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Physics Professors Create Harmony In Their Pastimes
By NIKITTA CAMPBELL Two Physics professors are bridging their day jobs and their hobbies at the speed of sound. Professors Richard Klemm, Ph.D., and Robert Peale, Ph.D., have devoted their professional lives to teaching students the intricate mechanics that make the world work. That same complexity and challenge attracts them to playing violin as a […]
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Math Prof. Pays Tribute To Mentor With Stellar Winds Research
Bhimsen Shivamoggi, Ph.D., recently capped three years of research with a publication that presents new ideas about the dynamics of stellar winds. But that’s not what makes him most excited. Shivamoggi is an applied mathematician by trade, but he ventured into the new territory of mainstream astrophysics as an intellectual tribute to his mentor Gene […]
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Biology Degree Launches Career As Nutritional Entrepreneur
Lourdes Diaz-McAgy ’99 has always been in tune with society’s trends. After realizing the world is moving in the direction of conscious well-being, she was inspired to help people look and feel their best. Today, Diaz-McAgy is the chief executive officer of Total Nutrition Technology, a nutrition focused company that private labels products for brands […]
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M.F.A Grad Selected for CBS Writing Mentorship
By IULIA POPESCU Nicholson M.F.A graduate Mike Diaz received a momentous opportunity when he became one of only six to participate in the esteemed CBS 2019-2020 Writers Mentoring Program, selected from a pool of more than 1,500 applicants. The eight-month mentoring program pairs writers with CBS executive mentors. The mentors then help the writers develop a new […]
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Early Interest In Politics Leads Alumna to Governor’s Office
When most kids were watching cartoons, Leah Trilling ’18 was on the couch watching the news with her dad. That interest in current events stuck with her, and eventually led to her current position as deputy director of Cabinet Affairs for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The steps leading to that position include undergraduate internships […]
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Human Rights Defender to Visit UCF
The Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives will host longtime human rights defender Laura Olson. During her visit to UCF on Feb. 6, Olson will deliver a special luncheon presentation, “Human Rights in 2020.” She will also appear on WUCF’s “Global Perspectives” television show, meet with faculty and record a student podcast. Laura Olson […]
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Scientist Surpasses 10K Publication Citations
A Physics scientist recently crossed the threshold of more than 10,000 citations in scholarly works — a distinction that added his name to the 2019 Highly Cited Researchers list compiled by the Web of Science Group. The award places Assistant Professor Madhab Neupane, Ph.D., in the top 1% of the world’s most cited scientific papers. […]
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Physicists Reveal Quantum Secrets Using Lasers
UCF physicists are using lasers to create mini-movies showing how electrons undergo changes on the quantum level. The technique relies on pulses of light that only last a few hundred femtoseconds; for perspective, comparing one femtosecond to a regular second is akin to comparing a second to a hundred million years. While the technique […]
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Alumna Selected For Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award
A College of Sciences alumna’s contributions to developing technology like online streaming and DVDs recently earned her a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. Yvette Kanouff, who built a C-suite career at companies including Time Warner and Cisco, will be recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) at the 71st Annual Technology & […]
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Presidential Historian Balances Past and Present in Politics
By MIA WILSON Presidential historian Jon Meacham provided perspective on today’s White House using the lens of the past at a presentation Thursday called “The Art of Leadership: Lessons from the American Presidency.” Meacham started broadly, noting the presidency is a reflection of the American population. “The presidency is in many ways a manifestation of […]
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Dr. Tosha Dupras Appointed Interim Dean of College of Sciences
A message from Michael Johnson, Ph.D., Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs I am pleased to announce that Associate Dean Tosha Dupras, Ph.D., has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Sciences while I fulfill my role as interim provost. I am confident Dr. Dupras will do an outstanding job […]
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Student Coaching Project Earns Marchioli Award
An ongoing project to boost classroom student engagement through high-impact practices (HIP) recently earned one of UCF’s highest internal awards. Called HIP Coaches, the project uses student coaches to mentor and guide fellow students through high-impact learning experiences, such as collaborative assignments and projects, undergraduate research, cultural competency, community-based learning and internships. The idea is […]
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Alumna Builds Career Around Studying Bones
Fingerprints get a lot of credit in the forensics world, but Brittany Walter, ’12MA, knows bones tell a story, too. Inspired from a young age by a forensic anthropology series written by Kathy Reichs, Walter traces her passion for forensics all the way back to middle school. Today she uses that passion as a full-time […]
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Chemistry Professor Recognized For Outstanding Lab Safety
UCF Environmental Health and Safety recently awarded Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, Ph.D, and his team of dedicated researchers the 2019 Safety Champion Award. This award recognizes faculty members that provide support to EHS and adhere to UCF policy and procedure within a research setting. “It is great to know that the effort made to promote safety culture […]
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COS Dean Named Interim Provost
By INTERIM PRESIDENT THAD SEYMOUR JR. I am extremely grateful for Jana Jasinski stepping in as acting provost during the past week and a half, while also continuing as vice provost for Faculty Excellence. I appreciate her leadership and the stability she provided the Academic Affairs team. Jana was named acting provost after I asked Provost Elizabeth […]
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Zoo Internship Prepares Student for Anthropology Career
Senior Savannah Compton left her fall internship at ZooTampa with a newfound love for the study of animal behavior. Working in both the primate and commissary department of the Zoo, Compton spent her time designing enrichment projects and learning about animal nutrition, stoking her passion for animal behavior and science. Compton pursued her goal of […]
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Fighting Fire with Fire: How Controlled Burns Keep Us Safe
BY JENNA MARINA LEE From December through June, visitors to UCF’s main campus may occasionally see large, orange flames licking at trees and incinerating plants near recreational grounds, parking garages or student housing. The scene appears much scarier than what’s actually occurring. These months of the year are UCF’s burn season, which is overseen by […]
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Attorney Brings Experience Fighting Human Trafficking to UCF
The Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at UCF has recently recruited the talents of lawyer Shilpa Finnerty to serve as its senior fellow and community advisor. Through Finnerty’s experience in human rights and trafficking advocacy, the center hopes to expand their presence in the Orlando area. “The work that we […]
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UCF Research Provides Tools for Prosecuting Domestic Violence
New, potentially life-saving research from the Department of Sociology is reshaping the way law enforcement approaches domestic violence. Specifically, an associate professor and doctorate students are working alongside investigators with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to identify signs of strangulation and collect valuable forensic medical evidence to corroborate the potentially lethal attacks. The risk of […]
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Conference Brings Focus on Technology for Doctorate Student
By SARA BELLIGONI On Dec. 4, Sara Belligoni, a doctorate student in the Security Studies at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, participated in the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). I/ITSEC is the largest world conference for modeling, simulation, and training. Conceived as a showcase for the aerospace and military fields, […]
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Preparing for Extreme Sea Levels Depends on Location, Time, UCF Study Finds
By ROBERT WELLS Sometimes to understand the present, it takes looking to the past. That’s the approach University of Central Florida coastal researchers are taking to pinpoint the causes of extreme sea level changes. Using historical data from tide gauges that line U.S. coasts, the researchers created an extreme sea level indicator that identifies how […]
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Grad Makes ‘Intelligent’ Choice With Lockheed Career
Everything from the precision of military strikes to global money markets hinges on timely, accurate information, or, as it’s known in the trade, “intelligence.” Alanna Fulk ’16, M.A. ’19, is keenly aware of that now as an intelligence analyst for one of the most prestigious intelligence and security corporations in the world, Lockheed Martin. But […]
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New Scholarship Funds Student Study of Sea Turtles
Three students with big ambitions to curb the dwindling sea turtle population will benefit from a new scholarship started by the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation. The foundation chose to partner with UCF in recognition of the work conducted by Kate Mansfield, Ph.D., who leads the Marine Turtle Research Group (MTRG). Mansfield is a […]
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New Research Technique May Shed Light On Baby Sea Turtle Journey
By ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA A team of Florida researchers and their collaborators created a first-of-its-kind computer model that tracks where sea turtle hatchlings go after they leave Florida’s shores, giving scientists a new tool to figure out where young turtles spend their “lost years.” Nathan Putman, a biologist with LGL Ecological Research Assoc. based in […]
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New Book Examines Modern Relations Between Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia
A newly published book takes a timely look at the intersection of the relations between Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as U.S. influence and involvement declines in the Middle East. Aspiring Powers, Regional Rivals: Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the new Middle East, co-authored and edited by Gönül Tol and David Dumke, was published […]
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Nicholson Grads Reunite on Set of ‘Shark Tank’
There is no one path to success. Neither Jen Rosen ’09 nor Kelly Nader ’16 pictured themselves in casting and production when they began Radio-Television classes at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. And both took different career routes after graduation. But in the funny way life works, the UCF grads crossed paths on […]
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RISE Conference Returns For Second Year of Puerto Rico Awareness
The RISE 2019 conference, focused on raising the awareness around displaced communities in the wake of natural disaster, successfully wrapped up their second annual meeting in Albany, New York, drawing in a crowd of more than 400 people. Professor Fernando Rivera, Ph.D, director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at UCF, is pleased to see […]
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New Alumni Reflect on Journey That Brought Them to Fall ’19 Graduation
As he adjusted his black gown, a yellow tassel dangling out of the corner of his eye, Bepsy Omar Aguasvivas thought about his father’s words: “The hardest thing to do is be born. Everything else is simply a step ahead.” That advice carried Aguasvivas through his academic experience at UCF all the way to Saturday, […]
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OSIRIS REx Target on Asteroid Bennu Revealed, Next Step – Touch-and-Go in 2020
By ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA The OSIRIS-REx team announced today, the selection of two sites on asteroid Bennu that they will target for sample collection next year. The selection of the two spots nicknamed Nightingale and Osprey sites represents a milestone in NASA’s first mission to collect a sample of an asteroid and bring it back […]
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Agreement Opens New Research Opportunity at State Park
A first-of-its-kind agreement between a Florida state park and a public university opens new research opportunities for students and faculty of disciplines ranging from biology to engineering. The agreement between UCF and Florida Park Service centers on a building in Econfina River State Park in rural Taylor County, about an hour southeast of Tallahassee. A […]