A �鶹ӳ����ý  doctoral student has helped position �鶹ӳ����ý as a contributor to the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a coordinated effort to track bat populations across North America using standardized acoustic methods.

Research Path Rooted in Responsibility

Ifer White, who serves as a graduate teaching associate while pursuing a Ph.D. in integrative and conservation biology, describes herself as a non-traditional student whose educational journey has been shaped by family, service and resilience.

“My Muscogee-Creek heritage has deeply influenced how I view the natural world, not as something separate from us, but as something we are accountable to,” White says. “That worldview has guided my commitment to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation for more than a decade, and specifically to bat rehabilitation for the past seven years.”

Florida is home to 13 resident bat species, including the Brazilian free-tailed bat and the southeastern myotis. These highly specialized creatures are the only mammals capable of sustained flight and play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. They help control insect populations—consuming thousands in a single night—while also contributing to pollination, seed dispersal, and more.

“My work is driven by a desire to ensure these often-misunderstood animals continue to thrive in increasingly human-dominated landscapes,” White says.

Bringing NABat to �鶹ӳ����ý

As a board member of the Florida Bat Working Group and the Florida Bat Conservancy, White saw an opportunity to integrate applied conservation science with campus engagement. She approached the Florida Fish and Wildlif Conservation Commission and leadership about adding the university to the NABat monitoring grid.

“Because there are known bat colonies on campus, participation was a natural fit.” — Ifer White, doctoral student

“The North American Bat Monitoring Program provides a standardized framework for long-term bat population monitoring across the continent,” White says. “Because there are known bat colonies on campus, participation was a natural fit.”

Although �鶹ӳ����ý’s geographic grid cell is relatively small, its urban and suburban context fills important gaps in regional datasets.

“Urban and suburban monitoring locations are underrepresented in many long-term datasets,” White says. “The acoustic data collected on campus help fill knowledge gaps in Central Florida and the broader southeastern region.”

The Science Behind Acoustic Monitoring

Bats navigate and hunt using echolocation, emitting ultrasonic calls that are species-specific in frequency and structure. Acoustic detectors placed strategically on �鶹ӳ����ý’s main campus record these high-frequency calls throughout the night.

“Detectors are deployed for multiple consecutive nights each quarter,” White says. “Recordings are processed using specialized acoustic software that filters out noise and classifies calls to species or species groups based on call parameters.”

These measurements  allow researchers to compare bat presence and relative activity across sites and over time.

“In wildlife conservation, data comparability is everything,” White says. “Without standardized methods, datasets become fragmented and difficult to interpret.”

�鶹ӳ����ý’s data are submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and ultimately contribute to broader analyses coordinated with Bat Conservation International, informing wildlife action plans and habitat management strategies.

Turning Research into Action

White’s dissertation research focuses on ecotoxicology, host–pathogen dynamics and immunogenetics in bats. While distinct from the monitoring project, she says understanding species presence and habitat use provides essential ecological context for studying environmental stressors.

“Bats are often misunderstood, yet they are essential components of healthy ecosystems.”

Acoustic data will also help determine which species are using campus habitats and guide potential enhancements, such as strategically placed bat houses and expanded native, night-blooming plantings to support nocturnal insect populations.

“Bats are often misunderstood, yet they are essential components of healthy ecosystems,” White says. “Every action [we take] contributes to long-term conservation.”

This research and the skills and tactics she’s putting to use with this project are directly transferable to the careers Knights with similar research backgrounds can pursue after graduation in wildlife agencies and environmental consulting.

There used to be more beehives on the east side of the arboretum’s natural lands. Those areas comprise a variety of ecosystems — scrubby and wet flatwoods, and dome and strand swamps — that are unique and protected from development but not from the area’s natural predators.

One of those predators, the Florida black bear, wreaked havoc on a beehive there in 2023.

The marauding animal likely took advantage of the natural habitat with its lack of people, lighting and machinery, and was just doing what bears do, says Jennifer Elliott ’04 ’09MS, director of the �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives.

Plus, she says, a black bear’s sense of smell can easily be measured in miles.

“I have no doubt that every olfactory nerve in her brain was alerted to an ample supply of fresh honey and yummy insect larvae in the hive,” Elliott says. “She knew exactly where she was going, and what she was going to do.”

Elliott believes the hungry bear was a female; a bear has been spotted in the area, sometimes with cubs in tow, over the past several years. Perhaps, Elliott says, the mama bear was teaching her cubs about a great food source.

In the aftermath of the feeding frenzy lay splintered wood, spilled honey, thousands of honeybee carcasses and hexagons of protective beeswax containing remnants of future honeybees.

The total loss of the honeybees was devastating, says Amanda Craig ’24, junior mentor and beekeeper for the Arboretum.

Want to support the Knight bees? Make a gift to the �鶹ӳ����ý . Want to increase your impact? Join us on Thursday, April 10 on and swarm the day with gifts for our pollinating friends.

As a beekeeper, Craig is responsible for inspecting each hive and checking the frames to determine what the bees are doing.

“An inspection reveals a lot about what the bees are up to, including population sizes, if they are thinking about swarming and their general health,” Craig says.

Craig, along with volunteers from the Arboretum Beekeepers Club, a �鶹ӳ����ý-registered student organization, also assists with honey production each June. Last year, �鶹ӳ����ý honeybees produced about 50 pounds of the amber liquid. Bottles are sold to the community, and the money raised goes back into the Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives fund.

In addition to providing the community with honey, bees, along with �鶹ӳ����ý moths, bats, butterflies and other insects, are also a critical component of educating and feeding �鶹ӳ����ý students.

The Arboretum’s Learning by Leading program maintains a community farm and garden, which provide fresh fruits and vegetables to students in need through Knight’s Pantry.

This, along with all of the Arboretum’s programs, are creating a buzz.

The Arboretum has received national recognition for its efforts to support healthy bee activity. In 2018, �鶹ӳ����ý was the first school in Florida to be named a Bee Campus USA. The honor signals that �鶹ӳ����ý actively addresses the plight of pollinators through operations, educational programs and community engagement.

Even after earning that special designation, Elliott says she still has a long wish list of enhancements that she would like to see for the Arboretum. In the short term, they need a bigger office space, increased community volunteers and, of course, the apiary to replace the one that the bear destroyed.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have educational apiaries across our campus, integrated into existing buildings where our Knights can safely observe our wonderful honeybees, while also keeping the bees safe from the occasional hungry bears with whom we also share our beautiful natural lands?” she says.

Help �鶹ӳ����ý’s honeybees and other pollinators by making a gift on , which is April 10.

Definitely not, says Professor of Biology Patrick Bohlen.

�鶹ӳ����ý is home to thousands of bats, who for years have taken up residence in a storm drain near the �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum’s green house.

“A lot of the habitats these bats would reside in are being greatly reduced, and they like to roost over water and to be in caves, so that’s why they are attracted to this open pipe,” Bohlen says. “We like to celebrate them, especially around Halloween. It’s a way of just supporting some of the native species that would exist in this area in our urban infrastructure.”

As a tribute to our friend the bat, Bohlen shares some interesting facts and dispels some myths about these furry, flying creatures.

Bats are primarily insect eaters in this part of the world. Some of those insects are pests, so people have calculated there’s a value to that in terms of the insects they eat. We don’t normally think of other animals eating bats, but actually during the breeding season, barred owls, which are night predators, feed a lot on bats. So bats can actually serve a rope higher up in the food chain as well.

I think bats get a bad rap just because they’re associated with horror films. They come out at night so they’re nocturnal. They’re a little creepy because they’re the only mammal that flies. They have funny little faces. I think they just kind of have a scariness about them for a lot of people that stems from lack of knowledge. They’re really not very scary animals. There are three species of bats in South America that feed on blood, so I think that creates a Count Dracula association. But I think they have a bad reputation mostly because they’re associated with the darkness and they’re just kind of very unusual creatures that look funny.

Some bats, including some of the bats we have in Florida, have adapted so that they can survive extremely high ammonia levels. There are some caves that have bats in them where the ammonia level would knock a person out. But the bats have a way of dealing with ammonia by regulating the CO2 in their blood to neutralizes the excess ammonia. They can tolerate that high ammonia that’s produced from their waste, the guano that falls to the floor of the roost.

It’s not really fully understood why. They are social animals for the most part, so that plays a factor. It could also be in cold climates they benefit from thermoregulation to stay warmer.

In Florida we have 13 species of bat. I think we have possibly two or three species in the storm drain on campus, but I think the main one is called the Southeastern myotis, known by its scientific name as Myotis austroriparius. The fact that that species name has “riparius” in it means they are water-loving bats. They tend to roost in wet areas. Historically, they would have roosted in trees and bottomland, forests, swamps. So the storm water pipes are perfect for them because they like high humidity.

I had a student once who lowered a GoPro camera into the manhole we knew they lived in and took all of these photos. We then laid the photos out flat on a big single two-dimensional map and counted the bats. And there were 5,000 in that one manhole. There could be more, but there were 5,000 in that one roost.

People don’t need to be afraid of bats. They’re relatively harmless. If you see a bat on the ground in the daytime, I would stay away from it. They can carry rabies, so I certainly wouldn’t want to handle a bat that was in a situation like that. There are bat conservancy groups you could call if you find a bat on the ground. But for the most part bats are out at night, flying around and eating insects.

I think the best single place to go to learn about bats in Florida would be the Florida Bat Conservancy. Their website is floridabats.org.

Epic Games provided �鶹ӳ����ý information scientist and artist Maria Harrington a $25,000 grant to expand her cutting-edge augmented and virtual reality work, which she began in 2016 with a website virtual field trip guide and resulted in the VR 1.0 version, . It is available for download from and use on any game or VR-ready PC.

The , which is home to 247 acres of unspoiled Florida habitat. The landscapes range from swamps to scrubby flatwoods. The virtual arboretum provides stunning images that look real because they’ve been created based on detailed and botanically accurate information. The project pulls from field observations, photos, measurements, drone footage and historical geographic information system (GIS) data. Users can also access a virtual field guide that provides more detailed information about any object in the virtual model. As users traverse the landscape, they can get a close-up view of any plant they see, and can listen to the sounds of the creatures that call the property home.

“Not only are they photorealistic and beautiful, but what you see is information that represents the data­ ­— truth — and not creative or artistic fantasy.”

“These immersive models are different than others, because they are data visualizations of the botanical and ecological information,” Harrington says. “Not only are they photorealistic and beautiful, but what you see is information that represents the data­ ­— truth — and not creative or artistic fantasy. Much like botanical illustrations of the past, they are a form of scientific communication, ideal for constructing museum exhibits and in support of educational and informal learning activities desired by the public, especially now during COVID-19.”

Epic Games provided the money through its MegaGrants program, which seeks to encourage development of the unreal engine ecosystem (all the components that make virtual reality possibly online) or 3D graphics community that makes games like Fortnite more realistic. According to Forbes, the gaming industry was worth $138.7 billion worldwide in 2019. Game-based learning is estimated to account for more than $2 billion in the United States alone.

The grant will allow Harrington to explore new techniques to improve the experience and to potentially broaden the collection to initially include botanical gardens and university arboretums from the American Southwest and Pacific Northwest.

The project became a reality because of the collaboration among colleagues from the College of Arts and Humanities, and the �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum and , in the , and the team at �鶹ӳ����ý.

Harrington’s research and experimentation over the past decade has resulted in many programs that have earned local, national, and international recognition.

For example, the allows users to create a perpetual garden of native Appalachian flora with a finger tap on the surface of a smart phone or tablet. The app lets you see the world the way an expert scientist might imagine it and to experience the wild variety of flowers and plants in a springtime forest bloom surrounded by the accurate sounds of birds and insects thriving off of the nectar, wild fruits, and nuts of that habitat.

She collaborated with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s botanist and ecologist to authenticate all the facts, figures and plant populations of the ecosystem and then created a multi-modal, three-dimensional spatial, information visualization. With any AR enabled device, a user can create a virtual garden of wildflowers anywhere, from the kitchen to the subway station. Users can get a close look at the veins on a leaf of a Wake Robin (Trillium erectum), and can also listen to a variety of creatures in the garden including the Black-throated green warbler singing or insects like the Katydids humming. Users can experience many details and complexities of a natural world, Harrington says. The app is available on Apple iTunes and Google Play stores.

The app’s quality is so good, that in March it was named a finalist in the international GLAMi Awards. The international awards recognize the best innovative projects in the cultural heritage sector that engages, informs and excites the public. Some of the others in the competition included the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Harrington was inspired by museum dioramas that she saw as a child at the Carnegie Institute, which had “tons” of information, but for today’s tech savvy audience, may be a bit dull. She wanted to create a way to connect people to the rich information and stories quietly locked away behind the beautiful traditional glass displays, and in a technologically modern and engaging way to help retain knowledge. That’s one reason the app can be used inside or outside museums to extend the learning impact of real dioramas and gardens, and at home or in backyards for casual social experiences.

The project became a reality thanks to an international collaboration among the members in Harrington’s lab at �鶹ӳ����ý, The Powdermill Nature Reserve at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the MultiMedia Technology program of the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Austria.

“It is all about bringing teams of experts who share a vision and have complementary skills, applying innovative technologies to create transformative and impactful applications for humanity, and to help people experience new and beautiful environments, without them even realizing it, and to learn from the experience in a personally meaningful way” Harrington says.

Harrington joined �鶹ӳ����ý in 2016. She is an assistant professor of digital media in the �鶹ӳ����ý and she is part of the university’s Learning Sciences Cluster. Her research covers the development of digital media artifacts from human-computer interaction, user centered design, and data visualization perspectives. She’s had numerous papers published in peer-reviewed journals and been a speaker at several national and international conferences. She’s earned multiple awards and fellowships and is a research associate with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Powdermill Nature Reserve. She has several degrees including a doctorate in information science from the University of Pittsburgh and undergraduate degrees in economics and art from Carnegie Mellon University.

�鶹ӳ����ý reflected on these moments in the “Best of 2018” video. To learn more about what you see in the video, read the stories listed below.

2018 was a year of making moves.

We went from a program to a powerhouse…

�鶹ӳ����ý Defeats Auburn to Win Peach Bowl

We honored a visionary who took us places we never dreamed of…

John Hitt Says Goodbye

And welcomed a leader who will take us even further.

Get to Know �鶹ӳ����ý President Dale Whittaker

We extended our reach from around the globe to out-of-this-world…

�鶹ӳ����ý-led Consortium to Manage Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico

But we didn’t forget what’s most important in our own backyard.

Nemours, �鶹ӳ����ý Transform Education for Hospitalized Children through PedsAcademy

�鶹ӳ����ý Gets an A+ for its Bee Campus USA Designation

�鶹ӳ����ý Launches National Center to Find Big-Picture Solutions to Coastal Threats

�鶹ӳ����ý Student Studies Algal Blooms Impact on Sea Turtles in Indian River Lagoon

We made great, new friends…

Bill Gates on What Sets �鶹ӳ����ý Apart

Couple’s $6.6M Gift Will Boost Many �鶹ӳ����ý Programs

And even greater heroes.

Shaquem Griffin Drafted by Seattle Seahawks

We asked the right questions…

�鶹ӳ����ý Student Hannah Sage Finishes 3rd in Jeopardy! College Championship

And searched for groundbreaking answers.

New Laser Technique May Help Detect Chemical Warfare in Atmosphere

�鶹ӳ����ý PTSD-Treatment Clinic’s 2nd Location Opens in Brevard County

We laughed together…

PHOTOS: �鶹ӳ����ý First Day of Fall 2018 Classes

We cried together…

Knight-Thon Raises $1.5 Million for Children’s Hospitals Across the Nation

We celebrated what makes us unique…

�鶹ӳ����ý is a Hispanic Serving Institution

And then came together as one family.

10HANA

We had big wins on the playing field…

�鶹ӳ����ý Men’s Soccer: A Season to Remember

�鶹ӳ����ý Volleyball Ranked No. 13 For First Time in Program’s History

Knights Take 2nd in National Cheerleading Championships

And in the classroom.

�鶹ӳ����ý Programming Team Places 1st in North America, 10th Worldwide

�鶹ӳ����ý Cyber Defense Team Wins National Championship

�鶹ӳ����ý Ranks Among the Nation’s Top 10 Most Innovative Universities

We embraced time-honored traditions…

Relive �鶹ӳ����ý Homecoming 2018 Through These 16 Awesome Photos

And savored the spotlight.

4th �鶹ӳ����ý Celebrates the Arts to Feature Tributes to Bernstein, President Hitt

Thanks for the Best Weekend Ever, College GameDay

We passed the torch…

Josh Heupel Named �鶹ӳ����ý Football Head Coach

�鶹ӳ����ý Names Metzger as New Police Chief

Announcing Our Provost, Elizabeth Dooley

We expanded opportunity…

�鶹ӳ����ý Extends In-State Tuition Rate for Puerto Rican Students Through 2023

And we kept the streak alive.

Back-to-Back: �鶹ӳ����ý Football Wins AAC Championship

And while we enjoyed looking back on 50 years of classes…

Tales from �鶹ӳ����ý’s Very First Day of Classes

As Knights, we will always look to the future…

What �鶹ӳ����ý Downtown Will Look Like in August 2019

Partners Break Ground for New �鶹ӳ����ý-HCA Hospital

And continue to reach for the stars.

The Arboretum staff will take participants out to search for a tree native to the Florida habitat, the Pinus Clausa, or the Florida spruce pine. While you are out choosing your tree, you will also learn about Florida’s ecosystems.

If the tree you choose is small enough, you can cut it down with a handsaw the Arboretum staff will provide for you. Otherwise, the staff will help cut the tree down with a chainsaw. The trees will be returned to the Arboretum’s nature pavilion, where there will be cookies and hot chocolate before you load the tree on your car to take home.

The cost varies on the height of the tree, from $10 to $20.

1. Get stuck in Stranger Things’ Upside Down or party it up with Hocus Pocus’ Sanderson Sisters

Let’s state the obvious from the get-go: No respectable list would be complete without local staples such as Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights and Walt Disney World’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

HHN is celebrating its 29th year with 10 haunted houses — including a returning homage to Netflix’s popular Stranger Things  — and five scare zones.

As the name implies, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is more family friendly with parades, dance parties (with beloved witches Winnie, Mary and Sarah Sanderson from Hocus Pocus), fireworks and even trick-or-treating throughout the park.

Some of the other theme parks, like Sea World and Legoland, have joined in the holiday spirit by hosting daytime Halloween-inspired festivities during weekends in October.

Dates, Times and Prices: Check each park’s website for info.

What to do: The closer you get to Halloween, the more crowds you’re going to face. If you can handle a little sleep deprivation the next day, pick a week night to visit Universal or Disney and arrive early. You can also save some cash by purchasing your tickets ahead of time online.

While all of these parks have their merits, Stranger Things‘ cult following most likely means the line for its house at Halloween Horror Nights will stay steady throughout the night. A new and frightening addition to this year’s line up is the Us house, inspired by Jordan Peele’s horror hit released in March. You’ll journey through the Wilson family beach house and Santa Cruz Pier, before venturing through tunnels and coming face-to-face with the Tethered.

And don’t forget about the park’s standard attractions, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. You’ll typically experience drastically reduced wait times — even without fast passes — compared to your typical theme park day.

Our advice: Save the Demogorgon and Tethered for the end of your night. Go inside the park as soon as it opens and go visit some of the other houses first while lines are short.

2. Watch a scary movie at the Enzian Theater

1300 Orlando Ave., Maitland

Year in and year out, Maitland’s Enzian Theater is voted the Best Movie Theater in Orlando by Orlando Weekly and for good reason. This charming, single-screen cinema café, home to the Florida Film Festival, offers showings of independent, foreign and classic films.

What to do: There’s only one screen, so arrive a little early to snag your ticket ($10 with a student ID; $12 regular admission). You can kill time waiting for the show by indulging in food and drink specials at the Eden Bar, which offers outdoor, covered seating surrounded by towering 400-year-old oak trees.

There are classic scary films playing through October. If you really want to go big on your night out, consider dressing up in costume for the Eden Bar’s annual Halloween party (if you’re 21 and older) on Oct. 26. Prizes are given to best couple, most original and the scariest costume. The party starts at 9 p.m. followed by a midnight showing of Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

3. Halloween Lights on Jeater Bend in Celebration

You can call the homes on this street a little extra, but we love them for it. Jeater Bend in Celebration, Florida, puts on quite a show around the Halloween and Christmas seasons. A dozen houses go all out with lights that are synchronized to music, projection water and fire. Best of all — it’s free!

Dates: Now through Oct. 31

�վ�����:��7 to 9:30 p.m.

What to do:  Park the car at the end of the street (or ride share) and check out this flashy spectacle on foot. If you must drive, tune your car radio to FM radio station 88.1 for the full effect.

4. Camp Out at the �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum

If you’re afraid of the dark, you might want to skip this one. The �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum’s Halloween Spooktacular will have all the fixings of a good, old-fashioned camp out. Campers are encouraged to come dressed up for the costume contest. Best dressed campers will have a chance to win Lazy Moon, Chipotle and Chick-fil-A gift cards. You can also enjoy free pizza from Domino’s starting at 7 p.m. until slices last. There will also be a showing of �����ٱ�����ܾ�������at 9:30 p.m.

�ٲ��ٱ��:��Oct. 25 to 26

Times: Check-in is from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 25. Check-out takes place 9 a.m. the following morning.

What to do: Those wishing to camp must pre-register by emailing the number of tents, number of people per tent and emergency contact information to arboretum@ucf.edu. Registration is open now through Oct. 24. If you do not own a tent, �鶹ӳ����ý Outdoor Adventures will be renting tents for a fee, but you need to contact the group before the event.

As for the actual event, if you wish to pitch a tent you must check-in before 7 p.m.

Full details about the event are listed on the �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum Facebook page.

5. Pick Your Own Pumpkin

Nothing says fall like putting on some flannel (or a flannel-patterend tank top) and enjoying hayrides, picking out a pumpkin and taking down some delicious food with your friends and/or family.

What to do: Pick out a pumpkin and carve your best �鶹ӳ����ý-inspired design. There are tons of festivals to choose from, but here are a few suggestions to get you started:

– Painted Oaks Academy (15100 Lake Pickett Road, Orlando)

Dates: Now through Oct. 31
Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: Free admission, but most activities require tickets that can be purchased on site.

– Southern Hill Falls’ fourth annual Fall Festival (16651 Schofield Road, Clermont)

Dates: Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays now through Nov. 3
Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Price: Admission passes must be purchased in advance with $10 passes per vehicle for Wednesdays and $20 passes per vehicle for weekends. Activities and food/drink may be purchased on site for additional charges.

– Club Lake Plantation’s Fall Festival (3403 Rock Springs Road, Apopka)

Dates: Now through Oct. 27, open daily except Mondays
Time: 10 a.m. to  6 p.m.
Price: Tuesday to Friday: $7.95/person; Saturday to Sunday: $14.95/person (including hayrides)

*If you really want a unique experience, this is the one for you. Launching pumpkins and tennis balls from an air cannon is actually a thing to do at Club Lake Plantation. Really.

��6.��Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest’s origin is traced back to Munich, Germany, in 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities, which included horse races in the presence of the royal family, and were held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate. The decision to repeat the festivities the following year in 1811 gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest, which has been going strong ever since.

What to do: From Crooked Can Brewery in Winter Garden to World of Beer near Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, Oktoberfest-inspired gatherings can be found on weekends throughout Central Florida. If you’re 21 and older, find one that fits in your schedule, grab a group of friends and drink responsibly. Prost! (That’s German for “Cheers!”)

7. Central Florida Zoo Boo Bash

3755 W Seminole Blvd., Sanford

This is a safe, fun, and not-too-scary event for creatures of all ages. Craft projects, a bounce house and pumpkin bowling are all included, and you can even encounter some animals while trick-or-treating.

Dates: Oct. 19 to 20 and Oct. 26 to 27

Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Price: Included with daily admission to the zoo. $19.50 for adults, $13.75 for children 3 to 12

What to do: Children 12 and under are encouraged to dress up and enter the costume contest. Judging starts at 1 p.m.

��8. Make Sense of CornFusion

13444 Moore Road, Lakeland

The Smith’s Ranch in Lakeland has 20 acres of activities for you and your family to enjoy during it’s CornFusion Crop Maze and Fall Festival. The maze itself takes up about 8 acres, so you come prepared to strategize your way out. At some point in your outing you’ll be rewarded with sweet treats, but in a way you’ve likely never experienced. A helicopter — yes, you read that right — will drop candy from the sky each weekend.

Dates: Saturdays and Sundays, now through Oct. 27

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Price: $10.75 for adults; $8.75 for youth (4 to 15); free for children 3 and under; free for EMS, firefighters, law enforcement and military members with ID.

What to do: Not only does admission cover the corn maze, but you can also enjoy air cannons, cornhole, cow feedings, farm animals, hayrides and more. Bring extra cash with you for on-site vendors and for monster truck rides and paintball.

Our advice: Be sure to wear closed-toed shoes or you won’t be allowed to complete the maze.

��9. Experience The Nightmare Before Christmas with Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra

445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando

The Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando is welcoming Jack and Sally back to the big screen as Danny Elfman’s score from director Tim Burton’s 1993 cult classic will be performed live by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

Date: Oct. 18

Time: 8 p.m.

Price: Prices vary, but tickets may be purchased through the DPC website.

What to do: Make the night feel extra special by dressing up, finding a good dinner spot in downtown Orlando and soaking up the experience of seeing the orchestra live.

10. Dare to Walk in a Cemetery at Night

1603 Greenwood St., Orlando

Just in time for Halloween, the Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando will offer its historic moonlight walk. The tour, which is given once a month, is approximately 4 miles within the 100-acre cemetery, and you’ll visit about 100 graves of notable individuals in Orlando’s history.

�ٲ��ٱ�:��Oct. 25

Time: 8 to 10 p.m.

Our advice: These free tours are reserved quickly, so register now on the City of Orlando website. Don’t be late.

11. Escape Ghosts, Ghouls and Monsters

The Orange County Library System has a slew of events planned for all ages during October, ranging from monster makeup tutorials to help with costume sewing to spooky story time. In particular, the Fairview Shores branch is hosting a family-friendly escape room.

�ٲ��ٱ�:��Oct. 28

Time: 4 to 5 p.m.

What to do: The event does not require registration, but you should show up early in case it is packed. Prepared to be scared in Meeting Room 1.

12. Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

200 Epcot Center Dr., Orlando

Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but October is usually the time when Florida’s weather starts breaking from relentless heat, which means it’s a great time to enjoy a day outside. Cue: tasting your way through Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival.

Dates: Now through Nov. 23

�վ������:��9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Price: If you are a �鶹ӳ����ý student, faculty or staff, buy your park ticket ahead of time through SGA’s ticket center. The money you save on the $88 discounted weekday ticket can be applied to tasting the food and beverages in the park.

What to do: Read up on this class spotlight with Rosen College of Hospitality Management professor Robin Back, who teaches Exploring Wines Around the World. You’d be wise to listen to his tips — he used to instruct classes at the festival.

13: Theater �鶹ӳ����ý’s Costume Sale

Performing Arts Center Theatre, Room T244

Still need a costume for Halloween? Theatre �鶹ӳ����ý’s semi-annual sale is the perfect time to find the pieces you need to create a unique and inexpensive costume. Most items are priced below $10. Plus, all proceeds benefit future Theatre �鶹ӳ����ý productions.

Date: Oct. 25

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Our advice: Card payments will not be accepted, so be sure to bring cash with you.

]]> hhn-disney (Photo credit — IG: @horrornights; disneyparks.disney.go.com) enzian (Photo credit — FB: @enziantheater) lights-on-jeater-bend (Photo Credit — FB: @lightsonjeaterbend) ucf-arboretum-camp (Photo credit — FB: @ucfarboretum) club-lake-plantation (Photo credit — FB: @clublakeplantation) Willlow-Tree-Oktoberfest (Photo cred — FB: @willowtreecafe) Zoo-Boo-Bash (Photo credit — FB: @centralfloridazoo) CornFusion A CornFusion maze from a previous Fall Festival. (Photo courtesy of FB:@CornFusionMaze) Dr. Phillips Nightmare Before Christmas (Photo courtesy of Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts) greenwood-michael-gavin (Photo credit: Michael Gavin) UCf- Haunted House epcot-food-and-wine (Photo credit: disneyparks.disney.go.com) �鶹ӳ����ý – Theatre Costumes (Photo by Bernard Wilchusky '18) /news/ucf-helping-honeybees-thrive-campus/ Mon, 13 Nov 2017 18:21:57 +0000 /news/?p=79561 In late 2006, U.S. beekeepers began noticing a collapse of honeybee colonies. Large numbers of worker bees were leaving the hives with plenty of food but not enough bodies to care for the queen and young bees. Experts attributed the loss to a number of causes, including parasites and pesticides used in farming. This phenomenon, known as Colony Collapse Disorder, sparked worldwide concern for these insects that play a vital role in crop pollination.

To combat the issue, �鶹ӳ����ý is working to attract and support pollinators, including honeybees, native bees, wasps and butterflies. Students and faculty recently planted two pollinator gardens on campus and placed three honeybee hives in the . Led by Arboretum director Patrick Bohlen, �鶹ӳ����ý is also working on becoming an official Bee Campus USA, which recognizes universities that raise awareness and create sustainable habitats for pollinators.

Learn more about honeybees — and what �鶹ӳ����ý is doing to help them — in the latest issue of Pegasus magazine.

Throughout her career, she’s found evidence that the parasite may manipulate the ants’ behavior, in part, by hijacking their biological clocks. In published Nov. 3 in the peer-review journal PLOS ONE, findings show that the parasite itself has a working biological clock, too, that may be the driving force behind the timing of when and how the parasite infects and manipulates the ants.

It’s been observed that infected zombie ants wander out of their nests, climb onto a piece of vegetation such as Spanish moss or pine needle, bite down and ultimately die. Afterward, a spore-carrying stalk grows out of their heads. This is the work of the parasite manipulating the ants’ behavior to lead them away from their nest and normal routines so that the fungus can spread its spores more effectively. Now knowing that the parasite has its own biological clock, scientists such as de Bekker can hone in on answering how and why this phenomenon occurs.

“We don’t quite understand yet how parasites manipulate their hosts with such precision,” said de Bekker, an assistant professor in biology. “Even the most brilliant neurologists can’t change behavior that effectively. The goal of my lab, therefore, is to learn more about this.”

Infected ants are found in Central Florida, including the Little Big Econ State Forest near Geneva and the Arboretum at �鶹ӳ����ý. While the majority of infected ants have been found in rainforests, this phenomenon has been observed across the globe, said de Bekker, who holds a doctorate in biology.

The first hint that the fungal parasite may hijack the ants’ biological clock came from field studies that observed infected ants all actively searched for an elevated piece of vegetation to bite down on at the same time of day. Later laboratory studies showed similar results that indicated the time of day may be an important factor for the manipulating fungus.

De Bekker and her team, which consists of �鶹ӳ����ý undergraduate and graduate students, now plan to further this new avenue of research to hopefully one day better understand how biological clocks are disturbed by parasites. Scientists in Scotland are already researching how biological clocks are involved in malaria, and a team of medical researchers last month won the Nobel Prize for research on the molecular structure of the biological clock of fruit flies. De Bekker sees the role of biological clocks in infectious diseases as the next big thing for scientists to study. Scientists can better understand how diseases internally impact humans by knowing more about parasites and their impact on the biological clock.

De Bekker and her team’s research takes place in a lab at �鶹ӳ����ý, as well as in the field at Little Big Econ State Forest and the �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum.

In the lab, ants are infected with the parasite so the team can observe their behavior in a controlled environment. Ian Will, a Ph.D. student and co-author of the published paper, closely watches the ants to better determine when and how ants act differently after they’re infected.

“I’m interested in uncovering the genes that are involved in parasitic behavioral manipulation and how,” he said.

Will met de Bekker in Munich, Germany, in 2014 while pursuing his master’s degree. He was also intrigued by the parasite, and followed de Bekker to Orlando after she arrived at �鶹ӳ����ý to continue the line of research together.

“In Munich, we didn’t have the ants – we had to ship them,” De Bekker said “Being here [in Florida], the ants and the fungus are all around us, which gives us all of these opportunities to work both in the lab and in the field.”

Arbor Day is an annual holiday that aims to encourage the planting and care of trees. It was celebrated at �鶹ӳ����ý on April 19, when 35 volunteers planted seven Florida Elms, five Bald Cypress trees and three Red Maples, and went on a walking tour of �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum’s natural lands.

Arbor Day has been celebrated at �鶹ӳ����ý for seven years and has led to more than 120 trees being planted on campus. There are more than 7,500 trees on campus – not including the natural lands – that help sequester carbon from the atmosphere and put out oxygen, among other natural benefits. For instance, a sample size of 5,320 trees at �鶹ӳ����ý were found to sequester 67 tons of carbon from the atmosphere and put out 161 tons of oxygen each year, according to a recent student study.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s urban forest canopy is valued at $4.32 million, taking into account its aesthetic appeal, the trees’ monetary value, and savings in carbon management, oxygen emissions and erosion control, according to John Guziejka, a biologist and urban forester with �鶹ӳ����ý Landscape & Natural Resources.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s extensive forest canopy is partly due to �鶹ӳ����ý Urban Forestry’s commitment to plant double the amount of trees that are removed due to construction, said Guziejka. More than 230 trees were planted at �鶹ӳ����ý in 2016 alone.

Plus, �鶹ӳ����ý’s care of trees has led the university to being recognized as a Tree Campus USA university for the seventh year in a row. Tree Campus USA honors colleges and universities that effectively manage their trees, connect with their community beyond campus borders to foster healthy urban forests, and engage their student population in service opportunities centered on forestry efforts.

�鶹ӳ����ý in 2011 became one of the first universities in Florida to earn the Tree Campus USA designation. The university utilizes a Campus Tree Advisory Committee, a Campus Tree Care Plan, institutes service learning projects centered on caring for the trees and dedicates annual expenditures for tree care.

Trees are an asset on campus and in the greater community because they provide shade, help reduce storm-weather run-off and provide nutrient filtration. Trees near water, in particular, also help take out excess nutrients and pollution from the water and help reduce erosion at the edge of the water, Guziejka said.

The �鶹ӳ����ý Arboretum utilizes volunteers year-round to help maintain the landscapes on campus. To get involved, see the Arboretum’s .