As an educator, mentor, coach and writer, Babs Carryer is “all about entrepreneurship.” Director of Education & Outreach for the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute, Babs supports innovation and entrepreneurship across campus for students and faculty. She’s traveled the globe teaching entrepreneurship and also helped build the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Carnegie Mellon. Somehow, in her spare time, Babs also published a “startup murder mystery” titled, HD66 — search for a cure, or a killer? An avid sailor, Babs lives with her husband, Tim, in Highland Park.
Monday, August 21
I’ll start the week prepping for a wedding, finishing my second book, welcoming incoming Pitt freshmen to our Innovation & Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community (I&E LLC), finalizing three new classes I’m teaching, speaking at new student orientations, planning for our big P.O.W.E.R event with Women in Bio, and preparing fall programming with local incubator, Ascender.
On Monday, I’ll pitch at the new student orientation, PittStart. If students stop by my table, they’ll hear my pitch about how innovation and entrepreneurship are good for you and your career. They’ll also get an Innovation Institute t-shirt and a promise that we’ll email them soon about upcoming events like Startup Open and Startup Blitz.
Monday night I will finish the final edits on my new book, Startup Briefs, the ultimate no-holds-barred, everything-you-need-to-know guide to start a startup. It will be used in all of my classes this year, for undergrads through clinicians.
Tuesday, August 22
I’ll meet with a grad student to give her career advice and work on promoting the September 26 P.O.W.E.R. 4 Precision Medicine event that I’m chairing for Women in Bio. I’ll also meet with my two new Entrepreneurs in Residence for Student Programs, Joanna Sutton and Randy Eager, to give them the lay of the Pitt land.
I’ll finish and send for printing the syllabi for my new classes: “Startup Fundamentals for Engineers, Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Tech” and “idea2Impact.”
I’ll end the day on the rooftop of the University Club welcoming our 44 incoming freshmen who are part of our I&E LLC and re-welcome past students who will join the party to meet the new cohort.
Wednesday, August 23
I’ll start with breakfast at Ritter’s Diner with a top university official to discuss some important things brewing for our innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Later, I’ll speak at two graduate student orientations: Biomedical Engineering, and Center for Medical Innovation.
That evening, I’m welcoming two Chinese high school students into our home to live with us as they attend high school in Pittsburgh. I have the Chinese cookbook and the wok out to welcome them.
Thursday, August 24
I’ll do yoga before starting the morning with a senior staff meeting, then an individual meeting with my new boss, Evan Facher, Ph.D., who is now interim director of the Innovation Institute because Marc Malandro is now helping to run Chan Zuckerberg’s foundation in California. A key donor will join the meeting and the three of us will hash out a big idea for Pitt, which we’ll present to senior leadership later that day.
For dinner, we’ll celebrate with a close friend who has beaten back pancreatic cancer. That will require a drink (or two)!
Thursday, August 25
I’ll start with coffee at my favorite hangout, Tazza D’Oro, run by the intrepid Amy Enrico. I hope to catch her as she zooms in and out the door, running between the shop and her new location in Millvale.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to bike to Pitt and lead the kickoff meeting for all four Entrepreneurs in Residence for Student Programming.
After spending the rest of the day catching up on everything that I didn’t get done earlier in the week, I’ll bike over to Ascender for our usual programming jam, where we design the fall programs for the entrepreneurial community in Pittsburgh.
I’ll close out my work week by posting to the listserv of my Sisters in Crime group. We have a writing workshop coming up and I need those Facebook and Twitter posts to go out next week.
Friday night will be supper and wine on our lovely Highland Park deck, where the cat Arwen plays, the squirrels drink from our pond and life is good.
Saturday and Sunday, August 26 & 27
The weekend will find Tim and me sailing on the Chesapeake, weather permitting. We’ll sleep aboard, anchored in a pristine spot. Maybe we’ll take a quick boat ride down the Magothy River on Big Red.
On Sunday, we’ll pack up to leave for Boston to pick up family who are flying in from Ireland and the West Coast. As a caravan of cars, and one happy family, we’ll head up to Middlebury, Vermont, where our son, Straker, will tie the knot next Saturday with vibrant Liza Spears.
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