Author: iharrell

Halmos Faculty Present at ACR Conference

McKay

Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) and Charles Zelden, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Humanities and Politics (DHP), presented at the 2023 Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference held in Arlington, Virginia and virtually.

The theme of the conference was “Conflict Resolution: Collaboration the New Normal?” Their presentation was titled, Dialogues in Local Democracy: Creating Connected and Socially Just Communities.  Zelden and McKay are the co-directors of the Council for Dialogue and Democracy housed in HCAS. The Dialogues in Local Democracy project was funded by Florida Humanities and NSU.

Zelden

McKay’s areas of teaching and research interests include strategic community planning, conflict coaching, violence prevention and intervention, and organizational conflict.

Zelen’s areas of teaching and research interests include American legal history, civil rights, voting rights, election law, and constitutional history.

 

Posted 01/14/24

Halmos Faculty’s Book Assesses Seafloor Biodiversity

Jose V. Lopez, Ph.D.

Assessing the biological diversity that lives on the seabed across more than 70% of the planet’s surface, also known as the “benthos,” provides a challenge and task that will endure well into the future. Jose V. Lopez, Ph.D., and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) decided to take up the call by writing a comprehensive reference book called Assessments and Conservation of Biological Diversity from Coral Reefs to the Deep Sea: Uncovering Buried Treasures and the Value of the Benthos(Academic Press Publishers). This decision was based on his past collective research experiences and resulted in the publication 2023.

The benthos encompasses all the organisms at the seafloor. Although daunting, Lopez was assisted by the realization that many communities of benthic organisms remain a black box.  Many benthic descriptions and conservation activities understandably occur and concentrate near coastlines, which allow easier and less expensive access for researchers.  For example, many studies appropriately focus on shallow coral reefs because they are considered to hold the lion’s share of biodiversity or species (estimated at ~25%) on the planet.  This may be true, and many researchers and decades of study have yielded fascinating facts about reefs, such as the phenomenon of singled celled green algae and stony coral hosts living in an obligatesymbiosis (distinct organisms united to compose a whole organism) as the crucial basis for the ecosystem’s structure.  Nonetheless, the very deep ocean benthic zones that lie below 800 to 4000m (bathyal zone) and 4000 to 6500 (abyssal zone), represent the largest surface habitats on the planet and have been understudied.  These zones have extreme living conditions (4oC average temperature and high hydrostatic pressures). However, deep sea expeditions require much planning and can be expensive.  In the book, Lopez describes how more often remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or sonar must be applied to obtain useful views of the deep seabed.

These understudied seabed habitats will undoubtedly yield many biological surprises –   what may live there and how they survive. The new Assessments… book connects various topics (genomics and cryptic taxa) related to biodiversity via data, review articles, anecdotes, public policy and even art.  For example, besides sporadic mining operations, or the search for sunken treasures (or wrecks such as the RMS Titanic), the deep seabed has not been accurately mapped.   This may change over the next few decades. Overall, Lopez recounts that “we know the surface of the moon better than we do what lies on the bottom of the ocean, even though the latter is closer”.  His laboratory research on the microbial communities of marine sediments and reading the whole genomes of benthic invertebrates attempts to add to the scientific knowledge of the benthos. For information about the book, see https://shop.elsevier.com/books/assessments-and-conservation-of-biological-diversity-from-coral-reefs-to-the-deep-sea/lopez/978-0-12-824112-7 

Posted 01/14/24

Business Professor Receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Indonesia

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have announced that NSU’s Rita Shea-Van Fossen has received a Fulbright Specialist Program award. Shea-Van Fossen will complete a project at Universitas Katolik Santo Agustinus Hippo in Indonesia that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within Business Administration

Rita Shea-Van Fossen, Ph.D.

Shea-Van Fossen is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program each year. Recipients of Fulbright Specialist awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global issues in all disciplines, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 60 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 88 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 39 who have served as a head of state or government.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.

Posted 01/14/24

University School Teachers Attend Institute in New York City

Two Lower School teachers recently attended a weeklong institute at Teachers College Columbia University in New York City. They participated in professional development workshops focused on supporting small group work in reading and writing. Additionally, members of our administrative team presented at the FCIS convention, emphasizing the identification of core competencies to drive experiential learning.

Learn more about NSU University School’s college preparatory program for students in Preschool – Grade 12 at www.uschool.nova.edu.

Posted 01/14/24

USchool Students Make Holiday Cards for Local Heroes

First grade partnered with Upper School students to make holiday cards with messages of gratitude for our local heroes. The cards were delivered to firefighters, police officers, health care workers, and Publix employees.

Learn more about NSU University School’s college preparatory program for students in Preschool – Grade 12 at www.uschool.nova.edu.

Posted 01/14/24

2024-25 FAFSA Now Available for Students, Families

The new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available for students and their families to complete at studentaid.gov.  The long-awaited overhaul has been underway since Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020 and has caused the 2024-25 FAFSA to become available in late December 2023 instead of the customary October 1 date. The ultimate goal of the makeover is to expand federal student aid eligibility, including Federal Pell Grants, and to streamline the user experience. The Department of Education estimates that more than 600,000 new students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants due to updates to student aid calculations.

In the meantime, the NSU Office of Financial Aid encourages students and parents to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA as soon as possible and to take advantage of the many informational resources provided by the NSU financial aid office as well as the Department of Education to be prepared for the new experience:

Honors College Launches Campaign to Prioritize Mental Health

Last semester, the Farquhar Honors College raised more than $1,500 to help honors students achieve mental wellness. The campaign, titled “Honor Your Mental Health,” funded various de-stress initiatives, activities, and care packages throughout the semester.

Among the activities in the campaign were a series of mental health and wellness workshops ranging from meditation and journaling to bas-relief clay sculpture and yoga. These workshops, led by NSU faculty and alumni, allowed students to take a break from their stressful schedules.

The campaign was conceived by the Honors Student Advisory Board (HSAB), a group of select honors students who meet with the dean to enhance the honors experience, who wanted to address the rising mental health crises among college students.

“A goal of this project [was] to get college students more comfortable with talking about their stress and better ways to cope,” said Pranav Madadi, an HSAB member. “The fact that a majority of students are not able to seek help is a crucial issue that we can get addressed.”

Along with the workshops, the college provided students with self-care items like stress toys, journals, and mental health app subscriptions. The campaign extended to social media, providing resources, tips, and giveaways to get the conversation about mental health started online.

Posted 01/14/24

Halmos Hosts Spanish Film Festival on Jan. 16-Feb. 11

The Department of Humanities and Politics (DHP) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) is pleased to announce that the first film of their upcoming Spanish//Latin American/Latino Film Series will be In the Heights (USA, 2021, director Jon M. Chu) on Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Mailman Auditorium. The film is in English and Spanish with English subtitles. Following the film, the audience will engage in a discussion led by Yair Solan, Ph.D., assistant professor of literature and film in the Department of Humanities and Politics. Light refreshments will be provided.

Below are the dates, film titles, and locations. We expect to have talkbacks after the films hosted by DHP faculty.

  • In the Heights(USA, 2021): Tuesday, Jan 16, 6-8:30 p.m. in the Mailman Auditorium
  • The Future Perfect (Argentina, 2016): Tuesday, Jan. 23, 6-8 p.m. in the Mailman Auditorium
  • Everybody Leaves(Cuba-Colombia, 2015): Thursday, Feb. 1, 6-8 p.m. in the Mailman Auditorium
  • Memories of My Father (Colombia 2020): Sunday, Feb. 4, 2-4:30 p.m. in the Alvin Sherman Library Room 4009
  • Parallel Mothers (Spain, 2021): Sunday, Feb. 11, a2-4 p.m. in the Alvin Sherman Library Room 4009

Co-sponsors of the Film Festival on campus include the Alvin Sherman Library, the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, NSU’s Alpha Alpha Zeta Chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma, the Spanish Club, and Fin Films. The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.  The series is free and open to all in the NSU community and everyone in the South Florida area.

Any questions should be directed to Yair Solan, Ph.D. at ysolan@nova.edu or Yvette Fuentes, Ph.D., at yf60@nova.edu.

Posted 01/12/24

Several Fischler Professors Named Dooley Trust Recipients

The Robert E. Dooley Trust NSU Center for Autism Endowment Fund was set up to help fund and support NSU programs that benefit individuals with autism, and several professors at the Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice have been named as recipients of the award.

Among the recipients of the award are Maribel Del Rio-Roberts and Timothy Scala, along with a project involving Dana Scott Mills.

Mills will serve as the methodologist/statistics person on a project titled “Measuring rehabilitation health services access and use among emerging adults on the autism spectrum: A pilot study.”

The study aims to “develop and test a questionnaire for the measurement of rehabilitation access and utilization among emerging adults with autism spectrum disorder.”

Overall, the goal is to understand the challenges young people with autism spectrum disorder face, and how rehabilitation services can help improve their health and quality of life.

Scala and Del Rio-Roberts also received funding for a project titled, “A Training Program to Support Faculty & Staff Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Higher Education.

Both Del Rio-Roberts and Scala are serving as PIs for the project. The aim of this program is to provide comprehensive training to “selected NSU staff who may encounter a student with ASD, so they can more effectively provide support.”

The program also aims to provide training to faculty and public safety officers as well. The training will be provided through psychoeducation and Mursion simulation activities.

Del Rio-Roberts also received the award for a project supporting Access Plus. The effort, titled “Supporting a Comprehensive College Support Program for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Access Plus is a program at NSU that offers various supporting services to students with autism spectrum disorder throughout their college career. Funds from the Dooley Trust are now being used to support and cover the fees associated with the program.

Congratulations to all!

Posted 01/10/24

Title IX Office Plans ‘Coffee with a Cop’ Event Jan. 18

In recognition of Stalking Awareness Day on Jan. 18, the Title IX office is teaming up with NSU Public Safety and Davie Police Department for an exciting event called “Coffee with a Cop.”

Join us as students get the chance to engage with our Davie police officers and public safety personnel, gaining valuable insights into their services and contributions to campus safety. This collaboration is also about offering support and providing resources to students in connection with Title IX.

Posted 01/05/24

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