NASA scientist and UCF alum Othmane Benafan, UCF student Doug Nicholson and his advisor Associate Professor Raj Vaidyanathan are conducting research at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The group is studying the atomic-level structure and behavior of shape-memory alloys such as nickel titanium. Their aim is to create more robust SMAs that…

One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, the second leading cause of death among men in the United States. It’s a serious problem and current diagnostic tests aren’t very specific. But a research team at the University of Central Florida NanoScience Technology Center has found a more accurate test…

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Santimukal Santra and Oscar Santiesban’s work in this tiny UCF lab is not the most exciting to watch, but what the technique the students helped pioneer is. It could change the lives of millions who have inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn’s. “[It] allows physicians to actually make diagnoses…

From antibacterial hand gels to the special coating on vehicle tires that repels water, nanotechnology is increasingly used in daily life, but most people don’t know what it is. A group of University of Central Florida students wants to do for nanotechnology what Star Trek did for the term “warp speed”—bring it into the everyday…

Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a novel technique that may give doctors a faster and more sensitive tool to detect pathogens associated with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease. The new nanoparticle-based technique also may be used for detection of other microbes that have challenged scientists for centuries because they hide…

The NanoScience Technology Center (NSTC) and Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) congratulate the following recipients of UCF’s 2012 Research Incentive Awards: Kevin Coffey Yong-Ho Sohn Ming Su Michael Leuenberger Winners are chosen based on an outstanding research, scholarly, or creative record that advances the body of knowledge in their field.

Five University of Central Florida scientists and an internationally renowned musician were recognized as Pegasus Professors today, during the annual Founders’ Day ceremony in the Student Union. The award is the most prestigious a faculty member can receive at UCF. The honor recognizes extraordinary contributions to the UCF community through teaching, research and service. Each…

At UCF’s 2012 Graduate Research Forum, Ph.D. candidates Tanmay Bera, Daeha Joung and Biddut Sarker each received best poster awards in the category of Engineering, Computer Science, Optics, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Modeling and Simulation. The Graduate Research Forum features poster displays representing UCF’s diverse colleges and disciplines. The forum is an opportunity for students to…

Ashley Ewh has been awarded a 2012 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Ashley was selected based on her outstanding abilities and accomplishments, as well as her potential to contribute her field. The award is worth $30,000 annually, and fellowships are funded for up to three years. Ewh is a graduate student in UCF’s Materials…

ACS Nano‘s Most Read Articles of 2011 includes a paper by researchers from UCF’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) and the NanoScience Technology Center (NSTC). The article, titled “Ultralight Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Aerogel” (DOI: 10.1021/nn102246a), was authored by Jianhua Zou, Jianhua Liu, Ajay Singh Karakoti, Amit Kumar, Daeha Joung, Qiang Li, Saiful I.…