NCS News Desk

The National Center for Simulation (NCS) brought together leaders from cybersecurity, space exploration, entertainment and government on Aug. 19 at Full Sail University for its annual MS&T Connect networking event, formerly known as the Business-2-Business (B2B) event. The event explored how simulation technology is being used across industries. The panel titled “From Combat to Cosmos […]

ORLANDO, Fla. — Lindsey Spalding, director of Workforce Development at the National Center for Simulation (NCS) and director of the DoD STARBASE Central Florida, has received the 2026 Debbie L. Berry Legacy Award from the Central Florida Chapter of Women in Defense (WID-CFL) for her leadership, service and commitment to developing the next generation of […]

ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Center for Simulation (NCS) is proud to announce the three distinguished recipients of the 2026 Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Hall of Fame: Merry “Beth” Pettitt, Ph.D.; Robert A. Sottilare, Ph.D.; and Kay M. Stanney, Ph.D. Established in 2014 through a partnership with Orange County (Fla.) government, including the Office of […]

Orlando, FL — May 22, 2026 — The National Center for Simulation (NCS) will send two student teams to compete in the International SeaPerch Competition in College Park, MD, May 30-31. The NCS SeaPerch teams represent a diverse group of Central Florida middle and high school students, showcasing the power of early investment in science, […]

A group of high school and college students from across Central Florida gathered around 3D printers, watching as their digital designs slowly transformed into physical objects layer by layer during a hands-on workforce development workshop Coordinated by the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) in collaboration with the UCF Center for Autism and Related […]

The National Center for Simulation (NCS) is pleased to announce the newly elected 2026–2028 Executive Board following approval by its Board of Directors. The Executive Board members are Janet Spruill, Chair; Amy Motko, Vice Chair; Brett Ulander, Treasurer and Angela Alban, Secretary. Spruill is the executive vice president of at Aptima, Inc., where she leads […]

The Seminole County Board of County Commissioners formally recognized the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, known as PEO STRI, during a proclamation ceremony held at the Seminole County Government Building, Jan. 13. The event was organized by the University of Central Florida (UCF) in collaboration with the National Center for […]

By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer The National Center for Simulation (NCS) welcomed members back for its annual Membership Night on Jan. 15 in the Research Park area near the University of Central Florida campus. Designed as a casual social gathering, the evening gave members an opportunity to reconnect after the holidays, strengthen relationships and celebrate […]

To our NCS Community, Many of you may be already monitoring the Army Transformation initiatives that have been widely discussed in various forums and in the news media. I want to say that the National Center for Simulation supports the Army and Department of Defense initiatives to reshape our military, find efficiencies, fine-tune our acquisition […]

The National Center for Simulation (NCS) has opened up its annual scholarships for outstanding senior students seeking secondary education in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) field at an accredited Technical School, College, or University. This program is designed to recognize academic achievement & improvement in addition to recognizing students who have continually strived […]

Orange County is calling all young tech innovators & creators to help name a new innovation lab – a space for innovative solutions and tech exploration! You can share your thoughts for an innovation lab name here: Help Name our Innovation Lab. More information can be found about the new lab below: “The Innovation Lab […]

Dr. Haifa Maamar, executive director of emerging technologies at Full Sail University, is newly elected to the National Center for Simulation’s (NCS) board for the 2023-2026 term. Also re-elected to the board are John Givens, CEO of VirTra, and Mary Trier, president and CEO of Capital Communications and Consulting. “For decades the National Center for […]

This spring, hackers breached U.S. critical infrastructure on the strategically crucial island of Guam. Multiple U.S. technology companies investigated the breach. One assessed that the hacking campaign was designed to pursue the development of capabilities that could disrupt communications between the United States and Asia during future crises. This is yet another blunt reminder of […]

ORLANDO, Florida. June 20, 2023 — The National Center for Simulation (NCS) announced the newly selected members for induction into the NCS Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Hall of Fame for the 2023 class: Robert “Bob” Ferris, John D. Illgen and Khanh Dai Pham, Ph.D. These new members will be inducted on Oct. 12 at the […]

What does Kalogon do? The Kalogon Orbiter Smart Cushion uses a combination of machine learning and patent-pending air cell technology to automatically adjust pressures applied on a wheelchair user’s buttocks and thighs. The cushion is designed to detect pressure points in real time to redistribute pressure, and aims to increase comfort and maintain blood flow […]

Spaced Ventures Inc. next year will ramp up its efforts to finance the final frontier. The Space Coast startup operates a public investment portal where aerospace firms curated by Spaced Ventures can seek investment from anyone in the U.S., Canada and U.K. who are age 18 or older. The company grew its investor base 600% […]

This infusion of capital will take Vaya Space’s rocket research into the real world in 2023. Formerly known as Rocket Crafters, Vaya Space developed the Star 3-D rocket engine, a hybrid engine that uses liquid and solid propellant, and the Dauntless rocket, to launch payloads into space for the growing small satellite sector. Vaya Space […]

Melbourne-based L3Harris Technologies Inc. this year expects to close a $4.7 billion purchase of El Segundo, California-based missile and rocket maker Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. Defense contractor L3 Harris (NYSE: LHX) announced Dec. 18 it agreed to pay $58 per share in an all-cash transaction to buy Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AJRD). The acquisition […]

Orlando-based Care.ai’s recent $27 million funding deal was made possible by another Orlando tech company: Luminar Technologies Inc. San Francisco-based investment firm Crescent Cove Advisors LP has been an investor in autonomous vehicle sensor firm Luminar (Nasdaq: LAZR) since 2019. Luminar co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Jason Eichenholz is a friend and supporter of Care.ai founder and CEO Chakri […]

There was a never doubt for Danny Jenkins or ThreatLocker Inc. When the Maitland-based cybersecurity company began to run out of room at its old headquarters, the company didn’t consider a new home anywhere outside the Orlando area, Jenkins, co-founder and CEO, told Orlando Inno. ThreatLocker executives on Dec. 9 cut the ribbon on its new headquarters: 42,000 […]