News - The Independent Florida Alligator

Marian Hernandez, 21, a psychology senior, (right), and Jenna Hidalgo, 21, a criminology and psychology senior, (left), shout “Patria y Vida” as they raise signs embellished with colors of the Cuban flag on Friday, July 16, 2021. UF students gathered at the corner of University Avenue and 13th street to protest human rights abuses in Cuba.

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UF students protest against Cuba’s government

By Alexander Lugo and Camila Pereira | July 19

The #SOSCuba Gainesville demonstration — hosted by UF students from Take Action Florida, a social activism group — garnered support from about 70 students and Gainesville residents who called for action to change current conditions in Cuba. The protests are in response to food and medicine shortages, inflation, nationwide blackouts and a rise in COVID-19 deaths on the island in the past month. Thousands of Cubans both in the country and in the U.S. are demonstrating to express frustrations against the current government’s rule.

A group of Hare Krishnas gathered outside the Krishna House at 214 NW 14th Street in Gainesville on Thursday, July 29, 2021. The Gainesville community is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Krishna Lunch at UF this weekend.

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Krishna Lunch celebrates its 50th anniversary

By Juliana Ferrie | July 30

Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, at UF. His 1971 address, which took place in the Plaza of the Americas, inspired the Krishna Lunch known by UF students and the Gainesville community today.

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UF students win national competition with a sustainable fashion idea

By Savannah Alday | July 30

A team of students from UF's College of Health and Human Performance won a competition featuring a sustainable fashion exposition.

The UF Health Orthopaedics ans Sports Medicine Institute, located at 3450 SW Hull Road on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The building, which houses comprehensive rehabilitation services, is one of many UF College of Medicine ventures operating under the new department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, the college’s first new clinical department in 30 years.

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UF College of Medicine launches new clinical department

By Juliana Ferrie | July 28

The department of PM&R became UF College of Medicine’s first new clinical department — a group of researchers, administrators and clinicians who support each other to achieve a specific mission — in 30 years. However, its journey began in September 2014, Dr. Kevin Vincent, the founding chair, said.

Few students are seen wandering around UF’s campus on August 31, 2020, in Gainesville Fla., due to the social distancing guidelines and mask requirements set in place. However, the Campus Connector and RTS buses still operate with frequent trips across campus.

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UF welcomes first Ph.D. plant breeding program, first in Florida

By Isabella Douglas | July 26

UF will welcome its first class of Ph.D. plant breeding students Fall. The new program is one of six in the country and the only one in Florida.

A photo of Nicole "Nicky" Langesfeld and Luis Sadovnic hangs on a memorial wall in Surfside, Florida on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Langesfeld and Sadovnic are two UF alumni among the more than 100 people still unaccounted for after the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South building on June 24.

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UF alumni identified from the Surfside Champlain Towers South Condominium

By Isabella Barnet | July 19

Three University of Florida alumni were recovered and identified from the rubble of the Surfside Champlain Towers South condominium after it partially collapsed on June 24. 26-year-old Argentinian Nicole “Nicky” Langesfeld and 28-year-old Venezuelan Luis Sadovnic were both recovered from the site on July 7, exactly two weeks after the collapse.

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UF researchers fight dementia using AI technology to develop new treatment

By Alexandra Harris | July 19

Paired with cognitive training and the help of AI, precision dosing treatment for transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, may pave the path to preventing dementia.

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UF Online set to welcome largest ever incoming class this Fall

By Isabella Douglas | July 19

In Fall 2021, UF Online will welcome its largest incoming class with applications leaping by 30% compared to Fall 2019. UF’s online bachelor’s program is ranked No. 3 in the country by U.S. News & World Report and has held a top-five ranking for the past three years.

Anna-Lisa Paul (left) and Robert Ferl, (right) the principal investigators of the UF space plants lab, stand outside of the EDEN ISS greenhouse in Antarctica where plants are cultivated in extreme conditions with the goal of learning how to successfully grow plants in space.

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UF’s space plants lab scientists take another step toward sustainable space travel

By Abigail Hasebroock | July 14

UF’s space plants lab scientists are participating in a suborbital flight to examine how plants react to being suspended in microgravity, and this research is taking the team of scientists one step closer to sustainable colonies on celestial bodies like the moon and Mars.

Gov. Ron DeSantis looks down at his notes as he speaks to a crowd of reporters in Surfside, Florida on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

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New Florida law requires colleges’ political and viewpoint diversity to be surveyed

By Juliana Ferrie | July 12

House Bill 233 was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis June 22 and went into effect July 1. Students, faculty and staff will be asked through a survey whether they feel comfortable expressing their viewpoints at Florida College System institutions.

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Top-ranked HiPerGator AI supercomputer paves the way for growing AI Initiative at UF

By Makiya Seminera | July 12

The rankings not only bode well for the Artificial Intelligence Initiative; the national recognition of HiPerGator is also welcoming news in UF’s pursuit of becoming a top five public university.

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New sexual assault prevention measures will launch at UF in Fall

By Makiya Seminera | July 6

The new training and app — led by the Office for Accessibility and Gender Equity — aim to educate the UF population on sexual harassment, methods of reporting sexual misconduct and tools to avoid dangerous situations.

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In memory of Joshua Toledo: “Give me everything tonight, for all we know we might not get tomorrow”

By Isabella Douglas | June 30

On June 12, Toledo died in a car accident heading from Gainesville to Panama City to celebrate his best friend’s bachelor party. He was 21 years old.

The front entrance of Southwest Recreation Center.

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MTV welcome to my gym, Southwest Recreation Center

By Michael Hull | June 28

A look inside UF’s largest gym

The Student Recreation & Fitness Center on Friday, June 18, 2021.

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The classic UF gym: Student Recreation & Fitness Center

By Joseph Henry | June 28

The oldest student fitness center on campus can be found in the shadow of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

UF health education senior Tala Rizkallah, 21, and UF communication sciences and disorders senior Michelle Saade, 21, check out health-oriented pins at the GatorWell table at the Freshman 15 Wellness Fair on the Plaza of the Americas on Wednesday afternoon.

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GatorWell and the CWC help UF community with mental health

By Isabella Douglas | June 28

UF provides free counseling, coaching, testing and crisis support among many services on campus. Students may reach out to the CWC for licensed counseling support focused on helping individuals work through mental health concerns and GatorWell for wellness and health coaching with an expertise in behavior change.

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Innovation Gators: Students share original solutions during Innovation Academy’s Summer A showcase

By Antonia LaRocca | June 16

UF students show off their skills during Innovation Academy’s Summer A showcase by presenting their innovative solutions to support health and wellness for Florida community members.

The UF Board of Trustees discusses capital projects inside the Emerson Alumni Hall on Thursday, March 18, 2021.

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UF faculty union wins paid parental and medical leave in new contract

By Eve Thompson | June 11

This year, the union bargaining team won paid parental and medical leave, new promotion guidelines for non-tenure track faculty and a clearly defined way to report conflicts of interest and outside activities, among other updates.

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UF students create app to combat misinformation

By Makiya Seminera | June 4

Seeking to counter the spread of misinformation on social media, a group of nine UF students developed an app called String News. The founding team envisioned the app as a platform for users to view free, reliable news stories without distractions, such as misleading infographics and memes easily found on social media.

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021, more than 200 UF students and Gainesville residents gathered on the corner of West University Avenue and Northwest 13th Street to show solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Solidarity with Palestine protest was organized by UF Students for Justice in Palestine. Protestors chanted "Free, Free, Palestine," listened to poetry and speeches, sang liberation songs and hoisted signs like "occupation is a crime" and "defund Israeli apartheid." After about an hour, a small group of counter-protestors gathered across the street. One of their signs read "Israel is not the oppressor." The pro-Palestine protest continued even after the sun went down and lasted for over two hours.

 (Photos by Mingmei Li)

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UF community responds to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Makiya Seminera | May 24

Over the past three years, numerous critical moments for both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel supporters at UF have set the stage for the current climate between the groups.