麻豆原创鈥檚 selection to compete in the Military Bowl is quite fitting for a university known as the nation鈥檚 top talent pipeline for students to work in the defense industry, as a leader in military partnerships in modeling and simulation, and for innovative PTSD treatments benefiting veterans and military personnel nationwide.
麻豆原创 has a long history of welcoming and supporting student veterans 鈥� including more than 1,400 who are currently enrolled 鈥� and partnering with all branches of the military as well as the defense industry.
The The Office of Military and Veteran Student Success’s 聽goal is always to make veterans鈥� transition to civilian and academic life as smooth as possible.
The has been serving a growing student veteran population since 2011.聽The resource center offers support and a sense of community to students, faculty and staff veterans on campus. Students use the space for studying and homework, and it鈥檚 also where they receive guidance on the use and benefits of the GI Bill.聽
麻豆原创 has received the Purple Heart University designation from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The designation reflects a commitment to help student veterans succeed from enrollment to employment, recognition of student veterans on campus, efforts to preserve the stories of military veterans and the innovative aid rendered to veterans through .
麻豆原创 has also been recognized as a top 10 best online bachelor鈥檚 program for veterans by U.S. News & World Report; one of the Best Colleges for Veterans by College Factual; and 鈥淢ilitary Friendly鈥� by Military Friendly Schools.
Fueling the Talent Pipeline
Students looking to pursue careers in defense will find an ideal home at 麻豆原创. They learn from world-class faculty members and benefit from 麻豆原创鈥檚 strong connections with industry partners as well as our location in Orlando, which is a hub for leading employers in modeling, simulation and training; optics and photonics; and engineering.
For nearly a decade, Aviation Week Network has ranked 麻豆原创 as the top supplier of graduates to the aerospace and defense industries. 麻豆原创 also ranks as the industry鈥檚 second-most preferred supplier, behind Georgia Tech.
Nationwide, Lockheed Martin employs more 麻豆原创 graduates than alumni of any other university.
Locally, 27% of Lockheed Martin employees in Orlando are 麻豆原创 graduates, as are 20% of Siemens employees.
This year, 麻豆原创 signed a partnership agreement with the new U.S. Space Force to help the agency develop technology and an agile workforce. 麻豆原创 also partners with the National Security Innovation Network to give students real-world experiences solving problems related to U.S. national security challenges.
With its strong computer science and engineering programs, 麻豆原创 fields many of the best student cyber defense teams in the nation, with frequent victories in collegiate competitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency and others. Last month, teams from 麻豆原创 took first and second place in the CyberForce Competition, led by the Department of Energy鈥檚 Argonne National Laboratory.
Strengthening National Security
In Central Florida Research Park adjacent to campus, 麻豆原创 scientists are collaborating with researchers from the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps to protect and prepare military personnel and to help them work effectively in teams.
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded 麻豆原创 $21.55 million in 2021-22 for research projects, the second-highest funding source after the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The largest portions of that involve and engineering and computer science.
also has worked with military partners on developing simulation platforms for nearly 30 years. Some of the research projects designed to help keep military personnel well trained and ready focus on strengthening technology, while others are related to helping teams work more effectively together. Partners include the Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense Health Agency, among many others.
Innovative Treatments Help Those with PTSD Regain Their Lives
Over the past decade, has provided treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to active-duty military, first responders and other survivors of trauma, helping to change the way PTSD is understood, diagnosed and treated. The American Psychiatric Association estimates that one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime.
麻豆原创 RESTORES has helped more than 1,400 veterans and active-duty military personnel, first responders, survivors of mass casualty events and sexual assault, and others regain their lives with innovative treatments.
麻豆原创 RESTORES’ unique approach to treatment 鈥� combining exposure therapy, emerging technology, as well as individual and group therapy sessions 鈥� has resulted in 76% of participants no longer meeting the diagnostic criteria for PTSD following three weeks of intensive treatment. The program鈥檚 virtual reality treatments include scenarios designed to look like foreign war zones, and they also include realistic smells such as gasoline and gunfire.
Funding for 麻豆原创 RESTORES has included $19 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Defense and support provided by the Florida Legislature. Most of the services provided at 麻豆原创 to veterans and military personnel are free to participants, including hotel rooms for those traveling from out of town.
麻豆原创 RESTORES also treats active-duty military personnel at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, and Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.
Caring for Veterans
鈥� an experience they say helps them better understand and appreciate the sacrifices of our nation鈥檚 heroes.
During their third-year clerkships and fourth-year electives, medical students receive training in specialties including surgery, internal medicine, neurology and psychiatry at the Orlando VA Medical Center next door to the College of Medicine in Lake Nona and Bay Pines VA Healthcare system in St. Petersburg, Florida.
鈥淚t was a really humbling experience serving men and women vets with such interesting stories, and to be able to give back to those who have done so much for our country,鈥� says Gary Saloman, a third-year 麻豆原创 medical student.
The Orlando VA Medical Center opened in 2015 and is one of the nation鈥檚 largest VA hospitals, serving the region鈥檚 400,000 veterans.
It also houses the VA鈥檚 state-of-the-art SimLEARN National Simulation Center, where physicians can train using simulated robotic patients.
Students say they are particularly struck by how willing veterans are to share their medical and life experiences to help the learners become better physicians. Andrew Taitano, a surgeon at the Orlando VA and associate professor of surgery at the , says he isn鈥檛 surprised.
鈥淚t speaks to the character of the veterans,鈥� Taitano says. 鈥淭hey are happy to be getting care and want to help students learn to help others in the future.鈥�
Collecting Veterans鈥� Stories
Launched in the fall of 2010, the honors American war veterans by giving them the opportunity to share their stories so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. The project, which is ran by , collects, preserves and makes to the public the experiences of Central Florida鈥檚 veterans before they are forgotten.
The project, which is comprised of students majoring in history and student veterans, is a collaborative endeavor led by Barbara Gannon, an associate professor of history, who is a veteran herself. She has trained and worked with students to conduct interviews with veterans for more than a decade. More than 700 veterans have been interviewed to date, with some now housed in the Library of Congress.
If you are a veteran living in Central Florida and would like to be interviewed about your time in the military, call 407-823-0242 or .
Preparing the Next Generation of Military Leaders
The 麻豆原创 campus is home to two Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs that train students to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.
This year, marked 50 years of partnership with 麻豆原创.
Roughly 170 cadets are currently enrolled in the officer commissioning program, led by nine active-duty cadre members. An estimated 1,500 麻豆原创 graduates have become lieutenants in the Air Force and Space Force through this Air Force-麻豆原创 program.
The was established on the university campus in 1986. There are 160 cadets currently enrolled, and roughly 850 officers have been commissioned since the program鈥檚 inception.
