Author: iharrell

Halmos Faculty Presents on Using Dialogues for Social Justice

McKay

Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D., director of the doctoral program, and faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), presented at the Association for Graduate Liberal Programs Annual Conference held virtually.  The conference theme was Unmute Yourself: Voice, Representation, Power. McKay’s presentation was entitled, “Using Dialogues to Build a Socially Just Community.”

McKay is the faculty adviser to the Social Justice Roundtable and works with students in the community through Community Resolution Services, a practicum and volunteer site for DCRS. Community Resolution Services hosts Story Café, We Love our Families series, The Women’s Roundtable, and is involved in offering workshops for the county’s Crisis Intervention Teams, and other events for community groups and organizations.

McKay’s scholarly interests include social justice, conflict coaching, strategic community planning, and violence prevention and intervention in family, neighborhood, and organizational conflicts.  For more information about Community Resolution Services or the Social Justice Roundtable, please contact McKay at mckayj@nova.edu.

Posted 02/13/22

Law Grad is Florida’s First African American Federal Defender

Attorney Alec Fitzgerald Hall, graduate of NSU’s Shepard Broad College of Law (SBCOL) is Florida’s first African American Federal defender. Hall received his appointment letter in June 2021 from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Chief Judge William Pryor, formally installing him as the new Federal Defender for the Middle District of Florida.  This makes history for both the Middle District of Florida and for the State of Florida as there has never been an African-American to lead the Defender’s Office in these regions.  The Honorable Charles R. Wilson, Eleventh Circuit Judge, swore Hall in as the new Federal Defender on June 21st.  The Middle District of Florida’s jurisdiction extends from Jacksonville south covering all areas including Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, and Ft. Myers.  The Middle District is the second largest district in the country.  The motto for the Federal Defender’s Office is “Representing Those Who Cannot Represent Themselves.”

Alec Hall

Hall is a native of Tampa and was reared by his maternal grandmother, the late Maggie Cleggette, along with his two brothers and sister in the Riverview Terrace Housing Projects in Tampa, Florida. Hall is a graduate of Hillsborough Senior High School, and Project Upward Bound, and he later attended and graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history (post-bellum America).   Hall formerly worked for the Florida Department of Corrections as a probation officer and later worked for the Florida Parole Commission as a parole examiner prior to attending law school. Hall received his Juris Doctor degree in 1997 from NSU.  He subsequently received his Master’s of Divinity degree (in ministry) from Luther Rice University and Seminary in Lathonia, Georgia.

Hall has practiced law for over 23 years beginning his career as a state assistant public defender for Seminole and Brevard Counties.  He has been an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Florida for over 20 years.  Hall specializes in vertical criminal representation, which includes trial, appellate, and habeas corpus practice.  Hall has tried numerous cases and is known as a tough litigator.  He is a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars.  He is also a member of the United States Supreme Court, the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eleventh Circuit, and D.C. Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida.  Hall has appeared before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals for oral argument on several occasions and had his client’s conviction reverse/vacated in United States v. McCarrick, 294 F.3d 1286 (11th Cir. 2002) (published opinion) and obtained a certificate of appealability from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, reversing the district court, in Barrett v. Secretary Florida Department of Corrections, Case No. 13-15153-EE (first-degree murder – life case).

Hall is an over 31 year and life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.  He was recognized with the Hometown Hero Award by the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau of Tampa, Florida for his efforts in helping to secure the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.’s 82 Grand Conclave now rescheduled for Summer 2024.

Hall is very grateful for the wonderful support of his wife, Yvette Renee Evans Hall, their daughter, Maiyah, and a host of others family, friends, and supporters which are too numerous to name.

Hall chose Nova Southeastern University’s SBCOL because he was a native Floridian and wanted to remain in Florida. NSU gave him the opportunity to pursue his dream of practicing law. He graduated in 1997. His advice to our current SBCOL students is to put the work in.

According to Hall, your work-ethic will say a lot about you and will develop your reputation in the legal field.  Do not be lazy and re-review before going to court or filing pleadings, i.e., “make sure you got it.”

He advises to know your area of the law well, and most importantly, do exactly what he always told himself, “chase your dreams of being a lawyer!” It will happen for you.

Fins up!

Posted 02/13/22

Halmos Faculty Members Collaborate on New Book

Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., professor and NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) executive director; Janine Morris, Ph.D., assistant professor of writing and WCC faculty coordinator; and Cynthia Moreau, Pharm.D., BCACP, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, published “Enhancing Communication Competencies: A Model for Pharmacy and Writing and Communication Center Partnerships” in the edited collection Teaching Writing in the Health Professions (edited by Michael Madson, Routledge 2021). Dvorak and Morris are both faculty in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, and Moreau is faculty in the College of Pharmacy.

“Enhancing Communication Competencies” addresses the need for writing, verbal and nonverbal communication skills within pharmacy graduate programs and outlines the collaboration that took place between Moreau’s Pharmacy Applications graduate course and the WCC during 2019 and 2020.

“​​Collaborating with Dr. Morris and Dr. Dvorak on this chapter was a great experience. As a pharmacist working in academia, most of my collaborations tend to occur with other health professionals, but I loved the opportunity to work with faculty from an entirely different non-HPD department at NSU,” Moreau said. “I believe we were ‘pioneers’ in our collaboration between a college of pharmacy and a writing center, and I think the description of our collaboration and learning activities included in our chapter will be useful to faculty from multiple disciplines across the country.”

Read and learn more about Teaching Writing in the Health Professions.

Learn more about the NSU Writing and Communication Center.

Posted 02/13/22

Cultivating Writing as a Brand of Professionalism

Join us on Wednesday, February 23, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. online via Zoom, or in-person at the NSU Alvin Sherman Library’s Cotilla Gallery on the 2nd Floor for the second discussion in the Pen to Purpose series. This series is the result of a collaboration between the NSU Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts and the Alvin Sherman Library, and sponsored by the Circle of Friends. You will not want to miss this compelling conversation with David Weill, M.D.  Author of the book “Exhale,” Weill is the former director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Program at Stanford.

“Exhale” is an inside look at the world of high-stakes medicine, complete with the decisions that are confronted, the mistakes that are made, and the story of a transplant doctor’s slow recognition that he needed to step away from the front lines. This book explores the cost of holding on too tight, of losing one’s way, and of the power of another kind of decision—to leave behind everything for a fresh start.

Weill’s account of his 10 years spent directing the lung transplant program at Stanford illustrates not only the miracle of transplantation, but also how it is a very human endeavor performed by people with strengths and weaknesses, powerful attributes, and profound flaws.

Weill will be in conversation with Professor Efrat Friedman, who teaches undergraduate creative writing at NSU. Professor Friedman created the Pen to Purpose series in order to impress upon her students the value of strong writing skills in any profession. Register now for the event.

NSU Library’s Circle of Friends is the community support arm for Alvin Sherman Library. The funds raised are used to enhance the library’s services, materials, and programs. With more Friends, we can make an even greater impact, so why not consider becoming a member? For more information about Circle of Friends, please call 954-262-4593, email libdev@nova.edu or visit http://sherman.library.nova.edu/cof.

To become a member or renew your membership.

Your safety is important to us. Face coverings are required if you attend the event in person.

Posted 02/13/22

Halmos Professor Publishes Book on Linear Algebra

“Problems in Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory” is a new book from Halmos Professor Fuzhen Zhang, Ph.D., published by the World Scientific Publishing Company.  Revised and expanded from an earlier version, this new edition contains fifty-five examples and many new problems, based on Zhang’s lecture notes of Advanced Linear Algebra classes here at NSU as well as short lectures at Shanghai University and Beijing Normal University.  Composed of basic, important, and elegant results in linear algebra and matrix theory, the text is intended for upper division undergraduate and beginning graduate students.

Zhang is a professor in NSU Department of Mathematics with interests in matrix analysis, linear and multilinear algebra, operator theory, and combinatorics.  He has been on editorial boards of several mathematical journals and has published more than 80 research papers and 3 books.  Additionally, he has served as Chair, co-Chair, or a member of the Scientific Organizing Committee of the serial International Conferences on Matrix analysis and Applications (ICMAA).  he received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California-Santa Barbara in 1993.

Posted 02/13/22

Halmos Research Proposal Earns Coveted Grant

D. Abigail Renegar, Ph.D.

Our oceans are plagued by chemical contaminants that have relatively unknown effects on the health and resilience of coral reefs.  Filling in some of the knowledge gaps is D. Abigail Renegar, Ph.D., of the Halmos Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences.  Renegar investigates the impacts of coastal pollution, climate change, ocean acidification, and other anthropogenic stressors on corals.  Her newly proposed research will test the effects of UV light exposure on chemical contaminants as many are photo-reactive, have photo-enhanced toxicity, or create toxic photo-transformation products that impact organisms. By identifying the chemicals posing the greatest risk to reefs, the research will support targeted actions reducing contaminant levels and impact.

Renegar’s proposal was chosen by the 2021-22 Ocean Insight Grant Program as one of seven winners selected from hundreds of entries from around the world. Ocean Insight is a spectral technologies company that collaborates with researchers to discover, refine, and deliver new approaches to solving problems.  As a winner, Renegar will be honored at a virtual Ocean Insight Grant Program Awards event, with scheduling and other details to be announced.

Renegar runs the Coral Histology Laboratory, the Coral Restoration/Toxicology Laboratory, and the Land-based Coral Nursery at the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center on NSU’s Oceanographic Campus.  Her research interests focus on scleractinian coral biology, conservation, and restoration with particular interest in the assessment of chronic nutrient exposure impacts of single hydrocarbon, crude oil, and dispersed oil effect thresholds of scleractinian corals.

Posted 02/13/22

Dental Medicine Graduate Devotes Life to Giving Back

Roxene Gascoigne, DDS

Roxene Gascoigne, DDS, completed her residency in Endodontics at Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (NSU-Dental) and currently practices in New York. Not only does Gascoigne devote her life to health care and educating people on oral health’s vital role in overall wellness, but she also hones a passion for philanthropy.

Gascoigne grew up in Jamaica and was immersed in an environment of educators and philanthropists. Her grandparents were prominent principals in Jamaica. Her grandfather founded a credit union to provide educators with an opportunity to establish their livelihoods by assisting them in purchasing homes and building their careers. Gascoigne’s father, Rae Gascoigne, has been an exemplar in raising resources for their native Jamaica. Rae founded scholarships for educators in honor of his father, the distinguished Desmond Charles (“DC”) Gascoigne Award for Excellence, administered by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association Credit Union. Gascoigne’s compassion and strong work ethic can be attributed to her strong bond with her father, who continues to serve as her mentor. Since graduating from  NSU-Dental, Gascoigne is committed to following in her father’s philanthropic footsteps, providing a Changing Life Scholarship to NSU dental students seeking to pursue a career in dental medicine. She has named her scholarship in honor of her father, from whom she learned philanthropy. Gascoigne also volunteers her time at one of the largest hospital groups in New York, Northwell Health, working with recent dental graduates and serving as an attending at their GPR Program. Despite her hectic schedule, giving back to the community is a priority for Gascoigne. She finds it rewarding to work with the next generation of graduates and inspires them to reach their goals.

During her time at NSU-Dental, Gascoigne immersed herself in the curriculum and established herself as a hard worker amongst her peers. Her fondest memory is grand rounds, a monthly conference during which students from different specialties presented clinical cases. Partaking in grand rounds allowed her to collaborate with classmates and articulate on pressing matters within different specialties. When asked what advice she would give students, Gascoigne said, “Medicine is a very demanding field. Put passion into your work and love what you’re doing, then everything else will follow.”

To learn more about creating a Changing Lives Scholarship, contact Shari Meehan, Director of Development, smeehan@nova.edu.

Posted 02/13/22

Education Alumnus Appointed Middle School Principal

Presley Charles, Ed.D.

The Howell L. Watkins Middle School in Florida recently appointed Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice alumni Presley Charles, Ed.D., as their new principal. Before becoming a principal, Charles was a member of the Professional Growth Department as the Manager of Leadership Development in the School District of Palm Beach County. He also served as an assistant principal and has been in education for 16 years in four school districts in Florida and Georgia.

Charles, was born in Freeport, Bahamas, but raised in Pompano Beach, Florida, with his parents, who immigrated to Florida from Haiti. He received his associate degree from Tallahassee Community College, then proceeded to earn an undergraduate degree in sociology from Florida A&M University. Charles continued to pursue his education by earning a Masters of Educational Leadership at Florida A&M University. In 2012, he earned a doctorate degree in Human Service Administration from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice.

Charles is the founder of Man I am Male Mentoring and Leadership Program, which helps young males develop a sense of self-respect and become productive young men of their community in which he mentored hundreds of young men. He received the Glenn-Howell Distinguished Minority Educator of the Year Award for 2009-10 and 2010-11, and he was also featured in Essence Magazine top 50 “Do Right Man” in 2006 for his work in the community.

Charles is proud of the doctorate degree he received from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. His advice for future students pursuing a career as an educational leader is to follow a purpose and not a position, lead people to influence, and add value to them.

Charles lives in Florida with his wife Jacqueline and two children, Xavier and Pharaoh. Fins up to you, Presley and all of your incredible accomplishments. The Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice can’t wait to hear about all your success as you step into your new role as principal.

Posted 02/13/22

Halmos Professor Integral to BASIL Undergraduate Research

There is a significant body of research demonstrating the importance of undergraduate research experiences in biochemistry education.  To address the need for opportunities, the BASIL CURE project was created and is used by many universities across the country.  The Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) is a flexible curriculum consisting of both computational and wet-lab modules.  BASIL CUREs are recognized for their potential to increase access to research in undergraduate STEM and are being integrated into the undergraduate curriculum.

An integral member of the project is the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor of Chemistry Arthur Sikora, Ph.D. Specializing in biochemistry, Sikora focuses on the structure and function of proteins.  In the past he developed and facilitated a workshop on the BASIL computational modules at the Biennial Conference for Chemical Education (BCCE).  Currently, Sikora designs and implements BASIL CURE assessment workshops.

Funding for this project comes from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant under the Improving undergraduate STEM education directive. This five-year, $2 million collaborative project will explore barriers to CURE course adoption. The goal is to make STEM education more research focused and allow every student an opportunity to do research regardless of their ability to find or maintain independent study with a faculty member while increasing the diversity of the STEM workforce.

Posted 02/13/22

NSU University School Students Selected As Business Fellows

NSU University School is proud to congratulate our inaugural cohort of Business Fellows. Our fellows are Madison Davidovic, Ariel Perczek, Noah Perry, Veronica Benarroch, Ria Batta, Jaell-Ann Auguste, Amanda Landau, Dana Wrubel, Ryan Wooflson, David Delarosa, Ethan Esquenazi, and Diego Andaluz.

Through a partnership with the NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, these students are working directly with professors and students at the college and experiencing different industries and career opportunities in the subjects of accounting, finance, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, real estate, and sports management.

These Upper School Fellows recently visited the Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation and explored its many entrepreneurial resources including the Cybersecurity Range, Media Production Studio, Levl5: Space Dock, and North Star Pitch Room among other spaces.

Congratulations to our Fellows on their selection to participate in this prestigious opportunity!

Posted 02/13/22

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