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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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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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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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Research Team Launches Website To Aid Hospitality Industry
A new clearinghouse of information for hospitality workers affected by COVID-19 has been compiled by researchers from UCF’s Targeted Research Training Program (TRT). These resources cover a variety of topics including: lay-offs and furloughs; opportunities to make money during the crisis; protecting personal finances; improving mental health; skill development; industry relevant information; and links […]
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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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Lifelong Friendship With Arboretum Founder Inspires Donation
A passion for plants is at the root of a recent donation made by Biology faculty member Rani Vajravelu, Ph.D. The donation is made out to the UCF Arboretum in aim of supporting students that are passionate about outdoor plant studies. “I would love the money to help alleviate financial stress on students looking to […]
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Magnet Research Hits Breakthrough
Researchers pushing the limits of magnets as a means to create faster electronics published their proof of concept findings Friday in the journal Science. The University of Central Florida is the lead university in the multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI) project, which is funded by a $7.5 million grant from the Department of Defense. The […]
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Psychology Community Says Farewell to Longtime Professor
The psychology community at UCF said goodbye last month to a professor who dedicated 31 years to teaching generations of students the intricacies of the mind. Ed Rinalducci, Ph.D., whose tenure from 1986-2017 included roles as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, program director of the applied experimental/human factors doctorate program and […]
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UCF, FAU and Coast Guard Team up to get Endangered Sea Turtles Home
Florida Atlantic University and the University of Central Florida teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard to take some endangered sea turtles into the ocean where they belong. With the COVID-19 pandemic closing or severely limiting everything from beaches to lab activities at universities, researchers got creative to make sure three six-month old green turtles […]
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College of Sciences Celebrates Founder’s Day Awardees
By ALLISON HURTADO ’12, SIMONE ROUSSEAU & ROBERT WELLS Three College of Sciences faculty were recognized Wednesday with the University of Central Florida’s highest awards. Physics Professor Joseph Harrington, Ph.D., was one of four new Pegasus Professors. Luca Argenti, Ph.D., and Jacquelyn “Jackie” Chini, Ph.D., were selected for the Reach for the Stars award, […]
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UCF Lands $7.5 Million in Grants from Federal Agency
The University of Central Florida is the only university in Florida to be awarded federal 2020 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative grants – and it snagged three of them. The Department of Defense announced the recipients of the 26 awards. For UCF, that means more than $7.5 million over the next five years. Two professors will […]
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New Project Aims To Address Global Crises
The UCF Office of Global Perspectives & International Initiatives (GPII) is pleased to announce the launch of a new project, “Addressing Global Crisis” (AGC). The AGC Project will examine not only how the world responds to the current coronavirus pandemic, but how governments, individually and collectively, deal with natural disasters, ecological challenges and climate […]
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Psychologist Makes Her Mark Bringing Together Families
Kimberly Renk, Ph.D., is rebuilding families by taking psychology off the couch and into disadvantaged Orlando communities. Renk is a child psychologist by training, and she shares her more than 20 years of experience in both the classroom and the local judicial system. Her work at UCF includes leading the Understanding Young Children and Families […]
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Tropical Shirt Tradition Brightens Mood For Stressed Students
Peter Sinelli’s wardrobe choices can bring students running to his classroom. That’s particularly the case when he’s spotted crossing campus wearing one of the many loud, vibrant tropical shirts that fill his closet. Savvy students know the blinding colors signal it’s pop quiz day. “They’ve caught on,” Sinelli said with a laugh. “The tradition is […]
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COS Faculty Among Those Honored For Women’s History Month
Thirty-one women were recognized this month by UCF Faculty Excellence for Women’s Month, including five from the College of Sciences. The awardess were chosen by their colleagues and peers for their work on campus and in the community. They will be honored March 31 at a Burnett House reception. This year’s honorees from the […]
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UCF’s New Technique to Create Nanomaterials May Help Detect Cancer Earlier
By ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA For the first time, a team of scientists at the University of Central Florida has created functional nanomaterials with hollow interiors that can be used to create highly sensitive biosensors for early cancer detection. Xiaohu Xia, an assistant professor of chemistry with a joint appointment in the NanoScience Technology […]
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Five Year Grant Will Deepen Research Into ‘Zombie Ants’
A new $970,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow biologists to deepen their research into the biological makeup of parasitic fungi that hijack the behaviors of their hosts. The five-year CAREER grant also paves the way for Assistant Professor Charissa de Bekker, Ph.D., to develop an upper level insect behavior course and […]
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Physics Professors Create Harmony In Their Pastimes
By NIKITTA CAMPBELL Two Physics professors are bridging their day jobs and their hobbies at the speed of sound. Professors Richard Klemm, Ph.D., and Robert Peale, Ph.D., have devoted their professional lives to teaching students the intricate mechanics that make the world work. That same complexity and challenge attracts them to playing violin as a […]
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Math Prof. Pays Tribute To Mentor With Stellar Winds Research
Bhimsen Shivamoggi, Ph.D., recently capped three years of research with a publication that presents new ideas about the dynamics of stellar winds. But that’s not what makes him most excited. Shivamoggi is an applied mathematician by trade, but he ventured into the new territory of mainstream astrophysics as an intellectual tribute to his mentor Gene […]
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Scientist Surpasses 10K Publication Citations
A Physics scientist recently crossed the threshold of more than 10,000 citations in scholarly works — a distinction that added his name to the 2019 Highly Cited Researchers list compiled by the Web of Science Group. The award places Assistant Professor Madhab Neupane, Ph.D., in the top 1% of the world’s most cited scientific papers. […]
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Physicists Reveal Quantum Secrets Using Lasers
UCF physicists are using lasers to create mini-movies showing how electrons undergo changes on the quantum level. The technique relies on pulses of light that only last a few hundred femtoseconds; for perspective, comparing one femtosecond to a regular second is akin to comparing a second to a hundred million years. While the technique […]
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Dr. Tosha Dupras Appointed Interim Dean of College of Sciences
A message from Michael Johnson, Ph.D., Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs I am pleased to announce that Associate Dean Tosha Dupras, Ph.D., has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Sciences while I fulfill my role as interim provost. I am confident Dr. Dupras will do an outstanding job […]
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Student Coaching Project Earns Marchioli Award
An ongoing project to boost classroom student engagement through high-impact practices (HIP) recently earned one of UCF’s highest internal awards. Called HIP Coaches, the project uses student coaches to mentor and guide fellow students through high-impact learning experiences, such as collaborative assignments and projects, undergraduate research, cultural competency, community-based learning and internships. The idea is […]
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Chemistry Professor Recognized For Outstanding Lab Safety
UCF Environmental Health and Safety recently awarded Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, Ph.D, and his team of dedicated researchers the 2019 Safety Champion Award. This award recognizes faculty members that provide support to EHS and adhere to UCF policy and procedure within a research setting. “It is great to know that the effort made to promote safety culture […]
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COS Dean Named Interim Provost
By INTERIM PRESIDENT THAD SEYMOUR JR. I am extremely grateful for Jana Jasinski stepping in as acting provost during the past week and a half, while also continuing as vice provost for Faculty Excellence. I appreciate her leadership and the stability she provided the Academic Affairs team. Jana was named acting provost after I asked Provost Elizabeth […]
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UCF Research Provides Tools for Prosecuting Domestic Violence
New, potentially life-saving research from the Department of Sociology is reshaping the way law enforcement approaches domestic violence. Specifically, an associate professor and doctorate students are working alongside investigators with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to identify signs of strangulation and collect valuable forensic medical evidence to corroborate the potentially lethal attacks. The risk of […]
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OSIRIS REx Target on Asteroid Bennu Revealed, Next Step – Touch-and-Go in 2020
By ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA The OSIRIS-REx team announced today, the selection of two sites on asteroid Bennu that they will target for sample collection next year. The selection of the two spots nicknamed Nightingale and Osprey sites represents a milestone in NASA’s first mission to collect a sample of an asteroid and bring it back […]
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UCF Instructional Video Nominated For Regional Emmy Award
A powerful video detailing a journalist’s approach to her work has earned a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award nomination for the UCF team that produced it. The project, titled “Ethics in Journalism: A Morning with Nancy Alvarez,” explores the decisions the Channel 9 anchor made approaching news coverage of two major Orlando stories: the Pulse nightclub […]
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Physics Education Produces Twelve Teachers in Two Years
Adam LaMee has always had a passion for showing others the wonder of physics. So when UCF recruited him from his small, high school classroom to teach in their Physics Teacher Education (PhysTEC) program, it was a no-brainer. Now on its eighth year, LaMee’s passion has led PhysTEC to hit a major milestone: the 5+ […]