VIP Hard Seltzer Takes the Crown at UCF’s 2023 Joust New Venture Competition
Mon Apr 17
trio of UCF College of Business seniors — Connor Huseman, Nicholas Martins, Mazen Youness — won the 2023 Joust New Venture Competition on Thursday at the Celeste Hotel. Their company, VIP Hard Seltzer, is a first-of-its kind competitor in the hard seltzer marketplace that features collagen protein and appeals to health-conscious consumers. The unique combination of components has enabled VIP Hard Seltzer to outclass…
UCFPD Officer, Alum Completes Competitive FBI Academy
Fri Apr 14
UCF Police Department Major Scott Freeman ’11 recently returned from the FBI Academy, a 10-week program featuring advanced communication, leadership, and fitness training for law enforcement executives. This prestigious training, which was held in in Quantico, Virginia, is internationally known for its curriculum and is extremely competitive. Fewer than 1% of officers have the opportunity to attend…
Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres Reappointed Dean of UCF’s Burnett Honors College
Fri Apr 14
Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres has been reappointed for five years as dean of UCF’s Burnett Honors College. The decision by Michael D. Johnson, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, follows a review committee’s 5-year performance analysis of Amin and the college. The process included feedback from students, faculty, and staff the Dean’s Advisory…
Piñeres Reappointed Dean of the Burnett Honors College
Fri Apr 14
I am pleased to announce the reappointment of Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres for five years as dean of the Burnett Honors College. Under Dean Sheila’s leadership, the college and its staff have worked diligently to attract and develop promising students from all backgrounds to distinguish UCF as a model for student success, inclusive excellence…
UCF’s Limbitless Solutions Receives Honors from Florida Governor and First Lady
Thu Apr 13
Limbitless Solutions president and co-founder Albert Manero ’12 ’14MS ’16PhDwas recently honored by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis during the first annual Florida Heroes reception. The event welcomed heroes from across Florida to the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee to honor them for exhibiting courage, perseverance, and self-sacrifice. This included police officers, first responders,…
UCF Supports Autism Community With Resources, Research
Wed Apr 12
One Saturday morning at UCF, a shy, young girl began to learn the basics of judo practice — the proper stance, movements, how to hold opponents and how to safely fall to the mat. Autism spectrum disorder affects about one in 36 children nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention She was…
New UCF Agreement Will Help Researchers Study Metal Asteroids for Resources, Clues to Formation
Wed Apr 12
University of Central Florida researcher will be using the newly constructed Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) in the Canary Islands, Spain, to study metal-rich M-type asteroids. The work can inform the study of asteroids like 16 Psyche, an M-type, or metal, asteroid NASA is launching a mission in October 2023 to visit. The M-type asteroids offer…
UCF Marketing Chair Named American Council on Education Fellow
Tue Apr 11
Pradeep Bhardwaj, chair of the UCF Department of Marketing, has been named an ACE Fellow by the American Council on Education (ACE) for the 2023-24 academic year. Following nomination by UCF senior administration and a rigorous application process, Bhardwaj is among 36 fellows selected this year. See here for the full list. “I’m pleased to see…
New Scholarship Honors Late UCF Medicine Teacher, Advocate for Horse Therapy
Mon Apr 10
Manette Monroe was a beloved UCF College of Medicine teacher and mentor, who used her passion for horsemanship to help combat-injured veterans regain their mental and physical health. Future medical students will be able to follow in her footsteps, thanks to a scholarship announced today in the late doctor’s honor. Monroe’s husband, Mike Gaither, donated…
UCF Researchers Create Bioabsorbable Implants for Better Bone Healing
Mon Apr 10
When children break a bone, the traditional process of inserting metal implants, only to remove them once the bone is healed, can be difficult, stressful and even harmful to their still-growing bodies. UCF biomedical engineer Mehdi Razavi believes there is a better way to heal bone damage. By using bioabsorbable magnesium composites, Razavi’s team is…
The Sloan Foundation Awards $250K to Support Hispanic STEM Graduate Students
Fri Apr 7
Thanks to a new partnership, UCF and its two partner schools in the Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Public Research Universities (the Consortium) â Florida International University (FIU) and the University of South Florida (USF) â will unleash the potential of Hispanic/Latina/o/x graduate students who seek to become leaders in the STEM workforce. The Alfred P.…
UCF Bone Researcher Receives National Recognition
Fri Apr 7
As a child, Melanie Coathup enjoyed solving puzzles and had a deep fascination with science. Now an internationally recognized biomedical engineer, Coathup has been inducted to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows — one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. As head of…
New UCF Graduate Award Recognizes Excellence in Graduate Students’ Research
Thu Apr 6
To recognize graduate students for their strides in research, the College of Graduate Studies Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) has put together a new award. The Award for Excellence by a Graduate Student Researcher celebrates UCF’s outstanding graduate students for their impressive research and creative scholarship within their fields. The self-nominated award encourages students to share their…
Celebrating UCF’s Incredible Employees on Founders’ Day 2023
Wed Apr 5
UCF’s annual Employee Honors Celebration thanked and congratulated more than 350 employees for choosing the university as their professional home and advancing UCF’s impact as the University for the Future. UCF honored employees for reaching 5, 10, 15, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service; recognized recent retirees; and presented the Florida TaxWatch Productivity Awards for…
UCF Student Honors Celebration Spotlights Top Achievers
Mon Apr 3
UCF’s stellar students being honored on Wednesday for Founders’ Day have unleashed their potential and excelled in colleges and disciplines across the university. Among the undergraduate and graduate students are groundbreaking national and global scholarship winners, researchers, athletes, teaching assistants, residence assistants and leaders in campus organizations such as Student Government, LEAD Scholars and the…
Awardees Announced for 2023 Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration
Fri Mar 31
UCF will showcase more than 200 faculty members for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom. The celebration runs 3-5 p.m. and includes a reception after the formal program. Highlighted are recipients of the Pegasus Professor Award, UCF’s highest faculty honor; recipients of the…
Renewing Campus Commitment: UCFPD Hosts Several Events in Recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Fri Mar 31
The UCF Police Department will be recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month by hosting several events, including a tabling event on April 5 in partnership with UCF Victim Services, and an Ask Me Anything takeover on the department’s Instagram with a UCFPD sex crimes detective. Resources will also be shared on their social media accounts all month long.…
UCF Reach for the Stars 2023 Honorees Are Unleashing the Potential of People, Ideas
Thu Mar 30
This year’s Reach for the Stars honorees are united by their passion to help people and positively change the world. By promoting positive healthcare and helping improve how we respond to survivors of violence to enriching the human experience through space exploration, advanced computing and cultural understanding, the honorees are helping unleash the potential of…
UCF’s Robinson Observatory Gets a Futuristic Facelift
Thu Mar 30
Recent updates to one of UCF’s most groundbreaking research and education facilities brings the Robinson Observatory into the 21st century, including robotics for remote viewing and a state-of-the-art weather protection system. The refurbishment returns the observatory to full functionality after six years. Supply shortages and the large scope of the project contributed to a year-long process of…
UCF Team Awarded $2.3M Grant for Innovative Intervention to Prevent Falls
Thu Mar 30
Falls — and the fear of falling — are the leading cause of injury, disability and hospitalization among racially diverse, low-income older adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To help address this critical issue and reduce disparities, a team of University of Central Florida researchers is partnering with the City…
