UCF industrial and organizational psychology doctoral student Andres Käosaar and his team of three fellow Estonians spent three years preparing for the World’s Toughest Row and journeyed as one of 43 boats in the 2025 Atlantic challenge. Read his pre-race feature on UCF Today. They successfully completed their mission of rowing across the Atlantic on […]
Meredith Pratt, an integrative and conservation biology doctoral student at UCF, earned the prestigious Florida Sea Grant/Guy Harvey Fellowship for research on Florida’s changing coastal ecosystems. Her work examines how warming temperatures and expanding mangrove habitats are reshaping fish diets, food webs and species interactions along Florida’s east coast. The findings could inform better management […]
Whether leading efforts in media relations, human resources, guest and client services, or venue, business and transportation logistics, UCF grads are powering the operations behind one of the world’s biggest events coming to the United States this summer: the men’s FIFA World Cup. This year’s tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to be […]
Students, faculty, and alumni earned top recognition at the Florida News Awards, showcasing impactful journalism. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: May 22, 2026 From statewide investigations to deeply personal human-interest stories, students and alumni from the Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) are proving that meaningful journalism begins with curiosity, persistence and a passion for […]
Some of the nation’s most promising scientists can be found in Will Furiosi ’13 ’14MAT’s Oviedo High School classroom. Spend five minutes talking to Ankan Das, Angela Calvo-Chumbimuni and Moitri Santra about their research innovations in robotics, mental health and agriculture, and one truth becomes quite clear: These teens are the real deal. Backed by […]
Scientists at UCF have discovered how certain bacteria can produce molecules chemically similar to those used in explosives, revealing a previously unknown pathway for building complex, nitrogen-rich compounds. The study, led by UCF associate professor of chemistry Jonathan Caranto, identifies hydrazinoacetic acid as a key building block in the production of N-nitroglycine, a rare compound […]
The 2026 Distinguished AlumKnight Awards celebrate graduates whose careers are advancing research, strengthening communities and shaping the future. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published April 22, 2026 At the 2026 Distinguished AlumKnight Awards, the College of Sciences (COS) celebrated alumni whose careers demonstrate how knowledge, leadership and service can create lasting change and impact in the Central Florida Community and beyond. The event honored graduates who are not only leaders […]
Brother Guy J. Consolmango, S.J., astronomer and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, shared insight on astronomy, exploration and scientific discovery during his recent visit to UCF. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published March 31, 2026 Whether on the campus of America’s Space University or at one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world, scientific discovery is shaped both by new ideas and the people who pursue them. UCF students, faculty and researchers […]
Big ideas don’t wait — and neither do the researchers behind them. The 2026 Reach for the Stars honorees — six UCF assistant professors — are already making a substantial impact on their respective fields through meaningful research and creative work that extends far beyond campus, with national and international influence. Across disciplines, their work […]
Tomorrow’s leading video game developers are being built today at UCF. The university’s graduate video gaming program, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), and games and interactive media (GaIM) undergraduate program continue to develop a pipeline of talent to fuel Florida’s economy at a standard of excellence few can match, affirmed by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer’s Top […]
Project Scientist Paul Rosen shared how the NISAR satellite mission is transforming Earth science while demonstrating the impact of international collaboration in space research. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: March 24, 2026 The India Center welcomed students, faculty and community members for its second annual Distinguished Lecture, an event highlighting global collaboration, scientific discovery and the growing partnership between the United States and India. […]
Led by a UCF faculty member, a global team of researchers is using innovative genetic analysis to uncover how countless drifting fish larvae connect distant reefs. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: February 6, 2025 Countless larvae move through the ocean currents every day, and UCF researchers are taking a closer look at how these larvae travel and keep distant reefs connected. Led by […]
UCF researchers excel in anomaly detection to support national security research and advance real-world data science. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: January 8, 2025 A team of UCF researchers and students recently earned a second-place finish in the National Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD) 2025 Challenge, a national data science competition sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and hosted by Penn State’s […]
A scholarship recipient’s point of view at the annual College of Sciences Scholarship Dinner. By: Majdulina Hamed | Published December 10, 2025 Under twinkling lights and spirited applause, the College of Sciences Scholarship Dinner gathered students, faculty and donors to celebrate academic achievement and the transformative power of philanthropy. The evening was more than a formal event — it was a testament […]
Students and forensic professionals gather to explore new methods, tools, and innovative approaches to process evidence for criminal justice cases. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published December 9, 2025 UCF and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) recently joined together for the Educational Colloquium on Recent Advances in Forensic Sexual Assault Investigations, paired with […]
Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
Born from the challenge of the space race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still where our place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
The newly formed council brings together passionate alumni from UCF’s largest college to strengthen alumni engagement. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: October 29, 2025 The College of Sciences (COS) has recently selected a new Alumni Council to represent and engage alumni from UCF’s largest college. Coming from an array of professional backgrounds, these Knights bring […]
A new program, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, will holistically support academically high achieving students with financial barriers on their journey to commencement. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: October 24, 2025 The educational path to a STEM degree can be challenging both in and out of the classroom. To encourage aspiring scientists, […]
Space settlement has been the focus of researchers and organizations for years, offering the possibility of ensuring humanity’s long-term survival, advancing scientific knowledge and driving technological innovation. Agencies like NASA have set their sights on sending astronauts to Mars by the 2030s. To advance to the possibilities of living on other planets, researchers are examining […]
For most diseases, early detection leads to better patient outcomes. That’s why infectious disease experts and chemists at the UCF College of Medicine and College of Sciences were recently awarded a $537,619 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a low cost, accurate test that detects Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV […]
Playing catch-up with UCF Hall of Famer Shaquem Griffin ’16 will require mental reflexes. At least a dozen subjects wrestle for his — and our — attention during a conversation: family, business, technology, football, business again, training, faith, being a good father. The list goes on. Everything on it, in some squiggly way, connects to […]
Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) students gain real-world broadcast experience on the field. Written by: Emily Dougherty | September 26, 2025 When Knight Nation tunes into ESPN+ before a football game, they’re watching more than the countdown to kickoff. They’re watching students’ career ambitions unfold. Hitting the Field, UCF’s student-run sports broadcast network, […]
After a competitive application process, these students will represent the College of Sciences student body through engagement and representation. By: Emily Dougherty | Published: September 22, 2025 The College of Sciences (COS) is kicking off this academic year, and its newly selected student ambassadors are leading the way. The COS Faculty Fellow for Student Engagement […]
The new publication aims to shape the next decade of planetary science research. Written by: Emily Dougherty | Published: August 27, 2025 Maria Womack, a planetary scientist with the Department of Physics and the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is part of a team that’s publishing the first-ever book entirely focused on one of the solar […]
The College of Sciences celebrates the retirement of Teresa Dorman and her lasting impact. By Emily Dougherty | Published July 31, 2025 When Teresa Dorman joined UCF in 1996 as a graduate secretary she didn’t know she would spend the next 29 years reshaping the student experience, creating initiatives, and mentoring advisors, faculty, staff, and […]
Through fellowships, fieldwork, and outreach, Lisa Rodriguez transforms sociological concepts into meaningful solutions for local and global communities. By: Emily Dougherty | June 20, 2025 Lisa Rodriguez, a fourth-year sociology doctoral student in the College of Sciences, is using her academic path and shared experiences to make an impact in communities through research, outreach, and […]
This past month, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) welcomed the KB Foundation and 28 young people in its Philadelphia-based mentorship programs for a tour of FIEA facilities, offering a glimpse into the degrees available and potential future careers in the gaming industry. Students also had an opportunity to visit UCF’s main campus, UCF Downtown, […]
Whether it’s solving the world’s biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at UCF are on the edge of scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the Research in 60 Seconds series, student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights […]