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Loved ones share in the college experience at Phoenix Family Day

September 22, 2025

Florida Polytechnic University buzzed with energy on Saturday, Sept. 20, as more than 850 parents, siblings and friends joined students on campus for the annual Phoenix Family Day. Visitors explored the University, played games, tackled hands-on STEM challenges and experienced firsthand the vibrant spirit of the Florida Poly community alongside their favorite Phoenix student. Gladys Diaz, from Miramar, Florida, joined

Colombian National Team coach brings World Cup experience to Florida Poly soccer players

September 19, 2025

Legendary Colombian soccer coach Nelson Abadía brought his expertise and inspiration to Florida Polytechnic University on Thursday, Sept. 18, as he observed the men’s and women’s soccer teams in training and shared advice to strengthen their game. “It was unforgettable. Coach Abadía brought so much knowledge, and his presence alone elevated the atmosphere,” said Sebastian Anzola, captain of Florida Poly’s

Florida Poly professor’s powerful new tool brings higher accuracy to nuclear physics

September 15, 2025

Dr. Ian Bentley, chair of the Department of Physics at Florida Polytechnic University, developed a new machine learning model to improve predictions of nuclear binding energies.

Students face off in epic Humans vs. Zombies Nerf battle

September 12, 2025

A “zombie infection” overtook Florida Polytechnic University during the week of Sept. 8, slowly spreading from three infected students to nearly all the players in a campuswide Humans vs. Zombies Nerf dart battle.

Expert panel explores phosphate mining and its impacts

September 10, 2025

A panel discussion at Florida Polytechnic University on Monday, Sept. 8, examined the history, benefits and future of phosphate mining.

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

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Alum works on autonomous vehicle technology at NVIDIA

July 13, 2023

Mihir Lad ’22 is living out his dream of working on autonomous vehicle (AV) technology as a part of the fleet engineering team at NVIDIA, a leader in AI and accelerated computing, based in Santa Clara, California. In his role with the company, Lad is on the team working to develop the AV software used in highly automated and self-driving

Accreditation Team Invites Public Comments About Florida Polytechnic University Police Department

July 12, 2023

LAKELAND, Fla. – A team of assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) will arrive Tuesday, Aug. 15 at Florida Polytechnic University to examine all aspects of the University’s Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services. Florida Polytechnic University Police Department (FPPD must comply with numerous standards to receive accredited status. Many of the

Tech, defense business leaders join Florida Poly Foundation Board

July 11, 2023

Johnnie Curls, Jr., owner and CEO of Barney’s Pumps, and Alen Tomczak, a national director for digital intelligence company Cellebrite, have been named to the Florida Polytechnic University Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation’s mission is to “partner with Florida Poly to engage the community, inspire investment, and steward resources to build a world-class university.” The two business leaders bring

Florida Poly student learns the ropes of road resurfacing at FDOT internship

July 3, 2023

An encounter at Florida Polytechnic University’s Career and Internship Fair drove Catarina Andrade to a summer internship that sees her working with engineering-related departments at the Florida Department of Transportation. The mechanical engineering major is a pavement evaluation intern and primarily works with the group of professionals responsible for road resurfacing at the agency’s offices in Bartow, Florida. Other technical

Electrical engineering major drives automation, high-tech innovation at national lab internship

June 22, 2023

Florida Polytechnic University rising sophomore Josh Alletto’s knowledge, confidence, and high-tech skills earned him a summer internship that he’s sure will change his life. Alletto, an electrical engineering major, is spending his summer working at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. The laboratory is a federally funded research and development center owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. The opportunity

Alum’s dream career in aerospace blasts off

June 20, 2023

From the time Austin Adams ’22 was a child, thoughts of humans making discoveries and charting new paths in space captivated his imagination. “Space has always been my passion,” said Adams, who received a bachelor’s degree in business analytics from Florida Polytechnic University in 2022. “When I’d watch a rocket launch and leave the Earth to benefit humanity and make

Dutch Charlemagne Fellow explores deep tech startups with Florida Poly faculty

June 12, 2023

Sabine Kerssens, a Dutch systems engineer, is pursuing research in collaboration with Florida Polytechnic University about how effective European research institutes are at commercializing advances in knowledge and using them for economic, social, and environmental impact. Kerssens received the prominent European Charlemagne Prize Fellowship and is working on her research with support from Dr. Rei Sanchez-Arias, assistant chair of Florida

Florida Poly Foundation names Jack Harrell board chair

June 1, 2023

Longtime Lakeland businessman Jack Harrell III has been appointed chair of the Florida Polytechnic University Foundation Board of Directors. Harrell has been a member of the board since 2018. “It’s an honor to be named chair of the Florida Poly Foundation Board,” he said. “There are tons of great things going on at the University. The Foundation’s important responsibility of

Early hurricane prep can keep you safe when storms strike

May 31, 2023

The Atlantic hurricane season is here, and Florida Poly wants to encourage everyone within the University community to be prepared in case a storm comes our way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Climate Prediction Center expects that the 2023 hurricane season will include 12 to 17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes, and one to four major hurricanes

Alum thrives in engineering career with global manufacturing services company Jabil

May 24, 2023

Sinead Fernandes ’19, ’21 is forging a successful path as a test development engineer at Jabil, a global manufacturing services company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, and one of the largest companies in the Tampa Bay area. “I work on the electrical and computer engineering side of things from the concept phase to delivering the test system to the customer,”

Phoenix’s aerospace career off to a flying start

May 18, 2023

Florida Polytechnic University rising sophomore Jonathan Gauthier’s burgeoning expertise as a private pilot dovetails with his growing knowledge of mechanical engineering and his desire to one day design aviation equipment and parts for both optimal performance and a stellar user experience. Gauthier earned his pilot’s license in 2022. He was inspired to take to the skies as a sophomore in

Work less, learn more: Florida Poly’s affordability reduces hours students must work

May 12, 2023

The burden of paying for a quality college education is much lower for Florida Polytechnic University students than for those attending many other universities in the country. The author of a report by My eLearning World, an online resource offering coverage about various aspects of digital education, said Florida Poly students work about 77% fewer hours than the average American