UCF in the News

UCF students were taught multiple languages through interactive stations at the Language Speed-Dating event Monday afternoon at the Student Union. The event was hosted by the Modern Languages and Literatures department and was a part of International Education Week. The instructors hosted quick 10-minute lessons at each individual station. Each lesson taught students basic phrases, unique writing styles, the language’s alphabet, the country’s culture and tips on pronunciation while creating an immersive environment for beginners wanting to learn a new language. “The idea is that the students get the sense about what the language is about, and not only the language, but also the culture of this country that the target language is from,” Carolina Salazar, Spanish instructor, said. This unique experience offered an opportunity for students to explore different languages and cultures in an engaging way. Evelin Pegoraro, associate Portuguese and Spanish instructor, said she has been doing this event for about eight years now. The event featured eight different language instructors who taught lessons in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, French and Creole. Students were able to have one-on-one conversations with the instructors at the event.

As the NASA community ponders how the agency, especially the Artemis program, may fare in the second Trump Administration, one industry veteran is suggesting a new policy approach: have NASA focus on validating whether there really is the possibility of an economically self-sustaining presence on the Moon. That prospect underpins the excitement about Artemis, but NASA just canceled the one project that would have started answering that question — VIPER. Panelists at last week’s Beyond Earth Symposium shared their expectations for what will happen to NASA when Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, including Artemis and its goal of returning astronauts to the Moon. The Artemis program began on Trump’s watch during his first term, but much has changed since then, especially the emergence of Elon Musk as a close advisor. Scott Pace, Kevin O’Connell and Greg Autry, all Republicans, and Lori Garver, a Democrat, seemed to agree that SLS and its Orion crew capsule are in jeopardy at least as currently planned. Pace was executive secretary of the National Space Council and O’Connell Director of NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce in Trump’s first term. Autry, a professor at the University of Central Florida, is often mentioned as someone who might play a role in the second term. Garver was NASA Deputy Administrator in President Obama’s first term when Congress directed NASA to build SLS and Orion, but is a staunch SLS critic.

University of Central Florida researchers helmed a study that found Florida panthers are not particularly susceptible to a potentially transmissible disease that causes cognitive decline leading to death in their prey. The findings abate concerns that this fatal disease, known as chronic wasting disease, is threatening the species. The study, published this week in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, states that Florida panthers are not at increased risk for contracting the disease. Chronic wasting disease is caused by a misfolded protein known as a prion and can be transmitted through predator and prey interaction, such as a panther eating a deer that has the disease. UCF biologists were collaborating with partners at other universities and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to monitor genetic mutations as part of a greater conservation effort, when they examined this specific disease after chronic wasting disease was detected in Florida white-tailed deer in 2023.

The need for high-quality academic work has surged, particularly in the booming academic and professional metropolis of Orlando, USA. With students, researchers, and professionals always seeking for methods to stand out in their academic domains, the need for aid with writing research papers has expanded rapidly. This is where internet platforms and professional services like Words Doctorate come into play. These services give professional support to those who wish to write remarkable research papers while saving time and effort. Orlando, being a hub for higher education and innovation, features schools like the University of Central Florida and Rollins College, which cultivate an environment of intellectual achievement. Writing a research paper entails complicated activities such as acquiring reputable sources, arranging the document effectively, and following to stringent formatting rules. It is not only a writing work but a thorough procedure that involves precise attention to detail and academic rigor.

Central Florida is already an important and growing hub for humanity's efforts to thrive in outer space. The University of Central Florida now wants to bolster that by developing one-of-a-kind "space medicine" programs for students at the College of Medicine. Emmanuel Urquieta will lead the charge. In his office at the college, it's easy to see his love for space and medicine. The walls are adorned by flight patches, some decorative and some showing the projects he's worked on.

Dr. Leland Nordin and his team at the University of Central Florida are using high-intensity lasers of UVC light to kill viruses and bacteria on surfaces. With the help of a $1 million U.S. Army grant, the researchers hope this laser technology can one day help the world stay clean. "This is a way to really flood a whole room and laser them down, essentially," Nordin said. UCF graduate research assistant Biridiana Rodriguez demonstrated a tiny pinpoint of light, no bigger than the tip of a needle, on a crystal wafer. Under a microscope, the light shone brightly, just one of thousands of diodes on the thin wafer. "It essentially deactivates them or kills them in the same way it would hurt our skin. Like UVA or UVB rips them apart from intense energy. So why doesn't it hurt our skin in the same way? It's because our skin is thick enough," Nordin said. Looking at that same light under a microscope shows how strong a single laser diode can shine. Dr. Nordin is working to make similar laser wafers that emit the invisible UVC light. Researchers use their equipment to actually grow their lasers, and they do it by creating wafers. When the wafer is attached to a power source, it can create a laser light.

Seminole County has launched a new center to help grow small businesses. The county opened the Seminole County Economic Development Hub at the Seminole State College of Florida Heathrow Campus on Oct. 30. The facility is staffed by three of the county's economic development partners and provides resources to small businesses to grow. It also has a multi-use space to host classes, networking events and more.Seminole County Commissioner Amy Lockhart told Orlando Business Journal the location fits in with the county's economic development strategy to help businesses big and small have the resources to grow in the county. "We have a lot of small business owners who are adept in their field but know they may benefit from beefing up skills in another area to take their business to the next level," Lockhart said. "Being right here on Seminole State's campus in Heathrow takes away some of the barriers that otherwise exist." Michael Harvey, founder of Octanium Corp., said the hub not only allows his business to meet with people, but also allows the county to draw new small businesses here. Harvey's company is based out of the UCF Business Incubator in Winter Springs and provides cybersecurity services. "It feeds back into the ecosystem of people and allows them to know that they can own a business here," Harvey said.

Did you know there have been five U.S. Presidential Elections in which the winner lost the popular vote? The Electoral College has voted to elect John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Benjamin Harrison in the distant past, and George W. Bush and Donald Trump in modern times. Despite proposals to change or abolish the Electoral College (the University of Central Florida reports there have been over 1,000), there are many reasons why these attempts failed. Firstly, as UCF History Professor John Sacher explains, the Electoral College is part of the U.S. Constitution — and amending the Constitution is complicated and difficult. Additionally, Sacher argues that the Electoral College is useful in instances like the 2000 Presidential Election. Despite Gore winning a plurality of the popular vote, he didn’t win a majority. Neither Bush nor Gore won the majority and it fell upon the electors to decide. Sacher explains: “We are the only nation that still uses an Electoral College… Given that this discussion has already lasted well over 100 years, we may be in for 100 more.”

The two people killed early Friday in a mass shooting in downtown Orlando have been identified as Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, and Tyrek Hill, 25, according to the Orlando Police Department. OPD on Saturday afternoon provided the names and ages of the two men. No additional details were available about Hill. Schmidt, of Weston, was a freshman at the University of Central Florida, according to a GoFundMe page set up for his family. “Please join the Alpha Epsilon Pi Nu Delta Chapter of Central Florida in raising money for Timothy Schmidt Jr’s family as Tim was tragically and innocently murdered in a shooting in Downtown Orlando in the hours following Halloween, on November 1st, 2024,” the page said. “He was an extraordinary person, loving son, caring friend, talented soccer player, astounding teammate, kind soul, hardworking student and individual with an extremely warm heart and a witty sense of humor.”