Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Florida Polytechnic University, has been named one of Florida’s 50 most influential leaders over the age of 50 by the News Service of Florida.
Becoming a Presidential Ambassador set Jorgeandrés Alvarez-Lopez ’26 on a path leading to a professional internship, his “dream job,” and an opportunity to address his fellow graduates as the Class of 2026 student speaker at Florida Polytechnic University’s commencement ceremony on May 9.
Florida Polytechnic University will welcome renowned astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata as its 2026 commencement speaker. Wakata made history as the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station (ISS) and the first from his country to spend more than 500 days in space.
At 17, Adrian Hernandez Vega is already making his mark in the world of mathematics. The dual-enrolled Florida Polytechnic University student recently earned top honors at the 71st Florida State Science and Engineering Fair, an accomplishment he said reflects hard work and support from his mentors at Florida Poly. Hernandez Vega won the Best in Fair Grand Award for mathematics
As Florida Polytechnic University prepares to debut its inaugural collegiate athletics program this fall, featuring eight sports, new coaches, and a roster of high-achieving STEM-focused student athletes, Derek Lower has been selected as the University’s first athletic director.
Class of 2026: The laboratory became like a second home to Sabrina Roggero ’26 as she pursued an environmental engineering degree at Florida Polytechnic University. She worked alongside faculty on research to help improve a municipal water supply, gather insight on insects, and connect with public school students.
Pursuing your passion Converting your passion into a career was the topic Wednesday of a presentation by conservation specialist Dr. Tracy Fanara. Students heard over an hour Dr. Fanara’s career path as a civil engineer, from her dissertation research into protecting the Florida aquifer through intelligent landscaping, to an appearance on the Science Channel’s “Mythbusters: The Search.” Today, Dr. Fanara
A student-developed plan that models the city of Jacksonville’s vision for an autonomous public transportation system earned a second-place finish recently for Florida Polytechnic University. The design was one of six presented Nov. 9 at the Urban International Design Contest in Las Vegas. Teams from universities around the globe entered their vision for how new modes of sustainable public transportation can be
It’s easy to dream big. Creating a real, marketable product from that idea is a different story. “It’s important to understand your personal goal. What do you want to create in the world?” explains Justin Heacock, Entrepreneurship Center Coordinator at Florida Polytechnic University. Giving students the tools and coaching they need to bring their ideas to market is central to
Trying to keep track of a dozen passwords is an accepted part of today’s modern society. But what if your password was literally unforgettable? Florida Polytechnic University Sophomore Austin Lubetkin has a working prototype of a program that relies on eye movements while reading to secure your assets, not letters or characters. His research paper drew great interest when he
More than 1,100 elementary school students at risk of going hungry are guaranteed a meal every week thanks to the work of a small Lakeland nonprofit called KidsPack. KidsPack distributes food donations to students across three counties and the logics can be daunting — and expensive. That’s why four Florida Polytechnic University students are volunteering their time to update KidsPack’s
Florida Polytechnic University Professor of Data Analytics Dr. Robert Steele delivered a keynote speech at the 8th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Annual Ubiquitous Computing, Electronics and Mobile Communication Conference (IEEE UEMCON 2017), on October 21 at Columbia University in New York. Fellow keynote speakers included other distinguished experts in analytics and computational systems from organizations including Columbia University,
Florida drivers may soon be safer on the road thanks to Dr. Christina Drake, Assistant Professor of Electrical, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at Florida Poly. Her research interests – which include novel materials and sensors based on meta-material-based approaches; low-cost imagers and sensors; and biologically inspired or incorporated sensors and platforms – have already propelled her to four provisional patents. Now, she’s
Foreign policy melded with STEM when a Florida Polytechnic University student traveled to Canada for an exclusive program hosted by Fulbright Canada. Michael Jernigan was one of just 20 students selected from across the U.S. and Canada to participate in the Fulbright Canada Youth Institute on Canada in the World. The weeklong program in late September featured cultural experiences, lectures
Florida Polytechnic University students heard firsthand Thursday how an ambitious teenager launched a business from his parents’ basement that today processes $14 billion in credit card payments. Students hungry for advice on starting their own business got their fill as Jared Isaacman outlined for an hour the lessons he learned on the way to becoming a three-time finalist for Ernst
Technology is weaved into everything at Florida Polytechnic University — including the food. The Wellness Center on campus recently debuted a hydroponic herb garden that grows vertically on the wall behind one of the food stations. The garden was built and is maintained by Seed2Source, a Central Florida consulting firm that promotes sustainable solutions for agriculture. “I saw how far
Updated at 5:05 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 13 We are currently in recovery mode on campus, but want to provide an important update. We have not had power until this morning in the IST or the Wellness Center, and we are under limited operations at this point. STUDENTS: Please do not report to campus until Saturday at the earliest but Sunday is preferable.
A Florida Polytechnic University professor had a direct impact last week on forecasting Hurricane Harvey’s devastating path through south Texas. Dr. Suleiman Alsweiss was a scientist at the Center for Satellite Applications and Research, part of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), prior to joining Florida Poly as a professor of Electrical Engineering. When the tropical depression swirling in
