Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/297333
high-quality education, UCF is a "Next Generation Uni- versity" and a national model. Students attend classes on UCF's main campus in East Orlando and at 15 satellite facilities throughout Central Flor- ida. The College of Medicine and our medical city partners at Lake Nona will potentially create 30,000 jobs and more than $7.6 billion in annual economic impact beginning in 2017. UCF is one of Central Florida's largest employers, with more than 11,000 staff and faculty members. The university impacts more than 112,000 additional jobs and adds $7.73 billion of value to the economy, a 2009-10 study found. UCF researchers have earned more than $1 billion in external grants during the past decade. UCF's internation- ally recognized Institute for Simulation and Training is an anchor of the state's $5 billion modeling and simulation industry. UCF awarded more than 15,000 degrees in 2012-13, and UCF produces the second-largest number of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) graduates in the State University System. GREAT BALLS OF FIRE As the countdown reaches zero, the huge plume of flame upon liftoff makes every rocket launch a visual marvel. How- ever, the same fuel that gives the rocket its thrust is also responsible for weighing it down. "The Delta IV rocket is fueled by liquid oxygen and highly flammable liquid hydrogen," said Si Song, United Launch Alliance (ULA) east coast spacecraft integration and proposal lead. "Because the outside of the rocket must be padded with extra insulation to protect it from the heat of SCRIPTUNAS florida.HIGH.TECH 2014 19