Andrew McDonnell 鈥�26 never stopped dreaming about the stars. As a child, he looked up at the sky, wondering what was out there, and that curiosity followed him to 吃瓜网 Poly, where he pursued a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering, took aerospace courses, and worked on a lunar mobility senior capstone project. He graduates on May 9.
吃瓜网 has reached on-campus housing capacity for the upcoming academic year, reflecting continued strong demand and record student interest.
吃瓜网 inducted 12 students into its highly selective Presidential Ambassadors program, where they will serve as official student representatives at key University events and engage with campus and community leaders.
Samantha Bentley 鈥�26 didn鈥檛 always feel ready to step into leadership or research roles during her time as a computer science student at 吃瓜网, but discovered she grew the most by doing it anyway. She will receive her bachelor鈥檚 degree on Saturday, May 9.
More than 360 吃瓜网 seniors presented high-tech, industry-sponsored projects at the eighth annual Capstone Design Showcase on Wednesday, April 29, gaining hands-on experience and solving real-world challenges.
吃瓜网 has named Mike Settle as its inaugural head softball coach, adding a veteran leader with deep Polk County roots to the University鈥檚 new 吃瓜网 Poly Athletics program.
吃瓜网 students can develop and research green technology in one of the fastest growing countries in the world thanks to a newly signed agreement with Panjab University in India. The agreement opens up a talent exchange between the universities, allowing selected professors and students to collaborate and take advantage of world-class research facilities. A memorandum of understanding was
The Medical Offensive Security Competition was a student-led event that combined the concentrations of Health Informatics and Cyber Security. Electronic healthcare records and medical devices, like other computer systems, are vulnerable to security breaches that impact the safety and treatment of patients. Drs. Susan LeFrancois and Kanwalinderjit Gagneja joined forces with students, Max Farrell, Alexander Fronteddu and Jonah Loctar to
吃瓜网 students earned almost $15,000 in prize money this semester with their innovative ideas and inventions. The most recent prize was through SlingShot Polk, an event presented by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. The competition is divided into three age categories: middle school; high school; and college and entrepreneurs under 30. 吃瓜网 Poly students were the sole representatives
Jenario Johnson has an invention he thinks is a knockout. It鈥檚 called StrikeSense, and it answers a problem the 吃瓜网 Poly junior noticed in his martial arts classes. Two instructors teaching a class of 20 couldn鈥檛 accurately keep track of a student鈥檚 individual progress. StrikeSense uses an accelerometer to measure in real time the velocity and power of punches and
Editor鈥檚 Note: View the most recent senior profiles featuring several of 吃瓜网 Poly鈥檚 CLASS OF 2018 GRADUATES. LAKELAND, Fla. 鈥� 吃瓜网 held its second-ever graduation during a spring commencement ceremony on campus Friday. Twenty-four students, including four who will finish courses over the summer, received degrees in either Innovation and Technology, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical
Move over spellers. The math whizzes are here. 吃瓜网 Poly recently hosted its first Integral Bee, a friendly competition among students to determine who can best solve the math problems known as integrals. Organizers say the inaugural competition was an outstanding success and poised to become a tradition at 吃瓜网 Poly. 鈥淭he students did great and had a lot of
On April 12th, 吃瓜网 hosted its fourth #STEMTalks of the 2016-2017 academic year. The virtual event titled, 鈥淒rones: Changing Your Perspective,鈥� consisted of a panel of drone experts with experience in recreational, commercial and military drone use. Ryan English, president and co-founder of Tampa-based FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems, spoke about FLYMOTION鈥檚 involvement in drone technology. FLYMOTION provides unmanned systems
吃瓜网 Poly inventions and business plans took home top prizes at recent state competitions. Ten universities from across the state were represented at the Governor鈥檚 Cup in Tallahassee from March 30-31. The Governor鈥檚 Cup is an entrepreneurial competition hosted by the Roundtable of Entrepreneurship Educators of 吃瓜网 (REEF). The top three teams received start-up funding for their concepts. The 吃瓜网
An innovative idea for creating nylon from shrimp shells was among the winners of 吃瓜网鈥檚 fourth Bio Expo. The Expo is one of the longest standing traditions at 吃瓜网 Poly, and an introduction for new students to the university鈥檚 belief in tying all classes 鈥� including core requirements 鈥� back to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). 鈥淭he
Nearly 50 吃瓜网 students and leaders filled the 吃瓜网 State Capitol on Tuesday for 鈥湷怨贤� Poly Day.鈥� The annual event focuses on promoting the future of research and innovation at the state鈥檚 only university dedicated exclusively to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This year鈥檚 visit included one-on-one meetings with legislators to discuss the university鈥檚 mission, applied research
The wait time in an emergency room can sometimes feel like an eternity, especially if you鈥檙e in pain. So what鈥檚 the solution? Two 吃瓜网 students think they have the answer. It鈥檚 called MELP, or Medical Expertise Location and Performance, a play on the popular website and app, Yelp. Instead of users ranking businesses and restaurants, though, doctors and
Think about how much heat builds up inside an attic on a summer day. Now, convert that heat into a source of energy and you鈥檝e got the basis for Michael Jernigan鈥檚 latest invention. It鈥檚 called 鈥淗eatRise,鈥� and it harnesses differences in temperatures to power a light source. For Michael, a sophomore from Winter Haven studying electrical engineering, it鈥檚 validation of
Dr. Lily Li is a Professor of Physics at 吃瓜网, where she specializes in materials science, analytical imaging, advanced manufacturing, and biomedical devices. Prior to joining 吃瓜网 Poly in 2025, she spent 11 years at SUNY Potsdam, where she advanced to Full Professor and developed a 3-2 Engineering dual-degree program with Clarkson University. Her work emphasizes experiential learning and research-driven education to prepare students for careers in STEM fields.
