See how UCF academics and leaders intersect and collaborate with the community and others in making the world a better place.
Wed Aug 18
In a world shaken by political divisions and a still-raging pandemic, it’s hard to find solace and self-worth amid the chaos. Fear not. TD-33348 of the Makaze Squad, Florida Garrison at your service to share my story in the hopes that you might become a volunteer in your community — because when we give back,…
Wed Aug 18
GMA3, a program within ABC’s “Good Morning America,” on Tuesday featured UCF RESTORES’ mental-health support to first responders who worked to uncover the 97 victims of the Surfside condo collapse. UCF RESTORES works to change how we understand, diagnose and treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The clinic’s high rate of success in treating PTSD in veterans, active-duty military personnel…
Tue Aug 17
Ever since Terry Greear ’02 shared his harrowing story in a July 28 Facebook post about contracting the coronavirus earlier this year, the world has taken notice. Greear’s story has since appeared in CNN, WESH, the Orlando Sentinel and many other news outlets. His echoes his plea for everyone who is able to get vaccinated because he really can’t stress it…
Tue Aug 17
UCF’s Programming Team again proved themselves to be among the best, ousting dozens of universities from the United States and Canada to finish 19th at the North America championship round of the 2021 International Collegiate Programming Contest on Aug. 14. A total of 48 teams competed in this weekend’s championship, which was held virtually. The…
Mon Aug 16
From an early age, seeds were planted in the mind and life of Athanasia Svenning ’16 ’18MA, leading her to the field of communication sciences and disorders. Her mother, a pharmacist, often spoke with her about entering the field. A family friend, who was a speech-language pathologist (SLP) shared her experiences with Svenning during their therapy sessions together to address…
Wed Aug 11
The summer has come and gone. 2021 is flying by, even though it seems like the year had just begun. As the world is still uncertain on virtually every topic you could think of, I find myself clinging to the things I still love to do. One of those things is my career as a…
Fri Aug 6
When children return to school next week, students at four Central Florida schools will have new hands-on space science activities to look forward to, thanks to a collaboration with space experts at UCF. This past summer, teachers from East River High School, Wekiva High School, South Creek Middle School, and Mollie Ray Elementary spent time…
Thu Aug 5
Vanessa Ziccardi ’15DPT is the 2021 recipient of the Emerging Leader Award from the Florida Physical Therapy Association. The honor recognizes physical therapists in Florida who demonstrate extraordinary service early in their career. After graduating from UCF, Ziccardi began her career in Palm Beach in the outpatient neurology setting and transitioned to her own business…
Thu Aug 5
The UCF Art Gallery serves as a catalyst for visual arts experiences and education, culture and community engagement by providing a framework for intellectual and creative inquiry. In the 2020-2021 academic year, the gallery hosted exhibitions and programming both in person and online that examined cultural and social contexts while supporting contemporary art practices. Learn…
Thu Aug 5
Some of the most critically acclaimed and beloved feature films of the last decade have been made possible through the work of UCF alumni who earned their degrees through the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD). Animation Career Review recently ranked the SVAD No. 2 among the nation’s top public animation schools and colleges in 2021. UCF’s prestigious…
Thu Jul 29
This fall UCF will offer more of the in-person classes, services and experiences that contribute so much to student success. We want this to be a good and successful experience for you, and we strongly encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as possible if you have not done so already. Doing so is critical…
Thu Jul 29
Adecade has passed since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, killing roughly 250,000 people and injuring another 300,000. Many who survived were forced to live among the aftermath in makeshift tents. Soon-to-be UCF graduate Bianka Paul was one of them. Paul, who is earning two degrees in psychology and criminal justice this semester, remembers much of that afternoon in…
Tue Jul 27
Aveteran UCF Police officer and a College of Sciences professor were recently honored by the United States Secret Service for their work with the federal agency. Detective Eric Walton, a 30-year veteran with UCF Police, and Michael Sigman, a chemistry professor at UCF, were honored with a surprise presentation as a thanks for providing valuable…
Mon Jul 26
Limbitless Solutions, the UCF based non-profit which creates bionic limbs for children, celebrated its seven-year anniversary Friday, July 23, by moving into its new expanded 6,000 square foot facility in Research Park. “It’s a great way to celebrate seven impactful years,” says Limbitless Solutions CEO and President Albert Manero ’12 ’14MS ’16PhD. “The new laboratory triples…
Fri Jul 23
Over the summer we saw an alarming surge in antisemitism and antisemitic hate crimes throughout the state of Florida and the country as a whole. UCF is proud to have one of the largest Jewish student populations in the country, and we are disheartened to hear about this increase in antisemitism. For the over 6,000…
Fri Jul 23
Barbara Truman ’94 ’96MA, who helped create and develop UCF’s early ventures into online learning, died July 17 from cancer. She was 59. Truman held multiple positions at the university dating back to 1996, beginning when she was a graduate student hired to help build UCF’s inaugural online program. She later was named director of…
Thu Jul 22
Jonathan P. Varnell, who currently serves as associate vice chancellor for Facilities Management at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, has been selected as UCF’s new vice president for Facilities and Business Operations. Varnell, who was selected following a competitive national search, has nearly 25 years of experience in higher education. At UNC Charlotte, he…
Tue Jul 20
UCF has received generous donations from JPMorgan Chase and Microsoft Corporation for a new online job skills training program designed to assist pandemic-displaced workers in Central Florida. The UCF ChargeUP! program is geared toward residents who lost full-time jobs in the hospitality or leisure industries. The program offers professional development training from Microsoft Learn and LinkedIn…
Tue Jul 20
The University of Central Florida’s Academic Health Sciences Center (AHSC) has received a gift of $300,000 from the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation to fund innovative projects and programs to improve community health. The donation is the first major programmatic gift to the AHSC since it was created in 2018 and will support the UCF Genius Innovation Challenge,…
Thu Jul 15
Richard DeSalvo, Ph.D. â93, 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…