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UCF Professor Retires after 53 Years
Roger Handberg’s milestone marked with a celebratory last lecture. By: Emily Dougherty | April 24, 2025 Professor of Political Science, Roger Handberg, Ph.D., in The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA) within the College of Sciences is retiring after over five decades of research, teaching, and administration at UCF. Before his journey as […]
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Celebrating College of Sciences 2025 Founders’ Day Awardees
UCF’s annual event celebrates outstanding accomplishments and contributions of employees, faculty, and students By: Emily Dougherty | March 31, 2025 Student Awards Order of Pegasus UCF’s highest student honor, which recognizes new inductees into the Order of Pegasus. Additional awards include graduate honors for exceptional master’s theses and dissertations, undergraduate awards for outstanding honors theses, […]
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Addition Financial Analytics Competition Winners Announced
A team of two Knights takes home the grand prize at the Big Data Analytics Symposium By: Emily Dougherty | March 28, 2025 The UCF Department of Statistics and Data Science collaborated with Pegasus Partner, Addition Financial, to host its annual analytics competition and named its winners at the Big Data Analytics Symposium, hosted at UCF this […]
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UCF Announces 2025’s 30 Under 30 Alumni Award Recipients
UCF Alumni is proud to unveil the extraordinary honorees of the 2025 Class of 30 Under 30. These visionary alumni, driven by unwavering dedication and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence, are not just shaping the future — they are redefining it. Their impact extends beyond personal success, igniting inspiration and facilitating change in every sphere […]
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Women Supporting Science Event Showcases UCF RESTORES’ Cutting-Edge Technology and Treatment for First Responders
Community of local alumni, philanthropists, and volunteers receive up-close look at support that first responders, military veterans, and disaster victims receive from UCF RESTORES By: Emily Dougherty | February 7, 2025 In a display of collaboration and community, College of Sciences’ UCF RESTORES recently hosted Women Supporting Science, a group of women supporting philanthropy in […]
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Physics Doctoral Student Advances Research to Improve Effectiveness for Scientific Instruments on the Moon’s Surface
College of Sciences Ph.D. Candidate makes strides with research on lunar space exploration with NASA fellowship By: Emily Dougherty | January 28, 2025 Jared Long-Fox, a doctoral student in the Planetary Science Track in the Department of Physics within the College of Sciences, is advancing research supported by the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities […]
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UCF Psychology Online Bachelor’s Degree Ranked Fourth Nationally in U.S. News & World Report
2025 marks the fourth consecutive year that the online bachelor’s degree program in Psychology has ranked in the top five of all programs in the U.S. By Sultana Ali | January 21, 2025 UCF is known for its innovation and breadth and depth of program offerings for a diverse student population. One of those online […]
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GeoBus UCF Builds Momentum for New Adventures in 2024
Looking back on 2023, GeoBus UCF accomplished a lot—both in Florida and internationally. We spoke with Associate Professor of Geographic Information Systems in the Department of Sociology and 2024 National Geographic Explorer Timothy Hawthorne, Ph.D. about these exciting accomplishments. Top Three GeoBus Highlights in 2023 2024 Goals for GeoBus When asked about goals for this […]
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Faculty from Department of Mathematics Included in Top Two Percent of Researchers in the World Group
In a recent article published by a Stanford research group, six faculty from the Department of Mathematics were included in their list of the top two percent of researchers in the world. Variables including the number of papers authored, total citations and the impact of published research were considered. Department of Mathematics Chair Professor Xin […]
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Doing Your Own Online Fact-checking May Not Be as Effective in Detecting Fake News, NYU and UCF Study Reveals
New findings from a study published in Nature and led by UCF’s School of Politics, Security and International Affairs Assistant Professor Kevin Aslett shed light on the ways that conducting your own online research can be misleading. Aslett worked with a team of fellow researchers from New York University and Stanford University over a span […]
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Data Fuels Conservation Work for Biology Assistant Professor
Most folks recognize the image of scientists tagging birds and animals to study wildlife patterns and habits. What’s less familiar is what happens with that data after they’re released back into the wild, and how researchers use that information to steer conservation work. That’s the expertise of Assistant Professor Christen Fleming, Ph.D., a new faculty […]
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Psychology Research Project Supports Well-Being of Prescribed Fire Practitioners
Psychology Assistant Professor Chelsea LeNoble, Ph.D. is spearheading a research project on the well-being of prescribed fire practitioners. LeNoble shared, “Prescribed fire is a tool that can prevent more catastrophic wildfires. It helps by reducing fuels (e.g., sticks, leaves, fallen trees) in a controlled way and maintaining the health of the natural ecosystems that rely […]
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Congratulations Fall 2023 Doctoral Graduates!
This fall, 26 College of Sciences Ph.D. graduates will walk across the stage into futures making an impact in academia and industry. They have dedicated themselves to countless hours of research that have made an impact on both them and those around them. These graduates are now ready for the next step in their careers. […]
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Biology Ph.D. Students Awarded at the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Integrative and Conservation Biology Ph.D. candidates Davide Dal Pos and Alessandra Pandolfi were honored with awards at the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting in Maryland. Dal Pos earned the first place award in the Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity (SysEB): Morphology 2 section for his presentation titled, “A revised terminology for male genitalia in Hymenoptera […]
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The Power of AI Unleashed Through UCF’s AI Initiative
Talk of AI is all around. Whether discussed in the context of education, the workforce or everyday life, it is certainly making a large impact. According to the program’s website, UCF’s Artificial Intelligence Initiative (Aii) aims to hire close to 30 new AI faculty members from across five different colleges: College of Sciences, College of […]
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Stories from Ancient Pottery Uncovered by Anthropology MA Student
Anthropology MA student Emily Tyler has invested significant time in her thesis studying pottery from the Burns Site in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Professor Sarah Barber, Ph.D. shared, “Emily has had the opportunity to learn a wide range of analytical techniques as part of her research, which will be valuable to her as she moves forward […]
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Biology Student Awarded at Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science Conference
Biology student Stefannia Tasayco recently had the opportunity to attend the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans (SACNAS) 2023 National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, Oregon. She was selected for the Outstanding Research Presentation award for her research poster on seagrass and living shoreline restoration. Read what she had to say about […]
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Sociology Expertise Strengthens Campus Safety Initiatives
Parking at night is a simple but powerful illustration Associate Professor Alison Cares, Ph.D., uses to teach gendered experiences with violence and victimization. Routes through campus after hours are typically dictated by lighting, exits and number of people in an area — and often preplanned by women and non-gender confirming people. If men consider these factors […]
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UCF Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab Receives Disney Grant, Continues Restoration Research
UCF’s Coastal & Estuarine Ecology Laboratory (CEELAB) continues to grow and expand its influence with an investment from Disney and a research project attracting top science talent from across the U.S. The achievement came in the form of $100,000 to Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters and integrative coastal biology doctoral student Katherine Harris ’18 […]
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UCF Rises to No. 36 Best National Universities Ranking by Washington Monthly for 2023
UCF again is recognized among the nation’s most impactful institutions for students and communities — advancing into the top 40 Best National Universities and the top 20 for social mobility in Washington Monthly’s annual rankings released today. Washington Monthly’s rankings are based on what institutions “do for our country” — contributions to the public good […]
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College of Sciences Sets New Research Funding Record
The College of Sciences saw a record $43.6 million in research awards this past year — up from $25 million in 2021–22. This is the first year that the college has ranked first in funding across the university. “This is a tremendous accomplishment by our research faculty and students,” said Associate Dean and Pegasus Professor […]
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UCF Is Leading Comprehensive Study of Centaurs and Jupiter-family Comets
A UCF researcher is working on a new, NASA-funded project that will gather the most comprehensive collection of data on active centaurs and distantly-active Jupiter-family comets to date. The work will inform research into the origins of the solar system, as these bodies contain materials from the dawn of its formation. Centaurs and Jupiter-family comets […]
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Celebrating 60 Years of UCF: A Legacy of Excellence, A Future of Possibilities
The University of Central Florida was founded in 1963 to fuel the talent and technology needs of America’s growing space program at the Space Coast. From the beginning, UCF’s purpose has been to help people and organizations “Reach for the Stars,” which is the university’s official motto. As you look across the constellation of industry, […]
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Why is UCF a Leading Producer of Aviation Talent in the U.S.?
The next time you see a plane flying overhead — any plane — consider this: There’s a strong possibility that a graduate or researcher from UCF had something to do with that plane being in the air. It could be an engineer who designed the propulsion system, a pilot who trained on a simulator, or […]
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CEELAB Marks 25 Years of Coastal Restoration
Twenty-five years of work by CEELAB (Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab) — celebrated in May 2023 — can be split into both tangible and intangible achievements. For instance, over the span of 17 years, 66,000 volunteers have participated in one of the longest-running oyster reef restoration projects in the U.S. and restored close to four […]
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55 Years at UCF: A Visionary’s Inspiring Legacy
Looking back on 55 years of teaching at UCF, Professor Emeritus Robert Bledsoe has one secret to success: prioritizing the needs of students. That is the lasting legacy of one of UCF’s original founders, who literally helped name the streets that ring UCF’s main campus. UCF celebrates its 60th anniversary this year — and Bledsoe […]
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Meet UCF’s 4 Pegasus Professors for 2023
Four UCF professors have been named this year’s Pegasus Professors, UCF’s highest faculty designation. Pegasus Professors are selected by the president and provost and are recognized for excellence in the teaching, research and service. This year’s honorees include innovative researchers who have not only made a difference at UCF, but nationally and internationally. Stephen Fiore’s […]
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UCF Reach for the Stars 2023 Honorees Are Unleashing the Potential of People, Ideas
This year’s Reach for the Stars honorees are united by their passion to help people and positively change the world. By promoting positive healthcare and helping improve how we respond to survivors of violence to enriching the human experience through space exploration, advanced computing and cultural understanding, the honorees are helping unleash the potential of […]
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UCF Video Game Design Programs Among the Best in the World for 2023
The University of Central Florida excels as one of the nation’s top talent pipelines for a rapidly growing gaming industry that fuels Central Florida’s economy and is projected to be worth more than $300 billion worldwide by 2026. In UCF’s undergraduate and graduate game design programs, talented students learn from world-class faculty with strong industry […]
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Remembering UCF Alumnus, Spectrum News Reporter Dylan Lyons
An up-and-coming journalist and graduate from the Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) was killed Wednesday while reporting on the scene of a fatal shooting. Dylan Lyons ’19 was 24. Lyons’ journalism professors remember him as a “confident and talented go-getter who was always up for a challenge and never turned down a story,” […]