April 2018 in photos: Commencement, Dennis Lehane and a covert operative


FIU didn’t slow down for the end of the Spring semester. April was packed with special events and memorable moments captured by our photographers Ben Guzman, Carl Frederick-Francois, Tim Long and Eduardo Merille.

Check out the amazing people and moments as documented through their lenses.

On the last day of April, FIU was midway through its 11 Spring commencement ceremonies. Public Administration grad Michael Steadman couldn’t contain his excitement, leaping for joy in front of the Student Academic Success Center. Photo courtesy of Micheal Steadman (IG handle: mtsteadm).

Acclaimed author and FIU alumnus Dennis Lehane MFA ’01 was honored with the 2018 Lawrence A. Sanders Award in Fiction during a ceremony at BBC April 12. Lehane is best known for his mystery novels adapted as films for the silver screen. “Mystic River” was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Sean Penn in 2003. “Gone, Baby, Gone” was directed by Ben Affleck and starred Casey Affleck in 2007. Photo by Tim Long.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright captivated a standing-room-only crowd in Coral Gables April 13 during a stop to promote her new book, “Fascism: A Warning.” Her visit was co-hosted by the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy at FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. Photo by Ben Guzman.

Mechanical and Materials Engineering major Pradel Frank Jr. tests out a boxing glove that measures the velocity of his punch at this year’s Design Project Showcase April 20. Photo by Carl-Frederick Francois.

Haitian folk artist Liliane Nérette Louis was the keynote speaker at this year’s Little Haiti Community Breakfast. Photo by Carl-Frederick Francois.

FIU benefactor Herbert Wertheim takes a photo of his wife Nicole’s portrait. The 8-foot painting is the work of award-winning Frost Professor of Art David Chang. At the unveiling, the Wertheim family pledged an additional $1 million for the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Photo by Carl-Frederick Francois.

Danny Pino ’96, known for detective roles on the crime dramas “Cold Case” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” returned to FIU April 2 for a candid discussion with students and staff on professional growth and diversity in the field of acting. Photo by Ben Guzman.

The Stocker AstroScience Center, an on-campus observatory, opens to offer the community up-close encounters with the stars. Photo by Eduardo Merille.

In his 25 years as an undercover agent, alumnus Robert Villanueva ’89 made a life of infiltrating crime syndicates. His story is featured in the latest issue of FIU Magazine. Photo by Ben Guzman.

A statue of alumnus Paul Michael Felsberg ’03 serves as the centerpiece of the university’s Felsberg Veterans Plaza, located adjacent to the Parkview Residence Hall. Felsberg was an accomplished student-athlete and second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Photo by Carl-Frederick Francois.

William Tan, a research scientist at FIU’s Applied Research Center, wows an audience at the eMerge Americas conference April 23. Tan and his team developed robots to assist with cleanup efforts of contaminated sites across the U.S. These robots allow people to work remotely, protecting them from harmful radiation. The wall crawler scales walls and moves around pipes, while the pipe crawler travels through pipes. The mini rover, or “mouse,” travels on top of the pipe crawler.