Author: iharrell

Halmos Alumna Publishes on Everglades Marine Biology Research

From left, Kiersten Monahan, Dyane Oliva, and J. Matt Hoch

Kiersten Monahan

Kiersten Monahan, a 2019 alumna of the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences in marine biology, was published in the journal Florida Scientist this past winter for her research titled “Comparison of Phosphate Uptake by Epiphyton, Metaphyton, and eEpipelon in the Everglades.”

Monahan’s publication encompassed her Honors in Major thesis research with mentor and college faculty member J. Matthew Hoch, Ph.D. Her research took place in the Everglades, the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States and the results of her research could aid understanding effects of phosphorus pollution in nutrient-polluted waters.

The Honors in Major program is a university-wide program administered by the Farquhar Honors College. It is a unique opportunity for high-performing NSU undergraduate students in their senior year.

Speech-Language Pathology Student Presents at Annual Conference

Clarisse El-Khouri, the NSU Writing and Communication Center graduate consultant, presented at the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) annual conference, March 18-20. El-Khouri is a graduate student in the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) master’s program in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.

El-Khouri presented alongside Associate Professor Jackie Hinckley, Ph.D., CCC-SLP ( Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences); Katie Strong, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Central Michigan University); and Nick Malendowski (Central Michigan University). Their presentation, “Why didn’t I think of this before? Perceptions of Stakeholder Engaged Research,” analyzed the perception of stakeholders (specifically aphasia researchers) on collaborating with people with aphasia, their family members, and clinicians involved in aphasia care (i.e., SLPs).

“This was an amazing opportunity to team up with top aphasia researchers in the country and learn more about how stakeholder-engaged research can have an immense impact on improving care and quality of life in people with aphasia as well as their families,” El-Khouri said. She added that from the researcher interviews, one of the participants stated,  “Living with aphasia is very different than writing about it or giving programs.”

Click here to watch a recording of their presentation.

Access El-Khouri et al.’s presentation handout here. 

To learn more about the MSHA annual conference, visit  https://www.michiganspeechhearing.org/annual_conference.php

 

 

Getting Funding From PCORI: New Directions, New Collaborations

Is your project a collaboration between clinicians, researchers, or policymakers/payers? Does your project include patient partners to help design, plan or conduct the research? Then the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) may be a source of funding for you. In this presentation we will discuss PCORI’s aims and history, types of funding mechanisms, and tips from funded projects. We look forward to seeing you at the event. Zoom link

Fernandez and Williams Selected for MLB Draft League Rosters

As 29 members of the Nova Southeastern baseball team embark this month toward their summer league destinations, a pair of Sharks have earned an unprecedented opportunity as roster selections to play in the inaugural MLB Draft League. Both junior outfielder Adan Fernandez and senior pitcher JP Williams will have the chance to increase their visibility while showcasing their skills with the Trenton Thunder.
Operating very much like the schedule Major League players work in, the MLB Draft League schedule will consist of six games per week after the opening stretch of 14 consecutive dates through June 7. In its entirety, there will be 68 games, 34 home and away, for each club. The championship game is scheduled to be played August 15.
Per the official site of the MLB Draft League: Draft League participants will receive unprecedented visibility to MLB Club scouts through both in-person observation and state-of-the-art scouting technology, and educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes.
The NSU pair are members of a group of only 32 players nationwide from NCAA Division II selected for the inaugural season’s rosters in the league. The 2021 MLB draft is Sunday, July 11 and roughly a month behind its normal schedule.

Read more

 

Researchers Continue Algal Bloom Study on Lake Okeechobee

From left, Robert Smith, Viviana Mazzei, and Emily Karwack with the United States Geological Survey, and Lauren Krausfeldt and Jose Lopez with Nova Southeastern University.

Since 2019, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS) faculty member Jose Lopez, Ph.D., has been co-leading an Army Corps of Engineers-funded project with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to better understand the blue green (cyanobacterial) algae dynamics. These algae are at the heart of many of these harmful algal blooms (HABs) and microbial communities in the Lake Okeechobee watershed. After a couple of years of relative calm with no massive harmful algal blooms, the blue green algal communities have now made their presence known again in a big way.

Lopez, along with faculty and students from Florida Gulf Coast University, USGS, and the South Florida Water Management District, has continued the project using artificial mesocosms. These controlled outdoor experiments at the Franklin Lock test the effects of adding nitrate, ammonium, urea or phosphorus supplements to an environment. In addition to this work, the group conducts monthly environmental water sampling across Lake Okeechobee.

“The artificial mesocosm experiments are based on taking Caloosahatchee River water and placing it into large replicate cylinders, which essentially creates a closed system for systematic study,” Lopez said. This also allows the team to add various nutrient supplements to the natural river water communities and monitor the effects physiologically and allows the group to see which genes are activated without degrading the surrounding habitats.

Lopez’s laboratory at the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center has been applying deep “-omics” techniques (metagenomics/metatranscriptomics approaches with deep DNA sequencing) to better understand the microbial community dynamics and drivers that could lead to HABs. HCAS assistant researcher Lauren Krausfeldt, Ph.D., has conducted most of the metagenomic analyses for the project. The large cache of genomic data will likely provide important baselines and references, adding richer context for future comparisons and possible HAB predictions.

This research is funded in part by the Army Corps of Engineers to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and NSU via the Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit.

 

University School Students Earn Prestigious Silver Knight Awards

NSU University School is incredibly proud to recognize our THREE 2021 Silver Knight Award winners and EIGHT honorable mentions. Recognized as one of the nation’s most highly regarded student awards programs, the Miami Herald Silver Knight Awards honors students who have excelled academically and contributed significant service to their schools and communities.

The students were celebrated for their extraordinary achievements at a virtual ceremony. We are so very proud of each and every one of our Silver Knight nominees. Congratulations, Sharks!

Silver Knight Winners:

  • Veronica B. – Digital & Interactive Media
  • Hannah K. – Art
  • Henry H. – Business

Honorable Mentions:

  • Ari A. – World Languages
  • Hannah E. – Vocational Technical
  • Duncan J. – General Scholarship
  • Amanda K. – Science
  • Risa P. – Dance & Music
  • Peyton R. – Speech
  • Minnie R. – Athletics
  • Rebecca W. – Math

The Show Cannot Go On Without You: Volunteer to Usher

Join the volunteer team as an usher and meet exciting people who share your passion for live theater, while giving back to the community. For more than 20 years, South Florida residents have proudly served as volunteer ushers at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

A Broward Center volunteer is an individual who chooses to give his or her time and talents as part of a team, with dedication, enthusiasm and flexibility. Ushers are an important part of every performance. You’ll help welcome our audiences, make them feel at home and ensure that everything runs smoothly from lights up to curtains down.

Requirements:

  • Full time year-round South Florida resident
  • Commit to a regular (weekly) shift
  • Attend formal orientation training date as scheduled by the volunteer office
  • Comply with all standards and policies as provided in Volunteer Manual
  • Ability to escort patrons to seats in all levels of the theater: orchestra, mezzanine or balcony
  • Great attitude to serve as needed

For a volunteer application, please contact the Volunteer Services by email or call 954-468-2684.

If you filled out your application more than a year ago, please contact us by email or call 954-468-2684.

Rachel Edrich Receives 2021 Ashley Kaye Hess Scholarship

Rachel Edrich, B.A., 2021 winner of the Make the Most of the Dash and Ashley Kaye Hess Changing Lives Scholarship.

Graduate student Rachel Edrich was awarded the 2021 Make the Most of the Dash and Ashley Kaye Hess Changing Lives Scholarship. The scholarship is named for Hess – a cheerleader, dancer, teacher and Nova Southeastern University speech-language pathology master’s candidate – who was killed in a tragic car accident on May 14, 2016. Hess was 28.

Edrich is currently a graduate student at NSU pursuing her master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences and works as a speech-language pathology assistant at a private practice in Davie. She holds the position of treasurer for the SLP student government association. She received her bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders at the University of Alabama. She was a member of the Million Dollar Band Color Guard for five years and captain for two.

Edrich has always had a passion for dancing/performing and wanting to make a difference in the lives of others. She was honored and excited to win the award.

“I will continue to dance and touch other people’s lives with Ashley in my heart!” she said.

Congratulations Rachel!

Contributed by Tambi Braun, SLP.D., CCC/SLP, is an associate professor and NSSLHA mentor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology.

Anti-Defamation League honors NSU’s Holocaust Center

The Holocaust Reflection and Resource Center in the Alvin Sherman Library of Nova Southeastern University was awarded this year’s “No Place for Hate” Community Change Maker Award for Social Justice by the Anti-Defamation League Florida. The center was featured on the Anti-Defamation League Florida’s Facebook page and all of its other social media sites and platforms on Friday, May 14, during “No Place to Hate Day.”

1 … 121 122 123 124 125