Since publishing my column on the power of community colleges, my email box has been full of testimonial letters affirming the college system’s positive impact. “Please share with legislators!!” is my response, usually with multiple exclamation marks for emphasis, followed by “And soon!!”
A recent lecture this week reminded me of yet another gem in our community: The Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, commonly referred to by its initials, IHMC. Have you been there? If not, run, don’t walk, to their ultra-cool and modern facility in downtown Ocala.
From the moment you enter what was our county’s former public library building, you will know you are in the presence of intellectual greatness. You will be greeted by Mina, the robotic exoskeleton jointly developed by NASA Johnson Space Center and IHMC. Mina provides mobility assistance for abled and disabled users, rehab and exercise. This is just one of hundreds of innovations inspired from and created right here in little Ocala.
IHMC is a not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University system. They create technologies to advance human capabilities. In other words, a pretty lofty goal. IHMC researchers partner with industry and government alike, including the United States military, NASA, National Science Foundation, Lockheed and IBM.
Here is just a sample of IHMC’s active research: artificial intelligence, human interactions with autonomy, robotics, cybersecurity, linguistic and natural language processing, and computer-mediated learning systems. Almost like the subjects I studied in college … said no one ever!
The genesis began with genius — Ken Ford, to be precise. IHMC is his brainchild. Check him out online. His accomplishments, including a doctorate in computer science, rival that of other well-regarded scientists and innovators. He has served on numerous national advisory boards, the latest being named to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. Oh, and he has a No. 1 science podcast, too, STEM-TALK, known for conversations with some of the most interesting scientists in the world.
Back to the lecture. Not only does IHMC, literally, make life better, they also enrich our community by offering free lectures to the public and science labs and camps for kids. Their lecture series is among the best I’ve seen. Think TED Talks for Ocalans. IHMC brings in nationally and internationally recognized and, often published, experts on a variety of subjects ranging from space tourism, palliative care, mental health, artificial intelligence, and nutrition, just to name a few.
Last week’s lecture was presented by cancer researcher Dr. Duane Mitchell on trends in immunotherapy. Sitting in the audience, I looked around at the standing-room-only crowd asking thoughtful and informed questions of Dr. Mitchell. I found myself beaming like a proud mother at a dance recital, thinking, what other city the size of Ocala offers something like this?
I remember when Ford was looking at Ocala to place his second facility. He established the institute in Pensacola, then wanted to expand in Central Florida. Ocala was up against stiff competition with other cities vying for the second IHMC location. Something clicked with Ford when he discovered our community.
Every time I leave an IHMC lecture, I am inspired by possibilities — in research, intellectual pursuits, community dialogue and, well, life in general. IHMC gives me a sense of optimism about what we are capable of when we come together to ask questions to make us all better.
It also gives me great pride to have this gem of an institute in this special place we call home.
