Engineering Professor Named to National Academy
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » A University of Florida engineering professor and expert in particle science and technology is the state’s only researcher elected to the National Academy of Engineering this year. Brij Moudgil, a professor of materials science and engineering and director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Particle Science and Technology at UF, is the 18th UF faculty member elected to the National Academies. Membership in the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering or Institute of Medicine is among the highest honors a scientist or engineer can achieve. See full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/moudgil.htm
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| University of Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan, center, poses with Nigel Marven, host of Nigel's Wild Wild World on the Discovery Channel, on Wednesday February 13, 2002. Marven, holding a live 5-foot alligator, was in town to shoot a segment of an upcoming world premier show featuring college mascots. (UF Photo by Ray Carson) |
'Shark Frenzy' More Like a Media Frenzy
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Despite Time magazine labeling it the “Summer of the Shark” and the prevailing perception that 2001 was a banner year for shark attacks, actual numbers were slightly down, a new University of Florida study shows.
The annual total of 76 unprovoked attacks worldwide was less than the
85 recorded in 2000, and fatalities declined from 12 to five in the same
period, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack
File, which is housed at the University of Florida.
See full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/sharks02.htm
Putting the Brakes on Home Wreckers
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » With termite damage at record levels, a University
of Florida pest control expert says a new statewide building code will
help stop the tiny home wreckers. "Termite damage and control costs
in Florida exceed $500 million annually, but that will be reduced by the
new Florida Building Code, making builders more responsible for termite
protection," said Phil Koehler, professor of entomology with UF's
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The code becomes effective
March 1. See full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/newbldgcode.htm
Making Vet Licensure an International Affair
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Latin American veterinarians who hope to practice
in the United States are receiving help through a new distance-education
course offered by the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
in collaboration with Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.
The 12-week program, now under way, involves a series of videotaped lectures
in which UF veterinarians are teaching 53 foreign veterinary graduates
how to prepare for the written portion of the licensing examination they
must pass if they intend to practice in this country. See full story at
http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/vetdistance.htm
A Taste of the Middle East
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Investors seeking the next big trend in produce
might want to remember the name “Galia.” An exotic, hybrid muskmelon
from Israel, Galia can now be produced in the Southeast using techniques
developed at the University of Florida to mimic the arid desert climate
the melon requires. “If it’s grown right, Galia is the best
melon you’ll ever taste,” said Dan Cantliffe, professor with
UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “It’s
similar to cantaloupe but with a sweeter, more intense flavor.”
See full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/galiamelons.htm
At a Glance
University of Florida Levin College of Law officials report they have exceeded by $1.3 million their goal to raise $5 million toward expansion of facilities for the nation's 11th largest law school. The first priority will be construction of a major addition to the school's law library with the resulting 100,000-square-foot facility to be named the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center. Chiles, who died in 1998, was a Florida governor and U.S. senator and earned his UF law degree in 1955.
University of Florida economists report that jitters about the Enron scandal helped sink consumer confidence in February after a slow but steady recovery since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The preliminary index fell three points to 89 in February, said Chris McCarty, director of UF’s survey research center at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
UFactoid
- There are over 403 buildings that the physical plant division maintains, totaling almost 10 million square feet.
- The physical plant division has over 1,000 employees.
- UF's main campus consists of 1,965 acres connected by more than 12 miles of roads.
- There are 1,000 cultivated acres on the main campus, with more than 33 acres of this in sports fields.
- All UF buildings are pressure cleaned and have the outside windows washed once a year.
UF in the News
President Charles Young: "At UF, diversity, education a pair," The Gainesville Sun, Independent Florida Alligator (Feb. 24)
Dennis Jett, Dean of the International Center: "Long Shot for Afghan Peace," The Christian Science Monitor (Jan. 25)