FAU Scientists to Study Traffic

FAULOGO

FAU has received a $300,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation and a $100,000 grant from the City of Miami Beach to research and test more efficient traffic signals.

Traffic jams not only make daily commutes exasperating, they also contribute to excessive fuel consumption and air pollution. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, outdated traffic signaling accounts for more than 10 percent of all traffic delays. Adaptive traffic control systems or “smart” traffic lights allow intersection signals to adjust to real-time traffic conditions like accidents, road construction and even weather. In the U.S., adaptive signal control technologies have been in use for approximately 20 years, but have been deployed on less than 3 percent of existing traffic signals. Florida, California and Michigan are among the states paving the way to make traffic signal improvements a priority.

Researchers in the Laboratory for Adaptive Traffic Operations & Management (LATOM) in FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science have received a $100,000 grant from the City of Miami Beach to test two adaptive traffic signals being considered for one of their busiest corridors in South Beach – Arthur Godfrey Road (41st Street). Miami is among the 10 U.S. cities with the worst traffic. In addition, FAU’s LATOM recently received a $300,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to research use of high-resolution data, from signal controllers and detectors, to monitor performance of traffic signals.

“Timing for research in adaptive control systems is right and perspectives are exciting,” said Mohammad Ilyas, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. “With better sensing technologies such as wireless communication and personal mobile devices, smarter algorithms, and more processing power, we are moving towards an era of much more efficient, safer and eco-friendly traffic signals.”

These complex systems require extensive surveillance and communication infrastructure to enable connection either among local controllers or between a central system and the local controllers. FAU’s LATOM is a one-of-a-kind simulation lab equipped with software, hardware and institutional capabilities, providing regional, national and international partners with opportunities to develop new and use existing methods and tools to monitor, manage and control transportation infrastructure.

“Congested roads have long been a headache for contemporary cities and we need to look at innovative ways to deal with traffic,” said Aleksandar Stevanovic, Ph.D., PE, director of LATOM and associate professor in FAU’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering. “While better management of traffic signals won’t reduce the number of cars on our streets, we can do a much better job in adjusting signals to work more efficiently.” He adds, “Smart traffic lights are one way to address urban traffic congestion, and if timed properly and continually, they can both reduce traffic delays and improve public safety.”

Conventional signal systems use pre-programmed, daily signal timing schedules. Adaptive traffic control systems on the other hand, adjust the timing of red, yellow and green lights to accommodate changing traffic patterns. Duration of the green lights is usually a result of a complex compromise between the needs of a single intersection and the needs for good connection/progression with other surrounding intersections. Adaptive traffic control systems create such compromising solutions ‘on the fly’ by extensively using wires embedded in city streets, or other forms of detectors, to sense changes in traffic demands and its patterns.

As a relatively new technology, adaptive control systems are still somewhat expensive. Therefore, municipalities often seek advice from experts and research labs to pre-test effectiveness of these systems in the lab environment before the systems are deployed in live traffic.

“In our lab, we are able to work with our partners to model or ‘simulate’ different traffic patterns throughout a day – and on weekends and during various other scenarios – where virtually the same technology that controls traffic in the field is used in simulation to test its effectiveness and reliability,” said Stevanovic.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, on average, smart traffic lights improve travel time by more than 10 percent, and in areas with particularly outdated signal timing, improvements can be 50 percent or more.

For more information on FAU’s LATOM, visit latom.eng.fau.edu

Boca Firm Steps Up With College Scholarship

 

From Left, Robert Barboni, President, Evershore Financial Group, Sean Fallon,  Daniel Zagata, Managing Director.

From Left, Robert Barboni, President, Evershore Financial Group, Sean Fallon,
Daniel Zagata, Managing Director.

Following the tragic death of his father several years ago, Sean Fallon realized that pursuing his dream of securing a college education would be difficult.

But through community support, a supportive family, and hard work, the recent Jupiter High School graduate is attending the University of Central Florida with his sights set on becoming a Certified Public Accountant.

The tension of paying for four years of college became a bit easier recently when a local financial services company stepped up and presented Fallon with a $7,000 scholarship check.

The path to receiving this check was a bit convoluted since Fallon had originally submitted an essay for the national Life Lessons Scholarship, which is given to a student in recognition of “the character and perseverance that so many young people show in the face of adversity.”

While Fallon didn’t win this scholarship, his moving essay recounting the trauma of his father’s suicide was forwarded to Evershore Financial Group, a financial services firm with offices in Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton, and Orlando.

“Sean is such an inspirational young man,” said Robert Barboni, president of Evershore Financial Group. “He’s gone through a lot, yet he’s done what he can to take care of his family and is now striving to receive a higher education. We are so glad to be able to give him a little boost along the way.”

The original amount of the scholarship Evershore expected to award was $2,000, however, when Evershore advisors and staff learned about Fallon’s story, they enthusiastically contributed an additional $5,000. When the over-sized check was presented to Fallon, there was hardly a dry eye in the audience at the Wyndham Grand Harbourside in Jupiter.

“I originally thought that the scholarship was going to be $2,000,” said Fallon. “But when they explained that it was actually $7,000…wow. What a surprise. I am so grateful for this opportunity and thrilled that Evershore has provided this scholarship for me.”

Before lunch, Fallon was invited to tell his story to the audience. Many in attendance were in tears as he told his story and he received a standing ovation. Once the applause cleared, Barboni made the emotional presentation.

“The Fallon family has been through an unimaginable tragedy,” said Barboni. “It was with great pride and humility that I was able to meet this young man who is an example to everyone in the audience. I know that I have learned so much from Sean and how he has persevered through these difficulties.”

Barboni was particularly moved by the following passage from Fallon’s essay:

“I know that life is going to be different for me and I know that I am always going to have to work hard. I just am hoping to get some help financially with college. My mom is a teacher and also works after school to help make ends meet. We are surviving and will continue to do so.”

Fallon was joined by his aunt, Lori Hausman, who is a Certified Public Accountant and the inspiration behind him aspiring to enter this profession.

Delray Center for the Arts Names New CEO

Rob Steele

Rob Steele

Bill Branning, Chairman of the Board of the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, today announced the appointment of Rob Steele as President and Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit visual and performing arts center that is the anchor of the city’s dynamic cultural community. He succeeds longtime CEO Joe Gillie, whose last day is September 30.

In making the announcement, Branning stated, “Joe took the reins of this organization in its infancy, and under his leadership, developed a cultural center that provides a total arts experience for the community and at the same time, generates continuous economic activity for our downtown. Our nationwide search for his successor aimed to identify a proven leader with the ability build on these successes and raise the Center to even greater heights.  Out of almost 100 applicants, Mr. Steele stood out as the right person with the right skills, talent, experience and energy.  He has a unique background that includes a master’s degree in business administration as well as a successful track record of developing strong non-profit organizations through strategic planning, collaboration, and community engagement.  We’re confident Rob will continue to move the Center forward, and welcome him to the Delray Beach Center for the Arts.”
Steele comes to Delray Beach from Pennsylvania, where he spent the last 10-years as executive director of the Williamsport Community Arts Center, a 2,100-seat, state-of-the-art performing arts center that bills itself as “one of the top venues on the Eastern Seaboard.”
Under Steele’s leadership, the Community Arts Center implemented event analysis and fee negotiation practices, marketing strategies and guest service enhancements that effectively doubled ticket sales in only two years; initiated a community outreach that increased the number of local and regional partners from 10 to more than 200; facilitated a systematic upgrade of all technical systems and protocols; and successfully devised an endowment campaign in 2010 that generated more than $5 million in gifts and bequests.
William J. Martin, Board Chairman for the Williamsport Community Art Center, told the local newspaper that Steele has done an extraordinary job in making it a more “community-minded facility … There’s something going on at the arts center about 250 days a year. It’s a very busy place and I attribute that level of activity to Rob’s initiative and his ability to engage people in the community.”

 

Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, Steele spent five years as executive director of the 576-seat civic auditorium in Tecumseh, Michigan, and had previously been both a successful restaurateur and an executive vice president of a Michigan-based national bank & trust.
“Joe Gillie has been the champion in establishing the Delray Beach Center for the Arts as a premiere arts institution in South Florida,” says Mr. Steele. “My goal is to honor, preserve, and extend the rich traditions he has established.”
“Community outreach and coordinating broad-based collaborations with local organizations has become one of the hallmarks of my career,” he adds. “It is my expressed desire to reach into every corner of the market served by the Delray Beach Center for the Arts to engage new audiences, create lasting partnerships and serve the cultural needs of this vibrant and diverse community.”
“The arts are without question an economic engine, and Delray Beach stands as a magnificent example of this reality,” says Steele. “That is why I am committed to keeping a constant eye on the relationship between what we do on the Old School Square campus and how it can help stimulate the local economy.”

Medical Innovation Agency Removes `Drama’ From Medical Innovation Process

SoundHealth's Michael Miller

SoundHealth’s Michael Miller

Imagine a medical technology company committed to commercializing medical discoveries, but choosing not to own any of them.

Sounds counter-intuitive until you take a closer look at what’s going on in the global economy.

Consider the following:  UBER is the world’s largest TAXI company, yet it doesn’t own any vehicles. FACEBOOK is the world’s most valuable media company, yet it doesn’t create any content. ALIBABA is the world’s largest retailer, yet it doesn’t own any inventory.

“It’s all about leveraging resources, and combining expertise, while providing the public with valuable services and products,” said Michael Miller, founder of Boca Raton, Florida-based SoundHealth, a medical innovation agency. “Basically, we combine the expertise of inventors, with the funding of charitable organizations, and the facilities and resources of research institutions, to provide commercially ready products and services to industry distribution/marketing companies and bring life-saving innovation to the public in a hyper-efficient way.

“Our program also eliminates the drama most entrepreneurs are forced to endure while growing a company, raising capital, and finally being able to successfully exit from it,” said Miller. “Our goal is to take early stage products through the commercialization process quickly so all parties can profit. Too many important products end up in the inventor’s garage, gathering dust, rather than saving lives. “Inventors are creative… but as a rule, aren’t prepared to deliver their products to the public. We’ve brought all of these disciplines to the table and have created a team focused on one thing – commercializing a product, without the risk,” added Miller. “That’s the drama we remove. We also approach things differently, by starting with identifying the exit… the potential buyer,” said Miller.

“Our singular goal is to build a sellable product with input gained from the potential buyer. Then, we leverage the capacities of our partners (i.e. funding foundations and research institutions) each of which have a stake in the process, of getting it done. “We make it very clear to everyone that we’re not interested in building a company,” stressed Miller. “We’re not a venture capital company. We simply want to develop a product and sell it to Johnson & Johnson, for example, and walk away with the proceeds… and, do it over and over again.”

To be considered for the program, innovations must:

• Solve a specific medical problem

• Have a working prototype

  • Have protectable intellectual property
  •  Be able to be completed within 2 years.
  • About SoundHealth SoundHealth: www.sound-health.org) founded in 2010, based in Boca Raton, FL, is a “medical innovation agency” whose unique structure and system are designed to expedite the delivery of medical innovation to the marketplace.  By combining the business know-how of its executive team with the expertise of: inventors, funding organizations and research institutions, SoundHealth is able to provide market-ready products to the medical industry’s manufacturing and distribution companies. 

Senior Vice President and Chief Transactional Officer Joins SoundHealth

Allen F. Campbell, JD, has joined SoundHealth, a Boca Raton-based medical innovation agency, as Senior Vice President and Chief Transactional Officer.

An attorney and biotech entrepreneur, Campbell brings invaluable expertise to the SoundHealth executive team, according to Michael Miller, founder of SoundHealth.

“It is indeed a pleasure to welcome Allen to the SoundHealth team,” said Miller. “He has a successful and exemplary track record of legal and business structuring for a wide range of medical and biotech projects.”

This experience includes: crafting contractual arrangements to protect all parties involved, analyzing commercial potential of medical and biotech projects, and building leadership teams capable of refining innovations and bringing them to market.  Campbell honed his exceptional skills at leading institutions. One of them was the international technology consulting firm of Arthur D. Little (ADL), Inc. in Cambridge, MA.  In this capacity he was to help the firm build and enhance its capabilities in licensing technology and incubating new companies formed to commercialize technology that was created in-house or brought in from the outside. Campbell served as ADL’s teacher, strategist and organizational consultant.

“Allen’s background enhances our SoundHealth team by bringing the experience of having been on every side of many transactions, and being instrumental in their successful conclusions,” added Miller.  “This talent and experience will be a key asset for SoundHealth, as transactions like this are similar to those we are doing.   Our business is rooted in being hyper-efficient. Having expertise and knowledge relevant to each product we look at is critical to successful commercialization.”

SoundHealth’s ‘hyper-efficient’ process combines the expertise of innovators, the mission of funding organizations, and the resources of top-tier research institutions to accelerate the development and deployment of beneficial medical innovations.

“We do this without the drama one might find in similar situations,” said Miller. “Allen’s 30 years of experience in medical industry business transactions and keen understanding of the intellectual property licensing arena will serve to benefit everyone involved in and with our unique process.”

Campbell appreciates the benefits of the SoundHealth process.

“As the point organization for these activities, SoundHealth must make sure that all of the various transactions, contracts and business arrangements are legal, reasonable and enforceable,” said Campbell. “Having been the architect of many transactions, and having participated in many others, I’m aware of the pitfalls, from a legal standpoint, and I’m able to analyze the business opportunity of a project by asking the right questions. Once those

questions are answered, we can move forward with needed refinements and bring important innovations to the public.”

Campbell brings more than transactional expertise. He has been the founder, chairman, director and/or shareholder of several medical innovation companies. Most notably he founded International Murex Technologies, which created the world’s first rapid diagnostic for AIDS.

Campbell received his Bachelor’s degree from The College of Wooster, his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and his law degree from Columbia University.

About SoundHealth SoundHealth, LLC (www.sound-health.org) founded in 2010, based in Boca Raton, FL, is a “medical innovation agency” whose unique structure and system are designed to expedite the delivery of medical innovation to the marketplace.  By combining the business savvy of its executive team with the expertise of inventors, funding organizations and research institutions, SoundHealth is able to provide commerce-ready products to the medical industry’s manufacturing and distribution companies.

Former Interim FAU President Joins SoundHealth

Dennis J. Crudele was a former interim President and CFO at FAU.

Dennis J. Crudele was the former interim President and CFO at FAU.

Dennis J. Crudele, former Interim President and CFO of Florida Atlantic University (FAU), has joined the leadership team at SoundHealth, a Boca Raton-based medical innovation agency.

Mr. Crudele takes the top spot as the President and Executive Director of The Discovery and Translational Science Research Institute @ SoundHealth a non-profit, 501(C)(3).

“Our organization has built a ‘hyper-efficient’ process that combines the expertise of innovators, the mission of funding organizations, and the resources of top-tier research institutions to accelerate the development and deployment of beneficial medical innovations – without the Drama,” said Michael Miller, founder of SoundHealth.

“Having administered an $800 million annual budget at Florida Atlantic University, Mr. Crudele is the ideal person to be the liaison with our institutional partners,” said Miller. “Dennis knows the culture, speaks the language and understands the systems at large research universities.”

In his new role, Crudele will be performing a range of duties similar to those of chief executive officer: overseeing all departmental functions and all operational matters. Paramount in his duties will be matching research facilities (universities & institutions) to medical innovations, in order to best fulfill the required refinements and development in making them market-ready.

“This is a unique opportunity, where all participating parties involved get to win,” said Crudele. “I look forward to developing these important relationships with institutions that, in many cases, would never have the opportunity to collaborate with creative inventors, committed funders, and some of the largest distribution companies.  In addition, partnering institutions benefit from the funding to support research that the SoundHealth model can provide. That research expertise is a key component of our process. Best of all, the work we’ll be doing can directly impact so many people’s lives, locally and globally. ”

Crudele has more than 30 years of experience in the academic, non-profit sector. Prior to joining the Discovery and Translational Science Research Institute @ SoundHealth, he served as Senior Vice President of Institutional Initiatives and Major Projects at FAU.

“The Institute and Dennis are invaluable components in our unique translational process of how medical innovation evolves,” added Miller. “Healthcare charities and foundations can support and/or sponsor medical innovation that can help their constituents; research institutions can receive funding to conduct specified research; and distribution and manufacturing companies can have the opportunity to benefit from the latest medical innovation that may well save lives, and improve their bottom lines.”

About SoundHealth

SoundHealth, founded in 2010, located in beautiful Boca Raton FL, (www.sound-health.org) is a “medical innovation agency” whose system expedites the delivery of medical innovation into, the marketplace. SoundHealth’s unique process combines the expertise of inventors, funding organizations, and research institutions, in providing commercial ready products to distribution/marketing/manufacturing companies.

 

Entrepreneurial Spotlight: SoundHealth

SoundHealth's Mike Miller making a splash in medical innovation.

SoundHealth’s Mike Miller making a splash in medical innovation.

Editor’s Note: At YourDelrayBoca.com we take pride in shining a spotlight on local entrepreneurs. Today, we introduce you to SoundHealth and its founder Michael Miller.

The medical innovation landscape is littered with valuable products that have not and may never make it to market. And with these failures, the general public suffers because it never had the opportunity to benefit from these innovations.

Such is the dilemma of the thousands of products being developed by inventors, individuals who simply don’t have the knowledge, finances, or connections to bring these innovations to market.

Michael Miller, founder of a Boca Raton-based “medical innovation agency”, was one of the keynote speakers at the Insight Innovation Exchange Health (IIEX) Conference in Philadelphia recently.

His firm, SoundHealth, combines the expertise of the inventors, the missions of funding foundations, and resources of research institutions to develop what is essentially a market-ready medical solution for presentation to potential purchasers of the product.

Miller was joined on the panel by executives from InCrowd, AstraZeneca, and Merck.

“Getting a product to market can be a time-consuming and cumbersome exercise,” said Miller. “Quite frankly most inventors simply don’t have the ‘muscle’ to usher a product through the various stages of development. And, even if they have a mature product, they don’t have the knowledge of how to market these products directly to the consumer.”

Miller explained that inventors must recognize that there is a new model, one that involves looking for an “exit strategy” before the product gets to market.

“Too often, innovators spend too much money and time developing a product, and they run out of capital, can’t secure approvals, can’t afford manufacturing, and can’t raise more capital,” he said. “The unfortunate reality is that these products die on the vine. And, another product sits on the shelf.

“This is a vicious cycle in the medical innovation world. The real tragedy is two-fold. First the people that could benefit from these products don’t get the opportunity to use them, and second the innovators don’t get to benefit financially from their creations.”

SoundHealth streamlines the process of moving these medical innovations from “bench to bed- seamlessly”.

“All we ask is that products be relatively mature,” said Miller during his presentation. “They can’t be a concept written on a napkin. We then consider which distribution outlets (i.e. medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, etc.) may want to purchase it following a conditional evaluation. That is what we mean by working backwards from the exit strategy.”

Through relationships with various funding organizations and research & development entities, SoundHealth is able to deliver market-ready products to purchasing and distribution firms.

“Our process minimizes the need for inventors to raise capital, hire lots of people and spend time lost in all the drama” he said. “It’s our business to take early stage innovations, and working with the innovators, rapidly finish it to the point it’s ready for commercialization.

The interest in SoundHealth’s model was evident at the IIEX conference.

“One of the major concerns of medical innovators who were there was getting the product to market,” said Miller. “We are now in the process of evaluating a number of products from the conference, and we’re confident that several will become part of our growing portfolio.

“We also have the attention of the distribution and manufacturers who are continually seeking the next great medical innovation.”

One key feature to this unique business model is, that everyone involved benefits.

“The inventor earns significant money through the ultimate sale,” said Miller. “Funding organizations support and sponsor medical innovation that helps their constituents. Research institutions are being funded to conduct research. And, distribution and manufacturing companies receive the latest medical innovation that may save lives while improving their bottom lines.”

Miller added that many of the inventors are physicians who are developing products as a way to enhance their medical practices or even phase out of their practice altogether with the hopes of retiring.

“Some are inventing products directly related to their medical expertise,” said Miller. “They have a passion for medicine and their patients’ well-being and this is just another way for them to contribute, all while pursuing the American dream of making a significant amount of money.”

About SoundHealth:

Boca Raton based SoundHealth, founded in 2010 (www.sound-health.org) is a “medical innovation agency” that expedites the process of delivering medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotech innovation to the marketplace. SoundHealth’s unique process combines the expertise of inventors, funding organizations, and research institutions, which provide commercial-ready products to distribution/marketing companies.

Lynn Takes Bold Step

Lynn University makes a bold bet.

Lynn University makes a bold bet.

Lynn University has announced its innovative iPad-powered online bachelor’s degree program will be called iLynn.

Beginning in fall 2015, the new program will offer a private university experience for a state university price. iLynn is one of two initiatives Lynn highlighted during eMerge Americas during the conference May 1 through May 5 in Miami.

 

“Technology has enabled us to reimagine college,” said Lynn President Kevin M. Ross. “We’ve been using iPads on our campus to improve student engagement and reduce the cost of traditional textbooks by up to 95 percent. Now, we’re excited to announce that we are using that same mobile technology in our iLynn program to reduce the cost of tuition by 20 percent.”

 

The iLynn program empowers adult students with work, family and other obligations to pursue their undergraduate degrees online, on campus or both. The program also offers accelerated terms, easy transfer of college and certified work experience credits and professional coaching for every student. Starting at $35,400 ($8,850 per year), iLynn is as affordable as the average state university tuition, but with a more personalized education, small class sizes and unlimited access to next-generation collaboration tools.

 

The school is also launching Lynn University Digital Press, a digital publisher of scholarly works designed for iPad- and iTunes U-enabled academic curricula.

 

“Lynn’s digital press is the first of its kind in South Florida,” said Chris Boniforti, Lynn’s CIO. “The model of having faculty write and create the texts they use in class is an innovation that not only reduces textbook costs for students, but also increases faculty and student engagement with the content.”

 

To date, the university has created 24 multi-touch books that have helped reduce the cost of traditional textbooks. Another dozen works are underway, including a contribution by Presidential Fellow James Guthrie, who will address the field of educational leadership.

 

The university anticipates the digital press will also significantly enhance its sustainability efforts by replacing traditional printing, shipping and inventory practices with immediate access to digital content.

 

During the second annual eMerge Americas conference, President Ross delivered opening remarks at the 1111 Party and Boniforti participated in the EdTech Disruption of Education panel. The Lynn Admission team demonstrated the university’s award-winning iPad-powered curriculum during the conference exhibit on May 4 and 5.

One Of A Kind Deal For FAU

FAU, Max Planck and Scripps are making history

FAU, Max Planck and Scripps are making history

One of Florida’s leading public research universities and two of the world’s premier research institutions will create one-of-a-kind education programs that will attract the best and brightest students to Palm Beach County, and transform Florida Atlantic University’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter into a hub of scientific inquiry, innovation and economic development.

FAU, and the globally acclaimed Max Planck Florida Institute and The Scripps Research Institute, will build on existing relationships to further scientific discovery and education through shared resources and facilities.

The three institutions will provide undergraduate and graduate students the unprecedented opportunity to enroll in unique degree programs in collaboration with Max Planck and Scripps Florida at the MacArthur Campus.

The initiative will allow students to work and study alongside some of the world’s leading scientific researchers as part of their degree programs, while undergraduate research projects will be mentored by these same scientists.

The Institutes will collaborate to develop premier STEM programs — Science, Technology, Engineering, Math — and combine FAU Jupiter’s existing strengths in STEM areas, with support from the arts, to create a leading STEAM initiative.

FAU President John Kelly said the alliance will help cure diseases, develop drugs, educate students and generate jobs. FAU’s economic impact on Florida’s economy during 2010-2011, the most recently available data, was $6.3 billion. This initiative creates unique opportunities for FAU’s colleges of science, medicine, and engineering and computer science to greatly increase that number, Kelly said.

“This initiative comes from the core of economic development,” Kelly said. “FAU, Max Planck and Scripps will solve real-world problems and take strides to improve human health.

“We will create the knowledge economy of the future,” he said. “Moreover, we will provide students unique scientific research programs that will be the envy of the world.”

A shared facilities environment will provide students access to state-of-the-art scientific equipment. Max Planck and Scripps Florida researchers will have access to FAU faculty, teaching space, and research equipment.

James Paulson, acting president and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, said the Scripps mission is to build a world-class biomedical research presence in Florida for the benefit of human health and to train the next generation of scientists.

“We believe this new agreement strengthens our existing collaboration with FAU and the Max Planck Institute and enables us to work more closely with our local partners to achieve these critical goals,” Paulson said.

David Fitzpatrick, CEO and scientific director at Max Planck, said, importantly, the collaboration will increase research funding in areas of common interest. The Max Planck Florida Institute’s research focus is neuroscience, specifically, gaining insights into brain circuitry. The institute utilizes some of the world’s most advanced technologies in brain research.

“Combining our resources makes this collaboration a potent force in the scientific and healthcare fields,” Fitzpatrick said. “The advances we can take in many important research areas will be significant.

“Together, FAU, Max Planck and Scripps will train the scientific leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

FAU Med School Gets Record Number of Admissions

 

FAU Med School soaring.

FAU Med School soaring.

Nearly four years since its inception, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU has received a record-breaking 4,370 applications for 64 positions for the incoming class of 2015. The College also received 4,739 applications for 36 positions in the University’s first residency program in internal medicine. These numbers represent a 35 percent increase in medical school applications from last year, and a 22 percent increase in applications for the residency program from the previous year.

 

“The response we have received from prospective applicants to our medical school and internal medicine residency program is outstanding and truly speaks to the quality of our programs in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and our hospital partners in the FAU Graduate Medical Education Consortium,” said David J. Bjorkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., dean and executive director of medical affairs in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine.

 

Demographics of the applicants for the M.D. program show that 52 percent are Florida residents (nearly half of these applicants are from South Florida) and 48 percent are from out-of-state. Fifty-four percent are male and 46 percent are female. Qualified students from groups currently underrepresented in medicine are included in the applicant pool—20 percent are Asian/Asian Indian; 16 percent are Hispanic; and 12 percent are African/American. The average Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is 33.5 with a GPA of 3.8.

 

“This has been a stellar year for our new medical school and we are delighted to have so many qualified candidates apply to our unique and personalized medical education program,” said Betty Monfort, assistant dean of admissions in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “The high volume of applications we have received indicates that there is a great demand for a high-quality state medical school in this region.”

 

The first class of 36 residents in FAU’s internal medicine residency program began last June. Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the primary site for the program with participation from Bethesda Hospital East and Delray Medical Center, three of the five hospitals participating in the Graduate Medical Consortium (GME) supporting FAU residency programs. The other two participating hospitals in FAU’s GME Consortium are St. Mary’s Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center.