UF Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment- ESSIE

For Michael Drews, Frederick Rosner and Professor Emeritus Robert Thieke, Ph.D., a friendship that began in 1974 at Nesaquake Junior High School on Long Island remains a constant, a source of support and continuity in their lives.

It's also the wellspring of the Robert Thieke Endowed Professorship, established in 2025 to honor Thieke upon his retirement after 35 years at UF.

Learn more about the remarkable friendship and career behind this endowment: https://bit.ly/4zOi1GT

The buzz is palpable. That Fall semester energy is here. If you're a returning ESSIE student — Civil & Coastal or Environmental Engineering Sciences — Welcome Back!
If it's your first semester, Welcome! It's going to be great.

A key group of stakeholders are often inadequately considered in road infrastructure design — cyclists.

Xiang Jacob Yan, Ph.D., is trying to change that.

An assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, Yan's lab is developing a tool to help roadway designers incorporate cyclists’ perspectives with the help of large language models, or LLMs.

For street designers, it’s like having a group of cycling advocates in the room while they work.

More: https://bit.ly/4givihW

Showing the wide-reaching impact of his lab's work, Environmental Engineering Sciences Professor Antarpreet Jutla, Ph.D., is featured in not one, but TWO stories airing on Florida Fox stations. Both stories are related to a recent uptick in Florida cases of flesh-eating Vibrio bacteria.

Fox 35 Orlando: https://bit.ly/4hsA5Q3 and Fox 13 Tampa Bay: https://bit.ly/4zuuHCD.

Summer Ph.D. commencement ceremony is this afternoon and we came upon some students getting in the spirit! (L-R): Adrian Sakr (Environmental Engineering Sciences) ESSIE faculty member Elise Morrison, Ph.D., and Amanda Chappel (Environmental Engineering Sciences). Congratulations!

The upcoming issue of Modern Steel Construction features ESSIE's Steel Bridge student design team and its unique and winning culture. Learn what it takes to become an "unsparing behemoth" and how a "culture of involvement" is created. https://bit.ly/4wJGB9C
Photo: Sergio Mendez

Have you decided to apply to an ESSIE graduate program? Need assistance with your application?

Join us Thursday, Aug. 13 at 4:30pm for a virtual application workshop to learn more about the process. We'll cover the ESSIE application fee waiver and answer any questions you may have.

Register now: https://bit.ly/4fvr33n

The successes of ESSIE's Eckhoff Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe teams are well-documented—a combined total of 13 national championships.

So, what is it about this civil engineering program that spawns so many winning teams?

Learn more about these incredible teams, their student leaders and the culture that powers it all: https://essie.ufl.edu/inside-the-pit/

Interested in pursuing a graduate degree in either the Civil & Coastal Engineering (CCE) or the Environmental Engineering Sciences (EES) programs?

Join us Monday, Aug. 3 at 9:00am for an online information session to learn about the programs and the admissions process. Register now: https://bit.ly/4fAAtcw

Showcasing the expanding impact of his research and advocacy, Environmental Engineering & Sciences Professor Antarpreet Jutla, Ph.D., is quoted in Newsweek regarding the risks nationwide of infection by Vibrio bacteria, including so-called flesh-eating bacteria.

"The combination of climate uncertainties, marine heatwaves, sea-level rise and increasing coastal populations creates a setting favorable for the continued expansion of disease risk," he said.

More of his insight on this important public health issue: https://bit.ly/4btT20C