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UCF to Name School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences in Honor of Technology Pioneer, Alumna Yvette Kanouff
Yvette Kanouff wants UCF students to recognize the possibilities within themselves. Now, her name will become part of the place where generations of Knights turn those possibilities into discoveries. On Thursday, Sept. 24, the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees approved renaming the UCF School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences to the Dr. […]
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The Heartfelt Story Behind UCF Alum’s Annual Mom Hugs Day
Content warning: This article touches on sensitive topics of mental health and suicide. Resources available for UCF students, faculty and staff are included. The fifth annual Mom Hugs Day, organized by Kelly Haskins ’91, will be held Thursday, Sept. 24, from noon until 2 p.m. at Ferrell Commons in partnership with UCF Wellness and Health […]
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UCF Researcher Discovers Experimental Evidence of New Type of Magnetism
UCF researchers and collaborators experimentally identified signatures of altermagnetism in a layered material. The emerging form of magnetism can avoid disruptive magnetic fields while offering properties that could enable thenext-generation computing. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could help scientists develop faster, smaller and more energy-efficient electronic and spintronic devices for next-generation computing and data […]
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UCF Researcher Uses Conservation Genomics to Advance Florida Scrub Jay Recovery
For nearly two decades biologist Lauren Deaner has worked with Florida Scrub jays, contributing to population recovery efforts and translocations. Now, as a doctoral researcher in UCF’s integrative biology program, she is using that field experience to investigate how genetics, behavior and population dynamics influence the long-term recovery of imperiled species. Deaner’s dissertation centers on […]
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UCF Civics Expert Selected to Help Shape National Assessment
Stephen Masyada has been invited to serve on a 20-member framework committee for the civics portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 2032 assessment. Masyada is the longtime director of the Lou Frey Institute, which serves every school district in Florida as a leading provider of civic education instructional and professional […]
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UCF Faculty Help Shape the Future of Human-Machine Communication as Emerging Field Earns International Recognition
Human-machine communication (HMC) reached a major milestone this summer, earning official Division status from the International Communication Association and recognition as an established field of communication research. UCF Professors Jihyun Kim and Patric Spence have helped shape HMC through research, international leadership and the creation of a dedicated scholarly journal. With emerging technologies increasingly integrated […]
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What Is a “Full College Experience” at UCF?
In April 2023, a few days after senior prom, Gabby Murison ’26 and her family drove 650 miles from New Orleans to Orlando. They’d vacationed in previous years to the area’s theme parks, but this time they had just one destination on the itinerary: UCF. The university interested Murison for its strong film program through […]
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8 UCF Faculty Members to Be Inducted in Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida
The Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL), a nonprofit that brings together the top academics and practitioners in the state, announced its 2026 cohort of inductees. Eight of the new members are from UCF. The inductees are: Associate Professor Chen Chen – Associate Member Professor Ivan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhD – Associate Member […]
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2 Engineering Professors, 1 Alum Inducted Into Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is a state-wide initiative dedicated to honoring and celebrating Florida inventors whose achievements have significantly advanced the quality of life for all Americans. Professor Reza Abdolvand was named an inductee for his contributions to the field of micro-electromechanical systems, which has significant applications in telecommunications, bioengineering and sensor technology. […]
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7 Knights Earn 2026 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
What does it take to study how some of the earliest galaxies in the universe evolved, develop cleaner energy technologies or better understand the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth? For a group of seven UCF graduate students and alums, it starts with curiosity and a willingness to explore the unknown. Researchers studying topics ranging […]
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Using Mechanical Vibrations to Stabilize Quantum Information
Assistant Professor Han Zhao is developing a new method that uses tiny mechanical vibrations and superconducting systems to make quantum operations more resistant to noise and errors, addressing one of the biggest challenges in quantum computing. Supported by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Zhao’s research uses a topological “braiding” […]
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FDLE Relocates Orlando Toxicology Lab to UCF, Strengthening Partnerships and Research
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is deepening its strategic public safety partnership with UCF by embedding experts at the university’s Academic Health Sciences Campus. Relocating FDLE’s toxicology laboratory to the UCF facility in Lake Nona better connects academic-industry research, workforce development and forensic testing in one of the nation’s fastest-growing medical and technology […]
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UCF, Air Force Partnership Expands Opportunities in National Security Research, Student Training
At a time when the United States faces a shortage of trained radiochemists and growing national security demands, UCF is helping prepare the next generation of scientists to meet the challenge. A new educational partnership between UCF and the U.S. Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) is creating opportunities for research, student training and workforce […]
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What Electric Eels and Knifefish Reveal About the Science of Stealth
UCF researchers discovered that electric eels and their knifefish prey use electric stealth, strategically turning their electric signals on and off to sense their environment while avoiding detection. Field and laboratory data show knifefish go electrically silent when eels are nearby, while eels briefly pause low-voltage signals before striking, minimizing the chance of alerting prey. […]
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UCF Researcher Reveals How Genetic Variation Shapes Sea Turtle Immune System Evolution
Immune responses are essential for survival, allowing animals to fight infections and adapt to disease threats. By studying the genes behind immunity, scientists can better understand how species evolve and persist in changing environments. While immune systems are well studied in mammals and birds, reptiles — particularly sea turtles — remain less explored, leaving critical […]
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What I Learned from Rowing Across the Ocean
UCF industrial and organizational psychology doctoral student Andres Käosaar and his team of three fellow Estonians spent three years preparing for the World’s Toughest Row and journeyed as one of 43 boats in the 2025 Atlantic challenge. Read his pre-race feature on UCF Today. They successfully completed their mission of rowing across the Atlantic on […]
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UCF Student Awarded Florida Sea Grant/Guy Harvey Fellowship, Advances Research on Florida’s Changing Fisheries
Meredith Pratt, an integrative and conservation biology doctoral student at UCF, earned the prestigious Florida Sea Grant/Guy Harvey Fellowship for research on Florida’s changing coastal ecosystems. Her work examines how warming temperatures and expanding mangrove habitats are reshaping fish diets, food webs and species interactions along Florida’s east coast. The findings could inform better management […]
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UCF Grads Score Jobs with FIFA World Cup 2026
Whether leading efforts in media relations, human resources, guest and client services, or venue, business and transportation logistics, UCF grads are powering the operations behind one of the world’s biggest events coming to the United States this summer: the men’s FIFA World Cup. This year’s tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to be […]
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New Study Explores How Governance Has Evolved Across History
A newly published study in Science Advances is taking a broader look at how societies have organized power across history, combining archaeological and historical evidence to better understand governance over time. Coauthor Sarah “Stacy” Barber, professor and associate chair for UCF’s Department of Anthropology, says the project was driven in part by the growing availability of archaeological data […]
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UCF Grad’s Mission to Build Pipeline of Young Innovators
Some of the nation’s most promising scientists can be found in Will Furiosi ’13 ’14MAT’s Oviedo High School classroom. Spend five minutes talking to Ankan Das, Angela Calvo-Chumbimuni and Moitri Santra about their research innovations in robotics, mental health and agriculture, and one truth becomes quite clear: These teens are the real deal. Backed by […]
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Natural Chemical Factories: UCF Study Reveals How Bacteria Build Explosive-Like Molecules
Scientists at UCF have discovered how certain bacteria can produce molecules chemically similar to those used in explosives, revealing a previously unknown pathway for building complex, nitrogen-rich compounds. The study, led by UCF associate professor of chemistry Jonathan Caranto, identifies hydrazinoacetic acid as a key building block in the production of N-nitroglycine, a rare compound […]
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Tentacles in Solution: UCF Research Speeds Up DNA Biosensing
Detecting disease in a blood sample. Monitoring contaminants in drinking water. Identifying biological threats before they can spread. DNA biosensors play a critical role in each of these, but many rely on a slow process that can miss fleeting signals or delay results. At UCF, researchers are developing a new approach inspired by squids, octopuses […]
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UCF Researcher Contributes to Antscan, a Global 3D Ant Biodiversity Database
Since the rise of genome sequencing, the field of biology has gained an exponential amount of data and understanding of the building blocks of living organisms. However, documenting phenotypic, or observable, characteristics of organisms has lagged behind due to challenges with technology. To advance knowledge in this area, UCF Assistant Professor of Biology Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo, […]
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UCF Study Suggests Some Alzheimer’s Symptoms May Begin Outside the Brain
UCF researchers have uncovered evidence that some movement-related symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease may originate outside the brain, which could change how the disease is diagnosed and treated in the future. The study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging and was led by UCF Nanoscience Technology Center Professor James Hickman and Research Professor Xiufang “Nadine” Guo. In collaboration with researchers at healthcare tech company Hesperos, the team used lab-grown, human-cell systems designed to […]
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UCF Research to Help Inform Statewide Efforts to Stop Domestic Violence and Improve Care for Survivors
Florida is turning to UCF experts to find better ways to prevent domestic violence and give survivors a stronger voice in the services they need. Through a $257,384 two-year grant from the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence, faculty from UCF’s Violence Against Women research cluster are conducting a statewide domestic violence needs assessment. Their findings will help policymakers and local agencies develop better strategies to fund and support domestic […]
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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 […]
