The inaugural class of EUREKA Fellows at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering on February 20, 2026. (Scott Holstein/FAMU-FSU College of Engineering)
A new paid undergraduate research fellowship program connects engineering students with faculty mentors and world-class research facilities, and builds a direct pipeline to graduate school.
The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has launched EUREKA—the Engineering Undergraduate Research, Exploration and Knowledge Advancement program—welcoming its inaugural cohort of 27 EUREKA Fellows in spring 2025.
Designed for a select group of undergraduate students who aspire to earn a Ph.D. at either Florida A&M University or Florida State University, EUREKA provides paid research fellowships that place students alongside faculty researchers working on some of the most pressing problems in engineering today. The program is designed to accelerate students’ academic trajectories and prepare them for careers at the frontiers of science and innovation.
“The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has launched the EUREKA program as a transformative initiative, placing discovery, innovation and hands-on learning at the very heart of the undergraduate experience,” said Yassir AbdelRazig, associate dean for strategic operations and professor of civil and environmental engineering. “We are proud to launch this program as a significant investment in our students’ success.”
The EUREKA Undergraduate Research Program
EUREKA strengthens the college’s undergraduate-to-doctoral pipeline by giving students meaningful, paid research experience early in their academic careers. Fellows engage in faculty-led research projects that span a wide range of disciplines—from quantum science and robotics to resilient infrastructure and biomedical engineering.
During the program’s inaugural cycle, 27 students were selected to conduct research across spring and summer semesters. The next application period is scheduled to open in early fall 2026 for the following academic year.
Research at the Engineering Village and Beyond
EUREKA Fellows gain access to a remarkable concentration of research infrastructure within Tallahassee’s Innovation Park, which is home to what the college calls its “engineering village.” Students collaborate with faculty and research teams at some of the nation’s leading research centers, including the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS); the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP); the High-Performance Materials Institute (HPMI); the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center; and the Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building (IRCB), a hub for quantum science and engineering.
The program’s reach extends beyond Tallahassee. EUREKA connects students with the InSPIRE Institute in Panama City, Florida, where fellows can pursue groundbreaking research in aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing.
A Transformative Student Research Experience
Working alongside expert faculty mentors, EUREKA Fellows apply classroom knowledge to solve real-world engineering challenges. The experience is designed to do more than build technical skills: it cultivates professional confidence, research literacy and a deeper appreciation for collaborative discovery.
Programs like EUREKA reflect a growing national trend: engineering colleges increasingly recognize that early research exposure is one of the strongest predictors of graduate school enrollment and long-term research productivity. The National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, for example, has documented consistent links between structured undergraduate research and subsequent pursuit of advanced degrees.
Meet the Inaugural EUREKA Fellows
The following 27 students make up the first cohort of EUREKA Fellows, representing six departments across the college:
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
- Colby-Ann Donohoe
- Leah Dubose
- Angelina Files
- Wyatt Lutkins
- Mya Valdes
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Rameen Ahmad
- Ben Gatz
- Rudy Santayana
- Isabella Simoncelli
- Cameron Temple
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Luke Barber
- Grant Bartley
- Henry Lewis
- Valentina Spinatto
- Musa Tumsah
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- Isabella Sofia Rodriguez Casabuenas
- Conner Wai Cheung Jiang
- William Clifford
- Alex den Boggende
- Alexander Osbourne
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Peter Fasano
- Andrea Garlarza
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Xavier Brooks
- Camille Crump
- Tiffany Gao
- Diego Halvorssen
- Elena Rudnitzky
Editor’s Note: This article was edited with a custom prompt for Claude Sonnet 4.6, an AI assistant created by Anthropic. The AI optimized the article for SEO discoverability, improved clarity, structure and readability while preserving the original reporting and factual content. All information and viewpoints remain those of the author and publication. This article was edited and fact-checked by college staff before being published. This disclosure is part of our commitment to transparency in our editorial process. Last edited: 02/20/2026.
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