Latest news with #BobBoyd
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Company places $50 million order to build aircraft like nothing we've seen before: 'The sky is no longer the limit'
Since the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, commercial airship travel has slowed to the point that it almost does not exist anymore. A select few companies use airships for advertising purposes, but recent years have not been favorable to bringing airships back for commercial use — until now. Straightline Aviation, a hybrid airship company, has partnered with another aviation company, AT² Aerospace, an offshoot of Lockheed Martin, to build the world's first cargo airship, which will usher in a new era of cargo shipping. The Z1 hybrid airship, as Sustainable Times reported, gets about 80% of its lift from helium, a non-flammable gas, while the other 20% is derived from its aerodynamic design and four engines. It also is able to carry cargo up to 20 tons while holding 19 passengers. (The Hindenburg likely ignited when an electrostatic discharge met leaking hydrogen.) "Lockheed Martin believes in the potential for hybrid airships to transform global transport," the company said in a brief public statement. "The AT² team is developing airship solutions to support commercial and humanitarian applications around the world." Compared to current air-travel technology, the environmental impact of the Z1 hybrid airship is shockingly low. Using just one-fifth of the fuel of a heavy-lift helicopter and producing only one-10th of the carbon emissions, the airship will be one of the most low-impact options for air travel that has ever been recorded. It is essential to cut reliance on dirty energy sources, as they release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere when burned. Lessening such pollution means that health problems, such as heart and lung disease, will be reduced, while air quality will improve. While AT² hopes to deploy these new hybrid airships by 2028, excitement is already forming about the possibilities of the technology — and what it can do for the world of transport and the environment. "The partnership with Straightline Aviation represents a transformative moment in sustainable aviation," said Bob Boyd, president and CEO. "Our hybrid airships will transform cargo transport by providing an environmentally responsible solution while maintaining operational efficiency." Hammaad Saghir of Sustainable Times wrote: "As the aviation industry pivots towards sustainability, the Z1 hybrid airship represents a bold step into the future — where innovation meets necessity. And the sky is no longer the limit." Which of these factors would most effectively convince you to support nuclear energy projects in your area? Lower energy bills Safety and reliability More local jobs Environmental benefits Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House proposes tighter restrictions on private higher-education vouchers
University of Miami campus, via UM Nearly 22,000 private college and university students, including Floridians attending the University of Miami, will go without a longtime state scholarship if the House of Representatives has its way. Some of Florida's private colleges and universities are raising concerns about the House's proposed budget, which would restrict the state's Effective Access to Student Education award, also known as EASE, which provides $3,500 to Florida students attending private institutions. The House budget proposal, which at $113 billion is $4.4 billion less than the Senate's, calls for schools to meet benchmarks related to graduation and affordability set by the state to be eligible to receive EASE money. The Senate budget does not propose metric requirements. Bob Boyd, president of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, called the metrics 'arbitrary.' The University of Miami, University of Tampa, and Bethune-Cookman University are among the 15 schools that would be ineligible to receive EASE money if the language is included in the final budget. ICUF estimates about 22,000 students would lose EASE funding. The EASE grant, established in 1979, is similar to the recently expanded K-12 voucher program in that taxpayer money is used to pay for private school tuition. The House budget would provide $135.9 billion for the program in the coming fiscal year, in line with current year funding of $134.8 billion. Mike Allen, president of Barry University in Miami Shores, said the proposal 'doesn't track' with the Legislature's 'priorities around school choice that have been made very, very clear.' Republican Rep. Demi Busatta, chair of the House Higher Education Budget subcommittee, said she is 'always open to having a discussion' when asked whether she was open to a glide path to implement the metrics. 'I think the most important thing is that the money per student is the same. It has not decreased. We have not changed it,' Busatta said, adding that change would not affect students' eligibility for Bright Futures scholarships. She said she has had 'many meetings' with ICUF and its institutions including UM, and other stakeholders. 'There's institutions out there that have a 14- or 15% graduation rate. We want to make sure that students aren't going, getting into debt when they are not having the best opportunity to be set up for success at that institution.' ICUF data show some of its member institutions have four-year graduation rates as low as Busatta suggested, including Webber International University, Barry University, and Bethune-Cookman University. Republican Rep. Mike Caruso, vice chair of the subcommittee, told the Phoenix he is against the private institution restrictions in the House budget proposal as well as the $5 billion cut to the overall budget. 'I think it's a trickle down from the proposed budget cut of $5 billion from leadership that's working its way down through the different silos and things are going to suffer as a result,' Caruso said Tuesday. Caruso said the 'big hand of the state puts their foot down on just about everything.' 'These private universities serve a purpose, a tremendous role in the way that we have education, and the EASE program helps to facilitate it. I don't like these restrictions, we put our hand into everything and we continue to do that,' Caruso said. According to ICUF, its institutions produce 28% of nursing degrees and 25% of teaching degrees in the state. 'The ripple effect can occur in many directions and in many ways, but certainly one will be that this will really limit our ability, particularly here in South Florida, to provide basic services that people need to live here, and I think that would really affect folks,' Allen said, adding that several of the private schools train nurses, a field the state has focused on bolstering amid a shortage. Hospitals are 'in a panic about the inability to find enough nurses to staff their hospitals,' Allen said. 'When it comes to the EASE grants, they are essential for thousands of our Florida students,' Caruso said, adding that the language 'may be cracking down on the universities, but what we're really hurting is the students themselves, and those students are the future nurses, the future technicians, the future of our state.' The House proposal would require schools to have graduation rates of at least 54%, retention rates of at least 67%, and affordability rates of $6,183, among other measurements. Private institution presidents told reporters Monday that factors unique to each university could unfairly exempt students, including how the state calculates accessibility and how it considers graduation rates and course drops when students transfer. Rep. Gallop Franklin, Democratic ranking member on the House Higher Education Budget subcommittee, told the Phoenix implementing changes to EASE should be more 'methodical.' Franklin said the proposal would affect 22,000 students instantly and result in immediate costs spikes on students. Franklin suggested grandfathering people in and having conversations with institutions to minimize disruption, or to offer less than $3,500 for the coming year if there are budgetary concerns. Franklin said he is not sure that the government should 'be in the space of saying, 'Hey, we're only going to allow you to take your voucher to certain schools.'' Tightening EASE disbursements is part of House Speaker Daniel Perez's budget, which is lower than the current year's budget, and comes amid talk of cutting the sales tax by 0.75%. Boyd complained the state is using 'arbitrary metrics with arbitrary percentages to implement a budget cut — that's the way I look at it.' David Armstrong, president of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, said supporting private schools helps keep students in Florida. 'The fact that the Florida state schools are ranked Number One in the country is fantastic for all of us as the citizens of the state, but who has picked up the role as the access schools?' Armstrong said. 'In our state, it's the community college system and the smaller private institutions that are enrollment-driven. Now that works out fine, because that's a part of our mission, serving those who are underserved.' Lawmakers will debate the budget Wednesday before heading into negotiations with the Senate. 'I think most of our institutions will survive. It's the impact on the students. Because this is a voucher program. This is not a grant to the institution. This is a direct dollar, per dollar, to that student to go to school and use for their education,' said Art Keiser, chancellor of Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale. AdventHealth University Ave Maria University Barry University Bethune-Cookman University Edward Waters University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Florida Memorial University Keiser University Lynn University Saint Leo University St. Thomas University University of Miami University of Tampa Warner University Webber International University SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida college leaders concerned over possible changes to student EASE grants
Private college leaders in Florida are concerned about a House plan that could limit access to the Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) grant. EASE gives some private school students $3,500 toward tuition. Under the proposal, schools would have to meet new benchmarks like graduation rates and cost of attendance. Potentially impacting more than 21,000 students statewide. 'The purpose of EASE was to create access for students to go into our institutions, because the publics can't serve every student in Florida, and they can't produce every degree that Florida needs,' said Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida President Bob Boyd. The House and Senate will start negotiations on their budget plans starting Wednesday. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
