FSU Discovery Days – a week of celebration of FSU research, creativity, and discovery enterprise! Discovery Days has something for everyone – from concerts to shark tank style pitch competitions - come experience some of what makes FSU so special!
Discovery Days 2024 took place October 7-12.
Check out the video below to learn more about this year's activities!
Monday, October 7, 2024
Learn How FSU Health Is Tackling Rare Childhood Diseases
There are currently 7,000 rare diseases that impact more than 350 million people globally and 30 million people nationwide. Florida State University’s Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases, part of the FSU Health initiative, is working to tackle some of these complicated diseases and change the lives of families worldwide. The day kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Terence Flotte, dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts followed by a symposium on emerging trends in treatments and research in this field. Guest presentations included researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Miami and University of Florida. Industry representatives will also look at the intersection of academia, health care and industry.
Presentations included:
- Keynote session featuring Dr. Terence Flotte
- Symposium 1: Rare disease centers and programs
- Symposium 2: Genomics and gene therapy
- GeneDx Industry roundtable: Biopharma and rare diseases
For the full Pediatric Rare Disease Symposium program, please click here.
Florida Research Development Alliance Annual Conference
Research development professionals around Florida came together to share best practices and foster collaboration across the state’s research institutions.
Partnering With Your Compliance Office to Ensure Research Success
What to do when you encounter unanticipated events in research. This session provided insight into unanticipated events in research and how respective compliance offices can be a resource when they occur.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Bridging the Gap - A Public / Private Approach to Improve Medicine
What happens when you pair the research might of a public, Research 1 university and private practice clinicians? As part of the FSU Health initiative, FSU researchers are partnering with health professionals throughout Northwest Florida to see how they can bring the best of academic research to the bedside. In this presentation, Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic (TOC) CEO Mike Boblitz, Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine (ISSM) Director Mike Ormsbee, Chief Clinical Research Officer Joe Frascella, and Assistant Director of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Research at ISSM and research scientist at TOC Emilie Miley discussed how these relationships are positively impacting the quality of care in the region. This discussion was moderated by College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Associate Dean of Research Josh Newman.
Our Community, Our Health Virtual Town Hall event
Science, Technology and Health across the Lifespan: A virtual panel presentation and interactive discussion on how science and technology can impact community health and well-being for individuals of all ages. This presentation was part of the University of Florida-Florida State University Clinical and Translational Science Award Our Community, Our Health series, which brings together academic and community partners to share ideas about health and research priorities. This OCOH Town Hall will showcase STEM education for K-12 youth, technological resources to improve the health of underserved populations, an introduction to LabGenie, and AI-powered tool to help older patients better understand their medical test results, and community perspectives on the benefits and challenges of health technology.
Tour the new Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building
The new Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building is set to open in Spring 2025, but you can get a sneak peek at this spectacular new research space located in Innovation Park. Tours lasted one hour each.
Principal Investigator Reception: Celebrating Campus Researchers and Initiatives
An event where faculty and administrators came together to celebrate FSU’s success and record year in research funding.
Kaleidoscope: Innovation in the Arts and Humanities
FSU’s arts and humanities faculty and students celebrated an evening of interdisciplinary scholarship and exploration. Topics included Learning about the work of the new Native American and Indigenous Studies Center; philosophy, the television show "Supernatural," and film; and the relationship between law and classics through the writings of Antigone. The evening concluded with two musical performances including a rare performance of Petr Eben's Letters to Milena, a piano work inspired by the writings of Franz Kafka, and also a multi-media presentation with saxophone quartet.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
IGNITE Tallahassee Open House
IGNITE Tallahassee, the region’s new business incubator at Innovation Park had morning events featuring:
- Keynote address from Louis Foreman, founder and Chief Executive of Enventys
- “Capital Advice: VC and Angel Tips & Trends for Startups,” a panel featuring experienced funders and experts
- Breakfast and lunch networking hours
Funding Your Vision: Strategies For Success
For Funding Your Vision: Strategies For Success, included grant writing basics and tips for telling your story and conveying the impact of your research and creative activities. We also heard from a panel of FSU faculty across a variety of disciplines on their experiences with grant writing and speaking to different audiences (i.e., funding agencies). Importantly, there was perspectives from faculty at various career stages.
The intended audience for this panel presentation includes faculty researchers, postdoctoral trainees, and graduate students.
Aging and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities
The FSU Institute for Successful Longevity presented a special guest, Dr. George Demiris from the University of Pennsylvania, and a discussion about how technologies and AI can be harnessed to help us as we age was included. Panelists included Institute Interim Director Zhe He, FSU Professor of Sociology Dawn Carr, FSU Professor of Information Mia Liza A. Lustria, and Dr. George Demiris. Dr. Demiris’ work focuses on using data and technology to support older adults and their caregivers and explore innovative solutions to promote independent aging and patient and family engagement.
Discovery Challenge: FSU Startups Compete for Cash Prizes
FSU startup companies pitched their big ideas for cash prizes in a shark tank-style competition. Audience members will get in on the action to pick the company they think can go the distance with a People’s Choice award. Networking Reception followed the formal program.
Ask a Scientist
Ever wanted to know where colors come from? How stars form? How solar cells work? Your chance to get answers to those questions and more happened during “Ask A Scientist Gaming,” where we combined mediocre video gameplay and professional science. Associate Professor Ken Hanson (chemistry) and Professor David Collins (physics) brought the Twitch streaming series live from the Challenger Center’s Imax Theater.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Journal Editing and the Peer Review Process
During these sessions, graduate students learned how academic journals work, understood what peer reviewers look for, and discovered how to peer-review papers. These valuable skills are useful for publishing and applying for graduate funding opportunities! Dr. Deana Rohlinger, Professor of Sociology at FSU and editor-in-chief of Social Science Computer Review, facilitated this in-person workshop on the ins and outs of academic journals.
Milton S. Carothers Faculty Lecture - The Beauty of Neutron Stars
Robert O. Lawton Professor of Physics Jorge Piekarewicz explored the beauty of neutron stars and how the study of them will help unravel greater truths about our universe.
Meet the Team at the Office of Research
The Office of Research staff met with faculty at this open house.
Boldly Rising and Leading Innovation
The FSU College of Nursing had an engaging open house to showcase how the college is uniquely positioned to lead the future of health care innovation. As a pioneer in digital health innovation, the College of Nursing brings a deep understanding of the human experience to the development and application of cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and simulation. During this event, you'll explore how the College of Nursing is at the forefront of integrating these innovations into practice, transforming patient outcomes and enhancing the quality of care. Discover how our faculty leverage their expertise to shape technologies that are not only groundbreaking but also compassionate and patient-centered.
President’s Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence
The President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence is the culmination of the Summer Research Award experience. FSU students shared their original research and creative projects through poster and oral presentations.
This event, a collaboration between the Office of the President and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE), is the culmination of the IDEA Grants undergraduate research program. The IDEA Grants program is a reflection of the University's commitment to developing students as scholars and innovators and is a testament to the stimulating education undergraduates receive at Florida State. To learn more about the students’ project, you can visit our event program here.
View the program here:
2024 Presidents Showcase Undergraduate Research Program (canva.com)
Friday, October 11, 2024
Celebrating Women in Science Leadership: Inspiring the Next Generation
This was an empowering event dedicated to celebrating the remarkable achievements of FSU women in scientific leadership. Featured speakers included First Lady Jai Vartikar, Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Chief Scientist Laura Greene, Dean of the College of Medicine, Alma Littles, and the College of Nursing's Associate Dean for Research, Lisa Hightow-Weidman.
Arts-Humanities-Health Symposium III
How can the arts and humanities improve our health and well-being?
FSU faculty from medicine and nursing united with artists, creators, and researchers from the arts and humanities to explore how poetry, art, music, and interior design contribute to better health outcomes, working environments, and lifestyles.
Postdoctoral Affairs Invited Lecture: Food intake is only the outcome of behavior: How it happens matters.
FSU Office of Postdoctoral Affairs hosted its inaugural Discovery Days invited lecture. This year’s guest was Carolina Cawthon, who previously won the university’s 5-minute research competition, and who studies taste-guided behavior as well as the regulation of food choices and nutrient intake.
The lecture was followed by a panel on the day in the life of a postdoc.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Saturday Morning Physics + Art
Spin, Spin, Spin!
This event explored the world of wheels, gyroscopes, and other spinning objects and the secrets behind how they move with Physics and Art Education faculty.