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.
A panel discussion at Florida Polytechnic University on Monday, Sept. 8, examined the history, benefits and future of phosphate mining.
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
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
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
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 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.
A team of computer science students is working to improve the way Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center keeps tabs on critical surgical equipment. Their actions will help keep costs down while making surgery safer. “We are making a vision-tracking system for surgical tray equipment so that we can take a tray of equipment, scan it, and categorize everything on the
The road to a career in video game design and programming winds through snowy Canada for one Florida Polytechnic University senior. Celeste Ramirez is studying at the University of Western Ontario this semester through the Killam Fellowship Program, which is administered by Fulbright Canada. “One of the best things about the Fulbright Program is the opportunity to connect with people
Superheroes, Muppets, bitmojis, and Disney characters recently started appearing on the windows of the Innovation, Science, and Technology (IST) Building. At the end of the workday, Jake Morrow can often be seen quietly adding new dry-erase artwork to the windows of many faculty and staff offices. “Somebody said to me it’s like the elves and the shoemaker – they go
The work Zachary Weingarten ’18 does every day makes the jobs of police officers, paramedics, and firefighters easier, safer, and more efficient. As a software engineer at Motorola Solutions in Plantation, Florida, Weingarten works to help determine how the company can use technology to improve these public safety professionals’ jobs. “We deliver end-to-end solutions for everything officers would need throughout
Todd Baylis, CEO and co-founder of Qgiv, knows firsthand how business data can affect the successful launch of a product. His experiences taught him what it takes to effectively take a product to market and keep it thriving long past launch day. “We have gone through variant phases in our business,” Baylis said to a group of Florida Polytechnic University
A pair of Florida Polytechnic University seniors hopes their idea to ease back pain among warehouse and distribution workers improves the health of these critical employees and leads to improvements at major corporations. The Lumbar Relief Analog Exoskeleton (LRAE) is a device that assists in the repetitive motion of bending and lifting. It stores energy when a user bends and
Florida Polytechnic University student Joseph Patullo and his younger brother, Paul, spent many evenings in their Hollywood, Florida, home going head to head in friendly ping-pong matches over the years. That inevitably changed a couple of years ago. “Once I came to college, he had no one to play with and was kind of bummed out,” said Patullo, a computer
The videogame designers of the future brought their A-game to the Florida Polytechnic University campus on Nov. 21 for the semi-annual Game Expo. This was the largest Game Expo the University has hosted, with about 30 games on display from Florida Poly students taking the Game Design 1 and 2 classes. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors were able to play
Models of grand concert halls, intimate gazebos, and avant-garde pavilions showcased the artistic talent of their designers at Pavilion with a Purpose, a semi-annual student art and architecture show held on Nov. 19 at Florida Polytechnic University. The event was the culmination of a semester-long effort to research, create, and present a pavilion design as part of the art appreciation
A team of Florida Poly students is charging head-on into the design and construction of a real planetary rover that one day could traverse the terrain of Mars, collecting samples and providing a close-up look at places that have always been a mystery. The 14-member team is developing the rover for the Florida Space Institute. The project is part of
Hackathons are a way of life at Florida Polytechnic University. Students at the University regularly compete in – and win – hackathons throughout the region, proving their problem-solving STEM skills time and again. Two groups of Florida Poly students recently took home top honors at hackathons in architecture design, and sports and entertainment. Hackathons task students with devising innovative ways
Florida Polytechnic University has been recognized for having the lowest out-of-state tuition among American colleges and universities by the website ValueColleges. “We see great relief and much excitement from families, teachers, and guidance counselors from across the country when they find us, given our selectivity and affordability,” said Dr. Ben Matthew Corpus, associate vice provost for enrollment management. ValueColleges noted
