Innovation In The 'Burg

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison talks with LaTasha R. Barnes, Chief Financial Officer of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg and Wilma Norton, Vice President of Community Connections at the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. They discuss the intersections of arts and medicine and building pipelines for new healthcare careers in a changing education landscape. Barnes brings her own career to bear on the ways she would like to grow Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Norton shares perspective on learning through the arts, and on helping students and young professionals forge pathways to meaningful careers.

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison is joined in the studio by Carl Lavender of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and Dr. Cynthia Johnson of the Florida Small Business Development Center. On the table for discussion is the Foundation's new Center for Health Equity. Lavender explains the Foundation's mission, why they created the Center for Health Equity and how equity enters every conversation held in the space. Johnson shares her own perspective as a community member in the space and how equity enters conversations surrounding economic development.

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison welcomes Dr. Sandra Braham of Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services and Tom Witmer of SageLegion to the podcast to talk about their unexpected partnership. Thanks to a chance meeting at a luncheon, the two began collaborating on a data project to help GCJFCS find indicators that would predict a second removal of the child from their family home. They talk innovation mindset, data and keeping families together.

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison and guests dive into Johns Hopkins All Childrens' Autism Training Program. Johns Hopkins All Children's Dr. Lauren Gardner and St. Pete Police Department's Officer Carla Ramos share their perspectives on the innovative program that has helped train 330 officers from 22 departments in 2019 alone. The program trains officers throughout Florida to recognize the signs and symptoms of autism and to de-escalate crisis situations that could occur. 

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg: Rays baseball. Tampa Bay Rays VP of Strategy and Development Bill Walsh talks with host Alison Barlow and community member (and huge Rays fan) Paul Carder. Walsh talks redesigning stadiums for a new generation of fans, what a new stadium could look like, and how the Rays are meeting the demands of changing consumer behavior. As a season ticket holder, Carder gives his perspective on the changing state of baseball and the possible sister city plan with Montreal.

We've all heard the buzz about blockchain, but do you really know what blockchain is or how it will change industries in the future? On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison helps answer those questions. She is joined in the studio by blockchain expert and associate professor at Lehman College, Sean Stein Smith. Smith was brought to St. Pete by the firm Gregory, Stuart & Sharer to talk to CPAs and clients about how blockchain will change the financial industry as they know it. Smith took the time to explain those changes in this long-form, easy-to-follow conversation.

On this fascinating episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison is joined in the studio by Laura Engleby, Marine Mammal Branch Chief for NOAA Fisheries. Engleby shares recent discoveries about the extremely rare Gulf Coast Bryde's whale. The newly discovered subspecies made headlines this year when one washed up in Everglades National Park, becoming the first type species of its kind. Engleby shares how she and her team worked to bring the giant whale's body north and eventually to the Smithsonian. She shares the story behind landing her dream job, and talks about the female scientists who inspire her work.

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison is joined by expert Rob O'Brien, forensic biology section lead at the National Forensic Science Technology Center. O'Brien talks DNA and busting CSI myths with Alison and community member Cesar Morales, senior program manager of CyberOps Laboratory at SRI International. They talk innovation in the forensic science space - and the improvements still to come on the collection side; why DNA testing takes so long; and what NFSTC does both in Tampa Bay and nationally.

On this episode of Innovation in the 'Burg, Alison is joined by two guests whose organizations are driving inclusive change in St. Petersburg - Laura Cantwell of AARP Florida and Dr. Keesha Benson of Grow Smarter. Grow Smarter's mission is to have collective impact that creates inclusive prosperity and wealth for everyone. AARP's local and national work looks toward those same outcomes, while representing older adults 50+. The two organizations' work in social innovation covers hot topics like place making and inclusion, housing, transportation and beyond.

Welcome back to Innovation in the 'Burg, a podcast all about science and innovation in St. Petersburg. This week, Alison Barlow, executive director of the St. Pete Innovation District, hosts the brains behind Pure Molecular: John Paul and Bob Ulrich. Joining as community member is Jason Mathis of the St. Pete Downtown Partnership. Paul and Ulrich first co-founded Pure Molecular with technology to identify fraudulent fish (particularly grouper) in the marketplace. Now, the application of that technology has expanded to red tide detection, and biomedical applications. They talk building and scaling a business based in scientific research, and share where they're going next. Mathis talks priorities as CEO of the Downtown Partnership, communicating the Innovation District's story and how marine science and its applications uniquely position St. Pete as a future city.