Brandon and Dylan won UCF's Joust competition and joined UCF's award winning Business Incubation Program by developing a nanomaterial for selectively refining metals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel and others.They will describe their journey from invention to their venture Precision Periodic including their failures, pivots and successes. Learn how to turn science into startups and success. Registration Link: https://ucf.startuptree.co/event/s/kmoQBfkY22HtM6wyuQyCuH/Turning-Dirt-in-Dollars---This-Inside-Scoop-of-High-Tech-Startups

Should We Let Chatbots Call the Shots? Dr. David Grant • October 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. EasternJoin in person in Room 101, Harris Engineering Center (HEC), UCF Main Campus or by ZoomChatbots are shockingly good at making tough decisions - the kinds of decisions that most of us would only trust an expert to make. Recent studies suggest, for example, that current-get chatbots may actually be better than human doctors at determining the best course of treatment for patients with complex medical needs. As chatbots compare ever more favorably to human decision-makers, it will be increasingly tempting to simply let them make the hard choices for us. In this talk Dr. Grant will argue that we should resist that temptation. While the potential benefits of outsourcing high-stakes decisions to chatbots are considerable, so are the risks.David Gray Grant is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Florida. His research focuses on concerns about fairness and transparency that arise when institutions use machine learning to make high stakes decisions. He has developed several courses on the philosophy of artificial intelligence at UF and helped developed the curriculum for UF's AI Learning Academy, which offers professional development workshops on artificial intelligence of higher education faculty and administrators. Before joining UF, Dr. Grant was an Embedded EthiCS Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, a Senior Research Fellow at Jain Family Institute, and a Summer Research Fellow at the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society at the University of Southern California. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from MIT.Virtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/meeting/register/Wu0K3n1LS5We7TZ_17AePg Registration Link: https://ucf.zoom.us/meeting/register/Wu0K3n1LS5We7TZ_17AePg

Join The India Center at UCF for a discussion with Varun Rai, professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, as he explores the evolving energy landscape in India.In his talk, Leading on What Matters: The Future of Energy in India, Rai will examine the critical challenges and opportunities shaping India's energy future -- from innovation and sustainability to policy and global leadership. This session offers valuable insights for anyone interested in energy systems, climate strategy and India's role in the global energy transition.Lunch provided to registered guests. Registration Link: https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_byKTDz9eUbPxoXk

Title: Time-domain optical control of molecular and material dynamicsAbstract: Since the advent of femtochemistry, researchers have sought to both manipulate and monitor chemical dynamics at the intrinsic length and time scales of atoms, electrons, and the bonds that hold them together. Two-pulse pump-probe approaches have long served as the workhorse of this endeavor, providing a window into dynamics launched by an initial excitation. In this seminar, I will describe our efforts to move beyond passive observation by employing multi-pulse pump-control-probe schemes that guide the microscopic partitioning of energy along distinct dynamical pathways. I will highlight suite of modalities that we have developed through their application to two broad classes of systems: (i) semiconductor materials relevant to solar energy conversion -- including halide perovskites, colloidal nanocrystals, and two-dimensional materials -- where optical probes track the exchange of energy between photons, electrons, and phonons; and (ii) diatomic gas-phase molecules, representing the most fundamental level of photochemistry, where hard X-ray scattering enables real-space and real-time visualization of wavepacket shaping via coherent control. Together, these efforts advance the broader goal of unveiling and ultimately controlling the coupled electronic and structural dynamics that underpin function in condensed phases.About the Speaker: Tom Hopper is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida. After completing a Masters degree in Chemistry at Newcastle University (2016), he became the first graduate student of Artem Bakulin at Imperial College London, which began with building a brand-new femtosecond laser suite for the Chemistry department, and culminated in numerous awards for his thesis on ultrafast photophysics in organic, hybrid and nanoscale materials and devices. Following an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship in the same lab, Tom moved to Stanford University (2021) as a TomKat Postdoctoral Fellow in Sustainable Energy, continuing research into energy transport in emerging photovoltaics in the group of Aaron Lindenberg. Tom then joined SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (2023) full time as a Postdoctoral Scholar in Photon Science. Working with Adi Natan and Kelly Gaffney, Tom developed pulse sequences to exert coherent control of photochemical structural and solvation dynamics, and image these processes with the world's brightest X-rays at the LCLS free electron laser. Since December 2024, Tom has led a research group at UCF, focusing on ultrafast laser control tools to advance the materials & device science of molecular and nanoscale systems for novel energy, optoelectronic and quantum technologies.Virtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/j/91734379009?from=addon

Compete for $15,000 in cash prizes by pitching bold ideas that create real-world impact. This session will walk you through everything you need to know about the UCF Innovation Tournament, including rules, deadlines, judging, and tips to strengthen your pitch.Competition Tracks:* Art and Entertainment* Social and Health* Retail Products and Services* Advanced TechnologyRegistration Link: https://ucf.startuptree.co/discover/events?s=s

During the next several Wednesdays, CREOL faculty will present brief highlights of their research activities. The talks take place at noon in Room 103, with two professors each giving a 25-minute presentation.Attendance is mandatory for all first-semester Ph.D. students.SEPTEMBER 312:00: Ayman Abouraddy12:30: Christian HeideSEPTEMBER 10No presentationsSEPTEMBER 1712:00: Sean Pang12:30: Yannick SalaminSEPTEMBER 2412:00: Konstantin Vodopyanov12:30: Shin-Tson WuOCTOBER 112:00: Joshua Kaufman12:30: Kristopher DavisOCTOBER 812:00: Kyle Renshaw12:30: Peter DelfyettOCTOBER 1512:00: Eric Johnson12:30: Ivan DivlianskyOCTOBER 2212:00: Murat Yuskel12:30: Li FangOCTOBER 2912:00: Kyu Young Han12:30: Leland NordinNOVEMBER 512:00: TBD12:30: Midya PartoNOVEMBER 1212:00: Sasan Fathpour12:30: Debashis ChandaNOVEMBER 1912:00: Stephen Eikenberry12:30: TBD