Each spring, UCF hosts a Showcase of Undergraduate Research to celebrate students’ hard work uncovering new insights and ideas. This year, the Judge’s Choice Award for physical sciences went to Klauss Dimitri, a Physics and Aerospace Engineering double major. This first-place prize recognizes his research developing the materials needed to eventually create quantum computers. “I […]
Each year since 1960, the U.S. Naval Academy has hosted a gathering of undergraduates from around the United States and the world who come together in the spring to discuss a theme from current global affairs. The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) has grown to be the leading undergraduate conference in the country. Political […]
As an international tanker broker, Jonathan “JB” Corey uses what he learned at UCF almost daily. His political science degree helps him navigate the erratic effects the international political climate has on the oil industry. The company he works for, Southport Maritime, represents and services oil companies, tanker owners and oil traders who are engaging […]
Lori Levoy is UCF’s self-proclaimed biggest fan. She graduated from the Nicholson School of Communication in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communication. A former UCF student athlete, Levoy has maintained her love for UCF for more than 15 years. In 2017, during UCF’s perfect football season, that love motivated her to write and publish her own children’s […]
An international research team, which includes University of Central Florida Professor Enrique del Barco and Christian A. Nijhuis of the National University of Singapore, has found a way to understand and manipulate the transition of charges in molecular junctions. A molecular junction connects molecules to two metallic electrodes, such as gold. For electrons to flow […]
By Robert Stephens UCF Professor Fernando Uribe-Romo is merging his love for chemistry and nature to create a new form of energy — artificial photosynthesis — that actually cleans air. The conversation is supposed to be about deep topics like renewable energy, global warming and scientific methods. But less than a minute in, Fernando Uribe-Romo […]
The weather in Orlando was chilly during the winter break, but the UCF Debate Team continued to heat up. Not only did the team compete at the Hurricane Debates hosted by the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, some of the team also traveled to India and participated in Calcutta’s Festival of the Spoken […]
In a reception hosted by Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D., the College of Sciences celebrated its new Ph.D. graduates in the Physical Sciences building. Thirteen students were recognized with family members and faculty advisors by their side. Associate Dean Teresa Dorman, Ph.D., honored each student by presenting their research and dissertation. A champagne toast followed to […]
by Barbara Abney University of Central Florida biologist whose groundbreaking work tracking the movements of sea turtle yearlings in the North Atlantic Ocean attracted international attention has completed a similar study in the South Atlantic with surprising results. South Atlantic sea turtles do not passively ride prevailing currents as historically assumed, but instead actively swim […]
by Zenaida Kotala A study published today in Nature provides a new explanation for how clay formed on Mars, which could help scientists and engineers figure out how to unlock the early climate history of the planet. “The basic recipe for making clay is you take rock and you add heat and water,” said Kevin […]
Peyman Asadzade, UCF student pursuing a doctorate degree in security studies, recently published a blog post in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, which is a leading political blog with national exposure. His piece focused on public opinion and Iran’s involvement in the Syrian civil war. It discusses Iranian public response to Iran’s growing military presence […]
UCF has a strong connection to space. At Spectrum Stadium, Physics Professor Joshua Colwell was honored at the UCF Homecoming football game. He has ongoing research with commercial space companies and NASA, including the historic Cassini mission to explore Saturn. Assistant Professor Adrienne Dove, also joined him on the field. She was honored with NASA’s Susan […]
Senior biology major Shelly Gaynor shares her interest in genetics and evolutionary biology with the ecological community thanks to the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program. She is interested in polyploidy evolution, a process of genome doubling which leads to organisms with multiple sets of chromosomes. Her research investigates the influence of […]
By Barbara Abney UCF faculty brought in $136 million in research funding in 2017, a year that was also marked by national recognition for the number of patents issued to UCF, tech transfer excellence and overall innovation. The College of Engineering and Computer Science garnered the largest proportion of the total with $33 million, followed […]
The UCF College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series is back this September with six UCF faculty who are experts in topics relevant to the natural, computational, social or behavioral sciences and the developments in their respective fields. This year’s 2017-18 series will be held monthly at Tuscawilla Country Club at 6 p.m., from September 2017 […]
In a reception hosted by Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D., the College of Sciences celebrated its new Ph.D. graduates in the Physical Sciences building. Thirteen students were recognized with family members and faculty advisors by their side. Associate Dean Teresa Dorman, Ph.D., honored each student by presenting their research and dissertation. A champagne toast followed to celebrate the students’ […]
By Zenaida Kotala A group of conservation biologists and a non-profit agency that advocates for individuals with special needs are partnering to help keep local waterways healthy. UCF Biologist Linda Walters, whose research and volunteer efforts help restore eroding shoreline and oyster habitats along the Mosquito Lagoon, is teaming up with The Arc of Indian […]
The COS Dean’s Distinguished Researcher and Rising Star Awards recognize the efforts of the most ‘research productive’ faculty and the outstanding value that they bring to their classroom teaching, as well as to the unambiguous value of the research mentorship that they offer to undergraduate and graduate students that are their apprentices. The applicants must have […]
Every year, the UCF Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence, presented by the Division of Teaching and Learning, celebrates undergraduate research and creativity across the curriculum. The showcase gave University of Central Florida undergraduate students the opportunity to present their research and creative projects to the university community. Students from all fields and disciplines gathered at […]
University of Central Florida’s Founders’ Day Honors Convocation recognizes faculty, staff members and students for outstanding teaching, research, professional service and years of dedication to the university. Awards included the Pegasus Professor Award presented to College of Sciences Associate Dean Jana Jasinski, Ph.D., the UCF Reach for the Stars Award presented to UCF Biology Assistant […]
UCF has named 21 students as recipients of the Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award. Eleven of these recipients are students of the UCF College of Sciences. Get to know them below. CHRISTOPHER CLEMENTE: Tampa, FL About: Christopher Clemente, College of Arts and Humanities and College of Sciences, is majoring in history and […]
University of Central Florida’s Uknighted Chemistry Graduate Student Association volunteered at an Orlando Science Center competition on March 11, 2017. The members of Uknighted Chemistry Graduate Student Association served as volunteer judges at the Science Challenge competition. Although the organization volunteers in the community often, this particular event was a first for the 3-year-old organization. […]
The Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) and the Department of Political Science at the University of Central Florida hosted a conference titled “Gendered Dynamics of International Security” at UCF on Friday, February 3. The conference brought a distinguished group of scholars and a prominent journalist to UCF’s campus in Orlando. It offered unique perspectives into the […]
The University of Central Florida was well represented at a recent workshop held at the Orange County Commission Chamber on Feb. 3, 2017. UCF Associate Professor of sociology, Fernando Rivera, Ph.D., along with several other UCF professors, presented their research at the Puerto Rican Demographic Workshop. The workshop was led by UCF political science graduate […]
J. Marla Toyne, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Central Florida’s Department of Anthropology, uses ancient and modern human and animal tissues to study dietary and migration patterns of the past. In the Laboratory for Bioarchaeological Sciences, located in the basement of the Math and Sciences Building, Toyne uses samples from archaeological sites from […]
Melanie Sberna Hinojosa, Ph.D., and Ramon Hinojosa, Ph.D, assistant professors in the Department of Sociology, were selected to give a presentation on the role of civic engagement in undergraduate leadership. The presentation, held as a part of the University of Central Florida’s LEAD Scholars Leadership Week, will take place in Feb., 2017. The presentation titled […]
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 […]
The University of Central Florida’s Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree has seen a rapid increase of new students in the past year. In 2016 over the spring, summer and fall, 19 students graduated with social sciences degrees. From fall of 2015 to fall of 2016, 32 more students enrolled in the program. 118 […]
University of Central Florida Physics Professor Dan Britt, Ph.D., was a special guest on FOX 35’s morning show, “Good Day Orlando,” on Friday morning, January 13. Britt, director of the Center for Lunar & Asteroid Surface Science at UCF , will help explore some of the oldest asteroids in the solar system thanks to a […]
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today University of Central Florida Physics Professor Dan Britt, Ph.D., will help explore some of the oldest asteroids in the solar system thanks to a new NASA mission. NASA, this month selected the Lucy mission, which will explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids for the first-time. The robotic spacecraft will also explore […]