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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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New Phoenix Flight internship program guides student entrepreneurs

July 27, 2020

Students who have a great idea and the drive to make it become a reality are finding support this summer with Phoenix Flight, Florida Polytechnic University’s new entrepreneurial internship program. The program took shape this summer after COVID-19 restrictions and closures caused many planned student internships to be delayed or canceled. More than 40 students are working in teams to

Florida Poly senior helps inspire children’s love for STEM

July 24, 2020

Juliana Laurin is using her passion for STEM to encourage children’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines. Her summer internship with Stemwerx is focused on creating an engaging experience for elementary-age kids through an innovative virtual book about engineering. “My team is in charge of planning, designing, and rendering three-dimensional computer-aided assets for the augmented reality aspect of

Florida Poly’s new Scatter Band prepares to soar

July 22, 2020

Students will have a fun, new musical outlet for their time and talent when Florida Polytechnic University kicks off its fall semester. The University has hired two band directors to lead the new Florida Poly Scatter Band. Scatter bands, also known as scramble bands, perform similarly to university marching bands, but rather than marching to form complex geometric formations, these

Florida Poly partners with Florida Funders to continue evolving the Sunshine State into the Startup State

July 20, 2020

Lakeland, Fla. – July 20, 2020 – Florida Polytechnic University, known for shaping the state’s future STEM talent, today announces a partnership with Florida Funders, a hybrid of a venture capital fund and an angel investor network, to provide the next generation of students with meaningful connections in the technology startup industry. The partnership fosters the potential career placements of

Programming Club empowers students for success in competitive hackathons

July 17, 2020

Hackathons are a way of life at Florida Polytechnic University. The Programming Club is making sure students from all majors have the tools they need to join in and succeed at its upcoming Code of the Phoenix Mini Hackathon on July 25. The club is hosting virtual workshops throughout the month of July on topics such as the basics of

International scientific community converges virtually at Florida Poly

July 16, 2020

Materials science professors, researchers, and students from around the globe convened online recently for the International Webinar on Materials Synthesis and Characterization 2020, hosted jointly by Florida Polytechnic University and Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University in India. “The international scientific community learned about current trends and need-of-the-hour technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, and 3D

National lab internship immerses student in real-world research

July 13, 2020

The work senior Alexis Downing is doing as an intern with Argonne National Laboratory, a world-class science and engineering research center, will pave the way for a successful future in research. Downing is completing a remote Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) with the national lab located in Lemont, Illinois. She is working on its Muon g-2 experiment, which is measuring

Mechanical engineering alum does critical work during COVID-19

July 8, 2020

When the COVID-19 crisis began, Sam Trappen ’18 knew his work helping ensure the health of medically fragile patients was going to be more critical than ever. As a device evaluator at Baxter Healthcare in Largo, Florida, Trappen assesses the functioning of peritoneal dialysis equipment to help patients throughout the United States who are living with kidney failure. While the

Microsoft esports collaboration boosts Florida Poly gaming tournaments

July 6, 2020

Microsoft is lending its expertise to Florida Polytechnic University esports tournaments, boosting both their reach and reputation. The University is working with James Lamb, a gaming expert at Microsoft in Orlando, Florida. Lamb managed a League of Legends tournament on June 24 and will also run a Rocket League 3v3 tournament on July 8. “I’m ecstatic about this,” said Tonya

Virtual orientation to give new Phoenixes a soaring start

July 2, 2020

Restrictions on in-person gatherings won’t stop incoming freshmen and transfer students from getting to know the Florida Polytechnic University campus and way of life before their first day of classes this fall. New student orientation, which typically brings hundreds of students together to learn about the University while making connections with their peers, shifted to an online environment this year

Google account executive shares path to success with Florida Poly students

July 1, 2020

A persistent voice urging Lavendar Phan not to settle pushed her to chart her own course to professional success. Unafraid to pivot and try something new, Phan has gone from governmental consultant to Google account executive in 10 short years, discovering new strengths and passions along the way. Phan shared her story with the Florida Polytechnic University community during the

Former Saddle Creek CEO named Florida Poly Board of Trustees chair

June 30, 2020

LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees has a new chair. Trustee Cliff Otto, former CEO of Saddle Creek Logistics Services, has been named chair for a two-year term. Trustee Mark Bostick will serve as vice chair. Otto recently retired from Saddle Creek Logistics Services, a renowned supply chain solutions company based in Lakeland. He was first