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Grant Gives Student Funds to Study Dropout Rates of Indigenous Collegiate Students
A UCF Anthropology graduate student recently received a $2000 Lambda Alpha grant to support her research on indigenous collegiate students in Yucatan, Mexico. “This is the first grant funding I’ve received that is external to UCF, and it’s been a real confidence booster for me,” said Rachael Root. Root’s research focuses on the dropout rates […]
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Kurdish Culture, Literature, and Politics Come to UCF
On October 2, the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) at SPSIA in partnership with the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, hosted the first of a series of virtual events in fall 2020. At the “Kurdish Literature & Culture” panel moderated by Dr. Haidar Khezri of UCF, KPSP welcomed Dr. Wendelmoet Hamelink from the […]
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UCF Study Will Look at Transitional Housing Effectiveness for Survivors of Domestic Violence
Housing programs can serve as a lifeline for domestic violence survivors and their children – providing them with vital resources to leave abusive relationships and find safety. Various housing models are being implemented across the country; however, little is known about their long-term effectiveness. A team of researchers from the University of Central Florida, University […]
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OSIRIS REx Ready to for Touch-n-Go Maneuver on Tuesday, Oct. 20
Four years after it launched, NASA’s OSIRIS REx NASA mission is closing in on its big day. On Oct. 20, the spacecraft is scheduled to complete its touch-and-go move to collect a sample of asteroid Bennu. University of Central Florida Physics Professor and asteroid expert Humberto Campins is counting down the days. He is part […]
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Teaching Sociology from the Perspective of Sociology GTAs
Teaching is a critical part of being a scholar and it is important to recognize what other teachers have to bring to the table and learn how to craft a classroom that works for you. The four of us were asked to do this blog because we are committed to providing classrooms that provide engaging […]
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3 UCF Researchers Part of Nature Astronomy Articles Chronicling Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy
To understand the significance of the Spitzer Space Telescope on the understanding of our solar system, think of what the steam engine meant for the industrial revolution. A national team of scientists today published in the journal Nature Astronomy two papers that provide an inventory of the major discoveries made possible thanks to Spitzer and […]
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Indian American Business Association Proves Valuable Ally to India Center
Community partners play a pivotal role in advancing the mission of the India Center at UCF, including the Indian-American Business Association and Chamber (IABA). IABA President Prashant “Peter” Patel said expanding public knowledge and scholarship of India are just two of the shared goals between his organization and the India Center. More recently, though, IABA’s […]
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Physics Alumna Named Interim Dean At Connecticut Community College
Fatma Salman’s journey in physics starts with dismantling battery-powered devices as a child and leads up to her recent appointment as interim dean of academic and student affairs at Manchester Community College (MCC) in Connecticut. Along the way, she raised five children, picked up two master’s degrees, a doctorate degree and became a U.S. citizen. […]
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Telecomms Pioneer Recognized With Prestigious Schawlow Award
Video conferencing has kept the remote workplace humming during this year’s pandemic, and it was made possible through the work of researchers like Peter Delfyett, Ph.D., the 2021 winner of the prestigious Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Sciences. Specifically, Delfyett, a Pegasus Professor of optics and photonics, studies the application of semiconductor lasers to […]
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Charter Faculty Member Provides Perspective On UCF Overcoming Historical Challenges
We hear “unprecedented times” often as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds through 2020 and into the next year. But someone with the long lens of history like Professor Emeritus Robert Bledsoe, Ph.D., a charter faculty member of UCF, can attest this is far from the first challenge the university has faced. “This university has weathered a […]
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TV Show ‘The Office’ Forms Basis for NSCM Professional Communication Class
Successful professional communication is as much about what not to say as it is the right way to negotiate a raise or write a thorny email, reasons Communication Assistant Professor Michael Strawser, Ph.D. And what better teacher of gaffes and miscues than the “world’s greatest boss” Michael Scott of NBC’s hit series “The Office.” “This […]
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UCF Announces 2020 Alumni Award Winners
UCF Alumni announced its slate of its Shining Knights award winners for 2020 — seven individuals recognized for their commitment to the university in the categories of Distinguished Alumni, Honorary Alumni, Young Alumni and Distinguished Student. They will be honored in a virtual ceremony on the evening Sunday, Oct. 18 to kick off UCF Homecoming […]
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Pandemic Inspires Creative New Partnerships to Complete Research
When the COVID-19 pandemic restricted travel at UCF, Assistant Professor Michelle Gaither, Ph.D., got creative. Gaither planned to conduct field research in various parts of the country this past summer to complete some of her research, but COVID derailed those plans. So, she and her team of students came up with another idea that will […]
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Asteroid Bennu Continues to Surprise Scientists
If UCF physics Professor Humberto Campins was a betting man, he should run out and play the lottery. The planetary scientist, who is an international expert on asteroids, predicted a finding from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu — remnants of another asteroid scattered across its surface. The spacecraft took images and made observations of […]
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Alumnus’ Advocacy Secures Garbage Truck To Improve Dominican Republic Sanitation
By WHITNEY CHISHOLM ’17 The Dominican Republic holds a special place in my heart, going all the way back to high school when I was introduced to the future mayor of Santo Domingo. I stayed in close contact with the island for years and eventually landed a position as the city’s U.S. liaison. It was […]
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Animals’ Magnetic ‘Sixth’ Sense May Come from Bacteria, New Paper Suggests
A University of Central Florida researcher is co-author of a new paper that may help answer why some animals have a magnetic “sixth” sense, such as sea turtles’ ability to return to the beach where they were born. The question is one that has been unresolved despite 50 years of research. “The search for a […]
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New Study: Face-Covering Use Up, More People Are Taking COVID-19 Threats Seriously
A new National Science Foundation-funded survey of six states has found that during the past two months, more people are wearing masks, vaccine uncertainty is on the rise, and many people are overestimating their risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from COVID-19. The results are in a new report published this month by the […]
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UCF Researcher to Build a System that Identifies Habitable Planets Based on the Color They Emit
Only a handful of the roughly 4,000 identified planets outside our solar system can potentially support human life — what experts call “habitable exoplanets” — but astronomers are certain there are many more. The best candidates were found when they crossed in front of the star they orbit. A silhouette is hard to analyze for […]
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Ph.D. Candidate E-Attends Conference on Sustainable Development in Times of COVID-19
By: Sara Belligoni, Ph.D. Candidate Sara Belligoni, Ph.D. Candidate in Security Studies at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, participated to the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) organized by the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), The Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Global Master’s in Development Practice (MDP), and the […]
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Sociology Graduate Students Represent UCF at National SWS Conference
Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) is an organization dedicated to employing feminist research and scholarship to advance women in society. Founded in 1969 by a group of 20 dedicated scholars, the organization provides a network for women in the discipline and is firmly committed to feminist leadership and activism both in the United States […]
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UN Communications Coordination Committee Taps Psychology Faculty For Board Position
Associate Lecturer Chrysalis Wright, Ph.D., serves as the Honors in the Major program coordinator for the Department of Psychology. She was recently elected to the board of directors at the Communications Coordination Committee for the United Nations. In an interview with the College of Sciences, Wright shared the latest developments in her research into fake […]
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Food
Kicking off this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration is Sociology Professor Fernando Rivera, Ph.D. director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub. Join Rivera as he shows us how to make a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine: bacalaitos. Bacalaitos, also known as fried codfish fritters, are flavorful and easy to make! Here’s how it’s done. Bacalaitos […]
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Recipe – Vegan Ratatouille & Rice
Vegan Ratatouille & Rice Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Total Yield 3 servings Calories Per Serving 363 kcal Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 white or yellow onion diced 3 cloves garlic minced 1 medium zucchini diced 1 eggplant diced 1/8 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1 red bell pepper diced 2 Roma tomatoes diced 1 cup white rice 1 and 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth plus more as needed fresh basil for serving Instructions In a […]
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Whittier’s Walk Phase II
Our students are at it again! They cannot be stopped! During the Spring 2020 semester our Learning by Leading™ (LxL) Urban Horticulture Co-coordinators (CoCo’s) worked with their interns to design and plant Phase II of our Whittier’s Walk commemorative garden, using skills they developed while working with our campus landscape architect last fall […]
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UCF Prescribed Burn Team
Spring Break is typically a time when college students leave campus to vacation at beaches and springs to cool down and relax outside, however this year a select group of UCF students chose to stay on campus and turn up the heat! In March 2020, the UCF Arboretum hosted its first S130/S190 Basic Wildland […]
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Community Garden Transition
The original Arboretum Community Garden, which has been a centerpiece of our volunteer program since it was established in 2009, has undergone many changes in the last few years. As we reported previously, due to construction of a new cell tower, we moved the Community Farm and Garden to a new location that is larger […]
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Message from the Director
One thing everyone has had to face in response to the coronavirus pandemic is transition. We’ve transitioned from face-to-face interaction to remote meetings and online interactions, transitioned from working in the office to working at home, and many people have had to face the difficult transition of losing a job or shutting down a business. […]
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Arboretum Donation Inspired By Work of Granddaughter
Kelsie Johnson’s thumb was decidedly not green growing up. So it was all the more surprising to her grandparents when Johnson ‘16 announced she was pursuing horticulture and environmental conservation as a career. “Kelsie has always been outgoing, but never did we picture her becoming involved in the Arboretum program or any of the outdoor […]
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Questioning Chemistry Benchmark Sets Stage for New Protocols
A little due diligence went a long way for a team of UCF chemists studying a fundamental catalytic reaction used by hundreds of research groups around the world. Assistant Professor Titel Jurca, Ph.D., and graduate student, Lorianne Shultz, in collaboration with Assistant Professors Melanie Beazley (UCF Chemistry) and Xiaofeng Feng (UCF Physics) published the initial […]
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UCF Researcher Awarded NASA Grant to Study Little Understood trans-Neptunian Objects
Florida Space Institute Planetary Scientist Estela Fernández-Valenzuela has been awarded a $315,700 NASA grant to use modern day technology to analyze one of the oldest and least understood objects of our solar system. The first trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) — objects that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune — was discovered more than 25 years ago. Some […]