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Digging Up Rosewood
Anthropology visiting lecturer Edward Gonzalez-Tennant, Ph.D., spent the last decade of his life researching what happened almost a century ago in Rosewood, Florida. The recent release of his book, The Rosewood Massacre: An Archaeology and History of Intersectional Violence, and the last remaining house from Rosewood that was just put on the market, have brought the town […]
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Researchers Receive $1.25 Million Grant to Map Marine Ecosystems With Drones
By Rachel Wimmer You may soon be able to spot UCF drones collecting data all along the Pacific coast — from Baja California to Alaska. Timothy Hawthorne, assistant professor of GIS in the Department of Sociology, and his collaborators at the Smithsonian Institution, Cornell University and the University of California-Davis recently received a $1.25 million grant […]
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Pluto a Planet? New Research from UCF Suggests Yes
By Robert H. Wells The reason Pluto lost its planet status is not valid, according to new research from the University of Central Florida. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union, a global group of astronomy experts, established a definition of a planet that required it to “clear” its orbit, or in other words, be the […]
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One Alumna’s Journey from UCF to HuffPost
By Jenna Marina Lee The day Lindsay Holmes ’12 moved into a tiny, way-uptown, three-bedroom apartment in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, she still couldn’t believe she was there on a one-way ticket. “It sort of reminded me of what I felt like when I started at UCF. It almost felt like extended vacation […]
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Kurdish Political Studies Program Welcomes Resident Senior Fellow Haidar Khezri, Ph.D.
In fall 2018, Haidar Khezri, Ph.D., joined the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) as visiting faculty and senior fellow from Indiana University (IU), Bloomington. Dr. Khezri, born in Iranian Kurdistan, holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Damascus University in Syria, and a M.A. in comparative literature from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran. He […]
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OSIRIS-REx on Final Approach to Bennu
There’s no better tool to teach students about physics than to see it at work in the real world. That’s why UCF professor Humberto Campins decided to teach this semester despite the heavy research load he knows will be coming. “I thought about taking time off to complete my work for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission,” Campins […]
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Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation honors Larry Bradley ’94 for his contributions to space exploration Larry Bradley once discovered the most distant galaxy in the universe (at the time). Now he will be recognized by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation at the Innovators Gala in Washington D.C. on Aug. 25. Bradley has been selected as the recipient of […]
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UCF Coastal Working to Find Solutions for our Coastal Communities
By Rachel Stamford Recently, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency due to red tide, a toxic algae bloom, that is devastating the southwestern coast of Florida. The UCF National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, also known as UCF Coastal, will serve as a mechanism to find solutions to this problem and many […]
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Screening Frogs for Infectious Disease
An undergraduate researcher has developed a method to screen frogs for an infectious disease that has been linked to mass die-offs of frogs around the world. Thanks to her method, scientists will be able to track the disease and try to figure out why it is triggering the deaths. Emily Karwacki, who recently earned her […]
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Arecibo With an Expanded View
The National Science Foundation has awarded a team of scientists $5.8 million to design and mount a supersensitive antenna at the focal point of the Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000-foot-diameter dish, which is managed by the University of Central Florida. The antenna, called a phased-array feed, will increase the telescopes’ observation capabilities 500 percent. The team, led […]
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The Future of Cryptocurrency
A UCF graduate, a group of students, and a first-of-its kind master’s program could help change the way we look at money. The very beginnings of the most widely known digital currency, Bitcoin, are veiled in mystery. Conceptualized and launched as an immediate response to the worldwide financial crisis in 2008, Bitcoin was the brainchild […]
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UCF Professor Discovers First-of-its-Kind Material for the Quantum Age
A UCF physicist has discovered a new material that has the potential to become a building block in the new era of quantum materials, those that are composed of microscopically condensed matter and expected to change our development of technology. Researchers are entering the Quantum Age, and instead of using silicon to advance technology they […]
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College of Sciences Sets New Research Funding Record
The University of Central Florida received a record $183 million in research funding for 2018. It’s a 23 percent increase from last year and a 37 percent increase from 2015. Among the many projects that helped propel UCF’s research funding to its highest ever are the management of one of the world’s most powerful fully operational […]
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Using Math to Predict Disease
A UCF student is in Knoxville, Tennessee, combining math and biology to research mosquito-borne disease. Hanna Reed, a mathematics major, accepted the National Institute for Mathematical and Biology Synthesis’ highly competitive Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates. Reed heads to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to work on a biology project. Reed has experience with […]
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Untraditional Path to Traditional Medicine
Alumna Uma Ramoutar is making history. She’s one of just 50 students selected for the first class of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Initially a biology major with a psychology minor, Ramoutar chose a different path to medical school in search of a broader education. “Though […]
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UCF Physics Professor: Yes, The Rock’s ‘Skyscraper’ Jump is Possible
In the soon-to-be-released film Skyscraper, a war veteran with a prosthetic leg sprints across the arm of a construction crane, launching himself in a seemingly insane jump toward the broken, open window of an adjacent building. The building is ablaze, and his family is trapped in a 240-floor building, above the fire line. Dwayne “The Rock” […]
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Alumnus Takes Legal Action for Minority Community
For alumnus Rishi Bagga, attending UCF was a last minute choice after visiting the campus with his older sister. However, majoring in political science was the obvious choice. “My first interest in politics came through my dad,” he said. “But the real kicker came when I joined my high school debate team; I loved hanging […]
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UCF Joins International Consortium Aimed at Helping Coastal Communities
The University of Central Florida recently became a member of the Blue Community Consortium, which aims to help develop sustainable and economically successful coastal communities worldwide. UCF’s National Center for Integrated Coastal Research – known as UCF Coastal – joined the consortium this month as part of its ongoing efforts to help develop sustainable, resilient and economically successful […]
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Physicist Selected for $750,000 Early Career Energy Grant
UCF physics Assistant Professor Michael Chini is one of 84 scientists across the nation selected today for a Department of Energy grant through the Office of Science Early Career Research Program. Chini, who has been an assistant professor at UCF since 2015 and earned his doctorate here in 2012, will receive $150,000 each year for the […]
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Biology Student Wins DURA Award
Biology student Adam Searles received a Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award (DURA) award for his research on his project Determining Physical and Ecological Factors Affecting Abundances of Juvenile Indicator Species in the Indian River Lagoon. The $200 scholarship funded by SGA is awarded to undergraduate students who have conducted outstanding academic research at UCF. “It shows […]
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Physicist Works to Make Science Accessible
Jackie Chini is one of the UCF Department of Physics’ most well-funded junior faculty. Her awards from the National Science Foundation total over $1 million, and she’s achieved one of the most prestigious awards: The NSF CAREER Award. It all started in high school in her hometown in rural New Jersey in a physics class. […]
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Society and the Seven Deadly Sins
James Wright is no stranger to publishing, having already written 25 books and over 300 articles and essays. Now, this retired sociology professor adds another publishing success under his belt- as of May 16, his new book, Lost Souls: Manners and Morals in Contemporary American Society, is out in the world! In Lost Souls, Wright […]
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The Science Behind Zombie Ants
Biology Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker is working to figure out how a fungus is manipulating and killing ants. A zombie invasion is happening in Central Florida, but humans aren’t the ones at risk. Rather, some of nature’s tiniest creatures — carpenter ants — are the victims. Since 2016, biology Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker, Ph.D., has been studying […]
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Physics Ph.D. Student Promotes Inclusion
UCF is one of six universities paving the way for underrepresented minority students to earn graduate physics degrees. According to an article published in the journal Nature, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans make up about one-third of university-age citizens in the United States, however, less than 11 percent of bachelor’s degrees are awarded […]
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A Lifetime of Chemistry
Debbie Dunn, Ph.D., graduated with a chemistry degree from UCF in 1972, back when UCF was still known as Florida Technological University (FTU). Graduation is always a momentous occasion, but Dunn’s held even more importance than a simple first step in her career. When she walked up to receive her diploma, she started on the […]
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Political Science Students Receive Boren Fellowships
Two College of Science students recently received Boren Fellowships, which are for students interested in pursuing a career in U.S. national security. The students are Karla Aurazo, a political science and international relations double major and Caleb Archie, an international and global studies major. They worked with the Burnett Honors College and the Office of Prestigious Awards to apply for the fellowships. Boren Fellowships provide funding […]
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The Importance of the Deep Blue Sea
World Oceans Day — held each June 8 — is an opportunity to promote campaigns and initiatives that bring ocean issues to the forefront. This year’s observance follows recent research that suggests the amount of plastic in the ocean is worse than scientists previously expected. A garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean is now twice […]
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Researching the Ever-Changing Tampa Bay
Jaime Rogers, a master’s anthropology student, received $1,700 in grants from the Florida Anthropological Society and the Florida Archaeological Council to fund his research. “I am grateful that my research was recognized as being interesting enough to fund,” Rogers said. “There are some great research projects going on in Florida archaeology right now, and that […]
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Hawaii Looks at Banning Sunscreen Ingredient Because of UCF Research
A University of Central Florida biologist is seeing a wave of action from his work, which links a certain sunscreen ingredient with the death of coral reefs around the world. Associate Professor John Fauth and a team of international researchers in 2015 published a study that showed the ingredient oxybenzone disrupted coral reproduction and caused bleaching. Coral […]
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First-Generation Student’s First Research Fellowship
Stefani Hammond received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) to work alongside anthropology Assistant Professor John Starbuck, Ph.D., in his lab this summer. As a first-generation student putting herself through school, she is thankful for this opportunity. “Being awarded this fellowship means a lot to me in many different ways,” Hammond said. “As an undergraduate […]