Author: Christie Williams

Halmos College Faculty Member Awarded Patent in Korea

Abdelkrim Bourouihiya, Ph.D.

This fall, Halmos College associate professor of mathematics Abdelkrim Bourouihiya, Ph.D. received a patent in Korea for his invention entitled, “Data Adaptive Compression and Data Encryption using Kronecker Products”. It was granted two US Patents in 2018 and 2019, a Japanese Patent in 2019, and a North Korean Patent in 2020.

Currently, there are two main methods for compressing digital data files to minimize storage, handling and transmission speed. In lossy compression, certain (especially redundant) information is permanently deleted to reduce the file; upon decompression, only the retained information remains. Lossy compression is often used for audio/video/image files (e.g., JPEG files) where some loss of the original information is not detected by most users. In contrast, in lossless compression, all data in the file is retained after compression and subsequent decompression. This approach is often used for text or spreadsheet files where losing any data may be problematic, however, transmission velocity is hindered due to the large files sizes.

Bourouihiya developed a novel method of encoding data that can be used with either approach to enhance compression/decompression, thereby reducing size of digital files and increasing transmission speed without sacrificing the amount of data stored. Some digital files processed by this method had a compression ratio approximately two to four times higher than JPEG files but with minimal loss of data. The method also allows for parallel processing which greatly reduces compression/decompression time. By using this approach, data is stored using less memory, processed in a shorter time, and complete recovery is achieved. Further, the data can be encrypted and subsequently decrypted at the decompression stage, ensuring data security.

“Live Your Dream” Scholarship for Undergraduate Women – Deadline Approaching – Nov. 15

Soroptimist International is currently accepting applications for their Live Your Dream Awards that assist women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. Since the Live Your Dream Awards program began in 1972, about $30 million in education grants have been disbursed to assist tens of thousands of women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. The scholarship is limited to women who do not have a graduate degree, is enrolled or accepted to an undergraduate degree program, has financial need, provides the primary care and financial support for dependents and has not received the scholarship in the past.  Both Soroptimist’ chapters in Deerfield/Boca and Ft. Lauderdale are open to applicants.

Email soroptimist4women@gmail.com with questions or fill out an application HERE.

2020 Trick to the Treat

On Wednesday, October 28, Halmos College and the Center for Academic and Professional Success (CAPS) collaborated to bring NSU students the 9th annual Trick to the Treat of an Internship or Research Experience. Throughout the event, students had the opportunity to hear from various presenters on research, medical, and other science-related internship/research opportunities.

Using virtual round table discussions, students visited such topics as biology practicums, medical scribe experience, and the impact of COVID-19 on global education and research in STEM and the fields of health care. Research topics included “Expression & Localization of the 14-3-3 Protein Family within Mammals”, “Effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis derived sphingolipids on osteoclastogenesis”, “Evaluating student learning outcomes for research-based courses”, “Development of “Sharkavir”: A New Hypothetical Inhibitor for HIV-1 Protease, and “Survival and Development of Zebra Longwing, Heliconius charithonia, on native and non-native Passion vines, Passiflora sp., in South Florida”.

Interested in an event like this? Please contact CAPS at 954-262-7201.

Halmos Mathematics Colloquium Series Hosts Seminar on Harmonic Oscillator

On Wednesday, November 18 at 12 noon, the Halmos College Department of Mathematics will host another event in its colloquium series. The zoom lecture is entitled “Classic/Quantum Harmonic Oscillator” and will be presented by our very own Killian J. Hitsman, Ph.D.

A Harmonic Oscillator is an integral part of periodic motion in Classical and Quantum Theory. For systems with small fluctuations near stable points of equilibrium, the Harmonic Oscillator serves as a good approximation for measuring eigenstates and wave amplitudes of the particle(s). Aside from the classical version, this presentation will include the Lie Algebra of commutation relations as well as the ladder operators (Discrete and Continuous) as it pertains to a Quantum Harmonic Oscillator. After that, one of its’ contributions to scalar fields in Quantum Field Theory, namely the Casimir Force, will be discussed. Whether it is a system of one oscillator or a system of decoupled oscillators, this concept could be applied to the fields of Quantum Field Theory and Mathematical Physics.

For questions, please contact Donna Saporito at 954-262-8339 or dsaporito@nova.edu.

Meeting information:

Date: November 18, 2020

Time: 12:00- 12:50 p.m.

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 811 500 7759

Passcode: 681149

Free Author Events at Miami Book Fair 2020, Nov. 15

The Miami Book Fair is going online for the first time in its 36-year history with free events featuring over 300 authors. Readings, conversations, and workshops will include writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels, children’s books and more! Events will begin streaming November 15 and continue throughout the week. 

 This year, keep an eye out for two panels moderated by our very own NSU Alvin Sherman Librarians. Meagan Albright (Youth Services Librarian III) will lead a discussion with authors Renée Ahdieh and Kiersten White on Raising the Stakes: Vampires, Slayers, and Sequels. Sarah Divine (Adult Services Librarian II) is joined by authors Kat Cho and Darcie Little Badger for A Spectre-tacular Conversation: On Magic, Monsters, and Raising the Dead. The NSU Alvin Sherman Library is a great place to check out these books and more, either in print or electronically through the cloudLibrary app.

Free registration and more information on Miami Book Fair 2020 can be found at www.miamibookfaironline.com. 

Friends of Our Florida Reefs Partners with NSU to Install a New Living Florida’s Coral Reef Exhibit at the Marine Environmental Education Center

To better educate the public about the wonders, beauty, and threats to Florida’s coastal water ecosystems, several notable organizations are partnering to add the first of three large exhibit tanks by the popular “Captain” Sea Turtle Pool at the Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC). Focusing on Florida’s Coral Reef, the first 300+ gallon tank is anticipated to be up and running by early 2021. This coral reef exhibit will feature live native corals, fish, and invertebrates. Two additional exhibit tanks are planned to focus on the critical importance of mangroves and sea grasses.

“This project fits right in with the mission of the MEEC,” said Derek Burkholder, Ph.D., Halmos College research scientist and director of the MEEC. “Educating the public about our marine environments is vital and by bringing attention to the plight of our coral reefs, we’re adding a new dimension to our outreach efforts.”

Initial funding was spearheaded by the regional nonprofit organization, Friends of Our Florida Reefs (FOFR – www.floridareef.org). Generous donors have already committed $7,500 to FOFR to kick start a challenge match campaign for the exhibit. By the end of 2020, FOFR hopes to contribute at least $15,000 depending upon additional public donations towards the budget for the living coral reef tank and detailed informational signage.

The MEEC was opened with the desire to educate and delight locals and tourists alike through our educational green sea turtle, Captain, and the splendor of the coastal environment in South Florida. The MEEC was fostered from a partnership between Broward County Parks and Recreation and Nova Southeastern University. The facility is located on the historic grounds of the Carpenter House at Hollywood North Beach Park in Hollywood, Florida.

Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine Receives $4-Million CDC Grant for ‘Covid Long Haulers’ Study

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, health care providers are finding that more patients are experiencing lingering symptoms after recovering from the virus. These symptoms include being bone-tired and utterly drained of energy, but in most cases, they continue to negatively impact the patient’s overall well-being and ability to return to normal activities.

While the medical community is working hard to address the virus itself and racing toward a vaccine, there is very little known or being done to address the residual health issues being experienced by those now called “COVID long haulers.”

All of that is about to change, however, thanks to research scientists like Nancy Klimas, M.D., director of the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine and chair of the Department of Clinical Immunology. “Because of our long-standing research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, we’ve been selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to begin researching these symptoms in COVID-19 patients,” Klimas explained. “Because the symptoms are so similar—joint and muscle pain, severe fatigue, and memory and cognitive issues—to chronic fatigue syndrome, NSU is uniquely positioned to study this emerging development in the pandemic.”

Because of her expertise and the work she is involved with at the KPCOM, the CDC has awarded Klimas and her research team a federal contract of more than $4 million to study these residual symptoms in COVID-19 patients. NSU is the only institution to receive this federal contract.

Klimas and her team will work with the Florida Department of Health to identify potential participants. They will then contact individuals to explain the study and inquire about their interest to participate in the study.

 

 

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale Receives $1.6 Million Gift from The Jerry Taylor & Nancy Bryant Foundation

Jerry Taylor & Nancy Bryant

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale received a $1.6 million gift from The Jerry Taylor & Nancy Bryant Foundation to endow an art curator position and provide funds for the Museum’s youth education programs. The impact of this gift to the Museum will be magnified thanks to NSU’s newly established endowment challenge that matches interest on all new endowments up to 5% through 2025. (NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is a division of Nova Southeastern University.) The Museum has initiated a nationwide search to fill the curatorial role.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Nancy Bryant and Jerry Taylor for this outstanding gift, especially during these challenging times, and in recognition of their support the position will be named the Bryant-Taylor Curator,” states Francie Bishop Good, chair of the Museum’s Board of Governors.

“We are deeply appreciative of Nancy and Jerry’s major gift to NSU Art Museum. Once again, they have led the way in support of the Museum by being the first to contribute to the Museum’s new endowment challenge,” said Dr. George L. Hanbury II, president of Nova Southeastern University.

“Nancy and Jerry have repeatedly demonstrated their strategic support of the Museum, and in 2015, they provided the initial funding to launch our Museum on the Move program, which has provided thousands of Broward County School students with free field trips to tour the Museum’s exhibitions,” states Bonnie Clearwater, the Museum’s director and chief curator. “This new strategic gift once again demonstrates the couple’s foresight and it will help make it possible for the Museum to continue organizing compelling exhibitions, build an exceptional art collection and provide high caliber educational programming.”

Nancy Bryant stated, “Beginning with the Museum on the Move program that we helped fund, the Museum has opened its doors to school children in a meaningful new way; it started a trajectory that perfectly fits our foundation’s mission.  Our new grant supports an additional curator to ensure that the Museum plays a significant role in increasing Broward County students’ academic performance and also allows the Museum to focus on its future exhibitions and offerings for art lovers at all levels.  We encourage more donors to join us and help the Museum open its doors wider.”

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is located at One East Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL. For additional information, please visit nsuartmuseum.org or call 954-525-5500.  Stay connected with NSU Art Museum on social media @nsuartmuseum.

About The Jerry Taylor & Nancy Bryant Foundation
The Jerry Taylor & Nancy Bryant Foundation, a private, not-for-profit philanthropic organization, was established in 1998 by Jerry Taylor and his wife, Nancy Bryant. The Foundation is family managed and believes firmly in the importance of education and the arts. Nancy, with more than 20 years of experience in association management, has a business degree from Austin College and was executive director of The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. She served as chair of the Washington Committee on the Arts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Jerry, a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in physics, spent his career in avionics and telecommunications. He is a United States Air Force veteran and former CEO of MCI Communications Corporation. Since its inception, the Foundation has made grants to more than 80 non-profit organizations providing scholarships and supporting programs in the arts and education, as well as giving social services grants for foster kids and elder care. The Foundation’s primary focus is on the profound and widening excellence gap through elementary and secondary school in arts and education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

 

Osteopathic Medicine Trio Receives Dean’s Awards of Excellence

On October 7, during her virtual address to the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine’s faculty and staff members, Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S., M.S., M.S., M.S., presented her annual Dean’s Award of Excellence to three colleagues who showcased exceptional qualities in the staff, director/manger, and faculty categories.

The Faculty Member of the Year honor went to Stephanie Petrosky, M.H.A., RDN, LDN, FAND, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition, while the Director/Manager of the Year accolade went to Dana Famularo, M.S., manager of the Biomedical Informatics Program. The Staff Member of the Year honor went to Nicola Cooper, administrative assistant I.

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