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Pluto a Planet? New Research from UCF Suggests Yes
By Robert H. Wells The reason Pluto lost its planet status is not valid, according to new research from the University of Central Florida. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union, a global group of astronomy experts, established a definition of a planet that required it to “clear” its orbit, or in other words, be the […]
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UCF Professor Discovers First-of-its-Kind Material for the Quantum Age
A UCF physicist has discovered a new material that has the potential to become a building block in the new era of quantum materials, those that are composed of microscopically condensed matter and expected to change our development of technology. Researchers are entering the Quantum Age, and instead of using silicon to advance technology they […]
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Society and the Seven Deadly Sins
James Wright is no stranger to publishing, having already written 25 books and over 300 articles and essays. Now, this retired sociology professor adds another publishing success under his belt- as of May 16, his new book, Lost Souls: Manners and Morals in Contemporary American Society, is out in the world! In Lost Souls, Wright […]
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UCF Anthropology Alumna Attracts International Attention
Sammantha Holder is a University of Central Florida alumna whose academic research surrounding dietary analysis is being internationally recognized by mainstream media. Holder graduated from UCF in 2013 with a master’s degree in anthropology where she conducted research that is now attracting considerable attention. The Guardian, Archaeology Magazine and National Radio Australia, which is similar […]
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NSF Funded Research Could Help Cure Disease
Chemistry doctoral student Riley Gentry was awarded the Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP) by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in spring 2017. Out of the 13 thousand national applicants representing a wide range of scientific disciplines, only 15 percent were chosen for the award. Gentry provided a personal statement, a research proposal and letters of […]
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UCF Chemistry Professor Discovers Energy Breakthrough
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today A chemistry professor in Florida has just found a way to trigger the process of photosynthesis in a synthetic material, turning greenhouse gases into clean air and producing energy all at the same time. The process has great potential for creating a technology that could significantly reduce greenhouse […]
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UCF Team Studied Sea Urchins to Restore Reefs
A team of scientists from the University of Central Florida Department of Biology had its five year research project on endangered sea urchins published in the Bulletin of Marine Science. The research conducted by biology undergraduate student at the time Luke Chandler, along with Associate Professor Eric Hoffman, Ph.D., and Pegasus Professor Linda Walters, Ph.D., […]
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UCF Physics Team Finds Solution for Celestial Radiation
University of Central Florida Department of Physics Professor Dan Britt, Ph.D., and UCF planetary sciences doctoral student Leos Pohl believe there is an alternative to battling radiation in space. Research of the UCF scientists was recently featured in a New Scientist article, ‘Asteroid clay is a better space radiation shield than aluminium,’ published March 14, […]
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Robots and Trust Issues
The expertise of Florian Jentsch, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida, was recently cited in an article on the Inverse web site. Jentsch, a psychology professor at UCF with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Simulation and Training, specializes in human-automation […]
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Victim of Domestic Violence Uses Past Experience to Initiate Change
University of Central Florida sociology doctoral student Donna King has taken her tragic experience and turned it into an opportunity for change. King, along with her husband Attorney Jerrell Dayton King, recently conducted research on the U.S. court system and its impact on victims of domestic violence. The research, A Call for Limiting Absolute Privilege: […]
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Peer Milk-Sharing Participants Generally Keep it Clean
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Mothers who want the benefits of breast milk for their babies but can’t produce the substance often turn to milk-sharing networks. A new study from the University of Central Florida found that although not a recommended practice, those who participate in milk-sharing networks generally follow good hygiene, which is […]
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Feminine Rivalry, Partner Violence, and Inauthenticity Work
Assistant Professor in the UCF Department of Sociology Amanda Anthony, Ph.D., had her diverse research published in three articles throughout 2016. In March, 2016, her paper titled ‘When Beauty Brings Out the Beast: Female Comparisons and the Feminine Rivalry’ was published in the journal Gender Issues. Anthony worked with UCF sociology doctoral student Sarah Okorie […]
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Pegasus Professor Weighs in on General Strikes
Research findings of Pegasus Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., were recently published in a posting on the Monkey Cage, the political blog of The Washington Post. The posting, published on Feb. 8, discusses the Women’s March organizers’ push for a general strike against President Trump. Hamann and her […]
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UCF Professor Cited in Politico Magazine
Research by Visiting Assistant Professor Christopher Olds, Ph.D., was recently cited in an article in “Politico” magazine. Olds teaches in the University of Central Florida’s Department of Political Science. His research on political communication specializes on the effects of public remarks made by the American president. The two research projects referenced in the article were published […]
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Sickening of the Seas: UCF Team Discovers Destructive Sea Regime
Research conducted by UCF political science master’s graduate Rafaella Lobo, ’15, and political science Professor, Peter Jacques, Ph.D., exposed an invisible regime that governs the seas they labeled the ‘World Ocean Regime.’ Lobo and Jacques collaborated on the research that uncovers silent rules that allow environmental harm to be inflicted internationally. These rules are silent […]
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UCF Professor Tops Sayfie Review
A column written by Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Central Florida Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., topped the website Sayfie Review this month. On January 12, 2017, Jewett’s column titled “The Contest to Predict the Presidential Winner in Florida Was as Close as the Race Itself” was posted to the […]
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Examining Veterans’ Musculoskeletal Health
Two researchers in the Department of Sociology at the University of Central Florida recently had their paper accepted to the peer-reviewed open access journal Public Library of Science (PLOS ONE). Assistant Professors Ramon Hinojosa, Ph.D., and Melanie Sberna Hinojosa, Ph.D., collaborated on their paper entitled “Activity Limiting Musculoskeletal Conditions in Veteran and Non-Veteran Populations Using the 2013 National Health Interview Survey.” […]
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UCF Sociologists Research Toward a Healthier Community
Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Central Florida Melanie Sberna Hinojosa, Ph.D., has been leading sociology students through trailblazing research. Two of her papers focusing on public health were recently published in academic journals. The paper “Using Andersen’s Behavioral Model to Predict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation among U.S. […]
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UCF Sociologists Research Children’s Health
Sociologists at the University of Central Florida are actively researching issues surrounding children’s health. Assistant Professor of Sociology Melanie Sberna Hinojosa, Ph.D., is at the forefront of research on this important topic. As part of a grant provided through the Office of Research and Commercialization at UCF for $7500, Sberna Hinojosa formed the UCF Child […]
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Researching Toward a Healthier Community
A paper recently published by Yingru Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of Geographical Information Systems at the University of Central Florida’s Department of Sociology, assessed an issue of great importance in the U.S. According to Li, childhood obesity rate has tripled in the United States in the past 30 years. Because of obesity-related illnesses, children are […]
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Physics Professor’s Research Published in Science
Luca Argenti, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department Physics and College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida, has co-authored a research paper recently published in the prestigious journal “Science.” This work is the result of a large theoretical and experimental collaboration that came together in 2013 to address a long-standing conundrum […]
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News and Views
Assistant Professor in the UCF Department of Physics Michael Chini, Ph.D., wrote a “News and Views” article for the academic journal “Nature” published on October 20, 2016. In his News and Views article, Chini highlights research on ultrafast electron dynamics in solid-state materials which was performed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics. […]
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UCF Physicist Observes Breakthrough
UCF physicist Madhab Neupane, Ph.D., led a group of international researchers to examine BiPd, discovering characteristics never seen before in the material. “These characteristics have the potential to be the first step in an entirely new field of electronics and technology,” explained Neupane, assistant professor in the Department of Physics. Neupane led the team of […]
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Examining 46 Years of Sociology Research
A book recounting and analyzing 46 years of a UCF Pegasus Professor’s research has been published by Transaction Publishers. Social Problems, Social Issues, Social Science: The Society Papers is a professional memoir of the work of UCF sociologist James Wright, Ph.D., throughout his successful career. Beginning with his 1970 master’s thesis, Wright provides a foundational […]
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Research Team Discovers New Behavior of Friction
A group of physics students and their faculty advisor recently tested a theory that was thought untestable and observed an atomic behavior that had never been seen before. Their findings could mean big things for the future of friction and wear-reduction technologies. The team, advised by Masahiro Ishigami, Ph.D., associate professor of physics and nanoscience […]
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Physics Team’s Research Paper is Editor’s Pick
A UCF research team just had its paper on how to improve graduate student teaching methods chosen as an Editor’s Pick in “Physical Review.” The journal is the flagship series of the American Physical Society, the largest society of physicists in the U.S. Among its newest offerings, added in 2005, is an open access online […]
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UCF Team Tricks Solid Into Acting as Liquid
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Two scientists at the University of Central Florida Chemistry Department have discovered how to get a solid material to act like a liquid without actually turning it into liquid, potentially opening a new world of possibilities for the electronic, optics and computing industries. When chemistry graduate student Demetrius A. […]
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A Call for Humanitarian Priorities
Peter J. Jacques, Ph.D., professor in the UCF Political Science Department, was recently published on The Cipher Brief regarding Water Security in the Middle East: a Call for Humanitarian Priorities. The Cipher Brief is a digital security-based conversation platform that connects the private sector with the world’s leading security experts. Dr. Jacques teaches environmental security in the UCF Security […]
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Ordinary People, Extraordinary Risks
Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., the Jalal Talabani Endowed Chair of Kurdish Political Studies in the UCF Department of Political Science, recently published an innovative article in the flagship journal of the American Political Science Association. Under what conditions does an individual willingly risk his or her life for a political cause? Dr. Tezcür explains that […]
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Anthropology Student Studies Homelessness
Anthropology graduate student, Rebecca Young, ’14, currently has an article under review in the peer reviewed journal, Human Organization, about homelessness in Orlando and Oviedo. Rebecca has done research on this topic for four years and has presented her work widely at the largest conferences in the U.S. Rebecca started attending UCF in fall 2010 and […]