Wed May 20
The upkeep of a native wildflower garden could be less taxing than maintaining a well-manicured lawn, says postdoctoral fellow Nash Turley. (Photo courtesy of Nash Turley) Whether you’re searching for an educational activity to do with your children or spending time landscaping while social distancing, UCF’s new Lawn to Wildflowers program out of the College…
Mon May 18
Michael Schwirtz ’03 was selected as a 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner for international reporting, one of the honor’s 15 journalism categories. International reporting by Michael Schwirtz ’03 recently earned him one of journalism’s top awards, and his journey to this moment started, in part, with a desire to stay close to home. The DeLand native and political science graduate…
Mon May 18
If you’ve ever been curious about the planetary sciences, the UCF-AVS Student Chapter is here to help. Beginning on Thursday May 14, a webinar series that spans until the end of June will bring the expertise of astronomers and astrochemical scientists to student’s computer screens. The series, spearheaded by doctoral students Brian Ferrari and Katie…
Mon May 18
UCF sociology Associate Professor Amy Donley ’02 ’04MA ’08PhD is committed to understanding and exposing social inequalities and the impact they have on those in poverty. In the midst of COVID-19, Donley is assisting in the coordination of relief efforts coming out of the Homeless Services Network. The network aims to combat homelessness through funding programs and providing direct crisis…
Mon May 18
The collective efforts of three biology faculty members to find digital textbooks for their lower-level classes recently resulted in savings of $177,006 for 1,207 students. The savings were created in Biology I Honors and Biology II after their instructors moved the bulk of the class to online coursework and streamlined the curriculum. The only changes…
Thu May 14
A longtime affiliate of UCF and skilled materials engineer and scientist, Les Kramer, Ph.D, will be inducted into the 2020 class of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for his lifetime of patents and creations. Since his move to Orlando in 1983, Kramer has been in partnership with UCF. He sits on the UCF advisory…
Wed May 13
Three researchers are exploring the connections between access to clean water and the spread of the global coronavirus pandemic. In a recent blog post stemming from a scholarly paper exploring the effects of rights constitutionalization and democratic governance on water access, the authors argue that recognition of the human right to water is central to the coronavirus response. Drawing…
Wed May 13
A group of runners from the Department of Physics are using exercise for a temporary escape during quarantine. The runners represent the scope of the department — from faculty to accounting — but they all agree exercise does wonders for both their physical and mental health. “Running has been my escape from the house,” said…
Tue May 12
A new clearinghouse of information for hospitality workers affected by COVID-19 has been compiled by researchers from UCF’s Targeted Research Training Program (TRT). These resources cover a variety of topics including: lay-offs and furloughs; opportunities to make money during the crisis; protecting personal finances; improving mental health; skill development; industry relevant information; and links to activities families…
Mon May 11
Students from Harrington’s lab work in the UCF Arboretum. The company responsible for the online video game hit Fortnite has awarded a UCF assistant professor a grant to develop an immersive technology to take virtual experiences to new levels of reality. Epic Games provided UCF information scientist and artist Maria Harrington a $25,000 grant to expand her…
Mon May 11
Tracy Wilk ’10 is a professional chef in New York City who is baking treats for local hospital workers. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Wilk ’10) Sprinkling joy is what chef Tracy Wilk ’10 does best. In light of the world’s COVID-19 pandemic, Wilk has turned the kitchen of her small studio apartment in New York City into…
Wed May 6
UCF College of Sciences graduate, Katherine Harris ’18, has recently been awarded the UCF Library Annual Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research for her published research paper on infaunal organisms (i.e. aquatic, sediment-dwelling organisms like worms or clams) on restored oyster reefs. The announcement of the award took Harris by pleasant surprise when she was…
Wed May 6
An illustration of what the UCF developed process could look like on the moon. Credit: NASA and Jessica Woodward/UCF UCF is taking inspiration from well-established mining techniques on Earth to tackle mining on the moon and asteroids. University of Central Florida planetary scientist Philip Metzger and his team at the Florida Space Institute have received…
Wed May 6
What’s driving violent anti-Chinese discrimination in Nairobi, Kenya, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and what can be done to quell it? How are part-time theme park workers in central Florida handling massive furloughs, and what could their employers be doing better? What unique challenges did people with disabilities face in Wuhan, China, during the lockdown? These…
Mon May 4
The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs recently recognized two graduate students for outstanding work in the terms of Summer and Fall 2019 and Spring 2020. Gunes Tezcur, Ph.D., chaired the committee that selected Kathleen Sullivan and Sandor Fabian to receive the Outstanding MA Thesis and Pollock-Ellsworth Award for Best Research Methods, respectively. “One…
Wed Apr 29
Typically, the end of the semester finds doctorate students hunkered down in a library or local café wrapping up final papers. Things are different this year for Security Studies Ph.D. student Tad Schnaufer. Schnaufer serves as a captain in the Florida Army National Guard and has been activated for the response to COVID-19 since mid-March.…
Tue Apr 28
After she graduates with her degrees in legal studies and political science and a minor in nonprofit management work, Naseeka Dixon will work at Straight Street, a nonprofit that helps care for the poor and homeless in Orlando. Naseeka Dixon remembers grocery shopping at a food pantry, especially one at a local church, with her…
Mon Apr 27
NASA’s OSIRIS REx team, which includes two professors from the University of Central Florida, completed a dress rehearsal of maneuvers it expects to make when its mission to collect a sample from an ancient asteroid comes to its climax. UCF Professor Humberto Campins and Assistant Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna are part of the science team…
Wed Apr 22
Professional recognition looks great on a resume, and reflects well on a department. It takes time, though, to put in an application, and that’s something in short supply for everyone — especially if you’re nominating someone other than yourself. Karin Chumbimuni-Torres, Ph.D., considered all these factors when she pitched her incentive plan to UCF Faculty…
Wed Apr 22
A passion for plants is at the root of a recent donation made by Biology faculty member Rani Vajravelu, Ph.D. The donation is made out to the UCF Arboretum in aim of supporting students that are passionate about outdoor plant studies. “I would love the money to help alleviate financial stress on students looking to…