Wednesday, October 14, 2026
The University of Florida and South Florida State College have received a $4.65 million federal grant to fund the Florida FLIGHT program, a five-year initiative aimed at expanding career and technical education in rural Florida. South Florida State College will receive approximately $3.29 million while UF gets more than $1.35 million, with funding directed toward new technology-focused programs, industry certifications, and micro-credentials. The partnership is also designed to ease the transfer pathway from South Florida State College to UF.
Sources: WCJB TV20
UF Health now operates a hospital network stretching from Gainesville to St. Augustine, according to a report by the Independent Florida Alligator. Healthcare experts are divided on what the expansion means for patients, with some research linking hospital consolidation to higher prices while others argue a newly built facility represents a different situation.
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Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator
A UF assistant professor of biology, Liming Cai, developed a genetic-analysis tool called HGTScanner that detects horizontal gene transfer — the exchange of genetic material between unrelated species — in plants. Using the tool on existing DNA samples, Cai and postdoctoral researcher Rachel Cohen identified the first recorded interaction between Amborella, the oldest surviving branch of flowering plants native to New Caledonia, and a parasitic plant called Hachettea. The finding, published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution, also revealed that the gene transfer ran from the parasite to the host, the reverse of the typical direction, and the team now plans fieldwork in New Caledonia to confirm the ecological relationship.
Sources: UF News
