UCF in the News

In a Facebook Live interview, NBC journalist John Torres talks with Christopher Emrich, a UCF environmental science professor, about how to prepare for natural disasters during the coronavirus pandemic.

Graduating PhD student, Valorie MacKenna, helped solve a problem when the pandemic struck: How to make hands-on learning experiences through simulation effective via online learning.

All graduates' names will be read aloud and displayed on the screen during one of 12 commencement ceremonies on Aug. 1.

Chrysalis Wright, a UCF faculty member who studies misinformation, said conspiracy theory believers often engage in mental gymnastics to make their beliefs conform with reality.

Dr. Shunpu Zhang of UCF says the projections, if they hold true, would mean new case numbers will decrease slowly toward the end of this year, then fall off more substantially.

COVID-19 survivors who had to be placed on a ventilator likely will need medical assistance to help regain their ability to speak or swallow. That's where speech pathologists come in, and UCF is ahead of the curve in training students in this field.

Vending machines normally filled with snacks will now be filled with free cloth face masks for those on UCF's campus who forgot theirs or need a new one.

Students, staff and faculty at UCF can assess themselves for COVID symptoms with a new self-checker built into the school’s mobile app. Officials focused on the mobile app because most people now check their smartphones during their morning routines, says Ryan Seilhamer, the assistant director of mobile strategy and innovation.

UCF is launching more than two dozen new degree programs, tracks and certificates this fall – most designed for online delivery – that target high demand fields ranging from business and engineering to optics and health. The programs focus on skills employers currently seek, and those expected to remain in demand, as employees navigate a job market made more competitive by COVID-19 and a possible recession.