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Western Kentucky University’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering has received $2.379 million from the U.S. Department of Education to purchase and install state-of-the-art equipment in a new High-Performance Computing Center (HPCC) that will be located at the WKU Center for Research and Development.

WKU will provide an additional $50,000 toward the project as well as three full-time staff. 

The HPCC will contain an ultra-high performance, multi-node supercomputer with high-volume data storage and network connectivity. The HPCC will provide the requisite cyber infrastructure needed to support research across academic disciplines at WKU and will expand capacity to create strategic partnerships between university faculty and global business and industry. 

“The methodology of science in the 21st century has changed radically,” said Dr. Phil Womble, founder of the WKU Cyber Defense Laboratory. “Historically, the scientist relied on theory and experiment to advance scientific progress. In the 21st century, many experiments now begin by modeling the current information available for a project and then designing experiments or simulations to test the experimental hypothesis. This new computing facility is expected to help many researchers at WKU transform their research using state-of-the-art computer simulation technologies.” 

After more than two years of construction, the University of Louisville
officially opened the doors of its new $143 million, 300,000-s.f. Clinical
and Translational Research Building last month. “This building not only is the gateway to the medical center, but it is the gateway for UofL’s talented faculty to conduct research that will help change the world,” said Dr. James Ramsey, president of UofL. “The building provides the research space
necessary for us to continue to attract some of the very best researchers in
the world to Louisville. These people are driving innovative cures to cancer and disease and will have a direct impact on the health and quality of life
of people throughout the nation and the world.”

A blood test that can help assess women’s risk of ovarian cancer prior to surgery has been given FDA clearance, following a multisite clinical trial led by a University of Kentucky researcher.

OVA1 is the first FDA-cleared laboratory test that can indicate the likelihood of ovarian cancer with high sensitivity prior to biopsy or exploratory surgery, even if radiological test results fail to indicate malignancy. The test was developed by Vermillion Inc., a molecular diagnostics company, in cooperation with Quest Diagnostics. The OVA1 test will be available for physician use later this year.

“When combined with other clinical information, the OVA1 biomarker panel can help assess the likelihood of malignancy of an ovarian tumor before surgery and facilitate decisions about referral to a gynecologic oncologist,” said Dr. Frederick R. Ueland, associate professor of gynecologic oncology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and a gynecologic oncologist at the Markey Cancer Center. Ueland was principal investigator of the prospective, multi-center OVA1 clinical trial.

“The national expertise in ovarian cancer and the resources of the Markey Cancer Center initially attracted Vermillion to the University of Kentucky,” Ueland said. “After an impressive performance in the recent clinical trial, the test is now ready for immediate integration into everyday practice to help improve outcomes for women with ovarian cancer. It is a triumph to see industry and academics unite to advance the practice of medicine.”

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of cancer deaths in women. An estimated 21,600 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2009, and around 14,600 women will die of the disease.

The rural medicine program at Pikeville College’s School of Osteopathic Medicine has been ranked as one of the top 20 programs in the nation.

Pikeville College has announced plans to build a Clinical Skills Training and Evaluation Center, a two-phase multimillion-dollar project that will improve educational opportunities for the undergraduate program and the School of Osteopathic Medicine (PCSOM).

“Since its inception, the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine has been a true Kentucky story and a true Kentucky success,” said Pikeville College President Paul Patton. “Nationally ranked as one of the top 20 U.S. medical schools in rural medicine, we’re making significant progress toward our mission to help alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians. We believe this expansion project is essential to the college’s growth and will significantly impact health care in eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia.”

The estimated cost for Phase I of the Clinical Skills Training and Evaluation Center is $2 million and includes a complete renovation of the first floor of an apartment building that is located adjacent to PCSOM’s primary building.
The new facility will house programs on standardized patients, patient simulation and human models. Each room will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and observation mechanisms that will allow faculty and staff to review students as they work and learn.

Phase II will include construction of a new lecture hall and gross anatomy lab to accommodate an increase in class size in the future, as well as additional faculty offices and student study space. The estimated $2.5 million cost for the second phase includes new teaching labs and expanded research space.

“The benefits of this project are multiple,” said Boyd R. Buser, D.O., vice president and dean of PCSOM. “In addition to directly improving the diagnostic and clinical skills of our medical students, Pikeville College nursing students will also be able to utilize the space for similar training. Longer-term benefits will be medical students who become physicians with a better understanding of patients’ needs, and a humanistic approach to develop a professional, compassionate and competent relationship with their patients, an approach that will greatly impact their careers, the patients they serve and healthcare in our region.”

The HON Co. produces wooden office furniture at its Owensboro plant, which is now slated to close next spring.

The HON Co. has announced plans to close its office furniture manufacturing plant in Owensboro next spring, affecting some 150 workers.

The Owensboro plant is the latest casualty in a string of plant closings implemented by the Iowa-based company as part of an effort to reduce costs. The Owensboro plant operations will be moved to HON’s plant in Paoli, Ind.
The plant has been part of Owensboro since 1945, when it operated as Murphy-Miller Inc. According to local reports, the plant employed some 800 workers at its peak in 1964. HON bought the plant in 1977.

Nick Brake, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp., said his organization and state and local government had been working closely with union leaders and HON officials for months in an effort to retain the plant. The union workers are part of the United Steelworkers Local 9443-6.

“We exhausted all alternatives and in the end offered a competitive package of incentives and training grants valued at over $2 million,” Brake said. “Our attention will now turn to helping the members of the HON family through this transition. We will form a rapid response team and work closely with GRADD (Green River Area Development District) and the Owensboro Community and Technical College to best meet the needs of these displaced employees.”

Louisville-based Potentia Pharmaceuticals has entered into a licensing and purchase option agreement with Alcon Research Ltd. that will give Alcon license to develop Potentia’s POT-4, a new drug for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is an eye disease that affects more than 10 million Americans and is a leading cause of blindness.

Alcon Inc. ranks as one of the world’s leading eye care companies, with sales of approximately $6.3 billion in 2008. The company has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for 65 years and currently operates in 75 countries and sells products in 180 markets.

The agreement – for which financial details have not been released – also provides for Alcon to acquire shares of Potentia if specified development milestones are achieved and if Alcon elects to continue development of POT-4.

POT-4 was the first complement inhibitor to enter the clinic for ophthalmologic use and is being developed as a potential treatment for both dry and wet AMD.
“Although at a very early stage, Potentia has developed the first complement inhibitor for age-related macular degeneration and positioned it for Phase II trials. We look forward to carrying development forward with the goal of treating patients with AMD,” said Sabri Markabi, MD, Alcon’s senior vice president of research and development and chief medical officer.

“Alcon is the proven leader in the clinical development and marketing of eye care products and compounds,” said Potentia President and CEO Cedric Francois. “We could not wish for a better company to develop POT-4 into a new treatment option for the millions of patients with macular degeneration.”

Gov. Steve Beshear has charged a newly appointed task force with developing new strategies for improving the commonwealth’s education system.

Gov. Steve Beshear has launched a new education initiative for the commonwealth, with a goal of creating a unified vision of what Kentucky schools need to offer in order to better serve their students.

“Our world has changed dramatically since the reforms of 1990,” Beshear said. “We must now turn our focus to the future and again to our schools to ensure that our strategies and programs are designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

To that end, Beshear has appointed the Transforming Education in Kentucky (TEK) Task Force to help develop new strategies while reinvigorating public and business support for K-12 education in the commonwealth.

The 29-member task force includes education advocates, teachers, superintendents, legislators, business leaders and others who have been handpicked for their commitment to education and to Kentucky. Beshear and Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner Terry Holliday will serve as co-chairs of the task force. Beshear has also asked Senate President David Williams to recommend two additional members from the Senate, and they will be added to the task force once they have been named.

The group will examine efforts currently underway in the state, such as the Common Core Standards Initiative, Graduate Kentucky, the Gates Foundation/SREB college and career readiness initiative, the Race to the Top competition and the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Development and Education. The panel will focus on recommending ways to channel all of these efforts into an integrated and comprehensive system of education in Kentucky.

In addition, the task force will explore career and technical education, expanded use of technology for learning, increased opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school and other issues that affect student success.

The goal is to formulate recommendations by the end of 2010, for consideration during the 2011 legislative session.

The new Eastern State Hospital is expected to be completed in 2012.

Plans were unveiled last month for the new Eastern State Hospital facility, which will be built on a site at the University of Kentucky’s Coldstream Research Campus in Lexington.

The new 230-bed, 300,000-s.f. hospital will replace the existing 185-year-old facility and will provide a modern setting for inpatient psychiatric treatment, along with specialized services for individuals with acquired brain injuries, those with psychiatric disabilities requiring nursing facility level of care and forensic mental health services.

In addition to the inpatient hospital, the new campus will include three 11,000-s.f. personal care homes – each with 16 beds – that will provide residential psychiatric services and serve as a step-down from the acute care setting.

The project involves a unique agreement between UK, Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC), the state and the city of Lexington in which Eastern State will move from its campus on Newtown Pike to the Coldstream Research Campus location; BCTC will move from UK’s Lexington campus to the current Eastern State location; and UK will take over BCTC’s location on Cooper Drive, also providing UK with additional parking.

Eastern State serves an average of 2,000 patients per year from 80 Kentucky counties.
 

The United States Congress has approved $8.57 million in funding for agriculture research and development projects at several Kentucky universities.
The projects include:

• $4.9 million for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. The funding will be used for construction of an Agriculture Research Service (ARS) and continued funding for agriculture research. It also will support UK’s Animal Health project, the New Crop Opportunities project, the Advanced Genetics Technology Center, the Health Education Extension Leadership Program, and the Precision Agriculture Research Unit.

• $2.1 million for Western Kentucky University. The money will go towards construction of an ARS research lab, continued agriculture research and the Green River Water Quality and Biological Diversity Monitoring Project.

• $300,000 for the Murray State University’s Breathitt Veterinary Center. The MSU Breathitt Veterinary Center is a nationally preeminent animal disease diagnostic laboratory serving Western Kentucky and parts of southern Indiana and northwest Tennessee. The upgrade to the facility will not only benefit MSU students, but will continue to protect the health of Kentucky’s agricultural industries including beef and dairy cattle, poultry, equine and other farmed animals.

• $1.26 million for two statewide agriculture projects that will be used for the Kentucky Soil Erosion Control/Soil Survey Program and the Kentucky Soil Conservation Districts Technical Assistance Grants.

Convergys Corp., a Cincinnati company that provides customer and human resources services, is closing its facility in Norwood, Ohio, and will move those operations to the Convergys facility in Erlanger.

The move will involve relocating some 250 jobs, most of which are customer contact positions.

In announcing the move, Convergys said the consolidation will increase both the efficiency and productivity of its customer management operations. The Erlanger site, which Convergys opened in 2007, is newer and has more current technology to support operations. 

The consolidation process will commence in January and continue through the second quarter of 2010.

Convergys presently has approximately 550 workers at the Erlanger site and late last month held an open house to recruit 200 more people to help support additional business. The new positions will be in the areas of customer management and technical support for telecommunications, health care and retail clients.

AirTran Airways has announced plans to begin flight service in and out of Blue Grass Airport next year.

The Orlando-based low-fare carrier will offer nonstop service from Lexington to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando beginning Feb. 11, 2010.
Flights to Ft. Lauderdale will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Service to Orlando will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The carrier operates an all-Boeing fleet and offers wi-fi service and XM satellite radio on all flights.

“Low-cost carriers have a significant impact on the level of air service in a community,” said Brian Ellestad, deputy director of air service and community relations at Blue Grass Airport. “AirTran Airways will definitely stimulate travel in Lexington and all of central and eastern Kentucky with its low fares and high quality service. We could not be more pleased that AirTran chose our community, and we look forward to providing our passengers with non-stop access for two of our top destinations.”

A guest room at Louisville’s 21c Hotel.

The 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville has been selected as the No. 1 hotel in the United States and No. 6 in the world in the 2009 Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards. 

The survey involved hundreds of hotels evaluated by Conde Nast Traveler readers, more than 25,000 of who voted in the survey.

Conde Naste said this year’s outcome marks one of the few times an independent hotel has won the award, and 21c was the only U.S. hotel to make the list of the world’s top 20 hotels for 2009.

The hotel awards are based on the quality of rooms, service, food/dining, location and overall design.  The 21c Museum Hotel scored above 95 in all categories with identical scores of 98.9 out of 100 for rooms and design.

21c Museum Hotel was launched in 2006 by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, philanthropists and art collectors who had a vision for bringing contemporary art into daily life and supporting the revitalization of their hometown of Louisville. As a result, art is integral to the hotel, which has 9,000 s.f. of exhibition space featuring rotating exhibitions and arts programs. 

The hotel is housed in a series of renovated 19th-century tobacco and bourbon warehouses listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed by Deborah Berke and Partners Architects.

Modine Manufacturing Co. has announced that it will close its plant in Harrodsburg, where it produces radiators, heat exchangers and HVAC modules for the commercial vehicle and off-highway markets.

The closing, which will eliminate 110 jobs, is part of the Wisconsin company’s strategy to realign manufacturing capacity and reduce costs.

“Closing operations is never easy,” said Scott Bowser, Modine’s regional vice president – Americas. “The difficult decision to close Harrodsburg was based upon our ongoing review and analysis of Modine’s global product lines. This analysis resulted in our decision to strategically de-emphasize our vehicular HVAC presence, which has been a core product line in Harrodsburg. Closing the plant will help us rationalize production, achieve the scale we need in our manufacturing operations and improve our overall profitability and competitiveness. Balancing production capacity in this way also will give us the flexibility to supply customers with cost-advantaged thermal management solutions during the current economic downturn and position us to grow when the markets recover.”

Modine has operated the Harrodsburg facility for 38 years. The company plans to transfer production from the 253,452-s.f. Harrodsburg plant to other Modine facilities in North America. Plans call for the plant to close over six to nine months.

A Florida company that recycles garbage has announced plans to open a factory in Manchester that will employ as many as 1,400 people. According to local reports, WNT LLC – which stands for Waste Not Technologies – has already started making preparations for construction of the new factory, which is expected to be operational within 12 to 18 months.

The factory will take solid waste from Kentucky and other states and create eco-friendly products from the process.

In paperwork filed with the state, WNT said it plans to build an 800,000 s.f. facility at a cost of approximately $150 million. When operating at full capacity, the factory would run three shifts a day, requiring more than 1,400 workers. Company officials said the jobs would pay $10 to $20 per hour.

WNT received approval from the state in June for $42 million in tax incentives.

Hilliard Lyons, a full-service financial services firm headquartered in Louisville, has entered into an agreement with New York-based Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc. that will enable Morgan Joseph to market Hilliard Lyons’ equity research through its national institutional sales group.

The agreement calls for a revenue sharing arrangement under which Hilliard Lyons will receive compensation from Morgan Joseph institutional trades involving its equity research product.

Hilliard Lyons CEO James R. Allen said the partnership offers the opportunity to take the complementary resources of the two organizations and leverage them to the advantage of both.

“Morgan Joseph’s institutional distribution model is complemented by Hilliard Lyons’ private client focus,” Allen said. “Together, our balanced distribution, which includes both private clients and institutional, will be an attractive combination that can also enhance the services that we can provide to all our clients.”

Morgan Joseph President and CEO John F. Sorte said the agreement will enable his company to offer Hilliard Lyons research department’s coverage of approximately 130 companies alongside the 90 companies currently covered by Morgan Joseph’s eight equity analysts.

Founded in 1854, Hilliard Lyons now operates 70 branches in 13 states and is a member of the New York, American and Chicago stock exchanges.