It’s a big month for space exploration. Among the headlines: the successful landing of a spacecraft on a comet, the stunning findings unearthed in meteorites recovered from California, and the rollout of NASA’s next-generation Orion crew capsule expected to take its test flight in December. “It’s an exciting time to be involved in space exploration,” […]
The theme of ABC’s “Shark Tank” reflects what executive producer Clay Newbill says he learned at the University of Central Florida. “The motto is ‘reach for the stars,’ and they really did, I think, instill in the students that attitude,” said Newbill, who grew up in Ormond Beach and graduated from UCF in 1982. “The […]
Victoria Moll-Ramirez, ’09, says her bachelor’s degree in radio-television from UCF has meant everything to her in her career. Her best memories at UCF include hours spent in the Nicholson School of Communication’s ‘Knightly Newsroom.’ “Every meltdown, every slice of pizza and every soda I had in that newsroom is so fondly remembered,” she says. […]
Donna Mirus Bates, ’93 | Senior VP, Marketing Communications & Content Development, Universal Orlando Resort Lightning never strikes twice — except in the case of Donna Mirus Bates, ’93, who worked on the marketing opportunity of a lifetime, then created an encore marketing campaign to reignite global excitement for a theme park expansion of infinite […]
On Saturday, the UCF department of physics hosted approximately 100 local high school students for the Physics Career Exploration Day. The day started with some light refreshments in the Physical Sciences Building that were followed by physicists speaking about great career opportunities within their fields. Students got to hear the personal stories of successful physicists […]
The UCF department of mathematics has received one of the highest honors in the math world. Equivalent to winning an Oscar in the film industry, Dr. Jiongmin Yong spoke at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in August. This congress is viewed as one of the highest honors for mathematicians, reflecting the world-wide recognition on […]
The UCF community has its very own forensic science center, but it’s not all dimly lit labs and high-speed car chases. Forensic scientists from around the world frequently gather together at the National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS), located on Research Parkway, to conduct their research. Nov. 2 – 4, a meeting was held for […]
While the ports of Mexico are populated by college students on summer vacation, one UCF student set sail to study mental health among Latinos. Andel Nicasio, a Clinical Psychology PhD student spent 10 weeks in Mexico conducting mental health disparities research. Nicasio is a recipient of the Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training […]
A new website that permits Floridians to monitor the condition of Florida’s civic health launched at the end of October as a result of a partnership among the University of Central Florida’s Lou Frey Institute, the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida and the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington. Since 2008, the Institute has been working to […]
Kerri Milita, ’06, ’09, graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and then pursued her M.A. at UCF. Upon graduation from UCF in May 2009, she began working on her Ph.D. in Political Science at Florida State University. In November 2013, Kerri accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor at Illinois State University […]
UCF alumni and friends from the Central Florida legal community mingled at Ember in downtown Orlando for a fun night of blackjack, craps, roulette and poker at the Legal Knights & Friends Alumni Chapter‘s annual Casino Knight on Oct. 29. Beginners and high rollers alike enjoyed fine wines, craft beers and hors d’oeuvres, while pressing […]
UCF will host a free Moon Observation Night for children and their families on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the main campus. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., observers will have an opportunity to view the moon through several telescopes set up at Knights Plaza near the CFE Arena. Students and professors associated with UCF’s Planetary Sciences Group […]
30 years ago, the Mercury 7 astronauts joined together to encourage students to pursue scientific endeavors. Their idea of keeping America on the leading edge of technology led them to form the Mercury 7 Foundation, which later became the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). UCF is one of the first five universities to sign a Memorandum […]
On Nov. 12, Dr. Andrei Markovits will speak as part of the College of Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series in Winter Park at Cocina 214. Guests are asked to arrive at or before 6:00pm for drinks, to order dinner and mingle with the speaker. The talk begins promptly at 6:30pm. Please be sure to RSVP online at www.sciences.ucf.edu/dss. Markovits […]
Cynthia Florentino graduated from UCF with a political science degree after dedicating the majority of her time to professional development and extracurricular involvement. Florentino served in a cabinet position for the UCF Student Government Association and enrolled in a federal college program, where she became chair of the President’s Leadership Council her senior year. She […]
This Thursday, Oct. 30, Dr. Kate Mansfield will be featured in the second Science Café talk. Mansfield, from the UCF Biology Department, is speaking about her research on sea turtles in her talk titled “FOUND: The Sea Turtle “Lost Years”. By attaching satellite tracking devices to loggerhead turtles off of Florida’s coast, she and her team […]
Dr. Neil Ganey, ’99, ’01, ’04, ’06, recalled his best UCF memory as walking across the stage to receive his doctorate degree. While initially planning to be at UCF for a year or two, four degrees and ten years later, Dr. Ganey graduated with his Ph.D in Psychology. “I had never worked as hard for […]
Because they avoid social encounters, children growing up with social anxiety disorder or severe shyness often do not learn how to effectively engage in social encounters. Clinicians can teach social skills in the clinic, but children often do not get all of the opportunities that they need to practice in the community. Many clinicians are […]
Roger Pynn, ’73, president of Curley & Pynn and chair of the UCF College of Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board, has been a supporter of his alma mater and the UCF Alumni Association since he graduated. Dan Ward, ’92, vice president of Curley & Pynn, began serving on the UCF Alumni Association Board of Directors in […]
The University of Central Florida has been awarded a $1.85 million grant to establish a center focused on intelligence and national security within the department of political science. The center will help prepare the workforce for the intelligence community of the future. UCF will become one of only a handful of universities nationwide to house […]
Representatives of cultural and religious institutions will speak at UCF on Thursday, Oct. 16, at a forum to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding. The registration-only event, which includes a light breakfast and lunch, will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The program will feature representatives of different […]
This year’s early count of sea turtles nesting on Florida beaches is encouraging, though there are many unknowns in the numbers. Welcome to the mysterious world of sea turtles, which spend much of their life far from Florida’s beaches encountering fishing boats, oil spills, plastic trash and any number of other perils. Nesting by loggerhead, […]
By Angie Lewis, ’03 Shows like “CSI,” “Bones” and “NCIS” make the field of forensic science look exciting, and full of drama and intrigue. However, to the disappointment of crime show lovers everywhere, things don’t quite happen like they do on the small screen. Just ask Cory Winar, ’97, forensic lab manager for the Oregon State […]
Dr. Joanna Mishtal is one of the recipients of the Miami-Florida European Union Center for Excellence’s (MEUCE) Faculty Research Grant. While settling in the U.S., Mishtal became interested in the politics of healthcare, especially reproductive health. She began to draw comparisons to the system in place in the U.S. and in her native Poland. The […]
During her time at UCF, Lauren Austin, ’09, worked as an undergraduate research assistant. She published two papers and worked on the creation of a one-step homogenous immunoassay for cancer biomarker detection. Austin looks back at her undergraduate research experience at UCF and describes it as invaluable to her career and current success. Austin graduated […]
University of Central Florida zoologist William Crampton loves electric fish and that’s made him one of the world’s experts when it comes to these creatures. At 8 p.m. Friday (10/3/14) the world will get to know Crampton as he guides National Geographic Channel’s “Monster Fish” show host Zeb Hogan on a trip to the Amazon River […]
Any budget decision can prove to be a challenge, especially with the Federal Budget. The Lou Frey Institute of Politics & Government at UCF recently hosted their Fall 2014 Symposium to help high school students examine the issues that the President’s Budget Supercommittee could not solve. The event took place on Monday, September 29 at the UCF Alumni […]
Science Café is designed to bring together UCF scientists with the community in a fun and casual environment. Held in the Physical Sciences Building, the series highlights the exciting research currently being conducted in the College of Sciences. Each month features a scientist from a different department in the college. On September 18, the first […]
Texting while driving causes thousands of accidents each year. Researchers in the Psychology Department at UCF are studying Google Glass to see if it could be a technological solution to this growing problem. Their new study shows that texting with Google Glass is clearly a distraction — but there is a twist. In the study, texting Glass users outperformed smartphone users […]
Two payloads on last Saturday morning’s SpaceX-4 launch at Cape Kennedy had UCF ties. The launch will deliver cargo and crew supplies to the International Space Station. Several experiments on the flight will include: Physics professor Joshua Colwell’s research to explore low-energy collisions of dust particles to better understand the conditions that lead to the formation of […]