When I joined the Innovation District I was amazed at how many world renowned thought-leaders worked in St. Petersburg, particularly within the District boundaries. They are the keynote speakers at conferences, authors who publish reports that guide innovations in their field, and chairs of national and international committees. To us they are the people we see at the grocery store, the neighbor down the street, or the friend we don't quite understand what they do (even though we ask them to explain it a dozen times).
We recently lost one of those "Rock Stars" of St. Petersburg - Dr. Bill Hogarth. Bill was a guiding force of the marine science community. He played a significant role in the growth of this industry cluster in St. Petersburg, across the nation and internationally. I can't recall when I first met Bill. Maybe it was when they commissioned the Research Vessel Hogarth in his honor. I can share that Bill was always encouraging of new ideas, thoughtful in his analysis, and a great human being. There have been wonderful and more articulate words written about Bill and his accomplishments that I encourage you to read - St. Pete Catalyst article: USF mourns the loss of a marine science legend and the Tampa Bay Times obituary: William Hogarth 1939-2022.
The above picture of Bill was taken at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub Ribbon Cutting in March. He is standing next to the R/V Hogarth image in the mural by St. Pete artist Carrie Jadus.
Over the last few months I have used this space in the newsletter to create a picture of what it takes to foster innovation. November 2023 newsletter: Innovation is a team sport. It requires diverse perspectives and experiences to find a creative solutions. It requires courage to try things out and be willing to learn what won’t work as much as what will work. It requires tenacity to keep going and going and going.
Thank you to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (JHACH) for sponsoring and hosting our inaugural Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change breakfast. The event was kicked off by Alicia Schulhof, President of JHACH, and followed by an overview of the topic - Artificial Intelligence - by Dr. John Licato of USF's Advanced Machine and Human Reasoning Lab.
Kudos to the Volunteers of America Florida, City of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County for the recent opening of the new downtown apartments, located in the Innovation District called Innovare. Innovare’s 50 apartments provide stable homes for individuals and families who earn 60 percent or less of the Area’s Median Income (AMI), including many who are transitioning from homelessness.