Daily Business Report: Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021
Making space travel inclusive for all
Researchers participate in zero gravity flight
to understand ability, disability in space
By Kiran Kumar | UC San Diego
In a weightless, microgravity environment like space, what do ability and disability look like? How can someone with partial sight or impaired mobility navigate in a confined space like the space station? As scientists and innovators continue to push the boundaries of spaceflight and the possibility of human life on other planets, how can we build space infrastructure that is inclusive of all humans?
The Mission: AstroAccess project aims to answer these questions, starting with a historic parabolic flight that took off from Long Beach on Oct. 17, 2021. A group of 12 disabled scientists, veterans, students, athletes and artists launched into a zero-gravity environment as a first step toward understanding what is needed to make space inclusive for all.
“The whole point of this project is to demonstrate that people with disabilities are able to fly safely into space,” said Dr. Erik Viirre, director of The Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at the University of California San Diego, and a neurologist at UC San Diego Health. Viirre served as medical and flight operations lead for the AstroAccess flight, ensuring a safe environment for all 12 AstroAccess Ambassadors and their partners on board.
The AstroAccess project is led by a group of scientists, engineers, and social workers with a common goal: inclusive space exploration.
TOP PHOTO: AstroAccess Ambassador Mary Cooper, an aerospace engineering student at Stanford and below-the-knee amputee, experiences a weightless, microgravity environment on the Zero-G Flight. (Photo credit: Al Powers for Zero Gravity Corporation)
Low-cost carrier Swoop makes first nonstop flight
to San Diego from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Canadian-based ultra-low-cost carrier Swoop on Sunday celebrated its first nonstop flight from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada via Edmonton International Airport to San Diego International Airport. Swoop is a new airline operating at the airport and this route marks the only nonstop flight between the two cities. The flight operates three times weekly during peak season on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Established in 2018 as an independent subsidiary of the WestJet Group of Companies, Swoop is Canada’s ultra-not-expensive airline. Its mission is to make travel more affordable and accessible for all by providing unbundled fares that put travelers in control of purchasing only the products and services they desire.
Swoop’s fleet consists of nine Boeing 737-800 NG that have carried more than three million travelers in their three years of operation.
Cue Health provides COVID-19 testing to
MLB clubs during postseason and World Series
Cue Health Inc., a San Diego health care technology company, and Major League Baseball announced that Cue has been providing all clubs, as well as the league office, with its integrated Cue platform, which features both the portable Cue Health Monitoring System and easy-to-use Cue COVID-19 tests, throughout the postseason and World Series.
The Cue COVID-19 Test for Home and Over The Counter (OTC) Use is the first FDA-authorized molecular diagnostic test for at-home and over-the-counter use without physician supervision or a prescription. Cue’s platform is a molecular diagnostic system that delivers results directly to mobile smart devices – both Android and iOS – in about 20 minutes.
Cue previously received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA in June of 2020 for its Cue COVID-19 Test for use in clinical and point of care settings. Cue Health’s other enterprise customers include Google, Mayo Clinic, and the NBA.
Wayne Nelson and Stanley Rodrigues appointed to
California Native American Heritage Commission
Wayne Nelson, 41, of Pala, and Stanley Rodriguez, 63, of Santa Ysabel, have been appointed to the California Native American Heritage Commission by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Nelson is an enrolled member of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians and has been culture resource manager at Native Ground Monitoring, Research and Consulting since 1999.
Rodriguez has been director of the Kumeyaay Community College since 2018, adjunct instructor at California State University, San Marcos since 2017, Kumeyaay language instructor at Kumeyaay Community College since 2005 and instructor and adviser at the Navy Drug and Alcohol Counselor School since 1995. He is an enrolled member and serves as a council Member of the Santa Ysabel Band of the Iipay Nation.
Nelson is registered without party preference. Rodriguez is a Democrat. The position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.
MiraCosta College awards more than
$260,000 in scholarships to students
The MiraCosta College Foundation has issued more than $260,000 in scholarships, celebrating both the donors and award recipients. A total of 278 scholarships were awarded.
“Scholarships can really make or break a person’s ability to pursue their educational dreams and they have been a lifeline for our family during COVID-19,” said Ashley Gerdo, recent 2021 graduate and scholarship recipient. Gerdo relied on scholarships to support her in her academic studies.
“Congratulations to our 278 scholarship recipients! Your determination, perseverance, and academic dedication is honored through this scholarship award. The MiraCosta College community is proud to support you in your educational journey,” said Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, MiraCosta College superintendent/president.
Gerdo said she wants to get a master’s degree in counseling so she can become a counselor at MiraCosta College.
San Diego Tourism Authority to hold
67th annual meeting on Nov. 4
The San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) will hold its 67th Annual Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.
The event will include both a retrospective of the local tourism industry’s performance over the last year as well as a panel discussion moderated by SDTA President & CEO Julie Coker featuring three national travel and tourism leaders—Amanda W. Hite, president of STR; Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association; and Tori Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for U.S. Travel—who will provide important insights about current recovery efforts and the future of the tourism industry.
La Maestra Family Clinic receives top quality
recognition by Health Resources & Services Adm.
Maestra Family Clinic Inc., doing business as La Maestra Community Health Centers has earned Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges for its achievements in access to care, quality outcomes, healthy equity, information technology, and contributions to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The Health Resources and Services Administration recognition places La Maestra among the nation’s top performing Federally Qualified Health Centers in clinical quality measure performance and quality of health care services.
Specifically, La Maestra was recognized as Health Center Quality Leaders for performing “best overall” in clinical quality performance – among all health centers in the U.S.
Grossmont College named a leader in associate
degrees awarded to Latinx students
Grossmont College was named No. 73 – out of more than 900 community colleges in the country – for the number of associate degrees awarded to Latinx students during the 2019-2020 academic year in Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine’s 2021 Top 100 issue. Grossmont College was also recognized as No. 64 in the country for Latinx student enrollment during the same period.
Latinx students at Grossmont College comprise 36.1 percent of those enrolled at the San Diego County campus, up from 33.7 percent in the fall of 2018.
Some 848 of the 2,616 students earning degrees during the 2019-2020 are Latinx, ranking Grossmont College No. 3 in San Diego County.
Bindle Bottle makes second appearance
on Oprah’s Favorite Things list
Bindle Bottle, a San Diego small business, was selected by Oprah for her annual Oprah’s Favorite Things list.
The company, celebrating its second selection to Oprah’s list, has changed the way people think about bringing along their essentials on everyday trips. With a hidden-in-plain-sight waterproof storage compartment, the Bindle Bottle lets people stash their ID, keys, and cash, among other things, all while ensuring they stay hydrated, organized and discreeet.
For more information, click here
City of San Diego celebrates 20 years
of nationally recognized Project Heart Beat
The City of San Diego on Monday marked the 20th anniversary of its nationally recognized Project Heart Beat program. Launched in November 2001, the program was developed to increase access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) citywide and to educate people on their use, ways to recognize cardiac distress and how to respond quickly to potentially save someone’s life. AEDs are portable devices that, when used in tandem with CPR, can help keep a person alive until further medical assistance arrives.
The program’s initial goal was to place at least 250 AED units throughout San Diego ahead of the 2003 Super Bowl that attracted hundreds of thousands of out-of-town visitors. The program dramatically exceeded expectations and nearly 800 AED units were installed.
As of today, Project Heart Beat has helped place more than 9,500 AEDs in public and private facilities throughout the region.
San Diego-based Afinida achieves record
weekly payroll processing revenue
Afinida, a subsidiary of Trucept Inc. (OTC Pink: TREP), announced that the company reached a new milestone of $5 million in weekly payroll processing. The increase is the result of ongoing growth in its payroll processing and services division.
COO Julie Neill commented: “We are very pleased with the results being posted by Afinida, specifically in our payroll processing operations. Afinida has realized significant growth across all departments, with the global pandemic having virtually no effect on growth. Afinida provides payroll and human resource management services to businesses across America, and our success is due in part to the high level of personalized service that we provide to our clients.”
