Born from the challenge of the Space Race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people’s curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth.
Founded to reach the moon, we’re already on our way to the next frontier. Built for liftoff, America’s Space University celebrates UCF Space Week Nov. 3-7.
Where Global Leaders Unite to Boldly Forge the Future of Space
UCF launched a new showcase to spotlight trailblazers of Central Florida’s thriving space ecosystem with its inaugural SpaceU Awards.
“Everyone in this room, and across our university, reminds us that curiosity is humanity’s greatest engine, that reach for the stars is more than our motto. It is our mission and our promise.” — Alexander N. Cartwright, UCF president
America’s Space University celebrated eight honorees — two students, three faculty, two organizations and a record-setting astronaut — for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space development, discovery and exploration.
Beyond space faculty and top UCF leaders, Thursday’s packed Space Week awards ceremony at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center attracted community supporters and government and industry leaders, including U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. John Olson.
“America’s Space University stands at the intersection of exploration and opportunity — where discovery fuels industry and where learning transforms lives,” UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright said in congratulating awardees.
The state created UCF in 1963 to help meet the talent and technological needs of Florida’s growing space program. SpaceU has since become a vital force for enhancing Florida’s robust space economy through excellence in research, innovation and workforce development — leading the nation in producing talent for the aerospace and defense industries.
UCF launched its inaugural Space Week from Nov. 3-7 in celebration of the university’s growing influence in space research and industry impact. Festivities included The Economist’s third annual Space Economy Summit, the National Space Society’s Space Settlement Summit, a SpaceU Symposium featuring faculty and staff research projects, a Memory Mall drone show, and the annual SpaceU football game.Here are the inaugural 2025 SpaceU Awardees.
Student Space Research Award
Tara Crowe ’25MS, doctoral student, College of Optics and Photonics
Crowe’s research focuses on developing the next generation of instruments for telescopes to enable deeper views into the universe, using new technologies like quantum-inspired imaging and photonic lanterns. Crowe’s instruments and devices have been installed and operated at the Lick Observatory in California and the U.S. Department of Defense AEOS telescope in Maui, Hawaii.
Student Space Innovator Award
Adam Kotler ’23MS ’25PhD, mechanical engineering alum, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Kotler has contributed significantly to space innovations with commercial applications. An expert in hypersonic detonation and co-founder of Halo Engines LLC, he is pioneering the development of cutting-edge propulsion systems that aim to revolutionize space travel by increasing efficiency and reducing launch costs.
Early Career Space Achievement Faculty Award
Ana Carolina de Souza-Feliciano, assistant professor, Florida Space Institute
De Souza-Feliciano studies the surface properties of small bodies in the solar system, with a special focus on trans-Neptunian objects — icy worlds orbiting beyond Neptune. Actively involved in research with the James Webb Space Telescope, her work seeks to help unravel the mineralogy and evolution of asteroids, moons and planets.
Mid-Career Space Achievement Faculty Award
Kerri Donaldson Hanna, planetary geologist and assistant professor, College of Sciences
Donaldson Hanna has rapidly advanced the field of lunar science. She is the principal investigator of Lunar-VISE, UCF’s first NASA mission to the moon’s surface, which will explore the mysterious Gruithuisen Domes. Her research seeks to better understand the formation and evolution of airless bodies like the moon, Mercury and asteroids.
Lifetime Space Achievement Award
Peter Delfyett, Pegasus Professor and Trustee Chair, College of Optics and Photonics
Delfyett’s innovations have expanded the horizons of the space industry. His pioneering research has enabled more accurate distance measurements and timing synchronization for space missions, supporting both astrophysical research and satellite-based observation of Earth. Among his many honors since joining UCF in 1993, he is the first faculty member to be inducted into the National Academy of Engineering for work done while currently at the university.
Philanthropic Champion Award
Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation Inc.
A supporter of UCF since 1974, the foundation’s Reach for the Stars gift for the College of Medicine funds the International Space Health Symposium for three years, positioning SpaceU at the forefront of research to improve health in space and on Earth. The event will focus on the physiological, biomedical and psychological challenges of living and performing in space — and in extreme environments on Earth such as polar regions, the deep sea and high altitudes.
Industry Partner Impact Award
Space Florida
Space Florida — Florida’s aerospace finance and development authority — helped the university launch the inaugural UCF Space Week celebration and strongly supports our mission to invent a bold future of space discovery and impact. UCF has joined the authority, the University of Florida and Embry-Riddle University in creating the Florida Space Research Consortium to facilitate the awarding of NASA research grants in partnership with Kennedy Space Center. The consortium aims to tackle complex research challenges, expand workforce development and boost Florida’s competitive edge in the space industry.
Innovative Space Leader Award
Michael López-Alegría, chief astronaut, Axiom Space
A thought leader in the commercial spaceflight industry, López-Alegría is a pioneering astronaut who commanded the International Space Station (ISS) and holds NASA records that include the most spacewalks and activities in space outside a spacecraft. A six-time astronaut, his many accomplishments include commanding the crew of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first-ever private mission to the ISS.
