Turtles Without Borders Sea Turtles Are Rebounding, but Much Work Remains Fall 2019, Vol

FALL 2019

Turtles Without Borders Sea Turtles Are Rebounding, But Much Work Remains Fall 2019, Vol. 24, No. 3

Extracts Research briefs

Turtles Without Borders Sea turtles are rebounding, but much work remains 14

Center of Excellence UF grows $10 million grant into $1.7 billion gene therapy 24 company Brammer Bio RandallRuiz; cover photo, DavidTroeger Dr. Kent Fuchs President

Dr. David Norton Vice President for Research

Board of Trustees Mori Hosseini, Chair David L. Brandon James W. Heavener Leonard H. Johnson Thomas G. Kuntz Michael C. Murphy Daniel T. O’Keefe Rahul Patel Marsha D. Powers Jason J. Rosenberg Robert G. Stern Ray G. Thomas Anita G. Zucker

Explore is published by UF Research. Opinions expressed do not reflect the official views of the university. Use of trade names implies no endorsement by the University of Florida. © 2019 University of Florida. The Writing Life explore.research.ufl.edu The University of Florida’s Editor: creative writing program Joseph M. Kays nurtures and pushes its [email protected] graduate students 30 Art Director: Katherine Kinsley-Momberger

Design and Illustration: Katherine Kinsley-Momberger Ivan J. Ramos

Mr. IPO Writers: Jay Ritter has spent his career Joseph Kays Cindy Spence tracking the emergence of new public companies Photography: John Jernigan 38 Charlotte Kesl Web Editor: Jewel Midelis

Copy Editor: Bruce Mastron

The Conversation Printing: Changing Tech's Face StorterChilds Printing, Gainesville Member of the University Research Magazine Association 42 www.urma.org Building a Better World

Being forward-focused on a worthy goal is an essential attribute of any individual or organization that seeks relevance and impact in a complex endeavor. While it’s important to understand the past and appreciate the present, our focus must be on the future, on goals that extend beyond our current horizon. Earlier this fall, UF Research recognized 32 faculty members as 2019 University of Florida Research Foundation Professors. Although these individuals represent just a small cross section of our faculty, their accomplishments demonstrate the forward-focused aims and impact of UF research. Among this group are an entomologist developing new weapons in the fight against malaria and Zika, an ophthalmologist seeking cures for children David Norton suffering from congenital blindness, a psychologist advancing healthy aging, Vice President for Research and a lawyer seeking to protect human rights worldwide. There is a pediatrician focused on vulnerable newborns and on their families’ ability to pay for treatments, a biomedical engineer developing tools for treating neurological diseases, and an agronomist fighting invasive plants. Common in each of these is a recognized commitment and capacity to do even more, to focus forward. They are rightfully proud of what they have already accomplished, but even more energized by the possibilities that lie ahead. This same forward-focused mentality can be seen within UF as a whole. The university has enjoyed unprecedented external recognition and accolades in 2019. Since 2012, UF has seen its overall US News & World Report national rankings improve from 58th to 34th. Its standing among public institutions has risen from 19th to 7th. Our research expenditures have increased from $697 million to $865 million. Yet even with that success, we are setting our sights even higher. We are seeking even better educational outcomes and additional funding to perform The 2020 U.S. News top 10 public universities even more cutting-edge research and scholarship. Why? The answer is simple. The University of Florida is not pursuing 1 University of California, Los Angeles a specific place in the pecking order of peers. We are, instead, striving for something much more important. We are aiming to build a better world. Not 2 University of California, Berkeley just a better campus, a better laboratory, or a better college. We are building a better world. 3 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor The UF neuroscientist priming the human immune system to combat 4 University of Virginia malignant tumors isn’t worried about rankings. He is developing effective treatments for people everywhere battling cancer. 5 Georgia Institute of Technology * The computer engineer developing the next generation of high-speed computers isn’t doing so simply to increase the number of times his papers 5 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill * are cited in academic journals, but to help preserve biodiversity. And the education professor studying bilingual education isn’t in it to win 7 University of Florida * awards, but to ensure that teachers have the tools to help immigrant children succeed in the classroom. 7 University of California, Santa Barbara * The goal of the University of Florida is to create new and useful 9 University of California, Irvine knowledge for humankind, and to train a generation of leaders committed to improving life not just for themselves or the people they see around them 10 University of California, San Diego daily, but for people near and far, in times and seasons well beyond our limited horizons. * = tie We aim to make the world better for all. To achieve this bold and worthy cause, we cannot rest on our accomplishments. We cannot spend time admiring the finite gains of yesterday. We set our sights on the idealistic objective of making the world better tomorrow than it is today. We unlock new knowledge, seek cures for the incurable, invent life-changing technologies and illuminate the human spirit through the arts and humanities. By being forward focused today, we aim to make a better tomorrow.

4 Fall 2019 E tracts

“As one of Florida’s leading environmental researchers, Dr. Frazer understands the unique water issues facing our state and the actions we must take to solve them.”

— Governor Ron DeSantis

Chief Science Officer UF ecologist Thomas Frazer is focused on the environment

ov. Ron DeSantis has appointed UF environmental said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Gsciences Professor Thomas K. Frazer as the state’s first Valenstein. “Dr. Frazer’s impressive background and connec- chief science officer. tion to our state’s leading research institutions will be the per- The chief science officer will coordinate and prioritize fect addition. Through collaboration and with science as our scientific data, research, and monitoring to ensure alignment foundation, we are on the path to meaningful improvement for with current and emerging environmental concerns most press- Florida’s water quality.” ing to Floridians. The position of chief science officer was part “I am incredibly honored by this appointment and I thank of major water policy reforms announced in January. Gov. DeSantis for naming me Florida’s first chief science of- “As one of Florida’s leading environmental researchers, Dr. ficer,” Frazer said. “Our environment and waterways make Frazer understands the unique water issues facing our state and Florida unique. I look forward to working with the governor the actions we must take to solve them,” DeSantis said. “Since and the Department of Environmental Protection on ways we day one, my administration has been laser focused on address- can use sound science and research to improve our state’s water ing our pressing environmental challenges and commitment to quality and protect the environment.” science-based solutions. With science at the center, Florida can Since 2012, Frazer has served as director of the University lead the world in environmental innovation and water quality of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and Environment and improvement.” previously served as acting director of the UF Water Institute. “We are excited to have Dr. Frazer join our team and lead His research focuses on the effects of anthropogenic activities the effort to ensure sound science is at the forefront of our on the ecology of both freshwater and marine ecosystems. mission to achieving more now for Florida’s environment,”

5 E tracts Hall of Famers Computer graphics pioneer and chemistry professor honored

University of Florida Chemistry Professor Rich- Aalumnus who co-founded ard Yost was selected for his the computer graphics com- invention of the triple quad- pany NVIDIA and a chem- rupole mass spectrometer, a istry professor who invented groundbreaking analytical a groundbreaking analytical instrument that is used daily instrument that is used daily in drug development, disease in drug development are testing, food safety and envi- among the newest members ronmental studies. He holds of the Florida Inventors Hall 13 U.S. patents. of Fame. “Dr. Yost’s research at UF, Chris Malachowsky, building on his invention of an alumnus of UF’s Her- the triple quadrupole, has bert Wertheim College of transformed tandem mass Engineering, was selected spectrometry from a niche for inventing the Graphics research area, largely for fun- Processing Unit (GPU) that damental chemistry studies, transformed the visual com- into a practical, widely avail- puting industry by creating a able analytical technique,” consumer-oriented 3D graph- said David Norton, UF’s vice ics market. president for research. Mark Compton Mark Under Malachowsky’s Chris Malachowsky “Rarely has one invention leadership NVIDIA has or discovery in chemistry led evolved the GPU into a com- to such a dramatic impact on puter brain that intersects vir- human wellness and life, in- tual reality, high-performance cluding the people of the state computing and artificial of Florida, as the triple quad- intelligence. He holds 35 U.S. rupole mass spectrometer.” patents. Malachowsky and Yost “Chris Malachowsky joined six other inductees at embodies the attributes of the Florida Inventors Hall a hall of fame inventor: cre- of Fame 6th Annual Induc- ativity, leadership, integrity, tion Ceremony & Gala in professional excellence, and September. service to the local, state and Honorees, who must have global community,” said UF at least one U.S. patent and engineering Dean Cammy a connection to Florida, were Abernathy. “He remains chosen by a selection com- firmly committed to the suc- mittee comprising distin- cess of his alma mater and guished leaders in research has been particularly pivotal and innovation throughout in helping the college craft a Florida. vision around the coming 4th Joseph Kays Industrial Revolution, which will help to position not only the university but the state of Florida as a leader in the creation of high tech innovation

and jobs.” Jernigan John Richard Yost

6 Fall 2019 Sun Burned Did UV rays doom Neanderthals?

he extinction of Neanderthals and large mammals 40,000 shields the Earth from solar winds that generate ozone-deplet- Tyears ago coincided with a weakened geomagnetic field ing chemicals, which weaken the ozone layer and allow more that reduced protection from ultraviolet radiation, a new study UV radiation to reach Earth’s surface. Scientists can track shows. magnetic field strength through time by sampling sea-floor “This tells us more about how our ancestors evolved within sediments and ice cores. the mammal population,” said UF geological sciences Professor During the last approximately 100,000 years, several epi- James Channell. “Ultraviolet radiation was an important influ- sodes of low field strength — hence more intense UV radiation ence on mammal evolution.” — affected large long-lived mammals, including Neanderthals, Unlike Neanderthals, modern humans survived the pro- whereas smaller mammals were often able to cope. The timing longed UV radiation due to a key difference in their genome of extinction was dependent on global magnetic field strength, that better defended them from UVR. Scientists already knew the impacted locations (Australia, North America and Europe) that a protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor differed in and on the geometry of atmospheric ozone depletion. Cro-Magnon and Neanderthals, but theorized the variation “The effect was not a blitzkrieg, but a process that affected made Neanderthals more susceptible to environmental toxins the genome over time,” Channell said. such as those from cooking fires. Channell’s study — done Channell and Vigliotti’s study was published in the journal with Luigi Vigliotti of the Italian National Research Council’s Reviews of Geophysics. Building on our understanding of fluc- Institute of Marine Sciences — associates the different variants tuating magnetic fields and their impact could unlock more of AhR in Neanderthals and modern humans with different secrets from prehistory. tolerance to UVR and correlates Neanderthal decline to weak- “We need to know more about magnetic field strength in ened magnetic field and resulting UVR exposure. the past, how UVR affects the genome of mammals, and im- Over generations, magnetic fields can spell the difference prove the chronology of mammal extinction,” Channell said. between extinction and survival: When the field is strong, it Alisson Clark

7 E tracts Good Genes Florida panthers benefiting from genetic diversity

fforts to increase genetic With so few individuals, genetic variation, which in from the initial breeding Ediversity in Florida pan- variation in the gene pool theory might improve their between the Texas females thers have helped the endan- declined due to inbreeding. survival and reproductive and Florida males — to those gered animal survive and Inbred panthers suffered from rates. who had a pure Florida lin- multiply since the mid-1990s, higher rates of heart defects, But at the time, that the- eage. They found that those according to a new study by infertility and other health ory had not been tested in a with mixed ancestry fared researchers with UF and the issues that made them less wild population of large car- better in terms of survival Florida Fish and Wildlife likely to survive, the study’s nivores, and scientists weren’t and reproductive success. Conservation Commission authors explain. sure it would work. The researchers were sur- (FWC). In essence, the Florida “There were some con- prised to discover that this “We show that panthers panther population needed cerns expressed that breeding reinvigoration of the Florida with greater genetic diversity “new blood.” In an effort to Florida panthers with Texas panthers’ genetics continues are more likely to survive and improve genetic variation in pumas could have a negative to benefit the population reproduce than those with the population, wildlife man- impact on the Florida pan- nearly five generations after less genetic diversity,” said agers relocated eight female ther population,” said Dave the release in 1995. Madan Oli, professor of wild- pumas from Texas to South Onorato, a research scientist “It was a pleasant sur- life ecology and conservation Florida in 1995. with FWC and one of the co- prise,” Oli said. “Theory in the UF Institute of Food The pumas belong to the authors of the study. states that the benefit of and Agricultural Sciences and same species as the Florida “With this study, we show new genes is expected to a study co-author. “The find- panther. This conservation that this particular concern decline rather rapidly over ings can help inform Florida initiative mimicked the ge- was not an issue. Breeding be- time. However, there are no panther conservation in the netic exchange between pan- tween Florida and Texas ani- other comparable studies years to come.” thers and pumas from Texas mals improved fitness and led that continuously monitored Panthers used to roam that once occurred naturally, to the increase of the Florida a population over several much of the southeastern before panthers became iso- panther population size from generations. In this case, the U.S., but hunting and habi- lated in South Florida. 20 to 30 in 1995 to 120 to Florida panther population tat loss greatly reduced their If the released Texas 230 today,” Onorato said. continues to do well and the numbers and range. By the females mated with male In the study, research- frequency of inbreeding traits 1990s, only 20 to 30 pan- Florida panthers, scientists ers compared panthers with remains very low.” thers remained, all isolated in hypothesized, then their off- mixed ancestry — genera- In addition to assessing South Florida. spring should exhibit more tions of offspring resulting the fitness of Florida pan-

8 Fall 2019 Tree Traffic Plantings along highways calm and beautify

thers, researchers developed rees not only beautify To assess the success of FDOT contractors are a model to predict how the Thighways, they can calm its tree-planting program, responsible for tree mainte- panther population would motorists down, says a Uni- FDOT awarded Koeser grant nance, including watering, respond under different man- versity of Florida scientist. funding to study how well mulching, creating berms agement scenarios, including Furthermore, according to the transplanted trees survive around trees to keep water the introduction of more ani- UF research, the trees planted and thrive. close to roots and more. The mals from Texas. along Florida’s highways sur- Koeser and his team sur- FDOT inspects the contrac- They found that introduc- vive remarkably well, even veyed 2,711 trees along rural tors’ work. ing five Texas pumas every 20 after a period scientists call and urban stretches of the “Since the contractors years would help prevent in- “transplant shock.” state’s highways. They found say they will deliver what breeding and reduce the risk “Beauty and stress relief that more than 98 percent is promised, they are more of extinction. are probably the two most “established” themselves, sur- eager to do the care needed However, the authors em- meaningful benefits trees viving the hardships of plant- to get the trees through the phasize that the introduction bring to highways,” said ing and growing into the period of stress we call ‘trans- of new animals would need to Andrew Koeser, an assistant surrounding landscape. plant shock,’ ” Koeser said. coincide with meeting Florida professor of environmental “The establishment rate Koeser’s study is published panthers’ habitat needs and horticulture with the UF In- is among the highest on re- in the journal Urban Forestry would rely on continuous stitute of Food and Agricul- cord,” said Koeser, a faculty & Urban Greening. monitoring of the population. tural Sciences. member at the UF/IFAS Gulf Brad Buck “Without continuous “The trees enhance the Coast Research and Educa-

David Shindle David monitoring and research, we experience of both tourists tion Center in Balm. would not know if or how and residents as they drive to For instance, the success genetics, survival and repro- their destinations,” Koeser of Florida’s highway tree duction change, and wildlife said. “Additionally, there is transplanting program rivals managers won’t be able to research that shows folks who that of a program in East respond accordingly or in drive along tree-lined road- Palo Alto, California, which a timely manner,” Onorato ways have less stress com- had a 96 percent estab- said. pared to those navigating the lishment rate. Florida’s The authors note that even concrete jungle without that program also compares though genetic management green breakup.” favorably to survival is an important conservation Recognizing these ad- rates of trees in many tool, conserving panther habi- vantages, the Florida De- transplanting programs tat is critical to their survival. partment of Transportation along highways and The study was co-authored (FDOT) transplants many urban areas world- by Madelon van de Kerk, kinds of trees along the wide, according Onorato, Jeffrey Hostetler, state’s highways, includ- to a 2014 study Benjamin Bolker and Oli. ing palms, the variety most Koeser led. Bolker is a researcher widely associated with the at McMaster University in Sunshine State. About 51 Canada. Van de Kerk, now percent of the transplanted a post-doctoral researcher at trees are palms. The rest Brigham Young University, include crape myrtles, but- and Hostetler, now with tonwoods and assorted other FWC, contributed to this varieties. study as part of their doctoral research under Oli in the Wildlife Ecology and Con- servation Department at UF/ IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The study appears in the journal Wildlife Monographs. Samantha Murray

9 E tracts Self-Powered Sensors Nano-wires react to create energy

a skid by the wheel speed. Functional magnetic field sensors are formed by connecting many nanowires in parallel. Andrew’s group reported that their nano-wires showed significantly stronger magneto-electric coeffi- cients (indicating stronger electrical impulses were generated) than traditional magneto-electric material. These stronger electrical impulses mean that additional improvements to Andrew’s device could result in even smaller sensors. The fact that the sensors use no external electrical energy source adds to their appeal for use in driver-attended and autonomous electrical vehicles. UF Innovate | Tech niversity of Florida en- requires just a little bit of monitors automobile opera- Licensing has obtained a Ugineers have developed energy from the car’s battery, tions through electrical im- provisional patent on the sensors that create their own but all those little bits add pulses generated by changing technology and has filed electricity, extending auto- up. As the industry begins to properties of the nano-wire for a U.S. utility patent. Al- mobile battery life. focus more on electric vehi- itself. The sensor requires no legro Microsystems, a global The electrical energy from cles, networked vehicles, and external electric current at all leader in power and sensing batteries powers not only the passenger infotainment fea- to operate. semiconductor solutions, has ignition system that turns tures, the number of sensors Each nanowire is made licensed the technology. Al- the engine and moves elec- may increase significantly. up of two halves — barium legro has also become one of tric vehicles but also powers To deal with the problem titanate, which exhibits the first industrial partners almost every sensing feature of battery depletion, Jennifer piezoelectric properties, is of the Multi-functional In- of today’s automobiles. Elec- Andrew, associate professor paired with cobalt ferrite, a tegrated System Technology tricity turns on the car head- in the Department of Materi- magnetostrictive material. In (MIST) Center, a National lights for night travel, rolls als Science & Engineering the presence of a magnetic Science Foundation Industry/ the windows up and down, at UF’s Herbert Wertheim field, such as the one pres- University Cooperative Re- and senses numerous actions College of Engineering, and ent in the steel gears in a search Center (I/UCRC) led within the car to keep driv- her team tackled the chal- car engine, the cobalt ferrite by the University of Florida, ers aware and alert to their lenge of making sensors ever undergoes a shape change, which funded the team’s environment. smaller in size and energy which imparts a strain to the work. Today’s autos come with consumption. piezoelectric barium titanate, Andrew’s research was many sensors — “door ajar,” Working with David thereby inducing an electrical published in Nature’s online “seatbelt not fastened,” “low Arnold, the George Kirkland polarization. publication Microsystems and tire pressure,” and more. Engineering Leadership Pro- By connecting the nano- Nanoengineering. Newer autonomous sensors fessor in the Department of wire array to a data-gathering can even alert the engine to Electrical & Computer Engi- source, the electrical impulses slow down and stop if the neering, they have engineered generated by the magneto- driver is inattentive or inca- a composite magneto-electric electric can be used to sense pacitated. Each sensor nano-wire array sensor that the engine timing or detect

10 Fall 2019 Out of Australia Perching birds originated Down Under

erching birds, which in- Pclude songbirds, make up more than 60 percent of the world’s bird species. These birds — also known by their order name, passerines — comprise more than 6,000 species, including familiar birds like cardinals, warblers, jays and sparrows. While much is known about their birdsong, mat- ing rituals and anatomy, the origin of passerines, which determines how different species developed and their rela- tionship to one another, has this study never been fully explained or unique is understood. one, the broad UF professors of biology sampling across Edward Braun and Rebecca the genome, and two, Kimball were part of a large the comprehensive nature in team led by researchers at that we captured all major Louisiana State University groups of perching birds. The that proved all passerines third factor is the integra- planet that determined when “With Open Wings, our originated in Australia. tion of the fossil records and and where they moved.” plan is to build on this. Previous hypotheses about biogeography, along with “This study showcases the Hopefully, we will manage passerine evolution and di- the comprehensive genomic critical importance of museum to have this tree to leap out versification purported that sampling.” collections in explaining the to include all species of birds. perching birds originated in Using this genomic data, living world,” said David Can- That’s a potential for the fu- South America. The research as well as knowledge of the natella, a program director at ture,” said Braun. “We need was published in the Proceed- Earth’s shifting history when the National Science Foun- to know the broad brush- ings of the National Academy continents were closer to each dation, which funded this strokes before we focus in on of Sciences. other, the team discovered research. “By integrating mod- every single group.” Braun, Kimball and their that this history was the pri- ern, cutting-edge analysis of http://www.openwings.org/ collaborators conducted mary factor in the evolution bird specimens with the legacy genomic testing using tech- of passerines. of natural history, the authors Gigi Marino nology that did not exist 10 “A lot of people thought have uncovered valuable in- years ago. They analyzed that factors that drove move- sights into how Earth history DNA data from the 137 ment were radiation, expan- has influenced species diver- families of perching birds. sion of numbers, things sity and what it means for the Kimball says that working linked to climate change,” future of life on Earth.” together in a large research said Kimball. “We’ve shown Sequencing from these group is especially advanta- that is less likely.” passerine genomes is the first geous because each member “The evolutionary history paper that will contribute provided an essential piece to of perching birds — when to Open Wings, a project this complex study that used they moved, when they di- funded by NSF that aims to museum samples, some as old versified — was very much understand the evolutionary as 100 years. shaped by Earth’s history,” history of all 10,560 named “Previous studies only said Braun. “They were pas- species of birds. Braun and looked at one or a few genes,” sengers on parts of the planet. Kimball are both principals said Braun. “What makes It was the history of the on this project.

11 E tracts Stopping Ebola First vaccine moves closer to licensing

collaboration between scores receive the vaccination. It is used under a research proto- of experts worldwide,” said the same approach used in col known as “expanded ac- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreye- the consolidation phase in the cess” or “compassionate use.” sus, director-general of the eradication of smallpox. Longini continues to help World Health Organization In findings published in the WHO with vaccination (WHO). the journal Lancet in 2016, strategy and further assess- The announcement by the the researchers reported that ment of the effectiveness of EMA, the European agency the vaccine is nearly 100 per- the rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vac- responsible for the scientific cent effective at preventing cine in the Democratic Re- evaluation of medicines devel- Ebola when given 10 or more public of the Congo. oped by pharmaceutical com- days before exposure. “We now have learned panies, is the preliminary step The strategy is being used how to design vaccine tri- before the European Commis- in the current Ebola outbreak als for important infectious sion, the executive branch of in the Democratic Republic disease threats, like Ebola, the European Union, decides of the Congo. More than in a way that we can assess on licensing. At the same 236,000 people have been vaccine efficacy, apply for time, the WHO will move vaccinated, including more licensure and devise control toward prequalification of the than 60,000 health and front- strategies all within one study vaccine. line workers in the country design,” said Longini, a mem- “My hope is that we can and neighboring countries of ber of UF’s Emerging Patho- now integrate the vaccine and Uganda, South Sudan, Rwan- gens Institute. “This should ring vaccination strategy in da and Burundi. lead to effective control a seamless manner with an The announcement of strategies using vaccines and approved product,” said Ira EMA’s conditional approval other interventions for future Longini, a professor in the will not have an immediate outbreaks of Ebola and other Department of Biostatistics effect on how the vaccine is infectious disease threats such at the UF College of Public produced, accessed or ad- as Lassa fever, MERS, Nipah Sean Hawkey Health and Health Profes- ministered in the Democratic virus and chikungunya.” sions and the College of Republic of the Congo. The Jill Pease he European Medicines Medicine, and a key figure vaccine will continue to be TAgency, or EMA, has in the design of the Ebola announced its conditional vaccine trial and the analysis marketing authorization of a of its statistical data. “This vaccine used to prevent the should make Ebola preven- spread of the Ebola virus. tion and control even more University of Florida re- effective than it is now and searchers played an integral save even more lives.” role in the design and analysis A randomized trial for of trials testing the effective- the vaccine, known as rVSV- ness of the vaccine, manufac- ZEBOV-GP, began during tured by Merck. the Guinea outbreak in 2015. Conditional authorization Longini collaborated with brings the vaccine a major Natalie Dean, a UF assistant step closer to licensing, which professor of biostatistics, and will eventually make the vac- an international team work- cine more widely available to ing with the WHO to use a protect people who are at risk ring vaccination approach to of contracting Ebola. test the new vaccine. “The conditional autho- With ring vaccination, rization of the world’s first people in contact with those Ebola vaccine is a triumph who have contracted a virus for public health, and a tes- — including family members, timony to the unprecedented neighbors and co-workers —

12 Fall 2019 Baby Food Preemies do better without feeding tube test

study at the University monia or possibly a sign of a Aof Florida has found evi- serious intestinal disease, said dence that may invalidate a Parker. Until now, there has routine procedure that has never been any substantial been performed for decades evidence that omitting gastric on extremely pre-term residual evaluation would infants. impact patient outcomes or Because extremely prema- suggest that it was an unnec- ture infants are too immature essary procedure. to feed by mouth, neonatal “This study suggests that intensive care units nourish it is not necessary to do gas- these babies through feeding tric residual evaluation before tubes, which may be required every single feeding,’’ Parker for weeks and possibly even said. “It’s a question that months. Gastric residual has been frequently asked evaluation involves withdraw- sodes of abdominal disten- College of Nursing and the through the years, but we ing the fluid in a pre-term sion. Also, infants who did principal investigator on the have always been too afraid infant’s stomach through the not receive gastric residual study, published in JAMA we may miss something if we tube before every feeding to evaluation were able to go Pediatrics. do not do it.” determine how much of the home eight days earlier than “This will also save a sub- Through a $1.4 million previous feeding remains in the infants who did receive stantial amount of the nurses’ National Institutes of Health the stomach. If residual con- the procedure. time that is currently devoted grant, Parker and a team of tent remains in the stomach, “The significance of these to performing these evalua- researchers completed a four- the providers then may decide findings is that we can omit tions,” she added. year randomized clinical trial to discontinue or shorten the a routine procedure that Pre-feed gastric residual at the UF Health Shands next feeding. is done eight to 12 times a evaluation has been standard Hospital neonatal intensive The study found that in- day on extremely pre-term care for decades because large care unit, during which they fants who did not undergo infants taking place in neo- amounts of residual gastric enrolled 143 eligible infants the procedure had more natal intensive care units in contents have been considered who were born at 32 or fewer positive outcomes, includ- this country and around the to represent feeding intoler- weeks’ gestation. Seventy-four ing more feedings, improved world,” said Leslie Parker, an ance, a risk for aspiration and of the infants were random- weight gain and fewer epi- associate professor at the UF ventilator-associated pneu- ized to undergo gastric residual evaluation for six weeks, while 69 of the babies did not The new results demon- receive the procedure before Parkinson's Pictures strate the effectiveness of an feedings. MRIs can accurately diagnose disease automated method to provide Parker said she believes the a differential diagnosis of the babies who did not undergo n an international study at ful in identifying where neu- various forms of Parkinson’s. the evaluation did better I17 MRI centers in the U.S., rodegeneration is occurring. “Our method may help to because they did not have Austria and Germany, a re- Parkinson’s disease and reduce the number of misdi- their feeds discontinued, search team led by UF’s David related disorders, such as agnosed cases in the future,” decreased or not advanced Vaillancourt used a non-inva- multiple system atrophy and said Vaillancourt, professor as a result of the amount of sive MRI method with 1,002 progressive supranuclear and chair of Department of gastric contents aspirated, but patients to develop an auto- palsy, can present a challenge Applied Physiology and Ki- that the procedure does still mated system to accurately for accurate diagnosis because nesiology in the College of have merit in certain circum- diagnose Parkinson’s disease of shared and overlapping Health and Human Perfor- stances. For example, it is ap- and related but different neu- motor and non-motor symp- mance and a member of the propriate and necessary to do rodegenerative disorders. toms. In fact, according to McKnight Brain Institute. gastric residual evaluation in In the study published in the new study, accuracy of “Since these diseases require babies with signs of feeding The Lancet Digital Health, diagnosis in early Parkinson’s unique treatment plans and intolerance, intestinal disease or other illness.

Aaron Daye researchers used diffusion- is about 58 percent, and more different medications, and weighted MRI, an imaging than half of misdiagnosed pa- clinical trials testing new Anna Suggs Hoffman method that measures how tients actually have multiple medications require the cor- water molecules diffuse in the system atrophy or progressive rect diagnosis, getting it right brain and is particularly help- supranuclear palsy. is important for patient care.” 13 Turtles With out Borders Sea turtles are rebounding, but much work remains

14 14 Fall 2019 Turtles With out Borders Sea turtles are rebounding, but much work remains

By Cindy Spence

eleste McWilliams feels a surge of mother belong to the University of Florida scientists and bear instinct each fall when her “babies” scholars so invested in their conservation. They may hatch. After monitoring their nests for hatch in Florida — and, if the females live, return weeks as part of the Sea Turtle Conservancy, often to Florida to lay their own nests — but Florida isn’t Cshe is on hand to watch the tiny sea turtles scurry for exactly home. the waves, off on a perilous journey. Tom Ankersen, a UF conservation legal scholar, “Sometimes, I want to dive in the water with calls them turtles without borders. He has spent them to be sure they’re OK for the next 20 years,” much of his career working on conservation law McWilliams says. “It’s like having little reptile and international agreements to protect sea turtles, children.” and on the surface, that global effort appears to be As protective as she feels, she knows these turtles paying off. Green turtle nests in Florida, for exam- don’t belong to her or to any of the hundreds of ple, have increased 80-fold since consistent counts vigilant volunteers on turtle nest patrol. Nor do they began in 1989.

15 15 70

20 Number of nestsof (thousands)Number 10

0 1989 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019 Loggerhead nests found in Florida Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Fish Florida Commission

“If you analyze the graph, there’s no trend. Over all those years, it hasn’t increased, it hasn’t decreased. It’s stable, whatever that means. It’s the most unstable stable curve you’ve ever seen.” John Jernigan John Karen Bjorndal and Alan Bolten — Karen Bjorndal

The surge in population has led some scientists to ask if But the data still give her pause. certain sea turtle species still qualify as endangered, and others “If you analyze the graph, there’s no trend. Over all those have begun discussing a new designation for one species, years, it hasn’t increased, it hasn’t decreased,” Bjorndal says of loggerhead turtles: species of least concern. the graph from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation It’s a designation that rankles biologist Karen Bjorndal, Commission. “It’s stable, whatever that means. It’s the most director of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, unstable stable curve you’ve ever seen.” even as she acknowledges the current uptick in population. Celebrate, yes, she says, but realize there’s more work to “I just cringe at this designation,” Bjorndal says, “because it be done. trivializes the threats that these species still face.” Alan Bolten, associate director of the research center, says Practicing Patience there is still plenty of reason for concern and points to a graph on his computer screen of loggerhead turtle populations. It zigs There are seven species of sea turtles, six of which are threat- up then down, up then down, over several decades. ened or endangered, and five are found in Florida. About 90 “We do not understand why it went down here,” he says, percent of all sea turtle nesting in the southeastern U.S. occurs pointing to a valley on the graph, “and we don’t understand on Florida beaches, making Florida ground zero for conserva- why it’s going up here,” pointing to a peak. tion and a great home base for the Archie Carr Center. “And that concerns us.” The center is named for UF conservation pioneer Archie The temptation to get caught up in the excitement — “thank Carr, who began his work on sea turtles in the 1950s. Bjorndal goodness, the populations are rebounding” — is tempting, and Bolten joined the research program in the 1970s. Decades Bjorndal says, “rightfully so.” later, they say, sea turtle science is a practice in patience. Legions of volunteers like McWilliams have put in decades Bjorndal and Bolten have some of the longest datasets on of hard work, patrolling beaches every day during nesting green turtles and loggerheads. Still, the creatures live 50 to 80 season from May to October, protecting the nests. Around the years, so the scientists may reach retirement before some of world, thousands of people, Bjorndal says, have made real sacri- their subjects age out of their studies. fices in terms of not eating turtles or not selling them. “When you have an animal that has a generation time of “It has hit people, culturally and economically,” Bjorndal 50 years and that takes about 30 to 35 years to reach sexual says, “so we need to celebrate; those sacrifices are paying off. maturity, you can’t look at five- or even 10-year periods and We don’t want to be all doom and gloom.” draw conclusions,” says Bolten. “You need to look at overall

16 Fall 2019 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Fish Florida Commission Shaun WolfeShaun

Alexandra Gulick, left, and Laura Palma study the effect of rebounding sea turtle populations on seagrass beds.

population change over a generation.” get a better idea of the carrying capacity “Now, we have the luxury of going If there is a rebound in nesting or of the beds. out and finding grazed seagrass beds, populations, as for green turtles in recent “How did the seagrass beds once and in some areas, it’s harder to find an years, pinpointing what caused it — or function when there were a lot of ungrazed area than it is a grazed area,” when that event happened — is excruci- turtles?” Gulick asks. Bjorndal says. atingly difficult. Nerine Constant is studying fish “It’s been such a revolution, just over Rebounding populations also come assemblages in seagrass beds, in response my lifetime.” with other research questions. to comments from fishers who are As green turtles and loggerheads As sea turtles increase, so has their concerned about sea turtle grazing recover and make themselves noticed in grazing of seagrass beds, much to the because their catches are declining. Using the ecosystem, people need to keep in chagrin of other stakeholders, who got underwater video, she is surveying fish mind that the turtles belong there, she used to turtle-free seagrass beds, which abundance and diversity in grazed and says, even though they have not been shelter and feed a multitude of marine ungrazed seagrass beds to get the data present in such numbers for decades. organisms that had the beds all to them- needed to make management decisions. In August, Gulick and Constant selves when turtles were in decline. Bjorndal points out that the ability also joined a Greenpeace expedition “We have to keep in mind,” Bjorndal to do such studies is a sign of success in and teamed up on a research project says, “The natural state is the grazed itself. on the Sargasso Sea, continuing the state.” “For years, it was almost impossible research center’s long connection to the Two doctoral students at the research to find a natural grazing plot,” Bjorndal ecosystem. center are exploring the question of says. For decades, hatchlings appeared to sea turtle impact on seagrass beds. Years ago, one graduate student at the hatch and then disappear for years. Carr Alexandra Gulick is investigating how research center spent thousands of hours called those years the lost years and theo- turtle grazing affects the productivity of underwater, trimming seagrass with rized the juveniles spent those important seagrass beds as a system. Early results scissors to measure the potential impact years growing and developing in the show the grazing turtles do not decimate of grazing if sea turtle populations Sargasso Sea. Not long after his death, a seagrass bed, but Gulick would like to rebounded. Bjorndal and Bolten proved it.

17 The Sargasso Sea is a sea with no shore. It sits in the North Atlantic gyre, bounded by currents moving clockwise: the Gulf Stream on the west, the North Atlantic Drift on the north, the Canary Current on the east and the North Equatorial Current and Antilles Current on the south. As the currents shift, the boundaries shift, but all the while corral sargassum, a nutrient- rich golden brown seaweed, into a huge floating mat. The biodiversity of the sea earned it the nickname the golden rainforest of the ocean. The same currents that corral the sargassum help steer the hatchling sea turtles into the Sargasso Sea, which is about 4.1 million square kilometers, a vast nursery where they find ample food and protection from predators. Gulick and Constant knew the turtles were using the sargassum mats for refuge and food, but had another question: Could sargassum mats be providing a thermal advantage to help the tiny turtles grow? They sampled various locations and, indeed, the sargassum floating on the water was preventing lateral water movement and exchange, keeping the water in the mats warmer and potentially increasing the growth rate of the turtles, which are about 6 centimeters or so when they arrive. Learning more about the temperature of the sargassum mats is particularly important in a warming world. While a warm watery world might help the turtles, researchers don’t yet know if there is a heat threshold beyond which the turtles would be harmed.

t Climate change isn’t the only threat, though. The sargassum rif D ic that shelters the turtles also traps tiny pieces of plastic. Bolten nt tla A says more than 60 percent of the hatchlings coming off Florida rth No beaches have ingested plastics after as little as two or three weeks Azore s Cur rent in the water, and Constant saw evidence of that herself. m rea “When you swim through these mats, there’s a rain of small St ulf plastic pieces, even here, 200 miles off Bermuda and 1,000 miles G

Bermuda off the U.S. coast, in the middle of the ocean,” Constant says.

“We were seeing plenty of plastic.” t n e Sargasso Sea r While there are rules about polluting near-shore waters, there r u C are only voluntary agreements not to degrade the Sargasso Sea. A ry n a ti n lle a It falls in the High Seas, a sort of wild west of the ocean where s C Cu rr no country has jurisdiction. And Ankersen is familiar with the en t t urren North Equatorial C intersection of jurisdictions and conservation law.

Turtle Lawyer Ankersen met David Carr, Archie’s son, through his early

Jeremy Bishop Jeremy conservation work and ended up in the late 1980s in Tortu- guero, a Costa Rican beach famous for nesting by four turtle species. The conservation rules in Central America at that time were hit or miss. Some countries had protections, others were still building turtle canneries.

18 Fall 2019 Jeremy Bishop Jeremy Shane Gross Shane

In the Sargasso Sea, Alexandra Gulick and Nerine Constant collected data on water temperature in sargassum mats. The warmer temperatures offer

a thermal advantage to juvenile sea turtles as they Campbell Tavish grow. They also saw evidence of pollution with plastics, caught in the seaweed.

Nerine ConstantNerine 19 “Our model lighting ordinance has been adopted in some form or another by communities around the state.” — Tom Ankersen John Jernigan John

Sea turtles lay about 110 eggs in a nest, and average between two to eight nests per season.

From developing local ordinances Archie Carr began studying sea turtles to working on international treaties, in the 1940s and mentored generations Professor Tom Ankersen has used the of conservation scientists like Karen law to protect sea turtles. Bjorndal, who now directs the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research.

“I went to Tortuguero for a weekend, ordinances. easements allow the state to acquire and I was sold,” says Ankersen, who has “Our model lighting ordinance has rights to land in the interest of wildlife seen major successes in turtle protection been adopted in some form or another and ecosystem protection. The landown- in the Caribbean. by communities around the state,” says ers retain ownership but agree to forego Closer to home, there have been Ankersen, who directs the Conservation certain uses of the property in exchange successes, too, with turtle excluders Clinic, the experiential learning arm of for payment or tax breaks from the state adopted by fishers to keep turtles from the College of Law’s environmental and and federal government. dying in commercial fishing nets and land use law program. He also serves as Conservation easements for wildlife regulations passed to protect beaches director of the Florida Sea Grant legal corridors through vast ranchlands in where sea turtles nest. program. the middle of the state have been popu- One key success in the last decade is Technology, too, has caught up with lar, protecting thousands of acres. But something any beachfront resident can policy. The type of light — blue, red or coastal conservation easements have help with: changing a lightbulb. white — matters to sea turtles because of turned out to be more complicated. Light is the beacon that guides the the wavelength. With long wavelength “From a policy perspective, there’s a silver-dollar-sized hatchlings as they run light — such as yellow or red — beach- preference for big, wild and connected,” for the surf. In an age before electricity, front residents can keep the lights on Ankersen says. “Our coastline is the ambient light on the waves guided and sea turtles can nest and hatch with- anything but big, wild and connected. them across the sandy beach to the out artificial light beckoning them into Beach properties are small, domesticated waves. In the modern world, lights on harm’s way. backyards and disconnected.” decks and porches often have the tiny “Biology and technology have The model easement that the Conser- creatures running not to the open ocean, converged to enable technological fixes vation Clinic developed offered a suite but into dunes and decks and pilings, to what had been human behavioral of options, and landowners could choose where they get stranded and become problems,” Ankersen says. which options they wanted to put into easy prey for other creatures. Another project — coastal conserva- practice. For example, a landowner could Today, sea turtle-friendly lighting is tion easements — has met with less agree to keep domesticated animals, such gaining ground, and the fingerprints of success, but Ankersen says the research as dogs, away from sea turtle nests and the Conservation Clinic’s work on that in developing the project may lay a foun- hatchlings. Another significant provision front show in state policies and local dation for future work. Conservation was agreeing not to armor the beachfront

20 Fall 2019 Cedric FrixonCedric

by building a seawall, which would be a One approach that grew out of the literally like having more of my own barrier to a nesting turtle. research was to adapt the easement children.” During the research phase, the clinic language for use in management agree- Bjorndal, too, tracks turtles, watching surveyed coastal residents region by ments among consenting beachfront as they whip through dozens of national region to determine how receptive they neighbors. The agreement does not jurisdictions. would be to easements. A normal return entail transfer of property interests but it “We released one, a sub-adult rate for such a survey would be about 5 creates a common management approach male from our major feeding area in percent, Ankersen says. for the beach. One such agreement the southern Bahamas, and he went “We had a 27 percent return rate. It’s exists in the Keys. A sea turtle-friendly straight south, into Venezuelan waters, the most incredible return rate I’ve ever model lighting easement that operates circled north, went by Panama and seen on a survey,” Ankersen says. much like a façade easement in a historic off Costa Rica and did a whole circle Heartened by the response, the team district also has been developed. then continued on up into Nicaraguan set out to engage directly with landown- The clinic is working on two other waters, where he stayed for six months,” ers, and that’s where it got more difficult. fronts as well, one on beach renourish- Bjorndal says. “It’s one thing to love sea turtles and ment — sea turtles are picky about the The turtle’s travels ended with an think abstractly about giving over some beach slope and sand in which they encounter with a fisher in the Carib- property rights,” Ankersen says. “Signing nest — and another on surveying coastal bean, who returned the transmitter. on the dotted line is more problematic.” park management plans to see how More work to be done.

Most people — or their heirs — were friendly they are to sea turtles. Again, Karen Bjorndal not willing to sign away their right to Ankersen says, jurisdictions matter. If Distinguished Professor and Director, armor their beachfront against future sea one coastal county has robust protec- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research Department of Biology level rise, storms or erosion. The team tions and good beach management, but [email protected]

ended up with one easement, on a spit of the county to the south does not, then Alan Bolten undeveloped beachfront. Still, Ankersen protection for sea turtles suffers. Associate Director, says, it’s important as a test case and may In the meantime, Ankersen says Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research Department of Biology help in current work developing ease- conservationists rely on the army of sea [email protected] ments on privately owned islands in the turtle monitors like McWilliams, who Tom Ankersen Bahamas. watches both on the beach and online Professor and Director, Levin College of Law “The research, from tax law to prop- as she follows the travels of turtles Conservation Clinic [email protected] erty law to the surveying, was all done equipped with satellite transmitters, who with students and faculty,” Ankersen nest and return to the sea. Related websites: https://accstr.ufl.edu/ says. “And that’s out there, and bits and “I go online every day to see where law.ufl.edu/areas-of-study/experiential-learning/clinics/ pieces are being used.” my girls are,” McWilliams says. “It’s conservation-clinic

21 Turtle ER Sea Turtle Hospital addresses tumors

In 1938, when fibropapillomatosis with funding from private donors. At was first reported in sea turtles in the time, turtles stranded with the the Florida Keys, it seemed to be an disease had to be taken to South anomaly. Georgia or Central Florida, the trans- By 2017, more than 250 sea portation time adding to the burden turtles with the viral disease of the disease. In its first year, the stranded in Florida and had to be hospital treated and released about taken to treatment facilities. 60 turtles, and Duffy, a postdoctoral The explosion in fibropapilloma- researcher in 2015, has been on tosis is likely due to human-caused hand since the beginning. changes in the state’s coastal Now, as a newly hired faculty environment, says David Duffy, a member, Duffy will open his own lab molecular biologist who researches in February and focus on genetic fibropapillomatosis at the Sea Turtle features of the disease and the Hospital at the University of Flori- ways in which fibropapillomatosis da’s Whitney Laboratory for Marine shares characteristics with herpes Bioscience. virus in humans. Already, he and his The viral disease causes tumor- colleagues at UF and at the Turtle like growths that can obstruct sea Hospital in Marathon have discov- turtles’ ability to see, feed or breed, ered that certain drugs used to treat impede the movement of their flip- human cancers are therapeutic for pers, and even damage internal diseased sea turtles. organs. The tumors can range from The hospital uses the latest pea-sized to football-sized and have equipment, including lasers for been reported in all seven species surgery and scanning equipment “These turtles are already of sea turtle, although they are most to visualize internal tumors. Sixteen facing threats from global common in green turtles. While turtles at a time can be treated warming and plastics in the green turtle populations are currently in 1,000-gallon tanks that are on the rise, fibropapillomatosis is designed to keep them from becom- ocean. The additional peril “undermining conservation efforts ing habituated to humans. The goal from this disease can be quite across the globe,” Duffy says. is to keep them wild so that when “Rates of stranding have they are rehabilitated, they can be devastating. It’s an additional increased and the percentage of released into the ocean and fend for hurdle for them to overcome.” sea turtle populations with the themselves. disease has as well,” Duffy says. “It Although the hospital is still is continuing to spread.” new, Duffy says it could treat more — David Duffy From its first report in the Keys, it animals if it could expand. took until 2010 for it to be reported “But the Whitney Lab is also a in North Florida. Now, it has spread research facility, so this is really an up the eastern seaboard into opportunity for us to not only treat coastal South Carolina. individuals but actually conduct The increase in fibropapilloma- research that will let us determine tosis is one of the reasons for the what’s driving this disease,” Duffy opening in 2015 of the Sea Turtle says. Hospital at UF, which got its start

22 Fall 2019 Hatchling turtles and adults live of90% sea turtles in the in the open ocean, which appears Southeastern U.S. to spare them the ravages of fibro- nest on Florida beaches papillomatosis, Duffy says. It is the juvenile turtles that get sick when they return to coastlines to forage. The virus occurs naturally in coastal waters, but the incidence of the disease goes up in highly popu- to years lated coastal areas as opposed to 50 60 Sea turtles’ average lifespan pristine coasts, so Duffy and other researchers are hoping to identify which anthropogenic influences cause the disease to spike. Unlike a traditional virus, the disease doesn’t spread population to population, Duffy says. Long wavelength light “It’s not enough to be exposed (yellow or red) to the virus. The animal also has is best on beachfronts to be exposed to an environmental factor,” Duffy says. “Clearly, there is for sea turtle nesting a connection to people. Something we do changes the marine environment and allows the virus to spread. The rate of the disease is highest in areas with high human activity.” By using genetic sequencing, Duffy hopes to address the genetic causes of the tumors and Conservation Tips perhaps spare the turtles rounds of surgery — sometimes as many as five • Report turtles struggling on the beach or in the surf to the Florida Fish or six — by identifying drug therapies and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-3922. that can aid recovery. • Rethink plastics — use sustainable shopping bags and refillable water “These turtles are already facing bottles, skip straws, don't release balloons, properly dispose of threats from global warming and fishing line. plastics in the ocean,” Duffy says. • Leave the beach cleaner than you found it. “The additional peril from this disease can be quite devastating. • Before heading home, put away beach furniture, fill holes and tear It’s an additional hurdle for them to down sand castles. overcome.” • Be aware of lighting ordinances. Cindy Spence • Use caution when boating (and driving). David Duffy Sea Turtle Hospital, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience [email protected]

23 CENTER of EXCELLENCE

UF grows $10 million grant into $1.7 billion gene therapy company Brammer Bio Richard Snyder is a believer in the promise of gene therapy. “It was the focus of my research in graduate school, at the By Joseph Kays companies I joined in the early ‘90s, and when I was on the Photography by John Jernigan faculty at Harvard,” says Snyder, who was introduced to the field in the 1980s by UF eminent scholar Nick Muzyczka. So, when some of the nation’s leading gene therapy pioneers at UF’s Powell Gene Therapy Center recruited him in 2001 to establish clinical manufacturing capabilities for the new genetic drugs they were developing, he jumped at the chance and joined the faculty in the Department of Molecular Genet- ics and Microbiology in the College of Medicine.

24 Fall 2019 CENTER of EXCELLENCE

“UF’s gene therapy research was world-renowned, thanks In late 2003, Florida’s leaders were making a big push to to the work of people like Ken Berns, Nick Muzyczka, Terry recruit major biotech players like the Scripps Research Insti- Flotte, Barry Byrne, Arun Srivastava, Bill Hauswirth and tute, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and Mavis Agbandje-McKenna,” Snyder says. “These scientists the Sanford Burnham Institute with hundreds of millions of were innovating, creating these new medicines and demon- dollars in incentives. The state also made significant funding strating in animals that they worked.” available for university researchers. Snyder’s focus was to build a team and develop Good “We knew that UF was a critical player in the state’s Manufacturing Processes, or GMPs, and analytics to grow biotech initiative, so we applied for a $10 million grant to adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors that would be used to contribute to the state goals of being an international leader, carry corrective genes to their targets in the human body. That and we won,” says Win Phillips, currently UF’s executive chief manufacturing facility is still active today in UF’s McKnight of staff and vice president for research at the time. “We needed Brain Institute. a visionary leader and Richard Snyder was the clear choice. He

25 seized the opportunity, expanded the in an outstanding success; from state locked in and there was real success vision, built the team and planned the investment and university partnership to in the clinic, that led to a push for laboratory.” the creation of a worldwide benchmark commercial capabilities.” Using the state grant and additional business,” Phillips says. By 2014, demand on the Center of internal funds, the university purchased The timing for the center couldn’t Excellence from private pharmaceuti- two buildings in Progress Park in have been better, Snyder says. cal companies for commercial support Alachua in 2003 to house the Center of “A lot of things came together scien- eventually outgrew the purview of a Excellence’s new GMP manufacturing tifically in the cell and gene therapy public university, Snyder says. operation, called Florida Biologix, and field in the 2006-2010 timeframe. “We had been supporting these the education center, called Biotility. People figured out the best way to clients as they went through their phase Both the manufacturing and educa- deliver these new medicines, aligning one or phase two human trials, which tional activities went live in 2006 after the specific vectors to the appropri- is aligned to clinical research,” he says. extensive building renovations. ate tissues and diseases,” Snyder says. “But they needed a resource to go to “Richard Snyder’s leadership resulted “When those things started to get phase three and on to the commercial marketplace, and that was something that we couldn’t really support under the university mandate.”

“People figured out the best way to deliver these new medicines, aligning the specific vectors to the appropriate tissues and diseases. When those things started to get locked in and there was real success in the clinic, that led to a push for commercial capabilities.” — Richard Snyder

So, the university spun out Florida Biologix, selling it to the investment firm Ampersand Capital in 2015. David Norton, UF’s current vice president for research, said the spinoff was exactly what the university, and the state, hoped would happen when the Center of Excellence was founded in 2003. “We nurtured Florida Biologix until it was able to operate successfully on its own; now we’re handing it off to the private sector,” Norton said at the time of the sale. As a private company, Florida Biologix continued to flourish, and in Richard Snyder

26 Fall 2019 Quality control scientist Karen Gilmore

2016 it merged with Massachusetts- Snyder said it was in discussions with incredibly fast-growing market.” based Brammer Pharmaceuticals to investors to pay for additional capital “We are proud to be pioneers in create Brammer Bio. investments when Thermo Fisher Scien- process development and manufacturing Snyder credits the addition of Mark tific, one of the world’s largest science of viral vectors,” Snyder and Bamforth Bamforth — who came to Brammer Bio support companies, offered to acquire said at the time. “Brammer Bio has as president and CEO after a 22-year Brammer for $1.7 billion early in 2019. executed more than 100 projects to career at biotech giant Genzyme and “Brammer Bio will be an supply first-in-human gene therapy Gallus Pharmaceuticals — with filling exciting addition to our pharma clinical trials and establish commercial- out the executive team and catalyzing services business and will further ready processes, and we’re excited to the explosive growth of the company. strengthen Thermo Fisher’s leader- join Thermo Fisher to take our business “We had a pipeline of clients, a great ship in serving pharma and biotech to the next level. Our teams share a team, and a viable business, but we customers,” Marc N. Casper, president commitment to helping our custom- really needed the horsepower that he and chief executive officer of Thermo ers succeed in delivering cutting-edge brought to the equation in terms of his Fisher Scientific, said in a news release. therapies to patients in need.” depth of knowledge and experience in “Gene therapy is an area of increasing At the time of its acquisition, Bram- commercial biopharmaceutical manu- focus for our customers and is fast- mer Bio had nearly 600 employees at its facturing,” Snyder says. evolving, given its potential to treat a locations in Massachusetts and Florida. Brammer quickly moved to expand, range of genetic disorders. The combi- It is now part of Thermo Fisher’s investing over $200 million in new nation of Brammer Bio’s viral vector Pharma Services business. buildings and equipment in 2017 capabilities with our GMP production Norton says the investment the state, and 2018 at its Alachua clinical trial expertise and proprietary bioprocessing the U.S. Department of Commerce facility and at new commercial-ready and cell culture technologies uniquely and the university made in the Center facilities in Cambridge and Lexington, positions us to partner with our of Excellence paid off many times over Massachusetts. customers to drive the evolution of this with Thermo Fisher’s acquisition.

27 Quality control scientist Keith Green

“This was textbook technology “This was textbook technology transfer. We used the state’s transfer,” Norton says. “We used the state’s $10 million investment to $10 million investment to nurture this idea until it was nurture this idea until it was commer- commercially viable, adding hundreds of skilled jobs. Then cially viable, adding hundreds of skilled jobs. Then we negotiated multiple deals we negotiated multiple deals that led to this $1.7 billion that led to this $1.7 billion acquisition.” acquisition.” Snyder — now vice president for science and technology, Pharma Services, — David Norton Viral Vector Services at Thermo Fisher understanding how to actually transi- Scientific — says the success of Florida tion inventions made at the university together to be a top public university, Biologix is a testament to UF’s technol- into business plans, and then ultimately but I would like to think that the ogy transfer ecosystem. real companies, has been remarkable commercial activity coming out of “I think it’s absolutely world class. really. I think UF was ahead of the UF Innovate and the university has to Whether you measure it by the success curve and still is one of the leaders.” factor into the equation.” of the Sid Martin Biotech incubator Snyder believes successes like Bram- Snyder says he thinks the state’s in Alachua and the number of compa- mer have a significant impact on UF’s investment in UF in 2003 has paid off nies they have nurtured there and the reputation as a top 10 public research many times over, not just in the finan- millions of dollars that have been raised university, demonstrating the power cial return on investment, but in help- by those companies, or whether it is of cutting-edge scientific research ing to grow high-tech jobs and Florida’s now the new Innovation Hub and all that is supported by a robust infra- reputation as a biotech hub. of the incredible work that’s being done structure and a supportive research “I think it’s been a big win for there, the connectivity of the university administration. Florida,” he says. “We had 100 univer- to the commercial ecosystem, and “There are many factors that come sity employees by the time we spun off

28 Fall 2019 “Facilitating the discovery of exciting, high-growth career opportunities to these students while providing workforce talent for the industry creates a win-win for all stakeholders.” — Tamara Mandell

This educational component of the center continues as a UF entity called Biotility, led by Tamara Mandell. Biotility offers certificate short courses for people working in the biotech industry to help them stay current and to assure regulatory agencies that company employees are trained in best practices. These same courses are frequently attended by graduate students and postdocs preparing to enter industry careers. “Facilitating the discovery of exciting, high-growth career opportunities to these students while providing workforce talent for the industry creates a win-win for all stakeholders,” Mandell says. Tamara Mandell Biotility also developed and administers the Biotechni- cian Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE), created in collaboration with Florida’s bioscience industry organization, Florida Biologix, and now we have a talented and dedicated BioFlorida. The BACE documents mastery of knowledge and team of nearly 300 in Alachua.” skill sets valued in entry-level positions, providing managers a He adds that the success of the original center contributes mechanism for hiring qualified candidates and giving creden- significantly to ongoing efforts by the university and the tial earners a competitive advantage for jobs. Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce to grow the local “As other states began implementing a similar model of biotech industry. credentialing as Florida, they became very interested in the “I think the chamber has a lot of fuel to use in recruiting BACE,” Mandell says. “We now have an actively engaged new companies to the area. When you come out to the busi- national advisory board representing a variety of bioscience ness park in Alachua and the incubator is full and businesses industry sectors, and the credentialing exam is offered in 13 are thriving and growing, it shows that we have a critical mass states and Brazil.” and people talk about that. Word of mouth is an incredibly Snyder says it is particularly gratifying to see students important thing.” who were trained at Biotility progressing to jobs at Brammer/ When the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce Thermo Fisher and other companies in the region. named Brammer Bio its Manufacturing Company of the “The training required for people who are manufacturing Year in 2018, chamber President/CEO Eric Godet said: drugs is very specific to meet FDA compliance, and that is the “Having spun out of the University of Florida in 2015 and sweet spot for Biotility,” he says. choosing to grow right here in Alachua County, Bram- mer Bio embodies the essence of Greater Gainesville. By Richard Snyder continuing to expand and invest in both talent and facilities Vice President for Science and Technology, Pharma Services, Viral Vector Services at Thermo Fisher Scientific here, Brammer Bio is adding to our region’s ever-growing biotechnology cluster.” Tamara Mandell Snyder is equally proud of the success of the other mission Director at Biotility [email protected] of the original Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology — to build a biotech workforce in the state.

29 30 Fall 2019 The Writing Life

The University of Florida’s creative writing program nurtures and pushes its graduate students

By Cindy Spence

Photography by Charlotte Kesl

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” —Ernest Hemingway

sk the would-be authors in the University of tap of the delete button. One day, they hope, their false starts Florida’s creative writing program the toughest thing and mushy middles will lead to successful endings like those about pursuing a master of fine arts, and a common of Elliot Reed, MFA 2017, who wrote “A Key to Treehouse answerA is surprising, considering they’ve chosen to spend three Living,” or Rachel Khong, MFA 2011, who wrote “Goodbye, years doing it. Vitamin,” or Aaron Thier, who graduated in 2012 and has Writing. published three novels, “The Ghost Apple,” “Mr. Eternity,” “Writing is not fun to me,” says Jackson Armstrong, now in and “The World is a Narrow Bridge.” Three poetry students his second year. “I don’t like it.” have won the prestigious Stegner Fellowship and one, Natalie Even the pros, the faculty, understand the vulnerability of Graham, won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize in 2016. writing. Those authors and poets are just some recent successes for “It’s very frightening sometimes. You’re stuck in the work. a program that prides itself not only on providing the environ- The desire is beating down on you: write, write, write. You ment to write but connecting its students with the literary sit there two hours, three hours, four hours. You don’t find world — agents, journals, publishing houses and, of course, anything to write,” says Uwem Akpan, one of two new profes- other authors. sors. “You’ve lost your powers. It is real, real terror.” Success can be many things, but one sure sign is publish- Gardner Mounce, now in his third year, says the only safe- ing. Just since 2013, MFA@FLA alumni have published 161 guard against the vulnerability of writing is more writing. In books. The faculty, too, are prolific, modeling for the close- spring of his second year, he started writing every day, and it knit program what the writing life looks like, although they made a huge difference. are not immune to second-guessing their own sentences. “Writing every day helps because, as Jill [Ciment] says, Publishing, says Camille Bordas, also new to the program, writing is kind of like walking across a tightrope. If you take is not inoculation against doubt. a day off, you risk looking down and not being able to start “I’m never sure I’ll ever write again. I’m never sure I again,” Mounce says. “So I took her advice and started writing should’ve started writing in the first place,” Bordas says. “It every day.” sounds exaggerated to say it’s a painful process; it’s not physi- For all its vulnerability, the students love the writing life. cally painful. Armstrong says he can’t imagine doing anything else. There “But the new work is just as hard as the first one,” Bordas is personal and professional growth in the crossed-out words says. “There’s a never knowing if it’s good.” and X’d out paragraphs, the pages that meet their fate with a

31 David Leavitt

Long history, new blood The program’s roots go back to 1949, making it one of the oldest creative writing programs in the United States. Its early history is one of fits and starts but also some renown. The author Andrew Lytle founded it, then went on to edit the Sewanee Review, the oldest literary journal in the United States. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Donald Justice taught from 1982-92. For decades, names such as Padgett Powell and Harry Crews taught fiction, providing a southern literary flavor. In poetry, the faculty stands at three: Ange Mlinko, an award-winning poet and Guggenheim fellow, Michael Hofmann, a renowned poet and translator, and William Logan, who is known both for his poetry and his criticism. In fiction and non-fiction are David Leavitt, a Guggenheim fellow who began publishing his work as a student at Yale, Jill Ciment, also a Guggenheim fellow, and the two new faculty members, Akpan and Bordas. Logan, who started in 1983, is the longest tenured faculty member, while Leavitt, a faculty member since 2000, co-directs the program, known as MFA@FLA, with Hofmann. In 2006, Leavitt upped the profile of the program by using a grant from the UF Research Foundation to start Subtropics, a literary journal, with the radical idea that writers should be paid for their poetry and prose. “I persist in believing — it’s a matter of principle for me — writers deserve to be paid for their work,” Leavitt says. “And it is something that distinguishes us from a lot of other literary magazines.” The magazine publishes both new and established writers. Students also get a chance to work on the magazine, reading manuscripts, managing social media, and interviewing contributors. A number of students who have worked on the

32 Fall 2019 “I persist in believing — it’s a

matter of principle for magazine have gone on to jobs in me — writers deserve to publishing, Leavitt says. MFA@FLA also hosts the annual Florida Writers be paid for their work. Festival in the fall. And it is something that While rankings are quirky in such a subjective field, the program embraces distinguishes us from one ranking, bestowed by Poets & Writers: #1 in job placement. a lot of other literary With funding from the provost, the magazines.” program brought Akpan and Bordas on board, a recognition, Leavitt says, – David Leavitt that no one on the faculty prior to their arrival celebrated a birth year more recent than 1969. “It’s an investment in the future of the program,” Leavitt says. “I was worried that the time was going to come when everyone would retire, all at once.” The new faculty, Bordas, 32, a French author and translator, and Uwem Akpan, 48, a Nigerian author, joined the program in 2018. Akpan had been a visiting scholar at a number of places following the success of his first collection of stories, “Say You’re One of Them,” in 2008. In sinking roots at UF, he says he found what he was looking for: a place with “top, top, top writers” who have “deep humanity.” “I wanted a place where there would be people I could talk with and really call colleagues,” Akpan says. Bordas’ writing is rooted in a French tradition, in which authors tend to toil in isolation. She says the concept of an MFA program and the community it offers was foreign to her for much of her writing life. “In France, there is no school that will teach you how to write, even though we have schools for fine arts and cinema and painting,” says Bordas, who wrote her third book, “How to Behave in a Crowd,” in English. “I always thought writers just read a lot, and one day they experiment, they try some- Third-year MFA student Gardner Mounce, above, says he found his rhythm in thing and it works.” the program when he took the advice of a mentor and began writing every day.

33 Now the youngest faculty member, Bordas says she learned of the reputation of MFA@FLA as her awareness of MFA programs grew. “I knew there were a handful of great creative writing programs in America, and that one of them was at the Univer- sity of Florida,” Bordas says. “It’s a matter of who teaches there, and do they fund their students?” The funding is critical to successful MFA programs, Leavitt says. Every student admitted gets a tuition waiver and a stipend, meaning they don’t have to compete with each other for financial support, unlike students at many programs. Also unlike some other programs, the MFA@FLA is a true three- year program, with funding guaranteed for the duration. Since students don’t compete for funding, that allows students to cheer each other’s successes and encourage each other in the face of failure. That collegiality, Leavitt says, is a hallmark of the program. The third year is also critical to students’ success. Leavitt says he recalls only four students who failed to complete a thesis by the end of the third year, and two of those returned later to finish. That makes for an extraordinarily good comple- tion rate. “Occasionally, people don’t finish, and it’s usually because of some sort of major writer’s block,” Leavitt says. “The last student who didn’t finish ... honestly, I don’t think his heart was in it. I think he realized he didn’t want to be a writer.” There are moments, however, when he worries. In 2018, a student he advised was incommunicado, ignoring repeated emails about his thesis progress as the deadline approached. “All of a sudden, this thesis lands in my computer,” Leavitt says. “It’s fantastic. He’d gone off and written it. What he needed was just to be completely alone.” The small group — 36 students, 12 per cohort — makes for an intimate student-teacher ratio, especially compared to programs that admit 30 and 40 students each year. While the students choose a chair, they work with everyone, and that gives them a well-rounded view of their work from multiple discerning readers. Mounce found mentors for his fiction when he clicked with Leavitt and Jill Ciment. “David is fantastic. He is a super line editor. He writes The program recently added two new faculty members: Camille the most beautiful sentences,” says Mounce. “Jill is like a big- Bordas, top, and Uwem Akpan. Right, poet William Logan is picture wizard. You write a story and she can see the bigger the faculty member with the longest tenure in the program. picture better than you can. So, both of those experiences were transformative.” Settling on five or six students per genre after sifting through about 500 applications a year is not as daunting as it seems, Leavitt says. The process was more laborious during the economic downturn, when hordes of students flocked to

34 Fall 2019 Camille Bordas

William Logan

Uwem Akpan

Borrowed Bio BY ANGE MLINKO

Where we’d recently lain, might tip by a single scale ... exchanging a kiss, That one’s a raconteur, stork consorted with crane, so much salt in his tale; limpkin with ibis. this one’s a countertenor,

Was this as much wedding lilting above the feast. as there would ever be, The archon of his hectare the fowls’ foot-webbing, — spotted — spotted least. Here’s a little heckler ... the identificatory

penciled seagull in the margin. ring around a throat? Following line by line Exchange of earth and air: the path you took, I imagine not a vow but a vote no print so fine. of confidence a feather

35 MFA@FLA poetry student Stephanie Maniaci MFA@FLA students regularly gather downtown at The Bull for readings by current and former students. Elliot Reed, MFA 2017, reads from a work in progress.

graduate school as refuge from a bad economy, but applica- And after the words, comes workshop. Students bring their tions have tapered off to a more manageable level as the prose and poetry, the precious fruit of hours, even days, of economy has strengthened. toil, for the scrutiny of peers and professors. High hopes can The application asks students who their favorite writers go down the drain with an unexpected question or a look are, but there is no answer that is an automatic disqualifier, askance. although some set off “little alarm bells,” Leavitt says. The “No one comes out of workshop unscathed,” Mounce says, writing samples — 20 pages of fiction or 12 poems — are “but I mean that in a positive way.” circulated and those that just don’t suit are put aside. About All students take four workshops, generally one with each 50 students per genre quickly emerge as contenders, Leavitt faculty member in their genre, and it’s a bit like speed-dating, says. Comments are made and generally there is a great deal of Mounce says. What one professor or classmate likes, another agreement on the first cut. Then the negotiations begin. may not. “We get together and hash it out,” Leavitt says. “There is a “You go into workshop, and you know for an hour people certain amount of horse-trading. are going to talk about you as if you weren’t in the room,” “Curiously enough, the poets are much more methodical Bordas says. “The student does not speak in workshop.” about the score,” Leavitt says. The reasons behind the words cannot be explained. For Some law schools have higher acceptance rates than MFA better or for worse, workshop shows a writer how readers programs. Leavitt says fiction admits 2 to 3 percent of appli- perceive his or her work. cants a year and poetry perhaps 7 percent. But for all the nerves, no one would give it up because “Then there are the people you didn’t admit who go on to workshop is where students find their voice, says poet Erin become famous,” Leavitt says, “or the ones you admit who had O’Luanaigh, MFA 2018. a great story in their application, and it turns out they really “That only comes after you’ve tried on all the other pairs only had that one story.” of glasses the professors give you. Essentially they help you see a poem, so you can say ‘Ange would make this change,’ or Workshop ‘William would cut this out,’” O’Luanaigh says. “With those Some students are kitchen table writers, others café writers. perspectives in your head, you can revise — or not — and feel Some work before dawn, others late at night and still others confident making your own decision.” in between. Then there’s the procrastination: sitting down, Armstrong says he appreciates the criticism, even enjoys it. getting up, getting a coffee, changing the thermostat, tuning Mounce says it took most of his first year to transition from out a barking dog, staring out the window, Googling random wanting to submit work that classmates would like to wanting stuff. Waiting for words to flow. to submit work to hear what needed to be improved.

36 Fall 2019 “If you’re lucky “He goes out of his way to help two months later you get another one students, so it kind of balances his that says, ‘I looked out the window and enough to get the critique,” says Stephanie Maniaci. saw …’ and you understand they’re sort time to write, to put O’Luanaigh says Logan provides of living the design of the poem,” Logan all the other aspects plenty of feedback. says. “I’m looking out a window and I “He gives you back poems that are have to report that I’m looking out a of life on hold very, very heavily marked,” O’Luanaigh window. They’re trying to frame it to and write … T hat’s says. “Beautiful lines, lines that you just be true to what they’re doing, but that love, will be crossed out.” doesn’t always make the best poetry. tremendous.” But she adds: “The glasses William’s “I get better poems if I make workshop gave me allowed me to see a demands on them. So, I give them – Erin O’Luanaigh poem stripped down to its essence.” structure and other crazy things to put That’s the goal, says Logan. He real- in. Then they stop thinking about what izes students who know his reputation they’re going to write and try to fulfill as a reviewer may have some trepidation the assignment, and I get wonderful signing up for his workshop and encour- things from that.” ages them not to read his reviews. With everyone at the same starting “As a critic, you’re criticizing some- line, the students begin to notice differ- thing that is public,” Logan says. “With ences in their styles and begin to think, “I just really wanted to be praised a student, you’re criticizing something “I wish I could do that.” for the first year,” Mounce says. “Now, that’s private, and they’re at an age “And that’s jealousy, and jealousy is I feel I’m in a healthier place for when it’s also very intimate.” the great kick in the ass for writing,” workshop.” One goal of the MFA program is Logan says. Some students arrive on campus with for students to find colleagues who are O’Luanaigh says the gruel- “trunk stories,” work they’ve brought good at editing and with whom they ing prompts make the structure of with them, and submit those stories to can trade poems. O’Luanaigh says it poetry — quatrains, sonnets, stanzas, workshop, perhaps feeling less vulner- worked that way for her: she found her iambic pentameter — seem easier by able with more polished work. But the two most trusted readers in the MFA@ comparison, like going downhill after workshops are inexorable, and the story FLA program. an uphill slog. stash dries up. Logan doesn’t continue to read At work on her first book of poetry, “Eventually you run out. The work- students’ work — “how crazy if you were O’Luanaigh says she looks back at the shops continue, and you just run out,” editing your students’ poems the rest MFA as a gift, a time to study under the Mounce says. “So you have to write.” of your life” — but O’Luanaigh says he masters. Prior to it, like many millenni- Leavitt says he once submitted a gives his students a precious gift. als, she worked several part-time jobs at story of his own to his workshop and “One huge advantage of going to the once. Adding writing to her life would agrees it was terrifying. But at its best, University of Florida is that William have been impossible. workshop saves a writer time. will never review you,” O’Luanaigh “If you’re lucky enough to get the “It might take a writer a year on his says. “He never reviews his former time to write, to put all the other own to figure out where a piece is going students. You’re spared the chopping aspects of life on hold and write …” wrong,” Leavitt says. “A reader can help block forever.” O’Luanaigh says. “That’s tremendous.” figure it out much more quickly.” His writing prompts, too, are Leavitt says the very best advice is Poetry students eventually run into famous, Maniaci says, with sometimes not about process or where to write, or workshop with Logan, whose unflinch- six or seven requirements. O’Luanaigh when. ing criticism and reviews of poetry describes them as grueling. But Logan “Just write.” earned him the title “Samurai critic” says structure frees the imagination. from The New York Times and caused Without structure, students sometimes David Leavitt Professor and Director MFA@FLA Slate to dub him “the most hated man flounder. [email protected] in American poetry.” Students, however, “You get a poem that says, ‘I looked Related website: love him. out the window and saw …’ and about https://mfa.english.ufl.edu/

37 Dow-Jones | +175.81 S&P 500 | -12.48 Nasdaq | +54.69

“One of the main things that I do for journalists is provide historical perspective and evidence. Responsible journalists like the kinds of facts I can provide. ” — Jay Ritter

Jay Ritter has spent his career tracking the emergence of new Mr. IPO public companies By Joseph Kays

38 Fall 2019 GlobalDow | -10.71 FTSC 100 | +54.04 DAX | +94.26

Pick up The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times or turn on CNBC’s Squawk Box or Bloomberg TV on any given day and if there’s a story about companies like Uber or Lyft or Pinterest or Airbnb going public, UF finance Professor Jay Ritter is likely to be quoted.

The database of information about College of Business. “One of the main initial public offerings, or IPOs, that things that I do for journalists is provide Ritter started building in 1979 for his historical perspective and evidence. doctoral dissertation has grown into an Responsible journalists like the kinds of essential resource for journalists, inves- facts I can provide.” tors, scholars and policy makers. Ritter “Professor Ritter has for years has tracked so many variables about so provided his invaluable insight on the many companies — more than 8,500 at IPO market that helps members of the last count — that he and his collaborators media find trends, explain the process and students can answer just about any and provide historical perspective amid question that arises. Want to know the the deal activity,” says Leslie Picker, a average first-day returns on IPOs? He’s reporter for CNBC who has covered got it. The fraction of companies with IPOs for six years. “We’ve consistently negative earnings? Got it. The number of used his data and comments on air and U.S. IPOs from Chinese companies? Yep. online to improve our coverage of the And because he is able to provide IPO market.” up-to-the-minute data and easily digest- Ritter says he kind of stumbled into ible quotes, he is now known throughout IPOs while searching for a dissertation the industry as “Mr. IPO.” He has been topic. quoted in The Wall Street Journal more “I had the good fortune to study than 180 times since 1989; nearly 100 under eight Nobel Prize winners at the times in USA Today; more than 50 times University of Chicago,” says Ritter. “But in Bloomberg Business Week and Bloom- if I had been more knowledgeable about berg TV; and more than 40 times in The the real world when I was working on New York Times. my dissertation or if my professors were “Professor Ritter’s research into, and paying more attention, I would have data about, IPOs is without peer,” says realized that the IPO market had been Mark Hulbert, a columnist at Dow Jones dead for six years. They would have told for MarketWatch, Barron’s and The Wall me not to do it, that nobody cares about Street Journal. “He also is unfailingly it, and they would have been right. But willing to respond to reporters’ questions I didn’t know that, so I started working and help them understand the nuances on IPOs at what turned out to be the of the historical record. I am in his debt start of a booming market.” for countless stories written over the last A market that since 1979 has included several decades that were infinitely better such high-profile names as Apple (1980), because of his insights.” Microsoft (1986), Amazon (1997), “If I wasn’t getting calls from jour- Google (2004) and Facebook (2012). nalists I probably wouldn’t bother updat- “These are now among the largest ing things on a weekly basis, but with a market cap companies in the world, and sufficient demand it makes it worth my all of them are pretty young compa- while,” says Ritter, the Joseph B. Cordell nies, reflecting the dynamics of the US Eminent Scholar in UF’s Warrington economy,” he notes.

39 Dow-Jones | +175.81 S&P 500 | -12.48 Nasdaq | +54.69

What’s An IPO? IPOs are important to the economy, While many people have heard the however, Ritter adds. About 90% of IPO shares Average # of companies Median age & sales of tech Percentage of US-listed IPOs* term IPO, a lot of them probably don’t “IPOs are part of a well-functioning Various are bought by institutional going public each year … companies going public in … that lost money in the 12 really understand what it means and capital market, just as the banking investors/mutual funds months leading up to debut … 1999 even fewer have the resources or the system is part of a well-functioning access to invest in them, and Ritter says capital market,” he says. “Raising equity 4 years, Variables $ that’s OK. capital from a public market of investors $12 million facilitates companies’ ability to grow.” $ For the record, NASDAQ defines an $ And, they enable the founders of the IPO as “a company’s first sale of stock from 1980-2000 = 310 to the public. Securities offered in an companies to cash in on their success. 2018 IPO are often, but not always, those of “IPOs provide an opportunity for 12 years, $ employees to sell some of their stock young, small companies seeking outside $173.6 million options, so that rather than just having equity capital and a public market for Mr. IPO $ 83% 90% $ big paper wealth they are actually able to $ $ their stock.” $ $ $ buy a house and raise children,” he says. $ “There’s no reason for everybody Ritter’s database compiles a multitude of $ $ 2001-2019 = $ *in 2018’s ﬁrst three quarters to be an expert, or even have minimal In fact, Ritter says IPOs have actually variables across 8,500+ companies 110 $ knowledge about how IPOs work, just helped to change the profile of America’s as I don’t need to know the intricacies of wealthiest people. what’s involved with the 5G network,” “According to Forbes, in the last 35 Ritter says of the coming super-fast years the fraction of rich people who got Uber, Lyft, Pinterest and others are much cellular network. their wealth through inheritance has bigger and more mature companies than And, he adds, individual investors plummeted,” he says. was true of IPOs 20 years ago. probably wouldn’t want to invest in Although they have only recently “Rather than just being a startup with IPOs anyway. appeared in the public conscience, Ritter an idea, these companies have a business “Smaller investors often suffer from says IPOs have a long history in the model where they’ve demonstrated that what’s called the winner’s curse. If there’s financial world, dating back to 1602 people are willing to buy their goods and lots of demand, they’re unlikely to get when the Dutch East India Company services,” he says. shares. If nobody else wants to buy, first offered shares to raise capital for its Ritter’s data shows that the median they’re likely to get shares, but those explorations. age for tech companies going public in shares probably aren’t going to do very “Thomas Edison was funded primar- 1999 was four years, compared with well. My view is that for most people ily by venture capitalists,” Ritter cites as 12 years in 2018. Median sales, mean- investing in the stock market, buying another example. “He was very oriented while, were about $12 million in 1999, and holding a low-fee index fund is the toward having his army of engineers and compared with $173.6 million in 2018. best strategy.” inventors and tinkerers work on things “The reason that companies are wait- Ritter says journalists often ask him that he thought might be commercially ing longer and growing bigger is that if he thinks it’s fair that small investors viable, which would make him and his technology and globalization have in can’t really get into the IPO market. investors wealthier.” many industries made being big more “It would concern me if the limited important than it used to be, and getting partners who invest in venture capital Fewer, Bigger Companies big fast more important than it used to funds were getting unusually high After the Internet bubble burst in be,” he says. returns,” he responds, “but generally 2000, the number of IPOs in the United Another reason there are fewer IPOs they’re not doing that much better than States dropped dramatically and has is that many successful startups never the average investor.” stayed low. According to Ritter, between do go public, Ritter says. Instead they Ritter says that typically about 90 1980 and 2000, an average of 310 compa- get acquired by a bigger tech company. percent of IPO shares are bought by nies went public each year. Since then, According to Andy Serwer, editor and institutional investors such as mutual that number has dropped to 110 compa- chief at Yahoo! Finance who frequently funds, but he adds that individuals will nies. The difference, he says, between quotes Ritter, “since 2012 Facebook has benefit indirectly if their 401(k) invests IPOs in the early 2000s during the “dot. bought 77 companies. Since 1998 in successful IPOs. com” boom and bust and today is that Amazon has bought 83 companies. Since

40 Fall 2019 GlobalDow | -10.71 FTSC 100 | +54.04 DAX | +94.26

About 90% of IPO shares Average # of companies Median age & sales of tech Percentage of US-listed IPOs* Various are bought by institutional going public each year … companies going public in … that lost money in the 12 investors/mutual funds months leading up to debut … 1999 4 years, Variables $12 million $ $ $ from 1980-2000 = 310 2018 12 years, $ $173.6 million Mr. IPO $ 83% 90% $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Ritter’s database compiles a multitude of $ $ 2001-2019 = $ *in 2018’s ﬁrst three quarters variables across 8,500+ companies 110 $

1998 Apple has bought 108 — more low return, even a negative return, but But Ritter has been predicting for than half over the past five years. And there’s a lot of upside potential. Every months that those losses won’t mean the granddaddy of them all, Google, has once in a while somebody comes up with much if Uber and Lyft eventually merge, purchased 234 companies since 2001.” a blockbuster, and they’re counting on which he has called “inevitable.” Although they may be older and that possibility.” Speaking on Yahoo! Finance in April, bigger than in the past, most newly Ritter argues that sales are a much Ritter noted that Uber has a history public companies still aren’t profitable, better predictor of IPO success than of “calling a truce and merging” with Ritter says. profitability. rivals in other parts of the world, so he “About 83 percent of US-listed initial “Historically, companies that have predicts that eventually the two compet- public offerings in 2018’s first three gone public with less than $50 million itors will become one. quarters involve companies that lost in sales have been disappointments,” Ritter says IPOs have provided a money in the 12 months leading up to he says. “Companies that have demon- rich research environment for him and their debut,” Ritter told The Wall Street strated that they have a product or his students and he looks forward to Journal in October 2018. service that people are willing to buy, on continuing his tracking of companies While much of the focus is on well- average, have been decent investments, that could lead the economy well into known service providers like Uber and not necessarily beating the market, but the 21st century. Airbnb, Ritter says biotech companies not underperforming either.” “When I started working on IPOs 40 account for a large fraction of IPOs, even Much of the IPO attention in 2019 years ago, I had no way of knowing that though many of them might not have an was focused on the two ride-sharing the IPO market would boom,” he says. actual product, like a new drug, for years. giants — Uber and Lyft — and most of “Being in the right place at the right “Most of them don’t even have any the news was bad. Uber lost nearly 8 time has worked out well for me — and revenue and they don’t expect to be sell- percent of its initial $45 per share price for the last 23 years, Gainesville has ing products for many years,” he says, on its first day, which Ritter says was been the right place.” “but the market fully understands that the worst opening-day performance in Jay R. Ritter and realizes that it’s difficult to come terms of money lost that he has ever Cordell Eminent Scholar, Department of Finance, up with a successful drug and that most tracked, costing investors $617 million. Insurance and Real Estate of the companies are going to end in On Nov. 1, it was trading at $31. Lyft [email protected]

failure. But, at the right price it can be opened at $72 per share and immedi- Related website: a good investment. Your most likely ately started going down, by Nov. 1 it https://site.warrington.ufl.edu/ritter/ outcome is that you’re going to earn a was at $43.

41 Changing Tech’s Face

By Christina Gardner-McCune

Often when I speak with students who are majoring in computer sciences, many of them tell me that they have never taken a computer science course until college. This is especially true for the female, black and Latino students I’ve spoken with as a computer science professor. But newly released data from the College Board suggests that things are beginning to change, especially for girls and students from groups that are underrepresented in computer science. Specifically, the figures show the number of black high school students who have taken Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles — a class that involves both computer programming and the social impact of technology — rose 121 percent since the course launched in 2016, from 2,981 to 6,589. The number of black students who scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam for this course increased 118 percent since 2017, from 1,269 to 2,766 in 2019, according to a College Board representative. A score of 3 or better often enables exam takers to get college credit and bypass introductory computer science courses in college.

42 Fall 2019 The number of Hispanic/Latino students who have taken flight reservations and check the weather. But if the people who AP Computer Science Principles has increased 125 percent design the technology don’t include women, minorities, people from 8,334 to 18,780, since the course began. The number of with disabilities, or other individuals from diverse backgrounds, Hispanic/Latino students scoring a 3 or higher on the AP CSP it could lead to technology that works for some or maybe even exam increased 116 percent since 2017, from 4,742 in 2017 to most but not all. 10,264 in 2019, according to the College Board. For instance, it recently came to light that the body scanners Finally, in the three years since the launch of AP Computer used by the Transportation Security Administration frequently Science Principles, the number of female students who have set off false alarms for Afros, braids and other hairstyles worn taken the course has increased 136 percent, from 13,328 to by black women. This in turn subjects black women to more 31,458, the College Board has reported. frequent and invasive screenings at the airport. What do these figures mean? As a professor who studies Problems like this are why it is important for software ways to get more students interested in computer science — and development teams to be as diverse and inclusive as possible to as someone who helped develop and teach an early version ensure technologies address the needs of all. As more students of the AP Computer Science Principles course, as well as the see people who look like them taking computer science courses exam — I believe these numbers will ultimately result in more in high school, more students will take notice and follow in students from diverse backgrounds being better positioned to their footsteps. Ultimately, this will enable them to become the major or minor in computer science. This in turn will help software engineers and tech innovators of the future. diversify the tech industry. Christina Gardner-McCune Assistant Professor, Computer & Information Science & Engineering Department Why diversity in tech matters [email protected] Diversity in the tech field is important because computing To read more articles by UF faculty, visit https://theconversation. technologies are pervasive in our daily lives — from the GPS com/institutions/university-of-florida-1392 we use to get around, to apps we use to bank, make hotel or

43 Non-Profit Organization Explore Magazine U.S. Postage Box 115500 PAID Gainesville, FL 32611-5500 Gainesville, FL Permit No. 94 Hive Help Bernard Brzezinski Bernard

A close-up view of some of the 319 individually controlled fans in the wind tunnel at UF’s Powell Family Structures and Materials Laboratory. The upgraded system, which replaces one that used eight larger fans, will be even more capable of replicating extreme wind phenomena. The bulk of the technology was created in-house using 3D printers. The fans push wind over 1,100 individually controlled elements, known collectively as a terraformer, that allows fine control over turbulence close to the floor where the test subject is placed.