INSIDE FLORIDA'S HIGH TECH CORRIDOR

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February 2007

UF Scientists to Study Stem Cell Treatments for Heart Disease
A grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute will allow University of Florida (UF) scientists to research and test new cell therapies for cardiovascular disease.  UF joins four other research centers to create the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, which will be applying a $33.7 million grant over the next five years to conduct multiple research trials in cardiovascular regenerative medicine.

Along with the Cleveland Clinic, the Texas Heart Institute, the University of Minnesota and Vanderbilt University, UF researchers will test methods of extracting cells from patients with coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and other heart conditions and potentially transplanting their own treated cells to strengthen and repair cardiovascular tissue.

For more information, visit http://news.ufl.edu/2007/01/16/heart-stem.

UCF Students' 'Opera Slinger' Honored at
Independent Games Festival
Student designers at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), the University of Central Florida’s graduate video game development program, placed in the top 10 among more than 100 entries to the Independent Games Festival Student Competition with their interactive singing game “Opera Slinger.”

The team will travel to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this March to compete against the other finalists for the Best Student Game prize of $2,500.

The 10 FIEA students (producers Matthew Laurence, Krystel Guiloff, Devon Sullivan and Ryan Willis; artists James Moore and Ed Tiger; and, programmers Jennie Gritton, Paul Dutka, Giovanni Acosta and Gabriel Montagne) created the game in just four months.

For more information, visit http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=
article&id=002400415bc28a54010f97070b37007c47.

Gov. Crist Announces Stem Cell Research Grant Program at USF
Governor Charlie Crist earlier this week visited the University of South Florida’s (USF) College of Medicine to announce a budget recommendation of $20 million to create the Stem Cell Research Grant Program.  USF was selected as the location for the announcement because of the research work of its Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair.

Legislation creating the grant program will provide competitive grants for medical research, institutions and universities to explore possible treatments and cures for degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and spinal cord injuries.  The legislation will also provide for significant professional and ethical oversight of research supported by the grants.

For more information, visit http://www.myflorida.com.

4th Annual Florida Tech Transfer Conference
Comes to Miami in May
Focused on Florida universities’ translational and applied research strengths, the Florida Tech Transfer Conference will feature keynote lectures, breakout sessions and university briefings that showcase commercialization opportunities with Florida’s top institutions.

Industry executives, entrepreneurs, university researchers and investors are encouraged to attend to learn new developments in the biotechnology industry and Centers of Excellence progress in the state.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council is supporting the conference by serving as an event sponsor.

For registration and more information, visit http://www.flatechtransfer.org.

UF Professor Discovers Record-Making Star
University of Florida (UF) astronomy professor Stephen Eikenberry detected LBV 1806-20, which was confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the brightest and biggest star ever found.

The star is 150 times the size of Earth’s sun, 40 million times as bright and estimated to be 2 to 3 million years old.

While researchers cannot precisely date the star, Eikenberry believes the age will be determined upon completion of Flamingos 2, a telescope Eikenberry is building in a lab at UF’s Bryant Space Science Center.  Costing around $6 million and weighing almost 2,000 pounds, upon completion the eight-foot-long telescope will be the most powerful in the world.

For more information, visit http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070118/LOCAL/70118018/-1/news.

Triad Isotopes Headquarters Company in Orlando
Dom Meffe, a founder and former CEO of the Orlando-based pharmaceutical distributor CuraScript, has chosen to locate the headquarters for nuclear medicine company Triad Isotopes in Central Florida.

In addition to the University of Central Florida’s new medical school at Lake Nona and The Burnham Institute, Triad Isotopes’ corporate headquarters at the SunTrust Center brings its share of economic development to the region in the form of dozens of executive positions.  The company plans to create 30 jobs including senior level and financial management positions.

For more information, visit http://www.parthenoncapital.com/
news_result.asp?id=69.

The Florida Photonics Cluster Reemerges
Since its inception as the Florida Electro-Optics Industry Association in 1995, the re-named Florida Photonics Cluster (FPC) set out with goals to foster the expansion and growth of Florida’s optics and photonics industry.  While activity slowed within the FPC in 2004, recently the cluster’s goals of bringing together industry knowledge, expertise, and service have been revitalized with the help of prominent research organizations.

Institutions such as the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) College of Optics & Photonics are garnering national attention to Florida’s photonics industry; the college is recognized as one of the top three independent optics academic departments in the nation with its research centers, the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) & Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE).

Along with support from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, the recent renewal of the FPC has been greatly aided by Dr. James Pearson, Director of Research and Administration for CREOL and FPCE within the College of Optics & Photonics at UCF.

For more information, visit http://www.floridaphotonicscluster.com.

Gamers and Industry Professionals Alike Converge on Otronicon
The 2nd annual gaming convention, Otronicon, (O)rlando Elec(tron)ic (I)nteractive Entertainment (Con)vention, took over the Orlando Science Center for 10 days straight in January, showcasing the latest advances in video games, simulation technology and instruction in interactive media.  Co-sponsored by Real World Education, Otronicon featured game design workshops and simulator demonstrations from Lockheed Martin and Raydon Corporation, along with tournaments and demos of all the newest games on the market.

Opening weekend attendance for Otronicon alone was more than 6,000 people – up 10 percent over the previous year.

For more information, visit http://www.otronicon.org.

Accolades

Joe Lewis Named Central Floridian of the Year
Tavistock Holding Co. owner Joe Lewis was recently named Central Floridian of the Year for 2006 by the Orlando Sentinel.  Lewis is credited with advancing the approval of the University of Central Florida’s medical school and securing the site for The Burnham Institute’s East Coast headquarters in Orlando, offering over $20 million to develop the new biomedical and life sciences research facilities at Lake Nona.

UF College of Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine’s department of psychiatry received a $1.5 million endowment to establish the Donald R. Dizney Chair in Addiction Medicine.  Donated by Donald and Irene Dizney of Windermere, the gift is eligible for $1.2 million in matching funds from the State of Florida’s Major Gifts Trust Fund.

Astronaut Hall of Fame
In May at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, former astronauts Michael Coats, Steven Hawley and Jeffrey Hoffman will be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.  All retired from the NASA astronaut corps, former shuttle commander Coats now serves as director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston while astronomers Hawley and Hoffman both serviced the Hubble Space Telescope.

USF Libraries Web Site
The redesign for the University of South Florida Libraries Web site has been completed to provide access to more than 2 million volumes and an extensive collection of electronic resources.

Peak 10
Peak 10, an independent data center operator and managed services provider with offices in Tampa and throughout the Southeast, was named to the “Fastest Growing Company” list by HostReview.  Additionally, for the second consecutive year, Peak 10 was ranked by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies and the Top Customer Service Company by the North Carolina Technology Association.

Audio Visual Innovations
Tampa-based audiovisual systems integrator, Audio Visual Innovations, has been selected by Systems Contractor News magazine as the top systems integrator in North America for the second consecutive year.

Walt Disney World Co.
The Walt Disney World Company's "Strive for Five" energy reduction program has been named the winner of the second annual Florida Energy Achievement Award.  The award is presented by the Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida.

Did You Know?
From December 2005 to 2006, Florida added 212,600 jobs. According to statistics released by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, Florida’s unemployment rate is 3.3 percent, and its job growth rate is more than twice the national average. The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in December 2006.

Calendar of Events
The following events are taking place across the Corridor’s 23-county region or in the surrounding area:

Excellence in Entrepreneurship Certificate Course
Presented by: UCF Technology Incubator & College of Business Administration
Tuesday, Feb. 6 through Tuesday, Feb. 27, 6 to 9 p.m.
Disney/SBA National Entrepreneur Center
315 East Robinson Street, Suite 100, Orlando
For event information, visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu.

Insight Tampa Roadshow 2007
Presented by: Insight
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 4 to 10:30 p.m.
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
5223 Orient Road, Tampa
For event information, visit http://www.ips.insight.com/site/
include/landing_page.cfm?id=9845&scSourceCode=et565.

Go Innovate – Awakening Creativity
and Innovation Workshop
Presented by: Brevard Community College
Tuesday, Feb. 13 and Wednesday, Feb. 14
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
3865 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne
For event information, visit http://www.bcctraining.com.

Titans of Technology: Web 2.0 & the Future of the WWW
Presented by: IBM
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 4 to 8 p.m.
A La Carte Event Pavilion
4050 Dana Shores Drive, Tampa
For event information, visit http://guest.cvent.com/
i.aspx?1Q,P1,11FC54A8-883A-47FD-896E-33575C43C82F.

SBIR Grant Workshop
Presented by:  University of Central Florida Venture Lab
Wednesday, Feb. 28th, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Partnership II Building , UCF Research Park
3100 Technology Parkway, Room 208, Orlando
For event information, visit
http://www.venturelab.ucf.edu/workshops_SBIR.html.

Inside Florida’s High Tech Corridor is published by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Inc. (FHTCC) and its economic development partners. The FHTCC is an initiative of the University of Central Florida (http://www.ucf.edu), the University of South Florida (http://www.usf.edu) and the University of Florida (http://www.ufl.edu). For more information visit our Web site at (http://www.floridahightech.com), or contact one of the region’s economic development partners listed at http://www.floridahightech.com/linkslibrary/economic_dev_org.htm.

Florida High Tech Corridor Link Library
For a comprehensive list of FHTCC University Partners; Community Colleges; Economic Development Organizations; Technology Groups & Programs; Workforce Boards & Organizations; Technology Incubators & Venture Capital Organizations; and, Industry Organizations visit the Florida High Tech Corridor link library at http://www.floridahightech.com/linkslibrary.