Category: News

By Megan Sam When Florida implemented a ban on foreign-manufactured drones in April 2023, researchers in the Ifju Lab at the University of Florida faced an unexpected setback. Much of their fieldwork, from underwater mapping to wildfire management, depended on the now restricted technology. Instead of turning to commercial alternatives, the team took a bold […]

By Megan Sam Student hackathons. Joint certificate programs. Collaborative workshops and problem-solving spaces. These are just a few of the forward-thinking ideas that emerged during an energizing planning session held April 23 between the University of Florida (UF) and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). The session brought together scientists, engineers and […]

By Megan Sam   After enduring two floods in just over a year, the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District realized it was time to move its administration building to higher ground. To guide that critical decision, they turned to an innovative tool developed by researchers at the University of Florida — the Resilient Cedar Key […]

By Megan Sam When Gabrielle Quadrado first started flipping through her mom’s biology books at 8 years old, she wasn’t thinking about scientific research or earning a Ph.D. She was a curious child playing “professor,” inspired by her mom, who is both a researcher and biology professor. Years later, that early spark of curiosity became […]

A $7.5 million, five-year project funded by the Office of Naval Research is breaking new ground in tidal mudflats research.   Led by Nina Stark, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, this ambitious initiative brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from five universities across the country. The project […]

Could hurricanes be fueling the spread of microplastics and harmful bacteria in our oceans? With support from a National Science Foundation (NSF) RAPID grant, Chamteut Oh, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences (ESSIE), is launching a new research project to investigate how back-to-back storms might accelerate the […]

When children see photos of Alexis Jackson wading through muddy wetlands — swarmed by insects, enduring scorching heat and working alongside alligators and snakes — their first question is usually, “Why are you doing this?”   On February 8, at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Girls Do Science event, which was attended by more than […]

Current flood forecasts in coastal areas often lack the precision people need. It’s like being told, “it will rain this afternoon,” without knowing whether it’ll be a light drizzle or a heavy downpour. But scientists are working to change that. By leveraging powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) technology, researchers are making coastal flood predictions faster, […]

Congratulations to Dakota Lewis, recipient of the 2025 Guy Harvey Fellowship!  With this support, she’ll be diving deeper into how environmental changes affect fish populations in Florida Bay and predicting how they’ll respond to our changing climate.   “What I love about using fish as a study system is that they can move around,” said […]

What if decision-making included experiencing the future firsthand? Community leaders can now forecast hazards like hurricanes, model future scenarios, and test strategies to ensure a healthy, resilient and economically vibrant future for Jacksonville’s residents using the JaxTwin, a digital replica of the city. This novel tool, developed by a trans-disciplinary team of UF researchers and […]