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Ph.D. Candidate Closing the Health Gap
Selected as a Health Policy Research Scholar, sociology Ph.D. candidate Harvey Nicholson works to close the gap in health disparities throughout the United States. Out of 295 applicants, Nicholson was one of 40 chosen to be a part of this national leadership program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Nicholson’s research focuses on the […]
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Team Works to Understand Social Behavior
by Mark Schlueb The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded a combined $12.5 million in federal contracts to two UCF research teams to develop models and massive simulations to help understand online social behavior and predict the spread of information in online social networks. DARPA awarded $6.3 million to a team led by Associate […]
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Anthropology Ph.D. Program to Launch in 2018
by Zenaida Kotala UCF will begin offering a Ph.D. program in integrative anthropological sciences next fall, but it won’t be your traditional anthropology degree. Students who enter the program will benefit from a methods-focused program that encourages them to integrate advanced methodological expertise with anthropology’s strengths in diversity to address enduring problems not just in […]
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History Reveals Future Opportunities
Thanks to the American Anthropological Association (AAA) internship program, one UCF student traveled to Washington, D.C. this past summer and experienced the vast opportunities present in the anthropology field. Karina Nogueras spent her time conducting research for the United States Navy as well as analyzing the learning objectives of various anthropology departments nationwide to make […]
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Victory at Vanderbilt
The UCF Debate team is showing off its skills and earned several awards and trophies recently. On Oct. 13, 2017, Vanderbilt University hosted its annual invitational debate tournament. Brittany Bolger, Lauren Christie, Louis Dor, Anna Jurlina, Dveen Manoogian, Ariel Olson, Ethan Smith, Joe Tracey and Ethan Uhlig collectively competed at the invitational in both the novice and junior varsity divisions. Jurlina and Smith are freshmen; Bolger, Christie, […]
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Using Vocal Cords to Unlock Human Origins
UCF undergraduate student Austin Stanley is majoring in anthropology and tackling the question of human origins at the same time. More specifically, he’s studying the vocal capabilities of homo heidelbergensis, a more direct human ancestor than Neanderthals, to get a broader sense on when spoken language of humans began. This can be determined through looking […]
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New Finding Sheds More Light on Zombie Ants
Charissa de Bekker, Ph.D., an assistant professor in biology, came to UCF earlier this year to continue her research on a fungal parasite that infects ants, hijacks their brains and controls their behavior to spread its fungal spores – a phenomenon that’s led to those infected being called “zombie ants.” Throughout her career, she’s found […]
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Uncovering History Through Undergraduate Research
Most college students think of beach days and bathing suits when they hear they’re going to visit the East Coast for the summer. Current UCF senior Alexandra Kulenguski headed to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to spend her break working as an Archaeology and Digital Heritage Technician, instead of soaking up the sun beach-side. This […]
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Alumna’s Community Involvement Leaves Impact
Chelsea Daley is passionate about her community. Daley graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2015, and now works as an email marketer at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. She stays connected to the UCF community through the D.C. AlumKnights chapter and uses the skills she […]
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Anthropologist Wins Prestigious Book Award
Associate professor of anthropology, Joanna Mishtal, Ph.D., has won an award for her book, The Politics of Morality: The Church, the State and Reproductive Rights in Postsocialist Poland. Mishtal’s book was selected as the winner of the Adele E. Clarke Book Award. The award honors Mishtal’s extensive research into the politics of gender, reproductive rights, […]
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Making Puppies Popular for Abuse Victims
November’s Outstanding AlumKnight Jessie Holton, Ed.D., has spent his life giving back to the community. A United States Marine Corps veteran, Holton now works in Brevard County’s Special Victims Unit as a major crimes investigator. He pairs this with continued research at UCF, working to understand the needs of his community and creating programs to […]
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Student Published in the Washington Post
Peyman Asadzade, UCF student pursuing a doctorate degree in security studies, recently published a blog post in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, which is a leading political blog with national exposure. His piece focused on public opinion and Iran’s involvement in the Syrian civil war. It discusses Iranian public response to Iran’s growing military presence […]
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International Observe the Moon Night
By Barb Abney An event for lunar observers is planned Oct. 29 at UCF’s Knights Plaza with telescopes, a mining robot and other activities. The event, organized by the UCF physics department, Robinson Observatory and student organizations including the Astronomy Society, is being held as part of the worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration. […]
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Professor Advises NATO for the Summer
For the second consecutive year, Associate Professor Eric Merriam (joint appointment to the Political Science and Legal Studies departments) served as a legal advisor this summer to the International Military Committee at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Serving as an active duty judge advocate for the Air Force for 14 […]
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NFL Star Breaks Mental Health Stigma
by Jenna Marina Lee The day that NFL star wide receiver and UCF alumnus Brandon Marshall ’06 went public with his borderline personality disorder diagnosis in 2011, his wife, Michi Marshall ’06, remembers turning to him and saying that his diagnosis was going to help someone. They knew immediately they needed to organize and mobilize […]
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Physics Takes a Student to France
UCF Physics’ Ph.D. student Chi Hong (Isaac) Yuen received a Chateaubriand fellowship to pursue research in France. He is spending eight months overseas to study the destruction of carbon dioxide molecules and the formation of the ozone molecule in collaboration with the Ecole Centrale de Paris, the University of Le Havre and the University of […]
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Math Professor Solves Real-World Problems
by Barbara Abney Whoever said studying mathematics has no practical application, doesn’t know UCF math Professor Alexander Katsevich. Katsevich has liked math since an early age, and in 2001 he developed a breakthrough algorithm, which efficiently and accurately processes the data collected from high-speed computed tomography scanners and translates them into clear 3-D images. The […]
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Two Professors Honored as Fellows of the American Physical Society
Two UCF Department of Physics professors have been selected as Fellows of the American Physical Society. Election to the Fellowship in the APS is limited to no more than one-half of one percent of the membership. The criterion for election is exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise; e.g., outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, […]
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14 Faculty Awarded for International Impact
UCF recognized 45 faculty members Wednesday during the university’s inaugural Luminary Award presentations for making an impact on the world. Fourteen of the recipients are College of Sciences faculty members. The event, themed like Oscar night, honored those who are academic leaders in their field and are making contributions to the world that are having […]
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Never Hug an Orangutan
UCF alumnus Paulo Maurin, Ph.D., shares tales of adventure in his newly-published book “The Hugging Orangutan Chase: Narrative of encounters with animals and people across the Hawaiian and Indonesian Archipelagos.” Maurin currently works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation program in Hawaii. During his first seven years, Maurin participated in […]
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Alumna Analyzes Drugs to Solve Crime
After completing a bachelor’s degree in forensic science with a minor in chemistry from UCF, Danielle Ostrow now identifies and analyzes controlled substances as part of her job as a forensic chemist at the Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory. Ostrow built the foundation in identifying and analyzing controlled substances and gained valuable skills for her career […]
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UCF Space Program Honored at Center Field
UCF has a strong connection to space. At Spectrum Stadium, Physics Professor Joshua Colwell was honored at the UCF Homecoming football game. He has ongoing research with commercial space companies and NASA, including the historic Cassini mission to explore Saturn. Assistant Professor Adrienne Dove, also joined him on the field. She was honored with NASA’s Susan […]
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College of Sciences Celebrates Scholarships
On Oct. 12, 2017, the College of Sciences celebrated scholarship recipients and donors at the annual Scholarship Luncheon at the Live Oak Event Center. The luncheon serves as a place for students to meet the donors that make their scholarships possible, and for the donors, a chance to see how their scholarships make a difference. […]
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Team Building Mini Satellite to Fly in Space in 2018
by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala A team of UCF researchers and their students is building a small satellite that will conduct experiments as it orbits the Earth next year. The NASA-funded project code-named Q-PACE will help Physics Professor Joshua Colwell and his team better understand how planets form. The experiments involve marble-sized particles and what happens […]
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Student Researches Roses and Cabbage
Senior biology major Shelly Gaynor shares her interest in genetics and evolutionary biology with the ecological community thanks to the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program. She is interested in polyploidy evolution, a process of genome doubling which leads to organisms with multiple sets of chromosomes. Her research investigates the influence of […]
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Imaging Device to Be Used in Anthropology Research
By Mark Schlueb Due to the collaborative nature of UCF’s faculty, the National Science Foundation has awarded the university a grant that will help fund the purchase of a $900,000 imaging device that will do everything from design nanoparticles of the future to delve into our civilization’s past. The NSF approved the funding request because […]
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Lou Frey Institute Honored as National Model for Civics Education
by Steve Masyada, Ph.D. The Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida, in collaboration with partners at iCivics, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, hosted Democracy at a Crossroads: Our Nation’s Future Needs Innovative Civic Learning Now. The meeting took place on September 21 and was […]
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Tying Your Shoes and Budgets, Too
Brett Jones closed his eyes and tried to remember how to tie his shoes. He looked around the room and decided to go with the bunny ears method. “I realized the best way to answer was to answer it simply, and go for a laugh at the same time,” Brett Jones said. “The whole room […]
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Alumnus Came to UCF With a Single Bag
Looking at UCF’s current attendance numbers, it’s hard to believe that the school once had only 14,000 students and a low student to teacher ratio. But in 1983, it’s this factor that appealed heavily to young Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Alfredo Anthony, DBA, and inspired his transfer to the school. Anthony showed up to UCF […]
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Anthropologist Studies Alternative Treatment for Addiction
Assistant Professor within UCF’s Department of Anthropology Shana Harris spends her time in Mexico researching drug use and addiction, currently focusing on the therapeutic use of a psychedelic known as ibogaine. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring substance that many use as a form of alternative drug treatment for addiction. Users who ingest it experience a […]