Two Florida State University students from the Department of History have earned prestigious awards for their work in the identification, protection and rehabilitation of historic sites around the state of Florida. 

Chase Panish and Flora Domitrovic, both Spring 2026 graduates, have won the Historic Preservation Scholar Award from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, a statewide award recognizing outstanding scholarship in the field. 

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is a statewide non-profit founded in 1978 with the goal of promoting the preservation and sharing of Florida’s heritage. The awards were first presented in 2024, and many of the recipients have hailed from FSU. 

“Flora and Chase are gifted preservationists who excel at archival research to create research projects that benefit their communities,” said Kathleen Powers Conti, an assistant professor of history at FSU who nominated the students for this award. “Two of our students receiving this prestigious, statewide award showcases the important, community-engaged work that the Department of History does every day.” 

“Flora and Chase are gifted preservationists who excel at archival research to create research projects that benefit their communities. Two of our students receiving this prestigious, statewide award showcases the important, community-engaged work that the Department of History does every day.” 

— Kathleen Powers Conti, assistant professor of history at FSU

Panish was honored with the Historic Preservation Scholar Award for his work nominating Tallahassee’s Union Bank to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). When the NRHP — the official list of the U.S.’s historically significant places — was created in 1966, there was a rush to build out the list. The Union Bank was originally listed in 1971, but like many of the original listings, the existing nomination was quite short and had substantial gaps. Panish authored an updated nomination for the Union Bank, the state’s oldest surviving bank building, to include more substantive discussions about its history and architectural significance.  

A NRHP nomination requires months of archival research, interviews and site visits to create a detailed description of a site’s long history and architectural significance. Panish worked closely with the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources to develop the appropriate documentation to renominate the bank with a testament of its full history including its time as a plantation owner’s bank and, later, a branch of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company, a Congress-chartered bank serving formerly enslaved people. 

“Don’t look past a small building. Every patch of dirt has a history if you look far enough,” Panish said. “Just follow your interests because you never know where they may lead.” 

Prior to graduating this spring with a master’s in history with a major in public history, Panish interned at Heritage Village, a public museum featuring a collection of a historic structures in Pinellas County, Fla., during which he created several precise, digital, architectural drawings to help the museum complete its catalog of these structures.  

Panish also used specialized software to design and build 3D virtual models of the structures to create an opportunity for people with disabilities who may not be able to fully access these sites a chance to experience them. As an advocate for accessibility in preservation, Panish was selected by the National Council on Public History to partake in the Accessibility Working Group beginning in Jan. 2025, a team dedicated to making public history more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities. 

“I’m disabled but there are not a lot of disabled people in the preservation realm,” Panish said. “I’m grateful for the research and to have received this honor so that I can represent the small amount of disabled people in my field.” 

After graduation, Panish plans to continue his involvement in cultural resource management as an architectural historian, documenting and evaluating historic sites for preservation. 

Domitrovic earned the Historic Preservation Scholar Award for her Honors in the Major project, “Early Computers as a Tool for Ecologically Conscious City Planning.” Her research examined how urban planners in the 1970s encouraged more environmentally conscious planning, in line with new environmental regulations of the time, through the integration of computers into urban planning systems. 

With support from an IDEA Grant from FSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement, Domitrovic visited the Library of Congress’ History of Computer Cartography and Geographic Information Sciences Archive during the summer of 2025 to examine primary sources related to the integration of these systems.  

“We can see the similarities between how people grappled with automation in the integration of computers into the city-planning in the 1970s and the emergence of AI today,” said Domitrovic. “We can also see the link between environmental conservation and historic preservation, and the early efforts to try to protect them both.” 

Domitrovic earned her bachelor’s degree in history from FSU this spring, and during her time in the department, she completed internships at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She also worked with the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center, starting with her experience in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. Domitrovic also drafted a nomination to put Tallahassee’s Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, built in 1940, on the National Register of Historic Places. 

In Fall 2026, she will join the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design to purse a master’s in city planning.  

To learn more about historic preservation and the research conducted in the FSU Department of History, visit history.fsu.edu.

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Each year, massive mats of pelagic sargassum drift across the Atlantic Ocean and wash ashore along coastlines from West Africa to the Florida Gulf. What begins at sea as a floating habitat for marine life quickly becomes a serious problem once it reaches land, smothering beaches, disrupting ecosystems and generating the familiar smell of rotten eggs as it decays.

As the scale of the sargassum blooms continues to grow, researchers at Florida State University are working on a different question: How to transform this mounting environmental challenge into a sustainable opportunity. A team of scientists at FSU, collaborating with colleagues at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Florida International University (FIU), has demonstrated that pelagic sargassum can be converted into a potential high-quality, functional food ingredient through targeted extraction and purification. Their findings were recently published in the journal Food Hydrocolloids.

Their work comes at a crucial moment: In 2026, pelagic sargassum quantities are expected to reach unprecedented levels. Marine scientists estimate that this year’s bloom is on track to be the largest ever recorded, potentially surpassing last year’s peak of about 37.5 million metric tons (MMT). As of February 2026, more than 13 MMT of sargassum were already drifting toward Florida and the Caribbean, forming earlier than usual due to warming ocean temperatures and strong trade winds. Cleanup comes at a steep price: In Miami-Dade County alone, sargassum removal has previously cost an estimated $35 million per year.

Rather than focusing on removing sargassum and discarding it, the researchers investigated how to recover sodium alginate, a naturally occurring compound widely used in foods for thickening, gelling and stabilizing products such as salad dressings, desserts and plant-based alternatives.

“Right now, most washed ashore sargassum is treated as waste,” said Qinchun Rao, corresponding author of the study and professor in FSU’s Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences. “We wanted to explore whether this abundant biomass could be responsibly transformed into something useful.”

“One of the most encouraging findings was that the recovered alginate retained useful functional properties,” added Aravind Kumar Bingi, first author of the study and a doctoral candidate in Rao’s lab. “That suggests this biomass may have value beyond cleanup and disposal.”

Addressing safety and functionality

Pelagic sargassum is not suitable for direct human consumption due to its high salt content, fibrous structure and potential accumulation of heavy metals. However, the FSU-led team found that selective extraction and purification can isolate alginate while removing much of the unwanted material.

Crucially, the study showed that alginate derived from pelagic sargassum retains strong functional performance, comparable to that of commercially available alginates already used in food systems. Advanced analytical techniques confirmed that the alginate’s chemical backbone remains intact, meaning functional differences are driven by physical structure rather than chemical alteration.

Looking ahead

The research team emphasizes that more work is needed before large-scale adoption, including performance testing in real food systems and continued monitoring of batch-to-batch safety. Still, the findings represent a critical step toward changing how pelagic sargassum is viewed — from an expensive nuisance to a renewable resource with real-world applications.

“Our long-term goal is to help turn an environmental burden into a safe, sustainable and value-added resource,” Rao said. “If pelagic sargassum can be responsibly processed into functional ingredients, it could create new opportunities for food innovation while also supporting more sustainable approaches to managing coastal biomass.”

With forecasts pointing to yet another record-breaking sargassum season, such solutions are becoming increasingly urgent.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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Mental Health Awareness Month is recognized each May to provide education and reduce the stigma of several disorders. One lesser-known term gaining attention is high-functioning anxiety, which describes people who appear successful and composed while privately struggling with chronic stress, worry and self-doubt.

According to the Mayo Clinic, high-functioning anxiety is associated with generalized anxiety disorder and often goes unnoticed because individuals continue to perform well at work, school or in relationships despite significant internal stress. Florida State University’s Brad Schmidt is the director of the Anxiety & Behavioral Health Clinic, which develops state-of-the-art treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety-related problems. Schmidt’s translational research lab also focuses on the nature, causes, treatment and prevention of anxiety and associated forms of psychopathology, including PTSD, substance use and suicide.

Schmidt says high-functioning anxiety can be difficult to recognize because many people who experience it appear highly capable on the surface.

“One important thing to clarify is that high-functioning anxiety is not a formal diagnosis. It is a way of describing people whose anxiety is largely hidden by outward competence,” Schmidt said. “These individuals may look successful, organized and driven, but internally they experience chronic worry, self-doubt, anticipatory fear, and a persistent sense that they are one mistake away from failure. Basically, it is a term for people who experience anxiety while still appearing outwardly successful or composed.”

Today’s culture often celebrates people who push themselves to succeed, even when that success comes at the expense of their mental health. Schmidt said social media can amplify behaviors commonly associated with anxiety.

“Social media does not typically celebrate anxiety itself, but it does celebrate behaviors that can be anxiety-driven — extreme productivity, relentless ambition and the idea that rest is weakness,” Schmidt added. “The danger is that we confuse high output with psychological health. A person can be achieving at a high level and still be chronically dysregulated, sleep-deprived and unhappy and anxious. In an anxiety clinic, we would ask not only ‘Is the person functioning?’ but ‘What is the cost of them functioning in this way?’

Schmidt is available for interviews on high-functioning anxiety and can be reached via email at schmidt@psy.fsu.edu. As an experienced and highly responsive media subject, Schmidt has appeared in National Geographic, Us Weekly  and other large outlets recently.

Brad Schmidt, director, FSU Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic

High-functioning anxiety can be masked easily, especially by individuals who are seen as successful and rewarded in corporate culture. But what are some of the internal dilemmas these individuals experience?

A common dilemma is that the very behaviors that make them look successful —overpreparing, saying yes to everything, working late, being hyperresponsive —may actually be anxiety-management strategies. They reduce anxiety in the short term because the person feels temporarily more in control, but they can reinforce the belief that “I only succeed because I never let up.”

So, the internal conflict is: “I’m being rewarded for the same behaviors that are exhausting me.” The person may receive praise for being dependable or high achieving, while privately experiencing sleep disturbance, muscle tension, irritability, difficulty relaxing, and a narrowed life organized around preventing failure.

How normalized is high-functioning anxiety becoming in today’s competitive landscape?

I would be cautious about saying that high-functioning anxiety itself is becoming normalized, because we don’t really have good research tracking HFA to know how common it is. Anxiety itself is very common. Epidemiological estimates suggest that clinically significant anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses, and so it would follow that many people with significant anxiety are also outwardly successful.

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Bracketed by the musical works of Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” the 121-member Florida State University College of Medicine Class of 2026 marched into Ruby Diamond Concert Hall Saturday as students and marched out as doctors.

Joining them in the recessional line were seven newly minted Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences – Bridge to Clinical Medicine graduates, who in 10 days will begin their own march to becoming doctors as members of the M.D. Class of 2030.

Dr. Anthony Speights, senior associate dean for medical education and academic affairs, broke from the ceremonial as he donned a wireless microphone and delivered the commencement address facing the class.

“On to the life lesson of the day.  Your last, and hopefully best, lesson from me,” Speights said, his back to the audience and eyes locked on the students before him on stage.

Speights’ address ranged widely from playful to poignant; focused on his observations of how students had changed since he and his Generation X peers “believe we were just built different” than the students he addressed.

For illustration he referred to his generation as latchkey kids, the MTV generation that never used seatbelts and the first generation with cell phones; as residents who worked 100-hour weeks without time restrictions, slept in the hospital call room and, in many instances became physicians who were absent from home, grumpy, placed patients and career before everything, and burned out.

“Now that I’ve spent so much time over the years telling you how different your generation is than mine as if it’s a bad thing, let me tell you why your generation is different than mine, in all the ways I admire.

“You’ve learned to support each other in ways our generation never did.  You’ve come to understand the need for balance in work and life.

“You’ve heard me say many times, often in what sounded like a critical way, that your generation doesn’t want to work as hard as the ones before you. But in all honesty, after all these years I can let you in on a little secret. That wasn’t criticism. It was jealousy.”

Speights praised the class — and its generation — for how it has found ways to be efficient and work hard, but find time to “smell the roses, watch some Netflix and hang out.” How it had taught his generation of physicians the importance of mental self-care.

And he reminded the class of a message delivered to them by the late Dr. Daniel Van Derme on their first day as medical students.

”Dan said something like this: Each of us is filled with a reservoir of compassion and caring.  It’s like a river, flowing from you to your patients.  Guard against becoming jaded, because it will dam that river up, but also keep in mind that if your reservoir is constantly flowing, it has to be refilled or it will run dry.

“Find and do things that refill that reservoir of compassion and caring. Caring is integral. Patients don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

There is no shortage of physicians from the class who heeded that advice; many of whom were honored on the eve of commencement at the Class of 2026 Presentation of Awards ceremony.

Ben Linkus, who completed his final two years at the Pensacola Regional Campus near his hometown of Gulf Breeze, received the Mission Award. Linkus is headed to Newark, Delaware, for a general surgery residency; a departure from the family medicine route he initially envisioned for himself. His third-year rotation through the Marinna Rural Program at the 100-bed Jackson Hospital, changed his trajectory, thanks to the influence of doctors Vechai Arunakul and John Brunner.

“I fell in love with rural healthcare and what the general surgeon can do in those types of communities,” Linkus said. “[Arunakal and Brunner] were huge role models for me, being able to see how they impacted the community. Eventually, the plan is to come back to the Panhandle and be the rural general surgeon in a community along I-10.

Befitting of her strong faith, Katelyn Cornelius was selected to deliver the invocation Saturday.

“My faith has always been a big part of my life,” said Cornelius, who completed her clinical education at the Orlando Regional Campus, near her hometown of Winter Park. “Before I stated medical school, I got to work at a clinic for patients without insurance that’s faith-based in Orlando. I really saw how these people’s desire to serve was so driven by their faith. And I worked with a pediatrician who used to talk about how, you know, we’re called to be loving in anything that we do.

Cornelius carried that mindset throughout her time at the College of Medicine and others noticed. At Friday nights’ awards ceremony, the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee was recognized as the Orlando Regional Campus Dean’s Award winner and one of eight American Medical Women’s Association’s Glasgow-Rubin Citation recipients for ranking in the top 10% of her class and demonstrating leadership, service and advocacy.

Dr. Alma Littles, dean of the College of Medicine, presented Cornelius the J. Ocie Harris Outstanding Student Award, which recognizes the student who has shown the best all-around promise of becoming a physician of the highest caliber.

“People ask me, ‘Why are you like this? Why are you so nice and kind and focused? Why do you know this information?” she explained. “For me, it is loving and caring, and that feels like my mission and my ministry to others; to learn this information well, to care for people well, to help them feel seen and heard and loved at the end of the day.”

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The Florida Center for Research in STEM (FCR-STEM) at Florida State University has awarded its first-ever Innovating Teacher of the Year award to honor Anna Prindle, a fifth-grade teacher at Holley-Navarre Intermediate School.   

With more than 20 years of educational experience, Prindle has earned multiple Teacher of the Year awards and has provided opportunities for students at Holley-Navarre in robotics, coding, 3D printing and other STEM activities that would not have been possible without her securing major STEM grants.  

The award was presented to Prindle Thursday, May 14, at Holley-Navarre Intermediate School. 

“We are thrilled to be honoring Anna Prindle with the first-ever FCR-STEM Innovating Teacher of the Year award,” said Rabieh Razzouk, director of FSU’s Learning Systems Institute, which is home to FCR-STEM. “By connecting complex STEM concepts to hands-on experiences, familiar contexts and student-driven inquiry, Ms. Prindle is allowing all learners to engage with confidence and curiosity and excel. She has transformed STEM education into an accessible, interdisciplinary and community-connected experience that prepares students for real-world problem solving, setting an example for the future of STEM education in Florida.” 

Prindle’s work is built on a foundation of professional experiences across multiple states, virtual learning environments and international teaching in Japan. These experiences have shaped her ability to design inclusive, adaptableand forward-thinking STEM opportunities that meet the needs of all learners by incorporating emerging technologies, community partnerships and real-world problem solving. 

She has improved her students’ measurable performance while blending science, technology, engineering and mathematics with literacy, creativity and career awareness. 

“The academic impact of her work is evident,” said Holley-Navarre Intermediate Principal Ann Thomas. “Her students consistently demonstrate growth in science and mathematics, with math exceeding district and state averages. What stands out even more is the confidence students develop as learners. Students who once struggled with math or science begin to take risks, explain their thinking and work through challenging problems with persistence.” 

Prindle’s impactful work includes the project “From Code to Creatures,” in which students move from coding Ozobots to designing food webs, 3D-printing ecosystem animals and applying algebraic reasoning to their own creations. This project blends computer science, life science and mathematics while emphasizing problem solving, collaboration and creativity. Students not only learn standards but also apply them in meaningful, tangible ways that mirror real-world STEM applications. 

Her work on the Uniquely Human Grant transforms the study of human body systems into an immersive investigation using microscopes, stethoscopes and 3D modeling. Students collect and analyze data, design models and connect scientific understanding to personal identity, demonstrating how innovation can deepen both academic learning and student engagement. 

Beyond the classroom, Prindle’s leadership expands STEM learning across the entire school community. As the leader of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Committee, she has grown STEAMNight into an event serving over 450 participants and 170 families, creating access to hands-on STEM experiences beyond the school day. She also launched a schoolwide industry panel during Manufacturing Month in conjunction with STEAM Night, connecting students with professionals from organizations such as GE Vernova and the Doolittle Institute. These experiences bridge classroom learning with future STEM careers, preparing students for the 21st-century workforce. Additionally, her leadership of One School, One Project, engages nearly 700 students across 35 classrooms in engineering design challenges, fostering collaboration, innovation and shared problem solving at a schoolwide level. 

“Ms. Prindle models how innovation is not a single lesson but its own culture,” said Santa Rosa County District Schools Coordinator of STEAM Michael Knowlton. “Her work bridges families, community partners and educators, strengthening the STEM ecosystem for all students. She exemplifies what it means to transform STEM education through creativity, leadership and sustained, measurable impact on students, teachers and the broader community. She consistently creates STEM experiences that are both rigorous and deeply engaging for all learners.” 

Prindle’s impact has been recognized through honors including Holley-Navarre Intermediate School Teacher of the Year (2026-2027) and the Air and Space Forces Association Hurlburt Field Elementary Teacher of the Year (2025),and she has been selected to attend Educators Space Camp this summer. She has also served as a facilitator for other educators as part of FSU’s InSPIRE initiative in the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast. 

For more information about FCR-STEM and the Learning Systems Institute at FSU, visit their website at lsi.fsu.edu. 

FCR-STEM was created by the Florida Legislature and competitively awarded to Florida State University in 2006. The mission of FCR-STEM is to help the State of Florida improve STEM teaching and learning in grades K-12 and prepare students for higher education and STEM careers in the 21st century. Through impacts on teacher knowledge and classroom practice, FCR-STEM strives to improve student achievement, narrow student achievement gapsand increase student pursuit in STEM fields. 

LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, we develop industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations. 

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Even during a hurricane season expected to be less active, Florida State University experts say Floridians should prepare early, stay alert and avoid focusing too narrowly on storm categories or forecast cones.

During a media briefing Wednesday ahead of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, FSU researchers and emergency management specialists discussed the issues communities continue to face, from rapid coastal growth and rising insurance pressures to the expanding role of artificial intelligence in disaster response.

Here are five key takeaways from the discussion:

1. It only takes one storm

Several experts cautioned against letting seasonal forecasts create a false sense of security.

“It’s the landfalling hurricanes that matter, not the number of hurricanes per season, in terms of human impacts, for the most part,” said Mark Bourassa, a professor in FSU’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science and associate director of the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies. “If it hits you, it’s bad. It’s something that you do have to be aware of the whole time.”

David Merrick, director of FSU’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program and the Center for Disaster Risk Policy, said one quiet season does not eliminate the risk of a devastating storm, pointing to the destruction left by Hurricane Andrew when it made landfall in South Florida in 1992.

“Hurricane Andrew was the first storm of that season,” Merrick said. “It does not take 20 storms. It just takes the one.”

2. Being outside the forecast cone does not guarantee safety

Experts also warned residents not to focus too narrowly on a storm’s forecast track.

Merrick noted that dangerous impacts such as tornadoes, flooding and wind damage can occur far outside the center of a storm.

“Those impacts can go a long way inland,” he said. “They can go left and right of the cone.”

He emphasized that communities outside the projected path can still experience significant damage and disruptions. And as a hurricane develops, the forecast track can move, bringing the center of the storm to communities that only expected minor impacts. Bourassa also pointed to warming ocean temperatures as an area researchers are watching closely, particularly along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

“We’re a little bit more nervous about the temperatures rising and seeing intensity changes as the hurricanes come right onshore,” Bourassa said.

3. Florida’s rapid coastal growth is increasing risk

Dennis Smith, planner in residence in FSU’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, said Florida’s population growth continues to place more people and property in vulnerable coastal areas.

“The issue hasn’t gotten better in the last 30 years,” Smith said. “We have more people who are living in areas that are at the highest risk.”

Smith said communities are increasingly being forced to think beyond individual homes and consider broader infrastructure needs such as drainage systems, roads and public facilities.

“We have a lot more in our built environment than simply our residential structures,” he said.

The discussion also highlighted how insurance availability is intertwined with planning and development decisions.

“Insurance drives housing availability, and so it becomes a planning issue,” Smith said.

4. Resilient construction and mitigation efforts can make a difference

Patricia Born, the Payne H. and Charlotte Hodges Midyette Eminent Scholar in Risk Management and Insurance at FSU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Business, said Florida’s insurance market appears stronger than it did several years ago, partly because of a quieter storm season and improving reinsurance conditions.

But she said long-term stability will depend on reducing losses through mitigation and resilience efforts.

“One way to control insurance costs is to try to control the losses themselves,” Born said.

Newer buildings are often more resilient than older structures, but insurers still face challenges gathering accurate information about homes and upgrades.

“Some houses that are very old have had roofs replaced two or three times, and they may be much more resilient than an insurance company thinks,” Born said.

She said improving data about construction quality, inspections and mitigation measures could help insurers better understand risk and expand coverage options across the state.

5. Artificial intelligence is beginning to change disaster response

FSU researchers also discussed how artificial intelligence and remote sensing technology are beginning to reshape emergency management and disaster recovery efforts.

Merrick said researchers are exploring how AI tools can help emergency managers make faster decisions, improve damage assessments and allocate resources more efficiently after disasters.

“Emergency managers almost universally are like, yes, we want this tool,” Merrick said.

Still, he said the technology remains in an early stage and raises important questions about accuracy and ethics.

“There’s also an almost universal concern about what happens when the answer that the algorithm or the AI gives is wrong,” Merrick said.

Smith said researchers are also studying how drones, LiDAR imagery and AI analysis could help communities identify infrastructure weaknesses before storms strike.

“I think we’re going to see a trend to begin to integrate that into risk assessment and mitigation planning on the front end,” Smith said.

Visit the FSU News website for a full list of FSU hurricane experts who are available to speak with the media.

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Routine high-tide flooding in coastal communities could lead to thousands of deaths among older adults by the end of the century, according to a new study co-authored by Florida State University researcher Mathew Hauer.

Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study projects that without significant adaptation, premature deaths among adults aged 65 and older linked to high-tide flooding could increase 43-fold by 2100.

Unlike storm surges from major hurricanes, high-tide flooding happens regularly and is often viewed as a nuisance rather than a danger. But researchers found even shallow flooding on roads can delay emergency medical care for older adults during time-sensitive emergencies such as cardiac arrest.

“When we think about climate change threatening people’s lives, we picture hurricanes and heat waves,” Hauer said. “What we found is that the routine, ankle-deep flooding people have learned to live with is on track to kill more older adults than storm surge does in these same coastal areas. It’s a quiet, cumulative form of climate mortality, and until now nobody had put a national number on it.”

The research team, which included Hauer from the FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Department of Sociology and Center for Demography and Population Health, found that flooding creates significant traffic disruptions that obstruct emergency medical access. This is particularly dangerous for time-sensitive conditions where every minute of delay significantly reduces survival rates.

Researchers identified three major findings:

• A growing crisis: By 2100, the model projects nearly 10,000 additional deaths annually among older adults in coastal U.S. regions.
• Economic impact: The monetized damages associated with these premature deaths could reach $1.1 trillion by the end of the century.
• The 8-minute threshold: Seniors living in areas with more than an 8.85-minute drive to the nearest hospital are especially vulnerable to these flood-induced delays.

The findings are a wake-up call for the Sunshine State, which stands at the epicenter of the issue.

The study identified Florida as the nation’s most vulnerable state because of its large older population and extensive low-lying coastline.

“Simple things like raising roadways, better sited-hospitals, and other changes could make a significant impact on reducing this anticipated mortality. An ounce of prevention today is worth a pound of cure tomorrow.”

– Mathew Hauer, FSU associate professor and study co-author

By 2060, Florida could account for 24% to 38% of all high-tide flooding deaths in the coastal contiguous U.S., with an estimated 360 to 1,590 annual fatalities.

“Florida has twin threats of an older population and a large, low-lying coastal zone,” Hauer said. “So, the demography, the geography and climate change all combine to account for a large percentage of these anticipated deaths.”

Researchers said the projected death toll could be significantly reduced through infrastructure improvements and planning. Implementing protective measures, such as elevating roads or building new healthcare facilities in accessible locations, could reduce premature deaths by 57%.

The researchers recommend three critical steps for coastal communities:

• Protect road networks that are essential for emergency medical access.
• Increase accessibility by building more critical care facilities in at-risk coastal areas.
• Manage the retreat of vulnerable populations to areas with better infrastructure and healthcare access.

The study concluded that the economic costs associated with these deaths exceed many other climate-related impacts, making healthcare infrastructure a priority for policymakers.

“The deaths show up when an ambulance can’t get through and the adaptive infrastructure to prevent these are things we already know how to do,” Hauer said. “Simple things like raising roadways, better sited-hospitals, and other changes could make a significant impact on reducing this anticipated mortality. An ounce of prevention today is worth a pound of cure tomorrow.”

The study was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and included collaborators from Arizona State University, Industrial Economics and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

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The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30, bringing increased potential for destructive storms.

Florida State University faculty are leaders in the study of forecasting, evacuation, insurance and building resilience against hurricanes. They are available to speak with media through the 2026 hurricane season and beyond.

Four faculty members answered questions during a virtual media briefing.

Forecasting, Formation and Tracking

Mark Bourassa, professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, and associate director of the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies
mbourassa@fsu.edu , (850) 644-6923
Bourassa uses on-site and remote (aircraft and satellite-based) observations as well as meteorological models to research air-sea interactions and how satellites measure what is happening on Earth’s surface. He is an expert on the network of global meteorological and oceanographic observations that inform forecasts, and the identification of tropical disturbances, which are possible precursors to tropical cyclones. Bourassa is also a team leader for the NASA Ocean Vector Wind Science Team.

Chelsea Nam, assistant professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science
ccnam@fsu.edu, (850) 644-1787
Nam researches formations and intensification of tropical cyclones and the hazards brought by these storms. She uses radar data from airborne, shipborne and land-based sources to develop high-resolution models tracking cyclones. Nam is a member of the American Meteorological Society Scientific and Technological Activities Commission Committee on Radar Meteorology.

Emily Powell, assistant state climatologist, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies
epowell@coaps.fsu.edu, (850) 644-0719
Powell provides information about the historical and current climate and weather of Florida for application across a range of sectors and industries. Her expertise includes understanding the drivers of seasonal hurricane forecasts, such as the EL Niño/La Niña cycle, providing historical context, and investigating community risks associated with tropical cyclones. Recent projects have focused on historical climate trends and variability, natural hazards and public health risks, and strategies for building community resilience. She also coordinates the Florida Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a voluntary-based network of citizen scientists measuring and reporting precipitation from their own backyards.

Community Resilience

Pedro L. Fernández-Cabán, assistant professor, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center
plfernandez@eng.famu.fsu.edu , (850) 410-6251
Fernández-Cabán’s research couples laboratory and field experiments to assess the structural performance of civil infrastructure during windstorm events. His recent work focuses on developing state-of-the-art AI and machine learning models to predict hurricane wind fields and their interaction with coastal landscapes. Fernández-Cabán’s research leverages ground-level anemometric datasets collected during landfalling hurricanes and advanced wind tunnel techniques to better model the impact of coastal storms on civil infrastructure.

Katie Kehoe, assistant professor, College of Fine Arts
mkk22f@fsu.edu
Kehoe primarily works in performance and site-specific installations with a focus on natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. She led a 2024 project that honored the resilience of the rural Florida community of Steinhatchee in the aftermath of hurricanes Idalia and Debby. The project, “Learning from Local Experience to Strengthen Disaster Resilience,” was part of a pilot research initiative that examines how rural communities recover from extreme weather events such as hurricanes.

Paul Niell, associate professor, Department of Art History, College of Fine Arts
pniell@fsu.edu
Niell’s research focuses on the architectural history and cultural landscapes of the Caribbean. Through his scholarship, he has worked closely with indigenous communities to foster conversation about their traditional architecture and construction methods, designed to be resilient against the region’s intense storms. He has taught courses on Caribbean architecture and culture and is available to discuss how historic building practices helped ensure survival for the region’s Native peoples and how we might be able to apply their knowledge to make our communities more resilient to hurricanes today.

Emergency Management

David Merrick, director of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program; director of the Center for Disaster Risk Policy
dmerrick@fsu.edu , Office: (850) 644-9961, Cell: (850) 980-7098
Merrick has worked in state emergency management for more than 21 years in roles including planning, external affairs and air operations. He developed and oversees the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program’s Disaster Incident Research Team, which deploys to disaster impact areas to perform field research on disaster and emergency management. This team has deployed to disasters such as hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Michael, Ian, and Helene to support federal, state and local agencies. His research interests include emergency management planning and policy, remote sensing and unmanned aircraft systems, and information technology in emergency management.

Environmental Law

Shi-Ling Hsu, D’Alemberte Professor, College of Law
shsu@law.fsu.edu , (850) 644-0726
Hsu is an expert in the areas of environmental and natural resource law, economics and property. He has published in a variety of legal journals, co-authored the casebook Ocean and Coastal Resources Law and has appeared on the American Public Media radio show “Marketplace.” Before entering academia, he was a senior attorney and economist for the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C.

Evacuation

Eren Ozguven, associate professor, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, director of the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center
eozguven@eng.famu.fsu.edu , (850) 410-6146
Ozguven directs the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response Center, which improves the quality of life in Florida and the Southeast by identifying disaster vulnerability, improving infrastructure and investigating ways to minimize negative impacts of natural disasters. His research interests include transportation accessibility, modeling of emergency evacuation operations, artificial intelligence and the simulation of transportation networks. Recent scholarship focuses on the relationships among different infrastructure networks in Florida and how that contributes to disaster preparation.

Maxim A. Dulebenets, associate professor and graduate program director, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
mdulebenets@eng.famu.fsu.edu , (850) 410-6621
Dulebenets’ research mainly focuses on operations and optimization. His research group has developed efficient algorithms that can be used to schedule large-scale evacuations in preparation for major natural hazards. His models capture realistic features of emergency evacuation planning, including potential impacts of evacuation settings on evacuees themselves. His recent studies propose new types of optimization models and solution algorithms for emergency evacuation planning under pandemic settings, considering a higher risk of virus spread in overcrowded emergency shelters. 

Risk and Insurance

Patricia Born, Payne H. & Charlotte Hodges Midyette Eminent Scholar in Risk Management & Insurance, Herbert Wertheim College of Business
pborn@wertheim.fsu.edu, (850) 644-7884
Born studies the insurance market structure and performance, professional liability, health insurance and the management of catastrophic risks, such as hurricanes and other natural disasters. She is a past president of the American Risk and Insurance Association and the Risk Theory Society.

Charles Nyce, Dr. William T. Hold Professor of Risk Management and Insurance and chair of the Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate & Legal Studies Department, Herbert Wertheim College of Business
cnyce@wertheim.fsu.edu , (850) 645-8392
Nyce’s research focuses on catastrophic risk financing. He has written numerous articles on risk management and insurance topics, including title insurance, enterprise risk management, predictive analytics and natural hazards.

Public Health

Chris Uejio, professor, Department of Geography, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
cuejio@fsu.edu
Uejio studies how the physical environment influences human health and well-being. His recent research includes investigations of tropical cyclones, extreme heat and health. Uejio has been quoted in the Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, Wall Street Journal, Science Friday and other news outlets about public health issues, including heat waves and hurricanes.

Urban Planning

Dennis Smith, planner in residence, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
djsmith3@fsu.edu
Smith is the director of the Mark & Marianne Barnebey Planning & Development Lab, which uses the academic and professional resources of Florida State University to connect with public and private partners to provide capacity and innovative planning for the sustainable growth and long-term viability of Florida communities. His work has focused on risks to the built environment, including projects for resiliency, transportation modeling, evacuation planning for high-risk areas and vulnerability assessment. He has extensive experience managing state and federal programs and a thorough knowledge of laws relating to land use, transportation and disaster recovery.

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Students from the Florida State University College of Law have been selected for some of Florida’s most competitive public service fellowships, earning placements across the executive, judicial and legislative branches of Florida state government.

This year, five FSU Law students were selected for Class XXI of the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows; five of the nine students chosen statewide for the Florida Supreme Court Fellows Program come from the college; and all eight participants in the Florida House of Representatives Legislative Fellows Program are FSU Law students.

“Together, these placements highlight the college’s longstanding role in preparing students for leadership in public service,” Dean Erin O’Hara O’Connor said. “Being located in the heart of the state capital gives our students unparalleled access to the institutions and leaders shaping the law. These fellowships allow our students to move beyond the classroom and engage directly in the work of government across all three branches, gaining experience that prepares them to lead from day one.”

For decades, FSU College of Law has served as a pipeline for leaders in Florida, the third largest state in the nation, and beyond, equipping graduates with the skills, insight and professional connections needed to navigate complex legal and policy challenges.

Gubernatorial Fellows

Five FSU Law students were selected for the highly competitive Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Class XXI, one of the state’s most prestigious public service leadership programs. The yearlong fellowship places emerging leaders within top state agencies for immersive, hands-on experience in policymaking, public administration and government operations.

This year’s FSU Law Gubernatorial Fellows include:

• 2L Cole McLellan — Florida Department of Law Enforcement
• 3L Alexa Kays — Florida Department of State
• 2L Lucas Piroli — Executive Office of the Governor, Office of General Counsel
• 2L Andrew Otanes — Florida Department of Commerce
• 2L Kate Rumisek — Florida Department of Corrections

The program allows students to work alongside senior leaders in various state agencies. The fellows will conclude the program with a formal presentation of their policy research findings and recommendations directly to the state’s senior leadership.

McLellan says his experience at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has been a great learning opportunity. He split his semesters, first working in the Cyber Division and then in the Office of the General Counsel, giving him interdisciplinary experience throughout his fellowship.

McLellan discussed the advantages of participating in the program alongside seven other FSU students, noting they support one another and maintain a sense of accountability.

“It is reassuring because we are bouncing what we’re feeling off each other, and it keeps our motivation going,” McLellan said. “It’s definitely nice to have people to talk to that are right there with you.”

Piroli said working at the General Counsel’s office provides valuable experience with a wide range of legal issues.

“This is a prestigious program, and getting to work in the government for the third-largest state in the country is just really special,” Piroli said. “It’s a great administration, and I’m really proud to be able to serve Florida and contribute and to learn from some impressive leaders.”

Florida Supreme Court Fellows

FSU Law students also earned a significant share of placements with the Supreme Court of Florida, with five of the nine fellows selected statewide coming from the College of Law.

The program provides students with hands-on experience supporting the court’s work while also offering mentorship from justices and their clerks.

This year’s placements include:

• 2L Haven Branca with Justice Renatha Francis
• 3L Mason Bennett with Justice Meredith L. Sasso
• 3L Sheldon Burnell with Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz
• 2L Zenani Johnson with Justice Jorge Labarga
• 3L Steven Wiktorski with Justice Adam S. Tanenbaum

Located just steps from the court, FSU Law provides students with unique access to Florida’s highest judicial body, creating opportunities for direct engagement that extend beyond the classroom.

Burnell says being a part of the Florida Supreme Court Fellows Program was truly the highlight of his time in law school.

“Serving as Chief Justice Muñiz’s Fellow gave me the opportunity to work closely with the Chief Justice and his outstanding staff, connect with the Associate Justices of the Court, and contribute to work involving cases before Florida’s highest court,” he said.

Burnell gained additional opportunities while in the program, such as observing oral arguments, which gave him a firsthand look at the appellate judicial decision-making process.

Branca shared her experience with Justice Renatha Francis, noting that her time serving as a Florida Supreme Court Fellow was among the most meaningful and rewarding of her time at FSU Law.

“I am incredibly honored to have had the opportunity to learn from Florida’s leading legal minds, observe oral arguments, and gain insight into the judicial decision-making process,” Branca said. “I am especially grateful for the mentorship and support of Justice Francis and the outstanding team in her chambers, as well as for the opportunity to work alongside such exceptional fellow students.”

Branca recognized that the unique opportunity to work alongside Justice Francis was made possible by FSU Law’s strong reputation and its proximity to our state’s highest court.

Florida House of Representatives Legislative Fellows

Through the Florida House of Representative Legislative Fellows Program, all eight fellows selected for the 2025–26 academic year are FSU Law students, an uncommon distinction that reflects the college’s strength in preparing students for leadership in public service.

This year’s Fellows include:

• 2Ls Kennedi Ray, and Zack “Gambill” Dallas — Commerce Committee
• 3L Sarah Augustine — Health & Human Services Committee
• 2L Teddy Fronczak — Judiciary Committee
• 2L Juan Castro Jordan — Majority Office
• 2L Andrew Louis — Minority Office
• 2L Patricia Waltz — Rules & Ethics Committee
• 2L Amy Kurtz — Ways & Means Committee

Established in 1967 through legislation sponsored by Lawton Chiles, the program provides graduate students with a unique opportunity to engage directly in the legislative process and gain insight into the inner workings of state government.

Augustine was placed in the Health & Human Services Committee and expressed that the Florida House of Representatives Legislative Fellows program placed her at the center of real legislative work at the Capitol.

“I had the privilege of analyzing bills with direct consequences for Floridians, including legislation establishing a statewide Parkinson’s disease registry that will improve data collection, expand research and ultimately better the lives of patients and families across Florida,” she said. “For any law student interested in public service, this program is where policy becomes real, and the legislative process comes to life.”

Waltz shared her experience in the Legislative Fellowship Program as a pivotal point in strengthening her research, communication and professional writing skills while allowing her to see how policy decisions are developed, debated and refined within a complex environment.

“My experience in the Florida House Fellowship Program with the Rules and Ethics Committee gave me firsthand insight into the legislative process, committee procedures and the standards that guide the state legislature,” Waltz said.

To learn more about the FSU College of Law and its offerings, visit law.fsu.edu.

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The Panama City Small Business Executive Program, operated by Florida State University’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, celebrated its first-ever graduating cohort on April 30. The achievement marks a significant milestone for small business leadership development in the Northwest Florida region.

The executive-level program equips small business owners with the tools, strategies and mindset needed to lead with confidence, strengthen business operations and turn challenges into opportunities for long-term growth. Participants of the program engaged in advanced leadership and business development training focused on helping entrepreneurs think differently, adapt strategically and build stronger, more resilient businesses.

“We are incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work demonstrated by this inaugural class,” said Marina Lickson, director of the Northwest Florida program. “Their commitment to growth and leadership reflects the strength and potential of the small business community in Panama City and beyond.”

The program’s partnership with the Florida State University Panama City campus created a collaborative environment where local business leaders could learn, connect and grow together. The achievements of the initial graduating class highlight the potential influence these business owners will have on the Panama City community and the surrounding area.

Applications for the Tallahassee Small Business Executive Program fall cohort are open until August 14, 2026. More information can be found on the program’s website.

About the Small Business Executive Program (SBEP)

The Small Business Executive Program is an executive-level leadership and business development initiative created to support small business owners through strategic learning, leadership training and peer collaboration, designed to foster sustainable business growth.

About the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship

The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, housed in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University, cultivates, trains and inspires entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research. The Jim Moran Institute comprises a dedicated team of entrepreneurship professionals, academic scholars and staff who foster the entrepreneurial spirit by helping to organize, expand and promote the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship to facilitate new business and further the goals of established businesses.

For more information, visit jmi.fsu.edu.

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Florida State University has chosen Gregory Bell as the next dean of The Graduate School. He will begin his appointment July 6.

Bell currently serves as dean of the Graduate School and mathematics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Before his time as dean, he worked as associate dean and interim dean of the UNCG Graduate School as well as director of graduate studies in UNCG’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Having served as president of the North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools and an executive board member of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, Bell has contributed to graduate education policy throughout the Southeast.

“Dr. Bell brings deep commitment and experience to graduate education with a record of working across campus to enhance student support, elevate academic excellence and expand graduate enrollment,” said Joe O’Shea, vice president for Student Academic Success. “I’m excited to welcome him to FSU and grateful to Assistant Provost Steve McDowell for his leadership as interim dean during this important transition.”

Originally from Panama City, Florida, Bell received three degrees from the University of Florida, including a doctorate in mathematics. He held a postdoc position funded by the National Science Foundation at The Pennsylvania State University.

“Graduate students and post-docs are critical to the success and impact of a modern university,” Bell said. “I’m excited to join FSU to work with its faculty and students to advance research excellence and foster a supportive environment where graduate students thrive.”

At FSU, Bell will help The Graduate School partner with academic units and faculty in supporting graduate education, providing financial support and advancing the professional development of graduate students. The Graduate School operates as part of FSU’s newly established Student Academic Success division.

FSU has 16 graduate programs and specialties ranked in the Top 25 among public universities, with six graduate programs placing No. 1 in Florida, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report’s edition of Best Graduate Schools. FSU has placed special emphasis on enhancing doctoral education, pledging to invest $10 million toward that goal over five years.

More than 10,500 graduate students are enrolled at FSU, pursuing doctoral degrees, master’s degrees and professional certificates.

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