CONTENTS

Our mission is to promote the well-being and resilience of our diverse society through engineering research and education pertinent to the built and natural environment. We aspire to promote a society in which the basic pillars of diversity and equity are sources of strength, health, stability and prosperity.

In consultation with faculty members and staff, ESSIE will undertake many initiatives to get started. This list is by no means exhaustive, perfect, or immutable and we recognize them as only a start. We recognize that real, lasting change, comes from education and representation.

Because together, our impact is greater.

For the Gator Good

A critical aspect of the ESSIE culture is to create a safe environment where diversity, inclusion, equity, and access among students, faculty and staff are encouraged, cultivated and celebrated. In the context of the tragic murders and countless others like it, and the ensuing waves of protests by citizens of all races demanding justice, it is amply clear that we need to expand our efforts to advance diversity and inclusion beyond our institutional walls to build a fair, just and equitable future.

We must all work to destroy systemic racism and be among the strongest voices demanding change and work to achieve it. The process to eliminate systemic racism will be arduous and lengthy, but the time for all of us to step up is long past due. There are people who have invisibly borne the pain and struggle alone amongst our collective blindness. Doing nothing more now than applauding their nobility shelters us from accountability and provides safe haven for the infection to fester. The burden has always been all of ours to bear, but only the few have had their shoulders under the weight. We cannot let this persist.

Committee Pledge: I commit to calling out hate, racism, and complicity when I see them; I will strive to the best of my ability to defend those subjected to hate and bias of any kind; and I will do the work in my own professional and personal life to turn my privilege into broader opportunity for others.

IDEA Committee

Committees on Inclusion Diversity Equity and Access (IDEA)

Elliot P. Douglas, Ph.D., has agreed to serve as ESSIE’s representative on the College’s IDEA committee. The committee will be discussing and planning further efforts for this summer and fall that will be shared soon.

In addition to having faculty representation on IDEA, the School has initiated the formation of an ESSIE IDEA committee to include students, faculty and staff. Committee members would organize activities to increase inclusion, diversity, equity, and access within the School, engage student groups and promote student leadership.

Photo of Andrew Altieri Andrew Altieri Assistant Professor
352-294-7748

Office
580C Weil Hall

Photo of Christine Angelini Christine Angelini Associate Professor
352-294-7815

Office
575H Weil Hall

Photo of Michael Annable Michael Annable Professor and EES Department Head
352-392-3294

Office
216 Black Hall

Photo of Katherine Deliz Quiñones Katherine Deliz Quiñones Assistant Professor
352-846-3913

Office
208 Black Hall

Photo of Elliot Douglas Elliot Douglas Professor and EES Undergraduate Coordinator
(352) 846-2836

Office
217 Black Hall

Photo of Kurtis Gurley Kurtis Gurley Professor and ESSIE Associate Director
352-294-7795

Office
475I Weil Hall

Photo of Kirk Hatfield Kirk Hatfield ESSIE Director
(352) 294-7775

Office
365F Weil Hall

Photo of David Kaplan David Kaplan Associate Professor
352-392-8439

Office
102 Phelps Lab

Photo of Reba Liddy Reba Liddy ESSIE Marketing & Communications Specialist
352-392-7344

Office
220 Black Hall

Photo of Elise Morrison Elise Morrison Assistant Professor
(352) 294-9057

Office
580B Weil Hall

Photo of Maitane Olabarrieta Maitane Olabarrieta Associate Professor
(352) 294-7812

Office
575G Weil Hall

Photo of David O. Prevatt David Prevatt Kisinger Campo & Associates Term Professor
352-294-7798

Office
475E Weil Hall

Photo of Y. Peter Sheng Y. Peter Sheng Professor Emeritus
(352) 294-7764

Office
553 Weil Hall

Photo of Denise R. Simmons Denise Simmons Associate Dean for Workforce Development
352-294-6967

Office
460D Weil Hall

Photo of Sandra M St Clair Sandra St Clair Administrative Specialist II
352-294-7758

Office
365 Weil Hall

Photo of Robert Thieke Robert Thieke Christian S. Bauer Jr. Term Assistant Professor and CCE Department Head
352-294-7783

Office
370B Weil Hall

To view a full listing of each person’s profile, visit the IDEA Committee category in our directory.

Student Members

Suzanna Barna, Civil Engineering Undergraduate Student

Diana Chin, Environmental Engineering Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow

Kathya De la Fuente, Environmental Engineering Sciences Undergraduate Student

Sara Eghtessadi, Environmental Engineering Sciences Undergraduate Student

Events

There are no events available at this time.

Latest News

  • Identifying and Filling the Gaps: Civil Student Brings Student Chapter Back to Life

    August 26, 2021

    Aldrin James B. Gaffud, a sixth-year senior, seeking dual degrees in civil engineering and architecture, received the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Service to the Global Community Award for their global awareness and dedication in humanitarianism. Gaffud reestablished the Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) student organization with a friend, Brandon Grandison, because they saw a dire need for diversity in STEM and a lack of support given ...

    READ MORE
  • A Year in Reflection

    June 22, 2021

    One year ago, people across the U.S. were galvanized by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and countless others to reconsider what a truly inclusive society would look like. Academic institutions across the country reconsidered their role in perpetuating racism and systemic bias. ESSIE joined this struggle through the creation of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, ...

    READ MORE
  • Prevatt Calls Structural Engineers to Action – Incorporate DEI Principles Into Your Business And Practice

    June 4, 2021

    David O. Prevatt, an associate professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering and IDEA Committee member, serves as the inaugural chair of Structural Engineering Institute’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Dr. Prevatt penned an editorial to discuss how the impact of the pandemic and George Floyd’s killing prompts professionals in the structural engineering ...

    READ MORE
  • A Statement from ESSIE’s IDEA Committee

    March 23, 2021

    Dear ESSIE students, staff, and faculty, We write to you today as we continue to mourn the victims of last week’s horrific shootings in Atlanta, which took the lives of eight people, including six women of Asian descent. This tragic crime occurred after a year of increasingly hateful attacks aimed at Asian Americans, spurred on by xenophobic ...

    READ MORE
  • The Engineer’s Role in the Fight Against Anti-Black Structural Racism

    August 31, 2020

    The Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE) created an ongoing Conversations and Engagement Webinar Series to discuss racial equality, especially given the occurrences of the past six months, and ethics for engineers. On Sept. 4, ESSIE invited UF Racial Justice Term Professor Michelle S. Jacobs from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law to ...

    READ MORE

Resources

It is imperative that we take care of ourselves, our children, and others. We have listed below recommended links for information and opportunities. In the near future, we will be seeking your input on recommendations to serve on ESSIE’s IDEA committee.

Increase Knowledge:

Comprehensive:

Understanding Why Black People are Anguished:

Being an Ally:

Training/Teaching Resources:

Parents/Kids Resources:

Self-Care Resources: