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Nicholson Student Makes TV Debut on Food Network’s ‘Halloween Wars’
A UCF sophomore makes his debut this Sunday as the youngest-ever competitor on Food Network’s hit show “Halloween Wars.” The show pits six teams of three against each other to build spooky creations, with each member of the team contributing expertise in either cake decorating, sugar art or pumpkin carving. Jarid Altmark, an Advertising and […]
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UCF Biologist Records Highest-Ever Voltage By Electric Eel
A UCF biologist is attracting global attention for recording the highest-ever voltage generated by an electric eel — or any living creature, for that matter. The record-shattering 860-volt eel was discovered by Associate Professor William Crampton, Ph.D., during an expedition to the Tapajós River of Brazil. The eel belongs to one of two new species […]
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Former “Striking Knight” Takes Gold in Bowling at Pan American Games
Team USA took gold in bowling this year at the Pan American games with the help of a former Striking Knight. The winning margin of 200 pins was the work of Stefanie Johnson ’06 ’08MA and her bowling partner, Shannon O’Keefe. “I couldn’t believe our margin,” says Johnson, who majored in criminal justice and earned a master’s in communication from […]
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Arecibo Observatory Gets $19 Million NASA Grant to Help Protect Earth from Asteroids
BY ZENAIDA KOTALA Knowledge is power and NASA has just invested $19 million into the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico to gain a lot of knowledge about asteroids. NASA awarded the University of Central Florida (which manages the site on behalf of National Science Foundation) the four-year grant to observe and characterize near-Earth objects (NEO) […]
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Growing International Impact Focus Of New Global Perspectives Chief
Developing UCF’s place in the world is David Dumke’s mission. And Dumke is well-suited to the task. Since 2012, Dumke has led the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies. Now Dumke is taking on his next task: leading the Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives. The leadership post was held […]
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$610K Grant Boosts Development of Radiochemistry Lab
One of UCF’s newest labs just received a $610,000 grant to advance the field of radiochemistry and produce a new generation of nuclear scientists. The grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was awarded to the Chemistry Department’s Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, Ph.D., whose research focuses on the environmental fate and geochemical transformations of radioactive contaminants, organic pollutants […]
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UCF Graduate Chris Van Dorn Channels Batman To Rescue Animals
Step aside Bruce Wayne. Chris Van Dorn ’17 is the real hero Gotham — and Orlando — deserves. Van Dorn’s mission to rescue animals dressed as Batman recently made national news, and bumped him closer to making his rescue mission a full-time opportunity. “It all started in the shower,” said Van Dorn, a sociology alumnus. […]
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Biology Master’s Student Chosen For Prestigious Pew Fellowship
A biology master’s student’s research just received a big endorsement from the prestigious Pew Charitable Trusts and the Florida Wildlife Commission. The national and state organizations are funding the research of Michelle Shaffer, ’16, who has spent the past five years studying the ecosystems and wildlife in the Indian River Lagoon in conjunction with the […]
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Political Science Department Becomes New UCF School
UCF has added a new school to its roster with the change of the Department of Political Science to the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs. While political science remains at the heart of the school and the academic curriculum, the new designation better reflects the broader scope of its mission and programs, […]
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NASA Awards $7.5 Million to UCF’s Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science
BY ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA NASA today awarded a $7.5 million grant to UCF’s Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS), helping secure the next five years of the center’s bright future. “This win goes a long way to ensure UCF leadership in space science for the Space Coast” says Professor Dan Britt, the center’s director, […]
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UCF Research Impact: U.S. Virgin Islands Ban Harmful Sunscreens
BY ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA The U.S. Virgin Islands Tuesday became the first American jurisdiction to ban sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate effective Dec. 31, to help restore its coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Hawaii and Key West, Florida, passed bans that go into effect next year but they don’t go as far as this legislation, which […]