As our Knights return from Spring Break refreshed and ready to finish the semester strong, momentum continues to build across the College of Sciences (COS) through research, collaboration and much more! From a distinguished lecture about international space research collaboration hosted by The India Center to ongoing bat conservation efforts on campus and alumni making big impacts in the Central Florida community, COS remains a place where ideas, research, and community come together to make an impact.

Looking ahead, mark your calendars for UCF Day of Giving on April 9 a day that brings the Knight community together to support the students, faculty, staff, programs, initiatives and research that drive the college forward. As part of the celebration, join our Galactic Patio Party for fun activities, prizes, and a chance to learn more about the impact you can be part of.

UCF Department of Biology doctoral student, Ifer White, has helped position UCF as a contributor to the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a coordinated effort to track bat populations across North America using standardized acoustic methods.

Advertising-Public Relations grad Andrea (Rodrigues) Sage ’12 fosters Orlando’s hospitable reputation as part of the team at Visit Orlando, a not-for-profit trade association that brands, markets and sells the region globally. That experience along with the leadership and life skills she developed at UCF and her beloved hobby as the mastermind behind @cheatdayorlando — an immensely popular social media account that explores new activities, restaurants and happenings in Central Florida — gave her what she needed to land her dream gig as marketing manager for Visit Orlando.

Through partnerships with UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities and College of Sciences, the Orlando Family Stage is proving you can uplift community and build a better future. A major part of that partnership is UCF’s MFA in theatre for young audiences program, which launched in 2004. The program has operated for the past two decades as Florida’s only professional theatre for young audiences and is one of the most distinctive programs in the country with its unique graduate-training residency.

Tomorrow’s leading video game developers are being built today at UCF. 

The university’s graduate video gaming program, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), and games and interactive media (GaIM) undergraduate program continue to develop a pipeline of talent to fuel Florida’s economy at a standard of excellence few can match, affirmed by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer’s Top Video Game Design Schools 2026 rankings. 

The Princeton Review and PC Gamer has recognized FIEA as one of the top two programs of its kind in the world six of the past seven years.

The search for a new dean for the UCF College of Sciences has concluded with the appointment of Joshua Colwell, a Pegasus Professor of physics who has been at UCF for 20 years. 

As interim dean, and now as dean, Colwell oversees the university’s largest college, serving more than 16,000 students across a wide range of disciplines, including the physical, biological, social, behavioral and computational sciences. The College of Sciences plays a central role in advancing UCF’s research enterprise and preparing graduates to address complex global challenges through scientific discovery and innovation.

The 2026 Reach for the Stars honorees — six UCF assistant professors — are already making a substantial impact on their respective fields through meaningful research and creative work that extends far beyond campus, with national and international influence. 

Awardee Shyam Kattel, assistant professor of physics in the College of Sciences, and his research group is interested in understanding chemical processes through computer simulations. These chemical processes are central to many energy and fuel generation and energy conversion processes. He says they are exploring the design of catalytic materials that selectively convert abundant small molecules, such as CO2, N2, NO3, O2 and H2O, to a wide variety of synthetic chemicals and fuels in a carbon-neutral way to fulfill the growing energy demand of the future. 

The India Center welcomed students, faculty and community members for its second annual Distinguished Lecture, an event highlighting global collaboration, scientific discovery and the growing partnership between the United States and India. The lecture, given by Project Scientist Paul Rosen, explored how a joint mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) called NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) represents a new model for international cooperation in space.

UCF researchers are using advanced human-on-a-chip technology to uncover a new piece of the Alzheimer’s disease puzzle, showing that some movement-related symptoms may originate outside the brain. The findings suggest that future treatments may need to target not only the central nervous system, but also the peripheral nervous system to fully address the disease.

Every year on the first Wednesday of April, UCF honors the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of our people on Founders’ Day, our annual celebration of the employees, faculty and students who keep reaching for the stars. 

Our entire UCF community was invited to join us at these special events, held April 1in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union, as we recognize fellow Knights for their pursuit of excellence and impact.

On Founders' Day, Nicole Lapeyrouse ’16MS ’18PhD  will be recognized by peers who have selected her to receive the Chuck D. Dziuban Award for excellence in online teaching. The award, in its 13th year, is named for UCF’s first Pegasus Professor and an international pioneer in online learning. Dziuban will be presenting Lapeyrouse with the award at Founders' Day, where he will also be honored for his 55 years of service to UCF.

Whether on the campus of America’s Space University or at one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world, scientific discovery is shaped both by new ideas and the people who pursue them.  

UCF students, faculty and researchers had an opportunity to learn from a Vatican Observatory astronomer, Br. Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J., on his recent visit to Orlando. Drawing on his work as a researcher and president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, Consolmagno connected lessons from the past with the realities of modern science, highlighting the enduring nature of human curiosity about the cosmos.

As a Student Front Desk Assistant for the College of Sciences, Peyton Spencer is often one of the first people visitors see when they arrive at the front office. In this role, she helps welcome students, faculty and guests while assisting with questions, requests and day-to-day needs. She shared that the position has been especially meaningful because it allows her to support others while also gaining experience she can carry with her into future career after graduation.

One of the things Peyton enjoys most about her role is the opportunity to help students navigate the challenges and obstacles in their academic journey.

“As a student myself, I understand how stressful it can be if a situation is not going in the direction that I expected it to,” she says. “So being able to put myself in the shoes of those who need help and see a smile of relief on their face after the fact is always rewarding.”

Some of her favorite memories in the office come from the moments when the team can be creative together. She especially enjoyed the door decorating competition before winter break and helping decorate the conference room for the winter potluck, sharing how fun it was to see everyone’s ideas come to life and spend time together outside of the usual routine.

Outside of work, Peyton enjoys visiting markets, especially art and vintage markets, where she likes to see what people create and find unique items to collect, including purses and stickers.

As a senior majoring in Communication Business & Professional Track, Peyton plans to graduate in December 2026. Looking ahead to finishing her time at UCF, she shared that she is especially grateful for the friendships she has made with her fellow front desk team members and the meaningful conversations she has had with other staff at the office. She sees her time with the College of Sciences as an experience that has helped her grow both personally and academically, and one she will always appreciate.

The Charge | Written by: Ganna Mahmoud 

A new sociology certificate is launching this fall, inviting students from all majors to examine how technology and science shape society to supplement their degree.

The certificate is known as Science, Technology, and Society, and is the first certificate to be launched in the sociology department.

"What makes it unique is its approach through an interdisciplinary lens, combining various courses from the humanities and social sciences such as English, history, writing and anthropology That will help students learn multiple perspectives," said Dr. Angela Vergara, undergraduate director of sociology.

The Charge | Written by: Jayden Hermitt 

Dr. Joshua Colwell has been selected as the new dean of the College of Sciences, effective immediately, according to an email that went out on Friday from Provost John Buckwalter.

Colwell has served as the interim dean for the college for the past nine months. Buckwalter said that, in this position, he has already helped build a flourishing environment for UCF’s community.

“Dr. Colwell’s steady leadership has helped to create an environment where students, faculty, and staff can thrive,” Buckwalter said. “While strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding research and community impact.”

Orlando Family Magazine  

Following the lead of other counties in the state such as Broward, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Duval, the Orange County Commission unanimously approved its own Film Incentive Program this past November, committing $25 million over five years for qualifying productions. Using Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funds, the goal is to attract filmmakers to the region, to keep homegrown talent here instead of fleeing to other states and to showcase the many destinations and amenities the county has to offer.

Central Florida Public Media 

Crews demolished the Pulse nightclub building this week, the impact and healing are different for everyone including those who arrived in the immediate aftermath to help. Engage is joined by Deborah Beidel, a professor of psychology and medical education at the University of Central Florida and Executive Director of UCF Restores that provides treatment to first responders and survivors of mass violence. The UCF Restores team responded to Pulse after the shooting, and Beidel still works with those who need support today.

Phys.org 

Researchers from Southern Cross University (Australia) and the University of Central Florida (U.S.) suggest the use of non-specific pesticides, known as insect growth regulators (IGRs), is inadvertently paving the way for the invasive ants to expand their territory.

The study's authors, Southern Cross University's Professor Nigel Andrew and Professor Joshua King, University of Central Florida, highlight a critical "ecological vacuum" effect. By spreading insect pesticides such as IRGs over areas of south-east Queensland, current programs are killing off the native invertebrate competitors and predators that serve as the first line of defense against fire ant queens

PC Gamer 

Higher education is one of the bigger choices you'll ever make in life, and finding your path is not as simple as choosing an RPG class. When it comes to a career in game design, every journey starts at the same place: picking the right university. Let this be your first stop.

Each year, the Princeton Review ranks the 50 best undergraduate and 25 best graduate programs in the United States and beyond, using a thorough set of criteria that includes graduate employment rates, early-career earnings, faculty industry experience, curriculum relevance, and demonstrated student success in the games industry.

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