GAINESVILLE, FL (September, 2010): Dean Cammy Abernathy hosted a number of leaders from engineering and technology firms as she unveiled the Gator Engineering Leadership Institute. UF President Bernie Machen kicked the Centennial Leadership Weekend off by noting the unprecedented challenges facing engineers due to global growth. He stressed the need for leadership and a role for engineering in the public policy debate. “Our role is to cultivate these skills,” he said, “not just engineering leadership, but leadership in all walks of life.” Ray Johnson of Lockheed Martin served as the keynote speaker noting that “diverse teams bring about power and innovation.” He further noted this importance as future innovations will not be with current “core” technologies, but rather, nontraditional, drawing on social sciences and biology, among other areas. The keynote was followed by panel discussions and other featured speakers.