UCF Today – University of Central Florida News

Beyond the Football Military Game: UCF’s Military Ties Run Deep

Ahead of UCF Football’s annual military game, explore the university’s longstanding military partnerships that advance critical research, prepare students for careers in national defense and support those who serve.

November 9, 2026

UCF Retiree, Navy Captain Veteran Donates Uniform to Theatre UCF

The department will use Rich Sloane’s dress blues in on-stage productions and as a valuable research tool in costume design.

UCF Alum Named Toyota Family Teacher of the Year

Nisha Phillip Malahoo ’21MEd ’24 EdD was one of just six educators nationwide — and the only representative from Florida — initially selected as a finalist for this year’s award.

UCF Simulation Pioneer Honored for Advancing Immersive Technologies

Pegasus Professor Gregory Welch received the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality 2026 Career Impact Award for decades of research, leadership and service that have shaped immersive technologies and future inventions.

Always Asking Why: The Drive Behind UCF Nursing Leader’s Passion for Healthcare

As the dean of the College of Nursing and Orlando Health Endowed Chair in Nursing, Sharon Tucker has transformed curiosity into discovery, leadership and new possibilities for the future of healthcare.

UCF Researchers Developing AI Model to Help Physicians Improve Kidney Care

The Florida Department of Health-funded Kidney-VLM project brings together UCF researchers and clinical partners to better evaluate patients with kidney cancer and stones.

Zaby and Suree Vyas Investment Helps Shape the Next Generation of Healthcare Leaders

This gift — which is recognized with a newly named tower and classroom honoring a legacy of service, opportunity and philanthropy — supports scholarships for future physicians.

Once a Patient, Now a Researcher: How a UCF Alumna Is Building Her Future in Medicine

Through research, mentorship and UCF’s partnership with Nemours Children’s Health, biomedical sciences graduate Gianna Santoni ’26 is turning an early spark into a path toward becoming a doctor.

Relive the Excitement of UCF Space Week 2026

From dazzling drone shows to bold ideas shaping the future of space, explore the sights that brought America’s Space University together.

UCF Launches Public Health Master’s Program to Tackle Nation’s Pressing Health Challenges

Beginning Fall 2027, the new graduate degree will prepare students to prevent disease, shape policy and lead efforts to build healthier communities.

UCF Emergency Management Alum’s Career Takes Flight with JetBlue

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her plans to become a commercial pilot, Kaylie Savitz ’22MECM charted a new course — preparing JetBlue to navigate emergencies and keep operations moving in the sky and on the ground.

UCF Grad Turns to Anthropology for Flood Mitigation Efforts

Nilver Tovar-Ospina ’26PhD drew on his environmental engineering background in Colombia to become the first graduate of UCF’s integrative anthropological sciences doctoral program with a concentration in environmental anthropology.

UCF Expert Explores the Evolution of Cemeteries in Deathcare

UCF Professor Staci Zavattaro, the university’s inaugural Big 12 Faculty Fellowship recipient, demystifies the public management of death — and the innovation within cemeteries and other deathcare alternatives.

UCF Students, Emmy-Winning Professors Team Up to Give a Voice to the Dead

From the graveyard to a podcasting studio, UCF legal studies and journalism students collaborated for a unique cross-disciplinary class project.

UCF Alum ‘Returns to Earth’ After 378-Day Mars Mission

Film production entrepreneur and electrical engineer Matthew Montgomery ’08 ’09MS recounts his experience as part of a four-person crew for NASA’s CHAPEA Mission 2 at Johnson Space Center.

UCF Engineers Develop Digital Rover Twin to Help Navigate Future NASA Missions

UCF researchers are exploring digital-twin technology that could help operators simulate rover movements in real time, with potential applications for future space missions.

Pegasus Magazine

UCF in the News

Five Things We Learned from UCF’s Thriller at Kansas

Orlando Sentinel

Suree and Zaby Vyas Donate to UCF College of Medicine

New India Abroad

Three Cruise Ships Failed CDC Sanitation Inspections in 2026

WFTV Channel 9

UCF Astronomer Selected by NASA to Explore Virtual Super Telescope Concept

AeroHaber

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Events at UCF

Nov 10

Vaccine Hesitancy and Religion, A Conversation with Dr. Kira Kieffer author of Unvaccinated Under God 9:00 am - 10:15 am

Nov 10

Big Red Bus - Donate Blood Today! 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Nov 10

Mathematical Biology Seminar by Dr. Satyajith Bommana Boyana, Florida Polytechnic University 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Nov 10

ACE Group Fitness Instructor Prep Course 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

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