UWF Research Programs Take the Classroom to the Community
By Susie Forrester, University Marketing Communications
The University of West Florida’s mile-long stretch of beach property on Santa Rosa Island adjacent to the Gulf Islands National Seashore is the ideal laboratory for researchers to study the local impact of the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The search for solutions to address the oil spill’s impact in Pensacola already has begun. Matthew Schwartz, environmental studies associate professor, is researching dissolved compounds in Gulf water to study the oil’s impact on delicate ecosystems. Richard Snyder, director of the UWF Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, and his team continue to collect water and sand samples monitoring for invisible presence of crude oil. This research could come into play not only locally, but all over the world.
In the last three years, the university has expended about $45 million in sponsored research related to the environment; business and economic development; university education and K-12 program; community research and outreach programs; and computer science research and programs. While some programs are more visible than others, all contribute to the community.
A large slice of that total, just over $21 million, is directed at business and economic development. One program, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, will play a major role in the aftermath of the oil spill throughout the state. The network is a statewide economic development partnership between higher education and other stakeholder organizations dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and established businesses with the assistance needed to start, grow and succeed, contributing to the Florida economy. The network, stationed at the UWF and through 34 regional SBDC centers, offers one-on-one counseling to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The network’s Business Continuity and Risk Management Center is a specialized program that operates through the existing statewide infrastructure of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network. The purpose of the Business Continuity and Risk Management Center program is to ensure statewide businesses have proper education in, training on and assistance in business continuity planning and risk management technical assistance to minimize losses and increase survivability when affected by natural and/or man-made disasters. Under this program, mobile SBDC units are available to be on site to assist as needed during such emergencies.
Another economic-related program is the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at UWF. It is the premier source for information about the Northwest Florida economy and people. Its mission is to provide individual, business and policy makers the highest quality economic and demographic knowledge.
Other environmental projects currently under way at UWF include:
- Joe Lepo, professor, microbial physiologist and CEDB member, has several funded projects from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of the Army and state agencies. His studies focus on the effects of pollution on water quality.
- Jane Caffrey, biology associate professor and CEDB member, has projects funded by Electric Research Power Institute and the YSI Foundation to examine and the atmospheric deposition of mercury, trace metals and major ions in the Pensacola Bay watershed.
- Will Patterson, biology associate professor, conducts research on marine fish ecology and fisheries biology. He has five funded projects totaling $1.1 million from the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
- Pam Northrup, Academic Technology Center, has led a multi-year $2 million-effort to develop applications for delivery of training to military personnel deployed all over the world. Programs in language training include Arabic and for Middle Eastern religion and cultural awareness. The center serves as a catalyst for the development and application of emerging technologies to facilitate effective teacher and learning in distance and mobile education environments.
Other projects taking students and professors from the classroom and into communities include:
- Northwest Florida Career Pathways, expected to go online in September, is a Web portal highlighting academic, job and career information for residents in Northwest Florida, from Pensacola to Tallahassee. It will offer links to programs and educational offerings of the public educational institutions in relation to critical job needs. The information it provides will be of interest to students seeking career paths as well as individuals who are unemployed or underemployed and seeking to improve their skills and employability.
- A Supplemental Educational Services program through UWF provides after-school tutoring in reading/language arts, mathematics and science to middle and high school students in Title I eligible schools in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. In 2009-2010, the program served more than 2,600 students. This program also provides for professional development training and activities for teachers.
- Faculty research in the Division of Anthropology and Archaeology involves students in hands-on opportunities in many arenas. For example, the terrestrial and maritime archaeology programs provide hands-on training and paid positions in fieldwork and laboratory analysis of historic settlements and shipwreck sites through the Archaeology Institute.
- The Community Outreach Research and Learning Center offers graduate students experience in authentic research and evaluation projects, serves community organizations by conducting applied research and evaluation projects and promotes high-quality applied research and publication efforts of the UWF graduate faculty.
For more information, visit uwf.edu/impact.