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Former Nano Student Awarded 2022 Order of the Pegasus​

March 27, 2022
Twenty-six students — ranging in disciplines from engineering to biology to education and others across the institution — have been named as 2021-22 recipients of the Order of Pegasus, UCF’s most prestigious student award for those who display incredible academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community service.​ ​ It includes Charles (Chuck) Didier, a Biomedical…

UCF Researcher to Collaborate with MIT on DARPA Night-vision Project

March 3, 2022
NanoScience and Physics Professor Michael Leuenberger will help develop lighter night-vision goggles than current models that weigh 2 pounds. The four-year project is a collaboration between the laboratory of Michael Leuenberger at UCF and the laboratory of Dirk R. Englund ˙at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It’s funded by a $1.1 million-dollar grant from the…

UCF Student Nanotech Team Designs Space Suit Material for NASA Competition

January 25, 2022
The team’s new design, which uses the microstructure of bee hair to simulate the capture and release of pollen, helped them secure an award. A group of six University of Central Florida students and alums from a range of fields designed and won the Best Technical Poster award as finalists in NASA’s recent Lunar Dust…

UCF Researcher Leads $1.5 Million DARPA Project to Improve Night Vision, Space Exploration and Healthcare Diagnostics

January 13, 2022
The research aims to develop a system that will enable more powerful and less expensive infrared imaging for night vision, space exploration and healthcare diagnostics. A University of Central Florida researcher is leading a new, $1.5 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency project to develop a highly sensitive infrared imaging system designed to enable improved…

New Funding Will Help UCF Researcher Develop Nanotech to Detect Animal-borne Diseases

January 4, 2022
The research aims to close the gap between state-of-the-art nanotechnology and technology currently available for tracking potential threats from animals. A University of Central Florida researcher will be leading a new project to use nanotechnology to advance research in the detection and mitigation of emerging animal-borne infectious diseases. The project is funded by a $50,000…

UCF Researchers’ Ethanol Fuel Cells Offer New Alternative to Power Cars, Technology

December 14, 2021
An ethanol fuel cell produces less emissions and uses less fuel than combustion engines, doesn’t require recharging like battery-powered technology, and may offer an alternative to hydrogen fuel cells. A new material developed by the University of Central Florida may one day mean people could be pouring a drink for their car. That’s because UCF…

UCF Researchers Develop Rapid, Highly Accurate Test to Detect Viruses like COVID-19

November 29, 2021
Researchers say the device can tell with 95% percent accuracy if someone has a virus, a significant improvement over current rapid tests. University of Central Florida researchers have developed a device that detects viruses like COVID-19 in the body as fast as and more accurately than current, commonly used rapid detection tests. The optical sensor…

Long-lasting Disinfectant Promises to Help Fight Pandemics

September 7, 2021
An alum and several researchers at UCF have used nanotechnology to develop the cleaning agent, which protects against seven viruses for up to seven days. UCF researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based disinfectant that can continuously kill viruses on a surface for up to seven days – a discovery that could be a powerful weapon against…

UCF Researchers Create Water-repellent Nanomaterial Inspired by Nature

September 7, 2021
The novel superhydrophobic coating, which can potentially be used to create more efficient fuel cells and sensitive toxic gas detectors, can keep materials dry for longer and at greater depths. A team of researchers at the University of Central Florida have created a new nanomaterial that repels water and can stay dry even when submerged…