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Movie Maker Finds True Calling in Teaching Next Generation of Film Students
Associate Professor Robert Jones has more than 50 productions to his name as a filmmaker —and he’s not content to keep all that experience to himself. Jones moved to Los Angeles in 1991 like so many before him with big dreams to become a famous director. And, like so many others, Jones found himself looking […]
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UCF Names 2022’s 30 Under 30 Alumni Award Winners
By ASHLEY CULLINS UCF Alumni has announced its annual 30 Under 30 Award winners. They are inventors, entrepreneurs, engineers, athletes, academics, teachers and nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic, and more. Each member of the 2022 class has demonstrated great professional success, a commitment to helping others, and a track record of giving back […]
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Associate Provost for UCF Downtown Named
The new associate provost for UCF Downtown is a seasoned academic leader and distinguished criminal justice scholar who helped launch the campus in Fall 2019. The appointment of Ross Wolf ’88 ’91MPA ’98EdD by Michael D. Johnson, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, elevates his role from assistant provost for UCF Downtown that […]
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Viral Videos Lead Film Grad to Produce Series With Comedian Bill Burr
A former UCF film student’s viral videos recently landed him a dream gig producing a dark comedy TV series narrated by comedian Bill Burr. UCF alumnus Tyler Falbo, BFA ’14, created, wrote and directed the series, then collaborated with Burr and comedian Bobby Lee to bring “Immoral Compass” to life. The stories are often crude […]
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Graduating UCF Film Student Completes Environmental Documentary
Making people care through the power of filmmaking is Vince Marcucci’s mission. The day after he graduates from UCF with a bachelor’s in film, he’ll show his first documentary series — an 80-minute, four-part feature following a day in the life of four Florida naturalists — during a private showing to cast, crew and local […]
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21 Faculty Members Inducted into UCF Scroll and Quill Society
The 21 new inductees of UCF’s Scroll and Quill Society represent a broad spectrum of academic expertise, such as fiction writing, artificial intelligence, police-community relations, nursing and terrorist recruiting tactics on social media. The Scroll and Quill Society celebrates faculty members who for at least a decade have made scholarly contributions of impact to advance […]
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Maggy Tomova Joins the College of Sciences Today as Dean
Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., officially joins the University of Central Florida today as dean of the College of Sciences. Tomova, 44, brings deep research and leadership experience to the role, most recently as associate dean for the 18 departments that fall under the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences […]
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UCF’s Brightest Shine During Luminary Awards
The UCF community celebrated the accomplishments of 15 exceptional faculty members at its annual Luminary Awards Night. UCF leadership lauded faculty members for being leaders in their fields and conducting work that has had a significant impact on the world. COVID-19 disrupted plans for the recognition ceremony in 2020 so UCF honored the 2020 and […]
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New Dean Named for UCF’s College of Sciences
Maggy Tomova will become the next dean of UCF’s College of Sciences on Oct. 18. She joins UCF from the University of Iowa, where she currently serves as the associate dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her appointment by Michael D. Johnson, interim provost and […]
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Deadlines May Be Effective in Building Support for Climate Change Action
Human-caused climate change — including increased extreme weather and climate events — is here, according to the recently released United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2021 report, but the best way to communicate the concern is still debated. The panel’s previous report in 2018 was widely reported by media as setting a 12-year deadline […]
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Alumnus-Developed App Improves Communications, Eases Anxiety During Hospital Stays
The long, anxious wait for news about the outcome of a loved one’s surgery just got a little shorter thanks to the ingenuity of a UCF alumnus. The “Ease” app, short for “Electronic Access to Surgical Events,” allows clinicians to send secure texts, photos and video updates to patients’ families in real time during a […]
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Alumnae Launch Podcast to Provide Insight, Perspective on “Twenty-Something” Life
Two UCF alumnae are using their voice to highlight the successes and struggles of being in your 20s with their podcast, “Twenty & Trying.” Charlotte Trattner ’20 came up with the idea of creating a podcast when the pandemic first started. Inspired by the book “Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter And How To Make […]
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Summer 2021 Graduates Head Out With New College of Sciences Degrees
UCF’S newest College of Sciences graduates crossed the stage Saturday at Summer 2021 Commencement. Among them was Nahla Turner, a psychology graduate who not only battled pandemic challenges in 2020, but a cancer diagnosis. A clean bill of health in October 2020 brought her to Saturday’s academic finish line and a new starting line pursuing […]
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Congratulations to the Summer 2021 Doctoral Graduates
Biology Jordan Dowell, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Chase Mason, Ph.D. and Pedro Quintana-Ascencio, Ph.D. Dissertation: “Genetics and Evolution of Specialized Metabolism In Wild and Cultivated Helianthus.” Christopher Long, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Katherine Mansfield, Ph.D. Dissertation: “Long-Term Changes in Juvenile Green Turtle Abundance and Foraging Ecology in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida.” Chemistry Sajia Afrin, Ph.D., faculty […]
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Digital Media Student Raises Mental Illness Awareness Through Video Game
A video game developer is drawing awareness to mental illness and sexual assault by incorporating them into her video games. Digital Media student Emilia Hernandez has participated in three video game creation competitions where her projects focused on meaningful and serious topics, including sexual assault and depression. “I think it’s important to discuss mental health […]
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Virtual UCF Arboretum Expands Offerings For Digital Game Designers
The Virtual UCF Arboretum continues to expand its reach and impact, with the recent launch of a new library of 70 photorealistic plants for use in augmented and virtual reality. The free-to-use content pack of 3D plants on the Epic Games Unreal Engine Marketplace follows last year’s $25,000 Epic Megagrant from the same game maker, […]
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Endowed Scholarship Further Cements UCF’s Leadership Role in Gaming Industry
Thanks to a $100,000 gift from Electronic Arts (EA), an endowed scholarship was created to benefit students in the University of Central Florida’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media in the College of Sciences. One of many initiatives in a multifaceted strategy to empower students from diverse backgrounds to explore successful careers in fields of […]
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Fulbright Program Selects NSCM Leader For International Award
By IULIA POPESCU Boyd Lindsley, Ed.D, who serves as the senior associate director for the Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM), was recently chosen for participation for the Fulbright Program’s International Education Administrators (IEA) Award. 2021 marks 75 years since the Fulbright Program first commenced. Following its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 “Fulbrighters” have participated […]
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UCF Journalism Alumna Part of Pulitzer Prize-winning Team at The New York Times
A UCF graduate was part of the data collection team that helped The New York Times win the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service — the highest honor in journalism. The award was announced June 11. Bianca Fortis ’10, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media, […]
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‘In Journalism You Have the Opportunity to Witness History’
UCF alumna Christal Hayes ’15, has already covered some of the most momentous events in modern American history – from the tragic mass shootings in Orlando and Las Vegas to two presidential impeachments in Washington. Hayes, who graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, recently was promoted to national correspondent for USA Today, […]
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NSCM Mentorship Program Offers Career Guidance, Insights
The freedom to explore different career paths in college can be a burden as much as a gift for students, including Abbigale Martin ’21 BA. Martin first chose English as her major based on a love of writing, then pursued Human Communication with a Business and Professionalism Track after transferring to UCF from Florida Gulf […]
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7 UCF Student Graduating this Week Say Limbitless Solutions Changed Their Lives
Seven students graduating from the University of Central Florida this week say their college experience would not have been complete without the time spent at Limbitless Solutions. The students from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Sciences, and the College of Arts and Humanities, all interned at Limbitless Solutions, a UCF-based engineering […]
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138 Faculty Promoted Across the University
After going through a rigorous evaluation process, 138 UCF faculty have been promoted and 45 have been awarded tenure for the 2020-2021 cycle. The process for promotion and tenure takes nearly an entire academic year as faculty are evaluated on three main areas: research, teaching and service. At UCF there are many types of faculty […]
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2021 Founder’s Day Honorees
BY ALLISON HURTADO ’12 The Founders’ Day Awards celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of our faculty members and students. As we recognize these achievements, we remember the efforts of those women and men who made this university a reality, and we prepare for the accomplishments of the future. In an extraordinary time, our faculty and […]
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UCF Researchers Work with Public Agencies to Examine Pandemic Efforts, Effects
Some may say the past year has been one giant global experiment. While scientists and researchers didn’t create the coronavirus, the pandemic has spurred opportunities for investigations that run the gamut of public-service efforts and response. Here are just a few ways experts at UCF as using their insight to enhance what we’ve learned and […]
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UCF Graduate Video Game Design Named No. 1 — for Third Time
UCF’s graduate video game design program has been recognized as the top graduate game design program in the world. This marks the third time in the past six years that UCF has garnered the top spot, ahead of New York University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Southern California. UCF’s undergraduate game design program […]
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Film Student Uses Art of Storytelling to Focus on Florida Conservationists
Tales of Sunshine is the title of UCF student Vincent Marcucci’s short film that gives viewers a firsthand look into the stories of Floridian conservationists who are tackling prominent environmental conflicts. Marcucci, who is majoring in film and environmental studies, began developing the idea for this series last summer and filmed his first episode last […]
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23 Students to Receive UCF’s Highest Honor
UCF has named 23 students as recipients of the Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award. The 2021 recipients were selected from a pool of 83 nominations. The 2021 class includes 15 Burnett Honors College students, six LEAD Scholars, six Student Government leaders, three President’s Leadership Council members, one Greek member, one student-athlete […]
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Nicholson Faculty Lend Expertise to Global Pandemic Communications
Today’s global pandemic was just a worst-case scenario when Deanna Sellnow, Ph.D., and Timothy Sellnow, Ph.D., developed a communications plan for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006. Still, the husband and wife team, both faculty in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media, are encouraged they could play a part in how […]
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UCF Hosts Spring Graduation Celebration, April 30 to May 9
UCF is excited to offer spring graduates and their families the opportunity to choose one of two in-person options to celebrate their achievements. Recognitions of graduates will occur April 30 to May 9. Spring 2021 graduates will have the option of either participating in UCF’s Grad Walk or their college’s in-person commencement. Both recognitions will […]