Ramping Up Research
Four teams of University of South Florida researchers have each been awarded up to $1 million in seed funding through the Collaborative Research Excellence and Translational Efforts (CREATE) awards, a USF initiative designed to catalyze new research. They were chosen from 72 teams that submitted proposals.
One team will try to develop innovative technologies to transform care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Another will develop strategies to prevent the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. A precision medicine program will pioneer treatments customized to each patient’s genetic characteristics. A fourth team seeks to create synthetic materials that replicate the structure of living cells and could replace petroleum-derived plastics with sustainable alternatives.
Robo Degrees
University of Central Florida students with a passion for robotics can now take their education to a new level. UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science just launched a master’s degree program in robotics and autonomous systems.
Students who enroll will learn to analyze and design self-driving cars, drones, medical robots — and even mechanical dogs.
Save the Conch
The queen conch is a delicacy harvested for food, and many island communities in the Caribbean depend on it for their livelihoods. However, intensive fishing and habitat degradation have caused conch populations to dwindle.
Megan Davis, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, has helped launched “eConch,” a free online training program for growing queen conch. It includes videos and a comprehensive manual with step-by-step illustrations of how to culture them.
“In addition to their socioeconomic importance, the queen conch plays a critical ecological role in seagrass beds,” says Davis. “Aquaculture, along with conservation of breeding populations and fishery management, are ways we can help ensure longevity of this important species.”
Tracking the Storm
With forecasters predicting a busier-than-usual Atlantic hurricane season, a new hurricane forecast model is facing a rigorous test of its capabilities. Scientists at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS).
HAFS ran alongside existing models at the National Hurricane Center as an experiment in 2022, and this year it’s being made one of NOAA’s official forecast models. It employs several techniques to improve forecasts, including using higher-resolution imagery around the storm center.