Carl Van Ness has worked as an archivist at the George A. Smathers Libraries for nearly 40 years – and that’s given him a lot of time to read letters from the past, set the historical record straight when needed and uncover interesting facts about the University of Florida. Listen as Carl describes some of his favorite items in the archive and a few myths he's unraveled.

As a child, Amy Williams gazed at the skies and had the same thought many of us do: Is there life out there? Now, as an astrobiologist at the University of Florida, Williams and her students are actively working on NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance missions to find out if ancient life forms ever existed on Mars.

The bald eagle wasn’t the hands-down choice to be our national emblem but today it is widely acknowledged as a perfect symbol of American patriotism. Pulitzer-Prize winning author Jack Davis, an environmental historian, has a new book out about the bird, its surprising past and why it is an environmental success story.

Aimee Clesi's passion for justice fueled her focus on wrongful conviction. It also led to her selection as the University of Florida’s most recent Rhodes scholar. Aimee talks more about her plans to study at Oxford University and joins UF external scholarship and fellowship coordinator Kelly Medley in offering advice for other students pursuing scholarship opportunities.

Students who applied to the University of Florida as part of the Class of 2026 will learn if they’ve been admitted on Friday, Feb. 25. Mary Parker, the university’s chief enrollment strategist, explains what will happen on Friday, what comes next and offers her perspective on enrollment trends around the country.

This year, the theme of Black History Month is Black health and wellness, which makes it an ideal time to learn more about the work of Dr. Josephine Allen and Dr. Erika Moore, both materials science engineers at the University of Florida. In this episode of From Florida, they explain why genetic diversity is important to medical research.

The University of Florida decided seven years ago it wanted to create an online bachelor’s degree program that mirrored the quality and experience of its on-campus programs. Dr. Evangeline Cummings, assistant provost and director of UF Online, explains what UF did to reach that goal and, most important, serve the needs of all kinds of students.

There is a nationwide shortage of nurses and it has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Interest in nursing as a career remains strong, however. UF’s College of Nursing has a long history of developing programs aimed at meeting the need for health care services, as Dean Anna McDaniel and Clinical Director Denise Schentrup explain.

Mickey MacKie, an assistant professor of geological sciences and a glaciologist, joined UF this summer. She has set up the Gator Glaciology Lab, where she and a team of undergraduate students are using machine learning tools to study conditions under glaciers to better understand movement and melting, which has implications for sea level rise.

Researchers with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are at the leading edge of using artificial intelligence to improve agricultural practices and production. Scott Angle explains the innovations happening at UF that will help Florida and other southeastern states take an increasing role in the nation’s food production.

Students and teachers throughout Florida are learning more about scientists and their work through UF’s Scientist in Every Florida School program. Bruce MacFadden, director of the Thompson Earth Systems Institute, oversees the program and in this episode, he shares how the program got started and why it matters.

The University of Florida is home to one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. It’s called HiPerGator and in this episode of From Florida, Erik Deumens explains how its speed and capacity is making a difference in what researchers are able to do.

Disruptions in the supply chain continue. Asoo Vakharia, director of the Supply Chain Management Center in UF’s Warrington College of Business, explains what’s happening. Produced by Nicci Brown, Brooke Adams, Emily Cardinali and James L. Sullivan. Original music by Daniel Townsend, a doctoral candidate in music composition in the College of the Arts.

Today’s parents are the first to raise children alongside social media and this generation of children is the first to grow up constantly “shared” online. Stacey Steinberg, a professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law is an expert on “sharenting” and the intersection of parents’ and children’s rights in the online world.

Porches are designed for social connection and for observing the world around us. In this episode of From Florida, hear what Charlie Hailey, a professor in UF’s School of Architecture, learned in his meditation on porches – a space where writers find inspiration, presidents seek solace and which present us all with a perfect perch to observe life and nature.