Category: Athletics

The “king of the jungle” is in peril.

Over the past 200 years the lion has lost 90% of its former numbers – today they are found in small, isolated populations, principally in southern and eastern Africa. Tiny relict populations persist in central Africa, West Africa and in the Gir Forest Reserve within the Kathiawar peninsula of India.

North African subspecies, the Barbary lion and the Cape Province lion, disappeared within the last century and a half, and they have all but disappeared from Eurasia since their apex during the late Pleistocene ice age when cave lions were dispersed from Iberia to Alaska. Lions are listed as vulnerable by Red List, IUCN, and US Endangered Species Act.

The details of lion natural history are murky.

• When did Pleistocene cave lion split from modern lions?
• What was their ancestral hierarchy?
• Did the lost lion subspecies hybridize with ancestors of modern African or Asian lions?
• Was their extinction preceded by genetic impoverishment, reminiscent of other lost mammal groups?

To help answer some of these questions, a new study “The Evolutionary History of Extinct and Living Lions” published in Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, uses the power of ancient DNA and whole genome analyses to resolve these issues. Stephen J. O’Brien, Ph.D., a research scientist and professor in Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, was part of the research team.

“The new results illustrate the power of the genomics era in revealing lost secrets of pre-history by reading DNA footprint codes in the ancestors of modern species,” O’Brien said. “And the ‘Indian Lion’s’ alarming genetic impoverishment is clearly affirmed.”

O’Brien’s career spans several decades, going back to a 25-year tenure as the Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1986-2011. He joined the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics in St. Petersburg State University (Russia) in December 2011, where he serves as its Chief Scientific Officer.

Lead authors Marc de Manuel and Ross Barnett sequenced museum and permafrost paleontological samples of lions (up to 30,000 years old) from outside their current range, alongside modern samples from living lions to look at how historic lions evolved and spread.

“It was amazing to work with samples from 30,000 year-old cave lions and get the whole genome of the animal,” said Barnett. “It shows just how much the technology for ancient DNA has advanced in the past decade and how genomics of the past can inform the conservation of the future.”

Along with NSU’s Halmos College, the research team included members from the Globe Institute – University of Copenhagen and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology. They concluded that the ancestors of living modern lions and extinct cave lions diverged into distinct lineages approximately 500,000 years ago. Computer modelled simulations indicated little gene flow or detectable hybridization after the split despite potential areas of range overlap in western Asia and prior strong evidence for widespread hybridization among other Panthera (great cat) species.

This tentatively suggests that as yet unidentified factors conspired to prevent effective breeding between the two lion types during the Pleistocene. The authors also find no clear evidence of a decline in genetic diversity in Cave lions, Barbary lions or Cape lions prior to extinction.

Around 70,000 years ago, modern lions clearly split into two distinct lineages: (1) Lions found in central, eastern and southern Africa today; and (2) Indian, West African, and extinct North African lions.

This has strong conservation implications.

Knowing the closest relative of the extinct Barbary lion will inform any potential reintroduction attempts. Similarly, the precarity of the Indian population (less than 500 individuals) is a politically sensitive topic, but resolving their closest living relatives could inform future restoration and outbreeding initiatives.

Modern Indian lions were found to be near genetically uniform consequent of centuries of persecution and historic genetic bottlenecks. These lions show multiple physiological correlates of inbreeding (e.g. depleted sperm counts, skeletal defects, testosterone reduction and derivative reduced mane size.) Also, the new study demonstrated firmly the Indian lions of today are, in fact, native to the region and were not brought over from Africa during pre- colonial times as has been floated in the popular media.

This new study provides unparalleled detail of the evolutionary history of the lion, showing relationships between different modern geographic populations and even extinct populations. The results have wide implications for future conservation work in what is now a vulnerable species.

 

 

On Thursday, April 23, 2020, the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship in partnership with the NSU Career Development office announced their 2020 NSU Wonder Women virtually via Zoom. Leading up to the event, NSU faculty, staff, and students were asked to nominate individuals they felt represented all of the qualities of a Wonder Woman. Nominees were evaluated based on the following criteria: Leadership, Academics Excellence and Career Focus, Community Service, Integrity/Ethics and Female Empowerment.

There were over 90 nominations and all of the nominees truly represented what it means to be a Wonder Woman.

The first place winner of the 2020 Wonder Women Award will receive a $500 scholarship, and the second and third place winners will receive a $250 scholarship.

 

1^st Place: Charissa Bacon

• Charissa is currently working towards her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing
• She has been an exceptional leader on and off campus. As a student athlete with the women’s Track & Field Team, Charissa has also taken the time to give back to the NSU community through her leadership roles as Athletic Senator for the Student Government Association representing student athletes and their concerns, as well as Peer Leader aiding first-year students and their transition to the university, while managing her academics, multiple jobs, and still trying to give back to others.
• Charissa has a strong GPA and is part of the Razor’s Edge Shark Cage Program for business students who want to become entrepreneurs. Outside of academics, Charissa is incredibly career focused and driven.
• Currently Charissa is doing an internship with the Emery, the first all-woman co-working space in South Florida, as their Social Media Marketing Coordinator. Last summer, she served as a Marketing Intern for Evolve Learning Community.
• She has also worked as a photographer for NSU’s Office of Student Affairs Marketing, as well as a photographer & creative team member for the Office of Digital Media and Graphic Design with NSU Athletics Department. Charissa is constantly and consistently worked towards her career goals.
• As a young female entrepreneur, she is committed to empowering strong women and their businesses and has attended the Women Empower X event, as well as the opening of Power Space, Broward County’s first and only black woman owned co-working space.
• She also co-founded and is the executive director of Heart n’ Hussle, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of uniting and empowering women with an entrepreneurial spirit.
• She embodied all of the qualities that make up a wonder woman.

 

2^nd Place: Samantha Aessa

• Samantha is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Neuroscience.
• Samantha is a member of NSU’s elite program, President’s 64,which allows her to serve as a representative voice of the student body while interacting with the President and as an ambassador for the university.
• She currently holds the Public Relations Chair position within NSU SKY. Along with that position, she is involved in many other organizations, such as GreenHouse Ministries, Physician to Patient, Delight, and the Neuroscience Club. She is also employed at the NSU Writing and Communication Center as a Peer Writing Consultant, Biology Fellow, and COMP Fellow where she serves as a leader to those who come in for help with their writing and communication assignments.
• Samantha has the dream of one day becoming an obstetrician and has interned at California Medical Center, where she shadowed physicians on the delivery floor, observed a C-section in an operating room, and assisted in delivery rooms, from holding the patient’s legs to handing equipment to the physician.
• She has taken the opportunity in between semesters to travel abroad on a service trip to Ghana, Africa, where she was faced with life-changing experiences: She assisted in delivering a dozen babies, performed CPR and resuscitated a newborn, also assisting on multiple surgeries.
• She embodied all of the qualities that make up a wonder woman.

 

3^rd Place: Serena Stevens 

• Serena is currently working towards her Bachelor of Science in Biology degree at NSU.
• She is the Pre-Professional Ambassador for the Inter-Organizational Council (IOC) where she assists active organizations on campus in collaborating with one another, aiding in the development of event funding budget requests, hosting meetings and events, and completing community service projects.
• As an ambassador for IOC, Serena helps all organizations on this campus achieve their goals each semester. Along with her leadership in IOC, Serena also serves as the Secretary for Med-Ed which focuses on helping all pre-health students gain hands on experience in their future field of choice through workshops and discussion panels.
• Serena’s other leadership involvements on campus include being a member of the Emerging Leaders Experience, Secretary of the Unified Greek Council, and Community Service Chair for Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.
• As a pre-dental biology major, Serena has spent several of her Winter and Summer breaks shadowing different professionals in the dental field and has had the opportunity to gain hands on experience.
• Along with this, Serena also participates with the Pre-Dental Society in the annual Give Kids A Smile event at NSU’s College of Dental Medicine. In addition to her pre-health experiences, Serena has also been an employee of the Office of Orientation for the past two consecutive summers where she facilitated small group sessions
• She embodied all of the qualities that make up a wonder woman.

 

Congrats to all of our winners and once again a big round of applause for all of our nominees and finalist as everyone nominated truly is a wonder women.

New and Improved Rally 

Want to Earn $10 in Rally?

Want to earn $10 in Rally?  ICUBA and Resources for Living have teamed up to offer a virtual onsite event featuring informative webinars entitled “Managing COVID-19 Anxiety and Stress” and “COVID-19 Fears:  Ways to Stay Calm”.   These webinars will provide practical information on how to cope with stress while managing everchanging circumstances created by COVID-19.  They also provide insight on how to recognize different types of anxiety and provide resources for assistance if needed.  Individuals must view both webinars and complete the quiz to earn the $10 Rally incentive.

 

Watch the following Resources For Living webinars:

Managing COVID-19 Anxiety and Stress

COVID-19 Fears: Ways to Stay CALM

 

And don’t forget to take the onsite event quiz here:  Coping with COVID-19 Onsite Event

 

A satisfactory score of 80% or higher  is required for onsite event incentive.  All quizzes must be completed by Thursday, May 28, 2020, and will be credited in Rally by June 30.  If you find yourself needing additional help during this time, please feel free to reach out to the EAP at 1-877-398-5816.

We are ALL IN this together.

The NSU community has adapted to the “new normal” in the past few months.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unparalleled time for everyone, the spirit and resiliency shown by NSU students, alumni, faculty, and staff are inspiring. Despite being socially distanced, we are truly ALL IN this together.

In light of the global pandemic, NSU will participate in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and support in response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

On Tuesday, May 5, 2020, NSU is asking members of the community to come together to support NSU students, programs, and initiatives.

Learn more or make a gift now >>

According to the CDC, older adults are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. As a result, older adults have been advised to take extra precautions, such as limiting contact with others outside of their immediate household.

A recent news article published by ABC News examines how physical distancing may be causing isolation and loneliness in this population, whose families can no longer visit them. The article highlights the work of Linda E. Maurice, director at NSU’s Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI). The programs offered at the LLI offer older adults the opportunity to continue learning and enrich their minds, as though they were still in the university. These programs also help older adults keep to a routine, which is cited as an important factor in maintaining good health.

Click here to read the full article

Click here for more information about NSU’s Lifelong Learning Institute

Earlier this month, the Physical Therapy department within the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences donated much needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to the staff at Cleveland Clinic.  The PPE donation included 12 boxes of various size gloves, 5 boxes of sterile gloves, 3 bags of isolation gowns, and 1 box of ear loop surgical masks.

A big thank you to NSU Physical Therapy alumni and clinical instructors working at Cleveland Clinic Acute Care Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Departments during the COVID-19 pandemic. NSU Fort Lauderdale alumni include Susan Varghese ’08, Megan Kim ’13, Lauren (Weisberg) Bellinder ’15, Carolina (Herrera) McGrath ’16, Jamie Simanek ’16, Kyle Magley ’17, and Deanna Siroonian ’19. NSU Tampa alumni include Jonathan Romero ’19.  You make us proud!

NSU’s programs in Respiratory Therapy in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences loaned eight ventilators to local hospitals in the Palm Beach area that may be short during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six ventilators went to Wellington Regional Medical Center and two to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. It is anticipated that healthcare facilities will need extra ventilators to manage patients during this pandemic and NSU has stepped up to assist their clinical partners.  In addition to the loaned hardware, NSU has provided educational support from the Department of Cardiopulmonary Sciences’ faculty.

COVID-19 positive individuals who experience severe symptoms of respiratory distress may require mechanical ventilation. As hospitals swell with patients testing positive and with difficulty breathing, respiratory therapists are on the frontline managing these patients and running ventilators. Not only are respiratory therapists essential to ventilator management, but they are one of the unsung heroes who put their lives on the line by being exposed to the Coronavirus through required close contact. As the pandemic has evolved the importance of respiratory therapists has never been more apparent.

Of course, the mechanical ventilation hardware is only one part of the execution of the mechanical ventilation intervention. Managing a ventilator is much more than turning a knob, it takes special education and training to operate ventilators effectively and safely. NSU’s Department of Cardiopulmonary Sciences prepares students to fill that role and to address community needs. It is an intense and rigorous program that results in practitioners who can function in a critical care unit immediately upon graduation. It is an exciting and intriguing discipline that is knee-deep in the current pandemic.

As the need for ventilators increase, so does the need for experts to operate them.  NSU’s programs in Respiratory Therapy are preparing these members of the critical care team to work on the front line.  Learn more at www.nova.edu/respiratorytherapy.