Category: SharkBytes

Halmos College Graduate Student Awarded NSF Fellowship

Elizabeth Saraf

Elizabeth Saraf, a new graduate student in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center, has been recognized by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) as a Graduate Research Fellow. This highly selective, nationally competitive, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers early in their careers.  The award provides three years of financial support, inclusive of an annual stipend.

Saraf graduated summa cum laude in May 2021 in the Marine Biology major from the University of Rhode Island. As an undergraduate, she received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding students studying in NOAA mission fields. During a gap year, she worked as a software engineer intern to build her computational programming and quantitative skills for application to her future research as a marine scientist.

Saraf has a keen interest in the sensory biology of apex marine predators, such as sharks. This passion brought her to the NSU HCAS Department of Biological Sciences and Professor Mahmood Shivji’s laboratory, where she will conduct research on how sharks use the Earth’s geomagnetic field and other environmental cues to navigate the open ocean. Saraf also has a strong interest in educational outreach and plans to disseminate her research discoveries to the general public to promote awareness of shark conservation.

Posted 9/11/22

Dietician Draws Educational Inspiration From Grandma

Nadine Mikati, Ph.D., RDN, LDN

Often immigration stories paint the picture of people who leave unrest in foreign lands, find sanctuary in the United States, and pursue the American dream. But for Nadine Mikati, Ph.D., RDN, LDN, an associate professor in nutrition at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, things went a bit in reverse at first.

Mikati’s family is from Beirut, Lebanon. As a civil war raged there in the mid-1970s to 1990, her grandmother emigrated to the Michigan – followed by her parents – before Mikati was born. When she was 7, her parents decided to return to Beirut with her and her two sisters.

“It was a tough transition since I was used to parks, my friends, my school, communicating in English and then I went to live in a city that, at that time, had no parks for children,” she said. “I did not have any friends and I could barely speak the language then.”

It was one of those early moments in Mikati’s life that reinforced the importance of family and education.

“Little by little, with the help of my family and my school, I was speaking Arabic very well and got used to the system there,” she said. “And we would always go to Michigan and visit my grandma.”

Although her older sister Mira moved back to the U.S. after high school to attend college, Mikati stayed behind and earn her bachelor’s degree at American University in Beirut. It was there that she got her first taste of a possible career in promoting, teaching, and researching health eating habits.

“When I started my education journey back in 2003 in Lebanon, barely anyone had heard of a dietitian,” she said. “I was doing a college tour when I was exposed to nutrition as a major and immediately it resonated with me.”

Mikati obtained her B.S. degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the American University of Beirut with distinction. She then left Lebanon and earned an M.S. degree in Nutrition and Food Science from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Her passion for learning led her to complete a Ph.D. degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Florida International University where her research primarily focused on obesity prevention.

Mikati designed and implemented an after-school intervention for children aged 6-11 to promote healthy eating habits and physical activity. As a Registered Dietitian, she has various experience in food service, clinical and community nutrition and was named Registered Young Dietitian of the Year in 2009 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Mikati has been teaching for more than a decade and September will mark three years with NSU. She says teaching has been something that has been ingrained in her since she was young.

“It all started as a kid,” she said. “I had a blackboard at home, and I would put all my stuffed toys as if they were sitting in a classroom and I would lecture them about the topic of the day. Flash forward to grad school, in 2007, I was offered the opportunity to become an instructor. It felt very natural to teach. Fifteen years later, here I am still teaching but now as a professor.”

On the research front, Mikati focuses on chronic disease prevention/management, food security and nutrition interventions for overall well-being. She says one of her shining moments has been a recent project she conducted at NSU.

“I received a quality-of-life grant from NSU,” she said. “We partnered up with two community organizations for this project and had students involved. The aim was to help individuals with chronic disease learn how to cook and eat better to lead a healthier lifestyle.”

Results of the project will be presented in a poster at a national conference in October.

“The satisfaction that I got from the participants at the end of the study, thanking us for this opportunity, reminded me of why I do what I do,” she said.

Nadine Mikati and her grandmother on Belle Isle in Detroit.

When Mikati reflects on her life, her career, and her educational ambitions, she fondly recalls her late grandmother’s inspiration and how grateful she is that her grandmother (who she calls “Teta”) decided to move to the U.S. many years ago.

“Teta was my role model. She learned English as an adult and became an unofficial translator for her neighbors in Michigan,” she said. “She also birthed nine children and so you can imagine how many cousins I have. I think all of us at some point lived with her. She would always push us all to get the best education.”

Posted 08/28/22

Law Graduate Wins Historical Society’s Golden Quill Award

Kenneth A. Cutler

“Mystery Solved: Justice George W. Macrae,” published in the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society’s Historical Review Fall/Winter 2021 magazine, received the Florida Historical Society’s 2022 Golden Quill Award for an outstanding article on Florida history. The story of Florida’s fourth Supreme Court justice, about whom little was known before the article, was researched and authored by Kenneth A. Cutler, a Coral Springs attorney at Cutler Rader and vice mayor of Parkland. Cutler is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law.

The Florida Historical Society honor recognizes a one-time in-depth article or special section focusing on Florida history, or the history of some part of our state, published in the preceding calendar year. Entries are judged on factual accuracy, clarity of expression and overall historical merit. The award was presented on May 19, 2022, in Gainesville, during the FHS Public History Forum.

A self-described history detective, Cutler was shocked when reviewing online biographies of Florida’s Supreme Court justices that there was little known about Macrae beyond his 1847 service on Florida’s highest court. Cutler also found out that the portrait in the Court’s gallery, commissioned in 1984, is entirely imaginary.

Then, using tools honed as a family genealogist, Cutler uncovered clues in 19th century newspapers, surveys, census records, and letters to trace Macrae’s birth in Virginia in 1802 to his grave in Kentucky.

“I credit the dramatic growth in digitized historical materials with making it possible for me to establish a biography that eluded other researchers for years,” said Cutler, who received his J.D. from NSU in 1986.

Posted 08/14/22

Education Doctoral Student Receives Assistant Principal Award

Dan Vera and Nicola Gardere

Nicola Gardere, a student in the doctor of education program at Nova Southeastern University’s  Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice has been named as one of Texas’ Outstanding Assistant Principals in the state.

Gardere attended the Texas Association for Secondary Schools Principals (TASSP) Conference last month where she was awarded the Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year for Region 12 in the State of Texas.

The news was previously announced and covered by the Marlin Democrat.

“I am grateful and honored to be selected as the Region 12 Assistant Principal of the Year,” Gardere told the newspaper at the time. “As a servant leader it is important for me to be successful because my success creates opportunities for others.”

Joining Gardere at the conference was Alumni Ambassador Dan Vera, Ed.D. Vera recently began serving as an Alumni Ambassador back in February and in that time, he has helped get the word out to prospective students in Texas and establish partnerships with two organizations.

One of the organizations NSU has partnered with is the Texas Association for Secondary School Principals, allowing members of the group to receive a 20% discount on the college’s program.

Congratulations Nicola and thank you Dan for all your work!

Posted 07/17/22

Halmos Doctoral Student/Veteran Starts Consulting Firm

Baldo Bello, M.S.

Baldo Bello, M.S., doctoral student in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), started Offset Consulting LLC, this year, which focuses on training public and private sector organizations on report narrative generation, leadership through adaptability and organizational conflict analysis

Bello is a 20-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps Reserves, during which he spent over 15 years in the infantry and retired as a Gunnery Sergeant. His last duty station was with Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) in the capacity of a Force Integration Operations Chief. He would advise on policy, and its implementation on a force of about 80,000 Marines and Sailors.  Currently Bello is a full-time Intelligence Police Detective, and has been in law enforcement for approximately 18 years.  A native of Chicago, he also holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago in Critical Incident Response and Threat Management.  In his spare time, he listens to audiobooks on audible, and spends time with his beautiful family.

Posted 07/05/22

College of Computing and Engineering Feeds Successful Career of Veteran

When Leonard Pounds, Ph.D., first arrived at Nova Southeastern University, he found a college that provided the perfect home to develop his skills in information technology.

NSU’s College of Computing and Engineering was the perfect fit for Pounds, as he moved from his distinguished military service and began building his future dreams.

A photo of Leonard Pounds when he was serving in the Navy

Pounds came to NSU in 2007 and held various positions in the Office of Innovation and Information Technology, including Deputy Chief Information Officer, before being promoted to the university’s Vice President of NSU Health in 2018. Pounds received a Master’s in Information Systems and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the college.

One of the fortunate similarities of Pounds’ time in the college and his time in service has been the camaraderie, he says. It’s the connections with people that many veterans miss most when they leave the military, he adds.

“This has also been the case within my academic journey; the program was geared toward my learning outcomes, making my educational journey very enjoyable alongside access to NSU’s Veterans Resource Center,” he said.

“I have built great relationships with my classmates, professors, and staff. The College of Computing and Engineering at NSU has been an amazing experience for me that has helped me grow personally and professionally.”

Pounds says that some of his military skills helped him make his transition to higher education a successful one.

“Being a veteran, I had already learned some of the most valuable lessons such as adaptability, perseverance, and time management,” he said.

The product of a military family, Pounds served in the U.S. Navy as an Information Systems Technician Second-Class Petty Officer (ESWS). His active-duty deployments included Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pounds received numerous awards of distinction including two Navy & Marine Corps Achievement medals, a Navy Unit Commendation medal, a Navy Good Conduct medal, a National Defense Service medal, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service medal, two Sea service ribbons and the designation of Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist.

“My father was the most significant influence in my service,” he said. “He served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam.”

As the VP of NSU Health, Pounds is now able to take the vast knowledge he has gained from the College of Computing and Engineering and apply it over a broad spectrum. Pounds oversees all clinic operations at NSU.  To Pounds, his career development from military to higher education has been an exercise in seamlessness.

“There has been a relatively easy transition into my professional role. This was due to my military service and the knowledge and skills acquired at the College of Computing and Engineering,” he said. “In the military, we are taught to put the team’s well-being ahead of our personal well-being. … This is servant leadership at its finest and this is the same attention to detail that you can expect from the faculty at NSU.”

Posted 06/19/22

Graduate Spotlight: Dreams Come True for Aspiring M.D. Student

Samantha Marazita

Samantha Marazita possesses a personality fueled with honesty, vivacity, and a passion for helping others. In fact, her zeal for life is so powerful that it’s hard to imagine the hurdles she had to clear enroute to a promising path to be a doctor. Obstacles aside, this M.D. graduate now finds herself headed to clinicals in internal medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio — the No. 2 hospital in the world.

Samantha’s journey was a bumpy one. She was raised in a mobile home park in Reno, Nevada, about 500 miles outside Las Vegas. Her parents, who didn’t finish high school, worked casino and service industry jobs to provide for Samantha and her older brother Anthony.

Samantha’s father incidentally gave her the first taste of the medicine. When he would complain of illnesses that he believed he had, Samantha would get on the family’s computer to do some research on his symptoms. She would bring her findings the next day to the dinner table. Her father continued to feed her medical curiosity routinely, she says.

Growing up, Samantha wasn’t much of a fan of academics, maintaining that she – as well as her parents – were more “street smart than book smart.” But that would all change when she went to high school. Initially though, she said, she struggled, and her grades reflected it.

“My first two years of high school, I was a terrible student,” she said. “It was C’s, D’s, and F’s. I told my teachers that I was just going to drop out.”

But then she met Dr. Sharon See, her sophomore English teacher. Samantha didn’t have a printer like the other students in the class so she would hand write her essays. Dr. See would sit down with her and go over them as she graded them.

“Having read many of my essays, she told me things could be different for me, that I could break the cycle and do whatever I want,” Samantha said. “She said that I could do well and go to college someday. Nobody ever said anything like that to me, and somehow it just stuck.”

Suddenly, Samantha says, she started turning her bad grades into A’s and did so well in school that she earned an in-state scholarship to go to college.

“Being in school was an escape for me once I opened myself up to learning,” she said.

Her quest for medical knowledge continued, and she would often offer unsolicited medical advice to people she knew.

Samantha studied film initially, having grown up often glued to the tube and her love for movies. She subsidized her income in the hospitality industry wearing such hats as a casino worker or concierge. For a moment, Samantha thought that hospitality might be the career for her, but something was missing, she said.

She was inspired by her husband, who she met after he had moved from the country of Georgia to Las Vegas get a graduate degree in medical physics. He told me to “Make my hobby my passion,” she said.

When the couple moved to Denver, Samantha headed back to school, getting degrees in chemistry and biology. Samantha then set her sights on Florida, because she loved the state and it had “plenty of medical schools.” She had heard about NSU and its reputation, she said, so she applied to the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her application was denied, but she didn’t give up. She applied for the College of Allopathic Medicine and was accepted into its Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program.

“I was so excited about being a part of the charter class of graduates of NSU,” she said.

With her latest degree and impending clinical experience, Samantha says she hopes to bring a positive impact to patients the field of internal medicine.

“Being in the hospital is one of the worst times in your life,” she said. “I just want to be a friendly face in the hospital for people and listen to their stories. I want to be the kind of hospitalist that spends time with patients and helps put the puzzle together for them.”

Posted 05/23/22

Health Care Science Grad Responds to Emergencies

John Saindon, D.H.Sc., Ph.D., NSU PCHCS Department of Health Science alumnus

John Saindon, D.H.Sc., Ph.D., graduated from Nova Southeastern University’s College of Health Care Science with dual degrees of Doctor of Health Science D.H.Sc. (2010), and Ph.D. of Health Science (2017).

Since graduating, Saindon has supported numerous emergency public health responses across the globe to include Ebola virus, Hepatitis, COVID-19, Operation Allies Welcome (vulnerable Afghan refugees), and most recently a Polio response in East Africa.

During March 2022, Saindon provided public health technical assistance to the Government of Tanzania as they prepared for and conducted a mass vaccination campaign of children under age 5 in designated high-risk regions. Over a four-day period, Tanzania vaccinated more than 1 million children in high-risk regions.

Posted 05/22/22

Law Alumnus Discusses COVID’s Affect On Hybrid Work Models

Ira Coleman, J.D.

Ira Coleman, J.D. (’86), a Shepard Broad College of Law graduate, is the chairman of McDermott Will & Emery. Since Ira took on this role in 2017, the firm has embraced a new strategic direction focused on being indispensable to clients, enhancing performance and nurturing a happy, fun culture.

He focuses his practice on all aspects of representing major private and publicly held corporations. In particular, he advises clients in navigating M&A and controversy matters that have “bet the company” implications. His other areas of focus include health, private equity and compliance.

The pandemic forced lawyers to leave the office and work from home. Now, as many of those offices open back up, leaders of big law firms are grappling with what tasks need to be done in person and what can be done remotely.

Leaders from some of the country’s biggest law firms share their return-to-office plans and whether hybrid work is here to stay. To watch video, click here.

To learn more about our alumnus, Ira J. Coleman, click here.

Posted 03/13/22

Halmos Students Present at Annual Microbiology Meeting

On February 25-27, the Florida Branch of the American Society for Microbiology held its 2022 annual meeting, giving Halmos students the opportunity to present their research.  The labs of Halmos faculty members Julie Torruellas Garcia, Ph.D.; Robert Smith, Ph.D.; and Jose V. Lopez, Ph.D. attended, presented, and won awards.

From the Garcia Lab:

  • Undergraduate biology students Ashley Janke, Sri Rishitha Nannapaneni & Alyssa Gershon won 2nd place award for Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation for their work, “Isolation of bacteriophages in soil that infect Gordonia rubripertincta”.
  • Chloe Barreto-Massad, American Heritage Boca/Delray High School (a high school student mentored by Garcia) won 3rd place award for outstanding Undergraduate Oral Presentation for “An Investigation of the Effects of Aerobic and Anaerobic Environments on Antibiotics Produced by Soil Bacteria”

From the Smith Lab:

  • Camryn Pajon, an undergraduate biology major won 1st place award for outstanding undergraduate oral presentation for her research, “Carbon source driven metabolic buffering determines the co-existence of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa”.
  • Laura Garcia-Dieguez, Masters in Biological Sciences student gave an oral presentation,

“Changes in Frequency and Amplitude of Spatial Disturbances Modulate the Expression of Quorum Sensing-Mediated Virulence Effectors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa”

She also entered the Microbiology Art Contest with the theme “Florida Microbes” and won Honorable mention.

  • Masters in Biological Sciences students Gabriela Diaz-Tang & Estefania Marin Meneses gave an oral presentation on “The Influence of Growth Efficiency on the Inoculum Effect”

From the Lopez Lab:

  • Colleen McMaken, Masters in Biological Sciences gave an oral presentation regarding

“Microbial impacts on loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtle hatching success”

The Florida Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (FLASM) promotes microbiology education and research in Florida through meetings, discussions, and publications. Our members represent the many diverse areas of microbiology including virology, metagenomics, clinical, environmental, basic research, education, industrial, bioenergy, veterinary, and more.

Congratulations to all students presenting at this year’s meeting!

Posted 03/13/22

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