| March 6th, 2018
Discovery and Innovation on the horizon
By: journeymagazine
Credit : Ricardo Brown
By| Ricardo Brown
The 9th annual Discovery On Parade was hosted at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State’s Conference Center. This community event will provide a unique preview of new and exciting Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Florida State University (FSU) and Tallahassee Community College (TCC) inventions, discoveries, and innovations making their way into the world. This event is hosted by the FAMU Division of Research, FSU Office of Research and Tallahassee Community College.
The parade featured wall-to-wall exhibits, 65 in total, showcasing FAMU, FSU and TCC research and creative works making their way into the commercial market.
Zakiya Japera, graduate of FAMU’s College of Education said, “Last year was my first time at the parade and I didn’t really know what to expect, but I had a chance to witness some amazing innovations that are making differences.”
Among the exhibits, Auxadyne is bringing to the market the first commercially available auxetic foam.This a unique foam that gets thicker when stretched, unlike ordinary foam that would become thinner. The technology has been applied to orthotic shoe inserts, seat cushions, wedges, and wheelchair pads
“Our foam offers the ultimate level of protection and support,” said Joe Condon, President and CEO of Auxadyne. “We are currently on a deal with a big footwear brand, but we can’t say who. It rhymes with Shnike.”
After the guests had a chance to visit all of the exhibits, they were lead into the main tent by TCC’s African Drum and Dance Ensemble. Then Larry Lynch, FSU Office of Commercialization, officially welcomed all guests to the parade and introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Valerie Browning
Dr. Browning is the Director of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office (DSO), where she identifies high-risk, high-payoff research initiatives that could one day be translated into game-changing technologies for U.S. national security.
DARPA itself dates back to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, and a commitment by the United States that, from that time forward, it would be the initiator and not the victim of strategic technological surprises.
Browning had visited the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering and spoke highly of the advancements she witnessed. “Innovation is the Key to our future and that was what I saw at the school.”
“We want to hear from you. I challenge you to discover how you can put your good work to support national security,” said Dr. Browning in her closing remarks. “There is no shortage of people that will not try because its to hard, but those rare few that are willing to take a chance to change the world, come find us.”
