Category: SharkBytes

Halmos Faculty Shares the Importance of Children’s Foot Development.

On Thursday, September 17, Halmos faculty member Mark Jaffe, D.P.M. conducted a presentation to over 25 families who attended the Start Smart Storytime for Little Minnows that morning. During this invited presentation, Jaffe informed the parents of the importance of their child’s foot development and taught them how to assess their kids shoes using the “1,2,3, Shoe Test”. After the presentation, Jaffe, along with six students, they screened about half of the children.

Prior to any community outreach, all student volunteers are trained on how to teach parents to analyze their children’s shoes. Prior to this event, Jaffe trained 15 of Halmos’s students to work with him on such outreach projects.

Halmos Faculty Member Co-Authors on Motivating Girls to the STEM fields

Santanu De, Ph.D.

This fall, Halmos faculty member Santanu De, Ph.D. with Fischler College of Education faculty member Vanaja Nethi, Ph.D. published an article entitled, “The Potential of Socio-biologically Relevant Mobile Applications to Attract Girls to STEM” in the Florida Distance Learning Association Journal.

Stimulating girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) when they are in school, and sustaining that interest, is critical in motivating girls to choose STEM-related disciplines in higher education and enter STEM careers. Research has shown that one of the main drivers that impact girls’ interest in STEM is hands-on experience with real-world problems. This paper proposes a strategy to provide middle-to-high school aged girls (13-17 years) with the opportunity to engage with biological concerns that are relevant to them. This strategy utilizes the prevalence of the smartphone among young people in this age group, and the availability of suitable free or low-cost mobile applications to address the problem of a ‘leaky’ STEM pipeline.

For more information:  https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-journal/vol4/iss1/4/

Alumni Spotlight: Marla Somerstein Neufeld, J.D.

Marla Somerstein Neufeld, J.D.

Marla Somerstein Neufeld, J.D. (’99), is an attorney and partner at Greenspoon Marder LLP, where she founded the firm’s surrogacy and reproductive technology practice group. As the mother of twin boys who were born with the assistance of a gestational surrogate, she brings personal experience to her practice.

Neufeld assists clients with all legal aspects of third-party reproduction and represents parties using a surrogate or an egg, sperm, or embryo donor. With a focus on helping others start a family using these technologies, or Florida adoption laws, Neufeld has authored numerous publications about the subject, including co-authoring a book, The American Bar Association Guide to Assisted Reproduction: Techniques, Legal Issues and Pathways to Success.

Neufeld is a board member or volunteer at several organizations, including ARC Broward, Broward Partnership for the Homeless, and the March of Dimes. She is the recipient of honors that include NSU University School’s 2018 Alumni Hall of Fame, Super Lawyers magazine 2018 Rising Stars in Florida, Daily Business Review 2014 Rising Stars (40 Under 40), South Florida Business & Wealth 2014 Rising Star, Leaders in Law, and Florida Trend magazine Up & Comer 2010.

A 1999 graduate of NSU’s University School, Neufeld earned a B.A. at American University in 2003. She earned her J.D. degree at the University of Miami School of Law, graduating Cumlaude in 2007.

Family Therapy Alumna is Faculty at the University of Victoria and visits DFT Students

Samantha Corrington, M.S., 2006 graduate of the master’s program in the Department of Family Therapy (DFT), in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC, Canada. Corrington recently visited DFT and spent time with students and faculty sharing her career path and professional experiences.

Corrington worked for United Way in South Florida prior to her relocation to Canada. She worked for almost a decade with the Penelakut First Nation before joining the faculty at the University of Victoria. She has published and presented widely and was able to address issues such as licensure in both the US and Canada, her clinical work, faculty experiences, and narrative therapy. DFT students enjoyed her perspectives and engagement.

FCE&SCJ Professor Co-Authors Book on Distance Education

Michael Simonson, Ph.D., Professor, at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice co -authored the book, Teaching and Learning at a Distance Foundations of Distance Education 7th Edition.

The book is written for introductory distance education courses for preservice or in- service teachers and for training programs that discuss teaching distant learners or managing distance education systems. Furthermore, it provides readers with the basic information needed to be knowledgeable distance educators and leaders of distance education programs.

In 2016, Dr. Simonson was named to the Hall of Fame of the U.S. Distance Learning Association. He has authored four major textbooks dealing with distance education, instructional technology, instructional computing, and instructional media. Additionally, he is the founding editor of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, Distance Learning Journal, and Proceedings of Selected Research and Development Papers presented at the Annual Conventions of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Dr. Simonson was an external evaluator of South Dakota’s Connecting the Schools and Digital Dakota Network projects, and also for the Washington Center. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain.

To learn more about the book or to purchase, please visit:

https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Teaching-and-Learning-at-a-Distance-7th-edition

Alumni Spotlight: Chantal Leconte, M.B.A.

Chantal Leconte, M.B.A. (’93), is the former chief executive officer at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, a Memorial Healthcare System pediatric facility in Hollywood, Florida. She has more than 40 years of experience in the field, including having served as a nursing manager, giving her a unique perspective as an administrator and practitioner.

Leconte has previously worked as CEO at Memorial Hospital Pembroke; administrator of Wuesthoff Medical Center-Rockledge in Melbourne, Florida; and chief operating officer of Coral Springs Medical Center in Coral Springs, Florida. She also worked for 17 years at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Weston Florida.

Currently serving as the immediate past-chair of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association Board of Directors, Leconte is a graduate of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class VI and the Leadership Broward Foundation Class XIX. She has volunteered her time with the Women’s Healthcare Executive Network-South Florida, the American Heart Association, the Weston Business Chamber of Commerce-Women Council, the Rockledge Rotary Club, and the City of Rockledge Advisory Board in Central Florida.

Leconte earned her M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration from Florida Atlantic University and a nursing degree from Queensboro Community College in Bayside, New York.

Education Alumna Named Michigan Teacher of the Year; Appointed to the Governor’s Educator Advisory Council

Cara Lougheed, M.A.

Cara Lougheed, M.A., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ), has been named the 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year by the Michigan State Department of Education and appointed by Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, to the Governor’s Educator Advisory Council.

She has taught English language arts and history for 21 years in Rochester Community Schools, beginning at Rochester High School in 1998. Over the years, Cara has been a social studies teacher leader, a building activities director, union building representative, and a national delegate representing Rochester at the NEA Representative Assembly each summer. She has worked collaboratively with colleagues and administrators over the years to create and write curriculum and to design an attendance incentive program for students.

Additionally, Cara is an advisory member of Oakland University’s (Rochester, Michigan) Vision 20/20 committee, which seeks the input of classroom teachers in making clearer connections and building relationships between the pre-k-12 and university communities. Currently, she is a student intern and mentor liaison to Oakland University and works in partnership with TeachingWorks and the Michigan Program Network (MiPN) to advance and improve teacher education in Michigan. This collaboration has led to the adoption by the Michigan Department of Education of “Core Teaching Practices” for teacher prep programs in Michigan.

Cara earned her M.A. in Teaching and Learning in 2001 with the FCE&SCJ.

Halmos College Alumna Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative Chair

Jamie Monty is the new (and a former) manager of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area (Coral ECA). She serves as chair of the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) Team.

Jamie completed her master’s degree at Nova Southeastern University in coral reef restoration, using corals of opportunity, coral nurseries, and integrated stakeholder involvement. She started with DEP in 2005, assisting with the management of four aquatic preserves and revising the North Fork St. Lucie River Aquatic Preserve Management Plan. She joined CRCP in 2008 as the Fishing, Diving, and Other Uses coordinator, was promoted to assistant manager, and served as manager from 2012-2015. She was the lead developer of the Our Florida Reefs Community Planning Process.

Since her time with DEP’s CRCP, Jamie went on to serve as the section chief for Miami Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM) Restoration and Enhancement Section, where she oversaw the coral and artificial reef, beach renourishment, seagrass, water quality and coastal restoration programs. While at DERM, she served as a SEFCRI team member in a local government seat, and as vice chair of that stakeholder group. Most recently, Jamie worked as a senior project manager for the environmental consulting firm Coastal Systems International, where she led coral mitigation, coral disease and coastal resilience projects for government agency clients.

In addition to Jamie’s education, experience and dedication to the goals of DEP’s CRCP and SEFCRI programs, her genuine and warm nature when interacting with CRCP staff, SEFCRI Team/Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)/Vice Chairs, and the public make her an asset. The broader experience she brings to CRCP will surely assist both CRCP and SEFCRI in achieving their goals. Jamie is excited to be back at the helm and to have the opportunity to continue working with Coral ECA stakeholders to balance the use and protection of Southeast Florida’s coral reef resources.

Halmos Faculty Session Leader at International Earth Biogenome Project (EBP) Conference

This past August, Halmos faculty member Jose Lopez, Ph.D. was the session leader for the Global Invertebrate Genome Alliance/Community of Scientists (GIGA) at the broader Earth Biogenome Project (EBP) Conference. The conference session gathered experts who discussed their research and recent advances that included full genome sequencing of invertebrate taxa such as Cnidaria, Mollusks, Placozoa, and Planaria.

The annual conference was held at historic Rockefeller University in New York City and was designed to further advance the mission of the Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP) and Earth BioGenome Project.

Additionally, for the first time during the Annual Meeting, the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) will partner with GIGA in a joint effort to engage and integrate with other large-scale genome projects, including previous G10K partnerships with B10K, Bat1K, GAGA and GIGA for non-insect invertebrates as well as other EBP-affiliated projects. The Earth Genome Project plans to eventually sequence all 1.5 million animals, plants and protists.

For more information: https://www.earthbiogenome.org/

Halmos Faculty Organize Tiny Earth Conference

This July, Halmos faculty member Aarti Raja, Ph.D. from the Department of Biological Sciences co-organized the annual Tiny Earth symposium with researchers from around the world. Faculty members Aarti Raja, Ph.D. and Julie Torruellas Garcia, Ph.D.  then traveled to the Tiny Earth National Conference at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery, Madison, WI. They were invited to present their research at the conference. Dr. Raja’s talk was entitled, “Tiny Earth at NSU: Journey from Classroom-based Research to Independent Research”. Dr. Torruellas Garcia’s talk was “Beyond Antibiotics: Targeting Bacterial Virulence Factors”.

Tiny Earth was launched in 2018, however it began six years earlier when Dr. Jo Handelsman (former scientific advisor to Barack Obama) founded a course—then called “Microbes to Molecules”—at Yale University with the goal of addressing both the antibiotic crisis and the shortage of science trainees. In short order, the course grew and became a part of a larger initiative until Handelsman returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and launched Tiny Earth in collaboration with its hundreds of partners worldwide.

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