USF Moves Ahead With Plans for New Pharmacy School

Thanks to key funding from the Florida Legislature, the University of South Florida (USF) can move forward with plans to establish its new School of Pharmacy within its College of Medicine. In the state budget, USF received $6 million in recurring funds that will be used to establish the Doctor of Pharmacy program.

The new program will feature an interdisciplinary approach to pharmacy education, pulling expertise from other colleges including USF's Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health. The first class of students will enroll in the program starting in August 2011. The USF School of Pharmacy will be the fourth pharmacy program in Florida and the second located within Florida's High Tech Corridor.

For more information, visit http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/health/now/?p=12984.

University of Florida Breaks Ground on Florida Innovation Hub

The University of Florida (UF) broke ground on its new "super incubator," the Florida Innovation Hub, June 14. In addition to high tech startup companies, the incubator will house UF's Office of Technology Licensing and UF Tech Connect, the university's two technology development and commercialization offices.

The facility is expected to open in fall 2011 and will bridge the gap between downtown Gainesville and the university. Funding for the 45,000-square-foot incubator was provided by an $8.2 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration matched by $5 million in funding from the university. The Florida Innovation Hub is the first of a series of facilities planned for Innovation Square, a section of Gainesville being developed into a research and technology park.

For more information, visit http://news.ufl.edu/2010/06/14/hub-groundbreaking/.

UCF Breaks Ground on Kissimmee Incubator, Announces Plans for Volusia County Location

The University of Central Florida (UCF) and officials from Osceola County and the City of Kissimmee broke ground on a new incubator in Kissimmee at a ceremony June 24. Located in the City Center of Kissimmee building, the new 8,000-square-foot incubator is expected to be operating within two months.

The UCF Business Incubation Program (BIP) also announced that it will partner with Volusia County to launch a new incubator at the Daytona Beach International Airport complex in Daytona Beach. Volusia County and UCF will develop the new incubator jointly but the UCF BIP will manage operations of the facility once it is established. This incubator will be the first location in Volusia County.

The UCF Business Incubation Program currently has facilities located at Central Florida Research Park and in Orlando, St. Cloud, Sanford, Winter Springs and Leesburg. The Business Incubation Program has supported more than 140 emerging companies, including more than 90 current clients. To date, the incubation program has created $800 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of approximately $59,000.

For more information, visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/newscenter/2010_PressReleases/6-1_kissimmee.html and http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/newscenter/2010_PressReleases/6-10_volusia.html.

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Modeling, Simulation and Training
Advancements in the Modeling, Simulation and Training (MS&T) have led to numerous applications in the fields of education, medicine, interactive entertainment and aviation, and many of those changes emerged from Florida's High Tech Corridor.

Located in the Central Florida Research Park are some of the world's leading modeling and simulation organizations. Team Orlando (www.teamorlando.org) is a collaborative alliance formed by leading military commands and industry and academic partners to develop, test and evaluate modeling, simulation and training systems for use in the armed forces. The strong military presence and industry support led the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) to host the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando every year. Research Park is also home to the National Center for Simulation (www.simulationinformation.com) and the University of Central Florida's (UCF) Institute for Simulation and Training (www.ist.ucf.edu), each serving as a catalyst for the development, understanding and advancement of simulation technologies.

Academic institutions within the Corridor are fostering the growth of this industry by preparing students for careers in MS&T fields. In 2009, UCF partnered with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to begin offering a Professional Science master's degree in Modeling and Simulation in addition to its interdisciplinary master's and Ph.D. modeling and simulation programs. Additionally, Daytona State College offers an advanced technology degree program in Simulation and Robotics Technology that prepares students for careers in this growing and lucrative field (http://www.daytonastate.edu/catalog/facts/atc.html).

MS&T is prominent elsewhere in the Corridor as well. Medical Education Technologies Incorporated (METI), located in Sarasota, is developing next-generation advanced simulators that are helping educate and train nurses, doctors and other medical professionals (www.meti.com). METI's most advanced simulator, iStan, is used in educational facilities at medical schools and hospitals throughout the country.

Overall, the Florida High Tech Corridor is home to more than 2,500 public and private modeling, simulation and training organizations employing more than 36,000 people with a total payroll exceeding $2 billion.

FACES OF TECHNOLOGY

Lou Oberndorf, Founder and Chairman
Medical Education Technologies Inc.
www.meti.com

Medical Education Technologies Inc. (METI) provides 21st century learning technologies based on human patient simulators that provide true-to-life health care learning opportunities without risk to real patients for future doctors, nurses, first responders and military medics.

Your roots: We were the first adopters of this-what was then revolutionary technology. It was created at the University of Florida by a team of anesthesiologists and biomedical engineers back in the early 90s. Our initial grant from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and partnerships with UF, the Army and other educational institutions and community colleges truly built us into a Florida success story.
What's your mantra? We started with five people in 1996 and we're over 175 today. Our mantra from the very beginning is to think like a small company, like an underdog, and constantly innovate our own technology before somebody else does.
What's New: We've just brought out a whole portfolio of products which we started 3-4 years ago, and we've been able to provide them at a lower cost. Our simulators still deliver an enormous amount of technology and health care education content, and now we can go beyond the schoolhouse and get these into the hospital base. We're very proud we can offer solutions that are going to help the current health care environment.

For a video interview, visit www.FacesofTechnology.com.

TAKE A BOW

Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas Baptiste, National Center for Simulation
The Florida High Tech Corridor is a hub for the Modeling, Simulation and Training (MS&T) industry, thanks in part to the efforts of an organization that is dedicated to advancing the MS&T sector and expanding its presence throughout Central Florida. At the helm, is this month's Take a Bow spotlight: retired Lieutenant General Thomas Baptiste, president and executive director of the National Center for Simulation.

Baptiste brings his expertise working with military organizations to the National Center for Simulation and has worked to expand the presence of simulation in medicine, entertainment and education in addition to its traditional role in military applications.

As president and executive director of the National Center for Simulation, Baptiste promotes modeling and simulation technology and education and provides business development support to the government, industry and academic communities.

Recognizing the growing impact simulation has on the health care industry, Baptiste played a key role in bringing the national site of medical training to the Orlando Veteran's Affairs Medical Center at Lake Nona. MS&T has had a significant impact on the way doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are trained. Bringing the national focus of medical training to the concentration of medical institutions at Lake Nona will further advance the Corridor as a hub for the MS&T industry.

For this, and his many other contributions to his field, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council thanks Lt. Gen. Baptiste. His support of the MS&T industry continues to promote and expand the Corridor as a high tech hub.

Faces of the Council

Scott Faris, Planar Energy Devices
Leaders from diverse industries make up the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) and serve as advisors and partners to FHTCC in its mission to grow high tech industry. This edition of Inside Florida's High Tech Corridor recognizes Council member Scott Faris for his support.

As founder and CEO of Planar Energy Devices, Scott is developing solid-state thin film batteries that have consumer, commercial and military applications. In 2007, he founded the company as a spinout of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory with funding from a venture capital firm.

Since then, Scott has grown Planar Energy to become an award-winning company, having been recognized by Governor Charlie Crist as the "Newcomer" in the mega-market category of the Governor's Business Diversification Awards and by the World Technology Network as its 2009 corporate winner in Energy. FHTCC also presented Scott and Planar Energy with its Award for Innovation as part of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission's Annual William C. Schwartz Industry Innovation Awards.

In addition to his support of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Scott continues to promote high tech economic growth by bringing together industry leaders to form the Central Florida Technology Forum.

TECH BUSINESS PARTNER NEWS

Florida High Tech Corridor Launches New Website
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council has launched a new, re-designed website. The website will continue to inform visitors of the many accomplishments being made throughout the Corridor. It now prominently features links to the Corridor's social media content and a live feed of its Twitter updates on the homepage. Divided into "Entrepreneur," "Workforce" and "Research" sections, the new website is designed for easy access to the many different programs and initiatives of the Corridor Council.

The new "Faces of Technology" video library allows visitors to watch videos featuring researchers, scientists and engineers who work throughout the Corridor in high tech industry. Visitors can learn about advancements being made in the 10 high tech sectors of the FHTCC and meet the Corridor's leaders who are dedicated to advancing high tech industry throughout the state.

To see the new website, visit www.FloridaHighTech.com.

Intersil Donates Semiconductor Facility to UCF
Intersil Corporation, a company that specializes in designing and manufacturing high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, has donated a $13 million semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility to the University of Central Florida (UCF). Located in Palm Bay, the facility includes more than 100,000 square feet of offices, clean-room facilities and manufacturing space as well as a five-acre property. The building will be used for training, research, business development and educational purposes.

Intersil CEO Dave Bell officially turned the facility over to UCF President John Hitt in a ceremony June 1 inside the building. The gift is expected to provide new research opportunities for UCF and an economic boost for Brevard County.

For more information, visit http://www.intersil.com/pr/shell/0,1091,2003,00.html.

Tampa Bay Technology Forum Hosts "Rockin' It Old School" Tech Jam
The Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF) is hosting its ninth annual Tech Jam event August 26 at The Ritz Ybor in Tampa. The theme of this year's event is "Rockin' It Old School" and will feature a Battle of the Bands, a silent auction and an exclusive VIP backstage party. Proceeds from Tech Jam benefit the TBTF Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk youth pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields by providing scholarships and mentorship programs. In 2008, 1,000 Tech Jam attendees raised more than $100,000 for the Foundation.

For more information, visit http://tbtf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=220. To register to attend, visit http://tampabaytechjam.com.

Renewable Power Company Developing Solar Farm in Central Florida
BlueChip Energy (BCE), a Lake Mary-based renewable electricity provider, is starting the development of a 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility in Central Florida to be named Rinehart Solar Farm. The project is scheduled to be completed in three phases, the first of which could be completed as early as this month. Once complete, the solar energy field will have the capability to produce 15 million kilowatt-hours annually and could power 1,100 homes in the Central Florida area. The project is expected to create 100 highly skilled, high-wage jobs and bring local expertise to the high tech renewable energy industry.

For more information, visit http://www.bluechipenergy.org/press/bluechip_starts_10mw_solar_farm.html.

Gainesville Microorganism Company Developing Technology to Reverse Negative Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
Evolugate - a company involving current and former University of Florida microbiology professors - provides evolutionary microorganism technology products and is developing a system that could naturally biodegrade oil-contaminated water in the Gulf of Mexico using adapting microbes. To work efficiently, microbial communities must be accustomed to biodegrading the exact type of oil they are meant to break down. Evolugate is pre-adapting microorganisms to contaminated water samples taken from the Gulf of Mexico and slowly introducing them to the specific environmental conditions of the underwater ecosystem. When released, the microbes are capable of quickly biodegrading the oil with as little environmental impact as possible.

Headquartered in Gainesville, Evolugate's scientific board is made up of UF scientists supporting the research into this developmental technology, which can be applied to other environmental pollutants such as hazardous chemicals in soil and water.

For more information, visit http://www.evolugate.com/Evolugate-Launches-Bioremediation.

Nominate Your Company for the Technology Geek Awards
Orlando Business Journal is looking for technology-based companies, CEOs or CIOs
leading the way, and making the best use of a technology in Central Florida.
Whether it's a growing startup, a team of researchers or a trend-setting innovation, the
Technology Geek Awards will highlight the most innovative research, products and
services in Orlando. Winners will be announced in the August 20 special report. Nomination forms are available on the website and must be completed by Friday, July 16.

For more information, visit http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/nomination/2501.

ACCOLADES

Thailand Industry Leaders Strive for FHTCC-style Partnership
Last month, the U.S. counsel general in Chiang Mai, a city in the Northern Province of Thailand, contacted the Florida High Tech Corridor Council on behalf of the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand requesting that President Randy Berridge share the FHTCC partnership story. Randy's Corridor overview served as the keynote address at the Creative City Conference, which brought together a group of academic, government, community and corporate (IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, etc.) leaders hosted by a consortium of seven Thailand universities. The presentation has inspired a delegation from the conference to plan a visit to the Corridor region to meet with FHTCC partners face-to-face and learn how to create a similar initiative.

High Tech Companies Honored at 2010 CoolTECH Awards
Bringing together innovators and high tech leaders, the Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF) hosted its annual CoolTECH exhibition June 4 at MOSI. As part of the day-long technology showcase, TBTF held an awards ceremony where judges as well as attendees chose their favorite exhibits representing companies scattered across the Florida High Tech Corridor. The winner of the judges' award was Tampa-based EMS Inc. for its innovative 3-D scanners and printers. Runner-up was ROBRADY Design from Sarasota for its exhibition of an electric folding bicycle among other technologies. Trendy Entertainment out of Gainesville walked away with an honorable mention for its innovative video game technology. The winner of the attendees' award was the National Science Forensic Technology Center for its deployable forensic technologies and National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems. Runner-up and honorable mention were awarded to Tampa-based GCA Technology Services and Send Savings from Safety Harbor, respectively.

Orlando Health Grants UCF $250,000 for Nursing Research
A new grant from Orlando Health with help the University of Central Florida (UCF) to advance nursing research and fund student scholarships. In addition to the $250,000 grant, Orlando Heath named UCF professor Mary Lou Sole as its Distinguished Professor in Nursing. Sole was recognized for her accomplishments related to her internationally recognized research of acute and critical care. Sole will organize UCF's first nursing research symposium with funds from the grant.

Former St. Petersburg Mayor Appointed to Key Role at USF
Rick Baker, the former mayor of St. Petersburg, has been appointed to lead the University of South Florida's (USF) new corporate development unit, USF Innovation Partnerships. During his time as mayor, Baker was instrumental in cultivating significant industry partnerships in the region with high tech institutions including the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and SRI International. The new initiative is being funded by the USF Research Foundation and will work to cultivate research and development companies.

UCF Student Team Places Second in National Robotics Competition
A team of students from the University of Central Florida (UCF) took home second place at the annual Autonomous Surface Vehicle Competition (ASVC) held in Virginia Beach last month, by navigating a custom-built robot through an aquatic obstacle course. The UCF team won the grand prize in the previous two ASVCs and earned second place at this year's event, beating out teams including Virginia Tech, the U.S. Naval Academy and Georgia Tech. The team was co-sponsored by the University of Central Florida Institute for Simulation & Training, which provided the team with workshop space and advisors.

Institute for Human & Machine Cognition Scientist Honored
Senior research scientist at the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Dr. Yorick Alexander Wilks, was named a Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Wilks is one of 47 new Fellows to be chosen among the 97,000 ACM members worldwide.

NIH Awards Sanford-Burnham Researchers $4.3 Million in Grants
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded research grants to two Sanford-Burnham faculty members totaling $4.3 million. This latest funding represents continuous support from NIH of Sanford-Burnham research on cardiovascular diseases and chronic inflammation for more than 13 years.

Calendar of Events

The following events are taking place across the Corridor's 23-county region or in the surrounding area:

2010 Florida Energy Summit
Presented by: Citizens for Clean Energy
Thursday, July 8, 2010, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Marriott's Orlando World Convention Center, 8701 World Center Drive, Orlando
For event information, visit http://www.citizensforcleanenergy.com/energysummit.html.

New Venture Series: How to Start a Business
Presented by: University of Central Florida Small Business Development Center
Monday, July 12 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
UCF - Clermont/Lake-Sumter Community College, 1250 N Hancock Road, Clermont
For event information, visit http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e2wqr7r8935f8ed4.

New Venture Series: Creating a Business Plan
Presented by: University of Central Florida Small Business Development Center
Thursday, July 15 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
UCF - Clermont/Lake-Sumter Community College, 1250 N Hancock Road, Clermont
For event information, visit http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e2wqrz34364df2db.

Intro to LEGO Robotics Course
Presented by: University of South Florida Polytechnic
Monday through Thursday, July 19-22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily
USF Polytechnic, 3433 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland
For event information, visit http://poly.usf.edu/LegoRobotics.

Techbyte Luncheon
Presented by: Suncoast Technology Forum
Tuesday, July 20 from 12 to 1 p.m.
Polo Grill and Bar, 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch
For event information, visit http://www.suncoasttechnologyforum.com.

Excellence in Entrepreneurship Certificate Course
Presented by: University of Central Business Incubation Program and UCF College of Business
Classes begin Tuesday, July 20 and continue through Thursday, August 12
Disney Entrepreneur Center, 315 E. Robinson Street, Suite 100, Orlando
For event information, visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/events/2010Events/7-20_eie.html.

2010 Manufacturing & Simulation Exchange
Presented by: Manufacturers Association of Central Florida and the National Center for Simulation
Thursday, July 22 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
AVT Simulation, 2603 Challenger Tech Court, Suite 180, Orlando
For event information, visit http://www.macf.biz.

Power Breakfast
Presented by: Orlando Business Journal
Friday, July 23 from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Citrus Club, 255 South Orange Avenue, Orlando
For event information, visit http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/calendar/.

STEM Business & Education Conference
Presented by: STEMflorida
Sunday through Tuesday, July 25-27
Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa, 1900 N Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista
For event information, visit http://stemflorida.net/education-conference.

High Impact Technology Exchange Conference
Presented by: National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program
Monday through Thursday, July 26-29
Omni Orlando Resort, 1500 Masters Blvd., ChampionsGate, Orlando
For event information, visit http://www.highimpact-tec.org.

Invacare Plant Tour
Presented by: Manufacturers Association of Central Florida
Thursday, July 29 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Invacare Corporation, 2101 E Lake Mary Blvd., Sanford
For event information, visit http://www.macf.biz.

Ninth Annual Tech Jam: "A Party with a Purpose"
Presented by: Tampa Bay Technology Forum
Thursday, August 26
The Ritz Ybor, 1503 East 7th Avenue, Tampa
For event information, visit http://www.tbtf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82.

Statewide SBIR Grant Workshops
Presented by: Technological Research and Development Authority
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, July 15: Star Technology Enterprise Center, 7887 Bryan Dairy Road, Tampa
Wednesday, August 4: Disney Entrepreneur Center, 315 E. Robinson Street, Suite 100, Orlando
Thursday, September 16: Enterprise Development Corp. Technology Business Incubator at FAU, 3701 FAU Blvd., Suite 201, Boca Raton

CORRIDOR INDUSTRY NEWS

Florida Tech Center Helps Aerospace Workers Expand Careers
Florida Today
By Keilani Best

What started out as a small college designed to provide scientists and engineers at Kennedy Space Center with continuing education has come full circle.

For the full article, cllick here or http://www.floridatoday.com.

Medical Modeling
Florida Trend
By Diane Sears

Touted by local leaders as the nation's epicenter for modeling, simulation and training, central Florida is competing successfully against other areas with similar industry clusters, including Norfolk, Va., and Huntsville, Ala.

For the full article click here or http://www.floridatrend.com.

Polk State College Launches Agri Business/Technology
Tampa Bay Business Journal

The Corporate College at Polk State College has established an initiative to develop and deliver technical training for Florida's agricultural industry. It has formed the Agri Business/Technology Institute with a plan initially to focus on Homeland Security, agricultural safety and water management.

For the full article, visit http://www.floridahightech.com/publication/e-newsletter/enews_imgs/2010-07/pscagritech.pdf or http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/.