UCF in the News

UCF RESTORES, a clinic that specializes in treating people affected by trauma, has rolled out a free therapy program for responders and health-care workers in Florida. “We’re talking about people who we know are incredibly resourceful and very resilient. So what this program really does is in some ways take what we know is the resilience within these people and help them build on it,” said Dr. Deborah Beidel, founder and executive director of UCF RESTORES.

Dr. Kimberly Renk, a UCF faculty member and an expert in child psychology, discusses tips and strategies to identify anxiousness in people during the pandemic and how to combat it.

With video game playing and sales reaching a record high during the pandemic, the forecast is good for students at UCF’s Florida Interactive Education Academy (FIEA), a game design program that’s sending them into a field that can’t hire fast enough.

UCF students started moving in to on-campus housing over the weekend. Precautions are in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

UCF has opened a Parents as Teachers Hotline for families experiencing challenges transitioning to virtual learning this fall. Pamela Carroll, the dean of UCF’s College of Community Education and Innovation, says parents can call or email the service with K-12 subject area-related questions.

For children with limb absences and discrepancies, prosthetic arms can be extremely expensive, tricky to use, and, like kids clothes or shoes, quickly outgrown, which means that parents have to spend a lot of cash for an important device that won’t last very long. But a research lab in Orlando is providing a creative—and cheaper—alternative, by 3D-printing fully functional and free bionic arms. And they’re tailor-designed to look not like a medical device, but to perfectly suit little fans of Iron Man or Blue Man Group.

Aubrey Jewett, a UCF political sciences professor, suspects there will be a huge increase in vote by mail, and he hopes there will not be a big drop off in voter turnout. Early voting for Florida’s 2020 primary starts on Thursday.

Dr. William Gordon, the former Chief Operations Officer for Florida Virtual School and now a lecturer at UCF, says children as young as kindergarten age can succeed in virtual school.

Two faculty experts weigh in on how the coronavirus pandemic is changing hurricane shelter guidelines and abilities to stock up on hurricane supplies this year.