The traveling display, the third and final stop in the United States, presents artwork, artifacts, interactive devices and multimedia experiences to show the effects of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which buried the Roman city of Pompeii.

Life and Death in Pompeii will be a UCF webinar presentation and discussion at noon Friday, Nov. 6, about the era and what was going on at the time of the eruption. Historians of art, archaeology, and classical languages and literatures will present their research. Ilenia Colón Mendoza will moderate the symposium and a Q&A will follow each of three topics:

• “Greek and Roman Myths in the Houses of Pompeii and the Bay of Naples” with Robert Vander Poppen, an associate professor of classical art and archaeology at Rollins College.

• “Public Entertainment in Pompeii” with Edward Dandrow, an assistant professor of history at UCF.

• “Pompeii: Cultural Heritage and Preservation” with Margaret Ann Zaho, an associate professor of art history.

Registration for the online program is required.

The College of Sciences has scheduled Zoom virtual talks and Q&As to help exhibit visitors walk back in time. The one-hour programs begin at noon and are recommended for those 13 and older. Reservations can be made by clicking on the program titles:

Dailies and Delicacies: Getting a Taste of Pompeii – Nov. 19 with Lana Williams, associate lecturer from the Department of Anthropology. Williams, a bioarchaeologist, specializes in research of human health and diet. Her program will discuss the food and drink of the day: fresh breads, herbed olives, raisin wine, posca (cold, watered-down vinegar), peppery fish sauce and other items

Fleeing Pompeii: Bodies Frozen in Time – Dec. 10 with Sandra Wheeler, associate lecturer from the Department of Anthropology. Wheeler, who specializes in bioarchaeology, will talk about the research undertaken on so called “ash mummies,” the city’s inhabitants whose bodies were preserved in the volcanic eruption. Ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius covered them and formed formed a shell around their bodies.

Learning From Lasers: Uncovering Pompeii With Chemical Laser Analysis – Jan. 14 with Matthiew Baudlet, associate professor from the Department of Chemistry. Baudlet, who specializes in spectroscopy, will discuss the research of Pompeii using laser spectroscopy.

Some original Pompeii frescos that were buried under ash will be part of the science center’s ongoing exhibit — as well as some frescos made by elementary school students from Lake Eola Charter School. The plaster-and-pigment examples were made as part of the UCF Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment (CREATE)’s Extended Classroom Experience program.

CREATE introduced the children to the art and science of making frescos, a painting technique common in ancient times. Their tile frescoes depict plants and animals similar to the frescos found in Pompeii.

Through the UCF program, three classes from Lake Eola Charter School learned about the art and science of making frescos, a painting technique common in ancient Italy that involves plaster and pigment.

The new 10,000 square foot immersive exhibit at the OSC opened earlier this month and will wrap up in January 2021. “Pompeii: the Immortal City” provides a look at the archaeological site destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. From interactive mechanical devices to artifacts from the time and an erupting volcano display, the exhibition captures the Roman life of and recreates it for today’s audiences. It is a must-see international exhibition with Orlando being its third and final stop in the US.

Each child created a tile out of plaster and hand painted it using powdered pigment. When the pigment is applied to wet plaster it binds and becomes part of the material. This helps frescos withstand the test of time.

“Art is science,” says CREATE STEAM instructor Chealsea Anagnoson. “You cannot separate them.”

The frescoes depict plants and animals similar to some of the frescos found in Pompeii. The tiles are exhibited in three separate frames, one for each participating class. The mezzo frescos are currently on display on the third floor of the OSC alongside original Pompeiian frescos.

UCF launched CREATE out of the university’s downtown campus to provide a space where science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) become perceptible and understandable to K-12 students in the surrounding community. The center conducts multidisciplinary projects, and research-driven initiatives. CREATE’s affiliated faculty, students, and staff explore a myriad of educational research and creative topics while promoting community awareness.

The OSC provided UCF a grant to help local children make the connection between art and science.

“If you are creating an experiment, that is artistic design,” Anagnoson says. “If you are engineering something, that is designing. Design is art and requires the creative thinking and problem-solving skills that are learned in art classrooms.”

For example, in one of her classes at UCF CREATE, she gave students the opportunity to play archaeologist and dig up Pompeiian artifacts while making scientific observations about what they saw. They also had a group discussion in which they imagined what they might have left behind if they were a Roman citizen in Pompeii before designing and creating their own artifacts using a 3Doodler 3D printing pen.

“Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women,” according to the U.N. website. “If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world — both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.”

To help nurture and empower girls year-round, UCF’s founded the . In the program, young women who are 16-24  are provided free online classes in budgeting, leadership, resume writing, interviewing, and other necessary life and career-building skills.

“All girls should have the opportunity to prepare for their futures,” says Tracey Morrison, project manager and assistant to the director of CREATE. “Whether it’s to further their education or begin a career, we believe in empowering young women to reach their highest potential.”

In celebration of International Day of the Girl, CREATE’s LLG program also asked women within and connected to the Central Florida community to share stories of strength to encourage and inspire girls who are following in their footsteps. To read some of these stories, visit the .

If you have a story to share, please email Tracey Morrison at  tracey.morrison@ucf.edu.  Stories may be edited for clarity and shared on social media.

They quickly deliberate on a name for their circus act while eight other fourth and fifth graders are paired off in a room supplied with paper, water colored pencils, tripods and iPads doing much of the same with their movies.

“Big Throw.”

“No, no that’s not it.”

They settle on Strong Rhonkey, inspired by their character, whom they dreamed up after selecting a “strong person” prompt out of a hat a day earlier.

Yesterday these students were watching animated films. Today they’re creating them, thanks in part to an intensive weeklong storytelling and animation summer camp run by a partnership between downtown Orlando’s Page 15 and UCF’s Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment (CREATE).

The two organizations have wanted to partner together for years and were finally able to form the programming this year after they received a $100,000 grant from Walt Disney World Resort. The grant was one of five presented to nonprofit organizations throughout Central Florida.

The summer camp hosted two weeklong sessions at UCF Downtown’s Communication and Media Building (formerly the Center for Emerging Media) for a total of 20 fourth and fifth graders from the region. The first was held in June, and the second wrapped up this week.

Graduate students from UCF’s emerging media degree program served as mentors to the children and helped run the camp, which culminated in a showcase of their stop-motion circus-themed animation shorts to friends and family Friday.

“What these young people put together was incredible. All of us were really blown away. These camps give them really a unique opportunity to explore and stretch their creativity that they wouldn’t otherwise have in school,” says Julia Young, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Urban Think Foundation, whose Page 15 program provides educational and literary arts programming for local kids. “This partnership with UCF has been huge for us. To be able to expose these kids to college-level equipment and instructors in a space like this downtown campus, it really helps establish an atmosphere and environment that the kids get excited about and fosters their creativity.”

Putting Pen to Paper

The animation camp was an extension of Page 15’s popular Young Writers Summer Camp. Nearly 30 children arrived every day at 9 a.m. and spent the next three hours alongside mentors — students from UCF’s College of Community Innovation and Education and the College of Arts and Humanities — working on writing, illustrating and publishing their own book.

After lunch, a portion of the group migrated to the animation camp from 1 to 4 p.m., which was run by graduate students specializing in animation. Stella Sung, director of UCF CREATE and a Pegasus Professor, says all of the materials used in the camp — from pencils to paper to tablets — were of the same quality that UCF students and industry professionals use daily.

“We wanted the kids to understand this is the expectation and level of excellence we would want to see in the future,” she says. “They were small, short little pieces, but what folks don’t always understand is even five to 10 seconds of animation is a lot of work because everything is made. Every movement, every color, every line is made by somebody. Not only did the kids come up with the characters, but they found things they like and things they wanted to see or be or experience or imagine. I think these are the kinds of skills that translate into larger life skills.”

In addition to the summer camp, the Disney grant also helped fund CREATE’s after-school program partnership with Page 15’s Young Writers Society this past school year, which serves children from Orange County Public Schools’ downtown Academic Center for Excellence, a Community Partnership School.

Once or twice a week, 10 attendees of the program visited with CREATE’s students and staff to do much of the same work as the summer campers have. During National Poetry Month in April, some of the ACE students recorded spoken word in a sound booth with UCF students, who supervised the audio recording and mixing.

Dana Barnes ’16, a UCF graduate student whose focus is in animation and visual effects, was tapped to be a mentor for the after-school program. He had served as a teaching assistant at UCF but says he wasn’t sure what to expect in working with children. He says he was so encouraged by his experience that he eagerly agreed to work the summer camp.

“Believe it or not, they understood the animation fundamentals better than some of the college students,” he says. “I think when you get older, something happens in your brain — you kind of overthink things, stumble on your thoughts. Kids don’t have that problem. They understood it immediately and were able to translate those skills into whatever medium we put in front of them, whether it was a sheet of paper, on the computer or on tablets. It was amazing to see how they took to the process.”

“Some of the parents had tears of joy. They were just like, ‘I had no idea my child was capable of doing anything like this.” — Dana Barnes, UCF grad student

He says the most rewarding part of this experience has been the parents’ reactions when they see the finished product their child has worked on all week to create.

“Some of the parents had tears of joy. They were just like, ‘I had no idea my child was capable of doing anything like this — I didn’t even know they could conceive something like this,’ ” he says. “That’s one of the most satisfying feelings ever.”

To Infinity and Beyond

Young says this year’s animation camps sold out quickly. The demand was so great that middle schoolers were requesting access to them.

Lake, creator of the monkey-rhinoceros, says he had done some coding but had never explored animation before this week. When asked what he has enjoyed most about this experience, he pauses and asks, “Can I say everything?”

Although the Disney grant was a one-year funding opportunity, Young and Sung are committed to finding more funding sources to not only keep the programming going, but expand it.

UCF also hosts a pre-college two-week intensive camp for high schoolers during the summer, and Sung says she would love a pipeline to form one day that could see a child start in the youth programs, transition to the pre-college level and eventually land at UCF as an animation student.

“It’s amazing to see these kids and the spark that happens when we help plant a little seed of what’s possible. As a director and educator, it’s hard to think of anything better than helping people achieve their goals. That’s what keeps me going,” she says. “If we identify students when they are younger and help them develop those skills, they will already be fairly advanced by the time they come to UCF and that will boost the program and industry as a whole.”

The science center will be one of only four museums nationwide to host the traveling exhibit of ancient artifacts, and partnered with Orange Country Arts and Cultural Alliance to select and fund community projects that will support and amplify the exhibition. Twenty-nine projects were proposed and nine were selected to receive a total of $93,000.

Faculty from SVAD and History, in collaboration with colleagues from Rollins College, will host a symposium titled “Life and Death in Pompeii”. CREATE plans to lead 40 students from Lake Eola Charter School in lessons regarding Pompeii’s history, mythology, and the science behind how frescos are created, including the systematic process of Buon frescos, and why the frescoes in Pompeii were preserved for so many years. Then the students will work collaboratively to create fresco paintings in a storyboard fashion. Once complete, the fresco pieces will be on display at the Orlando Science Center during the exhibition.

Read more about the “Pompeii: The Immortal City” exhibit in the Orlando Sentinel or at the Orlando Science Center.

These aren’t robots to take out the garbage or play chess.

Instead, they are small assembly-kit robots built by people 55 and older who may be experiencing age-related physical and cognitive decline. Researchers want to see if the model sets have any impact, and are redesigning off-the-shelf kits to make them more accessible for the study’s subjects. While the team is still assessing participants’ abilities and the barriers in building the kits, one benefit is already clear: The kits provide people with another outlet for socialization.

“A couple of years ago we were working with teachers at the Orlando Science Center and having them do commercially available robot-kit assembly,” said Stella Sung, director of UCF’s CREATE (Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment) at the downtown Center for Emerging Media, where much of the research is taking place. Both are part of the College of Arts & Humanities.

“The kits were fun, but I got to thinking that they were all designed for kids and youngsters, and that some older people would have a hard time doing some of the tasks. The parts are small, the instructions are not always very clear, etc.”

Sung checked to see if there was anything similar on the market specifically for that demographic, but she said she discovered there was nothing to compare.

So she partnered with psychology Professor Janan Smither in the College of Sciences to create a project they’ve been calling the Silver Robot Kit. The team is creating the kits geared for 55 and older adults and researching the impact on cognitive and physical skills.

Smither, whose interests include technology and aging, and two of her students earlier this month attended the British Society of Gerontology International conference in Wales and presented the kit project, which won second place out of more than 40 gerontology studies.

“These robotic kits can provide a fun and cognitively stimulating leisure activity,” Smither said. “This activity can conform to the interests of the more technology-savvy older adult as well as provide an outlet for socialization with other older adults or bridge the generational gap, as it can be a fun activity to build a kit with grandkids.”

The team is researching off-the-shelf products to develop Silver Robot Kits with large-print instructions, easier-to-follow drawings and pictures, and brighter colors. Next they plan to make prototypes using 3-D printers and gain enough traction so that companies will make and market the kits commercially.

“One of the things that we noted about many (available) kits is that the colors are limited to industrial grey, blue, black, white colors,” Sung said. “We would like our robots to be colorful, artistic and creative, and include sound and light elements as well.” As the project progresses, the team plans to involve the School of Visual Arts & Design.

For their research, the team has been organizing “team builds” at CREATE and Smither’s Technology and Aging laboratory on campus, where the volunteer participants build small robots to test workable and inadequate designs. About 30 participants have helped with assembly projects so far, but the team plans to take the test kits to senior centers for more study.

“At the beginning, I thought that these kits could be created for recreational and intergenerational purposes. However, since then, we’ve engaged in a research agenda that further explores the purposes of the kits and how they might enhance various skills,” Sung said. “The kits could also be used for others with certain disabilities. We are still deciding what functions the robots will do. At present, they would be designed for entertainment purposes, but I believe that we’ll eventually be able to have the robots programmed to serve other purposes.”

Sung said some of the participants have commented that because of their hearing loss they often feel isolated in group activities. But with the Silver Robot Kits, she said they can assemble them as a group or individually in a socialized setting.

“Still others have responded that the activity gave them a sense of having accomplished something which they thought that they would not be able to do,” she said.

Four doctoral students in Smither’s laboratory are working on the project. Eva Parkhurst, Jessica Michaelis, Fernando Montalvo and Michael Rupp are assessing participants’ abilities and dexterity, barriers in building the kits, existing commercial assembly instructions, and other factors.

“We are pursuing the development of robotic kits because this is a popular modern activity that a lot of older adults have never even considered attempting,” said graduate research assistant Eva Parkhurst. “I personally love to see the look on the faces of our participants when they start using the remote control to move the robot that they built with their own hands.”

The team hopes to eventually see an entire line of products specifically designed for the target demographic.

“As the next generations of aging adults approach, the use of technology and what technology can do is becoming more and more a part of daily life,” Sung said. “One of the goals of the robot kits is to introduce them to the increasing ways in which tech influences their lives as well as the lives of all around them.”

Otronicon engages all ages with the growing digital-media industry, including video gaming, simulation, robots, virtual reality and other fields.

In addition to UCF, visitors to the show Thursday through Monday can learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers and interact with technology created by local companies Lockheed Martin, EA Sports, Disney and others. Gamers will be able to create their own games and an art gallery also will combine technology and art.

“The experience has the opportunity to inspire interest in science and tech careers,” said Jennine Miller, public relations specialist at the science center. “Get a preview of tomorrow’s technology through interaction with some of our community’s up-and-coming start-ups and established players.”

UCF exhibitors will be the E2i Creative Studio, School of Visual Arts & Design, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy and the College of Psychology.

Here are the UCF activities at Otronicon:

The Orlando Science Center is at 777 E. Princeton St. For a complete schedule of Otronicon events, activities and admission costs, click here.

When did you realize that you wanted music to be your career?

I started formal musical training as a pianist when I was 8 years old. By the time I was 12, I realized that music was what I wanted to do and I started working towards the goal of being a concert pianist.

What do you like about being at UCF?

As I approach my 27th year at UCF, I am so proud to call UCF my academic home. UCF has always offered me the opportunity to grow, explore, change, and move forward in my teaching and creative activities. When I first started at UCF, there were about 18,000 students, and I loved the university’s motto of “Reach for the Stars,” as it truly felt like that was what UCF was all about—people reaching their potential, people believing in their dreams and knowing that there was a wonderful university to support them. Happily, it is still true today as it was then, and as UCF celebrates its 50th year, I can only imagine what the next 50 years will be like.

Being at UCF has allowed me to “reinvent” myself in many ways, and I have been so fortunate to have had the support of my deans and upper administrators.

What accomplishment have you been most proud of at UCF?

I am most proud of the students I have served and mentored, many of whom now have wonderful careers in music and the arts. Several former students have gone on to graduate music programs, and some are even back at ��AV in faculty positions. I am also very honored to have been selected as a Pegasus Professor, and am actually the first Pegasus Professor in the College of Arts and Humanities. (Dean Jose Fernandez of the College of Arts and Humanities was named a Pegasus Professor when the college was the College of Arts & Sciences.)

What projects are you working on now?

I usually have several projects on the burner, but the most prominent one at the moment is my full-length opera, The Red Silk Thread. I had two public workshop performances at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor this April, and I am now preparing for the world premiere next April at the University of Florida. The opera is based on stories of Italian explorer Marco Polo and the court of Mongol leader Kublai Khan.

How do you involve digital and multi-media applications into your compositions?

Since the 1980s, I have used digital technology in my compositions. One of my former students was highly interested in composing music for film – he is now actively working in Los Angeles as a composer for television and films – and so I then built a digital audio workstation in my home as I realized that I needed to keep up with the latest applications of computer technology in music, much of which was being used by film composers. I also have two music studios at the UCF Center for Emerging Media. I now use computers extensively in my composition work, and the technology continues to improve.

What are a few of the memorable performances you have attended?

As an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, I had the opportunity to hear many of the world’s greatest classical music artists. I remember attending three concerts by the Russian pianist Vladimir Horowitz, and those were stunning recitals. I also heard the great Leontyne Price, who had a wonderful voice and the most incredible stage presence. I also remember some of the concerts that I attended while a “camper” at the Interlochen Arts Camp (then known as the National Music Camp) when I was a child of 12 and 13. I heard my first Mahler symphony (Symphony No. 5) when I was 13, played by the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and I remember being completely and emotionally moved by the music.

Then of course are the performances of my own music. I have had many fine performances by wonderful artists and ensembles. As I was the composer-in-residence for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (2007-11), I was extremely blessed to have had my orchestral works performed by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and its fine musicians and music directors. It is a real thrill to hear one’s work come to life and being played by 80+ musicians!

What music do you listen to?

Over the years, my musical listening tastes have really expanded to include all genres of music. It is difficult now for me to say what I listen to the most, as it often depends upon what I myself might be working on. For example, since I have been writing an opera, I am listening to opera most of the time. But I juxtapose that with some of my favorite songs from Chicago or other groups.

Tell us a little about your family.

My parents are from China (Beijing and Chung-king) but they met at the University of Florida. My mother is a professional painter and was at one time chief artist at the Florida State Museum, now the Natural History Museum at the University of Florida. My father had a dental laboratory for many years, but is also a general businessman and entrepreneur. They still live in Gainesville. My brother is a lawyer and lives in Orlando.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

I really don’t do much except work! But that’s a good thing because I really love writing music, and I really love working for UCF.  But in the leisure times, I do enjoy gardening, watching DVDs of old TV shows, swimming, yoga, and going to movies.

The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra commissioned UCF Music Professor and internationally award-winning composer Sung to create a piece for its 54th season finale concert and silent auction on Sunday, May 15.

LocoMotion’s performance debut is scheduled at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. The concert begins at 4 p.m., and tickets – which range from $8 to $30 – can be purchased at or by calling 407-999-7800.

The finale concert is the culmination of a season of learning and hard work by the four youth orchestras and beginning strings program.

Sung, who is also the director of UCF’s Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology, and Entertainment (CREATE), works with many local youngsters on ways to express themselves through music and art, incorporating computers and other technology. Since 2003, she has been using digital and multi-media applications in her concert and symphonic compositions as well as in music for dance and ballet.

Sung is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2007-2010 Phi Kappa Phi National Artists Award, as well as a 2009-10 “Meet the Composer” award. She is a two-time winner of a Florida Individual Artists Fellowship, sponsored by the Division of Cultural Affairs for the State of Florida, as well as the 2005 recipient of a Florida Artists Enhancement award.

She has been named the Composer-in-Residence for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Dance Alive National Ballet in Gainesville.

Sung is a digital media faculty member in UCF’s School of Visual Arts and Design. For more on her work, visit .

The Young Composers Challenge is a 94-minute film about five teenagers competing to have their original classical compositions performed by professionals–students write the compositions and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra performs the winning pieces. Following a three-day workshop held during the spring semester, students take the summer to compose. The orchestra plays the top three orchestral and top three ensemble pieces during the fall semester.

UCF’s Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment (CREATE) is a sponsor for the competition, which is also titled The Young Composer’s Challenge.

The Young Composers Challenge will screen at the Florida Film Festival, which is produced by the Enzian Theater, in April.