UCF Modeling and Simulation Graduate Program
UCF offers interdisciplinary graduate education in modeling and simulation (M&S). We are proud to offer graduate certificate, M.S., and Ph.D. programs.
Simulation is the quintessential utility tool. In one way or another, just about every engineering or scientific field uses simulation as an exploration, modeling, or analysis technique. Simulation is not limited to engineering or science. Simulation is used in training, management, and concept exploration and involves constructing human-centered, equipment-centered, and/or stand-alone computer-ba
28/02/2020
UCF Researcher Aims to Improve Lives of Foster Teens | University of Central Florida News UCF Researcher Aims to Improve Lives of Foster Teens | Read more about UCF Alumni, Colleges & Campus News, Research, Science & Technology, Student Life, Orlando and Central Florida news.
19/02/2020
CONGRATULATIONS to ModSim doctoral student Karla Badillo-Urquiola, who was named to the 2020 class of the Order of Pegasus, UCF's highest student honor!
24 Students Honored as Order of Pegasus Recipients | University of Central Florida News 24 Students Honored as Order of Pegasus Recipients | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus News, Orlando and Central Florida news.
27/01/2020
2019 Simulation Innovation Workshop (SIW) 2019 Simulation Innovation Workshop (SIW)
15/01/2020
How will the Navy’s new combat simulator uniquely train watchstanders? Find out here:
https://militarysimulation.training/sea/navy-combat-simulator-trains-first-ships/
Navy's New Combat Simulator Trains First Ships - MS&T The Center for Surface Combat Systems launched its first training event inside the Navy’s newest combat simulator, the On Demand Traine...Read more at MS&T.
14/01/2020
The Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) 2020 Call for Abstracts and Tutorials is now open. The Conference theme for 2020 is “The Future is: Now!”
I/ITSEC 2020 Theme Follow: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IITSEC/ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iitsec Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/iitsec
09/01/2020
Team Orlando, with National Center for Simulation support, will be conducting a Student Day on 19 Feb 2020. There are over 8,000 Florida students taking courses in M&S to include gaming, animation and visualization. learning the same software building blocks used by the simulation industry (Maya, Inventor, Unity, Blender, Unreal, etc.). This experience, coupled with the M&S Certification, gives students the skill set necessary to qualify for internships and entry level positions within the industry. UCF Modeling and Simulation Graduate Program Full Sail University
18/12/2019
Read this summary of I/ITSEC 2019 to find out what happened at the biggest Simulation and Training event of the year!
https://militarysimulation.training/articles/i-itsec-2019-first-look/
I/ITSEC 2019 - First Look - Military Simulation & Training We will be publishing a full review of I/ITSEC 2019 next month but here are some takeaway highlights of the week. Rick Adams, Andy Fa...Read more at MS&T.
06/12/2019
I/ITSEC ends today! Let's take a look at one of the booths focused on multi-domain, end-to-end simulation by Shephard:
https://vimeo.com/377084223
Presagis demonstrations at I/ITSEC 2019 Presagis discusses its range of solutions in the military training and simulation sector at I/ITSEC 2019. Access all our coverage on our dedicated landing page:…
26/11/2019
Taking it back to 1994 with some of our displays at I/ITSEC! Only nine more days til we're back at it!
26/11/2019
The biggest event of Modeling & Simulation is around the corner!
Follow this link to register: https://secure3.rhq.com/iitsec/iitsec2019/selectreg.html
15/11/2019
Don't miss today's Seminar Series: Dr. Magy Seif El-Nasr will talk about Game Human Interaction.
TODAY at 1 P.M. in Partnership III.
07/10/2019
Want to learn more about Automated Data Science?
Join Dr. Yanjie Fu this Wednesday at 12pm!
23/09/2019
We’re still seeking volunteers to help with this event. If you are interested in helping, please contact Carla at [email protected]
For more information about this event, please visit https://buff.ly/2kXYD9M
18/09/2019
If you’re interested in hearing about career opportunities in electrical and mechanical engineering and computer science for L3Harris Robotics, then don’t miss this AMAZING event!
Make sure to RSVP with Francesca to secure your spot by this Monday!
11/09/2019
Join UCF College of Nursing for a SIM TALK featuring Fluvio Lobo discussing Augmented Clinical Training during Healthcare Simulation Week.
20/08/2019
As we prepare for a new semester, UCF is offering a grammar service for our graduate international students. If you need help with your English grammar skills, check it out!
01/07/2019
Are you looking for an assistantship? Look no further, the Graduate Student Center has two openings for a full-time graduate student.
If interested apply here: https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJbze55xBj4w3xH, please include a resume, fall schedule and a cover letter why you're the best candidate for this position.
Good Luck
Announcing the Final Examination of ARASH ZARMEHR for the degree of Master of Science in Modeling and Simulation
Date: July 2, 2019
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Partnership II, 141
Title: SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF A VENTILATED BUILDING INTEGRATED-PHOTOVOLTAICS AIR-GAP DUCT SYSTEM FOR NATURAL VENTILATION OF A BUILDING
We introduce a low-cost and low-maintenance wind-catcher duct system design addition to BIPV systems that increase airflow velocity and decrease air temperature resulting in increased performance for the PV system electricity output. The results of our work demonstrate the design can further enhance energy performance by utilizing the increased airflow from the duct system to naturally ventilate an attic. Similar benefits were observed for different variations of the design under a parametric analysis finding the most optimal configuration to increase airflow velocity and decrease temperature. Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is becoming more popular and widely used to increase sustainability and decrease overall energy costs. Improving (BIPV) efficiency will benefit a wide range of applications in architecture and mechanical engineering. (BIPV) provides savings in electricity costs, lower pollution, and reduce material costs by utilizing renewable energy. BIPV functions as the outer layer of a structure, and therefore influence the heating and cooling loads of a building due to the change in thermal resistance. A BIPV ventilation air-gap system and its effects on heating and cooling loads are presented in this thesis. We use a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to analyze various ventilation strategies in the BIPV air-gap, and as well as the impact of using that air to naturally ventilate the attic for better building energy performance. One outcome of this investigation is a novel attachment to BIPV that modifies the air-gap into a miniature wind-catcher to increase performance. This design enhances traditional air-gap architecture by both increasing the velocity of natural air and decreasing outer layer and attic temperatures. Parametric analysis indicates that attic natural ventilation (NV) can be increased by 2.8 mph and that temperature is lowered by 11.2%. This work is the first step in establishing a better overall BIPV system utilizing a novel wind-catcher air-duct nozzle design.
Major: Modeling and Simulation
Educational Career:
Bachelor's of Mechanical Engineering, BS, 2012, University of Isfahan
Master's of Mechanical Engineering, MS, 2018, University of Central Florida
Committee in Charge:
Dr. Joseph Kider, Chair, Modeling and Simulation
Paul Wiegand, Modeling and Simulation
Muthusamy Swami, Florida Solar Energy Center
Approved for distribution by Joseph Kider, Committee Chair, on June 17, 2019.
The public is welcome to attend.
24/04/2019
ModSim doctoral student Karla Badillo-Urquiola was highlighted in UCF Today!
Foster Parents, Teens Face Challenges When Surfing the Internet | University of Central Florida News Foster Parents, Teens Face Challenges When Surfing the Internet | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus News, Research, Orlando and Central Florida news.
15/04/2019
We bring the food, you bring the thought!
Don’t miss out on our Food for Thought event! The next open lunch hour will be next Tuesday, April 23rd.
12/04/2019
12/04/2019
Are you interested in Virtual Reality Technology?
Score some extra cash and help SMST researchers by participating in the ISUELab User-study!
We are measuring how camera placement and height affects the overall quality of experience during human-to-human telepresence. Users will view a virtual museum from different points of view, using the HTC Vive. Participants will receive $5 for 15 minutes of their time.
Please email Larry at [email protected] to schedule a time.
05/04/2019
The School of Modeling, Simulation, & Training will be hosting an "SMST Day" event next Wednesday, April 10th. This will be a day-long event featuring industry partners in the Modeling & Simulation community, faculty, and students. The purpose of the event is to showcase student work in our program and create networking opportunity between our students and industry/DoD partners. Be prepared for an exciting event program including our first ever Student Poster Session, as well as an engaging keynote speaker and impressive SMST lab tours!
We owe a special thanks to our main sponsors, Advent Health and the National Center for Simulation, for providing student prizes for this event.
05/04/2019
Make sure you stop by the Pegasus Ballroom today for the UCF Graduate Research Forum! The event runs until 3:00 p.m.
Pictured are ModSim students Karla Badillo-Urquiola and Joseph Del Rocco.
27/03/2019
Congratulations to ModSim doctoral student Karla Badillo-Urquiola!
Her paper, Risk vs. Restriction: The Tension between Providing a Sense of Normalcy and Keeping Foster Teens Safe Online, received a Best Paper Award from the 2019 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
The paper was co-authored by her adviser, Dr. Pamela Wisniewski, and Xinru Page.
Karla (right) is pictured here with Dr. Wisniewski.
Keep up the great work! We are so proud of you!
Announcing the Final Examination of Arash Zarmehr for the degree of Master of Science in Modeling and Simulation
Date: April 4, 2019
Time: 1:30 PM
Location: Partnership II, 141
TITLE: SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF A VENTILATED BUILDING-INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAICS AIR-GAP DUCT SYSTEM FOR NATURAL VENTILATION OF A BUILDING
We introduce a low-cost and low-maintenance wind-catcher duct system design addition to BIPV systems that increase airflow velocity and decrease air temperature resulting in increased performance for the PV system electricity output. The results of our work demonstrate the design can further enhance energy performance by utilizing the increased airflow from the duct system to naturally ventilate an attic. Similar benefits were observed for different variations of the design under a parametric analysis finding the most optimal configuration to increase airflow velocity and decrease temperature. Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is becoming more popular and widely used to increase sustainability and decrease overall energy costs. Improving (BIPV) efficiency will benefit a wide range of applications in architecture and mechanical engineering. (BIPV) provides savings in electricity costs, lower pollution, and reduce material costs by utilizing renewable energy. BIPV functions as the outer layer of a structure, and therefore influence the heating and cooling loads of a building due to the change in thermal resistance. A BIPV ventilation air-gap system and its effects on heating and cooling loads are presented in this thesis. We use a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to analyze various ventilation strategies in the BIPV air-gap, and as well as the impact of using that air to naturally ventilate the attic for better building energy performance.
Major: Modeling and Simulation
Educational Career:
B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of Isfahan, 2012
M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of Central Florida, 2018
Committee in Charge:
Joseph T. Kider Jr., Chair, Modeling & Simulation
Muthusamy Swami, Florida Solar Energy Center
R. Paul Wiegand, Modeling & Simulation
Approved for distribution by Joseph Kider, Committee Chair, on March 12, 2019.
The public is welcome to attend.
Congratulations to Brian Macon for his successful dissertation defense earlier this week!
Announcing the Final Examination of Mr. Brian R. Macon for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Date: March 19, 2019
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Room: VAB 105
Dissertation title: Gamification: Badges and Feedback
Gamification, the implementation of game elements in a non-game context, is a rapidly growing field of research. One element of gamification that has experienced a rapid growth in popularity is the use of digital badges. Despite widespread adoption in educational settings, there are still gaps in the understanding of their effects on motivation, engagement, learning, and other factors. Furthermore, feedback delivered through badges can include a symbolic reward for successful completion of a task, providing a credential for gaining a skill, or acknowledging mastery of a particular piece of knowledge. This study implemented digital badges in online courses at a large urban two-year college. Badges were used to deliver embedded feedback and analyze the results on motivation, engagement, and learning. An experimental group received badges over the course of a three week module composed of various learning activities targeting course learning outcomes. A control group experienced the same learning activities without receiving the digital badges. Results indicated insignificant differences in perceived motivation, learning gains, and perceived engagement between the two groups. Positive results were observed regarding increased peer-to-peer engagement evidenced by a significant increase in discussion board activity. The increased engagement of peers leads to the subsequent building of a strong learning community. This positive group association can provide a feeling of support which leads to increased effort, persistence, and goal achievement. Potential causes are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.
Major: Modeling & Simulation
Educational Career:
Bachelor’s of Mathematics, BS. 1998, University of Central Florida
Master’s of Mathematics, MS. 2000, University of Central Florida
Master’s of Modeling & Simulation, MS. 2015, University of Central Florida
Committee in Charge:
Dr. Joseph Fanfarelli
Dr. Rudy McDaniel
Dr. Peter Smith
Dr. Hatim Boustique
Approved for distribution by Joseph Fanfarelli, Committee Chair, on March 12, 2019.
The public is welcome to attend.
Announcing the Final Examination of Mr. Shan G. Lakhmani for the degree of Doctor of Modeling & Simulation
Date: March 27, 2019
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Partnership II, Room 141
Dissertation Title: TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION PATTERNS IN HUMAN-ROBOT TEAMING
In anticipation of the complex, dynamic battlefields of the future, military operations are increasingly demanding robots with increased autonomous capabilities to support soldiers. Effective communication is necessary to establish a common ground on which human-robot teamwork can be established across the continuum of military operations. However, the types and format of communication for mixed-initiative collaboration is still not fully understood. This study explores two approaches to communication in human-robot interaction, transparency and communication pattern, and examines how manipulating these elements with a robot teammate affects its human counterpart in a collaborative exercise. Participants were coupled with a computer-simulated robot to perform a cordon-and-search-like task. A human-robot interface provided different transparency types—about the robot’s decision making process alone, or about the robot’s decision making process and its prediction of the human teammate’s decision making process—and different communication patterns—either conveying information to the participant or both conveying information to and soliciting information from the participant. This experiment revealed that participants found robots that both conveyed and solicited information to be more animate, likeable, and intelligent than their less interactive counterparts, but working with those robots led to more misses in a target classification task. Furthermore, the act of responding to the robot led to a reduction in the number of correct identifications made, but only when the robot was solely providing information about its own decision making process. Findings from this effort inform the design of next-generation visual displays supporting human-robot teaming.
Area of Study:
Human Systems
Educational Career:
B.A. (Psychology), 2007 Grinnell College
M.S. (Modeling and Simulation), 2016, University of Central Florida
Committee in Charge:
Dr. Daniel J. Barber, Chair, UCF Institute for Simulation and Training
Dr. Florian G. Jentsch, UCF Department of Psychology and UCF Institute for Simulation and Training
Dr. Lauren E. Reinerman-Jones, UCF Institute for Simulation and Training
Dr. Svyatoslav Y. Guznov, USAF Air Force Materiel Command
The public is invited to attend.
Announcing the Final Examination of Tyrone Trapnell for the degree of Master of Science in Modeling and Simulation
Date: April 3, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Partnership III, 116
Title: FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY INTEROPERABILITY CAPABILITIES AND CYBER VULNERABILITIES
The National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System is the central informational hub located at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Its purpose is to provide network subscriptions to all Federal, state and local level law enforcement agencies while increasing information collaboration across all domains. The National Data Exchange users must satisfy the Advanced Permission Requirements, confirming the terms of N-DEx information use, and the Verification Requirement (verifying the completeness, timeliness, accuracy, and relevancy of N-DEx information) through coordination with the record-owning agency (Management, 2018). A network infection model is proposed to simulate the spread impact of various cyber-attacks within Federal, state and local level law enforcement networks that are linked together through the topologies merging with the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System as the ability to manipulate the live network is limited. The model design methodology is conducted in a manner that creates a level of organization from the state level to the local level of law enforcement agencies allowing for each organizational infection probability to be calculated and entered, thus making the model very specific in nature for determining spread or outbreaks of cyber-attacks among law enforcement agencies at all levels. This research will enable future researchers to further develop a model that is capable of detecting weak points within an information structure when multiple topologies merge, allowing for more secure operations among law enforcement networks.
Major: Modeling and Simulation
Educational Career:
Bachelor's of Criminal Justice, BS, 2007, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Master's of Administration of Justice and Security with a concentration in Law Enforcement Organizaitons, MS, 2015, University of Phoenix
Committee in Charge:
Bruce Caulkins, Chair, Institute for Simulation and Training
Patricia Bockelman, Modeling and Simulation
Matthew Canham, Modeling and Simulation
R. Paul Wiegand, Modeling and Simulation
Approved for distribution by Bruce Caulkins, Committee Chair, on March 12, 2019.
The public is welcome to attend.
Our Story
Simulation is the quintessential utility tool. In one way or another, just about every engineering or scientific field uses simulation as an exploration, modeling, or analysis technique. Simulation is not limited to engineering or science. Simulation is used in training, management, and concept exploration and involves constructing human-centered, equipment-centered, and/or stand-alone computer-based models of existing as well as conceptual systems or processes. The purpose of simulation is to evaluate the behavior of the human, organization, equipment, and/or systems under study through the evaluation of output from the corresponding simulation construct. Because of the scale and complexity of modeling and simulation, practitioners have developed both generalized and specialized skills.
Input from industry and government M&S users and developers has been instrumental in identifying the key competencies for M&S professionals and has been critical to the development of our curriculum. The curriculum is designed to provide a broad overall perspective of the developing simulation industry and an awareness of the economic considerations. Upon completion of the program, graduates will have the diverse training necessary to enable them to work in varied capacities in government agencies, or in the defense, service, entertainment, and manufacturing industries.
Students in the Modeling and Simulation graduate program have often focused their study and research efforts in one or more of the following research areas:
• Human Systems
The Human Systems in M&S research area has attracted those who wish to gain expertise in the content and techniques of human behavior in simulation systems, including human factors, human-computer interaction, virtual worlds, statistical and quantitative procedures, experimental design, computer techniques, and other research methodologies. Typical problem areas for R&D include human-in-the-loop simulation; team performance under stress; and use of visual, audio, haptic, and other sensory input/output modalities to coordinate human-machine activities. Typical courses include Human Factors, Training Systems Engineering, Human Computer Interaction, Intelligent Simulation, and Distributed Learning.
• Computer Visualization
Computer Visualization in M&S is a research area that attracts those who wish to gain expertise in technical aspects of computer graphic systems, virtual environments, and human-centered simulation systems applying the state-of-the-art in computer graphics and other human-interface technologies. Typical courses include Human Computer Interaction, Computer Graphics Systems, Computer Vision, Machine Perception, Human-Virtual Environment Interaction, and Sensation and Perception. Students in this research area typically have an interest in the area of Emerging Media, which focuses on the
development of new forms of interactive media and the creation of story-driven content for them such as interactive works of art, electronic games, virtual reality, the Internet, portable devices and mobile applications, wearable computers, etc.
• Simulation Modeling and Analysis
The Simulation Modeling and Analysis research area attracts those who desire to gain expertise in using simulation as a optimization tool for effective design, planning, analysis, and decision-making. The emphasis of this area is on problem definition, model formulation, design of simulation experiments, and model-based analysis. This area attracts those who seek to develop skills in the application of advanced quantitative methods to modeling and simulation. Building on backgrounds in operations research, mathematics or statistics, they should gain experience in modeling and simulation through the application of optimization, mathematical and statistical theory to build multidisciplinary simulation models and conducting rigorous simulation experimentation. A graduate will be prepared to work with corporate and government decision-makers as they model and evaluate the impacts of proposed policies and system designs. Typical courses include Engineering Statistics, Statistical Aspects of Digital Simulation, and Mathematical Modeling, Discrete Systems Simulation, Object-Oriented Simulation, Experimental Design, and Quantitative Aspects of Modeling and Simulation.
• Simulation in Healthcare
Simulation in Healthcare is a fast growing new area in M&S. Issues related to bringing down the cost of healthcare and reducing costly medical errors are generating many new opportunities related to systems analysis, communication between healthcare providers and patients, and simulation-based training, to name a few. Currently a disproportionate amount of the US economy goes to healthcare, at least twice as much as the average of the 25 richest nations, and health outcomes in the US place the country near the bottom of this group of countries. M&S can contribute significantly towards improving this situation. Typical courses include Discrete Systems Simulation, Experimental Design, and Object-Oriented Simulation, Engineering Statistics, Human Computer Interaction.
• Interactive Simulation and Intelligent Systems
Interactive Simulation and Intelligent Systems research attracts those who wish to pursue or are currently pursuing careers in the training simulation/simulator industries. Graduates specializing in this research area typically are interested in creating designs for simulators and simulator-based training systems and to apply expert systems and other intelligent systems in a simulation setting. Typical courses include Training Systems Engineering, Simulation of Real-Time Processes, and Intelligent
Simulation.
• Simulation Infrastructure
The research area of Simulation Infrastructure attracts those who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of the basic components of simulation systems and their patterns of configuration and communication, including hardware and software issues. They will gain experience in the development of distributed simulation and training environments. Graduates should be able to implement such systems or manage a team capable of developing such systems. Typical courses include Performance Models of Computers and Networks, Simulation Design and Analysis, High Performance Computer Architecture, and Analysis of Computer and Communication Systems. Simulation Management: Simulation Management research area attracts those who wish to gain expertise in the management of projects related to modeling, simulation, and training (MS&T). Graduates who focus in this area of study should be prepared to manage such projects for military agencies or MS&T companies. Typical courses include Environment of Technical Organizations, Modeling and Simulation of Real-Time Processes, Management Information Systems, and Project Engineering.
• Simulation Management
Simulation Management research area attracts those who wish to gain expertise in the management of projects related to modeling, simulation, and training (MS&T). Graduates who focus in this area of study should be prepared to manage such projects for military agencies or MS&T companies. Typical courses include Environment of Technical Organizations, Modeling and Simulation of Real-Time Processes, Management Information Systems, and Project Engineering.
For enrollment, curriculum, and other information, please contact: [email protected], 407-882-1407
R. Paul Wiegand, Ph.D., Interim Graduate Program Director
Kirsten Seitz, Graduate Program Coordinator
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