Category: News

From MAE to Mission-Ready: Rebecca Boxerman’s Career of Service and Innovation
August 5, 2025Rebecca Boxerman, master of mechanical engineering and proud UF MAE alum, is soaring to new heights. From her early days as a driven student at the University of Florida to her leadership role within the Navy’s cutting-edge technology programs, Boxerman’s career reflects a rare blend of technical expertise, creative problem-solving, and dedicated mentorship. With a […]
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Forecasting the final frontier: How research prepares U.S. for the next solar storm
July 16, 2025“At the University of Florida Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, our researchers are at the forefront of studying space weather and its impact on technology and national security. The recent powerful solar storm underscores the importance of their work to better understand and forecast these natural events.” — UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace […]
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Back-to-Back DOE Honors for UF MAE Students In Energy Innovation
July 3, 2025The University of Florida Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is celebrating back-to-back national honors after two of its students received the U.S. Department of Energy’s Outstanding Achievement in Energy by an Industrial Assessment Center Student award in consecutive years. This national award recognizes students who have made significant contributions to energy efficiency through their […]
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Musgrave Wins Elite Air Force Young Investigator Award to Embody Structures with Intelligence
June 25, 2025The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) is a highly competitive and prestigious award granted to early-career scientists and engineers who show exceptional promise. It provides three years of research funding totaling $450,000. Beyond the monetary support, being selected is a significant professional honor. Patrick Musgrave, mechanical and aerospace engineer […]
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Shaping the Future of Underwater Robots with NSF CAREER Award
June 25, 2025Patrick Musgrave, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Florida, has been awarded a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation, one of the most prestigious honors given to early-career faculty in science and engineering. The award supports both groundbreaking research and educational outreach, and it includes federal funding for a five-year project aimed […]
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Enzymes as Nanoscale Machines: The Intersection of AI, Biochemistry, and Engineering
June 4, 2025Enzymes are nature’s tiny machines, responsible for everything from digesting food to breaking down environmental pollutants. But what if we could design custom-made enzymes to tackle real-world challenges—like neutralizing harmful chemicals or detecting diseases—more efficiently than ever before? Jing Pan Ph. D., a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the […]
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Message From The Chair – Summer 2025
June 2, 2025As we welcome summer, I’m proud to reflect on another extraordinary season at MAE. This edition of our newsletter showcases the incredible breadth and depth of work happening across our department—from space biomanufacturing and award-winning research to student-driven innovation and alumni distinction. Each story speaks to the excellence that defines us. Our faculty continue to […]
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Fu & Dixon Work to Achieve Strategic Dominance
May 22, 2025Dr. Jie Fu (PI) has been awarded $1.3 million in funding from the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory for the project titled “Strategic Planning in Hierarchical Games: Achieving Rapid Dominance in the Uncertain World of Conflict (Shadow),” under Cooperative Agreement #W911NF-25-2-0045. Distinguished Professor Warren Dixon, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University […]
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Perseverance Beyond the Stars: Josh Ehrlich’s Journey in Aerospace
May 15, 2025For Josh Ehrlich, a University of Florida Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering alumnus, a passion for space has fueled a career with some of the most prestigious names in aerospace, including NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, and Blue Origin. His journey, from designing space systems to an eight-month Mars analog mission, proves that success isn’t about flawless […]
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Two Gator Engineers Honored with Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award
May 5, 2025As the school year ends and engineering seniors bid a fond farewell, it would not be complete without the honor of bestowing superstar seniors with the Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award. These awards are presented to six undergraduate seniors who exemplify the highest ideals of the engineering community. The award categories are: Creativity, Leadership, […]
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