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Physicist Works to Make Science Accessible
Jackie Chini is one of the UCF Department of Physics’ most well-funded junior faculty. Her awards from the National Science Foundation total over $1 million, and she’s achieved one of the most prestigious awards: The NSF CAREER Award. It all started in high school in her hometown in rural New Jersey in a physics class. […]
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Society and the Seven Deadly Sins
James Wright is no stranger to publishing, having already written 25 books and over 300 articles and essays. Now, this retired sociology professor adds another publishing success under his belt- as of May 16, his new book, Lost Souls: Manners and Morals in Contemporary American Society, is out in the world! In Lost Souls, Wright […]
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The Science Behind Zombie Ants
Biology Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker is working to figure out how a fungus is manipulating and killing ants. A zombie invasion is happening in Central Florida, but humans aren’t the ones at risk. Rather, some of nature’s tiniest creatures — carpenter ants — are the victims. Since 2016, biology Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker, Ph.D., has been studying […]
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Security Studies Student Wins Best Paper Award
Sandor Fabian, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Security Studies program, is the winner of the March 2018 Florida Political Science Association’s (FPSA) Best Graduate Paper Award. His paper was titled “Why does David sometimes defeat Goliath? The effects of military culture on the outcome of asymmetric wars,” and examines why the weak can sometimes […]
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Physics Ph.D. Student Promotes Inclusion
UCF is one of six universities paving the way for underrepresented minority students to earn graduate physics degrees. According to an article published in the journal Nature, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans make up about one-third of university-age citizens in the United States, however, less than 11 percent of bachelor’s degrees are awarded […]
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A Lifetime of Chemistry
Debbie Dunn, Ph.D., graduated with a chemistry degree from UCF in 1972, back when UCF was still known as Florida Technological University (FTU). Graduation is always a momentous occasion, but Dunn’s held even more importance than a simple first step in her career. When she walked up to receive her diploma, she started on the […]
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Political Science Students Receive Boren Fellowships
Two College of Science students recently received Boren Fellowships, which are for students interested in pursuing a career in U.S. national security. The students are Karla Aurazo, a political science and international relations double major and Caleb Archie, an international and global studies major. They worked with the Burnett Honors College and the Office of Prestigious Awards to apply for the fellowships. Boren Fellowships provide funding […]
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The Importance of the Deep Blue Sea
World Oceans Day — held each June 8 — is an opportunity to promote campaigns and initiatives that bring ocean issues to the forefront. This year’s observance follows recent research that suggests the amount of plastic in the ocean is worse than scientists previously expected. A garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean is now twice […]
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Researching the Ever-Changing Tampa Bay
Jaime Rogers, a master’s anthropology student, received $1,700 in grants from the Florida Anthropological Society and the Florida Archaeological Council to fund his research. “I am grateful that my research was recognized as being interesting enough to fund,” Rogers said. “There are some great research projects going on in Florida archaeology right now, and that […]
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Hawaii Looks at Banning Sunscreen Ingredient Because of UCF Research
A University of Central Florida biologist is seeing a wave of action from his work, which links a certain sunscreen ingredient with the death of coral reefs around the world. Associate Professor John Fauth and a team of international researchers in 2015 published a study that showed the ingredient oxybenzone disrupted coral reproduction and caused bleaching. Coral […]
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First-Generation Student’s First Research Fellowship
Stefani Hammond received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) to work alongside anthropology Assistant Professor John Starbuck, Ph.D., in his lab this summer. As a first-generation student putting herself through school, she is thankful for this opportunity. “Being awarded this fellowship means a lot to me in many different ways,” Hammond said. “As an undergraduate […]
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Flea on Pluto? Arecibo Observatory Helps Provide Unprecedented View of Pulsar
The Arecibo Observatory, managed by UCF, recently helped provide unprecedented details of a pulsar 6,500 light years from Earth. By Zenaida Kotala Imagine being able to see a flea on the surface of Pluto. That’s a good way to describe what the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico helped a group of Canadian researchers do. The team, led […]
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Congratulations to the 2018 30 Under 30!
Last Friday, May 19, UCF Alumni hosted an award ceremony to recognize the 30 Under 30 alumni who have made an impact within their professions, communities and the university in the early stages of their careers. Eleven of the honored students are from the College of Sciences. Congratulations, alumni! Yazen Abdin ’12 Psychology Yazen […]
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UCF RESTORES Clinic Receives $10 million Grant
UCF’s cutting edge RESTORES clinic, which helps people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, has been awarded a $10 million grant to expand its work. The U.S. Army is funding RESTORES to establish programs at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Georgia, Naval Medical Hospital Portsmouth in Virginia and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. […]
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National Geographic Selects State Steward from UCF
UCF Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Systems Timothy Hawthorne, Ph.D., has been named The Florida Geography Steward by National Geographic. As the Geography Steward for the state of Florida, Hawthorne will work with National Geographic staff, government staff, teachers, parents, business leaders and other stakeholders to enhance K-12 geography education and research in Florida and […]
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A Green Approach to Making Ammonia Could Help Feed the World
By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala A UCF research team with collaborators at Virginia Tech have developed a new “green” approach to making ammonia that may help make feeding the rising world population more sustainable. “This new approach can facilitate ammonia production using renewable energy, such as electricity generated from solar or wind,” said physics Assistant Professor Xiaofeng […]
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From Italy to UCF, Student Finds Success
Helin Yıldız traveled from Italy after being accepted by the Kurdish Political Studies Program to continue her master’s education abroad. During her time in Orlando, Yıldız attended courses at UCF, interacted with professors and students about her research and intellectual interests, participated in KPSP events and made trips to Washington, D.C. to conduct interviews. Yıldız […]
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Student Combines Biology and Anthropology
Javier Cintron is no stranger to student research. He’s been tackling problems alongside John Starbuck, Ph.D., this year, but now he has received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) that will allow him to continue working this summer in Starbuck’s lab. “It is encouraging to be accepted into a program like this because it means […]
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Industry Partners Invest in Statistics Students
From developing predictive models to interpreting data, UCF graduate students had the chance to put their data analytics skills to the test, as CFE Federal Credit Union launched its inaugural Lending Analytics Competition with the UCF Department of Statistics. From October 2017 to January 2018, student teams used data sets to predict lending risks facing […]
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Helping the Helpers
If you build it, they will come. This isn’t the saying that comes to mind when thinking of a facility dedicated to treating anxiety, trauma and PTSD. But it’s been the case for UCF RESTORES, a one-of-a-kind clinic founded by Deborah Beidel, Ph.D., in 2011. “How do you get over a fear of driving? You […]
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Advocating for HIV Prevention
Nicole Elinoff graduated the same year as UCF’s 50th anniversary. Now, she spends her days involved in outreach activities in the Central Florida community, working to spread HIV prevention throughout the area. “Being able to educate and raise awareness in others about HIV is some of my favorite work,” she said. Elinoff is the sexual […]
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Congratulations, Spring 2018 Ph.D. Graduates!
The College of Sciences celebrated its new Ph.D. graduates in a reception hosted by Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D. Twelve students were recognized at the ceremony with their family members and faculty advisors by their side. Associate Dean Jana Jasinski, Ph.D., honored each student individually by presenting their research and a brief description of their dissertation. Afterward, […]
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UCF Planetary Physicist Crowned Space Engineering Rock Star
By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala UCF planetary physicist Philip Metzger has been crowned one of space engineering’s rock stars by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Metzger, who is an associate in planetary science research at UCF’s Florida Space Institute in Central Florida Research Park, was honored with ASCE’s Outstanding Technical Contribution Award this month. The award […]
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Undergraduate Researcher Recognized for New Compound
Each spring, UCF hosts a Showcase of Undergraduate Research to celebrate students’ hard work uncovering new insights and ideas. This year, the Judge’s Choice Award for physical sciences went to Klauss Dimitri, a Physics and Aerospace Engineering double major. This first-place prize recognizes his research developing the materials needed to eventually create quantum computers. “I […]
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2018 NFL Draft: Brought To You By UCF Alumni
While four Knights fulfilled lifelong dreams of hearing their names called during the 2018 NFL Draft, a pair of other Knights were working behind the scenes to capture every moment. Alumni Eric DeSalvo ’09 and Brandon Naidus ’12 are the maestros of the social media accounts for their respective teams. DeSalvo, who majored in interpersonal/organizational […]
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In Search of a Lost Song: From New York to Dersim
On April 23, 2018, The Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) hosted the screening of the movie ‘Zer’ and a conversation with the director, Kazım Öz, who is one of the leading Kurdish directors of his generation. He is also the director of highly acclaimed Bahoz (The Storm), Fotoğraf (The Photograph), the short film Ax (The […]
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Uncertain Start at UCF Sends Student Around the World
Steven Carrion never thought UCF would be the foundation for the rest of his future. When he was graduating from high school, he almost didn’t apply to the school at all. Dreaming of far-off places, and thinking success would come away from home, Carrion applied reluctantly, as a last-minute decision. As it turned out, UCF […]
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Student Represents UCF at NAFAC
Each year since 1960, the U.S. Naval Academy has hosted a gathering of undergraduates from around the United States and the world who come together in the spring to discuss a theme from current global affairs. The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) has grown to be the leading undergraduate conference in the country. Political […]
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Building a More Sustainable Orlando
The sounds of construction can be heard on the third floor of Orlando City Hall. The building is being retrofitted with energy efficient technology as part of the City of Orlando’s sustainability initiatives. It’s one of the many projects currently underway and supervised by sustainability director Chris Castro ’10 and sustainability project manager Brittany Sellers […]
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Chemistry and Forensic Science Award Winners- Congratulations!
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Chemistry and Forensic Science student awards. The recipients were chosen from both undergraduate and graduate areas of studies, according to their performance in specific classes, research and other UCF achievements. The winner of the W.W. McGee Forensic Science award for the most outstanding chemistry or forensic science major […]