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2021 Another Record Year – Five Consecutive Years of Rising Research Funding
Despite a pandemic that slowed the economy; delayed or derailed some federal and private agencies’ spending plans; and frustrated supply chains, UCF generated $212.9 million in research awards — up more than $8 million from 2020. The total doesn’t include any CARES nor Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds, which the federal government provided in response […]
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Maggy Tomova Joins the College of Sciences Today as Dean
Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., officially joins the University of Central Florida today as dean of the College of Sciences. Tomova, 44, brings deep research and leadership experience to the role, most recently as associate dean for the 18 departments that fall under the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences […]
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UCF Part of NASA Mission Launching Saturday to Explore Trojan Asteroids
UCF Physics Professor Dan Britt is counting down to Saturday morning when NASA’s Lucy mission is set to blast off from the Space Coast. Britt, a physicist and geologist, is part of the science team that will analyze the data Lucy collects from the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. This area of the solar system is […]
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UCF Student Selected as Orlando’s Second Poet Laureate
For Shawn Welcome ’17, serving as Orlando’s second Poet Laureate is the culmination of years of supporting poetic expression and storytelling in the city. From studying at UCF to working with a variety of area organizations, including the Orlando Boys & Girls Club and Hope CommUnity Center, he has deep roots in the Orlando community. […]
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UCF Grad Student Leaves No Stone Unturned to Advance Space Exploration
This Knight leaves no stone unturned, not even on the moon. Autumn Shackelford is a physics doctoral student studying planetary bodies without atmospheres. Specifically, she is looking at the surface composition of the moon and Mercury. Being the first in her family to pursue the sciences, the Tennessee native was deeply influenced by science museums […]
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UCF’s Brightest Shine During Luminary Awards
The UCF community celebrated the accomplishments of 15 exceptional faculty members at its annual Luminary Awards Night. UCF leadership lauded faculty members for being leaders in their fields and conducting work that has had a significant impact on the world. COVID-19 disrupted plans for the recognition ceremony in 2020 so UCF honored the 2020 and […]
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New Resource Makes It Easier to Find Research Collaborators Across Colleges
The Office of the Provost and the Office of Research have partnered to provide those conducting research and creative works at UCF a new resource — the Scholar Expertise Portal. The portal allows faculty and students to see what kind of research and creative works their fellow colleagues are working on. You can search by […]
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Free Lab Coat Cleaning Service Available to UCF Researchers
Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 6, faculty, students and staff who work in a research lab at UCF can say goodbye to washing their own lab coats. Those working in a lab and who have completed all their safety training will be able to walk up to one of seven kiosks, swipe their UCF ID, select a […]
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UCF Has More Than a Dozen Research Projects Aimed at Returning the U.S. to the Moon
When the U.S. returns humans to the Moon in the coming years, there’s a good chance that University of Central Florida research will have played a role in the return, whether from landing there safely, harvesting its resources, or training the next generation of space scientists. The university, known for its extensive space research, currently has […]
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Tezcür Tapped to Lead School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs
The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs recently appointed Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., to become its second director. Tezcür studies political violence, politics of identity and democratization, with a focus on Iranian, Kurdish, and Turkish human geography. He has published more than two dozen scholarly articles in journals including American Political Science Review, Comparative […]
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New Dean Named for UCF’s College of Sciences
Maggy Tomova will become the next dean of UCF’s College of Sciences on Oct. 18. She joins UCF from the University of Iowa, where she currently serves as the associate dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her appointment by Michael D. Johnson, interim provost and […]
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Scientists Work to Ensure Solutions to Red Tide Don’t Cause More Harm than Good
A team of experts from Florida and Massachusetts are evaluating a technique that may help eliminate the algae blooms that cause massive fish kills, stink up neighborhoods and disrupt the Florida economy. A recent large-scale experiment promises a deeper understanding of how marine life responds to a red tide mitigation technique called clay flocculation. Red […]
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Department of Physics Gains Experienced Leader, Scientist As New Chair
A longtime fixture in the UCF Department of Physics and world-recognized planetary sciences expert was recently appointed chair of the department. In an interview with the College of Sciences, Pegasus Professor Josh Colwell, Ph.D. shares his journey to this point and his vision for the future. College of Sciences: What sparked your interest in space? […]
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Film Festival Launches To Highlight Issues In the Latin American/LatinX Communities
The first Latin American/ Latinx Film Festival at UCF launches over September and October with the intention of shedding light on issues the Latin American and Latino communities face. The six films explore themes like gender issues, racism, colonialism and LGBTQ issues. The festival was created by School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs Lecturer […]
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UCF Awarded $800,000 Grant to Establish Center on Materials Research and Education
The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Central Florida an $800,000 grant to help build a partnership with the University of Washington that will accelerate research in the areas of Ultrafast Dynamics and Catalysis in Emerging Materials. UCF was one of 10 universities selected across the nation for the award. The funding, […]
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Congratulations to the Summer 2021 Doctoral Graduates
Biology Jordan Dowell, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Chase Mason, Ph.D. and Pedro Quintana-Ascencio, Ph.D. Dissertation: “Genetics and Evolution of Specialized Metabolism In Wild and Cultivated Helianthus.” Christopher Long, Ph.D., faculty advisor, Katherine Mansfield, Ph.D. Dissertation: “Long-Term Changes in Juvenile Green Turtle Abundance and Foraging Ecology in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida.” Chemistry Sajia Afrin, Ph.D., faculty […]
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Radioactive Contaminant Research Receives Boost from American Chemical Society
New research on radioactive iodine has received the American Chemical Society Award in Environmental Chemistry. Ilana Szlamkowicz recently received the award for her research in the fate of iodine, a radioactive contaminant that results from nuclear fission in the environment. “We’re trying to find ways to lower the risk of people encountering radioactive iodine,” Szlamkowicz […]
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UCF Space Experts Work with School Teachers to Bring University Research Alive in Classrooms
When children return to school next week, students at four Central Florida schools will have new hands-on space science activities to look forward to, thanks to a collaboration with space experts at UCF. This past summer, teachers from East River High School, Wekiva High School, South Creek Middle School, and Mollie Ray Elementary spent time […]
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Study: UCF Tops Production of Ergonomics and Human Factors Research Papers
The University of Central Florida and five of its researchers produced the most articles in the world on the topic of ergonomics and human factors over an 18-year span, according to a new study. The study, published July 20, 2021 in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, examines the volume of research produced […]
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UCF Doctoral Scholar Named National Science Foundation Biology Fellow
The National Science Foundation has awarded UCF doctoral scholar William Beckerson one of a handful of national Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology. The $138,000 award is a result of his work on promising research exploring a “mind control” fungus for medical applications to treat neurological disorders. Beckerson, a molecular geneticist, is investigating Ophiocordyceps, a fungal […]
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Surviving Earthquake Motivates UCF Grad to Make the Most of Her Life
A decade has passed since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, killing roughly 250,000 people and injuring another 300,000. Many who survived were forced to live among the aftermath in makeshift tents. Soon-to-be UCF graduate Bianka Paul was one of them. Paul, who is earning two degrees in psychology and criminal justice this semester, remembers […]
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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 […]