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UCF College of Sciences Hosts Annual Scholarship Dinner
Annual event acknowledges scholarship recipients across the College and the supporting donors By: Sultana Ali | December 3, 2024 Recently, the College of Sciences celebrated more than 90 student scholarship recipients and the donors who support them. Austin Wilson, Manager of Public Affairs, emceed the event and welcomed guests. Provost Michael D. Johnson provided remarks […]
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UCF Psychology Professor Recognized with Beckman Award for His Impact on Student’s Research for Breast Cancer Survivors
Psychology and art blend into lifelong impact for women with Stacie Becker’s research By Emily Dougherty | November 25, 2024 Dr. Jeffrey Cassisi, Professor of Psychology in the College of Sciences, is a recipient of the 2024 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award for his mentorship and support of Stacie Becker’s research. Becker is a master’s student […]
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UCF Projects Earn 10 Emmy Nominations, Screening Premiere
UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning has garnered national acclaim for its groundbreaking docuseries, A Break for Impact, and its latest short documentary, Beneath the Same Sky. Both projects have transformed classrooms at UCF and achieved remarkable recognition, including a record-breaking 10 Suncoast Emmy nominations and a world premiere at DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival. The A Break […]
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Inaugural Indian Community Endowed Chair and Director of The India Center Formally Installed in Investiture Ceremony
Yogesh Joshi joins UCF to expand work with the Indian community and understanding of India-U.S. policy By: Sultana Ali | November 13, 2024 On Monday, Nov. 4, The India Center crested a milestone moment, establishing its inaugural Indian Community Endowed Chair and Director, Yogesh Joshi, Ph.D., in a celebratory Investiture Ceremony. The India Center was established […]
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UCF Doctoral Student Wins Russell and Singurd Varian Award
Kaige Shi has been recognized by the American Vacuum Society for his research to provide solutions for converting renewable electricity into chemical energy By: Emily Dougherty | November 8, 2024 Kaige Shi, a doctoral physics student, has been awarded the Russell and Singurd Varian Award from the American Vacuum Society (AVS) for his research about the […]
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UCF Named Top Producer for Fulbright Students for Second Year
Eleven UCF alums have earned Fulbright awards — marking the second highest number of recipients in university history. UCF has been recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a Fulbright Top Producer twice in the last four years. UCF is also a Fulbright leader among Hispanic-Serving Institutions for the fourth year in a row. […]
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UCF Recognizes Nine Top Faculty at 2024 Luminary Awards
Nine faculty members were honored for their trailblazing work and the impact they are making in our local communities, our nation and the world during UCF’s annual Luminary Awards held Friday at the Orlando Museum of Art. The Luminary Awards — established in 2017 — are designed to recognize some of UCF’s brightest stars who […]
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Webinar Explores the Intersection of AI and Ethics in India
AI experts discusses impacts of technology on India’s future By Arjun Sherugar and Emily Dougherty AI’s impact on our world continues to present opportunities and challenges, inviting conversation around its uses and ethical implications. In September, The India Center at UCF hosted a webinar entitled, “Navigating the Crossroads: Ethics and AI” featuring Jibu Elias, Ph.D., […]
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UCF Fuels America’s Space Program with Innovative Education, Medicine and Tech
As America’s Space University, the University of Central Florida continues to drive advancements in space technology, medicine and workforce development, preparing students to lead in the evolving space industry. This commitment to the space sector will be celebrated at UCF football’s annual Space Game on Saturday, Nov. 2, as the Knights take on the University […]
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UCF Journalism Student Joins Documentary Crew
Nicholson Communication and Media student Raine Keenan contributes to legacy of Dylan Lyons through production By Emily Dougherty and Sultana Ali | October 30, 2024 Raine Keenan, a senior studying journalism, joined the Northern Light Productions team to produce a documentary about the story of UCF Nicholson Communication and Media alumnus, Dylan Lyons, who was tragically […]
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UCF Biology Faculty Inspires Future Veterinarians
Frank Logiudice has dedicated three decades of teaching to helping pre-vet students By: Emily Dougherty | October 30, 2024 Higher education can have a lasting mark on a student’s life, and faculty along the way can play a major part. Frank Logiudice, a Senior Instructor in the Department of Biology and pre-vet advisor, has made […]
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Doctoral Chemistry Student Selected for the Department of Energy, Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program
Alec DeCecco, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry, is investigating the impacts of Criegee intermediates on climate change By: Emily Dougherty | October 29, 2024 Since the beginning of his undergraduate studies at UCF, Alec DeCecco, now a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry, has spent his time in a research lab […]
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Nicholson Students Gain National Sports Media Experience at Big Noon Kickoff
“Hitting the Field” members contribute to major national Pre-Game show By Emily Dougherty | October 29, 2024 FOX Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff came to UCF for the first time to watch the Knights take on the University of Colorado Rams. While the game may not have had the outcome that UCF fans wanted, students with an […]
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PhD. Student’s Research on Snakes is Helping Protect Florida’s Ecosystem
Jenna Palmisano was awarded multiple research grants to expand her research on parasites affecting pygmy rattlesnakes and Florida ecosystems By: Emily Dougherty | October 28, 2024 Florida has diverse ecosystems that are made up of an array of species, all of which play an important role in the beauty of Florida. Jenna Palmisano, a doctoral […]
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Paving the Way for Transfer-student Success
For anyone who has never walked it, the path from a state college to a major university appears straight and smooth. It’s assumed to go like this: a student earns a two-year degree at a state school, moves onto a university campus for years three and four, and finishes up the requirements for a bachelor’s […]
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Chemistry Researchers Advance Universal Design for Learning in STEM Courses
Focus on Bilingual approaches through National Science Foundation grant expand accessibility for learning across diverse student groups By: Emily Dougherty I October 4, 2024 Dr. Erin Saitta, Assistant Professor in the UCF Department of Chemistry, and doctoral student (Chemistry), Kathleen Lugo Charriez, have recognized the array of difficulties that undergraduate chemistry and other STEM students […]
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First UCF Student Awarded Voyager Scholarship
UCF junior Andrea Hernandez Gomez was one of 100 college students selected nationwide to receive the 2024 Voyager Scholarship — making her the first UCF student to receive the award. Inspired by the Voyager Scholarship’s impact on young people, Gomez says she wanted to apply to make a more significant difference in the world, especially […]
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UCF Receives Prestigious Keck Foundation Award to Advance Spintronics Technology
A team of researchers led by University of Central Florida Pegasus Professor of Physics Enrique Del Barco is working on a new project that could change the future of electronics, making them faster and more energy efficient. The work is funded by a new $1.3 million award from the W.M. Keck Foundation, one of the […]
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Seas the Opportunity
While some people unplug to truly escape on vacation, UCF student Madison Schwetje stayed connected to complete the Spring 2024 semester aboard Royal Caribbean’s nine-month Ultimate World Cruise. Traveling from Brazil to New Zealand to China and 62 other countries, she skillfully managed her globe-trotting adventure alongside her full-time studies through UCF Online. “UCF’s online […]
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10 UCF Students Selected for 2024 DoD SMART Scholarships
Receiving paid tuition, annual stipends, an internship and guaranteed employment after graduation sounds like a dream come true to any college student. But for several UCF students, that dream is about to become a reality. Eight Knights were selected for the 2024 Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, an […]
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Film Professor Receives Inaugural Cinematic Legacy Award
Associate Professor Barry Sandler reflects on career and milestone recognition By Sultana Ali As Film and Mass Media Associate Professor Barry Sandler commemorates his 20th year of teaching at UCF, he has something extra to celebrate—the inaugural UCF Cinematic Legacy Award from the College of Sciences. This first-of-its-kind award recognizes the achievements of a UCF […]
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UCF Researchers Develop Rapid Test to Detect Dopamine
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in our brains, not only regulates our emotions but also serves as a biomarker for the screening of certain cancers and other neurological conditions. University of Central Florida researchers, led by UCF NanoScience Technology Center Professor Debashis Chanda, have developed an integrated optical sensor capable of detecting dopamine directly from an unprocessed blood sample. […]
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STEM Students Hone Research Skills Through UCF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates Programs
Sixty-seven undergraduate students from across the U.S. gathered at UCF to take advantage of STEM research opportunities through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. UCF’s REU site, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, connects promising STEM students with established faculty at REU sites, enhancing their in-class learning experience with research, workshops and events. […]
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UCF Office of Research Awards 3 Faculty Fellowships to Accelerate Research Enterprise
Three UCF faculty members have been awarded fellowships by the UCF Office of Research to advance the university’s research efforts over the coming year. The selected fellows — Vladimir Boginski, Nichole Lighthall and Dinender Singla — will develop and implement programs that can help improve faculty grant success and accelerate the growth of the research […]
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UCF Ranks in Top 15 in Nation for Best Public Universities, Social Mobility by Washington Monthly
UCF is intensely focused on helping students of all backgrounds succeed. As a result of the university’s success, UCF is among the nation’s top universities overall and for social mobility — according to the Washington Monthly magazine’s 2025 rankings released this week. For the past decade, UCF has made great strides in the area of social […]
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Celebrating 5 Years of UCF Downtown: Transforming Lives and Our Community Through Education
Five years ago today, students stepped onto the newly constructed UCF Downtown campus for the first time in downtown Orlando. Since then, UCF has awarded over 10,300 degrees to downtown students, strengthening Central Florida’s talent pipeline and contributing to the region’s economic vitality. UCF Downtown is home to students in select majors across the university’s […]
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4 Volunteers Will Spend 45 Days in a NASA-simulated Mars Habitat — How Will They Handle Isolation, Mental Health?
NASA has its sights set on Mars, a key target for learning more about science, technology and whether life exists on the red planet. Experts around the world are developing technologies that may eventually allow humans to live and work on Mars. But making the long trek to Mars is still years — perhaps decades […]
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UCF Planetary Scientist’s Expertise Informs New Method for Terraforming Mars
Mars remains in humanity’s crosshairs as a promising planet to colonize due to its great potential in becoming habitable someday. With this in mind, UCF Planetary Scientist Ramses Ramirez, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University analyzed Martian climate models to study the possibility of using Mars-based nanoparticles to warm […]
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UCF Scientists Study Starship Launchpad in Preparation for Future NASA Lunar Missions
Scientists at UCF are gathering valuable data for humanity’s next venture back to the moon and even for potential lunar settlements. UCF physics doctoral candidate Brandon Dotson and Florida Space Institute planetary scientist Phil Metzger ’00MS ’05PhD analyzed rock samples from the first SpaceX Starship rocket launch in April 2023 that triggered a unique reaction […]
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Gilman Scholars Making a Difference in World and Beyond
When UCF Knights embark on their collegiate journey, there are many places their education will take them. One of those places are overseas. With the support of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, 15 UCF students will have the opportunity to further their education internationally by studying abroad. Each recipient is awarded up to […]