It may sound modest when Kyle Coutray says, /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cI don/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019t absorb complex topics instantly./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d Yet this is a senior pursuing two demanding majors, devoting his time at UCF to understanding the most complex system ever discovered /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014 the brain /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014and turning that knowledge into tools that help people./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
Managing material at that level requires discipline, and Coutray relies on habits like writing things down, studying late with flashcards and breaking big ideas into manageable parts. That steady approach reflects a deeper drive, one he credits to both his parents and his faith./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cI truly have the world/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s best parents. They always encouraged me to push my limits and become the best version of myself,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cI also believe God blessed me with a healthy mind, and I have a responsibility to use it where I can make the greatest impact./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
That mindset took root in high school, when Coutray launched an apparel brand by teaching himself the step-by-step process from design to sale. While it found success, he sensed there had to be another door into a more meaningful future. That conviction deepened when he came upon a neighbor lying in the road after a skateboarding accident./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cSome say space is the final frontier. I believe it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s the brain, with its 100 trillion connections. Exploring it will take the same spirit of discovery that drives us to the stars, and the Astronaut Scholarship fuels my own spirit to make the next discoveries./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014 Kyle Coutray, student/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cI had done the same thing with my friends countless times, and in an instant his life was changed forever. That was the moment I realized how fragile the brain is. Later, when I began studying neuroscience at UCF, it offered me a way to reconcile that experience and a clear sense of purpose./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
At UCF, Coutray has found ways to act on that purpose. He volunteers for ACEing Autism, where he facilitates adaptive tennis activities for children on the autism spectrum. Even intramural sports have offered him practical lessons that carry into his research./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cDuring my first year I was juggling so much that I stopped taking care of myself, and my productivity dropped,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cWhen I got back into sports and focused on my health, everything improved /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014 school, relationships and research. I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019m a firm believer that a healthy body is critical to keeping the mind sharp./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
Coutray carries that same philosophy into the intersection of engineering and neuroscience. His focus is on decoding neural signals and developing assistive technologies that restore function and empower people of all abilities. What began as a way to process his neighbor/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s accident has grown into a life/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s mission: to give people their lives back./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/nSun Latt (left) working with another researcher at UCF. (Photo courtesy of Sun Latt)/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/nSun Latt/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n Biomedical sciences student and Burnett Honors Scholar/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/nSun Latt is having a moment. Actually, he/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s having a year. You might remember Latt for winning a Goldwater Scholarship last spring. Or he could look familiar as an Order of Pegasus recipient. Here he is a few months later with the Astronaut Scholarship to complete a student triple crown of sorts /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014 although Latt is too modest to say so himself./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cIt/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s been surreal and I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019m thankful beyond words,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d Latt says, /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cbut there/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s so much more to be done./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
Latt has worked on nanomedicine research with urgent focus since he found his first lab as a first-year student. Three years later, he has worked alongside a team of researchers to investigate the advantages of using a novel nanoparticle in magnesium orthopedic implants: the bone heals faster and the implant dissolves without leeching toxins. He has also contributed to nanomedicine research with preventive applications, such as a delivery system to silence the gene that causes osteoporosis./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cI/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019ve been challenging myself for three reasons; To become a good scientist, to make sure my mentors and the people who/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019ve supported me are not let down, and so I can be the best mentor possible in the future. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014 Sun Latt, student/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cWe/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019ve explored the basic working principles in a glass dish,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d Latt says, /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cso now other researchers can see how the nanoparticle interacts for healing applications beyond bone./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
This doesn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019t mean he/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s finished./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cWhen you/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019re always trying to innovate, you/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019re never finished,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d Latt says./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
For his honors undergraduate thesis, Latt is leading a project that incorporates nanobubbles to deliver medicine into the body before releasing it precisely where and when it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s needed. He envisions using AI to take another leap and future applications for nanobubbles in space./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cFor me, it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s all about healing the body,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cThat/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s what motivated my dad, even with his limited resources and without formal recognition or awards./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
Latt/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019s parents immigrated from Myanmar. His dad learned to be a doctor so he could care for people who needed the most help /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2014 especially in rural areas. Latt carries that same compassion into his research, fully conscious that accomplishments are not his alone./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201cI/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u2019ve been a lifelong learner, and I look forward to being a lifelong teacher,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/u201d he says./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
Those interested in the Astronaut Scholarship and other opportunities should reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at OPA@ucf.edu./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"These three honorees have personal motivations driving them to use research to take us into a new frontier./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":149575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,27],"tags":[54822,973,979,7301,18102],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-149432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-student-life","tag-burnett-honor-college","tag-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","tag-college-of-medicine","tag-office-of-prestigious-awards","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/149432/n
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