Where are all the scientists?

Scientist-turned-filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson, is a fan of Al Gore’s global warming movie, but asks, “Where are all the scientists?”  He sets out to make his own documentary about global warming featuring scientists, but the only backers he can find are a fabulously flaky couple who top their list of people they want him to interview with Tom Cruise (not […]

Service-Learning Helps Students Tackle World’s Tough Issues

This is a guest post from Biology Professor Linda Walters, which was featured on UCF Today and The Huffington Post.  The end of each spring semester brings out the best in academia. Not only is graduation soon to occur, but campuses everywhere celebrate excellence — of faculty, staff and students. I am always excited to attend […]

Biology Students are Best in Show

Last week, students competed in the campus wide UCF Service-Learning Showcase.  We had many COS students compete, but three biology students won best in show.  Madison Hall, Lauren Riegler, and Cherri Sookdeo are members of the Trash Talkers and winners of this outstanding award. “Our project dealt with marine debris, and we presented to 5th […]

UCF Celebrates Arbor Day

Graduate Research Forum Winners

Several College of Sciences students won awards this week at the Tenth Annual Graduate Research Forum.  The Pegasus Ballroom was packed with a record number of graduate students presenting posters. Part of UCF’s Student Research Week, the Research Forum showcases the latest research from students, including cutting-edge technology and discoveries in arts, education, health and science. Throughout […]

Not Your Typical Spring Break

When you hear the words spring break, you usually think of going to the beach or going on a cruise. Ryan Silverstein, a biology major graduating in May, had a different idea for her break this year. Silverstein went on an alternative spring break to the University of Miami Dunlap Conservation as a part of […]

Ocean Day went swimmingly at the UCF Creative School

“Science is cool. The ocean is cool. Take care of the ocean. Women can be scientists.” This is what Dr. Linda Walters, UCF biology professor, wanted to teach the students of the UCF Creative School at Ocean Day. Ocean Day consisted of 120 children, 12 volunteers, and five activity stations. Dr. Walters decided on the […]

Ant King Featured on National Video

Most people cringe when they hear “fire ant,” but University of Central Florida biologist Joshua King is likely to ask where – and head straight to them.  King, an entomologist or insect expert, studies the invasive ant species and has found some startling results. While Floridians may spend thousands of dollars trying to eradicate them, […]

UCF Hosts Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference

The Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference is being hosted by the Biology Department at the University of Central Florida from March 1st– 3rd.  Dr. Keith Hobson, a research scientist with the Canadian federal government and an adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan, will be the plenary speaker. SEEC is a conference run by students […]

UCF Team Tracks Endangered Sea Turtles

UCF Ph.D candidate, Simona Ceriani, and her team recently published a study on the strength of the double-barreled method of tracking female loggerhead sea turtles. The study followed 71 sea turtles along the east coast of Florida. The sea turtles population has been declining for decades and tracking their routes has been troublesome for researchers. […]

MRC Director Focuses on Lagoon

By Jim Waymer, Florida Today Leesa Souto’s doctoral research focused on how human behaviors — especially those involving fertilizer — harm nature and the best ways to prevent that. Now she’ll do the same for the Marine Resources Council, Brevard County’s second-largest environmental nonprofit group, behind the Brevard Zoo. On Jan. 1, Souto took over […]

Reuters: Science Cafes Offer Sip of Learning

By Barbara Liston, Reuters Americans may be turning away from the hard sciences at universities, but they are increasingly showing up at “science cafes” in local bars and restaurants to listen to scientific talks over a drink or a meal. Want a beer with that biology? Or perhaps a burger with the works to complement the theory […]

Graduate Research Forum abstracts due

The Tenth Annual Graduate Research Forum, a part of Student Research Week, is open for submissions! The College of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Student Association invite UCF graduate students to submit your proposals now. Scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, 2013 in the Student Union, the Graduate Research Forum is an excellent opportunity for you to […]

Arboretum seeks volunteers for spring projects

For students interested in giving back to the environment or learning more about the region’s natural ecosystems, the UCF Arboretum is offering several volunteer opportunities the semester. Established in 1983, the 72-acre Arboretum is home to a variety of plant and animal life. “Volunteers can meet new people, achieve their New Year’s resolution to be […]

Biology alumna making an impact around the world

UCF alumna Sarah Kureshi, ’01, can be described in many words. Doctor. Wife. Muslim. American. Runner. Professor. Activist. Woman. Boundary-breaker. But her favorite word is student. “I learned how to be a lifelong student at UCF,” Kureshi said. “When I came to UCF, I had such amazing professors, and within the honors college I took […]

Knights give back

See how UCF students, faculty, staff and friends give back to the Central Florida community.

Founders’ Day Honors Convocation 2013

The annual Founders’ Day Honors Convocation will be held beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in the Pegasus Ballroom at the Student Union. We will recognize faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, advising, research, professional service, and librarianship. We will also recognize those members of our faculty who have completed […]

Call for presentations at the Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference

SEEC is a conference run by students for students is being hosted at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on March 1st – 3rd of 2013.  SEEC offers a friendly atmosphere for undergraduate, graduate, and post doctoral students from around the  southeast to engage one another and solicit helpful critiques of their research. SEEC also […]

Pythons, lionfish and now willow invade Florida’s waterways

Foreign invaders such as pythons and lionfish are not the only threats to Florida’s natural habitat. The native Carolina Willow is also starting to strangle portions of the St. Johns River.  Biologists at the University of Central Florida recently completed a study that shows this slender tree once used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, […]

BP’s Chief Scientist visits UCF

BP’s Chief Scientist, Ellen D. Williams, will be speaking to UCF students, staff, faculty and guests on January 18, 2013 as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, which is hosted by the College of Sciences. The event will start at 11 a.m., is free and open to the public and is in the Pegasus Ballroom, which is […]

Knights helping knights

As part of UCF’s 50th Anniversary, the College of Sciences is collecting donated items for the Knights Helping Knights Pantry. To date, COS has collected 1,215.52 pounds of donated items!  If you would like to donate items, drop them off in the Dean’s Office or any COS departmental office. Learn more about our ongoing and future events […]

College of Sciences videos

Learn more about the College of Sciences by watching our video playlist below. Further information on each professor is listed below the video screen. College of Sciences Video Playlist Learn more about how to support UCF Sciences here. Learn more about the Asteroid Viewing Party here. Learn more about Drs. Arlen and Diane Chase and […]

Biology team researches Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake

UCF Biology Associate Professor Christopher Parkinson and his research students head out to Tomoka State Park to study the Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake, a threatened species, and WUCF TV is there to catch a video of their work. Watch the full video below and check out more videos from UCF here.

Florida rivers’ low profile puts them at risk

For an imaginary moment, swim with Hueland Todd Brown as he descends into a deep, caramel-colored river, feeling his way with his hands and hoping nothing bites. Brown lives by the Choctawhatchee, a wild river that coils through remote forests in the Florida Panhandle and is so much a part of him that he can […]

Eradicating space dust and saving sea turtles get boost from space agency

Teams working on a wide range of innovative research and technology development, including work that may lead to new techniques for keeping alien dust from clogging up sensitive space instruments and work on new satellite tracking systems to help track endangered sea turtles recently got a financial boost courtesy of the Florida Space Institute. In […]

Center for Success of Women Faculty redefines direction

With a new name and a new direction, the UCF Center for Success of Women Faculty has one overriding purpose: To achieve its self-fulfilling title.  After being known for more than a decade as the Women’s Research Center, the group was renamed a few weeks ago to better reflect the organization’s goals. And now, the […]

Should faculty be allowed to volunteer time to help students study abroad?

This is a guest post written by UCF Biology Professor Dr. Linda Walters.  Why study abroad? Isn’t it just an excuse to have fun and drink beer while getting college credit? In my world, absolutely not! Pushing students to leave their comfort zones and explore the world is so essential to the learning process that many […]

Biology student spearheads relief for Hurricane Sandy

While his New Jersey family and friends were grappling with cold temperatures and no power, one student at the University of Central Florida led a campus-wide relief effort to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Tyler M. Neher, a junior studying Biology, is a native of coastal New Jersey. He’s among the more than 500 […]

Extinction fears spur push to breed Florida grasshopper sparrow

Fearing that the Florida grasshopper sparrow might go extinct in as little as two years, wildlife advocates have begun pressing federal officials to approve an emergency effort to capture some of the birds and breed them in captivity. The Central Florida bird is a subspecies of the grasshopper sparrow found only in vast, treeless prairies […]

Biology student wins research awards at national conference

 UCF Biology student Sara Bolivar Wagers recently attended the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students where she presented her research in a poster display. Judges were extremely interested in her work and Wagers left with two awards – First Place for Behavioral Sciences and Public Health and First Place for Interdisciplinary Studies. Now in […]