant program. The agency is investing $19.6 million to help nearly 50 emerging research institutions grow their capacity to participate in and drive regional innovation.

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