A double-barreled T-shirt launcher that can fire shirts higher than the 60-foot walls of Acrisure Bounce House.

A decked-out golf cart, rescued from its fate at the salvage yard and repurposed instead into Knightro’s preferred mode of transportation.

A 3D-printed, robotic Citronaut piloting a spaceship that blasts AC/DC’s Thunderstruck through surround-sound speakers.

And set to make its debut later this year, a powerful projection spotlight designed to summon Knightro onto the field — his own version of Batman’s iconic bat signal.

As the students explain the ins-and-outs of these custom innovations — all built in university labs with tools, technology and machines at their disposal — facility manager Pete Alfieris stands off to the side with a dash of pride on his face.

“Remember what Pete stands for,” the longtime UCF staff member calls out. “Preparing engineers through e��ܳ����پ��Dz�.”

They collectively groan, but in a tone that clearly shows they cherish this man and his dad jokes.

“If you graduate from [UCF’s] engineering college without meeting Pete, you didn’t really go to the engineering college,” says Caden Peters ’26, a computer engineering alum who co-created the Knight signal. “He really shows that anyone can make an impact. You don’t have to be a professor. You don’t have to be an advisor. He’s the facilities manager of the engineering building. And he still has such a strong impact on the college and inspires so many students. There’s really no one like him.”

Alfieris oversees daily operations, lab safety and security for UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science buildings since he took the role in 2008. Nowhere in his job responsibilities does it list mentoring and collaborating with students.

Yet for the past five years, since the football season ticket holder was first inspired to introduce a T-shirt launcher at UCF football games, Alfieris has been the driving force behind the growing partnership between the college and UCF Athletics, pitching his ideas to elevate the game-day experience for fans.

The partnership reflects what UCF does best: connecting classroom learning with real-world experience. As SpaceU, UCF Athletics provides a fitting stage for students from the College of Engineering and Computer Science — the nation’s No. 1 supplier of talent to the aerospace and defense industries, according to Aviation Week Network — to apply their academics and flex their skills.

“For years I have seen the potential in these students,” Alfieris says. “A lot of them go on to work at SpaceX, NASA, Blue Origin, L3 Harris, Northrop Grumman. They’re so smart and talented.”

The students are always on board to oblige in bringing his visions to life because he believes in them; sometimes more than anyone.

“There are only a few people here that I would say even scratch the surface compared to Pete when it comes to their belief in students,” says recent mechanical engineering grad Ayden Jordan ’26, who also created Knightro’s signal. “Pete believed in us from day one.”

Peters interjects: “Day zero.”

That belief and hard work have led to some of the most engaging moments in UCF football’s game day experience today.

The Idea That Started it All: A T-Shirt Launcher

Austin Harkins ’24 ’26MS had listened through two weeks of senior design project ideas, waiting for one worth claiming. The year-long group projects require engineering students to design, build and present a functional prototype before graduation.

Then his professor said two words: T-shirt launcher.

“You could just see everyone’s ears kind of perk up around the room,” says Harkins on a call from Texas, where he’s currently working as a mechanical design engineer for L3 Harris. “I grew up in Oviedo, Florida. My parents went to UCF. I couldn’t tell you how many UCF football games I’ve been to. I thought, ‘Yeah, I’m doing this.’ ”

Harkins led one of the teams to score the project. Mechanical engineering graduate student Luciana Carreras ’25 led another.

Over the next several months, both teams designed launchers capable of firing dozens of shirts into the stands during the brief 30-second window they’d have on the field between plays.

When the prototypes were ready, Carreras and Harkins brought them to the football stadium in the summer for a test run in front of UCF Athletics’ game day operations staff.

“I think [UCF Athletics] had some hesitations, which I understand because they didn’t know who we were,” Alfieris says. “We were launching [T-shirts] all over the field — one even went out of the stadium — and [UCF Athletics staff] all looked at me and said, ‘Oh, we’re definitely doing this.’ ”

While the athletic department staff has worked hard to build and protect traditions that span generations of Knights fans, they always embrace trying new things.

“I think some of UCF’s best qualities have always been a spirit of collaboration and an attitude of, ‘what if we try…?’ Pete and the engineering students embody that completely,” says Alex Cesarano, associate athletics director for brand experience. “What they’ve delivered over the last few years is a testament to what’s possible when we have a strong partnership between the university and athletic department. We are immensely grateful for all they’ve added, and continue to add, in service of our fans and student-athletes’ experiences.”

Beyond practicality, the teams took design aesthetic into account.

Harkins’ launcher resembles a rocket, a nod to UCF’s SpaceU identity. Carreras’ team chose a double-barreled design that maximizes the number of shirts they could launch before leaving the field.

“I never went to a football game until I had to launch this thing,” Carreras says. “But seeing it out there on game day and seeing the excitement from everyone, it’s great to leave something behind, especially when it’s a place that you’ve gotten education from, and you’ve found your friends and a life around the campus.”

Knightro’s Wheels

Once word spread that Alfieris and the engineering students were behind the T-shirt launchers, the UCF spirit team wanted in.

Knightro head coach Michael Callahan ’05 ’09MBA ’17EdD, who also serves as director of knowledge management for UCF’s College of Medicine, invited Alfieris to tour the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village and discuss future collaborations.

As they drove around in a standard golf cart with Knightro on board, Alfieris couldn’t help but notice the mascot clinging to the seat.

“Knightro was holding on for dear life, and I looked at Michael and said, ‘How come Knightro doesn’t have his own cart?’ ” Alfieris says. “He looked at me and said, ‘Good question.’ ”

Without a dedicated budget or funding, Alfieris has gotten good at being resourceful. He scoured the university’s surplus property system database, which offers discounted equipment and items in need of repair. One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

He found a cart in serious need of electrical work to run again. He turned to the looking for some talent.

Josh Alper, then a first-year mechanical engineering student, answered without knowing a single detail about what he was showing up for.

Alper, who is primarily self-taught, rewired the cart’s electrical system and fixed the battery charger. He installed LED lighting, four surround-sound speakers and a custom “Bounce Button” horn to the tune of Zombie Nation’s Kernkraft 400. He even rigged a “Knightro phone” that pauses the music for Team Knightro to interact with fans while tailgating. When the phone is placed back on the receiver, the music immediately resumes at maximum vibe levels.

“I was a new student who basically knew nothing about the school, and in my first few weeks, Pete was touring me around and introducing me to lab managers and faculty,” Alper says. “I was able to use 3D printers and tools in the . I’ve gone to football games and shot the T-shirt cannon, which was a really cool experience for my first football season. Working with Pete has opened so many doors.”

Here Comes Citronaut

Alfieris’ next big idea was a robot. Mechanical engineering student Andrew Anderson thought Citronaut seemed like a logical choice.

Anderson, who has completed professional internships with Pegasus Partner Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort refurbishing high-profile rides, spent a year creating what the team affectionately refers to as “Citronaut’s Thunderstruck” — a 3D-printed Citronaut piloting a spaceship that rolls through campus blasting AC/DC’s hit song.

The project began as an oversized foam cube measuring roughly 5 feet on each side.

“Figuring out how to safely cut the foam and see it take that saucer shape, it felt like I was working at Disney,” says Anderson, who has dreamed of developing theme park rides since he was 9 years old.

The team equipped the spaceship with tilting and movement capabilities and an accelerometer to give it a sense of flight.

Meanwhile, computer science major Melanie Allen became Alfieris’ go-to team member for precision work. She designed, laser cut and 3D-printed the Citronaut figure to fit snuggly in his spaceship.

“I’ve taken advantage of our machine shop, our 3D printers, laser cutters [and] the 5-axis CNC machine to make aluminum parts. I didn’t think I would ever be good at painting, and now I know how to paint. So I think a lot of these experiences have given me skills that really make me stand out,” Allen says.

Citronaut’s Thunderstruck debuted at the 2025 Mission IX Space Game as part of the pregame march to the stadium and was an immediate hit.

“A lot of kids were really excited when they saw it, and fans wanted to take pictures with it. It was fun to be part of the march and know that I helped create something that looks cool and something that people want to interact with,” Allen says. “I didn’t feel like I was just another student commuting and taking classes. I felt like I was making a difference and actually contributing to the university.”

Coming Soon: Knightro’s Own ‘Bat’ Signal

One of Alfieris’ most theatrical, ambitious ideas yet is expected to debut this year thanks to Peters, Jordan and the other three engineers of their senior design project team.

Similar to Batman’s “bat signal,” the team designed a custom cylinder-shaped light projector capable of summoning Knightro into action to amp the crowd.

“We faced a lot of questions and doubt when we pitched this for senior design. Could the physics actually work out? Will [the light] actually project at that far of a distance?” Jordan says. “When you have a good team, anything is possible. And we believed we could make the impossible happen.”

The biggest hurdle came early.

The specialized lights required for the design cost $700, leaving Jordan unsure if the project would ever get off the ground.

A week later, his team got an email that the lights were in, purchased by the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from the budget dedicated to supporting senior design projects.

“Pete worked his magic,” Peters says.

Engineering this from a concept drawing into an actual functioning contraption was no small feat.

The high-powered lights generated enough heat to require radiators and a water-cooling loop. The team also developed an innovative method to display the projected image by using a laser cutter to burn away the coating on mirror slides. And ensuring safety throughout their design, down to the emergency stop button, was paramount.

When their first successful test happened at 3 a.m. on the side of Engineering II, the first person they told was Alfieris.

“I remember walking up my apartment stairs that night thinking, I want this feeling for the rest of my life,” Peters says.

Funds and hours in a day are the only things holding back Alfieris and the students at this point. They have a few more ideas and projects in the works that they’re eager to share with Knight Nation when they’re ready.

Alfieris says he’s grateful to his supervisor, College of Engineering and Computer Science Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and NCAA faculty representative Manoj Chopra, for allowing him to engage with the students in these ventures. It’s been one of the greatest gifts of his career.

“All [the] stuff that I wanted to do is coming to life, and it’s so much fun,” Alfieris says. “I don’t have any kids, so they’re like my kids. I get that proud parent moment when they come to me and say, ‘Thank you.’ And I’m like, ‘What are you thanking me for?’ And they say, ‘You helped me. You were just always there.’ And it just makes me feel really good. It really does.”

Michael Callahan ’05 ’09MBA ’17EdD, director of knowledge management, is responsible for every piece of medical education data at UCF. He’s also head mascot coach for UCF Athletics. He knows the role he coaches well. Callahan was Knightro from 2002-04, when he was an undergraduate student.

“IT and Knightro are similar roles if you think about it,” he says. “We’re both the support team. We do our part to help others do their best.”

Less than 100 students have been Knightro since UCF unveiled the yet unnamed golden knight mascot in 1994. UCF selects multiple Knightros for each school year to keep up with all the events across campus and the community where the mascot appears. Callahan manages the team for events, which include graduation, news and marketing events, donor meet-and-greets, student festivals, and even weddings and birthday parties.

Tryouts are held in the spring and because Knightro’s schedule is so packed in the fall. Callahan says he picks students from a variety of majors so they aren’t all in the same orientation, classes or lab schedules.

Training is both physical and for character development and even includes how to pen Knightro’s official signature. Callahan estimates that, similar to the athletes they cheer for, Knightros have 20 hours of physical training for every hour they perform.

Among the most challenging physical feats for Knightro, Callahan says is learning to stand atop cheerleaders’ shoulders in the classic UCF pyramid. (The key is to stand perfectly straight — like a broom stick. If you wobble like a pool noodle, he says, you fall, he says.)

“It’s like a trust fall,” he says, “The first time I did it, it was terrifying.”

In addition to handwriting, Knightro has a signature walk, run and poses.

“Knightro is Knightro,” Callahan says. “He’s the hero, the big man on campus. He’s the most recognized person at UCF. Knightro needs to stand the test of time, so consistency is key. If you had a picture taken with Knightro when you were a UCF student and then get another picture taken five years later at an event, it should look like the same Knightro.”

Callahan’s 20-year history with Knightro has forged many special memories. He remembers when Knightro’s costume was gold-glittered resin and weighed 50 pounds. Today it’s foam and much lighter at about 20 pounds.

As Knightro, Callahan performed at the Mascot Games in 2004, contributing to the more than $200,000 the event raised by then for New Hope for Kids, a child-based grief support group in Central Florida. To this day, he can recall the cheers as he danced onto the stage at a packed Amway Arena for the event.

When ESPN’s College Game Day came to UCF in 2018, Callahan had to dress broadcaster Lee Corso in the full Knightro costume in just 90 seconds during a commercial break. Dressing the mascot usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

“We always say, ‘Practice makes perfect,’ ” Callahan says. “The week before the game, we must have had 1,000 practices for putting on that costume fast.”

Callahan earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and was a Burnett Honors Scholar. He also earned his MBA and doctoral degree in educational leadership at UCF. He began his career handling IT at the Burnett Honors College and moved to the College of Medicine in 2020.

He and his wife Lauren Callahan ’05, a UCF elementary education alum, wrote a children’s book called Hello, Knightro, where readers follow the mascot around campus as he travels to the stadium for game day.

“You see the impact of Knightro in the way people react to him,” Callahan says, “the joy and excitement in kids’ faces. You see Knightro on buses and billboards and I think, ‘I am a piece of that.’ ”

The Callahans have three children. And one of their twins, 10-year-old Luke, says Dad must remain head mascot coach until the youngster gets to UCF because “I’m going to be Knightro, too.”

Electrical engineering doctoral student Ganesh Marasini tests real-life grid control operations in UCF’s — a training ground for rising engineers to collaborate, learn and help reimagine the energy grid of the future.

Hundreds of fans celebrated UCF men’s basketball’s upset win over No. 3 Kansas at Addition Financial Arena.

UCF broke ground on the transformational Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion at Lake Nona, which is anticipated to open in 2025-26. The new 90,000 square-foot home of the College of Nursing will help UCF graduate more highly qualified, compassionate nurses for the future.

A student practices with a manikin hand at UCF’s state-of-the-art in the College of Nursing, which is equipped with advanced medical devices and technology to train nursing students for clinical practice.

Since kicking off the outdoor season with a top 10 national ranking, the UCF women’s track and field team has clocked some of the world’s fastest times this year.

During the 10th anniversary of UCF Celebrates the Arts — a multi-day festival honoring creative expressions — artists competed in Creative Clash, a live art event where they raced against the clock to create large-format artwork with markers in front of spectators at Seneff Arts Plaza.

A graduate walks across the stage during a Spring 2024 commencement ceremony that took place in Addition Financial Arena.

Three students dove into their studies while hanging out in their dorm room at the .

A Summer 2024 graduate beams with pride, holding his diploma as he walks across the commencement stage.

Knightro shows off a UCF specialty license plate while filming a new at Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy’s Studio 500. To Knight Your Ride, click here.

UCF students are conducting groundbreaking research at labs, paving the way for the future of space exploration and innovation.

Two fighter aircrafts flew over FBC Mortgage Stadium during the pregame ceremony for the Family Weekend football game, where the Knights defeated the Sam Houston State ����ֱ�� Bearkats, 45-14.

Running back RJ Harvey crossed into the end zone for a touchdown during the Knight’s second home game of the season against Sam Houston.

A student guides TapeMeasure, UCF’s semiautonomous dog-like robot, up the steps of the John C. Hitt Library, demonstrating its advanced navigation capabilities for innovative research by students and faculty.

A member of UCF Air Force ROTC Detachment 159 salutes while being filmed on campus for , showcasing UCF as a place for those who dare to invent the future.

Annika Emmert, a health sciences student, and Limbitless Solutions intern and past bionic arm recipient, tries on a bionic arm, showcasing its advanced technology that empowers children with limb differences.

This year, UCF Downtown, in partnership with Valencia College, celebrates five years of educational excellence. The campus has welcomed more than 7,000 students and awarded 10,300 degrees since opening in 2019.

Two space scientists operate a rover on the world’s largest simulated lunar surface, located in UCF’s Exolith Lab. The lab’s Lunar Highland Regolith Test Bin was developed in partnership with the Florida Space Institute to support space exploration research.

Before the UCF Knights took on the Colorado Buffaloes, two cheerleaders interacted with a young UCF fan during Knight Walk at IOA Plaza, the lively pregame tradition where fans, the marching band, and the cheer and dance teams rally together to welcome the football team before kickoff.

UCF’s cheer team amped up the crowd as the Knights took on the ����ֱ�� of Cincinnati Bearcats at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

Rapper NLE Choppa performed at Concert Knight presented by UCF Homecoming at Addition Financial Arena.

The cheer team hyped up the crowd with a high-energy stunt routine before students charged into the Reflecting Pond to catch homecoming rubber ducks at Spirit Splash.

Knightro surfed over a crowd of students at Spirit Splash, UCF’s biggest homecoming tradition.

During Spirit Splash, Knightro even secured a cowboy-themed rubber duck, celebrating this year’s theme: Cowboys vs. Aliens.

Knightro posed with a constellation-themed SpaceU cape in front of a giant moon backdrop at UCF’s 2024 SpaceU Luncheon, honoring the university’s ties to space exploration and innovation.

UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright stands next to rocket engines while touring facilities during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

As a professor emeritus of , I announced the games for the first five years of UCF football starting in 1979.

Announcing over the Tangerine Bowl (now Camping World Stadium) public-address system at that time was rather challenging. I often enlisted my children to help as spotters to identify players, and it took getting used to hearing your voice on a five-second delay. It was so distracting you had to concentrate on what you were saying and not on what you were hearing. On one occasion, I announced that the football was “placed on the 51-yard line.” I got a few stares from fans wondering just where the 51-yard line might be.

Launching New Traditions, Mascots and Half-time Performances

I was also asked to arrange for the pregame and halftime shows for home games. The assignment was exciting, rewarding and very comical at times because we were taking baby steps.

That first year I pleaded with every high school band director in the area to participate. When options were sparse, I even enlisted a security-dog demonstration from Patrick Air Force Base.

When we staged our first home football game against Fort Benning, there was no marching band, no salary for our coach, and just a few brave cheerleaders.

That first year I pleaded with every high school band director in the area to participate. When options were sparse, I even enlisted a security-dog demonstration from Patrick Air Force Base.

My directions for this task came from the athletic director Jack O’Leary under the watchful eye of then President Trevor Colbourn, the driving force behind the UCF football program.

Of course, Colbourn had to take the cautious, administrative view that probably included avoiding risks of liability, which meant turning down the halftime plan for a Cypress Gardens ski-show performer to sail around the stadium.

Probably the most awkward situation occurred when we were playing Morehouse College, whose marching band was going to be at the game but not scheduled to perform at halftime. We planned for our own jam-packed halftime, which was to conclude with words by Colbourn. Before the halftime began, I was surprised to see the Morehouse band forming on the sidelines and then begin to move onto the field. Our staff was doing everything it could to stop them, to no avail.

It turned into a chaotic mess. After the band performed and left the field, we had little time left for UCF to do much of anything. Our part of the halftime program was a disaster. There was just a little time for Colbourn’s remarks, and a delay of game penalty was imposed on UCF at the start of the second half.

The folks at Disney were more than willing to help with the UCF football program in a number of ways. They even offered to construct a new UCF mascot suit for our 1980 football season. Our ideas were very knightly, so I recommended “Sir-Wins-A-Lot” for the mascot, and the name stuck — at least for a time. Colbourn even knighted our new mascot as Sir-Wins-A-Lot before a home game.

The title worked well for a few games, up until we ran into a few losses. Later on, having a mascot named Knightro served us better.

An FSU Connection

In 1982, former FSU Coach Bill Peterson arrived to be the new athletic director. Working with Peterson was quite a kick for me. As an FSU alumnus, I knew all about his igniting the Seminoles into a major football powerhouse and the part he played in nurturing FSU’s traditions.

There were a number of aspects of UCF’s early football launch that included assistance from those Seminoles from Florida State. Despite the fact that they beat the Knights 46-14 in our one 1995 meeting on the gridiron, their influence on our football program was noteworthy. Two of our early athletic directors had been FSU coaches, with Gene McDowell being the first All-American player at FSU.

The late actor Burt Reynolds, a former running back for the Seminoles, also gave an assist to the rising UCF Knights football program. I was honored to serve as master of ceremonies for one of the annual “Night of Knights” fund-raising auctions in downtown Orlando in 1989. It was a lavish, black-tie, televised affair attended by a host of community notables. It also became a key event in the history of the football program as we collected more than $300,000 for UCF sports that evening.

Building a solid football program takes time, commitment and some very careful, right steps.

The program was all about convincing the UCF community of the importance of football to the development of our school at large, a concept championed by Colbourn. In my opening remarks I played a portion of the Notre Dame fight song. The audience recognized it immediately — and that was my point. It was familiar to them because a school then of only 9,000 had achieved worldwide recognition through its extraordinary profile in the sport of football.

Adding glitter to that big night was an appearance by Reynolds and wife Loni Anderson (whose son-in-law was a UCF assistant football coach at the time). The couple added a donation: a black stallion to carry our Knight mascot.

Building a solid football program takes time, commitment and some very careful, right steps. Above all, it takes a lot of dedicated, unselfish, optimistic people who can give the fans something of value to watch. As a witness during those early formative years, I think we saw just that.

We owe so much to those many supporters who have encouraged the program with their ideas, their participation and their pocketbooks.

UCF will host Big Red Buses from One Blood outside the Student Union on Monday, June 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Monday, June 27, UCF will host a larger blood and platelets drive with several Big Red Buses from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium. More details about this event will be available soon.

Throughout the past few days, students, faculty, staff and even many with no connection to the university have waited outside of the Student Union and inside Bright House Networks Stadium where One Blood’s Big Red Buses collected donations.

Blood is desperately needed by local hospitals in the aftermath of Saturday’s tragic shooting outside Pulse nightclub, with some victims needing multiple transfusions.

On Monday, June 20, President John C. Hitt made an early visit to the bus outside the Student Union and a memorial of candles and gold roses laid upon the UCF seal.

Knightro and student-athletes from the Knights’ men’s and women’s basketball teams greeted and thanked donors as they waited. SGA President Chris Clemente, police officers and the children of some UCF employees handed out water bottles and popsicles to help keep people hydrated while they waited patiently.

Domino’s, Smoothie King, Pizza Hut and Sonny’s surprised volunteers and donors with free food and drinks. And even Bodhi, the therapy dog for UCF Counseling and Psychological Services, stopped by offer his support.

After donating blood, many went inside the Student Union, where candles and gold roses were laid upon the UCF seal. Others signed multiple cards, boards and letters expressing their sorrow and support for Orlando. Some hugged each other, some cried quietly and some took photos.

Please visit OneBlood.org for the latest information about blood drives on campus.

The June 4th visit marked the second consecutive year that UCF was selected as a stop during a weeklong tour of institutions in Florida and Georgia. As part of the UCF visit, guidance counselors were treated to an information session in the Duke Energy-UCF Welcome Center, a photo-op with Knightro, and a lecture on beer entitled “The History of Civilization in a Six Pack.” The lecture, which included a tasting and pairing course, was presented by UCF faculty member, Ed Measom, Rosen College of Hospitality Management’s Anheuser-Busch Beer & Wine Lab. Guests were then joined by Abraham Pizam, dean of Rosen College, along with several faculty and staff for a banquet dinner in the Disney Dining Room.

Eddie Lavigne, president of AutopistaAmericas, is no stranger to UCF. He’s worked alongside representatives from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions before and called UCF a “big school with personal charm.” UCF will join forces with Autopista again in August when a member of the admissions recruitment team will travel to Puerto Rico for 10 days of college fairs, high school visits and outreach.

Events like the “Reverse Tour” are just one part of our strategic efforts to build brand awareness, promote UCF’s academic opportunities, educate students and parents, and develop relationships with key  influential members to continue to recruit the best and brightest students to the ����ֱ��.

In the months leading up to the national competition, Knightro has been to the northernmost football field in Alaska and to Hawaii. The squeezable, lovable miniature likeness of UCF’s mascot has also simulated doing a bungee jump and swam with sharks at an aquarium (at least the photos look as much).

Locales on his travels include Fargo, N.D.; Vantage, Wash.; Branch, Ark.; Feeding Hills, Mass.; Shreveport, La.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Gatlinburg, Tenn.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Mount Vernon, Iowa; North Kingston, R.I.; and Fremont, Calif. Just to name a very few. And all in the name of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at UCF.

Next weekend, UCF is hosting the Science Olympiad National Tournament for the second time in three years. Expected to draw more than 10,000 students, family members, coaches and teachers, it’s the largest team STEM competition in the country and the culmination of more than 280 regional and state tournaments. A total of 120 teams from all 50 states and Japan will consume roughly 95 percent of the campus during the competition.

Knightro was tabbed as tournament ambassador.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary event, the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science created a sort of pass-the-torch adventure, reminiscent of the torch carrying that precedes Olympics. Ten packages containing Knightro and a customized banner were sent to 10 starter destinations with specific instructions for students to take photos with Knightro, post them to the then send the UCF mascot on his way. Roughly 90 destinations in 30 states were mapped out based on recommendations from state tournament directors, as teams were still competing for the right to advance to Orlando.

The result: Knightro posed with some of the nation’s brightest middle- and high-school students in unique settings.

Ultimately, the big winner is UCF, according to Terrell Hodges, senior information specialist in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, who organized Knightro’s itinerary. “The whole purpose of this was to get the brand out there, the UCF name. Now UCF is in their brain.” The hope, she adds, is that some of those outstanding students will choose UCF for college.

The anticipation continues to build, cites Mike McKee, associate director for the undergraduate programs in the UCF College of Optics and Photonics and co-director of the Science Olympiad National Tournament. “After 2012, we heard a lot of good compliments about the job we did,” he says. “People were very impressed about how beautiful the campus was, how big it was and the resources that were available. There is a awareness of UCF from 2012.”

Hodges and McKee can also thank Knightro.

Notably, the guest speaker for the Olympiad is Joe Kittinger, a former Air Force fighter pilot who has since become a pioneer in aviation adventure. He and Knightro can no doubt share stories.

The annual pre-Homecoming game pep rally will begin at 1 p.m. Friday. This year, ESPN2 will be on hand to capture the festivities.

Those who can’t make it to Spirit Splash can watch the event live via a Google+ “Hangout on Air.” Spirit Splash will be broadcast .

Spirit Splash has been hailed as the best university tradition in the state by Florida Leader magazine for college students. In 2011, the event received the best campus tradition award from the National Association for Campus Activities.

Homecoming activities conclude Saturday when the UCF Knights take on the Houston Cougars at 7 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium.Campus will open for tailgating at noon, and this year’s Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during the game’s halftime.

More information about game day parking, tailgating, student shuttles, park-and-ride services and more is available at .

Albert Zolin was born in Arizona and graduated from Seminole High School in Lake Mary. He helps with residence hall security patrols at night as a member of UCF’s Residence Hall and Apartment Patrol program. He also is a Student Conduct Review Board member. He hopes to earn a master’s degree in business at the ����ֱ�� of Colorado or King’s College of London.

Since Knightro doesn’t talk, we asked Zolin to give us the inside scoop on everything from his most memorable moment to the most unusual request he’s had from a fan.

Tryouts are coming up this weekend (see the bottom of the Q&A for details). What does it take for a student to be a top-notch mascot?

Commitment and a sparkling personality. Knightro is everywhere.  He visits schools, hospitals, 5K charity runs, philanthropic events and even weddings. Not to mention UCF football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball matches. You have to be pretty outgoing, because mascots do everything over the top. A good mascot doesn’t worry about looking stupid in front of a stadium full of people. You have to go out there, keep the energy level high and not hold anything back.

How do you learn to be a good mascot?

Every summer, the spirit team (Cheer, Dance and Knightro) attends a camp at the ����ֱ�� of Alabama. At the mascot camp, you are coached by professionals and given time to practice interacting with other mascots. We also have a weekend over the summer when we start preparing for football season by practicing all of the mannerisms that make Knightro, well Knightro. In the end, experience is the greatest teacher.

What kind of training/workout routine do you follow?

Cardio is key since Knightro is always high-energy wherever he is — especially at football games. It’s hot and Knightro sprints up, down, back, forth, and all around that field. I like to dance as well. It comes in handy since most events usually have some type of music playing.

What’s worse for Knightro? A 95-degree Saturday afternoon or torrential rain?

That’s a tough one. The costume soaks up water like a giant sponge. Torrential rain, like what happened at the Marshall game in 2011, can make the costume pretty heavy. However, a 95-degree Saturday is far worse. It gets hot in that costume; on a 95-degree day it is easily 120 degrees for whomever is in costume. On top of that, Knightro doesn’t stop during football games. He has to be a ball of energy the entire time.

What is the most unusual request you’ve ever had?

At a wedding, the best man gave Knightro the bride’s wedding ring. When it came time to exchange rings and the groom asked his best man for the ring, he pretended that he had lost the ring and couldn’t find it. Then the band started playing the UCF fight song and Knightro came running down the aisle with the ring in hand. That has to be one of the most original ways to give your future wife her wedding ring.

What’s your favorite Knightro memory?

One of my favorite memories is our trip to Ohio State for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The day before the game, we were touring the football stadium and taking photos while pretending to play football. I attempted to tuck and roll, but I did a little too much tuck and not enough roll because I jumped straight up and landed on my shoulder. I got right back up and kept walking but then felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. I didn’t mention it to anybody and said my arm was OK to make sure I didn’t miss the opportunity to perform at an NCAA tournament game. When we got back to Orlando, I went to the doctor, and it turns out that pop was my collarbone snapping in half. All I can say is, “Worth it!”

If you could play any mascot other than Knightro, who would it be and why?

The Oregon Duck. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous of all the national attention that Duck gets. Speaking of which, Knightro needs an ESPN commercial.

Knightro is known for his style. What’s his favorite outfit?

Knightro has a bunch of great outfits, but my personal favorite is probably the Matador outfit he wears when we play USF. I also like to dress as Santa and ice skate at Light up UCF.

How do you clean that costume?

We fill a 30-gallon drum with cold water and then dunk all of the costume pieces and stir them around for a while. After we pull the costume out, we let it air dry for a few days.

Who has inspired you the most during your time at UCF?

I can’t imagine where I would be without the help and mentorship of caring members of the UCF faculty. I have been lucky enough to have six classes with Professor Dan Novatnak and choose him as a professor every chance I get. Professor Novatnak teaches his classes with a level of enthusiasm that engages everyone in the room. Every time I leave his class, I feel a little bit smarter and a little more enlightened about my future. He taught me that you will never work a day in your life if you do what you love, and that has inspired me to pursue my dreams.

What class has been your favorite and why?

Without a doubt, my favorite class has been Game Design Workshop. I am following the Game Design track of the Digital Media BA and eventually want to make video games for a living. Game Design Workshop is a class where you spend the semester developing one of your original ideas into a fully functional video game. It’s an amazing class that gave me confidence I made the correct career choice.

What it will mean for you to graduate next month with your dad?

My father has always been there for me with advice, encouragement and intelligence. Without him, or his advice, I don’t know how long I would have lasted in college. Getting the opportunity to graduate at the same time as my dad will be a unique and special moment that I will never forget.

Knightro Tryouts Information:

Students are invited to audition to suit up as Knightro. No experience is required. An audition meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 5, and tryouts will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Burnett Honors College on the main campus. For more information, contact Team Knightro Coach Michael Callahan at 407-823-2143 or Michael.callahan@ucf.edu

Sitting at over five feet tall, the ecofriendly statue was created to help encourage recycling and other environmentally-friendly initiatives throughout the UCF Rosen College campus.

“We wanted to create something that would inspire other UCF students to be more green around campus,” explained Aline Fenelon, one of the seven Student Outreach Services (SOS) staff members who helped fashion the recycled Knightro statue. “Since we don’t have the real Knightro on the Rosen campus, we thought it would be a great idea to recreate him out of recycled materials.”

Fenelon, along with the other SOS staff members, collected over 125 plastic bottles and cereal boxes from students around campus, and used chicken wire and spray paint to create the Knightro replica. In total, the recycled statue took eight hours of labor to construct.

“The recycled Knightro statue symbolizes how UCF students can find creative and fun ways to reuse recyclable items and not just throw them away,” said Fenelon. “We’ve also recently held demonstrations to teach other students how to turn old t-shirts into scarves, and how to create folders and planters out of cereal boxes.”

Fenelon explains that these new ecofriendly initiatives are a continuation of campus-wide efforts to make UCF’s Rosen College more environmentally friendly.

In the spring of 2010, UCF’s Rosen College launched a year-long effort to reduce its consumption of water, electricity and natural gas, which led to $30,000 in savings of utilities. Since then, UCF’s Rosen College has continued to improve upon its ecofriendly efforts and expects to yield similar savings this year.

For more information on green initiatives at UCF’s Rosen College Hospitality Management, please e-mail SOSRosen@ucf.edu.