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LAKELAND, Fla., Nov. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of a generous donation from The Mosaic Company, Florida Southern College will host a boat launch event at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at Southern Landing on Lake Hollingsworth, at the intersection of Johnson Avenue and Lake Hollingsworth Drive.
A 2021 Carolina Skiff named "The Moccasin" was purchased with grant funds donated by Mosaic. The boat has helped to facilitate interactive, field-based courses and experiential-engaged learning activities that promote a deeper understanding of diverse marine ecosystems while preparing FSC students to transition into top-notch graduate programs.
Mosaic strives to be a good corporate citizen and contribute to the vitality of the people and the communities where they operate. In line with that principle, The Moccasin is the company's second major philanthropic gift to FSC in three years supporting biological sciences education. In 2019, Mosaic donated money towards the creation of the Geographic Information System (GIS) lab in FSC's biology department.
The company has invested in Florida Southern College for almost half a century. Since 1977, the phosphate industry company has provided nearly $500,000, supporting everything from the College's championship sports programs to its renowned Festival of Fine Arts. In 1980, before becoming Mosaic, they contributed $250,000 to endow the Nelson C. White Chair in the Life Sciences.
"Mosaic is excited to celebrate the investment made to Florida Southern College for the boat that has provided an avenue for students to do research in and around Tampa Bay," said Heather Nedley, Director, Public and Government Affairs for The Mosaic Company. "Responsible stewardship of water resources is a cornerstone of Mosaic's phosphate operations and this partnership aligns well with our environmental sustainability focus area. We are thrilled to invest in the leaders of tomorrow as they continue their research for years to come."
Based at Lands End Marina in Apollo Beach, the 21-foot-1 inch, 175 HP boat has been used by the FSC biology department for a wide array of research activities since the College took delivery of it in May 2021.
"The boat was used as a research and educational vessel over the past year for ecology research, tropical ecology, and biology of fishes during the 2021-22 academic year," said Professor Gabriel Langford, Ph.D., George W. Truitt Endowed Chair, and Marine Biology Program Director at Florida Southern. "In addition, the boat was used extensively during the summer of 2022 for multiple ongoing research projects, primarily, but not limited to, the shark ecology/microbiology studies and surveys for anemones and other invertebrates."
Florida Southern biology professors have worked with experienced and new students who received training while on The Moccasin.
Assistant Professor of Marine Biology Dr. Allison Durland Donahou uses the boat in her Ecology and Evolution (BIO 2500) course to expose students to sampling techniques practiced in marine biology and allow them to research aquatic habitats inaccessible without a boat. Dr. Jason Macrander uses the skiff in his Introduction to Marine Biology (BIO 1520) course, providing students with field experience collecting offshore specimens for research.
The Moccasin also affords environmental studies majors in Dr. Langford's Field Ecology (BIO 3310) course the opportunity to learn how to interpret ecological and environmental data. Access to the boat has allowed them to apply the techniques they learn in the classroom to investigate environmental and ecological issues.
The Mosaic Company's gift makes scientific discovery at Florida Southern easier to achieve. Field experimentation and specimen collection are significantly enhanced for FSC biology students thanks to the company's generosity.About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #8 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2023 "Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's 2023 Best 388 Colleges guide and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023." The 2022-2023 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern's AACSB-accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 20 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 13 consecutive years. Connect with Florida Southern College.About The Mosaic Company
With the global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, food security is an ever-growing challenge that The Mosaic Company will help meet. Our 12,000 women and men, operating in countries around the world, produce and deliver millions of tons of responsibly produced phosphate and potash fertilizers from mine to market – nutrients that are vital to feed crops which feed people everywhere – and serve farmers in 40 countries by helping them increase crop yields and improve nutrition for people and animals.
We pursue our mission to help the world grow the food it needs responsibly and sustainably: We are committed to being good stewards of the environment by reducing our water use and greenhouse gas emissions, good neighbors through strong partnerships with our host communities, and by being a more diverse and inclusive company where every person feels valued and appreciated.
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SOURCE Florida Southern College