The Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology, and Entertainment (CREATE) advanced its mission in 2024–25 through innovative projects that merged creativity, technology and community impact.
This year, CREATE received the Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts and Wellness Innovation Award for a collaborative project with UCF’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training, the Nicholson School of Communication, and the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida (Parramore Club). The initiative uses immersive virtual reality to help students overcome stage fright and performance anxiety by simulating classroom environments where users can practice public speaking and presentation skills. Designed to be accessible and scalable, the project supports youth confidence-building and demonstrates CREATE’s growing role in developing impactful and creative technology.
CREATE’s Pre-College Animation Intensives saw record interest, reaching full capacity for summer 2024 with students from across Florida and beyond. In summer 2025, students attended from as far as Brazil, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas and Washington state. In response to growing demand, CREATE launched an intermediate-level animation track for returning students using its newly upgraded PC lab. Led by faculty from the School of Visual Arts and Design and CREATE, the intensives continue to serve as a pipeline into UCF’s Emerging Media programs, including the Character Animation and Animation & Visualization tracks. This year marked a milestone as several early CREATE participants graduated from SVAD and joined the UCF alumni community, just as a new cohort of CREATE students begins their undergraduate journey .
CREATE’s after-school College Prep Animation Program also continued to support high school students throughout the academic year, offering hybrid learning opportunities to expand their animation skills.
Looking ahead, CREATE is sharpening its focus on integrating technology and the arts across all areas of programming. From virtual reality development to digital animation, CREATE remains committed to nurturing student talent, forging interdisciplinary partnerships and providing inclusive, high-quality animation instruction year-round.
The UCF community is invited to join CREATE as it continues to create, innovate and Charge On!