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2021 Another Record Year – Five Consecutive Years of Rising Research Funding
Despite a pandemic that slowed the economy; delayed or derailed some federal and private agencies’ spending plans; and frustrated supply chains, UCF generated $212.9 million in research awards — up more than $8 million from 2020. The total doesn’t include any CARES nor Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds, which the federal government provided in response […]
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3 Faculty Honored for Advancing Research, Creative Works
Three faculty members who maintained high levels of research excellence and creative works during the past year of the pandemic earned the 2021-22 UCF Women of Distinction Awards from Faculty Excellence. The winners each receive a $1,000 professional development stipend from the Office of the President and are invited to a celebration in their honor […]
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UCF’s Expertise Gets Invite to Ivy League Network of Large Laser Energy Facilities
UCF is joining LaserNetUS, a consortium of the nation’s best large laser facilities started by the Department of Energy as a part of a broader strategy to boost the nation’s standing in intense laser science. The invitation-only 11 member- network boasts big players in the laser research world, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National […]
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Maggy Tomova Joins the College of Sciences Today as Dean
Maggy Tomova, Ph.D., officially joins the University of Central Florida today as dean of the College of Sciences. Tomova, 44, brings deep research and leadership experience to the role, most recently as associate dean for the 18 departments that fall under the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences […]
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UCF Part of NASA Mission Launching Saturday to Explore Trojan Asteroids
UCF Physics Professor Dan Britt is counting down to Saturday morning when NASA’s Lucy mission is set to blast off from the Space Coast. Britt, a physicist and geologist, is part of the science team that will analyze the data Lucy collects from the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. This area of the solar system is […]
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UCF Student Selected as Orlando’s Second Poet Laureate
For Shawn Welcome ’17, serving as Orlando’s second Poet Laureate is the culmination of years of supporting poetic expression and storytelling in the city. From studying at UCF to working with a variety of area organizations, including the Orlando Boys & Girls Club and Hope CommUnity Center, he has deep roots in the Orlando community. […]
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UCF Grad Student Leaves No Stone Unturned to Advance Space Exploration
This Knight leaves no stone unturned, not even on the moon. Autumn Shackelford is a physics doctoral student studying planetary bodies without atmospheres. Specifically, she is looking at the surface composition of the moon and Mercury. Being the first in her family to pursue the sciences, the Tennessee native was deeply influenced by science museums […]
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UCF’s Brightest Shine During Luminary Awards
The UCF community celebrated the accomplishments of 15 exceptional faculty members at its annual Luminary Awards Night. UCF leadership lauded faculty members for being leaders in their fields and conducting work that has had a significant impact on the world. COVID-19 disrupted plans for the recognition ceremony in 2020 so UCF honored the 2020 and […]
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Pandemic Widened Health Risks of Pregnancy, Childbirth Among Women of Color, Sociologists Say
The health risks of childbirth and pregnancy among women of color grew higher in 2020 as the pandemic widened preexisting inequities. These are among the findings two UCF sociologists presented in a chapter of the recently published “Social Problems in the Age of COVID-19.” Professor Shannon K. Carter, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Bhoomi K. Thakore, […]
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New Resource Makes It Easier to Find Research Collaborators Across Colleges
The Office of the Provost and the Office of Research have partnered to provide those conducting research and creative works at UCF a new resource — the Scholar Expertise Portal. The portal allows faculty and students to see what kind of research and creative works their fellow colleagues are working on. You can search by […]
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Free Lab Coat Cleaning Service Available to UCF Researchers
Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 6, faculty, students and staff who work in a research lab at UCF can say goodbye to washing their own lab coats. Those working in a lab and who have completed all their safety training will be able to walk up to one of seven kiosks, swipe their UCF ID, select a […]
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UCF Has More Than a Dozen Research Projects Aimed at Returning the U.S. to the Moon
When the U.S. returns humans to the Moon in the coming years, there’s a good chance that University of Central Florida research will have played a role in the return, whether from landing there safely, harvesting its resources, or training the next generation of space scientists. The university, known for its extensive space research, currently has […]
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Model UN Team Makes Good Showing at Conference
BY: Jessica Budin and Dr. Paul Vasquez From September 16th -19th, University of Central Florida’s Model United Nations team visited Florida State University to participate in NoleMUN I, where UCF’s delegates had an exciting and enriching experience. While in Tallahassee, team members participated in activities that ranged from investigating the role of multinational corporations in […]
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UCF Expert Sheds Light on Guinea’s Coup
When gunfire erupted in the Guinean capital of Conakry on the morning of September 5, it was clear elements of the country’s armed forces had attempted a coup. Though initial statements from the government pushed the idea that the coup had failed, the conspirators managed to overwhelm loyalists and arrest President Alpha Condé. Special […]
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Tezcür Tapped to Lead School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs
The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs recently appointed Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., to become its second director. Tezcür studies political violence, politics of identity and democratization, with a focus on Iranian, Kurdish, and Turkish human geography. He has published more than two dozen scholarly articles in journals including American Political Science Review, Comparative […]
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Neptune Celebrates 175th Birthday, Still a Mystery Worth Solving
Students and community members got a nice view of the planet Neptune and its biggest moon Triton during one of September’s Knights Under the Stars events hosted at UCF’s Robinson Observatory. It was an early look at the planet, which today celebrates its 175th birthday. “I did a Neptune project all the way back in […]
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Education Opens Second Chances For Scholar With Rough Upbringing
Christian Bolden, Ph.D., ’10, is living proof that second chances exist. “If there should be one takeaway from my story it’s that people can change and they can do better if people don’t give up on them,” he said. Today Bolden is a distinguished associate professor of criminology and justice at Loyola University in New […]
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Student Finds Career Direction in Summer Anthropology Program
A hands-on examination of Bronze Age bones brought classroom lessons to life this summer for Hannah Jeanlouis. Jeanlouis joined the Bioarchaeology of Bronze Age Social Systems Program at the University of South Alabama during the summer of 2021. The program offers students a chance to live in Alabama for two months as they study skeletal remains housed at the Center for Archaeological Studies in the University of South Alabama. The […]
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New Dean Named for UCF’s College of Sciences
Maggy Tomova will become the next dean of UCF’s College of Sciences on Oct. 18. She joins UCF from the University of Iowa, where she currently serves as the associate dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her appointment by Michael D. Johnson, interim provost and […]
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New Study Into Latinx Behavior and Politics Launched With Acceptance of Build and Broaden Grant
The political behavior and policy preferences of the Latinx community will be the subject of a new study in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA). The study is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Build and Broaden 2.0 Grant, created to encourage research by scholars at minority-serving institutions to apply for grants. […]
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Scientists Work to Ensure Solutions to Red Tide Don’t Cause More Harm than Good
A team of experts from Florida and Massachusetts are evaluating a technique that may help eliminate the algae blooms that cause massive fish kills, stink up neighborhoods and disrupt the Florida economy. A recent large-scale experiment promises a deeper understanding of how marine life responds to a red tide mitigation technique called clay flocculation. Red […]
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Department of Physics Gains Experienced Leader, Scientist As New Chair
A longtime fixture in the UCF Department of Physics and world-recognized planetary sciences expert was recently appointed chair of the department. In an interview with the College of Sciences, Pegasus Professor Josh Colwell, Ph.D. shares his journey to this point and his vision for the future. College of Sciences: What sparked your interest in space? […]
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Film Festival Launches To Highlight Issues In the Latin American/LatinX Communities
The first Latin American/ Latinx Film Festival at UCF launches over September and October with the intention of shedding light on issues the Latin American and Latino communities face. The six films explore themes like gender issues, racism, colonialism and LGBTQ issues. The festival was created by School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs Lecturer […]
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Study Finds Critical Data Needed for Monitoring and Preserving Biodiversity is Missing
The world’s largest repository of raw genomic sequences from wild plants, animals and fungi is missing critical data necessary to monitor and protect the Earth’s biological diversity, according to a new study. The missing data includes the time and location the organism’s sample was collected, which is needed for monitoring the genetic diversity of populations. […]
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6 Trustee Chairs Named For 2021-2026
The University of Central Florida has many outstanding faculty members, and to continue to recruit and retain faculty who have world renown accomplishments, the UCF Trustee Chair Professorship exists. Created by former UCF President John C. Hitt in 2003, the Trustee Chair title is a prestigious one, and only held by a handful of faculty. […]
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‘CBS This Morning: Saturday’ Features UCF Professor’s Work With Oysters, Climate Change
A recent segment of “CBS This Morning: Saturday” highlighted UCF Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters’ work with oyster reefs, which are vital to healthy waters in Florida. The segment kicks off with an interview with Walters and CBS anchor Lonnie Quinn at Mosquito Lagoon, which is part of the Indian River Lagoon and a […]
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Deadlines May Be Effective in Building Support for Climate Change Action
Human-caused climate change — including increased extreme weather and climate events — is here, according to the recently released United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2021 report, but the best way to communicate the concern is still debated. The panel’s previous report in 2018 was widely reported by media as setting a 12-year deadline […]
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Physics Post-Doc Lands First-of-its-Kind Fellowship For UCF
Research bringing quantum computers closer to reality recently landed a new Department of Physics graduate a Mathematical and Physics Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship — a first for UCF. Justin Reyes, Ph.D ’20, received the maximum funding award through the U.S. National Science Foundation to support three years of post-doctoral research. The MPS-Ascend fellowship broadens the […]
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Alumnus-Developed App Improves Communications, Eases Anxiety During Hospital Stays
The long, anxious wait for news about the outcome of a loved one’s surgery just got a little shorter thanks to the ingenuity of a UCF alumnus. The “Ease” app, short for “Electronic Access to Surgical Events,” allows clinicians to send secure texts, photos and video updates to patients’ families in real time during a […]
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UCF Awarded $800,000 Grant to Establish Center on Materials Research and Education
The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Central Florida an $800,000 grant to help build a partnership with the University of Washington that will accelerate research in the areas of Ultrafast Dynamics and Catalysis in Emerging Materials. UCF was one of 10 universities selected across the nation for the award. The funding, […]