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UCF Doctoral Student Wins Russell and Singurd Varian Award
Kaige Shi has been recognized by the American Vacuum Society for his research to provide solutions for converting renewable electricity into chemical energy By: Emily Dougherty | November 8, 2024 Kaige Shi, a doctoral physics student, has been awarded the Russell and Singurd Varian Award from the American Vacuum Society (AVS) for his research about the […]
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UCF Fuels America’s Space Program with Innovative Education, Medicine and Tech
As America’s Space University, the University of Central Florida continues to drive advancements in space technology, medicine and workforce development, preparing students to lead in the evolving space industry. This commitment to the space sector will be celebrated at UCF football’s annual Space Game on Saturday, Nov. 2, as the Knights take on the University […]
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UCF Receives Prestigious Keck Foundation Award to Advance Spintronics Technology
A team of researchers led by University of Central Florida Pegasus Professor of Physics Enrique Del Barco is working on a new project that could change the future of electronics, making them faster and more energy efficient. The work is funded by a new $1.3 million award from the W.M. Keck Foundation, one of the […]
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UCF Researchers Develop Rapid Test to Detect Dopamine
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in our brains, not only regulates our emotions but also serves as a biomarker for the screening of certain cancers and other neurological conditions. University of Central Florida researchers, led by UCF NanoScience Technology Center Professor Debashis Chanda, have developed an integrated optical sensor capable of detecting dopamine directly from an unprocessed blood sample. […]
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STEM Students Hone Research Skills Through UCF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates Programs
Sixty-seven undergraduate students from across the U.S. gathered at UCF to take advantage of STEM research opportunities through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. UCF’s REU site, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, connects promising STEM students with established faculty at REU sites, enhancing their in-class learning experience with research, workshops and events. […]
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UCF Planetary Scientist’s Expertise Informs New Method for Terraforming Mars
Mars remains in humanity’s crosshairs as a promising planet to colonize due to its great potential in becoming habitable someday. With this in mind, UCF Planetary Scientist Ramses Ramirez, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University analyzed Martian climate models to study the possibility of using Mars-based nanoparticles to warm […]
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UCF Scientists Study Starship Launchpad in Preparation for Future NASA Lunar Missions
Scientists at UCF are gathering valuable data for humanity’s next venture back to the moon and even for potential lunar settlements. UCF physics doctoral candidate Brandon Dotson and Florida Space Institute planetary scientist Phil Metzger ’00MS ’05PhD analyzed rock samples from the first SpaceX Starship rocket launch in April 2023 that triggered a unique reaction […]
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Trio of Graduating UCF Doctoral Students Showcase Excellence in Physics
Many of the 4,460 Knights who graduate from UCF this summer represent a growing diversity of students in both background and course of study. A small, stand-out group of these Knights are completing doctoral degrees in physics, signifying efforts to combat the larger national trend of underrepresented graduate degree-holders in the field. Currently, only 7% […]
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UCF’s First Mission to the Moon Passes Two Critical Milestones
In the spring of 2024, NASA’s Lunar-VISE, or Lunar Vulkan Imaging Spectroscopy Explorer, mission passed through two critical milestones on its continued successful path to the Moon in 2027. Lunar-VISE is a NASA Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program-selected mission. In late January and early February, the Lunar-VISE team […]
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Two Promising UCF Researchers Earn 2024 NSF CAREER Awards
UCF assistant professors Li Fang and Fan Yao have been named 2024 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development program (CAREER) award winners. The recipients were awarded funding through five years for their submitted projects. Fang, who is an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Physics within the College of Sciences, is using […]
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UCF Student’s Primitive Asteroids Work Provides Context for Further Research, Future NASA Missions
The primitive asteroids that UCF physics doctoral student Brittany Harvison studies carry with them traces of their origins and billions of years of our solar system’s history. Harvison recently pored through a library of infrared telescope data to analyze the spectral composition of 25 members of the Erigone family of primitive asteroids and help fill […]
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Grant awarded to UCF will help recruit promising STEM students
A newly awarded grant will unlock some new opportunities for ten promising science and engineering students at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Talat Rahman and Dr. Mihai Vaida were recently awarded an NSF REU Site grant entitled “Research in materials for energy applications”. The $427,000, three-year grant will provide ten undergraduate students opportunities to […]
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UCF Scientists Use James Webb Space Telescope to Uncover Clues About Neptune’s Evolution
A ring of icy rocks orbiting our sun just beyond Neptune may give us a glimpse of how Neptune — and other objects in the outskirts of our solar system — were formed. Mors-Somnus, a binary duo comprised of a pair of icy asteroids bound by gravity, was recently concluded to have originated within the […]
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UCF Researcher Creates World’s First Energy-saving Paint – Inspired by Butterflies
University of Central Florida researcher Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, has drawn inspiration from butterflies to create the first environmentally friendly, large-scale and multicolor alternative to pigment-based colorants, which can contribute to energy-saving efforts and help reduce global warming. The development was published today in Science Advances as a featured article. […]
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UCF Recognizes 15 Top Faculty at 2023 Luminary Awards
Fifteen faculty members were celebrated for their leadership and the impact they are making in communities, the nation and in the world during UCF’s annual Luminary Awards held Tuesday at Leu Gardens in Orlando. The Luminary Awards — established in 2017 — are designed to recognize some of UCF’s brightest stars who shine a positive […]
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UCF Researchers Help Find Evidence of Geothermal Activity within Icy Dwarf Planets
University of Central Florida Florida Space Institute researchers are part of a team of scientists who have found evidence of geothermal activity within icy dwarf planets in our solar system. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, the team — led by the Southwest Research Institute and Lowell Observatory — observed geologically young methane deposits on […]
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Pegasus Student Awardee Propelled by Love for Discovery and Adventure
Department of Physics Ph.D. student Eric Switzer earned the esteemed Order of the Pegasus award last year for his outstanding academic achievements. Keep reading to learn more about his Knight journey and the advice he has for Physics undergraduate students. Why did you choose to study Physics at UCF? What first caught my eye on […]
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UCF Physics Researchers to Participate in Action-Packed MegaCon2024 in Orlando
MegaCon2024 will be hosted at the Orange County Convention Center on Feb. 1-4. This jam-packed event will feature celebrities and festivities in celebration of all-things comics, science fiction, horror, anime, gaming and cosplay. Some celebrity appearances include Tom Hiddelston, Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Michael J. Fox. Joining the convention’s celebrity lineup will be a […]
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Wage Disparity Awareness Highlighted by UCF American Physical Society Chapter
The American Physical Society (APS) chapter at UCF champions the development of Physics graduate students and early career scientists. The group’s recent work raised awareness for the wage disparity in graduate school. Vice-Chair Stephanie Lough shared more about their inspiring work. Please share more about your work in raising awareness for the wage disparity in […]
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Congratulations Fall 2023 Doctoral Graduates!
This fall, 26 College of Sciences Ph.D. graduates will walk across the stage into futures making an impact in academia and industry. They have dedicated themselves to countless hours of research that have made an impact on both them and those around them. These graduates are now ready for the next step in their careers. […]
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Physics Ph.D. Student Pushes the Frontiers of Attosecond Physics
A physics Ph.D. student will travel to California next year to conduct research in attosecond physics through a U.S. Department of Energy program. The program allows Chris Lantigua to continue his research into ultrashort pulses of light, which he currently pursues in the laboratory of Associate Professor Michael Chini, Ph.D. Through the DOE’s Science Graduate […]
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Researchers Named Rising Stars of Science
Two researchers in the College of Sciences were named Rising Stars of Science by the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL). Assistant Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna, Ph.D., and Associate Professor Xiaohou Xia, Ph.D., will present their research and receive the honor at the annual ASEMFL conference in early November. Donaldson Hanna is […]
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2 UCF Scholars to be Inducted into Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida
A UCF physics professor and a UCF optics and photonics alumnus are among 15 honorees selected for induction to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL), a group that brings together the nation’s most distinguished scholars who live and work in Florida. Talat S. Rahman, Pegasus Professor of Physics and distinguished professor […]
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UCF Names Saiful Khondaker as Interim Assistant Vice President for Research Advancement
The University of Central Florida’s Office of Research has named Saiful Khondaker, professor of nanoscience, physics and electrical engineering, as the new interim assistant vice president for research advancement. In this role, Khondaker will focus on driving further growth of research development and partnership, critical elements of the UCF research enterprise. This will include expanding […]
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UCF Names Joseph Harrington as Interim Associate Vice President for Research and Scholarship
The University of Central Florida Office of Research has announced the appointment of Joseph Harrington, a Pegasus Professor in the Department of Physics and UCF’s Florida Space Institute, as the interim associate vice president for research and scholarship. In this role, Harrington’s duties will include overseeing UCF’s institutes and centers and research strategy councils; participating […]
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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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2 UCF Professors Honored as Fellows in the World’s Largest Scientific Society
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals. Election as a fellow is a lifetime honor and considered one of the most distinguished recognitions within the scientific community. UCF professors Peter Delfyett and Ronald DeMara are […]
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College of Sciences Sets New Research Funding Record
The College of Sciences saw a record $43.6 million in research awards this past year — up from $25 million in 2021–22. This is the first year that the college has ranked first in funding across the university. “This is a tremendous accomplishment by our research faculty and students,” said Associate Dean and Pegasus Professor […]
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UCF Is Leading Comprehensive Study of Centaurs and Jupiter-family Comets
A UCF researcher is working on a new, NASA-funded project that will gather the most comprehensive collection of data on active centaurs and distantly-active Jupiter-family comets to date. The work will inform research into the origins of the solar system, as these bodies contain materials from the dawn of its formation. Centaurs and Jupiter-family comets […]
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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, […]