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New UCF Project Examines Key Role Soils Play in Keeping the Planet Cool
A new project from the University of Central Florida is looking to the soils for a way to cool the skies. Funded by a nearly $750,000 grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the research will examine a method to keep carbon from escaping soils and becoming the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. […]
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Congratulations Summer ‘23 Doctoral Graduates!
This summer, 26 College of Sciences Ph.D. graduates walked across the stage into futures making an impact in academia and industry. They were celebrated by faculty, staff, supporters and the dean at the COS Pre-Commencement Ph.D. Celebration on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. Dean Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., honored their accomplishments with remarks and a toast. She […]
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UCF Sea Turtle Research Highlighted for 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
UCF sea turtle research was recently highlighted for the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with a visit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) leadership. The visit showcased the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge and its successful sea turtle conservation efforts. Since the refuge’s establishment as […]
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Two Transfer Students Find Belonging at UCF Through Research
Two transfer students recently took advantage of a special program to scratch their itch for learning research skills. Mosquitos and their vulnerability to pesticides was the focus of research by Biology students Holly Monroe and Kathleen Velez. Both took advantage of the Transfer Student Research Integration Program (TRIP) to help acclimate to campus and begin […]
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Celebrating 60 Years of UCF: A Legacy of Excellence, A Future of Possibilities
The University of Central Florida was founded in 1963 to fuel the talent and technology needs of America’s growing space program at the Space Coast. From the beginning, UCF’s purpose has been to help people and organizations “Reach for the Stars,” which is the university’s official motto. As you look across the constellation of industry, […]
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UCF Researchers Are Contributing to World Oceans Day
One of Florida’s most precious resources is its water from the aquifer to the 8,436 miles of coastline, boarded by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean. Water is also a major player in the state’s economy, contributing $56 billion to the economy and generating 900,000 jobs according to a […]
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UCF Researchers Help Lead New, $2 Million NSF Project to Make Coastal Sciences More Inclusive
University of Central Florida Coastal researchers are part of a new, $2 million U.S. National Science Foundation-funded project to work toward a more inclusive field of marine sciences. The Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF), an estuary research nonprofit, is leading the project, which includes six partner agencies and universities, including UCF. The collaboration is […]
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Underground Carbon Deposits Unlock Climate Change Insights
The amount of carbon stored in soils across UCF’s campus is equivalent to removing 68,200 cars from the roads for a year. That’s according to newly published research from Aquatic Biogeochemistry Lab Supervisor and Associate Professor of Biology, Lisa Chambers, Ph.D., and Jennifer Bennett ’20. The research is the product of intensive soil sampling across […]
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CEELAB Marks 25 Years of Coastal Restoration
Twenty-five years of work by CEELAB (Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab) — celebrated in May 2023 — can be split into both tangible and intangible achievements. For instance, over the span of 17 years, 66,000 volunteers have participated in one of the longest-running oyster reef restoration projects in the U.S. and restored close to four […]
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Spring ‘23 Doctoral Graduates Honored by Dean
Spring 2023 College of Sciences doctoral graduates were celebrated at the COS Pre-Commencement Celebration on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Dean Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., honored their accomplishments with remarks and a toast. She said, “These credentials establish you among your contemporaries as someone who is willing to make sacrifices and embrace challenges in their pursuit of knowledge. There […]
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Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Instruction, Mentoring
Faculty representing every area in the College of Sciences were honored for their commitment to excellence at the Spring 2023 Faculty Recognition Event. Hosted by Associate Deans Kerstin Hamann and Teresa Dorman, the recognitions spanned multiple areas and categories. Those recognized were: High Impact or High-Quality Instruction Stacy Barber, ProfessorNeil Duncan, Associate ProfessorAmanda Groff, Senior […]
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Childhood Chasing Frogs Leads to Wetlands PhD Pursuit
A childhood chasing frogs in America’s heartland has led Anthony Mirabito to the cusp of a career saving wetlands. Today, Mirabito mixes classwork from the third year of his doctoral studies in Integrative and Conservation Biology with hands-on work in the Aquatic Biogeochemistry Lab at UCF led by Associate Professor Lisa Chambers Ph.D. Mirabito pursues […]
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Awardees Announced for 2023 Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration
UCF will showcase more than 200 faculty members for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom. The celebration runs 3-5 p.m. and includes a reception after the formal program. Highlighted are recipients of the Pegasus Professors award, UCF’s highest faculty honor; recipients of the Reach […]
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UCF Uses 6-Foot ‘Test Tubes’ to Study Red Tide
A potential treatment for Florida’s devastating red tides took another step toward widespread deployment after successful testing in Sarasota Bay. Additional detailed data analysis is required to confirm results, but UCF Assistant Professor of Biology Kristy Lewis is encouraged by the large-scale test of a red tide mitigation technology called clay flocculation that was performed […]
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Alumna Takes On Role as First Orlando Beekeeper
Orlando’s first official beekeeper is staying busy as a — well you know — applying the knowledge she acquired as a College of Sciences graduate. Tuesday Piper ’22 took the job as sustainability project coordinator for the City of Orlando in August, not long after leaving UCF in Spring 2022 with a BA in communication […]
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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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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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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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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 […]
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Summer ’22 PhD Graduates Given Warm Send-Off
Doctorate graduates were given a warm and personal send-off Thursday in a longstanding College of Sciences tradition. Remarks by Dean Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., were followed by individual recognition of the Summer ’22 graduates in attendance. A toast sent them forward into their next milestones, which varied from academia to postdoctoral research and national laboratories. Click […]
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UCF Researchers Are Contributing to World Oceans Day
One of Florida’s most precious resources is its water from the aquifer to the 8,436 miles of coastline, boarded by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean. Water is also a major player in the state’s economy, contributing $56 billion to the economy and generating 900,000 jobs according to a […]
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Controlled Arboretum Burns Lead to Discovery of new Grass Species
A new grass species was discovered in the UCF Arboretum thanks to regular controlled burns that mimic nature’s wildfire season. Sporobolus osceolensis is a type of dropseed grass sensitive to fire-stimulated flowering, according to Florida ecologists Edwin Bridges and Steve Orzell, who identified the blooming grass in 2018 on one of UCF’s prescribed burn sites. […]
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Spring ’22 Doctorate Graduates Honored At Special Reception
Thirteen doctorate graduates were given a warm congratulations and sendoff Friday in a continuation of a longstanding College of Sciences’ tradition. The final toast was led by College of Sciences Dean Maggy Tomova, Ph.D. Click here to see the full gallery of photos. Below is the full list of Ph.D. graduates for Spring 2022. Big […]
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UCF Students Reap the Benefits of the Plant Breeding Initiative
It’s getting hot in the hoop houses at UCF as students grow peppers for the Department of Biology’s Plant Breeding Initiative (PBI). Hoop houses are tunnel-shaped solar greenhouses that are constructed from steel frames and a plastic covering. Launched in Fall 2019 with a vision to create a living classroom built around growing plants, the […]
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Using the Arts to Take a Deep Dive into the Sea
A few phenomena will occur as the audience settles into Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, April 9. This is what happens when you drift into the seagrass with clown fish: Breathing eases. The blood pressure drops. Stress goes poof. For this two-hour show in the middle of […]
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UCF Recognized for Academic Excellence and Advancing Professional Careers in Engineering, Research and Innovation
UCF is one of the best universities in the nation for students looking to continue their education and advance their careers in a wide range of professional areas, including emergency and crisis management, high-tech research and the engineering fields. Take it from U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate Schools Rankings, which are based […]
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26 Exemplary Students Awarded 2022 Order of Pegasus
Twenty-six students — ranging in disciplines from engineering to biology to education and others across the institution — have been named as 2021-22 recipients of the Order of Pegasus, UCF’s most prestigious student award for those who display incredible academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community service. This year’s honorees joined UCF already having accomplished […]
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Recipients of the 2022 Seed Funding Program Announced
Thirty-two teams representing colleges across the university and several centers were selected for 2022 Seed Funding awards, the third year the program has been available to faculty. The program, a result of a collaboration between the Office of Research and the Office of the Provost, is aimed at facilitating research, which is likely to attract […]
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COS Employees Honored For Years of Service, Performance Excellence in 2022 Knight Star Awards
Every year, UCF Human Resources organizes a ceremony for faculty and staff to gather and recognize USPS and A&P employees who make the university such a great place to work. At the Knight Star Awards, honorees include employees celebrating years of service milestones, retirees and recipients of the USPS Employee of the Year Award and […]