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Innovative Toaster Wins Students Hackathon Prize

You’ve heard of smart phones and smart cars. But how about a smart toaster? A team of Florida Polytechnic University students have developed a prototype toaster that delivers a perfectly toasted piece of bread every time. The project was creative enough to snag third place at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s recent Hackriddle. “It was an exciting […]

Hospital Network Target of Cyber Security Competition

The Medical Offensive Security Competition was a student-led event that combined the concentrations of Health Informatics and Cyber Security. Electronic healthcare records and medical devices, like other computer systems, are vulnerable to security breaches that impact the safety and treatment of patients. Drs. Susan LeFrancois and Kanwalinderjit Gagneja joined forces with students, Max Farrell, Alexander […]

Students Take Home $14500 in Prize Money

Florida Polytechnic University students earned almost $15,000 in prize money this semester with their innovative ideas and inventions. The most recent prize was through SlingShot Polk, an event presented by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. The competition is divided into three age categories: middle school; high school; and college and entrepreneurs under 30. Florida Poly […]

Integral Bee Starts New Tradition at Florida Polytechnic University

Move over spellers. The math whizzes are here. Florida Poly recently hosted its first Integral Bee, a friendly competition among students to determine who can best solve the math problems known as integrals. Organizers say the inaugural competition was an outstanding success and poised to become a tradition at Florida Poly. “The students did great […]

Pitching Greatness: The Next to Build the Future

You won’t find presidents or treasurers in Florida Polytechnic University’s Next Tech Entrepreneurs club. Instead, they’re preparing for their future with titles like CEO and CFO. “We wanted to create a place where we could learn the fundamentals of a start-up,” explains club founder and CEO Elijah Campbell, who is majoring in Advanced Technology. “A […]

World-Changers: The Next To Give Back

“Making the world a better place” is more than a cliché for Carl-Edwin Rigaud and his twin brother, Marc-Edwin Riguad. The Florida Poly juniors grew up in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and a frequent target for natural disasters. Most recently, Hurricane Matthew swept through the country, killing more than 1,000 people. […]

Problem Solved: The Next to Identify a Solution

When it comes to fishing apps, this is one you don’t want to get away. Identafish comes from the mind of sophomore Geoffrey Ruiz, who has been wielding a fishing rod since he was a toddler. He can tell you anything you want to know about the fishing holes around his native Lecanto, Fla. Take […]

Florida Polytechnic University Launches Initiative to Create Floridas #NextGreatMascot

LAKELAND, Fla. – Students at Florida Polytechnic University will decide the school’s official mascot. The state’s newest public institution has launched an initiative to create Florida’s #NextGreatMascot. The process includes hands-on learning opportunities with design experts, a student-centered competition to develop potential mascot concepts and a student-only voting process. The initiative launched on Tuesday, January […]

13 Things About Ryan Sullivan

Where were you born? On the Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. My father was in the Air Force at the time. Where did you go to high school? I graduated from Glens Falls High School in Glens Falls, New York in 2004. Were you in any organizations in high school? I ran track and cross-country. Where did […]

Dr. Lily Li is a Professor of Physics at Florida Polytechnic University, where she specializes in materials science, analytical imaging, advanced manufacturing, and biomedical devices. Prior to joining Florida Poly in 2025, she spent 11 years at SUNY Potsdam, where she advanced to Full Professor and developed a 3-2 Engineering dual-degree program with Clarkson University. Her work emphasizes experiential learning and research-driven education to prepare students for careers in STEM fields.