FEMA announces national initiative to modernize building codes at FIU Wall of Wind
With FIU’s Wall of Wind (WoW) as a backdrop, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced a new initiative by the Biden-Harris administration to modernize building codes, improve climate resilience and reduce energy costs. The announcement came on Wednesday – the...
Engineering students’ seawater battery project wins first at Go Green North America
Lithium is a metal that dominates the battery industry. Lightweight and powerful, lithium-ion batteries are used in laptops, phones, scooters, electric toothbrushes and other consumer electronics. Global lithium mine production nearly quadrupled from 2010 to 2021,...
The Wall of Wind can blow away buildings at Category 5 hurricane strength to help engineers design safer homes – but even that isn’t powerful enough
In an airplane hangar in Miami, engineers are recreating some of the most powerful hurricane winds to ever strike land. These Category 5 winds can shatter a test building in the blink of an eye. Yet the giant fans creating them aren’t powerful enough to keep up with...
Real innovation presented at engineering and computing showcase
More than 400 engineering and computing students, consisting of 135 teams, participated in this spring’s Senior Design Showcase, hosted by the College of Engineering & Computing (CEC) on April 22. The students presented their team-based, senior projects to...
U.S. patent awarded to FIU researchers could be key to treating and preventing cardiovascular disease
A collaboration between researchers at FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) and the College of Engineering & Computing (CEC) has resulted in a U.S. patent that could eventually revolutionize how heart disease is treated ― and prevent disease in those...
NSF awards grant to College of Engineering to help improve disaster management and pandemic recovery
To improve disaster response and gain a better understanding of a population’s needs and behaviors during a crisis, Florida International University’s College of Engineering and Computing has received a $750,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. FIU researchers...
From Colombia to FIU to NASA: Sara Rengifo’s journey to becoming an aerospace engineer
With an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, Sara Rengifo came to the United States from Medellin, Colombia, hoping to start her career. Although she spoke no English and was told time and again that her degree was inconsequential here, she never gave up....
Deidra Hodges appointed chair of electrical and computer engineering
Deidra Hodges, an associate professor with expertise in photovoltaics and solar energy, has been named chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at FIU's College of Engineering and Computing. She is the first Black professor to serve as a...
5 FIU professors receive NSF CAREER Awards to conduct innovative research, promote diversity in engineering
Five junior faculty members of FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing are the latest recipients of the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, bringing the college’s total number of awardees to 24. “These awards are a clear reflection of our...
Professor Arvind Agarwal elected to rank of fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Professor Arvind Agarwal, chair of FIU’s Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and director of the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute, has been elected to the rank of fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science...
Shekhar Bhansali elected Honorary Fellow by the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability
Congratulations to Shekhar Bhansali, FIU’s Alcatel-Lucent and Distinguished Professor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for being elected as an Honorary Fellow by the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, a rare...
FIU twin grads win industry’s Most Promising Engineer award
When identical twins Shalisha and Shonda Witherspoon sat in their first computer science class at Florida International University, they wondered if they had made the best choice. After all, they knew little to nothing about computers and, as Black females, they were...