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COS Celebrates its New Alumni
The UCF College of Sciences continued the tradition of honoring its graduates with a post-ceremony reception jointly hosted by the college and its academic departments. The reception was held in the UCF Psychology building immediately following the college’s spring commencement ceremony on Friday, May 6, 2016. More than 1,200 College of Sciences’ graduates walked at […]
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COS Faculty Receive Incentive Awards
The College of Sciences is proud to announce the 2015-2016 winners for the Teaching Incentive Program and Research Incentive Award. Each year, UCF’s Academic Affairs’ Office of Faculty Excellence gives incentive awards to outstanding faculty for their dedication to teaching, research and scholarship. Every award winner, whether holding a nine or 12 month contract, is given […]
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COS Celebrates Faculty Promotions
Promotion is a mark of accomplishment and a gratifying recognition from one’s peers. Because of their hard work and dedication, the following College of Sciences faculty and staff members have been promoted or have earned tenure this year. Promotion to Professor Emeritus/Emerita Ida Cook, Ph.D. – Sociology Robert Dipboye, Ph.D. – Psychology Promotion […]
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COS Excellence in Academics
The UCF College of Graduate Studies recognized graduate students and faculty for excellence in research, teaching and mentoring at an awards ceremony during the 13th Annual Graduate Research Forum on April 5, 2016. Each year the Graduate Council Program Review and Awards Committee reviews college nominations and recognizes graduate students for the University Graduate Awards […]
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COS Shines at Student Research Week
Student Research Week celebrates the research and creative projects of UCF undergraduate and graduate students. From April 4 through April 7, graduate and undergraduate students attended workshops, presented research, developed research skills, and met with researchers. On April 5 and April 7, students from all disciplines, shared their research with the UCF community at the annual Graduate […]
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The 5+ Club
The University of Central Florida is proud to be one of the new 2016 inductees into The 5+ Club. The 5+ Club is a special initiative program run by the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC). It is a group of institutions that has graduated five or more highly qualified physics teachers in the last academic year. This program is just one of the many […]
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UCF Physics Professor Named to NASA Mission, And Grant for Space Mining
UCF physics professor Dan Britt has been named to the New Horizons mission team as the spacecraft heads to the Kuiper Belt. He’s also just landed a grant to help create fake asteroid material, which will help NASA and private companies prepare the technology needed to mine asteroids and eventually other planets. “It’s been a […]
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STEM Day at UCF
On Friday, April 8, more than one thousand students from the Central Florida area spilled on to UCF campus for STEM day. STEM day is a bi-annual outreach event for K-12 students interested in learning more about the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The day featured a wide variety of activities focused on STEM […]
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Blue Origin’s Spacecraft: UCF Experiment Makes History
ORLANDO, April 2, 2016 — Yes! Followed by a high five. That was UCF Physics Professor Dr. Joshua Colwell’s reaction as he watched the successful launch into suborbital space of his experiment aboard Blue Origin’s (https://www.blueorigin.com/) New Shepard space vehicle on Saturday, April 2. “We have been waiting for this day for a long time,” […]
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UCF Virtually Educates with TeachLivE
This research is published in Physical Review Physics Education Research. –Michael Schirber Just as pilots train in flight simulators, physics teachers can hone their skills in classroom simulators. Of course, explaining Newton’s laws to teenagers is a little less challenging than landing a 747. Still, a new study shows that undergraduate teaching assistants can gain […]
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UCF NASA Experiment Takes Flight
Five experiments testing everything from how fire reacts in space, to the effectiveness of a lizard-inspired adhesive are headed to the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 22. NASA’s commercial partner Orbital ATK Inc. is scheduled to launch the Cygnus spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. […]
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Service Learning with Nanoscience
A new minor in the rapidly advancing field of nanoscience is now available for University of Central Florida undergraduates. Nanoscience is the study of materials on the nanometer scale. That’s exceedingly small – a sheet of paper is about 75,000 nanometers thick. At the nanoscale, materials can exhibit unusual properties that scientists have put to […]
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College of Sciences Recognizes its Newest Group of Outstanding AlumKnights
On March 3, the UCF College of Sciences and its alumni chapter hosted their second annual Outstanding AlumKnights awards ceremony. The college’s dean, Michael Johnson, hosted this year’s festivities, which took place in the Grand Ballroom of the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center, where guests enjoyed music, cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a photo booth, in addition to […]
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Bill Nye Comes to UCF
Get your bow ties ready because Bill Nye is coming to UCF! Students, faculty and staff are invited to spend “An Afternoon with Bill Nye,” popularly known as “The Science Guy,” on March 15, 2016. Nye won America’s heart as the star of the live-action educational comedy that aired on PBS from 1993-1998. He famously […]
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New COS Associate Dean
The College of Sciences is pleased to announce that Florian Jentsch, Ph.D., has accepted the offer to become Associate Dean, the position that he has been holding on an interim basis. He will be responsible for overseeing research, facilities, and faculty development. Dr. Jentsch is a Professor of Psychology with a joint appointment in the Department […]
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Air Force Grant Helps UCF Soar
UCF Physics alumnus and current assistant professor in the department, Michael Chini, Ph.D., has earned $480,000 in grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He is using laser pulses to create more powerful electronics and partnering with Sumit Jha,Ph.D., UCF assistant computer science professor, who is looking to combine thousands of transistors into a […]
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Spring 2017 Study Abroad Fair
Study abroad Spring 2017 applications are now available. Join UCF Abroad at their Spring Study Abroad Fair Thursday, January 21, from 10 AM – 2 PM in front of the Student Union. Come and learn about the multiple programs offered in many disciplines in countries around the world. Political Science students have the opportunity to study for a semester […]
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COS Grad Student to Study at Vatican Observatory
A University of Central Florida graduate student is one of only 25 people worldwide selected to attend a prestigious summer school in astrophysics at the Vatican Observatory. Leos Pohl, a second-year doctoral student in UCF’s Planetary Sciences Group, will join two dozen other students at the observatory’s headquarters in Castel Gandolfo, a resort community just […]
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COS Celebrates 27 New Ph.D. Graduates
On Friday, Dec. 18, 12 new Ph.D. students graduated from the College of Sciences. A special graduation reception was held to congratulate the graduates on Thursday, Dec. 17. The event was held in the afternoon in the Physical Sciences building. Family members of the graduates, faculty advisors and members of the Dean’s office staff were in attendance. […]
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Space Dust Research Wins NASA Rides
By Scott Powers – Writer for Orlando Sentinel Tiny particles of space dust: How do they stick together? How might astronauts not stir them up? Two UCF scientists are asking, and they’ve gotten NASA’s attention. UCF physics Professor and Assistant Director at the Florida Space Institute Joshua Colwell, Ph.D., and UCF physics post-doctoral Research Scientist Julie Brisset, Ph.D., have won […]
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Who Is a Millionaire?
Under a sunset stroked sky in front of the University of Central Florida’s main administration building, university leaders celebrated the common traits of tenacity, collaborative spirit, and commitment to excellence that UCF’s top grant earning researchers share. Twenty-nine researchers earned $1 million or more earning a bid into UCF’s Millionaires Club, which hosted the celebration […]
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Rhodes Scholarship Finalist
UCF College of Sciences senior, and double major in mathematics and physics, John Vastola has been selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. This is the oldest and one of the most prestigious academic scholarships in the world. The Rhodes Scholarship provides the selected scholars with fully funded graduate study at Oxford University. Vastola is […]
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UCF STEM Day Inspires Thousands
The Center for Initiatives in STEM (iSTEM) Office hosted over 1,300 students in grades K-12 for UCF’s bi-annual STEM Day on Friday, November 6th. STEM Day was a free outreach event for K-12 students interested in learning more about the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The day featured a wide variety of activities focused on STEM disciplines, […]
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Cheers to Ten Years
This October marked ten years since the UCF College of Arts and Sciences was divided into the College of Arts and Humanities and the College of Sciences in 2005. In honor of its anniversary, the UCF College of Sciences held a special reception for faculty and staff on Friday, October 30th. The open-house event was […]
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Community Is Key At Physics Career Day
On Saturday October 3rd, UCF’s Physics Department hosted their 3rd annual Physics Career Exploration Day. Physics Career Exploration Day is geared toward high school students who want to explore careers in physics. This event aimed to show each student the many different career paths available to graduates with a physics degree. The students were encouraged to bring their […]
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Science Café’s Magical Debut
The first Science Café of the semester had a lively atmosphere as it came out of its summer offseason. Hosted by the Office of Research & Commercialization, Graduate Society of Physics Students, the Physics Department and UCF Environmental Health & Safety, this series highlights the exciting research currently being conducted in the College of Sciences. […]
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The College of Sciences Celebrates 10 Years with #COSTurns10
Ten years is not a long time compared to the 52 years as the University of Central Florida. However, in the past ten years the College of Sciences has grown significantly in enrollment, undergraduate and graduate programs, majors, partnerships and overall opportunities for students, alumni, and faculty. Today, the UCF College of Sciences is the largest college […]
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UCF Shines at National Physics Conference
UCF was well represented by a number of faculty and students at the American Physical Society (APS) National Mentoring Community & Bridge Program Conference on October 9-11, 2015. Held in Miami, Florida at Florida International University, this conference focused on mentor/mentee relationships, gave guidance on how to build successful bridge programs and let attendees hear […]
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UCF Professors Land NASA Grants Focused on Asteroids, Comets, Venus
UCF professors are involved in two potential NASA spacecraft missions that could take flight as early as 2020. The five proposed space missions would study Venus, near-earth objects and a variety of asteroids and comets. Each mission team will receive $3 million and have a year to get their proposals ready for a final round of […]
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National Award for Substance Abuse Identification Test
Congratulations to 5th year Ph.D. chemistry student David Nash, on receiving the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellowship. The NIJ is the research-funding branch of the Department of Justice. Annually, they provide a handful of graduate students a monetary award to conduct research in the social or physical science fields that will help the criminal justice, […]