Sit down, plug in.
Use the sun to recharge more than your body and mind. Cell phones, laptops and other electronics can now be easily recharged using the “Solar Dok” picnic tables, located on opposite sides of the Sun Terrace. The orange-and-blue, solar-powered picnic tables provide accessible power for all visitors to UF&Shands, the UF Academic Health Center, particularly patients and their families, who may not know where to go to recharge their devices. Each table, designed by the Michigan-based company EnerFusion, includes four power outlets and two USB ports and is self-sustaining. Shortly after installation, students clustered around the tables, eating snacks and chatting as an iPad and other electronics charged.“It’s the coolest thing ever,” said Patti Wyatt, a first-year student from the College of Medicine School of Physician Assistant Studies. Patrons are encouraged to use the tables as needed but to be considerate of others who might be waiting to plug in, said Dennis Hines, associate director of medical and health administration for the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs. Hines is exploring other opportunities to install additional tables around the health campus and perhaps a Solstice recharging station, a seat-free option that is made by the same company. — Mina Radman