UCF in the News

Fun fact from the files of “there’s a job for that”: there are multiple companies that specialize in making fake Moon dirt. One of the simulant companies, Exolith Lab, lets you just… order their fake Moon dirt on the internet. So we did*! We examined both the raw materials and finished products in our studio and spoke to Exolith about how they make their simulant on a semi-industrial scale. We also tried our own demonstration involving a baking pan full of simulant and a model rocket — to see how that turned out, check out the video above.

UCF President Alexander Cartwright has set a number of goals to boost the college's research and staffing during its fiscal year 2023. The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees approved unanimously the president's goals across four areas during a Nov. 17 meeting at the Lake Nona Wave Hotel. The goals align with the university's strategic plan, which runs through the 2026-27 year. Why this matters: New research generates jobs, investment and can lead to new innovation.

Exoplanets have become quite the sensation over the last decade-plus, with scientists confirming new exoplanets on a regular basis thanks to NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with the James Webb Space Telescope recently examining exoplanet atmospheres, as well. It’s because of these discoveries that exoplanet science has turned into an exciting field of intrigue and wonder, but do the very same scientists who study these wonderful and mysterious worlds have their own favorite exoplanets? As it turns out, four such exoplanet scientists, sometimes referred to as “exoplaneteers”, were kind enough to share their favorites with Universe Today! “My favorite is actually a system of exoplanets: the HR 8799 system,” said Dr. Theodora Karalidi, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Central Florida. “The system has four planets that are giant and are still warm enough and far enough from their parent star so that we can see them with our telescopes. Seeing the planets rotating around their parent star is fascinating.”

All day today, we're showing you the impact of your donations to Share Your Christmas. Of all the Second Harvest Food Bank programs we feature, the ones that hit a lot of us the hardest are the ones involving kids. Children are facing so much today, and knowing that some of them are doing it on empty stomachs just feels wrong. That's why we love to highlight programs and people who team up with Second Harvest to bridge the gap for kids and their parents. Like the program Jason Guy recently visited: Soldiers to Scholars. The program was created in 1995 in partnership with the University of Central Florida.

A seemingly small obstacle can have a big effect on a student’s education. “If you come to school hungry, you can’t focus if your stomach is churning,” said Lauren Fuentes, the regional executive director for Children’s Home Society of Florida. “You can’t focus if you’ve got a toothache, if you’ve got a headache,” she continued. That's why her agency is joining three others in Palm Beach County — the school district, the Health Care District and Florida Atlantic University — in signing a 25-year commitment to two local schools. Those partnerships, along with funding from the state Legislature, are overseen by the University of Central Florida. UCF co-founded the model with help from Orange County Public Schools and Children's Home Society of Florida.

Through a volunteer program at the University of Central Florida, students are raising puppies to go on to work as service animals. The program, called Service Dog Training and Education Program (STEP), partners with the national nonprofit Canine Companions to raise the dogs. Meredith Rome, a sophomore at UCF, picked her puppy up from St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport on Sept. 7. Pegasus, named after the UCF mascot, is a mix between a lab and a golden retriever. On a walk, Rome practiced commands with Pegasus, whose attention wandered constantly. “They are so curious about literally everything,” said Rome. “But it is so rewarding, when they actually do get it, they’ll be so proud of themselves that they’ll do it every time." For the next year, Rome will take care of Pegasus, raising the puppy to have the focus and discipline required of a service animal — then, she will pass the puppy off to professional trainers, who will help Pegasus learn specific skills for her job as a service dog.

The Covid-19 pandemic took service workers on a ride. Patrons doled out higher tips during the throes of the pandemic to show appreciation for these workers, but a return to "normalcy" might have you reconsidering how your tipping tendencies can add up and eat away at your budget. Post-pandemic tip fatigue from a barrage of businesses asking for tips, inflation, the threat of a recession and ongoing Covid concerns might complicate the dynamics of consumer generosity. Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, says tipflation is in part due to the high inflation rates consumers are facing—including those who work in jobs where tipping is the norm. Tips are part of the total compensation for many service-related occupations. Shortages in the labor market are driving up costs and tipping remains the primary way for service workers to combat low wages and make ends meet. “These workers are facing the same higher cost of living you are,” he says. “The cost of living is going up, so the same dollar amount tip to a door person…won’t go as far.”

The University of Central Florida is not the only school in greater Orlando among Florida's top 10 colleges with the best graduation rates. UCF ranked alongside Winter Park-based Rollins College for six-year graduation rates, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education. The six-year figure is among those most commonly used to measure success by schools. Why this matters: Graduation rates can determine how many students are prepared to enter the workforce, as well as if students are facing hurdles to graduate.

Can a COVID-19 infection have long-term health effects on people with diabetes, including advancing their risk for heart disease? College of Medicine researcher Dr. Dinender Singla believes that the genetic makeup of patients with diabetes or those predisposed to the disease makes them more prone to post-COVID inflammatory conditions that impact the heart and brain. “We believe that COVID-19 can alter a person’s genetic makeup which can enhance the proliferation of disease and cause further deterioration in diabetes and associated heart disease,” explained Dr. Singla, who is the AdventHealth Chair of Cardiovascular Science at the College of Medicine.