Office of Community Relations

UF Government and Community Relations

Monday, September 30, 2024

Across the University of Florida, our 16 colleges, numerous institutes, and health care facilities embrace our shared mission of outreach and service to improve and enrich our community, nation, and the world. UF in the Community spotlights the impact of UF in our region.

Although UF has students and employees throughout the state, North Central Florida is home to much of our faculty and staff and to our 50,000+ students. Like all area residents, we want a vibrant, safe, healthy, and equitable place in which to live and thrive. Here are some of the ways in which we are enhancing our shared community.?

Bloomberg names University of Florida’s MBA among the nation’s best

The University of Florida’s MBA program has been recognized among the top business schools by Bloomberg Businessweek. According to the prestigious publication’s 2024-2025 Best Business Schools list, the Full-Time MBA program at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business is the No. 37 program among the 77 ranked business schools from across the United States. Among public universities on the list, the University of Florida’s MBA is in the top 15 programs.

To create its ranking, Bloomberg Businessweek collects data from those who it believes are the key judges of full-time MBA programs – graduating students, recent alumni and companies that recruit MBAs. Using survey responses from these groups, Bloomberg Businessweek measures programs in five indices – compensation (37.4%), learning (25.5%), networking (17.4%), entrepreneurship (11.3%) and diversity (8%).

The University of Florida’s MBA program saw significant gains in three index scores on Bloomberg Businessweek’s ranking, including:

Networking – No. 7 in the nation

Compensation – No. 28 in the nation

Learning – No. 35 in the nation

How UF space researchers play pivotal roles in major missions

John Conklin and Amy Williams both faced pivotal career moments as young doctoral students.

Conklin knew exactly what he wanted: A chance to work on gravitational waves that began rippling across the universe when black holes collided billions of years ago. More than two decades later, Conklin still speaks avidly about precisely measuring the ancient, unseeable forces that shaped the universe.

UF professor helps change safety rules to protect Florida high school athletes

Student-athletes in Florida high schools face a unique set of challenges — from enduring summer heat on the field to lacking some key safety services off the field, like access to athletic trainers.

But this reality has begun to change, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the University of Florida’s Patricia “Pattie” Tripp, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, a clinical professor and associate director of the Doctor of Athletic Training program in the College of Health & Human Performance’s Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology, the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida, and the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

Tripp was pivotal in championing policy changes regarding sports safety statewide, which went into effect on July 1. The Florida High School Athletic Association’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee has now clarified its expectations for heat safety modifications during sports, promoted communication and secure documentation for health-related information, and set the minimum standard for access to health care services at events.

“Even though we have ranked No. 1 compared against other states for safety policies in secondary schools, there are opportunities for improvement that would ensure our high school athletes are playing in an environment with an optimal amount of safety measures in place,” said Tripp, who assembled a task force during her time as president of the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida to help address these issues.

Welcome to Gainesville, BOD3

One of the country’s largest and most-advanced 3D construction printers – as in a printer that makes homes – has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived at the University of Florida.  

Manufactured by COBOD International in Denmark, the two-story printer was shipped in pieces to the Port of Savannah in Georgia earlier this month. It cleared U.S. Customs and pulled into UF’s East Campus in two semi-trucks Friday morning. It eventually will live in “The Pit” (Weil Hall Structures and Materials Lab), a large industrial space in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering on the main campus. 

Make no mistake, UF’s new BOD3 is a big deal in size, scope and significance.  

This is COBOD’s newest 3D construction printer, the first of its new third-generation models sold in the United States. The primary three elements – mixer/cement silo, concrete piston pump and the 3D printer components – weigh 27,000 pounds, collectively.  

“The opportunities for the interplay of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics and smart manufacturing will be one of a kind in the country,” said UF Professor Iris V. Rivero, the chair of the UF Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering who launched the effort to secure the 3D printer. “With UF’s access to the Space Coast, vast areas of shoreline, and infrastructure needs, we will be the hub of innovation in Industrial Manufacturing Construction Engineering.

How UF researchers are making space more hospitable for people and machines

While people on Earth are thinking about self-driving cars, Christopher “Chrispy” Petersen is focused on self-driving satellites.

“A satellite that nudges itself in the right direction or performs some aspect of self-repair lets people in the control room focus on other, important mission-oriented tasks,” he says.

Petersen, an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, loves pushing the limits of satellite capabilities.

On the front lines of Chagas disease: UF medical student tackles a silent killer across two continents

Growing up in the small, coastal town of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, first-year University of Florida College of Medicine student Rodrigo Alcala-Arana was surrounded by kind neighbors, delicious fried fish, and lots of dancing.

He enjoyed spending time outdoors, learning to spearfish and playing on his family’s farm, where el chipo – a triatomine insect often referred to as a “kissing bug” in English – was common.

But the vibrant city was also home to a deadly and neglected tropical disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and spread through the feces of these kissing bugs. Chagas disease, named after the Brazilian Dr. Carlos Chagas who identified the ailment in 1909, could often go unnoticed for years.

Keeping electric vehicle charging services strong during hurricane season is key in Florida

In a state like Florida, which is prone to hurricanes and other extreme weather events, electric vehicles – and the public charging services that power and sustain them – are becoming increasingly important.

A new study from the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning, which was published mid-hurricane season in the Journal of Management in Engineering, highlights the urgent need to bolster the resilience of these services.

During emergencies marked by high winds and flooding, the interconnected challenges of supply and demand become more pronounced. Electric vehicle charging services face significant challenges at these times due to infrastructure damages and restricted access. The ability of the services to withstand disruptions depends on the physical and socioeconomic characteristics of the area and how the charging stations are networked within communities. UF researchers are looking for innovative ways to combat these issues.

Physician Spotlight: A Passion for Lung Cancer Care, From Prevention to Survivorship

Devika Das, MD, was fascinated with medicine growing up. She used that passion to propel her through medical school in India. However, it wasn’t until her internal medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that this first-generation physician knew she wanted to dedicate her career to oncology.

“When I started residency and began working in oncology wards, those were the rotations that stayed with me,” said Das, who joined the University of Florida College of Medicine this month as an associate professor in the UF Division of Hematology & Oncology after 18 years in academic medicine at UAB. “Over time, it was very clear to me that I wanted those long-term relationships with my patients. Having some cancer history in our family, I knew I wanted to be an oncologist.”

A board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist, Dr. Das cares for patients with thoracic malignancies such as lung cancer and works to boost lung cancer screening rates. Her research interests include creating high-quality clinical trials that are equitable and centered on patient needs, while enrolling those who are historically underrepresented in medicine.

From Florida to Jordan: Training Scientists on Climate-Smart Agricultural Solutions

In a country like Jordan in the Middle East, where rainfall is scarce and water resources are severely strained, the agricultural sector is facing significant threats. From reduced crop yields to soil degradation, and growing water scarcity, farmers need to deal with limited access to irrigation and supplies, which puts immense pressure on both food production and rural livelihoods. Additionally, with climate change exacerbating these issues, the need for resilient, climate-smart agricultural practices is becoming critical for the region.

To help address these challenges in the country, GFSI (Global Food Systems Institute) faculty members and GFSI STRIKE Force and UFIC Partnership Development winners, Dr. Nargiza Ludgate, Dr. Greg Kiker, Dr. Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, and Dr. Gerrit Hoogenboom teamed up with Jordanian experts to hold a workshop designed for researchers, professionals, and graduate students interested in modeling climate-smart food systems.

UF awarded $3.5 million grant to train new clinical pain researchers

To address the need for new nonaddictive methods to treat pain, a University of Florida team has been awarded a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to train postdoctoral fellows seeking to become independent clinical pain researchers.

Under the NIH HEAL Initiative PAIN Cohort Program, the UF team will train 10 to 15 fellows from various academic disciplines over the next five years in a broad national effort to strengthen the clinical pain research workforce and develop new non-opioid treatments for pain management.

“Worldwide, pain is the leading cause of disability, but we have limited effective options for its treatment,” said neuroscientist Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, MSPH, Ph.D., director of the training program, called UF Partnerships Across Interdisciplinary Networks: Training through Engineering, Epidemiology & Addiction Medicine, known as the UF PAIN TEAM. “The study of pain and treatment of pain are multidimensional. It’s complex and requires communication and collaboration from people from multiple disciplines and backgrounds.”

University of Florida professor and his mentee named to international science society

A revered professor and his esteemed graduate accepted invitations to join Sigma Xi, an elite “international honor society whose members are scientists and engineers.”

Lorenzo Rossi, associate professor at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC), along with his Ph.D. candidate, Lukas Hallman, will join the ranks of Sigma Xi, that lists among its members more than 200 Nobel Laureates, including Albert Einstein, Sally Ride, Enrico Fermi, and Jennifer Doudna. Fermi, whose early work with nuclear science led to the world’s first atomic bomb, shares an Italian heritage and the same alma mater with Rossi. Both scientists graduated from Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Italy’s most prestigious university, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Doudna pioneered the work to edit genes in living organisms, or CRSPR, which is well-known among scientists such as Rossi and Hallman. They anticipate the discovery’s promise to significantly advance food production, crop protection, and the end world hunger.

October Eye Opener Discovery Breakfast

Join us for our October Eye Opener as we welcome Dr. Stephen Motew, the new president and system CEO of UF Health, to discuss the exciting future ahead. Discover how the university’s academic health system, a recognized leader in innovation and high-quality, compassionate patient care, is reshaping the health care landscape. Dr. Motew will share insights into upcoming initiatives that will impact our community and beyond during an exciting period of growth and accomplishment. Don’t miss this opportunity to be inspired by the vision and direction of UF Health under his leadership.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT

Brittany Wise

brittany.alana@ufl.edu

(352) 273-3820

Karen Thomas

Director, Community Relations