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Memorial Fund to Commemorate Fallen Student
The family of Steven Sotloff has set out to preserve his memory forever and continue his legacy for generations at UCF through a generous act. The Steven Sotloff Memorial Endowed Fund at UCF has been created by Sotloff’s family to commemorate his life. Sotloff studied at UCF from 2002 to 2004, taking journalism classes and […]
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UCF Professor Raises Disaster Awareness with New Book
UCF sociology associate professor Fernando Rivera is looking to spread the importance of disaster preparedness among residents across the sunshine state with his new book, “Disaster Vulnerability, Hazards, and Resilience – Perspectives from Florida.” Co-authored with public policy and administration professor Naim Kapucu, the book provides lessons in building disaster resilience for rural communities and […]
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AD-PR Major Receives Women’s Studies Scholarship
Dedication and passion for women’s issues have led Amy Maitner to receive a scholarship for her work. Maitner is a junior advertising – public relations major with a minor in women’s studies and recently received the Eleanor Roosevelt Women’s Studies Scholarship Award. She lives her life through her passion for women’s rights and social justice activism. Maitner […]
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UCF Undergraduate Researchers Go International
More than 30 UCF student researchers will participate in research programs around the world this summer. The students will receive stipends, lodging and often travel funding as compensation for their work in the research programs. “Being an undergraduate researcher has opened doors for me that I did not even know existed,” said Samantha Mensah, a […]
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NASA Mission Principal Investigator Visits UCF Science Café
Florida Space Institute’s Dr. Alan Stern will be the featured guest as part UCF’s Science Café’s Special Summer Edition as he shares his experience as the principal investigator for NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto on Monday, June 1. His presentation, titled “Encountering Pluto: New Horizons Mission,” will highlight images from the spacecraft, New Horizons, […]
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Going Primal
The UCF Global Achievement Academy students got an up-close look at primate diversity during their field trip to the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, FL on Apr. 25. As a part of the ANT 2511: Human Species course taught by Dr. Lana Williams, the Global Achievement Academy received a chance to explore the biological […]
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Captivated by Disgust
Recent research found that people exposed to core disgusts, such as blood, guts and body products, were more attentive to disgusting content even though it provoked negative reactions. Bridget Rubenking, Ph.D., associate professor of radio-television at the University of Central Florida, and Annie Lang, Ph.D., distinguished professor in the department of telecommunications at Indiana University, […]
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College of Sciences Dean’s Awards
Last year the university and the college started several new awards for research accomplishment. The COS Dean’s Distinguished Researcher and Rising Star Awards recognize the efforts of the most ‘research productive’ faculty and the outstanding value that they bring to their classroom teaching, as well as to the unambiguous value of the research mentorship that they […]
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COS Faculty Promotion and Tenure
Promotion is a mark of accomplishment and a gratifying recognition from one’s peers. Because of their hard work and dedication, the following staff members have been promoted at UCF. Promotion to Professor Tosha Dupras, Anthropology Pedro Quintana-Ascencio, Biology Enrique del Barco, Physics Viatcheslav Kokoouline, Physics Michael Mousseau, Political Science Promotion to Associate Professor and/or […]
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Online Teaching Excellence
Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster was recently honored with the Dzuiban Award for Excellence in online teaching. Chuck Dziuban is the Director of the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness at UCF. Since 1970, he has been a faculty member teaching research design and statistics. The award, named in his honor, recognizes one outstanding UCF faculty member who […]
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Big Data Wave of the Future
Big Data is the estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes of data that we create per day from conducting our daily lives, posting on social media, using rewards cards at stores, making insurance claims, surfing the internet, etc. Earlier this month, the statistics department hosted their annual Big Data Symposium for the fifth year in a row. […]
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COS Advisors Receive National Recognition
NACADA, a globally recognized academic advising professional organization, honored Karen Cox of the department of psychology and Rebecca Morales of the Nicholson School of Communication as recipients of their Region 4 Outstanding Advising Award. Cox and Morales were honored at the NACADA Region 4 conference in April hosted by Auburn University. Cox accepted the award in the […]
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M.S. I/O Alumna Shines as Outstanding AlumKnight
In February, Kristin Chase, ’03, was presented the Outstanding AlumKnights Award by the UCF College of Sciences Alumni Chapter and the UCF Psychology Department at the inaugural awards reception. The honor was based on her dedication to the UCF community and accomplishments in the field of psychology. After graduating with her master’s degree in industrial/organizational […]
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Graduate Student Research Wins Statewide Recognition
This year’s winners from the UCF Graduate Research Forum continued on to compete in the Statewide Graduate Student Research Symposium. The event was held on April 24 and was hosted at UCF by the College of Graduate Studies, on behalf of the Florida Council of Deans. The event allowed students a chance to earn top honors in […]
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Congratulations to Dr. Cynthia Young
Faculty and staff in the UCF College of Sciences gathered together last week to wish Cynthia Young, Ph.D., good luck in her new position as Interim Vice Provost of Faculty Excellence and International Affairs and Global Strategies. Michael Johnson, Ph.D., Dean of the UCF College of Sciences, thanked Young for her service to the college as associate dean. The […]
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UCF Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year
Joanna Mishtal, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of anthropology, was recently awarded the UCF Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year, sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Student Undergraduate Research Council. This honor is awarded through student nomination letters. Students elect to write the letters and the letters are carefully read and scored by the Student Undergraduate Research […]
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UCF Celebrates the Best and Brightest During Founder’s Day
The best and brightest students, faculty and staff at the University of Central Florida were honored during the University of Central Florida’s annual Founders’ Day Honors Convocation. Founders’ Day recognizes some of the outstanding achievements at UCF and is a time-honored tradition. Recipients ranged from an avatar-creating engineer to an expert in Western European politics […]
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Officially Partners in Crime
The UCF Department of Sociology and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office have been partners in crime for the past three years. Together, they have undertaken a number of projects that have served both the university and the community. On April 8, the sociology department and BCSO celebrated their three-year partnership by signing a Memorandum of […]
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Sociology Researchers Spotlight Student Homelessness
Just because you may not see them, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there. The homeless student population at the University of Central Florida may not be a much-discussed issue, but it is getting some attention from the UCF Department of Sociology. Amy Donley, Ph.D., an assistant professor and the associate director for the department, […]
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Communication Alumnus Serves Thousands of Orlando’s Working Poor
Scott George, ’84, says communication is one of the keys to life. He explained that he uses the lessons from his degree in communication every hour of every day. “Whether it’s in business, relationships, family or marriages, learning to listen and communicate properly is essential,” said George. George has been a visionary and innovator in […]
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UCF Professors Lead Boston Alumni on Exploration of Ancient Maya Civilization
By Barbara LeBlanc Freelance Writer, UCF Foundation Inc. Thousands of people have visited “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed” since the exhibition premiered at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 2013. But on Friday night, only UCF alumni were lucky enough to be guided through the exhibit by the very archaeologists who excavated many of the […]
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Striking Gold with New Test for Cancer
A test that costs less than a $1 and yields results in minutes has been shown in newly published studies to be more sensitive and more exact than the current standard test for early-stage prostate cancer. The simple test developed by chemistry professor Dr. Qun “Treen” Huo holds the promise of earlier detection of one of the […]
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UCF Alumna and Classroom Chemist
Erin Saitta, ’06, ’10, studied both chemistry and education, preparing her for her career as a faculty developer at UCF. Dr. Saitta graduated in 2006 with her bachelor’s degree in science education and with a minor in chemistry. Four years later she graduated from UCF with her doctorate of philosophy in chemistry in 2010. Dr. […]
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Sea Turtle Myth Busted
It turns out sea turtles, even at a tender 6-18 months of age, are very active swimmers. They don’t just passively drift in ocean currents as researchers once thought. NOAA and University of Central Florida researchers say it’s an important new clue in the sea turtle “lost years” mystery. Where exactly turtles travel in their first years of life, […]
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COS Faculty Honored with Pegasus Professor Award
Two College of Sciences faculty members were recently presented the 2015 Pegasus Professor Award, the highest academic honor at the university. Pegasus Professors are chosen from senior members of the faculty who have been a professor at least five years and have achieved noteworthy research and/or creative activity of national and international impact. They are […]
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UCF Researchers Uncover Mistaken Identity of Crown Conch
Four undergraduate students were recently awarded first place for their poster presentation at the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society meeting. Stemming from a group research project in Dr. Linda Walters‘ Advanced Marine Biology class last spring, Courtney Buck, Casey Craig, Chelsea Landeau and Jordan Filipponi worked together to research the impact crown conch make on oyster populations […]
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Online Psychology Degree Ranked Top 15
The online psychology degree at the University of Central Florida is one of the best in the nation according to thebestschools.org, with a current ranking of No. 14. According to the website, the top 30 in the nation were ranked based on quality of program, types and range of courses offered, faculty strength. School awards, […]
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Top 100 Creatives
They inspire us. Many are legends. They create art. They create beauty. Most importantly, they create change. Dr. Peter Jacques, associate professor in the political science department at the University of Central Florida, is featured in this month’s edition of Origin Magazine as one of the Top 100 Creatives. Jacques teaches environmental politics of various brands – global, […]
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COS Distinguished Speaker Series Finale
This year, the Distinguished Speaker Series was held off campus for the first time. At the mouthwatering Tex-Mex cuisine restaurant, Cocina 214, guests crowded in for each guest speaker. Topics ranged from the Mayan collapse to managing conflicts in relationships. Drawing a crowd each time, each speaker was an expert in their field, bringing their […]
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New Anthropology Certificate Allows Career Expansion
Starting this fall, the anthropology department will be offering a new certificate giving students the opportunity to pursue the study of the growing field of global health. “The most interesting aspect of this certificate is the engagement with the rapidly growing importance and concern about global health issues, including emergent “superbugs” such as Ebola, refugee […]