UF to spotlight research at championship game events

January 6, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will showcase its research at two venues today and Wednesday in the Miami area as Gator fans gather for Thursday’s FedEx BCS National Championship football game between UF and the University of Oklahoma.
Items set for display include:

  • Air-cooled shoulder pads — A set of air-cooled football shoulder pads co-developed by Dr. Nik Gravenstein, a UF professor and chairman of anesthesiology. UF players and many other college and NFL teams now use the pads to cool down on the sidelines. The technology also is being modified to help firefighters and soldiers stay cool on the job.
  • Robotic car — NaviGATOR, an autonomous vehicle created by the College of Engineering’s Center for Intelligent Machines and Robotics. NaviGATOR competed in 2007 in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Urban Challenge race in Victorville, Calif. A feature story and photo are available at
    http://eng.ufl.edu/newsroom/articles/detail_articles.php?id=884
  • Gatorade – A display highlighting what is arguably the best-known example of successful UF research: Gatorade Thirst Quencher. Gatorade was invented at UF in the mid-1960s by the late nephrologist Robert Cade to help UF football players remain healthy on the field.

The schedule for the mobile showcase is as follows:
Today, Jan. 6
6:30 – 9:30 p.m. – Domino Park, 1444 S.W. 8th St., “A Night with the Caimanes.” Hispanic Alumni.
Wednesday, Jan. 7
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Jungle Island, MacArthur Causeway. UF Alumni Association event.

CONTACT: Dan Williams, UF director of marketing, 352-327-2487, or mailto:danwill@ufl.edu.