The University of Florida has been selected by the U.S. Department of State to direct the new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for High-Value Crops, known as SAFE, which aims to detect and contain agricultural pests and diseases in seven partner countries before they reach American farms. Led by UF/IFAS plant pathologist Karen Garrett, the lab will deploy artificial intelligence, crop modeling, field diagnostics, and breeding programs across Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Nepal, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic. The initiative also targets reducing postharvest food losses, improving food safety, and expanding market access for smallholder farmers worldwide.
Sources: UF News
A University of Florida study published in npj Microgravity found that plants start undergoing biological changes almost immediately after leaving Earth, tracking more than 1,200 genes that shifted activity across different phases of a suborbital Blue Origin flight in August 2024. UF scientists Rob Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul designed the experiment so that plant samples were preserved at four distinct moments during the mission — before launch, at microgravity, during descent, and upon landing — allowing direct comparison with identical control plants kept on the ground. The findings reveal that adaptation to spaceflight is a continuous, phase-by-phase process rather than a single adjustment that occurs after reaching orbit.
Sources: UF News
An administrative law judge has recommended that Gainesville High School teacher Lauren Watts receive only a written reprimand and retain her teaching certificate following a disciplinary case stemming from her giving a student a ‘most likely to become a dictator’ award. The recommendation, which still requires a final ruling from the state Department of Education, would end any further suspension for Watts. The student’s parent, Dr. Crystal Marull, had alleged that her son’s conservative viewpoints were targeted by the school.
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Sources: WCJB TV20
