Category: News

By Megan Sam Science and design don’t always speak the same language, often working in isolation even on the same projects. Adrian Sakr, an environmental engineering student at the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), wants to change that. He believes that building a more resilient future for Florida’s coastlines starts with breaking down these silos […]

By Megan Sam “As we all live on or near the Indian River Lagoon, we’re directly affected by these issues,” said Walter Rentz, president of the Space Coast Gator Club. “The discussion about red tide was especially timely.”  That sense of urgency — and personal connection — set the tone for a recent Gator Nation […]

By Megan Sam That’s the question driving Arianna Martin, a Ph.D. candidate in civil and coastal engineering at the University of Florida. She’s exploring how the behavior of small seafloor-dwelling animals might affect locating and identifying unexploded ordnances (UXOs) — leftover bombs or munitions buried in subaquatic sediments.  Central to Martin’s research is a device […]

By Megan Sam Why does one branch of the St. Lucie Estuary consistently struggle with low oxygen levels while the other remains relatively healthy? That’s the puzzle a team of researchers, led by Scott Lee Young, a graduate student in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, is working to solve. Each year, the North […]

By Megan Sam University of Florida researchers are giving their storm-tracking Sentinel towers a major upgrade – adding new water quality sensors to the high-tech, hurricane-ready structures. Standing 33-feet-tall and built to withstand major storms, these towers already monitor wind, waves and storm surge in real-time. Now, they’ll also capture water quality conditions, offering a […]

By Megan Sam A five-year, $7 million project funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is launching in St. Augustine with an ambitious goal: to strengthen shoreline resilience and restore degraded wetlands and dunes using nature-based solutions — approaches that harness natural processes to deliver environmental, social and economic benefits. Led by Andrew Altieri, […]

By Dave Schlenker The slimy algae topping Florida’s waterways are more than just unsightly. They are often toxic to humans, animals and the environment. To mitigate those risks, University of Florida researchers are collaborating with North Carolina State University and University of South Florida scientists on a next-day prediction model to warn and inform water […]

Kicking off the summer field season May marks the start of a full and exciting summer field season — one that calls for grit, teamwork and a spirit of adventure. Our students and staff will be out in the field across Florida and around the world, gaining hands-on experience in coastal research and learning what […]

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 […]