Fri Nov 19
Brian Monacelli, Ph.D., ’05, may have recently helped send a laser-based Raman and fluorescence spectrometer to Mars on the Perseverance rover, but the achievement he’s most proud of might surprise you. Monacelli’s passion is rooted in teaching and supporting technicians to ensure their success in the workplace. His interest in education began as a youth,…
Fri Nov 19
The average number of faculty named U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER award recipients at UCF has more than quadrupled since the Office of Research launched a mentoring program in 2019. The National Science Foundation CAREER Proposal Mentoring program was created to increase the success rate of faculty who go after the five-year monetary awards. The…
Wed Nov 17
A childhood growing up in the shadow of the Pentagon led Jennifer Hewitt, a Ph.D. candidate at CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, to pursue a path that will lead her back to her roots. The Maryland native has strong family ties to her motivation for working for the U.S. Department of Defense. “A…
Mon Nov 8
Some of the best ideas come when the mind can wander, process new knowledge, and connect dots that don’t obviously seem to belong together. For computer scientist and engineer Gregory Welch, the AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation in the UCF College of Nursing and Pegasus Professor, some of his biggest “aha” moments occur at times of reflection,…
Fri Nov 5
Proposals from CREOL Professor Shin-Tson Wu, Ph.D., to slim down and evolve augmented and virtual reality displays are the subject of a new feature in Light: Science and Applications. The article details how to take advantage of the recent development of miniaturized optical devices. These advancements offer unique opportunities in the ongoing challenge of evolving AR/VR displays, including…
Wed Nov 3
The work of two graduate students in CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, recently earned them recognitions from industry leading organizations. The International Liquid Crystal Society presented Kun (Kelly) Yin and (Jasper) Xiong with the Diamond and Platinum awards, respectively. Another CREOL student, Tao Zhan, received the Platinum award in 2020. ILCS represents nearly…
Tue Nov 2
Innovative research underway in CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, received several spotlights in the latest issue of UCF’s main publication, Pegasus. A super-resolution microscope funded by $3.3 million in grants is one of them. Assistant Professor Kyu Young Han, Ph.D., is building the microscope to study the movement and network of proteins that carry out…
Thu Oct 21
Seventeen faculty and staff projects will receive about $5 million in Jump Start funds to advance UCF’s impact under President Alexander N. Cartwright’s 2021-22 Strategic Investment Program. “I am delighted that we were able to fund so many strong proposals and only wish that we had the resources to support more of them,” says Michael D.…
Thu Sep 30
When Peter Delfyett first fell in love with science during elementary school, he imagined he would grow up to be a paleontologist. Instead, the Pegasus Professor of optics and photonics has spent his career developing futuristic technology. From lasers that are used to cut Gorilla Glass for Samsung phones to fiber-optic cable technology that allows the internet…
Wed Sep 29
The Army Research Lab has awarded the University of Central Florida a $4.5 million grant to develop a smart, computer vision-based navigation system for when GPS is unavailable or jammed. The system will be like a cyber co-pilot that supports navigation of ground vehicles by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess computer imaging…
Mon Sep 27
A chance encounter in the workplace is what led Rebecca Venegas, M.S ’20, to find her purpose as an electro-optics engineer. Venegas, a scientist who specializes in integration and characterization of EO systems, was looking for meaning in her work after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Astronautics and Aeronautics.…
Tue Sep 21
Students pursuing a career in optics and photonics will benefit from the generosity of California-based photonics company Lumentum. The endowed scholarship begun by Lumentum is open to undergraduate and graduate students, and is intended to foster “a more diverse learning and working environment,” according to a news release. In addition to underrepresented students, the scholarships…
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…