UCF Today Summer 2010

2

WELCOME UCF’s new Provost Dr. Tony Waldrop

3-5

6

MOST POPULAR Top 10 stories

7

COMMUNITY Doing work that matters

8

COLLEGE NEWS A guide to what’s new

UCF TODAY

Summer 2010

f o r Fa m i ly a n d f r i e n d s o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C e n t r a l F l o r i da

New & Honored Trustees

Medical History

UCF’s Board of Trustees recently honored three former trustees and welcomed three new members.

The life sciences cluster at Lake Nona is busy with construction activity as the Orlando VA Medical Center and Nemours Pediatric Health Care Campus rise to join Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and the

Trustees awarded emeritus status to charter board members Patrick Christiansen and Conrad Santiago, both of whom had served since July 2001. Board members also honored Alan Florez, who had served on the board for about four years.

UCF College of Medicine. Together the cluster is projected to generate $7.6 billion in annual economic activity.

The board welcomed new trustees James Atchison, Joseph L. Mantilla and Mike Kilbride.

A+

Student-Athletes Make the Grade

r

e

OF Cent r

a

l

riDa•Uni V

F

lO

Y

UCF’s

DEGREE

UCF awarded its 200,000th degree to Andrea Long, a nursing student dedicated to acute adult care, intensive care and emergency care, which she calls “highimpact, high-velocity nursing.”

Log on. Hop in.

UCF has a new carpooling service—one that uses online social networking to help students, faculty and staff save gas and money. The service, called Zimride, uses Facebook and Google Maps to help UCF commuters seek out or offer rides. To learn more, visit http://zimride.ucf.edu.

Network at

56,000 fans at

UCF videos at

UCFalumni.com

facebook.com/UCF

youtube.com/UCF

University of Central Florida UCF Marketing P.O. Box 160090 Orlando, FL 32816-0090

on UCF.tv

A

l

entertainment

it

200,000 a

Knightly

s

OF Cent r

TV

The Gulf oil spill could put nearly 195,000 Floridians out of work and cost the state $10.9 billion in spending, according to UCF economist Sean Snaith.

If the Gulf Coast counties lose just 10 percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending due to the spill, the estimated statewide losses would still be nearly 39,000 jobs and $2.2 billion in spending.

To develop his preliminary analysis, Snaith examined the values of the tourism and leisure economies in all of the

UCF Awards 200,000th Degree

Gulf counties. He then projected the impact of losses on other business in the Gulf counties and across the state.

Snait h, t he director of UCF’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness, is a national expert in economics, forecasting and economic analysis.

For more, visit iec.ucf.edu.

Y

news.ucf.edu

UCF

Nightmare

“This new role will allow Dr. German the opportunity to bring her skill, dedication and enthusiasm to bear on medical and health care projects that will benefit our university and community,” Hitt said.

it

news, visit

Florida’s Oil Spill

President Hitt named Dr. Deborah German, founding dean of the UCF College of Medicine, to the new position of vice president for medical affairs. She will remain dean of the college, oversee its medical practice plan and coordinate other medical initiatives.

r

For the latest

China, India, Colombia, Venezuela and Canada are the top 5 countries of currently enrolled international students.

Deborah German Named VP for Medical Affairs

e

today.ucf.edu

N

UCF was one of three universities in the nation in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s virtual briefing on U.S. relations with sub-Saharan Africa.

“Much of the world will be paying attention to Africa because of the World Cup in a way that they perhaps have not in the past,” Secretary Clinton answered recent UCF graduate Amal Khan, who works in the university’s Global Perspectives Office.

UCF’s Global Perspectives Office has longstanding ties with the U.S. State Department. This relationship allows students to participate in public forums and video conferences with State Department leaders.

For more information, visit ucfglobalperspectives.org

Did You Know?

Got an iPad? If yes, then you can play a game created by UCF st udent s A lex Howel l, Jay Weatherstone, Reinaldo Rivera, Amanda Garza and Bill Sellinger.

“Revelations” was developed by students in UCF’s graduate game-development program at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) and is available in Apple’s iTunes Store. The game is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. In the supernaturally themed action-puzzle game, players try to get seven angels or demons into an opponent’s scoring zone.

riDa•Uni V

updated daily at

Briefing with Hillary Clinton

the curriculum program at a Florida public university, and it could grow into the largest such program in the country. UCF will also be one of a few in the nation to only employ full-time instructors —no adjuncts—to teach composition courses.

UCF is investing about $1.7 million in the new program during the next four years.

lO

UCF Today is

UC F 's n e w D e p a r t m e n t of Writing and Rhetoric will implement a "Writing Across the Curriculum" program called Knights Write to ensure students are prepared to write effectively in all of their courses.

K n i g ht s Wr ite w i l l help faculty members from across the university integrate writing into their classes. UCF will have only the second writing across

F

The assignment was to design the “next generation” in exhibit space. Renea Anderson’s winning exhibit involved recycled and repurposed shipping containers.

Her proposal was to turn empty shipping containers into show space that would have multiple potential uses. Every aspect of the structure could be focused on su st a i nabi l it y, i s e a si ly reproducible anywhere in the world, recycles tons of steel, and could be the first-ever space fully committed to zero waste.

Renea shared: “Add in both the multimedia options and the new collaboration I call ‘Flex Booth Space’ and it just makes sense for this project.”

“I a m honored by t his recognition; it offers such a unique opportunity to voice innovative ideas I have on the future of this industry. I am humbled that they would ask for my vision, but I am happy to have a platform to share” said Anderson, a UCF student in the Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

For her design efforts, Renea accepted two awards in Frankfurt, Germany, from IMEX GROUP.

Game for Knight Writers New iTunes

s

UCF Student Designs Zero Waste Exhibit

The NCAA assesses academic standards nationwide and for the fifth consecutive year, UCF’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) has increased. None of UCF’s 16 teams are below the 925 threshold for the third year in a row. And UCF has never had a team penalized for low APR standings. Of the 13 Florida schools that compete at the Division I level, UCF’s (967) ranks third, trailing only Miami (974) and Florida (972).

2

Welcome UCF TODAY

Meet Dr. Tony Waldrop, UCF Provost UCF’s new Provost, Dr. Tony ?

Waldrop, comes to the university from the University of North Carolina, Chapel

Books you might find in the Waldrop home:

Hill, where he has deep roots: he has a B.A.

Look Homeward, Angel

from UNC. And he was vice chancellor for

Thomas Wolfe

Bastard Out of Carolina

in Political Science, an M.A. in Physical Education and a Ph.D. in Physiology, all research and economic development from

Dorothy Allison

2001-2010.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Waldrop tells us a thing or two about

James Joyce

why he chose UCF and what he wants

Lonesome Dove

to do while he’s our second-highest

Larry McMurtry

ranking official.

Once A Runner and Again to Carthage John L. Parker

All Over but the Shoutin’ Rick Bragg

Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini

Cider House Rules John Irving

That Old Cape Magic and Bridge of Sighs Richard Russo

?

ou have a long history Y with UNC Chapel Hill.

So, why UCF?

Honestly, a lot of people there were surprised that my wife and I would leave. We have four UNC degrees between us. But this is the right time and the right opportunity for both of us.

I’m ver y proud of Nor t h Ca rolina.

The university has a rich history and tradition—my office there was in a building that is 200 years old. But at UCF, there’s the opportunity to make traditions and to do things for the first time.

During my visit, I learned that at UCF things happen quickly. And I like that.

What stood out about your campus visit?

?

ou have a strong research Y background. How does university research affect lives?

We were very impressed with the quality of the people—the students, faculty, staff and administration—and how welcoming they I am a big believer that good ideas and good were. There is energy among the people and research can’t stay in journals or just in the on campus that was exciting. university. We need to get innovations into Personally, having been at two older the world. You do that through producing universities, the newness of everything research that affects public policy, that on campus was almost overwhelming. creates and leads to medical breakthroughs And the campus was much larger than and that results in new technologies. These I would have guessed, although it did not are the issues that universities need to be involved in. feel spread out.

Research creates jobs and can significantly impact the community. It also builds a university’s reputation and the reputation of its faculty. For students, research provides A provost’s connection to students is so opportunities to see firsthand what they are important. It’s easy to be in an administration learning about in the classroom. building and forget that, but students are our customers and we need to support their lives What will success at UCF inside and outside of the classroom. look like to you?

Higher education opens the world to people.

To continue to see UCF grow in its reputation, It gives young adults the opportunity to research abilities and commitment to learn in the classroom, to learn from one partnerships and in the quality of education another on campus and to grow into adults it provides. with a greatly expanded understanding of Dr. Hitt is an amazing individual who has the world around them. been able to accomplish so much at this When I was on campus, I specifically asked university. What stands out to me is how to meet with students. I met with a group he has reached out to the people of Orlando for about an hour and, let me tell you, and Central Florida, and how they have they were outstanding. I was impressed embraced his vision. w it h t heir commitment to UCF and willingness to talk openly and honestly Personally, what keeps me engaged is when I can work with people to make things and to share advice. happen; when I can be part of a team that sees good results. That is success for me.

?

What will be your role with students?

?

It’s the difference between taking classes and taking flight.

UCF TODAY Game Day 2010

You know that feeling you get when the Knights score a touchdown? Jumping to your feet like you just won the lottery.

Shouting. Fists of victory thrust toward the sky like you were some ancient warrior. We get it.

See, Central Floridians love UCF games—and student-athletes feel that energy when they drain a three-pointer, hit one out of the park or pin their opponents. They feel that love every time you paint your face and wear that wig, show up to tailgate, turn on the TV and bring them into your homes— and every time they bring a smile to people throughout Central Florida on and off the field.

If you didn’t know what our student-athletes are up to, let us school you.

After all, it’s what we do.

If three-point shots be the food of love, read on.

UCF is serious about its sports—and its 37 sports clubs are no exception. Of these clubs, 12 attended their national tournaments, many of which require qualification tests.

Here are several highlights of our clubs’ accomplishments at national championships: restling won the National Collegiate Wrestling Association W National Championship.

I ce Hockey was a semi-finalist in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II National Tournament. oller Hockey took two teams to the National Collegiate R Roller Hockey Association National Tournament—one team made it to the Elite 8, and the other team took second in its division. omen’s Bowling took sixth place in the United States W Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships.

Tennis won third place at the National Championship.

Wakeboarding placed second in its national championship.

omen’s Water Polo took eighth place in the Collegiate W Water Polo Association National Championship. en’s Crew (rowing) is competing in its national M championships.

Rock Climbing defended its national title. en’s Ultimate Frisbee team took first at the College M Southerns Tournament.

Other accomplishments include: he U.S. Tennis Association named the UCF T Tennis Club the 2010 Campus Club of the Year.

CF’s Sean Weaver won the 2010 American U Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s Division 3 Coach-of-the-Year Award. ater Polo’s Stephanie Beauchemin was named to the 2010 W Women’s National Collegiate Club’s All-Tournament Team. our Men’s Lacrosse players received awards from the F Southeastern Lacrosse Conference 2010 Division I All Conference.

Eight wrestlers were honored as All-Americans.

3

4

Game Day 2010 UCF TODAY E5

E4 E7

E3 E6

E8

Major Parking Zones

E2

Gold Zone

E1

(Permit Parking only) ocated in the northeast sector of campus, closest to L the stadium. equires valid football game day parking permit and is R reserved for members of the Golden Knights Club (GKC), credentialed media, stadium personnel and selected others (patrons with Florida disabled parking permits and students with special permits).

D2 C1 D1

referred routing to Gold Zone parking is (from the south) P via Libra Drive/Gemini Boulevard and (from the north or west) via McCulloch Road/Orion Boulevard.

Red Zone

(General & Official University Business Parking) arking is free and provided on a first-come, first-served P basis unless otherwise designated.

Construction

referred routing to Red Zone parking (from the south) P is via Alafaya Trail/Central Florida Boulevard and (from the north or west) via Alafaya Trail/University Boulevard.

Garage B is reserved for official university business.

Blue Zone (General Parking)

H10

arking is free and provided on a first-come, first-served P basis unless otherwise designated.

H7 H2

H1

H6

referred routing to Blue Zone parking is via Alafaya Trail/ P University Boulevard or Centaurus Drive.

H5

H9

Traffic Flow

H8

Construction

H4

We recommend that drivers use the following campus entrances: isabled permit parking: Take Alafaya Trail to McCulloch D Road to Orion Boulevard, or take S.R. 408 into the Central Florida Research Park to Libra Drive. ampus entrances at Libra Drive, Central Florida and C University boulevards and Centaurus Drive will have a two-way traffic flow throughout game day. emini Boulevard North (from Alafaya Trail to North G Orion Boulevard) will be closed to all traffic from three hours prior to the game until the game starts and again from midway through the 4th quarter until two hours after the game ends. emini Boulevard East (from North Orion Boulevard to G Libra Drive) and North Orion Boulevard will generally have two-way traffic on game days; however, both will be restricted to Gold Zone patrons from three hours prior to the game until the game starts and again from midway through the 4th quarter until two hours after the game ends.

Parking & Driving Tips On-campus parking is free for all ticketed fans.

arking is only authorized in designated parking lots P and garages. o parking along campus roadways, in residential N housing parking lots or garages, or on any open grassy areas throughout campus. nly Gold Zone patrons may enter/exit the campus via O North Orion Blvd. (north entrance accessible from McCulloch Rd or Lockwood Blvd.) from three hours prior to kickoff until game start and from midway through the 4th quarter until two hours following the end of the game (or as required). niversity parking decals/hang tags will not be honored U on football game days, except for permanently assigned campus residential housing. Garage B (South Parking Garage) is reserved for official university business. isabled permit parking will be provided in Garage D, D with wheelchair-accessible shuttle service to Gate 13. ost-game traffic routing will be prioritized using all P available exits to expedite the movement of traffic.

See the “Traffic & Parking” link at www.ucfgameday.com for detailed information.

DO Have fun Make new friends Bring your family Respect the opponent Honor UCF emember visitors R are our guests ring propane B cooking grills—if using charcoal, dispose of hot coals in designated barrels ring personal tents/ B canopies (10’ x 10’ or smaller) for use in “tent zones” on Memory Mall

DON’T ailgate in parking T garages ossess or consume P alcoholic beverages if under 21 years of age ave open containers H of alcohol once the game starts ell or distribute S alcohol se kegs, glass U containers or beer funnels lay drinking contests P or drinking games

For weekend games starting before 6 p.m. arking and the “open container” P waiver begin at 8 a.m.

For weekend games starting at 6 p.m. or later Gold Zone E and F lots open at 8 a.m. ll Blue Zone and Red Zone parking, A plus Gold Zone C and D lots and garages, opens at 12 p.m. he “open container” waiver for T alcohol begins at 12 p.m.

For weekday games arking and the “open container” P waiver begin at 2 p.m.

For all games lear lots either two hours after the C game ends or midnight, whichever comes first. he “open container” waiver for T alcohol ends at kickoff.

5

UCF TODAY Game Day 2010

GOLD ZONE - Permit Parking Only RED ZONE - General Parking BLUE ZONE - General Parking RESIDENTIAL PARKING ONLY OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY PARKING

B12

Construction

B13

C2

B14

B15

B17

B16

B11

B18 B10

C3 Construction

B9

Construction

B2

B8 B7

B4 B6 B1 B3 B5

TIME D ATE 9.4 9.11 10.6 10.23 10.30 11.13

TBA

O P P O NENT

. ET 7:30 p.m . ET 8:00 p.m

kota South Da te rolina Sta North Ca

TBA

UAB

TBA

Rice

. ET 12:00 p.m

lina East Caro Miss Southern DATES AN

DO Enjoy the game Defend our house Cheer, don’t jeer espect the R opponent Be a good sport hink reputation, T not intimidation se signs, but not U banners, flags, signs with poles, sticks and braces ent chair back R seats at www. knightseats.com

DON’T moke in the S stadium rink alcohol D (authorized in stadium suites and the club lounge only) eave the stadium— L re-entry not allowed

September 10-12

UCF Family Weekend Events for students and families.

September 11

College Game Day Open House Everyone is invited to attend any of the open houses. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

October 17-23

Homecoming Week UCF vs. Rice 10.23.10, Time TBA

Fans and employees are invited to park at the Orlando Tech Center in the Central Florida Research Park and ride free shuttles to and from the on-campus Health & Public Affairs stop (Lot C1). Service will be available starting three hours before the game until two hours after the game.

D TIMES ARE S

U BJ EC T T

O C HANGE

Latest Information Visit www.UCFGameDay.com

Ticket Information Call the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at 407-823-1000.

Game Day Questions On home game days, fans can call 407-882-FANS (407-882-3267).

Fans Inside the Stadium Text “41513” and type into the message “UCF” followed by a space and a brief description of the issue and its location.

Ushers, public safety personnel, first-aid responders or event staff will respond as needed.

6

Most Popular UCF TODAY

UCF TODAY

Early UCF Bowl Scenarios

By virtue of its six victories before Saturday’s home finale against Tulane, UCF is already bowl eligible. But the Knights could very well be about to go bowling in the nation’s capital instead of on the west coast of the Sunshine State.

If UCF ca n close out t he regular season by building some momentum against Tulane and UAB, the Knights would become a very appealing choice for the Dec. 29th EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C. Largely because of geographic reasons, it has been assumed for some time that the Knights were headed to the Dec. 19th St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field . B ot h E SPN.com a nd CBSSports.com are projecting Southern Miss as Conference USA’s representative in the St. Pete Bowl.

S t Pete Bowl Game Tickets On Sale Now

Five UCF Graduate Programs in U.S. News’ Top 100

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools guide ranks five University of Central Florida programs among the nation’s best in their fields.

E ng i ne er i ng , E duc at ion , Speech-Language Patholog y, Publ ic Ad m i n ist rat ion a nd Computer Science a l l made

the top 100 in the magazine’s latest edition.

UCF’s engineering programs led the way by ranking #2 in Florida and #73 overall.

The rankings for some programs are new in 2010, while other programs were last evaluated in 2008 or 2009.

In its most recent rankings of undergraduate programs, U.S. News & World Report named UCF a top 5 national university to watch. UCF was the only Florida school listed in the category “Top Up-and-Coming Schools.” This category recognizes national universities that “recently made the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities.”

UCF also received special recognition in the category “Great Schools, Great Prices” for being a top 20 national university for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

NOV ‘09

MARCH ‘10

UCF has accepted the invitation to play in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl game Dec. 19.

for UCF’s just-ended fiscal year. The following stories are incomplete due to space constraints.

For the full story, visit today.ucf.edu.

New Architecture Program Links Valencia, UCF & UF

D iscount Tickets Help Ease Pocket

Looking to vacation close to home, entertain visiting family and/or friends, or just have a day or more of fun? Then look no further than the Student Government Association Ticket Center at UCF where specia l ly-priced tickets (with tax included) to various local theme parks and attractions such as: AMC Theatres, Arabian Nights, Busch Gardens, Disney, Kennedy Space Center, Medieval Times, Pirate’s Dinner Advent u re, Rega l Ci nemas, Sea World, Universal Studios/ Islands Of Adventure (students only), Wet ‘n Wild and Wonder Work s. By buy i ng adva nce d i s c ou nt t ic k e t s f r om t h e SGA Ticket Center, you’ll not only save money but time by avoiding long ticket lines at your favorite attraction.

DEC ‘09

Disease Resea rch Center at Burnham Institute for Medical Research.

(After answering 32 questions) Dr. Liddington: Thank you for all of your questions. I will end by reassuring you that all the evidence points to the new vaccines being safe and effective.

And even if you are healthy, you must consider the health of your family, friends, and coworkers.

[UCF Today: The UCF College of Medicine anchors a new medical city in Lake Nona (Orlando) that has attracted world-class partners such as VA Medical Center, M.D. Anderson, Nemours and Burnham Institute for Medical Research.

The message above is courtesy of our friends and neighbors at the Burnham Institute.]

When the UCF Knights suit up to play in 2010-11, they will be wearing one of the world’s most prestigious sports logos—the Nike “Swoosh.”

UCF Director of Athletics Keith Tribble announced today a partnership with Nike beginning Ju ly 1, 2010. The agreement will outfit each of the Knights’ 16 intercollegiate sports teams and more than 450 student-athletes in Nike footwear, uniforms, practice gear and equipment.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with Nike,” Tribble said. “Most importantly, our student-athletes will be thrilled to wear the Nike brand.

We look for wa rd to a long relationship with Nike.”

So here are the 10 most popular UCF Today stories

UCF will partner with Valencia Community College and the University of Florida to launch a new Bachelor of Design program in Architecture starting in Fall 2010.

Approved Thursday by the UCF Board of Trustees, the program will prepare students for a variety of careers, including professional architecture, construction management and industrial design.

Students will take two years of classes as Valencia students and two years as UCF students. They then can move on to obtain their master’s degree, potentially by staying in Orlando and enrolling in a University of Florida College of Design program based in UCF’s Center for Emerging Media in downtown Orlando.

June ‘09

H1N1 Flu Questions Answered

In October, Burnham orga nized a pa nel to educate the public on the threat posed by the H1N1 strain of influenza (“swine flu”).

On Tuesday, November 10th, we conducted a live on line chat session with Dr. Robert Liddington, key researcher from the Infectious and Inflammatory

NOV ‘09

This fall, UCF is home to 53,537 students, the most in our history.

We expect to be the third-largest university in the nation behind Arizona State and Ohio State once enrollment figures from around the country are final.

Although our size and national ranking are remarkable, our goal is not to be the largest university in the country. Rather, our goal i s to prov ide h i g h- qu a l it y students access to a world-class UCF education.

Coming Soon: New UCF Nike Uniforms

JULY ‘10

NOV ‘09

Growth is a part of who we are at the University of C ent ra l F lor id a .

Growth, and the change that comes with it, is woven into our university’s DNA. Ask our students why they came to UCF. It isn’t to stay the same. They came here to grow, to change and to better themselves.

Our university embraces the opportunities and challenges that come with strategic growth, and we welcome students who share our passion for improvement.

DEC ‘09

UCF Moves Up, Now Nation’s 3rd Largest

APR ‘10

OCT ‘09

MOST POPULAR STORIES

Everyone loves a top 10 list. And we’re no different.

13 Reasons Why Big East Should Add UCF

Let me take an extraordinary amount of space to add the full content of what I have “discovered” about UCF that causes me to feel that it is or should be the number one candidate for [Big East] expansion.

What I found about them blew me away and surprised t he heck out of me. My no-knowledge impression was that they were a smaller school with an academically challenged enrollment and weak athletics.I was w rong on a l l poi nts. I encourage everyone to use the net to check them out as well. This is a great University very much on the path to Academic and Sports success and the BE would be crazy not to consider them a prime and possibly the prime candidate for expansion of the Big East.

Changes to Florida Bright Futures Award

By this time, you shou ld have received a n o t i f i c a t i on f r o m the Florida Department of Education Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) regarding the changes to the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which are a result of the 2009 Florida Legislative Session. These changes are effective beginning fall semester of t he 2009-2010 academic year.

Florida Academic Scholars will no longer receive a college-related expense allowance.

Bright Futures awards will be recalculated (reduced) for courses that are dropped or withdrawn after the add/drop period has ended each semester. The award a mou nt for a l l w it hd raw n/ dropped classes must be repaid.

For ot her information about Bright Futures, please visit the UCF Office of Student Financial Assistance.

7

UCF TODAY Community

UCF Challenges Middle and High School Energy Whizzes More t ha n 50 0 Florida students showed off their solar ener g y s olut ion s for s ome of the world’s greatest energy cha l lenges at t he eig ht hannual EnergyWhiz Olympics held at UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center.

Students participated in several competitions geared to tap their creative minds for solutions, i nc lu d i n g a c o o k- of f, t wo races involving model-size cars powered by solar and hydrogen sources and f u ll-sca le solar electric designs.

For the cook-off, students designed and built solar cookers, but also had to come up with recipes—and cook them for the judges. If that’s not cool enough, the Junior Solar Sprint involved 63 student teams from middle schools designing, constructing and racing their own solarpowered vehicles. One of the top cars was clocked at 15 mph.

“It’s impressive to see student teams trying to solve our current and future energy problems,” said Penny Hall, event coordinator of the EnergyWhiz Olympics.

Kicking Off a New Tradition When you think “luncheon,” you probably don’t imagine three-story banners, a Knight in armor or a 300-piece marching band—unless it’s happening at UCF.

Early prep for Central Florida’s Workforce Together with Workforce Central Florida (WCF), UCF is giving 66 students the opportunity to conduct research a longside professiona ls a nd business leaders. WCF provided more t han $110,000 to help students gain valuable work experience in UCF laboratories and with high-tech companies affiliated with the university’s Business Incubation Program.

From computer models that function like the human brain to body temperature-regulating diver suits, the projects are from a wide range of disciplines— a nd c a re e r p at h s . WC F i s committed to getting students on track for careers in new and emerging regional industries at an early age.

“The goal is to have these students in an environment where they see what they’re learning, but they also see what life outside of that degree is going to look like,” said Gary Earl, president and CEO of WCF. “Students can imagine themselves as a professor, researcher, engineer or scientist and have experience under their belts at 18 or 19.”

Knights tend to take their traditions pretty seriously, and the annual “Countdown to Kickoff” luncheon is no exception. This will be the second year that the luncheon will be held on campus,

Knights Learn and Serve in the Caribbean

and the success of last year’s event still resonates: The university raised $35,000 in scholarships for student-athletes.

Organized by UCF Community Relations, the pep rally-style event greets guests with a Knight and brings down the house with a production featuring UCF’s award-winning cheerleaders, c a mp u s m a s c o t K n i g ht r o , marching band, players, coaches, former UCF football players and sports announcers.

Want to see how we’re going to bring down the house this year?

Visit www.UCFAthletics.com for more information.

that my eyes were opened to a whole new world.”

The scholars participated in cultural activities, gathered ora l histories, inter viewed community elders and shadowed local doctors and nurses making Nine UCF Honors College their rounds. To generate more students spent two weeks in interest in the sciences, they St. Kitts and Nevis to explore also refurbished and painted diverse ecosystems, help locals the science and computer labs preserve their rich history and at a primary school.

“With the presence of both refurbish a school’s labs.

“From spending time with a rainforest and the ocean, it the youngest students in St. is imperative that the students Kitts, to hearing the stories of of St. Kitts become interested the older generations on Nevis, in science,” Sher w in said.

I felt connected to the people “Students f lock to careers in of the Islands as a whole,” said business, but few, if any, pursue sophomore Chemistry major careers in the sciences. It is our Nomi Sherwin. “In hiking in hope that, with the new science the rainforest, learning to play and computer labs, students will cricket and helping to find learn more and want to go into nesting sea turtles, I have to say science-related fields.”

UCF Charts New Economic Direction UCF is both an engine and a source of fuel for the Central Florida economy. While traditional industries such as tourism and construction have been hard hit during the recession, sectors associated with research and technology have fared better.

UCF is helping in a number of areas. Studies are showing that biotech jobs—the ones UCF’s College of Medicine is helping to create—grew 2.1 percent in Florida during the first year of the recession, even while private sector jobs dropped 4.1 percent.

Frank Brogan, chancellor of Florida’s State University System, explained the need for investing in state universities in a campaign called “New Florida.” Companies in the Central Florida Research Park, for example, that partner

with the university in technologies associated with the innovation economy have remained stable or even added jobs.

Recent forums at the UCF Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies have addressed this shift in focus from the hospitality industry to technological areas.

The first was called “The Future: Florida, NASA and the Space Industry,” looking at the space shuttle’s retirement. A second program titled “Integrating Rail in Central Florida: Where We Are, Where We Are Going, What Are the Challenges?” explored SunRail and high-speed rail.

For more information or an invitation to future Metropolitan Center programs, call 407-823-0108 or e-mail metro@ mail.ucf.edu.

Tiny Green Thumbs Get a Workout P r e s c h o o l e r s a t U C F ’s Creative School for Children are going green in the school’s latest innovation—a new organic garden.

The school hosted the Parents’ Planting event and gathered together parents, children and teachers to plant rows of organic herbs and vegetables, as well as f lowers to attract pollinating insects to the garden. Tending to a vegetable garden teaches children where food comes from and the processes involved.

“If a child grows the food, they are less likely to waste it,” says Tina Richards, environmental educ ator, UCF A rboret u m.

“Children are more likely to eat their veggies if they helped grow them.”

The herbs and vegetables they planted originated from seeds

at the UCF Arboretum, with the exception of some herbs from a certified organic local pla nt g rower, a nd have no synthetic fertilizers, soil additives, herbicides or pesticides.

“W hi le we have a lways taught our children about the importance of nature and the environment, we are undergoing a new environmental push to get our children to love gardening and appreciate the fruits of their labor,” said R honda Moore, director of the UCF Creative School for Children.

8

Colleges UCF TODAY

College News Arts and Humanities The college has strength and diversity in the digital humanities. For example, Mark Kamrath in English has a grant to produce a digital archive of the works of the early American writer Charles Brockden Brown; Phil Peters in Digital Media is producing software that allows real-time, interactive satellite webcasts from anywhere in the world, and Kristin Congdon in Philosophy is cataloging Chinese folk-arts before they disappear. All these digital projects are supported by the college’s Center for Humanities and Digital Research.

Business Administration Undergraduate business students wishing to get the most for their money should attend the College of Business according to a report published in Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The publication ranked the college the number one public business school for return on investment for 2010.

The research was based on annual tuition spent and the median based salary students receive upon graduation. The data showed that UCF business students often graduate with less debt, allowing them to start saving immediately upon graduation.

Engineering and Computer Science In 2012, UCF will host the national Science Olympiad competition for the first time. Science Olympiad is dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education. During the competition, students compete in engineering tasks such as bridge building, catapult construction, functioning aircraft and other activities desig ned to boost ST E M (science, technology, engineering and math) skills.

Planning has already begun in order to welcome more than 10,000 people to campus during the event, including more than 2,000 student competitors.

Graduate Studies UCF has more than 1,600 international students from 120 countries, and we expect close to 250 new students this fall.

The International Services Center hosts orientation sessions, programs and activities to assist students with their transition to a new cultural environment. These students have the opportunity to participate in our Mentoring Program, which matches students with community members. More than 20 mentors will provide academic, social, and cultural guidance to ease the transition to life in the United States. To participate in the mentoring program, visit www.intl.ucf.edu.

Health and Public Affairs The Master of Science in Health Care Informatics program will give students hands-on experience using electronic health records (EHR) and other electronic management systems because of the generosity of the following companies: NCG Medical, based in Altamonte Springs, donated licenses and technical support for its Perfect Care EHR software valued at $1.25 million over five years; and CompuTech City, based in Casselberry, and its California-based partner, Suite Med, donated licenses and technical support for its Intelligent Medical Software valued at more than $2.2 million over five years.

Education The nation will need one million new teachers over the next four to six years and the college is leading the way in preparing highly effective professional educators to help meet the need. With award winning faculty, scientifically based research, progressive technology and facilities, and nationally ranked graduate programs, the college adds value to our university and our community every day.

Rosen college of Hospitality Management Student Prof ile: Renea Anderson, Event Management major and mother of five, skillfully balances her studies, extracurricular activities and volunteer work. She received a UCF Founders’ Award, participates in the Honors in the Major program, recently introduced U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke at a town hall meeting and was the sole winner of the IMEX/MPI University Challenge during the 2009 Meeting Professionals International World Conference Future Leaders Forum. Anderson is also active in the International Special Events Society a nd t he P r ofe s s ion a l C onve nt ion Management Association.

Medicine The UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona is in full operation. The College of Medicine at Lake Nona opened in June, cementing the reality of a new Medical City in Orlando. The college welcomes its second class with 60 new M.D. students starting in the fall joing the charter class of forty-one.

Its Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences is expected to have the largest enrollment on record. The college will honor the Central Florida community at its Opening Celebration event in October. For event information, contact Lorraine Scholler, 407-266-1044.

Nursing The first group of students in UCF’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program will graduate August 7. The post-master’s clinical doctorate teaches advanced practice nurses to perform at the highest level and prepares them for leadership roles in patient care areas.

“Advancing to a doctoral program reflects a national trend in nursing education,” said Susan Chase, professor and associate dean for graduate affairs. By adding a postbaccalaureate D.N.P. program, R.N.s may attain the highest level of clinical education at an earlier point in their careers.

Optics and Photonics The Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) was founded to promote growth in optics in Central Florida, and in 2004 it became the first college of optics and photonics in the U.S. World-renowned for their contributions to the science and technology of lasers, optical fibers, optoelectronics and image science, the faculty have spun-off more than 20 companies. The college offers graduate degrees in optics and photonics, and recently a new program has been launched, in collaboration with the College of Engineering and Computer Science, for a BS degree in Electrical Engineering with a photonics specialization.

Sciences This fall, the college will open a state-of the-art, 100,000 sq. ft. Physical Sciences Building. It qua lif ies as UCF’s f irst Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building and will house the Department of Physics and much of the Department of Chemistry. It represents the college’s commitment to world-class research in the natural sciences just as the Psychology Building, opened in 2008, represents the college’s commitment to world-class research in the social sciences.

The Burnett Honors College The college prov ides UCF’s most academically talented and motivated students with a challenging and unique scholarly experience, creating a strong foundation for future achievements. The college successfully combines the intimacy of a small liberal arts college with the benefits of a large research university.

Honors classes are small, and students experience enriched opportunities for learning, discovery and engagement under the mentorship of highly dedicated faculty.

The college is housed in its own beautiful facility, and many students take advantage of our Honors living-learning community in Tower 3. Learn more about us at honors.ucf.edu.