Presidential Historian Balances Past and Present in Politics
Fri Jan 24
Presidential historian Jon Meacham provided perspective on today’s White House using the lens of the past at a presentation Thursday called “The Art of Leadership: Lessons from the American Presidency.” Meacham started broadly, noting the presidency is a reflection of the American population. “The presidency is in many ways a manifestation of all of us,”…
Alumna Builds Career Around Studying Bones
Fri Jan 24
Fingerprints get a lot of credit in the forensics world, but Brittany Walter, ’12MA, knows bones tell a story, too. Inspired from a young age by a forensic anthropology series written by Kathy Reichs, Walter traces her passion for forensics all the way back to middle school. Today she uses that passion as a full-time…
Dr. Tosha Dupras Appointed Interim Dean of College of Sciences
Fri Jan 24
From Interim Provost Michael D. Johnson I am pleased to announce that Associate Dean Tosha Dupras, Ph.D., has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Sciences while I fulfill my role as interim provost. I am confident Dr. Dupras will do an outstanding job during my temporary absence. She is a professor…
Exhibits Celebrate Black Community, Friendship During Black History Month
Fri Jan 24
Two concurrent exhibits—one at UCF and one at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa—use photographs to explore themes of black community, friendship and resilience in the face of systemic violence and discrimination. The first exhibit, “Zora Neale Hurston’s âNative Village’: Historic Eatonville Remembered,” hosted on the first-floor gallery wall in UCF’s John C.…
2020 Global Health Conference Focuses On Arts And Healing
Thu Jan 23
Art, whether it’s a painting, music, performance or simply enjoying another’s creativity, has a place in medicine and healing. That was the message of the 9th Annual Global Health Conference at the UCF College of Medicine, January 18. The conference, organized by MedPACt (Medical Students Providing Across Continents), attracted more than 230 attendees from across…
Behind Research Funding: How CHPS Staff Help Researchers Fulfill Their Dreams
Thu Jan 23
A research administrator must be passionate, curious, detail-oriented and patient, says, Eduardo Ortiz of CHPS. Ortiz, along with Monique Gregory, formerly of CHPS, now working in the research office of the College of Science, recently co-presented at the Florida Research Administration Conference at UCF. Their presentation, “Mastering the Life-Cycle: Pre- and Post-Award Steps for Success,”…
Submissions Invited for ACM Hypertext 2020
Thu Jan 23
The 31st ACM Hypertext conference is coming to UCF in July 2020. Co-chaired by UCF faculty member Anastasia Salter and John Barber of University of Washington, Vancouver, the conference invites research on all aspects of the modern web. Topics include hypertext theory, social media, interactive narrative, hypermedia systems and applications. Last year’s conference, hosted in…
Chemistry Professor Recognized For Outstanding Lab Safety
Thu Jan 23
UCF Environmental Health and Safety recently awarded Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, Ph.D, and his team of dedicated researchers the 2019 Safety Champion Award. This award recognizes faculty members that provide support to EHS and adhere to UCF policy and procedure within a research setting. “It is great to know that the effort made to promote safety culture…
UCF Health Earns ECG Re-accreditation
Thu Jan 23
UCF Health’s cardiovascular lab has been granted a three-year echocardiographic reaccreditation in the areas of Adult Transthoracic and Adult Stress from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). Echocardiography is used to assess different areas of the heart and can detect heart disease or signs of serious conditions. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in…
Interim Provost Named
Thu Jan 23
Iam extremely grateful for Jana Jasinski stepping in as acting provost during the past week and a half, while also continuing as vice provost for Faculty Excellence. I appreciate her leadership and the stability she provided the Academic Affairs team. Jana was named acting provost after I asked Provost Elizabeth Dooley to temporarily step away…
Student Coaching Project Earns Marchioli Award
Thu Jan 23
An ongoing project to boost classroom student engagement through high-impact practices (HIP) recently earned one of UCF’s highest internal awards. Called HIP Coaches, the project uses student coaches to mentor and guide fellow students through high-impact learning experiences, such as collaborative assignments and projects, undergraduate research, cultural competency, community-based learning and internships. The idea is…
A “Whole New World” for Theatre Alumnus Cornelius Davis â13 Touring with Aladdin
Wed Jan 22
It’s a “whole new world” for Cornelius Davis â13, returning to Orlando this month on the national Broadway tour of Disney’s Aladdin. The show opens January 22 at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and some of the cast members are staging a benefit, “Songs From a Whole New World,” on Monday, Jan. 27.…
Keeping Up with Cyrus Zargar: UCF’s Endowed Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor in Islamic Studies
Tue Jan 21
Cyrus Zargar is the Endowed Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor in Islamic Studies, who is currently teaching Medieval Philosophy. The Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professorship was created from the donations of hundreds of members from Central Florida’s Islamic community, with the intent of promoting the understanding and appreciation of Islam and Muslim communities. These funds enabled Zargar to advance…
UCFPD Swears in 6 New Officers
Tue Jan 21
Family, friends and UCF Police officers and staff welcomed six new officers to the department at a swearing-in ceremony Thursday. All of the newest UCFPD recruits have experience in either law enforcement or the military, which is what Chief Carl Metzger says he was looking for in patrol officers. “At UCFPD, we have a diverse…
UCF Professors’ Space Podcast Leads to Radio Show Invitation
Tue Jan 21
About 5,000 people a month around the world tune into a space-related podcast launched by three University of Central Florida professors. What started out as conversations while walking to get coffee on campus to perk up the afternoon, turned into the Walkabout the Galaxy podcast in 2014, which this month led to the professors becoming…
Class Project: A Gender Change Petition
Tue Jan 21
UCF associate lecturer Irene Pons ’98 and her legal studies class are striving to help a Central Florida woman revise her birth certificate. Why does Juleigh Mayfield need legal intervention in order to complete such an ordinary task? Because her story isn’t so typical. Neither Male or Female Although Mayfield lived four decades of her…
Zoo Internship Prepares Student for Anthropology Career
Fri Jan 17
Senior Savannah Compton left her fall internship at ZooTampa with a newfound love for the study of animal behavior. Working in both the primate and commissary department of the Zoo, Compton spent her time designing enrichment projects and learning about animal nutrition, stoking her passion for animal behavior and science. Compton pursued her goal of…
Students Receive Africana Studies Scholarships
Fri Jan 17
Three students recently received scholarships from the Africana Studies program for the Fall 2019 and/or Spring 2020 semesters. Rachel Mungovan (pictured), received the UCF Africana Studies and Business Services Dining Stipend for Fall 2019-Spring 2020. The stipend is an all-access/seven-day dining meal plan stipend for the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters, valued at $3,960.…
Retiring Choral Director, David Brunner, Named College Music Educator of the Year
Fri Jan 17
From conducting the University Chorus and Madrigal Singers to coaching private composition students, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities, Dr. David Brunner, has impacted countless students throughout his 31 years at UCF. Recently, he was distinguished as the College Music Educator of the Year by the Florida Music Educators Association. Previously, Brunner was…
Grad Student Launches Winter Coat Drive for Children
Fri Jan 17
It might feel tropical this week, but colder weather is coming to Florida — and that spells trouble for the kids without protection from the elements. Sociology graduate student Sonya Spence is working to correct that by holding a gently used coat drive for children from pre-K to high school. She was inspired by her…
