Moving the needle in higher education

Like sculpting from within: New technique builds advanced materials out of basic plastics

In a kind of addition-by-subtraction, chemists at the University of Florida have developed a technique to create highly porous materials from the ubiquitous building blocks of everyday plastics, and the end result could have applications in electronics, separations and battery manufacturing. It’s not what they add, but what they take out.

New compounds make cancer cells respond better to treatment

Similar to the way one bad apple can spoil the bunch, killing cancerous cells is difficult to accomplish without harming healthy cells in the process. Collaborators, including faculty in the University of Florida colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy and Liberal Arts and Sciences recently published research that brings scientists one step closer to finding a safe, effective treatment for certain cancers.

UF joins prestigious UCAR Consortium to advance atmospheric and earth science research

The University of Florida has been accepted as a member of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a premier consortium that unites top-tier institutions in atmospheric and Earth system sciences.

Can invasive plants increase tick exposure risk? Scientists reveal a surprising link to human health

A new University of Florida study, published recently in Ecology, demonstrates how cogongrass, an invasive grass common across the Southeast United States is enhancing tick survival. Researchers at UF’s Invasion Science Institute (ISI) found that lone star ticks, a species common in the Southeast and known to bite humans, survive more than 50% longer in areas dominated by invasive cogongrass than in native plant communities.

University of Florida unveils fastest supercomputer in higher education

The excitement was palpable as University of Florida leadership, corporate partners and state officials gathered for the unveiling of the country’s fastest university-owned supercomputer at the institution’s East Campus, officially launching the next generation of the groundbreaking HiPerGator system.

Study finds COVID-19 mRNA vaccine sparks immune response to fight cancer

Patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy drugs lived significantly longer than those who did not get the vaccine, researchers have found. The observation by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is a defining moment in a decade-plus of research testing.

With startup, researchers plan to help growers feed more people, preserve environment

By commercializing their research, two University of Florida scientists are trying to get practical AI tools into the hands of our state’s farmers. The goal is to build their business by increasing farm profitability, lowering the costs of inputs such as pesticides and labor — and feeding more people.

Multi-university AI research may revolutionize wildfire evacuation

Armed with a nearly $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant, UF, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Utah are creating AI-based models to simulate human behavior during evacuations – information that will help emergency managers shape more effective evacuation plans.

Microbiology boot camp brings hands-on STEM learning to life for online students

Five days spent working with microscopes, pipettes and cultures can completely transform how students understand the STEM field, which is why the University of Florida’s 2012-launched microbiology boot camp has been a game changer for UF Online students.