Florida Atlantic University received two grants from the George T. Elmore Impact for Good Initiative fund established by George Elmore through the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, which funds programs promoting community impact. The two awards include supporting brain science research on aging at the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute and fostering entrepreneurship programs at The Runway at Florida Atlantic at the College of Business.
“I am pleased to partner with the Community Foundation to support these two program areas that impact both the health and economic sustainability of our community,” said George Elmore, local philanthropist and Community Foundation Legacy Society member. “As our population ages, understanding brain health is key to a healthy and active lifestyle. Equally important is cultivating young minds and businesses to fuel our local economy and beyond.”
A $200,000 gift will support the launch of the Program for Resilient Aging, one of four research programs planned for the Center for the Resilient Mind within the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, which supports brain research and education across Florida Atlantic’s campuses. The program aims to demonstrate how genetics and physical, social, and community activities contribute to healthy aging. The gift will strengthen faculty leadership, provide pilot research project funding for emerging scientists, and fund graduate students in their studies.
The Center for the Resilient Mind is bringing together neuroscientists, psychologists, clinicians, educators, social workers and artists to investigate the foundations of the resilient mind across the human lifespan. In addition to aging, program areas include how the brain builds resilience through childhood and adolescence, brain dynamics modulated by artistic engagement, and environmental and social factors that influence brain resiliency.
“We are so pleased to partner with the Community Foundation in this exciting and important new venture to seek a better understanding of the influences affecting healthy aging of the brain,” said Randy Blakely, Ph.D., executive director of the SNBI and professor of neuroscience and biomedical science at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “Researchers will search for the early biomarkers and opportunities supported by evidence of brain changes to achieve resilient aging, whether through new diagnostics and treatments or practices beyond the clinic.”
A second gift of $200,000 will support The Runway at Florida Atlantic, a venture accelerator program within the College of Business. The program is part of the college’s entrepreneurial initiatives, with a focus on research, teaching, student competitions, and programs for veterans.
The accelerator program fosters the development of entrepreneurs and businesses to fuel the local economy and beyond. Entrepreneurship contributes to Florida’s economic growth by creating opportunities for new businesses, and in many cases, translating scientific innovation into public consumption. The funding will support a leadership position to help expand the development of innovative businesses impacting the region, enhance the program’s role as a pipeline producing the next generation of business leaders, and support the development of operations and investor growth to promote a self-sustaining entrepreneurial model for the program.
“We are honored to receive this donation to support our evolution as the Runway Accelerator Program rejoins the College of Business,” said Kevin Cox, Ph.D., director of the Adams Center for Entrepreneurship and The Runway program. “This transition is not only an important unification in our ecosystem, but it also represents a transformative time in the accelerator program’s evolution. We are excited for the plans made possible through this generous donation.”
