University of Central Florida research centers

The University of Central Florida College of Nursing is an academic college of the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida, United States. The dean of the college is Mary Lou Sole, PhD, RN, CCNS, CNL, FAAN, FCCM.According to U.S. News & World Report, UCF is among the most innovative college programs, with one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the state of Florida and among the top 25 programs for Veterans.

The Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) is a research institute of the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida, United States. Grace Bochenek, Ph.D. was appointed director of IST in early 2021. She was previously the director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (2006-12) and the chief technology officer of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and served as acting secretary of energy for the U.S. Department of Energy (2017). The Institute provides a wide range of research and information services for the modeling, simulation and training community of Central Florida. As well, the institute aids in undergraduate and graduate studies in modeling and simulation leading to bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, Professional Science Master's and doctoral degrees. IST is a member of the National Center for Simulation.

The United States Army Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC) provides the United States Department of Defense and United States Department of Homeland Security, with applied research to develop simulation technologies, build on current simulation knowledge, and understand system of systems environments where human, agent, and teams are involved.

The Florida Space Institute (FSI) is a research institute of the State University System of Florida and the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida, United States.FSI is currently led by Interim Director Dr. Julie Brisset.

The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) is an Echelon IV command of the United States Navy, reporting to the Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. NAWCTSD is located in Orlando, Florida in the Central Florida Research Park, adjacent to the University of Central Florida (UCF). The facility is a part of a larger military installation within the Central Florida Research Park known as Naval Support Activity Orlando (NSA Orlando).The Commanding Officer (CO) of NAWCTSD, an aeronautically designated U.S. Navy Captain, is also dual-hatted as the installation CO of NSA Orlando. This results in a dual-track command chain, answering to the Commander of NAWCAD as CO of NAWCTSD for Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) issues, and to the Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) as CO of NSA Orlando for installation-related issues. NAWCTSD is the principal U.S. Navy center for research, development, test and evaluation, acquisition, life cycle program management and product support of all aviation, surface and undersea training systems, devices and programs for the U.S. Navy and all aviation training systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. It also provides interservice coordination and training systems support for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard, especially in those instances of similar platforms and systems (i.e., USAF CV-22B Osprey, USCG MH-60T Jayhawk, etc.).

University is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Orange County, Florida, United States, east of Orlando. The community is centered around the University of Central Florida and includes a location on its south side known as University Park. The area is served by the zip codes 32816 and 32817. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 31,084. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

WUCF-FM (89.9 MHz) is a listener-supported radio station of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. The station is one of Central Florida's two NPR member stations, along with WMFE-FM.WUCF-FM is co-owned and operated by the University of Central Florida.

The Central Florida Research Park (CFRP) is a research park abutting the main campus of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, United States. CFRP is the largest research park in Florida, the fourth largest in the United States by number of companies, and the seventh largest in the United States by number of employees. CFRP is home to numerous centers hosted by the United States Department of Defense, UCF, and private corporations.

The Robinson Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Central Florida College of Sciences in Orlando, Florida, USA.Public viewings are held the first and third Wednesday of each month and are sponsored by the Central Florida Astronomical Society (CFAS).

Fairwinds Credit Union is an American member-owned credit union that is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and serves the Central Florida area. Fairwinds is regulated under the authority of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and has 178,000 members and assets of $2.1 billion. The credit union, opened in 1949, has 492 full-time employees and 69 part-time employees, or 340 members per employee, compared to a national average of 455. Fairwinds is the official credit union for Universal Orlando and its team members since 2006. Additionally, Fairwinds is a sponsor of the Orlando Solar Bears since 2014, as well as the official credit union for Orlando City Soccer Club.Starting in 2012, Fairwinds became the official banking partner of the University of Central Florida, its students, and alumni. Since 2005, there has been an on campus FAIRWINDS Alumni Center which offers a 10,000 square foot facility for alumni or students to rent next to the Addition Financial Arena.In 2022, Fairwinds announced the acquisition of Citizens Bank of Florida in Oviedo, Florida.

The residence hall system at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida is administered by the Department of Housing and Residence Life. As of 2011, the system offers just under 6,500 beds on its main campus within five housing communities, 400 beds at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and 3,750 beds in university-affiliated housing.Housing on the main campus is separated into five communities, the oldest being Apollo, and the newest residence hall being UnionWest at Creative Village in downtown Orlando. The majority of on-campus housing is occupied by freshmen, while the bulk of upper-class and graduate students live in off-campus apartments, houses, and cooperatives. The Residence Hall Association (RHA) is the residence hall association for the university. All residents living in on-campus housing, UCF Affiliated Housing, or the Rosen College of Hospitality Management Housing are automatically members of RHA. They rebranded from the United Resident Student Association (URSA) to RHA in 2013.

The UCF Knights are the athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I (FBS for football) as a member of the American Athletic Conference. UCF was invited to join the Big 12 Conference on September 10, 2021, and accepted the invitation later that day. The American Athletic Conference announced on June 10, 2022 that UCF had been approved for an early exit of the conference following the 2022-23 season (albeit with an increased buyout cost), permitting them to enter the Big 12 Conference for the 2023-24 season. Since men's soccer is not sponsored by the Big 12, they will play in the Sun Belt Conference beginning in 2023. The "Knights of Pegasus" – as the nickname was originally called – was a submission put forth by students, staff, and faculty in 1970 who wished to replace UCF's unpopular original mascot, the Citronaut, which was a mix between an orange and an astronaut. The Knights were also chosen over "Vincent the Vulture," which was a popular unofficial mascot among students at the time. From 1993 through 2007, the teams were known as the Golden Knights. In 1994, Knightro debuted as the Golden Knights' official athletic mascot. Since 2014, the Citronaut has made a limited return for some "throwback" games in football. UCF sponsors 16 varsity sports: 6 for men (baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, and tennis; the minimum number of men's sports required for a Division I school) and 10 for women (basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, and volleyball). UCF also used to sponsor a men's wrestling team, but it was discontinued after the 1986 season. The Knights 16 varsity teams have combined to win 89 conference championships and two national championships as of the end of the 2020–21 school year. The women's volleyball team won in the AIAW Small College Division national title in 1978 and the football team was selected as national champions by the Colley Matrix in 2017. Neither of these titles came in NCAA sanctioned events as the NCAA does not award national championships in FBS Football and did not sponsor women's sports at all before 1982. One Golden Knights athlete, Aurieyall Scott, has won an individual NCAA championship. Scott won the 60 meter dash at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. The UCF cheerleading team (which not considered a varsity team) has captured three national titles at the College Cheerleading and Dance Team Nationals.Athletic facilities on the campus include the 44,206-seat FBC Mortgage Stadium, the 9,432–seat Addition Financial Arena, 3,000–seat Venue, John Euliano Park, the UCF Soccer and Track Stadium, and the UCF Softball Complex.