The addition of Bloomberg terminals will allow students access to this important technology for supply chain and T&L analysis as Bloomberg terminals offer powerful data & analytics, industry-leading collaboration tools, and multi-asset execution capabilities. Students will also have the opportunity to become “Bloomberg Certified,” a designation that is becoming increasingly important in the T&L job market.

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John Hall – Jack to all who knew him - passed away from a sudden illness over the December holiday break.

Jack was one of FLR’s Chief Business Development Officers and one of our first employees, creating many of the processes and procedures we use today to provide IT services to our members and affiliates. He was 84 years old and still working every day helping to grow our company and guide our members and affiliates.

Jack came to FLR in 2005 after retiring as Chief Technology Officer at Florida Atlantic University. While at FAU, he was instrumental in bringing the Boca Raton University into FLR and elevating its IT operations. Under his watch, Jack modernized the FAU data center and was instrumental in the university being recognized as one of the 100 best IT departments in the country. Before working at FAU, Jack worked in the IT industry and served his country for 8 years in the US Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain, serving as a Missile Launch Officer and attending the Air Force Institute of Technology. His military service was recognized with several commendations, including the Air Force Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Airforce Outstanding Unit Award.

Jack was a larger-than-life presence. His friends and family (including longtime partner Carol, 7 children, 12 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild) will tell you of his love, in no particular order, for cigars, golf, Bombay Gin, the Northern Illinois Huskies, and the Chicago Cubs. And of course, FLR. This company would not be what we are today without his talents, commitment, energy, brains, and wonderful good humor.

A memorial service and celebration of life reception will be held on January 13.

The memorial service will be held at Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL 33708, on January 13, 2023, from 12:45-1:30, with Military Honors, Catholic Prayer Service, and Eulogies.

An open house reception to celebrate Jack’s life will follow at the VFW Post 4364, 5773 62nd St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33709 from 2:00 pm to 4 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in Memory of John Hall, to Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL. (Notification information, optional: Mary Malloy, 10039 Oasis Palm Dr., Tampa, FL, 33615, marymalloy40@gmail.com).

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Thanks to the generosity of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, an $11.7 million research vessel will soon make the trek from California to its new home in St. Petersburg.

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J. Travis Hunsucker, ocean engineering and marine sciences assistant professor, will provide support for NASA’s Landing and Recovery Team. Through a contract with Jacobs Technology, Hunsucker will utilize his expertise in wave and ship dynamics in the offshore recovery effort near San Diego next month.

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The FLR Board of Directors held its most recent quarterly meeting on Monday, November 7, at Florida Institute of Technology. The visit was the first for the Board of Directors since Florida Tech joined as an equity member in 2004.

“We are proud to be part of Florida LambdaRail and very much enjoyed hosting the Board of Directors,” said the university’s executive vice president, provost and chief operating officer Marco Carvalho, Ph.D., who also serves as representative to the FLR Board. “As Florida’s STEM university, Florida Tech works tirelessly to advance scientific knowledge, foster multi-disciplinary collaboration, and nourish the entrepreneurial spirit in our community, so it was a pleasure to showcase those values to my colleagues on the board.”

In the wake of the 2020 pandemic year, the FLR Board of Directors made it a priority to re-engage with their colleagues by holding many of their meetings on the campuses of the 12 equity-owning universities.

“Everyone on the Board enjoyed the visit to Florida Tech,” remarked Board Chair Robert Grillo of FIU. “Dr. Carvalho and his team arranged for us to have a very productive meeting. The campus tours, including the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design and the Florida Tech Flight Line, highlighted the important role they play in their community.”

Recent board meetings have been held at the University of Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University. In the coming year, in-person meetings are planned to be held at the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida.

above: Members of the FLR Board and staff  hear from Elaine Larson about Larsen Motorsports' unique partnership with Florida Tech.

above: Florida Tech's Dr. Marco Carvalho welcomes members of the Florida LambdaRail Board of Directors to their meeting at the Florida Tech Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design.

above: A Florida Tech engineering student explains elements of a solar-powered aircraft experiment at the Panther Works Engineering Lab.

The grant from the National Science Foundation seeks to empower amputees to maximize their individual potential for controlling the full dexterity of artificial hands.  The project involves a novel bimodal skin sensor that combines machine learning motor intention classification algorithms and reinforcement learning.

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