See how UCF academics and leaders intersect and collaborate with the community and others in making the world a better place.
Tue Aug 4
Earlier this year, we asked faculty, staff and students a series of important questions about how welcome and supported they feel at UCF to help inform how we can build a more inclusive community together. Your responses were powerful, and I appreciate everyone who took the time to share your thoughts and experiences through our…
Mon Aug 3
The long-awaited renovation of the Student Union will be unveiled when the Heart of Campus reopens Aug. 8 with limited hours. Regular operating hours are planned to resume Friday, Aug. 21. The three-year project saw its final phase of renovations completed just in time for campus to welcome back students for the fall semester. Expanding…
Thu Jul 30
There is an increased need for mental health professionals to understand the culturally-based health beliefs of minority groups. UCF Social Work Assistant Professor Xiaochuan (Sharon) Wang discusses some mental illness stigmas present within the Asian American elderly community and the need to tailor mental health access for that population. Literature suggests that Asian Americans use mental health services approximately…
Thu Jul 30
As coronavirus infections increase across our community, so does the chance that any one of us may be caring for someone with the virus. That is especially concerning to parents who could be sending their youngsters back to school in the fall. As a caregiver — to an adult or child patient — there are…
Wed Jul 29
In the fall of 2019, members of Renaissance Robotics, a high-school robotics team, partnered with UCF Go Baby Go to assist with building cars for children who have cognitive or developmental issues that impede their mobility. Will Johnson, fourth from left, has been working with his father, Christopher Johnson, to provide devices that measure the…
Wed Jul 29
UCF will host an early voting site beginning Monday at the Live Oak Event Center for the Aug. 18 primary election. Early voting will run through Aug. 16 for registered Orange County voters of the UCF community and others from outside campus. Elections workers will have complimentary face covers for those who arrive to vote but don’t…
Wed Jul 29
Which would make you happier: more time or more money? Most people want both and say they’d be happier if they had both. However, most of us spend the majority of our time chasing money and sacrificing our experiences and relationships in the quest for financial security. Our consumer-driven economy supports this notion that more…
Mon Jul 27
Alumni from UCF’s athletic training program have traveled with organizations throughout the world, thanks to their talent, drive and skills learned in the classroom and through a variety of clinical internships. Sometimes, the world comes to UCF. The program’s reputation of preparing career–ready athletic trainers reached Japan, where leaders at a judo therapy school saw how UCF was preparing future athletic trainers and how it could benefit its students. Every year beginning…
Fri Jul 24
ORLANDO, Fla. – The deepest recession since the Great Depression was also the shortest in U.S. history, but national economist and director of UCF’s Institute for Economic Forecasting Sean Snaith warns that climbing COVID-19 numbers and rolling back reopening phases poses real danger to economic recovery. “Early on the curve was flattened, but the economy, in the process,…
Fri Jul 24
There is a growing awareness of the mental health disparities present in minority communities. According to the National Association of Mental Illnesses (NAMI), depression among Black youth is 30% higher than average for their age group. UCF School of Social Work Instructor Tiffany Lumpkin explains some of the unique stressors associated with mental health issues among minority…
Thu Jul 23
Limbitless Solutions Inc. announced today a new collaboration with computer software giant Adobe. Over the past six years, Limbitless has created beautifully designed and functional bionic arms for children with limb difference. The non-profit, based at the University of Central Florida, blends art and technology to create the arms. Much of the creative design work is achieved…
Thu Jul 23
Feeling sluggish? Working at home and physical distancing can turn even the most dedicated fitness fanatic into a couch potato. So in this week’s COVID-19 health tip, we turn to Tom Fisher — an expert in exercise physiology and motivation in the College of Health Professions and Sciences’ Division of Kinesiology — on ways to keep fit during…
Wed Jul 22
To help limit the spread of COVID-19, UCF is providing a free reusable and washable cloth mask for each student, faculty and staff member. In addition to the current distribution locations across main campus and UCF Downtown, UCF is adding a new way to make armoring up even more convenient — vending machines that dispense face…
Wed Jul 22
Many have taken offense to the slogan Black Lives Matter. The rebuttal is often that All Lives Matter. They absolutely should all matter, but this reply misses the point: A population of Americans – Black Americans – is in danger due to discrimination and violence. While the intention of the phrase, All Lives Matter, may…
Mon Jul 20
As part of the National Council for History Education (NCHE) Summer Professional Learning Series, Luis Martínez-Fernández, professor of history, will host a webinar on “Slavery and Resistance in the Atlantic World” on July 28. Martínez-Fernández’s webinar will explore African slavery as an Atlantic-wide phenomenon that began in Hispaniola in 1502 and was finally abolished in Brazil in 1888. It…
Fri Jul 17
UCF Health recently welcomed Dr. Amita Kathuria to its physician team. Dr. Kathuria will provide specialty care in endocrinology to patients and also help train medical students at the College of Medicine. As an endocrinologist, she specializes in the treatment of conditions such as Type I and Type II diabetes, thyroid disorders, calcium abnormalities, adrenal…
Thu Jul 16
As COVID-19 infections dramatically increase, so does the risk that you’ve been potentially exposed to someone with the disease – someone who may not have had symptoms yet. That’s why contact tracing is such an important tool in managing the spread of this virus. What is contact tracing, how does it work and why is…
Wed Jul 15
As campus prepares for the return of faculty, students and staff for the fall semester, the staff at the Recreation and Wellness Center is working to ensure a safe environment during the COVID-19 era. Beginning this week, the RWC implemented Phase I of its reopening plan. Several outdoor recreation facilities are now open for student…
Wed Jul 15
Several years ago, UCF sent out a call for ideas to improve the campus, with the winning ideas to be implemented on a trial basis. I was intrigued by this and several ideas raced through my head. Ironically, one of them was to coat all of the high-touch surfaces on campus with a copper alloy,…
Tue Jul 14
As of July 7, 2020, the Orange County emergency operations center has been activated for 117 days. It’s an unprecedented time. Among the law enforcement officers and members of Lynx and the National Guard sit Carrie Mathes ’08 ‘14MPA and her team: the procurement division. The group’s work may be mostly behind the scenes, but they help…