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UCF Launches Inaugural Mentorship, Scholarship Initiative for Students in AI
Faculty in UCF’s College of Sciences and College of Engineering and Computer Science are preparing incoming students to keep pace with the emerging multidisciplinary field of artificial intelligence. A team of five faculty, led by UCF’s Center for Research in Computer Vision (CRCV), recently received a U.S. National Science Foundation grant totaling nearly $2.5 million […]
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5 Questions with UCF Alum Richard Bilbao: New Editor-in-Chief of Orlando Business Journal
After starting at the Orlando Business Journal (OBJ) as a reporter in 2008, Richard Bilbao ’07’s has been appointed editor-in-chief for the publication. In his sixteen years at OBJ, the UCF journalism alum has also worked as a digital producer and as an associate managing editor. As an experienced journalist, Bilbao has also won awards […]
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UCF Biologist Continues Unraveling Mystery of Magnetic Bacteria
The remarkable ability of migratory animals to navigate and recall routes may be attributed to a sensitivity to not just Earth’s magnetic fields, but perhaps an interaction with magnetic bacteria living inside them. The relationship between these magnetic bacteria and the animals they reside in is not yet fully understood, but UCF Department of Biology […]
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UCF Awards Promotion and Tenure to 104 Faculty
UCF faculty members across the university achieved significant career milestones in earning promotions and tenure for the 2023-24 cycle. The 104 approved faculty — 63 for promotion, 40 for promotion and tenure and one for tenure — underwent a rigorous performance evaluation by peers, college and university leaders that took nearly an academic year. The […]
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Remembering Frank Kujawa, UCF’s Longest-Serving Faculty Member
July 1969 was a monumental time for Frank and Ann Kujawa. On the fifth of the month, they were married and about to travel from their home in Baltimore to Orlando for Frank’s final interview with UCF. Eleven days later, they sat atop the school’s engineering building to watch the Apollo 11 launch. That summer […]
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UCF Student Honored with Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
Biology student Robin Marquez was selected from 1,353 nominees nationally for the highly competitive Goldwater Scholarship. This year, only 438 total scholars were selected. The U.S. Congress established the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 1986 to honor the lifetime work of Sen. Barry Goldwater, who served as a soldier for almost six […]
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UCF’s First Mission to the Moon Passes Two Critical Milestones
In the spring of 2024, NASA’s Lunar-VISE, or Lunar Vulkan Imaging Spectroscopy Explorer, mission passed through two critical milestones on its continued successful path to the Moon in 2027. Lunar-VISE is a NASA Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program-selected mission. In late January and early February, the Lunar-VISE team […]
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13 Knights Recognized Among OBJ’s 40 Under 40 for 2024
Recently, Orlando Business Journal celebrated its 2024 40 Under 40 honorees, which include 13 Knights Meet the alumni, students and staff who are making an impact in their industries and across The City Beautiful. Zac AlfsonSenior director of marketing and communications, Central Florida Community ArtsDegree: Former stage management and integrative general studies student Jenny Austin […]
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Two Promising UCF Researchers Earn 2024 NSF CAREER Awards
UCF assistant professors Li Fang and Fan Yao have been named 2024 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development program (CAREER) award winners. The recipients were awarded funding through five years for their submitted projects. Fang, who is an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Physics within the College of Sciences, is using […]
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11 Knights Earn NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Recognitions for 2024
Five Knights have earned the most prestigious STEM research fellowship in the United States. Another six have earned honorable mentions for the award. Five UCF alums have received U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships (GRF), which supports outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited […]
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UCF Student’s Primitive Asteroids Work Provides Context for Further Research, Future NASA Missions
The primitive asteroids that UCF physics doctoral student Brittany Harvison studies carry with them traces of their origins and billions of years of our solar system’s history. Harvison recently pored through a library of infrared telescope data to analyze the spectral composition of 25 members of the Erigone family of primitive asteroids and help fill […]
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UCF Alums Provide Scholarship Support to Nontraditional Students in STEM
When we think of a person’s legacy, we tend to think of something left behind — a posthumous work or achievement, a bequest to a loved one. For John ’91MBA and Cynthia Chamberlin ’95 ’98MBA, they didn’t want to think about their legacy in the past tense; they wanted to build one they could see in their […]
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Grant awarded to UCF will help recruit promising STEM students
A newly awarded grant will unlock some new opportunities for ten promising science and engineering students at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Talat Rahman and Dr. Mihai Vaida were recently awarded an NSF REU Site grant entitled “Research in materials for energy applications”. The $427,000, three-year grant will provide ten undergraduate students opportunities to […]
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UCF Student Graduates After Studying Online from Ukraine, Providing Aid
Mia Willard began her UCF education from Kyiv before war broke out. In the midst of explosions and near misses, she continued an amazing undergraduate journey that took her deeper into danger. It’s logical to ask this question to a UCF student on the verge of graduation: How do you plan to celebrate? Posing the question […]
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UCF Scholar’s Study Could Help Strengthen Disaster Preparedness and Response in U.S. Territories
Dr. Sara Belligoni, a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Central Florida (UCF), and UCF Alumna, may do more than advance her education and career. She may also help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters such as tropical storms and hurricanes. Her recent study, “Held in the Grip: Political Status, Governing Institutions, […]
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From UCF to the Big Screen: Alum’s Award-winning Film Sparks Social Change
The streets of a small neighborhood nestled in the heart of Greater Miami echo with the sounds of Haitian Kreyòl. Vibrant buildings adorned in pastel blues, pinks and greens, alongside lively street art and bustling markets unmistakably mark the area is Little Haiti. Monica Sorelle ’12 lived nearby, as her mother had settled in Little […]
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DOD Scholarship Brings New Energy to Student’s Nuclear Research at UCF
Harnessing nuclear energy has always come with environmental concerns. A doctoral student at the University of Central Florida hopes to tackle that challenge, and a prestigious scholarship from the Department of Defense is going to help. Joseph Lee has been awarded the DOD’s SMART scholarship. The STEM scholarship will fund Lee’s research, which looks at the […]
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What Is a Solar Eclipse?
In the hours leading up to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 8, students, faculty and curious visitors from the Orlando community will head over to UCF’s iconic Reflecting Pond to marvel at the solar eclipse. “Scientifically, it’s a rare event,” says Physics Professor Yan Fernandez. “Philosophically, it’s a bonding opportunity.” This is why there will […]
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UCF’s 2024 Order of Pegasus, Other Distinguished Student Honors
UCF’s extraordinary students honored on Wednesday for Founders’ Day have unleashed their potential and excelled in colleges and disciplines across the university. Among the undergraduate and graduate students are groundbreaking national and global scholarship winners, researchers, athletes, teaching assistants, residence assistants and leaders in campus organizations such as Student Government, LEAD Scholars and the President’s […]
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UCF Celebrates, Honors Faculty with 2024 Founders’ Day Awards
More than 150 UCF faculty members will be highlighted for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom. The celebration runs from 3 to 5 p.m. and includes a reception after the formal program. Honored are recipients of the Pegasus Professor award, UCF’s highest faculty […]
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UCF Reach for the Stars 2024 Honorees Leading the Charge into the Future
The 2024 University of Central Florida Reach for the Stars honorees share a dedication to advancing knowledge and addressing real-world challenges within their respective fields. Each researcher demonstrates a commitment to innovation, whether it’s in clean energy, healthcare, performing arts or manufacturing. The Reach for the Stars awards highlight their contributions to academia and underscore […]
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UCF Alum, Postdoctoral Scholar Receives Better Scientific Software Fellowship
In observance of Women’s History Month, we reflect on the noteworthy contributions and achievements of women in all aspects of life. Among these inspiring individuals stands Olivia Newton ’13 ’17MS ’22PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in and manager at the Cognitive Sciences Lab within UCF’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training. Recently honored as one of […]
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UCF Scientists Use James Webb Space Telescope to Uncover Clues About Neptune’s Evolution
A ring of icy rocks orbiting our sun just beyond Neptune may give us a glimpse of how Neptune — and other objects in the outskirts of our solar system — were formed. Mors-Somnus, a binary duo comprised of a pair of icy asteroids bound by gravity, was recently concluded to have originated within the […]
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UCF Student Receives National Acclaim for Project Protecting Leatherback Sea Turtles
University of Central Florida doctoral student Callie Veelenturf always knew she wanted to have a positive impact on the natural world. As a child, she idolized environmentalist Jane Goodall and aspired to become a conservationist like her. The two even share a birthday, creating a special connection and fueling Veelenturf’s longstanding desire to make an […]
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UCF Biology Researcher Receives 2023 Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize
UCF Biology Professor Joshua King has won the 2023 Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize and $100,000 for an innovation he created to control a ubiquitous pest — fire ants. His invention is a non-toxic method to manage fire ants and eliminates the need for harmful pesticides, which helps keep the environment and other ground-nesting animals safe. […]
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UCF’s FIEA Ranks as World’s No. 1 Graduate Game Design Program for 4th Time in 5 Years
When the nation’s leading gaming companies seek out the best talent in the world, they come to the University of Central Florida. Exceptional faculty with strong academic and industry backgrounds prepare students for success with rigorous courses and real-world experiences that mirror what they experience in industry.The Princeton Review and PC Gamer recognize that UCF’s programs are […]
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UCF Director of Clinical Psychology Chosen for Prestigious Position
Jeffrey Bedwell, Ph.D. has a lifelong passion for helping people overcome mental illness. As a professor at UCF’s Department of Psychology, and as director of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program, his work allows him to train future clinical psychologists to make a difference in the lives of others. Now, he’s taking on a new role […]
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UCF Researcher Creates World’s First Energy-saving Paint – Inspired by Butterflies
University of Central Florida researcher Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, has drawn inspiration from butterflies to create the first environmentally friendly, large-scale and multicolor alternative to pigment-based colorants, which can contribute to energy-saving efforts and help reduce global warming. The development was published today in Science Advances as a featured article. […]
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UCF Recognizes 15 Top Faculty at 2023 Luminary Awards
Fifteen faculty members were celebrated for their leadership and the impact they are making in communities, the nation and in the world during UCF’s annual Luminary Awards held Tuesday at Leu Gardens in Orlando. The Luminary Awards — established in 2017 — are designed to recognize some of UCF’s brightest stars who shine a positive […]
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UCF Joins $25M National Consortium on Nuclear Forensics
UCF is one of 16 universities in the U.S. that have formed a consortium on nuclear forensics. The association is supported by a $25 million cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The goal of the consortium is to engage in research that supports the NNSA’s nuclear security and nonproliferation […]