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Achievements Celebrated at 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards
The College of Sciences recognized 10 alumni for their achievements Thursday at the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards. The annual event brings together outstanding alumni from each of the departments and schools within COS for a night of celebration and reflection on another successful year. “Tonight’s awardees were selected for this honor based on their […]
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Nicholson Student Makes TV Debut on Food Network’s ‘Halloween Wars’
A UCF sophomore makes his debut this Sunday as the youngest-ever competitor on Food Network’s hit show “Halloween Wars.” The show pits six teams of three against each other to build spooky creations, with each member of the team contributing expertise in either cake decorating, sugar art or pumpkin carving. Jarid Altmark, an Advertising and […]
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U.S. Army Awards $1 Million to UCF RESTORES Clinic for Virtual Reality Project
BY GENE KRUCKEMYER’73 | SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 The UCF RESTORES Clinic was recently awarded $1 million from the U.S. Army to continue development of its own virtual-reality software to treat active-duty service members, military veterans and first responders who experience post-traumatic stress disorder. “This funding will allow us to develop new tools to further […]
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Hurricane Dorian Washes Out More than 8,000 Sea Turtle Nests
BY ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA At least 8,000 sea turtles nests washed away from the Brevard County portion of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month because of Hurricane Dorian, according to a University of Central Florida survey. The refuge, which extends from southern Brevard County into Indian River County, is one of the […]
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New Biology Hire Brings Focus to Accessibility
A new hire in the Department of Biology amplifies the College of Sciences’ emphasis on inclusive learning. Assistant Professor Katelyn Cooper, Ph.D., is a discipline-based education researcher identifying ways to make undergraduate biology more inclusive. Specifically, Cooper’s work focuses on revealing challenges for students with different identities and characteristics in undergraduate biology and finding ways […]
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Arboretum Opens New Garden With Harvest Celebration
By Rahma Hassan Students got a first look at the UCF Arboretum’s newest garden at the New Garden Kickoff event Tuesday. Over 70 students attended the event where they got to harvest plants and vegetables from the garden, tour the greenhouse and learn about what the Arboretum is doing to help with pollination on […]
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Students Travel to Iraq For Kurdish Studies
By Doreen Horschig, doctoral candidate of Security Studies. Two students affiliated with UCF’s Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) conducted research in Kurdistan over this summer. Tutku Ayhan, a doctoral candidate in Security Studies program at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs at UCF and Jenna Dovydaitis, a senior of the UCF Burnett Honors […]
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UCF Biologist Records Highest-Ever Voltage By Electric Eel
A UCF biologist is attracting global attention for recording the highest-ever voltage generated by an electric eel — or any living creature, for that matter. The record-shattering 860-volt eel was discovered by Associate Professor William Crampton, Ph.D., during an expedition to the Tapajós River of Brazil. The eel belongs to one of two new species […]
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Former “Striking Knight” Takes Gold in Bowling at Pan American Games
Team USA took gold in bowling this year at the Pan American games with the help of a former Striking Knight. The winning margin of 200 pins was the work of Stefanie Johnson ’06 ’08MA and her bowling partner, Shannon O’Keefe. “I couldn’t believe our margin,” says Johnson, who majored in criminal justice and earned a master’s in communication from […]
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Ph.D. Student Heads Home to Guatamala To Study Maya Civilization
Mapping and excavating Maya ruins this summer not only fulfilled a lifelong dream for Rodrigo Guzman, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology, but connected him with his roots. Guzman spent the month of July excavating an ancient site in northeast Guatemala called Holtun. Working in conjunction with the Anthropology Department, Guzman uncovered 32 […]
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Department of Psychology Celebrates Assoc. Professor’s Double Fellowship
Two prestigious psychology associations recently named a UCF associate professor a fellow. James Szalma, Ph.D., researches and teaches in the field of human factors, which guides intuitive design of products and maximizes efficiency based on the way people instinctively behave. Szalma, for instance, has spoken with Sports Illustrated magazine about the connection between crowd noise […]
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PoliSci Grad Daily Impacts Lives of Veterans
A political science degree from UCF paved the way for a graduate to impact the lives of veterans. William Maddens, ’14BA ’17MA, works today for the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing financial assistance for veterans and their loved ones through the Benefits Administration. It’s a job that brings him tremendous satisfaction, but it wasn’t what […]
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Glitter, Hurricanes and Amphibians Among Topics of ’19-20 Distinguished Speaker Series
The College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series brings renowned speakers to enrich the lives of members of the Central Florida community. You don’t need to be in a classroom to learn the latest technology or hear the latest findings of our cutting-edge research. Our speakers will address topics relevant to the natural, computational, social or […]
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Physics Student Spends Summer Studying Asteroids for OSIRIS-REx
While many students spent their summer break at the beach or working to earn tuition money, UCF physics student Jennifer Nolau spent her break analyzing thousands and thousands of digital images beamed to her from an asteroid millions of miles from Earth. Curled up in her favorite pajamas with her laptop in her off-campus apartment, the […]
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Professor Emeritus Takes To The Skies For 80th Birthday
A former chair of the Department of Psychology and expert in gerontology took to the skies Wednesday to prove his point that age is just a number. Dick Tucker, Ph.D, celebrated his 70th birthday by tandem skydiving. For his 80th birthday this week, he chose hang gliding. For about 15 minutes, Tucker circled peacefully […]
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Arecibo Observatory Gets $19 Million NASA Grant to Help Protect Earth from Asteroids
BY ZENAIDA KOTALA Knowledge is power and NASA has just invested $19 million into the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico to gain a lot of knowledge about asteroids. NASA awarded the University of Central Florida (which manages the site on behalf of National Science Foundation) the four-year grant to observe and characterize near-Earth objects (NEO) […]
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Growing International Impact Focus Of New Global Perspectives Chief
Developing UCF’s place in the world is David Dumke’s mission. And Dumke is well-suited to the task. Since 2012, Dumke has led the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies. Now Dumke is taking on his next task: leading the Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives. The leadership post was held […]
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$610K Grant Boosts Development of Radiochemistry Lab
One of UCF’s newest labs just received a $610,000 grant to advance the field of radiochemistry and produce a new generation of nuclear scientists. The grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was awarded to the Chemistry Department’s Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, Ph.D., whose research focuses on the environmental fate and geochemical transformations of radioactive contaminants, organic pollutants […]
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UCF Makes Lifelong Imprint on Alumnus
Ted Rassmann received much more than an education from UCF. Sure, a mathematics degree set him up for a successful career as an IBM executive. But it takes a special love for your alma mater to set up a charter fishing business after retirement called Old Knight Fishing Charters. Or send your twin sons […]
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Conference Promotes Cross-Discipline Approach To Research
Big problems require big answers. But often scientists are narrowly focusing on their own fields of research, or, as Jacopo Baggio, Ph.D., puts it, “Hunting for vertical solutions to horizontal problems.” Baggio, an assistant professor in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, recently collaborated with another researcher in Sweden, Örjan Bodin, to host […]
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Student’s Radiation Research Receives American Chemical Society Accolade
A student’s research into the long-term clean-up of nuclear waste recently earned him national recognition from the American Chemical Society. Specifically, Jordan Stanberry, who enters the Chemistry doctorate program this fall, is exploring ways to contain the spread of a major pollutant in nuclear waste called Technetium-99. He is currently confirming a methodology to make […]
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Nicholson Students Spotlight Indian Caste System in New Documentary
BY LISA MILLS, PH.D. A non-governmental organization (NGO) that fights caste discrimination with education is the subject of a new documentary directed by Lisa Mills, Ph.D., associate professor of film in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. The NGO, Movement for Scavenger Community (MSC), was founded by Vimal Kumar, a doctoral candidate at the […]
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UCF Graduate Chris Van Dorn Channels Batman To Rescue Animals
Step aside Bruce Wayne. Chris Van Dorn ’17 is the real hero Gotham — and Orlando — deserves. Van Dorn’s mission to rescue animals dressed as Batman recently made national news, and bumped him closer to making his rescue mission a full-time opportunity. “It all started in the shower,” said Van Dorn, a sociology alumnus. […]
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Sorority Inspires PoliSci Grad to Pursue Legal Career Protecting Citizens
“You can’t be what you can’t see.” This is the motto Genevieve Bonan ’10 says carried her through her undergraduate studies at UCF, and still inspires her today. Bonan currently practices consumer protection law in the Consumer Protection Division of the Florida Attorney General. In her free time, she volunteers with various charities and organizations, […]
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Summer ’19 Ph.D. Grads Honored At Reception
The Summer ’19 doctorate degree students were recognized Friday at a special reception. Graduates celebrated their achievement with their faculty advisors, family, College of Sciences Dean Michael Johnson, Ph.D. and a special champagne toast. Click here to see the full gallery of photos. Chemistry Anuradha Akmeemana, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor: Michael E. Sigman, Ph.D. Dissertation: […]
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Summer Commencement Launches Careers of New COS Grads
Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of UCF’s newest College of Sciences graduates on Saturday. Jeremy Ivy, 23, is a psychology graduate, and plans on applying to a master’s program at Florida Institute of Technology for registered behavioral therapy. These therapists are registered to treat children with autism and work with others that may have […]
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Department of Energy Selects UCF Assistant Professor for National Research Program
BY ZENAIDA GONZALEZ KOTALA For a second consecutive year, one of UCF’s physics faculty members has been selected for the Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program. Physics Assistant Professor Luca Argenti is one of 73 scientists across the nation and the only one from Florida selected for the program, which includes a $750,000 grant […]
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Biology Master’s Student Chosen For Prestigious Pew Fellowship
A biology master’s student’s research just received a big endorsement from the prestigious Pew Charitable Trusts and the Florida Wildlife Commission. The national and state organizations are funding the research of Michelle Shaffer, ’16, who has spent the past five years studying the ecosystems and wildlife in the Indian River Lagoon in conjunction with the […]
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UCF Grad Battles Cancer and Loss While Earning Degree
BY NICOLE DUDENHOEFER ’17 When Erica Catron ’19MA decided to go back to school three years ago she knew as a non-traditional student she would face more challenges than others. As a married woman in her 40s, raising a young boy and taking care of a household, she figured she’d have a lot to juggle […]
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Undergrad Recognized For Native American Research
An undergraduate’s research into the impact of rising sea levels on Florida’s Native American tribes recently earned her recognition from the Office of Undergraduate Research. Senior Sarah Swiersz’s interest in political ecology and climate change led her to study Florida’s coastal communities. She decided to focus on indigenous Native American tribes because of the way […]