UCF in the News

Using satellite trackers, scientists have discovered the whereabouts of young sea turtles during a key part of their lives. “We’ve had massive data gaps about the early baby to toddler life stages of sea turtles,” said Kate Mansfield, a marine scientist at the University of Central Florida. “This part of their long lives has been largely a mystery.” For decades, scientists have wondered about what happens during the so-called lost years between when tiny hatchlings leave the beach and when they return to coastlines nearly grown — a span of about one to 10 years. New research published Tuesday begins to fill in...

You have probably already heard that February is the month to focus on heart health, which means eating right, exercising and paying attention to the signs of heart attack, stroke and more. As a urologist, I see a different side of heart health every day: Many of my patients need “cardiac clearance” before urological surgery. Yet most patients have no idea what this process involves — or how crucial it can be for surgical outcomes. Contrary to popular belief, cardiac clearance isn’t just a stamp from your heart doctor saying, “Sure, go ahead with surgery.” It’s an important assessment that can reveal hidden heart issues, reduce surgical risk and sometimes even save a life. Here’s a closer look at what really happens — and why you should pay attention to your heart this month and every month.

A lot has changed since the last time Scott Frost opened a season as coach at UCF. In the eight seasons since his departure at the end of 2017, the Knights have won 56 games, played in multiple conference championship games, undergone two head coaching changes, seen the rise of the transfer portal and welcomed the name, image and likeness era. More importantly, the program is now a member of a Power Four conference, and Frost 2.0 will get its first taste as UCF enters its third season in the Big 12.

Orlando Utilities Commission is testing an energy-saving product created locally by Capacitech Energy, Inc., a tech startup operating out of the UCF Incubation Business Program. The company’s PowerLink high-power energy storage technology is designed to improve the reliability and resilience of power grids by providing the necessary rapid response capacity to address fluctuations in usage. “The need for that is growing rapidly,” Capacitech CEO Joe Sleppy told Orlando Business Journal. “Our product is filling a gap that is growing due to the complexity of today's grid and microgrids. What Capacitech does is help make the grid healthier and more sustainable.” The partnership is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through Sandia National Laboratories, a research entity that supports federal, state and local government agencies, companies and organizations.

Paramdai “Vicky” Somwaru is one of the fourth-grade teachers at Hamlin Elementary School. She goes above and beyond for her students every day; leads the school’s chess team; spends countless hours planning, preparing and teaching her students each year and sets high expectations both academically and socially that help her students to grow and be successful. She also is an adult ESOL teacher. She has been named Teacher of the Year, received the Disney “Teacherrific” award for two years and earned National Board Teacher Certification. The Lockheed Martin-University of Central Florida program paid for her Master of Mathematics and Science Education.

Any astronauts reaching the surface of the moon will be greeted first by a plume of dirt, sent flying by the boosters of their spacecraft. They will emerge and put bootprints in the dirt, take samples and study the dirt, and eventually they may use the dirt to make the fuel and other supplies needed to maintain a long-term lunar presence. When it comes to exploring the moon, it’s all about dirt. Planetary physicist Philip Metzger at the University of Central Florida is the king of moon dirt, or regolith. In 2013, he cofounded a group of research labs at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, where research teams spend their days working with artificial lunar regolith, like the sample pictured below, to learn how it behaves and what we will be able to do with it. With NASA’s Artemis programme aiming to put humans back on the surface of the moon in 2027 and eventually set up a permanent base there, that knowledge is becoming increasingly important.

In 2021, the team launched MoveApps – a free platform of analytical tools to help scientists make sense of all that data. The system allows programmers to develop data-analysis tools that scientists can apply to the animal-tracking data stored in the Movebank database. Tracking turtles in the open ocean is one way it’s being used to do this. An enduring mystery in conservation biology is what happens to sea turtles in the period between emerging as tiny hatchlings on beaches around the world, to returning to coastal waters as dinner-plate-sized juveniles. “Those early life stages are the foundation of the rest of their lives,” says Dr. Kate Mansfield, a professor of conservation biology at the University of Central Florida, who is collaborating with ICARUS on a project that will track the movements of sea turtles in the open ocean. “If you’re working with protected species or animals that are of conservation concern, you really want to know everything you can about them at every single life stage,” Mansfield says. Currently, “that early dispersal stage that’s associated with the sea turtles’ lost years is really the biggest data gap”, in sea turtle biology, she explains.

Orlando is on the rise as a top tech hub in the South, according to a recent study by CommercialCafe, which credits affordability, specialized industry, which credits affordability, specialized industries and local universities for attracting investment, companies and talent to the region. The study evaluates tech job density, median earnings and overall quality of life, among other things, in populated areas of more than 200,000 people. The Orlando market, including Sanford and Kissimmee, joins four other Florida metros in the Top 20 after missing out on last year's list. Orlando sits at No. 20 behind Palm Bay (No. 15), Crestview (No. 17), Tampa (No. 18) and Jacksonville (No. 19). The study notes that Orlando has “leveraged strengths in simulation technology and enjoys a robust talent pipeline from the University of Central Florida, cementing its rise as a tech hub.”

It’s been less than a week since UCF announced the return of Scott Frost as its football coach, and the athletic department is already feeling the move’s impact. The waitlist for season tickets climbed to 2,500 people and, according to a spokesperson, the athletic department has seen 12 major gifts in the Shareholder Society since the announcement. Final figures won’t be available until the end of the year. All in all, it’s been quite the moment for the school. “We want to keep UCF in the news,” athletics director Terry Mohajir said during a groundbreaking event on the expansion of the Roth Tower at FBC Mortgage Stadium. “It’s exciting. Anytime you can feel the momentum, people are excited about our new coach and some of the personnel we’re bringing back. It all works together.” Frost was hired last weekend after a nearly weeklong search following the resignation of Gus Malzahn on Nov. 30. Malzahn left to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State under former colleague and friend Mike Norvell. The decision to bring back Frost, seven years after he helped lead the Knights to a perfect season, capped by a win over No. 7 Auburn in the Peach Bowl, brought a lot of excitement back to the program. That enthusiasm has carried over, especially after former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton joined Frost’s coaching staff as quarterback coach. Milton helped guide the Knights to that 13-0 season, which ended with a win over the Tigers who were led by Malzahn. He was part of a team that won a program-best 25 games in a row, earning another appearance in a New Year’s Six Access bowl.