Daniel Agliata, a University of Central Florida graduate student in clinical psychology, is a bona fide people person. His passion for people's well-being is the cornerstone of his recently published paper about the effects of media on males' body image and mood.

"I have a natural drive for others around me to be happy and feel emotionally and physically healthy," says Agliata. "In addition, a Ph.D. in psychology will provide me the skills necessary to succeed in many settings, including academia, research and clinical work."

Agliata recently received a travel award allowing him to present his paper, co-authored by Stacey Tantleff-Dunn, Ph.D., at the Academy for Eating Disorders 2003 International Conference in Denver, Colorado.

The support of the UCF community — along with that of his wife, Allison — help Agliata press on. "After completion of my internship and defense of my dissertation, I hope to work in a hospital-type setting, specializing in assessment and treatment," Agliata shares.

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It's said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But can you teach adult students new approaches to learning? That is the focus of the research conducted by University of Central Florida master's student Yaela Dahan, who just presented her findings in a poster session at the 14th Annual Conference for Teaching and Learning in Jacksonville.

Dahan, who is studying instructional design, has researched how adults can shift their approach to learning from one that is teacher-focused to one that is learner-focused. Her research, based on the ARCS Motivation Theory – attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction – could benefit Dahan's contemporaries.

"Introduced to training while working in human resources, I saw how the intructional design program would help me better connect to the learners and increase their level of understanding," says Dahan, who received a travel award, along with funding from the Student Government Association and the UCF Chapter of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology to help her attend the conference.

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If you ever felt as if you bear the brunt of household responsibilities, University of Central Florida master's student Kimberly Daniels may know why. Daniels, an Applied Sociology major, has researched the relationship between economic dependency and household labor in marriage. She recently presented her findings at a Southern Sociological Society conference in New Orleans.

"The experience was great," says Daniels, who received a travel award and funding from the Sociology Department. Daniels and several faculty and students from her program "were able to present our research projects and receive feedback, to learn about current research being conducted in our areas of interest by other members of the Southern Sociological Society, as well as interact with faculty and students from other universities."

Daniels, who starts work on her doctorate in the fall, is thankful for the training and support she has received at UCF. "I have learned so much in the past two years, and the faculty in the Sociology Department . . . are exceptional," she relates.

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Patrick Fleming could be a prototype for a modern-day superstudent: A self-described "knowledge and experience eclectic," there is little that the University of Central Florida doctoral student hasn't done – and done well. Add to the list yet another coup in the form of a summer fellowship at Washington State University.

Forty-six doctoral candidates have participated in the program, established in 1993 to mentor minority doctoral candidates preparing for university-level careers in teaching, research and service.

Fleming plans to begin work on his dissertation in disability and digital media while at WSU. "Among the key questions which this work should address is, how digital media, in all its forms, is accessible to those of us with various disabilities." Fleming – "dissertation willing," he says – will be one of the first graduates in UCF's Texts and Technology Program in spring 2004.

"My life as a graduate student has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," says Fleming.

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UCF graduate student Jared Iacovelli, a travel award winner, met one of his heroes - Nobel Prize winner and neuroscientist Dr. H. Robert Horvitz – while attending the 32nd annual Society for Neuroscience conference. Iacovelli attended the meeting along with instructor Dr. Cristina Fernandez-Valle and fellow student Sandra Geden to present his paper in molecular biology.

"Attending this meeting was a wonderful experience, as I was able to share my research with others and listen to several influential speakers in the field of neuroscience," Iacovelli said. The molecular and microbiology student decided to pursue a master's degree with a higher goal in mind – "so I could gain research experience before enrolling in a Ph.D. program" in neuroscience.

Despite the challenges a graduate student faces, Iacovelli is upbeat about his UCF experience. "My overall experience as a graduate student at UCF is good," he says.

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University of Central Florida travel award winner Irina Ionescu's greatest wish is about to become reality: "My dearest dream is to see as much of the world as I can," shares the doctoral student in Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering. Ionescu will travel to Romania to present her paper detailing solid modeling and finite element analysis of human bones.

The Seminar on Biomechanical Research at the University Politehnica Bucharest will mark the beginning of a partnership between the Bucharest institution and Ionescu's department. Dr. Ted Conway, Ionescu's co-adviser, will accompany her to the seminar. She also will present her work in Cracow, Poland, and Nantes, France.

"I was happy when I was told I got the travel award," Ionescu recalls. "Graduate Studies helped me a lot."

A doctoral degree represents "my parents' dream and my wish," Ionescu says. After graduation, "I hope to get a post-doctoral position in my field," she says.

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UCF doctoral student and travel award winner Andreas Marpaung did more than present a paper recently at a prestigious multimedia conference in France: He provided the entertainment. That came in the form of a robot, Lola, the product of Marpaung's research in UCF's Affective Social Computing Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Christine Lisetti, who also attended the conference.

"As an entertainer robot, Lola has the capability to dance for the audiences, greet another person by name and show her emotions based on her progress in doing tasks," Marpaung explains. Lola's ability to emote "gave me a chance to show that emotion plays an important role" in human-robot interaction, he adds.

Inspired by the conference, he hopes to use the next year of his studies polishing his dissertation and publishing more research papers. His career goal: "Working in a research company or teaching at the university level."

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You could say Fatma Nasoz possesses a drive to excel. Nasoz, a University of Central Florida travel award winner and doctoral student, presented her research at the Association for Computing Machinery Multimedia Conference in France. Nasoz's paper focuses on recognizing human emotions to develop car interfaces to enhance driver safety. The computer science student is applying multimedia technologies to future cars.

Nasoz attended the conference – a gathering for representatives of top universities and companies from around the world – with three other doctoral students, as well as Dr. Christine Lisetti. Dr. Lisetti supervises UCF's Affective Social Computing Laboratory, where Nasoz conducts her research.

"The field I am doing my research on is relatively new in computer science," Nasoz relates. "It is different in the way it also takes into account the human side of human-machine interactions by recognizing and responding to users' emotions."

Fired up from her recent success, she looks ahead toward her dissertation, as well as her eventual goal of conducting research and teaching in her homeland of Turkey.

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Reid Oetjen, a UCF doctoral student in the College of Health and Public Affairs, is the kind of guy the public wants to see succeed. A travel award winner, Oetjen recently presented a paper advocating patients' rights to privacy in waiting rooms. Attending the Medical Group Management Association's conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, allowed the Ph.D. student "to network as well as learn about the latest trends in the healthcare industry as it pertains to physician practices."

Oetjen's research is one more step toward his goal: "to fulfill my dream of teaching at the college level." Oetjen's next hurdle is his dissertation, "which will explore the utilization of emergency departments."

His studies at UCF have been a highlight in Oetjen's life. "I am so excited by the growth of the campus, as well as the growing reputation of the university as one of the finest learning centers in the United States," he says.

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UCF doctoral student Janet Tinoco wanted more. With about 20 years in defense technology as an engineer and technical manager, she received a master's in international business to augment her management skills. But Tinoco didn't stop there. "I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and combine my engineering background and management experience with a doctorate in marketing," Tinoco relates.

Now Tinoco, a UCF travel award winner whose paper about export sales, co-authored with Dr. Chris White at UCF, was presented in San Diego at an American Marketing Association conference, is reaping the rewards. Tinoco's research was named best paper in its category, a moment shared with several UCF faculty members who also attended the conference.

Once her studies are complete, Tinoco plans to focus on high-technology marketing strategy. For now, Tinoco enjoys the challenges of completing her doctorate. "It's harder than I thought," she admits, "but I am never bored!"

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Do not adjust your radio dial. Just let Hong Yang have a look at it.

Yang, a University of Central Florida doctoral student with a passion for electrical engineering, has won accolades for his knowledge of integrated circuits. He will travel to Philadelphia on behalf of co-authors Wade Smith and Jiann S. Yuan to present their paper linking gate oxide breakdown with decreased output power and poorer efficiency in certain circuits.

The 2003 Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium, scheduled for June, is the "leading one of its kind," according to Yang, who received a travel award allowing him to present his work.

Whether he remains in the United States upon graduation or returns to the People's Republic of China, Yang will always treasure his experience as a UCF graduate student. "Studying at UCF is a wonderful experience and memory in my lifetime," relates Yang.

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