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Growing International Impact Focus Of New Global Perspectives Chief
Developing UCF’s place in the world is David Dumke’s mission. And Dumke is well-suited to the task. Since 2012, Dumke has led the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies. Now Dumke is taking on his next task: leading the office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives. The leadership post was held […]
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$610K Grant Boosts Development of Radiochemistry Lab
One of UCF’s newest labs just received a $610,000 grant to advance the field of radiochemistry and produce a new generation of nuclear scientists. The grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was awarded to the Chemistry Department’s Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, Ph.D., whose research focuses on the environmental fate and geochemical transformations of radioactive contaminants, organic pollutants […]
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UCF Makes Lifelong Imprint on Alumnus
Ted Rassmann received much more than an education from UCF. Sure, a mathematics degree set him up for a successful career as an IBM executive. But it takes a special love for your alma mater to set up a charter fishing business after retirement called Old Knight Fishing Charters. Or send your twin sons […]
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Student’s Radiation Research Receives American Chemical Society Accolade
A student’s research into the long-term clean-up of nuclear waste recently earned him national recognition from the American Chemical Society. Specifically, Jordan Stanberry, who enters the Chemistry doctorate program this fall, is exploring ways to contain the spread of a major pollutant in nuclear waste called Technetium-99. He is currently confirming a methodology to make […]
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UCF Graduate Chris Van Dorn Channels Batman To Rescue Animals
Step aside Bruce Wayne. Chris Van Dorn ’17 is the real hero Gotham — and Orlando — deserves. Van Dorn’s mission to rescue animals dressed as Batman recently made national news, and bumped him closer to making his rescue mission a full-time opportunity. “It all started in the shower,” said Van Dorn, a sociology alumnus. […]
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Summer Commencement Launches Careers of New COS Grads
Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of UCF’s newest College of Sciences graduates on Saturday. Jeremy Ivy, 23, is a psychology graduate, and plans on applying to a master’s program at Florida Institute of Technology for registered behavioral therapy. These therapists are registered to treat children with autism and work with others that may have […]
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Department of Energy Selects UCF Assistant Professor for National Research Program
BY ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA For a second consecutive year, one of UCF’s physics faculty members has been selected for the Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program. Physics Assistant Professor Luca Argenti is one of 73 scientists across the nation and the only one from Florida selected for the program, which includes a $750,000 grant […]
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UCF Grad Battles Cancer and Loss While Earning Degree
BY NICOLE DUDENHOEFER ’17 When Erica Catron ’19MA decided to go back to school three years ago she knew as a non-traditional student she would face more challenges than others. As a married woman in her 40s, raising a young boy and taking care of a household, she figured she’d have a lot to juggle […]
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Trapped Tortoise Research Earns Award For Alumnus
An abandoned railway presents no obstacle to most people. But it’s a different story altogether if you’re crawling two-inches from the ground with a shell on your back. Exactly how railways impact the well-being and movement of gopher tortoises was the focus of UCF alumnus Rhett Rautsaw’s research while he pursued a master’s degree in […]
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UCF Biologists Hunt For Hidden Carbon
Car exhaust and factory pollution take a lot of blame for global warming. But a team of UCF biologists are on the hunt for a hidden storage of carbon that’s right beneath your feet. Plants spend their lifetime absorbing carbon dioxide, then deposit it into the soil when they die. If they’re trapped under water […]
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New Photo Exhibit Captures Indian Festivals in Florida
A new photo exhibit opening this week in the John C. Hitt Library opens a window into the connection between Indian festivals and Central Florida. The more than 30 photos, commissioned by the Asian Cultural Association (ACA), follow more than a year of Indian festivals, including Holi, the Festival of Colors, and Navratri Garba. The […]
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Mission Reveals New Details About Saturn’s Rings
BY ROBERT WELLS | JUNE 17, 2019 Researchers are offering glimpses into the nature and composition of Saturn’s legendary rings by using data from some of the closest observations ever made of the main rings. Even though NASA’s Cassini spacecraft’s mission to Saturn ended in 2017, scientists are still poring over the copious amounts of data it […]
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Nuclear Sub Visit Opens New Opportunities For Physics, Engineering Students
A recent trip to San Diego by two UCF professors sets up new opportunities for students interested in nuclear physics. Both Physics and Engineering were represented on the visit to the U.S. Navy’s submarine base, with Robert Peale, Ph.D., representing the former, and Sam Richie, Ph.D., bringing the Engineering perspective. The pair headed home to […]
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Biology Major Receives Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
BY JONATHAN GABRIEL ’06 Katie Stahlhut, a UCF biology major and National Merit Scholar, recently got a boost for her scientific aspirations, receiving the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Established by Congress in 1986, the scholarship, named for former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, provides up to $7,500 a year in support of undergraduate students intending to do research […]
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Statistics Launches Alumna Into High-Tech Career
Lesley Cheema, ’97, ’99 MS, was certain heading into college she wanted a career in mathematics. But that all changed after a meeting with former statistics professor Lorrie Hoffman, Ph.D., who introduced her to new opportunities in the manufacturing world that relied more on statistics than math. That perfectly suited Cheema, who was more […]
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Alumnus Conquers Wild Frontier of Data Science
Businesses have been trying to get into the minds of their customers for centuries. Now they’re closer than ever. While there’s still no mind-reading device on the market, there is data — about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created per day. And that data can reveal customers’ preferences, from time of day they’re likely to […]
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Students Head To Belize For GIS Mapping and Teaching
BY TIM HAWTHORNE, Ph.D. Opening up one’s worldview. Exploring foreign landscapes. Interacting with new cultures. Engaging in research with communities. These are just some of the things that a group of 11 UCF students did this May with the UCF Participatory Geographic Information Systems (GIS) study abroad class in Belize. The class is part […]
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Research Holds Life-Changing Potential For Malnutrition Victims
Research underway in the National Center for Forensic Science carries life-changing potential for people suffering from malnutrition or exposure to hazardous toxins. Malnutrition is the source of a host of health issues, including zinc deficiency. Low amounts of the mineral can delay growth in children, suppress the immune system and even cause brain damage. The […]
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Three College of Sciences Faculty Receive NSF CAREER Awards
BY ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA College of Sciences faculty represented half of the six grants awarded in the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development’s highly competitive CAREER program. The recipients represent some of the most promising early career scientists and engineers with high promise of leading major advances in their respective fields and who will serve as […]
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NPR News’ NextGenRadio Features UCF Students, Faculty
BY HEATHER GIBSON ’17MBA If there’s one thing UCF student Lillian Hernández Caraballo knows about journalism, it’s that you can’t miss a deadline. Her dedication to meeting an important deadline helped her land a coveted spot in the NPR News’ national training program, NextGenRadio. UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media and WUCF-TV partnered with […]
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Mining the Moon For Ice Focus of UCF Research
BY ROBERT WELLS With space set to be the site of the next “gold rush,” University of Central Florida researchers are helping prospect a spot for a major first step in the upcoming scramble – creating a lunar mining outpost. The work will be funded through a recently announced grant from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts […]
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From Porcupines to Pigs, this UCF Psychology Grad Trains Them All
Many kids say they want to work with animals when they grow up. But only a small number of them are willing to scrub poop out of animal enclosures to reach that dream. Katelyn O’Rourke ’14 was among those willing to do anything. Now the psychology alumna’s hard work is paying off with a career that includes hosting […]
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Spring ’19 Ph.D. Grads Honored At Reception
The Spring ’19 doctorate degree students were recognized Thursday at a special reception. Graduates celebrated their achievement with their faculty advisors, family, College of Sciences Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D. and a special champagne toast. Click here to see the full gallery of photos. Chemistry Sameer Ezzat, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor: Andres Campiglia, Ph.D. Dissertation: Chemistry and […]
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Professor Remembered For Changing Lives With Research
Professor Emeritus of Sociology James Wright, whose research was central to a modern understanding of poverty and homelessness, died Monday. He was 71. Wright was a prolific writer and academic, with more than 200 journal articles, 10,000 citations and 22 books to his name. He was also recognized as a Pegasus Professor in 2013 […]
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Department of Statistics Adding Data Science To Its Name
A name change is coming to the Department of Statistics to better reflect its direction moving forward. Starting May 6, the department will be formally known as the Department of Statistics and Data Science, a nod to its increased focus on training future leaders in the data science field. With a doctoral program already in […]
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Arboretum Founder’s Legacy Lives On With Boardwalk Naming
Hank Whitter, Ph.D., was once asked, “What’s going to happen to the Arboretum when you’re no longer here?” Whittier, who helped lead the movement in the early 80s for a protected green space on UCF’s campus, was not concerned. There’s always someone next in line whose passion matches your own, he explained. “Just look […]
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Psychology Student Recipient of 50,000th DirectConnect Diploma
BY GENE KRUCKEMYER ’73 On May 3, psychology major Hannah Holbrook will receive the 50,000th degree at the commencement ceremony for the College of Sciences. Holbrook, who came through DirectConnect from Lake-Sumter State College in Clermont, wants to eventually go to medical school to study emergency medicine. But first beginning in June she’s going to start […]
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UCF’s Highest-achieving Students are Making an Impact through Research
BY NICOLE DUDENHOEFER ’17 Several of the 2019 Order of Pegasus honorees have studied fields as diverse as tidal flooding, migraine headaches, plastic pollution and other topics. Several of the 22 undergraduate students who received the 2019 Order of the Pegasus award, the university’s highest student honor, have participated in research during their time at UCF. This year’s […]
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Upcoming STEM Day Opens Learning Opportunities At Children’s Hospital
There’s not many opportunities that blend marine conservation and medical sciences. So Jacob Hromyak considers himself lucky to volunteer at PedsAcademy at Nemours Children’s Hospital. PedsAcademy is a pediatric school program that provides hospitalized children research-backed educational opportunities. It was founded earlier this year under the leadership of Megan Nickels, Ph.D., an assistant professor of […]
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$750K Awarded To Physics Professor To Improve Online Ed
A UCF assistant professor’s reimagined approach to optimizing online physics education has landed him a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The NSF award to Zhongzhou Chen, Ph.D., lasts for five years. In collaboration with the Center for Distributed Learning at UCF, Chen is developing a series of new online learning modules optimized for […]