Five University of Central Florida scientists and an internationally renowned musician were recognized as Pegasus Professors on Wednesday, April 4, 2012, during the annual Founders'' Day ceremony in the Student Union.
The award is the most prestigious a faculty member can receive at UCF. The honor recognizes extraordinary contributions to the UCF community through teaching, research and service. Each recipient received a statue of the UCF Pegasus, a gold Pegasus Professor medallion and a check for $5,000.
This years winners are: Professor Donald C. Malocha from the College of Engineering and Computer Science; Physics Professor Talat Shahnaz Rahman from the College of Sciences; Martin Richardson, a professor in the College of Optics and Photonics and director of the Townes Laser Center; Sudipta Seal, an engineering professor and the director of the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center; Stella Sung, director of CREATE and an internationally known musician, and biology professor and marine conservation expert Linda Walters.
Stella Sung, director of the Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology, and Entertainment (CREATE), first joined the university's Music Department in 1987 as a visiting instructor. She soon became a full-time professor teaching music theory, piano, singing and other courses, including the music composition program she initiated.
In 2006, she became professor of digital media in the School of Visual Arts and Design, where she and her students have won awards for film and video game projects.
She was named in 2007 to the CREATE post, where she develops multidisciplinary research-driven initiatives.
Sung also is an international award-winning composer and composer-in-residence for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Dance Alive National Ballet in Gainesville.
She has received awards from the National Endowment of the Arts, the State of Florida, Phi Kappa Phi and others, several documentaries have been made about her work, and she serves on numerous prestigious boards.
"Stella Sung is UCF''s quintessential Arts ambassador. By all standards by which faculty are judged, she excels," said José Fernández, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities. "She is an internationally recognized artist and composer, and yet, she remains an unassuming and humble individual who puts UCF first."
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