1. UCF Online Sets the Bar
For the third consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked UCF among the top 20 Best Online Bachelor’s programs in the nation. UCF’s undergraduate online programs tied for No. 16 this year. The university also tied for No. 12 for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans, No. 17 for Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs and No. 31 for Best Graduate Online Nursing Programs.
2. Improving Children’s Health
In a new study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, UCF researchers have found that judo may help children with autism spectrum disorder. The sport helps promote social skills, reduce sedentary behavior — which is linked to obesity and diabetes — and increases confidence.
3. Offsetting the Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
UCF researchers are developing a way to remove the plaque buildup that causes Alzheimer’s devastating symptoms of cognitive decline, dementia and memory loss. By discovering an enzyme that cuts away the building blocks that form brain plaques linked to the disease, they hope the treatment will potentially prevent Alzheimer’s and improve brain function of patients.
4. Out-of-this-World Talent
For the fifth consecutive year, UCF is ranked as the No. 1 supplier of talent to the aerospace and defense industries in the nation, according to Aviation Week Network. By providing the necessary talent and brain power to fuel industry partners such as Lockheed Martin, Siemens and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center — where 30 percent of employees are Knights — UCF is fulfilling demand for critical, high-value jobs across the state.
5. A Top National Cybersecurity Team
UCF’s Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition team, known as Hack@UCF, beat more than 100 of the top teams in the nation and took 2nd place in the U.S. Department of Energy’s fifth annual CyberForce Competition. UCF won first place in the national competition in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. They also placed first in this year’s regional matches at Argonne National Laboratory.
