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NASA Awards $1.8 Million to Psychology Professor
Pegasus Professor and Trustee Chair, Eduardo Salas, was selected for two of the 23 awards that NASA and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute announced for its crew health program. Proposals were openly solicited from academia, industry and government laboratories and were judged for scientific merit by non-NASA technical experts. The issue being addressed is astronaut health and performance risks for future ...
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Physicist’s Research Gains International Attention
Dr. Zenghu Chang, UCF Distinguished Professor of Physics & Optics, recorded the shortest pulse of light in his UCF lab. Physics World recently interviewed Chang for their publication, which you can view here. Physics World is the British equivalent of Physics Today, which is published in the US. “Dr. Chang’s success in making ever-shorter light pulses helps ...
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Service-Learning Helps Students Tackle World’s Tough Issues
This is a guest post from Biology Professor Linda Walters, which was featured on UCF Today and The Huffington Post. The end of each spring semester brings out the best in academia. Not only is graduation soon to occur, but campuses everywhere celebrate excellence — of faculty, staff and students. I am always excited to attend ...
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COS Students Win Big at Graduate Research Forum
The 2013 Graduate Research Forum was a huge success, especially for the college of sciences. COS students swept the mathematics, optics, and physical sciences section, as well as placing in other sections. 70 students from the college of sciences competed in the forum. Of those 70, eight placed in their respective groups. COS students placed ...
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Dr. Beidel Named 2013 Pegasus Professor
President Hitt presents Dr. Deborah Beidel the Pegasus Professor medallion at Founders Day. Dr. Beidel is a Professor of Psychology in the College of Sciences. She was recognized for her exceptional contributions to the treatment of anxiety in children and veterans. She has developed novel approaches for using virtual reality and distinct smells to help ...
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NSC Hosts Third Annual International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference
The Nicholson School of Communication (NSC) hosted the third annual International Crisis and Risk Communication (ICRC) Conference at the Student Union from March 4 to 6. The annual ICRC Conference brings together the leading experts in both academic and professional fields. The collaboration provides insights and understanding into what constitutes successful and at times unsuccessful crisis ...
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Students Launch Space Balloon, Watch on YouTube
More than a dozen University of Central Florida students played at being NASA engineers recently, launching a high-altitude balloon the size of a refrigerator into space. The students, studying a variety of fields from physics to accounting, designed the mission, made all necessary calculations and executed the launch from a public park in Safety Harbor. ...
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Killing Cancer Cells with Acid Reflux
A University of Central Florida chemist has come up with a unique way to kill certain cancer cells – give them acid reflux. Chemistry professor Kevin Belfield used a special salt to make cancer cells more acidic – similar to the way greasy foods cause acid reflux in some people. He used a light-activated, acid-generating ...
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When Parents Go to War
Psychology Professor Deborah C. Beidel and her graduate student Brian Bunnell were recently awarded a $2.7 million dollar research grant for a project entitled “When parents go to war,” which will be funded by the Department of Defense Broad Army Agency. This three year, multi-site investigation will examine the effects of deployment on children and stay-behind spouses, ...
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Video: Scientists Explain Impacts of Comets
The impact of comets on the surface of Jupiter are a fairly common experience. At the University of Central Florida, astronomers Joseph Harrington and Csaba Palotai are leading a project that studies precisely how these impacts happen, and also provides valuable information about what might happen if such a comet struck Earth. Watch the video ...
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Event: Brian Powell Speaks to UCF
Brian Powell will be speaking to UCF students, staff, faculty and guests on March 13 as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, which is hosted by the College of Sciences and the UCF Sociology Department. Powell’s presentation, entitled “Evolution, Revolution: Americans’ Changing Views Regarding Same-Sex Marriage,” will begin at 7 p.m. in the Teaching Academy, Room 130. Professor Powell will discuss ...
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Closest-Ever Asteroid Flyby Thrills Large UCF Crowd
More than 800 people packed the Pegasus Ballroom at the University of Central Florida on Friday to watch a live video feed of an asteroid zip by Earth, coming within 17,500 miles from the planet. It was the closest flyby on record, with the half-city-block sized asteroid squeezing in between the Earth’s surface and orbiting ...
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Order of Pegasus Class of 2013
The UCF committee has announced the Order of Pegasus Class of 2013 and 19 students were inducted from 86 nominations. The students selected include nine LEAD Scholars, nine PLC members, seven Honors students, five SGA members and two student-athletes. College of Sciences students include Kaitlyn Chana (NSC), Raven Cokley (Psychology), Ashley Jaramillo (NSC) and Kayli ...
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Alumni, Faculty Celebrate UCF’s 50th Anniversary
About 125 UCF alumni, and faculty and staff from the Nicholson School of Communication gathered to celebrate UCF’s 50th anniversary Saturday at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. The Nicholson School of Communication Alumni Chapter hosted the reunion, and the networking reception concluded the College of Sciences’ week-long celebration of UCF’s anniversary. “Our alumni were eager ...
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Students Win International Award
Students from UCF’s Department of Psychology recently were awarded the “Best in Show” Award for a game designed to help children with a social anxiety disorder. The award was given at the 3rd Annual Serious Games and Virtual Environments Showcase, part of the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare. Lift-Off! is a game designed to ...
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Asteroid Expert on ABC World News
By Ned Potter, ABC World News It begins to get on your nerves. Every now and then — a few times a year, depending on what you count — an asteroid goes whizzing past Earth at fairly close range, reminding us that sometimes outer space isn’t quite as, well, spacious as we may like to think. This ...
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Asteroid Encounter at UCF
An asteroid, the size of half a city block, will buzz Earth’s surface on Feb. 15, squeezing by communication satellites orbiting the planet. The University of Central Florida will host a free 1 p.m. viewing party for the public to watch this event via feeds from telescopes in Spain, where it will be nighttime. UCF’s Humberto ...
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NSC Alumni and Faculty Reunion
In celebration of the University of Central Florida’s 50th anniversary, The Nicholson School of Communication’s current and retired faculty and all of its alumni are invited to a networking reception on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. This is a great opportunity for alumni to reconnect with previous classmates ...
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COS alumnus named president of Walt Disney World Resort
George A. Kalogridis, ’76, a 41-year veteran of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, was named president of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. this month. George will oversee a workforce of more than 66,000 Cast Members at the world’s premier vacation destination. His appointment will be effective Feb. 1, 2013. Since 2009, Kalogridis has ...
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Senator Graham visits UCF
Senator Bob Graham will be speaking to UCF students, staff, faculty and guests on February 14, 2013 as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, which is hosted by the College of Sciences and the UCF Political Science Department. The event, “Citizenship and Global and National Security in the 21st Century”, will start at 3 p.m. and is free and open ...
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Nobel laureate Robert H. Grubbs comes to UCF
Nobel Laureate and California Institute of Technology Professor of Chemistry Robert H. Grubbs will be speaking to UCF students, staff, faculty and guests on February 4, 2013 as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, which is hosted by the College of Sciences. The event will start at 4 p.m. in Classroom One, Room 121 and is free and open to ...
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2013 Southeast Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at UCF
The Southeast Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (SCUWP) is a three-day conference for undergraduate physics majors in the southeastern United States. The 2013 conference will be held from the evening of Friday January 18th to the afternoon of Sunday January 20th. SCUWP’s goal is to help undergraduate women continue in physics by providing them ...
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BP’s Chief Scientist visits UCF
BP’s Chief Scientist, Ellen D. Williams, will be speaking to UCF students, staff, faculty and guests on January 18, 2013 as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, which is hosted by the College of Sciences. The event will start at 11 a.m., is free and open to the public and is in the Pegasus Ballroom, which is ...
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Eradicating space dust and saving sea turtles get boost from space agency
Teams working on a wide range of innovative research and technology development, including work that may lead to new techniques for keeping alien dust from clogging up sensitive space instruments and work on new satellite tracking systems to help track endangered sea turtles recently got a financial boost courtesy of the Florida Space Institute. In ...
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American Association for Advancement of Science honors COS professors
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is honoring five University of Central Florida professors with specialties in everything from archaeology to engineering for their significant contributions to their perspective fields. “These individuals have been elevated to this rank because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished,” ...
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UCF experiment wins free trip to the International Space Station
A University of Central Florida experiment that could help explain how planets formed in our solar system has won a free ride to the International Space Station in 2013. Physics professor Joshua Colwell’s experiment is one of eight winners of the Space Florida International Space Station Research Competition sponsored by Space Florida and NanoRacks. Space Florida ...
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International expert explains asteroids’ ‘real’ threat to Earth
Join space expert Dr. Humberto Campins at the Orlando Science Center on Saturday, Dec. 1 for a hands-on program that delivers the real story when it comes to asteroids that pass near the earth Earth. Campins, a physics professor at the University of Central Florida, will also share exciting details about forthcoming NASA and European ...
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2012 College of Sciences Rising Star Award
The 2012 College of Sciences Rising Star Award winner is Lauren Black, ’09, who was honored at the Black and Gold Gala hosted by the UCF Alumni Association during the 2012 Homecoming week. Black runs the popular website Country Music is Love, which she started when she was still finishing her Radio-Television classes in the Nicholson School of Communication. The site ...
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2012 College of Sciences Professional Achievement Award Winner
The 2012 College of Sciences Professional Achievement Award Winner is Douglas Dew, ’84, who was honored at the Black and Gold Gala hosted by the UCF Alumni Association during the 2012 Homecoming week. “I think the importance of science in education, especially at the undergraduate level, is to get that basic understanding of different areas,” Dew ...
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Alum receives White House honor
The White House recently recognized Doug Matthews, ‘95, a graduate of the journalism program, as a champion of local innovation. Each year, the White House honors 13 local innovation champions of change for their commitment to creating a more open and innovative government through entrepreneurship. Matthews has spent the last 18 years working to improve local ...