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The Department of Energy Selects UCF Physicist for Career Award
The Department of Energy has awarded UCF physicist and assistant professor Li Fang a career grant of $785,000. The award is part of the DOE’s Office of Science’s Early Career Research Program, which recognizes researchers for their promising work, early on in their careers. This year, only 76 awards were made to scientists at private […]
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National Asteroid Day: A Celebration of Mysterious Small Bodies
Imagine a celestial body larger than the Statue of Liberty skyrocketing past Earth with enough energy to flatten a city. Since 2011 this has only happened once, and it occurred earlier this month. Asteroids are small bodies, often made up of rock, that exist in the solar system. Where did they come from? Scientists speculate […]
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Degrees Launch Career of Service for 30 Under 30 Winners
Two alumni from the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs are recipients of the UCF 30 Under 30 Class of 2020 award. Kristina Merritt ’12 and Brandon Fair ’13 are being celebrated for their achievements and service in their respective careers. Merritt, a dual major in psychology and political science, uses her background from […]
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Florida Political Science Association Chooses Longtime Professor For Award
The Florida Political Science Association has picked a UCF associate professor for its most prestigious honor – an award given only every three years. Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., was honored with the Manning J. Dauer award in recognition of his “sustained exemplary record of research, teaching, mentoring and service related to Florida politics and policy and […]
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Nicholson School of Communication and Media Falls Fully Under COS On July 1
By IULIA POPESCU After consulting with the school’s faculty, the deans and director and the president, Interim Provost Michael Johnson, Ph.D., recently made the decision that the Nicholson School of Communication & Media (NSCM) will no longer be an “intercollege school.” In 2018, the new Nicholson School was established (and renamed the Nicholson School of […]
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Childhood Dream Leads Alumnus to Security Studies Ph.D.
Jason Christensen, Ph.D., distinctly remembers fear and tragedy during the catastrophic events of 9/11. That morning, he also remembers his resolve to protect people and pursue a career in national security. “Even then as a child I realized any day could be a 9/11,” said Christensen. “I knew that I wanted to do something, […]
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UCF’s Butterfly-Inspired Nanotech Makes Natural-Looking Pictures on Digital Screens
Taking inspiration from nature’s nanotech that creates the stunning color of butterfly wings, a University of Central Florida researcher is creating technology to make extremely low-power, ultra-high-definition displays and screens that are easier on the eyes. The new technology creates digital displays that are lit by surrounding light and are more natural looking than current […]
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Hydrophobic Polymers Focus of DURA Award Winner Research
A recent UCF College of Engineering graduate, Ezat El-Said ’20, earned the Distinguished Undergraduate Research Award for his work in self-healing polymers with biomedical applications. The polymers under study are hydrophobic and self-healing, with a dynamic variety of applications ranging from artificial skin grafts to metal coatings. El-Said has been conducting his research in […]
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Math Professor Inducted As Fellow of Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Mathematics Professor Marianna Pensky, Ph.D., was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. The IMS fosters development and innovation in the field of statistical sciences. Annually, a number of individuals from the 3,500 members worldwide are nominated and inducted as fellows to recognize their contribution to the scientific community. “My life’s […]
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How to Turn Your Lawn Into a Wildflower Garden
Whether you’re searching for an educational activity to do with your children or spending time landscaping while social distancing, UCF’s new Lawn to Wildflowers program out of the College of Sciences can offer a bit of inspiration. The project, spearheaded by UCF associate professor of biology Barbara Sharanowski and postdoctoral fellow Nash Turley, offers a […]
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Lou Frey Institute Launches Series Addressing Government Actions During Pandemic
The Lou Frey Institute is adding to the national conversation on pandemic liberties through a series of one-page conversation starters for K-12 teachers. Called “Civics in Real Life”, the series provides a historical and civics-based lens on current events, including the distinction between the power of states and federal government; the Defense Production Act; […]
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UCF 1st in Florida, 3rd Nationally for Coveted National Science Foundation CAREER Grants
UCF leads the state and ranks third in the nation for the number of National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipients this year. Nine UCF has 11 confirmed awards as of June 3, and NSF has recommended two more for funding. In Florida, a total of 21 awards have been given so far, including four to […]
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Grant Opens Opportunity for K-12 Teachers To Learn Utility of Drones
Timothy Hawthorne, Ph.D, and his team at Citizen Science GIS in the Department of Sociology have received a $36,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the inclusion of two K-12 teachers into their U.S. Pacific Coast eelgrass drone work. This will supplement the $1.3 million collaborative grant awarded to the UCF team […]
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UCF Study Finds Microplastics in Florida’s Birds of Prey for 1st Time
A new study from the University of Central Florida has confirmed and quantified, for the first time, the presence of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic birds of prey in Florida, including hawks, ospreys and owls. Microplastics are small plastic pieces – less than the size of a pencil tip – that come from larger pieces […]
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Immigration Officer Points To Political Science Classes For Career Inspiration
Political Science graduate Ross Cotton, ’11, Ph.D, recalls the natural curiosity that led him to pursue an academic career in political science and, ultimately, landing him a career as an asylum officer for U.S. Citzenship and Immigration Services. Born in Australia, Cotton arrived in America at the age of six and found that the older […]
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Passion For Teaching, Political Science, Leads Grad to Principal Role
Jordan Filderman, ’09, M.A.’11, always knew his purpose was to make a positive difference in the lives of others. As the principal of Hebbville Elementary, Filderman uses education as his vehicle to serve underrepresented and underprivileged students in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. “My personal philosophy is that every child deserves an equal and quality […]
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Sea Turtle Nesting Season in Full Swing, UCF Researchers Keep Working Despite COVID-19
While uncertainty reigns for Floridians due to COVID-19, there’s one thing they can count on: sea turtles are nesting on our local beaches as nesting season heads into its fourth month this June. More than 2,750 sea turtle nests have already been discovered along the 29 miles of Brevard County beaches surveyed by UCF, and […]
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UCF Grad Earns Pulitzer Prize
International reporting by Michael Schwirtz ’03 recently earned him one of journalism’s top awards, and his journey to this moment started, in part, with a desire to stay close to home. The DeLand native and political science graduate started globe-trotting when he was still in high school, including summers abroad in London and Europe. When […]
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UCF Library Resources Help Biology Faculty Find $177K in Savings
The collective efforts of three biology faculty members to find digital textbooks for their lower-level classes recently resulted in savings of $177,006 for 1,207 students. The savings were created in Biology I Honors and Biology II after their instructors moved the bulk of the class to online coursework and streamlined the curriculum. The only changes […]
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Weekly Astronomy Web Series Launched by Ph.D. Students
If you’ve ever been curious about the planetary sciences, the UCF-AVS Student Chapter is here to help. Beginning on Thursday May 14, a webinar series that spans until the end of June will bring the expertise of astronomers and astrochemical scientists to student’s computer screens. The series, spearheaded by doctoral students Brian Ferrari and Katie […]
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Longtime UCF Ally Headed to Florida Inventor Hall of Fame
A longtime affiliate of UCF and skilled materials engineer and scientist, Les Kramer, Ph.D, will be inducted into the 2020 class of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for his lifetime of patents and creations. Since his move to Orlando in 1983, Kramer has been in partnership with UCF. He sits on the UCF advisory […]
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Physics Faculty and Staff Find Freedom in Running During Quarantine
By NIKITTA CAMPBELL A group of runners from the Department of Physics are using exercise for a temporary escape during quarantine. The runners represent the scope of the department — from faculty to accounting — but they all agree exercise does wonders for both their physical and mental health. “Running has been my escape from […]
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Epic Games, Maker of Fortnite, Awards UCF Professor Grant to Enhance AR and VR Technology
The company responsible for the online video game hit Fortnite has awarded a UCF assistant professor a grant to develop an immersive technology to take virtual experiences to new levels of reality. Epic Games provided UCF information scientist and artist Maria Harrington a $25,000 grant to expand her cutting-edge augmented and virtual reality work, which […]
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UCF Grad and Chef Bakes up Initiative to Support Medical Workers
Sprinkling joy is what chef Tracy Wilk ’10 does best. In light of the world’s COVID-19 pandemic, Wilk has turned the kitchen of her small studio apartment in New York City into a full-blown bake shop. Her inspiration: The brave first responders passionately dedicated to the safety of civilians. The treat: A variety of gooey, […]
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Biology Grad’s Research Paper Lands Award for Excellence
UCF College of Sciences graduate, Katherine Harris ’18, has recently been awarded the UCF Library Annual Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research for her published research paper on infaunal organisms (i.e. aquatic, sediment-dwelling organisms like worms or clams) on restored oyster reefs. The announcement of the award took Harris by pleasant surprise when she was […]
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Puerto Rico Research Hub Joins Global Network of Pandemic Social Research
What’s driving violent anti-Chinese discrimination in Nairobi, Kenya, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and what can be done to quell it? How are part-time theme park workers in central Florida handling massive furloughs, and what could their employers be doing better? What unique challenges did people with disabilities face in Wuhan, China, during the lockdown? These […]
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151 UCF Faculty Promoted Across All Disciplines
A great university is built by great faculty, and this year’s group of promoted and tenured faculty are the reason behind UCF’s academic excellence. Thirty-three were granted the title professor, a marker of an exceptional career in academia. A university’s excellence hinges on the strength of its faculty as scholars and as teachers. “This class […]
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15 UCF Students Named National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows
Angelina Leary, a student in UCF’s Clinical Psychology doctoral program, is one of 15 students at the university named a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. The NSF program recognizes outstanding students who have demonstrated significant achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The students are either in their senior year of college and plan […]
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SPSIA Recognizes Two Graduate Students for Outstanding Work
The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs recently recognized two graduate students for outstanding work in the terms of Summer and Fall 2019 and Spring 2020. Gunes Tezcur, Ph.D., chaired the committee that selected Kathleen Sullivan and Sandor Fabian to receive the Outstanding MA Thesis and Pollock-Ellsworth Award for Best Research Methods, respectively. “One […]
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Graduating Senior Wins National Wrestling Championship
One UCF graduate is getting more than a degree as he wraps up his career as a Knight. Clay Perry, a member of the UCF Wrestling Club, had the opportunity to do what many collegiate athletes only dream of doing: becoming a national champion. The senior from St. Cloud, Florida, claimed the gold medal in […]