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UCF Graduate Student Awarded Prestigious Marine Conservation Scholarship Named After Distinguished Marine Biologist Susan L. Williams
Biology student Carla Perscky will conduct first-time research, developing innovative technologies to help conserve tropical seagrass, a vital habitat for many marine species By: Ana G. Hidalgo | May 22, 2025 Carla Perscky, a master’s student in the UCF Department of Biology and Navy veteran, received the Women Divers Hall of Fame’s (WDHOF) Susan L. […]
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Oyster Reef Restoration Efforts Get Help from Potato Chip Byproduct
Longtime work to restore oyster reefs in the Indian River Lagoon has found a new, unusual ally: potato chips. The Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab at UCF has been experimenting with various products looking for an effective, biodegradable material for restoration that’s inexpensive. For the past 14 months the group has been testing a mesh […]
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UCF Study Finds Microplastics in Florida’s Birds of Prey for 1st Time
A new study from the University of Central Florida has confirmed and quantified, for the first time, the presence of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic birds of prey in Florida, including hawks, ospreys and owls. Microplastics are small plastic pieces – less than the size of a pencil tip – that come from larger pieces […]
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Student Coaching Project Earns Marchioli Award
An ongoing project to boost classroom student engagement through high-impact practices (HIP) recently earned one of UCF’s highest internal awards. Called HIP Coaches, the project uses student coaches to mentor and guide fellow students through high-impact learning experiences, such as collaborative assignments and projects, undergraduate research, cultural competency, community-based learning and internships. The idea is […]
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Student Snags 1st Place For Research Into Oyster Reefs
UCF Senior Megan Witt received the first place award for her oral presentation on her first research project, “Exploring the Driving Factors Behind Mangrove Colonization On Oyster Reefs Within Mosquito Lagoon.” She received a $300 dollar check in conjunction with her Undergraduate Research Supply Grant for $500 that she received in summer 2019. Witt has […]
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Biology Student is Massachusetts Bound
Biology student, and UCF McNair Scholar, Antony Papadia was recently chosen from a large pool of talented candidates from across the country to win a spot in the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program. He is one of 15 candidates selected for this summer’s program. Papadia has been a UCF McNair Scholar since the Fall of 2013. The McNair Scholarship […]
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UCF Researchers Uncover Mistaken Identity of Crown Conch
Four undergraduate students were recently awarded first place for their poster presentation at the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society meeting. Stemming from a group research project in Dr. Linda Walters‘ Advanced Marine Biology class last spring, Courtney Buck, Casey Craig, Chelsea Landeau and Jordan Filipponi worked together to research the impact crown conch make on oyster populations […]
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Biology Professor Earns Top Honors
From creating storybooks that teach preschoolers about the dangers of aquarium dumping to engaging more than 47,000 volunteers on oyster-reef restoration and living-shoreline projects since 2007, UCF biology professor Linda Walters has found ways to make science exciting and relevant to people of all ages. That’s why earlier this month the Society for Integrative and […]