Brain drain alert: USF loses rescue robot professor

Another week, another top professor leaving the state.

The University of South Florida is losing bragging rights to internationally renowned robotics researcher Robin Murphy, who gained notoriety when she deployed her search-and-rescue robots at the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster and then more recently in the Utah mine disaster.

She is resigning at the end of the summer to take a post at Texas A&M University.

"I hope that the faculty will think of my move as creating a new partner for those multi-institutional grants and that we will continue to work together to create technology to save lives," she wrote in her June 19 resignation letter.

For USF, a research university trying to boost its national profile, the departure is a painful reminder of how hard it’s becoming to keep the best faculty in the state university system. Florida State and the University of Florida, the other two major public research institutions, also are losing dozens of faculty and administrators.

They’re headed to universities in states like North Carolina that do not suffer the same financial and political uncertainties as Florida — where lawmakers facing revenue shortfalls have cut tens of millions of dollars from colleges’ rolls in the past year.

Comments

[Cynthia]

I think Barb might be implying that there is an elite school in FL.That made me chuckle.

I think her comment is spot on that the person who called USF a fad is an elitist but lets be honest here - even the state's flagship university isn't up to par nationally. All of FL's universities have some good departments and faculty - but the politics and the leadership will never push them into what might be called "elite" unless something drastically changes.

USF, UCF, FSU, UF, etc all have the potential to be really really good schools but they might never get the chance with the way things in Tally are going... Sad.

[Barb]

Bill - What kind of person belittles the hard work of so many accomplished professors, students and staff by calling USF a fad? Could you be the graduate of a Florida university who resents all that USF has accomplished in a relatively short period of time? I sense a bit of snobbery. Could it be your status quo doesn't have room for bright people who attend a non-elite school? USF is a whole lot more than you would like to think.

[Bill]

It's pathetic how many people think USF is a institution of higher learning.

Isn't the USF fad over yet?

[Timmy!]

We need politicians who are willing to tell us the truth and create solutions that address the problem BEYOND their reelection.

[Chris W]

That's kind of what you get when you let the building and real estate industries push for the wrong solution to a problem they can't admit they were part of causing.

[Ann E Mouse]

Charlie Crist really did a number on us. It will be a long long time before this state recovers from the damage done by Amendment #1. Even if it is rescinded, we will have to go through the process of convincing worthwhile professors to return to the state. Florida is going to be in deep trouble for decades.