Category: Featured

Farewell to our friend Paul Dear friends and colleagues, It is with great emotion that I begin this month’s newsletter with a remembrance of our dear friend and talented colleague, Dr. Paul Gader, who passed away in early June. Paul was a world-leading computer scientist who loved nature and, perhaps influenced by his upbringing in […]

University of Florida PhD student Nick Chin is using artificial intelligence to identify and quantify the dynamics of one of southwest Florida’s most pressing environmental issues: red tide.   Chin, from the Kaplan lab, presented this research at the American Ecological Engineering Society (AEES) in Tampa in early June, which will support the groundwork to identify […]

As hurricane season kicks off, scientists continue to keep an eye on how coastal dunes change in response to landfalling hurricanes and storms that pass offshore. A team led by Peter Adams, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and lead for the CCS Geospatial Group, is measuring how these processes change the […]

Todd Van Natta loves going to work, wherever that happens to be on any given day. As director of field research for the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), Todd oversees field work for multiple complex projects in different locations throughout Florida and the Southeast region.   “I’m the luckiest person in the world, I really […]

A yearlong study tracking the movement of wastewater discharged in an emergency from the retired Piney Point phosphate processing plant in 2021 shows that the pollution spread much farther than expected.  “This research highlights the importance of protecting coastal water quality and ensuring that infrastructure failures do not negatively impact Tampa Bay water quality,” said […]

Coastal dunes are one of the first lines of protection for communities and infrastructure on the coast in the face of extreme storm events, sea level rise and other effects of climate change. By adding nutrients to the soil, diversifying plant species and planting density, CCS researchers found that dunes can revegetate and grow to […]

The CCS technical team took part in the four-day University of Florida Open Hackathon, hosted in collaboration with OpenACC Organization, in May to write code for a new coastal and ocean model that can run simulations of coastal and oceanic processes much faster and more accurately than currently possible. During the codefest, Ron Fick, Ph.D., […]

Even in death, corals may play an important role in preserving life in the ocean. With support from a 2023 National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award, UF Assistant Professor Andrew Altieri, Ph.D., will launch a new project to investigate the role of dead corals in the resilience of tropical coastal ecosystems and engage high school students, teachers, undergraduate, and graduate students through […]

This month’s SeaSquad features an interview with our newest advisory board member, Kevin Taylor, who shares his family’s deep roots in The Sunshine State, his long-standing love for the University of Florida, why the CCS’ mission matters, and what the perfect day in Florida looks like to him.   Tell us about yourself and your connection […]

University of Florida engineering alumni gathered at a Gator Nation event in Jupiter to hear how the CCS is working to unlock Florida’s potential to quickly implement data-driven and cost-effective actions to improve water quality statewide through its decision support system. This integrated system identifies root causes of water quality issues and simulates solutions using […]