‘Mother Ocean 101’ from UWF

At the start of the year, the University of West Florida launched its Division of Research and Strategic Innovation. It serves as an incubator for big ideas to come to life. From a strategic standpoint, DRSI embodies Northwest Florida’s future, according to new UWF President Dr. Martha Saunders in an op-ed published in the Northwest Florida Daily News. UWF’s Innovation Institute with the Center for Research and Economic Opportunity (CREO) program includes the Military Veterans Resource Institute, Academic Technology Center; and statewide programs like the Florida Virtual Campus. II has one new project scheduled to launch this month. It’s a free online course, which tells the story of research conducted by UWF faculty and students on the Gulf of Mexico, called "Gulf Stories: Mother, Mother Ocean 101." The team followed researchers to study the effects of hurricanes, saltwater incursion, invasion of lionfish; and the Port of Pensacola to study the logistics of moving products through the GoM and world. By making it a free online course, it’s available to everyone to learn about UWF research on the Gulf Coast. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News op-ed 03/12/17)