Category: Academics

Fischler Professor Publishes Paper on Special Needs Patients

Maria Levi-Minzi, Ph.D.

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Professor Maria Levi-Minzi, Ph.D., has recently published a paper focusing on the dental treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder and other special needs.

The paper, called “Parent Perception of Child’s Behavior during the Initial Dental Visit among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross Sectional Study,” came out of a study that was done by two pediatric dental residents.

“Children with special needs have different sensitivities and it can be hard to get any child to sit in a chair,” Levi-Minzi said. She gave some examples of the things these patients may struggle with, including sensitivities to tastes, smells, and sounds, as well as the tools shoved in their faces.

Levi-Minzi serves as a program evaluator for grants funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The grants supported the study which examined if parents knew how to best manage their child during the first dental visit. Researchers looked at two different outcome measures and an analysis score. They would then try to complete a certain number of tasks during every dentist visit, such as cleaning, and would look at those scores to see if a certain patient or parental characteristic was associated with a higher or lower score.

“We’re really just trying to understand if there were certain types of patient or parental characteristics that contributed to doing better at a dental appointment,” Levi-Minzi said. “If we could find out more information about that, then maybe we could try to help providers to better understand how to prep people for the appointment.”

According to the research, it was revealed that Hispanic individuals completed fewer tasks during dental appointments, something that made researchers question whether it was part of a language barrier or cultural aspect. Something else researchers picked up on was that the older the child is, the better the child did in the dental appointment. With information like this, the hope is to train dentists for more successful visits.

Currently, Levi-Minzi is working on two other papers related to special needs children.

To read the full paper, click here.

Posted 03/14/23

Student Dietitians Explore Grow2Heal Garden in Homestead

For the graduate student dietitian, a culminating experience in the “Culinary lab” course included a visit to Baptist Hospitals’ Grow2Heal Garden in Homestead, FL. The KPCOM, Department of Nutrition established a relationship with Baptist Health and Garden Manager, Thi Squire four years ago. The garden opened in 2014 with the goal to reach members of the community, improve their health, and prevent future disease. You can read more about the garden at https://baptisthealth.net/baptist-health-news/grow2heal-homestead-hospitals-community-garden .

The nutrition students were given a list of vegetables, herbs, and spices that were currently growing in the garden and would be available for their use. On the list was green papaya, rainbow chard, kale, yellow cauliflower, and tomatoes. Upon arrival, items such as ramen noodles, couscous, chickpeas, and chicken were added to the list. The students were challenged with creating a “Farm to Table” experience and then serving this meal to the Garden Manager, her assistants, their professor, and each other.

Quickly the students divided into three groups, devised their menu, and went to work. This challenge brought together the various concepts that they had learned from Food Service Management, Culinary Nutrition, Medical Nutrition Therapy, World Culture, Wellness, and other courses. The items created were: Green Papaya Slaw with a homemade Chili-Garlic dressing, Fresh Garden Vegetable Stir Fry, and Crispy Chickpea, Cauliflower, & Couscous salad with a Lemon-turmeric Herb dressing. The meal was enjoyed by all. Following lunch, students toured the garden, identifying various vegetables and herbs that grow well in the South Florida climate.

Student Dietitian, Sarah Jarrett commented that the garden was “a space to learn, nourish, and heal both yourself and others.” Cara Gonnello added, “Spending time at the Grow2Heal garden in Homestead was a fantastic hands-on experience for our cohort.”

Posted 03/12/23

Students Design Campaign for Ice Cream Business

Communication students in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts had a “sweet” semester collaborating with Sweet Aloha Ice Cream in Davie, Florida. The B.A. in Communication course, COMM 4300: Social Media Theory and Practice, is offered every other winter semester and provides students hands-on experience designing a social media campaign for a client. The course previously partnered with NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute.

“I am so proud of the professionalism and creativity that the 25 students in this course demonstrated while working with Sweet Aloha Ice Cream to deliver a strategic and successful social media campaign,” said Associate Professor of Communication Whitney Lehmann, Ph.D., APR, who teaches the course. “Sweet Aloha Ice Cream was such a fun client and community partner to work with and we enjoyed learning about its ‘Aloha’ organizational culture.”

Students worked with Sweet Aloha’s owner, Jimmy Anderson, to complete a social media audit, propose campaign objectives and complete deliverables, which included a social media channel strategy, a manual, a blog, a media relations toolbox, social media branding, professional imagery, audience-driven content, marketing materials and SWAG, and more.

The students presented the deliverables during a final showcase on Monday, Feb. 20, in the Teaching and Learning Studio in the Writing and Communication Center.

“My thanks to Jimmy and Sweet Aloha Ice Cream for providing this outstanding experiential learning opportunity for our communication students,” said Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., “I was so impressed with the students’ presentations and creative efforts.”

For more information about DCMA’s community partners, click here.

Posted 03/12/23

Educators Publish Article in Southern Discourse in the Center

Nikki Chasteen, M.A., NSU Writing & Communication Center (WCC) Assistant Director; Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D. NSU WCC Executive Director; and Kelly Concannon, Ph.D., Eric Mason, Ph.D., and Janine Morris, Ph.D, NSU WCC Faculty Coordinators, published “From Crisis to Habit: Re-Shaping Academic Conferences for Remote Communities” in the Fall 2022 issue of Southern Discourse in the Center. Dvorak, Concannon, Mason, and Morris are all faculty members in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts (DCMA) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS). Chasteen is an alumna of the DCMA Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media master’s program.

“From Crisis to Habit” focuses on lessons learned while hosting the virtual 2022 Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA) conference, February 2022. Chasteen et al. co-hosted the conference, with support from DCMA and the SWCA board. Of the experience, Chasteen et al. reflect, “Almost two years into the pandemic, and with all of this uncertainty in mind, we wondered what we could do to engage conference participants in needed conversations, how we could understand this period as an opportunity to maximize our most productive habits, and what lessons we had learned in the process” (11). The article provides advice for educators interested in hosting remote conferences.

To access “From Crisis to Habit: Re-Shaping Academic Conferences for Remote Communities,” click here.

To learn more about the WCC, visit www.nova.edu/wcc

Posted 03/12/23

USchool Seniors Advanced in National Merit Scholarship Program

Christian Cassamajor-Paul and Sarah Guttman

We are pleased to announce that seniors Christian Cassamajor-Paul and Sarah Guttman have advanced to finalist status in the prestigious and highly competitive National Merit Scholarship Program. Christian and Sarah represent the top 1% of program entrants and will be considered for Merit Scholarship awards based on their academic abilities, skills, and accomplishments. Congratulations, Sharks!

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

Posted 03/05/23

Art + Design Professor Delivers Guest Lecture

Science and art came together for students who participated in a guest lecture led by Art + Design Professor Kandy Lopez-Moreno of the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts.

The guest lecture sought to teach environmental science students in Professor Paul Balduaf’s ENVS 3000 course basic concepts and techniques for freehand field sketching. The 2-hour and 24-minute-long lab session instructed students in sketching fossils, plants, and landscapes to a specific scale. Through this experience, environmental science students developed the basic sketching skills and techniques needed to capture important visual data.

“Dr. Baldauf and I have been working together for a few years now to try to connect science and art majors. Most of our students have either majors or minors in both programs and it’s important to showcase some of the similarities between these disciplines,” said Professor Lopez-Moreno.

The collaboration, supported by the Interdisciplinary Research and Teaching Initiatives Committee (IRTIC), helps foster student and faculty engagement across disciplinary boundaries.

Posted 03/05/23

Students Gain Experience as Social Media Strategists

M.A. in Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media students in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts had the chance to put on their social strategist hats when their class partnered with Symphony of the Americas as part of a class collaboration during the Summer 2022 semester. The graduate course, WRIT 5250: Social Media Writing and Strategy, is offered every other summer and offers students hands-on experience designing a social media campaign for a client.

“It was exciting seeing our students in action as social media professionals for a Broward County Major Cultural Institution that has served the South Florida community for 35 seasons,” said Associate Professor of Communication Whitney Lehmann, Ph.D., APR, who teaches the course. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from the Symphony of the Americas team.”

Students worked with the organization’s executive director, Steven Haines, and community development manager, Erin Fontes, to complete a social media audit, propose campaign objectives and complete deliverables, which included a social media manual, a newsletter, a content calendar, social media branding, audience-driven content, social media analytics and more.

In addition to the class collaboration, one CRDM student, Kaitlyn was also selected for a social media internship with the organization for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“It was an honor to work with Symphony of the Americas,” said Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., “this was an outstanding professional experience for our graduate students.”

For more information about DCMA’s community partners, click here.

Posted 03/05/23

Student Receives AOTF National Scholarship for Research

Claire Mireau

Claire Mireau, a Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences Ph.D. student in Occupational Therapy, was awarded the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s (AOTF) Bonita Kraft Occupational Therapy (OT) Doctoral Student Scholarship for the year 2022-2023 for her dissertation project.

This scholarship recognizes outstanding emerging OT scientist acquiring their degree and pursuing research in the areas of mental health and serious mental health. Her project is titled: “Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Services for Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders in Intensive Residential Treatment: A Retrospective Study.”

Claire has been working closely with her dissertation committee members – Rebecca Estes, Ph.D., OTR, dissertation chair (NSU), Steven Hecht, Ph.D., NSU professor, Department of Education, and Sally Wasmuth, Ph.D., OTR, Trustees of Indiana University. On April 2023, AOTF will announce the award at the upcoming State of the Science Symposium at the AOTA Conference.

Posted 03/05/23

NSU Receives Two Milestone Accreditations

When Nova Southeastern University President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., unveiled NSU’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values, he challenged all the deans to work with their faculty and staff to obtain recognition from their respective accrediting bodies.

 That challenge was not only accepted, but today, we can announce that it has been met, as NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship and Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine both earned the highest level of accreditation in their disciplines.

In the case of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, NSU earned accreditation from AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – the world’s largest business education alliance. With the accreditation, NSU joins the ranks of less than six percent of the world’s schools offering business degree programs. Currently, 980 institutions in 60 countries and territories have earned this prestigious accreditation, which requires a rigorous approval process. READ MORE.

As for the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, it has been granted full accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)—the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs in the United States and Canada. Achieving this final, essential approval involved a three-step accreditation journey, which included numerous site visits spanning more than six years. The accreditation grants NSU MD the privilege of officially conferring the Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.) and state licensure upon its student graduates. READ MORE.

Posted 02/22/23

Honors Student Participates in Graduate Research

Corinne Renshaw and Alexander Rayburn with a lancetfish.

Farquhar Honors College sophomore Corinne Renshaw is participating in graduate-level research as an undergraduate student. The research is part of graduate student Alexander Rayburn’s master’s thesis, which focuses on marine parasitology among large deep-water fishes.

Renshaw’s role includes dissecting the fish, identifying the marine parasites, and classifying them via genetic analysis.

“My favorite part of the project is using a microscope to classify new parasites,” said Renshaw, a marine biology and environmental science major. “I was always fascinated with larger megafauna, but after working on this research, the more minute aspects of marine life are fascinating.”

Renshaw received this research opportunity through David Kerstetter, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, who offered her the position after she took his honors Invasive Species Ecology and Management course.

“Corinne showed lots of motivation and participation in class and dedication to a volunteering opportunity when offered,” said Kerstetter. “[She] has already gained a better understanding of how an active research lab works—the coordination between lab members regarding space and scheduling, the amount of work that goes on in actual wildlife research, and some of the process involved from collecting specimens in the wild through the peer-reviewed publication of the results.”

Along with aiding in research, she serves as the community service chair of Epsilon Eta, NSU’s environmental honors society. She has worked on wildflower garden restoration and invasive species clean-up initiatives through this organization. After graduating, Renshaw hopes to pursue a master’s and doctoral degree in marine ecology to gain more research opportunities in coastal conservation.

Posted 02/19/23

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