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Water Rights Book Launches in Costa Rica
By BRUCE WILSON Professor Bruce M. Wilson, Ph.D., has published a new book, El agua como derecho humano: Reconocimientos y disputas en Costa Rica (Water as a Human Right: Recognitions and Disputes in Costa Rica), with the academic press PEN- CONARE in San José, Costa Rica. It was released at a book launch in […]
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Foreign Policy Making in Turbulent Times
BY: Léa Faure On Thursday, April 21, 2022, the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA) organized its landmark event of Spring 2022 – the American Foreign Policy and Intelligence Conference. The conference attracted a lively audience which featured 10 scholars and experts who provided unique perspectives about American foreign policy and […]
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Indian Journalism Documentary Screened At Panel Discussion
On March 25, the India Center at UCF partnered with the Global Peace Film Festival and WUCF for an Indie Lens Pop-Up screening of the Academy Award-nominated feature documentary film Writing with Fire. The goal of Indie Lens Pop-Up is to bring people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations through partnering with local […]
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A New Beginning: Model United Nations in Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government
By Léa Faure In close partnership with the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Soran University in Iraqi Kurdistan hosted the first Model United Nations Conference in Iraq from March 31 to April 2, 2022. Around 100 students from different parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq as well as […]
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Fourth Annual Boys & Girls Clubs Civic Education Showcase a Success
On Wednesday, March 30th, in concert with the Lou Frey Institute (LFI), members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida’s (BGCCF) Middle School After School Zone assembled virtually and presented their Civic Action Projects (CAP) to an audience of community stakeholders and policymakers. The Civic Action Project enables club members to identify […]
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26 Exemplary Students Awarded 2022 Order of Pegasus
Twenty-six students — ranging in disciplines from engineering to biology to education and others across the institution — have been named as 2021-22 recipients of the Order of Pegasus, UCF’s most prestigious student award for those who display incredible academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community service. This year’s honorees joined UCF already having accomplished […]
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India’s Space Policy Focus of Recent Event
By Kassidy Menk The India Center hosted Rajeswari (Raji) Rajagopalan, Ph.D., director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi in a virtual discussion titled “Launching Further: A Discussion on India’s Space Policy” on March 2, 2022. Brendan Byrne ’13, space reporter at WMFE, moderated the event. Attendees […]
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COS Employees Honored For Years of Service, Performance Excellence in 2022 Knight Star Awards
Every year, UCF Human Resources organizes a ceremony for faculty and staff to gather and recognize USPS and A&P employees who make the university such a great place to work. At the Knight Star Awards, honorees include employees celebrating years of service milestones, retirees and recipients of the USPS Employee of the Year Award and […]
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Faculty Honored at UCF’s 3rd Authors Celebration
David “Jamie” Poissant kicked off UCF’s third Authors Celebration with a story about how he hated reading as a child and eventually became an associate professor of English and published author. Poissant was one of 47 honorees at the celebration Tuesday, March 1, at the Live Oak Room on main campus. The celebration, held every […]
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Ballot Education Video Produced Through Partnership With Lou Frey Institute, Orange County
A collaboration between the Florida Supervisors of Elections and UCF’s Lou Frey Institute will leave first-time voters feeling a little less overwhelmed when stepping up to the poll. The videos stem from a law passed July 1, 2021 by the Florida legislature requiring students to show competency in understanding the state’s uniform ballot system. That […]
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Computer and Political Science Mesh For Fresh Perspective on Redistricting
Politics has always been a point of passion for graduate Craig Wilding, M.S.’21, who is using his background in the computer sciences to make an impact on the local political landscape. Wilding recently won the Maps Across America “Redistricting Contest,” where he was tasked with redistributing a population of over 21.6 million people in a […]
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India Republic Day Recognized With Music, Poetry Reading
By Kassidy Menk On Jan. 28, 2022, the India Center at UCF in collaboration with the Indian Student Association (ISA) hosted a Republic Day celebration. Republic Day in India is a national holiday celebrating the day the Indian Constitution came into effect on Jan. 26, 1950. The event featured a poetry reading by Vidhu Aggarwal, […]
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Indian students, faculty celebrate Republic Day with colorful festivities
The India Center and the Indian Student Association collaborated on Friday to celebrate India’s Republic Day. India celebrated its 73rd constitution anniversary on Wednesday, and the Indian community at UCF did not let this date go unnoticed. They commemorated this historic and memorable day with traditional food, live Indian music and a special guest who […]
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Fall ’21 Ph.D. Grads Given Warm Sendoff In Return of Longstanding COS Tradition
Eight doctorate graduates were given a warm congratulations and sendoff Thursday in a continuation of a longstanding College of Sciences’ tradition. The final toast was led by new COS Dean Maggy Tomova. Click here to see the full gallery of photos. Below is the full list of Ph.D. graduates for Fall 2021. Security Studies Tutku […]
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UCF Research in 60 Seconds: Understanding the Impact of Diversity
Whether it’s solving the world’s biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at UCF are on the edge scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the Research in 60 Seconds series, student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights […]
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Ph.D. Candidate Recognized With Diversity Fellowship from APSA
A fascination with human behavior and a deep-rooted curiosity are the foundation of Devyn Escalanti’s academic career. The Security Studies Ph.D. student traces her fascination with political science specifically to a childhood watching political news and satire shows. That blossomed into a public health-security track of study through books like David Quamman’s “Spillover: Animal infections […]
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Future of U.S. and India Relations Focus of Recent Talk
BY: KASSIDY MENK The India Center hosted Milan Vaishnav, Ph.D., director and senior fellow of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in a virtual discussion titled “Crucial Partners: The Future of U.S. – India Relations” on October 15, 2021. Nikola Mirilovic, Ph.D., associate professor in UCF’s School of Politics, Security, […]
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Students Find Friendships, Culture In Indian Student Association
Students hunting for a deeper understanding of Indian culture can find it in the Indian Student Association (ISA). Established as a non-profit in 1995, the ISA promotes the goals of preserving and spreading the cultures and practices of India. Some of the avenues for this include hosting events celebrating traditional Indian holidays like Garba, Diwali […]
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Survey Certificate Program Offers Expertise For Students of Multiple Disciplines
Surveys are a great tool for measuring intangible data like feelings and opinions, but designing one that can withstand academic scrutiny takes real skills. That’s where a new Survey Research Graduate Certificate Program comes into play. The program launches in Spring 2022, and primarily targets social science students studying behavior in areas like criminal […]
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Maggy Tomova Joins the College of Sciences Today as Dean
Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., officially joins the University of Central Florida today as dean of the College of Sciences. Tomova, 44, brings deep research and leadership experience to the role, most recently as associate dean for the 18 departments that fall under the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences […]
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Model UN Team Makes Good Showing at Conference
BY: Jessica Budin and Dr. Paul Vasquez From September 16th -19th, University of Central Florida’s Model United Nations team visited Florida State University to participate in NoleMUN I, where UCF’s delegates had an exciting and enriching experience. While in Tallahassee, team members participated in activities that ranged from investigating the role of multinational corporations in […]
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UCF Expert Sheds Light on Guinea’s Coup
When gunfire erupted in the Guinean capital of Conakry on the morning of September 5, it was clear elements of the country’s armed forces had attempted a coup. Though initial statements from the government pushed the idea that the coup had failed, the conspirators managed to overwhelm loyalists and arrest President Alpha Condé. Special […]
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Tezcür Tapped to Lead School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs
The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs recently appointed Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., to become its second director. Tezcür studies political violence, politics of identity and democratization, with a focus on Iranian, Kurdish, and Turkish human geography. He has published more than two dozen scholarly articles in journals including American Political Science Review, Comparative […]
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New Dean Named for UCF’s College of Sciences
Maggy Tomova will become the next dean of UCF’s College of Sciences on Oct. 18. She joins UCF from the University of Iowa, where she currently serves as the associate dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her appointment by Michael D. Johnson, interim provost and […]
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New Study Into Latinx Behavior and Politics Launched With Acceptance of Build and Broaden Grant
The political behavior and policy preferences of the Latinx community will be the subject of a new study in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA). The study is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Build and Broaden 2.0 Grant, created to encourage research by scholars at minority-serving institutions to apply for grants. […]
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Film Festival Launches To Highlight Issues In the Latin American/LatinX Communities
The first Latin American/ Latinx Film Festival at UCF launches over September and October with the intention of shedding light on issues the Latin American and Latino communities face. The six films explore themes like gender issues, racism, colonialism and LGBTQ issues. The festival was created by School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs Lecturer […]
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Summer 2021 Graduates Head Out With New College of Sciences Degrees
UCF’S newest College of Sciences graduates crossed the stage Saturday at Summer 2021 Commencement. Among them was Nahla Turner, a psychology graduate who not only battled pandemic challenges in 2020, but a cancer diagnosis. A clean bill of health in October 2020 brought her to Saturday’s academic finish line and a new starting line pursuing […]
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Congratulations to the Summer 2021 Doctoral Graduates
Biology Jordan Dowell, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Chase Mason, Ph.D. and Pedro Quintana-Ascencio, Ph.D. Dissertation: “Genetics and Evolution of Specialized Metabolism In Wild and Cultivated Helianthus.” Christopher Long, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Katherine Mansfield, Ph.D. Dissertation: “Long-Term Changes in Juvenile Green Turtle Abundance and Foraging Ecology in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida.” Chemistry Sajia Afrin, Ph.D., faculty […]
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Overseas Deployment Adds To Ph.D. Candidate’s Security Studies Experience
By TAD SCHNAUFER During the summer, many students undertake internships to gain hands-on experience in their respective fields. For Tad Schnaufer, a Security Studies doctoral candidate in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, his summer experience came from his service as a captain in the Florida Army National Guard. He currently serves as […]
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India Center Welcomes New Director of Public Affairs
The India Center has witnessed exciting changes just this past month, and is delighted to introduce Leila Chacko, the India Center’s Director of Public Affairs. Leila is the India Center’s first full-time staff member and you can find her in the India Center’s new office (Chemistry 117). An Orlando native and licensed attorney, Leila brings […]