Category: Academics

2020 Osteopathic Medicine Graduates Participate in Virtual Oath Ceremony

It was a full-circle moment for the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine class of 2020 graduates. Four years ago, the class of 2020 students donned their white coats for the first time as they recited their oath of commitment to the osteopathic profession. On May 15, the new graduates took part in a virtual ceremony as they recited the osteopathic oath, with more than 600 participants in attendance via Zoom.

The ceremony began with remarks from George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., NSU president and chief executive officer, and Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S.4, KPCOM dean. Award recipients and slideshows featuring the graduates and Match Day celebrations also served as highlights, as the graduating class marked another academic accomplishment before entering residency.

NSU College of Optometry Student Awarded Educational Grant

Crystal Victor, a student at NSU’s College of Optometry, was recently awarded the 2020 Johnson & Johnson Vision Award of Excellence in Contact Lens Patient Care Grant. This award recognizes outstanding fourth-year student clinicians who have demonstrated skillful knowledge of the contact lens field. Victor was one of 24 recipients from around the country and will be receiving a $500 educational award and a personalized plaque commemorating their accomplishment.

Halmos Faculty Participates in NSF STEM for All Video Showcase

From May 5 to May 12, Halmos Faculty Member Arthur Sikora, Ph.D. collaborated with faculty around the country to present their video entitled, “Rich Collaborations Yield More than Expected: BASIL lab. This curriculum from the BASIL (Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Laboratory) collaboration aims to get students to transition from thinking like students to thinking and acting like scientists. Students will analyze proteins with known structure but unknown function using both computational and wet-lab techniques. BASIL is designed for undergraduate biochemistry lab courses but can be adapted to first year (or even high school) settings, as well as upper-level undergraduate or graduate coursework. It is targeted to students in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or related majors.

Sikora stated, “We have been fortunate to have robust anticipated learning outcomes that were developed by our collaborators at Purdue. The full set is published in “Anticipated Learning Outcomes for a Biochemistry Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Aimed at Predicting Protein Function from Structure: Implications for Assessment Design” Irby et al BAMBED 2018. Several members of the group have started working with these ALOs to design targeted assessments.”

The 2020 National Science Foundation (NSF) STEM for All Video Showcase is an annual online event. Each year, it hosts between 100-200 three-minute video presentations from federally funded projects that aim to improve STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and computer science education. During the seven days of this online event, Principal Investigators, practitioners, administrators, researchers, policy makers, industry and the public at large are encouraged to participate. All participants will be able to view the video presentations, post to the facilitated discussions related to each video, and vote for the videos that are most effective in conveying the creative work being done. All videos and discussions will be archived for perpetual future access. In addition, all videos from this Showcase will be added to the collection in the STEM for All Multiplex after the online May event.

College of Pharmacy and Halmos College Faculty Collaborate in Journal Article

During April, College of Pharmacy faculty member Anastasios (Tassos) Lymperopoulos, Ph.D., F.A.H.A., F.E.S.C., and his research team discovered that a protein called GRK5, which phosphorylates other proteins (a kinase), blocks the receptor of a hormone that is very toxic for the heart, named aldosterone. Halmos Chemistry faculty member Beatrix Aukszi, Ph.D. is a longtime collaborator of Dr. Lymperopoulos and a contributor to his research.

Their research was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and is entitled, “Antagonistic Roles of GRK2 and GRK5 in Cardiac Aldosterone Signaling Reveal GRK5-Mediated Cardioprotection via Mineralocorticoid Receptor Inhibition”.

Aldosterone is increased during heart failure, after a heart attack, in hypertension, and in other cardiovascular diseases. It increases the reabsorption of sodium and water into the kidneys, causing high blood volume and blood pressure. It also has several direct damaging effects on the heart, such as fibrosis, hypertrophy, and inflammation. This is why drugs that block its receptor, called mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), are part of the cornerstone pharmacotherapy of chronic heart failure in humans. By finding a way to stimulate GRK5 in the heart, for example with certain drugs that activate a receptor for adrenaline, professor Lymperopoulos hopes it will lead to the reduction of the severity of heart failure. The group is now testing new and existing heart failure medications such as Inspra, Finerenone, and Aldactone, to see how effective they are at promoting this cardio-protective GRK5 action against aldosterone.

This study was supported in part by a Gateway to Research scholarship from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE), by a Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association (AHA #09SDG2010138), and by a Nova Southeastern University’s President‘s Faculty Research & Development Grant.

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Receives Grant from National University System Sanford Programs

On April 21, 2020, Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Abraham S. Fischler College of Education & School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ) extended its partnership with the National University System Sanford Programs for academic year 2020-2021 by receiving a grant of $141,500.

Established at the National University System, Sanford Programs are made possible through a generous gift from philanthropist and businessman Thomas Denny Sanford. NSU is part of a nationwide initiative that is introducing research-based PreK-12 initiatives (Sanford Harmony and Sanford Inspire, as applicable) in conjunction with schools and districts in the state of Florida. The content is based on the most current and accepted educational theory, so the focus is on practical implementation to develop skills in children who engage better in school and relationships in the long run.

With this grant, the new Sanford Inspire On-Demand Module curriculum will be embedded into the NSU’s Fischler Academy program.

For more information on the Sanford Inspire and Harmony program at NSU, please contact please visit: https://education.nova.edu/sanford/ or contact Jamie Manburg, Ed.D. at jmanburg@nova.edu.

Conflict Resolution Alumni is a City Commissioner in the City of Weston

Margaret Brown, M.S., is a graduate of the master’s program in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS). Brown serves as a City Commissioner in the City of Weston. Elected in 2016, she was also appointed by the commission to serve as the Director for the 2018-1919 Broward League of Cities Board of Directors. She has served on a number of boards and committees including the Broward Council on Aging and the United Way of Broward County-Women United.

Brown received her B.A. in psychology from Connecticut College, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi.

Halmos Mathematics Student Accepted into Ph.D. Program

Halmos College Mathematics and Chemistry double major, Nikhil Nagabandi will head this fall to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he has been accepted with funding to pursue his Ph.D. in mathematics at one of the top graduate programs in the nation.

Nikhil has worked under the mentorship of Mathematics faculty member Ricardo Carrera, Ph.D. (first as Razor’s mentor and now as the Honors in Major mentor). He is graduating this May. He was accepted to Ph.D. programs at Louisiana State University and the University of Pittsburgh. Halmos College is always proud of our graduates and we feel we have prepared them well for a successful future.

Education Student Selected as a Fulbright Scholar

 

Re’Nyqua Farrington, student at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar.

Re’Nyqua started at NSU in 2016, majoring in Secondary English Education with a minor in Spanish, setting her sights on becoming a bilingual speaker and career educator. While studying at NSU, Re’Nyqua tapped into diverse educational opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. She has worked closely with the Farquhar Honors College as an Honors Advocate and Peer Coordinator, served twice as Peer Leader for the First Year Experience course,  worked as a Peer Writing Consultant and Fellow at NSU’s Writing Center, and volunteered as a reviewer for NSU’s literary journal Digressions.

Last winter, she studied abroad in Spain and learned about the opportunity to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in the Fulbright program. After learning about the program, which perfectly merged her interests in education and Spanish, Re’Nyqua applied and received the news she was selected as a recipient of this honor in April. She is expected to begin her program in Honduras in January 2021.

Re’Nyqua was also a 2019 recipient of the U.S. Dept. of State Gilman Scholarship, as well as the 2016 Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Nutrition Manual for NSU Student Athletes Published on NSUWorks Website


 

The Department of Nutrition is proud to announce the published results of a student-led writing project—the Nutrition Manual for NSU Student Athletes. The publication targets freshman athletes who are new to campus and provides helpful information with examples of energy requirements, macronutrients, meal timing and campus dining options, snack ideas, eating on a budget, and travel ideas.

From strength training to endurance running and everything in between, the manual can help students put good nutrition to work in sports performance and general wellness. Steve Orris, M.Ed., NSU assistant athletic director for sports performance, initially proposed the collaboration to help student athletes in strength and conditioning programs.

The nutrition manual group project was overseen by Marilyn Gordon, Ed.D., RDN, CSSD, LDN, KPCOM assistant professor and course director for Advanced Sports Nutrition. It was created by enthusiastic graduate nutrition students Kaitlin Flaskerud, RDN, LDN, lead editor; Katie Emerson, B.S.; Stephanie Fonseca, B.S., NASM-CPT; Angel Marquez, B.S.; and Alejandra Velandia, M.S.

Special thanks goes to NSU’s Writing and Communication Center, which helped shape the manual into a great resource. The nutrition manual is available to download on the NSUWorks website at https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_com_faculty_articles/1581/ .

 

Halmos Researcher Chimes In On Field Research and Social Distancing

Summer is the field research season. This year, CONVID 19 has stopped the season in its tracks. For more senior academic researchers, this cancellation is disappointing, summer is the main time they get to do it. For graduate students who may only get one or two field seasons to collect all the data they need for their thesis research, the loss of a summer field season can be a disaster, adding even more trouble to an incredibly stressful time.

This month, the American Scientist published an article discussing the subject. Entitled “Data Collection During Social Distancing”, Halmos College faculty member David Kerstetter, Ph.D. was interviewed. If graduate students aren’t able to collect or analyze data, one of the main goals of graduate school isn’t achieved.

“Especially in fisheries biology, there’s a strong component of professional training that goes beyond the required graduate-level coursework, including field techniques and data analysis,” said Kerstetter. “Not having data means fewer publications, the currency of academia, which also affects future placement into doctoral programs. Not having field data collection experience would be a caution flag for any potential employee or prospective doctoral student in a position that would involve extensive fieldwork, even if that lack was due to something beyond everyone’s control.”

The article continues with giving potential solutions.

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