Skip to main content

Research

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.

Genes Responsible for Protecting Frogs May Play Role in Death from Global Disease

For frogs dying of the invasive chytridiomycosis disease, the leading cause of amphibian deaths worldwide, the genes responsible for protecting them may actually be leading to their demise, according to a new study published today in the journal Molecular Ecology by University of Central Florida and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) researchers. The lowland leopard frog,…

New Study Reveals How Frogs Use Bile and Bruise Color for Camouflage

Researchers have discovered, for the first time, how frogs use the chemical responsible for the color of bile and bruises for their own camouflage coloring. The mechanism the frogs use to turn what is essentially a waste product into a part of their protection is detailed in a new study published this month in the…

Mini-LED, Micro-LED, and OLED Displays: Present Status and Future Perspectives

In a new paper “Mini-LED, Micro-LED and OLED displays: present status and future perspectives” published in Light: Science & Application, a team of scientists, led by Professor Shin-Tson Wu from the College of Optics and Photonics, conducted a comprehensive analysis of the performance of emerging display technologies used in smartphones, tablets, desktop monitors, TVs and more. The article…

Infrared Emission Research Gets $2.5 Million Boost from Department of Defense

AUniversity of Central Florida researcher has received a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to continue his research to conceal and manipulate the energy that materials emit. The work has implications in creating nighttime camouflage that conceals objects from infrared vision, as well as in methods for anticounterfeiting, tagging and energy management. “Any material…

UCF Planetary Scientist Receives NASA Funding for Asteroid Research

UCF planetary scientist Adrienne Dove has received a $200,000 NASA grant to continue her team’s asteroid research. UCF planetary scientist Adrienne Dove and a team of students have teamed up with NASA’s Johnson Space Center to examine data on an asteroid experiment years in the making. The work is funded by a recently announced $200,000…

New Study Shows Colliding Neutron Stars May Unlock Mysteries of Universe Expansion

The National Science Foundation’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has proven itself instrumental in another major astronomical discovery. An international team of scientists, led by the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, found an asymmetrical double neutron star system using the facility’s powerful radio telescope. This type of star system is believed to…

UCF Sea Turtle Project Snags NASA Grant

NASA has awarded Alexander Sacco a Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology grant to use satellites to help track sea turtle yearlings in the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of 62 awards made nationwide. “It’s not what you would typically think of when you hear ‘NASA grant,’ ” says Alexander Sacco,…

UCF Researcher Earns 2nd Department of Defense Grant to Detect Opioids, Toxins

Subith Vasu, UCF associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, was recently awarded the prestigious Director’s Fellowship from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, one of just 12 researchers nationally to earn the 2020 research grant. Vasu, an expert in spectroscopy and optical diagnostics, was awarded $250,000 by the Department of Defense to continue his…

UCF Launches 11 New Graduate Certificates and Tracks in Response to COVID-19

The University of Central Florida has launched 11 new graduate programs in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs, which begin in the Fall 2020 semester, offer candidates a short series of courses that were specifically woven together to provide useful tools when facing COVID-19 related-challenges. The certificates, tracks and special topics courses cover…

UCF is Developing New Nanotech to Detect Food Fraud

AUniversity of Central Florida researcher is developing new technology to make sure people are getting the food they think they’re eating. The work is funded by a recent $490,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant to create an easy-to-use and highly sensitive device to detect…

UCF Scientists Study Method to Combat Florida Red Tide

An inexpensive, natural countermeasure to curb the devastating economic and ecological impacts of Florida red tide is now under study at UCF. The study focuses on spraying a clay solution to sink the cells (flocculate) of Karenia brevis (known commonly as Florida red tide) to the bottom sediments. Florida red tide is the algae responsible for vacation…

The Department of Energy Selects UCF Physicist for Career Award

The Department of Energy has awarded UCF physicist and assistant professor Li Fang a career grant of $785,000. The award is part of the DOE’s Office of Science’s Early Career Research Program, which recognizes researchers for their promising work, early on in their careers. This year, only 76 awards were made to scientists at private and public…

17 Academics from Across the Nation Warn that COVID-19 Pandemic Worsens Equity Gap between Men, Women in Academia

Assistant Professor Kristy Lewis’ research focuses on ecological modeling, which means she uses math and to understand complex ecological processes and predict how eco systems may change over time. Her research is funded by organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. When COVID-19 shut down the nation in…

Men’s Health Encompasses a Wide Variety of Topics and Concerns

Groups like the Men’s Health Initiative, co-founded by Health Sciences Associate Professor Michael J. Rovito, help men build a better understanding of wellness through education and events In 1948, the World Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Often,…

UCF Announces Restart Plan for Human Subject Research

Today, UCF announced its plans to restart Human Subject Research (HSR) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Research announced a phased approach to restarting research in May, but HSR was not allowed to restart then because this kind of research often requires close contact and presents additional risks. The task force that came up with…

UCF Launches New Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative

Artificial Intelligence and Big Data fields could help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges in medicine, space and the environment among other areas. UCF launched its new Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative today and charged engineering and computer science Assistant Professor Ivan Garibay with leading the effort. The initiative is the result of…

Study Creates 1st 3D Map of Heart’s Neurons

The heart-mapping project shows thousands of neurons in clusters that help control heartbeat and blood circulation. Ateam of UCF College of Medicine scientists has helped develop a virtual 3D heart that shows the body’s neurons and their connection to the heart – a tool they hope will help develop better life-saving therapies for cardiac disease. …

UCF Study Will Look at COVID-19 Effects on Services that Help Prevent Reoffending

With many in-person services halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, correctional agencies responsible for probation and parole have had to find new ways to help ensure people are receiving the help they need while also maintaining public safety. These agencies, which traditionally rely on face-to-face interaction, serve some 6 million Americans by helping them find…