Over millions of years, flowing water etched valleys, shaped mountainsides and formed the branching blue and green scars visible across Earth — and potentially those on other celestial bodies.

Now, UCF researchers and collaborating institutions developed a framework capable of reconstructing realistic 3D landscapes using only 2D river network patterns. By combining computer models that simulate how river networksform with principles of hydraulic geometry — the study of how rivers naturally shape themselves over time — the researchers were able to estimate terrain features such as elevation, channel depth, slope and sediment transport.

The approach could help scientists better understand how landscapes evolve under different environmental conditions on Earth and potentially other planetary bodies such as Mars and Titan.

Rivers as Geological Records

According to Arvind Singh, an associate professor in UCF’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, river networks preserve traces of the physical processes and external forcings that shaped them over time.

“River networks encode the integrated effects of hydrologic and geomorphic processes, reflected in metrics such as drainage structure, channel geometry, relief and hypsometry (the measurement of elevation and depth),� Singh says.

Reconstructing Landscapes from Networks

Traditionally, researchers study river systems by starting with 3D topographic data gathered through satellite imaging and digital elevation models, then extracting river networks from the terrain.

The new framework flips that process.

Instead of beginning with terrain itself, the researchers investigated whether river networks contain enough information to reconstruct landscapes from the ground up.

“Because traditional approaches require full topography and only describe patterns, reverse engineering (e.g., from networks) can reveal the underlying physical processes that govern landscape form,� Singh says.

The researchers say river networks can reveal far more than simple drainage patterns. Under the framework, the geometry of the networks can also help estimate hidden environmental variables tied to landscape formation.

“A key insight is that realistic 3D landscapes, and even unobservable quantities like discharge or sediment transport, can be reconstructed from 2D network structure alone, revealing strong constraints imposed by fundamental scaling laws,� Singh says.

Testing Alien Worlds

Because the framework is dimensionless and scalable, researchers were also able to adapt the model to hypothetical landscapes on Mars and Titan by changing variables such as gravity and sediment density.

The resulting simulations revealed how river valleys and terrain formations may differ across planetary environments. Compared to Earth and Mars, Titan’s lower gravity and unique environmental conditions produced wider channels, deeper river systems and flatter overall landscapes.

“Mars and Titan provide natural laboratories with different gravity and fluid/sediment properties, allowing the framework to test how identical network structures yield different landscapes under altered physical conditions.”—Arvind Singh, associate professor

The planetary comparisons allowed the researchers to test how different environmental conditions influence landscape formation even when river structures remain similar.

“Mars and Titan provide natural laboratories with different gravity and fluid/sediment properties, allowing the framework to test how identical network structures yield different landscapes under altered physical conditions,� Singh says.

The simulations also demonstrated how gravity and sediment behavior can dramatically alter the shape of landscapes over time.

“Differences in gravity and sediment properties directly alter channel width, depth, slope, and relief, leading to distinct landscape geometries even with the same network structure,� Singh says.

The researchers say the framework may also help scientists better understand how precipitation, sediment size and watershed structure influence the evolution of landscapes over time. Unlike many traditional landscape evolution models, the framework explicitly resolves river channels and their physical characteristics, including depth, slope and gravel transport.

A New Framework for Landscape Evolution

The researchers say the framework differs from many traditional landscape evolution models because it directly incorporates the physical properties of river channels into the simulations.

“This framework couples probabilistic 2D channel network generation with physically based, dimensionally consistent hydraulic geometry and hillslope models, explicitly resolving channel properties and producing fully scalable 3D landscapes,� Singh says.

By revealing how river networks preserve hidden information about the worlds they shape, the researchers hope the framework can help scientists better understand not only Earth’s geological past, but also the ancient landscapes of distant planetary environments.

 The study was conducted by researchers from UCF, the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and collaborating institutions, with support from the UCF P3 program and other funding sources.

UCF researchers are known worldwide for their innovative studies, groundbreaking discoveries and contributions to patented technologies that have impacted society and influenced other leaders in the field.

Two College of Engineering and Computer Science professors and a three-time UCF alum-turned-courtesy faculty appointee are now being recognized for their achievements that have advanced the quality of life for the state of Florida and the nation.

Professors Reza Abdolvand and Ni-bin Chang and Lockheed Martin Fellow Clara Rivero Baleine ’01 ’03MS ’05PhD have been named 2026 inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF). This initiative celebrates pioneering inventors and empowers future problem-solvers and changemakers.

This initiative celebrates pioneering inventors and empowers future problem-solvers and changemakers.

This year, 10 inventors from Florida will be inducted during a formal ceremony in Tampa on Nov. 6. Since FIHF was founded in 2013, five faculty inventors from UCF have been recognized with the distinction.

“Induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame represents the ultimate validation of a lifelong commitment to translating academic research into industry practice,� Chang says. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame, which includes over 90 inventors in different fields is also a testament to the thriving Florida innovation ecosystem and the power of continuous, groundbreaking discovery.�

A Career in Environmental Innovation

Chang was selected for induction based on his groundbreaking invention of green sorption media (GSM) and sustainable water treatment technologies that improve water quality.

GSM is a cost-effective and sustainable type of filtration media that uses recycled byproducts and natural minerals to treat stormwater runoff, wastewater effluent, groundwater flow and agricultural discharge.

There are a variety of patented GSM blends that can filter heavy metals, pathogens and contaminants from water systems. This process not only restores aquatic ecosystems but halts the transmission of waterborne diseases, and eliminates cyanotoxins and “forever chemicals� from water that can harm both humans and animals.

“Removing these diverse contaminants from water matrices provides profound, cascading benefits for both human health and aquatic ecosystems,� Chang says. “By eliminating the risk pathways associated with both acute exposure and chronic bioaccumulation, these GSM-based treatment technologies support fundamental ecological balance and public well-being.�

GSM blends are already used at more than 300 water treatment sites across the U.S.

The Inventor of Advanced Electronics

Abdolvand, the chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was named an inductee for his contributions to the field of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) — incredibly small devices that have mighty power. Specifically, he is the inventor of a class of microelectronics called Thin-Film Piezoelectric-on-Substrate (TPoS) devices, which improve the reliability and efficiency of a wide range of electronics, including cell phones.

“By improving the efficiency and reliability of the components that make up these systems, the impact, while often invisible to the end user, is very real,� Abdolvand says. “Better performance, lower power consumption, and more reliable devices are the kinds of improvements that quietly make everyday technology work better for everyone.�

Abdolvand’s interest in innovation stems from his natural sense of curiosity. He says his tendency to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated events or systems has served him well throughout his career in research and academia.

“The moment it all clicked was during my Ph.D., when I was first given the opportunity to work on genuinely hard technical problems,� Abdolvand says. “I realized I could come up with solutions that simply did not exist yet. That realization was a turning point.�

As his career progresses, Abdolvand hopes to leave behind a legacy that is less about devices and innovation and more about people. His passion for educating, inspiring and creating opportunities for students means more than the impacts of his inventions.

“What excites me most is seeing students take the seed ideas developed at the university and carry them forward into their own companies, their own inventions, their own contributions to society,â€� Abdolvand says. “That chain of innovation — from a research lab to a startup to a product that improves people’s lives — is what I find truly meaningful. If I can play even a small role in setting that chain in motion for as many students as possible, that is the legacy I would be interested to leave behind.â€�

On the Cutting Edge of Infrared Materials and Optics

Driven by a desire to protect people and advance technologies that matter, Rivero Baleine joined Lockheed Martin, a UCF Pegasus Partner, in 2005 after completing three degrees in six years at UCF.

Rivero Baleine now serves as a Lockheed Martin fellow, contributing to cutting‑edge innovation in infrared materials and optics.

Rivero-Baleine’s gradient refractive index optical materials and metamaterial coatings transformed infrared sensing systems for defense and advanced photonics applications.

“I am profoundly proud and deeply humbled to be welcomed into such an extraordinary community of inventors and innovators,� Rivero-Baleine says. “What inspires me most is knowing that these innovations will become part of systems that protect service members, strengthen national security and expand the capabilities of the platforms we rely on. That sense of purpose continues to drive my work every day.�

Rivero Baleine continues to maintain strong ties with UCF through a courtesy faculty appointment at CREOL and serves on the CREOL Dean Advisory Board and the UCF Material Science Industrial Advisory board.

Rivero Baleine is a Burnett Honors Scholar and earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, and a ³¾²¹²õ³Ù±ð°ù’s and a doctorate in optics.

Two UCF researchers have received U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Awards supporting separate engineering research projects focused on how complex systems sense, adapt and respond to changing environments.

The awards were presented to Chinwendu Enyioha, an assistant professor in , and Mohiuddin Quadir, an associate professor in . Among NSF’s most prestigious recognitions for early-career faculty, the CAREER Award supports researchers who show strong potential as academic leaders while integrating research, education and student development.

Recognizing Emerging Research Leaders

While Enyioha and Quadir work in different engineering fields, both researchers are developing systems designed to respond under complex conditions — including autonomous systems coordinating under limited communication and nanoparticles interacting with biological signals in complex environments.

Enyioha says the award will enable his group to build on years of prior work, including early doctoral students who helped lay the foundation for the project.

“It gives us the opportunity to study these problems and acknowledges the effort that has gone into making important findings in this area,� Enyioha says. “It will enable us to continue training doctoral students and make contributions to the broader cyber-physical systems research community.�

For Quadir, the award will help support the long-term development of ideas his research group has been pursuing for years for engineering ‘smart’ materials with programmable form and function.

“This recognition means a very significant impact for our research group and for the progression of our ideas,� Quadir says. “This is a core idea that we want to develop over time, and for that, you need logistic support, intellectual support, collaborations, and of course, newer ideas.�

Designing Autonomous Systems Under Communication Constraints

Enyioha’s CAREER project, “Limited-Communication Control of Teams of Autonomous Systems� focuses on developing mathematical frameworks and distributed algorithms that allow teams of autonomous systems to coordinate effectively under bandwidth-limited communication constraints.

The research examines how spatially distributed systems — including robotic networks, wireless sensors and autonomous infrastructure systems — can continue operating cooperatively even when communication bandwidth becomes constrained or unreliable.

“One way to think about it is if you have a bunch of robots that need to solve a particular task. Clearly they have to talk and agree and coordinate,� Enyioha says. “The question we are interested in is how can they solve that problem when they are not able to talk freely with one another?�

Communication constraints are common in real-world environments, including disaster zones, underwater systems and crowded networks where many devices compete for limited bandwidth.

“Our focus isn’t on situations where we have no communication, but on being efficient in how we use limited communication resources down to single bits,� Enyioha says.

To explain the concept, Enyioha compares the challenge to compressing navigation instructions.

“If you want to go from Orlando to Houston, Google Maps gives you a long list of instructions,� he says. “But if you only had two pieces of information to give someone, you might say, ‘Go north. Then go west.’�

The project also studies resilient systems capable of continuing to operate even when communication channels fail or individual components become compromised, an important challenge in areas such as disaster response, autonomous infrastructure and large-scale robotic systems.

“In the community we call this designing autonomous systems that gracefully degrade,� Enyioha says.

Engineering Materials That Respond to Biological Signals

Quadir’s CAREER project, “Nanoscale Interactions of Stimuli-responsive Nanoparticles with Enzymes,� investigates how engineered nanoparticles can be designed to recognize and respond to biological signals in ways that mimic certain characteristics found in living systems.

“As you know, in [human] physiology, in the physiology of the plants, in the physiology of any living materials around the world, there is a very basic paradigm that goes on, which is selective responsiveness to a particular stimulus within the myriad of noises,� Quadir says. “This sensitivity means a system can register and isolate signals from a complex external environment and translate them into an action.�

Quadir says his research group is trying to translate that biological principle into the materials world by engineering nanoparticles capable of recognizing specific molecular signals and producing targeted responses.

The research focuses on enzyme-responsive nanomaterials — particles capable of interacting with enzymes at the molecular level. Quadir says his research group designs and engineers the molecular building blocks of nanoparticles so they can recognize specific enzyme signals and respond accordingly.

Potential applications could include medicine, aging research, environmental science, and adaptive materials capable of responding to dynamic biological environments.

Supporting Long-Term Research and Education

Both CAREER projects include education and outreach components designed to train students and expand engagement with emerging areas of engineering.

Education and workforce development are central components of Enyioha’s CAREER Award, he says. His research group includes doctoral, ³¾²¹²õ³Ù±ð°ù’s and undergraduate students who participate in research on autonomy, machine learning, and distributed optimization theory, with applications to networked cyber-physical systems. Beyond the university, he also introduces younger students to these fields through programs such as UCF Camp Connect, where K-12 participants are introduced to decision-making algorithms and autonomy during a week-long summer program.

“Seeing real demonstrations helped them understand how core concepts from math and physics apply to real problems,� Enyioha says.

Quadir acknowledges the work done by the graduate students and postdocs towards the research goal. He is grateful to his mentors, collaborators and colleagues at the department and college for their guidance and inspiration, and the National Science Foundation for research support.

Quadir says scientific and engineering research ultimately aims to improve the lives of others.

Together, the awards highlight how UCF researchers are advancing engineering systems capable of adapting to increasingly complex biological, computational and real-world environments.

Enyioha’s CAREER Award project, “Limited-Communication Control of Teams of Autonomous Systems,â€� is supported under NSF award GR110760. Quadir’s CAREER Award project, “Nanoscale Interactions of Stimuli-responsive Nanoparticles with Enzymes,â€� is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under awards GR111180 and GR111181 (Award number  – 2609681)

For a group of seven UCF graduate students and alums, it starts with curiosity and a willingness to explore the unknown.

Researchers studying topics ranging from galaxy formation and invasive fire ant species interactions across Florida ecosystems to sustainable propulsion systems, harmful algal blooms and organic chemistry with potential pharmaceutical applications have earned recognition through the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). One of the nation’s most competitive honors, the fellowship supports students pursuing research-based ³¾²¹²õ³Ù±ð°ù’s and doctoral degrees in STEM fields while helping develop the next generation of innovators and scientific leaders.

The 2026 UCF recipients of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship are:

• Charlotte Moore ’25
  Physics, College of Sciences and Burnett Honors College
• Jennifer Hughes ’25
  Environmental engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Burnett Honors College
• Melissa Deinys ’26
  Chemistry, College of Sciences and Burnett Honors College
• Noah Swann ’24
  Chemistry, College of Sciences
• Kalissa Moseley
  Integrative biology, College of Sciences
• Emilio Pereira ’25
  Aerospace engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Burnett Honors College
• Brendan Shrader ’25
  Mathematics, College of Sciences, and Burnett Honors College

Chasing Challenges

The fellows’ research spans different disciplines, but many are driven by a common goal: developing solutions to better our world.

UCF mathematics and physics alum Charlotte Moore ’25 studies galaxy evolution in the early universe, a field that has rapidly advanced thanks to new observational technologies such as the James Webb Space Telescope.

“We’re in an era of very rapid improvement in observing technology,â€� says Moore, an astrophysics doctoral student at the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of California, Santa Barbara. “There is a lot of data from very early times in the universe I can use that just wasn’t available before the past five years or so.â€�

Jennifer Hughes ’25, a UCF environmental engineering and biology alum, became interested in research after seeing a graduate student demonstrate a microbial fuel cell powered by bacteria in research lab during her first semester at UCF.

“I was immediately fascinated by the idea that bacteria could generate an electrical current,â€� says Hughes, an incoming ³¾²¹²õ³Ù±ð°ù’s student in biological and environmental engineering at Cornell º£½ÇÖ±²¥ whose research at UCF focused on harmful algal blooms and algal bioremediation.

Melissa Deinys ’26, a UCF biotechnology alum and current chemistry doctoral student whose research focuses on environmental health and ecosystem protection technologies, says her passion for science stems from a curiosity about how the world works and encouragement from her parents to keep asking questions.

“What I love most about research is that it allows me to combine my natural curiosity with a meaningful impact,� Deinys says.

Scientific Curiosity and Discovery

Moore said her interest in astronomy began early through physics courses and science programs she explored while growing up. She later became interested in studying galaxies through undergraduate research experiences and opportunities to work directly with researchers in the field.

Deinys says one of the experiences that most shaped her perspective on research came while presenting mangrove disease research during a community outreach event.

“As researchers, we often focus on experiments, data analysis and publications, but at the end of the day, the purpose of research is to help people,� Deinys says.

The Reality of Discovery

While scientific breakthroughs may be the end goal, several fellows say the real work of research happens in the setbacks, uncertainty and persistence that lead to discovery.

For chemistry alum Noah Swann ’24, whose work focuses on organic chemistry and natural product synthesis, repeated setbacks are an expected part of lab research.

“I was told when I first started in the lab that 90% of the reactions you run won’t work,â€� says Swann, a chemistry doctoral student at the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Chicago. “At the end of the day, you realize that there is no failure, only learning.â€�

Kalissa Moseley, a UCF integrative biology doctoral student who studies invasive fire ant interactions across Florida ecosystems, says one of her earliest undergraduate research projects helped reshape how she approached experimental design and scientific problem-solving.

“Even though this project was [challenging], I walked away with a much better skillset in experimental design,� Moseley says.

Working through uncertainty has become one of the most important lessons for UCF aerospace engineering alum Emilio Pereira ’25, whose research focuses on hypersonics and detonative combustion for propulsion and power generation systems.

“Nothing worth doing has ever been easy,� says Pereira, a mechanical engineering doctoral student at Purdue. “The ability to recognize this and not beat myself down and be empowered by my own inadequacies, is what’s allowed me to succeed.�

The Power of Mentorship

Many fellows credit UCF faculty mentors, undergraduate research opportunities and hands-on lab experiences with helping shape their academic and professional journeys.

Moore points to undergraduate research experiences with Professor of Physics , which helped prepare her for graduate research and provided early exposure to scientific collaboration and conference opportunities.

Participating in undergraduate research and completing her Honors Undergraduate Thesis strengthened Hughes’ research skills for graduate study and the NSF fellowship.

Swann credits Professor of Chemistry with empowering him to lead his own research project and pursue research professionally.

Looking Ahead

Whether they’re studying distant galaxies, invasive species, sustainable energy systems, environmental resilience or future medicines, the fellows share a belief that research can make a meaningful difference.

Several hope to advance scientific discovery. Others envision mentoring the next generation of STEM students and researchers.

These ambitions are already taking shape in labs, field sites and research centers — one question, experiment and discovery at a time.

For Hughes, that future includes continuing research focused on biological systems and environmental resilience. For Moore, it includes continuing astronomy research as new observational technologies expand scientists’ ability to study the early universe.

Moseley says she hopes her future research can contribute to improving invasive species management strategies and understanding how invasive ants affect ecosystems across Florida.

Deinys says she hopes to eventually build a career that combines research, mentorship and public impact while helping future students see themselves represented in STEM fields.

Brendan Shrader ’25, a UCF mathematics alum and Burnett Honors Scholar, also received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and will pursue graduate studies in mathematical biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Students interested in applying for the U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship program or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards ²¹³ÙÌýopa@ucf.edu.

Now CATER is expanding its mission and its reach as it shifts from a center within the College of Engineering and Computer Science to an official university center, effective July 1. This new iteration of CATER includes structured goals for faculty success, advancing new industry and national lab partnerships and the development of new research and testing facilities for students and faculty.

“Florida has an unparallel industrial ecosystem that includes turbomachinery companies, space propulsion companies and aviation companies,� Pegasus Professor and Trustee Chair Jayanta Kapat says. “CATER works at the intersection of these technologies and strives to provide the best training to UCF students who will work for these organizations, capable of providing them with fast and quality technical solutions.�

Fostering Faculty Mentorship

UCF sets up its faculty for long-term success, in part, through quality mentorship.

As part of Kapat’s plan, core senior CATER faculty members will mentor incoming assistant professors who join CATER as core faculty members until they receive promotion and tenure. Throughout the process, junior faculty will receive guidance on the grant funding process and networking as well as student recruitment and advising.

CATER’s current interdisciplinary faculty expertise includes mechanical and aerospace engineering, and modeling, simulation and training.

“The typical faculty career is 20 to 30 years, and we want our faculty to stay successful over that period of time,� Kapat says. “None of this is taught in a university as a course. So in CATER we have created a very intense one-to-one mentorship plan that worked well in the previous version of CATER so that core members can sustain productivity over their entire faculty careers.�

Redefining the Research Focus

To be considered or to remain a core member of CATER, senior faculty will need to continuously meet specific metrics such as annual research expenditures, total annual awards, the number of mentored graduate students, number doctoral graduations, publications, etc.

CATER won’t expand beyond 15 core members and 10 research faculty members, while keeping its focus on various research applications, such as hypersonics and national security, energy and sustainability, advanced air mobility, and space power and propulsion.

“These are the areas where we contribute to the university’s overall strategic initiatives that President Alexander N. Cartwright implemented as part of UCF’s strategic plan,â€� Kapat says. “So this is our contribution to the university’s strategic goals.â€�

The faculty are already working on several research projects to support CATER’s research pillars, including the development of digital twin architecture for power plants and aviation systems, creating new fuels for zero-emission aviation, use of supercritical carbon dioxide, molten salt and ammonia as energy carriers for future power generation systems, expanding design paradigm using advanced manufacturing and newer materials, and investigating the possibility of building a power plant on the moon.

Expanding Industry Partnerships

CATER also supports industry needs through partnerships with major energy, aerospace and defense organizations that are based in Central Florida, including Pegasus Partner Siemens Energy. For the past decade, CATER’s homebase has been the Siemens Energy Center on the main campus. But now researchers have additional facilities that support their work.

CATER and the Aerospace Technology Group (ATG) have collaborated on the CATER-ATG Engine Research Test (CERT) facility, which recently opened at Valkaria Airport near Melbourne, Florida. The space allows CATER researchers to certify engine parts and develop/validate new technologies that companies like Boeing or GE could incorporate into their next generation aviation systems.

Professor Kareem Ahmed, a world expert in hypersonic and space propulsion, is using the space to conduct fuel tests for the Department of Defense. Professor Subith Vasu, a world expert in supercritical carbon dioxide oxy-combustion and ammonia combustion, will conduct engine testing of ammonia as a fuel for an actual aviation gas turbine — one of the first in the world.

Kapat’s group is conducting ground testing of hypersonic flight components and will conduct cracking of ammonia using heat from a gas turbine exhaust. Such experiments can’t be run on the UCF campus.

A third joint facility called the CATER Applied Propulsion and Energy Center (CAPE), is under development with start of operation expected by August. This would house several mid-TRL experimental rigs on supercritical carbon dioxide cycle, molten salt systems and components, energy storage, advanced air mobility, etc.

CAPE facility will be also strategically located close to the world’s largest molten salt energy storage facility, called MOSS, being planned by Siemens Energy and will be used to test components for thermal energy storage systems and thermal interface for advanced nuclear reactors. Siemens Energy would own the MOSS facility while a nuclear reactor company will supply a large fraction of the equipment. UCF researchers will help operate and use the facility to conduct research and train the next generation of nuclear and mechanical engineers.

“We need to train the new workforce because there is not enough people trained in nuclear engineering anymore,� Kapat says. “Mechanical engineering is a nuclear-adjacent area, so they see this as an opportunity to train the workforce by letting them run the facility. So it’s a win-win for everybody.�

UCF Professor Michal Masternak and his team have identified molecular changes in the liver that happen when space travelers experience radiation and microgravity. These changes – that resemble accelerated aging – provide new insight into how prolonged space missions may increase health risks for astronauts and reveal potential targets for therapies that could combat age-related diseases on Earth.

“Just 24 hours after radiation exposure, there are many genetic changes in the liver that are remarkably similar to what happens during aging.� — Professor Michal Masternak

“We focused on the liver because it is one of the major metabolic organs in our body,� says Masternak, leader of the College of Medicine’s aging and space medicine research efforts. “What we found was that just 24 hours after radiation exposure, there are many genetic changes in the liver that are remarkably similar to what happens during aging. We can assume that if someone were in space much longer, the damage could be much greater.�

The findings were recently published in GeroScience.

Navigating the Science

For their study, UCF researchers and scientists from the U.S. created a simulated deep space environment in the lab. The team exposed animal models to simulated microgravity for 14 days and galactic cosmic radiation and solar particle events at NASA Space Radiation Laboratory trying to mimic the dosage that astronauts would be exposed to during a trip to Mars.

The exposure triggered noticeable and potentially harmful changes in the liver, including increased cellular senescence (aging and decreased cell function), inflammation and fibrosis. Left untreated, these conditions can eventually lead to declining and even failing organ function.

The research team then compared their results with data collected from astronaut blood samples taken during the NASA Twins Study and Inspiration4 astronauts. They saw similar genetic changes in blood.

“We’ve got this raw data from human studies, and they show that some of these changes are similar,� Masternak says. “That tells us we’re identifying useful molecular targets that one day could help protect astronauts during long-duration space missions.�

They also went a step further to see whether the changes could be treated. They identified a group of molecules known as antagomirs that alter several aging and inflammatory genetic pathways by interacting with the body’s microRNA. This system could pinpoint promising future therapies for space travelers.

Understanding Aging in the Space Age

Masternak says the nation’s growing space industry provides a unique opportunity to study aging at an accelerated pace.

“Very often when we study different aging processes, it takes time,� he says. “Even in humans, it’s almost impossible because it would take decades. But if we see some acceleration of aging in space, then we can translate it to human studies. We can observe processes happening much faster, understand them better and eventually use that knowledge to improve health for people here on Earth.�

“If we see some acceleration of aging in space, then … we can observe processes happening much faster, understand them better and eventually use that knowledge to improve health for people here on Earth.â€� — Masternak

Those discoveries could eventually lead to therapies that slow age-related diseases, preserve organ function and improve quality of life for everyone as they age.

“Our understanding of aging is very complex,â€� Masternak says. “Aging isn’t simply wrinkles or cosmetic changes. It’s the gradual and cascading failure of multiple organs and biological systems that happen at the same time. By understanding what starts that process and where it happens, we have a better chance of preventing many diseases before they develop. That is one of the biggest outstanding questions.â€�

Students Positioned at the Forefront of Space Medicine

College of Medicine students are also benefitting from space medicine research. Biomedical sciences Ph.D. student Md Tanjim Alam ’25MS joined Masternak’s laboratory during his biotechnology master’s program after initially planning to study cancer in relation to aging biology. Then he was introduced to space medicine, including processing astronaut samples from commercial space travelers to study how extreme environments affect human biology. That research has inspired him.

“I want to keep exploring the unknown,� Alam says. “I really want to understand how space travel influences human health, particularly its effects on aging and cancer.�

µþ¾±´Ç³Ù±ð³¦³ó²Ô´Ç±ô´Ç²µ²âÌý²µ°ù²¹»å³Ü²¹³Ù±ðÌý²õ³Ù³Ü»å±ð²Ô³ÙÌý³§²¹°ù²¹³óÌý³§.Ìý³§¾±»å»å¾±±ç¾±Ìý’24Ìýsays the interdisciplinary nature of the research attracted her to the space medicine and aging lab.

“When people think of aging, they think only about elderly populations,â€� says Siddiqi, who earned her bachelor’s degree as a Burnett Honors Scholar in biomedical sciences. “But we study aging across different stages of life and different environments, including space. I’ll always be focused on improving quality of life. I want to better understand diseases that are increasingly prevalent and find ways to recognize them earlier, before they progress to later stages.â€�

Funding and Disclosure:

¸é±ð±è°ù±ð²õ±ð²Ô³Ù¾±²Ô²µÌý±«°ä¹ó,ÌýNatalie Hayslip ’24 served as first author, while Sarah Ashiqueali ’21MS ’24PhD, Xiang Zhu, Ridwan Hussein ’22 and Mishfak Mansoor also contributed to the research. Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Pittsburgh and the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also contributed.

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Award Number (FAIN): 2317758(MMM), Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program of the Florida Department of Health, Public Health Research, Biomedical Research Program 24A12 (MMM), and the National Science Centre, Poland UMO-2023/51/B/NZ5/00498 (MMM).

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the awarding agencies.

After years of research and development led by experts ²¹³ÙÌýUCF in collaboration with researchers from universities across the U.S. and in Europe, the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA) has reached two major milestones: powering its first full-scale study to address one of virtual reality’s most persistent barriers to adoption and awarding its first use grant to enhance immersive learning and information across industries.

VERA, a platform funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, is the first, large-scale system for extended reality human subjects research and designed to advance the speed, scale and scope of immersive research. The platform enables immersive researchers to design, deploy, and manage virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) studies with remote participants therefore significantly improving the quality of the science, while reducing costs, lowering logistical barriers and expanding participant reach.

“No one has built anything like VERA before,� says Pegasus Professor Gregory Welch, lead principal investigator on VERA. “The team was really starting from scratch to create this national platform, integrating AI technologies and establishing policies and procedures that will produce methodologically rigorous behavioral data.�

“We’re excited for VERA to now start to run in an open beta mode and reach these two firsts,� Welch continues.

Accelerating Understanding of Cybersickness

For its first major large-scale study leveraging remote participants, VERA is helping researchers address one of the most persistent challenges in virtual reality: cybersickness.

Cybersickness occurs when symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and discomfort are caused by a mismatch between visual motion in a headset and the user’s physical motion. Associate Professor of Computer Science Gerd Bruder, who is an affiliate researcher in the Institute of Simulation and Training, is leading the research study in collaboration with other UCF researchers and external partners.

“Understanding who is susceptible to cybersickness is critical to improving VR accessibility, making VR more comfortable for all users and enabling broader adoption across research, education and industry,� Bruder says.

Early data collection highlights the powerful capabilities of the VERA platform to accelerate VR research at an unprecedented scale.

In just 15 cumulative days, VERA had more than 250 participants complete the full study protocol. In comparison, the original in-lab study collected data from just 30 participants and in traditional VR research settings, studies with hundreds of participants often require several months to complete.

For the study, each participant experiences a controlled VR rollercoaster ride on their own headset and provides sickness ratings at periodic intervals, a pre- and post- exposure questionnaire, an in-VR visual acuity assessment, and continuous head-tracking data. Each session is completed in approximately 30 minutes at home.

“The sectors where VERA can make an impact are expansive, from healthcare to workforce training to accessibility to learning.�

Enrollment is ongoing with a target of 2,000 participants. Preliminary analyses already suggest meaningful individual differences in how quickly and severely participants experience cybersickness.

“VERA was built to study problems like this with a combination of speed, scale and experimental complexity not previously possible,� Welch says. “The sectors where VERA can make an impact are expansive, from healthcare to workforce training to accessibility to learning.�

Groundbreaking Immersive Learning Project

For the first project selected in its Use Grant program, VERA is supporting innovative research to study how different immersive technologies engage learners in different ways. The study will help inform how to leverage emerging technologies in education, cultural institutions, public engagement and more.

The grant was awarded to the San José State º£½ÇÖ±²¥ School of Information Library Technology Integration Lab in Silicon Valley and New Media Learning, one of the largest providers of virtual reality programming in public libraries.

The project will support a collaborative virtual reality research environment integrated with VERA with participants from across the U.S. in public libraries, universities and other sites.

Researchers will collect behavioral and interaction data including attention patterns, object interaction, navigation pathways, movement, clicks, engagement metrics, and time-on-task, supplemented by surveys and participant feedback. The resulting research environment will serve a scalable prototype for future applications to make immersive learning experiences more accessible to communities worldwide.

A distinguishing feature of the project is the active involvement of San José State º£½ÇÖ±²¥ undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Information who will work alongside faculty researchers and technology partners to gain hands-on experience.

“Being selected as the first VERA Use Grant recipient is both an honor and an extraordinary opportunity,â€� says Anthony S. Chow, professor in the San José State º£½ÇÖ±²¥ School of Information and founder of the Library Technology Integration Lab. “Through this collaboration, we hope to generate research that helps libraries, educators, museums and community organizations leverage virtual reality to address some of society’s most important challenges while creating meaningful research opportunities for students.â€�

“We are excited to welcome San José State º£½ÇÖ±²¥Â and New Media Learning as the first recipients of a VERA Use Grant,â€� Welch says. “Their expertise in libraries, immersive learning, public engagement and emerging technologies makes them ideal partners for demonstrating how VERA can accelerate impactful XR research. We believe this collaboration will help establish new models for studying learning, engagement, and information behavior in immersive environments.â€�

Berinstain, director of the Florida Space Institute at UCF,  has more than 30 years of experience spanning government, industry and academia. Throughout his career, he has led major space initiatives, advanced international collaborations and worked to expand opportunities across the rapidly evolving space sector.

Founded in 1963 to fuel the space race, UCF is America’s Space º£½ÇÖ±²¥. Berinstain’s appointment to lead the Florida Space Research Consortium underscores UCF’s leadership and expertise in this evolving field.

The consortium is a statewide partnership uniting Florida’s major research universities — Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical º£½ÇÖ±²¥, Florida A&M º£½ÇÖ±²¥, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida International º£½ÇÖ±²¥, Florida State º£½ÇÖ±²¥, UCF, the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Florida and the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of South Florida — with government, industry and investment partners.

“I am honored to lead the Florida Space Research Consortium at a time of tremendous opportunity for space research and innovation.” — Alain Berinstain, Florida Space Institute director at UCF

“I am honored to lead the Florida Space Research Consortium at a time of tremendous opportunity for space research and innovation,” says Berinstain, who is a resident of Florida’s Space Coast. “Florida is the world’s busiest and best place to launch to space. I look forward to working with Florida universities, industry and government partners to accomplish together what no individual member of the consortium can achieve on their own and to advance Florida’s leadership in space.â€�

From 1997 to 2013, Berinstain worked at the Canadian Space Agency, including serving as director of planetary exploration and space astronomy. He has advised companies such as Virgin Galactic and served as chief strategy officer at Space Tango and at CSS Inc.

“Dr. Berinstain brings a unique combination of leadership experience, strategic vision and deep knowledge of the space sector,” says David Norton, vice president for research at the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Florida and chair of the Florida Space Research Consortium board. “He has a proven ability to build partnerships and advance the collaborative mission of the Florida Space Research Consortium.”

“Dr. Berinstain brings a unique combination of leadership experience, strategic vision and deep knowledge of the space sector.” — David Norton,  chair of the Florida Space Research Consortium board

Faculty and students at the member universities are advancing a wide range of space research that supports everything from exploration and discovery to practical technologies needed for future missions. Ongoing work across the consortium includes developing smarter spacecraft and satellites; improving propulsion, navigation and communications systems; designing new materials that can withstand the harsh conditions of space; and creating technologies to manufacture, build and operate in space and on the lunar surface.

“Researchers are also focused on using space for the benefit of Earth, addressing human health issues including aging, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,â€� Berinstain says. “As Earthlings prepare to explore the moon, mars and beyond, understanding the human side of spaceflight is key. This includes studies of how people, plants and biological systems function in space; efforts to grow food in lunar and Martian conditions; and research in planetary science, astrophysics, space weather and Earth observation. As a team, we can take on bold, new challenges.â€�

Together, these efforts reflect a shared commitment to advancing knowledge, supporting long‑duration space missions, strengthening the space economy and translating scientific breakthroughs into real‑world benefits, Norton says.

A new educational partnership between UCF and the U.S. Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) is creating opportunities for research, student training and workforce development in one of the country’s most specialized scientific fields. The collaboration strengthens critical scientific capabilities, facilitates the sharing of resources and expertise, helps build the radiochemistry talent pipeline and positions UCF at the forefront of nuclear chemistry research that supports national security missions.

“Through collaborative research projects and summer internships, UCF students gain hands-on experience working alongside federal scientists and access to AFTAC’s facilities and instrumentation for research supporting national security missions,� says Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, associate professor of chemistry in the UCF College of Sciences and principal investigator of the partnership.

Only a small number of universities nationwide have established this type of relationship with AFTAC, the Department of the Air Force responsible for monitoring nuclear treaty compliance and detecting nuclear events worldwide.

A Nationally Recognized Program

“The fact that we were invited by AFTAC to be one of their official academic partners says a lot about the recognition of our program and the important role chemistry and radiochemistry play in the national security landscape.”

According to Anagnostopoulos — director of UCF’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fellowship and UCF principal investigator for the multi-institutional NNSA-funded Consortium for Nuclear Forensics — UCF’s growing reputation in radiochemistry and analytical chemistry helped distinguish the university as a strong academic partner.

The collaboration also reflects UCF’s broader role in supporting Florida’s rapidly growing aerospace, defense and national security ecosystem through research, workforce development and federal partnerships.

“Our radiochemistry program is gaining national recognition through multiple research grants and collaborative proposals,� Anagnostopoulos says. “The fact that we were invited by AFTAC to be one of their official academic partners says a lot about the recognition of our program and the important role chemistry and radiochemistry play in the national security landscape.�

The partnership builds on UCF’s advanced research infrastructure, including radiochemistry laboratories, mass spectrometry capabilities and materials characterization resources. Together, these facilities enable researchers to analyze complex nuclear materials and conduct detailed characterization studies for national and international security applications.

“We have cutting-edge facilities and instrumentation for sensitive and precise analysis,� Anagnostopoulos says. “The combination of radiochemistry, advanced analytical capabilities and access to radioactive materials allows us to address complicated real-world problems and provide technical information that can support our federal partners’ missions.�

Unique Opportunities for Students

For students, the partnership opens the door to hands-on experiences rarely available in a traditional academic setting.

Through internships and collaborative research projects, students will work alongside multidisciplinary teams of chemists, engineers and scientists while gaining exposure to federal laboratory environments and national security protocols.

Few universities nationwide offer students direct pathways into operational nuclear security environments, making the partnership a unique training opportunity for UCF students interested in chemistry, national security and federal science careers.

“Beyond the technical training, they gain exposure to mission-focused work, interdisciplinary collaboration and communication skills that are essential in federal and defense environments,� Anagnostopoulos says.

Building the Future Workforce

The agreement also addresses a national need for trained experts in radiochemistry and nuclear chemistry, highly specialized disciplines offered at only a limited number of institutions nationwide, Anagnostopoulos says.

As federal agencies and national laboratories work to strengthen expertise in nuclear security, treaty monitoring and advanced nuclear technologies, partnerships like this help ensure a pipeline of future highly skilled scientists is ready to contribute.

“This partnership helps prepare the next generation of scientists while keeping the country at the forefront of nuclear security and global safety,� Anagnostopoulos says.

As the collaboration grows, it’s expected to expand opportunities for faculty, researchers, and students in other fields, such as big data analytics and cybersecurity, while further establishing UCF as a hub for radiochemistry, defense-related chemistry, and national security research.

In aquatic ecosystems, some species use active sensing systems, emitting echolocation sounds or electric fields to navigate dark or murky waters.

This sensory ability can come with trade-offs. For electric eels and their weakly electric knifefish prey, generating electric fields helps them navigate and hunt, but those same signals can also reveal their location.

In a recent study published in , UCF researchers found that both electric eels and knifefish strategically suppress and resume their electric signals to avoid detection.

The findings provide new insight into how animals balance sensing their surroundings while remaining hidden from predators or prey, a challenge that also appears in technologies such as sonar and radar. This work also expands scientific understanding of how active sensory systems evolve in competitive environments where being detected can mean losing a meal or becoming one.

“Our findings show that active sensing creates a paradox: the same electric signals these animals need to navigate and hunt can also reveal them to eavesdropping predators or prey,� says Professor of Biology William Crampton, who co-led the study with biology doctoral graduate Lok Poon ’26PhD. “Both eels and knifefish appear to resolve this paradox through electric stealth, briefly suppressing their signals when concealment matters, then resuming them when sensing becomes more important.�

Tracking Electric Signals in the Amazon

To test these predator-prey interactions, the researchers deployed six custom-designed electric signal loggers along a 150-meter section of an Amazonian stream. Each logger recorded 60-second segments of electric signals over 27 nights. In total, nearly 107,000 minutes of data were collected.

“Electric fish are ideal for this kind of study because their signals let us monitor their presence and movements electronically, simply by recording how often they pass near submerged electrodes,� Crampton says. “Our loggers allowed us, for the first time, to monitor predator-prey electric signaling interactions continuously in the wild.�

Researchers then analyzed the recordings to distinguish species by their unique electric signal signatures.

How Eels and Knifefish Use “Electric Stealth�

“With knifefish, we found that when they detect electric eel signals, some flee while some pulse-type species switch off their own electric discharges for several seconds. “—William Crampton, professor of biology

“With knifefish, we found that when they detect electric eel signals, some flee while some pulse-type species switch off their own electric discharges for several seconds,� Crampton says. “In our logger recordings, a knifefish could be producing its normal train of pulses to sense its environment, then suddenly become electrically silent as soon as eel signals appeared.�

Laboratory tests showed that low-frequency components of electric eel signals play a key role in triggering this response, with knifefish reacting far less when those components were reduced.

Electric eels were also found to pause their low-voltage electrolocation pulses before high-voltage bursts used to probe for or stun prey. This silence would make an approaching eel less detectable to electroreceptive prey such as knifefish. Once the eel produces a high-voltage burst, however, it has revealed its presence, temporarily reducing the benefit of stealth.  The eel promptly resumes its regular low-voltage pulses, likely to rapidly relocate, track or capture prey.

“The field recordings revealed these phenomena in the ecological context,� Crampton says. “The laboratory experiments then allowed us to isolate the eel signal features that trigger knifefish responses.�

Parallels in Nature and Technology

In nature, the only well-studied comparison to this behavior is the predator-prey dynamic between killer whales and their toothed-whale prey.

“Killer whales and smaller toothed whales such as beaked whales use echolocation, relying on sound rather than electric signals to sense their surroundings,� Crampton says. “Mammal-eating killer whales can suppress echolocation and calls while hunting, while beaked whales and other prey species may reduce vocal activity or take evasive action when they detect killer whale sounds. The eel-knifefish system shows a remarkably similar trade-off in the electric sense.�

The findings suggest convergent evolutionary pressures favoring the ability of both predators and prey to modulate active-sensing signals to improve survival.

Similar trade-offs also occur in human active-sensing technologies such as sonar and radar. A submarine, for instance, can use active signals to detect its surroundings, but each outgoing ping can also reveal the vessel’s location.

“Just as we found in electric eels and knifefish, operators of these systems balance the need to gather information with the need to remain hidden,� Crampton says. “In submarines, that can mean alternating between active sonar and passive listening depending on the situation.�

Electric eels, knifefish, echolocating whales and human operators all face the same challenge: balancing the benefits of active sensing with the risk of detection.

Future Research Applications

Electric fish have long contributed to scientists’ understanding of concepts beyond biology, including electricity, nerves and sensing.

“Electric fishes have played an outsized role in the history of biology and physics,� Crampton says. “For example, their discharges helped shape early research on electricity, including Alessandro Volta’s invention of the first battery, and their electric organs later became important model tissues for studying acetylcholine receptors — protein channels that help nerves send signals to other cells.�

The new findings build on this legacy, showing how electric fish can reveal principles related to sensing, stealth and decision making. Similar trade-offs shape sonar, radar and autonomous sensing technologies, suggesting that nature’s solutions to stealth and detection may offer insights for future adaptive sensing systems.

“This study shows that active sensing is not just about gathering information, but also about managing the risk of being detected,� Crampton says. “This opens opportunities for future research, from understanding how other aquatic species respond to electric signals to uncovering whether similar stealth strategies occur in other sensory systems.�

This work was funded by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program grant 2035702 (L.P.), an American Philosophical Society Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research grant (L.P.), and National Science Foundation grant DEB-1146374 (W.G.R.C.).