Save the date for Gator Nation Giving Day on February 18, 2021!
The Gator Nation will celebrate its annual Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day event on February 18, 2021. Stand Up and Holler is a 24-hour fundraising event, calling on all University of Florida alumni, students, faculty, staff, families, and friends to come together to support UF and all of its areas of positive impact in our state, nation, and world.
This year, the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) will put its Giving Day efforts toward its new ABE Teaching Building, a new innovative teaching space for Agricultural and Operations Management and Biological Engineering students with two hands-on, experiential learning environments. This teaching space will provide top of the line teaching equipment and collaboration areas to ensure students are prepared to compete and excel in the workforce.
Match Gift In Honor Of David Eller
For Giving Day, ABE Alumnus Dana Eller and his family will match all gifts made to this fund dollar for dollar up to $10,000 total in honor of his father and fellow ABE Alumnus J. David Eller.
David Eller was an accomplished student in ABE during his time at UF and a generous contributor to the department and the discipline throughout his life. He served as Chairman of the Board for MWI Pumps and oversaw the company’s long-term objectives and relationships with long-established customers, banking relationships, and several international organizations. As a licensed professional engineer with over 30 years of experience in engineering and management, David conducted seminars around the world educating other engineers and organizations on how to use advanced pumping technologies to accomplish their objectives. He is also the author of the well-publicized paper How to Substantially Increase Food Production in the Developing World.
ABE Teaching Building
The ABE department is a key collaborator in the university, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering missions. By developing, teaching, and applying engineering principles to our constituency to improve and sustain systems within agriculture and natural resources, we are creating a stable environment for future generations.
Innovative teaching space is a critical component of our success. As we prepare our students with the best education and ensure they have access to premier programs and equipment, we need to provide the space needed for their growth as successful professionals. While we recruit and retain the most qualified students, we must have the top facilities to compete with our peer institutions. Specifically, state-of-the-art resources with ample space to work.
Existing facilities, such as the Agricultural Operations Management (AOM) teaching building, lack the basic elements of a nationally ranked academic institution. The absence of climate control and HVAC systems in addition to obsolete technology, dated design structure, and disrepair does not satisfy the minimal needs of our students. Most nationally ranked ABE departments have designated maker space for students to explore design and other hands-on activities. These spaces provide an environment where students can work as teams, explore multiple applications of engineering electrical, mechanical, hydrologic, etc.- and develop the technical and soft skills that will benefit them as they enter the engineering discipline. Our Agricultural Operations Management (AOM) and Biological Engineering (BE) programs lack this space, and it is a significant limitation to our undergraduate program.
ABE is seeking private funding in the amount of $2M to build a new AOM teaching space and create a new Biological Engineering teaching classroom on campus. The proposed teaching building — positioned just north of the current AOM teaching building on the corner of Museum and Hull Roads — would consist of two hands-on, experiential learning environments. One classroom would replace the AOM hands-on construction classroom, while the second classroom would provide a much-needed space for BE design.
Your gift this Giving Day can bring us closer to our goal and help make this space a reality for ABE students. These spaces will enhance our recruitment efforts and reputation as a top program nationally. Help us prepare the future engineers, managers, specialists, and representatives our world needs!
For more information about this project please contact ABE Chair Kati Migliaccio or visit our ABE Teaching Building information webpage.
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