Category: News

A supercomputer that can predict climate change, natural infrastructure that slows flooding in coastal areas, and a highly maneuverable robotic fish for monitoring coastal waters were among the innovations shared by scientists and engineers at a summit hosted by the UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) on December 2 at the Harn Museum of Art. […]

In October, Florida Sea Grant convened a small group of scientists, policy specialists, regulators, and stakeholders to discuss opportunities and challenges in the emerging field of restoration aquaculture. Restoration aquaculture is a relatively new area that merges the commodity-based production-oriented practices of aquaculture with an ecosystem services approach to environmental restoration. The goal is to […]

What can our robots learn from fish to do their job better? CCS affiliate professor Patrick Musgrave, Ph.D., and his Fluids & Adaptive Structures (FASt) lab have developed a soft robotic fish with the goal of creating Bio-inspired Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (BUUVs) that can effectively operate in the coastal environment. Musgrave and his students are […]

Among the most productive ecosystems on earth, seagrass communities use carbon, provide habitat and food, cycle nutrients, and anchor the sediment bottom, providing an extensive range of services. Regions with historically extensive seagrass cover have been experiencing ongoing die-offs in recent years, which have negative cascading effects on recreational fisheries, grazers such as manatees and […]

CCS’ contributions to the $1 billion invested in research to date by UF was highlighted in an article by the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Projects led by Professors Christine Angelini and David Kaplan showcase how the CCS supports UF’s advancement as a top university with technological discoveries and innovation.   The College spotlighted a joint […]

The CCS is ecstatic to welcome Sharon Ryan as Associate Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives. Sharon will lead strategic planning, communications, and outreach for the Center, as well as support  its partnership and development initiatives.   Sharon is a facilitator, communicator, and strategist specializing in participatory strategic planning, action planning, stakeholder engagement, consensus building, […]

Two days after Hurricane Ian slammed into the Southwest Florida coast as a near Category 5 storm, SCCF Marine Lab Director Eric Milbrandt, Ph.D., began to mobilize a coordinated effort to assess water quality impacts.

“I reached out to our colleagues at University of Florida’s Center for Coastal Solutions (UF-CSS) who we’ve been working with on a current harmful algae bloom research project funded by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” said Milbrandt. “After seeing the devastation of the causeway and the islands, I knew that our routine monthly sampling from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico would not be possible with SCCF equipment.”

Even if you manage to tune out the constant media coverage of Hurricane Ian’s toll on human lives and property on Sanibel, the sensory reminders are everywhere: chainsaw whine, shattered homes, boarded stores, muck stink on the breeze.
But what about nature?

Welcome Dr. Tricia Kyzar!  Dr. Tricia Kyzar has been hanging around the Angelini lab for a few years now and officially joined the Center for Coastal Solutions in July 2022 as a Researcher and Project Manager. She earned her Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning with multiple certificates in GIS and Spatial Analysis. Tricia’s research […]