ADVANCING THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Florida Board of Governors confirms Dr. Stuart R. Bell as 14th president of the University of Florida

The Florida Board of Governors confirmed Dr. Stuart R. Bell as the 14th president of the University of Florida, effective immediately, completing a national search and ushering in a new chapter for one of the nation’s leading public universities. This confirmation follows his unanimous selection by the UF Board of Trustees and unanimous recommendation by the UF Presidential Search Advisory Committee.

Gator Pharmacy Exploration Camp at UF immerses high schoolers in a world of possibility

Florida students starting their senior year can apply for the Gator Pharmacy Exploration Camp, a weeklong fun-filled residential program hosted by the UF College of Pharmacy every summer. Mary Beth Yokomi, assistant director of admissions for the College of Pharmacy, has led the camp since its inception in 2022.

UF partnership brings robotic fish to Florida classrooms to spark young scientists

Elementary school students across Florida are using robotic fish to learn one of science’s most fundamental skills: asking questions. A partnership between the University of Florida Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Thompson Earth Systems Institute at the Florida Museum of Natural History is developing hands-on classroom kits that help students investigate scientific concepts through experimentation and engineering.

From fields to space farming, new tool detects crop drought stress before it’s visible

In a recent study published in Plant Phenomics, researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and NASA used hyperspectral imaging to detect stress in lettuce plants shortly after watering was reduced. The approach allowed researchers to identify plant stress well before visible signs such as wilting or color changes.