Led by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Professor of Biology and developed by undergraduate students, the new game blends research with interactive learning.

“My work on parasitic wasps and their symbiotic viruses forms the foundation for the game and other outreach efforts designed to engage the public with biology in a fun and accessible way,� Sharanowski says.

The game was created by computer science senior students as part of their capstone project under the supervision of Associate Lecturer of Computer Science Matthew Gerber, with Sharanowski providing the concept. It represents the second phase of development, with an earlier senior group of students building the original concept and the second group advancing it into a fully playable desktop version.

“The students coded, designed and refined the game, which was initially envisioned as a virtual reality experience but shifted to a desktop game  due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic,� Sharanowski says.

In the game, players take on the role of scientists tasked with protecting a national park by designing custom wasps to control invasive pests.

“The goal as a scientist is to save the park by releasing specially designed wasps with beneficial features like paralytic venom, long ovipositors or even mind control, that make them more effective at targeting host species such as caterpillars, beetles and aphids,� she says.

Along the way, players encounter educational blurbs that explain these traits and reinforce the idea that not all wasps sting and many are actually beneficial to humans and ecosystems.

“These wasps can be endoparasitic, developing inside their host, or ectoparasitic, developing outside the host,� Sharanowski says. “You can find them all around the world, including in our backyards, and they serve an important role in nature as natural agents of pest control, thereby reducing the need for pesticides.�

The project was funded through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Rules of Life Initiative, which brings together multiple NSF divisions to address the fundamental questions about how living systems function and evolve.

According to Sharanowski, parasitic wasps are one of the most varied lineages on Earth, with more species than all vertebrates combined.

“For every insect that’s out there, there’s likely one or more parasitic wasps that attack it,� she says.

Her research explores the unique symbiosis between wasps and viruses.

“Over time, some viruses have become integrated into the genomes of certain parasitic wasps, effectively making the virus and wasp a single organism,� Sharanowski says. “The virus no longer replicates independently — its reproduction is tied to the wasp’s. When a female wasp lays an egg inside a host, the virions enter the host and activate viral genes that manipulate the host’s immune system and behavior, benefiting the developing wasp.�

This wasp-virus relationship has evolved multiple times and remains a central focus of her research.

As a first-generation college graduate, Sharanowski says this project has been a way to share her passion for entomology and science, as well as to provide educational opportunities for people to learn about wasps in a fun way.

“One of my core values as an educator is to make science engaging,� she says. “I enjoy doing campus and community outreach to show how fascinating these insects are, and I believe this game does that.�

She also highlighted Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Collection of Arthropods, commonly known as the , as a public resource preserving and showcasing the biodiversity of insects in Central Florida.

Looking ahead, Sharanowski says a third group of students is currently working on a mobile version of the game, expected to launch later this year.

“There is so much beauty out there, and I want people to see how fascinating bugs are and the important role they play in ecosystems,� she says.

Microplastics are small plastic pieces – less than the size of a pencil tip – that come from larger pieces of plastic, such as synthetic clothes, or that are made small for use in health and beauty products or industrial purposes.

The research, which was published online recently in the journal , is important because birds of prey are critical to a functioning ecosystem. The accumulation of microplastics in their digestive systems could lead to poisoning, starvation and death.

“Birds of prey are top predators in the ecosystem and by changing the population or health status of the top predator, it completely alters all of the animals, organisms and habitats below them on the food web,â€� says Julia Carlin, the study’s lead author and a graduate of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s .

Microplastic contamination of the environment likely began not long after the first piece of plastic was discarded, says Linda Walters, a Pegasus Professor in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Department of Biology and study co-author.

Ingestion of large pieces of plastic by animals was first noted in the 1960s, and an increased focus on microplastic ingestion started around 2010, she says.

Past studies have documented increasing amounts of microplastics in the guts of fish, marine birds, and filter-feeding invertebrates, such as oysters. There have also been recent reports of whales dying from eating dozens of pounds of plastic, including plastic bags. However, birds of prey have not been thoroughly examined before, partly due to their protected status.

Carlin and Walters were able to overcome this by working with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida, a rehabilitation center that helps injured raptors.

With the center’s permits, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ researchers were able to examine the stomach contents of 63 birds that were dead when they arrived at the center or died 24 hours after they arrived. The birds were collected from throughout Central Florida.

Using dissecting microscopes and spectroscopy, the researchers found microplastics in the digestive systems of all birds examined, with nearly 1,200 pieces of plastic pulled from the 63 birds.

The most common types of microplastic in the birds were microfibers, which accounted for 86 percent of the plastics found. Microfibers can come from synthetic ropes or clothing and may end up in ecosystems through wastewater from clothes-washing machines.

Blue and clear microplastics were the most common colors identified, but the reasons for this could range from these being the dominant colors of the plastics in the landscape to birds confusing these colors with appropriate prey or nesting materials, according to the study.

Walters says some solutions to the problem could be removing plastic from open landfills, carefully discarding plastic trash, buying natural fabrics instead of plastic-based ones, and retrofitting water treatment plants and stormwater drains to capture microplastics.

“We have all benefitted from the convenience of plastics, but plastics do not go away once produced,� Walters says.

Study co-authors included Casey Craig, a master’s student in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Department of Biology; Samantha Little, a raptor-clinic technician with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey; Melinda Donnelly, an assistant research scientist in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Department of Biology; David Fox, a doctoral candidate in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s ; and Lei Zhai, a professor with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Nanoscience Technology Center and Department of Chemistry.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the and the Department of Biology at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, and the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.

Carlin is now a doctor of veterinary medicine student at North Carolina State University. She conducted the research as her honors in the major thesis and received the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Outstanding Honors in the Major Thesis Award this spring for the project.

Walters has a doctorate in biology from the University of South Carolina and a secondary appointment to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s . She joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Department of Biology, part of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s , in 1997.

These and hundreds of other invasive plant species are taking over Florida’s beautiful natural environment, and in the process crowding out native species and reducing many animal habitats. That topic is the latest in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ biology Professor Linda Walters’ series of books, which are distributed free for young readers to understand and help take care of the world around us.

Silent Takeover! Invasive Plants in Florida is Walters’ ninth book written with colleagues, students and family members, and this 28-page volume is a warning about the unwanted plants growing in waterways, forests, fields and even our backyards.

“It is very important that this book is read by the next generation,� says co-author Katherine Harris ’18, who received her bachelor’s degree in biology as a Burnett Honors Scholar and was involved with the university’s Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab. “Today’s kids are so used to hearing about all the environmental problems that their generation will have to deal with, to the point that kids feel it is impossible to make a difference. I hope this book gives kids the opportunity to be informed and to feel that they can have a positive impact on the environment.�

This book’s team also included Samantha Yuan ’08 ’14MS, who holds Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and is the research and outreach manager of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s invasive plant management section, and Owen Fasolas, a Winter Park artist and designer.

Young readers can find out about some of the most harmful invasive plants, the problems they cause to the natural ecosystems and how “to help keep Florida native and wild.�

In Silent Takeover!, young readers can find out about some of the most harmful invasive plants, the problems they cause to the natural ecosystems and how “to help keep Florida native and wild.�

Walters, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Pegasus Professor, says her series of biology books has been funded by grants and has mirrored her research agenda over the past decade. The books have been on topics such as protecting oyster reefs, invasive species from home aquariums dumped into waterways, sea-level rise, shoreline stabilization, and endangered birds. Funding has come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Sea Grant, and the Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Why is Walters interested in pushing these topics for her books?

“Honestly, how can you not be interested in these things,� she asks, adding that without natural habitats “our lives would be much poorer in terms of every measure of quality of life you can think of…We humans have trashed them, so it is also up to us to understand and restore them with great urgency now.�

This edition’s distribution will push her total books in print to nearly 80,000 copies given out at schools, events and by requests through the years. Some agencies, such as the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, purchase copies for their outreach events.

“I have no interest in making money off our books,� Walters says. “The goal is to distribute the various conservation messages far and wide.�

Walters says that even in our high-tech generation, children like to read a book that they’re interested in. “You can hold it, read and reread it with someone you care about, and enjoy the art,� she says.

She also loves to hear anecdotes about the books from parents, such as when they say their children “want one of our stories read to them night after night after nightâ€� or that “their kids take the lessons totally to heart and won’t let them speed in their speedboats when near oysters or inappropriately care for their aquarium plants and pets.â€�

As for what we can do to counteract invasive species, Harris said perhaps the best thing people can do is to stay informed on the subject.

“Many invasive plants are allowed to spread because people unknowingly plant them in gardens or throw out unwanted aquarium plants and houseplants,� she says. “People can contribute to keeping Florida’s native plants and animals thriving by making a conscious effort to stay informed and plant only native species.�

Educators and others who would like a printed copy of “Silent Takeover! Invasive Plants in Florida� can contact Linda Walters at Linda.Walters@ucf.edu. Digital copies of all of Walters’ books are available in the university’s STARS archives at .

In the United States, fossil fuels continue to be the largest production source of electricity. Over the past 30 years or so, the fossil fuels of natural gas, petroleum and coal have annually accounted for approximately 70 percent of our electricity production, nuclear power plants produce about 20 percent, while renewable sources such as solar and wind contribute less than 10 percent. Although these renewable sources have steadily contributed more hours of electricity every year, we need more to power not just our computers, but also our new smart phones, tablets and Teslas.

I always enjoy seeing engineering topics receive widespread attention in the media, and it seems especially important to make right choices now with the recent focus on some energy sources that may have some negative environmental impacts.

One of the growing controversial aspects of energy production is the process of hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracking or fracking, which is very much responsible for a surge in the production of oil and natural gas production in the United States. Energy companies can tap into oil and natural gas reserves that were previously inaccessible and stimulate production from older wells.

Lower fuel prices, job creation and domestic business growth are all viewed as economic benefits, but to better understand the costs, people need to know the mechanics of fracking that has been gradually developed since the 1940s.

Consider a solid structure that contains numerous tiny cracks that are in close proximity but not touching. Think of Swiss cheese with penny-shaped slits instead of spherical pores. If you could somehow apply enough mechanical loading to just one of those cracks, then the intensity of stress developed at the tip of that crack could very well be enough to create a fissure connecting the tip of one of the adjacent cracks. Apply more loading, and get to the next one. And so on until the network of initially disconnected pores are bridged.

In the case of fracking, however, the rock formations that drillers want to access are either shale or tight sandstones that have cracks filled with oil or natural gas. The network of cracks tends to be vertical or horizontal depending on the geological formation. To be able to open these underground cracks and get to the deposits, there are three principal steps: drilling, injecting and extracting.

The drilling process in fracking is similar to that used in conventional oil drilling. The borehole is about 20 inches in diameter and goes about 7,000 feet deep, well below the water table of many naturally occurring aquifers that sit at a 2,000 foot depth. New technology in the form of a steerable bit allows the bore to turn sideways and run horizontally for a little more than a mile within the relatively thin shale layer.

Approximately, 5 million gallons of fluid are delivered by powerful pumps at the surface. By volume, the fluid is a mixture containing 90 percent water, 9.5 percent fine sand, and the balance is various chemicals. The fluid is pressurized at roughly 15,000 pounds per square inch. The sand particles hold open the tiny cracks with enough spacing to allow the fossil fuels to escape to the borehole and travel up to the well for collection.

But the process is very contentious because of these issues:

1. Water Resource Contamination – Of the roughly 5 million gallons of water that can be pumped into a fracking well, about 15 percent escapes up the well shaft and can lead to a spill if not handled properly. If the bore is not constructed with enough strength, then the fracking fluid can be injected into the aquifer and contaminate water resources. This can especially be the case when the well has poor structural integrity.
2. Methane Emissions – Methane is more potent than carbon dioxide and has a great potential to escape to the atmosphere during fracking. This damaging greenhouse gas has been detected in ground water reserves near extraction wells. These gases can degrade the local air quality.
3. Induced Seismicity – Several studies have linked destructive seismic activity – earthquakes – to the subsurface stresses induced by fracking in the vicinity of ground faults.
4. Water Consumption – A considerable amount of freshwater is used for fracking a single well.

As hydraulic fracturing continues to be a boom to the U.S. economy, it reminds me that concepts we work on daily in the laboratory and in the classroom can have huge impacts. 3-D printing, autonomous robots, solar-power cars, cars that fly, and the like were all concepts that engineers helped bring to fruition. The effects these innovations have had on society have been largely positive in helping solve some sort of problem.

Likewise, as energy sources evolve, the challenge always will be to develop peripheral technologies to further reduce the environmental impacts for us and our future generations.

Dr. Ali P. Gordon is an associate professor in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He researches and teaches Fracture and Fatigue, and can be reached at ali@ucf.edu.

Nearly 70 projects that range from solutions to real-world problems to entertainment will be on display from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. These projects are part of Senior Design, a capstone course for engineering and computer science disciplines at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. Students take Senior Design I to brainstorm and design a project before bringing it to life in Senior Design II the following semester. Students use coursework, plus additional Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ resources such as Maker Space labs and Senior Design Boot Camps to complete their projects that are then presented to a panel of faculty, staff and engineering professionals.

“Senior Design is a culminating experience that gives our students the opportunity to integrate what they have learned in all of their separate courses, as they work in teams on challenging, real-world problems. Students demonstrate their ability to tackle big problems, which can give them confidence,” said Charles Reilly, associate dean for Academic Affairs at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The showcase also gives students an opportunity to demonstrate that they are job-ready to employers. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is the nation’s No. 1 workforce supplier to the aerospace and defense industry, and is among the nation’s top producers of engineers and computer scientists.

Here are just a few of the projects that will be on display:

Diabetic Breath Tester

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ electrical engineering senior Christine Sleppy has grown up watching her two brothers constantly prick their fingers to test their blood sugar levels. An older and younger brother both battle type 1 diabetes.

“I thought, ‘If we can test alcohol on our breath, why can’t we test our blood sugar, too?’� she said.

That was the inspiration behind her senior design project – a diabetic breath tester – that can signal to users if their blood-sugar levels are in a healthy or an unhealthy range simply by blowing into a container.

The diabetic test made by Sleppy and three other teammates uses volatile organic compound sensors to test the amount of chemicals on someone’s breath. If high levels of acetone and ketones are found, research suggests that it indicates high blood sugar. Users blow into a hand-held container to test their levels, and the results then are transmitted via Bluetooth to an Android mobile application for the user to read.

“Our idea is to limit the amount of finger prickings so it becomes less invasive,� said Sleppy, who added that the breath-test technology right now cannot replace blood-glucose meters that have been the primary testing method for diabetics since the 1980s. That’s because more advanced sensors with the capability of providing specific readings still need to be developed before diabetics can rely on breath testers. Blood-glucose meters now require users to draw small drops of blood daily onto test strips that measure sugar levels.

This type of breath-test technology for diabetics has never hit the market for consumers, although there is extensive research happening across the country. A researcher from Western New England University also has created a similar product. It cost Sleppy and her teammates about $400 to create. Her teammates are electrical engineering seniors Jonathan Brown, Noah Spenser and Edert Geffrard.

Kitty Bot

When teammates Stephen Barth, Bryen Buie, Carlos Garzon and Trenton Williams brainstormed ideas for their Senior Design project, they had one main criteria: Create something that would spark a fun and exciting reaction from people.

That was the basis for Kitty Bot, a robotic, indoor cat toy the students designed for about $120.

“We wanted to show engineering can be fun and creative,� said Garzon, who has been described as a “creative soul� by his teammates.

Kitty Bot is a spherical toy made from a hamster ball that has a circuit board inside programmed to automatically move and turn the toy via three motors. The toy also is decked out with feathers, bells, fuzz and fur to entice and entertain a pet cat. The circuit board, motors and other hardware are tightly secured so a cat can knock the toy around without anything coming loose.

The twist? None of the Kitty Bot teammates have pet cats. However, they are Star Wars fans and turned to BB-8 – a Star Wars droid character that also moves via an automated sphere – for inspiration.

“We took that design [of BB-8] and applied it to a cat. Current toys on the market are just little stuffed mice and things like that, nothing robotic,� said Buie. “We thought this would be a fun project.�

Automatic Aerobic Composting Machine

A team of students has combined technical skills with a love of the environment to create an automatic, solar-powered composting machine, scalable for home or commercial use.

Compost is a nutrient-rich, sustainable substitute for fertilizer. Using yard trimmings and food waste such as coffee grounds, vegetables and fruit, compost can be spread over lawns to deter pests and plant diseases. The process to create compost, though, takes two-four weeks and often lots of manual labor.

To make the process easier for users, students Matt Aberman, Shayna Brock, Cody Baker and Thomas Phan created a composting machine that does most of the work. For about $500, the team built an acrylic machine equipped with sensors to monitor the temperature and humidity levels of the waste being broken down into compost. If the temperature or humidity is not at an ideal state, the machine automatically turns itself to mix up the materials and allow in more oxygen that’s needed to break down the waste. Similarly, if the humidity levels are off, a water mister or fan will automatically turn on to add or reduce moisture. The machine runs on a solar-powered battery, and transmits real-time information to a mobile application complete with a start button, an estimated date of when the compost will be ready and a reading of the compost’s current temperature and humidity levels.

“There’s nothing on the market that is fully automatic for home use,â€� said Aberman, who also is part of the Foundations for Engineering Education in Distributed Energy Resources (FEEDER) program at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ that’s funded by the federal Department of Energy. “The end goal is to develop a system that is scalable for different applications.â€�

Versa Drives, which recently received global recognition by DuPont for its exemplary performance and dedication to energy sustainability, will incorporate the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-developed fan blade design into its award-winning Superfan series of ceiling fans. Marketed as India’s first super-efficient ceiling fan, Superfan uses less than half the power required by a conventional fan to deliver the same or greater air flow.

“We are excited about the opportunity to combine this energy efficient fan blade design with our super-efficient fan motors and drives—it’s a winning combination,â€� said Sundar Muruganandhan, managing director, Versa Drives. “As a company, we are committed to energy saving and green products—right down to the recyclable materials we use for our packaging. Adding this Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-developed aerodynamic blade technology to our Superfan series will significantly enhance energy savings and open the door to new, international markets.â€�

FSEC is well-recognized within the industry for its research and development of energy-efficient building technologies, hydrogen research, renewable energy technologies and its innovative ceiling fan blade technology. The FSEC-developed Gossamer Wind® series of ceiling fans—which offer 40 percent higher airflow with no additional energy use—feature the prestigious Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star designation for energy efficiency. Through several licensing agreements, more than 1.9 million Gossamer Wind® ceiling fans have been purchased, saving consumers more than $20 million annually.

The average ceiling fan using 25 – 100 watts is in operation 6-12 hours or more each day.  Thanks to advances in motor, drives and blade technologies, energy efficient ceiling fans can run on lower power consumption using only 4 – 40 watts and enhance overall air circulation. With improved air flow, these fans also allow consumers to adjust their cooling thermostats to more efficient settings.

“Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Florida Solar Energy Center is on the forefront of energy research developing some of the most advanced technologies,â€� said Thomas O’Neal, Ph.D., associate vice president of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s . “Companies such as Versa Drives recognize the groundbreaking work being conducted right here in Central Florida and are looking to the Florida Solar Energy Center for continued innovation and energy savings.â€�

The license agreement with Versa Drives was executed through the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ .

Photo: Celebrating the licensing agreement were (seated L to R), Thomas O’Neal, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and Sundar Muruganandhan, Versa Drives, along with members of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s Office of Technology Transfer (standing L to R) Andrea Adkins, Narasimha Nagaiah (Raju), Durgasharan Krishnamurthy, Versa Drives, Svetlana Shtrom, and Shan Venkatachalam, Versa Drives.

Versa Drives Private Limited (VDPL) is a Coimbatore, India-based company specializing in custom designed motor control solutions for Original Equipment Manufacturers and super-efficient appliances. The company features a highly experienced team of engineers who understand the requirements of its customers to develop variable frequency drives and BLDC motors & drives using state-of-the-art design and simulation tools. VDPL is ISO 9001:2008 certified for design and manufacturing of super-efficient motors & drives and appliances.  Versa Drives has manufactured and supplied more than 100,000 drives to date that are working in the field. For more information, visit & superfan.in

But I am tired of people who portray themselves as somehow better environmentally than others just because they follow the latest trend without thinking it through. I want to point out glaring inconsistencies about such people and to describe some simple steps anyone can take to really reduce his or her impact on the environment.

For example, just changing out the old tungsten filament bulbs in one’s home for high-efficiency compact fluorescent or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs makes a major impact on the environment by reducing your demand for energy. This, by the way, has been forced on us because by federal law after Jan. 1, 2014, no 40- and 60-watt tungsten filament bulbs, the most popular, can be manufactured in the United States. You can buy incandescent light bulbs but only for special purposes and they are expensive.

Now, however, consider the impact of compact fluorescent lamps. They all contain mercury. They all have a warning to dispose of them correctly but it’s likely that very few consumers do much more than put the lamps in the trash when they fail. So, being green in one way – using less energy – is not so green in two other ways: Handling mercury to make the compact fluorescent bulbs and disposing of them. High levels of exposure to mercury, a pollutant and neurotoxin, can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system. There is always a price to pay.

How about those green electric cars. All you do is plug them in, let them charge up and you are ready to drive.

Guess what? The power that charges most electric cars around the country is mostly generated by burning coal. So those very green cars are powered by coal, adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Fortunately, electric cars with a reasonable driving range are too expensive for most people.

You might say: “Wait a minute, my power is solar generated, not from coal.� If the array is on your roof, you have to leave your electric car at home during the day to charge it. It can’t be in a parking lot at work or on campus. That reveals the major problem with solar power; it is only generated half the time. There is not yet an efficient way to store it for use at night.

When you consider solar power, don’t overlook the pollution produced while making the solar cells, and unless you have a huge roof it alone cannot charge your electric car. If you get solar power provided by the power company there is not only the manufacturing pollution there also is the huge swath of land taken over by the solar cell array. That land is certainly no longer in its natural state.

If you say your power comes from the wind, think again about the concerns. Consider the 320,000 birds and 800,000 bats that are killed each year by colliding with the blades of wind turbines now, and the estimated 1.4 million birds and many more bats if wind turbines ever reach the goal of 20 percent of our power. There is always a price to pay.

The best option today for a green-thinking person concerning transportation is a high-mileage gas auto, but watch out for the high-mileage gas car that gets good mileage by getting so small that it sacrifices safety. A hybrid car is a pretty good choice, but making and disposing of the batteries in electric and hybrid cars results in serious impacts on the environment. They require special chemicals and result in nasty waste. Again there is always a price to pay.

At home, small things can be done to be green that require very little effort, just a little thought.

For example, close the shades or curtains over windows where the sun comes in. This reduces the heat load on your air conditioning. It also saves your furniture and floors from being sun bleached. If you plan on remodeling, include double-pane windows.

Replace appliances or air conditioners with the most efficient models. All of this is simple, common sense. Above all, when the air conditioning is on, keep the doors and windows closed. Same thing goes for when you use the heat. These changes will also save money on your electric bill.

So, if you are or want to be green, do your research and do some of these simple, inexpensive but effective things. Don’t just preach about it.

If more of us took personal action, the environment would get better in a noticeable way.

Michael Bass is a professor emeritus of optics at CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers) in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s College of Optics & Photonics. He can be reached at bass@creol.ucf.edu.

“I’ve always been interested in science,� Norvell said. “Even as a kid I was doing things out of the box, building things and trying to understand how things work and how to make things better and more efficient.�

That intellectual curiosity and an eye for conservation will serve Norvell well as the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s new – and first – assistant vice president for sustainability initiatives. The newly created position elevates Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s vow to have a greener campus.

“It shows Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has reaffirmed the commitment for the sustainability initiatives we’ve been pursuing,â€� said Norvell, a 1993 alumnus who graduated with a mechanical engineering degree. “Our vision is to provide students with a campus environment that not only supports sustainability but becomes a leader in the industry.â€�

Norvell’s new job puts an increased focus on Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s sustainability goals. He has no shortage of work. In 2007, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ President John C. Hitt signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, making Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ one of the first to pledge to be climate neutral by 2050.

To achieve that goal, the university must have no net greenhouse gas emissions. There are interim goals, including a big one already underway: ensuring that by 2020, 15 percent of the energy used by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ comes from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.

There are already some solar panels spread around campus, the largest of which – a 107-kilowatt installation – sits next to Garage B. But it will take a lot more to help meet the 2020 goal. The university has set aside about 40 acres east of the Robinson Observatory for construction of a solar farm.

It is Norvell’s job to keep that project and others on track.

He’s not new to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. Norvell came to the university in 2001 as energy manager, and in the past decade has served as director of sustainability and energy management, saving the university more than $14 million through energy-efficiency projects. For the past two years, Norvell has been assistant vice president of facilities.

Among the university’s other projects that Norvell has had a hand in is the construction of a natural gas-fueled power plant on the main campus. It’s been providing about a third of the campus’ electricity since its launch in late 2012, reducing Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s dependency on outside utilities that may use less-clean fuel. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is considering building a similar plant to serve its planned downtown campus.

In addition, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is constructing and planning several buildings with sustainable designs that are expected to earn LEED designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Norvell hopes to make the campus’ sustainability projects academically accessible to students who will be able to learn firsthand how they work – and offer input.

“There are so many passionate students out there,� Norvell said. “I want to get them very much involved in the workings of the university at all levels. I want to get their ideas. We want the campus to be a living laboratory for students.�

With the help of David Norvell, assistant vice president of sustainability, and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Recycles, event coordinators were able to successfully calculate and collect the number of plastic bottles it would take to fill the pond.

Organizers hope that by seeing all the single-use plastic bottles in the pond, the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ community will see the negative impact plastic bottles have on the environment and stop using them.

“I don’t think a lot of people see how much waste is produced,� said Emily Dovydaitis, Student Government Association (SGA) Health & Sustainability Coordinator. “Trash is taken to landfills and you never see how much is actually generated.�

Reflect on Sustainability, as the event has been coined, is the first partnership between SGA, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Recycles and Advanced Disposal to celebrate Earth Day. The event is scheduled from 4:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.

“Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is a large university known for a lot of things,â€� said Dovydaitis. “Nothing like this has been done on any campus before and we hope its historic nature will be enough to get people to do something about protecting our environment.â€�

Volunteers signed up to load and unload plastic bottles from recycling bins and place them in the pond.

“Those impromptu games became late-night traditions throughout the remainder of our college years, and afterward,� says Boyd, who earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering technology.

The guys would eventually become the best of friends, even as their careers later took them more than half a country apart.

Based in Newton, Mass., Boyd serves as the senior sales manager for Desalitech, a $20-million organization that manufactures high-efficiency water treatment and wastewater reuse products.

About six years ago, the company started in Israel, a country built on the outskirts of a desert, with limited access to available water resources, which is why it has become one of the leading water treatment hubs on the planet.

“Between 1930 and 2000, the world population tripled from 2 billion to 6 billion, and by 2050, it will reach 9 billion,� Boyd explains. “Increased production of food and energy, along with rising economies and industrialization, are all increasing the demand for water. Yet, water resources are overwhelmed, and many are already depleted from over utilization, which leaves desalination and water reuse as the only available new sources of water.�

He says industry is responsible for nearly 60 percent of fresh water withdrawals in the U.S. and in other developed countries, with agriculture accounting for an additional 30 percent. He adds that while reverse osmosis is widely applied for water purification, traditional RO systems can create excess brine waste, do not use water supplies efficiently and consume too much energy.

In contrast, Desalitech’s ReFlex RO systems, featuring Closed Circuit Desalination technology, reduce brine waste by up to 75 percent and energy consumption by up to 35 percent, compared to traditional RO designs. (SEE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION.)

Based in Denver, Co., Williamson is the plant manager for Kind Love, a medical marijuana dispensary, which also includes an 80,000-square-foot hydroponic cultivation center.

Williamson, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis his freshman year of college.

“[The MS] caused me to be temporarily paralyzed from the waist down,� Williamson explains. “With the uncertainty of my future personal health, I changed my major to interdisciplinary studies with a focus on digital media. My thought process at the time was, if I was going to be in a wheelchair from time to time, or permanently, I wanted to make sure I could work, earn, create and contribute to an organization. Digital media gave me the ability to be able to work on a computer from anywhere.�

After many lackluster visits to medical dispensaries as a patient, he and his partners were inspired to create Kind Love in 2009. He says they saw much room for improvement and recognized an opportunity to help the underserved market of women and seniors.

“The cannabis plant is made up of chemical compounds called cannabinoids,� he explains. “Though scientists aren’t exactly sure, it’s estimated that there are at least 85 cannabinoids that make up the cannabis plant. The most well-known and popular cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Though THC has medicinal benefits, particularly with gastrointestinal issues and inflammation, it’s most commonly characterized by a psychoactive effect, which is described as a relaxing and cerebral high.

“Currently, most Colorado analytical labs have standards and are testing for four to 12 of the 85 cannabinoids. Thanks to legal access to these analytical labs, the medical community started to notice rare strains of cannabis that were extremely low in THC and elevated in cannabidiol, or CBD. Through selective breeding techniques, cannabis breeders have managed to create new varieties with high levels of CBD and little to no THC.

“After my first high-CBD discovery at our research and development cultivation facility, we started hunting for more high-CBD genetics through breeding and acquisitions with other medicinal breeders. Unlike THC, CBD has no high or mind-altering effects. It’s a non-psychoactive and has a huge range of medicinal benefits and properties, such as antiemetic, anticonvulsant, antipsychotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-cancer and antidepressant.�

In fact, Kind Love holds the record for the highest CBD ever recorded, and is helping to treat patients with cancer and MS, as well as children with seizures, and many more. Williamson is working with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta on many of these high-CBD projects, which should produce results later this year.

While he respects soil growing, Williamson says Kind Love grows its plants hydroponically because it offers more environmental control and sterilization for large-scale cannabis agriculture.

“People forget that organic soil is organic — meaning it’s full of beneficial and non-beneficial bacterias, molds, fungi, and various insects, which can cause serious damage to cannabis crops if not controlled appropriately,� he says.

When the company was in the process of building its new cultivation facility last year, Williamson researched reverse osmosis machines. The best one he could find on the market was recovering 75 percent good water, with 25 percent going to waste. His previous cultivation facilities were operating at 33 percent good water, with 67 percent waste.

Realizing he was looking at the wrong technology, he looked at Desalitech’s ReFlex reverse osmosis system with CCD technology, which would give him 93 percent good water recovery, with only 7 percent wastewater.

Williamson says his friend was originally doing him a favor, since Boyd thought Kind Love’s operation was probably too small to utilize his company’s system, but he flew to Denver anyway to calculate the numbers. To their delight, Kind Love’s new cultivation facility qualified for Desalitech’s smallest full-scale system, which is commonly used as a pilot for large power plants.

“Michael [Boyd] and I both demand the absolute best of the best when it comes to our projects, and where and with whom we invest our time and money,� Williamson says. “Of course, it was very cool to do business with a dear friend and colleague, but, more importantly, I knew that I had one of the best systems that money could buy, because I knew he wouldn’t associate with or be a part of anything less. I am very grateful for his friendship, his strong communication skills and ability to execute. His general demeanor and hard work ethic continue to inspire me every day to work harder, smarter and faster.�

More Info

Meet Kind Love medical marijuana dispensary’s plant manager, Michael Williamson, as he explains his decision to partner with best friend Michael Boyd’s water treatment company, Desalitech: