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UCF Researchers Work to Reduce the Amount of Precious Metals in Catalytic Converters
The precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, in catalytic converters make the vehicle devices attractive to thieves, but University of Central Florida researchers are working to reduce the amount of precious metals needed in them — down to single atoms — while still maximizing their effectiveness. Catalytic converters, which were widely introduced in […]
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What’s Ahead for 2023: COS Faculty Projections
Faculty at UCF share predictions and upcoming milestones for 2023. Politics Associate Professor Aubrey Jewett Ph.D., Assistant Director, School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs “For 2023 in U.S. politics, I expect the battle lines to sharpen for the Republican nomination for president. So far, it looks like former President Trump will be the frontrunner, […]
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2023 CUWiP Champions Women in Physics
The 2023 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) brought over 200 students to UCF from Jan. 20-22, 2023. According to the National Science Foundation, only 20 percent of people studying physics are women. The annual Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics organized by the American Physical Society plays an important role in bringing […]
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Language Studies Connects SPSIA Student to Roots
For student Daniah Jarrah, studying Arabic holds much more power than bilingualism. Jarrah is studying Arabic in Amman, Jordan, with the Qasid Institute, which teaches both modern standard Arabic and classical Arabic. Jarrah notes that modern standard Arabic is the dialect that is used in the political and academic realm of the Middle East. With […]
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The India Center Celebrates International Education Week
By ARIANNA LESTRADE On Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, the UCF India Center and the Burnett Honors College hosted “A Showcase of India’s Art and Culture.” The event exhibited art and culture of India as part of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. The […]
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Fall ’22 Doctoral Candidates Honored By Associate Dean
A traditional toast and individual recognition from Associate Dean Teresa Dorman , Ed.D., sent 22 doctoral graduates into the next chapter of their careers. In her remarks, she said, “You have what it takes to be successful. You worked very hard for a very long time . . . but now you are done. Savor […]
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UCF Awarded American Physical Society Innovation Fund Grant
Giving Black women a stronger voice in the field of physics is the focus of a new American Physical Society (APS) award to the University of Central Florida. The two-year $198,100 APS grant funds a project titled “Journey to a PhD through the Lens of Black Women in Physics.” Its intention is identifying then removing […]
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2022 College of Sciences Year in Review
A glimpse at another year of exploration, innovation and scholarship in the College of Sciences. Over the course of the year, College of Sciences faculty, staff, and students worked hard to accomplish great things. At the heart of their accomplishments is a desire to create a greater tomorrow and a stronger community. Follow along to […]
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Electronic Arts Awards Scholarships to UCF Students to Increase Diversity in Gaming Industry
One of the world’s largest gaming companies, Electronic Arts (EA), has made a total investment of $125,000 to encourage UCF students in their continued pursuit of careers in the video game industry. Through its Inclusion in Gaming Endowed Scholarship, EA aims to diversify the growing gaming industry by supporting the success of students at UCF, […]
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Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Wellness Innovation Award Winners Enhance Mental Health Resiliency
The arts and humanities have a unique power to resonate with the human soul across time, place and socioeconomic status. When this power is harnessed by the community through sustainable, evidence-based and cross-disciplinary initiatives, the potential for positive human impact is limitless. Based on this idea, the Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Innovation Award gives […]
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Research Replicating Neurons Holds Potential to Shape Artificial Intelligence
Recent research replicating neurons in the brain holds potential to reshape our approach to artificial intelligence and applications like autonomous driving. The research centers on molecular-sized transistors and behavior that suggests they exchange information similar to neurons in the brain. Pegasus Professor Enrique Del Barco Ph.D., in collaboration with Professor of Molecular Modelling Damien Thompson, […]
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Sociology Podcasts Further Scholarship, Teach Skills
Two recently debuted podcasts are increasing awareness about sociology while simultaneously providing valuable skills to students. The podcasts come from the classroom of Associate Professor Ramon Hinojosa, Ph.D. Free the Mind Free the People, is a student-led podcast that tackles major questions about the inner workings of society by drawing from core sociological concepts. “They […]
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The India Center Co-hosts International Joint Seminar
By ARIANNA LESTRADE The India Center at UCF, in collaboration with Karlstad University in Sweden, hosted a virtual seminar on “Social Responsibility and Human Security in India.” India Center Interim Director Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., and India Center Director of Public Affairs Leila Chacko,opened the event and introduced the speakers, and Karlstad University Associate Professor Kristian […]
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New Study of Comets Provides Insight into Chemical Composition of Early Solar System
A new study from the University of Central Florida has found strong support that the outgassing of molecules from comets could be the result of the composition from the beginning of our solar system. The results were published today in The Planetary Science Journal. The study was led by Olga Harrington Pinto, a doctoral candidate […]
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UCF Recognizes 6 Top Scholars as 2022 Luminary Award Winners
Six faculty members were lauded for being leaders and making impacts in their fields during UCF’s annual Luminary Awards on Tuesday at Leu Gardens in Orlando. The Luminary Awards are designed to recognize some of UCF’s brightest stars who shine a positive light on UCF and on their respective fields, as well as illuminate a […]
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The India Center Celebrates Diwali with Orange County Community
On Oct. 17, 2022, the India Center celebrated Diwali with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings at the Orange County Administration building in downtown Orlando. It was the second year the India Center collaborated with the Asian Cultural Association, the Orange County Asian Committee, FusionFest and Demings to present “Diwali: The Festival of Lights Celebration”. […]
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New $1.25 Million Research Project Will Map Materials at the Nanoscale
A University of Central Florida researcher will lead a recently announced $1.25 million project to map and manipulate materials at the nanoscale. The project’s funding is through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty Moore to support scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care […]
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The India Center Hosts ‘An Evening with Kal Penn’
The India Center at UCF welcomed actor, writer, producer and public servant Kal Penn for a book reading and discussion on Sept. 26, 2022. Associate Dean Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., interim director of the India Center, and Leila Chacko, director of public affairs of the India Center, welcomed the speaker and the audience of approximately 300 […]
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UCF’s Limbitless Solutions Named as a Global Finalist for the 2022 .ORG Impact Awards
Limbitless Solutions has been named a finalist in the fourth annual .ORG Impact Awards. The global awards program is hosted by the Public Interest Registry (PIR) to celebrate inspiring mission-driven organizations and leaders from around the globe that create a positive impact in their communities. Limbitless Solutions is one of five finalists in the Health […]
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New NASA-funded Study Hopes to Put Risks of Space Junk on People’s Radar
Space may seem infinite but the real estate in Earth’s orbit is filling up fast with junk. The debris orbiting the Earth consists of human-made objects that no longer serve a purpose and range from fragments of metal to nonfunctioning spacecraft and abandoned rocket stages. This space junk can endanger spacecraft and damage satellites that […]
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Ph.D. Candidate Returns from Training Ukrainians to Finish Dissertation on NATO
By TAD SCHNAUFER A quote attributed to Albert Einstein reads, “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience. You need experience to gain wisdom.” As Russian Forces started to build up on the Ukrainian border last year, many Securities Studies students watched closely. In Ukraine, at the time, SPSIA Ph.D. Candidate in […]
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UCF Student Serving Survivors of Genocidal Violence
By Léa Faure Sinjar Academy, based in the Sinjar region of Northern Iraq, provides educational services to Yezidis and other minorities affected from the 2014 genocide. It is a community that emerged from a grassroot organization aiming to help students develop different skills via various courses: computer programming, filming, transitional justice, and their most recent […]
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UCF Professor Moonlights as Serial Marathoner
UCF Associate Professor of Chemistry Seth Elsheimer’s journey to running more than 300 marathons starts with “just a little farther.” Elsheimer was an occasional runner when he encouraged two students in his organic chemistry class at UCF to join him on a run, then sign up for a 5K race. The former football players were […]
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‘Son of a Sweeper’ Documentary Screening and Discussion
By ARIANNA LESTRADE The India Center at UCF hosted Vimal Kumar, Ph.D., for an in-person screening and discussion of the documentary film Son of a Sweeper on Sept. 13, 2022. The film, made by Professor Lisa Mills, Ph.D., an India Center affiliate faculty member, highlights the work of Kumar, founder of the nongovernmental organization Movement […]
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Decades-Old Moon Samples Inform Modern Return to Moon
By NIKITTA CAMPBELL Exploring an area in the Moon that was never visited before? That’s one of the tasks that Department of Physics planetary scientist and Assistant Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna, Ph.D., has assisted NASA with since 2013. Donaldson Hanna and her team play a vital role in studying samples collected by the Apollo astronauts […]
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UCF Knights Are Part of NASA’s Artemis Program to Return to the Moon
As the nation looks on this week to see the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft blast into space on its test flight, UCF faculty, students and alumni will only momentarily pause to watch the historic milestone before returning to what they do best — scientific discovery and developing the next generation of technology […]
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Robots, AI Not as Welcomed in Nations Where Income Inequity is High
Robots are becoming more ubiquitous in the workplace but that doesn’t mean people are accepting them. In a new study by researchers with the University of Central Florida, workers in countries with greater amounts of income and social inequality were found to be more likely to perceive robots and artificial intelligence as job threats. This […]
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James Webb Space Telescope Detects Carbon Dioxide on Planet Outside Solar System
A University of Central Florida researcher is part of an international team that has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to capture definitive evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a gas-giant planet orbiting a sun-like star 700 light-years away. The finding was published online today and will appear in the journal Nature. […]
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UCF Doctoral Candidate Works to Create a ‘Bioassessment Toolkit’
Dedicated to preserving ocean life at every scale, UCF doctoral candidate Ashley Reaume is working to create an efficient and cost-effective “bioassessment toolkit” that can be used to evaluate the impact of water quality on plankton communities. “Both plankton and estuaries play important roles in sustaining human life, providing us with ecosystem services like nutrient […]
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Genetic Rescue of Florida Panthers May Have Had Unintended Consequences
The introduction of Texas pumas to Florida in the 1990s as part of a genetic rescue may have helped save Florida panthers from extinction, but it also brought some harmful mutations with it along the way. In a new study led by UCF, researchers show that nearly half of the harmful mutations found in recent […]