Welcome to UCF’s  anechoic chamber.

Located in the UCF Innovative Center, the 217-square-foot chamber is not big by any means — but the impact it will play in understanding and improving hearing certainly is.

“Anechoic chambers are designed to do two things: to keep outside sound outside and to absorb reflected sound inside,” says Pavel Zahorik, professor of communication sciences and disorders. “This allows us to make acoustical measurements that are highly accurate and precise, by limiting background noise and reflected sound.”

Precision is critical in Zahorik’s research.

An expert in hearing devices and technologies, hearing science and psychoacoustics, he’s part of UCF’s growing , which in just two years ago has attracted some of the nation’s top hearing scientists to the College of Health Professions and Sciences.

In the new chamber, Zahorik will focus on improving hearing aids and listening devices, and learning more about how the shape of our ears and heads impacts how we hear.

Fine-Tuning Tech

Hearing loss is far from rare. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 15% of American adults — roughly 37.5 million people — report some trouble hearing. Among adults ages 65 to 74, roughly a third have hearing loss in one or both ears.

The effects extend well beyond missed conversations. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to higher rates of depression, increased risks of falls and even a greater likelihood of developing dementia.

By stripping away stray noise, Zahorik can ensure the devices designed to restore hearing are as accurate, effective, and life-changing as possible. To do that, inside of the anechoic chamber, every inch of the walls and ceiling is covered in sound-absorbing foam wedges (that look not unlike oversized monochromatic Monopoly houses) affixed at alternating angels. The floor is a steel mesh grid suspended over a layer of the same wall-to-wall wedges, swallowing stray sound waves before they can ricochet.

Anechoic derives from the Greek words meaning “without echo,” and the chamber delivers just that.

It may seem like overkill, but for manufacturers developing everything from hearing aids and AirPods to car communication systems, antennas and loudspeakers, quality and consistency depend on this level of acoustic control.

In fact, the first anechoic chamber was built to improve high-altitude military communication during World War II. Today, they’re used to test everything from telecommunications and aerodynamics to medical devices, including MRI machines and pacemakers.

The one at UCF brings the distinctive designation of being devoted solely to research human health.

For Your Listening Pleasure

According to the NIH, an estimated 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids. Yet the way we test these devices hasn’t always matched the way we actually use them.

Traditionally, hearing aids are placed inside a testing box fitted with loudspeakers. Researchers measure output and distortion in a controlled environment. It’s accurate — but it’s also artificial.

Ears aren’t boxes.

They have unique curves and angles and sit on heads of different shapes and sizes. Each ridge and contour subtly bends incoming sound before it reaches the eardrum, changing each individual’s response to how they hear.

Inside the anechoic chamber, Zahorik can test [hearing aid] devices the way they’re meant to function: in ears.

Inside the anechoic chamber, Zahorik can test devices the way they’re meant to function: in ears.

Using both mannequins and human participants, he can measure how sound behaves in real anatomical context — how it interacts acoustically with the head and ears before sound information ultimately reaches the brain.

“Everyone’s ears and heads are shaped differently, meaning acoustics are different for different people,” he says. “Understanding how the brain processes that different acoustical information could be really important for improving hearing.”

Zahorik’s longtime collaboration with Sonova — a global manufacturer of hearing aids, cochlear implants and wireless communication systems — builds upon this principle. By capturing cleaner, more realistic measurements, Zahorik hopes to refine how these devices amplify sound for users in everyday environments.

Because hearing isn’t just about volume.

It’s also about space: direction and distance.

It’s how we know a voice is behind us, a siren is blocks away or a friend is calling from across the room.

Zahorik has been fascinated by that puzzle ever since he was an undergraduate. A course on perception introduced him to the psychology of vision, but as a music enthusiast who dabbled in production, he was more interested in sound. His professor connected him with a researcher studying virtual sound simulation, and Zahorik volunteered for a study inside an anechoic chamber.

Blindfolded, he was led into the silent room. He sat there as a speaker emitted sounds and moved around him. His task was to say where he heard the sounds.

He was accurate in identifying direction. Distance, however, was another story.

“For the longest time, I thought I was in this huge space, and that the sounds were quite far away,” he says. “But when they took the blindfold off, I realized the space wasn’t very big at all. It was actually smaller than the chamber we have here.”

Without sight and echoes, the room distorted his sense of scale. That was in the late 1980s, and while technology has advanced dramatically since then, some of our understanding of auditory perception has not.

“We still don’t know, for example, exactly how our brain decodes acoustical information to represent space,” says Zahorik, a self-described sound nerd whose office setup includes state-of-the-art headphones and microphones. “We still don’t know how it is we know sounds are coming from a particular location and distance, and how the acoustical environment can change these perceptions.”

“Think of it like creating a 3D scan — but for sound.” — Pavel Zahorik, UCF researcher

The new chamber will eventually help probe those questions. For now, the room has one loudspeaker, but the plan is to install a movable speaker arc that will allow researchers to measure acoustical responses from nearly any position around a listener.

“Think of it like creating a 3D scan — but for sound,” Zahorik says.

And just as 3D imaging has transformed how we see, measure and interact with the physical world, the discoveries made in the quietest place on campus will help transform how we hear — resonating far beyond the chamber’s foam-lined walls.

Through a nearly five-year, $943,000-plus grant from the National Institutes of Health, Calarco’s lab is examining how neurons — nerve cells in the brain — and their molecules change when exposed to nicotine and other drugs. The goal is to understand how microscopic changes in the brain eventually influence behavioral decisions, including those associated with addiction.

“We want to understand what’s really influencing the neuron,” says Calarco, who began work on this project in 2024 as a postdoctoral scholar at the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Maryland, Baltimore, before joining UCF in January as an assistant professor. “Which component is critical for the neuron function that leads to drug-seeking behavior?”

For this research, Calarco’s lab is focused on the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain involved in reward, learning and behavior.

“I call it a little computer that integrates a lot of signals that come in relationship to reward learning from a lot of other parts of the brain to guide behavioral choices,” she says.

“We want to understand what’s really influencing the neuron. Which component is critical for the neuron function that leads to drug-seeking behavior?” — Cali Calarco, assistant professor

The nucleus accumbens contains multiple types of brain cells, and Calarco’s research examines how individual cell types respond to nicotine and other drugs. Her lab is particularly interested in mitochondria, the structures within cells that produce the energy they need to function. Recent studies suggest mitochondria may also play an important role in drug-seeking behavior.

“Mitochondria have been underappreciated in neurons previously,” she says. “Neurons are incredibly complex cells that do incredibly complex tasks, both electrically and chemically that require a ton of energy, so we knew they were really important. But mitochondria also influence how neurons communicate with each other. They’re super important for gene transcription and translation and for steroid hormone production.”

By understanding addiction at the molecular level, researchers may ultimately be able to develop better treatments for substance use disorder.

“There aren’t that many substance use disorder treatments, and the ones available only work for a subset of people,” she says. “There is room for improvement in nicotine use disorder therapies, and new pathway targets may provide more effective treatments with fewer side effects.”

Nicotine use has persisted even as the products used to consume it have changed. Calarco compares the trend to a game of whack-a-mole, with new nicotine products gaining popularity as older ones decline. While cigarette smoking has declined, consumers now have access to products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches placed between the lips and gum. According to data from the FDA and CDC’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nicotine pouch use nearly quadrupled among U.S. youth and young adults between 2022 and 2025.

While her research is focused on nicotine, Calarco says her findings could have implications for other substances and even social media addiction.

Calarco earned her doctorate in neuroscience from Yale şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą before conducting postdoctoral research at the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Maryland, Baltimore, where she studied mitochondria and cocaine-seeking behavior. She joined the UCF College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in January 2026.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number K01DA061048. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

What if an existing drug could be repurposed to treat a rare disease?

That’s the question UCF researchers are exploring with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) to find a cure for rare nerve tumors that can cause paralysis, hearing and balance loss.

Led by UCF College of Medicine Pegasus Professor Cristina Fernández-Valle, the team is investigating whether medications already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other conditions could be swiftly repurposed to treat schwannoma tumors.

The researchers have narrowed a field of about 200 potential drugs to 10 of interest, with three emerging as the most favorable targets.

Their goal is to find new treatment options for patients with Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-related schwannomatosis. The genetic disorder causes benign tumors to develop on nerves throughout the body and head. As the tumors grow, they can damage nerves responsible for movement and sensation, including those needed to hear and balance.

The disease affects about one in 25,000 newborns worldwide, according to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, with symptoms often appearing during adolescence and early adulthood. When diagnosed in children, the disorder can be severe and may require multiple surgeries during puberty to reduce tumor size and prevent further loss of function. The Children’s Tumor Foundation is supporting UCF’s research with a $280,020 grant.

“The Children’s Tumor Foundation was critical to us because they fund the exploratory research that helps advance science,” Fernández-Valle says. “All of this foundational data is needed to attract the additional support needed to demonstrate a treatment holds real promise.”

Looking for Treatments Beyond Surgery

Schwann cells normally help repair nerves and transmit electrical signals throughout the nervous system. In patients with NF2, however, these cells can form visible tumors that cause chronic pain and neurological issues depending on the affected spinal or cranial nerve.

Current treatments center on surgery and radiation, but removing these tumors can be challenging without damaging critical nerves, including those that affect hearing. Surgery also is not curative, as tumors can regrow.

That’s why the research team is looking beyond surgery to potential drug therapies.

While schwannomas are not cancerous, the researchers believe some cancer-fighting drugs may help patients with NF2.

The research began with an AI model called TxGNN, developed by Marinka Zitnik’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School. The model analyzes data and biological mechanisms across thousands of diseases and FDA-approved drugs to identify potential treatments for a queried disease.

“It essentially generates a map for a disease or condition, like schwannomas, and finds overlaps in targeting similar pathways or related diseases,” says Ethan Hass, a UCF College of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. candidate working in the lab.

Researchers at Sage Bionetworks used the TxGNN model to identify about 200 FDA-approved medications that could potentially benefit schwannoma patients. Fernández-Valle’s team then used an innovative imaging system to observe how each drug affected human schwannoma cells.

Using a camera inside a microscope, the team watched how schwannoma cells in a dish reacted to small amounts of each drug. The most promising candidates – medications currently used to treat diseases as varied as lung cancer and acne – stopped tumor cell growth by impacting different cellular mechanisms.

A Step Towards Personalized Treatment

The research continues.

The UCF scientists are determining therapeutic doses for the most promising drugs using patient-derived schwannoma cells. They’re also studying how the drugs affect the tumor growth pathways at the RNA level.

Ultimately, the researchers hope their findings will help identify drug combinations tailored to individual patients. Complicated and understudied genetic conditions like NF2-related schwannomatosis often require treatments that address multiple targets, Fernández-Valle says.

“I think this work is encouraging, and I’d say like with many cancers, you need a cocktail of drugs to treat it,” she says. “I think what we’re doing here is helping to identify some of the ingredients you might need to make an effective cocktail.”

From Lab Bench to Patient Bedside

The project also provides UCF students with the opportunity to participate in research that can make a real-world impact.

Since joining Fernández-Valle’s lab, Hass says his interest in caring for patients with difficult neurologic conditions has grown.

“As an M.D./Ph.D. student, translation is the magic word for me,” he says. “I absolutely love seeing research that can be brought from the bench to the bedside. I want to be that bridge between patients and research.”

Powerful innovation changes more than technology. Put to work for UCF students, it expands what they can learn, discover and achieve.

Across UCF, innovation takes shape through meaningful experiences. Students navigate patient care through immersive simulations, explore new possibilities for prosthetics, and learn from world-class faculty who bring industry expertise and mentorship into the classroom.

That approach has helped place UCF among the nation’s top five most innovative public universities and earn recognition as Florida’s most innovative university for the 10th consecutive year, according to the 2027 Best Colleges rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.

“We are proud to see UCF recognized as Florida’s most innovative university and among the best in the nation for the opportunities we provide our students,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Our students work alongside outstanding faculty, contribute to meaningful research and gain experience taking on real problems. We want them to graduate from UCF knowing what they are capable of and ready to put that experience to work in our state and beyond.”

The distinction reflects the university’s commitment to elevating how students learn, how discoveries are made and how higher education strengthens the state it serves.

Preparing Talent That Strengthens Florida

For UCF nursing students, learning to care for critically ill patients can begin well before they enter a hospital room.

At UCF’s Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center, a global leader in healthcare simulation education, nursing students build patient care skills in realistic clinical environments.

“[We] continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving.” — Frances Armstrong, UCF clinical assistant professor

Clinical Assistant Professor and Graduate Simulation Coordinator Frances Armstrong recently combined the center’s immersive cave, a virtual ventilator and an artificial intelligence-enhanced platform to create a simulation for acute care nurse practitioner DNP students. The experience brings theory to life, challenging students to apply what they’ve learned as they prepare for the complexities of patient care.

“It’s important for us to continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving,” Armstrong says. “One of the main ways to do that is by being innovative.”

That impact extends beyond the classroom. UCF has educated more than 17,000 Knight nursing alumni to date, with over 80% living and working in Florida. Our undergraduate nursing program also ranks among the top 50 public universities nationally.

When Research Meets the Real World

UCF also ranks among the nation’s top 15 public universities for Best Undergraduate Teaching and top 10 for public universities for Best Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects — and is the only Florida university recognized in the latter category. Those strengths converge as students work alongside faculty to answer questions without obvious solutions.

More than 2,000 UCF undergraduate students conduct research each year. For computer science graduate student Eugenio Diaz ’26, that opportunity began as a sophomore through a research event that matches students with faculty experts.

There, he connected with Mohsen Rakhshan, an assistant professor in . Together, they began exploring a question with life-changing potential: Could technology help a prosthetic hand recognize what it touches?

Their project, “Texture Classification Using Neuromorphically Encoded Tactile Sensing Data,” combines AI, neuroscience and engineering to identify textures from tactile data. The technology relies on spiking neural networks, which more closely mimic how biological neurons communicate. The research could eventually help prostheses restore a sense of touch.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take [theoretical] ideas … and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem.” — Eugenio Diaz ’26, UCF student

Diaz helped redesign the data-collection system, train models, analyze results and author a paper now under review.

Progress wasn’t immediate. For months, the models performed little better than random guessing. Guided by Rakhshan, Diaz kept experimenting until accuracy surpassed 80%.

“Mentoring undergraduate students is both teaching and research,” Rakhshan says. “I try to teach students how to think and guide them to find answers to what is known and unknown.”

For Diaz, the breakthrough revealed what his skills could accomplish.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take ideas that are interesting theoretically and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem,” Diaz says.

Putting More Opportunity Within Reach

Experiences like these have a greater impact when more students can reach them.

UCF is among the nation’s top 30 public universities for Best Value for In-State Students.

Value goes beyond the cost of a UCF degree. It’s reflected in the opportunities students have to learn and collaborate with faculty experts, contribute to hands-on research, work with emerging technology and develop skills that prepare them for graduate study and the workforce.

Together, the rankings reinforce innovation with a clear purpose: creating more possibilities for students to learn, discover and build what’s next.

To see the full list of U.S. News & World Report rankings, visit ucf.edu/academics/us-news-rankings.

That dedication and her passion for research recently earned Kramer the inaugural Dean Deborah C. German, M.D. FIRE (Focused Individualized Research Experience) Impact Award, an honor named after the founding dean of UCF’s College of Medicine who created the FIRE course, which requires every student to conduct a two-year research project.

German announced earlier this year that she is transitioning from her role and will remain at UCF for a year as an advisor to the president and provost on health affairs. FIRE leaders created the award to honor German’s legacy of scientific discovery as part of medical training, an educational component that makes UCF’s medical school unique nationally.

“I want our students to develop a spirit of inquiry. I want every UCF physician not to be afraid to seek answers to medicine’s unanswered questions.” — Deborah German, College of Medicine dean

“I want our students to develop a spirit of inquiry,” German told Kramer as she presented her with the award. “I want every UCF physician not to be afraid to seek answers to medicine’s unanswered questions.”

After earning an undergraduate degree the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of South Florida, Kramer decided to attend UCF in part because the FIRE course was one reason she came to UCF.

“I wanted to combine research with clinical care,” she says.

Her FIRE project focused on glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with a five-year survival rate of only 5% to 7%, according to the Mayo Clinic. Even if surgery, chemotherapy and radiation initially stop the cancer, it usually returns and becomes stronger. Kramer says she wanted to know why.

With support from her FIRE mentor, Kiminobu Sugaya, head of the College of Medicine’s neuroscience research division, she discovered that extracellular vesicles responsible for cell-to-cell communication may influence non-cancer cells to take on cancer-like properties.

The new award goes to the student whose research shows the greatest potential impact to medicine and/or biomedical research. College of Medicine faculty and fellow students chose Kramer for the award during the FIRE Conference.

“It is our privilege to establish this award in honor of Dean German,” say Robert Hines and Lane Coffee, co-directors of the FIRE course. “When establishing this medical school, she realized the importance of rigorous scientific inquiry, and our students have benefited from — and will continue to benefit from — this course within the curriculum.”

He’s an experienced skydiver, private pilot and scuba diver whose hero since childhood has been moon-walker Neil Armstrong. And now Melchor Antuñano is a UCF Knight.

After 34 years with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — the longest term for any senior executive in the agency’s history — Antuñano has joined the College of Medicine’s team as a professor, and chief technologist and medical innovation officer. In these roles he’ll help design new procedures and technologies to keep astronauts, pilots and airplane passengers safer and help create a new UCF master’s degree in aerospace medicine and a residency program for aerospace medicine physicians. He’ll also teach across UCF colleges.

“Being part of this outstanding visionary team gives me the opportunity not only to help advance the field I love, but also to inspire, educate and mentor the next generation of physicians, scientists and innovators.” — Melchor Antuñano, UCF aerospace medicine medical innovation officer

Antuñano says a career in aerospace medicine has given him the “opportunity to continually learn, adapt and contribute to a specialty defined by innovation, exploration, and discovery.”

“Joining the UCF College of Medicine represents a new and exciting chapter in that journey,” he continues. “Being part of this outstanding visionary team gives me the opportunity not only to help advance the field I love, but also to inspire, educate and mentor the next generation of physicians, scientists and innovators.”

He is the newest leader to join UCF’s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine , a multidisciplinary center includes faculty experts in medicine, engineering, computer science, psychology, arts and educational leadership who will work together to research and develop new technologies for keeping space travelers healthy as well as soldiers on military missions, deep sea explorers, and mountain climbers.

“Dr. Antuñano brings to UCF an extraordinary combination of operational experience, scientific leadership, innovation and a lifelong commitment to aerospace medicine,” says Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair for aerospace medicine and director of CASEEM. “For more than three decades, he helped shape aerospace medicine and safety at the national and international levels. Having someone of his caliber join our team is transformative as we build a comprehensive aerospace medicine program that integrates clinical care, education, research and technology development.”

A Resourceful First Responder Before Medical School

Born in Mexico City, Antuñano had two dreams as a child: to be a doctor and fly airplanes. Before entering medical school at the National Autonomous şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Mexico School of Medicine, he volunteered with the Red Cross and the country’s rescue squad as a paramedic, rescue worker and EMT. He couldn’t afford to buy a red emergency light for his car. So he made one using a pot.

“My parents always instilled in my sisters and me the importance of doing our best, persevering in the face of adversity, planning ahead and learning from our mistakes,” he says. “I learned from my parents the importance of being kind, fair and respectful to everybody.”

He learned about aviation medicine during medical school and volunteered at the Mexican Government’s National Center of Aviation Medicine, where he learned about aviation physiology (including altitude chamber operations), human factors in aircraft accident investigation and pilot medical certification.

Impact Fueled by Taking Initiative

Next came residency. Antuñano says he came to America because the only civilian aerospace medicine residency program was at Wright State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio.

He learned about this program by writing letters to senior U.S. federal government officials — including then President Ronald Reagan — inquiring where to pursue postgraduate training in aviation medicine in the U.S. He was accepted into the residency.

“That opportunity allowed me to pursue my professional dream and meet aerospace medicine physicians from all over the world,” he says.

Antuñano also earned a master’s in aerospace medicine at Wright State. His research was using a portable head cooling system to protect U.S. Air Force personnel from heat exposure. He built his lab in the kitchen of the residents’ lounge. He turned up the heat, then added oil and air heaters to create a thermal chamber. His experimental subjects were his classmates. He earned the Aerospace Medical Association’s Young Investigator Award for his initiative.

After residency, he received a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship from the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. After that, he was hired as a contract scientist for the school to work on personal cooling technology for individuals wearing nuclear, biological and chemical protective suits.

Antuñano joined the FAA in 1992 and served as manager of the Medical Education Division and the Medical Certification Division at the agency’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City. The institute is responsible for medically certifying that the nation’s pilots are physically fit to fly, training the physicians who perform the physical exams in the U.S. and in 90 countries worldwide, and conducting safety-related aerospace medicine and human factors research. He became CAMI’s director in 2001 and retired earlier this year as the longest serving director in history.

Steering the Future of Aerospace Medicine at UCF

“A leader has the responsibility to make more leaders,” he says. “Look for stars in the making — encourage them, support them and help turn them into future leaders.” — Melchor Antuñano, UCF aerospace medicine medical innovation officer

As the commercial space industry expands and humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond, UCF’s College of Medicine is charting a new frontier in healthcare. The goal: explore 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.

As part of that effort, the aerospace medicine team is developing courses for students across the university and building a lab that will design, create and test the next generation of medical equipment to keep space travelers healthy. The team just opened the UCF Aerospace Medicine Clinic to provide medical certification exams for astronauts and pilots across the region.

Antuñano says he is excited about the future and his role in advancing aerospace medicine research while training the next generation of aerospace physicians.

“A leader has the responsibility to make more leaders,” he says. “Look for stars in the making — encourage them, support them and help turn them into future leaders.”

Medicine can treat infections after people get sick, but UCF infectious disease expert Mollie Jewett is seeking to halt Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which causes Lyme disease, in its tracks without relying on general antibiotics. Her goal: “starve” the bacteria of the nutrients they need to function before they spread through the human body.

Jewett, professor and head of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Research Division at UCF’s College of Medicine, is supported by a recently renewed five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

She is entering a third consecutive federally funded research cycle with $513,314 received this year. Jewett’s research builds upon more than a decade of discoveries that have narrowed the search for ways to stop B. burgdorferi from triggering Lyme disease, one of the nation’s most common vector-borne diseases. Her team includes a UCF undergraduate who occasionally struggled to walk because of pain from Lyme disease.

The disease is spread by blacklegged ticks that become infected after biting mammals or birds carrying the bacteria. The ticks are so small, humans often don’t notice they have been bitten. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache and fatigue, which often are misdiagnosed as a virus or the flu. Even after treatment, Lyme disease patients can face complications including nervous system and heart issues, severe fatigue and arthritic pain.

The disease is most commonly found in Maine to Virginia and in the upper Midwest but is spreading as suburban growth enters wildlife areas. Florida reports few cases of Lyme disease annually, but travelers who go to endemic areas like New England are at increased risk.

A New Approach to Battle Borrelia

UCF researchers are focused on how B. burgdorferi manages to survive and thrive as it spreads in ticks and mammals to humans.

“The bacteria need to adapt to two different environments, and so we want to know how it does that,” Jewett says. “We’re looking at what the bacteria eat and what it needs to survive. In our lab, we call Borrelia a wimpy pathogen because it can’t make a lot of the nutrients it needs on its own, and so it scavenges what it needs from wherever it is.”

The first iteration of the NIH grant allowed the scientists to screen all of the bacteria’s genes that might be important for the infection. With the second grant, Jewett targeted three genes that appeared to play a role in spreading the infection from a bite on the skin to other parts of the human body.

“One of these three genes we found is important to the ability of the bacteria to consume riboflavin. We want to target this gene and see if we can starve the bacteria.” — Mollie Jewett, UCF infectious disease expert

Now they have focused on riboflavin, commonly known as vitamin B2, after discovering that B. burgdorferi salvages the vitamin from each host to sustain itself.

“One of these three genes we found is important to the ability of the bacteria to consume riboflavin,” Jewett says. “We know that riboflavin is a precursor for other cellular activities that are important to the metabolism of the bacteria. Essentially, we want to target this gene and see if we can starve the bacteria.”

If their theory is successful, it could lead to therapies specific to B. burgdorferi that would prevent successful bacterial infection by limiting its riboflavin uptake. An advantage of such potential treatments would be that patients don’t have to take general antibiotics that can also harm the body’s good bacteria and increase risks for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The UCF team is collaborating with Baylor şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą scientists to trace exactly how riboflavin is used by the bacteria.

Students Driving Discovery

Biomedical sciences doctoral student Anna Schulz ’25MS played a key role in pinpointing specific ways the bacteria use riboflavin to generate energy. She served as first author on a recent publication examining these processes, and says she’s looking forward to growing as a researcher in this next phase.

“As a first author, I took more ownership over the experiments and the writing process,” Schulz says. “[Jewett] was really great about letting me lead the project as a student. Borrelia is so unique, and there’s still so much we don’t know, and that’s what keeps me engaged with this research.”

“… I couldn’t treat it until years after I got infected. So, I truly care about finding new treatments for Lyme disease.” — Grace Easterling, UCF biomedical sciences student

Third-year biomedical sciences undergraduate Grace Easterling says she was drawn to Jewett’s lab because she previously developed Lyme disease and suffered tremendous joint pain. She was determined to find a way to protect others.

“It was something that, because we live in Florida, wasn’t caught early because it’s not as common,” Easterling says. “I struggled for a long time to get diagnosed, and I couldn’t treat it until years after I got infected. So, I truly care about finding new treatments for Lyme disease and understanding the bacteria.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI099094. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

• Associate Professor Chen Chen – Associate Member
• Professor Ivan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhD – Associate Member
• Professor Jayanta Kapat – Full Member
• Professor Damla Turgut – Full Member
• Associate Professor Thomas Wahl – Associate Member
• Associate Professor Dazhong Wu – Associate Member
• Professor Xiaohu Xia – Associate Member
• Professor Yang Yang – Associate Member

Full members are recognized as established leaders with a sustained record of exceptional impact in their respective fields. Associate members, who are new to ASEMFL this year, are recognized for their professional accomplishments and emerging leadership.

“We are proud to welcome this exceptional group of scholars and innovators to ASEMFL, including our inaugural class of associate members,” says Yogi Goswami, ASEMFL president and distinguished professor at the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of South Florida. “Their lifelong dedication and creativity have led to transformational advances in their fields, improving lives and strengthening our communities.”

Since its establishment, ASEMFL has grown to more than 300 experts grounded in common research and educational pursuits who are committed to undertaking issues in science, engineering and medicine of particular interest to the state.

This year’s cohort is the largest in ASEMFL history. All new members will be inducted at the ASEMFL annual meeting, which takes place in November at the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of South Florida.

Chen Chen

Associate Professor in the and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence

Citation: For pioneering contributions to multimodal and federated learning and real-time, privacy-preserving video analytics, advancing trustworthy and efficient AI systems for public safety, healthcare, and societal well-being.

Jayanta Kapat

Pegasus Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research

Citation: For innovative research and digital twin modeling and their impact on improved costs, efficiency and emissions in advanced turbines and energy systems.

Nasser Kutkut

Graduate Faculty Scholar in the

Citation: For having pioneered high-efficiency and IoT-enabled battery charging systems, cloud-based energy management, and smart telematics platforms — technologies that cut costs, reduce emissions, and modernize industrial and electric vehicle power management worldwide.

Ivan Garibay ’00MS ’04PhD

Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems and Director of the UCF Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative

Citation: For pioneering work in AI for modeling complex human behavior, including the development of inverse generative social science, evolutionary model discovery, green technological innovation, and AI for social resilience against disinformation and polarization.

Damla Turgut

Pegasus Professor and Chair of Computer Science

Citation: For pioneering contributions to the application of value of information in wireless networks, and for outstanding leadership in advancing research and education at both the university and international professional society levels.

Thomas Wahl

Associate Professor in the and the Center for Integrated Coastal Research

Citation: For pioneering work on flood risk analysis, coastal compound flooding and assessment of coastal hazards at multiple scales under weather extremes.

Dazhong Wu

Associate Professor in the

Citation: For contributions to the development and implementation of machine learning-based techniques for part qualification and certification in advanced manufacturing.

Xiaohu Xia

Professor in the

Citation: For pioneering artificial enzyme research, achieving unprecedented catalytic efficiencies and developing diagnostic technologies with substantial clinical and societal impact.

“Dr. Xia’s research is an excellent example of how cutting-edge research in the College of Sciences leads directly into transformative applications for the betterment of humanity,” says Josh Colwell, College of Sciences dean. “His recognition by ASEMFL is particularly appropriate given the nature of his innovative work combining nanomaterials and fundamental chemistry research for healthcare applications that will directly impact people’s lives.”

Yang Yang

Professor in the

Citation: For being an accomplished scholar in developing energy materials using nanotechnology.

Driving Research Excellence at UCF

Together, the honorees exemplify the breadth of research excellence driving innovation across UCF’s College of Sciences and College of Engineering and Computer Science.

“Jay Kapat, Damla Turgut, Chen Chen, Ivan Garibay, Thomas Wahl, Dazhong Wu, Yang Yang and all faculty in the College of Engineering and Computer Science have contributed significantly to the research and education in their disciplines and their induction to the academy is a testament [to] their meaningful accomplishments,” says Michael Georgiopoulos, College of Engineering and Computer Science dean. “The academy is expected to benefit from their expertise and their anticipated service to move its mission forward.”

“I saw what she means to her community,” says Dostal, who comes to UCF from the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Washington. “And I wanted to do the same thing for my community.”

Dostal was one of 120 new UCF College of Medicine students who received their white coats Monday in a traditional celebration that welcomes them as partners in healthcare.

Chosen from 5,422 applicants, the 120 new M.D. candidates received their undergraduate degrees from Yale, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Duke, Case Western and Emory in addition to UCF. They include scientists, artists, musicians, athletes, global volunteers and EMTs.

Monday was the 18th White Coat Ceremony in the history of the medical school, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. In his welcome, UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright described “what began as a bold vision on undeveloped land in Lake Nona has grown into a thriving Academic Health Sciences Campus and a community focused on improving lives.”

And he credited that growth to Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and founding dean, who has announced her transition from both roles. Monday was her last White Coat Ceremony.

“Dr. German helped transform an ambitious vision into the college you join today,” he told students, parents, faculty and staff. “Because of her leadership, hundreds of physicians have begun their careers here, thousands of patients have been served, and new partnerships, discoveries, and opportunities have taken shape across Lake Nona and our state. Dr. German, your remarkable legacy will always hold a special place at UCF.”

The Good Doctor

For every White Coat Ceremony, German has conducted the first class of medical school called “The Good Doctor – A UCF Tradition.”

She asks first-year students to imagine the person they love most in the world is seriously ill with an undiagnosed condition. What are the traits they want to see in the doctor caring for their beloved? As students name attributes, German writes each word on a blackboard that is displayed in the College of Medicine atrium for the entire year.

The class of 2030 suggested 38 traits, including humble, trustworthy, dedicated, knowledgeable, ethical, determined, compassionate, resilient and innovative.

“This is your contract with your faculty, friends, family, community and each other,” German said, pointing to the board. “Always remember, The Good Doctor lives in each of you. With the guidance of the faculty and your own hard work, you will become The Good Doctor.”

Inspired to Care for Others

As a UCF undergraduate, Nelson Jones earned the Order of Pegasus, the university’s top student honor. Today he is a physician-in-training. Both of his parents are nurses, and he described how their care of others – especially in communities of need – inspired him. So did the opportunities UCF provides.

“I’m feeling extremely grateful and excited,” he said after receiving his white coat. “This university has built me into the person I am and will continue to build me into the physician I strive to become.”

Vivian Silva-Dallenbach graduated from the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of South Florida with degrees in biomedical sciences and astronomy. She chose UCF for medical school because of the college’s new aerospace medicine program. She’s researched how space flight affects the human body.

“Once I saw that UCF has an aerospace medicine program, I knew it was a match,” she says. “I’m particularly interested in women’s health and how we can provide specialized care for female astronauts.”

Dev Patel, another UCF alum, says his dreams are inspired by the College of Medicine’s founding dean. “I would like to take a page out of German’s book. She started with almost nothing to work with and she built something amazing here. So as we have such a long road in front of us, I’m hoping to follow in her footsteps and even have a fraction of the impact she did.”

Minutes from one of the world’s most visited airports, UCF has opened a new clinic to help pilots meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical requirements to fly safely.

The new şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą Aerospace Medicine Clinic at UCF Health Faculty Physician Practice in Lake Nona is led by William “Ed” Powers, chief medical officer of UCF’s and a certified aviation medical examiner.

Pilots operating civilian aircraft must have various levels of FAA medical certification depending on the type of aircraft. Commercial pilots must pass the exam every six months or each year.

“Flight safety depends on healthy pilots,” says Powers, who is certified to conduct the highest level of FAA exams. “That’s ultimately what we’re here to support.”

“Here at UCF, we are … connecting medicine, engineering, research and industry in ways few universities can.” — UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright

UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright says the clinic is an example of the university’s mission to educate talent, advance discovery and solve societal challenges that matter.

“The next era of flight will bring new demands on health and human performance,” Cartwright says. “Here at UCF, we are meeting those challenges by connecting medicine, engineering, research and industry in ways few universities can.”

What sets this clinic apart from others is its ability to more efficiently address the health needs of pilots thanks to a network of UCF College of Medicine faculty physicians, university officials say.

The clinic marked its opening with a ceremony today.

Assessing Safety and Minimizing Risk

Medical clearance for pilots is “all about risk,” Powers says. “The FAA has to assess the risk of a pilot experiencing a sudden incapacitation while flying. That’s really what these exams are focused on.”

For that reason, the UCF clinic will not focus on diagnosing disease, but on identifying and acting on any condition that might endanger pilot, crew and passenger safety.

In addition to a physical exam, pilots must pass hearing and vision tests, including demonstrating that they are not color blind. Airline pilots receive an electrocardiogram every year, while other pilots, like hobbyists, may receive an electrocardiogram if there is evidence of heart disease. Physicians also review medical history and discuss any health concerns that could affect flight safety.

Even manageable chronic conditions like high blood pressure can temporarily delay certification until the condition is treated, stabilized and controlled.

“When you’re flying an airplane, you don’t have the luxury of pulling over and waiting for help like if you’re a truck driver,” Powers says. “You must be aware at all times. If you’re responsible for an aircraft full of passengers, the FAA wants to minimize the chance of a sudden incapacitation.”

A Vast Network of Expertise

Complicated medical cases are referred to the FAA for further review, and pilots may need additional interventions to meet certification standards. That’s where the College of Medicine’s physician practice offers a distinct advantage, Powers says.

“We can guide pilots to the specialists and testing they need and help them get back on the path toward medical clearance.” — William “Ed” Powers, chief medical officer of the CASEEM

Unlike private clinics that do pilot certification exams, UCF offers multiple medical specialties under one roof and a team approach to care.

“We can guide pilots to the specialists and testing they need and help them get back on the path toward medical clearance,” Powers says.

Powers brings decades of expertise in space and aviation medicine. Before joining UCF, he was chief of NASA’s Medical Operations Branch, director of flight medicine for Axiom Space and director of the aerospace medicine residency program at the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Powers also worked inside the FAA as a supervisory medical officer. He says that experience gives him a firm understanding of what the FAA requires, making the process smoother for everyone.

“That means fewer delays, fewer mistakes in paperwork and a more efficient process for pilots whose livelihoods depend on getting certified,” he says.

Strengthening the Regional Aviation Ecosystem

Another UCF advantage: the clinic is only about 10 miles from Orlando International Airport, which welcomes 58 million travelers annually. So in addition to local aviators, pilots nationwide who travel to and through Orlando could easily schedule their certification exams at UCF.

“Clinics like UCF’s Aerospace Medicine Clinic [are] helping pilots, whether in space or on the ground, access the care and medical certification support they need to remain flight-ready.” — Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority

The clinic will help strengthen the aviation training pipeline in one of the nation’s most active aerospace regions. This capability is especially important for local flight schools whose students may require guidance in navigating medical certification, return-to-flight concerns and the health demands of aviation careers.

“Central Florida’s aviation ecosystem is built on more than runways, terminals and launchpads,” says Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which manages Orlando International and Orlando Executive airports. “It also depends on the people and services that keep aviation moving safely and efficiently. Clinics like UCF’s Aerospace Medicine Clinic complement that ecosystem by helping pilots, whether in space or on the ground, access the care and medical certification support they need to remain flight-ready.”

The clinic is embedded in Central Florida’s bustling travel hub with numerous satellite airports, including Kissimmee Gateway Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport. Giving pilots another option to get cleared to fly strengthens the regional economy, says Shaun Germolus, director of aviation for the Kissimmee facility.

“The aviation industry in Central Florida provides a major economic impact to the region,” Germolus says. “The medical exams and certificates provided by the UCF Aerospace Medicine Clinic will be very valuable to ensure our aviation professionals are healthy and readily available to serve.”

Launching the Clinic

The clinic is starting with limited Thursday and Friday morning appointments to allow the team to refine operations before expanding. Helping coordinate those efforts is Camila Niebla ’26, a UCF health sciences graduate who now serves as the clinic’s aerospace medicine navigator.

Niebla discovered aerospace medicine by accident while exploring future career paths before applying to medical school.

“I didn’t even know aerospace medicine was a possibility,” she says. “I’ve always been interested in performance-driven medicine, like sports medicine, so this felt really exciting. It’s exciting to be part of something from the beginning and watch it grow.”

Part of a Larger Vision for Aerospace Medicine at UCF

The clinic is part of UCF’s , which is being developed as a comprehensive academic, clinical, research, education, and operational platform to support the future of aviation, commercial spaceflight, and human space exploration.

“This is about building the medical infrastructure required for the next era of flight, both on Earth and in space,” says Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair for aerospace medicine at the UCF College of Medicine. “Our goal is to create a program that is not only academic, but operational and translational in nature — one that supports student pilots, flight schools, commercial aviation, spaceflight providers and the broader aerospace ecosystem.”

Schedule an Appointment

to learn more about FAA medical exams at UCF Health Faculty Physician Practice and schedule an appointment online.