welcome to the engineering school of sustainable infrastructure & environment

Taking concrete steps towards sustainability

In a $5 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, a team of researchers from UF, Rutgers University, Oregon State University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology are exploring the viability of using steel slag as an ingredient in cement and concrete. ESSIE associate professor Christopher Ferraro, Ph.D., is one of the project’s principal investigators. 

UF-mentored Turbo Gatorbots win state, advance to FIRST LEGO League World Championship

The Turbo Gatorbots secured first place out of more than 800 teams across Florida, earning them a spot at the FIRST LEGO League World Championship in Houston this April, where roughly 200 teams from 66 countries will compete. 

Why light poles failed in Hurricane Ian despite meeting design standards

UF researchers found that aluminum light poles damaged during Hurricane Ian failed not because of extreme winds alone, but due to a combination of manufacturing defects, design features and installation errors that reduced their built-in safety margins.

Civil Engineering stalwart Chick Glagola remembered as ‘soul of the department’

Described by his colleagues as the “soul of the department,” Civil Engineering Professor Emeritus Charles “Chick” Glagola, Ph.D., died on Nov. 29 at the age of 80. 

Stark to bring ‘unparalleled expertise’ as new leader of UF’s Center for Coastal Solutions 

University of Florida Associate Professor and researcher Nina Stark was named the new director of the Center of Coastal Solutions — known as CCS — within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.  

UF dives deep into predicting storm damage with computer models

Though the 2025 hurricane season was relatively quiet for the United States, researchers are combining massive amounts of observational data with wildly complex computer models to predict the impact of future storms on coastal communities. The University of Florida’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment, or ESSIE, is part of a project that recently […]

Making connections: Original steel teaching sculpture gets a facelift

Standing 14 feet tall and serving no obvious purpose, the steel sculpture located outside Weil Hall is a jumble of beams, bolts, welds and supports fastened into a concrete pad. Part of the revitalized Engineering Plaza — also home to the revamped Engineering Clock Tower — at the corner of Gale Lemerand and Stadium Road, the nondescript-looking structure was recently sandblasted and repainted (orange and blue, naturally).

Remembering a beloved Gator engineer

Engineering alumnus and donor Neil Shopke was known for his generosity and ingenuity.