UNF professor receives $500,000 grant to develop ROV
Bill Dally, an associate professor in the School of Engineering at the University of North Florida, was awarded a grant for more than $500,000 by the National Science Foundation to develop an amphibious remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for coastal research and education.
Dally, a coastal engineer, will develop essentially an underwater surf rover, transforming the manner in which research, teaching and operational activities in coastal science and engineering are conducted. The vehicle will allow on-site measurements during storms and under other hazardous conditions, such as oil and chemical spills and pathogen outbreaks.
Dally plans to design a bottom-crawling ROV, propelled by four hydraulically driven tracks, which will be powered by a snorkel-aspirated diesel engine. The snorkel will be equipped with drag-reducing cowlings to reduce both power requirements and impact loads from breaking waves.
Also, the drone will carry antennas for radio control, data communications and video feed, as well as suitable equipment for positioning and for accurate bathymetric surveying.
Chappell Schools awarded $450,000 Lutheran Services contract
Chappell Schools received a $450,000 contract with Lutheran Services Florida to serve 81 children at the Chappell Head Start center, 3851 Emerson St.
Head Start provides free child-care services to families who otherwise could not afford them.
“We are pleased to represent this high quality federal program for the second year,” said Nancy Dreicer, Chappell president and CEO.
Chappell delivers more than $113,000 of in-kind services to the community annually through the program.
“We are always looking for community members to donate toys, books or just to come and share a talent or read to the children,” she added.
Last year many of the children at the Chappell center came from refugee homes where English is a second language.
Smith, Manthe join Nassau JOI
Drs. Gregory Smith and Megan Manthe are joining Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute’s new location at Baptist Medical Center Nassau.
Smith has 19 years’ experience as an orthopedic surgeon and has been practicing on Amelia Island with privileges at Baptist Nassau since 1997.
He received his medical degree from Wake Forest University and completed his residency with the University of Florida in Jacksonville. He then completed his sports medicine fellowship with the University of Tennessee.
Manthe is new to Nassau County and received her medical degree from The University of Kansas Medical School. She completed her residency with the University of Florida in Jacksonville and then completed her fellowship in adult reconstruction and joint replacement with Mayo Clinic Florida.
Visit Jacksonville honored at governor’s tourism conference
Visit Jacksonville won a Henry Award for niche marketing of the Jax Ale Trail during the 15th annual Flagler Awards at the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
The agency also won silver awards in the Mixed Media Campaign category for the Jax Ale Trail marketing campaign and in the Social Media Marketing category for our #OnlyInJax Instagram campaign.
The Henry is the highest award in each category.
The Jax Ale Trail is a successful collaboration between Visit Jacksonville and the eight local craft breweries in the city.
The Jax Ale Trail passport has been completed by more than 600 visitors from 30 different U.S. states and five different countries.
The #OnlyInJax Instagram campaign generated more than 2,500 uses for the hashtag and grew followers on the social media site by 102 percent.
TraumaOne celebrates 30 years
UF Health Jacksonville recently marked three decades of TraumaOne Flight Services with a community celebration at the hospital’s Eighth Street campus.
TraumaOne helicopters have transported tens of thousands of people since 1985, when the program was initiated in Jacksonville by Dr. Raymond Alexander.
Today, the fleet of helicopters is at three locations throughout the region, ready to fly on a moment’s notice. About 1,000 patients are now flown annually from North Florida and South Georgia to facilities for definitive care after stroke, heart attack, trauma or pediatric emergency.
The TraumaOne flight program began in 1985.