News and Events
August 11, 2010
Boyd Secures $17.5 Million for Research Projects at Local Universities
U.S. Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced that he has secured a total of $17,550,000 for Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College to develop new technologies that will enhance our nation’s defense capabilities. The funding, which was included in an appropriations bill that passed the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee today, will allow North Florida universities to continue their tradition of providing innovative research that benefits our troops and national security efforts.
“Our local universities are on the cutting-edge of developing new technologies that improve our defense capabilities, enhance our national security, and protect our homeland,” said Congressman Boyd. “I’m very proud that this federal funding will allow FSU, FAMU and TCC to help our brave men and women engaged in conflicts abroad finish the job. As this bill makes its way through the appropriations process, I will continue fighting to see that federal funding continues to go to projects like these that help keep America safe and support our local universities.”
Florida State University will receive federal funding for the following projects:
$5,500,000 for the Applied Research for Next Generation of Navy Ships project. This project supports the strategic development by the U.S. Navy of the next generation warship – the all-electric ship. FSU will use the funding to study future technologies and the requirements necessary to address the unique challenges associated with this goal.
$4,000,000 for the Integrated Cryo-cooled High Power Density Systems project. FSU will lead this multi-university program with the goal of achieving cryo-cooled high power densities to enhance the performance of military vehicles through the reduction of weight and improved efficiency.
$3,800,000 for the Jet Engine Noise Reduction project. FSU will use state-of-the-art research to develop methods for suppressing noise from jet engines. This project will help protect service men and servicewomen who spend large amounts of time near military aircraft, as well as those living near Air Force bases.
Florida A&M University will receive federal funding for the following projects:
$3,500,000 for the Standoff Improvised Explosive Detection Program. FAMU researchers are working to develop a new generation of laser and sensor technologies that can help identify potential threats on the battlefield - such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - from long-range distances, helping keep our troops safer.
$250,000 for the Self-Organized High-Assurance Wireless Networks project. This project would explore methods for better securing military networks from those seeking unauthorized access. Specifically, researchers will seek ways to develop communication technologies that will hold up against radio jamming and other evolving hacker attacks.
Tallahassee Community College will receive federal funding for the following projects:
$500,000 for the Manufacturing and Industrial Training Center. This funding will be used for the establishment of TCC’s Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Center, which will provide an interface between the educational training and applied needs of the manufacturing and industrial sectors. The center will develop dual use technologies needed to maintain U.S. technological superiority on the battlefield and for industry to remain competitive in the North Florida area.
The legislation will now head to the full Appropriations Committee before receiving a vote on the House floor.
August 11, 2010
TCC Opens Advanced Manufacturing Training Center
On Tuesday, August 10, Tallahassee Community College celebrated the official opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC). The AMTC is envisioned as a unique training resource for local manufacturing and industrial businesses and will provide customized skills training for existing and emerging workforces. Its construction was funded in part by a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Defense and U.S. Army Research Office, and its 24,000 square feet includes practical hands-on training labs, classroom and conference space, and a process development area for local entrepreneurial companies.
“We are very excited about the opening of this facility,” said Bruce Batton, AMTC director. “It will help create a highly skilled local manufacturing workforce and attract new companies to Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla counties.”
The AMTC is a part of TCC’s Center for Workforce Development, a division of the College that offers customized courses and services to enhance employees’ careers, programs to improve business effectiveness and support for returning adult learners. In addition to manufacturing, targeted workforce training is offered in other fields including information technology, allied health and business, as well as construction and trades.
The AMTC, located at 3958 West Pensacola Street, sits on the southwest corner of TCC’s campus at the intersection of Pensacola Street and Century Park Drive.
July 22, 2010
FSU to Partner with Appraisal Firm on Real-Estate Valuation Research
The Florida State University College of Business and Jacksonville, Fla.-based real-estate appraisal firm Smithfield & Wainwright, LLC today signed an agreement to work together to provide dynamic research in real estate valuation and analytics designed to benefit the American and global economies.
The agreement calls for interaction and collaboration between researchers at the College of Business and Smithfield & Wainwright by establishing joint research programs including exchanging data, educational literature and research. The partnership opens up unique opportunities to unlock the mortgage-backed securities markets, along with providing key components in bank and financial recovery under the new Financial Reform Act of 2010.
“The fact that the College of Business was chosen for this project is a testament to our program’s depth in the field, as well as the research reputation of our faculty,” said Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the college. “Our researchers will be working on projects that support the nation’s quest to improve the financial state of our economy.”
“In the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, we can work together to accomplish results that are expected to have a significant impact not only in the real estate crisis in America, but globally,” said “Big” Hogan E. Copeland II, chairman and chief executive officer of Smithfield & Wainwright. The patents and proprietary technology that the firm’s LPV (Logical Property Valuation) and LIA (Local Impact Analysis) analytical tools possess can aid the global economy in unlocking financial markets, Copeland said.
Copeland is a Florida State University alumnus who was taught and mentored by Professor Barry Diskin, the university’s Francis J. Nardozza Scholar’s Program Fellow. Diskin continues to teach real estate at Florida State and is leading the research charge in this collaboration. Assisting him will be G. Stacy Sirmans, the Kenneth G. Bacheller Professor of Real Estate.
“Our history is one of teamwork and integration that bridges the gap between academia and real-life situations,’’ Copeland said. “The LPV platform’s new collaboration links our researchers with FSU’s talented faculty and other major academicians across the country to bridge the gap that will allow banks and financial institutions to solidify their foundation and stabilization to economic recovery.”
One educational research project of mutual interest is Smithfield & Wainwright’s LPV (Logical Property Valuation) technological platform, which could offer the key to unlocking the mortgage-backed securities markets. The research will look at whether this proprietary and patent-pending platform provides the transparency and real-time, true-price discovery and accountability required under the new Financial Reform Act of 2010.
The second educational research project of mutual interest is the firm’s Local Impact Analysis (LIA) platform. The research will examine whether LIA offers the necessary verifiable comprehensive metrics created by real property. If verified, this proprietary development could be the catalyst for governmental institutions and states for budgeting and contingency planning under the Financial Reform Act of 2010.
Smithfield & Wainwright will gain access to Florida State’s highly acclaimed College of Business, where the firm will have the opportunity to interact with researchers who understand key economic roles that affect the global economy. By partnering with Smithfield & Wainwright, those FSU researchers will have access to the firm’s world-class, centralized data depository, thus allowing true property characteristics to be further evaluated for nationwide stabilization of the real estate markets.
