Future UF engineering students can intern in Sarasota, Florida, through the expansion of an engineering program.
UF President Kent Fuchs announced at a press conference Monday morning that UF’s College of Engineering’s Florida Engineering Experiment Station will open its first physical extension, called the Innovation Station, in Sarasota County. Through the extension, students will work with professionals and companies in Sarasota, as they do in Gainesville.
The station will provide scholarships for UF students to intern in Sarasota, said Erik Sander, the executive director of the Florida Engineering Experiment Station. While the station launched Monday, an office space and a permanent director haven’t been chosen.
The station will be held in a 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot office space, and Sander will serve as the interim director. The project costs about $3 million, he said.
A 5-year, $980,000 grant is being provided from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, a philanthropic organization in Sarasota, and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation is providing a one year, $63,000 grant. Both UF and the Sarasota County government are providing $1 million each.
Sander said the station will partner with academic institutions, including colleges and K-12 schools, to teach students about engineering.
“The concept and the idea is to introduce students to engineering and get them excited about careers in engineering,” he said.
He said the station is currently partnering with the State College of Florida and Sarasota County Public Schools. The station is planning to partner with the Ringling College of Art and Design and the New College of Florida to inspire more engineers in the state.
UF has been working with Sarasota County for about 18 months to open the station. He said Sarasota County was chosen to host the station because of its diverse community and large number of business leaders.
“At the end of the day, this project and this initiative is about positively impacting the innovation economy in this region,” he said.
Jason Cochran, a UF computer science sophomore, said programs like the Innovation Station are needed for computer science and engineering students.
He said the station will help entrepreneurs focus on solving complex problems. He hopes the station allows for new ideas and inventions, instead of more apps.
“People mistake creation for innovation,” the 20-year-old said. “I don’t think that the problem is that we don’t necessarily have enough STEM majors; it’s that they’re not solving the right problems.”
