UWF Answers Questions through Science and Engineering
By Lauren Smith, University Marketing Communications
The University of West Florida has awarded 16,758 science degrees since 1968 and continues to expand its capacity to offer students unique opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Essential to the global competiveness of the nation, STEM disciplines lead the way in health, innovation, business ingenuity, national security and technological advances. UWF is well equipped to provide Northwest Florida and beyond with an educated work force able to contribute to the knowledge-based economy.
In January 2010, UWF opened a new, state-of-the-art School of Science and Engineering building. The 100,000-square-foot, four-story building brings computer science, electrical and computer engineering, math and physics programs together to provide an interdisciplinary approach to learning.
This fall, UWF will offer a new graduate-level computer science specialization: Database Systems. Students who are admitted into the program and are Florida residents residing in Northwest Florida may apply to receive the 2010 Fall Database Scholarship. The scholarship, made possible by Florida’s Great Northwest, will cover 80 percent of their tuition for courses taken during the fall semester.
“IT and engineering are driving forces in the expansion of Northwest Florida’s increasingly high-tech, knowledge-based industries,” said Al Wenstrand, president of Florida’s Great Northwest. “UWF is doing an outstanding job of preparing students for the work force.”
According to UWF’s assistant director of Career Services Nathan Ford, engineering and computer science graduates are having a much easier time finding work locally than most other disciplines.
Beyond the School of Science and Engineering, UWF offers a wide variety of quality science degrees ranging from anthropology, environmental studies, marine biology to medical informatics, nursing, pre-professional biology and psychology to name a few.
Kimberly Murphy, a senior from Fort Walton Beach majoring in Environmental Science Policy, states, “Each instructor in the UWF Department of Environmental Studies has inspired and motivated me in unimaginable ways. They have taught me to think like a true environmental scientist.”
Inspiring and motivating students is all in a day’s work for UWF faculty. The fact that approximately 81 percent of them have the highest degrees granted in their fields makes their jobs a little easier. So does small class sizes. With a student to faculty ratio of 23 to 1, students get hands-on research opportunities and one-on-one instruction.
For example, biology undergraduate student Melinda Bottenfield and graduate student Melissa Overton are both getting real-world experience in their field by conducting research related to the oil spill in the Gulf. They are working side by side with faculty and team members of the university’s Center for Environmental Diagnostic and Bioremediation (CEDB) to advance the UWF oil spill research mission.
In addition to the CEDB, UWF also houses the Archaeology Institute, Center for Applied Psychology and GeoData Center. Each offers unique and innovative resources for the advancement of science.
“The science programs at UWF are cutting edge and focus on contemporary problems and solutions,” said Jane Halonen, dean of the UWF College of Arts and Sciences. “Our students get an opportunity to live science through hands-on experiences in a collaborative learning environment. UWF prepares students for the future whether the student is headed toward the work force or on to professional training.”
To learn about other ways UWF is asking questions, visit uwf.edu/impact.