The area around Bayboro Harbor and Port St.
In this spirit of collaboration, the Downtown Saint Petersburg Partnership led board members and friends on a walking tour of the proposed site for the Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence in Environmental and Oceanography (EOS) and the new Center for Naval and Defense Technology. Dr. Tom Fraser, Dean of the College of Marine Sciences (CMS), and Alison Barlow, Executive Director of the Innovation District, led the tours of the respective facilities on Monday.
Fraser began the tour at the Forsan Ocean Research Center. This new, modern building with its clean exterior and blue-glazed panels overlooking the harbor stands in stark contrast to the adjacent Marine Science Laboratories (MSL). The MSL building is 80 years old and was part of the original US Navy’s Naval Training Center. Constructed to aid the war effort during World War II, the building shows its age but will soon give way to a high-end EOS camera.
Built during World War II for the Navy, the Naval Science Laboratory will be the new location for EOS.
“We came to talk a little bit about a building,” Fraser said. “But the building is part of a larger vision of what we have for the Saint Petersburg University campus and community.”
Fraser said the school is aggressively pursuing EOS and has brought the group to the research center to provide a comprehensive view of its future location. He explained that the facility will provide 40,000 new square feet and repurpose certain sections of the existing MSL building. Not only will EOS host many of USF’s marine research and education endeavors, but the soon-to-open Florida Flood Hub Center for Applied Research and Innovation will also be called EOS Home.
“I don’t think there is a better place in the southeastern United States, and perhaps the nation, to do this work,” Fraser said. “We’re right on the coast, and we see the ruins every day.”
Fraser said EOS is the USF’s number one priority going forward, and that it has legislative support from the local government through the Florida House Speaker. Fraser also noted the support of community partners such as the Innovation District, Downtown Partnership and Chamber of Commerce.
“We feel good that we are going to get there,” he said.
Fraser said that EOS will employ data visualization software to work closely with the Flood Hub and other marine research projects. The College of Arts participates in a digital communications and journalism program to help communicate data. Fraser noted the importance of capturing complex images and communicating them to the public, beyond planners and elected officials.
There are also discussions with the business school to create a “blue MBA” to guide students through the business aspects of maritime economics, Fraser said.
“When I think about this – there are a lot of synergies,” he added.
Fraser concluded her future EOS tour by highlighting the college’s remotely operated underwater gliders. CMS currently operates five of these submarines, many of which are out for repair. The ships are at sea for weeks or even months while collecting data and can carry different sensors depending on the focus of the research, said Chad Limpek, project engineer at CMS.
These remotely operated gliders are underwater at sea for weeks or even months while collecting data. The software will expand with the creation of EOS.
Limpek said the program’s recent focus is on the origins of red tides, with the goal of better predicting when and how long harmful algal blooms will last. The bowl also measures the temperature of different layers of water – something that can only be achieved with a submarine. This information guides hurricane forecasts, and CMS plans to reinforce these projects when EOS is complete.
After a short stroll along the waterfront, Barlow led a tour of the new Naval Defense and Technology Center. After months of planning and negotiations, the Innovation District officially took control of the former SRI International building in October.
The Innovation District will move its operations into the building when it opens in the first week of January. Barlow said it will host monthly tech exchange events for both Hub tenants and the surrounding community. Barlow also conveyed a proposal with Saint Petersburg College for an “innovative cohort-based intern project”.
The main feature of the building is the Sensitive Information Facility (SCIF) rooms. SCIFs are essential to industries that require secure communications, making the building uniquely suited to military operations, national security and defense.
A look inside a room of the Sensitive Segmented Information Facility (SCIF). SCIFs are essentials for industries that require secure communications.
“We have four of these,” said Rob Kapusta, Innovation District Chairman and member of the Downtown Partnership Executive Committee. “This has made this a magnet for a number of defense technology companies.”
Barlow explained that the building was a single rented building. She said she had to convince city officials that not only would he work with multiple tenants, but that cooperation would flourish with the proximity of several businesses.
“They should have a shared kitchen, shared bathrooms, and shared meeting rooms, so they’re going to have to interact a lot with each other,” Barlow said. “So, it actually plays into our strengths.”
Barlow said the tenants were carefully selected based on their desire to interact with each other, as well as with surrounding agencies. In addition to future CMS and EOS, the area also boasts the Florida Institute of Fish and Wildlife Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regional office, the USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center, and the National Oceanographic Institution of Oceanography.
The Coast Guard station is located adjacent to the facility, an important feature for London’s prime tenant PoleStar, which has moved its US headquarters to St Petersburg and is working closely with the Coast Guard in its geospatial data tracking endeavors.
“The originals — which are walkable — are amazing,” Barlow said.
A view from the rooftop of the Maritime Defense and Technology Hub building, with the Coast Guard station in the background.
The Marine Defense and Technology Hub is now home to 14 organizations, including the initial location of the Florida Flood Hub. As the innovation area goes through the selection process, Barlow said, it often screens tenants through their partners to ensure collaboration is possible.
“When we were anticipating opportunities to collaborate, did they see them as well,” Barlow explained about the process. “It was really a great tool.”