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USF Office of Research Names New Associate VP for Economic
Development
Rod Casto has been appointed Associate Vice President for Economic
Development for the Office of Research at the University of South
Florida (USF). In his new position, Casto intends to market USF
technologies worldwide while promoting and stimulating start-up
companies in USF's Research Park. Casto brings to USF more than twenty
years of international pharmaceutical experience in corporate
management, licensing and acquisition, drug discovery and clinical
trials. He most recently served as President, CEO and founding partner
of Hyperion Medical, Inc., which develops and markets wound care drugs
and devices.
For additional information, visit http://www.research.usf.edu/august.htm.
UCF Brings in $89M in Research Funds
For fiscal year 2003, the University of Central Florida attracted nearly
$89 million in research funding-an incredible 18 percent increase over
the previous fiscal year. This year also marked the fourth year in a row
the university has seen a double-digit percentage increase. Boosting
this year's funding was the establishment of the Florida Photonics
Center of Excellence at UCF's School of Optics/CREOL (Center for
Research and Education in Optics and Lasers). The designation will
result in $10 million in state funding and has already led to more than
$5 million in federal matching funds. The $89 million breaks down to $47
million from federal sources, $23 million from state funds and nearly
$19 million from private funding.
For additional information, visit www.research.ucf.edu
or
http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2003/07/21/daily10.html
Tampa Bay Economic Development Activity Strong
According to an annual economic impact analysis by the Tampa Bay
Partnership and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the Tampa Bay
region generated 13,403 new and retained jobs in 2002. These jobs
generated an estimated $833 million in annual household earnings. The
analysis of location or expansion announcements was done on data
collected by Enterprise Florida, Inc., the Tampa Bay Partnership and
other economic development organizations in the region.
To access an electronic version of the complete Economic Impact Report,
visit http://www.tampabay.org
National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference Comes to Orlando
University of South Florida
Looking for the latest fiber optic developments? Don't miss the 19th
annual National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference, September 7-11 at the
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Hosted by Telcordia
Technologies, this premier fiber optics industry event offers a forum
for sharing experiences, information, and cutting edge developments, as
well as extensive networking within the industry. The program will
address developments in fiber optic technologies and include a workshop,
a keynote session with top industry executives, half- and full-day
courses and exhibits featuring hundreds of fiber optic industry vendors.
For additional information, visit www.nfoec.com.
MCL takes Mixed Reality Test-bed to SIGGRAPH 2003
The Media Convergence Laboratory (MCL) of the University of Central
Florida presented its first Mixed Reality (MR) product prototypes to an
international audience at the SIGGRAPH 2003 Convention in San Diego last
week. SIGGRAPH is the Association for Computing Machinery's annual
computer graphics conference. Mixed Reality adds virtual, or
computer-generated, elements to physical surroundings to create, in the
case of the SIGGRAPH exhibit, the ability to talk to dolphins as they
swim around you (MR Aquarium), or defend the earth against robotic
invaders (MR Time Portal.)
The MCL is studying Mixed Reality possibilities in entertainment,
education and training. The Institute for Simulation & Training (IST)
hosts the lab. IST and UCF faculty conduct the research, assisted by
computer science and digital media students. The SIGGRAPH booth was
sponsored in part by the Metro Orlando EDC and the Florida High Tech
Corridor Council. For additional information on the Media Convergence
Laboratory, visit www.mcl.ucf.edu.
Sick of Spam? Sunbelt has a Solution
Sunbelt Software has received one of the industry's major honors - the
PC World "World Class" award - for the Outlook version of iHateSpam. In
its awards issue, PC World wrote "Unless you need more Nigerian fortune
scams or want to hear from questionable Viagra dealers, it's time to get
a spam filter. Outlook users should try Sunbelt Software's iHateSpam
3.2. iHateSpam nabbed 94 percent of the spam in our tests out of the
box, and it improved with training."
Sunbelt Software, located in Clearwater, is a leading provider of
best-of-breed Windows NT/2000/XP system tools. For additional
information, visit www.sunbelt-software.com.
Unique Biometric Technology Uses Fingerprints to Save Lives
Approximately 17,000 accidental gunshot wounds per year are treated in
the United States. An Orlando-based technology company wants to change
this alarming statistic. With the goal of making gun handling safer,
Smart Biometrics Inc. (SBI) has patented a unique biometric technology
that uses fingerprints to secure access to weapons. Developed as an
answer to responsible gun ownership, "BioVault" is a gun-safe vault that
can only be opened with preprogrammed fingerprint data. Bringing
together the capacitive read of a fingerprint with the analysis of
points on that fingerprint to provide positive identification, the
system allows a gun owner to keep a loaded weapon in a secure storage
unit, yet have quick access if needed.
Built on technology developed for the U.S. military, SBI's biometric
system has been recognized as the most secure method of personal
identification. For additional information, visit
www.smartbiometrics.com.
Consolidated Polymer Technologies Rollin' Into Towns across the U.S
St. Petersburg-based Consolidated Polymer Technologies (CPT) and the
following co-sponsoring companies - TC Tech Corporation, Colder Products
Company and LevTech Systems - are mid-way through a summer-long customer
appreciation tour of North America. This technical tour is entitled
"Integrated Solutions for Biopharmaceutical Fluid Handling". Traveling
through North America in a custom motor coach pulling an 18 ft equipment
loaded trailer, the companies will make a total of 20 "combined stops"
and 18 additional "private stops" at key customer sites.
For additional information, visit www.RollinYourWay.com.
And the Survey Says
To gauge and better understand industry performance in Pinellas County,
the Manufacturers Survey is conducted annually by the Pinellas Economic
Development Department. Survey findings reveal that Pinellas County is
home to one of every ten Florida high tech employees and one of every
six high tech companies in the 21-county Florida High Tech Corridor.
Conclusions drawn from the survey show both a positive picture for the
industry future, as well as current and future performance issues.
To download in-depth survey results, visit www.siliconbay.org.
UCF Student Receives Prestigious 2003 OSA New Focus Award
Michael M. Mielke of the University of Central Florida (UCF) has been
named the grand prize winner of the 2003 OSA New Focus Student Award.
Awarded by the Optical Society of America (OSA) and New Focus
Incorporated (NASDAQ: NUFO), Mielke was chosen for his outstanding
achievements in semiconductor laser research. Having received many
prestigious awards for his work, Mielke has developed a technique for
mode partition noise in modelocked, multiwavelength semiconductors for
which he has a pending U.S. patent.
For additional information, visit www.osa.org
National Center for Simulation Announces Alliance
The National Center for Simulation (NCS) in Orlando has formed an
alliance with The Patuxent Partnership (TPP) of Lexington Park, MD. The
alliance will provide a vehicle for the exchange of information through
Web site links, technology demonstrations, networking meetings, and
seminars and forums for the members of each organization. In addition,
an NCS satellite office in Lexington Park, Maryland will be established,
enhancing members' access to Washington DC-based decision makers. NCS
and TPP will work together to brand and market their organizations
nationally and increase funding opportunities for members at both the
state and federal level.
For more information, contact Star Mahaffey at
(407) 384-6111, star@simulationinformation.com or visit
www.simulationinformation.com.
Calendar of Events
The following are events taking place across the Corridor's 21-county
region which readers may be interested in attending.
Excellence in Entrepreneurship Certificate Course
Offered by: The UCF Incubator and the UCF College of Business
Registration deadline: Friday, August 8
Course dates: Monday and Wednesday evenings - August 11 through
September 1 - Orlando, Florida
For event information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu or call (407)882-2801.
TBTF Summer Social and Tour of USF Center For Entrepreneurship
Hosted by: USF and the USF Center for Entrepreneurship
Presented by: Tampa Bay Technology Forum
Thursday, August 14 - Tampa, Florida
For event information, visit www.tbtf.org.
AeA Technology Development Conference: Government Markets 101
Presented by: American Electronics Association (AeA)
Thursday, August 21 - Orlando, Florida
For event information, visit www.aeanet.org or contact Jennifer Gabriel
at (407) 882-2447 or Jennifer_Gabriel@aeanet.org.
How to Do Business with Pinellas County
Thursday, August 28, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Pinellas County, Florida
For event information, call (727) 453-7200 or e-mail
jmetz@co.pinellas.fl.us.
19th Annual National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference
Presented by: Telcordia Technologies
Sunday, September 7 - Thursday, September 11 - Orlando, Florida
Registration deadline: By Friday, August 15 for a $50 discount
For event information, visit www.nfoec.com.
Innovation Florida 2003
Presented by: Central Florida Innovation Corporation
Thursday, September 25 - Orlando, Florida
For event information, visit www.cfic.org
or call (407) 277-5411.
Inside Florida's High Tech Corridor
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