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UCF Knights Gameday

Library open until 5 after classes end on gameday, Friday 9/21

Friday, September 21 is another exciting gameday for the UCF Knights.  Although classes will end, and most of campus will close at 2.30 p.m., the John C. Hitt Library will remain open until 5.00 p.m., giving students a chance to get a head start on research, reading, writing and homework before the weekend begins.

Kickoff against Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic University Owls is scheduled for 7.00 p.m.  Come on over for a little bit of study before you tailgate, see the Knights’ outstanding marching band, and head to Spectrum Stadium for a memorable Friday night.  Then it’s Knights under the lights!

Go Knights!  Beat the Owls! Charge on!

 

 

Yesterday's World Exhibit Image

New Fall Exhibit at the Rosen Library Featuring Disney Items

The Rosen Library’s Fall exhibit, Yesterday’s World: Documenting the Walt Disney World Parks, 1969-2004, shines a spotlight on the history of the theme parks that put Orlando on the map!

Featuring materials from the UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives, the exhibit includes:

  • Early planning documents and promotional materials
  • Park maps and show schedules from the 1980s and 1990s
  • Cast member training materials and newsletters
  • Vintage tickets, attraction coupons, souvenirs, and more!

Books on Disney World history and lore are also displayed on top of the exhibit case, and these books can be checked out for more information.

Special thanks to David Benjamin, Head of Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) at UCF Libraries, for selecting and installing the materials. For more about SCUA, visit the SCUA website.

The exhibit will on display through Fall 2018.  Check it out!

Ribbon Cutting Banner

Quiet Study Zone Ribbon-Cutting, 9.00 a.m., Friday 8/24

Join Dr. Joel Hartman,Vice President, Information Technologies and Resources, Dr. Maribeth Ehasz, Vice President, Student Development and Enrollment Services, and Josh Bolona, Student Body President, for a short Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, at 9.00 a.m., Friday, August 24, at the main entrance to the Quiet Study Zone on the 5th Floor.

Quiet Study will be closed on Friday morning until the Ribbon-Cutting, so please use the South Stairs and the “bank of three” elevators to come to the Zone’s double glass doors for the ceremony. There may be a surprise for attendees!

The John C. Hitt Library’s 5th Floor Quiet Study Zone had a “soft” opening in April to accommodate students during final spring semester exams, although the space was not quite completed. The Zone answers the requests, comments, and suggestions of UCF students.

This will be the first of a number of benchmarks as the University Libraries moves forward on the 21st Century Library project.

Explore Mars August 24

Explore Mars!

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.

 

Knights Under The Stars Viewing Mars
Friday, August 24, 2018
8:30 – 10:30 pm
Memory Mall

All are welcome to drop by Memory Mall to take in a telescopic view of Mars during its wonderful viewing season, the best since 2003. We will set up several telescopes to give everyone a chance to see what’s going on on the surface of Mars. We will also have telescopes trained on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn as well, for a multi-planet viewing bonanza. Some things to note:

  • There is no need to stay for the whole two hours, nor any need to come right at 8:30. In fact, the wait times will probably be shorter later in the session.
  • The event is on Memory Mall, not at the observatory itself.
  • This observing session is weather-dependent, and we will announce on our website, Facebook, and Twitter about whether the clouds will allow us to hold the event.

 

Check out our guide for additional resources on Mars: guides.ucf.edu/mars

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