UCF in the News

Tourism experts are surprised by how fast Orlando’s theme parks are rebounding from the pandemic’s economic crisis as Universal parks posted another strong financial quarter Thursday. University of Central Florida assistant professor Carissa Baker, who follows theme parks, said she had expected the parks’ attendance and revenues to rebound by 2022 or 2023.

A new study of more than 2,000 undergrads found that nearly half of students can’t identify a single mentor, defined as someone who was not already a friend or family member who was available to give advice on navigating college and planning for after college. Kerry Welch of the University of Central Florida values how his institution provides a broad range of opportunities for students to connect with someone.

This semester, the University of Central Florida launched an online platform for students to connect with their peers during these challenging times for their mental health. The anonymous platform is called “TogetherAll,” allowing students at universities around the world to talk to each other and spot resources.

Having a professor, adviser or other mentor can greatly help in navigating college and launching a career, but many students aren’t seeking out such relationships. Fifty-five percent of students surveyed have had one or more mentors, and about two-thirds of those who have not say they would definitely or maybe like one. Theodorea Regina Berry, vice provost for student learning and academic success and dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, and Kerry Welch, associate vice president for student engagement and leadership development, were quoted prominently within the article.

The country may be recovering from the economic impacts of the pandemic, but now new issues with backlogs of shipping containers at ports across the country, labor shortages and supply chain problems are causing higher prices. Families around the nation are having to modify their budgets due to increasing prices on goods ranging from gasoline to groceries to items needed for manufacturing. “The backlog of goods basically affects the time it takes for consumers to receive products for retailers first to receive products to put on the shelves,” Axel Stock, an associate UCF professor of marketing said. Stock said prices tend to go up when a product can’t be delivered.

A University of Central Florida study is hoping to better understand the long-term complications of COVID-19 respiratory failure or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after hospitalization in the intensive care unit. “I find it very problematic that we save people’s lives only for them to ultimately have a terrible quality of life afterward,” said Brian Peach, an ICU nurse and UCF assistant professor, who is spearheading a year-long study that’ll compare complications for both COVID-19 patients and ICU survivors who were treated for respiratory failure.

Despite the lingering coronavirus pandemic that delayed or derailed some federal and private agencies’ spending plans, the University of Central Florida generated $212.9 million in research awards this year, up more than $8 million from 2020. UCF’s research awards total doesn’t include any CARES or Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds, which the federal government provided in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Research grants and contracts have been on an upward trajectory for UCF since 2016, increasing from $145.8 million in 2016 to this year's $212.9 million.

For the fifth straight season, UCF will wear space-themed uniforms, and this year the program will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Space Shuttle program’s first flight when the Knights take on Memphis this Friday night. “I think it’s cool,” Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. “I think it’s really good. I think recruits love it. I know our players love it. When the players love it and recruits love it, I love it.”

UCF is joining LaserNetUS, a consortium of the nation’s best large laser facilities started by the Department of Energy as a part of a broader strategy to boost the nation’s standing in intense laser science. The invitation to join LaserNetUS will expand UCF’s capabilities in the area of attosecond science, which aims to study and control the motion of electrons and will open UCF laser facilities to external users. Membership also allows the team to expand into the bourgeoning area of relativistic laser-plasma interactions, in which electrons and other particles are driven to speeds close to the speed of light.