Category: SharkBytes

Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences SLP Alum Recipient of the WPLG Local 10 LIFEchanger Award

Julia, a Camp Wings of Friendship camper, and LIFEChanger nominee, Samantha Novick Courtesy from The Friendship Journey

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) is excited to acknowledge alumnus Samantha Novick, who was the recipient of the WPLG Local 10 LIFEchanger Award.

This award recognizes a “hometown hero who has made a positive impact at a pivotal point in someone’s life.” Samantha was nominated by a camper from Camp Wings of Friendship, a free 8-week virtual summer camp for teens and adults with disabilities, that Samantha started and led this summer of 2020. Several NSU SLP Graduate Students served as assistant counselors and supported campers throughout various camp activities.

The Friendship Journey of South Florida, the nonprofit organization where Samantha serves as president, and Dylan’s Wings of Change of Connecticut, co-created Wings of Friendship to foster dialogue, develop friendships and deepen connections amongst individuals of all abilities in a safe, virtual space. NSU SLP graduate students continue to do community work in their ongoing programming.

We are so proud of you, Samantha!

 

 

 

HCAS Alum Speaks at the Social Justice Roundtable during Virtual Residential Institute

Tony Gaskew, Ph.D

Tony Gaskew, Ph.D., graduate of the doctoral program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) was the featured presenter at the Social Justice Roundtable during the Virtual Residential Institute hosted by DCRS. This was the first time that Residential Institute was held virtually. Gaskew discussed his upcoming book, Stop Trying to Fix Policing: Lessons Learned from the Front Lines of Black Liberation.

Gaskew is professor of Criminal Justice and Director, Criminal Justice Program at University of Pittsburg Bradford. He spent over 20 years in law enforcement. In 2016, he was one of ten US educators invited to the White House to participate in a Roundtable on Criminal Justice Reform.

Gaskew has published extensively in the areas of criminal justice, and policing. He was a recipient of the 2014 NSU Distinguished Alumni Award.  His honors include the Fulbright-Hays Fellow for a research project in Egypt and the Academic Fellow in Terrorist Studies in Israel by The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.  He was named a University of Pittsburgh Faculty Diversity Fellow and Teacher of the Year by The National Society of Leadership and Success. He is the founding director of the nationally recognized UPB Prison Education Program. Gaskew received the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (DHS) Beacon of Dignity Award at Columbia University in 2015 for his outstanding dedication to equality and human rights. He is the book series editor of Critical Perspectives on Race, Crime, and Justice. For more information about his upcoming book, please see https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498589505/Stop-Trying-to-Fix-Policing-Lessons-Learned-from-the-Front-Lines-of-Black-Liberation

For more information about the Social Justice Roundtable, please contact Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D., at mckayj@nova.edu

 

 

HCAS Research on Hammerhead Shark Migrations Identifies their Seasonally Resident Areas

Hammerhead sharks are some of the most iconic and unique-looking creatures in our oceans. While some may think they look a bit “odd,” one thing researchers agree on is that little is known about them. Many of the 10 hammerhead shark species are severely overfished worldwide for their fins and in need of urgent protection to prevent their extinction.

To learn more about a declining hammerhead species that is data poor but in need of conservation efforts,  a team of researchers from NSU’s  Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center (SOSF SRC) and Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI), Fish Finder Adventures, the University of Rhode Island and University of Oxford (UK), embarked on a study to determine their migration patterns in the western Atlantic Ocean.

The research team satellite tagged sharks off the US Mid-Atlantic coast and then tracked the sharks for up to 15 months. The sharks were fitted with fin-mounted satellite tags that reported the sharks’ movements in near real time via a satellite link to the researchers.

“Getting long-term, high resolution tracks was instrumental in identifying not only clear seasonal travel patterns but also the times and areas where the sharks were resident in between their migrations – key information for management action to help build back this depleted species,” said Ryan Logan, a Ph.D., student at the Halmos College of Arts & Sciences and Guy Harney Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), GHRI and SOSF SRC, and first author of the newly published research.

The researchers found that the sharks acted like snowbirds, migrating between two seasonally resident areas – in coastal waters off New York in the summer and off North Carolina in the winter.

“The high resolution movements data showed these focused wintering and summering habitats off North Carolina and New York, respectively, to be prime ocean “real estate” for these sharks and therefore important areas to protect for the survival of these near endangered animals,” said Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D., professor in the HCAS and director of the GHRI and SOSF SRC, who oversaw the study.

Identifying such areas of high residency provides targets for designation as “Essential Fish Habitat” – an official title established by the US Government, which if formally adopted can subsequently be subject to special limitations on fishing or development to protect such declining species. The tracking data also revealed a second target for conservation. The hammerheads spent a lot of resident time in the winter in a management zone known as the  Mid-Atlantic Shark Area (MASA) – a zone already federally closed for seven-months per year (January 1 to July 31) to commercial bottom longline fishing to protect another endangered species, the dusky shark. However, the tracking data showed that the smooth hammerheads arrived in the MASA earlier in December, while this zone is still open to fishing.

“Extending the closure of the MASA zone by just one month, starting on December 1 each year, could reduce the fishing mortality of juvenile smooth hammerheads even more”, said Shivji.

The tracks of the smooth hammerheads (and other shark species) can be found at

www.ghritracking.org. For more information about the project, please contact Shivji at mahmood@nova.edu

Department of Family Therapy Joins the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine

As result of NSU reorganizing, the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM) welcomed the addition of the Department of Family Therapy in June. The fit served as a proper one, as the department has already been collaborating with the KPCOM through the Medical Family Therapy Clinic launching in 2016, and most recently the joint B.S. in Health and Wellness Coaching program in fall 2020.

“Based on the systemic and collaborative perspectives utilized by the KPCOM and similarities in our philosophies, this reorganization has been a good fit for us,” said Farah Niazi, Ph.D., LMFT, LMHC, Department of Family Therapy chair and assistant professor. “We believe that this transition has brought new prospects for us in learning opportunities and to expand what we do well as systemic marriage and family therapists.”

The integration will allow several opportunities to work collaboratively with other departments within the KPCOM to provide opportunities for students and faculty members, as well as to create the space to seek new grants and contracts. The department has already been highly involved with the NSU-KPCOM Unity Program for Change, while working with the departments of basic sciences, geriatrics, medical education, and internal medicine on upcoming projects. In addition, it has started teletherapy services for clients at the Brief Therapy Institute on-site clinic and plans to launch the service at the Medical Family Therapy Clinic at NSU’s Sanford L. Ziff Health Center.

The Department of Family Therapy’s academic offerings include the B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, B.S. in Health and Wellness Coaching, M.S. in Family Therapy, Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy, and Ph.D. in Family Therapy. The department also houses a unique certificate in solution-focused coaching, concentrations in medical family therapy and equine-assisted therapy, in addition to coursework in military families, infant mental health, grief and loss, and much more.

“We are excited about the future possibilities for collaboration, including expanding practice of medical family therapy, collaborating on medical outreach trips, working together on school-based and other community service projects, and cocreating educational opportunities for students, such as joint certifications and degrees,” Niazi said.

Dr. Hum Contest Winners Announced!

This fall, NSU’s Center for the Humanities announced its new Dr. Hum: Ask Me Anything video blog series. Each episode invites a new Dr. Hum, or humanities professor, to answer YOUR questions about the humanities. As part of this new launch, the Center for the Humanities hosted a contest inviting students to submit questions about anything ‘humanities’. This October, Dr. Hum will release responses to the top contest winners on Instagram (@nsu_humanities) and YouTube! The first video, set to release on October 2, will address Meroshah Khan’s “Most Timely Question”! Look out for more Dr. Hum videos in late October! While the contest is over, the Dr. Hum series still welcomes your questions. Submit your questions about anything ‘humanities’ to humanities@nova.edu! All students of all majors welcome!

Here are the winners:

“Most Timely Question” Award

  • “Now that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s term as a Supreme Court justice has unfortunately ended, what does this mean for the Supreme Court in terms of the next appointed judge? How does someone get nominated for the position?” -Meroshah Khan, Political Science Major, Class 2023

 “Most Universal Question” Award (Three-way Tie)

  • “Has the introduction of the internet created more connections or divisions?” – Jamie Thompson, Psychology Major, Class 2022
  • “Has technology aided us to save time and energy in the time budget model or has it depleted our cognitive abilities pertaining to socialization? Is technology worth it?” -Ashley Guillen-Tapia, Biology Major, Class 2024
  • “How have the humanities helped us progress as a society and how do we decipher the things that may be hurting our progression? i.e. social media/technology.” -Emily Falcon, Biology Major, Class 2024

“Heart” Award

  • “Throughout our lives we’re told how in many situations we don’t really know ourselves. Exactly what would be factors for oneself to know that he truly understands himself?” – Joseph Nahon, Computer Science Major, Class 2024

 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: NSU PA-C Alumna Dedicates Career To Honoring Mother’s Legacy

 In honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Beth Boyer ‘11, graduate of NSU Jacksonville’s Physician’s Assistant program, shares her personal story and motivation for her career – her mom.

 Life is filled with many hardships, but often, these hardships are the defining moments of perseverance and resiliency. In Beth Boyer’s case, watching her mother battle breast cancer defined her purpose and motivation to become the person she is today.

After always having a fascination for the medical industry, Boyer was influenced by her mother to take a leap of faith into the world of medicine. Her mother earned her Ph.D. at the University of Florida and told Boyer, who was working in advertising at the time, that in order to be satisfied with her career she needed to further her education.

Despite Boyer being afraid of failure and making a dynamic change in her career, her mom pushed her to apply to medical school because she told her it was never too late to make a change. After applying to NSU and UF, Boyer chose NSU because the regional campus in Jacksonville was closer to family.

As Boyer began studying for her Master’s in Medical Science, she received the news that her mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

Being in the health field, Boyer was able utilize her knowledge to help translate medical documents and understand terminology during her mom’s cancer treatments. She also leaned on a support network of family, friends, and NSU peers in her program.

“While studying a medical career, everyone around me understood how my mom’s journey was impacting my journey. They understood the weight of it emotionally, and I had a lot of support from the students and professors,” expressed Boyer.

During her mother’s battle with cancer, Boyer remembers that her mother remained strong and encouraged her to continue her studies.

“My mom promised if I went to PA school in Jacksonville that she would make it to my graduation,” said Boyer.  “She made it, but a week after, she ended up having a seizure. They found that the cancer had spread to her brain.”

Months after Boyer had graduated from NSU in 2011, her mother passed away in December.

Initially, Boyer didn’t want to make such a radical change when deciding to pursue a degree as a Physician’s Assistant, but her mother ultimately influenced her to change her path.  Boyer is proud to honor her mother’s memory by continuing her career in the medical and patient care field. She now works as a Physician Assistant in Hematology/Oncology at the Jacoby Center for Breast Health at Mayo Clinic Florida.

Boyer’s mother was a huge inspiration for her. Being by her mom’s side during treatments allowed her to become empathetic toward her patients who may also feel scared, frustrated, and out of control.

“As a PA, we have time to sit with our patients and break it down,” added Boyer, “Most patients just want to feel like they have control over something when they have cancer. They feel more comfortable with what’s going when they have someone to open up to. Validating and acknowledging their feelings is incredibly important.”

Boyer’s biggest takeaway from her time at NSU was learning about research as well as learning to be uncomfortable in what she was doing because change was inevitable.

“I learned so much from PA school, especially how to research independently. I’ve been successful because I know how to do it myself since it was part of my education. Meanwhile, from an emotional standpoint, I see what patients are going through, and I’m going to treat them like family – like they’re my mom,” said Boyer.

Boyer’s advice to current students is to follow the same guidance that her mom gave her about making a change because it’s never too late.

“It’s humbling to not know anything. After PA school, the biggest reward is learning from the people around you. Don’t be afraid, yet be challenged. Always continue learning because medicine changes so much; time changes your perspective and you should be constantly learning,” claimed Boyer.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, Boyer shares the importance of awareness because it promotes representation for the patients, medical affiliates, and research in the medical industry

“It’s about supporting the women during the process. Acknowledging their feelings is important, while also giving them the tools they need to access – like counselors and encouraging a healthy lifestyle,” she concludes.

Sallarulo: A lifetime of service to NSU and the Special Olympics

NSU trustee and alumnus, Paul Sallarulo ‘88 continues to pave the way for NSU alumni who selflessly dedicate their time and treasure to make an impact on our community.

Paul, an M.B.A. graduate of the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, proudly serves as the Chairman of the Broward Special Olympics and a member of NSU’s Board of Trustees.

“It is an honor to be a part of NSU because of what it did for me and my career, not just academically, but also for what it does for our community. We have an effect on the whole world,” he said.

Paul describes NSU as a pioneer in cutting edge distance-learning – a method offered by NSU to qualified people at a time when few other universities in the country had this option.

“Usually, it takes universities years to make some changes, but thanks to the NSU Board of Trustees, and to the past and current administrations, we are able to make transitions quickly as the times and technology updates require us to do so,” he mentioned.

Within his numerous roles in the Broward County community, he has consistently been a champion for those with special disabilities. He led a partnership with philanthropic leader and major NSU donor Don Taft, to bring a Special Olympics chapter to Broward County and to give it a permanent home at NSU.

“My mission is to have every university in America formally welcome the Special Olympics, so that all of God’s children may have the opportunity to have a university life. This gives our students so much pleasure and confidence. And it ultimately improves their health,” he said.

Paul has worked with people with special needs since the 1970s. He has had a lifetime of service that prepared him to later receive his first son, Patrick, who was born with Down Syndrome.

There are currently over 143,000 people with disabilities and special needs in Broward County, 7,000 of those in NSU’s Special Olympics program.

“They are the reason why it is crucial to stay in touch with what’s important; these people’s life-opportunities depend on what we decide to do with our leadership power,” he expressed.

“I sit in a room with some of the brightest minds in America to come up with ideas and make things happen. Our university welcomes alumni and invites young leadership to participate and help us make these things happen,” Paul continued.

Paul vividly remembers his experience as an NSU student as one of practical learning.

“I remember working with the professors. They taught me through life experiences and mentored me,” he said. “The practicality of learning from someone who has done it before, as opposed to someone who doesn’t have the experience, is important.”

Through his now multiple connections to NSU, Paul endearingly likes “to call NSU a ‘she’ because ‘she’ is that who plants seeds, comes up with new ideas, and makes things happen, making new traditions every day.”

Paul encourages students and alumni to voice their ideas and initiatives to NSU faculty and staff, to continue to push NSU and our community forward in innovation and service.

“I hope that our students remember that whatever they’re interested in, they can make it happen here. I did it and I’m honored to now be an alumnus of NSU,” he said.

——

Join Paul and the NSU community in this year’s Race for Champions on Saturday, November 7, 2020 by registering here. All proceeds go to the Special Olympics.

“I can assure you, when you get involved with Special Olympics, it will change your life… because it changed mine.” – Paul Sallarulo. Chairman, Broward Special Olympics.

NSU Connect Matches NSU Alumni and Students in First Installment of Mentorship Mondays

NSU Connect (www.nsuconnect.net) is a dedicated online community for NSU students, alumni, faculty, and staff to connect with each other for involvement and job opportunities.

In a brand-new initiative called “Mentorship Monday,” the NSU Alumni Relations team pairs a current NSU student and an NSU alumnus together to share shark insight in a related field or major.

The first official match within this program is between a new graduate student in the NSU’s marine science program, Chris Mayer, along with current NSU employee and NSU alumna, Melissa Dore, Ph.D.

In relation to being paired with Mayer, Dore has an extensive background in the area of marine biology. Dore has spent the last 25 years working her way down the eastern seaboard. Her first job was at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where she was an editor for the journal Oceanus. Following that, Dore conducted mangrove research at the Bahamian Field Station on San Salvador.

After gaining expertise with a machete, she went to NSU’s Oceanographic Center for her M.S. in Marine Biology and Coastal Zone Management. Subsequently, after Hurricane Andrew destroyed her mangrove research, she decided to move on to something much smaller, something so small it takes and electron microscope to see them. Her research included looking at Foraminifera and Ostracoda and their use as environmental indicators.

Currently, Dore is the Director of Academic Support and Administration for the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences working with students of all levels. With Dore’s experience from the classroom and field, she advised Mayer in the best ways to become successful in the field of Marine Biology.

During Dore and Mayer’s virtual “Mentoring Monday Matchup” session, Dore advised Mayer to volunteer in a lab “because showing one’s ability to their professor will allow them to see someone’s potential and invest in them.” Likewise, a student’s current research should be in tandem with the lab they’re working on.

Whether it is finding an opportunity in a lab or volunteering hours for a professor, Dore explained that “taking initiative is huge, and that showing your worth as a student is a key staple to success.”

Dore also suggested to always be present, reliable and enthusiastic since these are notable attributes a professor looks at when selecting students for a project or lab.

Mayer, who is currently volunteering in Dr. Abby Renegar’s coral toxicology lab and is preparing to start in Dr. Joana Figueiredo’s marine larval ecology lab, is excited to be on track for an engaging future in protecting and conserving our oceans and marine life. With the help of his mentor, Mayer is projected to graduate with his M.S. in Marine Science in the Spring of 2022.

Similar to Dore and Mayer’s story, other mentorship matches are in the works and are being paired based on specific career or research areas. NSU Connect is actively pairing NSU alumni and students and encourages all sharks to participate in Mentorship Mondays. NSU alumni and students can participate by signing up and posting on www.nsuconnect.net

 

 

 

Halmos Faculty Presents at Virtual Conference on Distance Learning

This fall, Halmos College faculty Santanu De, Ph.D. co-authored a presentation with Eunice Luyegu, CPT, Ph.D. from the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences at the Florida Distance Learning Association (FDLA) Annual Conference 2020. Held virtually, their talk was entitled, “Peer-Video-Blog Assessment”.

The conference theme was “Distance Learning: Raising the Bar for K-20”.  The FDLA’s mission is to establish a network of people whose focus is to provide support and cooperative programs and activities through videoconferencing and other distance learning technologies for the betterment of education, local economies, and the community and to collaborate with educational institutions, cultural centers, community groups, service organizations, and government agencies.

Writing & Communication Center Faculty Coordinator Named SWCA Digital Content Developer


Eric Mason, Ph.D., Halmos College of Arts & Sciences Associate Professor and NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) Faculty Coordinator, was named Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA)’s Digital Content Developer (2020-2022). The SWCA’s mission is to “advance literacy; to further the theoretical, practical, and political concerns of writing center professionals; and to serve as a forum for the writing concerns of students, faculty, staff, and writing professionals from both academic and nonacademic communities in the southeastern region of the United States.”

Of his new position, Mason stated “The SWCA community extends across nine states, and having effective online communication is incredibly important to making members aware of all the ways they can benefit from and participate in the work of the SWCA–from our events and journal to our research grants and writing center certification program. I look forward to improving SWCA members’ ability to collaborate and communicate online.”

At NSU, Mason is one of three faculty coordinators in the WCC where he works with faculty to design and implement pedagogies that help students improve their writing and communication skills. Mason also teaches undergraduate writing courses and graduate classes in the Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media Master’s program, such as Editing, Layout, and Design (WRIT 5800), and Technical Writing (WRIT 5400). Mason also hosts “The Writer’s Edge” Podcast, the WCC podcast set to explore what it takes to succeed as a writer in academia and beyond.

To learn more about the WCC, visit www.nova.edu/wcc

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