Business Observer

+ Conde Nast Traveler recognizes Key Club
The Resort at Longboat Key Club was recognized as the No. 12 resort in Florida in Conde Nast Traveler’s 2013 Reader’s Choice Awards in the “Top 40 Florida Resorts” category.

The Key Club received a score of 89.0 out of a possible 100.

The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota earned the No. 28 spot, with a score of 85.1.

+ Partnership aims to advance STEM careers
Mote Marine Laboratory and the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) celebrated the recent completion of new teaching labs that are now in use at an Oct. 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

At the ceremony, USFSM also announced the upcoming launch of its new Bachelor of Science degree in biology in fall 2014.

Mote and USFSM partnered four years ago to create new opportunities for local students and prepare them for careers in science, technology, education and math (STEM) and a variety of life sciences.

Willis A. Smith Construction oversaw the buildout of the 4,600-square-foot space that includes biology and chemistry labs and a student-teaching area. Fawley Bryant designed the labs.

Each lab has 26 individual student stations served by laboratory gases and snorkels and full teaching stations.

The partnership with Mote opens doors for faculty mentoring, internships and undergraduate research that integrates teaching concepts and skills with scientific practice in a way normally reserved for graduate programs, according to a news release.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]