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COS Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2016: Carol Lawrence
Not many University of Central Florida graduates can say that they knew the esteemed John T. Washington, UCF’s first African-American faculty member. Alumna Carol Lawrence, ’71, and her husband, Jim Lawrence, ’71, had him officiate their wedding. “The late Dr. John Washington for whom the ‘old’ UCF student union building is named was a […]
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The Distinguished Speaker Series is Back!
The UCF College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series is back with exciting new topics presented by renowned experts in their fields. This year’s 2016-17 series will be held monthly at Tuscawilla Country Club at 6:00pm, on the last Wednesday of each month, from September 2016 to April 2017 (excluding December). The Distinguished Speaker Series includes seven […]
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UCF Team Tricks Solid Into Acting as Liquid
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Two scientists at the University of Central Florida Chemistry Department have discovered how to get a solid material to act like a liquid without actually turning it into liquid, potentially opening a new world of possibilities for the electronic, optics and computing industries. When chemistry graduate student Demetrius A. […]
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A Call for Humanitarian Priorities
Peter J. Jacques, Ph.D., professor in the UCF Political Science Department, was recently published on The Cipher Brief regarding Water Security in the Middle East: a Call for Humanitarian Priorities. The Cipher Brief is a digital security-based conversation platform that connects the private sector with the world’s leading security experts. Dr. Jacques teaches environmental security in the UCF Security […]
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Living Shoreline Workshop Makes Waves in K-12 Classrooms
12 educators, representing eight schools throughout three counties, participated in the UCF Living Shoreline Educator Workshop on Sunday, August 28, 2016. Pegasus Professor in the UCF Biology Department Linda Walters, Ph.D., UCF Biology Post-Doctoral Researcher and Instructor Melinda Donnelly, Ph.D., and Paul Sacks, Ph.D., a science educator at Winter Springs High School, led the group […]
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Psychology Alumnus Bleeds Black and Gold
Steven Perham, ’12, ’14, attributes his confidence and success in his counseling career to his time spent at UCF. Graduating with his bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCF, Perham went on to earn his master’s degree from UCF’s Clinical Psychology program. “My UCF degrees trained me to work my hardest as a clinician, and I’m […]
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Inspiring Women in STEM
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today Julie Delauriers squarely blames UCF Biology professor Linda Walters for where she is in her career today – attending one of the best veterinary schools in the nation. “She is such an inspiration,” Delauriers said from Purdue University. “She kept encouraging me, pushing me to do science research. […]
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Psychology Students Receive UCF Summer Fellowships
Four incoming UCF Psychology Department graduate students received awards from the UCF Summer Mentoring Fellowship Program. The campus-wide competitive fellowship program provides funding support from the College of Graduate Studies for underrepresented students to complete summer research projects before they begin graduate school. The four recipients included incoming Applied Experimental and Human Factors doctoral students Lindsay […]
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Chemistry Welcomes Chair
This summer Cherie Yestrebsky, Ph.D., was named the chair of the UCF Chemistry Department. Dr. Yestrebsky has been serving as interim chair of the department since November of 2014, prior to her long-term appointment in June 2016. Before coming to UCF, Dr. Yestrebsky earned her doctorate in chemistry from the University of South Florida. She […]
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Chemistry Student Researches Gene Expression
UCF Chemistry Department senior Monica Cortez recently returned to the sunshine state from 11 weeks in North Carolina. Cortez spent the summer working full-time in a biophysics laboratory perfecting a tool that can be used to control biological processes on a nuclear level. Cortez was one of 12 students from across the United States that […]
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UCF Scientists Investigate Restoration Efforts
Story by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF Today A scientific answer to a challenge such as water pollution is only part of a long-term solution. For example, science may provide a way to clean water, but keeping it clean usually relies on identifying underlying causes and making a long-term impact on human behavior. A team of UCF […]
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Physics Student Wins with Research
UCF Physics doctoral student Jenna Crowell was the winner of the best student poster award at the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) annual meeting this summer. Supported by NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), Crowell attended the annual meeting in Beijing, China from July 31- August 5. Her presented poster won the top […]
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Ordinary People, Extraordinary Risks
Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., the Jalal Talabani Endowed Chair of Kurdish Political Studies in the UCF Department of Political Science, recently published an innovative article in the flagship journal of the American Political Science Association. Under what conditions does an individual willingly risk his or her life for a political cause? Dr. Tezcür explains that […]
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Professorial Fellow Appointment
UCF Psychology faculty member Mindy Shoss, Ph.D., has been named a Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Human Resource Management and Wellbeing at Australian Catholic University (ACU). In addition to her appointment, she has been invited to be a keynote speaker at the International Research Symposium on Social Identity in the Workplace and Employee […]
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A Professor’s Passion for Political Science
“When the media kept repeating the line about terrorists ‘hating us for our freedom’ during the run-up to the [Iraq War 2003], I remember thinking ‘Is that really true?’” This was the pivotal question that prompted UCF Political Science professor, Andrew Boutton, Ph.D., to pursue his interests in the field of political science. Originally from central […]
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Civics Teaching Certificate
The UCF Department of Political Science has teamed up with the School of Teaching, Learning and Leadership to offer a certificate in civics teaching. The certificate, administered through the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government, is comprised of a four course program designed to develop expertise in civics content, pedagogy and assessment. The certificate […]
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Psychology Appoints Chair
Clint Bowers, Ph.D., has been appointed as interim chair of the UCF Psychology Department. Although this is a new role for Dr. Bowers, UCF is not new to him. For more than 20 years Dr. Bowers has worked at UCF, serving in positions throughout the university. With a passion for technology, Dr. Bowers oversees the […]
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Security Studies Students Impress at CENTCOM
Several students and faculty from the UCF Security Studies Ph.D. program visited the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa to present their research on August 11, 2016. CENTCOM personnel expressed interest in the students’ research, providing positive feedback and discussing collaboration on future events. UCF security studies doctoral student Chelsea Faherty works full time at […]
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GIS to Offer Certificate
Beginning this fall, UCF will offer a new Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This new GIS certificate will provide students with the interdisciplinary background in the geography and the technical skills in the application of GIS through a 4 course, 12 credit hour load. The certificate will not only enhance students’ ability to understand, […]
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Back from Belize, Changed
“Back from Belize, Changed.” This is the shared sentiment of ten University of Central Florida students who traveled to Belize this summer as a part of the UCF Geographic Information Systems’ Belize study abroad experience from May 30 – June 10, 2016. UCF Citizen Science GIS is a collaborative, academic initiative that works in community-university […]
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Professor Honored at Embassy of Kazakhstan
Houman Sadri, Ph.D., associate professor of Political Science at UCF, received a medal dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. Dr. Sadri, accompanied by his son Arman, received the medal at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington, D.C. on August 4, 2016. The Embassy of Kazakhstan awarded Dr. Sadri with […]
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NCFS DARTs for Fast Forensics
Forensic scientists, scholars and students gathered at UCF’s National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS) for ‘DART Day’ on Friday, August 5. Direct analysis in real time – mass spectrometry, or DART-MS is an instrument that can analyze or screen any unknown gas, liquid, or solid sample within 5-10 seconds. NCFS and UCF Chemistry Professor Candice Bridge, […]
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Fighting Inequality with GIS
Representing the UCF Department of Sociology is Yingru Li, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). With a family background deeply rooted in geography, it was no surprise that Dr. Li went to pursue her master’s degree in GIS and Ph.D. in Geography. “My father is a geologist,” explained Dr. Li. “When I was […]
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For the Love of Halley’s Comet
The beauty of Halley’s Comet streaking through the night sky in 1986 is responsible for launching Yan Fernandez, Ph.D.’s, career, which next month puts him smack in the middle of a historic NASA mission to explore a nearby asteroid. The University of Central Florida associate professor of physics is one of the scientists working on the […]
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Summer Grads Celebrate with COS
It’s that time of the year again! The College of Sciences and its academic departments and school hosted their traditional graduation reception for the Summer 2016 graduates. On Saturday, August 6, COS over 600 graduates walked across the commencement stage to receive their diplomas. Graduates and their family and faculty were then welcomed into the UCF Psychology […]
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Political Science Junior Law School Bound
In just a few weeks, Rodney Ulysse is heading to the Florida State University (FSU) College of Law. He will be the only University of Central Florida (UCF) senior and first-year FSU law student in his class. The UCF Political Science major was admitted through FSU’s highly competitive 3+3 program. It provides qualifying students from […]
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Outstanding Physics AlumKnight
UCF Physics alumnus Howard Bender, Ph.D., ’98, has stayed connected to his alma mater in more ways than one. Most recently he was recognized as a 2016 College of Sciences Outstanding AlumKnight as well as founded an endowed scholarship in the UCF College of Nursing. Dr. Bender graduated from UCF in 1998 with a doctorate […]
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Physics Faculty Lead Conference
UCF Physics professor Daniel Britt, Ph.D., who was recently selected to take part in the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) New Horizons extended mission, continues to make waves in the world of physics. Most recently, he assisted in organizing the International Conference on the Exploration of Phobos and Deimos hosted by NASA […]
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Big Win for Ad/PR Alumnus
Story by Tommiea Jackson, Nicholson News Washington, D.C. is more than 850 miles away, but it isn’t too far for a Knight to travel to make his or her presence known. Steven Torres, ’16, a 2016 College of Sciences advertising-public relations graduate, traveled to the nation’s capital in June and brought home the top prize. […]
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NSC Partners with Latin American Studies
Story by Tommiea Jackson, Nicholson News For college students, choosing a major takes a great deal of consideration. With a little more planning with academic advisors, many Knights can walk away from college with two bachelor’s degrees by earning not more than the 120 credit hours required for one degree. Faculty and administrators at the […]