Daily Business Report-Sept. 27, 2017
Cubic’s GATR Antenna on the island of St. John, U.S.Virgin Islands. (Credit: Cubic Corp.)
Cubic Aids Hurricane Disaster Relief Efforts
With Satellite Communications Technology
Cubic Mission Solutions, a business division of Cubic Corporation has deployed its GATR satellite antennas and personnel to support hurricane disaster recovery operations.
Working with several of its global disaster relief customers, Cubic’s GATR antennas were deployed on the islands of St. John and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Antigua; Barbuda; and St. Martin.
On the island of St. John, the GATR antenna is providing communications, networking and high-bandwidth Internet connectivity via satellite for a local clinic, hospital and pharmacy to ensure medications are refilled for patients on and off the island.
“Cubic is very proud to work with disaster relief organizations to provide communications and connectivity capabilities as well as our own support personnel to assist the communities affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria,” said Brad Feldmann, president and chief executive officer of Cubic Corp.
“With many hurricane victims displaced and separated from their homes and families, communication lines remain uncertain,” said Mike Twyman, president of Cubic Mission Solutions. “Using our GATR antennas, we are able to help individuals stay connected to family and friends as well as assist the daily operations of medical personnel and first responders.”
The GATR 2.4-meter antenna is an inflatable, ultra-portable satellite antenna that can be packed and transported in two cases weighing less than 100 pounds each or less for smaller antennas. It has the capability to provide high-bandwidth communications in extreme environments and can withstand winds up to 75 mph. The antenna’s portability, reliability and ease of setup make it a unique satellite communications (SATCOM) solution for the most critical military, government and first responder missions.
Partnering with customers from military to nongovernmental organizations and international humanitarian aid groups, GATR antennas and support personnel have been deployed in response to natural disasters since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Additionally, GATR antennas were utilized earlier this month to aid Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts in Houston, Texas.
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SDSU Library Debuts
New Science Fiction Room
SDSU NewsCenter
The Edward E. Marsh Golden Age of Science Fiction Room will open on Thursday, Sept. 28, giving San Diego State University and the local community access to one of the most comprehensive collections of science fiction in the United States. The opening celebration begins at 2 p.m. on the first floor of the Love Library on the SDSU campus.
Eventually, the Marsh Room will serve as the main point of contact between the community andSDSU’s Special Collections and University Archives, which is home to Marsh’s collection.
Marsh, who attended SDSU in the 1960s, spent 30 years assembling his $2.25 million collection of signed and inscribed first editions by science fiction greats, including Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Included are the fiction and non-fiction writing of L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. Marsh gifted the entire collection to SDSU in 2013.
“This is an incredible jewel, not just for science fiction fans, but also for students and researchers in the fields of science, technology, politics, religion, philosophy, journalism, even theatre and film,” said Gale Etschmaier, dean of the Library and Information Access.
Donald Westbrook, who received a Ph.D. in religious studies from Claremont Graduate University in 2015, called the collection “a preeminent resource for scientology studies [which] continues to receive fuller academic attention as one of many American-born new religious movements.” His book about the Church of Scientology is due out next year from Oxford University Press.
The Marsh collection is a recent addition to SDSU’s Special Collections, a repository for more than 80,000 printed volumes, over 500 manuscript and archival collections, 800 linear feet of university records, plus numerous graphic and digital collections and ephemera.
Etschmaier said relocating Special Collections to the library space in and around the Marsh Room will strengthen SDSU’s role as a source of “living history”—the documents, photos, letters, newspaper clippings and oral accounts that enable researchers to understand the past through their own critical senses rather than through another’s interpretation.
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Signing Ceremony Celebrates
New IBM-UC San Diego Collaboration
IBM and the University of California San Diego announced a multi-year project to enhance quality of life and independence for aging populations through the new Artificial Intelligence for Healthy Living Center (AIHL), located on the campus of UC San Diego. The groundbreaking center will bring together the technology, artificial intelligence and life sciences knowledge of IBM and UC San Diego to promote critical research and applications in two thematic areas: Healthy Aging and the Human Microbiome.
A signing ceremony will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Atkinson Hall in the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego.
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Navy Awards Northrop Grumman
$57.7 Million Contract for Work in San Diego
The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $57.7 million contract for full-rate production of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Increment One Build One Systems. The contract, awarded by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, includes options which if exercised would bring the total value to $505 million. Northrop Grumman will produce the systems in San Diego and complete the work by August 2022.
JCREW systems are software-programmable jammers that provide protection from device-triggered improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Northrop Grumman developed dismounted, mounted and fixed-site variants to protect warfighters on foot, vehicles and permanent structures.
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San Diego East County Chamber
Presents Women in Leadership Awards
The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce has honored eight women with 2017 Women in Leadership awards for their outstanding leadership, exemplary character and integrity in the community, as well as their efforts to empower women to succeed and prosper in life and business, Chamber officials said.
Honorees are: Michelle Bergquist, co-founder and CEO, Connected Women of Influence; Marla Black, president/CEO, Junior Achievement of San Diego County; Kristine Costa, public sector account executive, Waste Management, Inc.; Martha King, co-founder, King Schools; Wendy McKinney, chief development officer, American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties; Bonnie Rush, president, Breast Imaging Specialists; Barbara Ryan, vice president of government affairs, Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego; Van Tran, nursing supervisor, Sharp Grossmont Hospital.
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First SDSU Women Veterans
Forum Set for Oct. 13
San Diego State University, in partnership with county Supervisor Bill Horn and the county of San Diego, will host its inaugural Women Veterans Forum for all active duty, veterans, military dependents and military supporters. The forum is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. With a theme of “Be the Change,” this event was organized to empower attendees in areas of personal, professional, and academic success.
“It is inspiring to have an event solely focused on the women veteran community,” said Diana Slade, U.S. Army veteran. “I look forward to engaging with my peers and making our success a shared goal.”
