September 2022
Dr. Margaret Loper was unanimously appointed as a Special Advisor to the Link Foundation on March 18, 2022. Prior to her appointment to the Board she served as the Link Foundation’s Modeling, Simulation and Training Fellowship Program Administrator, a position she was appointed to in 2021 and which she still holds. Dr. Loper began her association with the Link Foundation in 1999 when she was selected to receive a Link Foundation Advanced Simulation and Training Fellowship. She currently serves as the Associate Director for Operations of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Information and Communications Laboratory (ICL), and has over 30 years of experience in modeling and simulation. She earned a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University, a MS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida, and PhD degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.
Dr. Richard W. Murray was unanimously reappointed as a Special Advisor to the Link Foundation on February 3, 2022. He previously served as a Special Advisor to the Link Foundation from 1993 until 2014, when he stepped down as he accepted the position of Director, Division of Ocean Sciences at the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC, a potion he held until 2018. He now serves as Deputy Director/Vice President for Science and Engineering at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He earned a BA degree from Hamilton College and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Loper and Dr. Murray join five Trustees and twelve Special Advisors who form the leadership team to guide and expand the Link legacy and enhance the mission of the Link Foundation.
Name: Abhiroop Mishra
Department: Materials Science and Engineering
School: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Project: Assessing the Real-Time Surface Degradation in High-Voltage Cathodes: Toward Next Generation Batteries for Transport Electrification
Research Advisor: Dr. Joaquín Rodríguez-López
Name: Cristina Crespo Montañés
Department: Energy and Resources Group
School: University of California, Berkeley
Project: Economics, Emissions and Equity: Evaluating the Potential for Urban Solar-Plus-Battery Hybrids to Replace Polluting Peaker Power Plants
Research Advisor: Dr. Duncan Callaway
Name: Rachel Nixon
Department: Chemistry
School: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Project: Ammonia Fuel Synthesis Through Plasmon-Assisted Electrocatalysis
Research Advisor: Dr. Prashant K. Jain
Name: Prince Ochonma
Department: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
School: Cornell University
Project: Integrated carbon-negative bio-hydrogen recovery with inherent carbon removal via mineralization
Research Advisor: Dr. Greeshma Gadikota
Name: Taryn Fransen
Department: Energy and Resource Group
School: University of California, Berkeley
Project: Decarbonizing the Energy Sector: Assessing Policy, Innovation, and Investment Pathways Under Paris Agreement Pledges
Research Advisor: Dr. Jonas Meckling
Name: Xiaomeng Liu
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
School: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Project: Harvesting Electricity from Ambient Humidity
Research Advisor: Dr. Jun Yao
Name: Nora Schopp
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
School: University of California, Santa Barbara
Project: Targeted Approach towards Efficient
Semitransparent Organic Photovoltaics for
Next-Generation Energy-Efficient Buildings
Research Advisor: Dr. T.-Q. Nguyen
Name: Tammer Barkouki
School: University of California, Davis
Project: Explainable Human-Autonomy Teaming for Deep Space Exploration
Research Advisor: Dr. Stephen Robinson
Name: Abhijat Biswas
School: Carnegie Mellon University
Project: Using Virtual Reality Driving Simulation to Model the Dynamics of Driver Peripheral Vision
Research Advisor: Dr. Henny Admoni
Name: Sergio Machaca
School: Johns Hopkins University
Project: Investigating the efficacy of dynamically modulated multi-modality haptic feedback in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgical training
Research Advisor: Dr. Jeremy Brown
Name: Neeli Tummala
School: University of California, Santa Barbara
Project: Computational Modeling of Human Touch for Haptic Feedback in Virtual Environments
Research Advisor: Dr. Yon Visell
Name: Niall Williams
School: University of Maryland, College Park
Project: Natural Walking Interfaces to Improve Immersive Training in Virtual Reality
Research Advisor: Dr. Dinesh Manocha
Name: Mike Salvato
School: Stanford University
Project: Predicting hand-object interaction for improved haptic feedback in simulated environments
Research Advisor: Dr. Allison Okamura
Name: Alaa Ahmed
Department: Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering
School: Stevens Institute of Technology
Project: Floating Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter Using Controllable Power Takeoff System
Research Advisor: Dr. Muhammad Hajj
Name: Ágata Piffer Braga
Department: Engineering and Applied Sciences
School: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Project: Mixing Freshwater into the Ocean: Using an AUV to Study River Plume Evolution
Research Advisor: Dr. Daniel MacDonald
Name: Tyler Inkley
Department: Ocean and Resources Engineering
School: UH Mānoa
Project: A Hybrid Class Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Research Advisor: Dr. Michael Krieg
Name: Devon Northcott
Department: Scripps Institution of Oceanography
School: UC San Diego
Project: Towed phased array doppler sonar
Research Advisor: Dr. Drew Lucas
Name: Casey Den Ouden
Department: Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
School: Florida Atlantic University
Project: Novel Kirigami Inspired Flexible Robotic Extension to Support Versatile Underwater Sensing and Operations using Hybrid Aerial/Underwater robotiC System (HAUCS) Platforms
Research Advisor: Dr. Tsung-Chow Su and Dr. Bing Ouyang
Name: Amy Phung
Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Applied Ocean Science and Engineering
School: MIT/WHOI Joint Program
Project: Enabling in-situ sampling with underwater manipulators by shore-side
scientists using a shared autonomy framework and virtual reality
Research Advisor: Dr. Richard Camilli
Aurora Giorgi, University of Alabama
Project: Settlement preferences of different species of scleractinian larvae in response to crustose coralline algae and their surface bacterial communities
Research Advisor: Jennifer Sneed and Valerie Paul
Audrey Looby, University of Florida
Project: Community-level impacts of anthropogenic noise in North American coastal ecosystems
Research Advisor: Valerie Paul
Matteo Monti, University of Alabama
Project: Exploring the potential inhibitory activity of octocoral chemical extracts and associated bacteria to limit the onset and progression of stony coral tissue loss disease
Research Advisor: Jennifer Sneed and Valerie Paul
The 2022 Harbor Branch/FAU Summer Interns supported by the Link Foundation include:
Nicolas Brick, University of Central Florida Kiedon Bryant, Georgia State University Katelyn DiGirolomo, Florida Atlantic University Garrett Flitton, Florida Atlantic University Alayna Hicks, University of Arizona Lander Holsinger, Florida Institute of Technology Meghan Keough, Florida Atlantic University Magaleate Kostelnik, University of Tampa Flavie Perron, Universite du Quebec a Rimousk Alexandra Sinno, University of Rhode Island Eugenia Springer, Florida Institute of Technology Jans Van Der Heijden, Wageningen University and Research
Over the last 48 years, the Harbor Branch Summer Intern Program has hosted 696 college and university students from around the world. The Program was launched in 1974 with support from the Link Foundation, and it continues to be primarily funded by the Foundation today. Additional support for Interns is provided by the Gertrude E. Skelly Charitable Foundation which funds students to work in the HBOI Marine biomedical and biotechnology program. Other 2022 Internship sponsors include the Marilyn C. Link Memorial Internship, which is supported by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation, and the Fort Pierce Yacht Club.
The Marilyn C. Link Memorial Internship was established in 2018 in honor of Marilyn’s long service to the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. This internship is focused on Ocean Engineering and Technology which was a special interest of Marilyn’s.
This past summer, 18 interns were selected to participate in the 2022 Summer Intern Program. During their 10-week internship, top ocean science and engineering student interns from around the world worked alongside a Harbor Branch faculty mentor to devise, develop, and complete their independent research projects in a variety of topics within marine science and biomedicine, aquaculture, and ocean engineering. At the completion of the Program, each intern presented the results of their research at a Symposium attended by Harbor Branch faculty and staff, friends of Harbor Branch, program sponsors, and family members.
Dr. Dennis Hanisak, Harbor Branch research professor and program director, describes the internship as “a great opportunity for students to experience training in one of our science or engineering labs with faculty mentors and other Harbor Branch staff. This experience better prepares them for future careers and makes them more competitive for jobs when they graduate. We hope that the skills that the Summer Interns learn will be helpful in their future careers.”
Dr. Andrew M. Clark, Link Foundation Trustee, was a Harbor Branch Summer Intern in 1979. You can learn more about Dr. Clark on our web link, “Board of Trustees and Special Advisors,” found at http://www.binghamton.edu/link-foundation/trustees.html.
In 1974, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, then called Harbor Branch Foundation and only three years old at the time, began a summer internship program for college students, launched with funding from the Link Foundation. At the time, Ed Link, the inventor who had recently designed and built Harbor Branch's Johnson‑Sea‑Link manned submersibles, was Vice President of Harbor Branch, and Marilyn C. Link, Ed's sister, was Harbor Branch's first Managing Director. The idea of the intern program was to provide college students an opportunity to further their education and training, outside the traditional classroom setting, in a real‑world situation. Working with a mentor on the Harbor Branch staff, each intern developed a project that could be completed in a few weeks and then reported the results to the Harbor Branch community. During that first summer, ten students spent ten weeks working with mentors in the Marine Science and Engineering Divisions. Back in 1974, there were very few such intern opportunities for students interested in marine science or ocean engineering, and the summer intern program quickly became recognized as a successful one.
Over the last forty-nine years this education program, Harbor Branch's oldest, has continued and prospered and has become a special one to scientists and engineers who are invigorated by the young talent of the interns each year. From 1974 to 2022, there have been 696 summer interns at Harbor Branch/FAU. The interns have benefitted from the opportunity to work one-on-one with over 100 mentors and Harbor Branch/FAU staff members. The Link Foundation has supported about 66% of the interns. Another 12% have been funded by the Gertrude E. Skelly Charitable Foundation, which has been providing major support for interns in marine biomedical research since 1996. Most Harbor Branch/FAU interns go on to professional careers, with nearly half receiving an MS degree and about 1/6 earning a PhD.
For more information on the Harbor Branch/FAU Summer Intern programs, including application material, please visit https//www.fau.edu/hboi/education-and-outreach/summer-internship-program/.
Since 1974, the Link Foundation has supported promising undergraduate and graduate students through the Harbor Branch Summer Intern Program. Less well known is that the Link Foundation has also been encouraging high school students to pursue their future degrees in Engineering and related fields through a scholarship program, also administered by FAU Harbor Branch, since 1974. This initiative was pioneered by Clayton Link. The scholarships are presented in memory of E. Clayton Link, son of the Founders, and Albert D. Stover. Over the years, approximately 109 students have benefitted from these scholarships and the resulting recognition that follows.
Currently up to three scholarships at $1,000 each are awarded to high school graduates to be used at the college/university of the recipient’s choice in the state of Florida. The selection of the recipients is facilitated by partnerships with three science and engineering fairs. Two of these are in the counties most immediately associated with the Harbor Branch community: The Indian River County and St. Lucie County Regional Science and Engineering Fairs, while the third opportunity is state-wide, via the Science and Engineering Fair administered by the Florida Foundation for Future Scientists.
In 2022, two students were selected for Link Foundation scholarships. Nicole O’Neill, a graduating senior from Sebastian River High School, Sebastian, FL, was the recipient at the 30th Indian River Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held in Vero Beach, FL, in January. Nicole is planning to study Astrobiology at Florida Institute of Technology. Ana Garcia, a graduating senior from Edgewood Junior-Senior High School, Merritt Island, FL, was the recipient at the 67th Annual State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida, held in Lakeland, FL, in March. Ana plans to attend the University of Central Florida and major in Computer Engineering.
Dennis Hanisak, FAU Harbor Branch Research Professor and Education Director, says: “The recipients of the high school scholarships funded by the Link Foundation are always very grateful for the funding and encouragement that goes with these awards. Each of them has clearly demonstrated a strong interest consistent with the high priorities established by the Link Foundation. It is wonderful to be involved with providing such opportunities to creative young engineers and scientists who will hopefully go on to long, productive careers and make a difference in the world.”
The Link Foundation has had a significant impact at Indian River State College (IRSC) by providing Distinguished Scholar Awards, totaling over $377,500 to more than 120 highly qualified IRSC graduates since 1999. Each year the scholarships are awarded to highly qualified IRSC students who are pursuing a BS in Biology, AS in Aquaculture Management, AS in Computer Information Technology, or AS in Electronics Engineering Technology. The prestigious scholarships are presented annually to students who attain a 3.3 GPA or higher cumulative grade point average at Indian River State College. The students must maintain an annual 3.3 or higher GPA to maintain their funding.
For 2022-2023, six IRSC graduates were awarded Link Foundation Scholarships. We would like to congratulate the scholarship awardees. They are:
Christamar Barker – BS in Biology Erin Buchanon – BS in Biology Eunjin Na – AS in Biology Beker Obissi – BS in Biology Timothy Pereira – BS in Biology Stephanie Victor – AS in Biology
For more information about these scholarships, visit www.irscfoundation.org.
The Link Foundation has supported the Link Summer Science Exploration Camp held at the Kopernik Observatory & Science Center located in Vestal, NY, for the past 29 years. This week-long camp offers hands-on, high-tech adventures for students just completing grades 1 – 12. It is focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education across a wide range of topics, and the information is presented at an age-appropriate level. The goal of the program is to engage children to learn about our world and the universe around us and inspire them to consider STEM related careers at an early age.
This camp encourages students to view Edwin A. Link as a role model and someone who was dedicated to life-long learning in science, technology, exploration, and creative problem-solving. Throughout the Summer Science Exploration program, students are encouraged to make a mark on their world like Edwin A. Link.
The Link family, the Link Foundation, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Stuart McCarty (Mr. McCarty was a former Link Foundation Trustee and Special Advisor), established the endowed Edwin A. and Marion C. Link Scholarship Fund in 2007. This fund is administered by The Community Foundation for South Central New York, Inc.
This scholarship is awarded annually to a Binghamton, NY, High School senior who is a resident of Broome County and who has demonstrated a commitment to engineering, with special consideration given to those who have demonstrated a commitment to energy, simulation, marine science, aeronautical or ocean engineering. Since 2013 there have been two annual scholarships awarded, one scholarship to a Binghamton High School student and one to a Seton Catholic High School student who meets the award’s criteria. The students must have at least a 3.0 GPA, or its equivalent, and have been active in community and/or extracurricular activities. The $2,000 scholarships are non-renewable and are to be applied to tuition expenses for the first and second semester of the awardees' freshman year at a qualified accredited college or university.
The 2022 scholarships were awarded to:
Sadie Graham from Binghamton High School
Collin Wickizer from Seton Catholic High School
Sadie graduated from Binghamton High School in 2022 with an overall GPA of 96.827. While in high school she was a member of Mathletes, Girls Who Code, Drama Club, and was the Vice President of the Binghamton Gender/Sexuality Alliance. Outside of school she enjoys competitive dance and is involved in Community Theater productions. Sadie plans to attend the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry this fall, and will major in Environmental Resource Engineering.
Collin graduated from Seton Catholic High School in 2022 with a GPA of 99.02. He plans to attend Clarkson University this fall and will major in Mechanical Engineering. While in high school he was a member of the National Honors Society, receiving High Honors from 7th - 12th grade. He received several awards including the Student Achievement Incentive Nominated by Teacher Award, and a High School Leadership Award from Clarkson University. He was a member of the Saints Robotics Club, the Science Olympiad Team, the Junior Prom Committee, and was a member and officer of the History Club. Collin was an intern at the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center from 2019-2022, and was a volunteer at the Owego United Methodist Church to help with their fundraising, their free community meal program, and he served as an Acolyte.
Congratulations to these fine students who, with their academic and community credentials, have promising futures and exemplify the qualities celebrated by the Edwin A. and Marion C. Link Scholarship.
Aeronautical Radio Inc. (ARINC) presents an annual award in honor of Edwin A. Link at the opening session of the Flight Simulator Engineering and Maintenance Conference (FSEMC) which will take place September 26-29, 2022 in Irving, Texas. The annual conference, which has been attended by more than 300 flight simulator experts from around the world, identifies technical solutions to engineering and maintenance issues resulting in immediate and long-term savings and increased efficiency for simulator users.
Over the past twenty-one years, ARINC has presented the award in honor of Edwin A. Link to an outstanding member of the simulation community in recognition of their contributions of ideas, leadership and innovation that will benefit the simulation industry. The Edwin A. Link award has become world-renowned as the simulation industry’s highest award for individual achievement.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to have an in-person Conference in 2020 and 2021, the FSEMC Executive Committee deferred presenting the Edwin A. Link award, but one is expected to be awarded in 2022. The most recent recipient of this award was Mark Dransfield, Independent Flight Simulation and Training Device Consultant, UK, who received the award in 2019.
The Royal Aeronautical Society established the annual Edwin A. Link Lecture Series in 2007 to honor Ed, who is known as the distinguished pioneer of synthetic training. Ed’s remarkable foresight led to the creation of the Link Trainer, or “Blue Box” as it came to be known, the precursor of today’s powerful synthetic training devices, most notably full flight simulators.
The last Edwin A. Link Lecture was presented on October 26, 2021 at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s headquarters in London. Group Captain Paul Cole OBE MA* Royal Air Force, explored the role of technology in present and future UK Military Flying Training Systems as he presented the Edwin A. Link Named Lecture https://www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/edwin-link-lecture/ .
It is expected that the yearly lecture will continue to be held in London or Washington, DC once the COVID pandemic precautions and concerns are behind us.