Category: SharkBytes

College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Graduate Authors Book on Christianity

David P. Diaz, Ed.D., graduate of NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of

Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ), recently authored the book, “The Genesis Labyrinth: Investigating Alternatives in the First Eleven Chapters of Genesis.” The book is a thought-provoking account that contains teachings taken from the book of Genesis that define its essence upon the Christian faith.

Diaz is an author and retired college professor. His writings have spanned the gamut between peer-reviewed technical articles to his memoir, “The White Tortilla”, which won the 2006 American Book Award. He holds B.S. and M.S. from California Polytechnic State University and earned his doctoral degree from FCE&SCJ in 2000.

NSU CAHSS Assistant Professor and Writing & Communication Center Faculty Coordinator Named SWCA Vice President

Janine Morris, Ph.D., CAHSS Department of Writing & Communication Assistant Professor and NSU Write from the Start Writing and Communication Center (WCC) Faculty Coordinator, was elected 2019-2020 Vice President of the Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA). 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.” In 2020, Morris will become SWCA President.

At NSU, Morris is one of three faculty coordinators in the WCC and oversees many graduate student initiatives, including a professional development and writing workshop series and weekly writing group for graduate and professional students. Morris has worked specifically with graduate and professional students for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; College of Pharmacy; College of Medical Sciences, Fischler College of Education; College of Osteopathic Medicine; and the College of Psychology. Along with supporting graduate and professional students, she is also the faculty advisor for the WCC’s social media (@nsuwcc).

Morris is currently working with WCC faculty coordinator, Kelly Concannon, Ph.D., on an edited collection on affect and emotion in writing centers. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Dr. Morris to demonstrate leadership to NSU and to the larger writing and communication center community,” said Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., executive director of the WCC.

Outside of the WCC, Morris is the Alumni Relations Manager for the Department of Writing and Communication and is the co-PI on a 2018 College of Composition and Communication research initiative grant to study how online first-year writing students’ backgrounds and expectations inform their experiences in first-year composition classes.

Halmos Undergraduate Wins Outstanding Chemistry Graduating Senior Award

This April, Halmos College Chemistry student Sabrina Vázquez Brenzini received the award for Outstanding Chemistry Graduating Senior at the South Florida American Chemical Society (So-FLACS) Awards Ceremony and Banquet. Held at Florida International University, the award recognizes graduating undergraduate students who have demonstrated the highest level of academic excellence in the field of chemistry.

When informed of her win, Sabrina said, “I feel honored about receiving this award… [This award] motivates me to keep doing better, to always give my best…”

Also in attendance at the ceremony was faculty member Richard H. Perry, Ph.D. of the Halmos College Department of Chemistry and Physics.

So-FLACS is the south Florida branch of the American Chemical Society. Founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress, the American Chemical Society is the world’s largest scientific society. Their mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people.

For more information: http://www.soflacs.org/

CAHSS Faculty Presents Lectures as Guest Artist at UNCG and Belmont University

While on sabbatical from NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Bill J. Adams, D.M.A., associate professor in the Department of Performing and Visual Arts, has presented lectures at the University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Theatre and at Belmont University School of Music in Nashville.

Adams is a certified instructor of the performance training method, Acting and Singing with Archetypes, which synthesizes the imagination, the voice, and the body as a starting point for character development in theatre. He has been invited, along with Christine Morris, MFA, associate professor in UNCG’s School of Theatre, to submit an article on Acting and Singing with Archetypes for the Vocal Traditions Series in the Voice and Speech Review, the journal of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Conflict Analysis and Resolution Alumnus is the COO of the Seattle Police Department

Mark Baird, Ph.D., graduate of the doctoral program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, was named the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Seattle Police Department. In this role, he oversees Professional Standards, Administrative Services, Budget and Finance, the 911 Communication Center and Information Technology.  

As COO, he works with various city entities and sits on several citywide committees and Mayoral subcabinets. He is responsible for the predominately-civilian support side of the organization. There is work in policy development, analysis, and implementation.

Baird indicated that, “My CR education has been very instrumental in my job and I use components of it each day.”

Prior to earning his doctorate degree from NSU, Baird earned his B.A. in Political Science from Central Washington University, and his M.P.A. from Florida Gulf Coast University. His extensive professional experience includes serving as the Executive Director of Budget and Finance, overseeing Budget, Facilities, Jail Coordination, and manages significant departmental projects. He served as a crime analyst and later the analytical supervisor and ComStat coordinator for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and had a similar role in the Portland Police Bureau. While in graduate school, Baird was a research fellow for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. He was the programs/operations analyst for the Snohomish County Department of Corrections and later became the Chief of Administration.  He has been an adjunct instructor at Clackamas Community College in Oregon and at Portland State University.

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Alumna Continues her Passion for Environmental Issues at FAU’s Florida Center for Environmental Studies

Kimberly Vardeman, M.A.

Kimberly Vardeman, M.A., graduate of the Master of Arts in Cross-disciplinary Studies (MACS) program in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) is continuing to pursue her passion for environmental issues including environmental stewardship, humane education, animal protection, and human rights. Vardeman is a research assistant at the Florida Center for Environmental Studies (CES) at Florida Atlantic University. Among her responsibilities, she coordinates community engagement research and public outreach.

In addition to her MACS degree from NSU, Vardeman earned her bachelors’ degree from the University of Florida. While earning her MACS degree, Vardeman was able to co-create her degree plan to include courses from NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. She completed a thesis in MACS, focusing her research on environmental community education. For more information about MACS, please contact Claudette Brooks in DCRS at cbrooks@nova.edu.

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Faculty publish book, Utopia and Dystopia in the Age of Trump: Images from Literature and Visual Arts

Barbara Brodman, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of History and Political Science (DHPS) and James Doan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Literature and Modern Languages (DLML) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), co-edited the book, Utopia and Dystopia in the Age of Trump: Images from Literature and Visual Arts. It treats literature, film, television series, and comic books dealing with utopian and dystopian worlds reflecting on or anticipating our current age. The book is co-published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, and Rowman and Littlefield.

In addition to chapters written by the co-editors, other CAHSS faculty contributors include Christine Jackson, Ph.D., Kate Waites, Ph.D., professors in DLML, and David McNaron, Ph.D., professor emeritus on DHPS.

For more information and to pre-order the book, please go to https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781683931676/Utopia-and-Dystopia-in-the-Age-of-Trump-Images-from-Literature-and-Visual-Arts

Halmos 2018 Alumna Lead Author of Peer Reviewed Research Paper

This April, the journal of Physiology and Behavior published the article, “Manipulating Neck Temperature Alters Contagious Yawning in Humans”. The lead author is class of 2018 undergraduate biology major Valentina Ramirez. Her mentor was Halmos College faculty member Omar Eldakar, Ph.D.

The study investigated the thermoregulatory theory of yawning, which is essentially that yawns serve to cool the brain. Valentina and her collaborators tested this hypothesis by altering neck temperature above the carotid arteries with therapeutic packs which in turn influenced brain temperature and therefore the expression of yawning. The researchers found that yawning behavior followed predicted patterns with increased yawning when the brain was warmed, and decreased when the brain was cooled. Thermal imaging confirmed the application of therapeutic packs influenced the temperature of the superomedial orbital area, a region previously used as a noninvasive measure of brain temperature. These findings provide further support for a thermoregulatory function to yawning.

Valentina is now a first-year medical student with the U.S. Navy. Congratulations to Valentina for her impressive achievement, and to Omar Eldakar, Ph.D for his mentorship.

Halmos College Faculty Keynote Speaker the Southeastern Society of Parasitologists

On the weekend of April 11th, Halmos College biology faculty member Christopher Blanar, Ph.D. was one of the keynote speakers at the 2019 meeting of the Southeastern Society of Parasitologists (SSP). Hosted by University of Georgia’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, the title of Blanar’s talk was “Effect sizes, affect words, and the value of parasites as bioindicators”.

“In short I used text analysis software to study whether scientists in my field change the way they write depending on the statistical significance and effect sizes associated with their results.”, said Blanar.

The other invited speaker was Kate Sheehan, Ph.D. of Southern Arkansas University. Over 200 people attended the conference. Blanar’s talk was well received and discussed throughout the meeting.

The SSP is an affiliate of the American Society of Parasitologists and is a mix of ecologists, taxonomists, cell biologists, immunoparasitologists, veterinarians, students, and more. The annual meetings are casual, relaxed, and always interesting. Membership is open to all persons interested in the study of all things related to the fascinating world of parasites.

Conflict Analysis and Resolution Doctoral Alumnus Publishes book, When Church Conflict Happens: A Proven Process for Resolving Unhealthy Disagreements and Embracing Healthy Ones

Michael Hare, Ph.D.

Michael Hare, Ph.D., doctoral graduate of Conflict Analysis and Resolution in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), has published a book titled, When Church Conflict Happens: A Proven Process for Resolving Unhealthy Disagreements and Embracing Healthy Ones. The book provides a blueprint for understanding and addressing church conflict and telling the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict.

Hare served as a pastor for over thirty years in New York, Vermont, Oklahoma, Colorado, and California. He has also served as a consultant to churches struggling with conflict. He is a consultant with Living Stones and is the chaplain for Compassion International working with domestic and international staff. In addition, Hare has been an adjunct instructor for several universities, teaching courses such as mediation.

Moody Publishers published the book, April 2019. For more information, please go to

https://www.moodypublishers.com/authors/h/michael-hare/.

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