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New Virtual Reality Technology to Treat PTSD Enters Clinical Trials
The American Psychiatric Association estimates that one in 11 people will be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetime, but new virtual reality (VR) technology is providing hope for the recovery of those living with it. UCF RESTORES, a nonprofit trauma research center and treatment clinic at UCF, has developed a state-of-the-art VR […]
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7 UCF Student Graduating this Week Say Limbitless Solutions Changed Their Lives
Seven students graduating from the University of Central Florida this week say their college experience would not have been complete without the time spent at Limbitless Solutions. The students from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Sciences, and the College of Arts and Humanities, all interned at Limbitless Solutions, a UCF-based engineering […]
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Legendary Sargasso Sea May be Sea Turtles’ Destination during Mysterious ‘Lost Years’
New research indicates that the legendary Sargasso Sea, which includes part of the Bermuda Triangle and has long featured in fiction as a place where ships go derelict, may actually be an important nursery habitat for young sea turtles. In a study led by a University of Central Florida researcher and published today in the […]
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UCF Scientist to Complete 100+ Hours of Research on James Webb Space Telescope
When the James Webb Space Telescope launches later this year, UCF researcher Noemi Pinilla Alonso will be among a select group of scientists worldwide who will have more than 100 hours of observation time awarded to conduct her work. The JWST telescope, which has been described as NASA’s next great space telescope, is a hot […]
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138 Faculty Promoted Across the University
After going through a rigorous evaluation process, 138 UCF faculty have been promoted and 45 have been awarded tenure for the 2020-2021 cycle. The process for promotion and tenure takes nearly an entire academic year as faculty are evaluated on three main areas: research, teaching and service. At UCF there are many types of faculty […]
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UCF Forensic Scientists Unlocking Unique Chemical Signatures In Tires
Skid marks left by cars are often analyzed for their impression patterns, but they often don’t provide enough information to identify a specific vehicle. UCF Chemistry Associate Professor Matthieu Baudelet and his forensics team at the National Center for Forensic Science, which was established at UCF in 1997, may have just unlocked a new way […]
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Stout, Hancock Elected as Fellows of National Academy of Kinesiology
Two UCF faculty were recently honored as fellows of the National Academy of Kinesiology, a privilege considered the pinnacle career achievement in the discipline of kinesiology. Pegasus Professor Jeffrey Stout from the College of Health Professions and Sciences joins the 2021 class alongside the College of Sciences’ Pegasus Professor Peter Hancock. Both are the first academy fellows […]
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Reach for the Stars Honorees Pushing the Boundaries of Earth and Space
This year’s Reach for the Stars honorees really live up to the award name. They are tackling some huge problems and are conducting research that betters society and improves the possibilities of the human race. The five honorees are: making space travel safer to expand our species’ reach into the galaxy; figuring out how to […]
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UCF Researchers Work with Public Agencies to Examine Pandemic Efforts, Effects
Some may say the past year has been one giant global experiment. While scientists and researchers didn’t create the coronavirus, the pandemic has spurred opportunities for investigations that run the gamut of public-service efforts and response. Here are just a few ways experts at UCF as using their insight to enhance what we’ve learned and […]
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UCF Biologist Awarded Grant to Unlock Plant Defenses, Improve Food Supplies
UCF Biologist Chase Mason today was awarded a $450,000 grant from the Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research to turn around “audacious” food and agricultural research, which may lead to more sustainable food supplies. Mason’s project focuses on determining the genetic control mechanisms that induce a plant’s natural chemical defenses against harmful pests and pathogens. […]
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National Goldwater Scholarships Go to Four UCF STEM Students
Four UCF STEM students were selected from a pool of 1,256 nominees across the nation and will receive 2020-21 Goldwater Scholarship Awards. Only 410 college students were selected after a rigorous screening process. Universities are only allowed to nominate four students, five if one of them is transfer student. According to the award website, the […]
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16 Knights Earn NSF Graduate Research Fellowships — Most in UCF History
A record-breaking 16 UCF students and alumni were named National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellows this year — with an additional seven singled out for honorable mentions. “This is truly a momentous accomplishment in their research careers and is indicative of the tremendous potential they have in their respective fields.” — President Alexander N. […]
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Study of COVID’s Impact on Couples to be Shared During Student Research Week
When COVID-19 hit and Central Florida went into lockdown, UCF undergraduate student Victor Blocker began noticing mounting tension and stress among his friends, particularly couples. That’s what sparked Blocker’s research idea, which he turned into a project he will share during the Student Scholar Symposium, part of UCF’s annual Student Research Week, March 29-April 2. […]
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UCF Researcher Asks: How Does Diversity Affect Dynamics of Space Crews?
With the prospect of space missions to Mars and beyond becoming a likelihood within the next decade, putting together the right team for those longs trips is critical. That’s where Krisztina Szabo comes in. The doctoral student in industrial/organizational psychology wanted to find out how diversity affects team dynamics, and she said she could think […]
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New UCF Nanotech Gives Boost to Detection of Cancer and Disease
Early screening can mean the difference between life and death in a cancer and disease diagnosis. That’s why University of Central Florida researchers are working to develop a new screening technique that’s more than 300 times as effective at detecting a biomarker for diseases like cancer than current methods. The technique, which was detailed recently […]
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Math Professor is ‘Rock Star’ in the World of Physics, Thanks to New Stellar Wind Model
Not many people may imagine that an expertise in applied mathematics would make someone a “rock star.” But UCF mathematics Professor Bhimsen Shivamoggi is certainly a celebrity in the world of physics these days. American Scientist magazine this month notified Shivamoggi that a blog featuring his work — the first systematic theoretical formulation to describe […]
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UCF Graduate Video Game Design Named No. 1 — for Third Time
UCF’s graduate video game design program has been recognized as the top graduate game design program in the world. This marks the third time in the past six years that UCF has garnered the top spot, ahead of New York University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Southern California. UCF’s undergraduate game design program […]
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Film Student Uses Art of Storytelling to Focus on Florida Conservationists
Tales of Sunshine is the title of UCF student Vincent Marcucci’s short film that gives viewers a firsthand look into the stories of Floridian conservationists who are tackling prominent environmental conflicts. Marcucci, who is majoring in film and environmental studies, began developing the idea for this series last summer and filmed his first episode last […]
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Florida Academy of Sciences Names UCF Biologist as 2021 Medalist
The Florida Academy of Sciences today named UCF Biology Professor Linda Walters its 2021 Medalist during its annual conference. The Academy, which is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, honors one Floridian each year based on the nominee’s contributions to the advancement of science and outstanding efforts to share that […]
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Deborah Beidel Receives Advocacy Award
UCF RESTORES, which began as a government-funded research initiative in 2011, has grown to serve as an invaluable resource to the Orlando community, the state of Florida and beyond. The nonprofit’s unique approach to treatment — including the first-of-its-kind (in the U.S.) three-week intensive outpatient program — combines exposure therapy, emerging technology, and one-on-one and […]
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A First-of-its-Kind Camera to Investigate the Moon’s South Pole
A thermal infrared camera aboard a lunar lander scheduled to head to the moon as early as 2022 could help determine which regions on the lunar surface have water trapped in them. Assistant Professor of Physics Kerri Donaldson Hanna is working with University of Colorado Boulder Professor Paul Hayne on NASA’s Lunar Compact InfraRed Imaging […]
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New Bachelor’s to be Offered for Big Data
Students interested in big data science careers will benefit from a new Bachelor of Science degree coming this fall. The bachelor’s in Data Science spans a variety of sub-disciplines within the greater field of data science, including mathematics, statistics, specialized programming and algorithm design. It also teaches students how to draw useful conclusions from data […]
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OSIRIS-REx Mission to Take a Few More Pictures Before Heading Home
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that collected a sample from an asteroid 200 million miles from Earth in October, is going to take one final look at the collection site before heading home. In April, the spacecraft will focus its cameras on the site it disturbed when it removed a sample of asteroid Bennu’s soil. The images […]
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23 Students to Receive UCF’s Highest Honor
UCF has named 23 students as recipients of the Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award. The 2021 recipients were selected from a pool of 83 nominations. The 2021 class includes 15 Burnett Honors College students, six LEAD Scholars, six Student Government leaders, three President’s Leadership Council members, one Greek member, one student-athlete […]
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UCF Funds Second Round of $1 million SEED Initiative to Support Faculty Research
Thirty-seven UCF teams will split $1 million in UCF SEED funding to conduct preliminary research the university hopes will lead to bigger individual grants from other agencies and breakthroughs in a variety of fields. The Office of Research and the Provost Office began the pilot SEED program with $1 million last year. Those recipients will […]
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UCF Hosts Spring Graduation Celebration, April 30 to May 9
UCF is excited to offer spring graduates and their families the opportunity to choose one of two in-person options to celebrate their achievements. Recognitions of graduates will occur April 30 to May 9. Spring 2021 graduates will have the option of either participating in UCF’s Grad Walk or their college’s in-person commencement. Both recognitions will […]
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Toy Telescope Launches Career Hunting for Life on Exoplanets
It all started with an inexpensive toy telescope Theodora Karalidi’s father gave her when she was 5 years old. “I looked through it and I was wowed,” says Karalidi, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Central Florida. “To five-year-old me, it was like millions of sparkling stars and I was hooked. Of […]
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UCF Genetics Expertise Extends to the Land Down Under
The genetic expertise of University of Central Florida researchers is extending all the way to the land down under in a new study of a unique animal of Australia’s waters – the weedy seadragon. In the study, which appeared recently in the journal PLOS One, UCF researchers helped discover that the weedy seadragon found off […]
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From Lighting Shows at Universal to Supporting Space Launches at KSC, UCF Grad Shines
Like many Central Florida teens, Jonathan Kessluk ’20 got a summer job at one of Universal’s theme parks in 2014. Little did he know that a job working lights for some of the park’s shows, would lead him to a UCF engineering degree and a job at Kennedy Space Center. Kessluk, who graduated in August […]
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UCF Names 30 Under 30 Alumni Award Winners
UCF Alumni has announced its annual 30 Under 30 Award winners. These accomplished graduates were chosen for their great professional success, commitment to helping others and track record of giving back to UCF and their local community. “Every year, UCF Alumni’s 30 Under 30 classes are made up of extraordinary young alumni. This year’s class […]