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This featured selection presents articles published throughout my time at UCF as well as article from my current position at the Office of Research. 

University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

UCF Researcher Helps Uncover Key Findings about Asteroid Dinkinesh, a Target of NASA’s Lucy Mission | University of Central Florida News

A University of Central Florida researcher is part of a team that recently discovered significant insights into the size and surface composition of Dinkinesh, an asteroid that NASA’s Lucy mission will visit in November.

Using observations from telescopes in Spain and the U.S., the team found that Dinkinesh is remarkably small, making it the smallest asteroid to be approached by Lucy. They also found that it is a stony, or S-type, asteroid composed of mainly silicates and some metal.

The result
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

UCF is Designing Self-repairing Oyster Reefs to Protect Florida’s Coastlines | University of Central Florida News

A University of Central Florida engineering researcher is part of an international team of scientists who are developing oyster-based shoreline protection for U.S. coastlines.

The work is through a $12.6 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-funded project that seeks to create self-repairing, biological and human-engineered reef-mimicking structures. The project is led by Rutgers University and is a collaboration among researchers in the U.S. and Australia. UCF is receiving
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

Researchers Identify 6 Challenges Humans Face with Artificial Intelligence | University of Central Florida News

A University of Central Florida professor and 26 other researchers have published a study identifying the challenges humans must overcome to ensure that artificial intelligence is reliable, safe, trustworthy and compatible with human values.

The study, “Six Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenges,” was published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

Ozlem Garibay ’01MS ’08PhD, an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Managem
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

New Study Shows People Are Willing to Start Cycling More Post-COVID-19 Pandemic | University of Central Florida News

A new study co-authored by a University of Central Florida researcher has found that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase of people willing to cycle in the U.S.

The findings, which were recently published in Nature Scientific Reports, were the result of an analysis of data from the COVID-19 and the Future Survey conducted by Arizona State University and the University of Illinois Chicago.

Results showed that two factors came out of their findings: people who are more environmentall
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

UCF Researchers Use Webb Telescope to Monitor Double-ringed Asteroid More Than 2 Billion Miles Away | University of Central Florida News

Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected the ring system of a small, icy asteroid more than 2 billion miles away with remarkable precision.

The work demonstrates a new way to use the space telescope and opens the door to an advanced means of characterizing small objects in the distant solar system.

The researchers made the observations in October 2022 and shared their findings online this month.

The celestial object is called Chariklo, and its double rings were fi
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

UCF Receives Top Ranks for Producing Patents for 9th Consecutive Year | University of Central Florida News

The University of Central Florida has ranked in the top 100 public universities for producing patents for the ninth consecutive year, according to the latest report from the National Academy of Inventors.

The report ranked UCF No. 31 among public universities in the nation in 2021 and No. 60 worldwide.

The annual report is conducted by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. It ranks institutions every year based on the number of patents received thr
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

UCF Philosophy Professor Selected as Scialog Fellow for Molecular Basis of Cognition Research | University of Central Florida News

A University Central Florida philosophy professor has been selected for a Scialog fellowship by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement (RCSA) to help study the molecular basis of cognition.

Luis Favela, an associate professor of philosophy and cognitive sciences at UCF, was selected for the three-year fellowship and joins the ranks of three other UCF researchers who are Scialog fellows.

“I am one of a very, very few philosophers to ever be selected for it,” Favela says.

Favela an
University of Central Florida News | UCF Today •

New Study of Comets Provides Insight into Chemical Composition of Early Solar System | University of Central Florida News

A new study from the University of Central Florida has found strong support that the outgassing of molecules from comets could be the result of the composition from the beginning of our solar system.

The results were published today in The Planetary Science Journal.

The study was led by Olga Harrington Pinto, a doctoral candidate in UCF’s Department of Physics, part of the College of Sciences.

Measuring the ratio of certain molecules present after outgassing from comets can provide insights t

NASA tests new mission to moon with Artemis 1; UCF students share experience working on project

NASA's new Artemis 1 launch team made its way to 39B launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center for one final test scheduled from Friday to Sunday.

Although Artemis 1, which includes the Space Launch System Orion capsule and Exploration Ground Systems, is on the launch pad, it won’t be heading to the moon just yet as the rocket need to go through essential testing before launching later this year.
90.7 WMFE •

Nearly 16 years after Pluto lost the title of planet, researchers are still debating the definition of planet

There are about 2.6 billion miles between Earth and Pluto. If you take a rocket, it would take only 10 years to get there — by car, some 6,000 years. Despite the distance between us, Pluto’s planethood is still one of the biggest controversies in planetary sciences.

A decision from 16 years ago stripped the title of planet from Pluto which caused quite a debate as people jumped to support Pluto’s planethood. Still today, the debate rages on as a group of researchers argue it shouldn’t have lost
90.7 WMFE •

Life on Mars? NASA’s Perseverance rover spends first year searching for signs of life

A robotic explorer more than 190 million miles away from Earth is celebrating its first year on Mars. The car-sized robot is searching for ancient signs of life on the red planet, and hopes to send back chunks of rocks from the crater it now calls home.

The rover began its journey on Jul 30, 2020, blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It took about seven months to reach its destination — landing on Feb 18, 2021.

LISTEN: Hear about Perseverence’s first year on Mars and what’s ahead for N
90.7 WMFE •

Water on the moon? A new mission will be sending out two satellites to look for water on the lunar surface

Only recently have scientists found tiny hints of water molecules on the moon, a vital resource for future deep space missions to the moon and beyond. But finding the exact location has been challenging — until now.

Previous missions in the early 2000s found evidence of water ice on the poles of the moon. These poles are permanently shadowed and no sunlight reaches that surface area. The craters in the poles are where scientists think are the most pockets of water.

These areas are so cold that
NSM.today •

UCF professor's research seeks to find if psychedelic drugs helps drug addiction

Dr. Shana Harris has been conducting research in Mexico to examine the use of psychedelic drugs to treat individuals with drug addiction.

Harris, assistant professor of cultural and medical anthropology, specializes in drug use and addiction. Her current study is based on conducting ethnographic research by observing the therapeutic effects of psychedelics.

“Depending on the situation, it can look really ugly, to be very unpleasant for some people," Harris said. "Some people it's more mild. So
NSM.today •

All Brazilian Student Association events canceled amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Brazilian Student Association — the only Brazilian club at UCF — postponed all of its events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club's president said.

The club had hopes of gathering new members after losing more than 40 students in the past semester, Brazilian Student Association President Nathalia Rogacheski said.

BRASA was created in 2014 to support the Brazilian community at UCF by promoting cultural awareness about Brazil and the Portuguese language, according to the club's constitutio
NSM.today •

New UCF club creates platform for black students to express themselves artistically

Afro Artistry, a new club at UCF, emerged with a mission to provide a space for African American students interested in the arts, from visual to performing arts.

UCF approved the start of the new club created by Bianca Booz at the end of October. Booz, a junior psychology major, is the president and founder of Afro Artistry. She said she created this club because she felt that the community at UCF has been lacking support for African American students in the arts.

According to the UCF facts pa