Author: iharrell

Dental Postgraduate Places First in Poster Competition

From left, Dr. Saynur Vardar-Sengul, DDS, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Periodontology, and Dr. Ovadia Chocron

Congratulation to Dr. Ovadia Chocron, a third-year postgraduate resident from Department of Periodontology at the NSU College of Dental Medicine for a first place showing at the International Team for Implantology (ITI) Congress North America Poster Competition in Miami Beach, Florida, June 15-17, 2023.

 The title of his poster presentation was “Allograft plates for horizontal bone augmentation in the anterior mandible following a traumatic fall: A case report.”

The ITI is a global association of professionals in implant dentistry. The objectives of the ITI are the promotion and dissemination of knowledge about implant dentistry and related fields. They serve dental professionals by fostering learning, networking, discussion, and exchange. ITI provide comprehensive, quality education in implant dentistry and support and facilitate cutting-edge research in this field and to be the authoritative resource on current and emerging issues in implant dentistry for dental professionals globally.

Posted 07/16/23

NSU Staff Member Sings National Anthem at Marlins Game

Physician assistant students, faculty, staff, and family members on the ball field

The Department of Physician Assistant (PA) and the PA new faculty and staff, traveled recently to several different retreats together. During the department’s members gathering, they listened and learned quite interesting facts of their new attending members.

Staff member Trish Gennodie sings the national anthem.

One of department’s new staff Trish Gennodie, is one of the PA clinical support team. They listened and learned that she currently of her unknown talent, the passionate to sing and had started a YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVwHjRkdvjc. She continued to say, that one of her countless desires in her life is to perform in-front of a large crowd.

Therefore, the PA department wanted to make her dream real and reached out to the Florida Marlins. They sent to the Florida Marlins team coordinator’s one of Gennodie videos; in addition, they asked if she may perform in one of their upcoming game’s U.S. National Anthem renditions. Surprisingly soon after that, the Florida Marlins game coordinator, contacted the PA department and said, that they would be excited to have her perform in one of their upcoming game, Miami Marlins vs. Kansas City Royals on June 7 at 6:30 p.m.

PA student Olivia Castallanos delivers the lineup card to the head umpire with Florida Marlins manager, Skip Schumaker.

The Department of Physician Assistant members pitch-in and rallied the PA students, faculty and staff members, and families. There was over 100 that attended and supported Gennodie and the Florida Marlins team. 

What a performance she gave the audience! 

In addition to, the PA faculty members, were able to get a few of the PA group members down on the field to snap a picture for the group members along with one PA second-year student, Olivia Castallanos, to deliver the lineup card to the head umpire with Florida Marlins manager, Skip Schumaker. 

Posted 07/16/23

NSU MD Joins Gold Humanism Honor Society

NSU MD has been officially accepted as a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a renowned humanitarian organization dedicated to promoting humanistic values and behaviors in health care. This esteemed recognition highlights NSU MD’s dedication to fostering the highest standards of patient care, professionalism, and compassion among its students, faculty, and staff.

The Gold Humanism Honor Society, known for its commitment to patient-centered care, advocates for the integration of humanism into medical practice. With this membership, NSU MD joins an exclusive community of medical schools and health care institutions that share the common goal of delivering compassionate, empathetic, and ethical care to patients.

Rolando De Leon, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., Founding Chair and Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecologyexpressed his delight at the acceptance and of being named founding co-adviser for GHHS at NSU MD. “This is a great honor for our school, as humanism is at the core of the practice of medicine. This peer-driven recognition of our students’ inherent humanistic values is wonderful.”

NSU MD has long been a pioneer in promoting humanistic values in medical education. Through innovative curriculum enhancements, such as early patient experiences, ethics and humanism programs, and service-learning opportunities, the medical school prioritizes the development of compassionate and caring health care professionals.

The Gold Humanism Honor Society’s recognition affirms NSU MD’s dedication to shaping future physicians who prioritize a patient’s well-being, dignity, and autonomy. By incorporating humanistic values into their clinical practice, NSU MD graduates will positively impact the lives of countless patients and communities.

Posted 07/16/23

Honors Student Named a Barry Goldwater Scholar

Farquhar Honors College student Courtney White was named a 2023 Barry Goldwater Scholar — an honor recognizing her outstanding passion for research in the natural sciences. As a Barry Goldwater Scholar, she’ll receive a $7,500 scholarship to fund her senior-year tuition.

“I am truly honored to have been welcomed into the Goldwater community,” said White, a junior chemistry and marine biology major. “When I got the notification, I was speechless. To be awarded such a prestigious scholarship is a surreal experience. Being selected as a 2023 Barry Goldwater Scholar has reaffirmed my aspirations to pursue a career in research and given me the confidence to chase that dream.”

Courtney White

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship is awarded to students who are passionate about pursuing a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering. White dreams of becoming a researcher at the intersection of chemistry and marine biology to make a difference in the world and is already taking steps to do just that.

Though an undergraduate student, White has already gained considerable research experience. She’s currently pursuing an honors thesis to develop a new technique to measure persistent organic pollutants in keratinous tissue like hair, feathers, and bones that may harm our health and environment. She also works alongside her thesis advisors Dimitrios Giarikos, Ph.D., and Amy Hirons, Ph.D., professors in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), as a full-time research technician.

“I am passionate about using my knowledge, curiosity, and love of learning to have a meaningful impact on the world around me,” said White. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. My goal is to be always exploring, ever evolving, and continuously growing; as a result, I’ve learned to seek out those challenging experiences, whether it be in research, class, leadership, or in my personal life.”

One of her proudest research achievements was being named an undergraduate scholar for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI). Through this program, she’ll be spending her summer in Alaska to work on a National Science Foundation-funded project exploring the life histories of baleen whales.

Supplementing her research prowess, White is dedicated to helping others around her through leadership. She works as a tutor and lab assistant and holds numerous leadership positions on campus, including within the Honors Student Advisory Board, Chemistry Club, Marine Biology Club, and NSU’s chapter of the American Association of University Women.

As White prepares to step into her senior year as a Barry Goldwater Scholar, she reflects on the mentors and leaders within her own life that have helped her receive this honor, including Giarikos, Hirons, Andrea Nevins, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar Honor College, and Marlisa Santos, Ph.D., professor in HCAS.

“The Honors College has made my undergraduate experience more valuable than I ever could have imagined,” said White. “I’ve made connections and established some of the most important relationships in my life through the Honors College . . . I’m excited to continue to grow, challenge myself, and curate positive change in my community.”

Learn more about the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Posted 07/16/23

Beaches, Creatures, and Cowboys: June 18-Aug. 20

Movie producers have been making films in Florida almost since the dawn of the industry. For a short time in the early twentieth century, Florida even rivaled California as a place for movie making.

Explore the posters and lobby cards in this exhibit called “Beaches, Creatures, and Cowboys,” which depicts some of Florida’s most famous films from the early 1920s to the present. Embark on a captivating journey through time, capturing the magic and allure of movie production in Florida. Whether you are a film enthusiast, a history buff, of simply seeking an escape into the realm of cinematic wonders, this exhibit shares stories and splendor of Florida’s film industry and celebrates the rich legacy it has left behind.

For event and exhibit descriptions and registration details, please click on each calendar entry below or check out our full list at lib.nova.edu/exhibits 

Posted 06/26/23

MEEC Will Open Environmental Art Gallery on July 15

On Saturday, July 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) will be hosting the opening of its new Environmental Art Gallery. The MEEC Environmental Art Gallery is curated by NSU students and features both NSU Halmos College of Arts and Sciences students and alumni art. All art on display will be for sale, with a portion of the proceeds funding the MEEC. The reception will be part of a beach clean up featuring food trucks, the artists, environmental educational vendors, and more! Everyone is welcome.

The Marine Environmental Education Center at the Carpenter House was fostered from a partnership between Broward County Parks and Recreation and Nova Southeastern University. Overseen by the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, the Marine Environmental Education Center now serves as a public education facility while preserving the historic charm of the home. Come visit and see the original rooms, fixtures, hard wood floors, cabana house and beach views as well as all the educational displays and live animals!

RSVP for the opening at https://tinyurl.com/MEECartgallery

Posted 07/03/23

NSU Research Continues to Break New, Expanding Ground

Ken Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., associate provost and senior vice president for the Division of Research and Economic Development

$145 million in active grants. 170 grants. 100 different funding agencies.

“All of those numbers are record highs for the university,” said Ken Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., associate provost and senior vice president for the Division of Research and Economic Development (DoR). “We expose our students to genuine research, where they’re developing knowledge rather than just learning knowledge.”

NSU is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 Doctoral University with high research activity. In 2022, the National Science Foundation ranked the university 70th out of all private universities in the United States for its research efforts. And, for the first time in the school’s history, NSU received a U-Rise grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health. This $1.5-million grant funds opportunities for undergraduates to work in research labs and get paid for doing so.

In addition, research from NSU faculty and staff members and students was published 750 times during the last year—a 35 percent increase in publications from the previous year.

“The colleges, the faculty and their students, and the staff are the engines of research for the university,” said Dawson-Scully. “I’m just the person who gets to brag about all these wonderful things and gets to serve these individuals through research administration while bringing researchers together, internally or with other companies and institutions looking for collaborators.”

Dawson-Scully joined NSU in 2021. Prior to his current role, he was a professor and administrator at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). In his FAU lab, he conducted research on fruit flies to explore how to protect the brain from different types of neurodegenerations and stress. He also served as the head of institutional partnerships at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, where he developed programs partnering the world-class researchers at the institute with student trainees from FAU.

“I got to the point where, instead of developing those programs, I was managing them,” he said. “An opportunity came along at NSU to be in a leadership position and start building again. When I moved to Florida in 2008 from Canada, I didn’t know about the research profile of NSU. But, when I applied for the position in 2020, NSU had grown so rapidly, and put such an enormous investment into research, that my mind was blown, and I was excited to be a part of its exponential growth.”

The DoR administers research for the university. This includes—but is not limited to—handling patents and copyrights, assisting faculty members in finding and applying for grants, ensuring that projects are compliant, conducting clinical research, and bolstering the university’s research infrastructure at the Center for Collaborative Research.

“Our core facilities are available to every faculty and staff member within the university, and we even offer our services to the community,” Dawson-Scully said. “When research comes into the university, it helps build a better environment for teaching for our faculty and a better environment for learning for students.”

In the Campaign for Preeminence, NSU has a goal of raising $500 million in cumulative research funds by 2025. As of early March, more than $418 million—84 percent of the university’s goal—has been raised. The university continues to be on an upward trajectory for growth in research, and Dawson-Scully and his team are looking for ways to continue accelerating that growth.

NSU Health is one of the university’s research accelerators. The initiative brings the university’s clinical practices under one umbrella to enable NSU to better serve the community, give students better experiences, and increase the university’s research infrastructure.

One example of how NSU Health is accelerating research in in the work of Eduardo Locatelli, M.D., M.P.H. He sees patients who suffer from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He also runs clinical trials on new drugs that have the potential to stave off this horrible disease, and one of the drugs he was working with recently received FDA approval. The medication has the potential to double the life span of patients diagnosed with ALS.

“Locatelli’s research not only increases our clinical research profile, but also brings students at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are working with this cutting edge, clinical research,” Dawson-Scully said.

The Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation is another entity that increases the university’s research capabilities. Faculty and staff members and students interact and innovate with everything from phone apps to interacting with NASA and the space foundation. The Levan Center is attracting large grants from federal agencies, as well as local, state, and county sources.

Dawson-Scully established a Changing Lives scholarship for undergraduate students who want to pursue research. Donors can also create a scholarship fund or programming endowment.

“It’s always a positive thing to be able to donate, because it’s used toward creating knowledge and giving our students that edge,” Dawson-Scully said.

For more information on research at NSU, please contact Alissa Hechter, Assistant Vice President of Development & Alumni Engagement, at (855) 792-2230 or ah833@nova.edu

Posted 07/02/23

Criminal Justice Grad Student Receives Changing Lives Scholarship

Graduate student Travis Brooks

The Carl Cecil Eagle Changing Lives Scholarship recipient Travis Brooks is a graduate student in the criminal justice program at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. He is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Honor Society. In addition to working toward his master’s degree, Brooks serves as a commissioner’s aide in the City of Lauderhill, Florida.

“I would like to personally thank Dr. Massey for making it possible for me to be awarded the Carl Cecil Eagle Changing Lives Scholarship,” Brooks said. “It has made a huge impact on my self-confidence and provided me with funds to not only continue my education, but has also help me out in a time of need.”

The scholarship was created by Larry Massey, Ph.D., in honor of Eagle, a Native American, Bronze Star recipient for valor, and WWII veteran. After WWII, Eagle used his GI Bill to attend college, majored in history, and then became a high school teacher. His family legacy involves respecting cultural traditions within context of historic events. The award contributes to the education of future teachers and studies relating to understanding the history of marginalized groups.

Brooks is a first-generation graduate student who hails from Maxton, a small rural town in North Carolina. Raised on a farm of produce and livestock, he is a member of a Lumbee tribe in southeastern North Carolina. The people of the Lumbee tribe are known for their entrepreneurial spirit and focus on education. The criminal justice program, professors, and offered courses at NSU drew Brooks to Florida, where he has found success due in part to the networking he has been able to do at the university.

Future plans for Brooks include pursuing a career with the Department of Homeland Security and possibly returning to school to earn his law degree. He also hopes to follow Dr. Massey’s lead and establish a scholarship fund for students in need at NSU and at the University of North Carolina Pembroke, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.

“Thank you to Dr. Massey for honoring me with this scholarship and for everything he and his family have done for Native American students in need who are on the path to continuing their education,” Brooks said. “For someone to notice my hard work and dedication to my studies has given me the confidence and strength I have been missing. I am not always the one to boast about my studies, but when someone else notices, it truly means I am doing something right or I’m on the right path to success.”

For more information on scholarships at NSU, contact Andria Cunningham, Executive Director of Development & Alumni Engagement, at (833) 910-0372 or acunningham@nova.edu

Posted 07/02/23

Halmos Faculty Member Participates in Trinidad Conference

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D.

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D., faculty and director of the M.S. program and Graduate Certificates in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS), in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), participated in the International Peace Research Association Conference held in Trinidad. As Editor in Chief of the Peace and Conflict Studies Journal, she participated in an Editor’s Panel that worked to improve access, equity and inclusion in academic publishing.  She also presented her research on the role of youth leadership in creating school cultures of peace.

Duckworth is the faculty facilitator for the Peace and Conflict Education Working Group in DCRS. She teaches qualitative research methods, peace education, foundations of conflict resolution, and History, Memory and Conflict Resolution.

Posted 07/02/23

Davie Police, Fire Perform Emergency Drill at USchool

Sgt. Kelvin Urbaez, the Public Information Officer with the Community Policing Unit & NSU Campus Policing Unit for the Davie Police Department

On Friday, June 23, 2023, regional emergency responders performed a special mass casualty training exercise from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Nova Southeastern University’s University School.

Participants in the exercise were NSU Public Safety and staff, Davie Police Department, Davie Fire Rescue, the Town of Davie Emergency Management, and the Davie Community Emergency Response Team.

“This training aims to update officers on immediate action/rapid intervention techniques and integration with fire personnel. This training will concentrate on response tactics specific to an active killer incident,” said Sgt. Kelvin Urbaez, the Public Information Officer with the Community Policing Unit & NSU Campus Policing Unit for the Davie Police Department. “Officers will be evaluated on their ability to coordinate a response, neutralize the threat, and work with fire rescue personnel to treat and evacuate the wounded. Officers will also be evaluated on their communications with Police Dispatch, NSU Public Safety, and the Command Post.”

The training drills take place year-round, but the main drill at NSU is performed annually. There were more than 35 participants in this year’s training exercise, Sgt. Urbaez said, adding that Davie Police and Fire greatly appreciate their public safety partnership with NSU.

Several of the actors in the drill were NSU faculty and staff.

Posted 07/02/23

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