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 Sep 30
AUniversity of Central Florida researcher is part of a new study showing that artificial intelligence can be nearly as accurate as a physician in diagnosing COVID-19 in the lungs. The study, recently published in Nature Communications, shows the new technique can also overcome some of the challenges of current testing. Researchers demonstrated that an AI algorithm…
Tue Sep 29
Big changes and even bigger possibilities are coming to Limbitless Solutions in 2021. Starting Oct. 1, Limbitless Solutions will begin renovating a 6,500-foot space in Central Florida Research Park adjacent to campus to make it the perfect space for the organization’s plans. The nonprofit, based near UCF’s football stadium on campus, has been creating bionic…
Mon Sep 28
The UCF Office of Research and the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs have pooled $1 million in seed funding to help faculty conducting research, which could lead to greater success in attracting federal and private grants. This is the second time UCF has offered this kind of funding. Last September, the two offices…
Thu Sep 24
If UCF physics Professor Humberto Campins was a betting man, he should run out and play the lottery. The planetary scientist, who is an international expert on asteroids, predicted a finding from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu — remnants of another asteroid scattered across its surface. The spacecraft took images and made observations of…
Wed Sep 23
Anew National Science Foundation-funded survey of six states has found that during the past two months, more people are wearing masks, vaccine uncertainty is on the rise, and many people are overestimating their risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from COVID-19. The results are in a new report published this month by the Risk and Social…
Wed Sep 23
Researchers suggest employees should take a cue from Jimmy Fallon’s Thank You Notes segment on The Tonight Show to improve workplace behavior. A recent University of Central Florida study suggests employees who keep a gratitude journal exhibit less rude behavior and mistreatment of others in the workplace. “Gratitude interventions are exercises designed to increase your…
Mon Sep 21
The UCF Office of Research today published its online 2019 annual report, which includes research stories from each college and a statistical breakdown of sponsored research for the fiscal year. Because of COVID-19, the report was delayed this year, which allowed the office to add a snapshot of the 2020 fiscal year statistics that includes…
Thu Sep 17
UCF Professor Stephen Fiore has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to study how faculty from many disciplines work together in an effort to better prepare future researchers for the teamwork needed to solve some of the world’s most complicated challenges. Convergence science — or a merging of ideas, approaches and technologies from widely…
Thu Sep 17
Only a handful of the roughly 4,000 identified planets outside our solar system can potentially support human life — what experts call “habitable exoplanets” — but astronomers are certain there many more. The best candidates were found when they crossed in front of the star they orbit. A silhouette is hard to analyze for life-sustaining…
Mon Sep 14
AUniversity of Central Florida researcher is co-author of a new paper that may help answer why some animals have a magnetic “sixth” sense, such as sea turtles’ ability to return to the beach where they were born. The question is one that has been unresolved despite 50 years of research. “The search for a mechanism…
Thu Sep 10
A little due diligence went a long way for a team of UCF chemists studying a fundamental catalytic reaction used by hundreds of research groups around the world. Assistant Professor Titel Jurca, Ph.D., and graduate student, Lorianne Shultz, in collaboration with Assistant Professors Melanie Beazley (UCF Chemistry) and Xiaofeng Feng (UCF Physics) published the initial…
Thu Sep 10
Florida Space Institute Planetary Scientist Estela Fernández-Valenzuela has been awarded a $315,700 NASA grant to use modern day technology to analyze one of the oldest and least understood objects of our solar system. The first trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) — objects that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune — was discovered more than 25 years ago. Some…
Thu Sep 10
Today marks 30 days since the Arecibo Observatory went offline, because an auxiliary cable broke and damaged the dish and Gregorian Dome. While no cause has yet been determined, the AO leadership team is working closely with the National Science Foundation (NSF), which owns the facility, to implement a plan to first stabilize the critical structural elements…
Wed Sep 9
Current disinfectant products for killing viruses like coronavirus take minutes to fully sanitize surfaces, which isn’t practical on high-contact areas such as door handles, elevators and bannisters. That’s why the University of Central Florida is co-developing a new, rapid-acting, long-lasting disinfectant spray that instantly kills viruses without using harsh chemicals. The project is led by…
Tue Sep 8
UCF researchers are developing models to predict extreme changes in sea level by linking storm surges to large-scale climate variability. Storm surges sometimes can increase coastal sea levels 10 feet or more, jeopardizing communities and businesses along the water, but new research from the University of Central Florida shows there may be a way to…
Tue Sep 8
Two researchers at UCF are developing a cough drop that can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by making saliva heavier and stickier – it makes sneeze and cough particles fall rather than float. But is there really a market for such a product? Paul Jarley talks with researchers Michael Kinzel and Kareem Ahmed to find…
Mon Aug 31
Complete electronic medical records are vital to patients who need coordinated care from multiple providers. Such records are also needed for doctors who seek insurance reimbursements for their services. But often those electronic records are incomplete, which isn’t good for patients and means doctors often have to file multiple times with insurance companies to get…
Mon Aug 31
An interdisciplinary team of faculty led by Physics Assistant Professor William Kaden, Ph.D. has received funding to bring a new piece of equipment to UCF’s Materials Characterization Facility (MCF). The state-of-the-art Near-Ambient Pressure Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) apparatus – the only of its kind in the southeast U.S. – is made possible through a $775,000…
Sun Aug 30
Five research teams using Artificial Intelligence and Big Data have been awarded a total of $185,000 to conduct COVID-19-related research. Establishing the awards was the first act of UCF’s new Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Initiative announced this summer. The intent of the program is to seed the development of research projects that use these tools to answer…
Thu Aug 27
Anew initiative between UCF and the U.S. Army means researchers at the university’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training will be able to rapidly and on demand help advance simulation and cyber training research and applications for our armed troops. The initiative, named Cyberwerx, will focus on relevant research programs such as cyber operations planning, cyber data…