Daily Business Report-Oct. 8, 2019
A Salk technician 3D scanning a plant. (Credit: Salk Institute)
Machine learning helps plant
science turn over a new leaf
Father of genetics Gregor Mendel spent years tediously observing and measuring pea plant traits by hand in the 1800s to uncover the basics of genetic inheritance. Today, botanists can track the traits, or phenotypes, of hundreds or thousands of plants much more quickly, with automated camera systems.
Now, Salk researchers have helped speed up plant phenotyping even more, with machine-learning algorithms that teach a computer system to analyze three-dimension
al shapes of the branches and leaves of a plant. The study, published in Plant Physiology on Monday, may help scientists better quantify how plants respond to climate change, genetic mutations or other factors.
“What we’ve done is develop a suite of tools that helps address some common phenotyping challenges,” says Saket Navlakha, an associate professor in Salk’s Integrative Biology Laboratory and Pioneer Fund Developmental Chair.
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General Atomics partners with NASA on demo
flight to test UAS flying safely in National Airspace
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. has signed a cooperative agreement with NASA to perform a demonstration flight as part of the agency’s project to integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS).
The objective of the demonstration, scheduled for 2020, is to tackle key challenges that prevent routine commercial UAS operations in the National Airspace System today.
As part of the demonstration, General Atomics’ MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) will exhibit its ability to provide a wide variety of commercial and public services using onboard sensors and additional “virtual sensors” that it could carry in the future.
Services include inspections of hundreds of miles of rail, energy pipeline, powerline and canal infrastructure, agriculture monitoring and topological surveys, as well as wildfire and flood monitoring, and maritime surveillance.
The city of San Diego is supporting General Atomics’ and NASA’s flight objectives under the UAS Integration Pilot Programs (IPPs). The highlight of the flight will be to perform public infrastructure surveys above the city.
“NASA and General Atomics have a shared goal of seeing UAS fly safely and unencumbered in the National Airspace System,” said Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics. “General Atomics has worked with NASA for more than five years on this goal and we’re excited to participate in their next set of demonstrations.”
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La Jolla estate previously listed
at $10.75 million to go to auction
A La Jolla estate at 715 Muirlands Vista Way will be auctioned later this month by Concierge Auctions in cooperation with Maxine and Marti Gellens of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Bidding will be held Oct. 22-24 via Concierge Auction’s online marketplace, conciergeauctions.com.
The property was previously listed for $10.75 million. Open house hours will be 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, click here.
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San Diego-based McKinney Advisory
Group acquired by Avison Young
Toronto-based Avison Young, a commercial real estate services firm, has acquired San Diego-based brokerage and property management firm McKinney Advisory Group Inc.
Founded in 2010, McKinney Advisory Group ranks among San Diego’s top real estate brokerage and property management firms. Since its inception, the company has represented a variety of local, national and international organizations, ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms.
Effective immediately, McKinney Advisory Group is rebranded as Avison Young. Damian McKinney, founder, president and CEO of McKinney Advisory Group, becomes a principal of Avison Young and managing director of the company’s San Diego office. A total of 13 new members from McKinney join the Avison Young firm.
McKinney brings 35 years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young.
He will continue to oversee his property management clients, who will be added to Avison Young’s existing San Diego practice which includes 1.7 million square feet of office, tech and retail property in Greater San Diego.
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Kratos receives prime contract award
to deliver up to 30 Oriole Rocket Motors
San Diego-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. has received a single award prime contract for up to 33 Oriole Rocket motors, including options. Kratos has exclusive rights to sell Oriole Solid Propellant Rocket Motors for specific market areas, including Missile Defense Threat Representative Targets, Suborbital Research and Sounding Rockets. Kratos leverages its exclusive rights agreement to deliver Rocket Motors, Systems, Products and Solutions for Missile Defense, Hypersonics, Weapon System Research and other mission critical National Security areas.
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Honorary Doctorate awarded
to former astronaut Ellen Ochoa
Former astronaut and Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa reflected on a life’s journey, from physics classes at San Diego State University to four Space Shuttle trips into orbit, as she received an honorary doctorate Wednesday from her undergraduate alma mater.
“I could not have imagined this career when I was a student at San Diego State,” Ochoa said in an inspiring talk to a packed auditorium, as part of the President’s Lecture series at Montezuma Hall. In addition to SDSU faculty, staff and students, Ochoa’s audience included students from local schools for whom she continues to serve as a role model in more than two decades of educational activities.
Ochoa, who grew up in La Mesa and attended Grossmont High School, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980. Her honorary science doctorate, presented by President Adela de la Torre and California State University Trustee Jack McGrory, is the 51st to be bestowed by SDSU.
“We’re so fortunate to have you as a role model for the young men and women pursuing their STEM careers,” de la Torre said.
Ochoa described how her education at SDSU led to advanced degrees from Stanford University and a research career, and how NASA’s Space Shuttle program, created “careers that just weren’t open to women before then.”
She showed footage from her first, 10-day flight into space and a later mission to dock with the then-new International Space Station.
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FAA authorizes UPS to operate
drone fleet for package delivery
GovCon Wire
UPS became the first company to secure an air carrier certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to transport packages by drone.
The logistics provider’s UPS Flight Forward subsidiary performed its first drone delivery service with Part 135 Standard certification to transport medical supplies at a WakeMed campus in North Carolina.
In a separate announcement, UPS noted it flew a Matternet-built M2 quadcopter under a government exemption that allows for beyond line of sight flights.
“The Flight Forward organization is building a full-scale drone operation based on the rigorous reliability, safety and control requirements of the FAA,” said UPS CEO David Abney.
FAA’s Part 135 Standard also permits the company to fly a drone and cargo with more than 55 pounds of capacity event at nighttime.
The agency works with private and public sector organizations in efforts to shape rules and regulations that will govern the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into national airspace.
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Cal State San Marcos to hold ribbon
cutting for expanded Veterans Center
Cal State San Marcos will celebrate the grand opening of its newly expanded and renovated Epstein Family Veterans Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Thursday, Oct. 10.
CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt and interim Veteran Services Director Tony Jackson are among those scheduled to speak at the event.
The Epstein Family Foundation made a $1 million gift in support of the Veterans Center in 2017, the most significant gift in support of CSUSM’s student veterans since the donation of the center building in 2014. The Epsteins’ gift provided funds for the physical expansion of the existing center while also providing an endowment to fund critical programs to support veterans and their families.
The expanded building was constructed off site in Riverside County and delivered to campus in May. Renovations were completed in September, with Veteran Services staff moving into the renovated center on Sept. 24.
The expansion created a larger lounge for students, computer lab and reception areas, and four additional offices.
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USD School of Business ranks No. 1
as Best Real Estate College in the U.S.
College Factual has ranked the University of San Diego School of Business real estate program No. 1 out of 29 colleges for its “2020 Best Real Estate Colleges in the U.S.” ranking. This is the third year in a row that the USD School of Business has received this No. 1 ranking.
College Factual lists the best real estate colleges in order of quality. According to their website, the College Factual ranking methodology takes into account factors including education quality, average earnings of graduates, accreditation and several other relevant factors.
“Our undergraduate real estate program provides an unparalleled education for our students through our extraordinary faculty and staff, and the support offered through the Burnham-Moores Center,” says Barbara Lougee, interim dean for the USD School of Business. “We provide our students with relevant curriculum, personalized career coaching, vast networking opportunities and access to mentorships, internships and jobs. In addition, we offer more than $400,000 in scholarships for undergraduate and graduate real estate students at the USD School of Business. It is great to see our efforts being recognized once again by College Factual.”
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USS Dewey earns Distinguished
Spokane Trophy in San Diego ceremony
The crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey received the 2018 Spokane Trophy during a ceremony aboard the ship in San Diego.
The award recognizes a ship’s ability to conduct sustained simultaneous and coordinated Air Warfare, Surface Warfare and Undersea Warfare operations with all installed equipment.
The Spokane Trophy was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt to recognize naval warfighting proficiency. The trophy is kept on permanent display at the Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters building in San Diego.
Dewey is a first-time winner of the honored Spokane Award sponsored by the Spokane, Washington Council of the Navy League of the United States.
