Category: Academics

U School Congratulates Shark Scholar Society Inductees

The Shark Scholar Society honors the scholastic achievements of current eighth-grade students who have attended #USchool for both their seventh- and eighth-grade years. Membership is based on a combination of factors, which include grade point average, standardized test scores, advanced course selection, good character, and integrity.

  • Nina A.
  • Aziz A.
  • Zane B.
  • Lucas B.
  • Logan C.
  • Zoey C.
  • Francisca D.
  • Adam G.
  • Jacob L.
  • Samuel M.
  • Liliana N.
  • Guy P.
  • Gabriella P.
  • Isabella S.
  • Jayden S.
  • Jake S.
  • Evan Z.

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

Posted 02/19/23

Halmos Faculty, NSU Student Present at FDLA Conference

On February 2, 2023, Santanu De, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), presented research virtually at the Florida Distance Learning Association/FDLA Conference 2023.  The presentation was based on an interdisciplinary project conducted in collaboration with De’s mentee, Yumna Indorewala, from the Farquhar Honors College and currently a D.O. student at NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine.  The topic of this presentation was “Review of Case Studies on Education and Research in Global Healthcare and STEM During COVID-19.”

De’s research interests include, STEM education, pedagogy, reproductive physiology, developmental biology, cell biology, and protein biology.

More information about FDLA can be found here: http://www.fdla.com/

Posted 02/19/23

NSU Counseling Professor Quoted in Counseling Today

Ashlei Petion, Ph.D. / Photo by David I. Muir

In the January 25, 2023, edition of Counseling Today, NSU Counseling faculty Ashlei Petion, Ph.D., was quoted in an online article called, “Generational trauma: Uncovering and interrupting the cycle” written by Bethany Bray. The article explained the term “generational trauma” and its impact on clients.

Per Petion, generational trauma is “a collection of traumas that have been experienced by their ancestors, passed down, and it’s affecting them to this day.” She continued by stating that, “Clients often report that it feels like [a weight] sitting on their shoulders”.

Petion’s interest in generational trauma started when she was a master’s intern. Later it became the topic of her dissertation and her specialty as a counselor.

Counseling Today is a website and monthly magazine published by the American Counseling Association.  It was first published in 1958.

Posted 02/19/23

Honors College Receives $300,000 Teagle Grant

The Farquhar Honors College received a $300,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation to support its Knowledge for Freedom program. The three-week program will provide underserved high school juniors in Broward County with an immersive college experience as they navigate the humanities to bring about change.

Qualifying students will commute to NSU’s main Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus for the program’s first week and reside in the dorms on campus for the final two weeks. Their weekly schedules will consist of attending humanities seminars with various NSU faculty. Lead faculty and Co-PI Aileen Farrar, Ph.D., associate professor and associate chair in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), will primarily lead these seminars focusing on transformative humanities texts.

“There is a lot to learn when studying the humanities,” said Farrar. “For me, the most important lessons that I hope will stick for our students are how to risk inquiry, appreciate ambiguity, and trust ourselves even when sometimes our own intuition and impulses might not yet fully make sense. When studying the humanities, we are often learning how to address and navigate the unknown, and learning how to do this prepares us to lead ourselves and others outside the classroom.”

Guest lecturers will include G. Nelson Bass III, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor and associate chair in HCAS, and Vicki Toscano, J.D., Ph.D., associate professor in HCAS, who will bring a political science and philosophy perspective, respectively, to the discussions. NSU undergraduate humanities students will also have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants and mentor the students.

The program will run for three weeks each summer over the next three years. Andrea Nevins, Ph.D., M.F.A., dean of the Farquhar Honors College, is PI, and Melissa Dore, Ph.D., director of Academic Support and Administration in HCAS, is Co-PI alongside Farrar.

Learn more about the Teagle Foundation’s Knowledge for Freedom program.

Posted 02/19/23

Fischler Academy Students Visit Austria, Study Education System

A group of Fischler Academy students recently had the opportunity to visit Austria in December 2022, where they learned about the country’s education system.

The Austria trip was part of Fischler International, a program where Fischler Academy students get to go to different countries to see the education system and learn more about the countries themselves. The specific area the students visited was Vienna, the country’s capital where they got to see what the schools were like and learn more about the culture.

The goal of these international trips is to not only learn about the educational systems in those different countries, but for Fischler Academy students to learn different concepts that they could potentially apply to their careers.

“One of the things we thought was impressive is that a lot of kids have independence in Austria and were expected to build things on their own and be the masters of their own destiny,” said Fischler Academy Director Luke Williams.

Williams gave an example of how students as young as fourth grade used handsaws and other equipment to design and build their own pinball machines that you would not see in the United States and were given more independence. He also gave an example of how students as young as 2 years old were even changing their own diapers.

“Teachers were there to help facilitate that process. It wasn’t so much that the teacher is constantly telling them ‘Do this, do that,’ but that they had that freedom, that independence to do so.”

The students also got the chance to see the University of Vienna, where they learned more about its history, the programs it offers, and tour the campus.

“It was great to learn more about this historic university,” Williams said.

Other visits are planned, with a Fall 2021 cohort planning to visit Italy, specifically Rome, to learn about the education system and see what the schools are like in Italy.

Posted 02/19/23

University School Participates at ISSEEN Institute

Jaimie Crawford, Upper School Director; Ann Marie Sellers, Director of Student Academic Services; and Andrew Stephens, Director of Experiential Learning, presented at the Independent Schools Experiential Education Network (ISEEN) Winter Institute in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Their presentation entitled “Identifying Core Competencies to Drive Experiential Education” was selected for the Model Programs and Practices Workshop, and showcased innovative curriculum from our math, social studies, and world language departments.

Also, in attendance was Kevin Dibert, USchool’s Community Service Coordinator. The conference was attended by more than ​40 schools from across the U.S., Canada, and even as far as Vietnam. USchool’s participation as a model program shows we are a leader among our peer schools in the field of experiential learning.

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

Posted 02/05/23

Fellows Selected for Conrad & Scherer Pathways Program

Front row (left to right): Averi Krickmeyer, Jordyn Minnis, Kayla Ferguson, Kennedy Newsome, Aleiah Luster, and Simone Martinez; back row (left to right): Alibek Normamatov, Victoria Newell, Jade Williams, Theodor Pintille, Eric Bonilla, and Alex Rosenblum

The Conrad & Scherer Pathways to Careers in Law – a collaboration between the Fort Lauderdale law firm, Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law (NSU Law) and Fort Lauderdale High School’s Pre-Law Magnet program – recently announced its selection of the 2023 Fellows.

These 12 junior and senior law magnet program students will participate in several activities designed to give them a clear understanding of the pathway toward a career in law. The fellows enjoyed a trip to the NSU College of Law and a reception Thursday, Jan. 26, where they were given a tour and had a chance to meet with NSU faculty members and NSU Law alumni who are Broward County judges. The Fellows also will visit the Broward County Courthouse and spend time at the Conrad & Scherer offices.

The fellows were selected from applications that included teacher recommendations, a resume and essay about why they want to pursue a career in law.

The 2023 Conrad & Scherer Pathways to Careers in Law Fellows* are:

  • Eric Bonilla (12th grade), hometown
  • Kayla Ferguson (11th grade)
  • Averi Krickmeyer (11th grade)
  • Aleiah Luster (11th grade)
  • Simone Martinez (11th grade)
  • Jordyn Minnia (11th grade)
  • Victoria Newell (11th grade )
  • Kennedy Newsome (11th grade)
  • Alibek Normamatov (11th grade)
  • Theordor Pintillie (12th grade)
  • Alex Rosenblum (12th grade)
  • Jade Williams (11th grade)

*all are students in the Fort Lauderdale High School Law Magnet program

According to Janine McGuire, a Conrad & Scherer partner managing this program, the Conrad & Scherer Pathways to Careers in Law provides an opportunity for high school students to gain exposure to the entire continuum, from high school through a career in law.

“Based on our experience with the program last year, we see clearly how this experience helps students understand what is involved in following a legal career path,” she said. “We are particularly excited about the addition of the Conrad & Scherer Pathways scholarship that will support one undergraduate student enrolled in NSU’s new legal studies bachelor’s degree program.”

“The partnership between NSU, Conrad & Scherer, and Fort Lauderdale High represents a unique and strong opportunity to support our community’s diverse student population by giving minority students a chance to learn about careers in law,” added José Roberto (Beto) Juárez Jr., dean of the Shepard Broad College of Law.

Posted 02/05/23

Student Case Competition Unravels Misinformation

The Office of Student Success in collaboration with Razors Edge Research hosted a one-week Case Competition in the Fall 2022 semester known as “Dissin’ Misinformation.”

The competition focused on a case study of how-to today’s world where there is a huge volumes of information, disinformation, and misinformation spreading rapidly on the internet making it difficult to discern what is true. Students then developed teams of 1-4 members selected a misinformation topic of their choice and provided solutions with peer reviewed scientific literature and other credible sources.

The students created a multimedia presentation educating the general public about how the misinformation spread, explaining what makes the misinformation incorrect, and spreading the correct information.

The students’ presentations were evaluated by a panel of faculty judges. Our three top winners received gift card prizes for their proposals.

1st Place Winner:

Topic: Statistics Regarding Harassment/Assault/Abuse

Case Competition Team: Kamalika Pothapu & Caroline Siu Yen Rodriguez

Sejal Jain

2nd Place Winner:

Topic: Obesity Medicine

Case Competition Team: Sejal Jain

3rd Place Winner:

Topic: Sunscreen Misinformation

Case Competition Team: Nimisha Kumar, Lauren Solovey, & Rojie Ekanayake

Posted 02/05/23

Winter Issue of Mako Undergrad Student Journal Available

The Winter 2023 issue of NSU’s Mako Undergraduate Student Journal  published with multiple faculty-mentored student-articles in diverse categories is now available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/mako/.  The journal is online and free and offers articles from across the university.

The reviewers and editors were Aarti Raja, Ph.D., Navdeep Gill, Ph.D., and Santanu De, Ph.D., all faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences from the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS).  Librarian Keri Baker, M.S., of HCAS served as the publication coordinator.

Further submissions are encouraged to support the unique publication experience for our undergraduate students.

Posted 02/05/23

Halmos Faculty, Alumna Present on Indigenous Conflict Resolution

Ismael Muvingi, Ph.D.

Ismael Muvingi, Ph.D., 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) and Kimberly Hamilton-Wright, Ph.D., doctoral graduate of DCRS, presented at the 2022 Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference held in Orlando and virtually. The theme of the conference was Evolving Horizons in Conflict Resolution.  The presentation was entitled, “Uncustomary Connections: Mainstreaming Indigenous Conflict Resolution Practices.”

Muvingi is the faculty advisor to the African Working Group. His academic interests include human rights, African politics, and transitional justice with a special focus on Africa.

Kimberly Hamilton-Wright, Ph.D.

In addition to her NSU degree, Hamilton-Wright holds an M.P.A. from Webster University, and a B.S. in Journalism from Kansas State University. She is a conflict analysis and resolution researcher, practitioner, and curriculum developer with expertise in womenwarography, gender, veterans, and military community issues. Her research interests also include mainstreaming of indigenous conflict resolution practices. Hamilton-Wright is developing a womenwarography course and outreach program. Additionally, she developed the graduate course, Conflict and Peace Connections: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Women in U.S. Military Communities, as well as the undergraduate course, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: U.S. Domestic and Global Perspectives. As a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) certified practitioner, she provides workplace and group dynamics consulting and workshops.

Posted 01/22/23

1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 55