Following a competitive national search and rigorous interview process, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Buckwalter selected Colwell on March 13, citing his steady leadership during his nine-month tenure as interim dean.

鈥淯nder his leadership, the college fostered an environment where students, faculty and staff can thrive, while strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding research and community impact,鈥� Buckwalter says.

As interim dean, and now as dean, Colwell oversees the university鈥檚 largest college, serving more than 16,000 students across a wide range of disciplines, including the physical, biological, social, behavioral and computational sciences. The College of Sciences plays a central role in advancing 麻豆原创鈥檚 research enterprise and preparing graduates to address complex global challenges through scientific discovery and innovation.

Colwell鈥檚 bold vision for the College of Sciences builds on 麻豆原创鈥檚 reputation as Florida鈥檚 Technological University.

鈥淲e have cutting-edge research ranging from human-machine communication and interaction to new materials for clean energy, as well as the societal and political aspects of space exploration,鈥� Colwell says. 鈥淲e are uniquely positioned to prepare students for a rapidly evolving technological landscape and the economy of the 21st century.鈥�

Among his key focuses are improving student preparedness after graduation, ensuring students have the knowledge and skills to thrive in an increasingly competitive job market shaped by advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a top priority to make sure our researchers understand the rapidly changing technological landscape so they can carry out transformative work.鈥� 鈥� Joshua Colwell, COS dean

鈥淚t鈥檚 a top priority to make sure our researchers understand the rapidly changing technological landscape so they can carry out transformative work,鈥� Colwell says. 鈥淲e also want to ensure our faculty have the support needed to deliver a world-class education.鈥�

Colwell emphasizes the importance of keeping key stakeholders informed and including them in decision-making when appropriate.

鈥淚鈥檝e found that transparency and strong communication among all parties go a long way toward building trust and commitment to a shared vision,鈥� Colwell says. 鈥淚 want to make sure my team and I are available and actively engaging with faculty, students, staff and the community to discuss challenges, opportunities, and how to navigate them.鈥�

Colwell joined 麻豆原创 as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics in 2006. He later served as chair of the Department of Physics and associate dean for research for the college. In these roles, he was instrumental in advancing academic planning, supporting research growth and leading initiatives that strengthen student success. His leadership contributed to expanding faculty capacity, modernizing instructional laboratories and enhancing research opportunities across the college 鈥� experience that has shaped his approach as a leader.

鈥淭he breadth of those experiences has given me valuable insight into the challenges our faculty and staff face and how administration at the college level can support their work,鈥� Colwell says. 鈥淚鈥檝e also taught both large and small classes and supervised undergraduate and graduate students, so I feel very connected to the 麻豆原创 student experience.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e also taught both large and small classes and supervised undergraduate and graduate students, so I feel very connected to the 麻豆原创 student experience.鈥� 鈥� Joshua Colwell, COS dean

Colwell says the multidisciplinary nature of the college鈥檚 work, which touches every part of the human experience, makes it an exciting place to be.

鈥淔rom transforming energy production and human-computer interaction to shaping entertainment, managing information, and coexisting with our environment, our work is exciting, impactful, and innovative,鈥� he says. 鈥淎bove all, we are preparing our students to thrive and make a positive impact in the world.鈥�

Colwell earned his doctoral degree in astrophysical, planetary and atmospheric sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder and his bachelor鈥檚 degree in physics from Stetson University. In 2019, he was named a Pegasus Professor, 麻豆原创鈥檚 highest faculty honor. His research on planetary rings, comets and the evolution of planetary systems has supported experiments flown on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. He also served as a co-investigator on Cassini鈥揌uygens and has worked closely with students on spaceflight experiments in collaboration with commercial partners such as Blue Origin.

Tomova came to 麻豆原创 in 2021 from the University of Iowa where she was an associate dean and a distinguished mathematics scholar. At 麻豆原创, she has played a key role in advancing student success, research and faculty excellence at 麻豆原创’s largest college and 麻豆原创鈥檚 status as Florida鈥檚 Premier Engineering and Technology University.

Under Tomova鈥檚 leadership, the College of Sciences increased its four-year graduation rate from 54% to nearly 70%, and research expenditures grew from $18 million to $33 million. As vice provost, she also contributed to university-wide efforts that raised 麻豆原创鈥檚 overall four-year graduation rate to 60% 鈥� up from 54% in 2023 鈥� and helped position the university to attain the state鈥檚 prestigious preeminence designation, which is expected this summer.

Joshua Colwell, associate dean and Pegasus Professor of physics, will serve as the College of Sciences鈥� interim dean during the national search for Tomova鈥檚 replacement.

Michael D. Johnson, 麻豆原创 provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, praised Tomova for her dedication and innovative leadership.

“I am grateful for Dr. Tomova鈥檚 collaborative spirit and strategic insights that have elevated the College of Sciences and our academic enterprise,” Johnson says. “We wish her much success on this well-earned next chapter.”

As the university grew in enrollment over the decades, so did the programs around the campus, as well as the campus itself. Space research was part of the expansion. While 麻豆原创 had done research and served as a talent pipeline for the space industry, the administration wanted to extend its reach even further. In August 2002, Humberto Campins, Pegasus Professor in the Department of Physics, joined the university as provost research professor of physics and astronomy and head of the Planetary and Space Science Group. Campins joined the university with an extensive research background in asteroids, comets and small planetary bodies. While at the University of Arizona from 1998 to 2002, he was part of a team that submitted a proposal that became the OSIRIS REx mission,聽the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid.

Campins would be tasked with developing the planetary sciences program, though it took a few times to get him to join 麻豆原创. As Florida Space Grant Consortium director from 1994 to 1998, Campins got to know former professor and department chair Brian Tonner. Tonner pitched the opportunity to Campins, but he had started his job as the program officer at the Research Corporation and as research faculty at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona in Tucson. However, Campins would get a final offer that would lead to him considering moving to Orlando.

鈥淚 liked my job in Tucson, and I turned them down, and then that turned into another invitation and another,鈥� Campins says. 鈥淚 had another invitation to attend a workshop on physics pedagogy. I attended a workshop that turned into a third offer that was good enough that I said, 鈥榊ou know what? I might want to take a chance.鈥欌��

Lifting Off

Campins’ first two hires brought extensive planetary science research behind them. In 2003, Dan Britt joined 麻豆原创 as a professor of astronomy and planetary sciences, having worked on the Mars Pathfinder mission and done large-scale asteroid research. In 2005, Yan Fernandez was hired as an assistant professor in physics, having studied comets and asteroids for 11 years prior.

The following year, two hires would expand the physics department and 麻豆原创鈥檚 space research goals as Joshua Colwell and Joe Harrington were hired as assistant professors. Colwell came to the university having worked on the NASA Cassini mission since some of its earliest planning stages in 1990 and was part of the design and observation planning for the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph, or UVIS, on the multi-instrument spacecraft. In 2019, Colwell and Richard Jerousek ’06 ’09MS ’18PhD, a former student of Colwell and current physics department lecturer, used UVIS data recorded by Cassini to measure and describe the structure of Saturn鈥檚 largest innermost ring, the C Ring.

Harrington led the Spitzer Exoplanet Target of Opportunity Program, which measured exoplanet eclipses and transits with the Spitzer Space Telescope. He was also part of the development of the Bayesian Atmospheric Radiative Transfer, an open-source, reproducible research code for inferring the properties of exoplanet atmospheres, for which he won the 2011 College of Sciences Excellence in Research Award.

Britt, Colwell and Harrington are now Pegasus Professors, with Colwell as physics department chair and Harrington associate vice president for research.

Raising the Profile

As with many start-ups, there were early challenges in developing the planetary sciences program. However, with help from the administration, such as Tonner, M.J. Soileau, CREOL鈥檚 founding director, and Michael Johnson, then-dean of the College of Sciences and current provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, the program was able to grow over time. The research also helped increase the university’s profile, which helped administrative support.

The 2010s saw 麻豆原创鈥檚 space research evolve through their partnerships with various institutions. In 2012, the Florida Space Institute (FSI) was re-chartered to allow for an extensive research portfolio. That same year, FSI was also relocated from near NASA鈥檚 Kennedy Space Center to the Central Florida Research Park in Orlando, closer to 麻豆原创 and its research efforts. FSI also managed the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the largest fully operational radio telescope on the planet, leading to enhanced planetary research and discoveries such as a聽moon orbiting a near-Earth asteroid. Recently, Noemi Pinilla-Alonso an associate scientist at FSI, was part of a team studying the聽size and composition of Dinkinesh, an asteroid NASA鈥檚 Lucy mission visited this month. Britt is part of the science team for the mission.

A year after FSI was re-chartered, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS) launched via a $6 million NASA grant in 2013. CLASS facilitated one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 key space contributions: The Exolith Lab. The lab develops and produces Martian, lunar and asteroid regolith simulants and works with NASA in addition to conducting its own research, led by Britt, Zoe Landsman 鈥�11 鈥�17PhD and Anna Metke.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Martian formula is based on the chemical signature of the soils on Mars collected by the Curiosity rover, allowing researchers to have a more accurate simulant for the many research uses, such as plant growth, vehicle testing, processing and more.

鈥淚t’s really important to have a good handle of the mineralogy of the stuff you鈥檙e going to be working with because that really dictates the chemistry and the physical properties of the surface you鈥檙e going to be working on,鈥� Britt says.

Research Now and Beyond

Recent studies are pushing 麻豆原创鈥檚 understanding of space even further. In 2020, Kareem Ahmed, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and his team developed a聽new rocket propulsion system, leading more power to be generated from the rocket, traveling further while using less fuel and burning cleaner. In 2021, aerospace engineering Associate Professor Tarek Elgohary, along with his research students, used analytical and computational methods and machine learning to ensure聽spacecraft don鈥檛 collide with each other or space junk. The research is supported by the Federal Aviation Administration and Lockheed Martin Space.

Last year, Associate Professor Ranajay Ghosh and his team discovered a way to turn聽lunar regolith into 3D-printed bricks that could be used during space colonization. Using lunar regolith from the Exolith Lab, the bricks were made by 3D printing and binder jet technology (BJT), an additive manufacturing method that forces out a liquid binding agent (in this case, saltwater) onto a bed of powder.

Future space research will see Professors Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Adrienne Dove lead a robotics mission studying the聽moon鈥檚 Gruithuisen Domes, a previously unexplored area. Launching in 2026, the researchers will examine the domes鈥� makeup and how dust interacts with the spacecraft and a rover. The $35 million mission will help inform future robotic and human exploration of the moon and may also help researchers better understand Earth鈥檚 history and other planets in the solar system.

For Donaldson Hanna, the range of planetary science research within the physics department drew her to 麻豆原创. She saw intriguing ways she could collaborate with people on various research possibilities.

鈥淛ust seeing how committed to space science and space exploration the university itself is, it’s certainly nice and fun to be in an environment where what you鈥檙e doing is celebrated and is exciting,鈥� Donaldson Hanna says.

While 麻豆原创 has worked with the space industry since its inception, the work done in the early 2000s helped take the university’s space research closer to the stars. From bringing in new faculty to help shape emerging departments to administrative decisions that would provide an immersive environment for space research, this period began a new era that saw Knight researchers Charge On to further understand our universe.

The most popular research stories of 2021 focused on threats to our survival and opportunities to advance our species 鈥� from the impact of sea rise to technology that promises to propel our exploration of the solar system. Stories about COVID-19 and workplace behavior also made the top 10.

麻豆原创 shares its stories to demonstrate the impact 麻豆原创 research is having on the world. The stories showcase faculty and students who are making a difference. In 2021, 麻豆原创 research stories had a combined, total potential reach of more than 8.2 billion possible views worldwide via newspapers, magazines, news websites and select television news placements. The number does not include all TV placements nor a total number for December. The number is based on the number of visitors to a media outlet from both desktop and mobile devices who could have seen the stories from that source. That鈥檚 compared to a combined, total reach of more than 7.3 billion potential views in 2020.

The top 10 list is based on the number of media placements and the reach they earned. The number of views the stories received on 麻豆原创 Today is also considered. The stories were generated from 麻豆原创鈥檚聽聽and colleges.

麻豆原创 research appeared in places such as聽the New York Times, the Smithsonian magazine, 顿颈蝉肠辞惫别谤听magazine, CBS This Morning and CNN. The Daily Mail in the UK is among a group of international publications that shared 麻豆原创 research content. All local newspapers and television stations shared at least one research story in 2021. Consistently sharing stories on certain topics also help media identify some of 麻豆原创鈥檚 faculty and students as experts, whom they call upon time after time. Some of our space experts are now featured regularly on WMFE and several television stations, and they provide commentary for almost every space launch. One of 麻豆原创鈥檚 advances in artificial intelligence was even the subject of

The top 10 research stories of 2021 are:

1. Flying at Speeds up to Mach 17 Could Become Reality with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Developing Propulsion System
2. 麻豆原创 Study Shows Masks, Ventilation Stop COVID Spread Better than Social Distancing
3. 麻豆原创 Team Develops Artificial Intelligence that can Detect Sarcasm in Social Media
4. Virgin Orbit Launches Rocket off a 747, puts 9 Satellites in Space
5. Coastal Changes Worsen Nuisance Flooding on Many U.S. Shorelines, Study Finds
6. Clues Emerge: How Harmless Bacteria Go Rogue Turning into Deadly Flesh-eating Variants
7. 麻豆原创 Scientist鈥檚 Unique Camera Will Investigate the Moon鈥檚 South Pole
8. Legendary Sargasso Sea May be 鈥楽ea Turtles鈥� Destination during Mysterious 鈥楲ost Years鈥�
9. Rude Behavior at Work Not an Epidemic 麻豆原创 Study Shows
10. New 麻豆原创 Study Examines Leeches for Role in Major Disease of Sea Turtles in Florida

Some research is so impactful that the stories keep getting attention even years later. 麻豆原创 had three stories published before 2021 that generated significant online and/or placements in media this year. They are:

ADHD Kids Can Be Still 鈥� If They鈥檙e Not Straining Their Brains (2017)

麻豆原创 Researchers Develop Groundbreaking New Rocket-Propulsion System (2020)

Study Shows Keeping Gratitude Journal Reduces Gossip, Incivility in Workplace (2020)

麻豆原创 is a member of the academic coalition that is supporting Blue Origin鈥檚 Orbital Reef project to build a commercially owned 补苍诲听operated space station to reside in low-Earth orbit. It is expected to start operating in the second half of this decade.

Orbital Reef鈥檚 team include Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering, with Arizona State University leading a coalition of universities, including 麻豆原创. Orbital Reef鈥檚 human-centered space architecture is designed to be a 鈥渕ixed-use space business park鈥� that provides essential infrastructure needed to support all types of human spaceflight activity in low-Earth orbit and can be scaled to serve new markets.

But advising is just the latest contributions 麻豆原创 is making toward the future of space exploration. For more than a decade 麻豆原创 has been home to the , which has been conducting research into microgravity environments and how planets form. 麻豆原创’s experiments have flown aboard multiple commercial spacecraft including several Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flights.

麻豆原创 has flown experiments on the International Space Station. In addition to studying scientific questions such as the origins of planets, 麻豆原创’s experiments explore the behavior of dust particles on and near the surfaces of the moon and asteroids. These tiny particles can create big problems for astronauts and their equipment, and 麻豆原创 experiments are helping us learn how to minimize those risks.

鈥淲hat we are learning is helping us unravel the mystery of planet formation,鈥� says Physics Professor Joshua Colwell who leads the center. 鈥淚t can also help us figure out ways to keep our astronauts safe while they explore. The knowledge will be critical for successful interactions with destinations in space, whether they be on an asteroid, a planet or a new space port.鈥�

麻豆原创 is also home to the Florida Space Institute (FSI), which has several researchers working on payloads with commercial space companies. The Florida Space Grant, managed by FSI and 麻豆原创 also funds Edu-Payloads聽鈥� payloads built primarily by students with faculty mentorship.

鈥淭his is an exciting time and 麻豆原创 is well positioned,鈥� says Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president of Research for 麻豆原创. 鈥淭he center has already put payloads on other major destinations such as the ISS and on suborbital flights. These new platforms coming online in the next decade provide even more opportunities for synergies in research with our partners that will make a real impact on our future as a species.鈥�

The 麻豆原创 Board of Trustees just last month approved renaming the center in honor of Stephen W. Hawking, who early on recognized the importance of microgravity research. Space Florida, which arranged for Hawking to fly aboard a zero-gravity flight and connected him to 麻豆原创, will take a final vote on the naming of the center later this month.

Humans have been practicing Leap Year since the days of Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire, but why?

麻豆原创 Physics Professor Josh Colwell explains the science behind the need for Leap Year and other facts you may not know about the bonus day.

Leap Year exists because of the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun.

There are 365 days in most calendar years, but in the time it takes for the Earth to go around the sun once, our planet actually spins 365 and nearly a quarter times. The reason we care about that extra quarter is because the Earth has seasons.

To know when to plant and harvest your crops it鈥檚 nice to have a calendar where spring always starts in March and the longest day of the year is in June and the shortest day is in December.

“In order to have that consistency in the seasons from year to year, we have to periodically make a correction [to the calendar].”

Because there鈥檚 that extra quarter of a day in the year, it means we have to reset our calendar periodically. Otherwise, start dates of seasons would gradually drift by a quarter of a day every year. After 40 years, we鈥檇 be 10 days off. So the start of the season would be 10 days different than it would be 40 years before. After hundreds of years, summer could be starting in November. So in order to have that consistency in the seasons from year to year, we have to periodically make a correction.

A Leap Year happens every four years except for when it doesn鈥檛.

We add a leap day every four years except if it is a year that is divisible by 100 unless it happens to also be divisible by 400. Did I confuse you enough with that formula?

So that means 1900 was not a leap year. Nor was it a leap year in 1800, nor will it be in 2100. But 2000 was a leap year because it was divisible by 400. We skip it in three out of every four of those century years. We will skip it in 2100, 2200 and 2300 but we will not skip it in 2400.

We do this because a year is not exactly 365.25 days long. It鈥檚 actually closer to 365.24 days long. The 365-day calendar including Leap Year was adopted during Julius Caesar鈥檚 time, but they didn鈥檛 account for that small difference. This minute discrepancy meant that the “Julian Calendar” drifted off course by one day every 128 years, and by the 14th century it had drifted 10 days off schedule. Pope Gregory XIII fixed the issue by instituting a revised 鈥淕regorian Calendar鈥� in 1582, which we still use today. Fun fact: when this calendar was created, to fix that 10 day drift, Oct. 4, 1582, was followed by Oct. 15, 1582. By skipping those years not divisible by 400, we keep the calendar in check.

Leap Year doesn鈥檛 necessarily have to occur in February.

Our collection of months is very peculiar. If we have a calendar that鈥檚 based on a 7-day week, there are 52 weeks plus one day in 365 days. Theoretically, you could have 13 months of 28 days and then have one loaner day 鈥� say New Year鈥檚 Day 鈥� that isn鈥檛 in a month. The particular mish-mash of 28-30-31 days that we have in our calendar is a question for an historian more than an astronomer.

February gets it because it is shorter than the other months. But it really doesn鈥檛 matter. You could put it anywhere.

We also observe leap seconds 鈥� they鈥檙e just not as well known.

“Even having Leap Year doesn鈥檛 get our calendars exactly right. So periodically the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service adds leap seconds to our daily lives we don鈥檛 notice.”

Every four years we add a day 鈥� except not quite every four years because we have that divisible-by-400 rule. So even having Leap Year doesn鈥檛 get our calendars exactly right. So periodically the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service聽adds leap seconds to our daily lives we don鈥檛 notice, especially now that most people鈥檚 clocks are updated automatically on their cell phones. We add a leap second less than once a year. There have only been 27 leap seconds since 1972. They are based on very precise measurements of the rotation of the Earth, which isn鈥檛 perfectly constant, to bring things into alignment.

Ultimately these things are tied to the motion of the Earth around the sun and the exact rotation of the Earth and little tiny things adjust that interaction between the Earth and the moon that causes little slow downs and speed ups. All of these things are little adjustments so that our written calendar, which we use to organize our daily lives, lines up as closely as possible to the astronomical calendar, which for us is important because of seasons.

If we lived on any other planet besides Earth, we鈥檇 still need to observe Leap Year.

On some planets, like Venus, it rotates so slowly, that the difference between the time it takes to rotate and the time from noon to noon is very extreme. The longest solar day of any of the planets in the solar system is on Mercury. Its day is about 176 Earth-days long. Venus鈥� day is 117 Earth days long and it rotates backwards compared to the direction it goes around the sun. Uranus is tipped almost exactly on its side so for its northern summer, the sun is directly over the north pole. And for its northern winter it would be complete darkness in the northern hemisphere for years because it takes it 84 years to go around the sun. So the seasons can be quite extreme on other planets. We鈥檙e set up well here on Earth.

What started out as conversations while walking to get coffee on campus to perk up the afternoon, turned into the podcast in 2014, which this month led to the professors becoming regular guests on WMFE鈥檚 recently launched .

鈥淲e started it because we were having these really interesting conversations about new discoveries that would sometimes bring in science fiction and current events and I thought this is what I鈥檇 like to hear in a topical podcast,鈥� says physics Professor Josh Colwell.

He specializes in the early formation of the solar system and has been part of several NASA missions and projects with commercial space companies such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. .

鈥淲e were having a blast,鈥� says physics Assistant Professor Adrienne Dove, who studies space dust and has been recognized by NASA with the Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award. Like Colwell, she too works with several commercial space companies on a variety of projects. 鈥淥ur conversations often led to really cool things in our work, but a lot of times they were just fun, geeky stimulating conversations. When Josh had the idea, I was all in.鈥�

The goal of the podcast is to help people understand space science and why it matters in an entertaining way. That鈥檚 what drew Jim Cooney, the most recent addition to the team. Cooney, a cosmologist and avid stamp collector and Scrabble player, teaches introductory and advanced astronomy classes at 麻豆原创.

The trio discuss everything from potentially habitable planets, gravitational waves and red giant stars like Betelgeuse, along with commentary about Star Trek, the Mandalorian and other pop culture references. There鈥檚 also a mix of recent non-space news, science jokes and trivia. If you are lucky, you鈥檒l catch a music rap about mathematician William Rowan Hamilton.

鈥淩eally effective science and tech communicators are rare, and they allow people that aren’t involved in science careers to have at least a basic understanding of these important and really cool topics,鈥� says Jeremy Hunt, a software engineer from Ormond Beach. He found the podcast on iTunes a couple of years ago and calls himself a super fan. 鈥淪hows like this help make that happen and should be supported. There are many brilliant people working today, but there are far fewer of them that are really good at communicating their expertise in a way that is approachable and fun to listen to.鈥�

He is not alone. According to the show鈥檚 analytics, it draws listeners from around the globe, including tiny villages in Germany, big cities in New Zealand, Europe and Latin America as well as people across the United States.

The show wasn鈥檛 an immediate success, however.

鈥淟et鈥檚 just say we had a big learning curve,鈥� Colwell says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e much better now. We have better equipment and our current format, which feels right, we locked in in 2016.鈥�

The team records in Colwell鈥檚 office, surrounded by Star Trek memorabilia, movie posters, textbooks, science journals and NASA swag. The group sits around a table, pulls some mikes from under Colwell鈥檚 desk along with a basic mixer and dive right in. The podcast is produced regularly and available online.

鈥淛osh, Addie and Jim are experts 鈥� but they鈥檙e not boring!鈥� says Brendan Byrne, a space reporter with NPR鈥檚 local affiliate WMFE. 鈥淚 learned about the show after interviewing Josh and Addie for a story I was working on. They told me the premise of the show and it sounded great. I downloaded it and immediately became a fan. The show has this incredible ability to synthesize these complex topics in science research and astronomy and make them accessible 鈥� I think that鈥檚 the biggest draw, for me, to the show.鈥�

When the radio station decided to launch the space-themed radio show Are We There Yet?, Bryne knew who to call.

鈥淛osh and Addie are usually the first people I call to figure something out (when reporting), so when we were restructuring the show for WMFE and decided to add an 鈥榓sk the expert鈥� segment. It was a no-brainer,鈥� Byrne says.

The trio spend the last seven minutes of the show answering questions for listeners. Byrne characterized their work, much the way some of the podcasts fans do.

鈥淭heir conversations are passionate, intelligent and downright funny sometimes and they make the listener feel like they are right at the table with them,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat makes their conversations so great is that they are not only explaining to the listener about this complex scientific idea, but giving it valuable context and a reason for the regular person like me or you to care and pay attention to what is happing in our universe.鈥�

For the professors, they say the show is part of their mission as educators at 麻豆原创.

Riley Havel, a second-year physics student at 麻豆原创, who did not know the professors until after listening to the podcasts, says she isn鈥檛 surprised they are now on WMFE.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e a fun cast and their style is perfect for radio,鈥� Havel says. She discovered the WTG podcast through a flyer posted on a bulletin board in the Physical Sciences Building. 鈥淭he podcast keeps me up to date on lots of current events in astronomy. It feels more like talking to pals than listening to a lecture.鈥�

Havel plans to become a planetary scientist, and said the podcast and radio segments on 90.7 WMFE have taught her a valuable lesson.

鈥淚t has helped me realize the importance of communicating science to people outside of physics or astronomy in a way that is effective and inviting,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛, what kind of impact are you really going to make?鈥�

Both events are geared for fans of science fiction, fantasy, anime and horror. They draw thousands of attendees who attend celebrity panels, shop for their favorite novelties, comics and collectables, and dress up in cosplay (costumes of their favorite characters.) MegaCon Orlando bills itself as the southeast鈥檚 largest fan convention. More than 100,000 people are expected during the May 16-19 event. Puerto Rico Comic Con is the premier convention for the Caribbean, drawing similar numbers May 17-19 in San Juan.

鈥楳r. Spock鈥� on Science and Science Fiction

麻豆原创 physics Professor Josh Colwell has worked on multiple NASA missions and conducts research into the origins of the solar system. He also teaches introductory and advanced physics classes, where he鈥檚 learned the value of making science fun as a method to teach and spark the imagination. Colwell is also a big sci-fi fan, which is why he channeled Spock, the Star Trek icon, when he visited MegaCon with 麻豆原创’s video crew.

Dressed in cosplay, Colwell engaged attendees and asked them to ponder the connection between their favorite science fiction show and real science. He shared what researchers do at 麻豆原创 that is relevant to Marvel, Star Wars and other universes and explained how close or how far we are from turning science fiction into reality.

Prosthetics, Gaming and Comic Books

麻豆原创-based Limbitless Solutions, which creates uniquely designed prosthetic arms for children, unveiled a new prosthetic arm sleeve themed around the Halo 2 video game character Arbiter at their booth at MegaCon. The sleek design was completed in collaboration with 343 Industries, the developer of the blockbuster Halo series.

The booth also housed demonstrations of the video training games Limbitless developed in collaboration with the School of Visual Arts and Design at 麻豆原创. The games help new and future recipients of the arms, who belong to the Limbitless鈥� Bionic Kids family, train and strengthen their muscles.

One arm recipient, 10-year-old Zachary Pamboukas, created The Bionic Kid comic book series to help generate money for Limbitless. He says he didn鈥檛 have money of his own to donate, so he designed the comic book with the help of his older brother, Christo, and parents as a way to pay it forward. The Pamboukas family flew in from their home in Seattle, Washington, to sell the comic books at the Limbitless booth.

“The response was overwhelmingly positive,” his father, Niko, says. “People who had never heard of Limbitless Solutions or Zachary鈥檚 story were so impressed that 10-year-old and 13-year-old boys would think of such a selfless idea.”

One of those people was actor Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on the TV series 厂尘补濒濒惫颈濒濒别.听Rosenbaum was so enthused about meeting Zachary, he posted a video of their interaction on his Twitter account.

While the celebrity interaction was certain memorable,聽Niko says they were particularly moved by a local mother who stopped by the booth with her son, who has trouble walking. The mother and son told the them they came to MegaCon just so they could meet Zachary in person.

“She told us that when her son is feeling down, she asks him to listen to Zachary鈥檚 and that cheers him up every time,” Niko says. “I had to give them a hug. They were amazing.”

Zachary and his brother, Christo, are working on issue two of The Bionic Kid, which they anticipate will be ready for print by winter 2019.聽 A digital version of issue one of the聽 on Amazon.

Arecibo Observatory鈥檚 New Mascot, Comic Book

Meanwhile, 1,189 miles away, the creative team from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico staffed its own booth during the Puerto Rico Comic Con. The observatory unveiled its own comic book series, Data Dreams, which follows the adventures of the facility鈥檚 new mascot, Greg.

麻豆原创 manages the National Science Foundation-supported facility under a cooperative agreement with Universidad Ana G. M茅ndez聽and Yang Enterprises Inc.

The comic book series and the mascot were created to raise awareness about the importance of space science and the impact it has on Earth by engaging young audiences and making science fun to understand. William Gonzalez Sierra, a graphic designer at Arecibo, developed Greg and the comic book.

Part of the observatory鈥檚 mission is to help educate the general public about space science and to ignite a spark among youth to pursue STEM-related careers.

鈥淲e wanted to debut Greg in a unique way,鈥� says Francisco C贸rdova, the director of Arecibo. 鈥淐omic Con was a good, creative fit and we鈥檙e grateful for the collaboration that will bring Greg to a wider audience.鈥�

The Pegasus Professor award is the highest academic award a professor can receive at the 麻豆原创. During an entire career at 麻豆原创, faculty who are exceptional in every area 鈥� teaching, research and service 鈥� are recognized for their work. These awards are determined by the president, and recipients receive a $5,000 stipend and a $5,000 research grant.

Josh Colwell,聽Naim Kapucu,聽Tison Pugh 补苍诲听Martine Vanryckeghem聽have been selected as the 2019 Pegasus Professors who have impacted students, fellow faculty and the community through their research and dedication to education.

Josh Colwell

Department of Physics, Florida Space Institute, College of Sciences

Josh Colwell has been interested in space exploration and science since he was a child. His mother likes to joke that he was bit by the space bug when she was eight months pregnant and saw the launch of Gemini 1. His career started in research, but after 17 years at the University of Colorado he came to 麻豆原创 to pursue his passion for teaching.

“One of my goals is to make science, physics and astronomy more accessible to people. I love seeing that light bulb moment with students.” 鈥� Josh Colwell

鈥淥ne of my goals is to make science, physics and astronomy more accessible to people,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 love seeing that light bulb moment with students. I鈥檓 always looking for new ways to make complicated subject matters relatable and understandable.鈥�

While Colwell loves his students, he鈥檚 also known for conducting experiments in what鈥檚 sometimes called the vomit comet 鈥� a plane that descends rapidly to create weightless conditions. Has he thrown up? Too often to count, but many of his students have fared better on the plane.

His research works to uncover the story of the solar system and the formation of habitable planets like Earth throughout the galaxy. Colwell has been involved in multiple NASA missions, most notably the Cassini mission that orbited Saturn 13 years sending back views of the ringed planet and its dozens of moons never seen before. He also hosts a podcast, Walkabout the Galaxy, which he calls 鈥渁ccidentally educational.鈥�

His advice to students is simple: 鈥淭ake advantage of the resources at 麻豆原创. Go see your teachers. They want to be asked questions, and they want to help you understand so you can succeed.鈥�

Naim Kapucu

Director, School of Public Administration, College of Community Innovation and Education

Naim Kapucu came to 麻豆原创 in 2003 fresh off of his doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh with his dissertation about emergency and crisis management during 9/11. His father wanted him to become a politician and eventually a governor, but he told his father he would one day become 鈥渁 professor of governors,鈥� specializing in public administration and policy.

While his work on 9/11 became well-known, Kapucu planned to never touch emergency-management research again, but the opposite happened after his move to Florida.

鈥淢y passion is being an academic, scholar leader and having a big vision for our school.鈥� 鈥斅燦aim Kapucu

鈥淚鈥檝e focused on leadership and emergency and crisis management,鈥� Kapucu said. 鈥淢y passion is being an academic, scholar leader and having a big vision for our school.鈥�

For the past four years, Kapucu has directed the School of Public Administration. He鈥檚 led creation of six new degree programs, including the fully online Masters in Research Administration, and has brought top journals in the field to 麻豆原创. Kapucu鈥檚 leadership and relationships put the school鈥檚 programs on the map. The school has two U.S. News & World Report nationally ranked graduate degree programs: No. 7 emergency management and No. 8 nonprofit management.

The Emergency Operations Center at 麻豆原创 was one of the first in the nation at a university 鈥� thanks to a grant that Kapucu helped secure.

鈥淐oming to 麻豆原创 was the best decision I ever made,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 tell students, faculty and staff to be yourself, know yourself and let other people be themselves. Have a vision with a solid plan to accomplish your goals. But keep in mind: In the world of public administration and policy, a vision without execution is hallucination.鈥�

Tison Pugh

Professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Humanities

Tison Pugh is best known among students for his Harry Potter studies class, but that鈥檚 not what he鈥檚 most proud of. He arrived at 麻豆原创 in 2001 after receiving his doctorate in English literature from the University of Oregon, and he has also published 19 books in 17 years.

鈥淭wo of the things I鈥檓 proud of is the minor in medieval and renaissance studies. And I was the founding faculty editor of the 麻豆原创 undergraduate research journal, The Pegasus Review,”聽Pugh says. 鈥淭hese are curricular initiatives that will still be available to students after I鈥檓 long gone.鈥�

鈥淚 always stress to students that I love literature and that I love to read and study it.鈥� 鈥� Tison Pugh

Pugh hopes his enthusiasm and love for literature shines through in his teaching, even for any resistant students. He believes the key to keeping students engaged is to tap into their passions.

鈥淚 always stress to students that I love literature and that I love to read and study it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would be a good professor if I didn鈥檛 do that for my students. When they start reading, they find the hidden humor 鈥� and once they find it 鈥� they are addicted to it as well.鈥�

Martine Vanryckeghem

Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Martine Vanryckeghem began her work in fluency disorders in Belgium, which has shaped her international career. A fluency disorder involves the interruption in the flow of speaking, and the most common one is stuttering. Vanryckeghem is an expert in how to diagnose and treat stuttering in children and adults.

Her research in fluency disorders has led her to co-author standardized diagnostic tests for children and adults that investigate the emotional, behavioral and cognitive effects stuttering can have on an individual. Her work has been translated, researched and published in 30 different countries.

鈥淭he tests provide an inventory and give a good idea of the different dimensions that surround the person who stutters,鈥� she says. 鈥淎n individual who stutters typically thinks negatively about him or herself and will use coping mechanisms to not stutter. The tests give the clinician a good assessment of the disorder and how to treat it.鈥�

Vanryckeghem credits her late husband with a lot of her success. They met while he was in Belgium giving a workshop.

鈥溌槎乖� made me an all-around citizen.” 鈥斅燤artine Vanryckeghem

鈥淗is high standards and scientific rigor served as a role model for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have tried to continue to lead by that model and if I can use the Pegasus mythology, he was the wind beneath my wings.鈥�

As for her students, Vanryckeghem hopes to make a small impact on their lives through academic and clinical instruction and research.

鈥溌槎乖� made me an all-around citizen. I don鈥檛 see myself as only an academician or researcher, I see myself as a faculty team member and leader 鈥� a 麻豆原创 ambassador around the world,鈥� she says.

Another science experiment flew into space today aboard Virgin Galactic鈥檚 SpaceShipTwo, making it the third time in three months that 麻豆原创鈥檚 projects have flown into space.

In December, an experiment flew aboard Virgin Galactic鈥檚 maiden voyage into space. And in January, a similar experiment flew aboard Blue Origin鈥檚 New Shepard spacecraft. The experiments all center around the same question 鈥� how do dust particles ranging in size from about the width of a hair to about 2 centimeters behave in microgravity? The answers are important not only to help understand how planets were formed, but also to plan for other space missions to the dusty surfaces of asteroids and the Earth鈥檚 Moon.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a funny coincidence that both rocket companies happen to be flying them at about the same time,鈥� says Joshua Colwell, a physics professor. His team worked on the experiments.

This time Colwell and his colleagues who worked on the project followed the launch via Twitter because they were teaching or in meetings. Two of the students who worked on the project were in California for the week of the launch.

鈥淲e hope our experiment will provide valuable data on the dynamics of particle aggregation in the early solar system that leads to the formation of planetary bodies聽补苍诲听the reaction of regolith to disturbances expected during asteroid聽sample return 补苍诲听lander missions to inform the development of safe operational procedures at these exotic sites,鈥� says Stephanie Jarmak, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Physics who worked on the project.

She and fellow Knight Cody Schultz 鈥�18聽watched the launch on site in the Mojave Desert. They, along with more than a dozen other students, worked on this experiment and others that have flown over the years. They will be pouring over all the data collected and reviewing the video captured back at 麻豆原创 to see what they can learn from all three flights.

鈥淲e have聽observed several interesting聽aggregation events from data obtained during聽our previous two suborbital flights, and we are continuing to analyze this data to provide useful input to the planetary science and space exploration community,鈥� Jarmak says.

This particular experiment is known as Collisions Into Dust Experiment, or COLLIDE. It is the same experiment that flew aboard Virgin in December. The second flight was to collect more data using a different type of simulated asteroid dust. This particular experiment is on its fifth trip to space. The first was in 1998 on a space shuttle flight. The project was selected for the flight as part of NASA鈥檚聽Flight Opportunities program.

The research was funded by NASA, 麻豆原创 and Space Florida.

Colwell has now had experiments fly into space eight times, including on space shuttle flights and payloads to the International Space Station.

This marks the fifth experiment in space for co-principal investigator Adrienne Dove, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 physics department.

Although she wasn鈥檛 there for the flight today, she was in California last week to help get the experiment ready for launch.

鈥淚t was my first time out at Virgin Galactic鈥檚 site,鈥� Dove says. 鈥淚t was amazing to see WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo in person. It was great working with the folks at VG and seeing how everything is progressing. It鈥檚 fantastic to see our experiments fly 鈥� each time we鈥檙e learning new things about operations, and we鈥檙e getting some really unique science results.鈥�