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UCF Alumna’s Outstanding Environmental Work
Jane Provancha ’78 is an environmental enthusiast, a University of Central Florida alumna and the Department of Biology’s 2017 Outstanding AlumKnight. Provancha received her award at the College of Sciences Outstanding AlumKnight award ceremony on March 2, 2017. The award will add to Provancha’s long list of impressive achievements. From a UCF student to the Environmental […]
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Meet the 2017 COS Order of Pegasus Recipients
UCF has named 21 students as recipients of the Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award. Eleven of these recipients are students of the UCF College of Sciences. Get to know them below. CHRISTOPHER CLEMENTE: Tampa, FL About: Christopher Clemente, College of Arts and Humanities and College of Sciences, is majoring in history and […]
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UCF Team Studied Sea Urchins to Restore Reefs
A team of scientists from the University of Central Florida Department of Biology had its five year research project on endangered sea urchins published in the Bulletin of Marine Science. The research conducted by biology undergraduate student at the time Luke Chandler, along with Associate Professor Eric Hoffman, Ph.D., and Pegasus Professor Linda Walters, Ph.D., […]
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Pictures Worth a Contest Win
Three students and one lecturer were the winners of the Department of Biology’s photo contest this year. It comes as no surprise that these remarkable photos were chosen by the judges as the winners of the contest. “Orlando Wetlands Park is a particularly special place for me. It’s a nice, close place to campus that I’ve used […]
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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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COS Grad Programs Ranked Nationally
Several graduate programs in the University of Central Florida College of Sciences were ranked in the top 200 in their respective fields by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools of 2018. The following COS graduate programs were ranked in the top 200 of their fields: Physics – No. 85 Sociology – No. 102 […]
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COS Students to Receive University’s Highest Honor
Story by Mark Schlueb, UCF Today UCF has named 21 students as recipients of the Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award. Eleven of these recipients are students of the UCF College of Sciences. The 2017 recipients were selected from a pool of 65 nominations. The 2017 class includes eight LEAD Scholars, eight President’s Leadership […]
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Endangered Tiny Bird Has Big Ally in UCF
Story by Barbara Abney The future of the tiny Florida Grasshopper Sparrow may rest on a hot-water blaster that safely fends off fire ants, which threaten the remaining 100 or so wild sparrows in Central Florida. Joshua King, a self-described ant nerd, ecologist and entomologist at the University of Central Florida, received $15,500 from the […]
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Chairs and Directors Leadership Circle
Four University of Central Florida department chairs from the College of Sciences have been selected to be in the UCF Office of Faculty Excellence’s Chairs and Directors Leadership Circle. Tosha Dupras, Ph.D., anthropology chair, Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., political science chair, Elizabeth Mustaine, Ph.D., sociology chair, and Graham Worthy, Ph.D., biology chair are part of the […]
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How UCF Faculty Turn Their Offices into Works of Art
Story by Rachel Williams, UCF Today In honor of National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day on Jan. 31, five University of Central Florida faculty members share how they use their offices to display their own variants of art – handmade masks, paintings, even skeletons – to inspire themselves, students and coworkers to continue learning. […]
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A Wild Win for UCF Biology Student
Rhett Rautsaw, a master’s student in UCF Department of Biology, won first place for his presentation at the 38th annual Gopher Tortoise Council Meeting in Palatka, Florida held January 13-15, 2017. Rautsaw was representing the university at the meeting where he was awarded first place for his oral presentation on a new method to survey […]
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COS Celebrates Fall 2016 Grads
On Friday, December 16, 2016 the University of Central Florida’s College of Sciences celebrated more than 1,000 students graduating from the college. The college hosted its traditional graduation reception immediately following the afternoon ceremony for its graduates to celebrate with their faculty, friends and family. The event, held in the UCF Psychology Building, hosted more […]
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Student’s Hardship Inspires Volunteerism
By Rachel Williams, UCF Today A University of Central Florida student’s experience with economic hardship and childhood illness has inspired a volunteer trip to Puerto Rico, where a group of students will help bring joy to pediatric cancer patients and their families in need this holiday season. Akasha Palou, a senior studying biology, planned the […]
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A Knight for the Sea Turtles
The University of Central Florida College of Sciences and Department of Biology hosted ‘A Knight for the Sea Turtles’ in Melbourne Beach on Friday, November 18, 2016. The event celebrated UCF’s partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The partnership, announced over the summer, establishes a permanent conservation research facility along the southern Brevard County coastline. […]
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CEO, Doctor and Harvard Grad Student
UCF biology alumnus Patrick Fullerton ’92 has a simple philosophy: Think big. “If people aren’t laughing at your dreams, you aren’t dreaming big enough,” he said. Fullerton, the son of a truck driver, is a first-generation college student who grew up with no professional leadership in his life. He said UCF made all the difference […]
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2016 30 Under 30
The 2016 30 Under 30 class gathered to be honored Saturday at FAIRWINDS Alumni Center during the Indoor Tailgate. They then were recognized on the field at Bright House Networks Stadium during the football game. This incredible group of individuals includes 12 alumni of the College of Sciences. Amanda Booz, ’13, Nicholson School of Communication Ms. Booz […]
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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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Biology Students Shine at ShORE Conference
Five students and three professors from the Department of Biology at the University of Central Florida participated in the Sharing Our Research with Everyone or Sh.O.R.E. conference on Sept. 23 at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The conference was presented by the Institute of Marine and Environmental Studies at Daytona State College and the New Smyrna […]
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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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UCF Biologists Swarm Insect Conference
Thousands of scholars from all over the world gathered in Orlando with one thing in common: A love for bugs. The 2016 International Congress of Entomology conference was held at the Orange County Convention Center from Sept. 25 – 30. Faculty and students from the University of Central Florida’s Department of Biology played a large […]
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Hurricane Impacts Threatened Sea Turtle Nests
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today As many as 200 loggerhead sea turtle nests and 550 green turtle nests were estimated to have been lost in central and southern Brevard County because of Hurricane Matthew. Each nesting season thousands of threatened sea turtles lay nests along Central Florida’s coast, particularly on the shores of […]
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Biology Professor’s Heritage Inspired His Love of Nature
UCF conservation biology professor Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, Ph.D., grew up with lush forests as his backyard playground. He remembers walking through Veracruz, Mexico, listening to the wind playing in the trees and critters calling to each other all around him. His father would sometimes join him on horseback rides to a nearby river and lake. […]
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COS Staff Recognized at Annual Awards Program
The UCF College of Sciences was well represented at the 44th Annual Awards Program on Friday, September 2, 2016. The UCF Human Resources Department held the event in the Pegasus Ballroom where over 500 attendees gathered to celebrate the university’s outstanding USPS and A&P employees. View photos from the event here. Several College of Sciences […]
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The Distinguished Speaker Series is Back!
The UCF College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series is back with exciting new topics presented by renowned experts in their fields. This year’s 2016-17 series will be held monthly at Tuscawilla Country Club at 6:00pm, on the last Wednesday of each month, from September 2016 to April 2017 (excluding December). The Distinguished Speaker Series includes seven […]
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Living Shoreline Workshop Makes Waves in K-12 Classrooms
12 educators, representing eight schools throughout three counties, participated in the UCF Living Shoreline Educator Workshop on Sunday, August 28, 2016. Pegasus Professor in the UCF Biology Department Linda Walters, Ph.D., UCF Biology Post-Doctoral Researcher and Instructor Melinda Donnelly, Ph.D., and Paul Sacks, Ph.D., a science educator at Winter Springs High School, led the group […]
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Inspiring Women in STEM
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Julie Delauriers squarely blames UCF Biology professor Linda Walters for where she is in her career today – attending one of the best veterinary schools in the nation. “She is such an inspiration,” Delauriers said from Purdue University. “She kept encouraging me, pushing me to do science research. […]
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UCF Scientists Investigate Restoration Efforts
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today A scientific answer to a challenge such as water pollution is only part of a long-term solution. For example, science may provide a way to clean water, but keeping it clean usually relies on identifying underlying causes and making a long-term impact on human behavior. A team of UCF […]
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GIS to Offer Certificate
Beginning this fall, UCF will offer a new Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This new GIS certificate will provide students with the interdisciplinary background in the geography and the technical skills in the application of GIS through a 4 course, 12 credit hour load. The certificate will not only enhance students’ ability to understand, […]
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A Summer of STEM
This summer, UCF hosted its STEM Summer Institute (SI) camps for Central Florida middle and high school students. The STEM Summer Institute (SI) offers a mix of activities designed to maximize learning through hands-on, individualized instruction in an effort to provide science, technology, and math related summer opportunities to students. The SI currently offers camps in […]
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UCF Professor Dives into Marine Ecology
With an appreciation for biology and oceanography, UCF Department of Biology assistant professor Geoffrey Cook, Ph.D., found the field of marine ecology to be a perfect fit. In 2005, Cook was admitted into the Biological Oceanography doctoral program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) where he received a Marine Biodiversity and Conservation NSF-IGERT graduate student fellowship […]