Colleges & Campus News | ��ֱ�� News

Maximizing Your Summer Semester with Campus Events, Resources and Coaching

Shawna Welter — Fri, 22 May 2026 17:51:03 +0000

Whether you are taking a full class schedule, interning or enjoying a much-needed breather, staying engaged on campus is key to making the most of your summer semester. UCF offers a wide selection of resources specifically to help you keep the momentum.

Academic Support

Shorter summer sessions are fast paced and demanding, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Support services are available in person and virtually to keep your GPA on track.

Private Coaching: The Student Academic Resource Center continues to provide for over 30 subjects. Visit the SARC office in Trevor Colbourn Hall Room 117 or the Engineering II atrium for assistance.
Math Tutoring: Located in the Mathematical Science Building, the Math Success Center offers for students enrolled in undergraduate math courses, providing a focused environment to master challenging concepts.
Writing Center: From complex research papers and resume polishes to creative writing hobbies, the ��ֱ�� Writing Center offers specialized to help you make tangible progress on all kinds of written projects.
Study Spaces: Use the university’s to book a private study room in advance at the John C. Hitt and UCF Downtown libraries to ensure you have a safe, quiet place to study during finals.

Wellness Resources

Taking care of yourself is just as important during finals week as it is during a semester off. Fewer students on campus during the summer semester allows you more access to these wellness perks.

Mental Health: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides students with around-the-clock at no extra cost. Students also have free access to the anonymous peer-to-peer support community and teletherapy sessions throughout the entire summer.
Physical Wellness: The gym remains open with full summer hours to help you maintain your fitness routine. For a brain break and an extra dose of sunshine, head over to the for free kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding.
Meeting Basic Needs: If your budget gets tight between semesters, you don’t have to worry. The Knights Helping Knights Pantry remains stocked and open during the summer to , toiletries and clothing to any Knight in need.

Professional Development

Summer is the perfect time to refine your professional brand. Career Services offers a series of Workshop Wednesdays and drop-in sessions to help you prepare for your next interview, internship or first day on the job.

Career Readiness: Get quick, expert feedback on your resume, LinkedIn profile, practice interview or Handshake account with Critiques & Career Express. in-person or virtually throughout July 31.
Workshop Wednesdays: throughout June and July to sharpen specific skills, including how to utilize AI in the job search, career exploration and the do’s and don’ts of networking online.
Free Headshots: Stop by the Headshot Booth located in the Student Government office of the Student Union for . The booth is open and free for all students and produces professional, high-quality headshots same day.

Summer Events Around Campus

Stay engaged with these social and cultural opportunities that span the entire term.

Socialize with Grad Students: Head to the Graduate Student Center in Trevor Colbourn Hall, Room 213 on the first Wednesday of each summer month for First Wednesday Cafe. Hosted by Graduate Student Life, it’s a , meet fellow students, and grab free bagels and coffee.
Interactive Play Festival: Pegasus PlayLab is a festival hosted every summer by the UCF School of Performing Arts and is dedicated to helping develop the work of emerging playwrights across the country. for the workshop showings of Offshoot (May 29 – 30), Eight-Hand Jig (June 5 – 6), Between Shadows and Lightness (June 12 – 13), and the developmental production of Raccoon Play(June 11 – 14).
Art Exhibition: Take a quiet culture break at the UCF Art Gallery (located in the Visual Arts Building) to experience The Carlos Malamud Prize. Running all summer long, with Rollins Museum of Art features striking works from six emerging Florida artists competing for a $10,000 prize.
Therapy Dogs: If you need a serious mood boost, head over to CAPS to spend some time with certified therapy dogs during the It’s a proven, relaxing way to take a mid-semester breather and destress between your Summer A and Summer B classes.

Transportation and Parking

Summer is the best time to find a “prime” parking spot, but shuttles are still a reliable way to get around.

Summer Shuttle Schedules: UCF shuttles operate on a modified summer schedule. Be sure to check the UCF Mobile app or the website for the most current route times, as frequency may differ from the fall/spring semesters.

Whether you are catching a sunset by the Reflecting Pond or grinding through a summer lab, remember that the UCF community is here to support you. Take advantage of the shorter lines and the specialized attention available this term and keep charging on!

New Study Explores How Governance Has Evolved Across History

Emily Dougherty — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:38:07 +0000

A newly published study in is taking a broader look at how societies have organized power across history, combining archaeological and historical evidence to better understand governance over time.

Coauthor Sarah “Stacy” Barber, professor and associate chair for UCF’s , says the project was driven in part by the growing availability of archaeological data and a need to think more expansively about human history.

“Archaeology has been a scientific area of study for about a century, so we now have 100 years of aggregate data about ancient societies,” Barber says.

She explains that many past societies are often excluded from research because they did not leave behind written records��ٳ�� way most European, South Asian and East Asian societies did. Incorporating archaeological evidence ensures that the interpretation of ancient governance is not limited to societies with written history but instead allows for the reflection of an array of human experience.

Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Anthropology, Stacy Barber.

“When we forget about huge swaths of our past, we are weakening our ability to make decisions in the present, so anything that broadens our knowledge of how people can be people is a good thing,” Barber says. “It opens paths to other options that may be more sustainable or more just in the future.”

Challenging Assumptions About Power

One of the study’s key findings challenges��ٳ�� assumption that population size determines how power is organized.

Although very densely populated societies are more likely to align with an autocracy — one person ruling with absolute power — Barber says the study found there are other options for managing large populations that do not require autocratic governance.

Instead, access to resources and funding play a more critical role in shaping governance structures.

“When the governing entities are relying on funding that comes from taxation and the general population, the population is going to have more influence in governing decisions, and leaders are constrained in how they can decide to use those resources,” she says.

The study also points to a connection between governance and potential for imbalance.

“The less your governing regime has to answer to��ٳ�� populace, the more your governing regime can amass wealth for its own interests as opposed to the interests of everyone,” Barber says.

Stacy Barber (fourth from left) with fellow researchers at the Amerind Museum and Research Center in Dragoon, Arizona.

Expanding the Definition of Governance

The study approaches governance as a spectrum rather than a set of fixed categories, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of how societies function and the wide range of ways that humans organize themselves. To analyze governance across societies, the research team developed an index focused on two key factors: how concentrated power is and how much of the population is involved in decision making.

“We broke it down in terms of how many individuals or entities were involved in making decisions for a general population, and what proportion of the population was involved or had a voice in governing decisions,” Barber says.

Looking Ahead

Barber says the team’s plans for future research could expand the number of cases studied to determine whether findings shift as more societies from additional world regions are included.

More broadly, she says the work creates space for scholars to revisit fundamental ideas about governance.

“This research offers opportunities for scholars across the social sciences to reconsider what we mean by ‘democracy’ and to try and refine our understanding of how different aspects of governance affect the well-being of everyday citizens,” she says. “We have the choice to reframe the way we live and redirect our futures, if we as a society deem it necessary. The future is not inevitable, and history shows us that.”

The funding for this project was provided to the project leads by The Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis, the Amerind Foundation, and the Field Museum of Natural History provided the funds to hold two workshops at the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, Arizona. Publication support was provided to co-author David Stasavage by Arts & Science at New York ��ֱ��.

UCF Researcher Develops “Smart, Tiny Bubbles” to Treat Cancer and Heart Disease

Wendy Sarubbi — Wed, 20 May 2026 14:21:52 +0000

A cell 500 times thinner than a human hair could heal hearts and kill cancer cells, thanks to a patent-pending technology created by a UCF researcher and now licensed to a university donor in hopes of getting it to clinical trials.

Dinender Singla, professor and head of the College of Medicine’s Division of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Sciences, developed a system that turns exosomes — vesicles that cells secrete to communicate with one another — into delivery vehicles for medical treatments.

This innovative technology, for which UCF is seeking patent protection, places therapeutics inside exosomes and coats them with cell-specific markers that direct them to an exact area of the body to deliver the drug.

“I call these smart tiny bubbles,” Singla says. “Millions of people have heart disease, and they take multiple drugs in extremely high doses. But we have no way to be certain these drugs are getting to where they need to go. We need innovative technologies to get treatments exactly where they need to go to cure the problem.”

From left to right: Research Scientist Chandrakala Aluganti Narasimhulu, Jonatas De Mendonca Rolando ’23MS ’26PhD, a UCF post-doc, UCF doctoral student Omonzejie Imaralu ’22MS, Dinender Singla and Chakri Toleti.

How the Therapy Works

This discovery is part of Singla’s work to provide therapies to treat and prevent heart disease, including heart damage caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted radiation to the chest. That heart damage seems to be caused by inflammatory factors that treatments use to kill cancer cells. Technology developed by Singla encapsulates anti-inflammatory heart treatments in exosomes and then delivers the drug to the exact area of heart damage.

“They can treat cancer and protect the heart.” — UCF Professor Dinender Singla

As part of this research, Singla’s team also developed technologies to deliver cancer-killing drugs inside exosomes. They chose triple-negative breast cancer for their research, the deadliest form of the disease, with a 77%–78% five-year survival rate. In the lab, the therapy showed significant promise in killing cancer cells – at much lower doses that are used in chemotherapy – while also protecting the heart. So the exosome therapy could help cancer patients without the severe side effects of chemotherapy.

“These therapies can work hand-in-hand,” Singla said. “They can treat cancer and protect the heart.”

Financial Investment is Key for Drug Development

The next step will be manufacturing the therapy for clinical use and advancing into FDA clinical trials for heart disease and cancer treatment. To help accelerate that path, Singla partnered with Orlando investor and UCF donor Chakri Toleti, a healthcare technology entrepreneur focused on building category-defining businesses through AI and agentic platforms, biomedical innovation and ambient intelligence including most recently care.ai, which was acquired by Stryker in 2024.

Through his innovation fund, TCapital, Toleti backs transformative technologies designed to improve healthcare delivery and reduce human suffering at scale. Together, Singla and Toleti invested in and formed Exomic to fund continued research, clinical development, and commercialization of the technology.

“This was an opportunity to do something truly innovative in cancer and cardiovascular treatment.” — Chakri Toleti, UCF donor

Toleti says his passion for advancing cancer research is deeply personal after losing his father to the disease.

“This was an opportunity to do something truly innovative in cancer and cardiovascular treatment,” he says. “Dr. Singla’s work represents a fundamental shift toward new biomedical platforms not only in how targeted therapies are delivered in the human body, but in how we think about treatment and healing itself.”

Such public-private partnerships are one of the goals of , which drives innovation, enterprise, and collaboration across disciplines.

“Dr. Singla’s groundbreaking exosome delivery system perfectly exemplifies how university innovation translates into significant, life-saving benefits for society,” says Winston V. Schoenfeld, vice president for research and innovation. “As demonstrated by the creation of Exomic, industry partnership is essential for driving such pioneering technologies towards successful translation and real-world clinical use.”

The effort is also providing exciting learning opportunities for College of Medicine graduate students. Jonatas De Mendonca Rolando ’23MS ’26PhD earned his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences earlier this month. He is staying at UCF as a post-doctoral researcher to continue creating the exosome therapy.

He helped develop protocols and procedures for the delicate technology and saw its impact in the lab. He’s excited to have a financial supporter who can help take the therapy from lab to, he hopes, patients.

“It’s been amazing to part of a high-tech project and see leadership in science,” he says. “I am very excited for my future.”

Researcher Background

Singla is the AdventHealth Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Sciences at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and is a faculty fellow with the UCF Office of Research. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Punjabi ��ֱ��, Patiala, India, and his Ph.D. from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and has continually been funded by the American Heart Association and/or the National Institutes of Health since 2004.

About TCapital

TCapital is an AI, Frontier Tech and Life Sciences innovation fund investing in category-defining platforms and infrastructure. Founded by healthcare technology entrepreneur Chakri Toleti, T-Capital invests in companies shaping the future of treatment, care, and biomedical innovation. For more information, visit TCapital.com.

UCF Graduates 109 New Physician Knights

Wendy Sarubbi — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:14:44 +0000

Holly Moots ’17 ’24PhD spent 13 years at UCF, fulfilling her dream to become a physician-scientist who can advance medical care for Floridians. Jemual Shaylor ’21 is a U.S. Naval officer who will care for our nation’s heroes. Isabella Castellano ’22 and Paxton Threatt met during medical school, got engaged and are now going onto Johns Hopkins – one of the nation’s top hospitals – for residency training.

All were among 109 College of Medicine graduates who became Physician Knights on May 15 and promised to become what their dean calls one of “the Good Doctors – a UCF tradition.”

This year’s M.D. program commencement was the medical school’s 14th and the last for Vice President for Health Affairs and founding Dean Deborah German, who announced earlier this year she will transition from the role she has held for 20 years.

Deborah German oversees her last College of Medicine Commencement ceremony as vice president for health affairs and founding dean.

“Graduates, today you become alumni of an innovative medical school committed to improving health for all,” she said. “Through your time here, you learned, you grew, and you cared for patients with courage, dedication, and grace. I couldn’t be prouder of the work you have done.”

With this year’s commencement, UCF’s young medical school, which opened in 2009, has prepared 1,421 physicians to care for Floridians and the nation at large.

Holly Moots ’17 ’24PhD is the third Knight to earn an M.D. and Ph.D. since the College of Medicine opened in 2009.

Inspired by Her Research Mentor

Moots is the third M.D./Ph.D. graduate in UCF’s history. She enrolled at the university in 2013 to pursue her bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and began her combined doctoral degree in 2018. Now she will go to Lakeland Regional Hospital for internal medicine training – her first choice for residency because of the hospital’s focus on innovation, research and clinical trials.

“I’ve spent almost half my life at UCF,” she says. “Graduating is incredibly exciting, but it feels strange to close such a long and meaningful chapter.”

She said her medical training at UCF was most shaped by her research mentor, Otto Phanstiel, a College of Medicine cancer researcher. “He exemplifies the qualities I aspire to carry into medicine through the way he communicates, collaborates, and approaches every interaction with humility, curiosity, and a drive for excellence,” she says. “His influence has shaped how I hope to approach research, teamwork, and patient care throughout my career.”

Founding College of Medicine faculty member Jose Borrero pins his mentee, Jemual Shaylor ’21.

“Most Monumental Moment of My Life”

Shaylor will do his . He hopes to become a hand surgeon. Medical school military officers are promoted when they receive their M.D. degree, and UCF’s tradition is to honor that promotion at commencement. After receiving their diplomas, military officers are pinned with their new rank by a faculty member of their choosing.

Shaylor was inspired to enter military service by Jose Borrero, a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon during Vietnam before becoming a founding faculty member at the College of Medicine. Now retired, Borrero continues to serve as a mentor to UCF medical students. He returned to commencement May 15, pinned Shaylor and proudly saluted the young military physician. Shaylor describes the pinning as “the most monumental moment of my life.”

Paxton Threatt is an aspiring anesthesiologist and Isabella Castellano ’22 plans to become a pediatrician.

Connecting with Others

Castellano and Threatt met playing volleyball during their first year of medical school, then started a band with other M.D. students. They went through the fear of “couples matching” into residency – unsure if they would be selected to train at the same hospital or even city.

Today they’re simultaneously planning their move to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and their wedding. He’ll practice anesthesiology because it combines his love of chemistry and connecting with people.

“There’s a small window that you have to talk to patients before surgery, but it is one of their most vulnerable moments in which you really have an ability to make this individual feel comfortable,” he says. “That is a very special relationship to me.”

She’s training to be a pediatrician.

“My biggest dream and aspiration is to be an advocate for children and for families,” she says. “I think that through Johns Hopkins there will be a lot of opportunities to do so and go into communities to be helping and educating children.”

UCF Grad’s Mission to Build Pipeline of Young Innovators

Jenna Marina Lee — Mon, 18 May 2026 13:34:13 +0000

Some of the nation’s most promising scientists can be found in Will Furiosi ’13 ’14MAT’s Oviedo High School classroom.

Spend five minutes talking to Ankan Das, Angela Calvo-Chumbimuni and Moitri Santra about their research innovations in robotics, mental health and agriculture, and one truth becomes quite clear: These teens are the real deal.

From left to right: Angela Calvo-Chumbimuni, Ankan Das and Moitri Santra have racked up numerous awards with their research projects, including the top three finishes at Seminole County’s regional science fair. (Photo by Daniel Schipper)

Backed by UCF associate professors Ellen Kang (physics and NanoScience Technology Center) and Candice Bridge ’07�ʳ�� (chemistry) and researcher Max Kuehn ’22 (Exolith Lab), the Oviedo High trio recently earned recognition as the top three projects at Seminole County’s regional science fair.

With Oviedo’s proximity to main campus, the collaboration highlights UCF’s steadfast commitment to supporting STEM education across Central Florida.

They went on to represent the county admirably at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, where they took home several prizes against more than 1,700 high schoolers from around the globe.

Most notably, Santra took home first place and $6,000 in the Plant Sciences category and received the EU Contest for Young Scientists Award. She will represent Regeneron ISEF at the EU Contest for Young Scientists to be held this September in Kiel, Germany.

“Working in Dr. Kang’s lab played pretty big role in choosing materials science and engineering as my major for college because I was exposed to just how many different things someone can do in the area I work with, nanotechnology,” says Santra, a senior bound for Stanford who has worked with Kang since she was a freshman. “The lab provided a lot of resources — not just the instruments, but also mentorship, advice and support.”

A Will to Succeed

The hallway leading to Furiosi’s classroom is decorated with rows of blue, red, white, green, yellow and pink paper accomplishment ribbons. More ribbons, pennants and certificates adorn his walls, along with eight Science and Engineering Fair of Florida best-in-fair grand award senior division trophies — more than any other high school in the state.

During his own primary education, Furiosi attended eight schools over 12 years. As a seventh-grader at Stone Magnet Middle School in Brevard County, he was initially prohibited from participating in science fair because officials couldn’t verify Furiosi was capable of the coursework from his transfer transcripts. He would later go on to earn Order of Pegasus as a Burnett Honors Scholar majoring in biomedical sciences before earning his master’s degree in teacher education.

Every day, he saw a wall of ribbons, much like the ones in his classroom now. And every day he would tell himself, “I want to be one of those kids.”

That experience fundamentally shaped how the UCF grad runs his program today.

“What keeps me motivated is knowing that I have the opportunity to get people to be really prepared, informed citizens who are good thinkers, and who, when faced with a problem, smile and tackle it instead of running away,” Furosi says.

Will Furiosi ’13 ’14MAT became a teacher through the College of Community Innovation and Education’s Resident Teacher Professional Preparation Program, which was created in response to the growing need for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. (Photo by Daniel Schipper)

Infusing Life into Science

Furiosi began teaching at Oviedo High School in 2013 as he pursued his accelerated master’s degree, made possible by the College of Community Innovation and Education’s Resident Teacher Professional Preparation Program. The program, funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant, was created in response to the growing need for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Four years later, he took over the school’s science fair program and was determined to breathe new life into it, which at the time involved just four kids.

He cold called students in his AP Biology and Honors Chemistry courses, begging anyone who had shown a glimmer of interest during class to sign up so they wouldn’t have to fold the program.

Today, he’s at 46 students, with some, like Calvo-Chumbimuni, interested in joining the program as soon as they arrive at Oviedo High.

“My seventh grade science fair teacher knew Mr. Furiosi and spoke highly of him,” says Calvo-Chumbimuni, who earned fourth place ISEF’s biochemistry category this year. “When I came to Oviedo High and met him, I immediately understood why. The research program stood out to me as a valuable opportunity.”

Furiosi fosters a safe space to fail, learn and grow from the research. There are no barriers to entry; no project deemed too insignificant. And he stresses the merits of high-quality mentorship, like the ones Das, Santra, and Calvo-Chumbimuni formed with UCF faculty and STEM labs.

Some of his students have earned thousands of dollars in prizes — one alone pulled in $70,000 and is now studying at the ��ֱ�� of Glasgow — at prestigious competitions sponsored by some of the tech industry’s biggest names, including Regeneron and Lockheed Martin, a UCF Pegasus Partner.

His alums have gone on to top research institutions including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Stanford, and of course, UCF. One of those Knights is aerospace engineering grad Daniel Dyson ’21 ’22MS ’25PhD, who studied in Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Subith Vasu’s lab and now works for Relativity Space at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, America’s largest rocket propulsion test site.

“Mr. Furiosi really pushes you toward excellence,” says Das, a sophomore building a tensegrity robot with shape memory alloys that he tested at UCF’s Exolith Lab.

Supporting Excellence

An award-winning researcher who has been supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Kang is not easily impressed. Still, Santra made an immediate impression as an eighth grader when she first popped up Kang’s inbox, asking if she could present her idea on a nanoparticle treatment for citrus greening disease in Florida.

“I could clearly see that she had a firm understanding of the material and just thought, ‘Wow, she is really a force.’ I actually wanted to have my undergrad students see her presentation because of how professional she was, even at that young age,” Kang says. “She has this creativity, passion, persistence and resilience — all the key elements that you need as a successful STEM field researcher.”

Similarly, Bridge immediately noticed Calvo-Chumbimuni’s persistence and go-getter attitude when she initially connected with her two years ago. Driven by her interest in the intersection of neuroscience, psychology and analytical chemistry, Calvo-Chumbimuni pitched her idea to develop an electrochemical sensor and biosensor to improve diagnostic methods for mental health disorders.

“I’ve always appreciated her sense of humanity,” Bridge says. “I thought, ‘If you can foster someone who has this sort of compassion already, there are infinite possibilities for what they can do to benefit the community.’ ”

From left to right: UCF Associate Professor of Chemistry Candice Bridge ’07PhD, Associate Professor of Physics Ellen Kang and Exolith Lab engineer Max Kuehn ’22 guided the Oviedo High students in their research, highlighting UCF’s steadfast commitment to supporting STEM education across Central Florida.

The two have been dedicated, active participants in their labs, regularly conducting research multiple days per week during the school year and, at times, daily over the summer.

The faculty and their doctoral students have mentored the high schoolers through instrumentation methods, analyzing data, the literature review process and their presentations.

Both presented continuations of their projects at ISEF — Calvo-Chumbimuni for her second-straight year, Santra for her third — while Das made his first time at the competition memorable with his fourth-place finish in the engineering technology: statics and dynamics category.

Kuehn, who is an engineer at , is accustomed to working with a variety of researchers and scientists who test their experiments and equipment at the Highland Regolith Test Bin. He says he was quickly intrigued by Das’ project, a lightweight and nimble robot that can expand, contract and move through electric current.

Das wanted to test the robot in lunar regolith — simulated moon dirt — because he envisions the tech behind his robot one day being utilized in lunar missions or search and rescue efforts in unstable environments.

“Max noticed that sometimes the motion was a little slow, so he gave some suggestions,” Das says. “Working in the lunar regolith chamber was a very insightful and eye-opening experience. I know I’m still in high school, but I’ve learned I want to do research for as long as I can because I really find this interesting.”

Which, at the end of the day, has been Furiosi’s mission all along.

“Research is not just in science. It is in all disciplines. There’s a lot of cool things that need to be discovered in all fields,” he says. “UCF’s expertise has been so invaluable in preparing my students for the future. A lot of these kids have wonderful ideas, and I really hope we can continue growing more professional support for them in any capacity.”

A Conversation on the Future of the UCF College of Business

Erika Hodges — Fri, 15 May 2026 14:06:13 +0000

On the heels of a transformative $50 million gift from finance alumnus Barry Miller ’95 — the largest single philanthropic investment in UCF’s history — to establish��ٳ�� Barry S. Miller College of Business, Dean Paul Jarley discusses��ٳ�� impact of Miller’s investment on the college now and in the future.

What was your vision for the College of Business when you arrived in 2012?

When I arrived, UCF had experienced tremendous growth, particularly coming out of the recession. But that growth made the college feel transactional. Faculty were stretched thin, technology had replaced in-person interaction and there wasn’t a strong sense of community.

What struck me most was that while we had excellent individual scholars, we didn’t yet have a true community of scholars. People didn’t know each other well, and without that, it’s very difficult to build a shared vision.

So, I started by listening. I met one-on-one with every faculty and staff member and asked three simple questions: What do you think about UCF? What would you do if you were me? And what is your role here?

What emerged was powerful. Many of our faculty were first-generation college graduates, just like our students, just like Barry and just like me. They are here because they wanted to help build something different. That became the foundation for our vision: creating a culture of engagement that would transform the college experience for everyone.

Faculty, students and staff here are expected to interact with each other and with people in industry and the community at large. This has helped make us fiercely practical. Faculty learn what is going on at the forefront of business. The college has a relevant curriculum with hands-on experiences for students. This helps students discover their path, develop professionally and fully engage with their future.

UCF College of Business Dean Paul Jarley (right) introduces Barry Miller (left) at the announcement of his transformational investment. (Photo by Dana Weisman)

How would you describe the college’s culture today?

Today, that culture of engagement defines us.

There’s a quote from English philosopher Herbert Spencer we often reference: “The great aim of higher education isn’t knowledge, it’s action.” It’s not enough for students to learn concepts;��ٳ��y need to know how to apply them.

You see that in the building itself. It’s full. Students are here, working together, interacting with faculty, and engaging with corporate partners and alumni. That connection to the real world has become part of the fabric of the college, and it’s what makes the experience more meaningful and more transformative.

Changing culture is one of the hardest things a leader can do. It requires people to see a future they haven’t experienced yet. But over time, our faculty, staff and students have seen the value of what we’ve built together, and that’s what makes it sustainable.

��Ƿ��does��ٳ��Ѿ��investment accelerate that future?

“Great universities win by attracting great people (faculty and students) and creating the conditions for them to succeed. This gift helps us do exactly that.”

This investment allows us to recruit leading scholars at the intersection of business and technology — faculty who are working on the most pressing challenges facing industry and society.

They’ll help us tackle critical questions around trust in technology, cybersecurity, the concentration of power and how humans and intelligent systems interact. They’ll also help prepare our students to lead in that environment.

At the end of the day, great universities win by attracting great people (faculty and students) and creating��ٳ�� conditions for them to succeed. This gift helps us do exactly that.

The College of Business prepares graduates to adapt and succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

What will distinguish��ٳ�� college over the next decade?

Our differentiation will come from deepening our engagement with industry and technology.

We want to be known as a place where innovation happens first, where companies come for talent and insight, and where students gain access to real opportunities.

Ultimately, it’s about outcomes. If we do this right, our graduates will be exceptionally well-prepared for high-impact, high-growth careers. That return on investment will set us apart.

What gives you optimism about the future?

I grew up during the Space Race, and at the time, the race to the moon was a sign of hope for people. Technology was seen as the path to a greater future. With the recent Artemis II launch, I would like to see us instill in our students, and in our leaders, a return to that kind of optimism around what technology can do. I think those flights are the definition of how technology can enhance the human experience, rather than replace it.

UCF Materials Science Student Earns Notre Dame Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Bel Huston — Fri, 15 May 2026 13:30:00 +0000

The same curiosity that once led Jeonghyun Song to shape clay with his hands now drives him to engineer materials at an atomic level, combining chemistry and creativity.

He began his college journey in the arts, drawn to pottery. But as he worked with ceramics, his attention shifted beneath the surface — to the chemistry of the materials and the possibilities within them. That shift in perspective pushed him from the art studio into the lab — and now to a national fellowship.

A materials science and engineering major, Song will join the ��ֱ�� of Notre Dame this summer as a recipient of its Nanoscience and Technology Undergraduate Research Fellowship, hosted from May 18 through July 24.

“I chose to attend UCF because of the opportunities it offers — especially in research — along with its strong engineering program.”

The opportunity marks a turning point in his journey from an arts major to an engineering major, which he began when he transferred to UCF in Fall 2025.

“I chose to attend UCF because of the opportunities it offers — especially in research — along with its strong engineering program,” Song says. “The MSE (Materials Science and Engineering) Program is relatively new and rapidly growing, which gives students more chances to get involved and grow.”

He didn’t waste time getting started.

As a new Knight and burgeoning materials researcher, Song set his sights on working with Assistant Professor Kausik Mukhopadhyay, whose research bridges materials, chemistry, biology and engineering to develop solutions for surfaces, coatings, electrochemistry and more.

Now in Mukhopadhyay’s , Song studies clay-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

“As a student who comes from a ceramics background, Dr. Mukhopadhyay’s research was the most interesting to me,” Song says. “Based on his work in chemistry and materials science, I knew his lab would be a place where I could grow and actively engage in research.”

The lab quickly became more than a workspace — it became a launchpad, which Song says he’s grateful for.

“I would like to thank Dr. Mukhopadhyay and the people in our group for their support,” he says. “If it wasn’t for them, I would have had a hard time blending into the UCF community.”

His perspective as a researcher is evolving, too.

“I find it more interesting to study how common … materials can be engineered to achieve similar or even more useful properties.”

Once drawn to examining rare and expensive materials for their unique characteristics, Song is now focused on factors in materials costs and environmental impact.

“While studying rare materials is interesting due to their distinct properties, I find it more interesting to study how common and inexpensive materials can be engineered to achieve similar or even more useful properties,” he says.

That mindset will guide his work at Notre Dame.

His project, “Prototyping High-speed Synthesis of Gold Microplates,” tackles a key challenge in nanotechnology: efficiently producing ultrathin gold coatings. These coatings are useful in technology like biosensors and electronics, but current synthesis methods are slow, and controlling their size, shape and placement is challenging.

Song will help explore faster synthesis methods using a reaction chamber to study the process through three activation approaches: light, temperature and merging chemical streams.

As he prepares to spend the summer in Indiana, Song acknowledges some anxiety — the kind that comes with stepping into something bigger — as he looks ahead to what could be a pivotal moment in his journey as a researcher.

“I would like to meet new people, learn from them and also expand my vision for research,” Song says. “I think this summer will be the most important for me in terms of deciding my future.”

UCF to Launch Nation’s First Forensic Engineering Course in Fall 2026

Marisa Ramiccio ’11 — Wed, 13 May 2026 19:42:11 +0000

Civil engineers learn to build infrastructure according to local, state and federal codes, but what happens when that infrastructure fails to uphold? When a bridge or building collapses, forensic engineers step in to investigate the cause and determine who may be liable, particularly in case of a trial.

Starting this fall, UCF students enrolled in an undergraduate engineering program can take CGN 4120: Forensic Investigation for Engineering, a new technical elective focused on the forensic investigation process. This course is the first of its kind in the nation and will be taught by Dennis Filler, a senior lecturer in the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering.

Filler has written a forthcoming book on the subject and says that the topic is critical to the future of engineering.

“The frequency of engineering disasters, engineering failures, has not reduced in 100 years,” Filler says. “During that time, we’ve been improving our design codes. That’s not working though, and engineering judgment, I believe, is at the core to why the frequency of failures continues.”

Filler cites the pedestrian bridge collapse at Florida International ��ֱ�� in 2018 as an example of bad engineering judgment. The event, which resulted in six deaths and multiple injuries, was caused by engineering design errors and inadequate peer review, as determined by the National Transportation Safety Board after a forensic investigation.

Students who take the course can expect to learn about the history of forensic engineering, the nature of failures and the forensic investigation process. The first half of the course will delve into the legal system, civil engineering law and jurisprudence. The goal is to prepare students to reduce liability and be an expert witness should an investigation occur during their careers.

In the second half of course, students will explore a number of case studies that cover real investigations across engineering disciplines, from automobile accidents to product liability, environmental disasters to water treatment design flaws, and other failure scenarios over the past 25 years.

Filler says students will gain three crucial skills in this course: critical thinking, attention to detail, and cause and effect as it relates to engineering failures.

Students of all engineering disciplines are welcome to enroll, but Filler says that mature senior-level students who desire to think like a scientist or a forensic criminologist are best suited to this course — even if they don’t plan to pursue a career in forensic engineering.

“You don’t have to become a forensic engineer to use the skills that we’ll develop in forensic engineering,” Filler says. “They’ll aid their practice no matter what discipline they go into.”

Interested students who want to learn more about the course can connect with Filler at dennis.filler@ucf.edu.

UCF Scientist Sends Blood Clotting Research to Space

Wendy Sarubbi — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:29:50 +0000

When NASA launches its latest voyage to the International Space Station on May 12, it will carry a blood clotting experiment from the UCF College of Medicine’s newest faculty member. The research will include illuminated bone marrow cells floating in space to find better ways to keep astronauts and Earthlings healthier.

Hansjorg Schwertz specializes in occupational health and focuses his research on how microgravity and radiation in space impact the body’s blood-clotting functions. After an extensive career overseas and at the ��ֱ�� of Utah, he comes to UCF to serve as the associate director for Translational Aerospace Medicine Research at the UCF Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM).

As humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond, the center is exploring how factors such as microgravity, radiation and isolation impact the human body in space and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

“When it comes to putting footprints on the moon, there is no better place to be than UCF,” he says.

Hansjorg Schwertz specializes in occupational health and focuses his research on how microgravity and radiation in space impact the body’s blood-clotting functions.

NASA Concerned About Blood Clots in Space

Pre- and post-mission medical testing of astronauts on the International Space Station has shown that spaceflight changes their immune system and blood clotting ability. A few astronauts have even developed blood clots during a flight or after returning. For that reason, Schwertz is leading the NASA-funded Megakaryocytes Orbiting in Outer Space and Near Earth (MOON) study, which he began working on at the ��ֱ�� of Utah and continues to collaborate with the university’s researchers on.

“When it comes to putting footprints on the moon, there is no better place to be than UCF.” — Hansjorg Schwertz

Megakaryocytes are bone marrow cells that create platelets, which circulate in the blood stream and can stop bleeding or form blood clots. Both cells also play a key role in immune responses.

The MOON study is examining how space flight affects the development and function of megakaryocytes as they create platelets. The results could provide important knowledge about the risks of inflammation, immune responses and blood clot formation that will help space travelers and patients on Earth, Schwertz says.

His team is sending human cells to the ISS on board the SpaceX 34 resupply mission. Once they are aboard the space station, astronauts will culture the cells and help to develop megakaryocytes in space.

One part of the experiment is to watch the cells in real time, and how they develop their “daughter cell,” the platelets. Because the research will be in microgravity, the cells will float. They’ll be stained with fluorescent dye so UCF’s researcher can examine them remotely at better accuracy.

Schwertz says mentors taught him, “seeing is believing,” so he is “genuinely excited” to see megakaryocytes float in space.

Advancing Personalized Medicine

One of the challenges of space medicine research is that so few people have gone to space, so the sample pool is small. As space travel and colonization progress, more people will be traveling to and working on the moon and beyond.

Healthwise, many will be different than astronauts who are selected after going through vigorous testing and selection criteria. Thus, space is a new frontier of healthcare.

Schwertz hopes his study will unlock technologies and therapies to keep astronauts’ blood clotting mechanisms controlled, prevent abnormal clotting and bring those discoveries back to Earth.

“We’re examining the impact of space flight on each person’s cells,” he says. “This is personalized medicine, and isn’t that what healthcare is all about?”

Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair for Aerospace Medicine at the UCF College of Medicine and founding director of CASEEM, Schwertz’s work reflects the program’s broader mission to connect spaceflight research with practical clinical and operational solutions.

“Our aerospace medicine program is intentionally designed to be operational and translational in nature,” Urquieta says. “We are building a program that can support the real medical needs of exploration missions while rapidly translating discoveries from spaceflight and extreme environments into innovations that improve health here on Earth.”

Schwertz received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the School of Medicine at the ��ֱ�� of Mainz, Germany. After a residency in Internal Medicine/Cardiology at the ��ֱ�� of Halle, Germany, he did a post-doctoral fellowship at the ��ֱ�� of Utah, where he also served as faculty.

In 2012, he was awarded a prestigious Lichtenberg-Professorship for Experimental Hemostasis and returned to Germany where he directed a research laboratory. He returned to Utah in 2015, where he completed his residency training in Occupational Medicine and was a faculty member, researcher and community physician.

The material is based upon work supported by NASA under award No. 80NSSC22K0255. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

UCF Emergency Management Faculty Selected for Prestigious FEMA Fellowship

Natalie Fedor ’26MA — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:50:13 +0000

They’re already renowned researchers and experts in emergency management. Now, professors and are expanding their impact to the federal level after being hand-selected for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship.

The fellowship, housed within FEMA’s National Disaster and Emergency Management ��ֱ�� (NDEMU), brings together top crisis leaders from across the nation to strengthen the future of emergency and crisis management. Emrich was selected for the 11th cohort in New Orleans (May 11-15) and Washington D.C. (June 22-26), and Knox will join the 12th in Washington D.C. (July 20-24) and Houston (Aug. 17-21).

Chris Emrich and Claire Connolly Knox at UCF’s Emergency Operation Center, which is home to the university’s Emergency Management team, keeping Knights safe in times of crisis. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

Researchers Sought Out by FEMA

Prior to joining the s Emergency Management and Homeland Security program, Emrich and Knox each worked with FEMA in separate capacities.

Emrich spent years working in the organization, from mapping hurricane impacts in Florida in 2004 to helping rebuild trust in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Knox has worked with FEMA through its Higher Education Program, which she has participated in since 2011, lead focus group initiatives, established an annual award, and aided in training curriculum development.

When assembling these new cohorts, FEMA sought out and hand-selected each of them. Typically, it is rare to include multiple academics in these groups, let alone two from one university in consecutive cohorts.

“The fact that there’s two of us from UCF is a really big deal,” Knox says.

“By bringing together these multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral leaders, it will help us better prepare for uncertainty in future disasters.” — Chris Emrich

FEMA formed the program’s cohort model knowing that the future of disaster response depends not on any single agency or sector but on the strength of connections between them. Each cohort brings together crisis leaders from government, academia, nonprofits and the private sector to build the kind of cross-sectoral networks that are nearly impossible to forge during an actual disaster.

“This program is part of a more recent attempt to try to engage across sectors more efficiently,” Emrich says. “By bringing together these multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral leaders, it will help us better prepare for uncertainty in future disasters.”

Chris Emrich Emrich is the Boardman Endowed Professor of Environmental Science and Public Administration and interim director of UCF’s National Center for Integrated Coastal Research. Photo by Antoine Hart)

Strengthening the Field, Benefiting Students

Emrich and Knox will participate in roundtable seminars, site visits and discussions with fellow experts to examine emerging risks and shifts in the emergency management landscape, explore leadership frameworks for navigating crises, and brainstorm strategies to strengthen the field, all while building this trusted, cross-sector network.

Knox sees the fellowship as a chance to build new partnerships and bring national insights back to UCF, ultimately benefiting students.

“Emergency management changes constantly,” she says. “We don’t have the luxury of rinse and repeat. This gives us another avenue to bring the latest thinking directly into our courses. I’m looking forward to exploring these issues through both the lens of researcher and the lens of program director.”

Emrich also sees opportunities for expanding research and collaboration by learning where those in the field are currently struggling.

“I’d love to be a fly on the wall to hear what people’s troubles are,” he says. “In academia, we’re fortunate to have the time to think about these things and reflect on how to better support them. Those insights turn into grant proposals, student support and expanding the knowledge base.”

Claire Connolly Knox is a professor and founding director of the Master in Emergency and Crisis Management Program in UCF’s School of Public Administration. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

Enhancing UCF’s Cutting-Edge Research

The fellowship also aligns with emerging research areas that UCF is already exploring when it comes to cutting-edge innovations in crisis management.

For example, Emrich is currently using AI to build educational games that teach students about social vulnerability. What would once have taken years of programming work can now be produced from existing course materials and exercise content — opening the door to educational tools that weren’t previously feasible.

“What AI has been able to produce from my knowledge is something I could not have produced on my own,” Emrich says. “One of the things emergency managers are grappling with now is how to use AI productively. I look forward to being part of the conversation.”

Knox is interested in real-time digital replicas of communities, called “digital twins,” that can be used to model disaster scenarios, as well as to test recovery and mitigation plans before they’re needed.

“A lot of emergency management boots-on-the-ground work is to help make decisions with the incomplete information in a very timely manner,” Knox says. “We’re looking at how AI can complement critical thinking skills with new capabilities. I’ve seen it take off in engineering and computer sciences disciplines using real-time social media data to understand evacuation patterns.”

Beyond their individual research, both professors see the fellowship as a catalyst for something bigger within UCF and beyond. They hope it will help them identify new ways to connect expanded emergency management expertise across disciplines.

“M��Բ� faculty members in different departments are doing research that can actively support emergency management,” Emrich says. “I think it might be incumbent upon us to come back to the university and say, ‘This is where we need to be. This is how we connect all of our different experts, stakeholders and partners to make our program even stronger.”

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