After years of research and development led by experts at UCF in collaboration with researchers from universities across the U.S. and in Europe, the Virtual Experience Research Accelerator (VERA) has reached two major milestones: powering its first full-scale study to address one of virtual reality �鶹��Ʒ S�s most persistent barriers to adoption and awarding its first use grant to enhance immersive learning and information across industries.

VERA, a platform funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, is the first, large-scale system for extended reality human subjects research and designed to advance the speed, scale and scope of immersive research. The platform enables immersive researchers to design, deploy, and manage virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) studies with remote participants therefore significantly improving the quality of the science, while reducing costs, lowering logistical barriers and expanding participant reach.

�鶹��Ʒ S�No one has built anything like VERA before, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Pegasus Professor Gregory Welch, lead principal investigator on VERA. �鶹��Ʒ S�The team was really starting from scratch to create this national platform, integrating AI technologies and establishing policies and procedures that will produce methodologically rigorous behavioral data. �鶹��Ʒ S�

�鶹��Ʒ S�We �鶹��Ʒ S�re excited for VERA to now start to run in an open beta mode and reach these two firsts, �鶹��Ʒ S� Welch continues.

Accelerating Understanding of Cybersickness

For its first major large-scale study leveraging remote participants, VERA is helping researchers address one of the most persistent challenges in virtual reality: cybersickness.

Cybersickness occurs when symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and discomfort are caused by a mismatch between visual motion in a headset and the user �鶹��Ʒ S�s physical motion. Associate Professor of Computer Science Gerd Bruder, who is an affiliate researcher in the Institute of Simulation and Training, is leading the research study in collaboration with other UCF researchers and external partners.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Understanding who is susceptible to cybersickness is critical to improving VR accessibility, making VR more comfortable for all users and enabling broader adoption across research, education and industry, �鶹��Ʒ S� Bruder says.

Early data collection highlights the powerful capabilities of the VERA platform to accelerate VR research at an unprecedented scale.

In just 15 cumulative days, VERA had more than 250 participants complete the full study protocol. In comparison, the original in-lab study collected data from just 30 participants and in traditional VR research settings, studies with hundreds of participants often require several months to complete.

For the study, each participant experiences a controlled VR rollercoaster ride on their own headset and provides sickness ratings at periodic intervals, a pre- and post- exposure questionnaire, an in-VR visual acuity assessment, and continuous head-tracking data. Each session is completed in approximately 30 minutes at home.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The sectors where VERA can make an impact are expansive, from healthcare to workforce training to accessibility to learning. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Enrollment is ongoing with a target of 2,000 participants. Preliminary analyses already suggest meaningful individual differences in how quickly and severely participants experience cybersickness.

�鶹��Ʒ S�VERA was built to study problems like this with a combination of speed, scale and experimental complexity not previously possible, �鶹��Ʒ S� Welch says. �鶹��Ʒ S�The sectors where VERA can make an impact are expansive, from healthcare to workforce training to accessibility to learning. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Groundbreaking Immersive Learning Project

For the first project selected in its Use Grant program, VERA is supporting innovative research to study how different immersive technologies engage learners in different ways. The study will help inform how to leverage emerging technologies in education, cultural institutions, public engagement and more.

The grant was awarded to the San José State University School of Information Library Technology Integration Lab in Silicon Valley and New Media Learning, one of the largest providers of virtual reality programming in public libraries.

The project will support a collaborative virtual reality research environment integrated with VERA with participants from across the U.S. in public libraries, universities and other sites.

Researchers will collect behavioral and interaction data including attention patterns, object interaction, navigation pathways, movement, clicks, engagement metrics, and time-on-task, supplemented by surveys and participant feedback. The resulting research environment will serve a scalable prototype for future applications to make immersive learning experiences more accessible to communities worldwide.

A distinguishing feature of the project is the active involvement of San José State University undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Information who will work alongside faculty researchers and technology partners to gain hands-on experience.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Being selected as the first VERA Use Grant recipient is both an honor and an extraordinary opportunity, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Anthony S. Chow, professor in the San José State University School of Information and founder of the Library Technology Integration Lab. �鶹��Ʒ S�Through this collaboration, we hope to generate research that helps libraries, educators, museums and community organizations leverage virtual reality to address some of society �鶹��Ʒ S�s most important challenges while creating meaningful research opportunities for students. �鶹��Ʒ S�

�鶹��Ʒ S�We are excited to welcome San José State University and New Media Learning as the first recipients of a VERA Use Grant, �鶹��Ʒ S� Welch says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Their expertise in libraries, immersive learning, public engagement and emerging technologies makes them ideal partners for demonstrating how VERA can accelerate impactful XR research. We believe this collaboration will help establish new models for studying learning, engagement, and information behavior in immersive environments. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Industry professionals who want to sharpen their skills in this area can now enroll in the graduate certificate in systems verification, validation and test, offered through the UCF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The certificate teaches students to ensure that complex hardware and software systems are reliable, robust and accurate for the end user.

This certificate is the first of its kind in the state and was developed at the behest of industry partners like AMD, Intel and Lockheed Martin that have a strong demand for professionals who are skilled in testing and validation.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Our industry partners gave us feedback that it was hard to find students who are skilled in this area, �鶹��Ʒ S� says College of Engineering and Computer Science Associate Professor Mike Borowczak, the coordinator of the graduate certificate program. �鶹��Ʒ S�It �鶹��Ʒ S�s one of those cases where we listened to industry and now it �鶹��Ʒ S�s producing results. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Students who enroll in the program will take four core courses in topics related to Very-Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design, testing and verification. They will have the chance to use industry tools in every courses as well as real-world scenarios from industry partners that they must test, validate and resolve. There are no capstone, internship or portfolio requirements. The program is offered both in person and online, providing flexibility for working professionals.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The rough estimate is that for every one person working on one design, they need two to four other people who can verify that what �鶹��Ʒ S�s designed meets the specification and what �鶹��Ʒ S�s built meets the design. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Borowczak says that graduate programs in verification, validation and test are rare �鶹��Ʒ S� particularly with the breadth of verification coursework that UCF offers �鶹��Ʒ S� with only a handful of institutions nationwide offering comparable options. Because of the lack of academic programs nationwide, the skills earned from this certificate will put students in demand.

�鶹��Ʒ S�There �鶹��Ʒ S�s a huge emphasis on the development of complex systems, �鶹��Ʒ S� Borowczak says. �鶹��Ʒ S�The rough estimate is that for every one person working on one design, they need two to four other people who can verify that what �鶹��Ʒ S�s designed meets the specification and what �鶹��Ʒ S�s built meets the design. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Another benefit for students who gain skills in validation and testing is that the jobs they pursue won �鶹��Ʒ S�t be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). While AI does enhance the validation process, the core problem of detecting mismatches between specification, design and implementation still require creative and independent arbiters.

�鶹��Ʒ S�When you entrust someone or something to verify, you have to trust that they know how to verify and that you can follow a logical, explainable argument, �鶹��Ʒ S� Borowczak says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Explainable AI is not there yet. We still need humans in the loop, because the hardest bugs are the ones AI still misses. �鶹��Ʒ S�

A new study published in Nature Climate Change co-authored by Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering Thomas Wahl shows that historically rare coastal water level extremes that were expected to occur on average only once in 100 years are now 12 times more likely to occur. This is the average across all coastal locations, in some regions what used to be a 1-in-100-year event is now expected annually.

�鶹��Ʒ S�If you live within FEMA �鶹��Ʒ S�s 100-year flood zone, you have a 100-sided die that you roll every year, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Wahl, a College of Engineering and Computer Science researcher and UCF Coastal faculty cluster initiative member. �鶹��Ʒ S�So you have 99 chances of being fine and one chance of being impacted by storm surge. Now, because of sea level rise, that die is losing sides and at some point there are so few sides left that it becomes a risk that not everybody may be willing to take going forward. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The catalyst for increased coastal water level extremes and associated flooding is sea level rise, which has increased globally by nearly eight inches over the past 126 years. Using various observational data sets and leveraging model simulations, Wahl and his research collaborators were able to distinguish the various factors that cause sea level rise. Although natural variability is still a large factor, anthropogenic forcing is now the primary cause.

�鶹��Ʒ S�We leveraged tide gauge and satellite observations along with existing model outputs to distinguish between the part of sea level rise that could easily be natural variability �鶹��Ʒ S� the ups and downs we �鶹��Ʒ S�ve experienced for hundreds of thousands of years �鶹��Ʒ S� and the part that cannot be explained by natural variability, �鶹��Ʒ S� Wahl says. �鶹��Ʒ S�And we found that anthropogenic forcing alone leads to a four-fold increase in this likelihood of a one-in-a-100-year event to occur, and it �鶹��Ʒ S�s now the main driver of the increased likelihood of these extreme water levels to occur. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Recently, Wahl also contributed to a study published in Nature Geosciences that reveals that sinking ground levels and rising sea levels are occurring more rapidly than previously understood, often worsening flooding in coastal communities. These combined findings a need to reassess coastal infrastructure and flood-planning efforts as past flood frequency estimates may no longer represent modern-day conditions.

Wahl collaborated on this study with researchers from Tulane University, Harvard University and various academic and research institutions in both Germany and the Netherlands. Prior to joining UCF in 2017, Wahl was a Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow of the European Union at the University of Southampton and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of South Florida. His research spans the areas of coastal flood risk, sea level rise and storm surges.

A bird bursting from the ocean or a mobula ray launching skyward makes the transition from water to air look effortless. For unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, it �鶹��Ʒ S�s one of the hardest maneuvers to replicate.

Now, UCF researchers are studying how wing shape and motion affect that split-second transition �鶹��Ʒ S� work that could help improve future amphibious UAVs.

Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering Samik Bhattacharya and aerospace engineering master �鶹��Ʒ S�s student Dominic Polidoro �鶹��Ʒ S�25 are investigating the physical forces that interact as a wing exits the water and enters the air, a process known as egress. Supported by a grant from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM Army Research Office, the nine-month project aims to develop mathematical models to improve the technology used in military amphibious vehicles.

“This technology can �鶹��Ʒ S� enable seamless air-water operations without the need for separate vehicles.”

The research could also expand the use of amphibious UAVs in civilian scenarios such as search-and-rescue missions in coastal areas, ocean monitoring and disaster response.

�鶹��Ʒ S�This technology can �鶹��Ʒ S� enable seamless air-water operations without the need for separate vehicles, �鶹��Ʒ S� Bhattacharya says. �鶹��Ʒ S�In 10 years, amphibious UAVs could perform reliable and stable dives and exits with better payload capacity and autonomous control in complex environments, far beyond today �鶹��Ʒ S�s unreliable transitions. �鶹��Ʒ S�

While researchers have extensively studied how drones enter water, far less is understood about how they exit it. Previous studies show that as a wing rises from the water, the lift generated by it will increase until it suddenly reverses direction before stabilizing. Why this occurs is not yet known, but the answer is crucial to understanding UAV performance.

�鶹��Ʒ S�In general, when a UAV egresses, it causes lift overshoot followed by a sharp drop, �鶹��Ʒ S� Bhattacharya says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Such rapid changes in lift forces can create instability, leading to loss of control. Understanding this transition will not only improve our knowledge of creatures in nature but also allow for drone designs that can use or mitigate the lift increase and decrease that occurs. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Inside the in , Bhattacharya and Polidoro use a water tank and 3D-printed wings to study how surface deformation, waves and vortex shedding interact during egress. They aim to better understand the physical forces that drive this transition.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It �鶹��Ʒ S�s difficult to disentangle the effects of surface deformation, waves and vortex shedding because they occur simultaneously on very short timescales and strongly influence each other, �鶹��Ʒ S� Bhattacharya says.

The duo presented earlier findings from their research at the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech Forum in January.

Faculty Background

Bhattacharya joined UCF in 2016. He earned his doctoral degree in aerospace engineering from The Ohio State University, his master �鶹��Ʒ S�s degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn University and his bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology Warangal, located in India.

For almost a century, researchers have known that vertical land motion �鶹��Ʒ S� the lifting and sinking of the ground �鶹��Ʒ S� affects sea level locally. As the ground sinks, the sea level rises relative to the land. Scientists also assumed this process generally occurred at a steady rate over time. But a research team that includes Thomas Wahl, a UCF researcher and associate professor in the , has found that ground subsidence has undergone phases of variable change, creating significant implications for coastal communities.

“In many places, … sea level is going up one to three millimeters a year, but the land is going down 10, 15 times as fast.”

In an article recently published in Nature Geosciences, Wahl and his research collaborators demonstrate that the rate of vertical land motion is nonlinear in many coastal communities, particularly in Louisiana and along the Mississippi Delta. As the land sinks, relative sea level rises, increasing the risk of coastal flooding from high tides and storm surge that can damage homes, businesses and critical infrastructure.

�鶹��Ʒ S�In many places like Louisiana, sea level is going up one to three millimeters a year, but the land is going down 10, 15 times as fast, �鶹��Ʒ S� Wahl says. �鶹��Ʒ S�And that compounds the effect of sea level rise. As the sea level goes up and land goes down, you have a bigger problem. �鶹��Ʒ S�

A New Challenge for Coastal Communities

“Our results reveal that … groundwater extraction and … earthquakes have led to periods of rapid sinking or rising of coastal land.”

Current projections of future sea-level change typically assume that ground motion behaves linearly over time. However, the study challenges that assumption. Using observational data from tide gauges, the team, led by Associate Professor Sӧnke Dangendorf of Tulane University, reconstructed vertical land motion dating back to the early 20th century.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Our results reveal that human activities such as groundwater extraction and natural phenomena such as earthquakes have led to periods of rapid sinking or rising of coastal land, �鶹��Ʒ S� Dagendorf says. �鶹��Ʒ S�This has largely increased the rates of sea level rise relative to the land, particularly in cities where increasing water demand led to increased groundwater withdrawals and subsequent compaction of the ground. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The Silver Lining

Wahl says these findings have important implications for coastal infrastructure, including in Florida.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It makes it even more critical to plan early and to create adaptation strategies to keep the water away from places where you don �鶹��Ʒ S�t want it to be for as long as you can, �鶹��Ʒ S� Wahl says.

The silver lining, he says, is that some causes of land motion can be managed. Cities such as Tokyo and Shanghai once experienced extreme subsidence �鶹��Ʒ S� up to several centimeters per year during the mid �鶹��Ʒ S�20th century �鶹��Ʒ S� but have dramatically slowed the sinking after implementing strict groundwater extraction controls and related land �鶹��Ʒ S�management policies.

When it comes to addressing the combined challenges of sea level rise and land subsidence, Wahl acknowledges that some areas will be harder to protect than others, and that protection may not be possible everywhere. Still, he remains hopeful.

�鶹��Ʒ S�History has shown that humans are very creative, especially when they have to be, �鶹��Ʒ S� Wahl says. �鶹��Ʒ S�If you look back to where we were 100 or even 50 years ago and where we are now, there are probably technologies and strategies that we haven �鶹��Ʒ S�t even thought of yet that might come up in the future that will be beneficial in that context. �鶹��Ʒ S�

About the Researcher
Wahl collaborated on the study with researchers from Tulane University, Harvard University and various academic and research institutions in Germany and the Netherlands. Prior to joining UCF in 2017, Wahl was a Marie Sklodowska Curie fellow of the European Union at the University of Southampton and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of South Florida. His research focuses on coastal flood risk, sea level rise and storm surges.

On most days, DeAscanis is focused on something many people never think about: the invisible systems that keep modern life running.

Hospitals must power critical equipment. Cities endure record-breaking heat. Data centers aim to hum without interruption. Behind those moments are gas turbines the size of buildings, and a team of engineers determined to make them  smarter, faster and more reliable.

At Siemens Energy, DeAscanis helps lead that charge.

Rising to Energy Design Challenges

His bold goal is ambitious: transform how turbines are tested, inspected and manufactured so they can be delivered at the speed and scale global demand now requires. As electricity needs surge worldwide, efficiency is no longer optional.

�鶹��Ʒ S�If the turbines don �鶹��Ʒ S�t work, the power doesn �鶹��Ʒ S�t exist, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

After earning his aerospace engineering degree from UCF, DeAscanis joined Siemens Energy located just steps from campus. He began on a small team of three engineers developing custom tools to test next-generation engines. The work was intensely hands-on and involved long days refining inspection systems, improving automation and solving problems in real time.

Colleagues describe DeAscanis as calm under pressure and relentlessly curious. He sees constraints not as roadblocks but as design challenges.

That perspective proved essential during lean years in the energy sector, when fluctuating demand forced teams to justify every investment. Rather than scale back, DeAscanis and his colleagues innovated their way forward �鶹��Ʒ S� streamlining inspection processes, reducing testing time and building automation systems that improved both speed and precision.

Those efforts produced measurable results. DeAscanis now holds 11 patents, with dozens more innovations developed across his team. Some advances are patented; others remain proprietary trade secrets that strengthen Siemens Energy �鶹��Ʒ S�s competitive position in a global marketplace.

Enhancing Expertise to Deliver Impact

Over the past decade, he has also helped grow his organization from fewer than five engineers to nearly 100. His role expanded from technical contributor to strategic leader, overseeing budgets, setting research priorities and securing U.S. Department of Defense contracts to accelerate development. Recognizing the importance of business fluency, he returned to UCF to earn his MBA.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I knew how to build technology, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I wanted to understand how to scale it. �鶹��Ʒ S�

His journey traces back to his UCF senior design project, where he and three classmates developed a system to manufacture thin carbon nanofiber sheets designed to reinforce aircraft structures against lightning strikes. The project demanded technical rigor, collaboration and applied problem-solving �鶹��Ʒ S� the same qualities Siemens Energy looks for in its engineers. It also helped open the door to his first role at Siemens Energy, proving that classroom innovation can translate directly into industry impact.

Fueling the Energy Industry

Learn more about how are accelerating innovation, fueling workforce development and strengthening the future of energy infrastructure.

Today, more than half of the engineers in his facility are UCF graduates. Through the Pegasus Partnership, Siemens Energy and UCF are not simply recruiting talent �鶹��Ʒ S� they are co-developing it. Students gain exposure to real-world challenges long before graduation. Industry gains engineers who are ready to lead from day one.

For DeAscanis, that cycle feels deeply personal.

�鶹��Ʒ S�UCF gave me the foundation to solve complex problems and the confidence to think bigger, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Now I get to help build the systems �鶹��Ʒ S� and the teams �鶹��Ʒ S� that will power what comes next. �鶹��Ʒ S�

As global energy demand accelerates and infrastructure grows more sophisticated, the stakes are rising. The partnership between Siemens Energy and UCF reflects a shared belief: that bold thinking, applied research and prepared graduates can shape not just an industry, but the future of how the world runs.

Globally, a total of 230 emerging inventors were named to the list this year, making it the largest cohort in NAI history. The inductees will be honored during the NAI 15^th annual conference in Los Angeles in June. Solihin says he feels honored to join this distinguished group of researchers.

�鶹��Ʒ S�What sets the NAI senior member designation apart is that it focuses on innovations with real-world impact. �鶹��Ʒ S�

�鶹��Ʒ S�This induction means a lot to me, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�What sets the NAI senior member designation apart is that it focuses on innovations with real-world impact. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Solihin �鶹��Ʒ S�s work has significantly impacted society and the way that our technology works. The Pegasus Professor and director of the UCF Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster initiative has made computing systems faster, more reliable and more secure.

Among his most influential inventios are a security mechanism known as the Bonsai Merkle Tree and a system called Cache Quality of Service. The former protects computer memory from unauthorized modifications at significantly lower cost than previous methods, while the latter addresses performance slowdowns that occur when multiple applications share processor resources.

Both innovations have influenced processors that are now widely used in data centers.

�鶹��Ʒ S�My journey of making real-world impact from my research spanned many years ago, starting in 2012, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Since that time, my work has garnered 57 U.S. patents in the area of chip design. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Solihin, who is also an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Association for Computing Machinery and Japan Society for Promotion of Science fellow, says his process for taking an invention from an idea to a tangible product starts with identifying a problem that is worth solving. From there, he analyzes literature and technical documents for solutions, identifies the key technical challenges to overcome and then works to refine the solution. He encourages young inventors to just start by �鶹��Ʒ S�brainspilling, �鶹��Ʒ S� or getting the idea out on paper.

�鶹��Ʒ S�When I have an idea in my head, it is typically not very clear, �鶹��Ʒ S� Solihin says. �鶹��Ʒ S�It appears vague, like seeing it through fog. Translating this into an invention requires working the brain to conceptualize the solution, to visualize it in much deeper details, to enumerate all the cases in which it shows benefits and drawbacks and solves key technical challenges. This process, brainspilling, requires long hours with pencil and paper to remove the fog. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Ultimately, he says, the motivation to continue innovating comes from the satisfaction of solving complex problems.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It �鶹��Ʒ S�s the good feeling of gaining clarity on something that was once unclear, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�It �鶹��Ʒ S�s similar to solving a puzzle but with open-ended problems and unpredictable timelines. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Five years after UCF computer science students first helped the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) build a tech solution to enhance efficiency, Knights are still improving the platform �鶹��Ʒ S� and the impact keeps growing.

Reserve Mercury, a mobile and web application designed to replace slow, paper-based administrative processes used by Army Reserve units, is now being used by thousands of reservists nationwide. What started as Project Mercury �鶹��Ʒ S� a student-led effort to replace paper forms �鶹��Ʒ S� has evolved into a long-running collaboration between student developers in UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s Senior Seminar Course, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the USAR.

Originally launched in 2023, the app digitized the Army Reserve �鶹��Ʒ S�s DA 1380 submission process �鶹��Ʒ S� a manual workflow that once required soldiers to print forms, physically route paperwork through chains of command and wait for approvals tied to compensation and service records.

Now, soldiers can digitally submit pay, absence and medical forms within the platform from any device. Leaders can then review and approve submissions instantly, helping reduce delays and ensure soldiers are paid on time.

But the momentum behind Project Mercury didn’t end at launch.

Each semester, new student teams continue building on the work of those before them �鶹��Ʒ S� refining features, fixing issues and expanding the platform based on direct user feedback from soldiers.

�鶹��Ʒ S�As technology continues to advance, it �鶹��Ʒ S�s important that critical systems like those used by the Army Reserve evolve as well, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Shaun Gorllapati ’26, functional test and continuous improvement lead on the Fall 2025 �鶹��Ʒ S�Spring 2026 Senior Design II team. �鶹��Ʒ S�Projects like this help bridge that gap by introducing more efficient, scalable and modern solutions that improve overall operations. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Inheriting a Mission Already in Motion

Under the guidance of Associate Lecturers Matthew Gerber and Richard Leinecker in UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s College of Engineering and Computer Science, Project Mercury has become one of the university �鶹��Ʒ S�s most ambitious long-term software projects since its inception in 2021.

Senior Design students work alongside Army Reserve subject matter experts led by Reserve Mercury Program Manager Lt. Col. Jonathan LacKamp while gaining experience in large-scale software engineering, testing and deployment management.

This year �鶹��Ʒ S�s team included 15 students with expertise in data science, artificial intelligence and application and web-based development. Organized into three groups, they focused on backend development, bug fixes and maintenance, and new feature development.

At the start of the semester, the team inherited a nearly five-year-old codebase from previous students. Through documentation reviews, handoff meetings and collaboration with prior developers, they learned how to maintain and expand a living software system already serving military users nationwide.

New Features Focus on Speed, Security and Simplicity

For Spring 2026, 84 new users from the 6th Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment were onboarded and trained on the platform. Their feedback directly shaped several new improvements.

Among the latest updates was a Pay Type Limits feature that helps commanders monitor annual submission thresholds tied to DA 1380 compensation requests. Students also improved the app �鶹��Ʒ S�s dental form process by adding required field validation, submission confirmation and better signature handling to help ensure medical documentation is completed accurately for deployment readiness.

Another major upgrade was a redesigned notification system.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�m especially proud of the notification system, which significantly improves how reservists stay informed and act within the application, �鶹��Ʒ S� Gorllapati says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Previously, �鶹��Ʒ S� users had to rely on an activity log to view updates. Notifications were not actionable, lacked clear read and unread indicators, and did not guide users to the relevant part of the app. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Additional enhancements currently in development include multi-factor authentication for stronger security and a large-scale user interface redesign to modernize the platform and improve accessibility.

The response from reservists has reinforced the project �鶹��Ʒ S�s impact.

�鶹��Ʒ S�We recently onboarded a unit that was struggling with an HR administrator shortage across multiple companies, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Maj. Jeffrey Garner, Reserve Mercury onboarding and implementation lead. �鶹��Ʒ S�After they started using Reserve Mercury, the feedback was immediate �鶹��Ʒ S� they called it a �鶹��Ʒ S�game changer �鶹��Ʒ S� and asked to onboard their additional units as soon as possible. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Developing Career-Ready Skills Through Mission-Driven Work

For students, the experience goes far beyond the classroom.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Working on a project with real-world, national-level impact while still a student has been a very meaningful experience, �鶹��Ʒ S� Gorllapati says. �鶹��Ʒ S�[It has] prepared me to handle real-world engineering challenges more effectively and has reinforced my goal of pursuing a career in software engineering, where I can contribute to large-scale, impactful systems. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Senior Design team members build experience in frontend and backend development, AWS services, deployment management, software testing, and release cycles while collaborating directly with military stakeholders in an environment that mirrors professional software engineering teams.

But for many, the most rewarding part is knowing their work directly supports service members.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Knowing that the end users are real service members adds purpose to every feature we build, �鶹��Ʒ S� Gorllapati says. �鶹��Ʒ S�It motivates us to learn new tools, improve our technical skills, and apply best practices to ensure the application is reliable, efficient, and easy to use. �鶹��Ʒ S�

That purpose continues driving Reserve Mercury forward �鶹��Ʒ S� one update, one deployment and one student at a time.

“What we’ve seen over the life of the project is the power of collaboration between reservists as both customers and subject matter experts, innovation sponsors like DIU and the incredible dedication of successive student teams,” LacKamp says. “The program is currently poised for wider adoption across USAR, but that wouldn’t be possible without the strong foundation built by our UCF partners.  At Reserve Mercury, we believe that administrative efficiency is directly related to both operational readiness and the retention of qualified soldiers. UCF is helping make this belief a reality.”

Now a global project manager for wire technology at Alleima Advanced Materials, the materials science and engineering alum has earned the company �鶹��Ʒ S�s 2026 Innovation Prize for her work advancing wires used in critical medical devices such as continuous glucose monitors, hearing implants and pacemakers. The annual award recognizes excellence in product development.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The work I do is very rewarding. Every day, I get to contribute to advancing medical care and treatment, �鶹��Ʒ S� McDorman says. �鶹��Ʒ S�If it �鶹��Ʒ S�s a medical device and it has a wire, Alleima is likely contributing to it somehow. �鶹��Ʒ S�

McDorman earned her doctoral degree from UCF under Associate Professor Swaminathan Rajaraman, who directs the , where researchers develop micro- and nanoscale solutions spanning biotechnology, pharmacology, plant sciences and medical devices.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I chose UCF because the [materials science and engineering] program was highly rated … and had a wide variety of research areas … �鶹��Ʒ S�

Before coming to UCF, McDorman earned her master �鶹��Ʒ S�s and bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s degrees in physics, but discovered a passion for applied research that required a deeper focus on materials.

�鶹��Ʒ S�When I decided to pursue a Ph.D., materials science and engineering was a natural choice, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I chose UCF because the program was highly rated, small and had a wide variety of research areas that I was interested in. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Through her doctoral studies, McDorman found a more biology-focused side of materials science. Her work with biosensors in Rajaraman �鶹��Ʒ S�s lab ultimately inspired her to pursue a career in the medical device industry.

She credits her research experience at UCF with preparing her for work at Alleima, where 90% of her unit �鶹��Ʒ S�s business supports medical device manufacturing.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The company has a rich history of materials innovation in steel and nickel-based alloys, �鶹��Ʒ S� McDorman says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Since we produce wire, I am constantly using base materials science knowledge to process the material in a way that achieves a specific set of properties in the end product. �鶹��Ʒ S�

She says she has always aimed for a position that would allow her to make a positive contribution to society, an opportunity she is grateful to have at Alleima.

For new graduates considering a similar path, McDorman encourages them to connect with UCF alumni on LinkedIn and to explore job opportunities in Florida �鶹��Ʒ S�s growing manufacturing industry, particularly in Volusia and Flagler counties.

�鶹��Ʒ S�We put a lot into our work every day because we truly care about ensuring the best possible patient outcomes, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says. �鶹��Ʒ S�It is great that our efforts have been recognized by the business. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The same curiosity that once led Jeonghyun Song to shape clay with his hands now drives him to engineer materials at an atomic level, combining chemistry and creativity.

He began his college journey in the arts, drawn to pottery. But as he worked with ceramics, his attention shifted beneath the surface �鶹��Ʒ S� to the chemistry of the materials and the possibilities within them. That shift in perspective pushed him from the art studio into the lab �鶹��Ʒ S� and now to a national fellowship.

A materials science and engineering major, Song will join the University of Notre Dame this summer as a recipient of its Nanoscience and Technology Undergraduate Research Fellowship, hosted from May 18 through July 24.

“I chose to attend UCF because of the opportunities it offers �鶹��Ʒ S� especially in research �鶹��Ʒ S� along with its strong engineering program.”

The opportunity marks a turning point in his journey from an arts major to an engineering major, which he began when he transferred to UCF in Fall 2025.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I chose to attend UCF because of the opportunities it offers �鶹��Ʒ S� especially in research �鶹��Ʒ S� along with its strong engineering program, �鶹��Ʒ S� Song says. �鶹��Ʒ S�The MSE (Materials Science and Engineering) Program is relatively new and rapidly growing, which gives students more chances to get involved and grow. �鶹��Ʒ S�

He didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t waste time getting started.

As a new Knight and burgeoning materials researcher, Song set his sights on working with Assistant Professor Kausik Mukhopadhyay, whose research bridges materials, chemistry, biology and engineering to develop solutions for surfaces, coatings, electrochemistry and more.

Now in Mukhopadhyay �鶹��Ʒ S�s , Song studies clay-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

�鶹��Ʒ S�As a student who comes from a ceramics background, Dr. Mukhopadhyay �鶹��Ʒ S�s research was the most interesting to me, �鶹��Ʒ S� Song says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Based on his work in chemistry and materials science, I knew his lab would be a place where I could grow and actively engage in research. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The lab quickly became more than a workspace �鶹��Ʒ S� it became a launchpad, which Song says he �鶹��Ʒ S�s grateful for.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I would like to thank Dr. Mukhopadhyay and the people in our group for their support, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�If it wasn �鶹��Ʒ S�t for them, I would have had a hard time blending into the UCF community. �鶹��Ʒ S�

His perspective as a researcher is evolving, too.

“I find it more interesting to study how common … materials can be engineered to achieve similar or even more useful properties.”

Once drawn to examining rare and expensive materials for their unique characteristics, Song is now focused on factors in materials costs and environmental impact.

�鶹��Ʒ S�While studying rare materials is interesting due to their distinct properties, I find it more interesting to study how common and inexpensive materials can be engineered to achieve similar or even more useful properties, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

That mindset will guide his work at Notre Dame.

His project, �鶹��Ʒ S�Prototyping High-speed Synthesis of Gold Microplates, �鶹��Ʒ S� tackles a key challenge in nanotechnology: efficiently producing ultrathin gold coatings. These coatings are useful in technology like biosensors and electronics, but current synthesis methods are slow, and controlling their size, shape and placement is challenging.

Song will help explore faster synthesis methods using a reaction chamber to study the process through three activation approaches: light, temperature and merging chemical streams.

As he prepares to spend the summer in Indiana, Song acknowledges some anxiety �鶹��Ʒ S� the kind that comes with stepping into something bigger �鶹��Ʒ S� as he looks ahead to what could be a pivotal moment in his journey as a researcher.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I would like to meet new people, learn from them and also expand my vision for research, �鶹��Ʒ S� Song says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I think this summer will be the most important for me in terms of deciding my future. �鶹��Ʒ S�