Fang, who is an assistant professor in within the College of Sciences, is using the CAREER award to study the precise movement of electrons induced by light and to help educate others in her field.

Yao is an assistant professor in within the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster. He鈥檒l use his CAREER award to identify lapses in computer processing security at the micro level and find ways to defend against them.

The annual award supports an estimated 500 early-career STEM faculty from either institutes of higher education or academic nonprofit organizations who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Through their NSF CAREER awards, both Fang and Yao are continuing to build upon their research and contribute to key components of their respective fields.

Capturing Energy in a Fraction of a Second

Li Fang

Department of Physics

Title: Photo-induced Ultrafast Electron-nuclear Dynamics in Molecules

Award: $813,981 over five years

Li Fang is examining some of the smallest components of matter in some of the shortest amounts of time.

She studies how electrons move after their initial absorption of photo-energy as they attempt to interact, break or form a bond with other molecular components. The purpose of examining these molecular dynamics is crucial in better understanding physics and energy, Fang says.

鈥淭he dynamics of these charged particles will provide fundamental knowledge about energy absorption, dissipation and rearrangement in building blocks of materials and therefore is relevant to energy storage and harvest,鈥� Fang says. 鈥淲e implement spectroscopic tools to track the extremely fast motion of these charges. An electron鈥檚 motion is the first step in all chemical and photo reactions and ions are the subjects of chemical bonds that exist basically in all materials.鈥�

Fang measures these movements in attoseconds and femtoseconds, which are one billion billionths of a second and one million billionths of a second, respectively.

Attoseconds are the natural time scale for electrons moving inside an atom while femtoseconds are the natural time scale for measuring nuclei moving within a molecule.

Fang鈥檚 NSF CAREER project will help her further uncover and measure how light can instigate changes at the molecular level and then share her research with the greater scientific community.

鈥淭he goal is to understand the ultrafast electron motion induced by intense laser beams and its correlation with the motion of the nuclei in a molecule,鈥� she says. 鈥淎n equally important part of my NSF CAREER award is the educational subproject, the goal of which is to introduce my research field 鈥榰ltrafast science鈥� to a broader audience through media and local events and enhance diversity of workforce in science.鈥�

Fang came to UCF in 2020 from the Ohio State University.

Since arriving, she has garnered significant funding and support for her projects. In 2020, Fang was one of 76 recipients 鈥� and the only recipient from Florida 鈥� to be awarded an early career research program grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

She also was instrumental in securing NSF funding of nearly $2 million for a powerful laser in 2021, aiming to build a user facility at UCF to continue studying electrons and molecular bonds using precise measurements in attoseconds.

Fang says it was extremely gratifying to earn her NSF CAREER award, and it represents a culmination of her previous scientific endeavors.

鈥淚t definitely fit into my career and will help me fulfill my goals as a researcher and an educator,鈥� she says.

Fang is thankful for the assistance of her peers and collaborators in cultivating her studies and developing her NSF CAREER proposal.

鈥淭he NSF CAREER program at UCF organized by Saiful Khondaker is very helpful with improving the writing of the educational subproject, which is crucial to the NSF CAREER project,鈥� she says.

UCF has provided Fang with the opportunity to excel in her research, and she anticipates many more impactful discoveries to come.

鈥淚 am looking forward to carrying out real scientific experiments and discovering new findings with the state-of-the-art lasers and the spectroscopy systems we have,鈥� Fang says. 鈥淕etting a prestigious CAREER award is just the start.鈥�

Fan Yao

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Title: Understanding and Ensuring Secure-by-design Microarchitecture in Modern Era of Computing

Award: $556,875

Effective computer system security requires searching high and low within its infrastructure to address vulnerabilities that could be overlooked and exploited.

Fan Yao has dedicated his research to thoroughly poring through potential weaknesses within the architectural and microarchitectural designs of computing and memory units to see how they can be safeguarded against malicious hacks and data breaches.

鈥淚n today’s interconnected digital landscape, we depend on computing devices to store and process our sensitive and personal data,鈥� he says. 鈥淕iven that hardware forms the foundational bedrock of all computing systems, its security is paramount. A computer with compromised hardware security is akin to a skyscraper built on shaky ground.鈥�

Specifically, Yao is using his NSF CAREER project to examine computer processors and analyze side channel leakage, which is compromised access to information or infrastructure through indirect means.

鈥淭hrough the automation of microarchitectural security analysis, we aim to uncover hidden hardware-level states prone to leakage, as well as to develop software-level patterns that can exploit these vulnerabilities to quantify their leakage potential,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ubsequently, the project will focus on designing robust defense strategies to prevent microarchitectural information leakage, thereby ensuring stronger protection for future generations of processors.鈥�

The awarded funds will continue to catalyze Yao鈥檚 research and allow him to further challenge the limits of computer security. He is hopeful that the results will serve as an educational cornerstone to both aspiring students and his peers, he says.

鈥淭his grant allows us to explore innovative security solutions more deeply and to train the next generation of researchers in this critical field,鈥� Yao says. 聽鈥淭his award fits perfectly into my career goals, as it enables me to establish a sustainable research program that can make meaningful contributions to both academia and industry.鈥�

Yao arrived at UCF in the fall of 2018 after receiving his doctoral degree in computer engineering from the George Washington University.

The support and mentorship from UCF鈥檚 academic community and administration at UCF has been crucial to helping him achieve his research aspirations, he says.

鈥淯CF has been extremely supportive in junior faculty career development,鈥� Yao says. 鈥淢any of the preliminary results for this project were achieved through experiments facilitated by this support. I am also profoundly grateful for the comprehensive assistance received during the development of this proposal. This includes invaluable guidance from the UCF CAREER mentoring program and the insightful feedback on my proposal provided by senior faculty members in our department.鈥�

Yao is proud to have been awarded an NSF CAREER grant, and says he is excited to further his research.

鈥淩eceiving the NSF CAREER grant is an incredible honor and a pivotal moment in my career,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t not only validates the importance and potential impact of our work on microarchitecture security, but also provides a substantial platform to expand our research efforts.鈥�

The UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science will host the International Collegiate Programming Contest鈥檚 (ICPC) North America Championship. Known as the 鈥淏attle of Brains,鈥� the five-hour contest involves a race to solve the most brain teasers and logic problems correctly over five hours. Each problem is solved by writing a computer program that generates the correct answer.

UCF will compete alongside the most elite teams on the continent, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Columbia University and Stanford University.

The top 16 teams will move on to the world finals, to be held in September in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The world鈥檚 most prestigious collegiate competition builds students鈥� problem-solving skills, which are valuable to those seeking a career in software development, data science and research, and related fields.

UCF鈥檚 team will be seeking to advance to the world finals for the 13^th consecutive year. Team advisor and Professor of Computer Science Ali Orooji says the team is excited to compete at home, and that he is optimistic about UCF鈥檚 chances of placing exceptionally well at the championship.

鈥淲e have a strong team, and they definitely have the talent to finish in top five,鈥� Orooji says. 鈥淚t is, however, a five-hour contest with many good teams so the smallest mistakes will make a difference. We are very proud of UCF鈥檚 consistent record over the last 40 years and appreciate the dedication and hard work of our students.鈥�

The NAC and NAPC are sponsored by the National Security Agency, Jane Street, Citadel, Jump Training and Jet Brains. Each sponsor will have representatives on-site at a career fair for the contest participants, giving the students the opportunity to meet with them to discuss future jobs and internships.

鈥淚t is our pleasure to showcase UCF to so many great institutions in North America,鈥� says Michael Georgiopoulos, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. 鈥淚t is also our pleasure to give the opportunity to students and coaches to interact with each other, get to know each other better and exchange ideas of how they can expand the passion and knowledge about computing to a wider audience.鈥�

This year鈥檚 NAC is unique in that is also offers a programming camp three days before the championship, offered to the attending teams as practice time before the big event. The North America Programming Camp (NAPC) features six world-class trainers who have coached world finalists or competed on the world stage themselves.

In addition to showcasing their technical talents, teams must display a slew of other strengths to make it through to the next level of competition, including smart time management, grace under pressure and successful collaboration in their teams of three, sharing one computer.

鈥淎ll are champions in their own right, having first been selected to compete from their universities.聽They bested over 1,000 teams in ICPC competitions throughout North America to advance to the NAC, competing to advance to the ICPC World Finals, the top 1% of nearly 20,000 teams competing globally,鈥� says ICPC Executive Director Bill Poucher. 鈥淗ow good are they? They are extraordinary.鈥�

The hometown team UCF Apocalypse Attack, coached by computer science lecturer Travis Meade, is comprises Tyler Marks 鈥�24, who earned bachelor鈥檚 degrees from UCF in both computer science and mechanical engineering; computer science alum Andy Phan 鈥�21 鈥�23MS, who is working on a second master鈥檚 degree from UCF in mathematics; and computer science undergraduate Sachin Sivakumar. The team placed first in the Southeast Regional Programming Content to earn their spot in the North America Championship.

Damla Turgut, chair of the UCF Department of Computer Science, says that the competition shines a spotlight on the impressive technical skills students will demonstrate as they compete for a spot in world finals.

“We are excited to host the top student programmers from across North America at the UCF campus and to cheer on our own team in the competition,鈥� Turgut says. 鈥淭his event will showcase the exceptional talents and skills of our graduates to leading tech employers.”

Okaty is a business lawyer and managing partner of Foley & Lardner LLP鈥檚 Orlando office who joined the UCF Board of Trustees in 2019.

鈥淲e are grateful to vice chair Okaty for his leadership and willingness to serve in this capacity,鈥� UCF Board of Trustees Chair Alex Martins 鈥�01惭叠础 says. 鈥淚 am proud of all of the talented individuals who serve on this board and the shared commitment to the work we are doing together to make UCF a preeminent university for the state of Florida.鈥�

鈥淚 am looking forward to working with vice chair Okaty in his new role, alongside chair Martins and the rest of our board,鈥� says 香港六合彩开奖结果 President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淲e are fortunate to have a fantastic group of highly accomplished trustees who challenge us and push us to do better, and I am confident we will continue to do great things on behalf of UCF.鈥�

Okaty鈥檚 practice focuses on a wide variety of corporate transactions, governance and counseling.鈥疕e was a first-generation student at UCF, earning bachelor鈥檚 degrees in finance and accounting and graduating鈥�magna cum laude. He also attended the New York University School of Law, where he received both his juris doctorate and master of laws degrees.

鈥淯CF has been a big part of my personal and professional life, and I care deeply about the success of the university,鈥� Okaty says. 鈥淚 am honored to serve in this role, and I am looking forward to continuing to work alongside chair Martins, president Cartwright, the board, and members of the university community to move 香港六合彩开奖结果 forward in alignment with the best interests of our stakeholders.鈥�

Okaty鈥檚 term as vice chair will conclude on June 30, 2025. His Board of Governors appointment to the Board of Trustees expires Jan. 6, 2025, and he is eligible for reappointment by the BOG.

Under the Florida Constitution, each state university is administered by a board of trustees consisting of 13 members.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the administration of UCF in a manner that is dedicated to and consistent with the university鈥檚 mission and with the mission and purposes of the State University System. This responsibility includes cost-effective policy decisions, the implementation and maintenance of high-quality education programs, and oversight of university performance, financial management and accountability, personnel, the reporting of information and compliance with laws, rules, regulations and requirements.

Learn more about the board at鈥�.

Michael Rohr 鈥�22PhD spent eight years in medical school, doing research on better ways to detect and prevent colon cancer. Amanda Renfrow 鈥�16 鈥�22PhD spent seven years at UCF, researching therapies to stop breast, lung and pediatric cancers.

鈥淪cience is what got me interested in medicine,鈥� Renfrow says. 鈥淎nd then the people are what makes me want to stay.鈥�

鈥淚 really love what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� Rohr says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a long, long journey, but I think it鈥檒l pay off.鈥�

Students in the combined program develop a Ph.D. dissertation project in the first two years of medical school, while they take the required M.D. program courses. Once they pass a national licensing exam in their second year, they enter the Ph.D. program full time for at least three years. Then they return to medical school for the final two years of clinical education.

Renfrow鈥檚 medical journey began in a high school science classroom where she heard a heartbeat for the first time. She earned her undergraduate, graduate and medical school degrees all at UCF. She credits the support of her parents, husband, siblings, fellow students and her research mentor, College of Medicine Professor and Cancer Division Head Annette Khaled, for helping her reach her combined degree.

A valuable lesson that she learned was to continue to have patience with herself. 鈥淚t鈥檚 okay to take a step back, relearn it, and be patient, and then move forward again,鈥� Renfrow says.

After commencement, she will go to West Virginia University for her internal medicine residency. She says she wants to become a physician who can provide personalized care for each patient and identify research studies that suit their specific needs. She also hopes to spark a research interest in other physicians.

Rohr discovered his passion for medicine and research during his undergraduate studies at Florida Atlantic University and a Scholar Program at the Cleveland Clinic.

He credits his wife, who also graduates from the College of Medicine Friday, with helping him navigate the M.D./Ph.D. journey.

鈥淚鈥檝e been very fortunate in having gone through this track with my wife, Trina,鈥� he says. 鈥淗aving her has made it a lot easier.鈥�

Rohr鈥檚 research journey had both personal and scientific challenges. He says one of the most stressful periods was when his research mentor, Sampath Parthasarathy, died after the two had worked together for two years. He switched labs and mentors, joining Associate Professor Deborah Altomare. Under her guidance, he received a National Institutes of Health grant to support his research into ways to suppress early onset colon cancer.

鈥淚 definitely would not be where I am currently without her help,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he did more than mentor me. She took me under her wing, so I very much appreciate that.鈥�

Rohr hopes to become a gastroenterologist and will continue his medical training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he will be do a combined internal medicine-research residency.

Steven Ebert, a cardiovascular researcher at the College of Medicine鈥檚 Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, directs the M.D./Ph.D. program. He says

“[Renfrow and Rohr] have done a remarkable job throughout this arduous journey with numerous high-quality publications, conference presentations and even an NIH pre-doctoral fellowship,” Ebert says.鈥�”I don鈥檛 think we could鈥檝e asked for finer examples of pioneering efforts than those represented by these extraordinary students.鈥�

The two will be among 117 M.D. candidates who receive their degrees in Addition Financial Arena.

But the process of detecting and observing space objects, known as space domain awareness (SDA), faces challenges with the extensive volume of cislunar space.

鈥淐islunar space is vast,鈥� says Tarek Elgohary, an associate professor of aerospace engineering. 鈥淭he current SDA infrastructure, which is mostly Earth-based, is not equipped to provide the needed coverage in cislunar space. There is a need for fast and accurate solutions to quantify uncertainties to improve predictions and provide SDA information in the absence of continuous coverage.鈥�

Elgohary and his team will develop those solutions with the support of a $350,000 grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Dynamic Data and Information Processing Program. They will create a computational framework to rapidly and accurately track space objects in real time, onboard spacecraft or satellites like the Air Force Research Laboratory鈥檚 Oracle, which is designed to increase SDA capabilities in cislunar space. The algorithms will allow Oracle and other spacecraft to operate autonomously without intervention from Earth.

Those same algorithms could also have an impact on maritime domain awareness (MDA). Just as spacecraft might need to identify space junk or track the orbit of a satellite, watercraft need to identify other vessels, predict target trajectories and detect suspicious behavior in real-time.

鈥淪pace and maritime domains share a lot of similarities in terms of the lack of continuous coverage of spacecraft or vessels, the large size of the search domain, and the need for the capability to predict maneuvers,鈥� Elgohary says. 鈥淢aritime domain awareness may require shorter time scales; however, with the expansion of space missions, space domain awareness operations have been reduced from weeks and days to hours and minutes.鈥�

Elgohary will use his expertise in space to develop a similar computational framework for the sea. The algorithms developed for uncertainty quantifications will advance MDA and allow sea vessels to detect objects in real time and predict their future location.

This work is funded through a $150,000 grant from Lockheed Martin.

About the Researcher

Tarek Elgohary joined UCF in 2016 as an assistant professor. He manages the Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory (ASRL) in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering from the American University in Cairo and a master鈥檚 degree and doctoral degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University.

Hou, a professor of in the College of Community Innovation and Education, has been named the 2024-25 Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Distinguished Chair in Health Sciences.

The U.S. Fulbright Program partners with universities worldwide, inviting leading scholars to study and teach abroad in short-term appointments. The Distinguished Chairs Program is one of its most prestigious awards. Candidates are typically senior scholars with significant publication and teaching records.

On her upcoming trip, Hou will visit the University of Eastern Finland to work on the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability project, also known as the FINGERS study. This study shows that five lifestyle changes 鈥� nutrition, exercise, mental stimulation, social activities and cardiovascular risk management 鈥� can protect and promote brain health and slow cognitive decline.

Building on insights from the original trial, Hou will help the FINGERS research team explore the effects of digitally enhanced lifestyle interventions.

鈥淩esearchers have found that these lifestyle changes are linked to better thinking and problem-solving abilities,鈥� Hou says. 鈥淭hey emphasize the importance of sticking to these changes for lasting benefits.

With ongoing concerns about global aging and increased digital communication post-pandemic, we need new trial designs based on the successful FINGERS model. Although the original study was very successful, transitioning these lifestyle interventions to a digital format presents new challenges.鈥�

One of these new trials will study the correlation between hearing impairment and cognitive decline. Hou will evaluate the digital self-assessment tool using mixed-methods research, her area of expertise.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 typically link hearing impairment with mental decline, but the team is trying to study how personalized hearing rehabilitation may impact the cognitive function so we can better understand how older adults use digital tools,鈥� she says.

This study is a natural extension of Hou鈥檚 research on aging in community, which focuses on helping older adults live independently while fostering connections with their communities to improve their sense of belonging and well-being. Hou has presented her research at numerous universities overseas through hundreds of presentations, workshops and seminars.

She also has previous experience as a Fulbright Specialist. In December 2022 she traveled to Ben-Gurion University in Israel, where she studied local aging-in-community models and led mixed-methods research workshops at the Israeli Center for Qualitative Research.

Hou says she is fascinated by different countries鈥� cultural perspectives on aging-in-community.

鈥淭he cultural differences have always stood out to me whenever I鈥檝e traveled or collaborated with colleagues around the world,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to see how Finland鈥檚 perspective contributes to healthy aging-in-community.鈥�

Hou will complete her appointment in Finland over two one-month visits 鈥� the first in late August 2024 and the second in May 2026.

She says she is thrilled to help the FINGERS team bring worldwide attention to brain health and believes this experience will lead to many positive developments.

鈥淚 foresee more opportunities through this Fulbright Distinguished Chair program, which I鈥檓 really honored and grateful to be part of,鈥� she says.

Harvison recently pored through a library of infrared telescope data to analyze the spectral composition of 25 members of the Erigone family of primitive asteroids and help fill in the gaps in our understanding of the creation of our solar system.

The data on the Erigone asteroids, which are located in the main asteroid belt found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, was collected as part of the PRIMitive Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey (PRIMASS) project co-led by 香港六合彩开奖结果 planetary scientist Noem铆 Pinilla-Alonso.

Harvison鈥檚 work, which was published recently in the journal Icarus, lays the foundation for future research, and may get scientists closer to concluding if asteroids brought water to Earth and if so, how much.

鈥淭here are theories that the Earth could have received a fraction of its water from primitive asteroids in the early Solar System,鈥� says Harvison, who is also a researcher at the . 鈥淎 big portion of these theories is understanding how these primitive asteroids were transported into Earth鈥檚 path. So, exploring primitive asteroids in the Solar System today could help paint a picture of what was going on all those years ago.鈥�

Some of these cosmic travelers, including the asteroids within the Erigone family, have hydrated silicates. The existing hydrated bodies that continue to move throughout our solar system could tell us more about those that collided with Earth.

It is one of the many outstanding questions that Harvison鈥檚 work is hoping to address.

鈥淲e mainly wanted to see if there were primitive asteroid families similar to the Erigone and Polana asteroid families,鈥� Harvison says. 鈥淲e used spectroscopy to study what kinds of minerals were on the surface to understand their composition.鈥�

From the study, Harvison and her co-authors saw that the Erigone and Polana families are different from one another聽in the near infrared but that the other primitive families have their own levels of red color in their spectral distribution along with their own unique levels of hydration.

In other words, the primitive families in the inner solar system show a variety of redness and hydration. The analysis and comparison show evidence that these families are not linked聽to the proposed Erigone-like or Polana-like groups, challenging the previously held theories as to where they fit in. Also, one particular asteroid, (52246) Donaldjohanson, seems to belong to the Erigone family based on its spectrum.

Piecing Together History

Due to the importance of understanding the nature of primitive objects, numerous spacecraft have targeted primitive asteroids, such as JAXA鈥檚 Hayabusa2 and NASA鈥檚 OSIRIS-REx, which visited, studied, and returned samples from Ryugu and Bennu, respectively.

Bennu and Ryugu prompted researchers to further study primitive asteroids and figure out where they came from, Harvison says.

Erigone was one of the final pieces of the large library of PRIMASS data that existed, but had yet to be studied, Harvison says. PRIMASS aims to understand the diversity of surface properties amongst primitive collisional families in the asteroid belt and map their composition.

A collisional family of asteroids refers to a group of asteroids that are believed to have originated from the breakup of a larger parent body due to a collision. The members of a collisional family provide information about the interior of the intact body they were part of before the impact.

The PRIMASS project is characterizing the collisional families of primitive asteroids in the main belt, and particularly those that could be the origin of the primitive near-Earth asteroids such as Bennu and Ryugu.

The conclusions drawn by studying collisional families like Erigone are critical puzzle pieces in the greater endeavor of understanding the creation of our solar system.

鈥淭he larger scope was to look at primitive聽families in the inner part of the main asteroid belt, where Ryugu and Bennu are thought to have likely originated,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he聽Erigone family was the last piece of the puzzle to be placed into the PRIMASS library to provide full context on primitive asteroids in this region and allow other scientists to analyze the data.鈥�

Harvison鈥檚 research provides supplemental context for the upcoming NASA Lucy mission, which will have the eponymous spacecraft visiting (52246) Donaldjohanson in Spring 2025 before it moves on to examine eight Trojan objects (space rocks trapped in Jupiter鈥檚 orbit) in 2027 through 2033.

Looking to the Future

Study co-author M谩rio De Pr谩, an assistant scientist at FSI, served as a research assistant and Harvison鈥檚 co-supervisor. Co-author Pinilla-Alonso is Harvison鈥檚 research advisor and assisted Harvison in her research.

Pinilla-Alonso says she鈥檚 delighted to assist Harvison and see her growth.

鈥淔or me, it was a pleasure to see the process and the end result,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he contacted me early during the pandemic when we were all working at home to express her interest in pursuing a Ph.D. degree here at UCF. Here we are about three years later: she has done an awesome job and there is more to come.鈥�

Pinilla-Alonso and Harvison say they were surprised that no one had studied the spectroscopy of the Erigone family.

鈥淲hen Brittany landed on this project, we saw there was one piece of information we were missing,鈥� Pinilla-Alonso says. 鈥淧RIMASS had completed the analysis of the visible and near-infrared of all the primitive families in the inner belt but there was one missing family: Erigone. That was very important because it was the family that could give closure to learning about the inner [asteroid] belt families. Until you ask the right question or have the tools, sometimes you don鈥檛 seek that answer. But, in this case, we had the observations done and it was clear that we needed to analyze it.鈥�

The knowledge gained from studying Bennu, Ryugu, and the Erigone and Polana primitive asteroid families will serve as a springboard for future James Webb Space Telescope observations and NASA missions.

鈥淚t is very exciting times going through all of this new data with more to come with the James Webb Space Telescope,鈥� Pinilla-Alonso says. 鈥淚 really think the biggest discovery is yet to come. The data we can collect from Earth is limited. Now, we have the best tool in space to keep learning more.鈥�

Pinilla-Alonso, Harvison and other researchers at FSI are slated to begin using the JWST as early as this summer to observe Erigone and other primitive asteroids, and, over a span of about two years, evaluate the collected spectra.

Harvison maintains her enthusiasm as she looks forward to building upon her analyses and further unraveling the origins of these primitive asteroids.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this fascination when I鈥檓 looking at this data and I鈥檓 examining something that鈥檚 millions of miles away,鈥� Harvison says. 鈥淲e can look back billions of years and learn the initial structure and composition of the early solar system by聽studying the surface of these asteroids. That鈥檚 always been something that excites me.鈥�

In addition to Harvison, Pinillia-Alonso and De Pr谩, FSI colleague and head of the Planetary and Space Science Group Humberto Campins provided research support. Vania Lorenzi of Fundaci贸n Galileo Galilei and Instituto de Astrof铆sica de Canarias, David Morate of El Centro de Estudios de F铆sica del Cosmos de Aragon, Julia de Le贸n and Javier Licandro of Instituto de Astrof铆sica de Canarias and Universidad de La Laguna, Anicia Arredondo of the Southwest Research Institute also contributed to the research.

Researchers鈥� Credentials

Harvison joined UCF in 2021 and is a graduate student working toward her doctoral degree in physics. She graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2020 with a degree in astronomy, planetary astronomy, and science.

Pinilla-Alonso is a professor at FSI and joined UCF in 2015. She received her doctorate in astrophysics and planetary sciences from the Universidad de La Laguna in Spain. Pinilla-Alonso also holds a joint appointment as a professor in UCF鈥檚聽聽and has led numerous international observational campaigns in support of NASA missions such as New Horizons, OSIRISREx and Lucy.

The robot rovers won鈥檛 be going into space 鈥� but they will face the next best challenge: to build a berm structure which would be useful to NASA鈥檚 Artemis program for navigating during lunar landings and launches, shading cryogenic propellant tank farms, providing radiation protection around a nuclear power plant and other mission-critical uses.

NASA created the Lunabotics Challenge in support of the Artemis program. UCF鈥檚 will host the first round, sponsored by Caterpillar Inc., on May 11-14. The top 10 teams will advance to the demonstrations phase of the competition at the Kennedy Space Center May 15-17.

At UCF, students will be testing and showcasing their rovers in the same regolith bin that NASA, the European Space Agency and many companies use to evaluate and improve new equipment and technologies before launching them into space. Leaders in key industries that are important to Florida鈥檚 and the region鈥檚 workforce will serve as judges.

鈥淟unabotics gives students from throughout the United States an unrivaled opportunity to apply their knowledge of robotics and space to NASA鈥檚 design and construction processes,鈥� says Winston Schoenfeld, UCF interim vice president for research. 鈥淭he future of our space and many other high-tech industries depends on preparing a talented workforce that can innovate and work in highly collaborative team environments.鈥�

Each team of college students has spent months designing and building a robot rover to NASA specifications that, during this challenge, will autonomously navigate a lunar-simulated arena and excavate regolith. They will compete two teams at a time per round, being given a set amount of time to collect regolith from the construction zone and dump it into a berm zone. Teams will be judged on a variety of factors, chiefly, the size of the berm they are able to build up in the regolith material with the rover.

The top 10 teams then travel to Kennedy Space Center for the culminating event, to demonstrate the operation of their functional tele-operated or autonomous robot to complete the lunar construction tasks. Students benefit from participating and having their work evaluated by NASA and private sector engineers, technicians and educators. NASA benefits by assessing student designs and data the same way it does for its own designs, encouraging innovation in student designs and identifying clever solutions to the many challenges inherent in future Artemis missions.

鈥淣ASA鈥檚 Artemis program is our plan to return humanity to the surface of the moon in a way that is sustainable over the long term.聽 And the task of robotically building berm structures will be important for preparation and support of crewed lunar missions.聽 These competing teams are not only building critical engineering skills that will assist their future careers, but they are literally helping NASA prepare for our future Artemis missions,鈥� says NASA Software Developer & In-Situ Resource Specialization (ISRU) Researcher Kurt Leucht.

Founded to help fuel talent for the nearby space industry, UCF continues to build its reputation as SpaceU. NASA, with more than 50 years of research support from UCF, has advanced its Artemis program with the goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on the moon and preparing for missions to Mars. Prominent UCF space researchers are actively engaged in multiple collaborations with NASA 鈥� particularly within the Artemis program 鈥� and 29% of Kennedy Space Center employees are UCF alums.

鈥淪tudents are taking on a challenge that also faces all of our top space agencies and companies 鈥� how can we design and build an autonomous vehicle that can reliably perform tasks on the surface of the moon?鈥� says Julie Brisset, interim director of UCF鈥檚 Florida Space Institute. 鈥淭he hands-on experience is invaluable for students and will help set them up for success on their campuses and in their future careers.鈥�

Soil simulants used in the Lunabotics Challenge at UCF are created from crushed minerals. Once produced by UCF鈥檚 Exolith Lab, this regolith is now manufactured by a successful spinoff company, Space Resource Technologies. Other sponsors include Allen & Company, Lunar Outpost, Riegl USA and Venturi Astrolab.

As for the UCF Team, comprised of nine mechanical engineering and computer science students, learning how to work together as a team was as worthwhile an output as the lunar robot itself.

鈥淥ur 鈥榤ove fast and break things鈥� mindset has led to lots of creativity flowing to solve problems that came up with the design,鈥� says Lee Marshall, who serves as team lead for UCF.

Their biggest challenge was creating a custom mechanical solution from scratch for the controls, according to Marshall. For the robot rover, materials came from 3D printers, an Xbox Connect being used as a camera and depth sensor, and other materials found in the Robotics Club lab.

鈥淔rom observing the team, you can see their dedication, innate drive and determination to make it through the qualifying event,鈥� says Crystal Maraj, faculty advisor for the 香港六合彩开奖结果 Robotics Club and an assistant professor with the Institute for Simulation and Training. 鈥淚t takes a lot of time and effort, and I applaud these students for their success to iterate the design and utility of the robot for competition.鈥�

Members of the public will be able to watch the competition rounds of the Lunabotics Challenge on the . The Lunabotics .

Kapucu, Pegasus Professor of public administration and associate dean of research in the College of Community Innovation and Education, has recently returned from his trip to Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan as part of the Fulbright Specialist Program. This program provides opportunities for academic subject-matter experts to share their experience during short-term trips abroad. While a traditional Fulbright program typically runs for several months over the span of an academic semester, specialist program trips are just three weeks.

Kapucu accomplished three major tasks on his trip. He worked with Nazarbayev University鈥檚 academic leaders to enhance their doctoral program, helped increase the university鈥檚 research capacity, and delivered lectures on coordinated disaster response and building community resilience.

When it came to enhancing the doctoral program, Kapucu鈥檚 previous role as UCF鈥檚 public affairs doctoral program coordinator 鈥� along with his tenure as both an executive board member of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) and a member of NASPAA doctoral programs committee 鈥� proved instrumental.

鈥淣azarbayev University is a top-notch institution,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he students who graduate from the program will be great faculty sources for the universities in Kazakhstan and other countries.鈥�

He also believes Nazarbayev University鈥檚 multilingual environment gives it great potential for international involvement.

鈥淭he students speak multiple languages, and the lectures are all in English,鈥� he says.

To forge partnership between UCF and Nazarbayev University, Kapucu and the academic leaders discussed potential exchange programs through avenues such as the Bolashak International Scholarship.

鈥淲e are also discussing a relationship between UCF and Kazakh National Medical University,鈥� Kapucu says. 鈥淭hey are interested in health informatics, which our college has a school for.鈥�

While these opportunities are still in the planning phase, one event is already set in stone. Kapucu says the Kazakh Science Fund is scheduling a trip to Orlando to learn about UCF鈥檚 research administration, partnerships and relationship with the Central Florida Research Park.

鈥淭hey want to improve their grant distribution to research institutions and understand how we manage our research programs,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey will come and meet with us around July.鈥�

While there, Kapucu presented his lectures on disaster response and community resilience, sponsored by the National Academy of Public Administration and Astana Civil Service Hub. He says that pressing events in Kazakhstan 鈥� two recent earthquakes in Almaty and a period of countrywide civil unrest in 2022 鈥� led policymakers to address the need for improvement in these areas. He also met with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the National Security Administration and local law-enforcement agencies to speak about the importance of emergency and crisis management.

He was even invited to lead a train-the-trainer program, in which experts train instructors to pass knowledge and training on to others.

鈥淭hey want me to go back and do training on these issues,鈥� Kapucu says. 鈥淭he citizens want to be prepared.鈥�

As Kazakhstan鈥檚 government refines its emergency management policies, and its learning institutions seek more doctoral graduates in the field, Kapucu is confident that the ties between UCF and Nazarbayev University and other academic institutions will strengthen.

Kapucu says he made hundreds of new connections on his trip. As he continues to work with Kazakh students and faculty from afar, he hopes to return and involve more directly with the people he met.

鈥淭he Fulbright Program isn鈥檛 just about research and lectures,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about building relationships.鈥�

UCF researcher Sudipta Seal joined the fight by collaborating with Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center to provide a key component for a targeted medicine that combats the most common kind of pediatric brain tumor.

Seal, who is a professor and Chair of the within the , along with his postdoctoral researcher Elayaraja Kolanthai, created a solution containing therapeutic cerium oxide nanoparticles that acts as a protective vehicle to deliver a combination of cancer therapies through the body and to a patient鈥檚 brain. Their work was recently published in the journal .

A Targeted Approach

The intravenous mixture of therapies attacks medulloblastomas 鈥� or tumors 鈥� on all fronts. Ranjan Perera, director of the Center for RNA Biology at Johns Hopkins All Children鈥檚 Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, and his team developed the medicine that targets a specific part of RNA that 鈥渞eprograms鈥� a region of our DNA to hinder cancer causing genes.

A specific, long non-coding RNA, lncRNA, was identified as a potential bullseye target that accumulates and promotes cancerous growth. Johns Hopkins assembled a sequence of nucleotides 鈥� the building blocks of RNA 鈥� that can bind to the specific parts of the cancer-promoting portion of the RNA and destroy it.

Perera and his team paired the genetic treatment with cisplatin, a common intravenous chemotherapy medication that disrupts cancer cells and prevents them from replication.

The treatment was tested in mice and results showed that it inhibits tumor growth by 40-50%. The intravenous method may have an advantage as an alternative therapy to craniospinal irradiation as it may have less long-term side effects and risk of relapse.

The hope is once this specific genetic expression is identified and this treatment is administered, the malignant tumor growth can be halted and even eliminated in human patients.

Safe Delivery

Protecting the combination of promising treatments, bolstering therapeutic value and ensuring they reach their target is precisely what the cerium oxide was intended to do, Seal says.

鈥淲e can attach various drugs to the nanoparticles and deliver them to a specific site for medical intervention,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he medication on its own already has its own applications, so when you combine them, their role in intervention becomes quite significant. We are quite excited about this.鈥�

Seal and Perera previously had worked together and were familiar with each other鈥檚 work. After a few conversations between the two, a collaboration on this pediatric cancer research seemed like a good fit.

鈥淭his medication can be very difficult to deliver to sites,鈥� Seal says. 鈥淒r. Perera and I knew each other and so there was mutual interest between us both. I spoke with Dr. Perera, and he said that he had microorganisms to deliver, and that we鈥檝e been studying oxides for a long time. They鈥檙e very well known in medicine, and here we are at UCF we鈥檙e well known for our oxide vector delivery.鈥�

Seal鈥檚 cerium oxide has been used in a variety of biomedical and therapeutic applications even before it was used in the Johns Hopkins study. The cerium oxide nanoparticles previously were shown to aid in healing diabetic wounds and to maintain bone strength during cancer treatments.

What makes these specific nanoparticles so useful is that because they are oxides, they can bond with such a varied spectrum of other compounds at the molecular level, Seal says.

鈥淥xides are omnipresent in nature, and so they can be fairly compatible with many things,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like a LEGO block. You鈥檝e got many anchors to attach to on it and many different kinds to attach to.鈥�

For this instance, the cerium oxide ensures the genetic therapy and chemotherapy successfully travels to the site of the brain tumor rather than taking any pit stops along the way, Seal says.

鈥淚t has the power to be like a GPS system,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can program it to go to a specific address, or maybe it鈥檒l make a stop or bypass a stop. That is the power of what we can do with nanotechnology.鈥�

Studying and tweaking the particles (which are less than 10 nanometers in length) in water allows them to be highly customizable and to fit like a block or travel to the correct site.

Seal is greatly encouraged by the promise of the study and is excited to continue pursuing other ways to utilize his cerium oxide.

He invites other researchers to collaborate and see if he and his nanoparticles make a good fit.

鈥淲e鈥檙e open to opportunities,鈥� Seal says. 鈥淚 think this nano oxide vector can really help, and it opens a whole door of other biomedical opportunities that needs to be explored. We can modulate our nano vector in a way that it can sense and intervene in many ways. We鈥檙e happy to see if any other drugs can be attached to our molecules.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and various other sources.

The researchers plan to study the therapy in humans to further test its safety and efficacy in hopes of triumphing over pediatric cancer and providing relief for children with cancer.

Researcher鈥檚 Credentials:

Seal joined UCF鈥檚 Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the聽, which is part of UCF鈥檚聽College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 1997. He has an appointment at the聽College of Medicine聽and is a member of UCF鈥檚听叠颈颈辞苍颈虫聽faculty cluster initiative. He is the former director of UCF鈥檚聽聽and Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center. He received his doctorate in materials engineering with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley.