COS Heartwalk

The 2011 Heart Walk is a wonderful opportunity to raise funds to help fight heart disease and strokes. Many of us have had the misfortune of a family member or friend experience one of these afflictions. Imagine the impact if we reduce death and disability from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20% by 2020. Please […]

COS biologist receives $700,000 grant

A College of Sciences biologist has received a $700,000 grant to complete the first-ever statewide study of the impact of rising sea level on some of the most vulnerable natural and human communities in Florida. The grant, from the Kresge Foundation, will allow Reed Noss, Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor, to lead a team of scientists […]

Dr. Kerstin Hamann releases new book

Dr. Kerstin Hamann, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Florida, has released a new book titled “The Politics of Industrial Relations: Labor Unions in Spain.” Blurb from the book: As unions in most other industrialized democracies continue to decline, unions in Spain have been able to regain and maintain strength despite […]

Meet the new dean

Please congratulate Dr. Michael Johnson on his new position as the Dean of the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Johnson is also a Professor of Physics. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Virginia, and came to UCF in 1990 following postdocs at the University of Kentucky […]

Join us for the COS Open House

Come to the UCF vs. Boston College game early and join us for the College Open House at UCF. The event is this Saturday, September 10th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend any of the open houses on campus. COS will host their open house in the atrium of the Nicholson […]

Forbes lists UCF as a top 50 college buy

The University of Central Florida is one of the top 50 most-affordable colleges and universities in the nation, according to an article published in Forbes this week. Coming in at 42 on the list, UCF was noted for its prestigious designation as a high-research university, among other data showing how it combines affordability with a […]

VIDEO: Evolution of the laser

COS students new SGA leaders

Political science and English major Matthew McCann and political science and advertising/public relations major Adam Brock were ready to represent and serve UCF students when they were officially sworn in on May 10, 2011 as Student Government Association president and vice president respectively. In 2008-09, both McCann and Brock began working together in the SGA […]

UCF is getting national recognition for its programs

It’s that time of year when the University of Central Florida’s Undergraduate Admissions Office is busy getting ready for our incoming freshman class. Even as the university has grown to become the second largest in the nation, I am continually impressed with the quality of the students who choose to attend UCF. Each year, the […]

UCF grad and golfer named academic All-American

Katie Detlefsen, who concluded her career with the University of Central Florida women’s golf program this spring, was honored with a spot on the Capital One Academic All-America At-Large First Team. Detlefsen recently earned her master’s degree in mass communications and had a 4.0 grade point average. The Academic All-America honor is the second for […]

LifeLens application has success in its blood

A UCF graduate, along with a team of students, decided to come up with a new use for his smart phone: a virtual microscope. After developing an application to detect malaria from a digital snapshot, Team LifeLens placed third at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2011 on July 13, a worldwide competition that gives students a chance to demonstrate a truly […]

Students create film about fame

A team of UCF film school students and graduates began shooting a feature-length film titled 15 Minutes of Faye in Bradenton, Fla. this week. Once completed, the low-budget production, which is part of writer and director Joshua Ingle’s master’s thesis, is to be submitted to film festivals worldwide with hopes of gaining recognition from a film distribution […]

Pushing past the world of prejudice

It occurred to me the other day that the mindset others have about people with disabilities might be antiquated. We are now in 2011, and the disabled population has overcome many obstacles since the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They are not a population that is taking up space or sucking up taxpayer […]

Student shares her Washington experience

Junior psychology major Amirica Nicholson spent the last two months in Washington, D.C., as a congressional intern for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. As an intern, Nicholson listens to hearings on government topics, responds to calls from constituents and keeps up with current political events. The Central Florida Future had the opportunity to speak to Nicholson […]

Students become botanists for a day at the local zoo

The animal division of Volunteer UCF took their first trip to the zoo and became botanists for the day to help maintain the environment for the zoo’s wildlife. “We have a very diverse group of people,” Chelsea Balkam, director of the animal unit of VUCF, said. “Everyone is doing different majors, studying different things, but just love animals.” The 10 […]

Professor seeks to fill knowledge gap

A UCF professor is in the midst of helping to develop a national database of self-learning modules to teach medical students how to treat patients with mental illnesses. “Let’s say a student gets through a psychiatry clerkship and never sees a case of dementia,” said Dr. Martin Klapheke, professor of psychiatry and co-chair of the Clinical Simulation Initiative […]

UCF makes donation to Cardin Home

The Concerned Taxi Drivers Foundation (CTDF) in collaboration with the University of Central Florida (UCF) did great deeds today (July 20) with not one but two donations of linens to both the Cardin Home and the JNF General Hospital. The first stop was the Cardin Home where members of the CTDF and UCF gathered and […]

Board of Trustees elects new leaders

Two University of Central Florida alumni and longtime supporters are the new leaders of the UCF Board of Trustees. Trustees elected Michael J. Grindstaff to serve a two-year term as chair of the board on Thursday and Trustee Olga Calvet to a two-year term as vice chair. Grindstaff, of Winter Park, is a partner in […]

Student help animals and receive real-world practice

As long as Samantha Hynes has a watermelon in hand, Koko, a rescued emu, will strut toward the fence intently. On other days, Hynes lets a baby possum, mostly blind and in poor health, loose from his cage to play in the grass. Hynes and six other University of Central Florida students are spending their […]

Alumni open spacious downtown bistro

Kyle Israel experienced plenty of success during his four-year tenure as a quarterback for the UCF football team, leading the team to its first conference championship. Now, he looks to find similar success in the business world, along with partners Travis Barr and Carey Sobel, by opening the American bistro, Terrace 390, in the heart […]

Program helps future female leaders

The University of Central Florida’s Young Women Leaders Program has received the 2011 Donna Allen Award for Feminist Advocacy. The Donna Allen Award recognizes women or groups who demonstrate feminist advocacy through media activism by promoting the rights and freedoms of women and minorities across the world. Donna Allen founded the Women’s Institute for Freedom […]

Grad gains shot at $1 million

A UCF alumnus has a 1-in-25 shot at a million dollars. Chris Yarn, who graduated in 2005 with a degree in communications, entered the Gain “Smell Like a Million Bucks” contest on Facebook just a few days before the July 7 deadline. Contestants were required to film a 60-second or less video and say “I […]

Save the date: Summer Commencement is Aug. 6

More than 3,200 University of Central Florida students are expected to graduate during two commencement ceremonies Saturday, Aug. 6 at the UCF Arena. The anticipated graduates include 2,593 who filed intents to receive bachelor’s degrees, 546 for master’s degrees, three for education specialist degrees, 10 for educational doctoral degrees and 82 for doctoral degrees. The […]

Psychiatry modules win national award

The UCF College of Medicine’s participation in developing a national database of online instruction in psychiatry helped win the 2011 “Outstanding Innovation in Medical Education Poster Award” from the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP.) Dr. Martin Klapheke, Professor of Psychiatry at the College of Medicine, and Co-Chair of the Clinical […]

VP honored by international optics center

UCF’s vice president for research & commercialization has been honored by one of the world’s foremost independent optical science research centers for his integral role in establishing and supporting the organization. M.J. Soileau, who served as the first director of UCF’s Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) before being named vice […]

UCF alumna writes new book

UCF alum Kelle Groom is garnering critical acclaim with her newest book. I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl: A Memoir, from Free Press/Simon & Schuster, was recently selected by Oprah Winfrey for O Magazine’s 2011 summer reading list. In stirring, hypnotic prose, I Wore the Ocean explores the most painful aspects […]

Canadian minister meets with Hitt

In a sort of high-tech show and tell, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Canada’s minister of state for science and technology met with UCF President John Hitt and other officials. The talks centered on commercializing university research to create new companies and new jobs. Hitt noted that some projections call for the Medical City development […]

Obama initiative notes UCF group

The University of Central Florida’s efforts to go “green” have earned the attention of the White House, which this week is showcasing the student organization I.D.E.A.S. as a “Champion of Change.” The Obama Administration’s “Champions of Change” series highlights Americans making positive changes to better their communities. UCF was among the eight students and institutions […]

Knight crowned Miss Florida

For the third consecutive year, a UCF student has been crowned Miss Florida. In addition to that, 11 students competed in the competition, a record-high for UCF. “UCF really does strive for excellence,” said Stephanie Ziajka, a graduate of the actuarial science program at UCF and Miss Florida semi-finalist. “I feel like all of the 11 girls are all so talented, and […]

UCF featured in the Orlando Sentinel

A gifted soccer player in his youth and a successful coach as an adult, Tim Luby thought he had a winning idea with his patented practice tool, The Soccer Shot, but scoring in business was a skill yet to be mastered. Luby, 49, whose product teaches soccer players how to perfect a free kick, knew […]