UCF in the News

In 2021, the team launched MoveApps – a free platform of analytical tools to help scientists make sense of all that data. The system allows programmers to develop data-analysis tools that scientists can apply to the animal-tracking data stored in the Movebank database. Tracking turtles in the open ocean is one way it’s being used to do this. An enduring mystery in conservation biology is what happens to sea turtles in the period between emerging as tiny hatchlings on beaches around the world, to returning to coastal waters as dinner-plate-sized juveniles. “Those early life stages are the foundation of the rest of their lives,” says Dr. Kate Mansfield, a professor of conservation biology at the University of Central Florida, who is collaborating with ICARUS on a project that will track the movements of sea turtles in the open ocean. “If you’re working with protected species or animals that are of conservation concern, you really want to know everything you can about them at every single life stage,” Mansfield says. Currently, “that early dispersal stage that’s associated with the sea turtles’ lost years is really the biggest data gap”, in sea turtle biology, she explains.

Orlando is on the rise as a top tech hub in the South, according to a recent study by CommercialCafe, which credits affordability, specialized industry, which credits affordability, specialized industries and local universities for attracting investment, companies and talent to the region. The study evaluates tech job density, median earnings and overall quality of life, among other things, in populated areas of more than 200,000 people. The Orlando market, including Sanford and Kissimmee, joins four other Florida metros in the Top 20 after missing out on last year's list. Orlando sits at No. 20 behind Palm Bay (No. 15), Crestview (No. 17), Tampa (No. 18) and Jacksonville (No. 19). The study notes that Orlando has “leveraged strengths in simulation technology and enjoys a robust talent pipeline from the University of Central Florida, cementing its rise as a tech hub.”

It’s been less than a week since UCF announced the return of Scott Frost as its football coach, and the athletic department is already feeling the move’s impact. The waitlist for season tickets climbed to 2,500 people and, according to a spokesperson, the athletic department has seen 12 major gifts in the Shareholder Society since the announcement. Final figures won’t be available until the end of the year. All in all, it’s been quite the moment for the school. “We want to keep UCF in the news,” athletics director Terry Mohajir said during a groundbreaking event on the expansion of the Roth Tower at FBC Mortgage Stadium. “It’s exciting. Anytime you can feel the momentum, people are excited about our new coach and some of the personnel we’re bringing back. It all works together.” Frost was hired last weekend after a nearly weeklong search following the resignation of Gus Malzahn on Nov. 30. Malzahn left to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State under former colleague and friend Mike Norvell. The decision to bring back Frost, seven years after he helped lead the Knights to a perfect season, capped by a win over No. 7 Auburn in the Peach Bowl, brought a lot of excitement back to the program. That enthusiasm has carried over, especially after former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton joined Frost’s coaching staff as quarterback coach. Milton helped guide the Knights to that 13-0 season, which ended with a win over the Tigers who were led by Malzahn. He was part of a team that won a program-best 25 games in a row, earning another appearance in a New Year’s Six Access bowl.

Amid the backdrop of newly announced Artemis moon-mission postponements, analysts expect potential NASA administrator Jared Isaacman to shake up the agency from a private-businessman and private-astronaut perspective — "NASA needs to be prepared for dramatic changes."Isaacman is the 41-year-old billionaire founder and CEO of Shift4 who partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to command and finance the groundbreaking Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn commercial astronaut spaceflights. Greg Autry, associate provost for space commercialization and strategy at the University of Central Florida, said "NASA needs to be prepared for dramatic changes." "When you look at Artemis, basically every vendor has problems with every system in that program. And the whole thing is kind of coming off the tracks," Autry said during a Wednesday FLORIDA TODAY interview — the day before NASA announced the latest Artemis II and Artemis III delays.

UCF coach Gus Malzahn has resigned after four seasons with the school. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the move, with Malzahn leaving to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. Malzahn previously worked with FSU coach Mike Norvell during their time at Tulsa under then-coach Todd Graham from 2007-08. The Seminoles fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins on Nov. 10 in a coaching purge following a disastrous 2-win season. UCF Athletics released a statement: “We would like to thank Coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition into the Big 12 Conference. We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish he and his wife, Kristi, the very best in their future endeavors.”

The need for high-quality academic work has surged, particularly in the booming academic and professional metropolis of Orlando, USA. With students, researchers, and professionals always seeking for methods to stand out in their academic domains, the need for aid with writing research papers has expanded rapidly. This is where internet platforms and professional services like Words Doctorate come into play. These services give professional support to those who wish to write remarkable research papers while saving time and effort. Orlando, being a hub for higher education and innovation, features schools like the University of Central Florida and Rollins College, which cultivate an environment of intellectual achievement. Writing a research paper entails complicated activities such as acquiring reputable sources, arranging the document effectively, and following to stringent formatting rules. It is not only a writing work but a thorough procedure that involves precise attention to detail and academic rigor.

Central Florida is already an important and growing hub for humanity's efforts to thrive in outer space. The University of Central Florida now wants to bolster that by developing one-of-a-kind "space medicine" programs for students at the College of Medicine. Emmanuel Urquieta will lead the charge. In his office at the college, it's easy to see his love for space and medicine. The walls are adorned by flight patches, some decorative and some showing the projects he's worked on.

Dr. Leland Nordin and his team at the University of Central Florida are using high-intensity lasers of UVC light to kill viruses and bacteria on surfaces. With the help of a $1 million U.S. Army grant, the researchers hope this laser technology can one day help the world stay clean. "This is a way to really flood a whole room and laser them down, essentially," Nordin said. UCF graduate research assistant Biridiana Rodriguez demonstrated a tiny pinpoint of light, no bigger than the tip of a needle, on a crystal wafer. Under a microscope, the light shone brightly, just one of thousands of diodes on the thin wafer. "It essentially deactivates them or kills them in the same way it would hurt our skin. Like UVA or UVB rips them apart from intense energy. So why doesn't it hurt our skin in the same way? It's because our skin is thick enough," Nordin said. Looking at that same light under a microscope shows how strong a single laser diode can shine. Dr. Nordin is working to make similar laser wafers that emit the invisible UVC light. Researchers use their equipment to actually grow their lasers, and they do it by creating wafers. When the wafer is attached to a power source, it can create a laser light.

Did you know there have been five U.S. Presidential Elections in which the winner lost the popular vote? The Electoral College has voted to elect John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Benjamin Harrison in the distant past, and George W. Bush and Donald Trump in modern times. Despite proposals to change or abolish the Electoral College (the University of Central Florida reports there have been over 1,000), there are many reasons why these attempts failed. Firstly, as UCF History Professor John Sacher explains, the Electoral College is part of the U.S. Constitution — and amending the Constitution is complicated and difficult. Additionally, Sacher argues that the Electoral College is useful in instances like the 2000 Presidential Election. Despite Gore winning a plurality of the popular vote, he didn’t win a majority. Neither Bush nor Gore won the majority and it fell upon the electors to decide. Sacher explains: “We are the only nation that still uses an Electoral College… Given that this discussion has already lasted well over 100 years, we may be in for 100 more.”