Skip to main content

Passion, Persistence and Opportunity at UCF Lead to Grad’s Space Career

February 20, 2026
Nov. 13, 2025, 3:55 p.m. Jillian Gloria ’22 stands on a balcony at Blue Origin headquarters in Cape Canaveral, Florida, her eyes fixed on the horizon at Launch Complex 36 — the very launchpad her grandfather helped construct as a NASA engineer in the 1960s. Engines ignite. Gloria’s breath catches as she wills the rocket to […]

Research in 60 Seconds: Finding Water on the Moon

July 22, 2021
Whether it’s solving the world’s biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at UCF are on the edge scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the Research in 60 Seconds series, student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights plan […]

A UCF Aerospace Engineering Student Has Out-of-This World Dreams

January 29, 2021
Jillian Gloria of Orlando has always been inspired by space exploration, and as a junior pursuing aerospace engineering at UCF she has held multiple research positions and worked with industry as she prepares to someday become an astronaut. Her most recent project came out of her involvement with UCF physics Assistant Professor William Kaden’s Research […]