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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, […]
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UCF Is Part of Team That Finds Water on Ultra-hot Exoplanet with James Webb Space Telescope
A University of Central Florida researcher and multiple alumni are part of a team that has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to identify water vapor in the atmosphere of an ultra-hot gas giant exoplanet and make a thermal map of its atmosphere. Using JWST’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph, the team found multiple […]
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New Grad Heads to Paris For Doctoral Degree
Recent physics graduate Christian Cabello ’23 says bonjour to a new life in Paris this fall, where he’ll take advantage of a full scholarship to pursue a doctorate degree at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP). The new adventure not only brings him to Europe for the first time but opens access to rare equipment […]
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Spring ‘23 Doctoral Graduates Honored by Dean
Spring 2023 College of Sciences doctoral graduates were celebrated at the COS Pre-Commencement Celebration on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Dean Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., honored their accomplishments with remarks and a toast. She said, “These credentials establish you among your contemporaries as someone who is willing to make sacrifices and embrace challenges in their pursuit of knowledge. There […]
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Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Instruction, Mentoring
Faculty representing every area in the College of Sciences were honored for their commitment to excellence at the Spring 2023 Faculty Recognition Event. Hosted by Associate Deans Kerstin Hamann and Teresa Dorman, the recognitions spanned multiple areas and categories. Those recognized were: High Impact or High-Quality Instruction Stacy Barber, ProfessorNeil Duncan, Associate ProfessorAmanda Groff, Senior […]
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Perseverance Produces Top Dissertation Award For PhD Grad
Sabin Regmi Ph.D. was awarded the 2022-2023 university award for the Outstanding Dissertation in the Engineering, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences category, which recognizes the “quality, content, and exceptional contribution in the field of Physics”. Regmi felt honored when the email of congratulations on his award-winning dissertation arrived in his inbox. “It feels great when your […]
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Awardees Announced for 2023 Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration
UCF will showcase more than 200 faculty members for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom. The celebration runs 3-5 p.m. and includes a reception after the formal program. Highlighted are recipients of the Pegasus Professors award, UCF’s highest faculty honor; recipients of the Reach […]
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UCF Reach for the Stars 2023 Honorees Are Unleashing the Potential of People, Ideas
This year’s Reach for the Stars honorees are united by their passion to help people and positively change the world. By promoting positive healthcare and helping improve how we respond to survivors of violence to enriching the human experience through space exploration, advanced computing and cultural understanding, the honorees are helping unleash the potential of […]
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UCF’s Robinson Observatory Gets a Futuristic Facelift
Recent updates to one of UCF’s most groundbreaking research and education facilities brings the Robinson Observatory into the 21st century, including robotics for remote viewing and a state-of-the-art weather protection system. The new telescope inside UCF’s Robinson Observatory The refurbishment returns the observatory to full functionality after six years. Supply shortages and the large scope […]
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Overcoming Obstacles to Make an Impact: Camille Coffie
Roadblocks and obstacles inspire Camille Coffie. It’s how she reached her position today pursuing a doctorate in physics, and what inspires her to help other young black women access the sciences. Coffie made a big step in that direction recently when she was named co-principal investigator on a project titled “Journey to a PhD through […]
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UCF Researchers Uncover Key Mechanisms for Sustainable Ammonia Production
A University of Central Florida research team with collaborators at Virginia Tech have published critical findings about the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia, advancing sustainable fertilizer research and thus aiding global food safety efforts. Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, is an essential ingredient in many fertilizers for food production. However, its primary method of […]
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UCF Researchers Work to Reduce the Amount of Precious Metals in Catalytic Converters
The precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, in catalytic converters make the vehicle devices attractive to thieves, but University of Central Florida researchers are working to reduce the amount of precious metals needed in them — down to single atoms — while still maximizing their effectiveness. Catalytic converters, which were widely introduced in […]
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What’s Ahead for 2023: COS Faculty Projections
Faculty at UCF share predictions and upcoming milestones for 2023. Politics Associate Professor Aubrey Jewett Ph.D., Assistant Director, School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs “For 2023 in U.S. politics, I expect the battle lines to sharpen for the Republican nomination for president. So far, it looks like former President Trump will be the frontrunner, […]
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2023 CUWiP Champions Women in Physics
The 2023 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) brought over 200 students to UCF from Jan. 20-22, 2023. According to the National Science Foundation, only 20 percent of people studying physics are women. The annual Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics organized by the American Physical Society plays an important role in bringing […]
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Fall ’22 Doctoral Candidates Honored By Associate Dean
A traditional toast and individual recognition from Associate Dean Teresa Dorman , Ed.D., sent 22 doctoral graduates into the next chapter of their careers. In her remarks, she said, “You have what it takes to be successful. You worked very hard for a very long time . . . but now you are done. Savor […]
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UCF Awarded American Physical Society Innovation Fund Grant
Giving Black women a stronger voice in the field of physics is the focus of a new American Physical Society (APS) award to the University of Central Florida. The two-year $198,100 APS grant funds a project titled “Journey to a PhD through the Lens of Black Women in Physics.” Its intention is identifying then removing […]
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2022 College of Sciences Year in Review
A glimpse at another year of exploration, innovation and scholarship in the College of Sciences. Over the course of the year, College of Sciences faculty, staff, and students worked hard to accomplish great things. At the heart of their accomplishments is a desire to create a greater tomorrow and a stronger community. Follow along to […]
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Research Replicating Neurons Holds Potential to Shape Artificial Intelligence
Recent research replicating neurons in the brain holds potential to reshape our approach to artificial intelligence and applications like autonomous driving. The research centers on molecular-sized transistors and behavior that suggests they exchange information similar to neurons in the brain. Pegasus Professor Enrique Del Barco Ph.D., in collaboration with Professor of Molecular Modelling Damien Thompson, […]
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New Study of Comets Provides Insight into Chemical Composition of Early Solar System
A new study from the University of Central Florida has found strong support that the outgassing of molecules from comets could be the result of the composition from the beginning of our solar system. The results were published today in The Planetary Science Journal. The study was led by Olga Harrington Pinto, a doctoral candidate […]
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UCF Recognizes 6 Top Scholars as 2022 Luminary Award Winners
Six faculty members were lauded for being leaders and making impacts in their fields during UCF’s annual Luminary Awards on Tuesday at Leu Gardens in Orlando. The Luminary Awards are designed to recognize some of UCF’s brightest stars who shine a positive light on UCF and on their respective fields, as well as illuminate a […]
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New $1.25 Million Research Project Will Map Materials at the Nanoscale
A University of Central Florida researcher will lead a recently announced $1.25 million project to map and manipulate materials at the nanoscale. The project’s funding is through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty Moore to support scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care […]
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New NASA-funded Study Hopes to Put Risks of Space Junk on People’s Radar
Space may seem infinite but the real estate in Earth’s orbit is filling up fast with junk. The debris orbiting the Earth consists of human-made objects that no longer serve a purpose and range from fragments of metal to nonfunctioning spacecraft and abandoned rocket stages. This space junk can endanger spacecraft and damage satellites that […]
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Decades-Old Moon Samples Inform Modern Return to Moon
By NIKITTA CAMPBELL Exploring an area in the Moon that was never visited before? That’s one of the tasks that Department of Physics planetary scientist and Assistant Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna, Ph.D., has assisted NASA with since 2013. Donaldson Hanna and her team play a vital role in studying samples collected by the Apollo astronauts […]
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UCF Knights Are Part of NASA’s Artemis Program to Return to the Moon
As the nation looks on this week to see the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft blast into space on its test flight, UCF faculty, students and alumni will only momentarily pause to watch the historic milestone before returning to what they do best — scientific discovery and developing the next generation of technology […]
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James Webb Space Telescope Detects Carbon Dioxide on Planet Outside Solar System
A University of Central Florida researcher is part of an international team that has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to capture definitive evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a gas-giant planet orbiting a sun-like star 700 light-years away. The finding was published online today and will appear in the journal Nature. […]