UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

The Gators are back, and so are the bikes. 🚲🐊

With students moving across campus again, it’s a good reminder of just how important safe, bike-friendly streets are to communities like ours.

Xiang Jacob Yan, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Civil & Coastal Engineering within UF Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment- ESSIE, is exploring how AI could help roadway designers better understand what cyclists actually need.

His team’s StreetDesignAI tool uses AI-powered “virtual cyclists” representing riders with different comfort levels and biking styles to provide feedback on potential street designs.

Yan is an avid cyclist himself, making this a challenge he understands both as a transportation researcher and as someone behind the handlebars.

See how this NSF-funded research could help shape safer streets for cyclists: https://bit.ly/3RZIDDL

📚 Welcome back, Gator Engineers! 🐊⚙️

A new semester means new ideas, new challenges and new opportunities to make an impact.

Whether you're stepping onto campus for the first time or returning for another semester of research, design projects and late nights in the lab, we're excited to see what you'll accomplish.

Here's to a great first day and an even better semester. Let's get to work. 💙🧡

Help Gators win on and off the field this season with the 2026 BEAT Tees! 🐊🏈

Get yours: https://ufgive.to/Beatem26

Show your Gator spirit while supporting the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering — your gift can be directed to the college, making an impact where it matters most.

Choose the BEAT ’Em SumrALL Tee or the full suite, which also includes BEAT South Carolina and BEAT Oklahoma.

BEAT Tees are available through Sept. 4.

Meet Ravit Silverstein, Ph.D. 👋

Ravit’s curiosity about how things work at their most fundamental level led her to materials science — and today, she’s combining artificial intelligence with advanced microscopy and X-ray methods to help researchers better understand the materials that could shape future technologies.

The UF Department of Materials Science & Engineering assistant professor brings that same curiosity to life outside the lab, whether she’s traveling, exploring nature, discovering a new coffee shop or spending time with her pets.

Her advice for engineering students: “Build on your strengths, but don’t be afraid to learn new skills or explore unfamiliar fields.”

Swipe through this month’s Faculty Spotlight to get to know Ravit.

As we prepare for the start of a new academic year, we're celebrating a new chapter for Gator Engineering with new leadership, inspiring student stories, faculty achievements and research that's making an impact around the world—from AI and health care to clean water, space exploration and beyond.

Take a look at what's happening across the college in our August newsletter.

A New Chapter for Gator Engineering As a new academic year begins, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering is entering an exciting new chapter under the leadership of Dean Mark M. Tehranipoor, Ph.

What if detecting harmful chemicals was as simple as watching a color change?

A new National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project led by UF Department of Chemical Engineering professor Peng Jiang is developing reusable, low-cost sensors that change color when they detect hazardous chemicals—without batteries, lab equipment or specialized training.

The technology could make it easier to identify toxic chemicals in everyday products and challenging environments, helping protect public health while advancing environmental monitoring and manufacturing.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3S0neKs

Artificial intelligence is transforming the future of health care — and UF Engineering researchers are helping lead the way.

Faculty from ECE Florida are part of the new $21.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) AI Institute for Human-AI Cooperation (HAIC), a national collaboration developing AI systems that personalize rehabilitation and improve patient recovery.

Led at UF by Jose C. Principe, Ph.D., researchers Sean Meyn, Ph.D., Joel Harley, Ph.D., Jie Fu, Ph.D., and Yuheng Bu, Ph.D. will combine expertise in AI, brain-computer interfaces, robotics, information theory and physics-based AI to develop technologies that help clinicians deliver more responsive, individualized care.

Powered by HiPerGator, UF's world-class computing infrastructure, the team will help advance AI that supports clinicians, speeds rehabilitation and improves patient outcomes.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4pMvx90

Congratulations to Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department at UF Ph.D. candidate Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba on being named to the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2026.

As a Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering researcher, Kanjumba is advancing space infrastructure and interplanetary logistics while pursuing a vision that extends far beyond Earth. Her work explores the systems needed for sustainable space operations, with the goal of helping build an African-led future in space exploration.

"Today, as an aerospace engineer, entrepreneur and Ph.D. candidate... my mission is to ensure that the next generation of African children can look at the sky and know they have the infrastructure to reach it from their own continent."

We're proud to celebrate Wanjiku's recognition and the impact she's making through research, innovation and leadership.

Read her inspiring story: https://bit.ly/4fsYgfI

AI is helping engineers discover the next generation of high-performance materials faster than ever.

Researchers from the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department at UF and the UF Department of Materials Science & Engineering have earned a prestigious U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission grant to develop an autonomous AI platform that could transform how new materials are discovered.

Led by Doug Spearot (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering) and Ravit Silverstein (Materials Science & Engineering), with Yijia Gu (Materials Science & Engineering), the project combines electron microscopy, AI and physics-based modeling to accelerate data analysis by more than 100 times—speeding the development of stronger, tougher and more heat-resistant materials for aerospace, energy and nuclear applications.

The project also brings together collaborators at UC Santa Barbara and Thermo Fisher Scientific to advance the future of materials discovery.

Congratulations to the entire team on this national recognition.

Read more: https://bit.ly/454cAp7