Summerland Key, FL (June 30, 2017) – Audio Video Partners (AVP) recently finished installing the audiovisual equipment at the International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration, Mote Marine Laboratory’s new research facility located in the Florida Keys.
The 19,000 square-foot building — the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration (IC2R3) — will more than double Mote’s space for studying and restoring coral reefs, while hosting the work of top scientists and students from around the world.
“With two classroom / presentation meeting rooms separated by a folding wall, the client needed an A/V system that offers greater flexibility than a traditional conference room environment,” says Luke Anderson, owner of Audio Video Partners.
Each room features wall-mounted touchscreen panels from Crestron with a custom-designed interface that allows users to easily control their audio and video presentations.
Both rooms use Crestron AirMedia to allow notebook and tablet users to connect wirelessly to the system, and there is also a wired wall plate for HDMI and VGA connections to a shared Blu-ray player.
The heart of the system is a Crestron DMPS3-300-C-AEC DigitalMedia Presentation System with Audio Conferencing Interface.
Each room has a ceiling-mounted projector and motorized screen that drops down from the ceiling, and each room has four in-ceiling speakers that allow all eight to play together when the room is used as one.
“We want this multipurpose presentation room to help our scientists and students share information more effectively, whether they are working together at our campus or collaborating internationally, oceans apart,” said Joe Nickelson, Video Services Director for Mote Marine Laboratory. “With AVP’s help to meet our needs and specifications, we are giving our coral research and restoration specialists the necessary tools to disseminate their knowledge and solutions for the challenges facing reefs.”
About Mote’s IC2R3
Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration (IC2R3), named for key supporter Elizabeth Moore, opened to scientists on May 25.
Coral reefs are nicknamed “rainforests of the sea” because they support about 25 percent of marine life on Earth and provide $6.3 billion to Florida’s economy. However, some areas of Florida and the Caribbean have lost 50-80 percent of coral cover in the last three decades, and reefs have declined worldwide. Mote scientists and their partners are elucidating strategies to stem coral declines and working to implement significant restoration, based on Mote’s innovative coral restoration technologies.
Scientists at Mote’s IC2R3 with will advance coral reef research using: new seawater systems, raceways and experimental tanks for studying multiple reef species facing climate change impacts such as rising ocean temperatures and ocean acidification; molecular equipment to process and prepare samples for next generation sequencing and genomic analyses — for example, to find the best genetic strains of corals for reef restoration; microbial supplies for studying microscopic life forms that can help or harm coral reefs; a carbonate chemistry lab for ocean acidification research; and more.
The new building includes the Alfred Goldstein Institute for Climate Change Studies, thanks to a generous donation from the Alfred and Ann Goldstein Foundation.