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From NASA to startup: Alumna launches AI platform to bridge tech and policy

September 5, 2025

Payton Barnwell ’19 has dedicated her successful high-tech career to creating meaningful impact through innovation. She helped optimize space station crops as a NASA intern, worked in mission control at Virgin Galactic, and led geospatial product development at SkyFi, creating easy-to-use tools from complex data and imagery. Now, the Florida Polytechnic University alumna has embarked on a new adventure. Barnwell

NSF-funded study uses brain data to rethink engineering education

September 3, 2025

Fueled by a new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, innovative research at Florida Polytechnic University aims to redefine the way professors approach engineering design education. Dr. Elisabeth Kames, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received a $200,000 grant to study how students cognitively engage with engineering design challenges. The research will employ neurocognitive tools such as electroencephalography (EEG), as well as

Florida Poly student research uncovers laser light from peacock feathers

August 27, 2025

Undergraduate discovery sparks nationwide scientific attention Florida Polytechnic University senior Anthony Fiorito has captured national attention in the scientific community with groundbreaking research revealing that peacock feathers can emit precise laser light. Fiorito, an engineering physics major, is the first author of a study that has been spotlighted by leading publications including Science, Ars Technica, Interesting Engineering and MSN. The

New SGA president focuses on student voices, organizational strength

August 22, 2025

Connection, communication and advocacy are Colby Manrodt’s top goals as the new president of Florida Polytechnic University’s Student Government Association. “I think our University is in a period of transitioning and going through a lot of change, so we are going to focus this year on bringing better forms of communication to our student body,” said Manrodt, a senior majoring

Florida Poly’s enrollment hits record high, momentum soars

August 18, 2025

Florida Polytechnic University welcomed the new academic year on Monday, Aug. 18 with a record-breaking total enrollment of more than 1,900 students, marking a more than 10% increase over last year’s historic enrollment and the second consecutive year of growth. “This remarkable enrollment underscores the growing recognition of Florida Poly’s value in preparing students for high-demand STEM careers,” said Dr.

Florida Poly reaches new heights with record Fulbright participation

August 13, 2025

Florida Polytechnic University is welcoming the largest cohort of distinguished Fulbright awardees in its history, with international scholars and students set to pursue advanced research and graduate studies during the 2025-26 academic year. The group of 21 graduate students and scholars participating in the prestigious U.S. State Department program reflects the University’s solid commitment to fostering global collaborations and advancing

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New class of Alexander Scholars celebrated at Florida Poly

August 24, 2022

A group of Florida Polytechnic University’s brightest and most promising students was recognized on Monday, Aug. 22, at the Inaugural Alexander Scholars Luncheon. The John R. Alexander Scholars Program is a scholarship program that supports exceptionally high-achieving students in reaching their personal and professional goals without taking on the burden of student debt. Alexander Scholars receive a new laptop and a $40,000

Florida Poly welcomes standout incoming class

August 23, 2022

The new class of freshmen beginning their studies at Florida Polytechnic University this fall is more well-rounded and academically advanced than any class in the school’s history. First-time-in-college applications increased by 31% this year, and by 101% since the fall of 2019. Among admitted students, the average SAT score was 1355 – the highest average in the University’s history –

New Phoenixes arrive on campus ready to soar

August 22, 2022

Hundreds of new Florida Polytechnic University students began arriving on campus on Friday, Aug. 19, to settle into and get to know their new home for the next four years. “I’m nervous, but also excited,” said Madox Bown, a freshman from St. Petersburg, Florida, who will be studying aeronautical engineering. “I’ve never really been away from home before, but it’s

Florida Poly’s new state-of-the-art research building opens its doors

August 18, 2022

Florida Polytechnic University today unveiled its new Applied Research Center, a cutting-edge facility that will strengthen Florida Poly’s position as a premier STEM institution and an engine for economic development. The $47 million building substantially expands the University’s research capabilities and will be instrumental to Florida Poly’s mission to serve students and industry through excellence in education, discovery, and application

New SGA president charges toward promising academic year

August 17, 2022

Florida Polytechnic University junior Melia Rodriguez is more excited than most about the first day of the fall semester. As the new Student Government Association (SGA) president, she is ready to lead and to work hard to support the entire student body. “I’ve always liked advocating on behalf of people who want to have their voices heard,” said Rodriguez, who

Graduate student embraces innovation at prestigious NASA internship

August 16, 2022

Alex Perera ’21 has spent the summer learning and working in a prestigious internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, based at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. The Florida Polytechnic University graduate student is part of a team creating a digital twin of a high altitude balloon that records information about the air around it when the balloon is

Competitive X-Force fellowship provides boost to two Florida Poly students

August 12, 2022

Two Florida Polytechnic University students seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this summer to join the National Security Innovation Network’s (NSIN) 2022 cohort of X-Force fellows. The program is sponsored by the Department of Defense. The summer internship tasks university students from across the nation to assist the military in devising solutions to real-world challenges they experience. Florida Poly’s students had the

Lockheed Martin internship sets Phoenix up for career success

August 9, 2022

Working at Lockheed Martin this summer as a college student technical specialist is opening doors of opportunity for Grayson Dannecker that may shape the rest of his career. Dannecker, a rising senior at Florida Polytechnic University who is majoring in computer engineering with a concentration in embedded systems, is completing a remote summer internship with the global security and aerospace

Alum testing his engineering mettle at John Deere

August 5, 2022

Florida Polytechnic University alumnus Dorian Gray ’20 works hard to ensure the tractors and other equipment produced by global manufacturing company John Deere are correct and adhere to quality standards. “I make a lot of decisions and do a lot of investigations to solve a lot of problems,” said Gray, who received his degree in mechanical engineering from the University.

Florida Poly celebrates hundreds of in-demand grads at 2022 commencement

August 5, 2022

More than 220 Florida Polytechnic University graduates celebrated the completion of their high-demand STEM degrees on Sunday, May 8, at the University’s 2022 commencement ceremony. Students and their loved ones joined Florida Poly faculty and staff in the event at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. “Coming here to Florida Poly and meeting all my friends has honestly changed my

Internship opens Phoenix’s eyes to world of software development

July 29, 2022

The opportunity to see how software development happens on a large scale was something Florida Polytechnic University rising senior Justine Kenji Dela Cruz was thrilled to take on. The computer science major with a concentration in software engineering has been working on software development on an individual scale for years and was excited to learn the process inside out at

Talented international Fulbright cohort ready to work at Florida Poly

July 26, 2022

Outstanding international students and researchers are slated to arrive at Florida Polytechnic University in the 2022-2023 academic year to pursue their academic goals and advance research at the University as part of the United States’ Fulbright Program. A Florida Poly student and assistant professor also will travel abroad as part of the program. Joining Florida Poly during the academic year