See how UCF academics and leaders intersect and collaborate with the community and others in making the world a better place.
Thu Mar 18
Florida’s State University System — which includes UCF and 11 other universities — this week was named the nation’s top higher education system for the fifth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The SUS, which is the second-largest public university system in the nation with more than 420,000 students, bettered its standing by…
Thu Mar 18
It may seem strange to some — holding a semi-virtual dance marathon during a pandemic. But one of the things I love most about being part of Knight-Thon is our perseverance, driven by a promise to never give up on our kids. On Sunday morning, the moment the Knight-Thon community in Orlando has been waiting for all…
Wed Mar 17
I enjoy teaching the history course Western Civilization because it has great tips for parenting. I have three children — ages 6, 4 and 21 months—and my wife and I face a problem common to the rulers of the ancient world’s great empires: how to maintain order among an unruly population when you are outnumbered.…
Wed Mar 17
Hate, discrimination and violence in all of their forms have no place at UCF. Recently, we were made aware of a post shared on social media that an anti-Semitic comment was directed toward a Jewish student and no one spoke up for her. As Knights, we should speak up for one another. No member of…
Wed Mar 17
UCF’s Business Incubation saw one of its high-tech clients graduate and move to a bigger location this month, where it expects to grow and hire half a dozen employees with salaries of up to $80,000 a year. axiVEND specializes in providing sophisticated instruments and test-development solutions to companies involved in the research, development and production…
Mon Mar 15
During the past two decades in his role as associate vice president of Student Health Services at UCF, Michael Deichen has navigated various public health threats, from anthrax to H1N1, SARS, Zika and, unforgettably, COVID-19. Deichen is uniquely suited to guide UCF through the COVID-19 pandemic because for the past six years, he has served…
Fri Mar 12
Ayear and a half ago, I was sitting in a patient room with my OBGYN for a checkup following the birth of my son. She completed her exam, went over some important things to know about my physical health and then asked: “How are you doing?” “It’s really hard,” I said as I unsuccessfully fought…
Fri Mar 12
Eric Lodge â11, who graduated from the kinesiology program in the Sport and Athletic Coaching track, was recently named the overall 2020 Florida Dairy Farmers Football Coach-of-the-Year. It is the highest honor bestowed upon Florida high school coaches and has been compared to the high school version of the Heisman Trophy. As head coach, Lodge led his varsity football team at Seminole High School to a 12-0 record this year. The…
Fri Mar 12
Impactful community research in rural Belize will continue for another three years thanks to renewed funding from the National Science Foundation. The $465,000 grant supports fully funded research experiences for eight undergraduate students and two K-12 teachers each year. The team will perform drone-mapping and citizen science to mitigate flooding and litter in Hopkins Village…
Thu Mar 11
For the past four years, graduate clinicians in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders have been hosting playgroups that are not only fun for the babies, but also help young mothers provide a head start on infusing early language skills in their child. Thanks to a partnership with UCP BETA Teen Parent Program, Jacqueline Towson, assistant professor…
Thu Mar 11
Three COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved by for distribution in the United States: Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson. As distribution begins to open up across the state of Florida, it may lead many of us to wonder: Does it matter which vaccine I get? The short answer is no. They all prevent severe disease…
Wed Mar 10
Mental health clinicians across Florida will benefit from free PTSD training thanks to a new educational scholarship program offered by UCF RESTORES. The scholarships open access to UCF RESTORES’ six-hour, fully online Trauma Management Therapy training course, designed to give Florida-based mental health counselors the opportunity to apply the successful methods used within the UCF…
Wed Mar 10
UCF artists have spent the last year making theatre in front of webcams, blowing horns in parking garages and dancing in kitchens. They’ve been hosting poetry readings over Zoom and painting alone in empty studios. But now, they are ready to come out of isolation and — following safety protocols — experience the arts together.…
Tue Mar 9
As students in the Master of Athletic Training program prepare for graduation and their next steps, a new mentorship opportunity will ease their transition into the workforce. The initiative matches students in their final semester with athletic trainers in the field to guide them through their first year as professionals. Mentors will not only continue to build on skills the…
Mon Mar 8
A new master’s degree in computer vision at the University of Central Florida to begin this fall will give technology professionals proficiency in a burgeoning field that relies on artificial intelligence to make computers perform complex tasks faster and more accurately than a human. UCF is the only university in the state, and one of…
Mon Mar 8
The COVID-19 vaccine is a new type of vaccine called an mRNA vaccine and has stirred a lot of conversation about its effectiveness and safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “to trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they…
Thu Mar 4
Today’s global pandemic was just a worst-case scenario when Deanna Sellnow, Ph.D., and Timothy Sellnow, Ph.D., developed a communications plan for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006. Still, the husband and wife team, both faculty in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media, are encouraged they could play a part in how…
Thu Mar 4
UCF is excited to offer spring graduates and their families the opportunity to choose one of two in-person options to celebrate their achievements. Recognitions of graduates will occur April 30 to May 9. Spring 2021 graduates will have the option of either participating in UCF’s Grad Walk or their college’s in-person commencement. Both recognitions will…
Wed Mar 3
Change comes in many forms. Sometimes we choose to do something different. We decide to move or maybe commit to eating healthier. Change can be as simple a new way to style you hair or can be as challenging as a new career. UCF Athletics saw change in a big way recently when the school…
Tue Mar 2
Thousands of people are seeing more clearly thanks in part to the vision of Vadim Smirnov,’02 MS, whose lab played an integral role in the development of LASIK eye surgery. The LASIK team approached Smirnov more than 10 years ago with a request to improve the gratings that direct and tune the wavelengths of the…