UCF ranks 3rd in patent strength

     The University of Central Florida ranks third in the nation for the strength and impact of its patents, according to recent rankings released by IEEE, the world’s leading association for the advancement of technology. UCF moved up from seventh place last year in the rankings. No other Florida university made either list.
      The rankings illustrate the strength of patents issued at UCF and the potential they hold for positively impacting the local and state economies, said M.J. Soileau, vice president for Research and Commercialization at UCF.
   “With the help of our partners, UCF is strategically focusing on the technical areas needed to support and lure viable technological industry to our state,” he said. “By hiring some of the best faculty in the world, we have built some of the nation’s strongest concentrations of intellectual capital in lasers and optics, simulation and training, computer sciences, solar energy, nanoscience, materials and now biomedical sciences right here in Central Florida.”
Full story here.

Mom and Pop Business Day is March 29

   Small businesses account for 70% of U.S. commerce, according to Fast Company. For advice and sympathy, the magazine recommends SCORE -- a not-for-profit partner of the Small Business Administration, which offers free counseling. Its volunteers -- mostly retired business owners -- have advised more than 8 million clients, many of them clueless.
    National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day celebrates small business owners -- individuals who spend countless hours nurturing and growing their young enterprises.

Photoshop World Comes to Central Florida

Photoshop World is big. How big?
"Photoshop World is the ONLY Photoshop and digital photography conference designed to put you at the top of your game with fast and furious classes from the world's leading experts. Photoshop World is where Photoshop users go to learn hard!
And the keynote is from Adobe’s John Loiacono
Adobe often uses the opening Keynote of Photoshop World to showcase or “sneak peek” unreleased Photoshop technology. Adobe VP John Loiacono will be giving the presentation. It kicks off Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. (door’s open at 8:45 a.m.).

    Orlando Flight Training is expanding its service offerings to include a sport pilot training program with an addition of four new Cessna Skycatcher aircraft to its fleet in Summer 2010 at Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) announces today that its airport business. OFT is the first flight school in Florida to offer these aircraft.
    “These new aircraft will allow our team to provide students with additional flight training program options,” said Adam Brumbaugh, director of sales & marketing at Orlando Flight Training. “The new program is an excellent fit with our current service offerings, as it provides a low cost option for becoming licensed to aviation enthusiasts.”
   The sport pilot training program costs less than a traditional pilot license program and allows the school to accommodate aviation enthusiasts who seek this specific type of license. Introductory flight and ground training in the new aircraft will be available for interested participants. For more information, please contact admissions@flyoft.com.

   Good link about certifying solar energy panels:
   The short of it: When a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) manufacturer completes design and assembly of a solar product, the work is just beginning. To reach market, the product must also be certified according to the regulatory requirements set by the installation site’s country and regional location.

Update: Utility-scale solar projects in the U.S.

    Greentech Media has an interesting report from Rhone Resch, CEO of SEIA, on utility-scale solar projects in the U.S.
    "In 2009 there was 58 megawatts of utility-scale solar deployed in the U.S. in 5 projects. The compelling news is that SEIA expects to see more than 200 megawatts of utility-scale solar from concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV) coming online in 2010. Those projects include Florida Power and Light's 75-megawatt trough project and thin film solar efforts by First Solar.
     Even more encouraging is that there are over 100 utility-scale solar projects in the U.S. totaling 17,000 MW now in the planning stage."
     Read more here: www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/seia-on-utility-scale-solar

ESPN: Scoring a Field Goal in S3D Sports

    The NAB Show, the annual conference and expo for professionals who create, manage and distribute entertainment across all platforms, has announced the participants in a Content Theater session titled "ESPN: Scoring a Field Goal in S3D Sports.”
    The panelists will be Anthony Bailey, vice president emerging technologies, ESPN; Phil Orlins, coordinating producer, ESPN X Games; Vince Pace, CEO and Cinematographer, PACE; and Bob Toms, vice president, production enhancements & interactive TV, ESPN.
    ESPN recently announced that its 3D division was moving to Osceola County and the Wide World of Sports complex.
    The 2010 NAB Show takes place April 10-15 in Las Vegas. 

News on VoiceCon 2010

Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, will showcase its Net-Net® session border controller (SBC) solutions that deliver trusted, first-class unified communications for enterprise, contact center and government organizations March 22 – 25 at VoiceCon 2010, which is being held at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. Acme Packet, a Best of VoiceCon award finalist, will be presenting, exhibiting and demonstrating its Net-Net product family  in booth 1129 located in the Florida Exhibit Hall on the lower level.