Category: Academics

CAHSS Hosts Second Fall Au Café

The Department of Literature and Modern Languages in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) was delighted to host the second Au Café of the semester on November 4, 2019 at the UC lounge, 2nd floor. This Coffee and Conversation Hour provided a relaxed setting for French students and speakers to practice their language skills. Our French instructors, Maud Cassagnol and Shirley Santry, were present to help facilitate conversations. Speakers of all levels are welcome to Au Cafe! Coffee and pastries were provided.

Halmos College Hosts Tiger Talk

On Friday, November 22, 2019, Halmos College hosted the talk, “Tigers of the World: Genomics and Conservation” by visiting scholar Shu Jin Luo, Ph.D. from Peking University, China. Of all the big cats, or perhaps of all the endangered wildlife, the tiger may be both the most charismatic and most well-recognized flagship species in the world. Using first-handed data from the speaker’s own research over the past 20 years, an overview will be given on how applications of molecular genomic tools have advanced our understanding of the tiger’s ancestral roots, natural history, morphological diversity, and provides a scientific foundation for conservation strategic planning and management actions for this charismatic megafauna both in situ and ex situ.

Dr. Luo’s research field is in genomic diversity and evolution. She has been based at Peking University since 2009, after receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and completing a postdoc fellowship at the NIH-National Cancer Institute in Maryland. Dr. Luo is broadly interested in applying molecular genomics methods to problems about mammalian evolution, adaptation and systematic relationship, with a particular focus in the family Felidae. Her genomic study in the tiger offered the strongest-ever evidence for subspecies differentiation and local adaptation. Applying whole genome sequencing and computational tools, we illuminated the genetic causes of the white tiger, and elucidated the demographic and evolutionary histories of multiple Asian felids such as the leopard cat and the Chinese mountain cat.  She is a member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group since 2005 and an expert member of the IUCN Cat Classification Task Force (CCTF). She is also an associate editor for the Journal of Heredity since 2016 and an editorial board member for Integrative Zoology since 2015.

Halmos College Presented Last Math Symposium for Fall 2019

Edgar Pereia, Ph.D.

On Friday, November 15, at 12pm, Edgar Pereia, Ph.D. presented his lecture entitled, “Minimal Rank Completions of Partial Matrices?”. Pereia is a professor at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.

His lecture discussed Completion problems for partial matrices are defined and partial matrices are associated to bipartite graphs. Minimal ranks for scalar and block partial matrices with simple structures are presented. Calculating the minimal rank is classified as an NP-hard problem, what means that in general it is very difficult to calculate the minimal rank of an unstructured block (scalar) partial matrix. A conjecture states that the minimal rank of a partial matrix has an exact formula if and only if the associated bipartite graph is chordal. We present some upper estimates for the case that the associated bipartite graph is a single cycle, the most simple non-chordal case. The symmetric cyclic case is also treated.

Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography department of mathematics hosts the mathematics colloquium series in Parker Building, Room 338. For more information about the math colloquium series, please contact mathematics faculty member Jing Chen, Ph.D. jchen1@nova.edu or Evan Haskell haskell@nova.edu.

 

Halmos Faculty Questioned on Airline Drinking Water

Robert Smith, Ph.D.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, CBS4 Miami broadcasted a story about the quality of water on commercial airliners. This was prompted by a recent airline water quality study conducted by DietDetective.com, along with Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, who rated US airlines on how their onboard tap water measures up to Aircraft Drinking Water Rules.

Halmos faculty member Robert Smith, Ph.D. was interviewed for the story, explaining the concerns of finding coliform bacteria. “They exist naturally in the environment, you can find them in soils, you can find them in water, but what they’re really worried about is that they’re often associated with poop from humans,” Smith explained. “So they’re concerned the water has been contaminated with human feces.”

That being said, he noted water quality onboard aircraft has been getting better over the years.

“For me, this is not a cause of massive concern,” Smith said. “I think since the federal regulations have been developed, the amount of these violations or amount of time coliform bacteria have been detected inside water sources has decreased substantially.”

The study recommends passengers only drink bottled water on aircraft, avoid coffee or tea and don’t wash your hands in the bathroom, use sanitizer instead. Smith agrees you should drink only bottled water but feels the coffee and tea are okay to drink and recommends washing your hands and then using sanitizer if you’re concerned.

 

NSU University School Students Learn to Provide Medical Care Through NSU’s Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing

NSU University School Upper School students interested in the field of medicine had the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a nurse with Nova Southeastern University’s Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing. Students learned the principles of nursing care by participating in patient simulations in realistic clinical scenarios. They received wound care training, learned how to place an IV and catheter, and were taught how to wash their hands properly in a medical setting. USchool students consistently engage in various experiential learning opportunities with NSU, ensuring students are provided with the best possible educational experience.

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Hosts 7th Annual High School Model United Nations Conference

NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) is delighted to announce that the 7th Annual NIRAMUN Conference, held on November 8, 2019 was a great success. The Nova International Relations Association (NIRA) welcomed more than 160 local high school students to campus for the conference. NIRA serves as NSU’s regional award-winning Model United Nations team.

The faculty advisor, Nelson Bass, J.D., Ph.D., was thrilled with the turnout for the event in its 7th year: “I essentially think of our annual high school conference as a mini-Shark Preview. Since 2012, we have hosted over 1000 area high school students at this event. Not only do the delegates work on valuable skills at the conference, but they get so see our beautiful campus and work with our own students.”

NIRAMUN 2019 was the largest conference held to date at NSU, and included students from 8 area schools including: Archimedean Upper Conservatory, Pine Crest School, West Broward, McFatter Technical, Fort Lauderdale High, St. Thomas Aquinas, University School, and West Boca Raton High School. The event was run by NIRA team members and directed by the NIRA executive leadership board. The board consists of NIRA President, Varsha Gopaulchan, an International Studies major, NIRA Vice-President Genesis Alvarez, a Legal Studies major, and NIRA Internal Affairs Director Kayre Alcantara Martinez, a Political Science major. During the conference, high school students act as UN delegates representing different countries and work together to solve pressing global issues while utilizing parliamentary procedure and learning valuable negotiation, writing, and public speaking skills.

For more information about NIRA, please contact Bass at nbass@nova.edu, and go to

https://cahss.nova.edu/departments/hps/community/un-competition.html

NIRA Executive Leadership 2019

CAHSS Faculty and Students at AIE Conference in Geneva

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D.

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), and five doctoral students traveled to Geneva in October to participate in the Alliance for International Education’s Conference (AIE).The DCRS students participating were Marcia Brown, Jasmine Sanchez, Michael Walgren, Desiree Van Campen and Jessica Arriola. The students were conference presenters and Duckworth was there as a trustee.

Marcia Brown and Jasmin Sanchez presented, “Transforming International Education with the CHIL Model. Van Campen’s presentation was entitled, “Theories of Leadership: How they differ between Cultures.” Michael Walgren and Jessica Arriola presented, “Framing Culture in Education”. 

NSU University School Middle School Students Mentor Lower School Students

NSU University School second grade students recently took an “on campus” field trip to the Middle School to learn more about aquaponics. Our Middle School students had the opportunity to teach the second grade students about the care and work that is involved in maintaining the aquaponics systems that are located in the Middle School courtyard area. Middle School students demonstrated how they analyze and measure the plants, observe the fish, and test the water quality to understand the important relationships between the fish and the plants. Learning about aquaponics is one example of mentoring opportunities that USchool students have, teaching younger students and learning from older students

Writing and Communication Center Consultants Present at 2019 PCAS / ACAS Conference

Three consultants from the NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) presented at the 2019 National Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association in the South (PCAS/ACAS) Conference, Sept. 26-28, 2019. College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media (CRDM) Master’s student, Nicole Chavannes, and alumna, Noemi Nunez, along with NSU Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Marine Biology undergraduate student, Athena Edwards, each presented.

The PCAS/ACAS conference features interdisciplinary presentations and discussions about popular culture, American culture, and culture world-wide. “I really enjoyed the fact that researchers from a variety of fields could come together and discuss their common interests, the content that everyone is exposed to every day,” Edwards explained. As a regional branch of the larger Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association, PCAS/ACAS was more intimate and allowed for greater participant engagement. As Chavannes explained, “Though small, this conference was one of my favorites I’ve attended. All the attendees were friendly and eager to share their work, and overall the conference felt collaborative and genuinely fun.”

About the Presentations

Title: “What We Don’t See: The Relationship Between Actor and Character”

Presenter: Athena Edwards, NSU Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Marine Biology student

Summary: This presentation discussed perception of characters in our favorite films and tv shows. According to Edwards, actors, as their characters, serve as windows and the faces of the storyworld that viewers consume. Edwards discussed the research and anecdotal observation​​ regarding the inter-relatedness of actors and their characters as they are perceived by audiences. The presentation incorporated the career and audience reception of popular celebrities such as Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emma Watson, as well as others.

Title: “Harry Potter and the Curse of Consumerism: How ‘Official’ Fan Spaces in Rowling’s Wizarding Storyworld Limit Fandom”

Presenter:  Nicole Chavannes, CAHSS, CRDM student

Summary: Expanding on her 2019 Popular Culture Association Conference presentation, Chavannes presented on Harry Potter, consumerism, and the inclusion of the Hogwarts Mystery game among fan spaces. Chavannes’ presentation focused on the growth of the series and addition of participatory spaces (physical and virtual) beyond The Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) to include seven novels, two film franchises, a play and secondary texts based on titles mentioned in the book series, such as Quidditch Through the Ages, A History of Magic and The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Title: “Harry Potter and the Rhetorical Character Portrayals in the Audiobook Series”

Presenter: Noemi Nunez, CAHSS alumna 

Summary: In her presentation, Nunez analyzed the rhetorical sound choices made in the Harry Potter Audio Series (particularly, Jim Dale’s gendered portrayal of Hermione Granger). Although Dale has been positively acknowledged for his narration for the series, there are negative comments on the way he portrays Hermione’s character. Nunez’s presentation analyzed the portrayal against feminist critiques. See the full PCA program here, and learn more about the WCC by visiting https://nova.edu/wcc.

 

International Education Week 2019 is Here!

Join NSU’s Razor’s Edge Global Scholars, Office of International Affairs, and campuswide partners for the 2019 celebration of global engagement and rich cultural diversity at Nova Southeastern University.

The 2019 IEW schedule features nearly 30 events (with several streamed to Regional Campuses) and every event attended offers an entry to win a $50 Amazon gift card!  Below are select featured events. Visit www.nova.edu/iew for the full list of 2019 IEW programming, daily Razor’s Reef international cuisine menus sponsored by Chartwells, and special international features and sales at Razor’s Edge Shark Cage businesses in Mako Hall.

 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Razor’s Reef Cuisine: Asian

Hunger Banquet | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Black Box Theatre, PVA
Registration required. At this interactive event, the place where you sit and the meal that you eat are determined by the luck of the draw—just as in real life some of us are born into relative prosperity and others into poverty. Sponsored by the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement.

Plus: Sharks Abroad Info Sessions, H1-B Employment Presentation, Picture Yourself Abroad Virtual Reality Experience, the Stolzenberg-Doan Annual International Studies Lecture, and Girl Rising Movie Night.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Razor’s Reef Cuisine: North American

Multicultural Shark Celebration Day | 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Library Quad

Come out and share your culture with others while celebrating those around you at NSU’s only collaborative event between all multicultural student organizations. Interested in joining a multicultural student organization? This is a great way to connect. Expect food, music, dance performances, and more! Sponsored by SEABoard.

Plus: Honors College International Opportunities Presentation, Tips for Writing an Application Essay Workshop, SAS and the Exploration of Guatemala, Career Advice and Pizza Slice for International Students.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Razor’s Reef Cuisine: European and African

Dating Across Cultures | 12:00 p.m., DeSantis 2067

Come join us for an engaging and insightful discussion about dating within the context of intercultural relationships. Learn valuable tips and thoughtful strategies for contributing to a healthy, honest, and equitable partnership. Sponsored by NSU Title IX Staff and NSU Peer Educators.

Plus: OPT and CPT Employment Workshops, Service in the City, and Just Dance Around the World.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Razor’s Reef Cuisine: Islands of the Caribbean

Global Village | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., Don Taft University Center, Spine

An IEW tradition, Global Village gathers students from the many countries represented at NSU to share their culture and country pride with the entire NSU community. Sponsored by the Office of International Affairs.

Plus: Friday Night Flights – International Edition and a Cultural Cook-Off

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