CCIE Office of Research hosted their Fall e-LED Talks event on Tuesday, November 10. This served as a platform for researchers from each department and stakeholders from the City of Orlando, to share their research and its relevance in the post-pandemic world. These presentations highlighted the social impact of their investigation and its direct benefit for Orlando and its neighboring communities. A special thank you to our guest speakers, Christopher Castro, Director of Sustainability and Resilience at City of Orlando, and Shakelia Henderson, Principal at Alpha Learning Academy Orlando. We also want to thank Dr. Yue Ge, Dr. Viki Kelchner, Dr. Michelle Taub, Dr. Carlton Patrick, Dr. Barbara Andraka-Christou, Dr. Jill Viglione, and Dr. Farshid Safi for sharing their expertise with everyone. We are looking forward to another great turnout in the Spring.
Sejal Barden, associate professor of counselor education and executive director of the UCF Marriage and Family Research Institute, and Dalena Dillman Taylor, associate professor of counselor education and senior implementation director of the institute, received a $7.5 million five-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services – the Administration of Children and Families. COVID-19 increased interpersonal stress and created unprecedented challenges for couples and families. Barden and Taylor plan to further their research on increasing coping through Project Harmony 2.0 and educating couples on communication and conflict resolution skills. Project Harmony 2.0 is an evidenced-based program that has the potential to make a positive impact for couples and families in Central Florida.
Trey Vasquez, professor of exceptional student education and director of the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute, received the Project Social Code: Stepping up for Technology Award for $2.5 million across five years. This award will explore how social robots can impact social, STEM and behavioral skills of children with autism in STEM settings.
Yue Ge, assistant professor of emergency management, and Naim Kapucu, Pegasus professor of public administration, received a $1,225,000 award from the National Science Foundation to study community resilience. Their project “Leveraging Smart Technologies and Managing Community Resilience through Networked Communities and Cross-Sector Partnerships” is part of the UCF Urban Resilience Initiative. Their research will examine existing community partnerships and resources as well as evaluate information technology applications aided by artificial intelligence to study community resilience management in Central Florida.
