Graduate Student Life
The Office of Graduate Student Life offers a variety of services and support designed to enrich the graduate student experience from orientation to graduation. Our efforts focus on fostering community building, advancing professional development, and supporting career exploration. Key offerings include live orientations, research presentation opportunities, social and professional development events, personal assistance for topics such as thesis and dissertation formatting, and more.
At the heart of our mission to support students is the Graduate Student Center, a dynamic hub for year-round Graduate Student Life activities and events.
Our initiatives are designed to cultivate a strong sense of community among graduate students, ensuring their experience is both enriching and fulfilling. The Graduate Student Center embodies the spirit of the Office of Graduate Student Life and offers a holistic approach to supporting graduate students. The Office’s first year was an outstanding success, emphasizing the importance of sustaining these essential programs to enhance the graduate student experience at UCF.
Orientation
Orientation is a vital part of the support provided by the Office of Graduate Student Life, offering year-round resources to help students transition into their graduate study journey. This includes online asynchronous modules and live orientation sessions that welcome students to UCF while introducing them to the extensive university-wide resources available. In the 2023- 2024 academic year, 872 graduate students participated in live orientation sessions, a significant increase from previous years.
The New Graduate Student Orientation and Welcome event, held annually in August before the start of the fall semester, is a half-day program designed to prepare new students for their graduate education experience and help them adjust to life at UCF. In 2023, event hosted 511 new graduate students in the UCF Student Union Pegasus Ballroom. Additionally, 361 students attended live virtual orientations for the Summer 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters.
Since 2019, the College of Graduate Studies has offered the New Graduate Student Online Orientation through Webcourses. This free, non-credit course is open to all incoming and current UCF students and offers a comprehensive overview of resources and services available to UCF graduate students. During the 2023- 2024 academic year, a total of 4,594 graduate students enrolled in the course, generating 538,083 page views, which demonstrates its significant impact and value.
Graduate Student Life Events and Workshops
Beginning in Fall 2023, the College of Graduate Studies united two previous entities to create stronger and more accessible opportunities for graduate students. The Graduate Outreach program previously housed in the Office of Student Involvement, and the Pathways to Success program were merged and integrated into the Graduate Student Life, alongside other opportunities outlined in this section. To achieve its mission of connecting the graduate community and improving the graduate experience at UCF, GSL hosts a variety of events and workshops throughout the academic year.
In its inaugural year, Graduate Student Life hosted over 90 social and professional development events. The social and professional development opportunities previously under Graduate Outreach, saw a dramatic increase in student engagement, growing from 371 to 3,321 interactions. These events, funded by Student Government, included professional headshot sessions, networking events, and opportunities for graduate students to connect across campus. Social events varied from tailgates before UCF athletics games to downtown campus takeovers and graduation celebrations held across the main campus.
Additionally, 577 students attended 11 Graduate Student Life workshops covering topics such as library resources and thesis and dissertation support. On average, 52 students attended each session between Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. Graduate Student Life workshops are offered in multiple formats and at different times to accommodate diverse schedules of the graduate student population.
Graduate Student Center
The Graduate Student Center (GSC) is at the heart of UCF’s vibrant graduate community. Our graduate assistants play a key role in fostering a warm and inclusive environment by organizing events, sharing campus resources, and managing daily operations. Located on the second floor of Trevor Colbourn Hall, the GSC boasts four unique spaces that enable College of Graduate Studies to host a variety of Graduate Student Life events and programs tailored to the unique needs of our graduate students.
Within the GSC, students can:
- Utilize a conference room for meetings, thesis, or dissertation defenses, and studying. The conference rooms are now equipped with video and audio-conferencing resources.
- Take advantage of the new study room added this year.
- Create official research materials with the new poster printer available to students at a discounted rate.
- Access the data analysis room with specialized software.
- Gather in the multipurpose area for individual or group work, or simply to have a cup of coffee.
- Reserve the 48-seat presentation room for larger meetings or events and participate in Pathways to Success workshops.
In the past year, the GSC welcomed 3,742 graduate students who made 7,506 visits. The Graduate Student Center also acts as a place for many students to find their sense of community after arriving on UCF’s campus. First Wednesday Café social events were held in collaboration with campus partners such as UCF Global, Knight’s Pantry, and Career Services. These monthly events held in the Graduate Student Center bring in an average of 65 students for casual conversations and coffee, allowing them to interact with impactful services across campus.
The Graduate Student Center also houses a high-quality professional poster printer. The printing operations began in Fall 2023 and have proved to be an essential service for graduate students. The GSC poster printer is also a critical tool utilized during UCF Student Research Week’s Student Scholar Symposium and other research conferences. The printer was utilized by 234 students during its first full year of use. It has also been a beneficial resource for partner offices of the Graduate Student Center, being utilized 53 times by fellow campus stakeholders.
Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by graduate students. Originally developed by the University of Queensland, the event cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. 3MT competitions are held in over 600 universities across more than 59 countries. Participants are judged on their ability to effectively convey the essence and importance of their research to a non-specialist panel of judges in just three minutes, using a single PowerPoint slide.
In 2023, sixteen students presented in the master’s and doctoral categories. The research of ten doctoral student finalists and six master’s student finalists was presented in the Morgridge International Reading Center for the 2023 event. Videos of all participants are available on the UCF College of Graduate Studies YouTube playlist.
Winners and Finalists:
Master’s
Meghan Kane – Industrial and Organizational Psychology MS
Njeri Kinuthia – Emerging Media MFA, Studio Art and Design Track
Cory Kennedy Barrow – Theatre MFA, Theatre for Young Audiences Track
Dani Sarta – Creative Writing MFA
Olivia Van Natta – Emerging Media MFA, Studio Art and Design Track
Melanie Cedeño-Lopez – Feature Film Production MFA (Winner)
Doctoral
Nikki Barnes – Texts and Technology PhD
Alexandra Frank – Education PhD – Counselor Education Track
Yu-Shan Huang - Business Administration PhD, Marketing Track
Greta LeDoyen – Curriculum and Instruction EdD
Yasaman Majd Electrical Engineering PhD
Whitney Margaritis – Integrative Anthropological Sciences PhD
Helen Mills – Nursing PhD
Ashley Morris – Public Affairs PhD (Winner)
Christopher Proppe – Kinesiology PhD
Ilana Szlamkowicz – Chemistry PhD
Judges:
Master’s Category:
Olga Bedoya
Academic Director, UCF Global
Sarah Norris
Associate Librarian, UCF Library
John Weishampel
Senior Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies
Doctoral Category:
Jade Laderwarg
Associate Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Michael Preston
Executive Director, Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities
Chelsea Piner
Director of Development, Orlando Science Center
Student Research Week
Student Research Week is UCF’s premier celebration of student research. Highlights for the 2024 event included the Student Scholar Symposium, a new Impact of Research Competition partnered with the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, professional development workshops, a Keynote Speaker from PhD Comics, a Creative Scholarship Symposium, and the Excellence Awards.
New this year, the Impact of Research Competition was an oral presentation where 10 graduate and undergraduate students competed, focusing on the larger impact of their research.
The Student Scholar Symposium is the signature event, featuring graduate and undergraduate students presenting their UCF research. The Symposium allows students to showcase their research and creative scholarship to the UCF community across five poster sessions held over two days in the UCF Student Union.
In 2023, 227 graduate student projects were among the 561 projects presented by 759 students. A panel of 150 UCF faculty and staff served as judges. Over $35,000 in scholarships were awarded.
Student Scholar Symposium
Graduate Student Winners
Muna Talafha (Biotechnology MS)
Investigating the Effects of Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosis Infection on the TLR2-Dependent p38/MAPK-CYP27B1 Pathway in Crohn’s Disease
Mentored by Dr. Sale Naser, Biomedical Sciences
Akash Hari Bharath (Electrical Engineering PhD)
Studies on Dual Sputtered CuGaO2Thin Film
Mentored by Dr. Kalpathy B. Sundaram, Electrical and Computer Science
LaVonda Walker (Education PhD)
Hidden Between Words: Exploring Perceptions of Self-regulation in Writing through Keystroke Behavior
Mentored by Dr. Michelle Taub, Learning Sciences and Educational Research
Genna Telschow (Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD)
Is Attention Gone With the Wind: Does Motion Without Context Cue Visuospatial Attention?
Mentored By Dr. Mark Neider, Psychology
Modesto Lebron (Kinesiology PhD)
Sex-Based Differences in Muscle Oxygenation During Repeated Maximal Intermittent Handgrip Exercise
Mentored by Dr. David Fukuda, Kinesiology
Savannah Hill (Emerging Media MFA)
Centered: A Story of Family and Adaptability in the Face of Parkinson’s Disease
Mentored by JoAnne Adams, Visual Arts
Rushikesh Harikishan Kankar (Computer Science MS)
Leveraging Electroencephalography (EEG) Signals and Motion Artifacts for Accurate Gait Event Prediction- a Machine Learning Approach
Mentored by Dr. Helen Huang, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Reid Whiting, Gabriella Orlando, Jena Tilleman, Breven Dalsemer (Physical Therapy DPT)
Impact of Adaptive CrossFit on Individuals with Neurologic Injury
Mentored by Dr. Morris Beato, Kinesiology
Aili Wu (Hospitality Management PhD)
Breaking Chains, Building Awareness: Framing Effective Training Messages Against Human Trafficking in Hospitality Sectors
Mentored by Dr. Wei Wei, Hospitality
Katherine Martin (Integrative and Conservation Biology PhD)
Immune Genes in the Ancient Mariners: The Evolution of the Major Histocompatibility Complex in Four Sea Turtle Species
Mentored by Dr. Kate Mansfield, Biology
Carlos Rodrigo Salazar Gallupe (Chemistry PhD)
Highly Reproducible Paper-Based ISE for the Detection of Sodium Ions in Body Fluids
Mentored by Dr. Karin Chumbimuni-Torres, Chemistry
Jacqueline Cano Diaz (English MA)
Interpretations of Professionalism Displayed Through the Teaching Wardrobe Choices of New Composition Instructors
Mentored by Dr. Angela Rounsaville, Writing and Rhetoric
Fariba Sanaei (Business Administration PhD)
The Retail Long Game: Expanded Service or Extended Return?
Mentored by Anand Krishnamoorthy, Marketing
Pritha Sarkar (Materials Science and Engineering PhD)
An Antimicrobial Self-Conforming Silicone-Based Sponge for Rapid Hemostatic Treatment
Mentored by Kausik Mukhopadhyay, Material Science and Engineering
Anthony Mirabito (Integrative and Conservation Biology)
Biogeochemical Properties and Their Relationship to Various Carbon Pools in Wetland Soils
Mentored by Dr. Lisa Chambers, Biology
Riley Hogge, Madison Mascheri, Dimitri Shurik (Physical Therapy DPT)
The Effects of Fatigue on Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia During a Dynamic Resistance Exercise
Mentored by Dr. Abigail Wilson, Kinesiology
Jessica Moon (Kinesiology PhD)
Assessing Neutrophil Sensitivity Across the Menstrual Cycle in Response to a Fixed Interleukin-8 Concentration
Mentored by Dr. Adam Wells, Kinesiology
Ala’ Alhendi (Biomedical Sciences PhD)
Blockade of IL-6 Signaling During Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosisinfection Exacerbates Intestinal Epithelial Damage
Mentored by Dr. Saleh Naser, Biomedical Sciences
Shubham Dawda (Optics and Photonics PhD)
Non-Gaussian Intensity Fluctuations from Structured Light reveal Particle Shape
Mentored by Aristide Dogariu, Optics and Photonics
Christopher Proppe (Kinesiology PhD)
Blood Flow Restriction Resistance Exercise Reduces Pain Sensitivity One Hour Post-Exercise
Mentored by Dr. Ethan Hill, Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Julie Kephart (Education Leadership EdD)
A Conceptual Study of the Influence of On-Campus Employment for International Students
Mentored by Dr. Amanda Wilkerson, Educational Leadership & Higher Education
Sean Hinkle (Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD)
Machine Learning Classification of Presence in VR Based on Pupillometry and Finger-Tapping
Mentored by Dr. Corey Bohil
Joseph Goode (Biomedical Sciences PhD)
Polyamine Blockade Therapy: A Strategy to Block Immunosuppression in Pancreatic Cancer
Mentored by Dr. Deborah Altomare, College of Medicine
Morgan Peters (Chemistry PhD)
Development and Utility of Single Sperm Genetic Analysis Methods to Aid in Sexual Assault Investigations
Mentored by Dr. Erin Hanson, Chemistry
Joshua Robinson (Educational Leadership EdD)
A Comparative Analysis of For-Profit & Nonprofit Institutions Concerning Graduation Rates, Student Debt, and Whether Marginalized Groups (BIPOC) Are Disproportionately Affected. Mentored by Dr. Amanda Wilkerson, Educational Leadership & Higher Education
Andey Robins (Computer Engineering PhD)
Genetic Algorithms for More Efficient In-Memory Computation With MAGIC
Mentored by Dr. Mike Borowczak, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Andrew Skibski (Kinesiology PhD)
A Dynamic Warm-Up Improves Titleist Performance Institute Screen Scores in Adult Golfers
Mentored by Dr. L. Colby Mangum, Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Deepa Shah (Biomedical Sciences MS)
Silver-Modified Nanoscale Cerium Oxide Acts as a Bacteriostatic Disinfectant against Clostridioides difficile Vegetative Cells and Spores
Mentored by Dr. William T. Self, Biomedical Sciences
Elizabeth Codick (Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD)
Online Presence and Expectations With Online Avatars: The Inclusion of Assistive Technologies
Mentored by Dr. Valerie Sims, Psychology