Director's Note

Turning the page: New beginnings and continued impact

(Photo credit: Brianne Lehan)

As we close out the year, it is with a mix of sadness and anticipation that I share with you I will be stepping down from my role as director of the Center for Coastal Solutions, a role I’ve had the privilege of holding since founding the center at the University of Florida in 2020. After much reflection and careful consideration, I’ve decided to pursue new opportunities and embark on an exciting new chapter in my professional journey.

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Statewide collaboration assesses hurricane-related water quality and health risks

(Photo credit: Hallie Fischman )

To help protect public health and the environment after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the Rapid Response Team at the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), along with partners across southwest Florida, mobilized swiftly in October to assess potential threats to water quality. Their focus was on important concerns like microplastics, harmful chemicals known as PFAS, dangerous bacteria such as Vibrio species, and the risk of red tide, all of which can pose serious risks to human health and local ecosystems.

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In the Field

Students and stakeholders design for a resilient Ribault River

(Photo credit: Yasin Delavar )

Graduate students from the School of Architecture and JaxLab at University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning (UF DCP), in collaboration with stakeholders from the city of Jacksonville and St. Johns Riverkeeper, are working together on an ambitious project to reshape the city’s future with a focus on resilience and sustainability. As part of the Florida Digital Twin initiative, the team spent October 14 visiting key sites, including Ribault Scenic Drive Park and the Pope Place and Gold Merit ash disposal areas, which are contaminated with incinerator ash. Their goal: to explore innovative design solutions for transforming these sites into vibrant, functional public spaces that can serve the community for years to come.

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Tech Dive

Researchers mobilize to capture critical storm data amid Hurricanes Helene and Milton

(Photo credit: Charli Pezoldt)

As Hurricanes Helene and Milton bore down on Florida’s coast, a highly coordinated team of researchers, engineers and experts sprang into action, racing against the clock to collect crucial storm data. Their mission: to build a detailed dataset on storm surge, wave action and the destructive forces that drive erosion and material transport along the coastline — critical insights that will shape future resilience strategies.  

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SeaSquad

Julie Walker confronts gators — and other surprises — in pursuit of science

UF Center for Coastal Solutions’ alumna Julie Walker has always embraced a challenge, even if it means facing down an alligator to check on her field experiments. During her doctoral studies, she once spotted what appeared to be an alligator’s head floating near her work site in the marsh. After waiting for 30 minutes, she used a stick to scare it off, before carefully approaching — only to find it was just a pool thermometer shaped like an alligator’s head. That spirit of determination and resilience has been a hallmark of Walker’s work throughout her career.

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Events

Coastal conservation summit: Where scientists bridge research and practice

(Photo credit: Steven Bailey)

Over 1,000 coastal restoration policymakers, practitioners and managers converged in Washington, D.C., from October 6 to 10, for the 2024 Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) Coastal and Estuarine Summit. The event sparked lively discussions on the latest coastal protection breakthroughs, highlighted success stories, and created new opportunities for collaboration in coastal and estuarine restoration. 

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More research news

Mangrove freeze resistance and resilience across a tropical-temperate transitional zone

Interpretable transformer neural network prediction of diverse environmental time series using weather forecasts

Mark your calendars