Newberry Mayor Tim Marden sent a letter to the Alachua County School Board demanding a traffic study and additional documentation before the district can expand Oak View Middle School with portable classrooms, threatening to withhold city approval ahead of the Fall 2026 semester. The school district is pushing back, saying the expansion — which would convert Oak View into a pre-K through 8th-grade school — is needed in part because the former Newberry Elementary School is being converted into a charter school supported by city leaders. Alachua County Public Schools officials say they still plan to open the expanded school this fall.
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Sources: Mainstreet Daily News · WCJB TV20 · The Independent Florida Alligator
A University of Florida engineering team, working with researchers at UT Austin, has created a new form of CRISPR technology that uses DNA rather than RNA as a guide molecule — a first of its kind. Because DNA is naturally more stable and easier to produce than RNA, the approach could make disease diagnostics and treatments safer, more precise, and less expensive. The team first reported the work in a 2024 preprint and released the structure of the system in a separate preprint in March 2026.
Sources: UF News
A team of international researchers that includes scientists from the University of Florida has formally proposed a new discipline called ecotech, which applies principles drawn from natural ecosystems to the design of technologies. Published in Science Advances, the work suggests ecotech could guide innovations ranging from marine-compatible wind farms to more sustainable agricultural systems. The researchers argue that Florida is well-positioned to become a hub for the emerging field.
Sources: UF News
