Category: Alumni Spotlight

Renowned UF alumnus Sachio Semmoto, Ph.D., pioneering serial entrepreneur and futurist, was the guest of honor in a recent ceremony in Malachowsky Hall for the official creation of the Sachio Semmoto Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.

The University of Florida’s supercomputer, known as HiPerGator, is being put through the paces on more than 800 research projects across all 16 of UF’s colleges, accelerating impactful work that might have previously been unfeasible or even impossible. Built with $50 million in support from UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky and tech company NVIDIA, which he co-founded, the machine is one of the fastest AI supercomputers in academia.

The Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL) has inducted former UF dean of engineering, Cammy R. Abernathy, Ph.D., as member. The ceremony also saw the naming of twelve mid-career researchers from throughout the state of Florida as “Rising Stars” by the academy, including two from UF, and a UF alumnus.

A new artificial intelligence computer program created by researchers at UF and NVIDIA can generate doctors’ notes so well that two physicians couldn’t tell the difference, according to an early study from both groups. UF alumnus and NVIDIA co-founder Chris Malachowsky is the namesake of UF’s new Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology. A public-private partnership between UF and NVIDIA helped to fund this $150 million structure. In 2021, UF upgraded its HiPerGator supercomputer to elite status with a multimillion-dollar infrastructure package from NVIDIA, the first at a university.

Eleven students from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, as well as nine alumni, were selected to receive awards from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP).

Erin Jackson (MSE ’15) gave the university-wide commencement speech at the ceremony on Friday, May 5. Jackson is an Olympic gold medalist, a history maker and a Gator. She won the women’s 500-meter race in speed skating in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, becoming the first American to win that race since 1994 and the first Black American woman in history to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport. Additionally, she graduated UF cum laude in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering.

UF alumni have created and guided some of the most innovative and profitable businesses in the nation and the world. Congratulations to our talented Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering alumni who made the 2023 Gator100 list for leading one of the world’s Fastest Growing Gator Companies!

Two Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering alumni spoke to graduating seniors from the college at this spring’s commencement and Order of the Engineer induction ceremonies. Tara Battle, BSME ’10, spoke at the Order of the Engineer induction ceremony on May 4, and Jenn Gustetic, BSAE ’05, addressed students at the bachelors recognition ceremony on May 5.

An engineering alumna who is a pioneer in the semiconductor polishing industry is among 10 new members of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

On April 5, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the College of Design, Construction and Planning (DCP) received a $300,000 gift from Autodesk Inc.