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Bold, Relentless, Rising: Meet UCF’s 2026 Reach for the Stars Honorees
Big ideas don’t wait — and neither do the researchers behind them. The 2026 Reach for the Stars honorees — six UCF assistant professors — are already making a substantial impact on their respective fields through meaningful research and creative work that extends far beyond campus, with national and international influence. Across disciplines, their work […]
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Joshua Colwell Leads UCF’s College of Sciences as Dean
The search for a new dean for the UCF College of Sciences has concluded with the appointment of Joshua Colwell, a Pegasus Professor of physics who has been at UCF for 20 years. Following a competitive national search and rigorous interview process, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Buckwalter selected Colwell on […]
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UCF’s Video Game Design Programs Rank Among World’s Best for 2026
Tomorrow’s leading video game developers are being built today at UCF. The university’s graduate video gaming program, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), and games and interactive media (GaIM) undergraduate program continue to develop a pipeline of talent to fuel Florida’s economy at a standard of excellence few can match, affirmed by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer’s Top […]
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UCF Chemistry Instructor’s Creative Approach Earns Excellence in Online Teaching Award
Nicole Lapeyrouse ’16MS ’18PhD never knows when and where she might be recognized. Students and their significant others who have never met her in person will come up to her in stores and along sidewalks to say, “Excuse me, but aren’t you …?” Yes, it’s her. The chemistry and geology instructor recently walked into a […]
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UCF Aiding Healthy Ecosystems Through Bat Conservation Advancements
A UCF Department of Biology doctoral student has helped position UCF as a contributor to the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a coordinated effort to track bat populations across North America using standardized acoustic methods. Research Path Rooted in Responsibility Ifer White, who serves as a graduate teaching associate while pursuing a Ph.D. in integrative and conservation biology, describes herself […]
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UCF Grad Turns Love for Orlando Into Career
With its numerous industries to sustain a career and vibrant culture to build a life, Orlando isn’t a hard sell. Still, when it comes to promoting all this city has to offer, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who loves it more than Andrea (Rodrigues) Sage ’12. The advertising-public relations grad spent the last […]
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Orlando Family Stage Sets the Mark with UCF Collaboration
Not long ago, Ben Lowe ’22 was working as a lighting designer for Universal Creative, helping craft what would become the next big thing for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: the Ministry of Magic at Universal Epic Universe. The realization hit him one day on the job. This project’s legacy and impact were going […]
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UCF Researcher Co-Authors Studies Reshaping Understanding of Human Origins
For over a century, scientists have searched fossil records for clues to how early human ancestors evolved, migrated and separated across Africa and beyond. Today, researchers such as Sarah Freidline, an assistant professor in the UCF Department of Anthropology, are revisiting those clues with new insights and advanced imaging techniques. In two recent studies, Freidline […]
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UCF Alum’s Influence on Rise of Florida’s Space Coast
As the executive director at the Space Coast Office of Tourism, Peter Cranis ’84 ’88MA wants visitors and residents to experience the sense of wonder he feels every day at his job. From the rush of a rocket launch to the thrill of catching a wave to the joy of exploring natural and wild spaces […]
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Math Launch Program Accelerates Student Success at UCF
UCF is breaking down barriers to STEM success with Math Launch, an accelerated program designed to prepare incoming students for Calculus I —the critical starting point for engineering, computer science and other science majors. By strengthening skills in algebra, trigonometry and pre-calculus, Math Launch enables students to become calculus-ready in just one semester through a […]
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UCF Researchers Create the “Fantastic Four” Chemical Standards for Forensic Science
Forensic science is a field that’s drawn more attention in recent years, thanks to the onset of true crime podcasts and the increase of television shows and films focused on the topic. A survey by Edison Research last year reported that 84% of the U.S. population ages 13 and up are “true crime consumers,” listening or […]
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UCF Study Confirms Flamingos Are Native to Florida and Genetically Fit for Restoration
For all its presence on postcards and popular tourist attractions, the American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) has been largely absent from Florida itself. Nearly wiped out from the state in the early 1900s, the species has shown only faint signs of a true comeback. Now, a new study published in the American Ornithological Society’s Ornithological Applications […]
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Rowing Across the Atlantic Ocean: One UCF Student’s Bold Journey
Andres Käosaar is motivated in life by one simple truth: We are capable of doing more than we think we can. That philosophy has landed the UCF industrial and organizational psychology doctoral candidate on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard during an Arctic ski trip. It’s what has encouraged him to complete 50-mile […]
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UCF Study Explores Formation of Spider-Like Features on Jupiter’s Moon Europa and Potential for Life
From Europa to other icy moons, scientists are studying how surface features form and what they might reveal about the potential for life. In a new study published in The Planetary Science Journal, researchers from UCF, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and other institutions explored a unique, spider-like feature in Manannán Crater on Europa, one […]
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UCF Launches 1st Planetary and Space Sciences Ph.D. Program in Florida
Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
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UCF First-Generation Student Is Finding Her Place in Space
Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
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The Science Behind Star Formation: UCF Professor Studying D2H+ Ions in Extreme Conditions
Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
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UCF Physics Professor Works to Uncover the Universe’s History, One Rock at a Time
Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
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Research in 60 Seconds: Exploring Lunar Landscapes
Born from the challenge of the space race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still where our place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth. Founded to reach the moon, we’re […]
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UCF Biology Professor’s Research Links Warming Migratory Temperatures to Decline in Monarch Butterfly Population
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have one of the most impressive migrations in the animal kingdom, but rising temperatures are disrupting their physiology, migration success and long-term population stability, raising new questions about conservation strategies. In a recent study published in Royal Society Open Science, researchers found that warmer migratory temperatures may be disrupting their reproductive […]
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5 Things to Know About Space Settlement
Space settlement has been the focus of researchers and organizations for years, offering the possibility of ensuring humanity’s long-term survival, advancing scientific knowledge and driving technological innovation. Agencies like NASA have set their sights on sending astronauts to Mars by the 2030s. To advance to the possibilities of living on other planets, researchers are examining […]
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UCF Researchers Developing Easy-to-Use Viral Biosensor Test — Giving Patients More Accurate, Immediate Results
For most diseases, early detection leads to better patient outcomes. That’s why infectious disease experts and chemists at the UCF College of Medicine and College of Sciences were recently awarded a $537,619 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a low cost, accurate test that detects Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV […]
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Tackling a Bigger Purpose
Playing catch-up with UCF Hall of Famer Shaquem Griffin ’16 will require mental reflexes. At least a dozen subjects wrestle for his — and our — attention during a conversation: family, business, technology, football, business again, training, faith, being a good father. The list goes on. Everything on it, in some squiggly way, connects to […]
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Biology Professor, Computer Science Students Create Teaching Game About Parasitic Wasps
A new desktop game is turning parasitic wasps into unlikely heroes. Released Sept. 9, on the digital platform Steam, The Crawling Dead introduces players to biology topics and the crucial role of this insect species in controlling pests and benefiting the environment. Led by UCF Professor of Biology Barbara Sharanowski and developed by computer science […]
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UCF Welcomes Outstanding First-Year Class, Launches New Engineering, Technology Degrees
The Class of 2029 arrived at UCF with record-breaking GPAs and test scores, eager to learn from world-class faculty and leverage the university’s strong industry partnerships as they prepare for their careers of choice. During the next four years, students will help develop new space technologies, seek out cures for diseases and learn how to […]
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How UCF’s National Center for Forensic Science Helps Solve Crimes
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Central Florida Research Park, a nondescript building might escape the notice of passersby. But for Jack Ballantyne and his team, it’s anything but ordinary. Inside, groundbreaking forensic science is unfolding — work that has national implications for solving crimes, advancing justice and training the next generation of forensic […]
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Biology Researchers Lead Technology-Driven Seagrass Restoration Projects in Florida
Seagrass meadows are rapidly vanishing across the world, threatening animal species that rely on this vital coastal ecosystem for survival. Two UCF biology graduate students are leading projects developing innovative solutions for conserving seagrass species in Florida, with support from Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters and Assistant Professor of Biology and Genomics and Bioinformatics faculty […]
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Journalism Student Accelerates a Career in Sports Media with NASCAR
Allyson Castillo, a senior at UCF studying broadcast journalism in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM), spent ten weeks this summer as an intern for NASCAR’s content team, where she’s working on influencer relations, trend analysis and digital storytelling that brings the energy of the race track to its audiences. Castillo was only […]
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UCF Researcher Helps Confirm Genetic Restoration Success for Florida Panthers
In 1995, scientists translocated eight Texas pumas into Florida in a genetic restoration effort to save the only viable puma population east of the Mississippi from extinction, the Florida panther. The move raised concerns about harmful mutations and genetic swamping — or loss of unique traits. However, a recent study co-authored by UCF Assistant Professor […]
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‘Shore Wars:’ New Research Aims to Resolve Coastal Conflict Between Oysters and Mangroves, Aiding Restoration Efforts
Oysters and mangroves are both essential to protecting and restoring Florida’s coastlines that they call home, including defending them against storms. As mangrove populations are increasing due to successful restoration efforts and favorable weather, however, their strong comeback may pose unintended consequences for oysters, according to new research from UCF graduate student Katherine Harris and […]