In 1959 Dr. Fred Rhines left Carnegie Mellon University with a dream to come to the University of Florida and establish a program based on all areas of Materials Science and Engineering. This was a novel idea that was just being explored nationally. From these modest beginnings, the UF MSE Department has grown to be one of the largest programs in the country.

The UF Nuclear Engineering Program is one of the oldest programs in the country. It was established as a department in 1957, and the UF Training Reactor (UFTR) was founded in 1959. Since then, it has grown and adapted to changes in the nuclear industry and the evolving needs of the energy sector. It merged with the Materials Science & Engineering department in 2011.

Did You Know?

• Bioglass®, the first man-made substance known to bond with living human bone and soft tissue, was invented in 1969 by MSE faculty member Larry Hench.
• More than 2 million intraocular lenses are implanted each year. MSE faculty member Eugene Goldberg created a surface modification process that makes successful implantation easier.
• Blue lasers have revolutionized optical data storage, telecommunications, materials processing, surface analysis, and medical tools. The first room-temperature, optically pumped blue laser was developed by MSE faculty member Robert Park.
• Bioguard®, an anti-bacterial surface treatment material, was invented by MSE faculty member Christopher Batich.
• The Sharklet® pattern, a man-made surface pattern that mimics shark skin and is anti-fouling and anti-bacterial, was first developed by MSE Faculty Member Tony Brennan.
• UF has a long history of carrying out research on nuclear space propulsion, starting with the Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute that ran from 1985 to 2004 and continuing with current research by faculty members Michael Tonks and Justin Watson.
• UF is one of just a few universities in the US able to carry out microscopy on radioactive materials, including irradiated nuclear fuel, using the Nuclear Fuels and Materials Characterization Facility. Modeling and simulation of such materials at the same length scale is also carried out at UF.
• MSE faculty members have received nine Teacher of the Year Awards from the College of Engineering for excellence in teaching and advising students.