It has been another remarkable semester for the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and Nuclear Engineering. In this newsletter, you will read stories about impactful achievements and innovative work by our faculty, students and alumni.
Our department continues to excel in cross-disciplinary and collaborative research projects that have real-world impacts.
At the beginning of the summer, MSE Assistant Professor Ravit Silverstein, Ph.D., successfully led a team of engineering researchers who won the U.S. Department of Energy’s highly competitive Genesis Mission grant. This prestigious grant will support the development of an autonomous artificial intelligence platform that could accelerate materials discovery.
MSE Professor Megan Butala, Ph.D., combined her two passions — dancing and engineering — in a unique research project. Her team prepared, choreographed and performed a piece titled “How Batteries Move” with a short film in production to raise awareness of community-based dance programs. This is an exceptional example of MSE’s collaboration and creativity.
This newsletter also highlights the continued success of our EQuIPD Grant program led by Instructional Professor Nancy Ruzycki, Ph.D. Over the summer, her team hosted camps across Florida for middle school students, focusing on engineering and computational thinking. MSE values community outreach and early workforce development, and this program has a long and impactful reach for budding engineers.
Be sure to read about another multidisciplinary research project featuring MSE Professor James Baciak, Ph.D. His cross-departmental research team was recognized with the American Concrete Institute’s Wason Medal for Materials Research for their exploration in radiation shielding.
This year, we welcomed two new faculty members: Assistant Professor Heyi Liang, Ph.D., and Associate Professor Tommy Pashuck, Ph.D.
Liang looks forward to bringing his expertise in computational design and AI to existing MSE courses and research. Pashuck, an MSE graduate, is eager to return to the department to grow his multidisciplinary lab and cheer on his beloved Gators.
In this issue, we celebrate our students and alumni.
Read about Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. candidate Justin Borrero, who received the 2026 Barbara Stull Graduate Student Award from the Society of Applied Spectroscopy for research in national security.
MSE alumna and speedskater Erin Jackson (BSMS ‘15) discusses her experience representing Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and reflects on her journey as a UF student. After carrying the flag during the opening ceremony in Milan, Jackson is returning to the classroom to study kinesiology.
Another must-read story is on TikTok star and recent Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. graduate Kaylee Cunningham — known by many as “Ms. Nuclear Energy.” While reaching millions online, she is also the first person in her family to earn a doctorate and the first student to complete an online Ph.D. from our department.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter. We are so proud of our people and projects, and we love to share our stories. It has been a fantastic semester, and I look forward to carrying that MSE momentum into the new year.
Go Gators!
Sincerely,
Michael Tonks, Ph.D.
Department Chair, Professor, Alumni Professor of Materials Science & Engineering