Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, will give a public talk at the University of Central Florida on June 1 about the mission that’s working to recover samples of a nearby asteroid.
Lauretta, a professor of planetary science and cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, is working with UCF Physics Professor Humberto Campins on the mission.
OSIRIS-REx, which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, is NASA’s first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth. A successful mission will provide scientists with enough material from the asteroid’s surface to better understand how planets formed and how life began in the solar system. Data will also help scientists understand the nature of asteroids that could potentially hit Earth.
The free talk begins at 11 a.m. in room 161 of the Physical Sciences Building, located at 4111 Libra Drive on the main campus.
The mission launched aboard an Atlas V 411 rocket in September 2016 from the Kennedy Space Center and is expected to reach the asteroid Bennu in 2018.
That’s when Campins and fellow physics professor Yan Fernandez will really see their workload increase. They will work alongside a team of experts to assist Lauretta by analyzing the data and images taken of Bennu while OSIRIS-REx orbits the asteroid. They then will make a recommendation of the most “promising sample sites” for OSIRIS-REx to collect between two and 70 ounces of surface material with its robotic arm. It will then store the samples in a detachable capsule that is expected to return to Earth in 2023.
Lauretta said he was excited about the mission and the work the team would complete together.
“The team has built an amazing spacecraft, and we are well-equipped to investigate Bennu and return with our scientific treasure,” he said.
Campins has spent his entire career chasing asteroids, comets and other celestial bodies. He conducts research at observatories around the world, including Arizona, Hawaii, Chile, France, Spain and the Vatican. In 2010 he headed the team that discovered water ice and organic molecules on the asteroid 24 Themis and later on 65 Cybele. It’s that expertise that led Lauretta to invite Campins to the OSIRIS-REx team.
Campins earned degrees from the University of Kansas and the University of Arizona. As a graduate student he was named a representative to the Committee for Peaceful Uses of Outer Space of the General Assembly of the United Nations. His research has been funded by multiple agencies in the past 10 years, including NASA, the National Science Foundation, the European Space Agency, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Florida Space Grant Consortium.
“I’ve always been fascinated by asteroids and to be able to contribute to this mission is a milestone in the search for answers I’ve been looking for my entire career,” Campins said.
The University of Arizona leads the OSIRIS-REx mission, Goddard Space Flight Center will provide overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lockheed Martin Space Systems built the spacecraft. A host of national and international experts from several universities in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, the U.K. and Japan rounds out the team.
ucf
U.S. Forecast: Continued Expansion Hinges on President’s Proposed Economic Policies
The November presidential election pushed stock prices higher and boosted consumer and business confidence, but a good mood is not the same as a good economy, says University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith.
“Unless this mood translates into actual economic spending activity, the boost in confidence enjoyed thus far will prove to be fleeting,” says Snaith, the director for the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the UCF College of Business in his latest U.S. forecast. “Ultimately this will depend on the Trump administration’s ability to follow through on economic policies that will provide the impetus for spending to grow.”
Snaith says the administration must get its proposed tax reforms and infrastructure spending plans, which are critical to boosting economic growth, off the drawing board and into action. Snaith’s forecast predicts this will occur in late 2017 or early 2018.
The U.S. economic forecast, which is published semi-monthly by the Institute for Economic Competitiveness, projects the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates another 25 basis points in June, the first such increase since March. Stronger economic growth and higher inflation from Trump administration policies are expected to quicken the pace of increases over the next three years with the federal funds rate hitting 3 percent by the end of 2019, according to the forecast.
Real GDP growth, which slowed to 1.6 percent in 2016, is forecasted to reach 2.7 percent in 2017 and 3.5 percent in 2018 before slipping to 3.4 percent in 2019 and then 3 percent in 2020 as the Federal Reserve tightens interest rates. Consumer spending is the largest component of GDP. In 2015, real consumer spending growth was 3.2 percent, and in 2016, spending grew at 2.7 percent.
“The U.S. consumer has been playing the biggest role in supporting the economic expansion, tepid as it has been, over the past three years,” Snaith says. “Continued gains in employment, more rapidly rising wages and improving household balance sheets should continue to provide a solid foundation for consumer spending growth. Tax cuts and spending programs proposed by the Trump administration should also boost consumer spending growth.”
The proposed tax cuts include reducing the current seven tax brackets, which range from 10 percent to 39.6 percent, into three brackets of 10 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent, increasing the standard deduction to $25,000 for single filers and $50,000 for joint filers and reducing the corporate tax rate to 15 percent.
The housing market will continue to improve slowly through 2020 even with rising interest rates, and housing starts are expected to rise from 1.29 million in 2017 to 1.66 million in 2020.
The unemployment rate is expected to decline to 3.6 percent in late 2020, and job growth should be enough to keep up with labor force growth through the end of 2020. Underemployment, which has been a persistent problem in this recovery, stands at 8.6 percent as of April 2017 but also will continue to decline through 2020.
Inflation is expected to accelerate in 2017 pushing the Fed to move more quickly to raise interest rates. Core Consumer Price Index inflation will average 2.7 percent during 2017-2020.
For the full forecast, click here.
Snaith is a national expert in economics, forecasting, market sizing and economic analysis who authors quarterly reports about the state of the economy. Bloomberg News has named Snaith as one of the country’s most accurate forecasters for his predictions about the Federal Reserve’s benchmark interest rate, the Federal Funds rate.
The Institute for Economic Competitiveness strives to provide complete, accurate and timely national, state and regional forecasts and economic analyses. Through these analyses, the institute provides valuable resources to the public and private sectors for informed decision-making.
UCF Captures National Computer Programming Title, Places 13th in World
A team of three University of Central Florida students earned the title of national champions Wednesday and finished 13th in the world in an elite computer programming contest known as the “Battle of the Brains.”
In the competition at the Association of Computing Machinery’s International Collegiate Programming Contest in Rapid City, SD, the UCF trio beat teams such as the University of California at Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, Cornell and the University of Texas at Austin.
The UCF team is made up of: Alex Coleman of Oxford, PA, a sophomore studying computer science; Timothy Buzzelli of Palm Bay, FL, a sophomore studying computer science; and Josh Linge of Jacksonville, FL, who earned a master’s degree in computer science in December.
ITMO University in St. Petersburg, Russia, won the world contest. Last year’s UCF team placed third in the nation and 28th in the world.
Last fall, more than 12,000 teams from 103 countries vied regionally for a chance to be one of only 133 teams to compete in the world contest. UCF earned its spot by winning the U.S. Southeast Regional competition in November. Other UCF teams also placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th out of 65 teams that competed in the regional contest. That contest also represented UCF’s fifth consecutive regional win.
The secret to UCF’s success is devoted practice, which is usually up to 20 hours a week, including a seven- to eight-hour practice session every Saturday, said computer science Professor Ali Orooji and faculty advisor for the team.
“Using a sports analogy, imagine how hard a football team has to work to win a national championship. This is the same thing. You have to work very hard to put yourself above the others,” he said. “It takes talented, devoted students who are willing to work hard, and coaches who volunteer so much of their time to coach these team members. It also takes the support from the university, which motivates us to keep going.” The team’s next practice is Saturday to prepare for next year’s competitions.
The contest challenges teams with complex, real-world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline. Huddled around a single computer, competitors race in a battle of logic, strategy and mental endurance. Teammates collaborate to rank the difficulty of the problems, deduce the requirements, design tests, and build software systems that solve the problems under the scrutiny of judges. The team that solves the most problems in the fewest attempts in the least cumulative time is declared the winner.
For 35 consecutive years, UCF has placed in the top three in the region, a record unmatched by any team in the nation.
“UCF is a powerhouse at the ICPC,” said contest director Jeff Donahoo, a computer science professor at Baylor University. “Virtually every year UCF has very competitive teams, and their region is extremely competitive. So just to make it to the world finals each year is amazing but to make it with the regularity that they do demonstrates the support of the university. I applaud UCF for getting behind their students and enabling them to be the best problem solvers by fostering competition.”
UCF’s remarkable record of competing at the world finals was noted at the opening ceremony Tuesday, when Orooji and UCF coach Glenn Martin received lifetime coaching awards.
Orooji was lauded for 24 world finals appearances and Martin for 20.
“I was definitely nervous going into the world finals for the first time, but I was happy that we were able to represent UCF well,” said Coleman, at age 18 the youngest competitor UCF has sent to the world finals.
Buzzelli added: “We not only exceeded our coaches’ expectations, we also exceeded those we had for ourselves.”
With world-level competition experience, the sophomores are well positioned to succeed next year, said Arup Guha, a lecturer in the UCF Department of Computer Science and a team coach.
Linge, who graduated in December, will head to Seattle to begin his job at Facebook after delaying his January start date to compete in the competition.
“This was my last year to participate in the ICPC and I’m glad I had Timothy and Alex as my teammates,” he said.
UCF Invents Way to Trigger Artificial Photosynthesis to Clean Air, Produce Energy at Same Time
A chemistry professor in Florida has just found a way to trigger the process of photosynthesis in a synthetic material, turning greenhouse gases into clean air and producing energy all at the same time.
The process has great potential for creating a technology that could significantly reduce greenhouse gases linked to climate change, while also creating a clean way to produce energy.
“This work is a breakthrough,” said UCF Assistant Professor Fernando Uribe-Romo. “Tailoring materials that will absorb a specific color of light is very difficult from the scientific point of view, but from the societal point of view we are contributing to the development of a technology that can help reduce greenhouse gases.”
The findings of his research are published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
Uribe-Romo and his team of students created a way to trigger a chemical reaction in a synthetic material called metal–organic frameworks (MOF) that breaks down carbon dioxide into harmless organic materials. Think of it as an artificial photosynthesis process similar to the way plants convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and sunlight into food. But instead of producing food, Uribe-Romo’s method produces solar fuel.
To see a video explaining the process, click here.
It’s something scientists around the world have been pursuing for years, but the challenge is finding a way for visible light to trigger the chemical transformation. Ultraviolet rays have enough energy to allow the reaction in common materials such as titanium dioxide, but UVs make up only about 4 percent of the light Earth receives from the sun. The visible range – the violet to red wavelengths – represent the majority of the sun’s rays, but there are few materials that pick up these light colors to create the chemical reaction that transforms CO2 into fuel.
Researchers have tried it with a variety of materials, but the ones that can absorb visible light tend to be rare and expensive materials such as platinum, rhenium and iridium that make the process cost-prohibitive.
Uribe-Romo used titanium, a common nontoxic metal, and added organic molecules that act as light-harvesting antennae to see if that configuration would work. The light harvesting antenna molecules, called N-alkyl-2-aminoterephthalates, can be designed to absorb specific colors of light when incorporated in the MOF. In this case he synchronized it for the color blue.
His team assembled a blue LED photoreactor to test out the hypothesis. Measured amounts of carbon dioxide were slowly fed into the photoreactor — a glowing blue cylinder that looks like a tanning bed — to see if the reaction would occur. The glowing blue light came from strips of LED lights inside the chamber of the cylinder and mimic the sun’s blue wavelength.
It worked and the chemical reaction transformed the CO2 into two reduced forms of carbon, formate and formamides (two kinds of solar fuel) and in the process cleaning the air.
“The goal is to continue to fine-tune the approach so we can create greater amounts of reduced carbon so it is more efficient,” Uribe-Romo said.
He wants to see if the other wavelengths of visible light may also trigger the reaction with adjustments to the synthetic material. If it works, the process could be a significant way to help reduce greenhouse gases.
“The idea would be to set up stations that capture large amounts of CO2, like next to a power plant. The gas would be sucked into the station, go through the process and recycle the greenhouse gases while producing energy that would be put back into the power plant.”
Perhaps someday homeowners could purchase rooftop shingles made of the material, which would clean the air in their neighborhood while producing energy that could be used to power their homes.
“That would take new technology and infrastructure to happen,” Uribe-Romo said. “But it may be possible.”
Other members of the team who worked on the paper include UCF graduate student Matt Logan, who is pursuing a Ph.D in chemistry, and undergraduate student Jeremy Adamson, who is majoring in biomedical sciences. Kenneth Hanson and his research group at Florida State University helped interpret the results of the experiments.
UCF Urges Students: Apply for Financial Aid on Time or Risk Delays
The Internal Revenue Service’s removal of a popular tool that helps students apply for financial aid has made it even more important for students to file their aid applications early and to fill out the forms correctly – otherwise, they’ll be at greater risk of delays in receiving their money.
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool was created to help students and their families more efficiently and accurately report required financial data on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA), which is the form students are required to submit to determine their eligibility for aid.
The IRS removed the tool in March “due to security concerns.”
Millions of people use the online tool to import their income tax information into the financial aid form. Now students and their families must type in the information directly, and that could increase the likelihood of errors – making it more important for students and families to be certain they are inputting the correct information.
For example, students and families must use their 2015 tax information for both the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 FAFSA. They cannot use their 2016 tax information. Using 2016 tax information would be flagged as an error by the federal government and could delay the receipt of financial aid.
Error rates nationwide could increase as a result of the online tool not being available, which means more applications could get flagged by the federal government, creating a backlog of applications that require additional reviews.
UCF administrators are encouraging students and their families to file as soon as possible to avoid potential delays in receiving aid. Delays could result in students not getting their financial aid for up to six weeks into the semester.
“We don’t want that to happen to our students,” said Alicia Keaton, UCF’s director of Student Financial Assistance. “So, we are asking them to get their applications in now, ASAP, so there is time to resolve any issues.”
What should students do?
- Students should act now.
- File your application at www.fafsa.gov.
- Because the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is not available, you must manually enter your and/or your family’s 2015 tax information.
- Remember, you will use your 2015 tax information for both the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 FAFSA.
- If you already filed your application and used incorrect information, go back into your application and correct it now.
- If you do not have your income tax information handy, request a tax transcript now by contacting the IRS at www.irs.gov/transcript, by calling 1-800-908-9946 or to request a hardcopy in the mail go to Get Transcript by Mail .
If students make an error on the form, their application will be flagged by the feds. Student will then have to seek out a 2015 income tax transcript from the IRS and then submit it to UCF for verification and to correct the error.
UCF is reaching out to students in a variety of ways, including creating a new website http://finaid.ucf.edu/completing-the-fafsa-without-the-irs-data-retrieval-tool/, calling students via phone and using social media to communicate with students and parents.
UCF Hospital Partnership Earns Key State Approval
A new hospital focused on building a healthier community, training more physicians and powering economic growth through research earned a key unanimous approval Thursday from the State University System’s Board of Governors.
UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, which will be built adjacent to the UCF College of Medicine, is a public-private partnership with UCF Academic Health, a direct support organization to the university, and the North Florida Division of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the nation’s largest hospital company.
Focused on providing healthcare services to the community as well as education and research, the hospital will help the College of Medicine increase residencies and clinically based research, and ultimately help build Medical City into more of a healthcare destination providing first-class health care.
The hospital “will fulfill our promise to become a hub of innovation and a healthier Orlando,” said UCF Board of Trustees Chairman Marcos Marchena.
“The aspirations that we have worked on from day one are that we would have a first-rate, top-tier medical school. It is clear to me that we need a hospital if we are going to achieve our highest ambitions for the medical college,” said UCF President John C. Hitt.
Under the agreement, HCA will spend $175 million in cash to build and begin operations of a 100-bed hospital. No state money will be used and UCF will not incur any debt. UCF and HCA will share governance, each appointing four members to the hospital board.
Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine, said the hospital is necessary for UCF to deliver on the economic development promises it made when the college was approved 10 years ago. “In the United States and around the world, the best health systems have an academic component at their heart and the best medical schools have hospitals,” she said.
In 2012, the university purchased the land in Medical City and began seeking partners. Last summer, UCF formally invited hospitals nationwide to submit partnership proposals. HCA, Florida Hospital and Orlando Health did. In September, UCF trustees approved a partnership with HCA, citing its nationwide hospital operations experience, financial strength and extensive research programs.
“We are grateful to the Board of Governors for their approval and very excited to move forward in building a community-based teaching facility,” said Michael P. Joyce, FACHE, President of HCA’s North Florida Division. “Today marks a milestone for all of us at HCA. This investment benefits the future physicians we’re privileged to train, as well as the entire Lake Nona community. It also allows us to expand our footprint in the Orlando area, making healthcare more accessible for Central Floridians.”
Lake Nona is one of the Top 10 fastest-selling master-planned communities in the United States and the fastest-selling in Orlando. More than 1,000 families are moving to Lake Nona every year.
UCF Grad at Home with WWE and Wrestlemania
As a child growing up off University Boulevard in east Orlando, Dasha Kuret ’12 dreamed of attending UCF one day. She didn’t foresee, however, that a degree in health sciences would land her a career in which body slams, suplexes and pile drivers are everyday occurrences.
Yet, here she is – a UCF alumna turned World Wrestling Entertainment ring announcer who is about to spend the next several days gearing up for one of the biggest events to hit her hometown: WrestleMania 33 on April 2.
“I have so many fond memories inside of the Citrus Bowl [now Camping World Stadium] that I cannot wait for WrestleMania this year,” Kuret said.
Better known by her stage name Dasha Fuentes, Kuret joined the WWE in 2014 and is based out of Orlando, where she has lived her whole life.
Kuret was an honor student in Orange County public schools, and with her mother’s encouragement, made her dream of attending UCF a reality.
While she worked toward her health sciences degree, Kuret – then Gonzalez – was chosen as Miss UCF 2009 and said she was proud to represent one of the nation’s largest universities. Looking back on it now, Kuret said it’s really not that surprising that she pursued her role as a ring announcer and on-camera interviewer at the WWE.
“Competing in pageants and being Miss UCF – that helped me with motivational speaking, with learning how to fail, with learning how to speak in front of a crowd. Studying science, that helped me understand body mechanics and why it moves certain ways,” she said. “Everything I [did] served a purpose at the end. When you sit back and you reflect it all comes together.”
Kuret, a former gymnast, originally joined the WWE in May 2014 as a Superstar hopeful within its development league, NXT. She trained at its Performance Center in Orlando, but one day the company needed someone to fill in as a ring announcer.
Kuret saw more opportunity for growth and longevity, so she started pursuing a career in the role full-time. After a year of ring announcing within NXT, she was drafted in November to SmackDown Live, which airs on Tuesday nights on the USA Network.
A “normal” work week for Kuret is anything but.
She typically flies on Friday or Saturday to cover live shows Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights before her television appearance Tuesday on SmackDown. When she arrives home on Wednesday, she said she usually stops in to the Performance Center to familiarize herself with the up-and-coming talent.
Fluent in Spanish, she polishes her proficiency with foreign-language classes on Thursdays and usually takes a yoga class on Friday before repeating the process the next week.
“Lots of driving, lots of flying. Being able to balance work, staying physically fit and active, eating healthy on the road, trying to find time to sleep – it’s difficult but it can be done,” she said. “I always wanted to be a positive role model and find a job where I could be intelligent and I could speak in front of people. I wanted to work for a company where they are philanthropists, and they are constantly involved in the community promoting education and physical fitness and well-being. … [This] checked all the boxes pretty much.”
She is thrilled to be part of the excitement surrounding WrestleMania’s return to Orlando, where it took place in 2008. Part of her job responsibilities will be at Axxess, a four-day fan-interaction experience at the Orange County Convention Center beginning today, March 30.
On Sunday, April 2, WrestleMania will broadcast live on WWE Network and pay-per-view in more than 180 countries. Kuret’s show, SmackDown Live, will stick around Orlando at the Amway Center for its regularly scheduled Tuesday night slot on April 4.
Kuret, who attended her first WrestleMania last year in Dallas, said this year’s mega-event is extra special to her because she loves to represent UCF and her city, and knows the whole world will be watching.
“The community of UCF and the community of Orlando is something that is a bond that can’t be explained,” she said. “I grew up with my family being very strong, and I feel like the community of UCF is very strong and getting stronger as the years go on. For me, that’s what makes me proud to be a Knight. It doesn’t matter where you came from. It doesn’t matter who you are, UCF accepts you. They give you the tools to succeed as long as you’re willing to find them.”
Chairman Beruff Announces Public Hearing at University of Central Florida in Orlando
Chairman Carlos Beruff invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on Wednesday, March 29 beginning at 5:00 PM. This will be the first of many public hearings held by the CRC as part of its statewide “Floridians Speak, We Listen” tour.
Members of the media wishing to attend must request a media credential to ensure adequate space is provided at the venue, in addition to bringing their press credentials. To request a media credential, please contact Meredith Beatrice at [email protected], providing the name(s), media outlet and if space is needed for a satellite truck.
The event will also be live-streamed by the Florida Channel on www.TheFloridaChannel.org.
WHAT: Public hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC)
WHEN: Wednesday, March 29, 5:00 PM (Doors open at 4:30 PM)
*End time is tentative depending upon attendance and public interest in speaking before the Commission.
WHERE: University of Central Florida (UCF)
FAIRWINDS Alumni Center
12676 Gemini Blvd. N., Orlando, Fla. 32816
*Free parking for attendees available in Garage H. Directions and map are attached courtesy of UCF.
Additional public hearing dates and times will be announced as soon as possible. Members of the public can contact the CRC by emailing [email protected] or by calling (850) 717-9550. Visit FLCRC.GOV for additional information.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION
Once every twenty years, Florida’s Constitution provides for the creation of a thirty-seven member revision commission for the purpose of reviewing Florida’s Constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Commission meets for approximately one year, traveling the State of Florida, identifying issues, performing research, and possibly recommending changes to the Constitution. Any amendments proposed by the Commission would be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot. For additional information, visit FLCRC.GOV. Follow the Commission on Twitter @FloridaCRC.
UCF Game Designer Grad Takes Reality to Fantasy
UCF alumus Matthew Laurence ’06, is being compared to Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan thanks to his debut fantasy novel Freya and the Myth Machine.
In 2014, when UCF graduate and game developer Matthew Laurence was touring his new employer, Rovio Games, he was intrigued by the publishing arm of the Angry Birds company Rovio Entertainment, now known as Kaiken Entertainment. He had a story he wanted Rovio to read.
That story became Laurence’s debut novel Freya and the Myth Machine. It published last week to positive reviews.
“What hooked me instantly was the witty setup: in the very first sentences we get to know this girl living in a mental hospital claiming to be a god,” said Laura Nevalinna, CEO and head of franchise and portfolio development at Kaiken Entertainment. “And from there the wild ride starts with incredible speed and force.”
The story tells the tale of a young girl who is a forgotten goddess.
Laurence said Rovio’s help was invaluable as they assigned him editors to improve his manuscript, bought the rights to the intellectual property and then shopped his novel to publishers in late 2014. Within a few months, Imprint, a part of MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, acquired the rights to the book.
It’s a dream come true for Laurence, who graduated from the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF’s graduate game-development program in 2006. Since then he worked for several video game companies but always wanted to write. He wrote the first draft of Freya in 2012 after writing what he called a terrible sci-fi novel. He liked fantasy but wanted something grounded in the real world, so he hatched the idea of ancient gods who are hunted to extinction in the modern world.
“Freya, who is hiding in an Orlando mental hospital under the pseudonym Sara, is a god who has thousands of years of history, but she’s also a young girl in this world,” Laurence said. “So finding her voice was hard but fun.”
“Booklist” proclaims in its review: “Move over, Percy Jackson, there’s a new girl in town.”
With Rovio Entertainment’s help, Laurence got the book published. The agreement, in collaboration with Rovio Entertainment, includes the rights to Freya and the Myth Machine, its sequel, Freya and the Idol Industry as well as a graphic novel based on the books.
For Laurence, he said being published by the same group that is home to well-known authors such as Roald Dahl and Eric Carle is still something he can’t believe is happening.
Rovio Books was started in 2011 and focused early on publishing Angry Birds-related books. Since then they have expanded into young adult novels and nonfiction and spun off as a part of Kaiken Entertainment. Kaiken does not print or distribute the books but provides editorial support and collaborates with authors to sell their foreign rights or license to a publisher. To date they have helped produce about 350 titles in 32 languages.
Laurence said that writing novels is more similar to making video games than people think.
“They’re both so iterative. If it doesn’t work or feel good you go back to the drawing board, he said. “There’s also a lot of broken-dream piles that never make the finished product.”
Fortunately, Laurence’s latest endeavor wasn’t one of those.
To learn more about Laurence and read an excerpt of the book visit http://freya.rovio.com/. To hear the author talk about the book, go to https://youtu.be/zSTqZZMquSw.
FIEA is in UCF’s Center For Emerging Media at 500 Bentley St., Orlando. For more information, visit www.fiea.ucf.edu.
Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy
Part of the University of Central Florida, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) offers an industry-based graduate gaming education in a world-class facility in downtown Orlando. It was named the #2 graduate game-development program in 2017 by the Princeton Review and its 537 graduates are working at more than 135 companies around the globe. In 16 months, students learn to be a producer, programmer or artist and earn a Master’s degree in Interactive Entertainment. Learn more at www.fiea.ucf.edu.
Medical Robotics Company Harnesses UCF Research for Computer-Aided Surgery
A medical robotics company has licensed University of Central Florida expertise to develop software for a new surgical-robotic platform.
AVRA Medical Robotics Inc., which has an office in the UCF Business Incubator, has partnered with Professor Zhihua Qu and research Professor Eytan Pollak of the College of Engineering & Computer Science to develop algorithms and sensors to navigate and control a robot capable of assisting physicians with performing minimally invasive surgical procedures in an ambulatory setting or operating room.
Barry F. Cohen, AVRA founder and chairman, said he was drawn to UCF because of its engineering strength for the development of a modular, robotic-assistive system that will be portable, precise and affordable.
“UCF research is providing the precision and guidance necessary for a computer-driven robotic system that will facilitate superior outcomes,” Cohen said.
AVRA partnered with a new industry-sponsored innovation program at UCF by providing $200,000 initially with planned follow-up funding for the research and the rights to any intellectual property developed during the project. In addition, Avra will pay UCF 1 percent in royalty fees for annual sales exceeding $20 million resulting from the intellectual property.
“At UCF we encourage the collaboration between our research and industry. Initiatives such as this innovation program help streamline the process and move pioneering research into the market,” said Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
Qu and Pollak have extensive backgrounds in the development of computer-operated systems that encompass the integration of tools and sensors, real-time image/data processing, navigation, control and human-machine interface. Qu’s research has included robotic platforms and autonomous vehicles for the Department of Defense, applications and intelligent robotic systems for life support on Mars among others, autonomous coordination of robotic devices, and human-robot teaming.
Pollak has 30 years’ experience in managing complex research and development programs, holds several patents and has published papers in control systems and robotics. He is also the director of strategic technologies at L-3 Communications Link Simulation & Training.
Based on an original concept proposed by Qu, his graduate students Niladri Basu Bal and Deepalakshmi Babu Venkateswaran have implemented navigation/control algorithms and completed a 3-D computer visualization of how such a robotic device would work. Computer-aided design and development of a graphic user interface for surgeons are now under way.
AVRA has recently added some industry partners to its team. Anthony Nicholson, a longtime benefactor of UCF, serves as a senior advisor of the company, and Peter Carnegie, CEO of Minimally Invasive Solutions in Ocoee, and Dr. Nikhil Shah of Atlanta, are new directors.
For more information go to [email protected].
