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Student Represents UCF at NAFAC
Each year since 1960, the U.S. Naval Academy has hosted a gathering of undergraduates from around the United States and the world who come together in the spring to discuss a theme from current global affairs. The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) has grown to be the leading undergraduate conference in the country. Political […]
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Building a More Sustainable Orlando
The sounds of construction can be heard on the third floor of Orlando City Hall. The building is being retrofitted with energy efficient technology as part of the City of Orlando’s sustainability initiatives. It’s one of the many projects currently underway and supervised by sustainability director Chris Castro ’10 and sustainability project manager Brittany Sellers […]
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Chemistry and Forensic Science Award Winners- Congratulations!
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Chemistry and Forensic Science student awards. The recipients were chosen from both undergraduate and graduate areas of studies, according to their performance in specific classes, research and other UCF achievements. The winner of the W.W. McGee Forensic Science award for the most outstanding chemistry or forensic science major […]
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A Major Switch: From Film to Biology
Biology student Julia Carlin won one of the most prestigious, national awards for pre-veterinary students, the 2018 American Pre-Vet Medical Association (APVMA) Scholarship. The award was open to all pre-vet students in the country, and Carlin was chosen based on her academic success, leadership qualities and participation within the pre-vet community. “I have worked endlessly […]
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50 Students Attend Panel on Chemical Attacks
Thirty years after the attacks in Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan, chemical weapons continue to be used against civilian populations in the Middle East. On April 12, 2018, the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) in collaboration with the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) sponsored a panel on the chemical attacks and U.S. policies. […]
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Alumnus Focuses on Sustainable Agriculture
Agriculture is a tricky business. With unpredictable weather patterns, soil degradation, threatening pests and limited land, farmers struggle to grow healthier, more productive and profitable crops. If farmers can’t grow crops, the number of people at risk of living in hunger increases. Biology alumnus Clay Scherer, Ph.D., works to fix that problem. He develops products […]
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UCF on Track to Become National Leader in Space Research
When the University of Central Florida took the helm of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico on April 1, the university entered a new era. “We are forging new ground for UCF,” said Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies. “We already have outstanding research in planetary sciences, […]
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Congratulations, 2018 Pegasus Professors!
UCF’s annual Founders’ Day Honors Convocation celebrates outstanding achievements of the university’s faculty members, staff and students. Among the recognitions this year are five Pegasus Professors, three from the College of Sciences. View a full list of Founders’ Day Honors Convocation honorees. The Pegasus Professor Award is the highest academic honor an educator can receive at UCF and rewards highly […]
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Virtual Teaching May Help GTAs Prepare for the Classroom
An innovative tool with a new application in STEM education research may help prepare graduate teaching assistants (GTA) to transition from students to instructors. Jackie Chini, an assistant professor in the UCF Physics Department, focuses her research on STEM education – or how to improve science teaching and learning. In her latest NSF-funded grant, she, […]
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Declining Bee Population to get Helping Hand
Bees are going to get a helping hand next year when a UCF biologist launches her nationwide Bee Wild project. Funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Barbara Sharanowski will coordinate a nationwide team of citizen scientists who will convert lawns into native wildflower havens especially designed to attract native bees and other […]
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Politics Within The Oil Industry
As an international tanker broker, Jonathan “JB” Corey uses what he learned at UCF almost daily. His political science degree helps him navigate the erratic effects the international political climate has on the oil industry. The company he works for, Southport Maritime, represents and services oil companies, tanker owners and oil traders who are engaging […]
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Couple’s $6.6M Gift Will Boost Many UCF Programs
What do sea turtles, veterans, language programs, science and football have in common? They’ll all be better off thanks to the generosity of Jim and Julia Rosengren, who have committed $6.6 million to support those programs at the University of Central Florida. It is among the largest alumni commitments in university history. Combined with their […]
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Physics Ranks in Top 100 Best Graduate Schools
Twenty-five UCF programs were ranked in the top 100 of their fields by the recently released U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools of 2019, a total gain of three programs from last year. UCF has experienced an upward trend in the number of programs on the top 100 list. There were 18 programs ranked in 2017, followed […]
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11 Students Honored For Women’s History Month
The College of Sciences is proud of our 11 female students who were recognized as outstanding student leaders for Women’s History Month. Congratulations to the awardees! Sarah Davenport, Anthropology “Seek positive mentorship. Mentorship from the McNair Program and my faculty mentor are the reasons why I have been able to achieve and exceed my […]
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Biology Background Paves Way to Medical School
Dr. Jeff Buchalter came to the University of Central Florida in 1983 with his mind set on medical school. He started his academic career at Brevard Community College, a choice he intentionally made to ensure his best chance of becoming a physician. Even though Buchalter grew up in Titusville where the space industry is the […]
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Alumna Publishes Book During Perfect Season
Lori Levoy is UCF’s self-proclaimed biggest fan. She graduated from the Nicholson School of Communication in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communication. A former UCF student athlete, Levoy has maintained her love for UCF for more than 15 years. In 2017, during UCF’s perfect football season, that love motivated her to write and publish her own children’s […]
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Understanding Charge Transfers in Molecular Electronics
An international research team, which includes University of Central Florida Professor Enrique del Barco and Christian A. Nijhuis of the National University of Singapore, has found a way to understand and manipulate the transition of charges in molecular junctions. A molecular junction connects molecules to two metallic electrodes, such as gold. For electrons to flow […]
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Could This Toy Help Save Our Planet?
By Robert Stephens UCF Professor Fernando Uribe-Romo is merging his love for chemistry and nature to create a new form of energy — artificial photosynthesis — that actually cleans air. The conversation is supposed to be about deep topics like renewable energy, global warming and scientific methods. But less than a minute in, Fernando Uribe-Romo […]
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Opioid Misuse Isn’t White or Black Issue
Although the opioid epidemic has been portrayed in the media as a largely “white” epidemic, a UCF study finds this drug doesn’t discriminate. The abuse of opioids affects whites and blacks almost equally, according to a study led by sociology doctoral student Harvey Nicholson. His findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol […]
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Political Science Student Becomes Minority Fellowship Program Fellow
The Minority Fellowship Program, hosted by the American Political Science Association (APSA), recognizes the research and hard work of political science students from underrepresented backgrounds. It’s a competitive scholarship, and the APSA only honors 12 students each year. UCF student Angie Torres has just become one of those 12. “I am excited and grateful when […]
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Physics Degree Leads to Career in Missiles, Aerospace
When Roland Williams first stepped foot on UCF’s campus nearly 50 years ago, the library was the tallest, most prominent building around. There was almost nothing else in sight as Williams pulled up to the school, but he was excited for the opportunity to move closer to his family and explore his interests in physics. […]
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Paving the Path for a Future Diplomat
By Meredith Harris Ever since taking a UCF honors diplomacy course at The Burnett Honors College, Amanda Fleming ’15 dreamed of working as a diplomat. Armed with a 4.0 GPA and international work experience, the political science major (and psychology minor) took steps to make herself competitive for a position in the U.S. Foreign Service, […]
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Online Education Leads to Studying Abroad
College education doesn’t need to be defined by four walls and a weekly classroom setting, just ask Kristine Carlos. Carlos is a UCF student taking only online classes while studying cultural anthropology, and she has not once let her learning be confined to a desk or to a computer. Instead, she takes her education across […]
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Fish’ Super Power May Offer Clues About Biodiversity Evolution
by Allison Hurtado A group of international scientists, including a University of Central Florida biologist, recently discovered that a species of fish living in the north Atlantic Ocean has an ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions that are linked to the depth of its watery habitat. The unknown mechanism, which gives the roundnose grenadier […]
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Venezuelan Background Helps Alumna Help Others
Having lived through an almost 11-year separation from her parents after they were denied re-entry into the United States, UCF alumna Raquel Fernandez knows firsthand the difficulties of the immigration process. Now, as the community relations coordinator for the Orange County Tax Collector’s Office, she helps support and educate others going through the same process […]
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Physics Staff Recognized For Outstanding Service
On February 14, 2018, two UCF Department of Physics staff were honored for their outstanding work serving fellow staff, faculty and students. This year’s winners of the Dean’s Recognition Award are Esperanza Soto-Arcino (farthest to the right), graduate program assistant, and Jessica Brooks (third from left), senior accountant. Soto-Arcino began her role with the department […]
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Alumna Overcomes Eating Disorders to Help Others
by Jenna Lee On the surface, Kaitlyn Chana ’13 had it all together. In fact, she basically owned life. The former straight-A student at Lake Brantley High School started her own non-profit as a teenager that sent cards of kindness to hospitalized children. She was a member of UCF’s President’s Leadership Council, LEAD Scholars and […]
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UCF-led Consortium to Manage Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico
By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala The observatory’s radar system gathers information about planets, moons, asteroids and comets. (Image courtesy of Arecibo Observatory, a facility of the NSF) The largest fully operational radio telescope on the planet – the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico – will soon be under new management. A consortium led by the University […]
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Fruits and Veggies Made Friendly
How many books on nutrition do you remember reading during your childhood? Probably not many, since UCF Biology faculty Rani Vajravelu, Ph.D., wrote one of the first. Her recently published book, The Dog That Didn’t Like Leftovers, encourages young children and their families to open a dialogue about healthy eating. The book follows Lucy the […]
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How Caregivers Can Best Care for Themselves
by Robert Stephens There is nothing fictional in the most famous line from The Wizard of Oz: “There’s no place like home.” It’s true when we’re growing up … and it’s just as true as we reach our twilight years. Which is why more than 42 million Americans provide care inside the home for […]