August 2017 in photos: Solar eclipse, moving in and tagging sharks


By Joel Delgado ’12, MS ’17

As we flip the calendar from August to September, we say goodbye to summer and hello to fall. We’re looking forward to another great semester on campus, but we also want to take some time and enjoy some of our favorite moments and images from August, captured by our talented FIU photographers.


That grad cap says it all. Almost 4,000 FIU students graduated during the university’s eight summer commencement ceremonies, which concluded on Aug. 1 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Photo by Carl-Frederick Francois

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Asia Dawson, 12, enjoyed a tour of FIU and taking in all the sights around Modesto A. Maidique Campus, including the Graham Center, Green Library, Tech Station, the Panther statue and the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Photo by Ben Guzman

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Look up! Hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered around campus to watch the Great American Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21. Photo by Eduardo Merille

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It was all systems go recently at the College of Engineering & Computing as Provost and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton suited up and took a race car for a test drive around the Engineering Center. The car was built from scratch by engineering students who are part of the FIU chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers, also known as Panther MotorsportsPhoto by Carl-Frederick Francois

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A team of student-researchers–from left, Andria Beal, Megan Kelley (in sunglasses), Stormie Collins and Bradley Strickland–spent a day in Tarpon Bay in Everglades National Park, tagging and releasing several baby bull sharks that make the brackish waters of the bay their home. The researchers are on a mission to learn more about how bull sharks develop during their first years of life. Photo by Carl-Frederick Francois

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The calm before the chaos. This photo in the Graham Center was taken one morning just days before the start of the Fall 2017 semester. Photo by Eduardo Merille 

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President Mark B. Rosenberg bonds with incoming students over Pollo Tropical at Riccardo Silva Stadium during Freshman Convocation, a university tradition that welcomes freshmen as well as their friends and family to FIU. Photo by Vince Rives

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Almost there! Two students carry belongings up the stairs at Lakeview Hall during move-in day on Aug. 18.

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The struggle is real. Students search for textbooks for the new semester at Barnes & Noble at FIU. Photo by Eduardo Merille

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Yeah, we are definitely ready for some football! FIU Head Coach Butch Davis talks to his team at practice as they prepare for the 2017 season, which begins Aug. 31 when the Panthers travel to Orlando to take on the UCF Knights. Photo by Ben Guzman

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All smiles! Entrepreneur and FIU alumna Luly Balepogi ’00, former chair of the President’s Council, hosted a SPARK Social at the College of Business on Aug. 17 that brought together movers and shakers, pictured here, who are prepared to change students’ lives through philanthropy. During the event, she surprised Fostering Panther Pride students with laptops that were generously donated by Dell. Photo by Vince Rives

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Those summer sunsets never get old. Photo by Eduardo Merille


To view more of our favorite FIU images, visit our “Month in Photos” series page