News & Blog

Man on Mars: Mission to the Red Planet
Friday, August 24th
1:00 pm
John C. Hitt Library Room 223

Horizon goes behind the scenes at NASA to discover how it is preparing for its most ambitious and daring mission: to land men – and possibly women – on the surface of Mars. It’s over 40 years since Neil Armstrong made the first human footprint on the moon. But getting to the red planet would involve a journey of at least three years.

Horizon meets the scientists and engineers who are designing new rockets and space suits, and finding ways to help astronauts survive the perils of this long voyage. It turns out that having the ‘right stuff’ for a mission to Mars might not be quite what you expect.

Discussion immediately following the film led by Dr. Kevin Cannon, our own UCF Mars expert, on the topic of “Why Does Mars Exist, and Why Should We Go There?”

Mars, the small frozen desert planet, is the way it is and couldn’t be any other way…right? But what if we look back with billions of years worth of hindsight, and apply a bit of chance and probability. If we do so, we will find that Mars very easily might not have formed at all, or could have ballooned to the size of the Earth and evolved quite differently than it did. The discovery of thousands of exoplanets allows us to see how those alternate realities did play out around distant stars, and gives insight into our own red planet. But should we go to Mars? Is it worth the cost and risk, especially with so many pressing problems back here on Earth? The potential rewards are immense: a sustained human-led science campaign at Mars is the best chance we have of answering fundamental questions about the origin of life in the solar system, and determining how rare life is in the universe as a whole. The challenges and accomplishments associated with sending humans to Mars may also inject a bit of hope and existential meaning into a society that increasing needs it.

You might find them in front of the classroom or in the office down the hall and yet never suspect they make art. They are “Hidden Artists”. Hidden Artists is a group of UCF faculty and staff from various departments who create art on their own time. Founded by Judy Bragg Pardo, retired Senior Art Specialist at SDES, Hidden Artists have exhibited at the John C. Hitt Library since 2008.

Now on its 11th year, the Hidden Artists Exhibit is on display at the John C. Hitt Library Main Floor, with the assistance of Special Collections & University Archives. Artwork on display include a variety of styles, subjects, and mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, and mixed media. The exhibit features the talents of Maribel Amaro-Garcia, Kimberly Berry, Gina Clifton, Pamela Williams Gruen, Dawn Herrod, Meredith Malkin, Russ Muller, Judy Bragg Pardo, Brian Pate, M.C. Santana, as well as library staff members Jacqui Johnson and Chris Saclolo. The exhibit will run until September 28, 2018.

There will be a reception for the exhibit that is open to the public on Thursday, September 13th from 4 pm to 6 pm in the John C. Hitt Library, room 223.

Our robotic arms in the new Automated Retrieval Center (ARC) at the John C. Hitt Library are in the final stages of testing before they become fully operational. Once testing is complete, we will begin transferring UCF’s collection of books from the John C. Hitt Library into the ARC.

When the 21st Century Library project is complete, 1.25 million volumes will be contained in the ARC. About 300,000 volumes will remain on open stacks for browsing. Virtual browsing will be made available.

New books to the left of you. New books to the right of you. New books on the shelves. New books all around.

New books enter the UCF Libraries system on a regular basis. At the John C. Hitt Library, we select those with interesting titles, eye-catching dust jackets, or timely topics to feature on a display. The books range in subject from photography, science, and history to poetry, novels, and biographies. The display, which is next to the seating area at the Research & Information Desk, changes on a weekly basis.

Stop by. Maybe there will be one you want to take home with you.

Here is a small selection of the 57 books that are currently on the display which ranges from American History and poetry to education and FIFA scandals:

To keep up with all the new additions to the New Book Display, follow our guide.

From now through early August, it is expected that construction noise will increase in the John C. Hitt Library.
Demolition of the north side of the 1st floor of the building is underway, and can be seen from outside the building or from upper floors. Equipment is being used to tear off the metal roof of the 1st floor section that protrudes toward the Student Union. This is the area previously occupied by Government Documents and a cluster of 1st floor study rooms. This entire area on the inside has been cleared of ceiling, walls and flooring. Over the coming weeks it will get particularly noisy on the north end, as contractors break up the concrete slab and the subsurface vertical concrete wall facing the ARC building. The library has requested that contractors do whatever possible to mitigate the noise.

The 1st floor remains closed. Earplugs are available at the Circulation Desk. The 5th floor silent study zone is open, and is not on the same side of the building as the excessive noise.

We are sorry for the inconvenience and the disturbance. Thank you Knights—charge on!