On behalf of the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment, it is my privilege to share that I will serve as interim director, as Kirk Hatfield, Ph.D., steps down as director. Embarking on this new position, I’d like to mention major updates and accomplishments to close the 2024-2025 school year.
As ESSIE director for 13 years, Hatfield served as a support system to his colleagues, staff, faculty and students. Through his tenure, he contributed greatly to the outstanding success of ESSIE. His achievements include overseeing the hiring of an incredible group of young faculty, aggressively pursuing growth opportunities, curating a uniquely supportive and collegial environment and keeping student experience as his highest priority. He will remain a civil and coastal engineering professor, an insightful educator and role model.
I’d also like to bid farewell and congratulate former Interim Dean Forrest Masters, Ph.D., who leaves the University of Florida to serve as the Kearney Dean of Engineering at Oregon State University. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Masters since 1997, and I look forward to tracking the success of this lifelong gator.
This year, ESSIE faculty continue to impact the world through their research, directing national recognition of their expertise toward problem solving. In this issue we spotlight a few ESSIE researchers who are making a difference, from infrastructure around the world to the future of robotic technology and student training, to global health.
One story follows renowned researcher and professor David O. Prevatt, Ph.D., who is now representing UF in Washington, D.C., as a Jefferson Science Fellow with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Climate Security & Resilience program. His work centers on the building portfolio in approximately 280 U.S.-owned locations worldwide, including embassies, diplomatic facilities and residences.
We explore the research of Eric Du, Ph.D., who is integrating newer technologies and robotics into the classroom and studying how they can be used on a broader scale within space, the environment and healthcare.
We touch base with another internationally known UF researcher, Antar Jutla, Ph.D., who is developing a disease-prediction system in the Gulf of Mexico, similar to his cholera risk dashboard that has been implemented in over 20 countries.
ESSIE is proud of our students’ immense success.
In 2015, UF became the first (and, to date, only) school to win the two ASCE flagship national student competitions in the same year (Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe). They won both again in 2021 and 2024, and they just did it again in 2025. Concrete Canoe has won four of the last six, and 2025 marks the fifth consecutive UF Steel Bridge national championship.
Still not impressed?
UF also earned first place overall at the ASCE Southeast Regional event in Athens, Georgia, showcasing skills in all facets of civil engineering. Our students continue to prove they are among the very best in the country (and world). These results reflect the strength of our academic programs, our focus on experiential learning, the dedication of our faculty advisors and students, and our commitment to developing industry-ready engineers. Of course, the support from our alumni and other donors is gratefully acknowledged and encouraged.
Lastly, we celebrate alumni whose community service and unwavering support for their alma mater has landed them on the esteemed 40 Gators Under 40 list. Here, they reflect on their careers and impact as engineers after graduating from UF.
As I head into the new school year as interim director, I will continue Hatfield’s commitment to support and celebrate ESSIE faculty, staff, students and alumni. I wish you all the best.
See you soon, and Go Gators!
Kurtis Gurley
Interim Director – Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment