AI center to open new ground for ag research<\/p>\n
BALM \u2013 A Nov. 5 groundbreaking in this community 25 miles southeast of Tampa will open a 40,000-square-foot artificial intelligence center that will study ways to boost crop yields for farmers by breeding plants that resist pests and disease while using fewer chemicals.<\/p>\n
The AI center will add to the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, an institution that is marking its 100th anniversary. The Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture will serve as a world-class research, Extension and development facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be the cradle for the next technological leaps forward made possible by a 150-year-old land-grant model of academia-industry-government partnership,\u201d said Scott Angle, UF\u2019s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of UF\/IFAS. \u201cUF\u2019s historic investment in AI talent, the state legislature\u2019s generous funding to create the space and farmers\u2019 and processors\u2019 embrace of innovation will make Florida an even greater force for good in feeding the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
AI and robotics can autonomously accomplish many tasks that traditionally require manual labor, UF said in a press release. By developing these technologies, AI can increase the number of technology-driven, competitive-paying jobs on the farm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe envision faculty at the AI center will use new technology to solve growers\u2019 problems with more speed and efficiency than ever before,\u201d said GCREC director Jack Rechcigl said. \u201cFlorida farmers are battling myriad issues, and one of the few ways to successfully cope with those vexing problems is to use AI technology, sometimes known as the fourth industrial revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plans call for a state-of-the art research shop, equipped with everything needed to design and build robotic technologies for agriculture.<\/p>\n
St. Joseph\u2019s seeks gift shop volunteers<\/p>\n
LUTZ \u2013 The Bamboo Gift Shop at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz needs volunteers.<\/p>\n
Volunteers should be available for a minimum of three hours per week and to be comfortable on a computer. Volunteers will receive training, and discounts to buy gift shop merchandise and meals, food and refreshments in the hospital\u2019s Twigs Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Complete a volunteer application at https:\/\/baycare.org\/locations\/hospitals\/st-josephs-hospital-north\/volunteer<\/a><\/p>\n Call or email Elizabeth Guarino at 813-443-7137, elizabeth.guarino@baycare.org<\/a>, for more information.<\/p>\n All sales proceeds in the gift shop go back into the hospital system to purchase extra medical resources and equipment.<\/p>\n Better Together, Crossover Church to host job fair<\/p>\n TAMPA \u2013 Registration is now open for job seekers and employers to participate in a Nov. 19 job fair hosted by Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, and Crossover Church.<\/p>\n The job fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Crossover Church, 1235 E. Fowler Ave. Job seekers and employers can register at BetterTogetherUS.org\/Crossover<\/a> or by texting \u201cJOBS\u201d to 844-987-3949.<\/p>\n Participating employers include Aqua Home Care, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Kane\u2019s Furniture, Lutheran Services Florida and Suncoast Community Health Center. Local resource partners will also join Better Together in offering various onsite services.<\/p>\n Limayem unanimously selected next USF president<\/p>\n TAMPA \u2013 The University of South Florida Board of Trustees unanimously voted Oct. 21 to select Moez Limayem as the university\u2019s ninth president.<\/p>\n Limayem currently serves as president of the University of North Florida and was the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF for 10 years.<\/p>\n His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Limayem brings a palpable energy and enthusiasm to every room he enters, and he is fully aligned on our vision for USF Athletics and the transformational impact of our new on-campus stadium,\u201d said USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford. \u201cUnder his leadership, we are poised to build on our momentum as a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and further capitalize on our location in one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing regions in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n During his time at UNF, Limayem has been recognized by Florida Trend as one of the state\u2019s 500 most influential business leaders, by the Jacksonville Business Journal as an Ultimate CEO and he received an award from the National Academy of Inventors for his many contributions to innovation and invention.<\/p>\n While dean at USF, Limayem and his team raised more than $126 million in private donations for the college, including a $25 million gift from Pam and Les Muma in 2014, which at the time was the largest individual gift in the university\u2019s history. He also led key efforts to enhance career preparation and placement, internships and talent development of students. In addition, Limayem was named among the Power 100: Tampa Bay\u2019s Most Influential Business Leaders of 2022 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. In November, he is slated to be inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n \u201cI am honored and humbled to be unanimously selected by the USF Board of Trustees. Serving as USF president would be the greatest honor of my professional life,\u201d Limayem said. \u201cMy family and I love USF and the Tampa Bay region, and I am thrilled by the prospect of returning home. As I was reminded during my visit to each USF campus last week, it is truly a special community.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife Alya, a UNF faculty member of biology, is a renowned researcher who holds multiple U.S. patents, was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors last year and was recognized as a 2024 Rising Star of the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida. The couple has two children.<\/p>\n Home tour offers look inside historic Hyde Park homes<\/p>\n TAMPA \u2013 The Old Hyde Park Home Tour will return Saturday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m. with the chance to explore several distinctive and charming homes in the iconic neighborhood.<\/p>\n Several unique and inspired homes join the tour this year: restored bungalows, historic mansions and Mediterranean Revival homes dating back to the 1920\u2019s and 1930\u2019s, many meticulously preserved. Many of the historic homes have porches and backyards that will be decorated to celebrate the holidays and filled with performers from Gasparilla Music Festival and treats from our supportive sponsors.<\/p>\n Tickets will be sold online in advance with a very limited number of tickets available at the door.<\/p>\n