-
Alumna Quantifies Emotions and Feelings Using Power of Mathematics
Satisfaction and happiness are intangible, subjective emotions, but Statistics grad Donna Lockhart ’03 knows how to quantify those feelings into useful, actionable data. Lockhart currently leads the team that takes the pulse of guest satisfaction at Disney, and uses that data to make recommendations to senior leadership. While behind-the-scenes as the senior management consultant […]
-
Political Opposites Unite to Teach Students Value of Common Vision
Today’s students are engaging in a world of politics that’s less meaningful conversation and more “angry team sports,” observes longtime Central Florida pundit Tico Perez ’83. Perez, an attorney and staunch Republican, recently did his part to reverse that trend by joining up with former Florida Representative and Democratic champion Dick Batchelor ‘71 to talk […]
-
New Book Explores Breast Milk Sharing Among Central Florida Women
An in-depth, years-long study into the practice of Central Florida mothers sharing their breast milk to nourish babies other than their own recently culminated in a co-authored book. The authors trace their interest in peer-to-peer breast milk sharing to Associate Professor of Sociology Shannon Carter, Ph.D., who first observed human milk sharing at breastfeeding support […]
-
Critical Seagrass Mapping Project Continues Uninterrupted Thanks to Remote Instruction
Critical work mapping seagrass beds on the Pacific West Coast continues uninterrupted this fall thanks to innovative thinking from the Citizen Science GIS team. The seagrass (also known as eelgrass) project is funded by a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation and helps researchers to measure seagrass meadow dynamics over time. This data […]
-
A Second Cable Fails at NSF’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico
A main cable that supports the Arecibo Observatory broke Friday at 7:39 p.m. Puerto Rico time. Unlike the auxiliary cable that failed at the same facility on Aug. 10, this main cable did not slip out of its socket. It broke and fell onto the reflector dish below, causing additional damage to the dish and […]
-
Journalism Students Gain Valuable Election Coverage Experience
Presidential election night is considered the Super Bowl of journalism. Journalists are expected to deliver at the highest-level while under intense pressure in a rapidly changing environment. Sixteen journalism students and 20 radio-television students recently experienced the election rite of passage through a partnership with the Orlando Sentinel on Nov. 3. Orlando’s flagship newspaper has […]
-
Faculty Film Shot in India Makes its World Premiere at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
A documentary film about efforts to enhance education for the children of India’s sweeper communities will make its world premiere this month at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Lisa Mills, Ph.D., associate professor of Film in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media, wrote and directed Son of a Sweeper. The 30 minute film […]
-
First-Gen Student Perseveres Through Family Struggles, Hopes to Provide Financially
The day after Oneisha Eugene’s seventh birthday, her father, a St. Lucian native, was in a car accident that deprived his brain of oxygen long enough that he temporarily lost the ability to walk, move or talk. The accident altered his well-being for the rest of his life. “[Since] then, we basically had a very […]
-
‘Politics of Security’ Focus of Virtual India Center Conference
The India Center hosted a conference on “The Politics of Security in India: Progress and Challenges” during the month of October. The conference took place virtually as a series of three panels that featured international experts from academia and think tanks to discuss international, domestic and human security issues in India. Security constitutes a […]
-
You Voted, Now What?
While some argue voting in the presidential election is one of the most important civic duties, ensuring that a democracy serves the best interests of its citizens requires active participation all year, every year. “America is built on hope for the next opportunity. What happens in the next midterm election two years from now, and […]
-
Oyster Reef Restoration Efforts Get Help from Potato Chip Byproduct
Longtime work to restore oyster reefs in the Indian River Lagoon has found a new, unusual ally: potato chips. The Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab at UCF has been experimenting with various products looking for an effective, biodegradable material for restoration that’s inexpensive. For the past 14 months the group has been testing a mesh […]
-
New Research Identifies Motivation for Prescription Stimulant Misuse by Age Group
By JAYME BLASCHKE New research shows that abuse of prescription stimulant medication by adolescents and young adults is driven by different motivations closely linked to age. The study was conducted by Ty Schepis, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Texas State University; Jason Ford, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida; Timothy Wilens, Massachusetts General […]
-
New Grant Funds ‘Boots on the Ground’ Approach To Studying Wetland Loss
A new grant from the National Academies of Sciences will fund a “boots on the ground” approach to evaluating how severe wetland loss impacts the recreational fishing industry. Kristy A. Lewis, Ph.D, and her team at the Lewis Lab of Applied Coastal Ecology received the $110,662 grant in collaboration with Louisiana State University to help […]
-
What to Know About Election Night
As the United States inches closer to the 2020 presidential election Nov. 3, UCF Professor Aubrey Jewett explains the pros and cons of the Electoral College, Florida’s role as a swing state, and what major factor could delay knowing the outcome on election night. Jewett is an internationally recognized political scientist and co-author of the […]
-
UCF Professor Briefs Planetary Sciences Community about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission During Conference
UCF physics Professor Humberto Campins is today (Thursday, Oct. 29) giving the science community a look at the evolving OSIRIS-REx mission to collect an asteroid sample and return it to earth. Astronomers and other scientists from around the world are attending the 52nd annual Division of Planetary Sciences meeting to learn and discuss the latest […]
-
Political Science Faculty Weigh in on 2020 Election
The world has been watching the build-up to the U.S. presidential election for months now. The candidates and their platforms, the Electoral College and, in 2020, allegations of potential voter fraud are all of intense interest to international media. To find out what topics international media are interested in, we spoke with three faculty members […]
-
Two COS Faculty Members Inducted Into the UCF Scroll and Quill Society
Each fall, the University of Central recognizes faculty who have made a national and international impact through their research, teaching and service, by inducting new members into the Scroll and Quill Society. “This society is a chance to celebrate imaginative creative works, scholarly research and the service our faculty provides to better our community,” says […]
-
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Winds Down on a High
Florida’s sea turtle nesting surveying comes to a close on Halloween and like everything else in 2020, the season was a bit weird. The number of green sea turtle nests on central and southern Brevard County, Florida beaches monitored by University of Central biologists were way up during a year they should have been down […]
-
UCF Downtown Maker Space Reconfigures Layout to Reopen for Projects
Soon after the Nicholson School of Communication and Media opened a new 3,500-square-foot Games and Interactive Media Maker Space last fall, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and forced the closure of the lab on the UCF Downtown campus. But after a redesign of the floor plan for the laser cutter, 3D printer, recording studio, AR/VR equipment […]
-
Student Horticulturists Have Bright Future With Help From Landscaping Company
There’s more to landscaping than pulling weeds and pushing a mower — much more. Experts in logistics, finance, small engine repair, soil chemistry and human resources are all in demand at Baker Commercial Landscaping, a 250-plus employee company that maintains the properties of homes and businesses across Tampa and Orlando, including UCF’s main campus and […]
-
McKnight Fellowship Aids Research on Defining Science Success
A Physics graduate student is redefining what success looks like with the help of minority academics and the McKnight Dissertation Fellowship. Brian Zamarripa Roman traces his fascination with the cosmos to childhood, but it was only recently that he noticed the lack of representation in the scientific community — specifically, scientists who looked like him. […]
-
‘Multiple Paternity’ Gives Invertebrates Climate Change Advantage, Research Finds
A common reproductive strategy among invertebrates called multiple paternity could give animals like porcelain crabs a survival advantage as the world grows warmer, new research finds. While climate change is often associated with major events like melting glaciers and super storms, the authors of the recently published paper in the Journal of Crustacean Biology […]
-
How Fake News Affects U.S. Elections
The term “fake news” has become so ubiquitous in our society that it’s even become a punchline. But the threat is very real — with real consequences — which is why UCF Associate Lecturer of Psychology Chrysalis Wright dedicates her days to studying it. Wright is an expert on fake news and online disinformation who […]
-
Chemistry Student Working to Develop Sustainable Technology to Clean Water Worldwide
Nearly 800 million people are without clean drinking water in the world, and for environmental chemist and second-year doctoral candidate Lorianne Shultz this is no small problem. In her area of study, materials chemistry for environmental applications, she looks to improve the methods used to purify water around the globe. Under the guidance of chemistry […]
-
The True Story Behind Horror Movies
Gary Rhodes is an associate professor in UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media and assistant director of the film and mass media program who is best known for his work on horror cinema. When he was 15, Rhodes says he started writing for a film magazine called Filmfax, and he’s been analyzing movies ever since. […]
-
UCF Study Will Look at Transitional Housing Effectiveness for Survivors of Domestic Violence
Housing programs can serve as a lifeline for domestic violence survivors and their children – providing them with vital resources to leave abusive relationships and find safety. Various housing models are being implemented across the country; however, little is known about their long-term effectiveness. A team of researchers from the University of Central Florida, University […]
-
OSIRIS REx Ready to for Touch-n-Go Maneuver on Tuesday, Oct. 20
Four years after it launched, NASA’s OSIRIS REx NASA mission is closing in on its big day. On Oct. 20, the spacecraft is scheduled to complete its touch-and-go move to collect a sample of asteroid Bennu. University of Central Florida Physics Professor and asteroid expert Humberto Campins is counting down the days. He is part […]
-
3 UCF Researchers Part of Nature Astronomy Articles Chronicling Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy
To understand the significance of the Spitzer Space Telescope on the understanding of our solar system, think of what the steam engine meant for the industrial revolution. A national team of scientists today published in the journal Nature Astronomy two papers that provide an inventory of the major discoveries made possible thanks to Spitzer and […]
-
Indian American Business Association Proves Valuable Ally to India Center
Community partners play a pivotal role in advancing the mission of the India Center at UCF, including the Indian-American Business Association and Chamber (IABA). IABA President Prashant “Peter” Patel said expanding public knowledge and scholarship of India are just two of the shared goals between his organization and the India Center. More recently, though, IABA’s […]
-
Physics Alumna Named Interim Dean At Connecticut Community College
Fatma Salman’s journey in physics starts with dismantling battery-powered devices as a child and leads up to her recent appointment as interim dean of academic and student affairs at Manchester Community College (MCC) in Connecticut. Along the way, she raised five children, picked up two master’s degrees, a doctorate degree and became a U.S. citizen. […]