Due to surge forecasts measured in feet in addition to the populace not being aware of evacuation zones and the elevation of their homes, improved storm surge information is needed to enhance public response and greatly lessen deaths. With the advent of airborne LIDAR replacing the National Weather Service SLOSH storm surge model, the State of Florida completed data collection in early 2008 on all coastal elevation information combined with overland flow algorithms. Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center, in partnership with University of South Florida and University of West Florida, will use this information to develop a real-time probability forecast for surges that will lead to a 20 to 50 percent improvement in forecasting storm surges along the U.S. East and Gulf Coast (emphasized on Florida). By providing the information on the internet, citizens will be able to receive real-time maps of water level forecasts of where they reside which will increase vulnerability awareness while the technology will also be useful for organizations including FEMA, Division of Emergency Management, the Red Cross, and insurance companies.

Request: $2 million. Champions: Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Sens. Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez

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Florida and Miami-Dade rank in the lower third and at times dead last in the nation’s health statistics. Of particular importance is the traditionally underserved populace in the South Florida region of the African American, Hispanic, and Creole communities when it comes to essentials like healthcare. The requested funds would be used by Florida International University (FIU) to hire teams to benchmark health indices and track improvements within communities to be served by a first-in-the-nation College of Medicine (COM) Neighborhood Health Education Learning Program (HELP). By embedding medical and nursing students, mainly of minority origin, into healthcare teams across specific communities (Hispanic, African American, Creole, and other traditionally underserved communities), students will learn and serve households by identifying, understanding, and addressing healthcare needs in addition to cultural complexities of medicine. These students should improve the health outcomes of individuals residing in these households while exposing students to the complexities of health care delivery for underserved populations. Student presence should positively influence measurable health outcomes, such as emergency room visits, health literacy, school truancy and preventive care. Validation of outcomes is essential and requires initial benchmarking for longitudinal evaluation. The requested funds would be used to hire individuals to perform initial assessments of households and neighborhoods in two ways: (1) individual household surveys, and (2) epidemiological community level assessments.

Request: $1 million. Champion: Rep. Kendrick B. Meek

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Currently there is no practical way to monitor exposures either to chemicals on the battlefield or to chemicals of unknown nature encountered during routine defense occupation applications, such as weapons disposal or cleanup of superfund sites on military installations. There is nothing comparable to the familiar dosimeter “badge” used to determine cumulative radiation exposures -- no automated, reproducible, way of assessing soldiers in battlefield situations or workers or military personnel exposed to sites contaminated with unknown agents. The current approach relies on cytogenetic scoring for chromosomal abnormalities, a laborious and largely manual method that precludes rapid widespread application to military personnel and others. The funding will accelerate FIU’s ability to develop novel biosensor devices and would not only allow for much faster detection of harmful chemicals, but would also allow resources to be allocated to those who truly have been exposed and are at risk. Validation and certification of these devices will be made in collaboration with existing military test facilities.

Request: $4 million. Champions: Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Kendrick B. Meek; Sen. Bill Nelson

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With global threat evolving due to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), it is evident that current U.S. forensic science is inadequate to meet tough new challenges. A main reason for this is the fact that forensic science has focused almost exclusively on civilian forensic science while the challenges of the 21st century require a focus on the needs of the U.S. military personnel defending our country world-wide. With no comprehensive training and science-based program currently available to deal with terrorist threats, Florida International University (FIU) requests to establish a major new academic program aimed at addressing the current shortcomings in military applied forensic science. By combining undergraduate and graduate education with a military application focus as well as cutting-edge research in collaboration with existing military laboratories, FIU will be able to produce skilled workers at both levels who can enter the forensics workforce in the military, service laboratory, and defense-contractors sector. The program would also initiate Ph.D. level research to advance forensics related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) threats. As the only institution in the nation to grant both accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees in forensic science, FIU will lead this first significant expansion of the forensic science academic field aimed at researching the many problems and challenges that the U.S. military faces in the defense of our nation overseas as well as at home.

Request: $2 million. Champions: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Sen. Bill Nelson

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Hurricanes caused more than $100 billion in losses in 2005 alone and caused more than 1,400 fatalities in 2004-05. Infrastructure damage and lifeline disruption are severe problems to hurricane prone coastal communities. In 2004 and 2005, seven hurricanes struck the coast of Florida causing severe damage to electrical infrastructure. A record 3.2 million FPL customers were left without electric service as Hurricane Wilma’s (2005) winds damaged street lighting, transformers, transmission lines, and substations. Wind is also a significant factor affecting building energy consumption through air leakage, while wind accompanied by rain can affect indoor environment quality (IEQ). Buildings use about one-third of the world’s energy. In the United States today, the buildings sector accounts for 40% of the primary energy use. The use of electric power and heat in the buildings sector also accounts for about 40% of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Buildings present one of the best opportunities to reduce energy consumption and limit GHGs. Thus the requested funding would transform FIU’s Wall of Wind (WoW) the only facility in the world capable of testing a wide variety of types of structure to promote significant mitigation of the vast losses due to hurricanes and contribute massively to improving energy performance of buildings and reducing GHGs

Request: $2 million. Champions: Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart; Sen. Mel Martinez

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The Wolfsonian collection contains approximately 45,000 rare books and several hundred rare periodical titles that illuminate the social, political, aesthetic, and technological issues that dominated the last two centuries. Its collection reiterates the importance of design in shaping perspectives of the modern world. The Wolfsonian-Florida International University Library desires to digitize the entire holdings of its extensive collection so that its rich compilation of history is available to the general public. With the digitization to be done in the same format as used by the Library of Congress on their American Memory Website, the Wolfsonian would be able to initiate dialog with the Library of Congress to establish weblinks between their respective institutions and web libraries which would allow for the kind of comparative study that neither collection by itself can deliver nearly as well. The cultural artifacts and ephemeral materials present at both institutions put together allow for a collaboration that would capture the history of the United States unlike any other establishment world-wide.

Request: $950,000 Champion: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

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Access to energy is one of the most significant factors causing Africa’s poor economic growth and productivity, although many countries average 325 days per year of bright sunlight for solar power and have available biomass for energy. Additionally, Africa is the second driest continent in the world, although 4 trillion cubic meters of water are available yearly. Only 4% of that water can currently be used due to lack of technical knowledge/financial resources. TECHCAP is a bold, new endeavor for Africa—a joint FIU-AFRICOM Program of Technology for Capacity and Prosperity, which will unite universities, government agencies and private organizations with the militaries to research and test field sustainable renewable energy, water purification and other technologies in Africa, using an applied, in-the-field research approach. FIU’s Applied Research Center has a similar project with SOUTHCOM which has shown incredible results. Application of these and other technologies appropriate for sustainment/development will ensure stability, enhance security and develop prosperity, while linking partner nation militaries with their governments/populations and spurring micro-business.

Request: $1.5 million. Champions: Rep. Alcee L. Hastings; Sen. Bill Nelson

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