UCF celebrated faculty, staff and students today at the annual Founders 麻豆精品 S� Day Honors Convocation. Among the honorees are four Pegasus Professors and three Reach for the Stars recipients along with service awards and other campus achievements.
The Pegasus Professor award is the highest academic award a professor can receive at the University of Central Florida. During an entire career at UCF, faculty who are exceptional in every area 麻豆精品 S� teaching, research and service 麻豆精品 S� are recognized for their work. These awards are determined by the president, and recipients receive a $5,000 stipend and a $5,000 research grant.
Josh Colwell, Naim Kapucu, Tison Pugh and Martine Vanryckeghem have been selected as the 2019 Pegasus Professors who have impacted students, fellow faculty and the community through their research and dedication to education.
Josh Colwell
Department of Physics, Florida Space Institute, College of Sciences
Josh Colwell has been interested in space exploration and science since he was a child. His mother likes to joke that he was bit by the space bug when she was eight months pregnant and saw the launch of Gemini 1. His career started in research, but after 17 years at the University of Colorado he came to UCF to pursue his passion for teaching.
“One of my goals is to make science, physics and astronomy more accessible to people. I love seeing that light bulb moment with students.” 麻豆精品 S� Josh Colwell
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While Colwell loves his students, he 麻豆精品 S檚 also known for conducting experiments in what 麻豆精品 S檚 sometimes called the vomit comet 麻豆精品 S� a plane that descends rapidly to create weightless conditions. Has he thrown up? Too often to count, but many of his students have fared better on the plane.
His research works to uncover the story of the solar system and the formation of habitable planets like Earth throughout the galaxy. Colwell has been involved in multiple NASA missions, most notably the Cassini mission that orbited Saturn 13 years sending back views of the ringed planet and its dozens of moons never seen before. He also hosts a podcast, Walkabout the Galaxy, which he calls 麻豆精品 S渁ccidentally educational. 麻豆精品 S�
His advice to students is simple: 麻豆精品 S淭ake advantage of the resources at UCF. Go see your teachers. They want to be asked questions, and they want to help you understand so you can succeed. 麻豆精品 S�
Naim Kapucu
Director, School of Public Administration, College of Community Innovation and Education
Naim Kapucu came to UCF in 2003 fresh off of his doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh with his dissertation about emergency and crisis management during 9/11. His father wanted him to become a politician and eventually a governor, but he told his father he would one day become 麻豆精品 S渁 professor of governors, 麻豆精品 S� specializing in public administration and policy.
While his work on 9/11 became well-known, Kapucu planned to never touch emergency-management research again, but the opposite happened after his move to Florida.
麻豆精品 S淢y passion is being an academic, scholar leader and having a big vision for our school. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Naim Kapucu
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e focused on leadership and emergency and crisis management, 麻豆精品 S� Kapucu said. 麻豆精品 S淢y passion is being an academic, scholar leader and having a big vision for our school. 麻豆精品 S�
For the past four years, Kapucu has directed the School of Public Administration. He 麻豆精品 S檚 led creation of six new degree programs, including the fully online Masters in Research Administration, and has brought top journals in the field to UCF. Kapucu 麻豆精品 S檚 leadership and relationships put the school 麻豆精品 S檚 programs on the map. The school has two U.S. News & World Report nationally ranked graduate degree programs: No. 7 emergency management and No. 8 nonprofit management.
The Emergency Operations Center at UCF was one of the first in the nation at a university 麻豆精品 S� thanks to a grant that Kapucu helped secure.
麻豆精品 S淐oming to UCF was the best decision I ever made, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 tell students, faculty and staff to be yourself, know yourself and let other people be themselves. Have a vision with a solid plan to accomplish your goals. But keep in mind: In the world of public administration and policy, a vision without execution is hallucination. 麻豆精品 S�
Tison Pugh
Professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Humanities
Tison Pugh is best known among students for his Harry Potter studies class, but that 麻豆精品 S檚 not what he 麻豆精品 S檚 most proud of. He arrived at UCF in 2001 after receiving his doctorate in English literature from the University of Oregon, and he has also published 19 books in 17 years.
麻豆精品 S淭wo of the things I 麻豆精品 S檓 proud of is the minor in medieval and renaissance studies. And I was the founding faculty editor of the UCF undergraduate research journal, The Pegasus Review,” Pugh says. 麻豆精品 S淭hese are curricular initiatives that will still be available to students after I 麻豆精品 S檓 long gone. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淚 always stress to students that I love literature and that I love to read and study it. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Tison Pugh
Pugh hopes his enthusiasm and love for literature shines through in his teaching, even for any resistant students. He believes the key to keeping students engaged is to tap into their passions.
麻豆精品 S淚 always stress to students that I love literature and that I love to read and study it, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 think I would be a good professor if I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 do that for my students. When they start reading, they find the hidden humor 麻豆精品 S� and once they find it 麻豆精品 S� they are addicted to it as well. 麻豆精品 S�
Martine Vanryckeghem
Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Martine Vanryckeghem began her work in fluency disorders in Belgium, which has shaped her international career. A fluency disorder involves the interruption in the flow of speaking, and the most common one is stuttering. Vanryckeghem is an expert in how to diagnose and treat stuttering in children and adults.
Her research in fluency disorders has led her to co-author standardized diagnostic tests for children and adults that investigate the emotional, behavioral and cognitive effects stuttering can have on an individual. Her work has been translated, researched and published in 30 different countries.
麻豆精品 S淭he tests provide an inventory and give a good idea of the different dimensions that surround the person who stutters, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淎n individual who stutters typically thinks negatively about him or herself and will use coping mechanisms to not stutter. The tests give the clinician a good assessment of the disorder and how to treat it. 麻豆精品 S�
Vanryckeghem credits her late husband with a lot of her success. They met while he was in Belgium giving a workshop.
麻豆精品 S淯CF made me an all-around citizen.” 麻豆精品 S� Martine Vanryckeghem
麻豆精品 S淗is high standards and scientific rigor served as a role model for me, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 have tried to continue to lead by that model and if I can use the Pegasus mythology, he was the wind beneath my wings. 麻豆精品 S�
As for her students, Vanryckeghem hopes to make a small impact on their lives through academic and clinical instruction and research.
麻豆精品 S淯CF made me an all-around citizen. I don 麻豆精品 S檛 see myself as only an academician or researcher, I see myself as a faculty team member and leader 麻豆精品 S� a UCF ambassador around the world, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
