From leading the search for lunar domes to saving mangroves from a potentially deadly disease, The College of Sciences continues to push the frontiers of discovery and unleash the potential in people. As we start a new academic year, it is an exciting time to be back together on campus and explore what’s possible. Read on for a round-up of news and information and see ways to get engaged.

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Luciana Banquero, a graduate student studying marine science in UCF’s Biology department in the College of Sciences, won the notable Aylesworth Scholarship from Florida Sea Grant. Aylesworth scholarships are named annually, with a few students selected among undergraduate and graduate student applicants across all Florida universities that conduct research in the marine sciences.

“Science and biology were always my best subjects in school and my family encouraged my curiosity about plants and animals,” said Banquero. “Later, I felt drawn to conduct research that would contribute to protection of the places I’d enjoyed as a child and had the opportunity to explore in my biology studies at UCF.” Read more at UCF’s website or hear her talk about the opportunity here. 

Griffon Binkowski ’24 graduated this summer with a BA in Anthropology. He shares how he is using what he’s learned at UCF on ancient Florida subjects at the Orange County Regional History Center, where he serves as the resident archaeology specialist. “It’s the humanity, the human story that’s buried within all of this numerical data that I really want people to focus on and see that archaeology and bioarcheology really connects us to our collective human past.”

After graduation, Binkowski will return to UCF for the graduate anthropology program, where he will be expanding upon his undergraduate research.

Read more at UCF’s website. 

Thousands of college students and journalism professionals from the U.S. and around the world gathered this summer to network and learn the latest in the news business at the 2024 National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Convention. 

UCF NAHJ student chapter members from the Nicholson School of Communication and Media traveled to the Convention to participate in the sessions and network with journalists.

Currently, only 7% of physics doctorates granted in the U.S. are to people from racial and ethnic minority groups — one of the lowest of all the sciences, according to the American Physical Society (APS).

Dave Austin ’22MS, Camille Coffie ’23MS and Troie Journigan ’22MS are part of a national effort to decrease that gap through the APS Bridge Program, a pathway for underrepresented students to access graduate programs. The graduates shared what inspired them to pursue physics, their research and experience, and advice for fellow students looking to pursue graduate education in a STEM field. Read more at UCF’s website. 

Richard Bilbao ’07 has been appointed editor-in-chief for the Orlando Business Journal. In his sixteen years at OBJ, the UCF journalism alum has also worked as a digital producer and as an associate managing editor. As an experienced journalist, Bilbao has also won awards from the Florida Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists, just to name a few. 

“The Nicholson School of Communication got me prepared to enter an industry I knew little about as a 24-year-old graduate,” said Richard Bilbao. “I was supported by professors and fellow students to be confident in myself and the training I got from UCF.”

The College of Sciences Advancement Team visited the Bug Closet, part of the Department of Biology. With more than 575,000 specimen records, The University of Central Florida Collection of Arthropods (UCFC) is one of the largest completely databased collections in the world. Nearly 70% of the collection’s holdings were collected from Florida, with a strong emphasis on various ecosystems in Central Florida.

College of Sciences Dean Maggy Tomova teaches local students at the 2024 Mathematical Exploration Summer Institute. This one-week day program provides high school students who are interested in mathematical exploration through hands-on activities, group work, and lectures given by local professors at UCF.  

Central Florida Public Media 

“…we also see the responsibility of doing it for the community, and the United States and the world. Everyone's going to be able to use our data, not just us.”  

- Kerri Donaldson Hanna, Assistant Professor, Physics/ Principal Investigator of Lunar-VISE 

CNBC.com 

“While 62% of employees said these bothersome behaviors occur in person, it makes sense that some of the most irritating interactions happen when we can’t see the person behind the screen.”  

– Nathan Bowling, Associate Professor, Psychology/Associate Director of the Ph.D. Program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology  

Orlando Business Journal 

"If people are going to be buying and making games for a long time, we might as well be making games here in Orlando." 

- Ben Noel, Executive Director, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) 

New York Times 

“…automation can make workers anxious about losing their jobs, or even their entire occupation. Given popular discussions about tech replacing workers, it is a common concern, especially when the organization isn’t clear on why the tech is brought in.”

-Mindy Shoss, Professor of Psychology in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Program

WKMG/ClickOrlando 

“Florida’s mangroves act as a shield for our coasts against potential storm damage, while also serving as a home for wildlife like various types of fish and other sea creatures. Researchers at UCF are finding ways to protect this natural barrier from a deadly disease that’s attacking them. Melissa Deinys, an undergraduate student and researcher at the University of Central Florida, along with Jorge Pereira, a graduate research assistant are the main people behind this project” 

WESH 2 News  

Following the tragic loss of Master Deputy Bradley Link in the line of duty, UCF RESTORES is providing its evidence-based clinical treatment services to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. 

"Law enforcement is very reluctant to reach out for help and part of that is the stigma, when you are a helper, it is hard to ask for help from someone else,” said Deborah Beidel, Executive Director of UCF RESTORES. 

WKMG/ClickOrlando 

UCF Biology Lecturer Matthew Atkinson, who calls himself a nerdy Steve Irwin, said green iguanas are migrating here because of increasing temperatures and population growth. 

“They’re a bigger lizard. They’re a more competitive lizard, so they’re able to out-compete a lot more of those smaller native species that we have here,” Atkinson said. 

If you encounter a green iguana, Atkinson said you should report the discovery to the FWC and not attempt to catch it.