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Anthropology Student Seeks Degree to Thank Mom, Dig Up Latin American Roots
Story by Rachel Williams, UCF Today Kimberly Batres was too young to remember, but her mother often went hungry. As a single mother living in Guatemala with daughters 7 and 3 years old, Alison Batres earned just enough money working in a family-owned bakery to pay rent and feed her children. Fed up and in […]
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Open Reef Drones Take on Environmental Conservation
Geographic information systems (GIS), and related geospatial technologies like drones, are being used to do wonders for our planet. With the growing issue of climate change and over-development, University of Central Florida researchers have taken the initiative to protect the areas with the greatest risks: islands and coastal areas. UCF Assistant Professor of GIS in […]
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Peer Milk-Sharing Participants Generally Keep it Clean
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Mothers who want the benefits of breast milk for their babies but can’t produce the substance often turn to milk-sharing networks. A new study from the University of Central Florida found that although not a recommended practice, those who participate in milk-sharing networks generally follow good hygiene, which is […]
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Feminine Rivalry, Partner Violence, and Inauthenticity Work
Assistant Professor in the UCF Department of Sociology Amanda Anthony, Ph.D., had her diverse research published in three articles throughout 2016. In March, 2016, her paper titled ‘When Beauty Brings Out the Beast: Female Comparisons and the Feminine Rivalry’ was published in the journal Gender Issues. Anthony worked with UCF sociology doctoral student Sarah Okorie […]
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A Unique Focus on Women and Conflict at UCF
The Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) and the Department of Political Science at the University of Central Florida hosted a conference titled “Gendered Dynamics of International Security” at UCF on Friday, February 3. The conference brought a distinguished group of scholars and a prominent journalist to UCF’s campus in Orlando. It offered unique perspectives into the […]
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International Relations Club Connects at Conference
The International Relations Club at the University of Central Florida traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Middle Eastern Policymaker’s Conference in October, 2016. This marked the club’s third year attending the conference, which drew a range of panelists from diverse backgrounds including diplomats, NGOs, scholars, businesspeople, and healthcare professionals. The conference provided ample networking opportunities, […]
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Endangered Tiny Bird Has Big Ally in UCF
Story by Barbara Abney The future of the tiny Florida Grasshopper Sparrow may rest on a hot-water blaster that safely fends off fire ants, which threaten the remaining 100 or so wild sparrows in Central Florida. Joshua King, a self-described ant nerd, ecologist and entomologist at the University of Central Florida, received $15,500 from the […]
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Anthropology Student Aims to Make a Difference
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Elizabeth “Beth” Chance served eight years in the U.S. Army, among many assignments handling classified mail in Iraq. When she came home, she became a classroom teacher. But she’d always dreamed of becoming an archeologist. “I had watched a PBS special on the discovery of ‘Lucy,’” said the […]
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Pegasus Professor Weighs in on General Strikes
Research findings of Pegasus Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., were recently published in a posting on the Monkey Cage, the political blog of The Washington Post. The posting, published on Feb. 8, discusses the Women’s March organizers’ push for a general strike against President Trump. Hamann and her […]
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UCF Chimes in on Florida’s Puerto Rican Population Growth
The University of Central Florida was well represented at a recent workshop held at the Orange County Commission Chamber on Feb. 3, 2017. UCF Associate Professor of sociology, Fernando Rivera, Ph.D., along with several other UCF professors, presented their research at the Puerto Rican Demographic Workshop. The workshop was led by UCF political science graduate […]
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NSC to host ICRC Conference
Story by UCF Nicholson School of Communication News Nicholson School of Communication is making plans for an exciting International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference March 13-15, 2017. The annual ICRCC features presentations, workshops and panel discussions on strategic crisis communication issues, case studies, best practices and emerging trends. These are presented by an impressive lineup of top practitioners and prominent […]
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NSC Shines at Suncoast Emmy Awards
Story by UCF Nicholson School of Communication News Nicholson School of Communication alumni, students and adjuncts were in the spotlight quite a bit at the 2016 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards on Dec. 3. Five alumni won regional Emmy awards of excellence for their work in television this past year, with one of them bringing home […]
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Fulbright Follows Professor Miller
Story by UCF Nicholson School of Communication News Ann Miller, Ph.D., associate professor of human communication at NSC, has been invited to become a Fulbright specialist. The grant will allow her the opportunity to spend up to six weeks in East Africa teaching graduate research methods. Miller is slated to follow up with this class in the summer and […]
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UCF Hosts NFL Event
The City of Orlando’s hosting of the Pro Bowl brought more than just football games. The University of Central Florida welcomed 55 retired NFL players to campus on Saturday, January 28 for the NFL Player Association Pro Bowl Health Symposium. This was the largest attendance of former pros at an NFL Players Association sponsored health-screening […]
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Digging up the Past
J. Marla Toyne, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Central Florida’s Department of Anthropology, uses ancient and modern human and animal tissues to study dietary and migration patterns of the past. In the Laboratory for Bioarchaeological Sciences, located in the basement of the Math and Sciences Building, Toyne uses samples from archaeological sites from […]
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UCF Gets $1.3 million to Fight Zika
University of Central Florida scientists, including three Department of Chemistry faculty members, received a total of nearly $1.3 million in state funds Wednesday to research the Zika virus with the goal of understanding its effects on human health and developing a vaccine for the mosquito-borne illness. The funding was part of Gov. Rick Scott’s authorization of $25 […]
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A Big Crowd for Big Data
The University of Central Florida College of Sciences, College of Business Administration and College of Engineering and Computer Science hosted the UCF Big Data Symposium on Thursday, January 26, 2017 in the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. More than 200 UCF alumni, faculty, students and community partners attended the event to hear the developments in Big Data at […]
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NASA Mission is One Step Closer to Launching into Space
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today A NASA instrument that will study the upper atmosphere and the impact of space weather on Earth is a step closer on its journey into space. The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission, led by University of Central Florida scientist Richard Eastes, is scheduled to […]
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UCF Sociologists Encourage Social Activism
Melanie Sberna Hinojosa, Ph.D., and Ramon Hinojosa, Ph.D, assistant professors in the Department of Sociology, were selected to give a presentation on the role of civic engagement in undergraduate leadership. The presentation, held as a part of the University of Central Florida’s LEAD Scholars Leadership Week, will take place in Feb., 2017. The presentation titled […]
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Pegasus Professor Named Fellow of AVS
University of Central Florida Pegasus Professor in the Department of Physics Talat Rahman, Ph.D., has been named a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society (AVS). Fellowship is the premier membership recognition for this professional Society and recognizes AVS members who have made sustained and outstanding scientific and technical contributions in areas of interest to AVS. […]
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Alumnus Elevates UCF Nationwide
Orlando resident Louis Rotundo, ’73, ’75, has been influential in shaping local legislation. He began the political effort, drafted the legislation and secured the funding for SunRail and has worked with some of the most prominent elected officials in Florida over the last forty years. He is also a proud University of Central Florida graduate. […]
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Spring Faculty Fellows Promote Women Excellence
A group of University of Central Florida faculty members were selected as faculty fellows of the UCF Center for Success of Women Faculty for spring 2017. College of Sciences faculty Melanie Sberna Hinojosa, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, and Beatriz M. Reyes-Foster, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, along with […]
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Chairs and Directors Leadership Circle
Four University of Central Florida department chairs from the College of Sciences have been selected to be in the UCF Office of Faculty Excellence’s Chairs and Directors Leadership Circle. Tosha Dupras, Ph.D., anthropology chair, Kerstin Hamann, Ph.D., political science chair, Elizabeth Mustaine, Ph.D., sociology chair, and Graham Worthy, Ph.D., biology chair are part of the […]
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UCF Professor Cited in Politico Magazine
Research by Visiting Assistant Professor Christopher Olds, Ph.D., was recently cited in an article in “Politico” magazine. Olds teaches in the University of Central Florida’s Department of Political Science. His research on political communication specializes on the effects of public remarks made by the American president. The two research projects referenced in the article were published […]
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Sickening of the Seas: UCF Team Discovers Destructive Sea Regime
Research conducted by UCF political science master’s graduate Rafaella Lobo, ’15, and political science Professor, Peter Jacques, Ph.D., exposed an invisible regime that governs the seas they labeled the ‘World Ocean Regime.’ Lobo and Jacques collaborated on the research that uncovers silent rules that allow environmental harm to be inflicted internationally. These rules are silent […]
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How UCF Faculty Turn Their Offices into Works of Art
Story by Rachel Williams, UCF Today In honor of National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day on Jan. 31, five University of Central Florida faculty members share how they use their offices to display their own variants of art – handmade masks, paintings, even skeletons – to inspire themselves, students and coworkers to continue learning. […]
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Comparative Politics Professor Joins UCF
The UCF College of Sciences welcomed Assistant Professor Konstantin Ash, Ph.D., to the Department of Political Science in fall 2016. Originally from Russia, Ash moved to the United States with his family when he was eight years old, living in Philadelphia, PA until graduating high school. Ash attended New York University, earning a bachelor’s degree […]
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Physics Graduate Students Conference Bound
Brian Zamarripa Roman and Fernand Eliud Torres-Davila, University of Central Florida physics graduate students, were awarded a travel grant from the American Physical Society (APS) to attend the APS Graduate Education and Bridge Program Conference in College Park, Maryland. “As part of the bridge program, we hope to expand our knowledge of the cutting-edge fields […]
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Fighting Crop Disease
Story by Mark Schlueb, UCF Today An international agricultural company has licensed a formula for fighting crop disease that a UCF scientist spent more than five years perfecting. Gowan Co. recently signed an agreement with the University of Central Florida to obtain exclusive rights to the anti-fungal and anti-bacterial formulation developed by researcher Swadeshmukul Santra, Ph.D. The […]
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Alumnus Holds Key To Big Data
By Jenna Marina In the past, the biggest threat from a data breach was to the individual. But now with the onset of Big Data, there are much bigger threats and even bigger opportunities. Few people, however, understand what Big Data is or how it can be used, said Lee Odess, ’99, vice president of […]