>>This program is brought to you in part by the Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation, a proud partner of WUCF and the Central Florida community.

>>On this edition of Florid Road Trip, we visit a university built for the space age and rocketed into the future.

>>Doctor Millican, the first president of FTU, unveiled the Pegasus, which was our signal.

>>Plus, we head into a tiny room with a big impact, where half a million specimens are helping researchers worldwide.

>>We are one of the largest database collections.

>>And we'll take a joyful plunge into UCF's wildest tradition, one that started with a splash and turned into a legacy.

>>I'v heard lots of different stories.

>>From Laser Labs to legacy ducks, Florida Road Trip is chargin into the land of black and gold.

Next up, the University of Central Florida.

♪♪ Hi there and welcome to Florida Road Trip.

I'm your host, Scott Fais.

It's one of the nation's largest universities, built not only to serve students, but also power the future of Florida's economic growth.

The University of Centra Florida is a product of postwar growth, a booming space race and community ambition.

>>It goes back to the Great Depression.

The birthrate during the Grea Depression went down radically.

Understandably, people didn't want to have kid in the middle of a depression.

Then World War II came along.

So you had a suppressed birth rate for about 15 years.

And now, after World War II, we have the postwar baby boom, the highest birth rate in our history.

As couples finally want to have kids.

>>By the early 1960s, state leaders realized Florida's handful of colleges wouldn't be enough.

And with new industries launching in the area, Central Florida became the obvious choice for a new kind of campus.

>>As the number of scientific and technical workers in the aerospace industry, as well as electronics and engineering enterprises increased.

There was a local rising need for an educational institution to supplement their studies.

Business, professiona and government leaders swiftly joined the cause to build what some called the Space University.

>>The new schoo didn't have a location just yet.

But a group of Orlando leaders worked hard to change that.

>>It was to be located somewher between Fort Pierce in the south and Flagler County, almos to Saint Augustine in the north.

Any of the counties.

So it could have been in Volusia or Brevard or Osceola.

What happened with UCF was that local people in Orange County began pushing.

A lot of people though it was going to be in the coast around Titusville, simply because of the space program.

Meanwhile, citizens here in Orlando really began to push to build it here.

>>And then there was 715 acres northwest of downtown Orlando that was owned by Frank Adamucci which eventually it was the Adamucci sit that was acquired and approved.

>>With land secured, the university was named Florida Technological University, or FTU, reflecting its space age ambitions.

>>Doctor Millican, the first president of FTU, unveiled the Pegasus, which was our seal.

It was chosen because of its relation to the past as well as the future.

>>When the campus opened in 1968, the library was one of the first seven buildings.

Two years later, the reflecting pond was completed quickly becoming one of the university's most iconic landmarks.

However, just a few year after that, university leaders advocated for a name change to better reflect th institution's evolving mission.

Florida Technological University officially became the University of Centra Florida on December 6th, 1978.

Over the years, UCF just didn't grow in size.

It grew in impact.

New programs and campuses opened, including the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, located near International Drive in 2004.

The UCF College of Medicine near Lake Nona opened just a few years later, and then a state of the art downtown campus in the heart of Orlando in 2019.

That growth came with a commitment to access.

UCF became a national mode for welcoming first generation college students and veterans through initiatives like Direct Connect.

UCF opened doors to anyone ready to take the next step in their education.

>>We have created something really special here in that we have drawn students from all over the world now starting ou as a very local commuter school.

The early campus didn't even have dormitories, and now we have become a worldwide institution serving over 70,000 students.

And I think it's our approac to education, which has always been welcoming and opening.

♪♪ >>When you think of Florida and space exploration Cape Canaveral may come to mind.

But just one hour inland, The University of Central Florida has a deep connection to space.

From its founding missio of supporting the space program to developing research on campus today, this is one university that has space in its DNA.

Today, UCF is one o the nation's leading producers of aerospace graduates and home to the Florida Space Institute, a research powerhouse fueling lunar science and space technology right from Central Florida.

>>The Florida Space Institute is a state-mandated institute to accelerate space research and education in Florida.

And of course, since we're managed by UCF, also at UCF, then we have a lot of space research going on at UCF.

Yes, now that UCF has grow to the size it's at by growing the undergraduate population, you know, it is like kind of fulfilling its educational mission and educating the masses.

Now it's switching a little bit to doing more research, you know, becoming a top tier research university.

And part of that is growing the space research endeavor because we are the space university.

>>One of the most exciting parts of that mission is the Exolith Lab, where researchers simulate the lunar soil and test technologies of tomorrow.

>>Initially, there was a collaboration between the planetary science group at UCF and a company that was really trying to go big in space dirt.

And then the climates economically changed and they just left.

But they had a bunch of equipment and locations here in Orland that they had started with us.

And so they donated that equipment.

And then the Florida Space Institute, we thought it would be too ba to lose all of that equipment.

And together with facult at the Planetary Science Group, the initiative to actually start making our own space dirt ourselves.

>>To understand what it takes to build and survive on the moon, you first need to understand the moon's surface, and it's nothing like Earth.

>>The difference is really that here on Earth we have an atmosphere and Mars is an atmosphere too.

And so these grain that are on Earth and on Mars, they're going to be rounde just because of the weathering that's happening.

The wind, the water cycle.

On the moon it's very different.

You don't have an atmosphere.

So you right.

You get really jagged particles.

>>That jagged lunar dust clings to surfaces, jams equipment and behaves very differently than the round sand grain that we know from our beaches.

The Exolith Lab reproduces this extreme environment.

>>We studied what lunar soil was actually made of.

We basically reproduce with Earth materials the materials that are at the surface of the moon.

And for companies building lunar landers and rovers, it's an ideal testing ground.

>>The facility like we have here, this big bin, the crater bin, it really gives good space.

It allows for craters, for mountains and you can test your hardware.

>>But the lab just doesn't serve industry.

It's also a launc pad for future space explorers.

We ran, for example, th Lunabotics competition in May.

So that's university students in teams of ten designing their rover, and they come here and then they have tasks to do in the bin.

And, you know these are the kind of students that you retain in Stem.

And then they get their degree and then they have good experience to go on the job market.

>>Here it's about research and real world experience.

At UCF, students, faculty and industry partners come together in a collaborative environment that turns ideas into innovation.

>>What makes us great as UCF is that we're good at partnerships and collaboration.

♪♪ >>Jus beyond the bustle of campus life awaits a hidden sanctuary that students, scientists, and nature lovers all come to explore.

The UCF Arboretum is 850 acres of wild Florida, right here in the heart of campus.

The UCF Arboretum was started by a biolog professor named Hank Whittier.

Informally, h began constructing what is now the UCF Arboretum Park in 1968.

Whittier's passion project began as a garden of exotic plants and then evolved into an educational hub.

Now recognize in the university's master plan, it provides a place to lear about UCF and Florida ecosystems and continues to offe hands on learning opportunities.

>>We have just recentl formalized what we call our L by L program, or our Learning by Leading, where we have over 50 student interns right now and 20 part time OPS student employees who help run many different facets of the program.

>>These student-led teams work in everything from stormwater engineering to urban agriculture.

It's a living la that stretches beyond biology.

As UCF continues to grow, the arboretum stands as a reminder of what came before.

>>Every once in a while, we find a hurdy pot.

And that's a h u r d y. And, that's a very, informal term for a turpentine pot.

We still find those pots out here in natural areas.

We know it's historical because they don't make turpentine products that way anymore.

>>What is it like to experienc this amazing outdoor classroom?

>>Another really cool thin about the arboretum is just that it's a great showcas of Central Florida ecosystems.

We have scrub.

We have sandhill, upland, pine forest, oak hammock.

There's also a lot of wetlands.

So there's cypress domes, bay gulls.

You can really get a good sampling platter of wild Florida out here.

And you don't have to be a biologist to come out and just notice things and enjoy nature.

>>What do you want to do next?

What is Anna's hopes and dreams?

>>Yeah.

>>From towering pine to the smallest of pollinators, there's more taking place in Florida's ecosystem than meets the eye.

Here at the UCF Arboretum natur is showcased on a grand scale.

But sometimes there is more happening on a smaller level.

That's where th UCF bug closet comes into play.

What began as a passion project here, in a closet on campus, has grown into one of the mos amazing collections of insects in the Southeast United States.

>>It started with a professor and a group of students they were just collecting on campus.

It was a process but when they brought it back, they brought it back to a small closet, a very small space.

>>This tiny closet expanded with room for plenty more specimens, each labeled with the date and place where it was found.

>>We are at about half a million specimens now, so there's quite a lot.

And that's just what we have database.

There is much more on top of that that it still needs to be processed.

>>Inside the collection, you'll find everything from butterflies and beetles to wasps so tiny they can only be seen under a microscope.

Thousands of specimens ar carefully sorted and cataloged, each offering clues about Florida's insect life.

Some are so common that they fill a jar.

Any guesses what's hiding in this one?

>>That's just a bunch of love bugs.

This is a sample of, like, one week's worth of love bugs during the summertime.

>>Beyond the scientific impact, the bug closet is also a place of transformation for both insects and people.

>>I get group of all different ages and sizes, and you get some of them that love bugs.

You get some of them.

You're really two big fans of bugs.

My favorite part is jus being able to see them kind of inch their way into like, oh, maybe I do like bugs a little bit more afterwards.

♪♪ >>At the University of Central Florida, innovation just doesn't happen in a lab.

It beams from it.

One of UCF's brightest success stories begins with one illuminating idea and a trailer full of lab equipment.

>>CREOL was started in 1987.

Some of the state legislative bodies and one of the professors here, Ron Phillips, were able to successfully lobby the state legislative bodies to form a center here with the idea that Creole would work in the area of electro optics and lasers and help support some of the high tech industries that were here.

That was the main mission.

>>That's how CREOL short for Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers, came to be.

>>When the folks started CREOL, it was really a big time major research activity.

Folks had come here with 18 Wheeler trailer filled with laboratory equipment to do cutting-edge state o the art research, and that was typically not the modality that UCF was used to.

However, once the upper administration saw how successful CREOL was in terms of attracting external research dollars in grants, then they really saw the importance of what it would be like to have cutting edge research in all of the areas that UCF supported.

>>That shift elevated UCF' role as a research powerhouse.

And CREOL's impact, it extends far beyond campus.

>>We've had instances where graduate students from doing their work on their PhD have gone out to start small companie that are in the research park.

We've had situation like in my case, where we had a large government contract an we took several of the students and we brought in venture capital people to sort of manage a spin out company that started in the laboratory and then went and moved to the research park.

>>An CREOL hasn't stopped evolving.

Today, CREOL is recognized as one of the top optics institutions in the world.

>>CREOL started out in 1987 with nothing, and now CREOL is one of the top five optical physics institutions in the country, and certainly probably in the top ten in the world.

Just being able to do that, starting from nothing and becoming an immediate world leader over just a few tens of years, I thin is absolutely, truly impressive.

>>It all started with a simple but powerful mission: educating people and lighting the way to tomorrow.

>>We're literally trying to understand how light and matter work together, and if we are in a position to be able to understand how light and matter works together, to really understand the physics, then we're in a better position to be able to make unique devices that exploit these phenomena.

And then if we're able to make interesting devices that can exploit these phenomena, then we can make technologies for the consumer, health care products, things that will basically benefit mankind of humanity as a whole.

♪♪ >>Although UCF might be one of the youngest schools in the Power Five, they've quickly built an identity.

An identity that's armored, mythical, citrusy and proud.

The university took on the nickname The Knights in 1970, and although there's been many mascots over the years, each one is tradition in motion.

>>UCF was founded as FTU and the first mascot was the Citronaut.

>>The Citronaut first appeared in 1968, a cheerful fusion of the orange industry and the space program.

But the smiling, fruit faced spaceman didn't quite inspire school spirit.

>>We were a commuter school back then, not 70,000 plus students we are today, and we transitioned through several mascots.

We have the Knights of Pegasus, the Vinnie the Vulture Mack the Knight, and eventually in 1994, they came up with Knightro.

>>By the 1990s, UCF Athletics began gaining momentum and the school needed a mascot to match that energy.

Knightro was introduced to the UCF population spirit splash 1994.

So we've experienced 30 ish years of Knightro at this point, and each and every year that we grow bigger athletically we grow bigger as a university, Knightro gets mor and more recognition and becomes more widely acknowledged and known across the country landscape.

>>Knightr became the face of UCF sports, but the suit he wore wasn't always that easy to move in.

>>There's a few pictures out there of that today where you can still see how glittery he was, bu that suit was almost 60 pounds and very difficult to do certain types of activities and things.

>>As UCF's profile grew so did Knightro's, and in 2007 the school opened a new arena and a new football stadium and reintroduced Knightro with a whole new look.

>>Our fourth generation suit that gives us the flexibility to do much more active things in suit, and that has been a great change to allow our marketing arm of the university to grow dramatically.

>>Behind the scenes, Knightro was brought to life by a team of 12 carefully trained students, all of whom must move, pose and dance in perfect unison.

>>There's a lot of work so that you get a unified experience with Knightro, regardless of who is in suit.

>>And he doesn't go at it alone at football games.

Fans cheer for a knight riding a real horse named Pegasus, closely followed by the most adorable four hoofed mascot of them all.

>>Knugget as well.

How do you not love a small little horse that runs around and the fans get hyped up about that?

>>Still, the past never disappeared.

In recent years, the Citronaut has reemerged, featured on space game jerseys and retro merchandise.

>>I see the Citronaut resurgence as a way to reach back to our roots and sho that we do have some traditions that we can be proud of, and he's kind of represented the space side of our university, but also have Knightro represent the current, the black and gold.

Knightro has been a rockstar of this university for a long time.

It is exciting to hear the fans be excited for UCF, be excited for Knightro.

♪♪ >>At the heart of UCF's campus is the Reflecting Pond.

It's an iconic spot that comes alive during homecoming.

These students gathered hours in advance all to experience the magic of Spirit Splash, a campus tradition that's gained national recognition.

And all the waters are peaceful now.

They're about to overflow with UCF pride.

[MARCHING BAND PLAYING] >>I would describe Spirit Splash as our biggest tradition of the whole year.

>>There are different stories o how Spirit Splash was created, yet no one can confirm its true start.

>>There are two stories from UCF alums that are really plausible.

One said in 1994, while emceeing the homecoming pep rally, he encouraged students to jump in the pond.

Another alum said in 1995, he was pushed in the pond and others followed.

>>Most people don't know that, and because of the students in the mid 90s really wanting to have traditions and to make some roots here and some experiences that you look back on is a real pivotal time for all of us.

In fact, one of the catalysts of us wanting to name it and create it as a tradition is students were leaving campus to go to Gator Growl and to go to UF homecoming.

We all wanted to have something here and that ended up being the catalyst of us actually wanting to name it and create that tradition.

>>While today the event is embraced by the University, that wasn't always the case.

In 1997 when students went t the administration for approval, the administration wasn't all that eager to make it a school sanctioned event.

>>They basically told us by no means necessary should you be encouragin anyone's going to the fountain?

They did not want that at all.

They wanted that to get stopped.

And basically we told them, well, that's not going to happen.

>>After multiple conversations with the university, the students discovere what issue stood in their way.

>>It ended up that it was a facilities issue of cleaning of the fountain.

Once we talk through that and Spirit Splash now pays for that, they were on board and they sanctioned Spirit splash as a UCF homecoming event.

There was no countdown.

We didn't have a stage.

I think there's a picture somewhere of us with silly string and like, getting sprayed with silly string and wearing gold top hats, and it was really, really simple.

>>Spirit splash has drastically changed since it became an official UCF event, with the main attraction not being introduced until the early 2000s.

>>Ther were no ducks in the beginning.

They were just squishy Knightros.

And the story I understand is one year they couldn't get the Knightro and so they ordered ducks.

And then the ducks were there ever since.

>>Students will attempt to collect each year's unique duck during their time at UCF, with most being lucky if they're able to find one.

>>By the time the event starts, they'll be thousands of students around the reflecting pond.

The student athletes to cheer squad, even Knightr are there to encourage students.

>>Part of Spirit Splash's appeal is the community competition, with only 2 to 3,000 ducks being ordered for the event.

Those students who're able to find on are considered to be very lucky.

>>I saw a dad one yea with this kid on his shoulders trying to catch ducks, and people come up with different methods to catch the ducks.

I've waited all season to finally jump in and what better way to cool off than with Spirit Splash?

All right, let's do this!

Go Knights!

Charge On!

As the university has expanded into other parts of Central Florida, the competition and the community created by the event have grown right along with it.

>>We've done small like spi offs of splash whatever we can to get those outreach to the other campuses.

So yes, they did a foam splash where you could get a dunk in the little foam pit.

>>Spirit Splash has been named best university tradition, garnering coverage from the national media.

>>Nobody else can match what we're doing here, and the fact that it went from this small little event with no stage to this giant stage, live streaming and ESPN coming and covering it, it's bigger and wilde than we ever could have imagined would have happened when we decided to just name something to create a tradition.

>>There it is!

Well, that's a wrap from UCF where discovery takes flight, and every Knight is reaching for the stars.

Thanks for joining us for Florida Road Trip, I'm Scott Fais.

We'll see you down the road.

And until next time safe travels everyone.

Oh, and one more thing.

Go, Knights!

Charge On!

♪♪ >>This program is brought to you in part by the Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation, a proud partner of WUCF and the Central Florida community.