Visionary Edwin Link Inducted Into Inventors Hall of Fame
By carin smith | 4/12/2018
The late Edwin A. Link, a driving force behind bringing FAU鈥檚 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鈥檚 first undergraduate ocean engineering degree program.
鈥淎s the visionary behind our FAU Harbor Branch, the legacy that Ed left is unmistakable, and the university continues to benefit from his generosity,鈥 said Dan Flynn, Ph.D., vice president for research. 鈥淗e 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.鈥
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.
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