Wed Sep 15
The University of Central Florida has many outstanding faculty members, and to continue to recruit and retain faculty who have world renown accomplishments, the UCF Trustee Chair Professorship exists. Created by former UCF President John C. Hitt in 2003, the Trustee Chair title is a prestigious one, and only held by a handful of faculty.…
Fri Sep 10
Ateam of researchers at the University of Central Florida have created a new nanomaterial that repels water and can stay dry even when submerged underwater. The discovery could open the door to the development of more efficient water-repellent surfaces, fuel cells and electronic sensors to detect toxins. The work is documented in the cover story of…
Fri Sep 10
The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded UCF a grant to purchase and install an almost $2 million high-peak-power, high-repetition-rate ultrafast infrared laser system — a first of its kind in the world. The money is an investment in the cutting-edge research being conducted at UCF, which is advancing knowledge and technologies in physical, chemical, and…
Wed Sep 1
Josh Kaufman’s journey to full-time faculty member this fall begins as a self-described “nerdy kid” reading engineering magazines. Kaufman, Ph.D., ’14, chose CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, for his terminal degree based on those magazines, and it’s proved a prescient choice. It’s given him not only an education and training, but the opportunity…
Wed Aug 25
The September edition of the American Ceramic Society’s (ACerS) Bulletin publication features Pegasus Professor Kathleen Richardson, Ph.D., one of three people recognized in 2021 as a Distinguished Life Member. Richardson will officially accept ACerS’ highest distinction at an awards banquet in October. The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement that has earned Richardson a worldwide…
Tue Aug 24
One of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations – the W. M. Keck Foundation – has awarded the University of Central Florida a $1 million Science and Engineering Research grant. The money is for a project led by University of Central Florida College of Optics and Photonics Professors Ayman Abouraddy and Demetrios Christodoulides. The project is titled Space-time…
Thu Jul 15
Richard DeSalvo, Ph.D. ‘93, takes wireless communications further into the future every day, but it’s the people of his past that inspire his every step — beginning with Neil Armstrong. DeSalvo credits the 1969 moon landing and his mother for steering him toward the sciences in general, but it would take years of starts and…
Mon Jun 28
A graduate of CREOL’s Photonic Science and Engineering (PSE) program is reaching for the stars while pursuing doctoral research at Princeton University. Nicholas Kosan ’19 will have his research in laser spectroscopy systems supported by NASA through the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities. Throughout the process of attaining his Ph.D, Kosan will work with…
Mon Jun 28
Two students from CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, will accomplish their dreams while traveling the world through the Imaging and Light in Extended Reality (IMLEX) Fellowship program. Teodor Malendevych ’20 and Ilina Sunkara, a third-year undergraduate student, will pursue their master’s degrees in extended and augmented reality at three international universities in Finland,…
Mon Jun 21
An international scholarship that recognizes outstanding scholars in optics and photonic research was recently awarded to a graduate student in CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics. Kun Yin, a doctorate candidate studying virtual and augmented reality displays, is the recipient of the 2021 SPIE Optics and Photonics Scholarship. “This scholarship awards students from all over…
Mon Jun 14
Leaving his home in Romania wasn’t something Gabriel Popescu, Ph.D ’02, ever expected to do until the opportunity presented itself. Motivated by the chance to make an impact on the world, Popescu packed his bags and left home in 1997 to pursue an American education at the CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics. It’s been…
Sat Jun 12
I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Dr. David Hagan as the dean of the College of Optics and Photonics, effective immediately. Dr. Hagan is a distinguished Pegasus professor who has served as the college’s interim dean since December 2019 and was previously an associate dean for academic programs. Dr. Hagan joined UCF…
Fri Jun 11
David Hagan was announced today as the new dean of the College of Optics and Photonics by Michael D. Johnson, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Hagan joined UCF in 1987 and is a founding faculty member of CREOL, UCF’s renowned Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers. Since December 2019,…
Fri Jun 11
A deep knowledge of wave band sensors and a sturdy pair of hiking boots are both important to Roger Rose’s job. A self-described “underachiever” in high school, Rose ’21 MA failed intermediate algebra three times in community college. Realizing he needed a change, Rose made a life-changing decision and moved to Tallahassee Community College. There he met…
Fri Jun 11
Just as the governor announced the start of python hunting season in Florida this month, researchers at the University of Central Florida have published a first- of-its-kind study that shows that near-infrared (NIR) spectrum cameras can help hunters more effectively track down these invasive snakes, especially at night. The snakes, which can reach 26 feet…
Fri Jun 4
CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, often serves as a launchpad for students to decide the direction they want to take their career and studies. And, often, it’s a distinguished and notable direction. That was certainly the case with Latifah Maasarani, who moved on to Duke University for graduate studies in biomedical engineering after successfully…
Thu May 27
Mistrust of the COVID-19 vaccine is rooted partly in its rapid introduction, the seemingly new technologies involved and the long list of ingredients with mysterious names like “N-ditetradecylacetamide.” But the purpose behind “monobasic potassium phosphate” in the vaccine can be understood with chemistry principles UCF students learn all the time, according to Professor of Chemistry…
Fri May 7
A new astrophotonics program launching this fall in CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, will be led by an equally new faculty member, Stephen Eikenberry, Ph.D. While Eikenberry is a UCF rookie, he brings extensive experience studying the cosmos to the college, including credit for discovering one of the brightest and largest known stars with…
Thu Apr 29
The dawn of the Information Age and the advent of high-speed internet coincided right around the time Carl Kutsche, Ph.D., ’98, enrolled in the College of Optics and Photonics. “I was all about optical systems—self processing, information storage, 3D holography. You could feel the energy buzzing around the growth of this field,” said Kutsche, the…
Fri Apr 9
Pegasus Professor Martin Richardson, Ph.D., was recently admitted as a fellow of the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS), one of only a handful of academics to do so. Richardson, a CREOL professor of optics and founding director of the Townes Laser Institute, was chosen for his “longstanding commitment to directed energy through globally recognized academic…