-
Summer Internship Opportunities
As the temperature gets warmer, we’re all thinking about summer plans. An internship or study abroad program can be a great opportunity for students to gain real-life experience in their field of study and travel to a new place. Here are a few with upcoming deadlines: EEOP Internships Application Due: February 25, 2019 Internship Period: […]
-
New Deal With Embry-Riddle Brings Drone Expertise to UCF Coastal
UCF Coastal’s research is soaring to new heights through a new partnership with Embry-Riddle’s unmanned aircraft systems program. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University boasts a fleet of drones of all shapes, sizes and capabilities, and brings extensive expertise to bear as one of only a few universities in the U.S. offering a bachelor’s in unmanned aviation. […]
-
Nine COS Students Receive Prestigious Order of Pegasus
Nine students from the College of Sciences are recipients of Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award. The 2019 recipients were selected from a pool of 77 nominations. Undergraduate students are chosen for Order of Pegasus each year based on their outstanding achievement in the areas of academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community […]
-
Pre-Vet Student Finds Purpose in Passion for Animals
There’s the cute and cuddly side of working with animals. And then there’s catheterization and necropsies. “I love both,” says Rebekah Sartori, a pre-vet Senior. “The first time I put on sterile gloves and watched a surgery I got so excited.” Her four years at UCF are just one chapter in what she plans […]
-
UCF Researchers Investigate New Lead in Mysterious Sea Turtle Disease
By Robert Wells Scientists at the University of Central Florida are zeroing in on a new clue to understand a mysterious disease that affects about half of the sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon. The infectious disease, known as fibropapillomatosis, causes tumors to grow inside and outside of sea turtles’ bodies. While the tumors […]
-
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 […]
-
Fall ’18 Ph.D. Graduates Honored At Reception
Seventeen students graduating with their doctorate degrees were honored at a reception Thursday. Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D., along with the students’ faculty advisors and family celebrated the graduation with individual recognition and a champagne toast. Click here to view the full gallery of photos. The students are: Physics Daniel Bonior, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Eduardo […]
-
Undergrads Land Top Prizes At SHORE Conference
Julia Carlin is finding the big picture in something only visible under a microscope. The Biology senior‘s research into the harmful effects of microplastics on Indian River Lagoon wildlife was the subject of an award-winning presentation given at the SHORE conference Nov. 30 in New Smyrna Beach. Specifically, Carlin’s first-place oral presentation detailed how birds […]
-
Land Protection Gets Boost with New Partnership
A new partnership between Conservation Florida and both UCF’s Biology Department and UCF Coastal increases the bench strength of statewide land protection work. The partnership aims to produce research, guidance and a multidisciplinary voice to land and wildlife conservation to propel advancement in the greater Central Florida region. Conservation Florida brings 19 years of land […]
-
Effects of Climate Change Will Be Harsh on Florida’s Industries
A new climate change report paints a dire picture of the world’s economic and natural future — and UCF Coastal experts agree with the findings. The second volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment outlines the wide-ranging consequences if global warming continues unchecked, from outbreaks of infectious diseases and agricultural declines to months of wildfires. […]
-
UCF Research Leads to Ban on Harmful Sunscreens
By Robert Wells The island Republic of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean is the first nation to ban environmentally harmful sunscreens, effective 2020, to protect one of the world’s most diverse marine ecosystems. Anyone selling banned sunscreens after the date will be hit with a $1,000 fine. The goal is to protect the islands’ […]
-
COS Distinguished Alumni Award Winners 2018
Ten College of Sciences alumni were recognized Thursday for their career achievements at the 2018-19 Distinguished Alumni Awards. “Tonight’s awardees were selected based on their professional achievement, exceptional community service and reflection of the college’s mission to expand knowledge in the sciences, mathematical sciences, and communications,” COS Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D., told the audience gathered […]
-
Biology Initiative Eases Transfer Experience
A pilot program in the biology department is championing new ways to create a smooth transition for transfer students coming to UCF. The centerpiece of the program is Transfer Advisory Peers, or TAPS, who pair up with incoming transfer students and offer guidance on everything from study spots to the best coffee on campus. “Having […]
-
UCF Student Studies Algal Blooms Impact on Sea Turtles in Indian River Lagoon
By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala Long before the algal blooms on Florida’s Gulf Coast sparked surprise and outrage, University of Central Florida doctoral student Chris Long was studying the effects of similar episodes on threatened green sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon. Algae blooms regularly hit the Indian River Lagoon and were especially intense from 2011 […]
-
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 […]
-
Researchers Receive $1.25 Million Grant to Map Marine Ecosystems With Drones
By Rachel Wimmer You may soon be able to spot UCF drones collecting data all along the Pacific coast — from Baja California to Alaska. Timothy Hawthorne, assistant professor of GIS in the Department of Sociology, and his collaborators at the Smithsonian Institution, Cornell University and the University of California-Davis recently received a $1.25 million grant […]
-
UCF Coastal Working to Find Solutions for our Coastal Communities
By Rachel Stamford Recently, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency due to red tide, a toxic algae bloom, that is devastating the southwestern coast of Florida. The UCF National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, also known as UCF Coastal, will serve as a mechanism to find solutions to this problem and many […]
-
Screening Frogs for Infectious Disease
An undergraduate researcher has developed a method to screen frogs for an infectious disease that has been linked to mass die-offs of frogs around the world. Thanks to her method, scientists will be able to track the disease and try to figure out why it is triggering the deaths. Emily Karwacki, who recently earned her […]
-
Congratulations, Summer 2018 Ph.D. Grads!
The College of Sciences celebrated its new Ph.D. graduates in a reception hosted by Dean Michael Johnson. Twenty students were recognized at the ceremony with their family members and faculty advisors by their side. Associate Dean Teresa Dorman honored each student individually by presenting their research and a brief description of their dissertation. Afterward, the group toasted […]
-
UCF Researchers Develop App for Farmers
Canadian farmers have a new tool to help them fight pests thanks to the ingenuity of researchers at the University of Central Florida and the University of Manitoba. Researchers, led by UCF Associate Professor of biology Barbara Sharanowski, have developed the Mobile IPM app, which allows farmers to quickly identify crop pests and suggests effective integrated pest management […]
-
Untraditional Path to Traditional Medicine
Alumna Uma Ramoutar is making history. She’s one of just 50 students selected for the first class of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Initially a biology major with a psychology minor, Ramoutar chose a different path to medical school in search of a broader education. “Though […]
-
UCF Joins International Consortium Aimed at Helping Coastal Communities
The University of Central Florida recently became a member of the Blue Community Consortium, which aims to help develop sustainable and economically successful coastal communities worldwide. UCF’s National Center for Integrated Coastal Research – known as UCF Coastal – joined the consortium this month as part of its ongoing efforts to help develop sustainable, resilient and economically successful […]
-
Biology Student Wins DURA Award
Biology student Adam Searles received a Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award (DURA) award for his research on his project Determining Physical and Ecological Factors Affecting Abundances of Juvenile Indicator Species in the Indian River Lagoon. The $200 scholarship funded by SGA is awarded to undergraduate students who have conducted outstanding academic research at UCF. “It shows […]
-
The Science Behind Zombie Ants
Biology Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker is working to figure out how a fungus is manipulating and killing ants. A zombie invasion is happening in Central Florida, but humans aren’t the ones at risk. Rather, some of nature’s tiniest creatures — carpenter ants — are the victims. Since 2016, biology Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker, Ph.D., has been studying […]
-
The Importance of the Deep Blue Sea
World Oceans Day — held each June 8 — is an opportunity to promote campaigns and initiatives that bring ocean issues to the forefront. This year’s observance follows recent research that suggests the amount of plastic in the ocean is worse than scientists previously expected. A garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean is now twice […]
-
Researching the Ever-Changing Tampa Bay
Jaime Rogers, a master’s anthropology student, received $1,700 in grants from the Florida Anthropological Society and the Florida Archaeological Council to fund his research. “I am grateful that my research was recognized as being interesting enough to fund,” Rogers said. “There are some great research projects going on in Florida archaeology right now, and that […]
-
Hawaii Looks at Banning Sunscreen Ingredient Because of UCF Research
A University of Central Florida biologist is seeing a wave of action from his work, which links a certain sunscreen ingredient with the death of coral reefs around the world. Associate Professor John Fauth and a team of international researchers in 2015 published a study that showed the ingredient oxybenzone disrupted coral reproduction and caused bleaching. Coral […]
-
Congratulations to the 2018 30 Under 30!
Last Friday, May 19, UCF Alumni hosted an award ceremony to recognize the 30 Under 30 alumni who have made an impact within their professions, communities and the university in the early stages of their careers. Eleven of the honored students are from the College of Sciences. Congratulations, alumni! Yazen Abdin ’12 Psychology Yazen […]
-
Uncertain Start at UCF Sends Student Around the World
Steven Carrion never thought UCF would be the foundation for the rest of his future. When he was graduating from high school, he almost didn’t apply to the school at all. Dreaming of far-off places, and thinking success would come away from home, Carrion applied reluctantly, as a last-minute decision. As it turned out, UCF […]
-
A Major Switch: From Film to Biology
Biology student Julia Carlin won one of the most prestigious, national awards for pre-veterinary students, the 2018 American Pre-Vet Medical Association (APVMA) Scholarship. The award was open to all pre-vet students in the country, and Carlin was chosen based on her academic success, leadership qualities and participation within the pre-vet community. “I have worked endlessly […]