Read Full Article: News from Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

In its biggest class of inductees to date, the prestigious Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL) welcomed four University of Florida engineering faculty members to its roster this year.

Among the new inductees are UF’s Ageliki “Lily” Elefteriadou, Ph.D., a professor from Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment (ESSIE); Fan Ren, Ph.D., a distinguished chemical engineering professor; Sartaj Sahni, Ph.D.,  a distinguished Computer and Information Science and Engineering professor; and Cherie Stabler, Ph.D., a professor and department chair for the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering.

“We welcome our new ASEMFL members. Their lifelong dedication, creativity and talent have resulted in critical and impactful advances in their fields with resulting benefits to society,” said ASEMFL President Hortensia Amaro.

Inductees are selected based on outstanding research contributions and innovations with consequential impacts in the fields of science, engineering or medicine.

Cherie Stabler

“I have long admired so many of the long-standing members of this academy and their substantial impacts, so to be a part of this group feels a bit surreal,” Stabler said. “As a Floridian, I am so excited to contribute to the mission of ASEMFL, which is to provide unbiased, expert advice to Florida stakeholders to address key challenges within the state.”

Stabler was inducted for her global contributions and leadership in designing translational materials in cellular transplantation for treating Type 1 diabetes.

“Since I started my doctoral research many years ago, I have been driven to find a way to treat Type 1 diabetes using tissue engineering approaches,” she said. “Current treatments, which rely on the external delivery of insulin, are insufficient to control blood sugar levels and require constant management by the person living with this disease. The potential of cell therapy to completely restore what is lost in a person with Type 1 diabetes is incredibly exciting. Just like any other cellular implant, however, we must engineer a safe house (3D structure) to contain the cells.”

In addition to the 26 new inductees, ASEMFL inducted Ren automatically because he is already a member of other national science societies, including the National Academy of Inventors