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Botany Class Takes Students Outside Classroom
We walk by them every day, but most of us would be hard-pressed to identify, much less scientifically classify, the trees and flowers we see. Elizabeth Harris calls it “plant blindness.” “Our goal was to get students outside and actually open their eyes to what’s in their environment,” said Harris, Ph.D., a Biology associate […]
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Virtual Arboretum Visits Coming Soon
The vegetation is a familiar sight to Central Florida visitors: Sabal Palm, spiky Saw Palmettos, towering, Longleaf Pines and delicate, brightly colored flowers. But visitors to this version of the Florida lands bordering UCF’s campus will notice a couple things missing, including humidity and pesky bug bites. That’s because these 247 acres exist on […]
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The 2018-19 Distinguished Speaker Series is Here!
The UCF College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series is back for its fifth edition. Starting in September, six speakers will present on new technology and research in their respective fields. The 2018-2019 series will be held monthly (excluding November and December) at the Tuscawilla Country Club from September 2018 to April 2019 at […]
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Conference Grows Interest in Plant Science
The first annual Plants Beyond Limits Conference was held Friday, Nov. 10, at the University of Central Florida. Over 200 UCF students, alumni and visitors from the greater Orlando area attended. Tickets sold out online a week before the event making turnout a success. Many attendees expressed their excitement to be a part of the […]
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Real Science
The Biology Summer Field Institute isn’t a field trip into the woods. For the week of July 17, rising high school juniors and seniors become real scientists. Led by Jennifer Elliott, Assistant Director of the UCF Arboretum, students were broken up into four groups: wetlands health assessment, forest ecology, vegetation monitoring, and gopher tortoise studies. […]
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Healing Powers of Fire Cider
On Friday, July 7, the University of Central Florida Arboretum held a workshop enlightening people on the benefits of fire cider. Fire cider is a mixture of simple, natural ingredients that is fermented for at least a month to create an antibiotic drink. It can be consumed straight or added to food and drinks. The ingredients […]
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UCF Roots into Sustainability Efforts
Fifteen more trees have made their way on to the University of Central Florida campus thanks to students, alumni and community partners getting their hands dirty in honor of Arbor Day. Arbor Day is an annual holiday that aims to encourage the planting and care of trees. It was celebrated at UCF on April 19, […]
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Non-traditional Student Trades Computers for Career In Conservation Biology
After a 27-year career in software development, Orlando, Fla. resident Suzanne Connor faced a real challenge. The mother of two was laid off. “My last two years of my job, I was so unhappy,” Connor said. “I was kind of relieved when I was laid off. I knew I needed to find something that would […]
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Medicinal-Herb Workshop Series
Story by Rachel Williams, UCF Today Amanda Lindsay was shocked when a homemade disinfecting ointment cured her severely cut knuckle. After the University of Central Florida Landscape & Natural Resources employee cut her knuckle down to the bone on a razor at a friend’s house, she turned to what most people would: a bandage and […]
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UCF Hosts Fourth STEM Day
By Julia Anderson On Friday, October 28, the University of Central Florida hosted 1,200 K-12 students on campus for its bi-annual STEM Day event. Students from 33 schools across Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Hernando, Brevard and Sumter counties participated in the event coordinated by the Center for Initiatives in STEM (iSTEM). Several home school groups attended […]
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Arboretum Spooktacular
By Rachel Williams, UCF Today To celebrate the ghoulish Halloween season, the University of Central Florida Arboretum is hosting a ‘spooktacular’ event. For outdoor lovers, the UCF Arboretum on Friday will host its second-annual Spooktacular. The overnight event will feature a Trail of Horror throughout the Arboretum’s nature paths and boardwalk, an outdoor screening of […]
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Snakes, Knightro and Yoga — Oh My!
Story by Bernard Wilchusky, UCF Today Snakes, Knightro and yoga — just a few of the animals, mascots and activities one can enjoy during Faculty and Family Fun Sundays, a monthly fall get-together for the UCF faculty in the Arboretum Park. This free event was the idea of Linda Walters, Ph.D., director of the Center for […]
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Arboretum Goes Pokémon
If you’ve walked around UCF campus recently you probably have noticed students glued to their phones playing the popular game, Pokémon GO. The UCF campus is full of ‘trainers’ catching Pokémon and visiting ‘Poke Stops’ spread throughout campus. One Poke Stop in particular hopes to lure UCF students in for a special event. The UCF […]
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A Wild Summer for Biology Research Team
Alicia Huber, graduate student in the UCF Biology Department, has been working with a team of UCF students this summer at the Disney Wilderness Preserve to investigate its soil’s carbon storage. “It is well known that wetland ecosystems generally function as carbon sinks—their soils especially often store significant amounts of carbon,” explained Huber. “Although we […]
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UCF Arboretum Welcomes New Explorers
Story by Gene Kruckemyer, UCF Today The UCF Arboretum has more helping hands thanks to a new initiative embraced by UCF’s Creative School for Children. The Creative School was recently named a certified Nature Explore Classroom by the national Nature Explore program, an initiative that recognizes schools and other organizations that make a commitment to use […]
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Love Conquers Hate at UCF Vigil for Pulse Victims
Story by UCF Today Rain and lightning delayed but could not stop a vigil Tuesday night where the UCF community honored the victims of the Pulse shooting, vowing to conquer hate with love. Gathered in the University of Central Florida Student Union, attendees listened as leaders from the university, the student body, the LGBTQ+ community […]
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UCF to Remember Pulse Victims at Candlelight Vigil
Story by UCF Today The University of Central Florida community will join together Tuesday, June 14, to honor the lives taken during the act of terror at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. A candlelight vigil will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Reflecting Pond. The event is being organized by members of UCF’s LGBTQ+ […]
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UCF Hosting Several Blood Drives This Week
UCF encourages the campus community and the public to donate blood at several on-campus drives this week. Big Red Buses from One Blood will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 13, in front of the Student Union and also at Bright House Networks Stadium. President John C. Hitt, Student Body President […]
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UCF Community Copes with Orlando Tragedy
Our entire Knight family is mourning the victims of the Orlando terror attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends. To assist our students, faculty and staff during the difficult days and months ahead, the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services will host a series of campus conversations and therapy support […]
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President Hitt: UCF Stands with Orlando Against Terror
Story by UCF Today The following message is from President John C. Hitt: Orlando was attacked today. How painful, frightening, and infuriating it is to write that sentence. As President Obama said, this was “an attack on all of us, and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country.” […]
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UCF Alumna Puts Conservation into Practice
UCF Biology alumna and former UCF Arboretum employee, Tina Richards, ’06, ’13, embraced her passion for the environment at UCF. From her instrumental role in the growth of the UCF Arboretum to becoming a full-time biologist, Richard’s path to success can be traced back to her time spent at UCF. In 2006, Richards received her […]
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UCF Arboretum Coordinator Exemplifies Sustainability
Jennifer Elliot, coordinator of the UCF Arboretum, was featured as June’s faculty spotlight by the UCF Sustainability Initiatives. As an advocate for sustainability at UCF through her work at the arboretum, Elliot shares the same goal with UCF Sustainability Initiatives of pursuing environmental, economic and social sustainability. Q: What does Sustainability mean to you? A: […]
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STEM Day at UCF
On Friday, April 8, more than one thousand students from the Central Florida area spilled on to UCF campus for STEM day. STEM day is a bi-annual outreach event for K-12 students interested in learning more about the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The day featured a wide variety of activities focused on STEM […]
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Arbor Day Continues at UCF Arboretum
Story by Mark Schlueb, UCF Today Thirty students from Oak Ridge High School – a Title I school that serves an economically disadvantaged population – visited the UCF Arboretum on Friday, April 8 to learn about the value of urban trees and conservation. Representatives of the university’s Arboretum and Department of Landscape and Natural Resources […]
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UCF Arboretum to Host Open Mic Night Series
In a university of more than 60,000 students, one’s voice – or instrument – can still be heard. The UCF Arboretum will host its first ever open mic night on Friday, April 8 from 5-8 p.m. at the UCF Arboretum Nature Pavilion. This will be the first of its series, ‘Arboretum Unplugged.’ The series welcomes […]
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New UCF Greenhouse Takes Root
Story by Jonathan Gabriel, UCF Today The UCF Arboretum celebrated the completion of a new campus greenhouse that will support UCF’s educational and research efforts. UCF faculty, staff and students gathered at the new greenhouse for a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception on Friday, March 25. Dr. Michael Johnson, Dean of the UCF College of […]
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UCF Used Green Thumb this St. Patrick’s Day
This St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2016, UCF volunteers gathered to celebrate UCF’s trees in recognition of Arbor Day. UCF Landscape and Natural Resources and the Arboretum hosted the Arbor Day event by leading volunteers through a planting and learning experience. National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day […]
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UCF Arboretum Fall Harvest Feast
The UCF Arboretum held its 5th annual Fall Harvest Feast Celebration December 3 and 4 on UCF main campus. This two day event aimed to increase community cohesion, education, nutrition, and appreciation. The first day, Thursday, Dec 3, was a day of harvest, where participants collected one or two ingredients from the UCF Arboretum’s garden […]
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UCF STEM Day Inspires Thousands
The Center for Initiatives in STEM (iSTEM) Office hosted over 1,300 students in grades K-12 for UCF’s bi-annual STEM Day on Friday, November 6th. STEM Day was a free outreach event for K-12 students interested in learning more about the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The day featured a wide variety of activities focused on STEM disciplines, […]
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Cheers to Ten Years
This October marked ten years since the UCF College of Arts and Sciences was divided into the College of Arts and Humanities and the College of Sciences in 2005. In honor of its anniversary, the UCF College of Sciences held a special reception for faculty and staff on Friday, October 30th. The open-house event was […]