As fall gets underway in Central Florida, the College of Sciences (COS) is settling into another semester of research, discovery and achievement. With the semester in full swing, there is plenty happening across the college as our Knights continue to innovate, collaborate and make an impact.

This month’s featured stories highlight the renaming of the COS School of Data, Mathematical, and Statistical Sciences, a UCF biology doctoral student’s use of conservation genomics to help recover the threatened Florida Scrub-jay, and a UCF alumna’s free hugs campaign to promote mental well-being. Together, these stories showcase the exciting research, accomplishments and initiatives happening throughout COS this fall.

Yvette Kanouff wants UCF students to recognize the possibilities within themselves. Now, her name will become part of the place where generations of Knights turn those possibilities into discoveries.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees approved renaming the UCF School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences to the Dr. Yvette Kanouff School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. The renaming initiative was in honor of a transformational gift Kanouff — a highly successful leader in mathematics and technology — made to UCF and establishes the school as one of the very few named mathematical schools in the United States.

Kanouff’s investment also establishes an endowed fund that will help advance UCF’s mission of expanding student success and maximizing excellence. The fund will support outstanding graduate students, expand scholarships that increase access and achievement, and recognize excellence in teaching and research among students, faculty and postdoctoral fellows across the school, which is in the College of Sciences.

For nearly two decades biologist Lauren Deaner has worked with Florida Scrub jays, contributing to population recovery efforts and translocations. Now, as a doctoral researcher in UCF’s integrative biology program, she is using that field experience to investigate how genetics, behavior and population dynamics influence the long-term recovery of imperiled species.

Deaner’s dissertation centers on a first-of-its-kind Florida scrub jay translocation initiative examining genetic rescue, a conservation strategy that introduces individuals from other populations to increase genetic diversity and improve the health and viability of an imperiled population.

“This project gives us a unique opportunity to understand the effects of a large-scale translocation on population recovery, how mate choice is influenced when birds from different genetic units are brought together and how genetic variation changes over time,” Deaner says.

Content warning: This article touches on sensitive topics of mental health and suicide. Resources available for UCF students, faculty and staff are included.

Radio-TV grad Kelly Haskins ’91 first started Mom Hugs Day in 2022 as a tribute to her late son/former UCF student, Hunter, who had taken his life 5 weeks into the semester on Sept. 29, 2021. When he was found, his laptop was still open. He’d just failed a math test.

“He was just the most normal kid, and the last one you would think of for this to happen to. But Hunter wasn’t much of a talker. He wouldn’t talk about his feelings, and we will never know exactly why,” she says. “I think he had a panic attack, and he didn’t know how to handle it.”

Now she purposefully has conversations with teenagers about the inevitable ups and downs of life. She tells them it’s OK to fail a test because you’ll get another chance to take it again, just like she did in college algebra. She hosts an annual You Matter Day at Hunter’s high school and works to install suicide awareness benches in parks, schools and other community areas.

As artificial intelligence (AI), virtual assistants and robots become increasingly woven into everyday life, more researchers are asking this question: What happens when technology stops being just a tool and becomes something we can communicate with?

UCF faculty have spent years helping create a field dedicated to finding the answers.

“Human-machine communication is about studying how humans perceive and interact with technology as a communicator rather than simply as a tool."

This summer, human-machine communication (HMC) reached a major milestone when the International Communication Association (ICA) elevated it from an interest group to an official Division, recognizing it as an established area of communication research. The achievement reflects the rapid growth of a field exploring how emerging technologies are reshaping the way people communicate, form relationships and make decisions.

For Stephen Masyada, civics education has been a lifelong interest. Now, his work in the field will help shape how civics knowledge and skills are assessed for students across the country.

Masyada, director of the Lou Frey Institute, has been selected as one of 20 members of the panel that will help revise the framework for the civics portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 2032 assessment.

The appointment recognizes his extensive experience in civics education and provides an opportunity to bring his perspective to a national conversation about what students should know and be able to do as engaged citizens.

“I think it’s a recognition of the work we do here at the Lou Frey Institute and at UCF in civic education and the impact we’ve had on civics in Florida and in some cases nationally,” Masyada says.

For most people, a trip to a fast-food restaurant is simply a meal. For Ty Matejowsky, chair of the Department of Anthropology, it can be an opportunity to understand much more about what it means to be human.

Matejowsky has spent decades examining food and restaurants as windows into human behavior, practices and identity. His research has taken him from the Philippines to the United States, where he examines how familiar food and dining experiences can reflect broader cultural patterns.

Although his subjects vary, Matejowsky sees a common thread running through his work: restaurants are familiar places where people interact, make choices and assign meaning to everyday experiences.

To build the ultrafast computers of the future, scientists are looking beyond the electrical charge of electrons to another property: their spin. While conventional hardware relies entirely on the movement of charge to process data, the ability to tap into this intrinsic quantum property could enable researchers to completely reinvent how information travels through a circuit.

Now, a team led by UCF Professor of Physics Madhab Neupane has identified a promising candidate. Neupane and his collaborators found evidence of altermagnetism, an emerging form of magnetism that combines useful characteristics of the two more familiar types of magnetism: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism.

Neupane and his collaborators experimentally identified signatures of this unusual magnetic state in Co₁/₄TaSe₂, a layered material containing magnetic cobalt atoms. The discovery gives researchers a promising, versatile platform for studying altermagnetism and could help advance future electronic and spintronic technologies.

As a fourth-year psychology major on the industrial/organizational track with a minor in entrepreneurship, Patricia Orelien brings her interest in people and communication to her role at the College of Sciences Dean’s Office.

Working at the front desk, Patricia is often the first point of contact for students, faculty and visitors. She responds to emails and calls, answers questions, assists with SAS test forms and organizes regalia. She also helps coordinate faculty events and meetings, creating welcoming and engaging experiences for those who visit the Dean’s Office.

“What I enjoy most is that the job is so people-facing,” she says. “I get to talk to so many different people, from students to faculty, and build genuine relationships along the way."

One of her favorite memories from her time with the college was participating in the office’s winter door decorating contest, where she enjoyed seeing everyone’s creativity come to life during the friendly competition.

Outside of work, Patricia enjoys playing pickleball, which she says is her go-to way to stay active while catching up with friends.

As she looks toward a career in marketing, Patricia says her role at the College of Sciences has helped her strengthen skills in communication, relationship-building and creating positive experiences — skills she hopes to carry with her into her future career.

The Charge | Written by: Xiomaris Legarreta

With graduation still a few years away, 19-year-old UCF student Antonio Pizza isn’t waiting to launch his career. This semester, he announced his candidacy for Seminole County School Board District 1. Pizza will run against Kristine Kraus, a longtime volunteer with Seminole County Public Schools, for the seat.

Pizza, a recent graduate of Hagerty High School, is now a freshman political science major at UCF. He said he wants to improve local schools so students are more engaged in their education rather than being pushed through the system.

Fox35 Orlando

When a sudden health crisis changed her life, Cecilia Hernandez found an angel on four paws. Today, Canela gears up in full personal protective equipment—goggles and booties included—to protect Cecilia in the UCF chemistry lab while she pursues her Ph.D. Canela isn’t just a life-saving service dog detecting health emergencies before they happen—she’s a best friend, a hardworking lab buddy, and officially a semi-finalist in the American Humane Hero Dog Awards.

Wesh2 News

As the nation marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks, reminders of the day are everywhere—on TV, social media, and in conversations.

For many, the remembrance of 9/11 serves as a reminder of the lasting impact of trauma.

Dr. Deborah Beidel, executive director of UCF Restores, explained the center's mission and purpose.

The Orlando-based clinical research center provides treatment for individuals who have experienced trauma, offering evidence-based treatments that are designed to help people recover from PTSD and other trauma-related disorders.

"We're trying to change the way that we think about and treat this condition," Beidel said.

Spectrum News13

A massive flash flood tore through the Himalayas along the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead and more missing.

Experts believe the flood was the result of a glacier collapse. Ivan Haigh, director of UCF’s Center for Integrated Coastal Research, said a massive amount of ice and rock fell from a mountain high in the Himalayas.

“This volume was huge, and it fell down into the valley, and it actually caused a dam,” he explained. “So the water dammed up behind this, and over time as the water dams up, eventually the dam can’t hold it anymore.”

Haigh says enough water to fill between 400,000 - 800,000 Olympic swimming pools tore down the valley.

“Scientists have been showing for decades that the Himalayas are warming very, very rapidly and glaciers are becoming particularly unstable there,” Haigh said. “So I think this is one event where, with a much higher degree of certainty, we can’t say for sure, but we can certainly suggest that climate had a significant influence here.”

Spectrum News13

University of Central Florida students are returning to class as the fall semester kicks off Monday.

Dwayne Jones, a UCF student studying electronic journalism, said the best advice he has for freshmen is to get involved.

“I would say any interest that you have, anything that you’re curious about, just do it. Put yourself out there,” Jones said. “That’s kind of how I was able to grow throughout my past two years here, and I’ve met some of the best people of my entire life and friends for a lifetime."

Jones, now a senior and the student government vice president, described the first day back on campus as “electric.”

“There’s so much going on. There are a lot of events. It’s Welcome Week, so we’re embracing those new students that are coming to UCF for the first time," Jones said. "We’re welcoming back those returning students, as well. There’s still much planned, so much to do, and I think it’s about getting everybody acclimated. This is such a large school, but there’s something for someone everywhere across campus. And that’s the message that we try to get out.”

Join the UCF College of Sciences’ UCF School of Politics, Security, & International Affairs for the Latin American Film Festival during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Experience a variety of films that highlight the culture, creativity and perspectives of Latin America and Spain.

📆 Friday, Sept. 25 - Sunday, Nov. 1

📍 Visual Arts Building 132 | UCF Main Campus

Admission is free for all the films and post-film discussions.

Join the UCF Dixon Career Development Center for UCF’s Fall 2026 Internship & Career Expo!

Students from all majors can meet employers, explore internships and jobs, and learn about career paths they may not have considered.

Reserve your spot through Handshake before the Expo. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Business casual or professional attire is encouraged.

📆 Thursday, Oct. 1 | 11:30 am - 3:30 pm

📍 Addition Financial Arena | UCF Main Campus

Join COS alumni for Science on Tap: From the Moon and Beyond.

Explore new frontiers in lunar exploration, from uncovering the Moon’s secrets to shaping future missions and humanity’s next steps beyond Earth.

Get hands-on with lunar mining robots from UCF’s Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research and Education. Test-drive the robots and explore technologies designed for future lunar missions.

📆 Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 | 6 - 8 pm 

📍 Brewlando Brewing | 6820 Hoffner Ave, Orlando, FL 32822

🎟️ $10 tickets | Tix include, 1 drink, pub bites, and free swag

Open to all UCF alumni, friends and science enthusiasts. Bring a friend and join the conversation.

Join fellow UCF alumni and friends for the Annual Space Game Tailgate, a cosmic pre-game celebration of SpaceU and Knight Nation pride. Enjoy a 4 Rivers dinner buffet, drinks, exclusive SpaceU swag, games, a DJ, photo booth and special appearances by aliens and robots.

All alumni and friends are invited to join this event hosted by the College of Sciences Alumni, the College of Engineering and Computer Science Alumni and the College of Optics and Photonics.

📆 Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 | Tailgate: 4:30 - 6:30 pm 

📍 UCF Fairwinds Alumni Center | 12676 Gemini Blvd N Orlando, FL 32816 

⏰ Game Kickoff: 7:30 pm

🎟️ Pricing: Individual $35 | Child (5-13) $15 | Child (Under 5) Free

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