Source: UF IFAS Blogs
Dr. Kakani brings a distinguished record of academic leadership, research excellence, and international collaboration to this role. At the University of Florida, he served as Professor and Chair of the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, currently Professor in Agricultural & Biological Engineering and holds joint leadership responsibilities through GFSI. Prior to UF, he held two distinguished professorships and served as Interim Department Head at Oklahoma...
Hwayoung Cho, PhD, RN, was an invited speaker at the 2025 International Conference of the Chonnam Research Institute of Nursing Science in South Korea.
She presented virtually to the assembled international leaders, exploring how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of nursing worldwide.
The featured lecture, “AI-Powered Strategy for HIV Testing and PrEP: From Risk Prediction to Clinical Decision Support,” highlighted how advanced AI algorithms can strengthen HIV prevention efforts. By connecting predictive risk modeling with real-time clinical decision support, the presentation demonstrated how AI can be applied in real-world settings to more...
Real-time AI translation into Portuguese allowed UF Mechanical Engineering Professor John Schueller’s keynote at the Simpósio Nacional de Instrumentação Agropecuária, hosted by EMBRAPA Instrumentação in São Carlos, Brazil, to be fully understood by attendees. This technology enables UF faculty, even those with limited language skills, to share their expertise and knowledge with a broader international audience, fostering greater collaboration and engagement worldwide.
Through UFIC’s Friendship Families Program, international students spent Thanksgiving with their host families, sharing traditions, stories, and a welcoming home-cooked holiday experience. For many students, it was their first time celebrating an American Thanksgiving, making the day especially meaningful. Read their reflections below to learn what this experience meant to them.
“I hosted two international students for our Thanksgiving celebration, and it was a wonderful experience. We loved getting to know them and sharing...
Sayantika Chakraborty receiving the Public Humanities Incubator award and Edward Guiliano Global Fellowship for her research, from the executive director of the Modern Language Association, Dr. Paula Krebs
Originally from India, Sayantika Chakraborty is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the English Department at the University of Florida, specializing in climate change narratives and environmental humanities. Her dissertation focuses on Indigenous women-led climate migration stories from India, blending personal investment, rigorous scholarship, and community engagement. Growing up hearing the experiences of her grandmother...
Lenka Bustikova, Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida, delivered a lecture titled “Amicus curiae: Who endorses uncivil society in Central Europe?” at Stockholm University’s Department of Sociology and at Central European University (CEU). Her talk examined the growing politicization of reproduction and family dynamics in Central Eastern Europe and offered a critical reassessment of prevailing explanations of illiberalism.
Challenging strictly top-down or bottom-up interpretations, Professor Bustikova emphasized the influential role of socially conservative advocacy groups, many of which are embedded in transnational networks. These organizations act...
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges graduate students to present their research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes, using only one slide and no technical jargon. This year, two exceptional F-1 international students earned top recognition for their ability to communicate complex research with clarity and impact.
Here are their experiences in their own words:
Abhishek Kulkarni
Participating in 3MT this year was a truly motivating experience. Listening...
Dr. Paloma Rodriguez represented the University of Florida at the sixth edition of the Conference on the Internationalization of Higher Education 2025, hosted by the Autonomous University of Chiapas in Mexico. At the conference, Dr. Rodriguez spoke about the potential of COIL/virtual exchange as a tool for comprehensive internationalization. Learn more about virtual exchange by clicking here.
Dean Marta L. Wayne met with the Study Abroad Peer Advisors (SAPA) for a breakfast gathering in honor of UFIC’s Student Appreciation Month. The event provided an opportunity to connect, share experiences, and recognize the valuable contributions of these student leaders.
