Worth noting among this graduating class:

• Roughly 30% of the undergraduate students receiving their degrees are the first in their families to earn their diploma.
• More than 25% of this term’s degrees are tied to STEM majors.
• About 30% of the undergraduate graduating class are Pell Grant recipients.

麻豆原创 is the leading producer of talent among Florida鈥檚 universities, awarding roughly 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鈥檚 workforce.

Graduates will hear from听three听esteemed speakers听鈥� all 麻豆原创 graduates 鈥斕齱hose leadership and impact听have听benefited听our region:

• Psychology alum听Allen Johnson听鈥�81,听chief听venue听officer for听City听for听Orlando Venues
• Journalism alum Tanya (Easterling) Hill 鈥�97, market president for Central Florida for Florida Blue
• 颁谤颈尘颈苍补濒听箩耻蝉迟颈肠别听补濒耻尘听Fred Kittinger 鈥�80, 麻豆原创鈥檚 former听senior associate vice president for government and community relations

Commencement Festivities

Held in the Addition Financial Arena, summer commencement will take place over three ceremonies spanning Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1.

All guests, including children and infants,鈥痭eed 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鈥痩ive ceremony via a simulcast viewing鈥痠n the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and the Student Union. Ceremonies will also be .

Commencement Photo-ops Across 麻豆原创

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

Grad Walk

On Thursday,听July听30,听4:30-7 p.m. (doors close at 6 p.m.),听summer听graduates are invited to a photo-op 鈥� Grad Walk 鈥� 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.鈥疓raduates听are required to听register at听.

Commencement Schedule

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

贵谤颈诲补测,听闯耻濒测听31

6听辫.尘.

College of Arts and Humanities

College of Community Innovation and Education

College of Graduate Studies

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Saturday,听Aug. 1

9 a.m.

Barry S. Miller听College of Business

College of Health Professions and Sciences

College of Medicine

College of Nursing

2:30听辫.尘.

College of Engineering and Computer Science

College of Optics and Photonics

College of Sciences

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

Commencement Speakers

Allen Johnson 鈥�81

Chief Venues Officer, City of Orlando Venues

Allen Johnson 鈥�81 has served as chief venues officer of Orlando Venues since 2004, overseeing the City of Orlando’s diverse portfolio of Kia Center, Camping World Stadium, Tinker Field, Leu Gardens and the Mennello Museum of American Art.

Johnson brings decades of venue management experience from leadership roles across Florida. Under Johnson’s leadership, Orlando Venues has evolved into a premier, globally recognized destination for sports, entertainment and culture, welcoming millions of guests each year while strengthening Central Florida’s reputation as a world-class destination.

A proud 麻豆原创 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, he has earned numerous honors, including the 2025 International Association of Venue Managers Foundation Legacy Award, the SPORTYS Executive of the Year Award and the Downtowner of the Year Award.

He remains active in the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), serving as past chairman and trustee of the foundation board, while also contributing to organizations that include the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, Florida Citrus Sports, Victim Service Center and the .

Tanya (Easterling) Hill 鈥�97

Market President for Central Florida, Florida Blue

Tanya Hill 鈥�97听is Florida Blue鈥檚 market president for Central Florida,听responsible for听regional business and community engagement in a 9-county region.

Throughout her more than 25-year career, she has worked with reputable brands including Chick-fil-A, Target and Walt Disney World to drive business results through strategic partnerships.

Hill is passionate about investing time in the community and has been involved with听numerous听community and civic organizations. She currently serves on the board of directors for the听African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, 4Roots Foundation, Orlando Economic听Partnership听and the Winter Park Health Foundation.

Hill holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in journalism from 麻豆原创.

Fred Kittinger 鈥�80

Former Senior Associate Vice President for Government and Community Relations, 麻豆原创

A native of central Florida, Fred Kittinger 鈥�80 recently retired as senior associate vice president for government and community relations at 麻豆原创, where he served for more than 22 years.

He worked alongside local and state leaders to help foster some of 麻豆原创’s most transformative achievements, including the approval of 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Medicine, the creation of the world-class Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, the development of 麻豆原创 Downtown, the expansion of the 麻豆原创 Business Incubation Program and investments that enhanced the student experience and advanced regional impact.

Prior to his career at 麻豆原创, Kittinger served as chief of staff to Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood and previously as vice president of government relations for the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce. He began his career as a legislative aide to state Senator George Stuart of Orlando.

Reflecting his commitment to the community, Kittinger currently serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Central Florida (past chair), Central Florida Council for Scouting America and Legacy Pointe at 麻豆原创.

Kittinger graduated from 麻豆原创鈥檚 criminal justice program and earned his master’s degree in public administration from Florida State University.

麻豆原创 researchers are known worldwide for their innovative studies, groundbreaking discoveries and contributions to patented technologies that have impacted society and influenced other leaders in the field.

Two College of Engineering and Computer Science professors and a three-time 麻豆原创 alum-turned-courtesy faculty appointee are now being recognized for their achievements that have advanced the quality of life for the state of Florida and the nation.

Professors Reza Abdolvand and Ni-bin Chang and Lockheed Martin Fellow Clara Rivero Baleine 鈥�01 鈥�03MS 鈥�05PhD have been named 2026 inductees of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (FIHF). This initiative celebrates pioneering inventors and empowers future problem-solvers and changemakers.

This initiative celebrates pioneering inventors and empowers future problem-solvers and changemakers.

This year, 10 inventors from Florida will be inducted during a formal ceremony in Tampa on Nov. 6. Since FIHF was founded in 2013, five faculty inventors from 麻豆原创 have been recognized with the distinction.

鈥淚nduction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame represents the ultimate validation of a lifelong commitment to translating academic research into industry practice,鈥� Chang says. 鈥淏eing inducted into the Hall of Fame, which includes over 90 inventors in different fields is also a testament to the thriving Florida innovation ecosystem and the power of continuous, groundbreaking discovery.鈥�

A Career in Environmental Innovation

Chang was selected for induction based on his groundbreaking invention of green sorption media (GSM) and sustainable water treatment technologies that improve water quality.

GSM is a cost-effective and sustainable type of filtration media that uses recycled byproducts and natural minerals to treat stormwater runoff, wastewater effluent, groundwater flow and agricultural discharge.

There are a variety of patented GSM blends that can filter heavy metals, pathogens and contaminants from water systems. This process not only restores aquatic ecosystems but halts the transmission of waterborne diseases, and eliminates cyanotoxins and 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� from water that can harm both humans and animals.

鈥淩emoving these diverse contaminants from water matrices provides profound, cascading benefits for both human health and aquatic ecosystems,鈥� Chang says. 鈥淏y eliminating the risk pathways associated with both acute exposure and chronic bioaccumulation, these GSM-based treatment technologies support fundamental ecological balance and public well-being.鈥�

GSM blends are already used at more than 300 water treatment sites across the U.S.

The Inventor of Advanced Electronics

Abdolvand, the chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was named an inductee for his contributions to the field of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) 鈥� incredibly small devices that have mighty power. Specifically, he is the inventor of a class of microelectronics called Thin-Film Piezoelectric-on-Substrate (TPoS) devices, which improve the reliability and efficiency of a wide range of electronics, including cell phones.

鈥淏y improving the efficiency and reliability of the components that make up these systems, the impact, while often invisible to the end user, is very real,鈥� Abdolvand says. 鈥淏etter performance, lower power consumption, and more reliable devices are the kinds of improvements that quietly make everyday technology work better for everyone.鈥�

Abdolvand鈥檚 interest in innovation stems from his natural sense of curiosity. He says his tendency to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated events or systems has served him well throughout his career in research and academia.

鈥淭he moment it all clicked was during my Ph.D., when I was first given the opportunity to work on genuinely hard technical problems,鈥� Abdolvand says. 鈥淚 realized I could come up with solutions that simply did not exist yet. That realization was a turning point.鈥�

As his career progresses, Abdolvand hopes to leave behind a legacy that is less about devices and innovation and more about people. His passion for educating, inspiring and creating opportunities for students means more than the impacts of his inventions.

鈥淲hat excites me most is seeing students take the seed ideas developed at the university and carry them forward into their own companies, their own inventions, their own contributions to society,鈥� Abdolvand says. 鈥淭hat chain of innovation 鈥� from a research lab to a startup to a product that improves people’s lives 鈥� is what I find truly meaningful. If I can play even a small role in setting that chain in motion for as many students as possible, that is the legacy I would be interested to leave behind.鈥�

On the Cutting Edge of听Infrared听Materials and Optics

Driven by a desire to protect people and advance technologies that matter, Rivero Baleine joined Lockheed Martin, a 麻豆原创 Pegasus Partner, in 2005 after completing three degrees in six years at 麻豆原创.

Rivero Baleine now serves as a Lockheed Martin fellow, contributing to cutting鈥慹dge innovation in infrared materials and optics.

Rivero-Baleine鈥檚 gradient refractive index optical materials and metamaterial coatings transformed infrared sensing systems for defense and advanced photonics applications.

鈥淚 am profoundly proud and deeply humbled to be welcomed into such an extraordinary community of inventors and innovators,鈥� Rivero-Baleine says. 鈥淲hat inspires me most is knowing that these听innovations will听become part of systems that protect service members, strengthen national security and expand the capabilities of the platforms we rely on. That sense of purpose continues to听drive听my work every day.鈥�

Rivero Baleine continues to maintain strong ties with 麻豆原创 through a courtesy faculty appointment at CREOL and serves on the CREOL Dean Advisory Board and the 麻豆原创 Material Science Industrial Advisory board.

Rivero Baleine is a Burnett Honors Scholar and earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in physics, and a 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 and a doctorate in optics.

For scientists working on NASA鈥檚 proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory, that question is no longer purely philosophical. It is increasingly becoming an engineering problem.

Researchers at 麻豆原创鈥檚 are helping develop technology designed to help future space telescopes detect potentially habitable planets orbiting distant stars.

The NASA-funded project, known as PEEPSS (Photonics-Enabled Exoplanet Spectroscopic System), aims to help astronomers directly observe planets hidden within the overwhelming brightness of their parent stars.

鈥淚f they鈥檙e in the habitable zone, that means they are orbiting close to their host star, and that host star is typically going to be 10 billion times brighter than the planet,鈥� says Professor Stephen Eikenberry, principal investigator on the project.

To explain the difficulty, Eikenberry compares the task to trying to spot 鈥渁 tiny blinking light while someone is shining a spotlight directly in your face.鈥�

The work supports the long-term goals of NASA鈥檚 proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a future flagship space telescope intended to search for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system and analyze their atmospheres for signs of life.

Solving One of Astronomy鈥檚 Hardest Problems

Astronomers already know planets are common throughout the universe. The challenge now is identifying Earth-like planets that are extraordinarily faint compared to the stars they orbit.

Astronomers use instruments called coronagraphs to block a star鈥檚 glare while allowing faint planetary signals to reach a telescope鈥檚 detectors.

Even then, however, microscopic imperfections in a telescope鈥檚 optics can allow enormous amounts of starlight to leak through the system.

鈥淎nd you can say, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 only a part in a million,鈥� 鈥� Eikenberry says. 鈥淕uess what? A part in a million means it鈥檚 still 10,000 times brighter than your exoplanet. You鈥檙e doomed.鈥�

The system performs an advanced form of wavefront sensing that detects and corrects tiny distortions in incoming light before they overwhelm planetary signals.

Unlike many existing systems that monitor light earlier in the optical process, PEEPSS performs wavefront sensing directly at the telescope鈥檚 focal plane, the same location where scientific imaging occurs.

That distinction is important because it allows researchers to detect and correct optical errors that emerge after light passes through a telescope鈥檚 coronagraph. Scientists refer to these distortions as 鈥渘on-common-path aberrations.鈥�

To explain the concept, Eikenberry compares the system to trying to monitor a room you cannot fully see.

鈥淚magine you鈥檙e in a house and you want the entire house to be perfectly clean,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can see people walking into the bedroom, but you can鈥檛 actually see inside the bedroom itself. That鈥檚 the non-common path.鈥�

By monitoring the complete optical pathway all the way through to the focal plane, researchers hope PEEPSS can help future observatories achieve the extraordinary precision necessary to detect habitable worlds.

A New Approach Using Photonic Lanterns

At the center of the project is an emerging technology known as a photonic lantern.

The device separates complex incoming light into individual optical channels, allowing researchers to recover not only brightness information, but also phase information carried by light waves, data that conventional imaging systems typically discard.

鈥淭raditional detectors wipe that information out,鈥� Eikenberry says. 鈥淧hotonic lanterns allow us to recover it.鈥�

That additional information enables what researchers describe as 鈥渜uantum-inspired imaging,鈥� an emerging technique that uses light behavior to improve image resolution and filter out the remaining starlight.

Researchers at CREOL have become major contributors to the rapidly growing field of astrophotonics, which combines astronomy, fiber optics and advanced photonic technologies.

鈥淭here are really only two major centers doing cutting-edge work on photonic lanterns,鈥� Eikenberry says. 鈥淯s and the University of Sydney in Australia.鈥�

The project brings together collaborators from 麻豆原创, University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Sydney, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. At 麻豆原创, Eikenberry works alongside graduate student Genevieve Markees and researchers including Rodrigo Amezcua Correa, Miguel Bandres and Jose-Enrique Antonio-Lopez, whose expertise in fiber optics and photonics helped establish the collaboration.

Looking Toward Habitable Worlds

The current PEEPSS project is structured as a three-year effort focused on building and testing prototype photonic lantern systems in laboratory and telescope environments.

Some versions of the technology have already undergone testing on telescopes in Hawaii through collaborations with the Air Force Research Laboratory and international research partners.

Ultimately, researchers hope the technology could become part of the future NASA missions searching for habitable planets around distant stars.

鈥淚f we can identify habitable worlds around other stars and show they possess conditions where Earth-like life could survive, that鈥檚 already revolutionary,鈥� Eikenberry says. 鈥淚f we discover actual evidence of life, then we鈥檙e talking about one of the greatest scientific discoveries in human history.鈥�

For Eikenberry, humanity may now be approaching a historic turning point.

鈥淲e are one mission away,鈥� he says.

And if future observations succeed, humanity may no longer simply wonder whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. For researchers involved in the project, that possibility is what makes the work so compelling.

鈥淲e鈥檒l look up and know.鈥�

The PEEPSS project is supported by NASA through award No. 80NSSC26K0577 and brings together researchers from 麻豆原创, the University of Sydney and the University of California, Santa Cruz to develop advanced photonic technologies for future exoplanet imaging and spectroscopy missions, including NASA鈥檚 proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory. The initial PEEPSS concept development was supported by the 麻豆原创 through its SPICE Academic Excellence Program.

Our students are groundbreaking national and global scholarship winners, researchers, athletes, teaching assistants, residence assistants and leaders in campus organizations, including Student Government, LEAD Scholars and the President鈥檚 Leadership Council. The honorees include transfer students, those from first-generation and international backgrounds and members of the Burnett Honors College.

Aside from focusing on academics and campus causes, many of the student honorees volunteered at hospitals, schools, parks, food banks, shelters, clinics, youth clubs and with many community service organizations 鈥� at times as organizers and coordinators for support drives and campaigns.

鈥淲hen you look at this group, you see trajectory.鈥� 鈥� John Buckwalter, 麻豆原创’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs

鈥淭he students we recognize at our Founders鈥� Day Student Honors Celebration are extraordinary not just for what they鈥檝e achieved, but for how they鈥檝e shaped their time at 麻豆原创. They鈥檝e pursued opportunities, challenged themselves and lifted others along the way,鈥� says John Buckwalter, 麻豆原创’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. 鈥淲hen you look at this group, you see trajectory 鈥� students whose experiences here are opening doors in meaningful ways and changing the direction of their futures, the trajectories of their families and the communities they inhabit.鈥�

Student award categories highlight new inductees of the Order of Pegasus, 麻豆原创鈥檚 highest student honor; graduate awards for outstanding 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 thesis and outstanding dissertation; undergraduate awards for honors thesis; and individual college awardees as chosen by the respective college deans. All honorees earned financial awards.

This year鈥檚 37 inductees into the Order of Pegasus mark the 25^th anniversary class of top-achieving Knights. The average GPA of the 2026 class is 3.912.

The campus community is invited to attend the Student Honors Celebration on Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Student Union鈥檚 Pegasus Ballroom. A brief reception will follow.

Here are the students to be recognized.

Order of Pegasus Inductees

• Fatima Alziyad, College of Health Professions and Sciences and Burnett Honors College
• Andy Ayup, College of Sciences
• Megan Bailey, College of Engineering and Computer Science and Burnett Honors College
• Stacie Becker 鈥�23, College of Arts and Humanities
• Akash Hari Bharath 鈥�25MS, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Swati Bhargava 鈥�25MS, College of Optics and Photonics
• Sanjana Bhatt, College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
• Griffon Binkowski 鈥�24, College of Sciences and Burnett Honors College
• Ossyris Bury, College of Engineering and Computer Science and Burnett Honors College
• Nico Chen, College of Arts and Humanities and Burnett Honors College
• Kyle Coutray, College of Medicine, College of Engineering and Computer Science and Burnett Honors College
• Allyson Crighton, College of Nursing and Burnett Honors College
• Nyauni Crowelle-Feggins, College of Health Professions and Sciences and Burnett Honors College
• Cameron Cummins, College of Arts and Humanities and Burnett Honors College
• Andrew 鈥淒rew鈥� Hansen 鈥�25, College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
• Andrea Hernandez Gomez, College of Sciences
• Lindsey Hildebrand, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Ariana Johnson, College of Medicine
• Sanjan Kumar 鈥�23, College of Medicine
• Kworweinski Lafontant, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Meera Lakshmanan, College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
• Abrianna Lalle, College of Nursing
• Ilana Logvinov, College of Nursing
• Hannah Lovejoy, College of Business
• Taiel Lucile, College of Health Professions and Sciences and Burnett Honors College
• Robin Marquez, College of Sciences
• Shanel Moya Aguero, College of Community Innovation and Education and Burnett Honors College
• Gabrielle 鈥淕abby鈥� Murison, College of Sciences
• Varun Nannuri, College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
• Natalie Otero, College of Business and Burnett Honors College
• Om Pathak, College of Medicine, College of Arts and Humanities and Burnett Honors College
• Pritha Sarkar 鈥�24, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Jacob Vierling, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Janapriya Vijayakumar, College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
• Ornella Vintimilla, College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
• Om Vishanagra, College of Medicine, College of Engineering and Computer Science and Burnett Honors College

Undergraduate Student Awards

College Founders鈥� Award

• Liam Pivnichny, Burnett Honors College
• Antonella Bisbal Hernandez, College of Arts and Humanities
• Jordan Nell, College of Business
• Jude Hagan, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Ossyris Bury, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Timothy Horanic, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Sun Latt, College of Medicine
• Abrianna Lalle, College of Nursing
• Jacob Silver, College of Optics and Photonics
• Emily Willis, College of Sciences
• Fabian Rodriguez Gomez, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Outstanding Honors Undergraduate Thesis

• Edwin Garcia 鈥�25, College of Arts and Humanities, Outstanding Honors Thesis in Arts, Humanities and Creative Inquiry
• Eric Haseman 鈥�25, College of Sciences, Outstanding Honors Undergraduate Thesis in Social Sciences
• Shreya Pawar 鈥�25, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Outstanding Honors Undergraduate Thesis in Natural Sciences
• Andrea Molero Perez 鈥�25, College of Medicine, Outstanding Honors Undergraduate Thesis in Health Sciences
• Nicholas Rose 鈥�25, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Outstanding Honors Thesis in Engineering and Technology

Graduate Student Awards

Outstanding Dissertation

• Jessica Moon 鈥�25PhD, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Michael Pierro 鈥�20 鈥�23MS 鈥�25PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science

鈥淐entral Florida is my home, and I鈥檇 like to be part of this community for as long as I鈥痗an,鈥� he says.

That plan fell into place when he landed鈥痑 job at Lockheed Martin, a 麻豆原创 Pegasus Partner, just weeks after graduating with his bachelor鈥檚 degree in May.鈥疕is鈥痭ew role鈥痑s an electro-optical engineer associate in Lockheed Martin鈥檚 Orlando Missiles and Fire Control division involves developing new imaging systems 鈥� a project that comes with its own challenges.

鈥淭hese systems make use of sensors specific to the mission,鈥� says Lopez-Zelaya, who is part of the 83% of career-ready 麻豆原创 alumni who help fuel Florida鈥檚 workforce. 鈥淲e鈥檙e concerned with how these sensors generate images, so we take the optics and other sources of noise into consideration.鈥�

That鈥檚听exactly the skillset he honed during his time at听the听麻豆原创 College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL). In addition to engineering and physics concepts, CREOL students learn the hands-on methods necessary to build optical and electro-optical systems 鈥� allowing them to contribute to technological developments that benefit humanity. Lopez Zelaya says he now puts that training to use every day.

鈥淪omebody who doesn鈥檛 have an optics and photonics background can鈥檛 truly engage in these discussions,鈥� he says, 鈥淏ecause they don鈥檛 understand the basics of what is actually happening in these systems.鈥�

Lopez Zelaya鈥檚 early career success is a continuation of the legacy he built during his听undergrad听years. Between classes that taught him MATLAB, display technology, image听processing听and semiconductor devices, he got involved as an undergraduate student research assistant. He also volunteered at Grace Medical Home, served as president of the IEEE Photonics Society student听chapter听and served on 麻豆原创鈥檚 President鈥檚 Leadership Council. His dedication to both professional development and his fellow students led to his induction into Order of Pegasus, the most prestigious award 麻豆原创 bestows upon students.

Lopez Zelaya says听麻豆原创鈥檚听culture of creating lifelong learners prepared him well for his next steps at Lockheed Martin.

鈥淓verybody is willing to learn something new about optics,鈥� he says, adding that听he鈥檚听often a source of听expertise听for questions that arise in the field.

Lopez Zelaya鈥檚 quick transition illustrates the value of the talent pipeline听CREOL supplies to the Central Florida photonics industry.听As a valued, longtime member of CREOL鈥檚 Industrial Affiliates Program, Lockheed Martin鈥檚 partnership has strengthened both the available opportunities for students and collaborative research efforts that aim to听benefit听the industry at large. And as a new听Pegasus Partner听with 麻豆原创, Lockheed Martin鈥檚 investment in the future will make impacts far beyond CREOL鈥檚 walls,听building on听a longstanding and pragmatic focus on talent pipeline.

With a 7-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, CREOL鈥檚 students are in a unique position to have a small-college experience at a big university. Lopez Zelaya says听he鈥檚听glad to have found a similar sense of community at鈥疞ockheed Martin.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a misconception that new technologies mostly emerge from startups, but a lot of them are being developed here,鈥� he says. 鈥淒evelopment is fun 鈥� taking鈥痑 concept and making it into a working product.鈥�

Lopez Zelaya says he鈥檚 proud to put those skills to use in his hometown, and for a company that鈥檚 leading the way in emerging optical technology 鈥� positively contributing to Central Florida鈥檚 economy along the way.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the best ways to make an impact here,鈥� he says.

That鈥檚 the understanding 11th grader Micah Terry now has about photonics after spending a week at CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics鈥� Laser and Photonics Summer Camp. The Orlando Science High School student learned how to solder, constructed a pinhole camera, built a homemade telescope and brainstormed some ideas for his future.

鈥淚鈥檓 definitely considering photonics as a career,鈥� he says.

Terry was one of about 50 high school students from across Central Florida 鈥� and the world 鈥� who will return to their classrooms with a new understanding of the science of light and as an advocate for Florida鈥檚 only bachelor鈥檚 degree in photonic science and engineering.

“There are only six universities in the United States with this degree,鈥� CREOL Undergraduate Adviser Mike McKee says. 鈥淏ecause of that, students don’t know that this is a potential career that they could go into.鈥�

This is the third year CREOL has hosted the camp and the second year that organizers expanded the program into three one-week sessions to meet the demand. Each week, about 15 students collaborated in the teaching lab, helping each other assemble their projects in between talks by CREOL students and faculty members.

“It’s an opportunity for high school students to learn about the many important things that you can do with the science of light, whether it’s applications in imaging or in measuring distances, such as LIDAR in cars or fiber optic communications,鈥� CREOL Dean David Hagan says.

Those connections aren鈥檛 always made in high school classrooms. CREOL senior Kiva McCracken kept that in mind as she planned the activities for the camp.

“There’s very few programs that teach photonics, and there’s basically no exposure on a pre-college level,鈥� McCracken says.

Changing that reality promises to grow enrollment in the bachelor鈥檚 program as the awareness grows, but there are broader implications for the photonics industry. The听U.S. Department of Labor听projects that each year, there are more than 10,000 job openings for photonics engineers 鈥� 700 of which are in Florida. But only 80 to 100 students in the听entire U.S.听graduate with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in photonics engineering. 麻豆原创 and CREOL proudly supply more than one third of those graduates.

鈥淭hey’re high-paying jobs, and some of them are companies in the Central Florida area,鈥� McKee says. 鈥淲ith CREOL, they’re going to be able to get home-grown people, versus going outside of the state and bringing them in, so we’re going to enable some of these companies to continue to grow and advance in photonics locally.”

Often, local growth is made possible by international talent. Chloe Phung attends high school in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She was awarded a scholarship to make the trip to Orlando to learn about photonics.

“I had the chance to learn many things, to know more about optics and lenses, and lasers,” Phung says.

Orange County Public Schools teachers Bill Young and Jorge Vallin helped McCracken facilitate the lessons and activities. At the end of the camp, parents gathered to watch their students present what they learned. Campers explained the science behind printed circuit boards, LED lighting, lasers and light diffraction. Parents were also given information about what classes their children might take to get on the right track for the bachelor鈥檚 degree program. There are multiple pathways, including earning credits at Valencia College that will ultimately transfer. One day of the camp was dedicated to a tour of Valencia鈥檚 Osceola campus, which offers introductory courses in photonics.

“We have a really strong undergraduate program in optics and photonics at 麻豆原创, and not many people know about it,鈥� Hagan says. 鈥淭his is a chance for students to get familiar. It’s also just as important for them to get a broader view of science than they might get in high school.”

The camp follows an inaugural Teacher Ambassador Program at CREOL. Eight teachers from across Central Florida spent three days doing similar hands-on activities that they could bring back to their classrooms. Unlike normal professional development workshops, the sessions also empowered teachers to become representatives for the college 鈥� and in turn, introduce more high school students to what CREOL has to offer.

Two 麻豆原创 researchers, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and CREOL Assistant Professor Leland Nordin, and CREOL Professor Shuo Sean Pang, are developing an infrared imager that can overcome these limitations. Their team is led by Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory. The three-year, $450,000 project is funded by the Photonic Enabled Tera-scale InfraRed Imager (PETRI) Grand Challenge Laboratory Directed Research and Development program, which asks researchers to create the next generation of infrared-imaging technologies.

鈥淭he Grand Challenge programs bring people with expertise together to solve a problem for a period of three years, says Shuo Sean Pang, a professor in CREOL and co-principal investigator of the project. 鈥淭hrough the program, we can tackle solving a technology problem that we choose.鈥�

Building a Better Camera

The lead on the project is Nordin, who shares a joint appointment between the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and CREOL. He is using his knowledge of materials and his expertise in photonics to create some of the hardware for the camera while Pang and his team work on data encoding and transmission.

Nordin will use radiation-tolerant materials and a form of nanostructuring known as atomic layer deposition to fabricate the semiconductor that can detect infrared light.

鈥淵ou put the wafer, known as the substrate, and different target elements inside the chamber, you then warm up the ovens which hold the elements so they come out of the oven and fly toward the substrate, building it up atomic layer by atomic layer,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like spray-painting with atoms.鈥�

At the same time, Pang and his team, which includes optics and photonics doctoral student Andrew Klein, will determine how to transmit a high-resolution image from space with minimum energy consumption from the hardware. Pang says the collaboration with Sandia allows them to try out different ideas, including non-traditional forms of data encoding to achieve high efficiency in communication, while maintaining the image quality.

The Key Component: Collaboration

For this team, collaboration is a key component of the project. Pang has worked with Sandia for three years now and Klein previously completed an internship with the national laboratory.

Klein says his internship provided a great training ground for this current project and he hopes to work for a national lab or a space-focused engineering organization after graduation.

鈥淚 love the Space Coast,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think there are lots of opportunities to apply space photonics. Engineers don鈥檛 usually consider using optics to solve problems like communication, but they can benefit from seeing things differently.鈥�

Nordin says he鈥檚 particularly excited about working with fellow CREOL researchers and is glad this national challenge fostered a partnership with someone who literally works next door.

鈥淭hese projects are fun because it鈥檚 a new modality,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou get to learn about problems and find solutions to things that you don鈥檛 particularly do.鈥�

About the Researchers

Leland Nordin is an assistant professor in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and holds a joint appointment with CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics. His cutting-edge research focuses on next-generation semiconductor materials and devices, covering design, growth, fabrication and characterization. For his work, Nordin has received the Army Research Office Early Career Program Award. Prior to 麻豆原创, Nordin was a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University鈥檚 Geballe Lab for Advanced Materials. He earned his doctoral and 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.De

Sean Pang is an associate professor at CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics. He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Caltech and conducted his postdoctoral research at Duke University. His current research focuses on the intersection on computing and imaging systems. His group is interested in modeling and developing optoelectronic system for sensing, imaging and computing applications, including the application of AI in solving imaging and photonic design problems.

Each early-career faculty researcher is making a substantial impact through their respective areas of expertise.

As in previous years, the variety of disciplines represented through the awards showcases 麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment to cultivating and recognizing groundbreaking and academically diverse research.

Honorees will receive a $10,000 annual research grant for three years in addition to the distinction of being an award recipient.

The prestigious award is second only to Pegasus Professor as 麻豆原创鈥檚 highest faculty honor.

The 麻豆原创 community is cordially invited to come and congratulate the recipients from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2 in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union as part of the 2025 Founders鈥� Day Faculty Honors Celebration.

This year鈥檚 Reach for the Stars honorees are:

Amrita Ghosh

• Assistant professor of South Asian literature at 麻豆原创鈥檚 within its and a member of The India Center at 麻豆原创
• Ph.D. in postcolonial literature and theory from Drew University.

Amrita Ghosh hopes to create an understanding in conflict zones and bridge gaps in cultural interpretations spanning the varied peoples of South Asia through her cultural and literary research.

Her research as an assistant professor of South Asian literature at 麻豆原创 focuses on studying literature and media from countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, among others.

Ghosh says she hopes to bring to light a better understanding of the nearly 2 billion people inhabiting these countries and how some of them have adapted since gaining independence and sovereignty from occupying nations.

鈥淢y research is important because it creates an understanding of the effects that colonialism had over South Asia for over 200 years, including the sources of conflicts, but also the resilience of the people,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t enables us to build cross border solidarity with a part of the world that鈥檚 often mired in essentialized representations.鈥�

Ghosh says she believes there is value in learning about South Asia鈥檚 profoundly rich history for not just the 2 billion people living there, but for everyone.

鈥淭hrough my research I hope to underscore solidarities and critical intimacies that can help mitigate the increasing rhetoric of division and fragmentation that is there in some South Asian nations,鈥� she says. 鈥淪outh Asia has many different communities, ethnicities, identities and cultures living together. Through my work I hope to highlight syncretic pasts and how to also forge ahead together toward ethical futures.鈥�

Ghosh was inspired by her family history tracing back to modern day Bangladesh. She had studied the aftermaths of the British partitions of the Indian subcontinent into Bangladesh, India, Pakistan.

鈥淧rior to researching the Partition, I was always interested in this huge historical rupture because of stories I heard within the family,鈥� Ghosh says. 鈥淚 grew up hearing stories of Partition, of courage, resilience and of friendship of cross border relations. Many such families exist in South Asia with stories of Partition that are there buried within families and that created an interest for me to enter this field of study.鈥�

In addition to her research and student mentorship, Ghosh has shared her prolific findings through authoring or editing a variety of unique books spanning topics on India鈥檚 largest film industry in Mumbai, popularly called Bollywood, and literary and media analysis of the militarized border zone such as Kashmir.

She says she鈥檚 also working on more enlightening discoveries to be published soon.

鈥淚 am also very excited about upcoming research that is coming out on intersecting the narratives of Partition and [artificial intelligence] AI,鈥� Ghosh says. 鈥淭his upcoming journal article is on how AI can be used in creative imaginations to rethink hatred and foster solidarities and friendships in the so-called rival nations of India and Pakistan.鈥�

While some people may think the arts and humanities are distinct from STEM, Ghosh says she believes they are is both complementary to science and essential in enhancing the human experience.

鈥淟iterature, arts and the humanities have an important role at a time when the world is rapidly shifting through technology, scientific and business innovations constantly,鈥� she says. 鈥淟iterature and the arts can enable us to understand the significance of human reliance towards each other, the values of pluralistic thinking and help us come closer. I say this with hope especially because 麻豆原创 has been such a space where knowledge is built together alongside many different divergent fields.鈥�

Ghosh鈥檚 proficiencies aligned with 麻豆原创鈥檚 desire to expand its literary offerings, as the university was looking for an expert in South Asian literature. She says she the mutual interest was evident almost instantly.

鈥淲hen I interviewed with 麻豆原创, I was very impressed with the wide variety of different research expertise that is there in my department,鈥� Ghosh says. 鈥淎fter getting to know the department and my colleagues, I knew it was absolutely the right place for me. I also had the chance to meet with students for an interview and I still remember the fantastic energy they had even in a short meeting.鈥�

While she still holds dear the memories of where she had lived before, Ghosh says she feels at home here in Orlando.

鈥淲hen I first visited Orlando, I was particularly impressed with the dynamism of the city and what it offers to the people,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n my third year here, I call myself a Floridian now.鈥�

Although Ghosh is comfortable here at 麻豆原创, she says that she鈥檚 far from finished with furthering her aspirations.

She says that being a Reach for the Stars honoree is incredibly humbling, and that it encourages her to continue growing with 麻豆原创.

鈥淚 am so thankful for the support 麻豆原创 has shown me and this award means the world to me to be able to continue my research,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 feel overjoyed and so grateful for all the amazing opportunities that last three years of 麻豆原创 have provided me that led to this award.鈥�

Leland Nordin

• Assistant Professor of materials science and engineering at within its with a joint appointment with .
• Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Semiconductors are specialized components omnipresent in everyday electronics 鈥� including the phone that Leland Nordin answered to hear President Alexander N. Cartwright congratulating him on earning a 2025 Reach for the Stars award.

鈥淚t was a great honor and surreal moment to receive a call from 麻豆原创鈥檚 president informing me of the award,鈥� says Nordin, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering whose research focuses on semiconductors. 鈥淚 deeply appreciate that 麻豆原创 recognizes the hard work my students and I are doing, and I am excited about the research opportunities this award will unlock.鈥�

Nordin, who also holds a joint appointment at CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, works to realize better and more efficient semiconductor materials and devices. Specifically, he and his group of students work on specialty devices that emit, detect, or manipulate light 鈥� such as lasers, LEDs and photodetectors like those found in a cell phone camera.

鈥淢y research is important because semiconductor materials and advanced devices drive nearly every critical technology today and will be central to future innovations,鈥� Nordin says. 鈥淭hese future applications include, but are not limited to, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, next generation 5G/6G communications, autonomous systems, space exploration, and hypersonics.鈥�

While many of these terms may seem cumbersome and unfamiliar, Nordin says he hopes his research helps to translate these technologies into ways that improve the lives of people everywhere.

鈥淚 strive to develop semiconductor materials and devices that make a real impact,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or example, we are working on ultraviolet light emitters, particularly lasers, that could help efficiently sterilize hospitals and other critical environments. Additionally, we are exploring ways to improve computer memory, which is a key bottleneck in modern data centers that power the AI revolution.鈥�

Nordin leverages 麻豆原创鈥檚 plentiful semiconductor resources, such as its state-of-the-art cleanrooms, to grow his research and educate students.

鈥淲e take a 鈥榝ull stack鈥� approach to semiconductor materials and devices, meaning we design, synthesize, fabricate and test our own materials and devices,鈥� he says. 鈥淯sing molecular beam epitaxy (a process akin to spray painting with atoms) we grow high-quality semiconductor materials. We then carve these materials into working devices in a cleanroom before testing their performance in our lab.鈥�

In evaluating universities where he could launch his career, Nordin says he found 麻豆原创 to be the most opportune place to harness his multidisciplinary research without excluding or overplaying any one aspect of his work.

鈥淏efore joining 麻豆原创, I worked across a range of disciplines, including physics, electrical engineering, and materials science and engineering,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 chose 麻豆原创 because it is the ideal place to pursue this interdisciplinary work, offering world-class facilities, outstanding colleagues and as I鈥檝e come to appreciate, exceptional research support. I am especially fortunate to have a joint appointment as well.鈥�

Since joining 麻豆原创 in 2023, Nordin has not only prioritized accelerating semiconductor and optoelectronic research but preparing students for a career in STEM.

鈥淥ne of my primary goals is to train the next generation of the U.S. semiconductor workforce,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s an educator, I believe my most significant contribution is the students I mentor and graduate. I want them to be the most hardworking, well-equipped scientists and engineers in the field.鈥�

Nordin says he takes great pride in the student research group he assembled, and that he greatly appreciates their trust in his ability to focus and guide meaningful research.

鈥淚 know it may sound corny, but I鈥檓 especially proud of the research group I鈥檝e built and their enthusiasm for semiconductor materials and devices,鈥� he says, 鈥淭here鈥檚 always some risk in joining a junior faculty member鈥檚 lab, and I couldn鈥檛 be more grateful for the students in my group.鈥�

Nordin says he is elated to receive this award, and he reiterates his appreciation for the support of his many close collaborators and friends.

鈥淚 am incredibly honored, humbled, and excited to receive this award,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 would like to express my gratitude to my current graduate students, undergraduate students and my academic mentors.鈥�

Yogesh Rawat

• Assistant professor at the .
• Ph.D. in computer science at the National University of Singapore.

Yogesh Rawat aspires toward a future where artificial intelligence (AI) is accurate, efficient and ultimately trustworthy.

Rawat, who completed his postdoctoral training at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Research in Computer Vision (CRCV) from 2017 to 2019, continues to hone his expertise in AI and computer vision as an assistant professor.

His work with computer vision focuses on video understanding, which enables AI to interpret media and respond to real-world events automatically.

鈥淭he world generates massive amounts of video data every second 鈥� whether through CCTV cameras, medical imaging or autonomous systems,鈥� Rawat says. 鈥淗owever, manually analyzing such data is nearly impossible. My research focuses on developing AI models that can efficiently process and understand video streams in real time, allowing for faster decision-making in high-stakes environments.鈥�

Allowing AI and machine learning to sift through and decipher video datasets may prove to be valuable as data interpretation can be automated to free up human expertise for high-level decision making, he says.

鈥淭he ability to analyze video in real time has immense potential to make our world safer and more efficient,鈥� Rawat says. 鈥淔rom healthcare to security, disaster response and law enforcement, AI can provide instant insights where human analysis may be slow or impractical.

His research is funded by a variety of sources including the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity as part of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and it has resulted in multiple patents and even a startup company. Among his proudest accomplishments are his contributions to secure and AI-powered identification systems.

鈥淭he intersection of technology and real-world impact is what drives my passion for this field,鈥� Rawat says.

He credits 麻豆原创鈥檚 enduring legacy as one of the top computer vision programs in the world to several key factors which ultimately led him here.

鈥溌槎乖� is one of the fastest-growing universities in the country, with a strong commitment to innovation and interdisciplinary research,鈥� Rawat says. 鈥淚t is home to one of the top computer vision research groups, led by [CRCV Director] Mubarak Shah, and offers a collaborative, resource-rich environment that enables groundbreaking AI research. The university’s strong connections with government agencies also provide an excellent platform for translating research into real world impact.鈥�

Earning a Reach for the Stars award is something, he says, that is both humbling and profoundly inspiring.

鈥淚t is incredibly motivating to see my research acknowledged in this way and it reaffirms my commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI for societal benefit,鈥� Rawat says. 鈥淭his award is not just a personal achievement 鈥� it is a testament to the hard work of my students, collaborators and the incredible research environment at 麻豆原创.鈥�

Similar to how his work with AI and computer vision is guided by human guidance, Rawat says his success is guided by those who support him at 麻豆原创.

鈥淭his recognition would not have been possible without the unwavering support of 麻豆原创,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 am deeply grateful to the technical assistance team, Mubarak Shah, [Department of Computer Science Chair] Damla Turgut, [Professor] Gary Leavens and [CECS Dean] Michael Georgiopoulos. I must give special recognition to [CRCV Administrative Coordinator] Cherry Place, whose incredible support has made a profound impact on my success.鈥�

There are so many people at 麻豆原创 to thank that at times it may be challenging to quantify just how crucial of a role they play, but Rawat says he鈥檚 particularly grateful for Place鈥檚 assistance and coordination.

鈥淭o be honest, at least 30% of what I have achieved would not have been possible without her,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 truly appreciate everything she has done for me and for our research group.鈥�

Kelly Stevens

• Assistant professor of public administration at within its , and a member of听麻豆原创鈥檚 Resilient, Intelligent, and Sustainable Energy Systems (RISES) Faculty Cluster听and听.
• Ph.D. in public administration from Syracuse University.

There鈥檚 no better place for remaining resilient and adaptive than the Sunshine State.

Kelly Stevens, assistant professor of public administration at 麻豆原创, thrives by navigating Florida鈥檚 unique weather conditions, energy opportunities and challenges through her research in sustainable and resilient technologies.

Much like the technologies she researches, Stevens harnesses creative methods of pursuing a bright future.

鈥淎 major part of my work right now looks at what community members identify as problems related to energy, resilience, and sustainability,鈥� says Stevens, who is a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Resilient, Intelligent and Sustainable Energy Systems (RISES) Faculty Cluster. 鈥淚t鈥檚 useful for people who are engineers or policy makers to understand how something like a power outage impacts people differently across the state 鈥� the elderly, the poor, people with medical conditions.鈥�

Before she adopted the signature black and gold of 麻豆原创, she donned shades of garnet and gold while earning her 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 in meteorology from Florida State University and working as a meteorologist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the Division of Air Resource Management. Stevens says she was drawn to policy and program design as she continued immersing herself in the field of air quality modeling and monitoring.

Stevens returned to Florida after completing her doctoral degree in public administration from Syracuse University and supplementing her existing background with electricity and energy expertise.

She says bridging the gap between academic research and practice within Florida and beyond is part of how she ensures work makes a positive impact.

鈥淚’m excited to be back in Florida applying what I’ve learned to different energy and environmental projects here in Central Florida,鈥� Stevens says. 鈥淲ith my background in both social and physical sciences, I try to move beyond typically siloed disciplines to talk about complex questions in our energy system from a more holistic perspective. I believe this strategy is important to so we can better translate from science to practice by making sure technologies we create here at 麻豆原创 are useful and user-friendly.鈥�

Disaster preparedness is a critical component of resiliency, and it is something Floridians need to be particularly aware of given the state鈥檚 susceptibility to adverse weather such as hurricanes, she says. Her efforts to help local people is something Stevens says is incredibly rewarding.

鈥淭he project I am most proud of is the NSF-funded Resilience, Education and Advocacy Center for Hazard preparedness, the REACH hub,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e worked closely with the City of Orlando to design a portable and innovative resilience hub to provide energy-related services before and after disasters here.鈥�

The hub eventually will be delivered to and used by the City of Orlando for local use to help residents stay safe, recharged and informed.

鈥淲ith community feedback 鈥� we designed a solar-powered, portable hub with an extensive battery system to provide internet connection, cooling, information via display screens, and device charging that can help residents prepare for and respond to a disaster,鈥� Stevens says. 鈥淭he hub is built, we are conducting demonstrations, and anticipate the hub will be used by the City of Orlando as soon as this hurricane season.鈥�

Stevens says she鈥檚 grateful for the collaborative nature of 麻豆原创, particularly for the Faculty Cluster Initiative, which links faculty from different colleges, institutes and centers together to accomplish interdisciplinary breakthroughs.

鈥淚 am deeply grateful to be part of a talented and innovative team of researchers who embrace challenging questions and different perspectives in their work,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 am also grateful for the support and opportunities provided by the Faculty Cluster Initiative in fostering interdisciplinary work, as well as support from the College of Community Innovation and Education as well as the School of Public Administration for highlighting the great work that happens here.鈥�

Stevens says that the funds earned from the Reach for Stars award will sustain and further her research while helping to inspire and energize students.

鈥淚t is a huge honor to be recognized for this early-career award,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he research funding will be beneficial for funding more students to continue research on power outages and resilience over the next few years.鈥�

The research was recently published in Nano Letters, an esteemed scholarly journal published by the American Chemical Society.

The findings are the result of a $1.5 million project funded through the Extreme Photon Imaging Capabilities program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that was awarded nearly two years ago.

The new detection and imaging technique will have applications in analyzing materials by their spectral properties, or spectroscopic imaging, as well as thermal imaging applications.

Humans perceive primary and secondary colors but not infrared light. Scientists hypothesize that animals like snakes or nocturnal species can detect various wavelengths in the infrared almost like how humans perceive colors.

Infrared, specifically LWIR, detection at room temperature has been a long-standing challenge due to the weak photon energy, Chanda says.

LWIR detectors can be broadly classified into either cooled or uncooled detectors, the researcher says.

Cooled detectors excel in high detectivity and fast response times but their reliance on cryogenic cooling significantly escalates their cost and restricts their practical applications.

In contrast, uncooled detectors, like microbolometers, can function at room temperature and come at a relatively lower cost but exhibit lower sensitivity and slower response times, Chanda says.

Both kinds of LWIR detectors lack the dynamic spectral tunability, and so they can鈥檛 distinguish photon wavelengths of different 鈥渃olors.鈥�

Chanda and his team of postdoctoral scholars sought to expand beyond the limitations of existing LWIR detectors, so they worked to demonstrate a highly sensitive, efficient and dynamically tunable method based on a nanopatterned graphene.

Tianyi Guo听鈥�23笔丑顿 is the lead author of the research. Guo completed his doctoral degree at 麻豆原创 in 2023 under Chanda鈥檚 mentorship. He is the recipient of an international thesis award from Springer Nature and his thesis exploring potential LWIR detection methods was published in the high-impact听Springer Theses听book series.

This newly discovered method is the culmination of the research that Guo, Chanda and others in Chanda鈥檚 lab have performed, Chanda says.

鈥淣o present cooled or uncooled detectors offer such dynamic spectral tunability and ultrafast response,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淭his demonstration underscores the potential of engineered monolayer graphene LWIR detectors operating at room temperature, offering high sensitivity as well as dynamic spectral tunability for spectroscopic imaging.鈥�

The detector relies on a temperature difference in materials (known as the Seebeck effect) within an asymmetrically patterned graphene film. Upon light illumination and interaction, the patterned half generates hot carriers with greatly enhanced absorption while the unpatterned half remains cool. The diffusion of the hot carriers creates a photo-thermoelectric voltage and is measured between the source and drain electrodes.

By patterning the graphene into a specialized array, the researchers achieved an enhanced absorption and can further electrostatically tune within the LWIR spectra range and provide better infrared detection. The detector significantly surpasses the capabilities of the conventional uncooled infrared detectors 鈥� also known as microbolometers.

鈥淭he proposed detection platform paves the path for a new generation of uncooled graphene-based LWIR photodetectors for wide ranging applications such as consumer electronics, molecular sensing and space to name a few,鈥� Chanda says.

Researchers from Chanda鈥檚 group include postdoctoral scholars Aritra Biswas 鈥�21MS 鈥�24PhD, Sayan Chandra, Arindam Dasgupta, and Muhammad Waqas听Shabbir 鈥�16MS 鈥�21PhD.

Licensing Opportunity

The technology is patented. For more information about licensing this technology, please visit the .

Researchers鈥� Credentials:

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Physics and CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

Guo joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 physics doctoral program in the fall of 2017 and graduated in fall 2023. He received his bachelor鈥檚 of science in 2015 from the University of Science and Technology of China. Guo currently is a postdoctoral researcher in Chanda鈥檚 group at 麻豆原创.

The tour included visits with key 麻豆原创 research centers, such as (IST), , and the Center of Excellence in Hypersonic and Space Propulsion (HyperSpace Center).

While Grady toured 麻豆原创鈥檚 defense-related research, his wife, Christine Grady, visited 麻豆原创鈥檚 Office of Military and Veteran Student Success; , a clinic dedicated to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and met with 麻豆原创 Army and Air Force ROTC cadets.

鈥淭he visit from Admiral and Mrs. Grady underscores the vital role 麻豆原创 plays in advancing national security and defense research, supporting critical DOD needs, and preparing the next generation of military leaders,鈥� says Winston V. Schoenfeld, 麻豆原创鈥檚 vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淥ver 30% of 麻豆原创鈥檚 federal funding has come from the DOD for more than a decade, positioning 麻豆原创 as a national leader in delivering key innovations to the DOD.鈥�

The Tour

Grady began his visit with a meeting alongside 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright, where they discussed 麻豆原创鈥檚 longstanding commitment to supporting the nation鈥檚 defense through cutting-edge research and workforce development.

While with CREOL, Admiral Grady received a briefing on directed energy research and its applications for DOD missions, particularly the capabilities of the Townes Institute for Science and Technology Experimentation Facility. The institute, located at Kennedy Space Center, supports multidisciplinary research with a focus on space science, optics and other advanced technologies.

At IST, 麻豆原创 showcased the latest advancements in digital twin technology, such as real-time 3D digital twins of structures and areas, and artificial intelligence for DOD-decision making tools.

Grady鈥檚 visit to the HyperSpace Center focused on the integration of students into the research process and the timeline for the hypersonic technology, which would allow air travel at speeds of up to 13,000 miles per hour (Mach 17).

Commitment to National Defense and Military Success

麻豆原创 is a national leader in supporting military and defense initiatives through education, research and industry partnerships.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Office of Military and Veteran Student Success supports more than 3,200 military-connected students, including veterans, active-duty and dependents, by providing academic advising, transition assistance and tailored guidance.

麻豆原创 RESTORES offers innovative, no-cost PTSD treatment for veterans and first responders, with clinical trials achieving a 100% success rate in just 14 days for participants completing VR-assisted exposure therapy. The program has treated more than 500 veterans and 950 first responders, with the majority no longer meeting PTSD criteria.

麻豆原创 also boasts top-ranked ROTC programs, with the Army ROTC Fighting Knights Battalion and Air Force Detachment 159 preparing leaders for military and civilian careers. 麻豆原创鈥檚 AFROTC program, which has been developing officers for the Air Force and Space Force for more than 50 years, has earned the DOD鈥檚 ROTC and Educational Institutional Partnership Excellence Award for multiple areas of excellence.

In research, 麻豆原创鈥檚 close ties to the defense industry are amplified through Central Florida Research Park, a $7 billion hub for modeling and simulation adjacent to 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus, which is also home to six DOD headquarters. 麻豆原创 also ranks No. 1 in Florida for VA certifications, is leading the nation in the number of cybersecurity championships, and is the top supplier of graduates to the aerospace and defense industries.