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Some Florida schools, colleges open doors amid trepidation, litigation

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Some Florida schools, colleges open doors amid trepidation, litigation

| 8/13/2020

Some Florida schools, colleges open doors amid trepidation, litigation

With trepidation and unresolved lawsuits as a backdrop, about a dozen mostly rural Florida public school districts and several college campuses began in-person classes for students this week. Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an order in July that mandated K-12 schools open this month and offer the “full panoply” of brick-and-mortar services. The order, he said, was to ensure districts provide services for students who want, or need, in-person instruction and for working parents who cannot leave unattended children at home. More from the Center Square, WCJB, and WJXT.

University of Florida hits record $900 million in research awards

Over the past 10 years, research awards to the university have increased 45% from $619 million in 2011. University of Florida faculty earned a record $900.7 million in research funding in fiscal year 2020, despite many activities being paused for more than two months by the pandemic. More from Florida Trend and the Tampa Bay Times.

See also:
» FSU, FAMU break research records, earning $250M, $60M respectively

Valencia College Culinary Instructor named nation’s top chef educator

Chef Jennifer Denlinger — or Chef D, as her students at Valencia College call her — cut an atypical path to the American Culinary Federation’s Top Chef Educator award. But then, 2020 has been a decidedly atypical year. “I’m still in disbelief,” says Denlinger. “This wasn’t my first rodeo.” Denlinger, chef instructor, department chair, culinary management, teaches at Valencia College’s Walt Disney World Center for Culinary Arts & Hospitality has thrown her toque in the ring in years previous for this esteemed award. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

USF technology being tested for possible use on NASA moon mission

A technology created at USF will be sent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center next week to test its effectiveness under simulated space mission conditions. Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Daniel Yeh has been collaborating with NASA to develop a system that converts human waste into fertilizer and water, which would allow astronauts to grow fresh vegetables in space in a more sustainable way. It could help enable the establishment of a permanent presence on the moon. [Source: Florida Trend]

Do kids still need vaccinations if they are learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The 2020-2021 school year will soon begin the way it ended in South Florida: online. And while your child may be temporarily learning through a computer screen instead of in a classroom, that doesn’t mean you should delay a trip to the doctor. All public and private schoolchildren from kindergarten through 12th grade in Florida still need to get the necessary vaccines required to attend school — even if they are learning online. [Source: ]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› FSU celebrates largest cohort of McKnight Junior Faculty Fellowships in recent history
Six Florida State University assistant professors have received the Florida Education Fund’s (FEF) McKnight Junior Faculty Fellowship. It is the largest cohort of FSU McKnight Fellows to date. The FEF’s McKnight Junior Faculty Fellowship Program promotes excellence in teaching and research by underrepresented minorities and women. Fellows receive a one-year sabbatical to engage in research and training projects related to securing tenure and promotion.

› Florida Tech, Steward partner with New Mexico medical school
Through a unique partnership with Florida Institute of Technology and Steward Health Care, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is expanding its clinical education reach to Florida.

› Lake-Sumter faculty union: Trustees insist on face-to-face bargaining despite pandemic
Union organizers say the Lake-Sumter State College Board of Trustees is hampering their ability to bargain by refusing to do so virtually despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the faculty union, which was successfully established by vote in 2018, said that despite every other unionized college and university in Florida bargaining over Zoom or another virtual tool in order to finish up the process ahead of the school year, the board has demanded that all negotiations, and negotiators, attend face-to-face meetings.

› Hillsborough schools could lose $23 million a month for defying state
The Hillsborough County School District stands to lose $23 million a month in funding if it does not adhere to Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran’s order to open schools by the end of this month, early estimates show.

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Valencia College culinary program showcase
Valencia College culinary program showcase

It's a twice-yearly tradition at the Walt Disney World Center of Culinary Arts and Hospitality on Valencia College's Downtown Campus.

 

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