Four outstanding undergraduate students are redefining the boundaries of STEM through their high-impact research �鶹��Ʒ S� and in doing so, placing the university among the nation �鶹��Ʒ S�s top producers of Goldwater Scholars.

The prestigious Goldwater Scholarship identifies and supports the nation �鶹��Ʒ S�s best student researchers in the fields of engineering, mathematics and natural sciences.

This year �鶹��Ʒ S�s honorees �鶹��Ʒ S� all expected to graduate next spring �鶹��Ʒ S� have propelled UCF into an elite tier of research institutions, surpassing several Ivy League institutions and tying for fourth in the nation in total Goldwater Scholars produced alongside Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. Their impactful work reflects UCF’s commitment to building a high-level research environment that empowers students to lead projects addressing significant global and scientific challenges.

Supporting Space Exploration

Goldwater Scholar: Keanu Brayman

Major: Mechanical engineering

Ultimate Goal: To develop robotic systems to support human exploration on Mars.

Keanu Brayman �鶹��Ʒ S�s passion for space began early.

�鶹��Ʒ S�One of my earliest memories is watching a Space Shuttle streak across the sky from a beach in South Florida, �鶹��Ʒ S� Brayman says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I remember being amazed there were people on board and feeling drawn to one day help explore the stars and discover what lies beyond our planet. �鶹��Ʒ S�

At UCF, Brayman has refined that dream with the support of faculty and mentors �鶹��Ʒ S� including Department of Physics Chair and Professor Adrienne Dove, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Tarek Elgohary and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Engineer Christopher Proctor �鶹��Ʒ S� as well as through programs like the .

He plans to pursue a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering to support lunar exploration and NASA �鶹��Ʒ S�s Artemis program, as well as develop robotic systems that can extract resources and build infrastructure to support human exploration on Mars.

Engineering the Brain

Goldwater Scholar: Kyle Coutray

Majors: Computer engineering and biomedical sciences

Ultimate Goal: To research ways to restore communication, movement and cognitive function to the brain through engineering methods.

Kyle Coutray is focused on the intersection of neuroscience and technology.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�m interested in building systems that interact directly with the brain, �鶹��Ʒ S� Coutray says. �鶹��Ʒ S�In the lab, �鶹��Ʒ S� [I �鶹��Ʒ S�m] blending [both majors] into one approach. �鶹��Ʒ S�

He aims to pursue a doctoral degree in neural engineering to further his research on brain-computer interfaces that translate complex brain activity into useful functions.

A 2026 Order of Pegasus inductee and a Burnett Honors Scholar, Coutray credits his success to disciplined focus and strong mentorship, particularly from Charles N. Millican Professor of Computer Science Joseph LaViola and Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Helen Huang.

Advancing Patient Care

Goldwater Scholar: Varun Nannuri

Major: Molecular and cellular biology

Ultimate Goal: To pursue a career as a physician-scientist.

Varun Nannuri is driven by a desire to understand why people experience different health outcomes and improve care.

“Through my clinical experiences, I have seen how much patients and families rely on physicians during some of the most difficult moments of their lives,” Nannuri says. “My research experiences have shown me that better care depends on asking better questions.”

Nannuri plans to pursue a dual M.D./Ph.D. degree and become a physician-scientist. His ambition earned him recognition as a 2026 Order of Pegasus inductee while also completing his Honors Undergraduate Thesis. Nannuri is also a member of the Burnett Honors College as a Burnett Medical Scholar, a program that offers guaranteed admission to the UCF College of Medicine upon completion.

�鶹��Ʒ S�UCF has given me opportunities to grow as a student, researcher, leader and future physician, �鶹��Ʒ S� Nannuri says.

Restoring Human Senses

Goldwater Scholar: Trevor Overton

Majors: Electrical engineering and biomedical sciences

Ultimate Goal: To improve the lives of people with disabilities through advanced robotic prostheses.

Burnett Honors Scholar Trevor Overton �鶹��Ʒ S�s work centers on neuroengineering and next-generation prosthetics.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve always had a passion for building things, and I also love reading and watching sci-fi, �鶹��Ʒ S� Overton says. �鶹��Ʒ S�When UCF offered me the opportunity to join the MEDD [ �鶹��Ʒ S� I knew I had to take it. �鶹��Ʒ S�

UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s MEDD program provides scientifically driven students like Overton with a unique opportunity to integrate engineering principles into medicine.

Much like the development of cochlear implants, Overton imagines similar breakthroughs with vision and touch.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I envision a future where robotic prostheses are so advanced that they could completely replace or enhance the abilities of humans, �鶹��Ʒ S� Overton says. �鶹��Ʒ S�It �鶹��Ʒ S�s not entirely impossible. �鶹��Ʒ S�

After earning a doctoral degree in electrical engineering with a focus on neuroengineering, he hopes to inspire the next generation �鶹��Ʒ S� just as his professors inspired him �鶹��Ʒ S� emphasizing that UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s strength lies in professors who actively invest in their students.

A Growing Research Powerhouse

With four 2026 Goldwater Scholarship recipients, UCF continues to strengthen its position as a leader in undergraduate research. The achievement reflects both students �鶹��Ʒ S� immense dedication and a university-wide commitment to driving innovation, mentorship and hands-on discovery. As these Knights prepare for the next steps in their academic journeys, they carry forward a shared mission: to turn research into real-world impact.

Students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at��opa@ucf.edu.

Why this year is significant for UCF: From the 13,000 graduates who applied for the fellowship nationwide, the NSF awarded only 1,500 (about one in nine). Those honorees receive financial support for advanced education and a stipend for their research. Six of them are UCF alums who are now set up to advance research in the areas of interest they discovered as undergraduates.

If you only remember one item: The NSF considers these six graduates among our nation �鶹��Ʒ S�s next high-achieving scientists and engineers.

Alejandro Aparcedo Gonzalez �鶹��Ʒ S�24

Computer science alum and computer vision graduate student

He �鶹��Ʒ S�s working on his master �鶹��Ʒ S�s in computer vision at UCF, with an eye on �鶹��Ʒ S�advancing video understanding with multimodal artificial intelligence (AI). �鶹��Ʒ S� In short, Gonzalez sees into the future.

Research Interest: In professional terms, I �鶹��Ʒ S�m finding ways for computer vision to improve human understanding of the real world. In practical terms, the end goal is to give humans time for leisure activities. The way I see it, that �鶹��Ʒ S�s essentially the goal of AI research.

Research Inspiration: My parents owned a computer shop when I was a kid, so I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve always been comfortable with technology. Turns out, my parents (like a lot of people) still had a lot to learn. Now they use AI in their own work, and I see how it leaves them more time to engage in other activities.

For Example: With the perfect video understanding model, we could make a device to help blind people to navigate the world by asking the device questions, like, �鶹��Ʒ S�Is it safe to cross the street? �鶹��Ʒ S� Using AI, the device would understand the visual context of traffic, obstacles, and pedestrian signals, and give reliable guidance.

How UCF Provided a Path: I was introduced to this field in the Center for Research in Computer Vision, the same place where I learned about the fellowship. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m now the first person in my family to pursue a Ph.D.

Career Vision: I �鶹��Ʒ S�d like to work in a top AI lab and then transition into academia �鶹��Ʒ S� or maybe the other way around.

Madisyn Brooks �鶹��Ʒ S�23

Physics alum

As Gonzales sees into the future, Brooks sees into the past, using the largest telescope in space �鶹��Ʒ S� the James Webb Space Telescope �鶹��Ʒ S� as a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut.

Research Interest: I study the earliest observable galaxies and black holes (BHs) to find out how they grow and evolve, and how they differ from those in closer galaxies like the Milky Way �鶹��Ʒ S� always asking why.

Research Inspiration: It �鶹��Ʒ S�s simple �鶹��Ʒ S� I love observational astronomy. It �鶹��Ʒ S�s amazing that we can use technology to observe objects that existed in the first 500 Mega years of the birth of the universe.

How UCF has Provided a Path: I studied Saturn �鶹��Ʒ S�s rings in the Planetary Rings group under the direction of Dr. Joshua Colwell. That fun and welcoming environment allowed me to grow my skills and discover a new love: observational data analysis.

Career Vision: I came to UCF because of its connection to the Space Coast, and now I �鶹��Ʒ S�m looking at the real possibility of working as a research scientist at a NASA institute, hopefully while also working at a planetarium.

Katia Destine �鶹��Ʒ S�25

Interdisciplinary studies alum, Burnett Honors Scholar and

She just began work on a doctoral degree in sociology at the University of Maryland where, thanks to financial support from the NSF Graduate Fellowship, she �鶹��Ʒ S�s training to be a social scientist.

Research Interest: I look at working-class artists and the creator economy to find how power structures work in media, technology, community resources and public policy. My goal is a more equitable media landscape, better working conditions for artists and accessible resources for all.

Research Inspiration: My mother immigrated from Haiti and raised me on housekeeper wages. I realized higher education would be the best way to improve our social mobility and socioeconomic reality. Those experiences ignited my interest in researching social [dynamics] in media.

How UCF has Provided a Path: The clubs and organizations at UCF were my first steps. Then I did a study with Dr. Sharon Woodill on Hollywood �鶹��Ʒ S�s socio-political and economic structures. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m grateful for the McNair Scholarship, which helps low-income and first-gen students prepare for graduate school while mentoring undergraduate researchers.

Career Vision: I want to work as a social scientist and public scholar, and to make science more equitable and accessible to everyone.

Darrell Nieves Lugo �鶹��Ʒ S�24

Aerospace engineering alum and graduate student

The B.S.-to-M.S. aerospace program at UCF allowed him a seamless transition to begin focusing on his rotorcraft research, with plans to share his research with aerospace professionals through the NSF Fellowship.

Research Interest: Helicopter and tiltrotor blades can be unstable. So, I �鶹��Ʒ S�m using computational fluid dynamics and machine learning to show that instability can be mitigated through a novel approach.

Research Inspiration: As kid from Puerto Rico, I visited KSC with my family in 2015. That experience filled me with awe and instilled a desire to be an aerospace engineer.

How UCF has Provided a Path: As a sophomore, I participated in a quadcopter design project through my engineering club (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) �鶹��Ʒ S� and got hooked. Making FPV (first-person view) drones became my hobby, which grew into a specific interest in computational methods.

Career Vision: I �鶹��Ʒ S�d like to advance the technology of rotorcraft, planetary vehicles, and in the emerging field of air mobility. With God �鶹��Ʒ S�s favor, perhaps I can inspire the next generation, especially those from Puerto Rico, to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Chris Sarkis �鶹��Ʒ S�22

Biology alum

She grew up in Orlando, enrolled at UCF to stay close to the ocean, and is staying in the place she loves so she can pursue a doctoral degree in integrative and conservation biology.

Research Interest: My interests center around the population genomics of fish and rays. By using DNA, we can better understand how populations are related, how they move and how they adapt to their environment. The end goal is to improve species management and conservation efforts.

Research Inspiration: I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve always been captivated by how much we don �鶹��Ʒ S�t know about the ocean and the species living in it. This research feels like working on a giant puzzle with no edges.

How UCF has Provided a Path: I joined Dr. Anna Forsman and Dr. Erin Seney in the Marine Turtle Research Group to use genomic methods in a study of the sea turtle diet. That project inspired me to continue applying genomics to ecology and conservation.

Career Vision: I �鶹��Ʒ S�m still exploring options, but my experiences at UCF have helped me uncover a passion for working with genomic data.

Connor Shrader �鶹��Ʒ S�23

Mathematics alum and Burnett Honors Scholar

Because the NSF Fellowship is portable, Shrader has landed at the University of Utah, which he calls an amazing place to be a mathematics doctoral student. �鶹��Ʒ S�A mathematical biologist, to be exact, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

Research Interest: I use math tools, such as probability and calculus, to model and simulate biological processes. These models can then be used to test theories against data, or to predict what will happen if we alter a biological system.

For Example: These models can help us understand how aging affects male fertility. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m currently doing that by using data from a biology lab that studies spermatogonia stem cells in zebrafish.

Research Inspiration: Math inspiration is all around us. I find it amazing how well math can represent the world in a way that meaningfully creates new understanding.

How UCF has Provided a Path: I always loved math but didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t know about mathematical biology until I took a course with Dr. Andrew Nevai during my sophomore year. It became my field of interest.

Career Vision: I want to do interdisciplinary research that advances math and biology. The NSF honor doesn �鶹��Ʒ S�t define my future goals, but it does give me autonomy to work my way closer to them.

Students interested in applying for the U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship program or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at opa@ucf.edu.

Founded to reach the moon, we �鶹��Ʒ S�re already on our way to the next frontier. Built for liftoff, America �鶹��Ʒ S�s Space University celebrates UCF Space Week Nov. 3-7.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Boldly Forge the Future of Space

America �鶹��Ʒ S�s first astronauts, known as �鶹��Ʒ S�the Mercury Seven, �鶹��Ʒ S� will forever be known as the men who began this country �鶹��Ʒ S�s journey into space. Twenty-five years after beginning their quest, the surviving astronauts from our original space race launched the Astronaut Scholarship to help ensure the U.S. would be the global STEM leader for the next space races

The Mercury crew would be impressed with what �鶹��Ʒ S�s happening at SpaceU in 2025: a , an , a HyperSpace Center and three more recipients of the prestigious scholarship they established. This year, the committee chose 74 juniors and seniors from 51 universities, and UCF is one of only three universities with a trio of winners �鶹��Ʒ S� Keanu Brayman, Kyle Coutray and Sun Latt.

Each student reminds us that you never truly know what fuels a person �鶹��Ʒ S�s trajectory toward discovery until you reflect on the journey that brought them into orbit.

Keanu Brayman

Mechanical engineering student and Burnett Honors Scholar

There �鶹��Ʒ S�s a good reason Keanu Brayman changed his major a few times before settling on mechanical engineering.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Space exploration is a broad topic, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says, �鶹��Ʒ S�and I want to understand everything �鶹��Ʒ S� the development of the spacecraft, sending it, landing it and discovering with it. �鶹��Ʒ S�

His curiosity led him to consider aerospace engineering, robotics, computer science and the ultimate: sitting in a capsule aimed at the moon or Mars.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Like a lot of kids, I always wanted to be an astronaut, �鶹��Ʒ S� Brayman says.

A childhood fantasy that began with Legos in the living room has blossomed in multiple labs at UCF. In the Optical Imaging System Lab, he designed a 3D printed housing for optical vision systems with space applications. In the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research, he advanced a rover wheel testbed to simulate conditions on the moon �鶹��Ʒ S�s surface. Today, in his fourth year, he �鶹��Ʒ S�s working in the Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory (ASRL) researching optimal control on a robotic arm for space proximity operations.

�鶹��Ʒ S�My overarching goal is to help humans become multi-planetary, with enough sustained lunar infrastructure to take us further into space. �鶹��Ʒ S� �鶹��Ʒ S�Keanu Brayman, student

�鶹��Ʒ S�I never imagined the steppingstones in my life would take me this far, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

He can vividly describe each step, with his mom encouraging him to dream big. When she noticed his interest in science, she and Brayman �鶹��Ʒ S�s dad saved enough money to buy a Lego robotics kit. They invested in a modest telescope so he could spot Jupiter from their home in South Florida. One night, Brayman �鶹��Ʒ S�s mom took him to the beach, where they watched the streaking speck of a distant space shuttle launch up the coast.

�鶹��Ʒ S�That small glimpse made space technology more tantalizing for me, �鶹��Ʒ S� Brayman says.

No one in his family had a STEM background. They lived paycheck to paycheck, and he didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t know if college would be affordable. That changed when his FIRST Robotics team visited UCF, where he heard faculty say they wanted students like him to join their research teams.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It was hard for my mom when I left home, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Brayman, who earned the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, �鶹��Ʒ S�but she knew I needed to follow my ambitions. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Those ambitions unearthed more steppingstones at UCF. He joined a competitive rocketry team, earned an internship with NASA, and started a club: the Society of Innovation and Neurodiversity in Engineering, a community of students overcoming challenges like ADHD.

And now the Astronaut Scholarship.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It was always a pipe dream to meet an astronaut someday. But at our ceremony, every time I turned around, I met another astronaut and expanded my network of mentors, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

The support came at a time when Brayman needed it most as he was going through significant personal struggles.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The scholarship has been a light. It reinforces what my mom always told me: �鶹��Ʒ S�You can achieve anything you set your mind to. �鶹��Ʒ S� Her belief in me will always be my driving force, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

Kyle Coutray

Computer engineering and biomedical sciences student, and Burnett Honors Scholar

It may sound modest when Kyle Coutray says, �鶹��Ʒ S�I don �鶹��Ʒ S�t absorb complex topics instantly. �鶹��Ʒ S� Yet this is a senior pursuing two demanding majors, devoting his time at UCF to understanding the most complex system ever discovered �鶹��Ʒ S� the brain �鶹��Ʒ S�and turning that knowledge into tools that help people.

Managing material at that level requires discipline, and Coutray relies on habits like writing things down, studying late with flashcards and breaking big ideas into manageable parts. That steady approach reflects a deeper drive, one he credits to both his parents and his faith.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I truly have the world �鶹��Ʒ S�s best parents. They always encouraged me to push my limits and become the best version of myself, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I also believe God blessed me with a healthy mind, and I have a responsibility to use it where I can make the greatest impact. �鶹��Ʒ S�

That mindset took root in high school, when Coutray launched an apparel brand by teaching himself the step-by-step process from design to sale. While it found success, he sensed there had to be another door into a more meaningful future. That conviction deepened when he came upon a neighbor lying in the road after a skateboarding accident.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Some say space is the final frontier. I believe it �鶹��Ʒ S�s the brain, with its 100 trillion connections. Exploring it will take the same spirit of discovery that drives us to the stars, and the Astronaut Scholarship fuels my own spirit to make the next discoveries. �鶹��Ʒ S� �鶹��Ʒ S� Kyle Coutray, student

�鶹��Ʒ S�I had done the same thing with my friends countless times, and in an instant his life was changed forever. That was the moment I realized how fragile the brain is. Later, when I began studying neuroscience at UCF, it offered me a way to reconcile that experience and a clear sense of purpose. �鶹��Ʒ S�

At UCF, Coutray has found ways to act on that purpose. He volunteers for ACEing Autism, where he facilitates adaptive tennis activities for children on the autism spectrum. Even intramural sports have offered him practical lessons that carry into his research.

�鶹��Ʒ S�During my first year I was juggling so much that I stopped taking care of myself, and my productivity dropped, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�When I got back into sports and focused on my health, everything improved �鶹��Ʒ S� school, relationships and research. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m a firm believer that a healthy body is critical to keeping the mind sharp. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Coutray carries that same philosophy into the intersection of engineering and neuroscience. His focus is on decoding neural signals and developing assistive technologies that restore function and empower people of all abilities. What began as a way to process his neighbor �鶹��Ʒ S�s accident has grown into a life �鶹��Ʒ S�s mission: to give people their lives back.

Sun Latt

Biomedical sciences student and Burnett Honors Scholar

Sun Latt is having a moment. Actually, he �鶹��Ʒ S�s having a year. You might remember Latt for winning a Goldwater Scholarship last spring. Or he could look familiar as an Order of Pegasus recipient. Here he is a few months later with the Astronaut Scholarship to complete a student triple crown of sorts �鶹��Ʒ S� although Latt is too modest to say so himself.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It �鶹��Ʒ S�s been surreal and I �鶹��Ʒ S�m thankful beyond words, �鶹��Ʒ S� Latt says, �鶹��Ʒ S�but there �鶹��Ʒ S�s so much more to be done. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Latt has worked on nanomedicine research with urgent focus since he found his first lab as a first-year student. Three years later, he has worked alongside a team of researchers to investigate the advantages of using a novel nanoparticle in magnesium orthopedic implants: the bone heals faster and the implant dissolves without leeching toxins. He has also contributed to nanomedicine research with preventive applications, such as a delivery system to silence the gene that causes osteoporosis.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve been challenging myself for three reasons; To become a good scientist, to make sure my mentors and the people who �鶹��Ʒ S�ve supported me are not let down, and ��so I can be the best mentor possible in the future. �鶹��Ʒ S� Sun Latt, student

�鶹��Ʒ S�We �鶹��Ʒ S�ve explored the basic working principles in a glass dish, �鶹��Ʒ S� Latt says, �鶹��Ʒ S�so now other researchers can see how the nanoparticle interacts for healing applications beyond bone. �鶹��Ʒ S�

This doesn �鶹��Ʒ S�t mean he �鶹��Ʒ S�s finished.

�鶹��Ʒ S�When you �鶹��Ʒ S�re always trying to innovate, you �鶹��Ʒ S�re never finished, �鶹��Ʒ S� Latt says.

For his honors undergraduate thesis, Latt is leading a project that incorporates nanobubbles to deliver medicine into the body before releasing it precisely where and when it �鶹��Ʒ S�s needed. He envisions using AI to take another leap and future applications for nanobubbles in space.

�鶹��Ʒ S�For me, it �鶹��Ʒ S�s all about healing the body, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�That �鶹��Ʒ S�s what motivated my dad, even with his limited resources and without formal recognition or awards. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Latt �鶹��Ʒ S�s parents immigrated from Myanmar. His dad learned to be a doctor so he could care for people who needed the most help �鶹��Ʒ S� especially in rural areas. Latt carries that same compassion into his research, fully conscious that accomplishments are not his alone.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve been a lifelong learner, and I look forward to being a lifelong teacher, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

Those interested in the Astronaut Scholarship and other opportunities should reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at��OPA@ucf.edu.

Angelouise De La Cruz

Fulbright Location: Spain
Fulbright Role: English Teaching Assistant (ETA)
UCF Degree: Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
Future Goals: International University Educator

Angelouise De La Cruz �鶹��Ʒ S�s love of Spanish traditions and language began with food and has led her to an incredible cascade of cultural opportunities. Growing up in a Filipino Spanish household, she watched her grandmother prepare escabeche and paella, recipes that were passed down from her great-grandfather who emigrated from Madrid. That family story became a powerful motivation for De La Cruz to explore the Spanish traditions that was part of her history more deeply.

�鶹��Ʒ S�My journey with the Spanish language and [traditions] is not only driven by �鶹��Ʒ S� curiosity but also feels deeply familial, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

In 2022, this reverence took her to Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona through UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s Barcelona International Summer School program, where she took courses that explored the European Union �鶹��Ʒ S�s social policy as well as Spanish history from the Moorish period to the modern era. Taking part in these critical discussions and in the traditions-based experiences she had outside the classroom broadened her sense of global citizenship. They also inspired her to act as a ambassador who could move between languages and communities with empathy and curiosity. She additionally took part in a clinical internship in Sydney, Australia, which also further deepened her global perspective. It also reminded her just how much she admired Spain �鶹��Ʒ S�s language. Upon attending a Spanish festival in Australia, she found herself deeply missing the Spanish traditions and food she had already experienced in Spain.

At UCF, De La Cruz majored in health sciences with a focus on kinesiology, blending her scientific interests with a passion for education and international service. As a supplemental physics instructor during the pandemic, she honed her teaching skills by designing lessons that met students where they were academically and personally, a strategy she plans to take with her to her classroom in Spain. On her Fulbright mission, De La Cruz says that �鶹��Ʒ S�it is now [her] turn to give back and aid students in Spain in developing a connection with the English language. �鶹��Ʒ S� She is most excited to deepen her relationship with Spanish traditions, empower students through language and grow as an educator through her experiences with the Fulbright Grant.

Advice to Future Applicants: �鶹��Ʒ S�Be honest and authentic. Make sure to highlight your unique personal experiences to let the writing flow naturally, �鶹��Ʒ S� De La Cruz says. �鶹��Ʒ S�This may mean taking time to self-reflect and think about how all of your experiences shape you and your mission. Reflect on how you �鶹��Ʒ S�ve already impacted your communities and how you intend to do so in the future. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Francisco Del Prado

Fulbright Location: Poland
Fulbright Role: English Teaching Assistant
UCF Degree: Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Future Goals: Doctoral Candidate and University-Level Educator

Francisco Del Prado first heard about the Fulbright ETA grant while earning his certificate in teaching English as a foreign language when professors and guest speakers described their own experiences abroad. By the time he began his master �鶹��Ʒ S�s in TESOL at UCF, he was set on a career in English language teaching and began to narrow his focus. He realized his strongest interest was in working with adults, students who bring their own professional and cultural perspectives into the classroom. That led him to Poland, where ETAs can teach at the university level and work closely with faculty and students in an academic setting.

His teaching experience covers a range of ages, settings and geographic contexts. At UCF, he taught undergraduate courses in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, helping students explore the relationship between language theory and real-world teaching. In Dublin, he taught English to teenagers from across the globe, leading conversation clubs that encouraged students to share their own traditions while learning about Irish life. In Orlando, he worked with adult learners pursuing academic degrees or advancing their careers, designing lessons and workshops that reflected their specific goals. He approaches each classroom with an awareness of how a student �鶹��Ʒ S�s first language shapes their learning, noting that even small differences, like the way Polish speakers hear certain English vowel sounds, can open opportunities for clearer communication.

In September, Del Prado will join the Faculty of Philology at the University of Białystok. He plans to incorporate interactive activities, such as American game shows adapted for language learning and traditional exchanges that invite students to explore both English and American life. He sees the Fulbright as an opportunity not only to deepen his teaching skills, but also to connect with a community that already feels familiar through past encounters with Polish friends and family connections. Del Prado says that the program is a way to continue the kind of cultural exchange that first inspired him to teach.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Participating in the Fulbright Program in Poland will give me invaluable experience on the path to achieving my academic career goals, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

After the grant, he plans to pursue a doctorate in applied linguistics and teach at the university level, sharing his Fulbright experiences with future educators.

Advice to Future Applicants: �鶹��Ʒ S�Build genuine relationships with professors, mentors and supervisors who can speak to your work, �鶹��Ʒ S� Del Prado says. �鶹��Ʒ S�And expect the process to take time. There can be long stretches between application and results, so keep yourself busy with classes or work while you wait. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Julia Going

Fulbright Location: South Korea
Fulbright Role: U.S.-Korea Presidential STEM Initiative Award at Yonsei University
UCF Degree: Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering,
Future Goals: Global Researcher and Collaborator

Julia Going �鶹��Ʒ S�s path to Fulbright began in her hometown of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Growing up there, she was exposed to the environmental consequences on waterways were impacted by industrial sources. As a teenager, she attended U.S. Environmental Protection Agency meetings and shadowed cleanup workers at one of the town �鶹��Ʒ S�s Superfund sites. This experience reshaped how she saw her community and inspired her to pursue environmental engineering. She says that it �鶹��Ʒ S�forever altered the way [she] saw [her] hometown and gave [her] the confidence to believe [she] could make an impact. �鶹��Ʒ S�

At UCF and as a Burnett Honors Scholar, she brings that passion into focus as a student researcher working on environmental sensing technologies. She �鶹��Ʒ S�s also a Division I rowing coxswain. Both of these roles have taught her discipline, resilience and the value of collective purpose.

Going �鶹��Ʒ S�s time in South Korea will not be her first time abroad. In Summer 2024, she traveled to Busan, South Korea, to conduct NSF-funded research at Dong-A University, where she worked on optimizing nanomaterials for energy applications. Alongside master �鶹��Ʒ S�s and doctoral students in South Korea, she worked on optimizing nanowire fabrication for use in supercapacitors. She immersed herself in both lab practices and daily life. She spent her evenings exploring Busan, riding the subway and bonding with colleagues over street food. These experiences deepened her appreciation for the intersection of science and traditions. They sparked her Fulbright mission to return to South Korea and contribute to hydrogen energy innovation through advanced materials research.

The Fulbright Grant is more than just a research opportunity for Julia. She sees Fulbright as a bridge between the U.S. and South Korea, but also between lab work and practical experience.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I hope that my experience in South Korea will not only help me hone my research skills and make strides in materials for green energy but also provide a network of academic colleagues to collaborate with and a wider understanding of the global scientific community, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

After completing her grant, she plans to pursue a master �鶹��Ʒ S�s in materials science and engineering at Stanford, with the goal of returning to South Korea for postdoctoral work and building long-term collaborations in green energy innovation.

Advice to Future Applicants: �鶹��Ʒ S�Start the application early, especially when it comes to securing a letter of affiliation, �鶹��Ʒ S� Going says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Identify a potential university and professor in advance. Sometimes, it helps to reach out to professors at your home institution, as they may have international connections who can help facilitate this process. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Oscar Lopez

Fulbright Location: Spain
Fulbright Role: English teaching assistant
UCF Degree: Master of Arts in Spanish
Future Goals: Doctoral Candidate and Educator

Oscar Lopez �鶹��Ʒ S�s path to Fulbright began with his graduate studies in Spanish at UCF, where his research and coursework centered on Peninsular literature from the Medieval period to the 18th century. As he reached the final stages of his program, Lopez says he saw living and teaching in Spain as �鶹��Ʒ S�a unique culmination to [his] intense study of the literature coming out of Spain. �鶹��Ʒ S� For him, the experience will allow him to engage directly with the traditions and history that have shaped his field of study. Teaching English at the university level in Spain felt like a natural next step for both his professional growth and his own curiosity.

Lopez �鶹��Ʒ S�s teaching experience spans a variety of roles, from tutoring undergraduate Spanish students at UCF to serving as instructor of record for multiple elementary-level Spanish courses. These roles strengthened his ability to connect with students through literature, history and cultural analysis. His academic background is paired with a strong commitment to communication, both as a discipline, through his undergraduate degree in communication studies and as a skill, cultivated through years of public-facing work. He also draws from his Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage, which deepens his interest in how language and identity intersect, especially in multicultural classrooms.

In September, Lopez will travel to Spain to join a university community where he plans to create opportunities for dialogue inside and outside the classroom. He says he hopes to design lessons that highlight �鶹��Ʒ S�the different components of language and [traditions that] come from Spain, �鶹��Ʒ S� while also encouraging students to explore American literature, film and traditions. He sees the Fulbright year as a chance to reflect on his own path, gain new perspectives on life in Europe and consider the kind of educator and leader he wants to become. After the grant, he plans to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership and continue teaching at the high school or university level, with a focus on empowering students to embrace their heritage and step outside their comfort zones.

Advice to Future Applicants: �鶹��Ʒ S�Gather as much information as possible! Befriend people on social media, look at other Fulbright grantees �鶹��Ʒ S� LinkedIn accounts and reach out, �鶹��Ʒ S� Lopez says. �鶹��Ʒ S�You will be shocked by the warmth and willingness that people have to guide and support in whatever way they can. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Zaima Aline

Fulbright Location: Singapore
Fulbright Role: Open Study/Research Award
UCF Degree: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Burnett Honors Scholar
Future Goals: Global Physician-Scientist

Raised in Bangladesh, where access to advanced healthcare isn �鶹��Ʒ S�t always accessible, Burnett Honors Scholar Zaima Aline experienced firsthand how geography and circumstance can shape the course of a medical crisis. In 2019, her cousin was diagnosed with a rare cancer. Her family turned to Singapore for his treatment because his condition was so uncommon and local options were limited. Aline says that the exposure this experience gave her to the complexities of cancer and the limitations of existing treatments �鶹��Ʒ S�sparked the path that would eventually lead [her] toward medicine and research. �鶹��Ʒ S� It also drew her to study in Singapore because of its cutting-edge biomedical research environment and strong government-university-industry collaboration, particularly in cancer research.

Her proposed Fulbright project focuses on developing a 3D in vitro model of glioblastoma integrated with a blood-brain barrier system using hydrogels, which will help study drug delivery and therapy resistance within the tumor microenvironment. Her research interest stems from her prior projects at the Mayo Clinic, where she worked on two major research projects focused on brain cancer. For Aline, these experiences built technical skills, developed a practical, working interest in therapy resistance and positioned her to take on more advanced 3D modeling work.

Aline hopes her Fulbright experience will allow her to learn more from international research systems like Singapore �鶹��Ʒ S�s, where she says �鶹��Ʒ S�academic institutions and biotech industries work together in ways that accelerate discovery and translation. �鶹��Ʒ S�

She says she sees this kind of global perspective as essential to the physician-scientist she aims to grow into. Her long-term goal is to contribute to medicine, specifically cancer treatment, on a global scale. She views her coming Fulbright experience as a critical cultural step on that path.

Advice to Future Applicants: �鶹��Ʒ S�Tell your story honestly and ensure your project clearly aligns with program requirements and the Fulbright mission, �鶹��Ʒ S� Aline says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Make sure to show why you �鶹��Ʒ S�re the right fit for both the research and ambassadorship. After you submit your application, let go of the outcome in your head and trust yourself through the waiting process. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Additional Selections

Astrid Faulkner was selected for a Fulbright ETA award in Germany.

Darya Sulkouskaya (Burnett Honors Scholar) was selected for a Fulbright ETA award in Spain.

If you have any questions about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program or other scholarships and awards, please reach out to the UCF Office of Prestigious Awards by emailing opa@ucf.edu

Over its 40-year history, the ASF has awarded scholarships totaling over $9 million to more than 850 students. This year, 71 undergraduate students from 48 U.S. colleges and universities were named Astronaut Scholars, including three exceptional leaders from UCF.

Abigail Glover

To Abigail Glover, a Burnett Honors Scholar and mechanical engineering student at UCF, earning a prestigious award like the Astronaut Scholarship represents far more than just financial support. For her, it �鶹��Ʒ S�s entry into a network of ambitious individuals sharing her passion for space, engineering and scientific discovery. Glover describes the Astronaut community as �鶹��Ʒ S�a family of like-minded individuals who will always support you. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Much of Glover �鶹��Ʒ S�s research has focused on planetary science. Some of her undergraduate research initiatives include studying the influence of humidity on simulated lunar highlands regolith properties and terra mechanics. Currently, her Honors Undergraduate Thesis is on �鶹��Ʒ S�Quantifying the Performance of the SPARTA Toolkit for use in Planetary Regolith Characterization Missions. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Glover is a project manager with the Regolith Interactions for the Development of Extraterrestrial Rovers (RIDER) program at UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s , where she coordinates with industry experts and leads a team focused on enhancing technologies for lunar regolith and rover wheel interaction. She has also worked with NASA �鶹��Ʒ S�s Exploration Ground Systems �鶹��Ʒ S� assisting the Human Systems Integration team in preparing for Artemis II. Beyond her professional experiences, she founded the Lake-Sumter State College Astronomical Society in 2016. She also served as the social media and marketing chair for the UCF chapter of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers and is the creative chair for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space at UCF.

Glover came to STEM from a background in art and theater, which initially left her feeling like an outsider in the world of engineering and research. In her first semester, she had difficulty adjusting to the demanding load of her STEM classes. With some encouragement from her mother, she returned to UCF for her second semester with renewed determination.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It has been a long journey of discovering my capabilities and limits, but I wouldn �鶹��Ʒ S�t trade it for anything, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

Glover �鶹��Ʒ S�s courage in asking questions and seeking new opportunities has been a powerful force in her development. A conversation with a professor led her to UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s Exolith Lab, and a class interview connected her to the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program, which set off a chain of experiences she says �鶹��Ʒ S�opened doors to opportunities I would never have thought possible. �鶹��Ʒ S� Glover has received multiple scholarships and awards throughout her academic career such as the Office of Undergraduate Research Grant, the Pell Grant, and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Looking ahead, Glover hopes to contribute to long-term lunar habitation. She envisions herself continuing with lunar regolith research and building systems for sustainable human presence beyond Earth �鶹��Ʒ S�s atmosphere. However, Glover �鶹��Ʒ S�s past experiences have inspired her to remain adaptable, confident that �鶹��Ʒ S�life has a funny way of working out. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Charlotte Moore

With a passion for astronomy and a double major in and physics, Burnett Honors Scholar Charlotte Moore sees research as a way to learn more about the universe. Her research journey began in her first year and has transformed her academic experience, allowing her to build meaningful relationships and discover the collaborative spirit of the STEM community.

With her sights set on a doctoral degree in astronomy, Moore plans to focus on galaxy mergers, especially in tidal features at higher redshifts. �鶹��Ʒ S�Once I finish my Ph.D., I hope to work at a university or other research institution to continue my research, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says. Currently, Moore is an undergraduate student researcher with Eric Bell from the University of Michigan working on the time constraints of the merger of Centaurus A from the Stellar Halo. She is also an undergraduate researcher with Theodora Karalidi, associate professor of physics at UCF, working on the impact of optical thickness on the polarization of the light of Jupiter.

Despite her accomplishments, Moore candidly acknowledges the challenge of imposter syndrome.

�鶹��Ʒ S�There are very few moments where I haven �鶹��Ʒ S�t had doubts about what I �鶹��Ʒ S�m doing, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

However, by immersing herself in new topics and projects, she has cultivated a sense of belonging in astronomy. Her hard work was marked by her first official publication, a moment that reinforced that she could make waves in the field of astronomy.

Moore credits her success to the incredible mentors she has encountered along her journey.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Dr. Karalidi has always pushed me to pursue outside opportunities that will help me towards my goal of graduate school, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

Additionally, she has benefited from the experiences of peers who have previously received the Astronaut Scholarship, utilizing their insights as she navigated her application process.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Moore is committed to helping others find their footing in research. As the secretary of the Society of Physics Students, she mentors fellow students, sharing her knowledge and experiences to guide them. Additionally, Moore has received multiple honors and awards, such as the Order of Pegasus in 2024, the Knights Achievement Scholarship, and the Allyn M. Stearman Scholarship. Moore embodies the academic excellence, commitment to community, and passion for discovery that the Astronaut Scholarship seeks to promote.

Luis Santori

As a second-time recipient of the Astronaut Scholarship Luis Santori, a Burnett Honors Scholar and mathematics major, also appreciates the opportunities the ASF community will offer for his growth as a researcher.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The doors that the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation opens will be crucial to my career, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

For Santori, the ASF community provides opportunities to collaborate, learn and grow as a researcher.

Santori is an undergraduate research assistant involved in multiple projects, including two with Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Adrienne Dove, associate professors in UCF’s Department of Physics, focusing on lunar craters and lunar regolith. He describes his mentors �鶹��Ʒ S� Hanna, Dove, and Professor Eduardo Teixeira from the UCF Department of Mathematics �鶹��Ʒ S� as instrumental in his growth and development as a researcher.

Santori �鶹��Ʒ S�s research journey has been transformative for both his academic and personal development.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Research has fostered personal growth by keeping me curious and introducing me to subjects beyond my curriculum, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says.

His research experiences have improved his communication skills, something that will be a necessity for him as he continues to promote his work.

Santori has also had to deal with the challenges that come with imposter syndrome, common in research where the uncertainty of discovery can lead to self-doubt. However, he reflects that by recognizing that it �鶹��Ʒ S�s not productive to compare his path to the path of others, he has moved beyond this challenge. He also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a good work-life balance in sustaining a research career. His ability to work through these challenges and his dedication to his academic career have earned him the Allyn M. Stearman Research Fellowship, the Summer@ICERM 2023 Fellowship, and the 2024 NASA Exploration Science Forum Student Travel Grant.

Looking ahead, Santori plans to apply to doctoral programs in applied mathematics and planetary science, aiming to contribute to advancements in these fields. He is considering a career in academia, national labs or industry. With his passion and resilience, Santori is ready to make meaningful contributions to planetary science and mathematics as he continues on his academic journey as an Astronaut Scholar.

Those interested in the Astronaut Scholarship and other opportunities should reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at��OPA@ucf.edu.

In 2023, 68 students from the nation �鶹��Ʒ S�s top research institutions were awarded up to $15,000 each through the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). Students must be nominated by a faculty member at their institution and must demonstrate considerable dedication to their field of study. In addition to the monetary award, scholars receive a paid trip to ASF �鶹��Ʒ S�s Innovators Weekend as well as the chance to connect with Astronaut Scholar alumni, the Foundation, and the astronauts themselves.

NASA �鶹��Ʒ S�s first space travelers, the Mercury 7 astronauts, sponsored the original seven Astronaut Scholarships. It �鶹��Ʒ S�s awarded to explorers, but not necessarily the kind that wear spacesuits and helmets. These are students who dedicate their research to making a difference in this world and beyond.

UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s 2023 Astronaut Scholars are:

A natural-born writer who turned to biology for personal reasons; a soccer player turned planetary scientist; and a competitive dancer studying the universe through the lenses of physics and art.

Samantha Stoltz

Major: Biology

Mentors: Elayraja Kolanthai (biomaterial science), William Crampton (analysis of electric fish species), Sudipta Seal (materials science and engineering)

Four years ago, Samantha Stoltz could not have envisioned herself speaking in front of brilliant people at Kennedy Space Center. Yet here she is, invited to the podium because of her ambitious research, her honor as an Astronaut Scholar and perhaps partly because she exudes so much enthusiasm.

The Burnett Honors Scholar can use terms like �鶹��Ʒ S�epigenetics �鶹��Ʒ S� and �鶹��Ʒ S�radical scavenging �鶹��Ʒ S� and make them sound fun. The smile you see while she �鶹��Ʒ S�s volunteering with the Girl Scouts of Citrus is the same one you see in the UCF lab where she �鶹��Ʒ S�s trying to find elusive cures for people suffering from a plethora of diseases.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I love a good challenge, �鶹��Ʒ S� Stoltz says, �鶹��Ʒ S�and the Astronaut Scholarship has added to my desire to innovate. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Personal reasons also drive her research. Her dad is among millions of people suffering from illnesses that are sometimes undetected and often under-researched. Stoltz herself experienced fibromyalgia chronic pain and fatigue symptoms as early as 13 years old.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I started using a holistic approach �鶹��Ʒ S� nutrition, exercise, mental well-being �鶹��Ʒ S� to crack my own code in an effort to alleviate the symptoms, �鶹��Ʒ S� Stolz says.

It �鶹��Ʒ S�s also why Stoltz decided to study something other than literature or writing, which came more naturally to her. Instead, she accepted the challenges of biology and embraced a motto: the growth is in the discomfort.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Science has never come easy for me, but the more I learn, the more I enjoy it because research helps me understand what �鶹��Ʒ S�s going on with people like my dad and me. Now I �鶹��Ʒ S�m in a position to do something about it, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

Stoltz has funneled her research interests into the mysteries of oxidative stress, where antioxidants in the body cannot keep up with unstable molecules, or free radicals. Her preliminary research has found cerium oxide nanoparticles effective at offsetting oxidative stress and reducing inflammation, with what appear to be limited side effects.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve moved it into biological studies to see how it might work on breast cancer cells and hope to eventually apply them to other diseases. If this can help combat oxidative stress, it would help so many people, almost like a panacea. �鶹��Ʒ S�

She �鶹��Ʒ S�s writing a research article and hopes to be published in the spring. But Stoltz is not the same person who once dreaded public speaking and needed a detailed plan. After graduation, she �鶹��Ʒ S�ll spend a month in Italy. Maybe she �鶹��Ʒ S�ll find a research opportunity there or a gateway somewhere else before pursuing a Ph.D.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The more I live, the more I appreciate going with the flow. I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll take whatever path allows me to help make the world healthier and happier. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Luis Santori

Major: Math

Mentors: Kerri Donaldson Hanna (planetary geology), Adrienne Dove (thermal conductivity), Eduardo Teixeira (math)

When Luis Santori first heard about the Astronaut Scholarship, he responded the way many students do: �鶹��Ʒ S�It must be for students doing aerospace research. �鶹��Ʒ S�

One of his research advisors, Kerri Donaldson Hanna, told Santori the scholarship is for students studying biology, chemistry, life sciences and math.

�鶹��Ʒ S�She told me it �鶹��Ʒ S�s for students like me, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Santori, a Burnett Honors Scholar.

He �鶹��Ʒ S�d been using his newfound math creativity �鶹��Ʒ S� yes, math creativity �鶹��Ʒ S� to help Donaldson Hanna make lunar maps and examine the composition of anorthosite on the moon. From day one, Santori has wondered, �鶹��Ʒ S�How did the moon get there? �鶹��Ʒ S�

He asks a similar question about himself: �鶹��Ʒ S�How did I get here, into a lab at UCF? �鶹��Ʒ S� His interest in STEM started with his drive on the soccer field, long before he knew was STEM meant. The laws of physics crept into the nuances of the game and into Santori �鶹��Ʒ S�s conscious. For a high-school science project, he used physics to model kicks: how ball spin, angle, and force affect the path. During a course in astronomy his first year at UCF, his interest in soccer shifted to space. That �鶹��Ʒ S�s when he contacted Donaldson Hanna to ask if she might have a research opportunity. A few weeks later, he sat in awe among a group of graduate students and Ph.D.s, listening and nourishing his mind.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I did not expect to get hooked on research, �鶹��Ʒ S� Santori says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve poured the same passion I had for soccer into planetary science. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The change of perspective also led Santori to change his major from physics and computer science to another subject he didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t take seriously in high school: math.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Studying is like sports: you reap what you sow, �鶹��Ʒ S� he says. �鶹��Ʒ S�The more I got into math at UCF, the more I realized it isn �鶹��Ʒ S�t just numbers on rinse and repeat. You use creativity and reasoning. The only limitations are in your head. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Santori has applied these skills to research projects on thermal conductivity with Adrienne Dove, on calculus of variation and PDEs with Eduardo Teixeira, and on modeling DNA self-assembly (making structures for optimal drug delivery). Meantime, the Astronaut Scholarship inspires his long-term commitment to study the composition of rocks on the lunar surface so he can gain a better understanding of where they, and the moon, came from.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The award validates the work I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve put into this research �鶹��Ʒ S� the weekends, the late nights, and the progress. It fuels the same kind of enthusiasm I had as a kid playing soccer, except now the accomplishments are more gratifying. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Olivia Bitcon

Major: Physics

Mentors: Julie Brisset (properties of asteroids), Jim Cooney (cosmology)

At an event in downtown Orlando to honor Astronaut Scholars from around the country, Olivia Bitcon found herself in the company of astronauts and STEM researchers. She asked them a few questions and, in a twist, they asked herquestions. One came up often: What are you researching?

Bitcon explained her research on inflationary cosmology and primordial gravitational waves to this new network of colleagues �鶹��Ʒ S� topics she became passionate about because of mentors like UCF planetary scientist Julie Brisset and physics instructor Jim Cooney.

�鶹��Ʒ S�They made concepts that you can �鶹��Ʒ S�t see or touch come to life, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Bitcon, a Burnett Honors Scholar.

As a teenager and competitive dancer, Bitcon noticed an artistic quality about stars, especially on the rare nights when she could look up and see beyond the ambient city light near Chicago. But she saw everything in a new light shortly after she arrived at UCF on a Benacquisto Scholarship for National Merit Scholars. One night she looked to the east and saw a flare rising from Earth.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I remember thinking, �鶹��Ʒ S�Oh, wow, that �鶹��Ʒ S�s a rocket. I can see it with my own eyes. �鶹��Ʒ S� �鶹��Ʒ S�

Around the same time, Bitcon began research with the Florida Space Institute. Under Brisset �鶹��Ʒ S�s guidance, she studied the properties of asteroid surfaces.

�鶹��Ʒ S�It was exciting to wear a lab coat and explore something as distant as celestial bodies. I wanted to keep going farther. �鶹��Ʒ S�

An astronomy class with Cooney took her where she wanted to go.

�鶹��Ʒ S�He had a unique way of making abstract ideas understandable, like how gravity works when objects are accelerating. You can �鶹��Ʒ S�t show it. You have to explain it. He did it so well that I wanted to look deeper into the science of cosmos. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Bitcon �鶹��Ʒ S�s subsequent research became the foundation of her Honors Undergraduate Thesis on inflationary cosmology and primordial gravitational waves. On her Astronaut Scholarship application, Bitcon conveyed how she had to self-direct the research into the subject of astroparticle physics.

�鶹��Ʒ S�You hear about trial and error in research. With cosmology, it �鶹��Ʒ S�s more of a test of patience and perseverance, which aligns with my personality, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

After graduating, Bitcon plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physics and continue her research on the interface of cosmology and particle physics. She �鶹��Ʒ S�d also like to teach.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Ideally, I want to make this topic more approachable for students, the same way my mentors did for me. A student could be like me �鶹��Ʒ S� they just need someone to show them the beauty of physics and art coming together in the universe. �鶹��Ʒ S�

If you are interested in the Astronaut Scholarship or other prestigious awards, please reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at��OPA@ucf.edu.

In fact, UCF is a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students for the 2023-24 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of State �鶹��Ʒ S�s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Knight Nation is the only public institution in Florida to earn the designation. This is the second time UCF has received this honor, with 2020-21 being the first.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I know what it �鶹��Ʒ S�s like to struggle with a new language and a new culture, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Noah Cabarcas, �鶹��Ʒ S�and that �鶹��Ʒ S�s what makes the Fulbright experience so meaningful. The struggle goes both ways, and it has a unique way of bringing people together. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Sophie Brockell �鶹��Ʒ S�23

Degree at UCF: Secondary education

Fulbright destination: Spain

What Brockell is doing there: Teaching English to middle- and high-school students

And then: Earn a master �鶹��Ʒ S�s degree and Ph.D.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Since early September I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve been living and teaching in a region of Spain known as Galicia. It �鶹��Ʒ S�s a unique place. The people take late lunches, drink a specific beer rather than wine, and eat a lot of seafood. The language is Galician, a blend of Spanish and Portuguese, which the local people are trying hard to preserve. During my Fulbright application, I proposed a cultural exchange project called �鶹��Ʒ S�gastrodiplomacy �鶹��Ʒ S� to tie everything together. It �鶹��Ʒ S�s using food experiences as a language to connect cultures.

�鶹��Ʒ S�For example, I told my students about a rice pudding recipe. They said, �鶹��Ʒ S�Oh, that �鶹��Ʒ S�s just like arroz con leche. �鶹��Ʒ S� It reminded us that we have more in common than we might assume. Now we �鶹��Ʒ S�re compiling a cookbook that includes recipes, family stories, and the history of this region. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m also working with local food banks because no place in the world is immune to food insecurity. I learned a lot about that growing up in the Dominican Republic where my parents worked on humanitarian projects as missionaries. Meeting the needs of people while learning from them is a core value for me. That �鶹��Ʒ S�s why the Fulbright has been such a great fit. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Noah Cabarcas �鶹��Ʒ S�22

Degree at UCF: Political science

Fulbright destination: Brazil

What Cabarcas will do there: Work at a university as an English teaching assistant

And then: Teach languages wherever it �鶹��Ʒ S�s needed

�鶹��Ʒ S�I cannot remember a time in my life when I haven �鶹��Ʒ S�t been learning or teaching a language. My mother is from Nicaragua. My father is from Panama. So, I learned Spanish and English from the time I could speak. Since then, I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve taught myself Portuguese, studied Italian and French, and for fun I dabbled in Japanese and Russian. In Orlando, I teach English to immigrants. When I heard about the Fulbright during my last year at UCF, I knew it would be worth the rigorous application process to do what I �鶹��Ʒ S�m passionate about in Brazil.

�鶹��Ʒ S�After graduating from UCF, I decided to go to Brazil on my own for a few weeks while awaiting the Fulbright results. I �鶹��Ʒ S�d meet people on nature trails, at food stalls, anything to integrate. The experience made me even more excited to be offered the Fulbright. My approach is to facilitate conversations in English through music, clubs, games and storytelling rather than to rely on textbooks. I once thought my major in political science would prepare me to be an interpreter for the World Health Organization, Red Cross or United Nations, but now I see my purpose more clearly: to help people on a personal level learn languages and improve their lives. The Fulbright is a natural step in that direction. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Eliana Jacobs �鶹��Ʒ S�22

Degree at UCF: Interdisciplinary studies and sociology

Fulbright destination: Taiwan

What Jacobs is doing there: Teaching English in elementary schools

And then: Go to medical school

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�m a young African American woman from Florida working in classrooms full of kids who speak Chinese and look nothing like me. They �鶹��Ʒ S�re fascinated to hear about manatees and cars in America. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m still curious about the rampant use of scooters here. We �鶹��Ʒ S�re building trust through language barriers by showing genuine interest in each other. This is what I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll need to do in the future as a pediatric endocrinologist �鶹��Ʒ S� develop trust at the bedside with patients from all communities.

�鶹��Ʒ S�When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. During my research for the Fulbright application, I was surprised to find out about the high prevalence rate of diabetes in Taiwan. At the time, I was taking 21 credit hours, working on my honors thesis and working three part-time jobs. The Fulbright seemed like a longshot, but the thought of teaching children in another country while visiting medical schools and research centers motivated me. I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve been here three months. My confidence is higher. My knowledge is deeper. And my desire to help kids is stronger than ever. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Lilliana Ramos �鶹��Ʒ S�23

Degree at UCF: International and global studies

Fulbright destination: La Rioja, Spain

What Ramos will do there: Teach English to primary school students

And then: Foreign service

�鶹��Ʒ S�My parents had to spread their wings when they left Cuba to start a new life in the U.S. For them, it was a necessity. For me, spreading my wings will be an honor. Coming to UCF after attending high school in Miami was the first time I ventured off on my own. Little did I know it would eventually lead to an immersive Fulbright experience in Spain, where I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll get a taste inside and outside the classroom of what my parents had to learn: how to assimilate to a new culture.

�鶹��Ʒ S�In La Rioja, students want to learn the English language and American culture for the same reasons I want to learn theirs �鶹��Ʒ S� languages and cultures connect the world, and they open us up to a lifetime of opportunities. The work reminds me of growing up in a family where we had open discussions about important topics. My dad had worked in a consulate in Cuba before it closed, so he imparted the ideals of slowing down, listening, and being patient with people from different backgrounds. In Spain, I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll be the one from a different background. I can �鶹��Ʒ S�t imagine a better way to prepare for whatever comes next. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Harrison Crawford �鶹��Ʒ S�22

Degree at UCF: Interdisciplinary studies

Fulbright destination: Indonesia

What Crawford is doing there: Teaching English

And then: Build a test prep tutoring operation

�鶹��Ʒ S�Indonesia is one of the biggest countries on Earth, and arguably the most culturally [complex]. At the moment, I �鶹��Ʒ S�m in the city of Manado, where the motto is, �鶹��Ʒ S�We are all family. �鶹��Ʒ S� Shortly after I arrived, word got out that I �鶹��Ʒ S�d gotten sick. A parade of people showed up with food, medicine, even kitchen appliances. If one teacher hears I skipped breakfast, within an hour I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll have a plate of avocado, fish and bread in front of me. I �鶹��Ʒ S�m teaching English, and they �鶹��Ʒ S�re teaching me what true kindness and generosity look like.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I almost didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t apply for the Fulbright, which would have been the biggest mistake of my life. It �鶹��Ʒ S�s rare for Americans to collaborate with people in Global South countries as equals in a cultural context. I bring games so the kids have fun learning English and about parts of the world they might never see. Later, I �鶹��Ʒ S�m hosting a storytelling competition, where students will have a chance to advance to the national level in Jakarta. It �鶹��Ʒ S�s a big deal because most Indonesians don �鶹��Ʒ S�t travel as easily as Americans do. Not long ago, I felt like I was meandering a bit. Today, I �鶹��Ʒ S�m living a life with direction that would have once been unthinkable. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Casey Corrigan �鶹��Ʒ S�19 �鶹��Ʒ S�23MA

Degree at UCF: Social science education

Fulbright destination: Taipei, Taiwan

What Corrigan is doing there: English teaching assistant

And then: Teach English to middle schoolers, high schoolers and adult speakers of other languages

�鶹��Ʒ S�I never envisioned myself teaching English in Taiwan, but here I am on this adventure. The teachers in Taipei use different styles. My current school follows a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach, which means the students learn English while I teach them music and art. I might discuss specific shapes and textures in English and then a Taiwanese co-teacher will explain in Chinese how to use them when creating artwork.

�鶹��Ʒ S�The Fulbright program came to my attention during a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) class at UCF. Previous Fulbright recipients told me how the program helped them with visas, living arrangements, setting up a bank accounts, all the daunting details when you go abroad. Having a reputable program guiding my steps made me feel safe. Next summer I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll come back to Orlando and pursue work as a teacher, but I know how plans can change. Whatever happens next, I will always be grateful for the people at UCF who helped make this life-changing experience a reality. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Meghan��Absher �鶹��Ʒ S�22, who earned a bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in integrative general studies student from UCF, also accepted a Fulbright award with the destination of Romania.

Students interested in applying for Fulbright awards��or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at��opa@ucf.edu.

But with the support of the , 15 UCF students have received financial assistance that will help make their study abroad dreams a reality. Each recipient is awarded up to $5,000 to fund their international studies.

Scholarships are awarded during two cycles each academic year. Here are the student awardees for the second cycle of the 2023-24 academic year.

Gilman Scholarship Awardees

• Abdur-Rauf �鶹��Ʒ S�Fatimah �鶹��Ʒ S� Wood, College of Business
• Angelina Alonzo, College of Sciences
• Anjiya Pirani, College of Sciences
• Cecilia Deskins, College of Business
• Gianluca Cambria, College of Business
• Hami Mushfiq, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Jerry He, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Burnett Honors College
• Pascal Silburn, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Suseth Serrano, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Tamara Van Newhouse, College of Sciences, Burnett Honors College
• Valerie Mauricio Ruiz, College of Business, Burnett Honors College
• Valery Villarraga, College of Arts and Humanities

This list reflects 12 of the 15 total awardees. Three students chose to not have their names published.

The scholarship program provides undergraduate students with limited financial means the opportunity to study or intern abroad and gain valuable academic and professional experience, language abilities and knowledge of the world needed to lead successful careers. By supporting students who may otherwise not have the resources to intern or study in a different country, the program ensures that students from many different backgrounds have the chance to develop their intercultural skills while gaining a global perspective. Since the program �鶹��Ʒ S�s establishment in 2001, more than 34,000 Gilman Scholars have studied in 155 countries around the world.

Keep reading to get to know a few of the 15 ambitious UCF students awarded the Gilman Scholarship.

A conversation with a coworker turned into a lifechanging opportunity to study in Spain for Anjiya Pirani, who first learned of the Gilman Scholarship Program from a fellow resident assistant (RA) at .

�鶹��Ʒ S�We were discussing how expensive studying abroad can be and how a former RA had received the [Gilman Scholarship], �鶹��Ʒ S� Pirani says.

Knowing that a former UCF student was awarded gave the third-year student motivation to apply just four days before the application deadline.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Coming from a low-income family, it �鶹��Ʒ S�s difficult to afford a trip abroad, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�m very grateful to receive this scholarship �鶹��Ʒ S� it �鶹��Ʒ S�s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance my career, immerse myself in a different culture, practice a new language, and most importantly, see the world from a different perspective. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Pirani spent a month in Barcelona, Spain, this summer participating in the UCF Barcelona Center study abroad program where she completed a class related to her major. Much of Pirani �鶹��Ʒ S�s studies focused on investigating psychological perspectives and making connections between the merging of art with science �鶹��Ʒ S� a topic the psychology major hopes to apply as a future clinical psychologist helping unleash the creativity of others.

Orlando, Florida, has always been home for Valery Villarraga, a student in both the and the , who �鶹��Ʒ S�ll travel more than 5,000 miles away to study architecture in Italy in August. She �鶹��Ʒ S�s looking forward to experiencing a country known for its unique structures and design elements. As a child, Villarraga recalls taking photos of buildings in New York and being fascinated by their designs. Now with a new camera in tow, she �鶹��Ʒ S�ll be in the presence of world-famous buildings like the Pantheon and the Colosseum through the Vicenza Institute of Architecture program �鶹��Ʒ S� a full-circle moment.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�m really excited about taking a sketching class, �鶹��Ʒ S� Villarraga says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve been studying these buildings throughout my coursework and now I �鶹��Ʒ S�m going to be able to see and sketch them [in person]. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The Gilman Scholarship has given Villarraga a chance to get out of her comfort zone and is an experience she believes doesn �鶹��Ʒ S�t come around twice. Upon her return, she �鶹��Ʒ S�s excited to share a personal history book filled with photos and sketches of buildings and written journal entries of her daily experiences with her UCF peers.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I plan to bring this book back to my classmates to encourage them to study abroad, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says.

For senior Hami Mushfiq, the guidance from Christina Hussey, coordinator for UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s , made for a smooth scholarship application process. The senior chose to spend a month in Sweden taking classes related to purchasing logistics at Jonkoping University.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Since I pay my own bills and would not be working throughout the duration of the program, �鶹��Ʒ S� Mushfiq says, �鶹��Ʒ S�getting this scholarship offsets a good chunk of my worries. �鶹��Ʒ S� �鶹��Ʒ S�I can focus on what is important, which is learning the culture and the logistics market of Sweden. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The industrial engineering major has wasted no time already visiting major cities including Stockholm, Gothenburg, Sweden, and Budapest, Hungary, where he �鶹��Ʒ S�s learning how European traditions have impacted the management of logistics. His words of advice to future Gilman Scholarship applicants: �鶹��Ʒ S�Apply even if you think you won �鶹��Ʒ S�t get [the scholarship]. If you want to waste time, waste it on trying, not doubting. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Integrated business major Abdur-Rauf �鶹��Ʒ S�Fatimah �鶹��Ʒ S� Wood was in the writing center at UCF religiously to perfect her Gilman Scholarship application. She says being notified as an awardee was an unexpected surprise.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I was very happy. I didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t need to pick up hours [at a job] anywhere. I could just travel this summer, �鶹��Ʒ S� Wood says.

She never joined a club or did an internship, but nevertheless, Wood sought out to graduate from UCF with a bang. The senior spent two weeks in Singapore this summer learning about cultures, careers and a global perspective, and met with several sustainable companies throughout the country to discuss their eco-friendly initiatives.

After making it back to the U.S., Gilman Scholars are required to design a Follow-on Service Project to inspire the next wave of students in their home communities and campuses to study or intern abroad. Wood already has plans to not only inspire college students, but also high schoolers, to get involved.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I think in high school I wasn �鶹��Ʒ S�t motivated to be involved outside of my academics because opportunities like studying abroad, student clubs and internships weren �鶹��Ʒ S�t talked about as much, �鶹��Ʒ S� she says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I want to give students a different perspective: don �鶹��Ʒ S�t only go to college to get your degree, but also have fun. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Those interested in learning more about study abroad opportunities are encouraged to reach out to UCF Abroad at StudyAbroad@ucf.edu to learn more. Those interested in the Gilman Scholarship and other opportunities, please reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at OPA@ucf.edu.

This year �鶹��Ʒ S�s recipients are Angelina Alonzo, a political science major; Flora Ngo, a criminal justice and psychology double major; and Sean Merkel, a computer science major. With support from the (OPA), all three applied, were awarded the scholarship and designed their own study programs.

�鶹��Ʒ S� an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office �鶹��Ʒ S� provide funding of up to $25,000 for study abroad experiences for U.S. college students from various fields of study. Select students will find themselves immersed in languages and cultures of world regions critical to U.S. interests. The goal: to build America �鶹��Ʒ S�s next generation of government service and education professionals who �鶹��Ʒ S�ve cultivated international relationships and worked and studied alongside experts of other countries. These future leaders will help the U.S. make sound decisions on and deal effectively with global issues related to the country �鶹��Ʒ S�s national security.

Meet the three Knights who are set to venture overseas this summer.

Gaining a New Perspective in Latvia

Background Check

A young Alonzo would listen intently as her father told endless stories about traveling the world while working for the federal government. Like old VHS tapes, memories played back of the different cultures he encountered and languages he learned.

�鶹��Ʒ S�[His stories] inspired me to travel the world, �鶹��Ʒ S� Alonzo says.

Growing up in a Dominican household, Spanish was second nature to her. Naturally, she studied the language as a college freshman, but learning a critical language quickly piqued her interest.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I knew I didn �鶹��Ʒ S�t want to [learn] Mandarin because [it �鶹��Ʒ S�s] way too hard, �鶹��Ʒ S� Alonzo says. �鶹��Ʒ S�So, Russian it is. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Going for it

Alonzo first learned of the Boren Awards as a first-year student. After several months of research, she applied for the Boren Scholarship in December 2022. What she thought would be a perfect opportunity to learn Turkish in Turkey, turned into the curation of an epic Russian study abroad experience, because she was learning Russian after all.

Next Stop: Daugavpils

The sophomore is looking forward to her first trip out of the U.S. Due to the current Russia travel advisory established by the U.S. Department of State, she’ll be traveling to one of Russia �鶹��Ʒ S�s neighboring countries: Latvia. Over the course of about 38 weeks, she says she �鶹��Ʒ S�s excited to experience a new environment �鶹��Ʒ S� one that �鶹��Ʒ S�s vastly different than the Spanish and American cultures she �鶹��Ʒ S�s familiar with �鶹��Ʒ S� while strengthening her understanding of the Russian language at Daugavpils University in Daugavpils, Latvia.

�鶹��Ʒ S�My biggest accomplishment would be realizing that I �鶹��Ʒ S�m speaking Russian without needing my textbook or a translator app, �鶹��Ʒ S� Alonzo says.

The Future is Bright

Upon returning next spring, the member plans to enrich her academics by pursuing a third minor in either terrorism studies or psychology.

A Cultural Exchange in Vietnam

Background Check

Weekly Vietnamese school lessons at church is where senior Ngo studied the language formally, but she �鶹��Ʒ S�s engaged with it from birth growing up with Vietnamese parents.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Just getting that practice and having the opportunity to learn new words in different ways is important to me, �鶹��Ʒ S� Ngo says.

Going for it

Despite Vietnamese not being included in the many����offered at UCF, Ngo was eager to improve her fluency. Boren Award representatives visited her Intelligence Analysis and Reporting class in Fall 2021, providing Ngo with initial insight about the immersive program. A year later, she was earnestly writing essays, getting letters of recommendation and receiving guidance from OPA as she began her Boren Scholarship application.

Next Stop: Ho Chi Minh City

Ngo channeled her Vietnamese background and interest in understanding the preconceptions surrounding other nations into a desire to study in Vietnam. The country isn’t very common for study abroad programs, which drove Ngo to custom tailor her program for her studies at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Her studies at UCF focus on federal government operations, which Ngo explains ties directly to her 11-month study abroad experience.

�鶹��Ʒ S�Opening my mind to the different cultures and experiences in Vietnam [will give] me a better outlook [on global government systems] �鶹��Ʒ S� knowing that the way we do things in the U.S. isn �鶹��Ʒ S�t how it is everywhere else, �鶹��Ʒ S� Ngo says.

The Future is Bright

Ngo is looking forward to graduating as a Burnett Honors Scholar from UCF and applying to a master �鶹��Ʒ S�s program in international security while pursuing a career in national security.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I just want to contribute somehow, �鶹��Ʒ S� Ngo says. �鶹��Ʒ S�Having a grasp of a common language in Southeast Asia would help me in that regard �鶹��Ʒ S� giving me another avenue to be able to [facilitate communication]. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Making Connections in Japan

Background Check

The Miami native and Spanish speaker is connecting to a childhood interest by learning Japanese. �鶹��Ʒ S�I watch anime and grew up [playing] video games, �鶹��Ʒ S� Merkel says, �鶹��Ʒ S�so Japan always had a place in my life. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Going for it

As the first student in UCF �鶹��Ʒ S�s College of Engineering and Computer Science to be awarded a Boren Scholarship, Merkel recalls being inspired by a conversation with a family friend who studied abroad in Thailand.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I feel like studying abroad anywhere is a way to find yourself �鶹��Ʒ S� it �鶹��Ʒ S�s a rite of passage, �鶹��Ʒ S� says Merkel, a junior.

Next Stop: Osaka

He chose Osaka, Japan, a city 247 miles away from Tokyo, because of his longtime fascination with the region �鶹��Ʒ S�s culture and language.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I picked Japan because I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve always wanted to learn Japanese and it �鶹��Ʒ S�s also a critical language, �鶹��Ʒ S� Merkel says. �鶹��Ʒ S�[Visiting Japan has] been on my bucket list �鶹��Ʒ S� and the fact that I got a scholarship to go is great. �鶹��Ʒ S�

Merkel is anticipating the difficulty in learning Japanese but is excited to branch out and meet new people and try new experiences as a student at Osaka University.

�鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�m going there for the language class, �鶹��Ʒ S� Merkel say, �鶹��Ʒ S�but I �鶹��Ʒ S�m also going there to try other classes like cooking. �鶹��Ʒ S�

The Future is Bright

Merkel is looking forward to working with the federal government upon his return �鶹��Ʒ S� a requirement of Boren Scholars for a minimum of one year. During that time, he can apply to receive federal government agency issued security clearance.

�鶹��Ʒ S�That �鶹��Ʒ S�s a big thing for the��cybersecurity��world, �鶹��Ʒ S� Merkel says. �鶹��Ʒ S�I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll be attractive to the job market, plus, I �鶹��Ʒ S�ll have some language experience with Japanese, too. �鶹��Ʒ S�

This opportunity will be beneficial as Merkel seeks a future career as a cybersecurity penetration tester.

Students interested in applying for Boren awards or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at opa@ucf.edu.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports students who are pursuing full-time, research-based graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering or math, and who have demonstrated potential to be high-achieving scientists and engineers. Recipients are selected through a rigorous application process.

Another nine Knights are recognized with this year �鶹��Ʒ S�s Honorable Mention, a significant national academic achievement that connects recipients with additional resources throughout their academic journeys. These individuals include:

• Michelle Bardales Cruz, biology graduate student
• Madisyn Brooks, physics student
• Angela Corrigan �鶹��Ʒ S�19, biomedical sciences alum with minor in French
• Danielle Costello, cellular biology student
• Abigail Crowder, biology graduate student
• Stephanie Gaspar, biology graduate student and environmental studies alum with a minor in health sciences
• Jenna Palmisano, conservation biology student
• Cianna Piercey �鶹��Ʒ S�18, psychology alum
• Julia Willison, physics doctoral student

With a total of 19 Knights recognized, this is one of the most successful years for UCF in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

Meet the 10 recipients below.

Rishi Basdeo �鶹��Ʒ S�21

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: Master �鶹��Ʒ S�s in mechanical engineering with a concentration in robotics; Carnegie Mellon University
Research focus and why: My Ph.D. will focus on developing a teleoperated catheter surgical platform with haptic feedback in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Unlike other types of robotic platforms, this will be mainly used for endovascular surgeries, which are minimally invasive procedures for treating a wide range of cardiovascular conditions including aneurysms and arterial blockages. Surgeons access these sites using nested catheters (thin tubes) inserted through arteries in the leg, which are then manipulated to enable tools to reach areas of interest via the patient �鶹��Ʒ S�s circulatory system. By creating a teleoperated platform to complete these procedures, we can promote wider access to equitable healthcare, as experienced doctors can remotely operate in underserved communities at reduced time and financial costs to patients. By eliminating travel time as a factor in these treatments, it also will enable rapid intervention in emergency procedures and remote areas.
Career aspirations: I plan to work in research and development in robotics, with a continued focus on accessibility and healthcare. My goal is to contribute to the development of innovative robotics technologies that can be used in medical fields such as surgery and rehabilitation. I am passionate about leveraging robotics to enhance accessibility and am eager to see the impact it can have on the greater community.

Taylor Peterson

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in physics; Carthage College
Graduate degree and institution: Ph.D. in aerospace engineering; UCF
Research focus and why: As the aerospace industry is focusing more and more on the Artemis missions going to the moon and eventually Mars, there are many areas of research that are lacking critical data and understanding. One area involves propellant storage and transfer systems of super-cooled cryogenic fuels that behave differently in 1g versus microgravity. My research will focus on studying and tracking cryogenic fluid flows in these different gravity conditions and develop a technology to gauge the locations of boiling propellant in transfer processes.
Career aspirations: I hope to continue research after grad school that will help our Artemis generation safely get to the moon and eventually Mars. More specifically, I wish to continue my research with fluid behaviors in microgravity.

Lauren Horde �鶹��Ʒ S�20

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in psychology; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: Ph.D. in systems engineering; University of Virginia
Research focus and why: Because the tactile modality is increasingly being used within human-machine interfaces, it is important that we understand the human limitations of processing tactile cues. The phenomenon of change blindness, or the surprising failure to detect changes in the presence of distractions, has been shown to impact the tactile modality. However, tactile change blindness has yet to be studied at the neurological level. The brain �鶹��Ʒ S�s response to stimuli can be visualized using electroencephalography (EEG), which provides us with an objective record of electrical activity within the brain. By using EEG, neural responses specific to an event can be captured and used to draw conclusions about underlying cognitive processes �鶹��Ʒ S� like when change blindness may occur during information processing stages.

My research will identify if there are neural signatures specific to detected and undetected changes in tactile stimuli and develop a neurofeedback training system to improve rates of tactile change detection. The outcomes of this work will directly inform tactile and multimodal display design and provide valuable time-locked data on tactile change detection that may be applied to disciplines across engineering, psychology and neuroscience. �鶹��Ʒ S�
Career aspirations: After completing my doctorate degree, I aspire to enter into the public or private sector as a research scientist.

Dustin Howard �鶹��Ʒ S�21

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in biology; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: Master’s in cellular and molecular biology; George Washington University
Research focus and why: I’ll be studying Xenopus laevis as a model to explore amphibian immunology. Specifically, I will investigate the evolutionarily converged and diverged roles of innate immune cells in amphibian physiology and antimicrobial defenses. Amphibian populations are on the decline due to the Bd chytrid fungus and understanding amphibian defenses is pivotal in furthering conservation efforts.
Career aspirations: I aspire to join academia as a biological immunologist and further our understanding of the evolutionary history of innate and adaptive immunity.

Laila Johnston

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in mathematics with minors in computer science and ; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: Ph.D. in cognitive science; Brown University
Research focus and why: I am interested in conducting research at the intersection of cognitive science, computer science, mathematics and philosophy. I intend to research how humans think and reason about the world through investigating the computational mechanisms of human question-asking. How can we create computational models that form questions as flexibly and easily as humans do?

As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly becomes part of human life, it is important that we trust these technologies and can seek formal interpretable explanations when these technologies produce undesired output. Understanding how humans ask questions, why they ask certain questions over others and how these processes can be represented computationally will help build AI models that know when its model of the world is incomplete and how to update it.
Career aspirations: I intend to become a professor and start a research lab with the goal of discovering uniform, formal principles that underlie how the human mind forms new thoughts and concepts. I also hope to lead a research program that creates a space where other young scientists, no matter their background, can feel encouraged and supported to fulfill their research and Ph.D. aspirations.

Annabelle Levin �鶹��Ʒ S�21

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in biology; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: Ph.D. in pathobiology; University of Washington
Research focus and why: I will study global health issues within viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases by investigating their underlying mechanisms. I am particularly interested in viruses that directly impact women, such as Zika, HPV and perinatal HIV transmission. My research interests are host-pathogen interactions, molecular biology, immunology and evolutionary biology.
Career aspirations: I aspire to study host-pathogen interactions, give back to other women in

STEM whenever possible and support my family in Brazil. The mystery of how viruses manipulate our machinery captivates me and motivates me to help answer questions about how they operate.

Samuel Naranjo Rincon

Undergraduate degree and institution:��Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in psychology, neuroscience track; UCF
Graduate degree and institution:Ph.D. in computational and data sciences; Washington University
Please explain what you intend to research and why:I intend to study how the brain’s architecture differs across humans and how this difference may be contributing to stagnant mental health outcomes. Additionally, I intend to research computational methods to model and arepresent the brain in ways that may help us understand its function. We need to study its larger architecture to understand bigger questions like cognition, thinking, personality and so on. In summary, I want to study network neuroscience and computational neuroscience to model the brain appropriately based on what questions I am asking. All of this is in hopes of understanding the brain such that people with mental health issues like schizophrenia or depression can get appropriate diagnoses or treatment based on their actual neural architecture/function.
Career aspirations:��I want to be a professor with my own lab. I �鶹��Ʒ S�ve even thought of the name already: The CORNER lab, meaning �鶹��Ʒ S�Computational and ORganizational NEuroscience Research �鶹��Ʒ S� lab. My second last name, �鶹��Ʒ S�Rincon, �鶹��Ʒ S� translates to �鶹��Ʒ S�corner �鶹��Ʒ S� in English. What �鶹��Ʒ S�s also important to me is to give back to my community. I want to be actively involved in helping underrepresented groups enter academia, like the McNair program at UCF has done for me.

Jeena Prasertlum

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in marine sciences; University of Florida
Graduate degree and institution: Master �鶹��Ʒ S�s in biology; UCF
Research focus and why: I intend to research the population dynamics of juvenile green sea turtles along the east coast of Florida. I want to understand how different factors may contribute to how juvenile green turtles are distributed along different nearshore habitats in Florida. This research is extremely important given that the green sea turtle is an endangered species. Better understanding how sea turtles interact with their environment is crucial when creating effective management solutions to better conserve them.
Career aspirations: My goal after graduate school is to continue studying the ecology of sea turtles and emphasize scientific outreach in K-12. Participating in science outreach events, I’ve seen children’s eyes light up at the opportunity of being a “researcher for the day.” Moments like this remind me why everyone should have opportunities that instill passion and excitement in the way science can. Being a part of a minority group myself, I am very passionate about scientific education and making sure that underrepresented communities have equal opportunities to science that inspires. I want to continue contributing to sea turtle conservation and research while also sharing my knowledge with the next generation of scientists.

David Yannick �鶹��Ʒ S�21

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in environmental studies; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: Master �鶹��Ʒ S�s in biology; University of Alabama
Research focus and why: My research involves studying coastal wetlands in the southeast region of the Florida Everglades. Altered hydrology has increased susceptibility to saltwater intrusion and natural disturbances like hurricanes. This can lead to several issues such as shifts in soil respiration, peat collapse, plant mortality and the establishment of salt-tolerant vegetation, like mangroves. These events can lead to a transitional state where we see a change in dominant vegetation and eventually a different ecosystem. I seek to understand how carbon is being stored or released from these wetlands during this transitional phase, as we have observed a departure from herbaceous marsh and the beginnings of a mangrove forest. This is important as wetlands offer invaluable services, including providing crucial habitats. I have always been passionate about the outdoors and educating others on the significance of Florida �鶹��Ʒ S�s endemic habitats.
Career aspirations: My goal is to be a professor and lead a lab, mentor future scientists and continue research along the intersection of biogeochemistry and biometeorology.

Janice Zou

Undergraduate degree and institution: Bachelor �鶹��Ʒ S�s in mechanical engineering; UCF
Graduate degree and institution: TBD
Research focus and why: I am interested in providing high-fidelity insight into rocket-nozzle plumes in space through the development of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. When reaction control system (RCS) thrusters fire in space to help space vehicles adjust for scenarios like docking onto the ISS (International Space Station), the plumes they create expand a lot in the vacuum environment. Since it is also cold in space, any of the fuel from the thrusters that are not burnt upon exiting the nozzle are frozen. These frozen fuel particles can end up impinging on nearby surfaces and eroding them �鶹��Ʒ S� reducing the lifetime of the surface. By developing a model that can simulate such scenarios, we can better understand the behaviors of plumes and the fuel particles in space to better design space vehicles now and in the future.
Career aspirations: From early on, I knew I wanted to work in a research environment where we �鶹��Ʒ S�re pushing the boundaries of our current understanding of the world. I have a passion for the space industry and aim to help pave the way for the development of more efficient space vehicles for future deep space missions.

Students interested in applying for NSF Graduate Research Fellowships or other major national awards should contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at opa@ucf.edu.