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Biology Professor’s Heritage Inspired His Love of Nature
UCF conservation biology professor Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, Ph.D., grew up with lush forests as his backyard playground. He remembers walking through Veracruz, Mexico, listening to the wind playing in the trees and critters calling to each other all around him. His father would sometimes join him on horseback rides to a nearby river and lake. […]
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Outstanding Alumna Psyched About UCF
There isn’t a typical day for Neuropsychologist Diane Caroline Robinson, Ph.D., ’06, ’10. The two-time UCF psychology alumna is program director of the Cancer Support Community and Integrative Medicine Department for the UF Health Cancer Center – Orlando Health. There she is responsible for the administration, oversight, provision and leadership of all oncology related social […]
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College of Sciences Celebrates Scholarships
By Julia Anderson On Friday, September 23, the UCF College of Sciences held its fourth annual scholarship luncheon to honor its student recipients and the donors that make their scholarships possible. The Cape Florida ballroom in the University of Central Florida’s student union housed the 55 attendees – composed of students, donors, faculty and staff […]
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UCF Statistics Places Second at National Conference
Alumni, students and faculty from the University of Central Florida’s Department of Statistics were in Las Vegas earlier this month attending the 2016 Analytics Experience Conference. The conference was held from September 12 to 14 at the Bellagio hotel. The team of UCF statisticians placed second in the SAS analytics shootout competition– an event put […]
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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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UCF Research Team Seeks to Improve Classroom Learning
Three University of Central Florida professors are teaming up to improve classroom learning for students who struggle with attention deficit disorder, autism and learning disabilities. The National Science Foundation awarded $300,000 to fund Project Adapting College Classrooms to Equally Support Science Students (ACCESSS), led by UCF professors Jacquelyn Chini, Ph.D., Cherie Yestrebsky, Ph.D., and Eleazar […]
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Women of Distinction
Three UCF faculty members were presented with the annual Women of Distinction award by the university’s Center for Success of Women Faculty, with award funding from President Hitt’s Office. The awards recognize some of the unique ways that faculty members contribute to the success of UCF. The recipients chosen this year for excellence in innovation […]
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COS Staff Recognized at Annual Awards Program
The UCF College of Sciences was well represented at the 44th Annual Awards Program on Friday, September 2, 2016. The UCF Human Resources Department held the event in the Pegasus Ballroom where over 500 attendees gathered to celebrate the university’s outstanding USPS and A&P employees. View photos from the event here. Several College of Sciences […]
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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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Lifetime of Achievement
Kerstin Hamann, Pegasus Professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Central Florida, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Political Science Association’s Political Science Education section. Hamann received the award on September 2 at the 2016 APSA annual meeting in Philadelphia. Former President of the Political Science Education […]
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Physics Professor Sheds Light on New Planet
The discovery of the new exoplanet Proxima Centauri b seems like a story out of a science fiction novel – maybe because it actually is. The plot of science fiction author Stephen Baxter’s 2015 book Proxima is about an expedition to the actual red dwarf star Proxima Centauri and the colonization of an Earth-sized planet […]
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UCF Alumna Wins Jeopardy
Story by The UCF Burnett Honors College On an average day, Latin and sports do not go together in the same sentence. Unless, perhaps, you’re a contestant on “Jeopardy!” Luckily for UCF College of Sciences and The Burnett Honors College alumna Courtney Paulson, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in statistics, she is well […]
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The Distinguished Speaker Series is Back!
The UCF College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series is back with exciting new topics presented by renowned experts in their fields. This year’s 2016-17 series will be held monthly at Tuscawilla Country Club at 6:00pm, on the last Wednesday of each month, from September 2016 to April 2017 (excluding December). The Distinguished Speaker Series includes seven […]
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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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Living Shoreline Workshop Makes Waves in K-12 Classrooms
12 educators, representing eight schools throughout three counties, participated in the UCF Living Shoreline Educator Workshop on Sunday, August 28, 2016. Pegasus Professor in the UCF Biology Department Linda Walters, Ph.D., UCF Biology Post-Doctoral Researcher and Instructor Melinda Donnelly, Ph.D., and Paul Sacks, Ph.D., a science educator at Winter Springs High School, led the group […]
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Inspiring Women in STEM
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Julie Delauriers squarely blames UCF Biology professor Linda Walters for where she is in her career today – attending one of the best veterinary schools in the nation. “She is such an inspiration,” Delauriers said from Purdue University. “She kept encouraging me, pushing me to do science research. […]
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Chemistry Welcomes Chair
This summer Cherie Yestrebsky, Ph.D., was named the chair of the UCF Chemistry Department. Dr. Yestrebsky has been serving as interim chair of the department since November of 2014, prior to her long-term appointment in June 2016. Before coming to UCF, Dr. Yestrebsky earned her doctorate in chemistry from the University of South Florida. She […]
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UCF Scientists Investigate Restoration Efforts
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today A scientific answer to a challenge such as water pollution is only part of a long-term solution. For example, science may provide a way to clean water, but keeping it clean usually relies on identifying underlying causes and making a long-term impact on human behavior. A team of UCF […]
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Physics Student Wins with Research
UCF Physics doctoral student Jenna Crowell was the winner of the best student poster award at the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) annual meeting this summer. Supported by NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), Crowell attended the annual meeting in Beijing, China from July 31- August 5. Her presented poster won the top […]
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Psychology Appoints Chair
Clint Bowers, Ph.D., has been appointed as interim chair of the UCF Psychology Department. Although this is a new role for Dr. Bowers, UCF is not new to him. For more than 20 years Dr. Bowers has worked at UCF, serving in positions throughout the university. With a passion for technology, Dr. Bowers oversees the […]
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Professor Honored at Embassy of Kazakhstan
Houman Sadri, Ph.D., associate professor of Political Science at UCF, received a medal dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. Dr. Sadri, accompanied by his son Arman, received the medal at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington, D.C. on August 4, 2016. The Embassy of Kazakhstan awarded Dr. Sadri with […]
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NCFS DARTs for Fast Forensics
Forensic scientists, scholars and students gathered at UCF’s National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS) for ‘DART Day’ on Friday, August 5. Direct analysis in real time – mass spectrometry, or DART-MS is an instrument that can analyze or screen any unknown gas, liquid, or solid sample within 5-10 seconds. NCFS and UCF Chemistry Professor Candice Bridge, […]
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Fighting Inequality with GIS
Representing the UCF Department of Sociology is Yingru Li, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). With a family background deeply rooted in geography, it was no surprise that Dr. Li went to pursue her master’s degree in GIS and Ph.D. in Geography. “My father is a geologist,” explained Dr. Li. “When I was […]
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For the Love of Halley’s Comet
The beauty of Halley’s Comet streaking through the night sky in 1986 is responsible for launching Yan Fernandez, Ph.D.’s, career, which next month puts him smack in the middle of a historic NASA mission to explore a nearby asteroid. The University of Central Florida associate professor of physics is one of the scientists working on the […]
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Summer Grads Celebrate with COS
It’s that time of the year again! The College of Sciences and its academic departments and school hosted their traditional graduation reception for the Summer 2016 graduates. On Saturday, August 6, COS over 600 graduates walked across the commencement stage to receive their diplomas. Graduates and their family and faculty were then welcomed into the UCF Psychology […]
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Outstanding Physics AlumKnight
UCF Physics alumnus Howard Bender, Ph.D., ’98, has stayed connected to his alma mater in more ways than one. Most recently he was recognized as a 2016 College of Sciences Outstanding AlumKnight as well as founded an endowed scholarship in the UCF College of Nursing. Dr. Bender graduated from UCF in 1998 with a doctorate […]
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A Summer of STEM
This summer, UCF hosted its STEM Summer Institute (SI) camps for Central Florida middle and high school students. The STEM Summer Institute (SI) offers a mix of activities designed to maximize learning through hands-on, individualized instruction in an effort to provide science, technology, and math related summer opportunities to students. The SI currently offers camps in […]
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UCF Professor Dives into Marine Ecology
With an appreciation for biology and oceanography, UCF Department of Biology assistant professor Geoffrey Cook, Ph.D., found the field of marine ecology to be a perfect fit. In 2005, Cook was admitted into the Biological Oceanography doctoral program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) where he received a Marine Biodiversity and Conservation NSF-IGERT graduate student fellowship […]
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Dirt in Space
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today As NASA and private space companies look to explore other planets, they are turning to one of the world’s best dirt experts – UCF’s Phil Metzger. Metzger, who works at UCF’s Florida Space Institute, knows his dirt. He has wall to ceiling spice rack shelves in his office that […]
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Sociology Professor Fights Senior Hunger
James Wright, Ph.D., Pegasus Professor and Provost Distinguished Research Professor in the UCF Sociology Department is making strides for the senior community with the Table Sixty initiative. Table Sixty is an effort led by a group of about 50 local community leaders to address the issue of senior food insecurity in Orange County. As Chairman […]