In aquatic ecosystems, some species use active sensing systems, emitting echolocation sounds or electric fields to navigate dark or murky waters.

This sensory ability can come with trade-offs. For electric eels and their weakly electric knifefish prey, generating electric fields helps them navigate and hunt, but those same signals can also reveal their location.

In a recent study published in , UCF researchers found that both electric eels and knifefish strategically suppress and resume their electric signals to avoid detection.

The findings provide new insight into how animals balance sensing their surroundings while remaining hidden from predators or prey, a challenge that also appears in technologies such as sonar and radar. This work also expands scientific understanding of how active sensory systems evolve in competitive environments where being detected can mean losing a meal or becoming one.

“Our findings show that active sensing creates a paradox: the same electric signals these animals need to navigate and hunt can also reveal them to eavesdropping predators or prey,” says Professor of Biology William Crampton, who co-led the study with biology doctoral graduate Lok Poon ’26PhD. “Both eels and knifefish appear to resolve this paradox through electric stealth, briefly suppressing their signals when concealment matters, then resuming them when sensing becomes more important.”

Tracking Electric Signals in the Amazon

To test these predator-prey interactions, the researchers deployed six custom-designed electric signal loggers along a 150-meter section of an Amazonian stream. Each logger recorded 60-second segments of electric signals over 27 nights. In total, nearly 107,000 minutes of data were collected.

“Electric fish are ideal for this kind of study because their signals let us monitor their presence and movements electronically, simply by recording how often they pass near submerged electrodes,” Crampton says. “Our loggers allowed us, for the first time, to monitor predator-prey electric signaling interactions continuously in the wild.”

Researchers then analyzed the recordings to distinguish species by their unique electric signal signatures.

How Eels and Knifefish Use “Electric Stealth”

“With knifefish, we found that when they detect electric eel signals, some flee while some pulse-type species switch off their own electric discharges for several seconds. “—William Crampton, professor of biology

“With knifefish, we found that when they detect electric eel signals, some flee while some pulse-type species switch off their own electric discharges for several seconds,” Crampton says. “In our logger recordings, a knifefish could be producing its normal train of pulses to sense its environment, then suddenly become electrically silent as soon as eel signals appeared.”

Laboratory tests showed that low-frequency components of electric eel signals play a key role in triggering this response, with knifefish reacting far less when those components were reduced.

Electric eels were also found to pause their low-voltage electrolocation pulses before high-voltage bursts used to probe for or stun prey. This silence would make an approaching eel less detectable to electroreceptive prey such as knifefish. Once the eel produces a high-voltage burst, however, it has revealed its presence, temporarily reducing the benefit of stealth.  The eel promptly resumes its regular low-voltage pulses, likely to rapidly relocate, track or capture prey.

“The field recordings revealed these phenomena in the ecological context,” Crampton says. “The laboratory experiments then allowed us to isolate the eel signal features that trigger knifefish responses.”

Parallels in Nature and Technology

In nature, the only well-studied comparison to this behavior is the predator-prey dynamic between killer whales and their toothed-whale prey.

“Killer whales and smaller toothed whales such as beaked whales use echolocation, relying on sound rather than electric signals to sense their surroundings,” Crampton says. “Mammal-eating killer whales can suppress echolocation and calls while hunting, while beaked whales and other prey species may reduce vocal activity or take evasive action when they detect killer whale sounds. The eel-knifefish system shows a remarkably similar trade-off in the electric sense.”

The findings suggest convergent evolutionary pressures favoring the ability of both predators and prey to modulate active-sensing signals to improve survival.

Similar trade-offs also occur in human active-sensing technologies such as sonar and radar. A submarine, for instance, can use active signals to detect its surroundings, but each outgoing ping can also reveal the vessel’s location.

“Just as we found in electric eels and knifefish, operators of these systems balance the need to gather information with the need to remain hidden,” Crampton says. “In submarines, that can mean alternating between active sonar and passive listening depending on the situation.”

Electric eels, knifefish, echolocating whales and human operators all face the same challenge: balancing the benefits of active sensing with the risk of detection.

Future Research Applications

Electric fish have long contributed to scientists’ understanding of concepts beyond biology, including electricity, nerves and sensing.

“Electric fishes have played an outsized role in the history of biology and physics,” Crampton says. “For example, their discharges helped shape early research on electricity, including Alessandro Volta’s invention of the first battery, and their electric organs later became important model tissues for studying acetylcholine receptors — protein channels that help nerves send signals to other cells.”

The new findings build on this legacy, showing how electric fish can reveal principles related to sensing, stealth and decision making. Similar trade-offs shape sonar, radar and autonomous sensing technologies, suggesting that nature’s solutions to stealth and detection may offer insights for future adaptive sensing systems.

“This study shows that active sensing is not just about gathering information, but also about managing the risk of being detected,” Crampton says. “This opens opportunities for future research, from understanding how other aquatic species respond to electric signals to uncovering whether similar stealth strategies occur in other sensory systems.”

This work was funded by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program grant 2035702 (L.P.), an American Philosophical Society Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research grant (L.P.), and National Science Foundation grant DEB-1146374 (W.G.R.C.).

While immune systems are well studied in mammals and birds, reptiles — particularly sea turtles — remain less explored, leaving critical gaps in scientific understanding.

New research published in helps address this gap by examining the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a critical group of immune system genes that enables organisms to recognize and fight diseases.

The study, which examined four species — loggerheads, green turtles, Kemp’s ridleys and leatherbacks — found that most sea turtles maintain high levels of immune gene variation, likely inherited from a common ancestor. However, variation differs across species and different copies of these genes can function in distinct ways.

“Sea turtles are an interesting case for studying immune system evolution,” says Katherine Martin ’24PhD, an integrative conservation biology alum and postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University who led the study. “They live for a long time and encounter many different types of pathogens across multiple habitats.”

How MHC and Genetic Variation Work Together

MHC plays a key role in identifying and flagging pathogens for destruction by the immune system.

“MHC is essentially holding a small molecular flag that says to T cells, ‘This is the invader that you need to seek and destroy’,” says Martin, who specializes in immune system genetics in sea turtles.

Because pathogens vary widely, immune defenses must also adapt, creating strong evolutionary pressure for variation in MHC genes.

“For each different pathogen, you need a different MHC protein,” Martin says. “You can think of it kind of like a lock and key.”

Martin adds that immune gene variation is critical for population health and studying this builds insight on how well a population might respond to disease.

Key Findings and Evolutionary Insights

The study revealed differences in genetic variation across species, with leatherbacks showing lower MHC diversity than others.

“One of the things that can contribute to low genetic variation is low population size,” Martin says. “We think this might be the case with leatherbacks.”

Another key finding was the presence of shared genetic variants across species, suggesting deep evolutionary roots.

“The results indicate that shared ancestry is the most likely explanation,” Martin says. “That likely underscores their importance and their function.”

Martin also identified balancing selection as a key evolutionary force maintaining immune gene variation.

“Instead of selecting for a single trait, it’s the variation within that trait that’s advantageous,” Martin says.

A Comparative Approach Across Species

“The turtle species have different diets, habitats and disease prevalence, and [these samples] provided a useful comparison of the different ways of living that sea turtles have and how that might bear out in patterns of MHC variation.”

To establish a baseline for variations, Martin analyzed MHC genes from more than 300 turtles samples collected through and collaborators, highlighting the shared effort behind large-scale conservation research.

“[The turtle species] have different diets, habitats and disease prevalence,” Martin says. “[These samples] provided a useful comparison of the different ways of living that sea turtles have and how that might bear out in patterns of MHC variation.”

Martin extracted DNA from samples across coastal nesting sites, lagoons and offshore waters. She then amplified target genes and sequenced them using next-generation DNA sequencing technology.

“In a single sequencing run, you can analyze multiple individuals all at once,” Martin says. “We also get high sequencing depth, meaning each bit of DNA is sequenced multiple times.”

This approach improves accuracy, especially for highly variable genes like MHC.

Expanding Studies and Conservation Efforts

Martin plans to expand her research to additional sea turtle populations worldwide rather than just the northwest Atlantic, as well as to reptiles more broadly.

“I really love being able to ask questions about how that variation arises in the first place and what forces maintain it over time,” Martin says.  Understanding immune gene variation has direct applications for conservation strategies, particularly as sea turtles face increasing environmental pressures.

“If we protect the habitats these sea turtles rely on, we can bolster population sizes and, in turn, maintain genetic variation across all genes,” Martin says.

While advanced interventions such as gene editing may be possible in the future, Martin emphasizes that habitat protection remains the most practical and effective approach.

“The most effective solution is public advocacy for [protection of] the natural world,” Martin says.

Funding and support for this research was provided in part by the Sea Turtle Grants Program funded from the proceeds of the Florida Sea Turtle License Plate, the Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research Program, the NOAA Oil Spill Supplemental Spend Plan, the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program administered through the Florida Institute of Oceanography and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Turtle handling conducted as part of permitted research (FL-MTP-225, FL-MTP-231, NMFS 19508, and predecessors).

This project was paid for in part with federal funding from the Department of the Treasury under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Treasury.

On how the ocean changed him:

I’ve never been as calm as I’ve been since returning to land. I’m a kind of restless person in general, somewhat impulsive in certain contexts. I always feel the need to do something, another adventure in nature. I have this fire in me that just makes me adventurous. But I think the success of the crossing, including the three years of preparation, gave me a lot of confidence. And with confidence, I think came the calmness of knowing I didn’t need to prove anything to anyone anymore.

World Ocean Day is June 8.

On UCF’s influence in pursuing his dreams:

It was once a dream of mine to leave my home country and do research with NASA. Coming to UCF, I realized that dream. Maybe at one point I wouldn’t have been able to think rowing an ocean was possible, but achieving my dream at UCF gave me the courage to try.

On the role a common goal can have in a team’s viability:

Our ultimate goal was to cross the ocean such that we would be willing and able to do it again in the next few years with the same team. This is the first time I am admitting out loud, I think we failed at that — none of us wishes to row an ocean again, nor are we planning another adventure with the same team.

So, though I have to admit we didn’t succeed in the ultimate holistic goal that we had, I think our crossing in general was quite successful. What I didn’t understand going into this was how strongly a common goal can influence your ability to withstand stress, interpersonal stress or annoyances from other team members. Everyone in this team had to work properly for us to be able to complete the goal. So even though we had that interpersonal tension and occasional conflicts, because of the salience of the shared goal, we were able to work through it.

On the breathtaking force of mother nature:

The ocean is so vast and so powerful. You’re nothing. We felt that the most when we had a school of whales approaching us from the stern. We saw them breaching, and then one whale swam under our boat, and we saw that it was longer than our boat, like 30 feet at least. It could have just pushed our boat over and do whatever it wanted with us. We had no power whatsoever.

And I really enjoyed the storms. During the last week we had such a strong wind coming from behind, with rain falling literally horizontally. It hurts when it hits you. The rain comes on so strong. And then the wind was so strong that it just pushed our boat. We usually did like 3 knots on our own, but the speed at that moment was 7 knots without rowing. We raised our oars and they became sails basically. We felt how the wind pushed through our oars. You’re just experiencing this unbelievable power of nature. It was amazing.

On his new motto — “Don’t fight with the ocean”:

Just don’t fight with the ocean because you can’t win. There is no point. Just let things be, let them go. I think this was one of the things that I really took back with me from the experience. I can apply this anywhere. Like at the workplace, if we have colleagues who are difficult to deal with, you can’t change them. You can’t fight with the ocean. You can only change your own reactions and thoughts.

On halfway home still being a far way to go:

After we crossed the halfway point, it became more difficult. You would expect that maybe it gets easier because, oh, half is done, only half more to go, but only half more is still 20 days. It’s three more weeks. It’s still a lot of time to be thinking about, What do you want do when you finish? What do you want to eat? What are you going to do when you get back home? I think we as a team mentally got to the finish too fast. We really had to take a step back and remind ourselves to take it two hours at a time.

On the feeling of seeing land for the first time after 39 days:

We arrived at sunrise. When the light appeared and we saw those cliffs, it’s just something so overwhelming and unique, this feeling of, ‘It’s over. It’s done — 40 days of suffering basically has ended.’ As we entered the harbor, we saw our family and friends were up there on the cliff, waving the flags and then the finish flare going off. It was the high point, definitely.

On how the experience gave insight into his research on teams in extreme, isolated and confined environments:

I think one of the main takeaways that I got from this project was really that preparation is everything. Everyone externally was focusing on the mission, the row, because of course that’s the exciting part. For us, completing the row was the goal, but it’s the smallest piece of the whole project. The three years of preparation and those difficulties that we had, this was much more important.

So now for my research, I’m thinking, we’re always focusing on the part or the actual mission. It’s not necessarily irrelevant, but the mission is the outcome. The input that we should study is before the mission, the preparations. So that informs my future research quite a bit.

On what’s next:

I graduate in the summer. Days before we started the race, I accepted a job offer, which was a relief. I was prepared to take job interviews on the boat. I’m starting as an assistant professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey in August.

I realized that I don’t like this type of several-weeks-endurance events, it’s too monotonous, too dull. I was thinking that my next big thing would be skiing across Greenland, which is more than a month as well. But now, no, thank you. There’s not enough variability, or excitement, for me. I love mountaineering, summiting a mountain in a few days. I just bought new mountain boots, so I think this will be my next thing.

Florida’s coastlines are changing, and so are the fish that depend on them.

As rising temperatures push tropical species northward and mangrove habitats expand into areas historically dominated by salt marshes, scientists are racing to understand how these shifts could affect marine food webs and long-term ecosystem stability.

Meredith Pratt, a UCF integrative and conservation biology doctoral student, is helping answer those questions. Her research on sustainable fisheries management along Florida’s east coast earned her the prestigious Florida Sea Grant/Guy Harvey Fellowship. The highly competitive award supports graduate students conducting research that informs marine conservation and fisheries management while cultivating future leaders in marine science.

Tracking a Changing Ecosystem

Pratt studies how tropicalization — the northward movement of tropical species and habitats — is altering Florida’s coastal ecosystems.

“As temperatures rise, mangroves, traditionally found in warmer, tropical regions, are expanding northward into areas historically dominated by salt marshes,” she says. “This shift is influencing the species that live there.”

To understand these changes, Pratt and her team study fish communities along Florida’s east coast. One fellowship-supported project focuses on predator-prey dynamics among popular sport fish, including common snook, red drum and spotted sea trout.

“The most interesting result so far is that the same fish species are eating different things, … and that raises important questions about how continued mangrove expansion could impact the ecosystem in the long term.”

“The most interesting result so far is that the same fish species are eating different things depending on whether they inhabit traditional salt marshes or increasingly dominant mangrove environments,” Pratt says. “While most species primarily feed on shrimp, common snook tend to consume more fish, and that raises important questions about how continued mangrove expansion could impact the ecosystem in the long term.”

These findings were supported through lab gut analysis of fish samples collected in the field using seine nets to determine stomach contents. Because digestion can make some prey difficult to identify, Pratt also used stable isotope analysis, which provides insight into a fish’sposition in the food web based on chemical signatures in its tissue.

“Gut content analysis shows us exactly what a fish recently ate, while stable isotopes give us a longer-term picture of its diet,” she says. “Together, they allow us to answer questions we couldn’t with just one method alone.”

Guiding Future Fisheries Management

The research is both environmentally and economically important to Florida. As one of the world’s premier fishing destinations, the state depends on healthy coastal ecosystems and fish populations to support its recreational and commercial fisheries.

“Many of the fish we rely on start in estuaries and coastal environments,” Pratt says. “They grow in protected areas like mangroves and salt marshes before moving offshore. If we don’t understand how those habitats are changing, we can’t effectively manage the fisheries that depend on them.”

Connecting Science and Community

Pratt is also expanding the impact of her research beyond the lab. Through her National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship, she launched the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) Fisheries Monitoring Program at the GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve.

“Getting people involved and helping them understand the importance of this work makes a big difference.”

The volunteer-driven initiative trains community members to collect fisheries data at designated sites, including species identification, abundance and size measurements. With nearly 20 volunteers participating, the program provides valuable long-term data while increasing public involvement in scientific research.

“It’s been one of the most rewarding parts of my Ph.D.,” Pratt says. “Getting people involved and helping them understand the importance of this work makes a big difference.”

A Full Circle Moment

For Pratt, earning the Florida Sea Grant/Guy Harvey Fellowship was a full-circle moment. As an undergraduate, she completed many of her classes and research experiences at the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center at Nova Southeastern University. Now, funding from Florida Sea Grant and the Guy Harvey Foundation is helping advance her research while providing professional development opportunities in science communication.

“This fellowship not only supports my research but also allows me to connect with other scientists, stakeholders and the public,” she says. “Sharing our findings and contributing to science communication is a really meaningful part of the experience.”

Looking ahead, Pratt hopes her work will support more informed decision-making around fisheries management and conservation.

“Conservation requires research and education working together,” she says. “If we can understand what’s happening and communicate that effectively, we can make better decisions to protect these ecosystems for future generations.”

This year’s tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations — United States, Canada and Mexico — and the first to include an expanded field of 48 teams from across the globe. Eleven U.S. cities will host 78 matches June 11 – July 19, including the championship match in New York and third place playoff in Miami.

This historic event coincides with the United States’ 250th anniversary and marks the first time since 1994 the country has hosted the men’s World Cup.

Here’s a look at some of the Knights bringing this event to life.

Izzy Angel ’23

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FIFA location: Atlanta

I will be supporting media logistics, guiding photographers and press to designated areas, and facilitating press conferences and interviews. One of the biggest ways UCF prepared me for this opportunity was through its emphasis on networking, collaboration and real-world experience. That mindset opened doors to internships, jobs and experiences that helped me gain confidence in putting myself out there and connecting with people.

It’s been really fulfilling to meet people with completely different backgrounds and life experiences who are all coming together over a shared passion. Being part of something on such a global scale and feeling that sense of community has been incredibly special.

Brendon Boseja ’25

Bachelor’s in integrated business

Role: Senior coordinator, Client Group Management Accreditation
FIFA site: Miami

ɫ����, I learned to network and make many connections in the industry and to continue these relationships. This has especially helped me throughout FIFA, especially since my main job is to communicate with every stadium involved in the tournament. Working for a sports organization as big as FIFA has been a dream of mine, and to be involved with an event like the World Cup is surreal to think about.

Taylor Culver ’23 ’26MSBM ’26MBA

Bachelor’s in kinesiology
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Master’s in business administration

Role: Event executive, FIFA Fan Festival
FIFA site: Houston

“Because of the connections, mentorship and opportunities I gained through UCF, these experiences expanded my confidence and showed me that I truly belong in this industry.”

My role is to help create and execute large-scale fan experiences that bring the energy of the World Cup to life outside of the stadium. Being able to contribute to an event of this magnitude is both humbling and motivating, and I know it will be one of the most impactful experiences of my career. UCF prepared me for this opportunity by putting me in real-world sports environments early and constantly challenging me to grow as a leader. Through the program and my experience as a recruiting assistant for UCF Athletics with the football team, I learned how to operate in fast-paced environments where organization, communication and adaptability are critical. Because of the connections, mentorship and opportunities I gained through UCF, these experiences expanded my confidence and showed me that I truly belong in this industry.

Daniel Garzon ’23 ’24MSBM ’24MBA

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Master’s in business administration

Role: Workforce integration senior coordinator, Tournament Operation Center Services
FIFA site: Miami

I started my journey at FIFA as an intern with the volunteer management team shortly after graduating from the DeVos Sport Business Management program in 2024. As a recruitment coordinator, I spearheaded communications and recruitment strategy while sourcing and scheduling thousands of candidates. Now in my new role, I will be in the heartbeat of the headquarters of the tournament, fulfilling operational needs for all departments while manipulating data to make informed decisions for all the venues during the World Cup.

Risako Karasawa ’21

Bachelor’s in entertainment management
Graduate student majoring in sport business management

Role: VIP Tour Coordinator/Translator
FIFA site: Dallas

I serve as the primary point of contact for a VIP delegation from Japan. My responsibilities include coordinating transportation and logistics, providing interpretation and translation support, and ensuring a seamless experience throughout the visit. Combining my passions for sports, entertainment and hospitality, this opportunity feels like the perfect intersection of everything I love. Through both the Rosen College of Hospitality Management and the DeVos Sport Business Management Program, I have gained practical experience through hands-on opportunities working with professionals across the industries in event planning, guest experience, sponsorship and stakeholder management that prepared me for this incredibly exciting opportunity.

William Mendez ’26MSBM ’26MBA

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Master’s in business administration

Role: Team protocol liaison officer
FIFA site: Miami

I will provide operational support as a main point of contact for the teams’ protocol representatives, managing VIP/VVIP seating, ticket distribution and logistics. I’m truly excited to be part of an event of this magnitude because FIFA ’26 goes beyond sports by bringing people together across cultures from all over the world. The DeVos Sport Business Management program at UCF has played a major role in preparing me for this moment, giving me the hands-on experience and confidence I need to contribute to an event of this scale.

Colin O’Toole ’26MSBM ’26MBA

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Master’s in business administration

Role: Accreditation center coordinator
FIFA site: Boston

I grew up watching the World Cup and always dreamed of being part of the most watched sporting event in the world. My experience in the soccer industry through both professional and volunteer roles gave me a strong foundation, and the DeVos program broadened my perspective. It exposed me to the business side of the industry, while simultaneously connecting me with incredible mentors and peers, ultimately giving me the confidence and network to land this opportunity with FIFA.

Connor Pank ’17

Bachelor’s in management

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FIFA site: Tampa, Florida

The sport business management minor at UCF offered plenty of opportunities to gain practical experience in the industry. My junior year, I was fortunate enough to land a season-long internship at Orlando City Soccer Club in the game day operations department, which then turned into a full-time position with seven amazing seasons of constant growth and experiences that I am forever grateful for.

Being involved in a FIFA World Cup has been a personal goal of mine since my early days with Orlando City SC, when we hosted a U.S. Soccer vs. Panama World Cup Qualifier ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Every team participating in the World Cup chooses a designated home base, which includes the team hotel, training site and other operational support facilities as needed. My role is centered around acting as FIFA’s primary operational lead on-site for Cabo Verde’s home base in Tampa to ensure a seamless, world-class experience.

Annie Quaile ’06

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Role: Venue manager, FIFA Fan Festival
FIFA site: Atlanta

I act as the bridge between FIFA, Atlanta and the commercial and operational partners delivering the Fan Festival experience. My role focuses on coordinating event logistics, operations, guest experience, VIP and talent management, and partner integration while ensuring FIFA brand standards are upheld throughout the event.

One of the biggest takeaways from my experience at UCF was learning how to balance creativity, leadership and problem-solving under pressure, which is essentially the foundation of live event and operational management. The FIFA World Cup is one of the few truly global experiences that brings together people from every background, culture and country around a shared passion. All of the planning, coordination and operational work happens behind the scenes for months, so finally seeing people from around the world gathering together, celebrating and creating memories is incredibly rewarding.

Andres Sifontes ’24

Bachelor’s in communication

Role: Coordinator, Accreditation Documentation and Training Operations
FIFA site: Houston

I joined the FIFA team in September 2024, supporting preparations for both Club World Cup 2025 and FIFA World Cup 2026. In my role now, I oversee Accreditation Center operations in Houston, assist volunteers, and ensure that key stakeholders — including partners like Coca-Cola, Adidas and Visa — receive proper credentials. UCF’s communication program, and especially my Communication Research Methods���ʰ��Ǵڱ�����ǰ� , equipped me with the tools I continue to apply every day in my role at FIFA by teaching me how to communicate effectively, carry myself professionally, and think strategically.

Since graduating, my goal has been to contribute to the growth of soccer in the United States. This passion has always been part of who I am, and UCF helped me build the foundation to pursue it professionally. After graduation, I worked with Inter Miami CF, and now with FIFA, I’ve been fortunate to play a role in supporting the continued development of the sport. I truly believe we are about to witness unprecedented growth for the game in this country. I hope that at the end of my career, I can look back and say I contributed to that growth — and that it all started at UCF.

Dennis Sprenkle ’01

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Role: Director of workforce and human resources
FIFA site:���Ѿ�������

My team oversees the employee journey from recruitment to offboarding across the three host countries (Canada, Mexico and the U.S.) and 16 host cities. We are responsible for everything from workforce planning, training, visa management, benefits, payroll, employee uniforms and just about every other aspect of human resources.

I have always had a keen interest in global political and business affairs, which is why I studied political science with an emphasis on international relations at UCF. Working for a governing body like FIFA in many respects is akin to working for the United Nations. … In order to be a successful leader in a global organization like FIFA, it is critical to have an open mind to effectively collaborate, plan and execute the largest sporting event in human history. My education and experience at UCF as a leader in Student Government certainly laid the foundation and has helped prepare me for this opportunity.

Ryan Taheri ’24

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FIFA site: Dallas

I grew up watching the World Cup with my family. Now, I occasionally stop for a second and realize how special it all is to be working behind the scenes on the operational side of the tournament. A big part of what I do in my role is coordinate with different functional areas like transportation, catering, accommodations, uniforms and venue operations to ensure the workforce is supported and operations run smoothly.

“UCF pushed me into leadership opportunities early and taught me how to work in fast-paced environments with a lot of moving parts.”

A lot of the role comes down to staying organized, communicating clearly and solving problems quickly. UCF pushed me into leadership opportunities early and taught me how to work in fast-paced environments with a lot of moving parts. Looking back now, I don’t think I realized at the time how much of my experience at UCF directly prepared me for working on something as large and complex as a FIFA ’26.

Alejandro Tarazona ’22

Bachelor’s in integrated business

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FIFA site: Miami

I oversee transportation operations and logistics at all 75 training sites across U.S., Canada and Mexico — including shuttles, loading zones, team busses and their fleets, and parking lots for media, volunteers and guests. I grew up in Lake Nona and had an opportunity to play collegiate soccer at a Division II school in Florida, but financially, it just didn’t make sense for my family and me. Instead I enrolled at Valencia College and earned my degree through the .

UCF gave me the technical skills I needed for my managerial position now, like creating financial analysis for labor rates across 16 stadiums that we’ll be using in U.S., Canada and Mexico. As a former soccer player and as someone who is obsessed with the sport, working for one of the biggest and best sports organization in the world has been a lifelong goal. This experience has taught me to consider redefining what’s possible and keep setting goals.

Tomas Upegui ’22

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FIFA site: Miami

Growing up playing soccer, being involved with FIFA in any capacity is something I never imagined would become reality, especially this early in my career. I am supporting transportation and depot operations across all 16 host cities, contributing to transportation operations involving VIPs and trophy movements. Studying business taught me how to work efficiently in fast-paced environments and quickly adapt while balancing multiple responsibilities at once, which directly translates to my role.

One of the most exciting parts of this experience has been realizing the true scale of the FIFA World Cup and seeing firsthand how much coordination happens behind the scenes to make an event of this magnitude successful.

A newly published study in  is taking a broader look at how societies have organized power across history, combining archaeological and historical evidence to better understand governance over time.

Coauthor Sarah “Stacy” Barber, professor and associate chair for UCF’s , says the project was driven in part by the growing availability of archaeological data and a need to think more expansively about human history.

“Archaeology has been a scientific area of study for about a century, so we now have 100 years of aggregate data about ancient societies,” Barber says.

She explains that many past societies are often excluded from research because they did not leave behind written records the way most European, South Asian and East Asian societies did. Incorporating archaeological evidence ensures that the interpretation of ancient governance is not limited to societies with written history but instead allows for the reflection of an array of human experience.

“When we forget about huge swaths of our past, we are weakening our ability to make decisions in the present, so anything that broadens our knowledge of how people can be people is a good thing,” Barber says. “It opens paths to other options that may be more sustainable or more just in the future.”

Challenging Assumptions About Power

One of the study’s key findings challenges the assumption that population size determines how power is organized.

Although very densely populated societies are more likely to align with an autocracy — one person ruling with absolute power — Barber says the study found there are other options for managing large populations that do not require autocratic governance.

Instead, access to resources and funding play a more critical role in shaping governance structures.

“When the governing entities are relying on funding that comes from taxation and the general population, the population is going to have more influence in governing decisions, and leaders are constrained in how they can decide to use those resources,” she says.

The study also points to a connection between governance and potential for imbalance.

“The less your governing regime has to answer to the populace, the more your governing regime can amass wealth for its own interests as opposed to the interests of everyone,” Barber says.

Expanding the Definition of Governance

The study approaches governance as a spectrum rather than a set of fixed categories, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of how societies function and the wide range of ways that humans organize themselves. To analyze governance across societies, the research team developed an index focused on two key factors: how concentrated power is and how much of the population is involved in decision making.

“We broke it down in terms of how many individuals or entities were involved in making decisions for a general population, and what proportion of the population was involved or had a voice in governing decisions,” Barber says.

Looking Ahead

Barber says the team’s plans for future research could expand the number of cases studied to determine whether findings shift as more societies from additional world regions are included.

More broadly, she says the work creates space for scholars to revisit fundamental ideas about governance.

“This research offers opportunities for scholars across the social sciences to reconsider what we mean by ‘democracy’ and to try and refine our understanding of how different aspects of governance affect the well-being of everyday citizens,” she says. “We have the choice to reframe the way we live and redirect our futures, if we as a society deem it necessary. The future is not inevitable, and history shows us that.”

The funding for this project was provided to the project leads by The Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis, the Amerind Foundation, and the Field Museum of Natural History provided the funds to hold two workshops at the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, Arizona. Publication support was provided to co-author David Stasavage by Arts & Science at New York University.

Some of the nation’s most promising scientists can be found in Will Furiosi ’13 ’14MAT’s Oviedo High School classroom.

Spend five minutes talking to Ankan Das, Angela Calvo-Chumbimuni and Moitri Santra about their research innovations in robotics, mental health and agriculture, and one truth becomes quite clear: These teens are the real deal.

Backed by UCF associate professors Ellen Kang (physics and NanoScience Technology Center) and Candice Bridge ’07�ʳ�� (chemistry) and researcher Max Kuehn ’22 (Exolith Lab), the Oviedo High trio recently earned recognition as the top three projects at Seminole County’s regional science fair.

With Oviedo’s proximity to main campus, the collaboration highlights UCF’s steadfast commitment to supporting STEM education across Central Florida.

They went on to represent the county admirably at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, where they took home several prizes against more than 1,700 high schoolers from around the globe.

Most notably, Santra took home first place and $6,000 in the Plant Sciences category and received the EU Contest for Young Scientists Award. She will represent Regeneron ISEF at the EU Contest for Young Scientists to be held this September in Kiel, Germany.

“Working in Dr. Kang’s lab played pretty big role in choosing materials science and engineering as my major for college because I was exposed to just how many different things someone can do in the area I work with, nanotechnology,” says Santra, a senior bound for Stanford who has worked with Kang since she was a freshman. “The lab provided a lot of resources — not just the instruments, but also mentorship, advice and support.”

A Will to Succeed

The hallway leading to Furiosi’s classroom is decorated with rows of blue, red, white, green, yellow and pink paper accomplishment ribbons. More ribbons, pennants and certificates adorn his walls, along with eight Science and Engineering Fair of Florida best-in-fair grand award senior division trophies — more than any other high school in the state.

During his own primary education, Furiosi attended eight schools over 12 years. As a seventh-grader at Stone Magnet Middle School in Brevard County, he was initially prohibited from participating in science fair because officials couldn’t verify Furiosi was capable of the coursework from his transfer transcripts. He would later go on to earn Order of Pegasus as a Burnett Honors Scholar majoring in biomedical sciences before earning his master’s degree in teacher education.

Every day, he saw a wall of ribbons, much like the ones in his classroom now. And every day he would tell himself, “I want to be one of those kids.”

That experience fundamentally shaped how the UCF grad runs his program today.

“What keeps me motivated is knowing that I have the opportunity to get people to be really prepared, informed citizens who are good thinkers, and who, when faced with a problem, smile and tackle it instead of running away,” Furosi says.

Infusing Life into Science

Furiosi began teaching at Oviedo High School in 2013 as he pursued his accelerated master’s degree, made possible by the College of Community Innovation and Education’s Resident Teacher Professional Preparation Program. The program, funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant, was created in response to the growing need for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Four years later, he took over the school’s science fair program and was determined to breathe new life into it, which at the time involved just four kids.

He cold called students in his AP Biology and Honors Chemistry courses, begging anyone who had shown a glimmer of interest during class to sign up so they wouldn’t have to fold the program.

Today, he’s at 46 students, with some, like Calvo-Chumbimuni, interested in joining the program as soon as they arrive at Oviedo High.

“My seventh grade science fair teacher knew Mr. Furiosi and spoke highly of him,” says Calvo-Chumbimuni, who earned fourth place ISEF’s biochemistry category this year. “When I came to Oviedo High and met him, I immediately understood why. The research program stood out to me as a valuable opportunity.”

Furiosi fosters a safe space to fail, learn and grow from the research. There are no barriers to entry; no project deemed too insignificant. And he stresses the merits of high-quality mentorship, like the ones Das, Santra, and Calvo-Chumbimuni formed with UCF faculty and STEM labs.

Some of his students have earned thousands of dollars in prizes — one alone pulled in $70,000 and is now studying at the University of Glasgow — at prestigious competitions sponsored by some of the tech industry’s biggest names, including Regeneron and Lockheed Martin, a UCF Pegasus Partner.

His alums have gone on to top research institutions including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Stanford, and of course, UCF. One of those Knights is aerospace engineering grad Daniel Dyson ’21 ’22MS ’25PhD, who studied in Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Subith Vasu’s lab and now works for Relativity Space at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, America’s largest rocket propulsion test site.

“Mr. Furiosi really pushes you toward excellence,” says Das, a sophomore building a tensegrity robot with shape memory alloys that he tested at UCF’s Exolith Lab.

Supporting Excellence

An award-winning researcher who has been supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Kang is not easily impressed. Still, Santra made an immediate impression as an eighth grader when she first popped up Kang’s inbox, asking if she could present her idea on a nanoparticle treatment for citrus greening disease in Florida.

“I could clearly see that she had a firm understanding of the material and just thought, ‘Wow, she is really a force.’ I actually wanted to have my undergrad students see her presentation because of how professional she was, even at that young age,” Kang says. “She has this creativity, passion, persistence and resilience — all the key elements that you need as a successful STEM field researcher.”

Similarly, Bridge immediately noticed Calvo-Chumbimuni’s persistence and go-getter attitude when she initially connected with her two years ago. Driven by her interest in the intersection of neuroscience, psychology and analytical chemistry, Calvo-Chumbimuni pitched her idea to develop an electrochemical sensor and biosensor to improve diagnostic methods for mental health disorders.

“I’ve always appreciated her sense of humanity,” Bridge says. “I thought, ‘If you can foster someone who has this sort of compassion already, there are infinite possibilities for what they can do to benefit the community.’ ”

The two have been dedicated, active participants in their labs, regularly conducting research multiple days per week during the school year and, at times, daily over the summer.

The faculty and their doctoral students have mentored the high schoolers through instrumentation methods, analyzing data, the literature review process and their presentations.

Both presented continuations of their projects at ISEF — Calvo-Chumbimuni for her second-straight year, Santra for her third — while Das made his first time at the competition memorable with his fourth-place finish in the engineering technology: statics and dynamics category.

Kuehn, who is an engineer at , is accustomed to working with a variety of researchers and scientists who test their experiments and equipment at the Highland Regolith Test Bin. He says he was quickly intrigued by Das’ project, a lightweight and nimble robot that can expand, contract and move through electric current.

Das wanted to test the robot in lunar regolith — simulated moon dirt — because he envisions the tech behind his robot one day being utilized in lunar missions or search and rescue efforts in unstable environments.

“Max noticed that sometimes the motion was a little slow, so he gave some suggestions,” Das says. “Working in the lunar regolith chamber was a very insightful and eye-opening experience. I know I’m still in high school, but I’ve learned I want to do research for as long as I can because I really find this interesting.”

Which, at the end of the day, has been Furiosi’s mission all along.

“Research is not just in science. It is in all disciplines. There’s a lot of cool things that need to be discovered in all fields,” he says. “UCF’s expertise has been so invaluable in preparing my students for the future. A lot of these kids have wonderful ideas, and I really hope we can continue growing more professional support for them in any capacity.”

The study, led by UCF , identifies hydrazinoacetic acid as a key building block in the production of N-nitroglycine, a rare compound that offers new insight into how living systems carry out sophisticated chemical processes.These processes could be used to create safer and more efficient chemical reactions across manufacturing, healthcare and more. The research has been accepted for publication in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology and was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Graham Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Zdilla Laboratory at Temple University.

“Enzymes — or bacteria, more broadly — are capable of generating many interesting types of molecules, including ones we would think are explosive,” Caranto says. “We don’t know why they’re making them, but it’s fairly interesting that they do.”

While compounds like nitramines are often associated with industrial and energetic applications, their role in biology remains poorly understood. By identifying hydrazinoacetic acid as a key precursor to N-nitroglycine, the team begins to explain how bacteria construct these unusual nitrogen-rich molecules — and what those pathways may tell scientists about chemistry in living systems.

Why It Matters

Understanding how bacteria produce nitrogen-rich compounds could have implications across multiple fields, from industrial chemistry to medicine. Traditional methods for synthesizing these compounds often require energy-intensive processes or hazardous materials. Biological systems, by contrast, operate under milder conditions and could offer a blueprint for alternative production methods.

“Currently, the way these compounds are made requires a lot of very corrosive, hazardous and environmentally detrimental materials, having a bacterium make it instead would present a lot of advantages in terms of eliminating waste.”— Jonathan Caranto, associate professor of chemistry, UCF College of Sciences

“Currently, the way these compounds are made requires a lot of very corrosive, hazardous and environmentally detrimental materials,” Caranto says. “Having a bacterium make it instead would present a lot of advantages in terms of eliminating waste.”

At the same time, the discovery opens new avenues for studying how these molecules function in biological systems, including potential applications in drug development and enzyme engineering.

Uncovering Nature’s Hidden Chemistry

At the center of the discovery is hydrazinoacetic acid, a small but highly reactive molecule that functions as a precursor, or starting material, in the bacterial synthesis of N-nitroglycine. By identifying its role, researchers were able to map a previously unknown biosynthetic pathway, showing insight into how bacteria construct these compounds. For postdoctoral scholar Ben Rathman, the discovery highlights how much remains unknown about these molecules.

“The biological role of these compounds is not really well understood,” Rathman says. “We have a lot to learn from nature, and that’s where my interest in the project lies.”

That uncertainty is central to the work. While these compounds have been studied in synthetic contexts for decades, their presence in biology raises new questions about how and why organisms produce them.

A Paradox in Biology

Part of what makes the finding compelling is the tension between how these molecules are typically understood and how they behave in living systems.

“It’s one of those things where, at first, you might say this shouldn’t be a biomolecule,” chemistry doctoral student Gabriel Padilla ’17 says. “These types of functional groups are usually associated with energetics, but here they’re produced by living systems.”

Rather than behaving like traditional energetic materials, the compounds studied do not detonate under normal conditions. Instead, they appear to exist as stable intermediates within biological systems, suggesting they may serve entirely different functions.  In addition, most hydrazines are regarded as highly toxic.

For Caranto, this reflects a broader theme in the research.

“One insight from our work is that life is pretty remarkable in how it can safely and productively use molecules that would otherwise be toxic,” he says.

For the team, the work represents an early step in a much larger effort to understand the role these compounds play in nature.

“We’re really interested in why bacteria make these nitramines,” Caranto says. “This is the first step on a much longer road toward understanding that.”

Work in the Caranto and Graham labs was supported by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) projects WP24-4206 and WP2332, respectively. Work of the Caranto lab was also supported by the National Institutes of Health (R35GM147515).Work from the Zdilla lab was supported by an NSF (CHE-2215854). and the Office of Naval Research (N00014-22-1-2266).

ɫ����, researchers are developing a new approach inspired by squids, octopuses and other cephalopods, one that doesn’t wait for targets to arrive, but actively reaches out to capture them. Led by , a professor in UCF’s , the work introduces a DNA-based system designed to capture target molecules more efficiently by extending into the surrounding solution.

“One of the biggest challenges in biosensing is something surprisingly simple: molecules take time to move,” Kolpashchikov says. “Imagine trying to catch fish in a huge lake with a tiny net, most fish will never come close enough to be caught. Traditional sensors work the same way: they passively wait for target molecules (analytes) to randomly bump into them.”

The project, supported by a $272,000 award from the U.S. National Science Foundation, reframes how biosensors operate, shifting from passive detection toward active engagement.

Targeting Molecules Through DNA

Conventional biosensors rely on diffusion, meaning target molecules must randomly move through a solution before encountering a sensing surface. This process, known as mass transport limitation, can slow detection and limit performance in time-sensitive applications.

Kolpashchikov’s approach addresses this constraint by incorporating nanostructures composed of DNA strands that extend outward from the sensor. These flexible extensions function like molecular tentacles, weakly interacting with passing targets and increasing the likelihood that they will be captured.

Rather than waiting for signals to arrive, the system draws them closer.

Speeding Detection

The speed at which a sensor can detect its target is often as important as detection sensitivity and specificity. In contexts such as medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and food safety, delays can reduce reliability or limit usefulness altogether.

By increasing the rate at which target molecules are gathered and concentrated near the sensing surface, the DNA cephalopod approach may enable faster, more responsive detection systems, particularly in applications that depend on real-time or near-real-time analysis.

“Slow sensors can miss short-lived biological signals, allow samples to degrade, and delay responses to threats,” Kolpashchikov says, “Faster detection reduces costs (less time, fewer reagents), improves accuracy, and enables real-time monitoring — something essential for healthcare, environmental safety, and biosecurity.”

DNA as Structure and Sensor

The system uses DNA not only as a recognition element but also as a structural material. Engineered strands extend from the sensor into the surrounding environment, forming a dynamic interface that interacts with nearby molecules.

These extensions do not bind targets permanently at first. Instead, they weakly capture and release them, effectively increasing the local concentration of target molecules near the sensor’s core detection region. This process improves detection efficiency without requiring additional mechanical or chemical input.

By designing DNA nanostructures that actively interact with nearby molecules, the system creates a sensing environment that is more responsive and efficient.

“DNA is uniquely suited for building nanoscale machines,” Kolpashchikov says. “It’s programmable, predictable and relatively inexpensive.”

In this system, DNA strands self-assemble into a structure resembling a microscopic octopus, what the team calls  a “‘DNA cephalopod.’.” A central sensor is surrounded by long, flexible “‘tentacles”’ that extend into the solution. Each tentacle carries weak binding sites that briefly capture target molecules and pass them along from one site to the next, guiding them toward the center, where the sensor binds them more strongly and triggers detection.

Applications Across Fields

The improved speed and sensitivity of this approach expand the potential use of biosensors across multiple domains.

Possible applications include rapid detection of harmful bacteria in water and food systems, early-stage diagnosis through identification of DNA or RNA biomarkers, and forensic analysis requiring precise detection of biological material

By enabling sensors to detect smaller quantities of target molecules more quickly, the technology may support more timely and accurate decision-making in both clinical and field settings.

“The potential applications are broad: rapid disease diagnostics, including early cancer detection, and real-time monitoring of pathogens in water and food. Perhaps most exciting is that this is a general strategy. The same ‘tentacle’ concept could be applied for detection of proteins and small biological molecules.” — Dmitry Kolpashchikov, professor of chemistry, UCF College of Sciences

“This approach could dramatically improve how we detect biological molecules,” Kolpashchikov says. “The potential applications are broad: rapid disease diagnostics, including early cancer detection, real-time monitoring of pathogens in water and food. Perhaps most exciting is that this is a general strategy. The same ‘tentacle’ concept could be applied for detection of proteins and small biological molecules.”

A New Method of Rapid Analyte Detection

As with many emerging technologies, translating laboratory advances into real-world systems presents challenges. Performance in complex environments, where multiple substances interact simultaneously, remains an area for further study.

Scaling the technology and integrating it into existing diagnostic platforms will also be critical steps in determining its broader applicability.

Rather than treating biosensing as a passive process governed by chance encounters, Kolpashchikov’s work suggests a different model, one in which sensors actively engage with their environment, reaching into the surrounding space to capture what drifts.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. 2555933. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.

UCF is the leading producer of talent among Florida’s universities, awarding nearly 19,000 degrees annually to Knights who go on to work in high-demand industries. About 85% of our alumni stay in Florida because of the ample opportunity to thrive as part of our state’s workforce.

Graduates will hear from six esteemed speakers whose leadership and impact span some of Central Florida’s most influential industries:

• Barry Miller ’95, president of Voloridge Investment Management
• Brian Adams ’04MBA, president and CEO of AdventHealth Central Florida Division
• Gloria Caulfield, vice president of strategic alliances, Tavistock Development Company
• Barbara Gellman-Danley, president of Higher Learning Commission
• Maj. Gen. James Smith, commander, space training and readiness command at Patrick Space Force Base
• Peter Lee, president of Microsoft Science

Commencement Festivities

Held in the Addition Financial Arena, spring commencement will take place over six ceremonies spanning Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9.

All guests, including children and infants, need a ticket for admission. All graduates who have filed an intent to graduate will receive five commencement ceremony tickets when they pick up their regalia packet.

Guests who do not have tickets may watch the live ceremony via a simulcast viewing in the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and the Student Union. Ceremonies will also be livestreamed .

Commencement Photo-ops Across UCF

Graduating Knights are unable to take photos at the Acrisure Bounce House Stadium this semester due to ongoing construction.

Grad Walk

On Thursday, May 7, 2:30-7 p.m. (doors close at 6 p.m.), spring graduates are invited to a photo-op — Grad Walk — within the Addition Financial Arena. This will be a first-come, first-served occasion for graduates and up to 10 of their well-wishers to take photos and videos on the ceremony stage. Graduates are required to .

Commencement Schedule

Graduates and guests can review the below commencement ceremony schedule, listing colleges, ceremony dates and streaming links:

Friday, May 8

9 a.m.

College of Business

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

2 p.m.

College of Health Professions and Sciences

College of Medicine

College of Nursing

7 p.m.

College of Arts and Humanities

Nicholson School of Communication and Media

Saturday, May 9

9 a.m.

College of Community Innovation and Education

2 p.m.

College of Sciences (excluding Nicholson School of Communication and Media)

7 p.m.

College of Engineering and Computer Science

College of Graduate Studies

College of Optics and Photonics

For more details and FAQs about Spring 2026 commencement celebrations, visit ucf.edu/graduation.

Commencement Speakers

Barry Miller ’95

President of Voloridge Investment Management

Barry Miller ’95 serves as president of Voloridge Investment Management, quantitative hedge fund manager, and Voloridge Health, a data science-based health tech company, both Florida based.

Miller, who graduated with honors from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in finance, recently made a transformational $50 million gift this spring to establish the Barry S. Miller College of Business at UCF. The largest single philanthropic investment in UCF history, the gift will accelerate a bold new model of business education designed for a world where technology, data and decision-making are inseparable.

Miller, also a member of the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame, brings years of executive experience, having previously served as CEO of LASAS Technologies, a finance and insurance company that he co-founded in 1998. His career experience includes financial analysis, capital raising, financial markets, actuarial experience, software development and in-depth company infrastructure formation.

After gaining valuable experience as an entrepreneur and chief executive officer, Miller’s ambition led him to join and invest in Voloridge Investment Management and then Voloridge Health. For both companies, he is responsible for many facets of leadership, including trading, back-office operations, compliance, sales and marketing, vendor relationships and strategic planning.

Brian Adams ’04MBA

President and CEO of AdventHealth Central Florida Division

Brian Adams is president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems, whose 37,000 dedicated team members provide care for more than 3 million patients.

Known for building high-performing teams and ensuring the organization grows to meet the care needs of the community, Adams has led efforts to expand access to care, elevate quality and bring innovative solutions to rapidly growing communities. His leadership has continued to position AdventHealth as a trusted and innovative partner in Central Florida.

As a part of AdventHealth for more than 24 years, Adams has held senior leadership roles across the organization, including CEO positions in Tampa and Polk County, where he oversaw major expansions, facility investments and quality improvements.

He earned his master’s of business administration from the ɫ���� and a bachelor’s degree from Union College in Nebraska. Originally from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Adams and his wife have two teenage sons.

Gloria Caulfield

Vice president of strategic alliances, Tavistock Development Company

In her multifaceted role as vice president of strategic alliances at Tavistock, Gloria Caulfield manages business development and corporate partnerships, collaborates with national and global stakeholders to advance health innovation, and leads the development of cutting-edge strategies for the Lake Nona community.

She is the chief architect and creative force behind the Lake Nona Impact Forum. The revered global health innovation summit brings together many of the world’s most preeminent thought leaders and serves as a signature event of the Tavistock Group.

Caulfield serves on boards that reflect her passion for advancing the future of human health, including the StartUp Health Impact Board, which focuses on mobilizing entrepreneurs to solve the biggest health challenges of our time, and the LFE Capital Advisory Board, which supports female founders and impactful, wellness-oriented companies.

Prior to joining Tavistock, she had a distinguished career at AdventHealth. As senior executive director for community development, she provided strategic leadership for corporate partnerships and spearheaded critical community initiatives across Central Florida. Caulfield is an alumna of the University of Arizona and brings visionary leadership to every aspect of her work.

Barbara Gellman-Danley

President of Higher Learning Commission

Barbara Gellman-Danley is president of the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits colleges and universities to ensure they meet high-quality standards and continuously improve.

Prior to beginning this role in 2014, she was president of the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College in Ohio. She previously served as vice chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, president of Antioch University McGregor, vice president at Monroe Community College and vice chancellor at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Gellman-Danley sits on the boards of Credential Engine, which she chairs, and GlobalMindED. Her career includes previous board and commission memberships with the Association of Governing Boards Council of Presidents, the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, the American Council on Education’s Education and Attainment group and the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning.

Gellman-Danley holds degrees from Syracuse University, Simmons University, Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma. She did post-graduate work at New York University, Cornell, Harvard, the University of Chicago and MIT.

An honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa, she is a professional certified coach, certified executive coach and certified life coach. She holds certifications in change management, Agile and Lean Six Sigma, a professional credential validating expertise in data-driven process improvement aimed at reducing waste and defects.

Maj. Gen. James Smith

Commander, space training and readiness command at Patrick Space Force Base

As commander, Maj. Gen. James E. Smith is responsible for preparing the U.S. Space Force and more than 14,000 military and civilian guardians to prevail in competition and conflict through innovative education, training, doctrine and test activities.

Originally from Boise, Idaho, Maj. Gen. Smith commissioned in 1997 as the top graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. His career spans numerous space operations and acquisition positions, including command at the squadron, group, wing, garrison and Field Command levels.

Maj. Gen. Smith has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Prior to his current position, Maj. Gen. Smith served as the vice director, Joint Force Development, J-7, the Joint Staff, Arlington, Virginia.

Peter Lee

President of Microsoft Science

Peter Lee is president of Microsoft Science, where his responsibility is to accelerate the pace of discovery in the physical, biological and medical sciences through the use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

Previously, he led the world laboratories of Microsoft Research. Before joining Microsoft in 2010, he established a new technology office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, creating operational capabilities in machine learning, data science and computational social science.

From 1987 to 2010, Lee was a professor and the head of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and serves on the boards of several institutions in AI and medicine, including the board of trustees of the Mayo Clinic and the board of directors of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. He served on President Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity and has testified before both U.S. House and Senate committees.

He is the co-author of the book, The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond. In 2024, Lee was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in health and life sciences.