Yu Wang’s Vision for Safer, More Human-Centered Autonomous Systems
For Yu Wang, Ph.D., engineering has always been about more than technology. It’s about people. Long before receiving one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for early-career faculty, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Wang was fascinated by a simple question: How can we teach autonomous systems to be safer, more reliable, and more beneficial to…
UF Professor Subrata Roy Selected for Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
Subrata Roy, a University of Florida professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering has been selected for induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for his pioneering work developing plasma‑based technologies that address challenges in areas including health care, food safety, water treatment and space exploration. Roy’s inventions have been patented, commercialized and applied beyond the laboratory, leading to…
Record number of NSF Graduate Research Fellowships awarded to MAE students
This year, five MAE students were selected for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). This fellowship distinguishes students from around the nation and supports their graduate studies and research pursuits. The group includes outgoing undergraduates as well as established graduate students, highlighting the excellence of UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students…
MAE Chair Spearot honored as Distinguished Teaching Scholar
The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering proudly congratulates our Interim Chair, Douglas E. Spearot, on his induction into the prestigious University of Florida Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars (ADTS). This outstanding recognition highlights Dr. Spearot’s lasting impact as an educator, researcher, and mentor, and reflects his unwavering commitment to student success and excellence in engineering…
2026 MAE Awards Celebration
The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering gathered students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends for its annual Awards Celebration in April, an evening dedicated to celebrating achievement, service, and the MAE community. The banquet represents months of coordination and teamwork across the department and beyond. Teams and individuals throughout the MAE community worked together to highlight…
Eunice Chung Carter Recognized with UF Superior Accomplishment Award
Eunice Chung Carter, an academic advisor with MAE Undergraduate Student Services, was recognized with a Superior Accomplishment Award for going above and beyond in demonstrating her commitment to students. When her team faced staffing challenges, Carter carved out time to schedule 175 course sections for the summer and fall terms while balancing her primary responsibilities. This…
Drones and decisions: UF optimizing communication among autonomous units
Imagine a cluster of drones swarming above a dense thicket of trees, eyeing its way through unfamiliar topography to locate a missing person amid unpredictable weather. Each drone has its own complex communication and computing capabilities. But as that weather starts to sour against the clock, the rescue mission requires group optimization, not a single drone…
UF Solar Gators unveil sleeker sun racer to go the distance
With a black cloth draped over months of work, anticipation built earlier this month as the University of Florida’s Solar Gators prepared to reveal the next evolution of their solar-powered race car. When the cover finally dropped, applause and possibility filled the room as Flare — sleeker, larger and reengineered — marked the team’s latest step…
From steam engines to solar solutions: Meet UF distinguished engineering alumnus Anil Rajvanshi
As a boy in India, Anil Rajvanshi often found himself at the train station intently observing locomotives and dreaming. “I just would stand in front of this huge steam engine and be mesmerized,” recalled Rajvanshi, Ph.D. “I thought that the best thing in the world would be an engine driver. And then I found this guy…
SA Sherif Earns UF Mentoring Honors and ASME Dedicated Service Award
Many of us remember a mentor whose influence stayed with us long after the lessons ended. Someone whose guidance continues to shape how we think, work and lead. For many doctoral students in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida, SA Sherif, Ph.D., has been that steady voice throughout their academic…