The University of Central Florida brings innovation and solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems through research and the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge and avenues for progress.
Wed Oct 27
Visiting a healthcare professional can be a nerve-wracking experience for patients. It can be more challenging when the patient may not understand what the healthcare provider is saying to them. Limited health literacy is the number one risk factor for poor health outcomes, according to research published in the Archives of Public Health. This is…
Tue Oct 26
UCF is joining LaserNetUS, a consortium of the nation’s best large laser facilities started by the Department of Energy as a part of a broader strategy to boost the nation’s standing in intense laser science. The invitation-only 11 member-network boasts big players in the laser research world, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory…
Fri Oct 22
Despite a pandemic that slowed the economy; delayed or derailed some federal and private agencies’ spending plans; and frustrated supply chains, UCF generated $212.9 million in research awards — up more than $8 million from 2020. The total doesn’t include any CARES nor Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds, which the federal government provided in response…
Fri Oct 15
UCF Physics Professor Dan Britt is counting down to Saturday morning when NASA’s Lucy mission is set to blast off from the Space Coast. Britt, a physicist and geologist, is part of the science team that will analyze the data Lucy collects from the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. This area of the solar system is…
Wed Oct 13
For bacteria, like people, lifestyle matters. A new study from the University of Central Florida found that the environmental lifestyle that bacteria possess reveal why some go rogue and turn deadly while others remain harmless to humans. The findings, which published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focus on Vibrio vulnificus, better known…
Tue Oct 12
Telehealth offers the convenience of remote consultations with healthcare professionals, which aids patients who live far from their physician’s office or who may have trouble traveling. It’s also become even more essential during the COVID-19 pandemic as a replacement for in-office visits to reduce crowded waiting rooms and allow more options for patients. However, not…
Mon Oct 11
This Knight leaves no stone unturned, not even on the moon. Autumn Shackelford is a physics doctoral student studying planetary bodies without atmospheres. Specifically, she is looking at the surface composition of the moon and Mercury. Being the first in her family to pursue the sciences, the Tennessee native was deeply influenced by science museums and hands-on…
Mon Oct 11
Eight interdisciplinary faculty research projects — on health topics including pain management, improving provider-patient communication, and intimate partner violence — have received about $300,000 in grant funding through a new partnership between the UCF Academic Health Sciences Center and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation. The donation is the first major programmatic gift to the AHSC since it…
Mon Oct 11
The story of Michael Jordan recording 38 points, seven rebounds and three steals to lift the Chicago Bulls to victory in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals all while battling flu-like symptoms is legend. Media dubbed it the “Flu Game” and would go on to laud his gutsy playoff performance for the next 24…
Thu Oct 7
The UCF community celebrated the accomplishments of 15 exceptional faculty members at its annual Luminary Awards Night. UCF leadership lauded faculty members for being leaders in their fields and conducting work that has had a significant impact on the world. COVID-19 disrupted plans for the recognition ceremony in 2020 so UCF honored the 2020 and…
Thu Oct 7
Terri Daly, the director of UCF Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), is spearheading research that has received renewed funding for the fourth year from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. The $125,000 grant will help improve enrollment and success in post-secondary education for Hispanic/Latino youth in Florida who identify as individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The FDDC had previously identified a disparity in access to and completion of post-secondary education and training programs for…
Wed Sep 29
A University of Central Florida researcher is part of a new, nearly $20 million award from the U.S. National Science Foundation that will develop a Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub. The hub, known as MACH, will be led by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and will involve multiple universities and experts from across disciplines.…
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…
Fri Sep 24
With a grant from the National Science Foundation under their belt, researchers from UCF and public and private HBCUs are launching a study that will focus on the influence culturally relevant political messaging has on HBCU students. The team plans to examine the relationship between how political issues are identified, framed and disseminated to subsequently…
Fri Sep 24
A University of Central Florida researcher is part of a recently awarded $3.3 million study that aims to keep survivors of intimate partner violence safe while the person accused of intimate partner violence awaits trial. This pretrial period, when a judge decides if a person charged with intimate partner violence should be detained pretrial, is…
Fri Sep 24
Face masks and social distancing are both well-known ways to keep airborne pathogens, like COVID-19, at bay, but University of Central Florida researchers Michael Kinzel and Kareem Ahmed are working on a possible new one — a combination of food products that alters people’s saliva. The concept is based on new work from the researchers showing that…
Fri Sep 24
Students and community members got a nice view of the planet Neptune and its biggest moon Triton during one of September’s Knights Under the Stars events hosted at UCF’s Robinson Observatory. It was an early look at the planet, which today celebrates its 175th birthday. “I did a Neptune project all the way back in my…
Thu Sep 23
Ateam of experts from Florida and Massachusetts are evaluating a technique that may help eliminate the algae blooms that cause massive fish kills, stink up neighborhoods and disrupt the Florida economy. A recent large-scale experiment promises a deeper understanding of how marine life responds to a red tide mitigation technique called clay flocculation. Red tides…
Thu Sep 23
The University of Central Florida is helping to lead the country’s charge of obtaining 100% clean electricity by 2035 with a new $800,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance hydrogen fuel research. The award is through the DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s University Turbine Systems Research program and is…
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…