Faculty & Staff News
Entrepreneurship and innovation were on full display at our annual Upper School Economics Trade Fair! Juniors and seniors taking economics presented their products and their business ideas to faculty, parents, and students. The teams worked hard preparing for the big event and they were proud to showcase their business and economic knowledge to the USchool community.
Posted 04/10/22
Professor Grace Telesco
Grace Telesco, Ph.D., associate professor at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference in Las Vegas, March 15-19. Telesco’s presentation was part of a Special Topics in Policing panel where she presented her paper “Long Term Psychological Effects of 9/11 on First Responders.”
While with the New York Police Department following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, as part of Telesco’s then position as lieutenant with the Community Affairs Department, she was appointed the Interagency Coordinator of Metal Health Services at the Family Assistance Center where families of the victims received crisis intervention and support.
Here is an excerpt from the presentation:
Much has been written about the trauma experienced as a result of 9/11 on various populations. From the lens of a first responder, this review of the recent literature on PTSD and outcomes for responders is presented in a retrospective personal analysis augmented by the empirical findings. Based on numerous studies and epidemiological catchment groups through the WTC registry, the literature suggests a substantial burden of 9/11-related PTSD among those highly exposed to the attack with increased symptoms over time. The need for treatment and making meaning of the events and the work is indicated.
Posted 04/10/22
ABOVE: Austin Barr (AuD Class of 2025) and Victor Garcia (AuD Class of 2025) participate in NSU CommunityFest 2022 distributing literature on SAA, audiology, and protecting your hearing. BELOW: Emilie Vos (AuD Class of 2023) and Marisol Rodriguez (AuD Class of 2025) at Fall Festival Day raising money for SAA.
The Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) at NSU has been participating in National SAA Chapter Challenges alongside other SAA chapters at universities throughout the country. The goal of these challenges is to advance relationships between all SAA chapters, grow engagement in the profession of Audiology, and build a sense of community amongst audiology students. The chapter challenges are divided into five main categories: Advocacy, Education, Humanitarian, Fundraising, and Diversity & Inclusion. Included below are a some of the activities our chapter did while participating in this challenge.
The SAA chapter here at NSU received first place overall among all participating universities for the 2021-2022 National SAA Chapter Challenges!
For more information, please visit https://saa.audiology.org/get-involved/chapters/chapter-challenges/
Posted 04/10/22
Boucher Gill
We are pleased to announce Big Brain Book: How It Works and All Its Quirks by College of Psychology Professor Leanne Boucher Gill, Ph.D., has been recognized as a Finalist in the 24th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.
In the Big Brain Book, readers are welcomed to Lobe Labs and Dr. Brain activities in a brightly illustrated, highly engaging book that uses science to answer interesting questions that tweens, teens, and adults have about the brain and human behavior. This is a fun primer on psychology and neuroscience that makes complex psychological phenomena and neural mechanisms relatable to the reader through illustrations, interesting factoids, and more. Chapters include: What is the brain made up of and how does it work? Why can’t I tickle myself? Why do they shine a light in my eyes when I hit my head in the game? Answers draw from both psychology and neuroscience, giving ample examples of how the science is relevant to the question and to the reader’s life experiences.
The Big Brain Book and its companion picture book for younger readers, Lobe Your Brain: What Matters About Your Grey Matter, were published by Magination Press Children’s Books, the children’s book imprint of the American Psychological Association, in June 2021.
As part of its mission to discover, review, and share the best books from university and independent publishers, Foreword Magazine, Inc. hosts an annual awards program each year. Finalists represent the best books published in 2021. After more than 2,500 individual titles spread across 55 genres were submitted for consideration, the Finalistswere determined by Foreword’s editorial team. Winners will be decided by an expert team of booksellers and librarians—representing Foreword’s trade readership—from across the country.
The complete list of Finalists can be found at:
https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/finalists/2021/
Boucher Gill has been on the faculty at NSU for 12 years teaching classes in psychology and neuroscience. She has a passion for communicating science with the public and often includes her students in library and museum STEAM outreach programs on brain science. Her research focuses on how cognition can be affected by movement. In this line of research, Boucher Gill examines how different forms of exercise (walking, running, bike riding, SCUBA diving) or fidgeting movements can affect one’s inhibitory control, working memory, learning, and attentional focus. She works with many students who have presented their research at local and national conferences.
Posted 04/10/22
Jon Prince, Ed.D.
The St. Lucie County School Board in Florida recently announced that Nova Southeastern University alumnus Jon Prince, Ed.D., will be appointed as the new superintendent at St. Lucie Public Schools.
Prince is a Florida native and grew up in Fort Walton Beach. He earned his bachelors and master’s degrees in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. After a year of teaching elementary school, Prince moved to Palm Beach County and taught middle school science. During this time, he completed his Educational Specialist degree in 1999 and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice in 2002. Prince said that receiving his education from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice has opened many doors in his career and allowed him to build a great network of educators and administrators throughout the process.
Prince is a first-generation college student and was inspired to pursue a career in education by his high school science teacher Mr. Woolwine. Prince said, “Mr. Woolwine cared about his students. He made them feel valued and important. Mr. Woolwine genuinely cared about getting to know his students. He showed me the impact that educators can have on their students’ lives.” Because of this influence, Prince values the importance of a transformational relationship with his students and staff.
Before being appointed to Superintendent, Prince served as Deputy Superintendent of St. Lucie Public Schools. Prince assisted with orchestrating Superintendent Gent’s vision of accountability, high standards and rigor in our public schools. The St. Lucie County School District has soared from 45th to 28th in overall academic performance while ranking as high as 22nd out of 67 districts. In addition, St. Lucie Public Schools ranks in the top 10 in the State for graduation rate, improving from 75% to 95% over the last six years. St. Lucie Public Schools is one of only four districts in Florida to maintain a graduation rate of over 90% for five consecutive years.
Prince resides in Florida with his wife, Heather and their four children. Prince is a proud advocate for public education, believing that equity and access to accelerated coursework will create a thriving community in St. Lucie County.
The Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice wishes you the best of luck as you step into your new role. We know you will continue to accomplish great things for the St. Lucie Public Schools!
Posted 03/25/22
NSU University School is proud to announce that both our Middle and Upper School Robotics teams have won the VEX Robotics State Championship and qualified to compete at Worlds! Upper School Team 4154X brought home the Excellence Award, making them the No. 1 team in Florida while the Middle School Team 63724A won the Design Award and is ranked 2nd in the state and 1st in South Florida.
We are so incredibly proud of their hard work and success! Join us in congratulating the teams and wishing them the best of luck at the VEX World Championship!
Posted 03/25/22
Graphic Design USA Magazine named two Art + Design majors in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts “2022 Students to Watch” in its February issue. Victoria Kuzmicki and Tristen Trivett both have concentrations in graphic design and were spotlighted by the national publication’s annual feature showcasing rising stars from top design programs in the country.
“Tristen and Tori are exemplary designers determined to use their creative skills to address social disparities and prompt thoughtful responses,” said Miriam Ahmed, Ph.D., assistant professor of graphic design for the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College. “They both deserve this industry-wide recognition.”
In 2021, NSU Art + Design majors Vivian Duran and Sol Santecchia were also named GDUSA “Students to Watch” and NSU was named a 2021 GDUSA Top Graphic Design School.
Check out the feature in the February 2022 issue here.
Posted 03/25/22
Professor Hui Fang “Angie” Su, Ed.D.
Abraham Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Professor Hui Fang “Angie” Su, Ed.D., celebrated a recent achievement in January. In the first month of the year, she celebrated 318 downloads more than 335 papers in NSU Works. With those 318 downloads, her current readership stands at 14,915 since January 2022 (downloaded across 55 countries, including India, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines, Australia, and South Africa).
Su said that most of her articles are on mathematics, teaching, and learning. However, some papers also focus on online education and STEM education. Su is a faculty member in the Mathematics Education Program. The program trains students and builds effective teachers in middle, secondary, and post-secondary mathematics. Some of the very students enrolled in the program have also co-authored some of the articles downloaded.
Congratulations, Professor Su!
Posted 03/13/22
While all schools strive to make it a reality, diversity is undoubtedly seen here at Nova Southeastern University. The Shepard Broad College of Law has been ranked 22nd in a National Level as “Best Schools for Black or African Americans” and 6th in a National Level as “Best Schools for Hispanics” by preLaw Magazine Winter 2022 edition.
Posted 03/13/22
Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D.
The National Academies of Practice (NAP) is pleased to announce the election of Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D., ATC, FNAP, as a Distinguished Athletic Training Fellow. Class of 2022 Fellows were welcomed into the National Academies of Practice during the awards and induction ceremony in San Diego, California on March 5, 2022.
Founded in 1981, NAP is an interprofessional, nonprofit organization, with membership representing a range of health care professions willing to serve as distinguished advisors to health care policy makers in Congress and elsewhere. The mission of the National Academies of Practice is to serve as distinguished professionals advancing interprofessional healthcare by fostering collaboration and advocating policies in the best interest of individuals and communities.
The academies within the National Academies of Practice include: Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine, Athletic Training, Audiology, Dentistry, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Psychology, Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine.
Fellowship in the National Academies of Practice is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering interprofessional practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care. The central purpose of NAP is to advise public policy makers on health care issues using NAP’s unique perspective — that of expert practitioners and scholars joined in interprofessional dialogue and advocacy.
For more information on the National Academies of Practice, please visit napractice.org.
Posted 03/13/22