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COS Graduates Over 1,000 Students
More than 5,000 UCF students will become alumKnights during the fall commencement ceremonies this weekend. The university will award an estimated 5,168 degrees during the three ceremonies. That includes 4,405 bachelor’s degrees, 657 master’s degrees, four education specialist degrees, 12 educational doctoral degrees, 81 Ph.D.’s and nine Doctor of Nursing degrees. The College of Sciences alone will […]
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GIS Academy Hosts National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
On Oct. 28, Timothy Hawthorne, Ph.D., and The Geospatial STEM Academy hosted Sue Gordon, deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), for a student and STEM meet and greet event. Currently an assistant professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the department of sociology, Dr. Hawthorne is also the Founding Director and Principal Investigator of […]
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Space Dust Research Wins NASA Rides
By Scott Powers – Writer for Orlando Sentinel Tiny particles of space dust: How do they stick together? How might astronauts not stir them up? Two UCF scientists are asking, and they’ve gotten NASA’s attention. UCF physics Professor and Assistant Director at the Florida Space Institute Joshua Colwell, Ph.D., and UCF physics post-doctoral Research Scientist Julie Brisset, Ph.D., have won […]
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Matanzas Murder Mystery
Can you solve a murder mystery? On November 19th, the UCF Forensic Science Association (FSA) teamed up with Matanzas High School to help students and hosted their very first “Murder Mystery at Matanzas”. “Murder Mystery at Mantanzas” was designed as an interactive first look at the disciplines within the forensic science field, with an emphasis on crime […]
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UCF STEM Day Inspires Thousands
The Center for Initiatives in STEM (iSTEM) Office hosted over 1,300 students in grades K-12 for UCF’s bi-annual STEM Day on Friday, November 6th. STEM Day was a free outreach event for K-12 students interested in learning more about the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The day featured a wide variety of activities focused on STEM disciplines, […]
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UCF Science Café Relates Sharks, Space, and Stress
Here’s something that sharks, space and student stress all have in common: They can all be scientifically examined through communication. Attendees found out how linguistic analysis links all of these otherwise unrelated topics Thursday, November 5th, when the College of Sciences held its third Science Café of the semester. The series of talks began in September, and have […]
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NSC Professor Receives APR Title and Two New Research Awards
October 2015 was quite a month for Nicholson’s Melissa D. Dodd, Ph.D. The Ad/PR assistant professor can now proudly add three more letters to her title, upon successful completion of her voluntary APR accreditation. She also learned that she is to be recognized for two prestigious research awards at the International Public Relations Society of […]
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Black & Gold Professional Achievement
James Rosengren, ’81 | Founder/Chairman/CEO, Heritage Health Solutions Inc. The UCF Alumni Association and College of Sciences presented their 2015 Professional Achievement Award to James Rosengren, ’81, at the annual Black & Gold Gala on Oct. 22. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biology from UCF, Jim went on to earn his master’s degree in […]
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A Chair For The New Kurdish Chair
Güneş Murat Tezcür, Ph.D., the Jalal Talabany Kurdish Political Studies Endowed Chair at UCF, was inaugurated on October 29th, as part of the Kurdish Political Studies Program’s panel presentation on Kurdish Political Issues. Dr. Kerstin Hamann, Chair of the Political Science Department and Co-Chair of the Kurdish Political Studies Program at UCF, welcomed and thanked the audience for […]
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Substance Abuse and Parenting: Re-teaching How to Parent
Parents who abuse controlled substances have a higher risk of abusing their children, but research shows they could be educated to be more effective parents. A review paper published online in Nature’s Pediatric Research journal this month indicates that along with treatment for substance abuse, parents can greatly benefit from therapy aimed at redirecting their […]
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Community Is Key At Physics Career Day
On Saturday October 3rd, UCF’s Physics Department hosted their 3rd annual Physics Career Exploration Day. Physics Career Exploration Day is geared toward high school students who want to explore careers in physics. This event aimed to show each student the many different career paths available to graduates with a physics degree. The students were encouraged to bring their […]
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Archeologists Dig Up Support for Autism
On October 24th, the UCF Department of Anthropology volunteered at the second annual Archeologists for Autism event. Faculty and graduate students spent a fun-filled day with autistic children, providing them with hands-on archeological experiences. Archaeologists for Autism is a non-profit organization that allows children on the autism spectrum to participate with and engage in archaeology […]
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Nanosensors for Biological Discovery
On October 30th, the UCF community is invited to join Heather A. Clark, Ph.D., from Northeastern University, as she presents “Building an Imaging Toolbox: Nanosensors for Biological Discovery”. The Chemistry Department Seminar Program presents Dr. Clark as she introduces the new developments in fluorescent nanosensor technology and how it will improve the measurements of ion […]
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Science Café’s Magical Debut
The first Science Café of the semester had a lively atmosphere as it came out of its summer offseason. Hosted by the Office of Research & Commercialization, Graduate Society of Physics Students, the Physics Department and UCF Environmental Health & Safety, this series highlights the exciting research currently being conducted in the College of Sciences. […]
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Sunscreen’s Hidden Hazards
Lathering up with sunscreen may prevent sunburn and protect against cancer, but it is also killing coral reefs around the world. That’s the conclusion of a team of international scientists, which includes UCF associate professor of biological sciences and diving enthusiast John Fauth, Ph.D. The researchers found that oxybenzone, a common UV-filtering compound, is in […]
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LEARN Expands with National Science Foundation Grant
A University of Central Florida researcher who started a successful program to keep freshmen in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines is expanding the model to two other universities and adding a component to focus on transfer students. Kimberly Schneider, Ph.D., director of the Office of Undergraduate Research in UCF’s College of Undergraduate Studies, […]
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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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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 showcase was hosted by the UCF College of Undergraduate Studies and took place at the student union. The College of Sciences was among the many participating colleges. The COS showcase included displays by […]
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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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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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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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Mathematics Professor Becomes Editor
One of our esteemed mathematics professors has been invited by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to serve as a Senior Associate Editor for the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions. Mourad Ismail, Ph.D., has been recognized on numerous occasions for his hard work within the field of mathematics. NIST, now a part of […]
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New Associate Dean and Director of Interdisciplinary Graduate Education
UCF biology professor John Weishampel, Ph.D., will soon be putting his experience with over 100 graduate committees to good use as he assumes his new position as Associate Dean and Director of Interdisciplinary Graduate Education this fall. “I’m excited at the opportunity to make a difference across the broad arena of graduate studies at UCF,” […]
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Anthropology Students Help Uncover Napoleon Army Death Mystery
After the discovery of a mass grave in 2001 featuring the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army in Lithuania, UCF anthropology students Serenela Pelier and Sammantha Holder recently performed a research study on the remains of the soldiers. Over 3,000 corpses were found and revealed to be from “Napoleon’s Grande Armée” in 1812. The soldiers were amidst traveling through Vilnius, […]
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Sociology Program to Offer New Classes in Fall, Spring
The UCF sociology program will be adding five new undergraduate courses just in time for the 2015-2016 academic year. This fall, students can register for Spatial Sociology, Careers in Sociology, and Consumer Society. Video Games in Society and Food and Society, Families and Aging will be available for the spring semester. Sociology majors and minors […]
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Army Youth Program Extends Through UCF
Two Hagerty High School students are spending part of their summer working with Stephen Kuebler, Ph.D. Kuebler is a mentor for high school students through the 2015 AEOP-REAP program. AEOP-REAP stands for the Army Educational Outreach Program’s Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program. The program is a summer STEM program, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which […]
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COS Connection to Historic Pluto Flyby
When the New Horizons spacecraft passed within a mere 7,750 miles of Pluto on Tuesday, many at the University of Central Florida cheered for the historic flight and its leader, Alan Stern, Ph.D. Stern, whose advocacy, tenacity and some would say sheer bull-headedness are largely to credit for the selection and execution of NASA’s farthest-ever […]
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COS “Superman of Environmental Conservation” Returns
An esteemed professor is returning to the ranks in the biology department. C. Ross Hinkle, Ph.D., who after serving as the Vice Provost and Dean for the College of Graduate Studies, has decided to return to the College of Sciences as a senior faculty member in biology. Hinkle joined UCF in 2007 as chair of the biology […]
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The Empire Strikes Back: Violence and Counterinsurgency in the North Caucasus
On Thursday May 21, David Siroky, Ph.D., of Arizona State University gave a presentation to UCF students and faculty about indiscriminate and selective violence in the North Caucasus. Siroky presented two of his current works in progress: “The Empire Strikes Back: Ethnicity Terrain and Indiscriminate Violence in Counterinsurgencies” and “The Logic of Killing Kin in […]
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New Invention Improves Parkinson’s Symptoms
UCF Professor Emeritus Richard Gilson, Ph.D., along with a team of neurological experts, created a new tool to battle the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Gilson received a patent for the invention that will help patients struggling with conditions including Tourette’s syndrome, Epilepsy, Essential Tremor, and mood disorders last year though UCF. Parkinson’s is an incurable […]