FAU Harbor Branch Co-Founder Edwin A. Link Inducted Into Florida Inventors Hall Of Fame

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Apr 16, 2018, 10:17 ET

BOCA RATON, Fla., April 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The late Edwin A. Link, a driving force behind bringing FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to Fort Pierce, is being inducted into the 2018 class of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

Link was a pioneer in aviation, underwater archeology and submersibles. He is most recognized for inventing the Link flight simulator in the 1920s, which helped to train countless pilots, including more than 500,000 airmen during World War II.

Later in life, Link turned his attention from the sky to the sea. In 1971, Link helped to create Harbor Branch as an independent research institution with the financial support of founder J. Seward Johnson. He designed a myriad of tools to explore marine environments, including the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles, which were built by a team of engineers at Harbor Branch in the 1970s.

Link, along with his wife Marion, established the Link Foundation in 1953 to support research and education in the fields of aeronautics and oceanography, and a generous grant from his Foundation in 1965 allowed FAU to create the country's first undergraduate ocean engineering degree program.

"As the visionary behind our FAU Harbor Branch, the legacy that Ed left is unmistakable, and the university continues to benefit from his generosity," said Dan Flynn, Ph.D., vice president for research. "He and his work rank right up there with Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and to have that unique connection to such brilliance is a true gift for FAU."

Link will officially be inducted at the fifth Annual Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Gala on Friday, September 7, 2018, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF) recognizes and commends Florida inventors whose achievements have advanced the quality of life for Floridians, the state and the nation.

For more information, contact Carin Smith at 772-242-2230 or [email protected].

About Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute: Founded in 1971, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a research community of marine scientists, engineers, educators and other professionals focused on Ocean Science for a Better World. The institute drives innovation in ocean engineering, at-sea operations, drug discovery and biotechnology from the oceans, coastal ecology and conservation, marine mammal research and conservation, aquaculture, ocean observing systems and marine education. For more information, visit www.fau.edu/hboi.

About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

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SOURCE Florida Atlantic University