UCF in the News

Solar energy may be abundant in the hot and muggy climate of Florida, but it can be intermittent during inclement weather and inconsistent during the night or peak usage. To keep the power grid reliable, UCF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Associate Professor Like Li is developing a novel energy storage system that can reserve solar energy for future use. The project is supported through a three-year, $3.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. "The goal is to contribute to the global transition to clean energy and to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050," Li says. "In order to meet that goal, there is a lot of effort to use renewable energy for the decarbonization of the power grid and various industrial processes." Li will work with engineers from Sandia National Laboratories, Oregon State University, the University of Houston and Redoxblox, a startup that specializes in low emission energy storage units. Together, they will develop a thermochemical energy storage (TCES) system, which uses chemical reactions to either absorb or release heat for the respective charging and discharging steps.

It is time to ask: For the U.S., does the international law of the World Trade Organization still exist? As part of an escalating tit-for-tat of trade restrictions between the U.S. and China, the Chinese government has banned the export of several critical materials that have both commercial and military applications in high-tech production. This Chinese action may or may not be eligible for a national security exception to the general rule in WTO law that forbids export bans and other export restrictions. Yet in responding to this latest trade move by China in the renewed trade conflict between the two countries, the U.S. government did not mention WTO law. Nor, in reporting on the event, did the U.S. media.

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.

Unemployment has risen and finding a job takes longer. The U.S. has averaged a respectable 173,000 new jobs a month since September, in a sign the labor market is still pretty healthy - but warning signs are flashing. Those warning signs include rising unemployment, longer job searches and a smaller percentage of adults either working or looking for work. Worrisome trends, to be sure - but the economy is still adding a decent number of new jobs each month, layoffs are near a historic bottom and the unemployment rate also remains unusually low. "The economy isn't going gangbusters like it was immediately after the pandemic lockdowns ended, but we're on solid ground," contended Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida Institute for Economic Forecasting.

Amid the backdrop of newly announced Artemis moon-mission postponements, analysts expect potential NASA administrator Jared Isaacman to shake up the agency from a private-businessman and private-astronaut perspective — "NASA needs to be prepared for dramatic changes."Isaacman is the 41-year-old billionaire founder and CEO of Shift4 who partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to command and finance the groundbreaking Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn commercial astronaut spaceflights. Greg Autry, associate provost for space commercialization and strategy at the University of Central Florida, said "NASA needs to be prepared for dramatic changes." "When you look at Artemis, basically every vendor has problems with every system in that program. And the whole thing is kind of coming off the tracks," Autry said during a Wednesday FLORIDA TODAY interview — the day before NASA announced the latest Artemis II and Artemis III delays.

Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), recently released a heartfelt statement following the death of Harris Rosen, the visionary founder and president of Rosen Hotels & Resorts. Maietta expressed deep admiration for Rosen’s remarkable contributions to the hospitality sector, highlighting his dedication to excellence, innovation, and community service. “Harris Rosen was an inspirational figure and a shining example of the passion and drive that hoteliers need to succeed. His love for the industry made him the largest independent hotelier in Florida, but he showed us the true meaning of hospitality through his philanthropic work,” said AHLA President & CEO Rosanna Maietta. “His generous donation to the University of Central Florida built the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, which was just ranked best in the nation for the fifth consecutive year for its hospitality management and tourism program. Harris left an indelible mark on this industry and its people that will be felt for generations. We will miss him.”

UCF coach Gus Malzahn has resigned after four seasons with the school. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the move, with Malzahn leaving to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. Malzahn previously worked with FSU coach Mike Norvell during their time at Tulsa under then-coach Todd Graham from 2007-08. The Seminoles fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins on Nov. 10 in a coaching purge following a disastrous 2-win season. UCF Athletics released a statement: “We would like to thank Coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition into the Big 12 Conference. We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish he and his wife, Kristi, the very best in their future endeavors.”

Good news for Florida panthers: they're not overly susceptible to a disease that can cripple and kill deer, the panther's primary prey. Researchers at the University of Central Florida released a paper in mid-November that looks at the Florida panther and whether past genetic introductions have made the big cat more vulnerable to chronic wasting disease, or CWD. Chronic wasting disease, also called zombie deer disease, is a transmissible form of spongiform encephalopathy, for which there is no cure or vaccine. It was first documented in Florida in 2023. CWD impacts deer, elk and moose, mostly, and has been found in Europe, South Korea and the United States. The disease causes infected animals to drool and stare off into the distance before dying. The UCF researchers were among the biologists concerned that the disease may spread to the state animal since deer is the panther's primary food source. “About 30 years ago, there were only 20 or 30 Florida panthers left, and they [became] really inbred,” said co-author and UCF professor Bob Fitak. “So, they brought in panthers from Texas to help supplement this population, to help restore or recover the population. It’s been a really successful program. We try to understand why that was successful and what we need to watch out for in the future. We call this genetic rescue or genetic restoration.”

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.