The St. Petersburg Innovation District’s thought leaders, as City Councilmember Gina Driscoll noted Wednesday evening, are developing solutions for critical problems “by air, land and sea – even from the Moon.”
The 7th annual State of Science and Innovation highlighted some recent groundbreaking efforts. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, one of the district’s anchor institutions, hosted the event at its Research and Teaching Center.
Six innovators had just six minutes to showcase their work. Mayor Ken Welch credited district stakeholders for discerning ways to overcome local and global challenges, particularly environmental hazards, and “asking why not?”
“Those challenges have tested us, but they’ve also reinforced an important truth – that solutions to our greatest obstacles lie in the power of partnership, science, data and innovation,” Welch said. “Looking forward, our challenge is to ensure this innovation serves everyone in St. Petersburg.”
Lunar data centers
Based at the district’s Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, Lonestar Lunar made history in February 2024 when it transmitted data to and from space. CEO Chris Stott said he could not have achieved the milestone “without St. Pete.”
Stott said Lonestar provides resiliency as a service by safeguarding critical data on the Moon, away from natural and human threats. An accompanying video highlighted how Earth’s largest satellite has a limitless supply of solar energy and that space is a natural cooling source.
Humans create over 2.5 million bytes of new data daily, and the amount doubles biannually. Storing and processing increasingly vast amounts of information strains natural resources.
The State of Florida was among Lonestar’s first customers, and the local startup will return to the Moon in late February. “The world is changing,” Stott said.
“We’ve heard amazing speakers who are doing amazing things thanks to this amazing city.”
The USF College of Marine Science as seen from the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. Photo by Mark Parker.
Simplifying data through music
Dr. Heather O’Leary, an anthropologist at USFSP, works to understand “what it means to be human across space and time.” She is also an urban water expert who developed CRESCENDO, a platform that generates music according to scientific research.
The overarching goal is to simplify complex data, increase research accessibility and foster community engagement. “We want to know how human understanding lights up in different brain areas using different media,” O’Leary said.
The USF Symphonic Band and Wind Orchestra performed a musical composition of O’Leary’s red tide research in February 2024. She is now recruiting students and local artists to interpret that data and transform it into a mobile gallery for exhibitions throughout Florida.
O’Leary offered to demonstrate a beta version of an augmented reality platform that features data-driven music videos. “So much of what happens in art is living through science and tech, and science and tech can certainly benefit from using art,” said Alison Barlow, executive director of the Innovation District.
“Human-on-a-chip”
Dr. Martin Trapecar established the Laboratory of Human Biomimetics at All Children’s Hospital in 2021. He and his team have created disease models using a tool called a “human-on-a-chip.”
Researchers build the systems using donated tissue to recreate miniature aspects of human biology. Trapecar said he has grown representative models of livers and other organs.
He explained that studying how tissues and cells react to disease can help researchers discover new genetic medicines. Trapecar said 90% of in-development drugs fail and never reach a patient.
“Ultimately, we want to discover some casual relationships that lead to the origins of diseases,” Trapecar said.
Dr. Martin Trapecar is recreating miniature aspects of complex human biology using donated tissue.
Flood modeling
Dr. Gary Mitchum leads the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation. Housed at USFSP, the state-sponsored organization bridges knowledge gaps between scientists, policymakers and residents to help communities mitigate and adapt to flooding risks.
Mitchum said satellite imagery and tide gauge measurements agree that seas have risen by three to four inches over the past 25 years. Climate models show the rate continuing to double every quarter of a century.
Mitchum expects local flooding events to increase tenfold in the mid-2030s to nearly 70 days annually. Warmer air holds more water, and aging infrastructure cannot accommodate increasingly intense downpours.
“It’s an infrastructure problem that’s going to be very difficult to address,” Mitchum added. “How do we create the infrastructure to manage these increased flooding risks?”
“Hercules”
Shannon Mulrooney, nursing operations manager at Orlando Bayfront Hospital, highlighted the new Hercules Patient Repositioning System. The automated device allows care providers to reposition people weighing up to 750 pounds by pushing a few buttons.
Mulrooney noted the task previously required multiple staffers and often led to injuries. Hercules can complete a 10-minute repositioning process in under 10 seconds.
“I can confidently say that having access to this device to simplify such an essential task is truly a game-changer for everyone involved,” Mulrooney said. “Orlando Health is proud to be the first healthcare system in Florida to fully integrate Hercules into our care delivery model.”
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