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UCF Shines at National Physics Conference
UCF was well represented by a number of faculty and students at the American Physical Society (APS) National Mentoring Community & Bridge Program Conference on October 9-11, 2015. Held in Miami, Florida at Florida International University, this conference focused on mentor/mentee relationships, gave guidance on how to build successful bridge programs and let attendees hear […]
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UCF Bear Brigade
The UCF Bear Brigade, a new pilot educational program to teach ecological concepts to fourth- and fifth-grade students, will visit six Orange and Seminole County elementary schools by the end of this month to foster a greater interest in the subject at an early age. To effectively teach conservation and other environmental concepts, organizers said […]
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New Faculty Brings GIS Innovation to UCF
Starting this fall, Scott Branting, Ph.D., Timothy Hawthorne Ph.D. and Yingru Li, Ph.D. joined UCF’s GIS cluster. GIS stands for Geographical Information Systems or Geographic Information Science. It is a powerful information system that improves our ability to collect, store, retrieve, manage, analyze, and report information on the earth’s surface, and to integrate those with economic, […]
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UCF Professors Land NASA Grants Focused on Asteroids, Comets, Venus
UCF professors are involved in two potential NASA spacecraft missions that could take flight as early as 2020. The five proposed space missions would study Venus, near-earth objects and a variety of asteroids and comets. Each mission team will receive $3 million and have a year to get their proposals ready for a final round of […]
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Distinguished Speaker Series Revolutionized
The first talk of the 2015-2016 Distinguished Speaker Series was held on September 23rd, at Cevíche Tapas Bar & Restaurant in downtown Orlando. Approximately 70 guests came out to hear Sarah Parcak’s, Ph.D., presentation on “A Digital Revolution: Archeology from Space”. Many UCF faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community members were in attendance, including the Dean of the College […]
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National Award for Substance Abuse Identification Test
Congratulations to 5th year Ph.D. chemistry student David Nash, on receiving the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellowship. The NIJ is the research-funding branch of the Department of Justice. Annually, they provide a handful of graduate students a monetary award to conduct research in the social or physical science fields that will help the criminal justice, […]
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Political Science Alumnus Means Business
Eddie Bradley, ’04, graduated from UCF with dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and legal studies. While you wouldn’t think you could have a career like Bradley with these degrees, the business acumen that he ultimately developed is a direct result of his educational foundation in dealing and communicating with people, as well as navigating […]
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COS Knights Give Back Through Oyster Restoration
On Saturday, October 3, Volunteer UCF held its annual day of service, Knights Give Back. The UCF College of Sciences Alumni Chapter and Linda Walters, Ph.D., professor in the UCF Department of Biology, held one of several service projects, bringing 100 UCF students and alumni volunteers together for an important cause. Volunteers gathered at […]
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Outstanding Sociology Alumnus, Professor, and Professional
Dr. Nicholas Guittar, ’01, ’05, ’11, was honored with the 2015 Sociology Outstanding AlumKnight Award in February. The Sociology Department nominated Dr. Guittar for this award based on his outstanding career achievements, service to students, and loyalty to the university and department. He is currently assistant professor of sociology at Valdosta State University. Previously, Dr. Guittar served for […]
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UCF College of Sciences Honors 2015-16 Scholarship Donors and Recipients
On September 25, the UCF College of Sciences held its third annual Scholarship Luncheon to celebrate its supportive donors and accomplished student scholarship recipients for the 2015-16 academic year. This year the college celebrated awarding 46 scholarships, totaling $94,050 in scholarship aid. The event provided a unique opportunity for scholarship recipients to have lunch with […]
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Coming up to the Plate: Dr. Boutton
Before becoming a part of the Knights family, Dr. Andrew Boutton earned his B.A. in International Studies from Texas A&M University (2007), his M.A. in Political Science (2010) and Ph.D. in Political Science (2014) from Pennsylvania State University. His research and teaching interests focus on international relations and comparative politics. Within those areas he concentrates on the […]
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A ‘Winning’ Personality
Amanda Castro fell in love with broadcasting while only in the fifth grade. Back then she was an anchor reading the morning announcements and school’s lunch menu. That year, during her school district’s television awards program, she won the award for Best Team Anchor. “That’s when I knew I wanted to be a journalist!” she […]
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2015 College Showcase
On September 19th, the College of Sciences participated in College Showcase 2015 which was an event hosted during Family Weekend 2015. The College of Sciences was among the many participating colleges. The COS showcase included displays by the UCF Department of Physics, UCF Department of Biology, and UCF College of Sciences Academic Services. Other colleges participated, including […]
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Dr. Hawthorne Bring GIS Innovation to UCF
Timothy L. Hawthorne, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the department of sociology. He is a broadly trained human geographer with deep interests in community geography, qualitative GIS, and critical GIS. Dr. Hawthorne’s research and teaching utilizes innovative methods to integrate qualitative data and mixed methods into GIS analysis. His published […]
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Dr. Branting Brings GIS Innovation to UCF
Assistant professor of anthropology, Scott Branting, Ph.D., is one of the many new faulty starting here at UCF. Professor Branting holds a B.A. from Wheaton College in archaeology, one M.A. from the University of Chicago in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and another M.A. from the University at […]
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Dr. Li Brings GIS Innovation to UCF
Yingru Li, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in GIS (Geographical Information Systems) at the department of sociology. Dr. Li’s research primarily focuses on Geographical Information Systems and spatial statistics, environmental health, and economic/urban geography. She received a master’s degree in GIS at University of Cincinnati (2006) and obtained her Ph.D. degree in Geography at University of […]
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Record Year for UCF Marine Turtle Research Group
Green sea turtles have had their highs and their lows. Before being commercially harvested for hundreds of years, green sea turtles used to be a typical sight in the Atlantic, but now they are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in multiple locations across the globe. Even with being one of the first species to have federal regulations protecting them, green […]
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Award Winning Google Glass Research
In 2014, Psychology Ph.D. candidate Ben Sawyer, was the lead researcher and wrote the first peer reviewed study looking at the driving distraction potential of Google Glass. In his study it showed the novel device to be less distracting in some ways than an Android phone, but still dangerous compared to just driving. This summer, […]
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NSC Senior Adviser Receives Well-Deserved Promotion
She remembers it like it was yesterday. It was 2009, her first day at work, and she was six months pregnant. That day, Rebecca Morales was charged with the mammoth task of transforming an abandoned darkroom and photo lab into a student advising center. “When I arrived, the ceiling and walls were black, the floor was […]
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UCF Appoints First Kurdish Political Studies Endowed Chair in US
Kurdish Political Studies at the University of Central Florida has a new leader, Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., the inaugural holder of the Jalal Talabany Kurdish Political Studies Endowed Chair. The Chair is the first of its kind in the United States. It was initiated by a $1 million donation led by Dr. Najmaldin Karim, a neurosurgeon, […]
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NSC Continues Strong Partnership with Orlando’s PBS Affiliate
The Nicholson School of Communication is thrilled to continue its partnership with Orlando PBS affiliate, WUCF-TV and is now in the process of hiring a shared broadcast coordinator to serve as a liaison between the school and the station. The new broadcast coordinator will continue the work of NSC’s Radio-Television associate instructor, Stephanie Rice, who was instrumental […]
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Chemistry Students Uknight to Combat Graduate Level Stress
Like many graduate students, Karen Chiang entered her Ph.D. program full of enthusiasm, and she looked forward to earning her scientific wings. But instead, graduate school became associated with some of the lowest points in her life, because of the overwhelming stress and self-doubt she experienced. “I had a very difficult time seeing myself in […]
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Making a Difference in Uganda
After a semester conducting research as a Fulbright Scholar in Uganda, associate professor Ann Miller, Ph.D. returns to the Nicholson School of Communication this fall. Miller was the recipient of the Fulbright AIDS and AIDS-Related Research Award and spent the 2015 spring semester at her host institution, Uganda Christian University (UCU). There she partnered with UCU […]
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UCF Anthropologists “Dig Up” New Speaker Series
In partnership with the University of Central Florida, the Orlando Science Center is hosting a special guest speaker series in conjunction with the Mummies of the World: The Exhibition. Topics will feature studies on current anthropological and archeological research around the world, including mummification, bioarcheology and forensic anthropology. The Mummies of the World exhibition depicts an once-in-a-lifetime […]
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Spicy New Distinguished Speaker Series
The College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida presents its 2nd annual Distinguished Speaker Series. The series brings renowned speakers from across the country to enrich the lives of students, faculty, alumni and the community. Our speakers will address topics relevant to the natural, computational, social or behavioral sciences and to the societal implication […]
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UCF Arboretum Welcomes Fall with Garden Celebration
To kick start the fall semester, the UCF Arboretum will be hosting its Welcome Back Garden Celebration September 24, 2015, from 5-8pm. The UCF community is invited to the Arboretum to learn more about this campus resource and the services it provides. The Arboretum staff will lead an interactive tour during the event and students […]
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Thinking Small Wins UCF Big NASA Project
Sometimes thinking small can get you a big win. That’s certainly the case for a team of physicists at the University of Central Florida. UCF was one of only two universities selected to prepare an experiment for a miniaturized satellite mission as part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program. Twenty-two projects […]
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The Summer of Security and Terrorism
Every year a fresh crop of Ph.D. students in Political Science arrive to expand knowledge in an area of extreme relevance such as an emphasis on national and international security, but in this field what exactly does security mean? Marcos Degaut, a Ph. D. candidate in Security Studies, has stated in his recently published theoretical paper, “The […]
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Anthropology Student Wins Alumni Scholarship
Congratulations to Vu Tran on being awarded the Alumni Fellows Graduate Scholarship. This award recognizes her significant contributions and achievements in the UCF community and how she plans to use these experiences to further her education and career. The Alumni Fellows Graduate Scholarship, one of the many scholarships the UCF Alumni Association grants every year, […]
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Welcoming the Future
On August 20, 2015, the department of Political Science hosted a reception welcoming eight new Ph. D. students in Security Studies. The Security Studies doctoral program prepares students to be able to analyze and communicate security issues in relation to policy makers, the general public, the government and academia. In completion of this rigorous program, the students […]