Category: SharkBytes

NSU Honors Service and Sacrifice on Veterans Day

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F-16s

F-16s perform a flyover prior to the start of NSU’s Veterans Day Celebration on Monday, Nov. 11.

On Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, Nova Southeastern University held its Veterans Day Celebration at the U.S. Military Service Plaza at Forman Field outside the William and Norma Horvitz Administration Building on NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus.

Under sunny conditions accented by a flyover by four F-16 fighter jets, NSU’s Senior Director of Military Affairs Matthew Chenworth introduced the event following the national anthem sung by NSU student Sydney Sturza. NSU President George L. Hanbury II welcomed event attendees, which included top college officials, faculty, staff, and students.

The guest speakers at the event were Colonel John W. Erickson Jr. of the U.S. Air Force and John L. Estrada, the 15th sergeant major of the Marine Corps. Colonel Erickson is an attorney behavioral scientist, and investigator with a Master of Science in Forensic Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice from NSU. Estrada dedicated 34 years to the Marine Corps, rising to the highest enlisted rank.

As part of the ceremony, there was a presentation of Veterans Recognition Awards. The recipients were as follows:

  • Veteran Student: Pablo Fernandez, U.S. Navy
  • Veteran Staff: Carlos Guiovani Caceros, U.S. Marine Corps
  • Veteran Faculty: Kelley Davis, Ph.D., U.S. Air Force
  • Veteran Alumni: Andrew Devon Stephenson, U.S. Army
  • Army ROTC Cadet: Cadet Jada Parris, U.S. Army ROTC

Professor Presents Research at 2 International Conferences

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D.,

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D., fields questions after his presentation.

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D., associate professor from the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, presented a research poster at the British Aphasiology Society (BAS) International Conference, 2024, held in England in September. His presentation was titled “Addressing agitation in individuals with acute onset Wernicke’s aphasia.”

His presentation synopsis: Individuals with Wernicke’s aphasia, which is often caused by a stroke, have severe difficulty understanding others’ speech and monitoring their own speech. This results in substantial communication breakdowns with others (e.g., family, healthcare professionals) which in turn could trigger agitation in these patients.

Agitation in new onset Wernicke’s aphasia could be misdiagnosed and mismanaged as a psychiatric condition in acute hospitals. Chandregowda’s research has generated suggestions for health care professionals to prevent or minimize agitation in this context. Even though he presented his research poster virtually, it was well received, with a conference attendee expressing that the poster was logical, useful, and aesthetically appealing.

Chandregowda also gave an oral presentation at the 34th Alzheimer Europe Conference, Geneva, Switzerland in October. ​His presentation was titled “End-of-life interaction between individuals with dementia and their loved ones: Incorporation of nonverbal communication and nondeclarative memories.”  His presentation synopsis: There is a lack of literature on how to interact with individuals in advanced stages of Alzheimer type dementia when their declarative (explicit) memory and verbal communication could be severely impaired. With specific clinical suggestions, Chandregowda advocated for considering nonverbal communication and nondeclarative (implicit) memories to facilitate interaction in this context. His presentation generated substantial interest, with questions from multiple attendees during the post presentation Q & A and beyond.

“Attending events like this have immensely helped me with my professional growth and given me opportunities to represent my department (speech-language pathology), the college, and university internationally. I am also thankful that I can bring in these experiences to my classroom teaching to provide global perspectives to my students.”

Performance Team Celebrates Stanley Cup Victory

Pictured: Tobin Silver, Ph.D.; NSU students Liam Loging, Bella Vargas-Blanchard, Alexis Arena, and Joseph Petruzzelli; NSU alumni Peter Byers; and Florida Panthers staffers Tim Wittenauer and Mike Joyce

Pictured: Tobin Silver, Ph.D.; NSU students Liam Loging, Bella Vargas-Blanchard, Alexis Arena, and Joseph Petruzzelli; NSU alumni Peter Byers; and Florida Panthers staffers Tim Wittenauer and Mike Joyce

The Department of Health and Human Performance at Nova Southeastern University’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences had the honor of assisting the Florida Panthers Hockey Club with their preseason evaluations during the Stanley Cup-winning season.

Led by professors Tobin Silver, Ph.D., and Corey Peacock, Ph.D., the team—comprising undergraduate students of Exercise and Sport Science and graduate students of Sports Science—conducted detailed power, strength, fitness, body composition, and movement assessments. This invaluable experience gave students and alumni the opportunity to work in a high-performance setting alongside professional athletes. As a token of appreciation for their contributions, Tim Wittenauer, Director of Sports Performance & Rehabilitation, and Mike Joyce, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, invited the department team to spend time with the Stanley Cup, offering a momentous opportunity to celebrate the season’s success.

Peter Byers, M.S., an NSU alumni, reflected on the experience.

“This opportunity was truly invaluable,” Byers said. “Being able to perform hands-on assessments with professional athletes gave me insights and experience that I couldn’t have gained anywhere else. It was a defining moment in my development as a sports scientist.”

“Spending time with the Stanley Cup is a memory these students will carry with them for a long time,” said Tobin Silver, Ph.D. “This experience is not only about celebrating a victory but also about recognizing the hard work and dedication they put into working with elite athletes at the highest level.”

Gift Supports Travel Study at Honors College

Ken DiSaia and Jeff Greenip from the Enrollment Advisory Group

Ken DiSaia and Jeff Greenip from the Enrollment Advisory Group

Back in 2021, the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) community faced a profound loss with the passing of Dr. Anthony J. DeNapoli, dean of undergraduate admissions and international affairs. His 30 years of dedicated service left a lasting impact, inspiring all who knew him.

At the time, to honor of his legacy, Ken DiSaia and Jeff Greenip, co-founders of Enrollment Advisory Group (EAG), pledged $50,000 over the next five years to the Anthony J. DeNapoli International Student Travel Scholarship fund. The scholarship provides vital funding for international experiences such as study abroad, faculty-led trips, and internships, reflecting DeNapoli’s vision for all NSU students to gain global insights. EAG was retained by NSU in 2018 to recruit international students and worked very closely with DeNapoli to further grow NSU’s international population.

Today, EAG announced their intention to continue to support the Anthony J. DeNapoli International Student Travel Scholarship with another $50,000 pledge. Additionally, EAG has announced their intention to also make another pledge of $50,000 to the Honors College Passport Program.

The Honors College Passport Program is an initiative to provide students with equitable access to travel study opportunities. Many students dream of traveling abroad but lack the funds to turn this dream into reality. With the help of EAG, we can cover the costs of travel study trips to give students who have never been able to travel abroad the opportunity to do so.

Both funds drive EAG’s commitment to empower and support students to engage in international curricular experiences. They invite you to support both amazing programs. Together, we can make a difference. Your generous gift today can help keep Dr. Anthony J. DeNapoli’s mission alive and open new horizons for NSU students. Thank you for your support!

Health and Wellness Coaching Gets Nationally Certified

wellness

The Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Health and Wellness Coaching program is now approved and certified by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC).

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for the HWC Certifying Examination to become national board-certified health and wellness coaches. The NBHWC certification establishes a high standard for coaching designed to train and equip graduates in the health and wellness field to effectively support clients.

Becoming a national board-certified health and wellness coach allows certified coaches to work nationally, thereby providing them with extensive employment opportunities, including but not limited to private practice (onsite and virtual). This is an excellent opportunity for existing students.

Pre-health majors may also wish to consider a minor in health and wellness coaching as this is an important strategy for optimizing patient outcomes. Please contact Dr. Shazia Akhtarullah at shaziaa@nova.edu.

EMSAA Launches CommunityNet Intranet Site

EMSAA

NSU’s Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, and Athletics (EMSAA) division has launched its intranet site, EMSAA CommunityNet. This digital resource center, designed for our faculty and staff community, introduces the division’s six pillars, providing insight into each of their departmental operations and the resources they offer. The key purpose of this site is to serve as a go-to hub for faculty and staff to learn more about the division, have “at your fingertips” access to its resources and contacts as well as keep the community abreast of scheduled events and programs that provide for student engagement and university-wide collaboration opportunities.

We are excited to introduce EMSAA CommunityNet and are committed to making sure this site provides NSU’s faculty and staff with informative and relevant EMSAA-related content, while ongoingly managing site improvements and content renewing efforts. To help us know what the community’s interests and needs are, we want to hear from you.  If there is content you consider to be a beneficial community resource, please email the details to: emsaacommunitynet@nova.edu.

To learn more about EMSAA CommunityNet, visit https://www.nova.edu/emsaacommunitynet and log in using your NSU login credentials.

Former Grad Student’s Study Published in Biology Journal

mangrove tree crab

Mangrove tree crab

Tamara Frank, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, and her former graduate student, Ruchao Qian who is working on his Ph.D. at Florida International University, published Ruchao’s master’s thesis work in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

The work is titled, “Comparative study of spectral sensitivity, irradiance sensitivity, spatial resolution and temporal resolution in the visual systems of Ocypode quadrata and Aratus pisonii” (JEB 227: doi:10.1242/jeb.246813). Journal editors were so impressed with Ruchao’s picture of A. pisonii  (our local mangrove tree crab) that they are planning to use it in their 2025 calendar.

Professor Picked as Fellow for Hispanic Universities Association

Kevin Dvorak

Kevin Dvorak

DvorakNSU Professor Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., has been selected by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities as one of its 45 fellows who will make up the sixth cohort of its Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo. Dvorak is the director of NSU’s Writing & Communication Center.

The program is designed to increase diverse representation in executive and senior-level positions in higher education. Fellows participate in an array of leadership development activities preparing them for leadership roles in the full spectrum of institutions of higher learning, with an emphasis on Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Emerging HSIs.

The one-year fellowship program includes webinars and three seminars, with the first seminar in October in conjunction with HACU’s 38th Annual Conference in Aurora, Colo. The second seminar will be held in Washington, D.C., in April 2025, at HACU’s National Capitol Forum. The third seminar will take place at a still to be determined international location.

The Leadership Academy faculty consists of current and former presidents, chancellors and senior administrators and brings over 100 years of combined experience in serving various sectors of higher education, including private/public universities, community colleges and faith-based institutions.

Student Dental Association Honors Assistant Professor

Amini

Dr. Aryia Amini

Dr. Aryia Amini, assistant professor at NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, received the 2024 American Student Dental Association’s (ASDA) Advocate Award.

The ASDA is a national student-run organization that protects and advances the rights, interests, and welfare of dental students.

The Advocate Award recognizes faculty or school administrators who have shown a commitment to dental students and provide leadership and direction in addition to commitment to organized dentistry.

This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Amini has received the award.

Staff Member’s Article Focuses on Facilities Management

Reynolds

Mallica Reynolds

NSU employee Mallica D. Reynolds published an article in the APPA Facilities Management MagazineSeptember/October 2024 edition. The focus was on “Trust but Verify: Elevating Integrity in Facilities Management.” Reynolds is the assistant director of regional facilities with the Office of Facilities Management. He is a two-time NSU alum.

Office of Facilities Management champions the need to live out the NSU Core Values in everyday endeavors. Integrity is no exception to this mode of operation. It lays the foundation for internal and external relationships growing strong and operating effectively. Trusting the team to complete their assigned task is one half of the process needed to maintain balance in a productive organization.

Daniel Alfonso, NSU’s vice president of facilities management, promotes a participatory environment between all facilities management teams. Each team collaborates to bring the finished product to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Reynold’s article indicates that facilities management involves managing both people and equipment. People need to be mentored, trained, held accountable, and rewarded for good work. Equipment and mechanical systems must be maintained, upgraded, and replaced. In each area, failure to hold accountable and maintain high levels of integrity can lead to devastating end results such as loss of life.

NSU is an active member of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) and the Southeastern Regional Association of Physical Plant Administrators (SRAPPA) and is a driving force setting new national facility management trends. APPA is an international facilities management organization representing more than 17,000 educational facilities professionals from more than 1,200 learning institutions. APPA is the diamond standard for higher educational facilities management.

READ REYNOLD’S ARTICLE.

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