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The India Center Hosts Partition Presentation
By Puja Shanbhag On April 12, 2023 the India Center hosted Guneeta Singh Bhalla, Ph.D., founder of the 1947 Partition Archive. Bhalla presented on her project on India’s Partition. The talk touched on the cataclysmic Partition of India in 1947, which led to one of the largest mass migrations in history. Bhalla offered individual Partition stories […]
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Two Kurdish Political Studies Program Dr. Najmaldin Karim Research Fellows Visit Kurdistan
Written by Léa Faure, Ph.D. in Security Studies In May 2023, two students affiliated with the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP), Hannah Barnes and Myli Sangria, traveled to Kurdistan to expand their horizons and research interests. First, could you both tell me more about your background? SANGRIA: “I am a junior studying international relations and […]
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3 UCF Students Receive Prestigious 2023 Boren Scholarship
Three UCF students have been selected as 2023 Boren Scholars, a distinguished national honor that recognizes highly motivated undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in U.S. national security. This year’s recipients are Angelina Alonzo, a political science major; Flora Ngo, a criminal justice and psychology double major; and Sean Merkel, a computer […]
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$250K Gift to Help Establish Endowed Chair for The India Center at UCF
A $250,000 gift from Port Orange, Florida, residents Ramesh Chopra and Neena Chopra will bring UCF another step closer to its goal of establishing the Indian Community Endowed Chair for The India Center. Establishing an endowed chair highlights the importance of studying India at UCF. In Fall 2022, over 3,000 students from 149 countries enrolled at […]
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India Center at UCF Strengthens Community’s Understanding of the Rising Global Superpower
An assistant professor in the department of English, Amrita Ghosh researches South Asian literature and film — specifically, from the rising global superpower of India. In 2022 when the International Booker Prize — a prestigious award given to the best piece of translated fiction each year — went to an Indian author for the first […]
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Healthcare Experts in India Discuss the Expansion of Digital Medicine
By Puja Shanbhag On April 6, 2023 the India Center hosted a virtual panel with Sanjay Sood, Ph.D., project director and associate director of eSanjeevani (India’s National Telemedicine Service), Anuradha Pichumani, MBBS, executive director of Sree Renga Hospital in Tamil Nadu, and Parul Vadgama, M.D., associate professor & director of pulmonary medicine in the Government […]
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Author Discusses Calcutta Food Evolution Over 250 Years
By Puja Shanbhag On March 30, 2023 the India Center hosted a virtual discussion with author Nilosree Biswas about her book Calcutta on Your Plate, which discusses the rich history of Calcutta’s food evolution spanning 250 years and how it ties to its complex political, cultural and social history. The discussion was moderated by Orlando […]
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Travel Abroad Opens New Perspective For PoliSci Major
Hannah Barnes is learning as a Knight thousands of miles from Millican Hall and the Bounce House — and that suits her just fine. Barnes’ political science studies take place in Yerevan, Armenia, where she is studying a Kurdish dialect called Kurmanji. She’ll also be immersed in the culture through her host family. “It’s hard […]
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55 Years at UCF: A Visionary’s Inspiring Legacy
Looking back on 55 years of teaching at UCF, Professor Emeritus Robert Bledsoe has one secret to success: prioritizing the needs of students. That is the lasting legacy of one of UCF’s original founders, who literally helped name the streets that ring UCF’s main campus. UCF celebrates its 60th anniversary this year — and Bledsoe […]
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Celebrating Newroz – Kurdish New Year – at UCF
In celebration of Newroz, Kurdish New Year, Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) organized two events on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The first event featured a talk by Ambassador Peter W. Galbraith who gave a talk about prospects of independence of Iraqi Kurdistan. He served as the first U.S. ambassador to Croatia from 1993 to 1998 […]
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Security Studies Students Travel Far and Craft Dissertations
Pleasant Ogedengbe and ErikaRicci, doctoral candidates in Security Studies at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs have recently returned from fieldwork in Maryland and Italy, respectively. While in Italy, Ricci was researching the Red Brigades, a leftist terrorist group active in Italy in the 1970s. She interviewed former members, the judges, lawyers and […]
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KPSP Welcomes a Scholar of Literature from Iranian Kurdistan
Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) is delighted to welcome Cyrus Amiri, Ph.D., as a visiting scholar in 2023. Amiri is an associate professor of English and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Kurdistan in Iran. Could you tell us more about your background? I was born in Kurdistan to a Kurdish family. I am […]
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Consul General of India Dedicates “India Corner”
By Puja Shanbhag On Jan. 29, 2023 the India Center at UCF and the Consulate General of India in Atlanta debuted the “India Corner” within the India Center’s conference room. Dr. Swati Kulkarni, Consul General of India (Atlanta), inaugurated the new “India Corner” following a commemorative ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of the consulate, students and […]
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Consul General Celebrates India’s Republic Day
By Puja Shanbhag On January 29, 2023 the India Center commemorated India’s 74th Republic Day in the Pegasus Ballroom at the UCF Student Union. During the event, India’s Consul General in Atlanta, Dr. Swati Vijay Kulkarni, delivered the keynote address. Republic Day represents the date the Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, […]
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The India Center Hosts Former Senior Diplomat
by PUJA SHANBHAG The India Center at UCF recently hosted Katherine B. Hadda, a former United States consul general in Hyderabad, for a discussion about the growing relationship and involvement of India and the United States, as well as India’s role in larger international issues and regional issues. Within her lecture, Hadda specifically focused on […]
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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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Language Studies Connects SPSIA Student to Roots
For student Daniah Jarrah, studying Arabic holds much more power than bilingualism. Jarrah is studying Arabic in Amman, Jordan, with the Qasid Institute, which teaches both modern standard Arabic and classical Arabic. Jarrah notes that modern standard Arabic is the dialect that is used in the political and academic realm of the Middle East. With […]
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International Booker Prize Winner hosted for Virtual Discussion
The India Center hosted Tomb of Sand author Geetanjali Shree, Ph.D., and translator Daisy Rockwell, Ph.D., winners of the 2022 International Booker Prize in a virtual discussion on December 3, 2022. Amrita Ghosh, Ph.D., assistant professor in UCF’s Department of English and a faculty affiliate of the India Center, moderated the presentation. Tomb of Sand, […]
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The India Center Celebrates International Education Week
By ARIANNA LESTRADE On Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, the UCF India Center and the Burnett Honors College hosted “A Showcase of India’s Art and Culture.” The event exhibited art and culture of India as part of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. The […]
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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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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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The India Center Co-hosts International Joint Seminar
By ARIANNA LESTRADE The India Center at UCF, in collaboration with Karlstad University in Sweden, hosted a virtual seminar on “Social Responsibility and Human Security in India.” India Center Interim Director Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., and India Center Director of Public Affairs Leila Chacko,opened the event and introduced the speakers, and Karlstad University Associate Professor Kristian […]
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The India Center Celebrates Diwali with Orange County Community
On Oct. 17, 2022, the India Center celebrated Diwali with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings at the Orange County Administration building in downtown Orlando. It was the second year the India Center collaborated with the Asian Cultural Association, the Orange County Asian Committee, FusionFest and Demings to present “Diwali: The Festival of Lights Celebration”. […]
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The India Center Hosts ‘An Evening with Kal Penn’
The India Center at UCF welcomed actor, writer, producer and public servant Kal Penn for a book reading and discussion on Sept. 26, 2022. Associate Dean Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., interim director of the India Center, and Leila Chacko, director of public affairs of the India Center, welcomed the speaker and the audience of approximately 300 […]
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Ph.D. Candidate Returns from Training Ukrainians to Finish Dissertation on NATO
By TAD SCHNAUFER A quote attributed to Albert Einstein reads, “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience. You need experience to gain wisdom.” As Russian Forces started to build up on the Ukrainian border last year, many Securities Studies students watched closely. In Ukraine, at the time, SPSIA Ph.D. Candidate in […]
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UCF Student Serving Survivors of Genocidal Violence
By Léa Faure Sinjar Academy, based in the Sinjar region of Northern Iraq, provides educational services to Yezidis and other minorities affected from the 2014 genocide. It is a community that emerged from a grassroot organization aiming to help students develop different skills via various courses: computer programming, filming, transitional justice, and their most recent […]
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‘Son of a Sweeper’ Documentary Screening and Discussion
By ARIANNA LESTRADE The India Center at UCF hosted Vimal Kumar, Ph.D., for an in-person screening and discussion of the documentary film Son of a Sweeper on Sept. 13, 2022. The film, made by Professor Lisa Mills, Ph.D., an India Center affiliate faculty member, highlights the work of Kumar, founder of the nongovernmental organization Movement […]
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Summer ’22 PhD Graduates Given Warm Send-Off
Doctorate graduates were given a warm and personal send-off Thursday in a longstanding College of Sciences tradition. Remarks by Dean Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., were followed by individual recognition of the Summer ’22 graduates in attendance. A toast sent them forward into their next milestones, which varied from academia to postdoctoral research and national laboratories. Click […]
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Survey Certificate Program Offers Useful Tools Across all Disciplines
Asking the right questions is one of the key things Sandra Montenegro has taken from the Survey Certificate Program offered by the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs. The I/O psychology master’s student is studying ways to mitigate the emotional toll of bi-vocational church ministers. Often that stress stems from clergy switching between roles […]
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World Uniters: Five Knights Receive 2022 Fulbright Awards
Over the coming months, planes carrying five UCF Knights will land on various runways thousands and thousands of miles from home. The five will stroll off those planes into the purpose of the Fulbright Program for which they’ve been selected: to work, live, and learn with others on the ground. For them, the ground will […]