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Virtual UCF Arboretum Expands Offerings For Digital Game Designers
The Virtual UCF Arboretum continues to expand its reach and impact, with the recent launch of a new library of 70 photorealistic plants for use in augmented and virtual reality. The free-to-use content pack of 3D plants on the Epic Games Unreal Engine Marketplace follows last year’s $25,000 Epic Megagrant from the same game maker, […]
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UCF Physics Bridge Program Produces 2nd and 3rd Graduates
By NIKITTA CAMPBELL The UCF Physics Bridge Program continues to produce successful graduates, with two of its Ph.D. students becoming the second and third UCF participants to graduate from the American Physics Society (APS) Bridge Program. Fernand Torres-Davila and Brian Zamarripa Roman walk the stage at the end of the summer semester. The Physics Department […]
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Endowed Scholarship Further Cements UCF’s Leadership Role in Gaming Industry
Thanks to a $100,000 gift from Electronic Arts (EA), an endowed scholarship was created to benefit students in the University of Central Florida’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media in the College of Sciences. One of many initiatives in a multifaceted strategy to empower students from diverse backgrounds to explore successful careers in fields of […]
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UCF Advocacy Leads To Bump In Physics Enrollment at Jones High School
A competitive advantage was offered to Jones High School seniors this past year when they were automatically enrolled in physics. Administration for the high school in the heart of Orlando did so at the urging of UCF leadership and Department of Physics, which recognizes that a full year of physics prepares students to be four […]
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Invitation To Watch Online Presentations By COS Dean Candidates
A message from Interim Provost Michael Johnson, Ph.D.: The campus community is invited to online presentations starting Monday (June 21) through June 29 by finalists for the next dean of the UCF College of Sciences. Each finalist will provide a presentation on student success and helping UCF advance as a major metropolitan research university. Questions […]
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Study Sheds Light on Pre-Columbian Life in Understudied Area of SW Amazon
A new study co-authored by University of Central Florida researchers shows that pre-Columbian people of a culturally diverse but not well-documented area of the Amazon in South America significantly altered their landscape thousands of years earlier than previously thought. The findings, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show evidence […]
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STRONG Program Shrinks University, Offers STEM Students Success
The University of Central Florida carries a reputation for its size, but Anael Ais didn’t fully realize how big the university truly is until he transferred from Valencia College. “It’s a big adjustment because UCF is such a big school and it’s hard to navigate that alone,” said Ais. The university began to shrink, however, […]
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19 UCF Students Living the Dream, Working at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
For 19 UCF students, the dream of working for NASA came true this past semester as they completed internships at Kennedy Space Center through NASA’s Pathways Program. The program gives qualifying university students an opportunity to work at the space agency, where every semester UCF has students working in everything from engineering to accounting. The students […]
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UCF Research Flies Three-for-Three on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Unity
University of Central Florida research has now flown on the first three flights of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, with Saturday’s successful launch and landing at Spaceport America in New Mexico. “It was exhilarating and moving to share the experience with the large group of family and friends of Virgin Galactic employees on hand for […]
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138 Faculty Promoted Across the University
After going through a rigorous evaluation process, 138 UCF faculty have been promoted and 45 have been awarded tenure for the 2020-2021 cycle. The process for promotion and tenure takes nearly an entire academic year as faculty are evaluated on three main areas: research, teaching and service. At UCF there are many types of faculty […]
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Stout, Hancock Elected as Fellows of National Academy of Kinesiology
Two UCF faculty were recently honored as fellows of the National Academy of Kinesiology, a privilege considered the pinnacle career achievement in the discipline of kinesiology. Pegasus Professor Jeffrey Stout from the College of Health Professions and Sciences joins the 2021 class alongside the College of Sciences’ Pegasus Professor Peter Hancock. Both are the first academy fellows […]
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Reach for the Stars Honorees Pushing the Boundaries of Earth and Space
This year’s Reach for the Stars honorees really live up to the award name. They are tackling some huge problems and are conducting research that betters society and improves the possibilities of the human race. The five honorees are: making space travel safer to expand our species’ reach into the galaxy; figuring out how to […]
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2021 Founder’s Day Honorees
BY ALLISON HURTADO ’12 The Founders’ Day Awards celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of our faculty members and students. As we recognize these achievements, we remember the efforts of those women and men who made this university a reality, and we prepare for the accomplishments of the future. In an extraordinary time, our faculty and […]
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Renewed Funding Opens Three More Years Of Citizen Science in Belize
Impactful community research in rural Belize will continue for another three years thanks to renewed funding from the National Science Foundation. The $465,000 grant supports fully funded research experiences for eight undergraduate students and two K-12 teachers each year. The team will perform drone-mapping and citizen science to mitigate flooding and litter in Hopkins Village […]
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New Bachelor’s to be Offered for Big Data
Students interested in big data science careers will benefit from a new Bachelor of Science degree coming this fall. The bachelor’s in Data Science spans a variety of sub-disciplines within the greater field of data science, including mathematics, statistics, specialized programming and algorithm design. It also teaches students how to draw useful conclusions from data […]
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2021 Women’s History Month Honorees
Each March, Faculty Excellence honors 31 women for their impact on students and UCF’s campus community. This year, as we continue to charge on during a pandemic, our women faculty have not wavered in their commitments as mentors, role models, friends, researchers and teachers. This blog post will be updated daily during the month of […]
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UCF Hosts Spring Graduation Celebration, April 30 to May 9
UCF is excited to offer spring graduates and their families the opportunity to choose one of two in-person options to celebrate their achievements. Recognitions of graduates will occur April 30 to May 9. Spring 2021 graduates will have the option of either participating in UCF’s Grad Walk or their college’s in-person commencement. Both recognitions will […]
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New Scholarship Program Opens Statewide Access to RESTORES Training Course
Mental health clinicians across Florida will benefit from free PTSD training thanks to a new educational scholarship program offered by UCF RESTORES. The scholarships open access to UCF RESTORES’ six-hour, fully online Trauma Management Therapy training course, designed to give Florida-based mental health counselors the opportunity to apply the successful methods used within […]
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UCF Faculty Collaborate to Provide Students Free Course Materials
Textbooks and other required course materials can add significantly to the cost of a college degree, and UCF faculty are doing what they can to help. During the Fall 2020 semester, at least 31 faculty members provided their required course materials at no cost to students through the use of open educational resources (OER). These […]
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UCF Engineering and Biology Researchers Collaborate to Aid Coral Reef Restoration
Florida’s threatened coral reefs have a more than $4 billion annual economic impact on the state’s economy, and University of Central Florida researchers are zeroing in on one factor that could be limiting their survival – coral skeleton strength. In a new study published in the journal Coral Reefs, UCF engineering researchers tested how well […]
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Online Class Revamp Earns Psychology Lecturer Top Marks from UCF
UCF prides itself on the quality of its online learning, but the competition was extra steep in 2020 when digital instruction became the widespread norm. So it’s all the more impressive when the Department of Psychology’s Martha Hubertz, Ph.D., landed the annual award for exemplary leadership in online teaching. Hubertz received the Chuck Dzubian Award […]
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Rare Bethlehem Star, Geminids and More Delight Stargazers this Month
Stargazers are in for a very rare treat on Monday. If the clouds cooperate, they’ll be able to see the “Bethlehem Star” — an event that hasn’t been seen in about 800 years. The moniker applies to the Christian description of the “Bethlehem” or “Christmas Star” that was said to have appeared in the night […]
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UCF Researchers Earn Top Spots in Their Fields in New Ranking of Scientific Impact
Three University of Central Florida researchers are among the world’s top 25 scholars in their field, and 100 are in the top 2%, according to a new study ranking career-long scientific impact of researchers from around the globe. The study, which appeared recently in the journal PLOS Biology, used a composite indicator based on six […]
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Founder of UCF Nanoscience Center Inducted Into National Academy of Inventors
Founding Director and Professor of the UCF Nanoscience Technology Center, James J. Hickman, Ph.D., has been honored as an inductee of the National Academy of Inventors for his outstanding contributions in the fields of both biological and non-biological nanoscience. UCF recruited Hickman in 2004 to establish the NanoScience Technology Center following recognition for his work […]
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Arecibo Observatory’s Telescope Collapses
The instrument platform of the 305-meter telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell at approximately 7:55 a.m. Puerto Rico time today, Dec. 1. No injuries were reported as a result of the collapse, but it caused damage to the observatory dish and surrounding facilities. Extent of the damage is being assessed. “Safety of personnel […]
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UCF RESTORES Starts New Mental Health Services in Orange County for COVID-19
In response to the psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Central Florida’s psychological trauma clinic, UCF RESTORES, is working with Orange County on two new projects to provide treatment services in the area. The work will focus on residents of Azalea Park on the east side of Orlando and essential workers who […]
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Arecibo Observatory Telescope to be Decommissioned After Second Cable Break
Following a review of engineering assessments, the U.S. National Science Foundation today announced it will begin planning the controlled decommissioning of the 1,000-foot-wide telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The observatory, which UCF manages for NSF under a cooperative agreement, has for 57 years served as a world-class resource for radio astronomy and […]
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Political Opposites Unite to Teach Students Value of Common Vision
Today’s students are engaging in a world of politics that’s less meaningful conversation and more “angry team sports,” observes longtime Central Florida pundit Tico Perez ’83. Perez, an attorney and staunch Republican, recently did his part to reverse that trend by joining up with former Florida Representative and Democratic champion Dick Batchelor ‘71 to talk […]
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Critical Seagrass Mapping Project Continues Uninterrupted Thanks to Remote Instruction
Critical work mapping seagrass beds on the Pacific West Coast continues uninterrupted this fall thanks to innovative thinking from the Citizen Science GIS team. The seagrass (also known as eelgrass) project is funded by a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation and helps researchers to measure seagrass meadow dynamics over time. This data […]
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Journalism Students Gain Valuable Election Coverage Experience
Presidential election night is considered the Super Bowl of journalism. Journalists are expected to deliver at the highest-level while under intense pressure in a rapidly changing environment. Sixteen journalism students and 20 radio-television students recently experienced the election rite of passage through a partnership with the Orlando Sentinel on Nov. 3. Orlando’s flagship newspaper has […]