Behind every groundbreaking discovery lies a dedicated researcher whose work resonates across their field. These influential studies not only advance understanding of critical topics but also inspire innovative solutions across disciplines.
麻豆精品 S淥ur top rankings underscore our dedication to research excellence and innovation. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Winston Schoenfeld, vice president for research and innovation
Recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked UCF among its 2024-25 Best Global Universities 麻豆精品 S� highlighting UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 excellence in education across many areas. Among these rankings, UCF received quite a few for highly cited publications.
麻豆精品 S淲e pride ourselves on the impactful research of our faculty, staff and students, 麻豆精品 S� says Winston Schoenfeld, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 vice president for research and innovation. 麻豆精品 S淥ur top rankings underscore our dedication to research excellence and innovation, and I am delighted to see a number of our UCF researchers recognized among the most cited in their fields. 麻豆精品 S�
From optics and photonics to health and education, the fingerprints of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 highly cited researchers leave marks on advancements in their fields.
Harnessing Light: Applications of Optics and Photonics
UCF is a global leader in optics and photonics, ranking No. 29 in the world, according to U.S. News & World Report. UCF also ranks among the top 10 in the nation for the field 麻豆精品 S� as well as No. 5 for total optics publications, optics citations and the number of optics publications among the 10% most cited.
These citations are a reflection of advancements in technologies used daily, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and glass.
Several faculty in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Optics and Photonics are highly-cited researchers in their field. One of whom is Pegasus Professor Shin-Tson Wu, whose work has been cited more than 52,000 times, according to Google Scholar (the source used for all following citation counts). Wu 麻豆精品 S檚 pioneering research has led to cutting-edge display technologies, including smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and, more recently, augmented reality and virtual reality 麻豆精品 S� making them more energy-efficient, vibrant and versatile. This year, Wu received UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 inaugural Medal of Societal Impact for his contributions to the field.
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Kathleen Richardson, whose expertise is in high tech glass design and fabrication has earned her over 17,800 citations, established and directs UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Glass Processing and Characterization Laboratory. At the lab, she and a team of students design and process novel glass and glass ceramic materials for varying applications. The unique optical properties embedded in the materials have a vast field of applications from thermal imaging instrumentation on a Mars rover to optical phase change materials that change their physical state once triggered by an outside source such as light, which may be useful for detecting toxic leaks.
麻豆精品 S淢ost people don 麻豆精品 S檛 realize the role glass plays in our lives, 麻豆精品 S� Richardson said in a 2022 article about her involvement with the United Nation 麻豆精品 S檚 Year of Glass. 麻豆精品 S淔rom Egyptian glass art to infrared security cameras made possible because of glass with special properties, glass has changed our lives. And only now is glass really being recognized for its versatile and renewable possibilities as a sustainable option for challenging problems. 麻豆精品 S�
Fueling Optimal Performance: Nutrition and Exercise Science
Human health and quality of life is another area UCF faculty help improve through their curriculum, research and published work.
UCF ranks No. 92 for Public, Environmental and Occupational Health 麻豆精品 S� placing the university in the top 18% of institutions worldwide, according to the U.S. News & World Report. This year 麻豆精品 S檚 ranking is also a 72-spot advancement from the previous ranking.
Researchers, including those in the College of Health and Human Performance (CHPS), at UCF are No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited in public, environmental and occupational health, and No. 5 in the world.
Jeff Stout, the founding Director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, is one of the world 麻豆精品 S檚 leading researchers on of creatine and other dietary supplements and nutritional interventions for performance enhancement 麻豆精品 S� with nearly 27,000 career citations. The Pegasus Professor has researched ways to use nutrition and exercise to improve health for older adults experiencing muscle loss and reduced mobility. His work has also focused on sarcopenia, a condition characterized by loss of muscle mass and function that typically begins after 30.
麻豆精品 S淭he goal of my research is to figure out what is the most optimal way, from both nutritional and exercise perspectives, to slow down the loss of strength and muscle as we age.” 麻豆精品 S� Jeff Stout, Pegasus Professor
麻豆精品 S淭he goal of my research is to figure out what is the most optimal way, from both nutritional and exercise perspectives, to slow down the loss of strength and muscle as we age. This is crucial because the quality of our life in later years is directly affected by these factors, 麻豆精品 S� says Stout. 麻豆精品 S淵ou want to maintain as much muscle, strength and functionality as possible. Skeletal muscle is very important to overall health. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a reservoir of nutrients that our body needs when under stress. 麻豆精品 S�
Some of the most significant findings Stout has discovered include that a combination of resistance training and consuming protein daily promotes muscle growth. Additionally, research shows that consuming 1.4 grams to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight helps adults who exercise regularly maintain sufficient muscle mass.
Excellence in research also extends to staff and leadership at UCF.
With over 21 years of faculty experience at various R1 institutions, Joel Cramer joined UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 CHPS in 2022 as senior associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.
His research spans human skeletal muscle health and metabolism across the lifespan. His more recent work aims to identify slower-digesting carbohydrates that don 麻豆精品 S檛 spike blood sugar, or insulin levels, which can aid in understanding of diabetes and related diseases. Much of his research, which has been cited more than 15,000 times, has also been sponsored by the USDA and nutritional supplement companies.
麻豆精品 S淎 lot of food products and dietary supplements that are on the market are not particularly well-regulated and anything that we can do to improve the science of understanding of those products is good, so the impact is great for the consumer, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Cramer 麻豆精品 S檚 research impacts extend across the campus community, as he has a passion for supporting young researchers. On Aug. 8, he 麻豆精品 S檒l be broadening that reach across research and faculty support when he becomes UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 interim vice provost for faculty excellence.
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Enhancing Education: Improving Student and Teacher Outcomes
For the first time, U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF in the category of Education and Education Research 麻豆精品 S� placing the university at No. 94 in the world. UCF also ranks in the top 40 in the nation.UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Community Innovation and Education faculty have earned the university the No. 2 in the nation and No. 4 in the world rankings for the percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% in education and educational research. Learning sciences is a field that aims to advance learning for all, from English to engineering, and research in this area has an exponential impact. For over 10 years, Assistant Professor Michelle Taub has studied positive and negative influences on learning, which has led her to become one of the most highly cited researchers in her field.
With nearly 2,400 career citations, much of the self-described data nerd 麻豆精品 S檚 work explores self-regulation, which involves learners 麻豆精品 S� ability to monitor and regulate their thought, emotional and motivational processes.
To help enhance students 麻豆精品 S� learning experiences, researchers across disciplines reach out to Taub for her expertise on learning. At UCF, she 麻豆精品 S檚 helping engineering faculty enhance foundation course teaching for students. She 麻豆精品 S檚 also supporting the UCF Coastal FCI 麻豆精品 S檚 Gulf Scholars Program, which aims to recruit students invested in addressing critical problems facing the Gulf of Mexico region.
麻豆精品 S淢y goal is to help learners and that’s a goal that other people are sharing. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Michelle Taub, assistant professor
麻豆精品 S淢y goal is to help learners and that’s a goal that other people are sharing, 麻豆精品 S� Taub says. 麻豆精品 S淚t’s a really good feeling [when other faculty reach out for collaborative projects] because that demonstrates I 麻豆精品 S檓 not just doing the research for me to do the research, but it 麻豆精品 S檚 actually research that is helping students and teachers. 麻豆精品 S�
Her expertise is also being leveraged on studies with researchers at other institutions, as she 麻豆精品 S檚 a co-principal investigator on a North Carolina State University project aimed at enhancing math and special education, as well as interest in STEM careers, through a video game embedded within a fraction curriculum.
Careers in STEM are growing twice as fast as non-STEM careers, with 11.2 million projected position available by 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While there are many efforts happening nationally to increase students 麻豆精品 S� interest, access, and success in STEM, research around this topic is critical to making sure the most effective strategies are being implemented.
Professor and Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar Chair Sarah Bush 麻豆精品 S檚 research, which she 麻豆精品 S檚 been building on for nearly 15 years, aims to improve STE(A)M education, particularly mathematics. As a former middle school mathematics teacher, Bush knows firsthand the experiences and pressures students and educators face in classrooms.
With over 2,100 career citations, one of her most influential works relates to the benefit of informal learning experiences, such as summer programs, on students 麻豆精品 S� STEM learning and interest in STEM careers. These experiences have been shown to provide context and purpose to formal learning, provide opportunity and access to STEM education for students, and extend STEM content learning and engagement. This work has been part of Bush 麻豆精品 S檚 research as a member of the STEM Rocks Research Collective, which consists of STEM education professionals across more than a dozen institutions in the United States.
麻豆精品 S淭he goal of my research, across numerous STE(A)M education projects and programs, has been to examine how meaningful integration of the STE(A)M disciplines empowers educators and students to be advocates and empathetic solution seekers as they pursue transformational ideas that continue advancing our world, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
