Would You Use an App To Talk to Police After You Get Pulled Over?
Dr. Juan Gilbert, an engineering professor at the University of Florida, has developed an app called Virtual Traffic Stop. This innovative solution aims to de-escalate tensions during traffic stops and reduce nervousness on both sides, ultimately creating a safer environment for all parties involved. The app is designed to be inclusive, making it particularly beneficial for individuals who are hearing impaired or deaf.
“It began with my students, actually,” Gilbert told News4JAX from his office on campus. “One day I was in the lab and talking to my students, and they were a little frustrated with interactions between law enforcement and drivers. I said, ‘Well, let’s do something about that.’”
Gilbert has already created what he calls the most secure way to vote and in his spare time rolled out the app called Virtual Traffic Stop. President Joe Biden recently honored him with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the White House.
“The idea from a driver’s perspective is that I can de-escalate tensions between law enforcement and myself, bring down the nervousness that a driver may have,” he said. “The idea is that by having the virtual traffic stop, we can have an icebreaker.”
Air Force Awards $5M to FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, UF Collaboration on New Research Center of Excellence
The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida will collaborate on a new Air Force Office of Scientific Research Center of Excellence focused on high-speed flight and morphing aerospace vehicles, which can change shape while in flight.
A New Way To Capture Cancer Cells’ Symphony
A team of UF researchers has shed new light on the functional mechanisms of spontaneous calcium waves in human colon and prostate cancer cells. These findings could contribute to the development of innovative therapies for tumor suppression.
New Study Points to Concerns of Dangerous Vibrio Bacteria in Florida’s Coastal Waters Following Hurricane Ian
When Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida in September 2022, it unleashed a variety of Vibrio bacteria that can cause illness and death in humans, according to a new study conducted in October 2022 by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Maryland, based on genome sequencing as well as satellite and environmental data collected off the coast of Lee County, where Hurricane Ian hit directly.
Florida Semiconductor Institute to Help Lead State in Critical Chips Sector
The University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering announced today the establishment of the Florida Semiconductor Institute, a campus- and state-wide coordinating hub to provide intellectual and technological leadership for semiconductors in the 21st Century.
National Cade Prize for Innovation Names 21 Finalists
Judges for 2023’s National Cade Prize for Innovation named this year’s 21 Fibonacci Finalists. Finalists will compete to win $10,000 in their respective category group—Agriculture and Environmental, Healthcare/Biomedical, IT/Tech, Energy, and Wildcard. One of the five category winners will be selected as the Inventivity™ Grand Prize winner and take home an additional $50,000 prize. Two UF startups -- Lactovid and Analyz -- are listed among the Fibonacci Finalists.
Roozbeh Tabrizian Named Nelms Rising Star Professor
The Warren B. Nelms Institute for the Connected World has named a new Nelms Rising Star Professor, UF engineering professor Roozbeh Tabrizian, Ph.D. This endowment was made possible thanks to a generous donation by David Nelms and the Nelms family.
UF Receives U.S. DOE Funding for More Efficient Cooling for Data Centers
The University of Florida is among recipients of $40 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for 15 projects that will develop high-performance, energy efficient cooling solutions for data centers. Used to house computers, storage systems, and computing infrastructure, data centers account for approximately 2% of total U.S. electricity consumption while data center cooling can account for up to 40% of data center energy usage overall. The selected projects—located at national labs, universities, and businesses—seek to reduce the energy necessary to cool data centers.
Erika Moore First in UF Engineering To Receive Prestigious 3M Award
Erika Moore, Ph.D., the Rhines Rising Star Larry Hench Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE), is the first Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering faculty member to be selected for the 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (NTFA).
Three UF Faculty Elected to Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida
Three University of Florida faculty will be inducted into the Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida in 2022. The academy, which recognizes the work of individuals of the State of Florida who have made major achievements in science, engineering, and medicine, will present awards to the following faculty during its annual meeting on November 5-6 in Orlando.
