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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 Politics of Reproductive Rights in Post-Soviet Poland
Associate professor of anthropology, Joanna Mishtal, Ph.D., had her book, The Politics of Morality: The Church, the State and Reproductive Rights in Postsocialist Poland, published and released with Ohio University Press in August. The Politics of Morality is a full-length, single author ethnography based on 21 months of primary data collection in Kraków, Warsaw, and […]
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Lifetime Achievement
Nicholson School of Communication associate instructor, Shari Hodgson received the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce’s first ever “Lifetime Achievement Award” for her devotion to the development and success of leadership programs, including Youth Leaders. Hodgson, who teaches in the human communication program, was honored earlier this year at the Chamber’s 25th anniversary ceremony. “Shari is someone […]
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NSC Professor Wins Distinguished National Award
With a growing body of revered research on risk and crisis communication, one of the newest faculty members at the Nicholson School of Communication (NSC), Timothy Sellnow, Ph.D., recently won National Communication Association’s Gerald M. Phillips Award for Distinguished Applied Communication Scholarship. First presented in 1994, the Gerald M. Phillips award is given to scholars responsible for authoring […]
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Anthropology Department: Past and Present
The department of anthropology hosted a welcome back BBQ on August 22, 2015 to welcome six new faculty members and to honor the department’s inaugural chair, and current Associate Dean for the College of Sciences, Arlen Chase, Ph.D., for his many contributions to the department. Dr. Arlen Chase was the department of anthropology’s inaugural chair when they became a department in […]
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New Doctor on Campus
Amanda Groff, Ph.D., lecturer in the anthropology department, recently completed her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Florida. She received her B.A. in anthropology from UCF in 2003, her Maya Studies Certificate from UCF in 2005 and her M.A. in anthropology from UCF in 2007. Dr. Groff is a lecturer of anthropology who specializes in archaeology and bioarchaeology. Her […]
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National Geographic Educator of the Week
Timothy L. Hawthorne, Ph.D., assistant professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the department of sociology, is featured as the National Geographic Educator of the Week. Dr. Hawthorne spent his summer teaching students at the Urban Atlanta Geospatial STEM Academy as part of a $75,000 Verizon Foundation grant. This academy provides a place for […]
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UCF Physics Alumna Paves Pathway for Future Research
Dr. Clara Rivero-Baleine, ’01, ’03, ’05, was honored as the 2015 Outstanding Physics AlumKnight at the inaugural award ceremony in February. Her continued commitment to excellence in the industry along with her pioneering efforts in research and development are just some of the reasons the UCF Physics Department nominated her for the award. Dr. Rivero-Baleine […]
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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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2015 UCF College Showcase
The UCF College of Sciences will once again participate in the UCF College Showcase during UCF Family Weekend. Family Weekend, taking place September 18-20, is a UCF annual tradition bringing together families and students to create memories that will last a lifetime. Events taking place throughout the weekend include campus tours, The Understudy play at the UCF […]
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New Fellow in the College of Sciences
Elizabeth Grauerholz, Ph.D., will be serving in the coming year as a Dean’s Fellow for the UCF College of Sciences. Her responsibilities will include the college’s assessment efforts. Dr. Grauerholz is a professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida with areas of research interest that include the scholarship of teaching and learning, gender, family and […]
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College of Sciences Graduate Program Panel
Kick-off this year’s Pegasus Palooza at the COS Graduate Panel, Monday, August 24th, hosted by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the UCF College of Sciences (COS). The panel will be held in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Four students from different COS graduate programs including anthropology, biology, […]
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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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Double Degrees Make for Well-Rounded Career
Jeffrey Billman, ’01, ’10, earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s degree in political science from UCF. Billman says his political science degree has given him a deeper sense of the political and policy spheres, making him an immensely better writer, especially regarding politics. Billman’s bachelor’s degree in journalism provided the fundamentals for his […]
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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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NSC Assistant Professor to be featured on Huff Post Live
Assistant Professor of radio-television at the Nicholson School of Communication, Bridget Rubenking, Ph.D. will be a featured guest on Huff Post Live with host Nancy Redd, as part of a discussion on viewing gory images and videos on the internet. The interview will be streamed live at http://live.huffingtonpost.com Thursday, July 23rd, at 1:20 p.m. Rubenking […]
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NSC Los Angeles Alumni Reception
The Los Angeles UCF Alumni Club and the UCF Nicholson School of Communication Alumni Chapter held a small reception in Los Angeles last week for UCF alumni. Guests enjoyed food, drink and networking at Pearl’s Sunset Strip on Wednesday, July 15. UCF Nicholson School of Communication associate directors, Dr. Tim Brown and Dr. Boyd Lindsley were on hand to answer […]
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UCF Biology Alumnus Returns to Discovery Channel’s ‘Airplane Repo’
A 56-year-old pilot with a high-adrenaline lifestyle has taken over the screen for the premiere of the third season of Airplane Repo on Discovery Channel. Mike Kennedy, ’83, graduated with a bachelor’s in zoology from UCF. He is one of the main characters in the TV show, which depicts five people repossessing airplanes, from private […]
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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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UCF Alumnus is a Triple Threat with COS Degrees
Dr. Jason Legassie, ’01, graduated from UCF with a dual major in chemistry and biology and a minor in math. In April of 2014, he was hired as the research and development formulation manager at Sancilio & Co, located in Riviera Beach, Florida, where he manages a team of nine scientists and technicians. Sancilio is a […]
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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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Outstanding Communication Alumnus and Career
UCF Nicholson School of Communication alumnus, Clay McMillan, ’90, was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Communication AlumKnight award at the inaugural ceremony in February. McMillan was recognized for his exceptional career and his continued service to the university. McMillan serves on the UCF Nicholson School of Communication’s Board of Visitors and runs his own production company, […]
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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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Laser Researcher Receives Grant to Partner with 5 Universities
The University of Central Florida researcher who holds the world record for the shortest laser pulse ever produced has been awarded part of a Department of Defense grant with an international team to continue study on ultrafast lasers. Zenghu Chang, Ph.D, a distinguished professor of physics and optics who has appointments with both the College […]
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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 […]
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Psychology Alumna Shines in Higher Education
From student, to alumna, to employee, Heather Peña, ’02, has quite a history with UCF. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology, Peña kept busy with UCF’s Student Government Association, Greek life, and the Golden Key International Honour Society. Following graduation, Peña worked in retail management, soon followed by what has led to a 12+ […]
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Mathematics Professor Wins National Award
UCF mathematics professor Basak Gurel, Ph.D., demonstrates the quality of her research by receiving the National Science Foundation CAREER Award on May 15. The Faculty Early Career Development Program, or CAREER, is an NSF-wide activity that offers the most prestigious awards in support of faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through the integration of […]
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Excellence in Mathematics
The Simons Foundation Division for Mathematics and the Physical Sciences recently awarded Zhisheng Shuai, Ph.D., with a grant for mathematics. Shuai, an associate professor at UCF, applied for the award with his work entitled, “Mathematical Investigation of Infectious Disease Models.” He is the third UCF recipient of the award in the Department of Mathematics. The […]
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Mummy Expert Draws Crowd to UCF
UCF recently hosted Mummies: Culture, Science and People From Around the World presented by Heather Gill-Frerking, Ph.D, in the Psychology building. Over 200 people attended the presentation, including UCF faculty members, UCF students and members of the community. Gill-Frerking presented different types of mummies, the Mummies of the World exhibition and personal stories. She also […]