New COS Gonfalon Design Unveiled

“Gonfalon; a symbol of spirit for the University of Central Florida.” Originated in the medieval state of Italy, the gonfalon works as an ensign of the state of office. For UCF, the gonfalons are hung during the commencement ceremony to represent their respective college.

In order to increase student participation, the College of Sciences created a contest to redesign the existing banner. With 28 design submissions, UCF Emerging Media B.F.A. student, Marieliz Cecilio was named the winner for accurately depicting the College of Sciences, along with the core values of the UCF Creed.  When asked to describe her representation, she along with the College of Sciences agreed upon the description of,  

“Science seeks to explain how the world works—living organisms, the physical world, people in groups, and people as individuals. Just as a microscope gives a way to look at objects otherwise too small to see, so the tools of scientific inquiry let us observe nature in its many aspects.”

With a fairly large number of submissions, the decision process was far from simple. The College of Sciences chose a panel of ten individuals which included four students, two members of faculty, two staff members and two alumni all of whom were associated with the College of Sciences. The committee spent hours reviewing all of the designs and descriptions submitted by students to ultimately crown Cecilio winner. Her design met the detailed criteria effectively which comprised of aesthetic appropriateness, and the ability to endure over time among many other challenging requisites.

Her design included:

• a double helix structure, exemplifying the many facets of Chemistry, Biology and Physics
• the microscope and laboratory flask, to understand the importance of analysis and creation
• the globe, illustrating Africa as the birthplace of humanity as well as representing globalization and internationalization
• the star, depicting the modern day expression to reach for the stars
• the two heads facing toward each other, signifying the ability to effectively communicate with one another

Although the college name is not portrayed directly on the gonfalon, its colors are black, gold and white to represent the colors for the University.

Dean Johnson and the staff of the College of Sciences held a reception to honor Marieliz Cecilio and her winning design and presented her with a $300 check. 

With its newly acquired tradition, the Gonfalon is due to hang at the University’s fall 2013 graduation.