Tag: Farquhar Honors College

Honors Student Spreads Autism Awareness at Conference

Farquhar Honors College student Varun Kota presented his research spreading awareness of autism in black and brown communities at the 2023 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC). Completed as part of his honors thesis, the research focuses on the reasons for the underdiagnoses of autism in African American communities in South Florida and methods for increasing proper diagnoses.

Kota, a senior biology major, became interested in this research after learning about delayed diagnoses of autism and its impact on children and their families in the honors course Autism Today: The Individual and the Family. His research highlights how the lack of accessible resources and understanding plays a significant role in delayed diagnoses of autism and how education and advocacy are possible solutions.

“Heading a project such as the honors thesis was an opportunity to expand and hone my leadership and management skills,” said Kota. “My overall knowledge of ASD, the diagnostic process, services surrounding Autism, and its overall impact on African American families has grown tremendously. I have used this education to improve my professional writing, [research], and public speaking skills. Disseminating and presenting information regarding the project [also] enabled me to understand the publication process.”

Upon graduation, Kota plans on pursuing work in psychology and computational artificial intelligence to create a system to help people suffering from mental health issues receive the help they need.

Posted 03/27/23

Farquhar Honors College Sisters Present at National Conference

From left, Jenna and Marina Handal at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego.

Farquhar Honors College student Jenna Handal and her sister Marina Handal, an honors alum, presented their joint research at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) Annual Scientific Meeting. The sister duo collaborated to explore cosmetic surgery options for patients who have undergone weight loss surgery.

The pair came together to conduct this research due to their shared interest in medicine and public health. Jenna is a junior pre-med student, and Marina is a second-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)/Master of Public Health (MPH) student at NSU.

“I felt very humbled to have presented at the AACS conference alongside doctors, residents, and other health professionals who I admire for their hard work and achievements,” said Jenna. “I was also proud to share my research with the other poster presenters and felt so fortunate to learn about their findings.”

Their research will serve as a comprehensive guide for physicians and patients who need details on the risks, benefits, costs, satisfaction rates, etc., of the various cosmetic procedures available to eliminate excess tissue and loose skin after weight loss surgery.

“Attending the AACS conference taught me the importance of getting involved and playing an active role as a student researcher,” said Jenna. “I gained experience presenting research in a professional setting, which will surely help me in the future. I was also afforded the opportunity to connect with individuals in the medical field who gave me valuable advice for years to come.”

Posted 03/05/23

Honors Student Participates in Graduate Research

Corinne Renshaw and Alexander Rayburn with a lancetfish.

Farquhar Honors College sophomore Corinne Renshaw is participating in graduate-level research as an undergraduate student. The research is part of graduate student Alexander Rayburn’s master’s thesis, which focuses on marine parasitology among large deep-water fishes.

Renshaw’s role includes dissecting the fish, identifying the marine parasites, and classifying them via genetic analysis.

“My favorite part of the project is using a microscope to classify new parasites,” said Renshaw, a marine biology and environmental science major. “I was always fascinated with larger megafauna, but after working on this research, the more minute aspects of marine life are fascinating.”

Renshaw received this research opportunity through David Kerstetter, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, who offered her the position after she took his honors Invasive Species Ecology and Management course.

“Corinne showed lots of motivation and participation in class and dedication to a volunteering opportunity when offered,” said Kerstetter. “[She] has already gained a better understanding of how an active research lab works—the coordination between lab members regarding space and scheduling, the amount of work that goes on in actual wildlife research, and some of the process involved from collecting specimens in the wild through the peer-reviewed publication of the results.”

Along with aiding in research, she serves as the community service chair of Epsilon Eta, NSU’s environmental honors society. She has worked on wildflower garden restoration and invasive species clean-up initiatives through this organization. After graduating, Renshaw hopes to pursue a master’s and doctoral degree in marine ecology to gain more research opportunities in coastal conservation.

Posted 02/19/23

Honors College Receives $300,000 Teagle Grant

The Farquhar Honors College received a $300,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation to support its Knowledge for Freedom program. The three-week program will provide underserved high school juniors in Broward County with an immersive college experience as they navigate the humanities to bring about change.

Qualifying students will commute to NSU’s main Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus for the program’s first week and reside in the dorms on campus for the final two weeks. Their weekly schedules will consist of attending humanities seminars with various NSU faculty. Lead faculty and Co-PI Aileen Farrar, Ph.D., associate professor and associate chair in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), will primarily lead these seminars focusing on transformative humanities texts.

“There is a lot to learn when studying the humanities,” said Farrar. “For me, the most important lessons that I hope will stick for our students are how to risk inquiry, appreciate ambiguity, and trust ourselves even when sometimes our own intuition and impulses might not yet fully make sense. When studying the humanities, we are often learning how to address and navigate the unknown, and learning how to do this prepares us to lead ourselves and others outside the classroom.”

Guest lecturers will include G. Nelson Bass III, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor and associate chair in HCAS, and Vicki Toscano, J.D., Ph.D., associate professor in HCAS, who will bring a political science and philosophy perspective, respectively, to the discussions. NSU undergraduate humanities students will also have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants and mentor the students.

The program will run for three weeks each summer over the next three years. Andrea Nevins, Ph.D., M.F.A., dean of the Farquhar Honors College, is PI, and Melissa Dore, Ph.D., director of Academic Support and Administration in HCAS, is Co-PI alongside Farrar.

Learn more about the Teagle Foundation’s Knowledge for Freedom program.

Posted 02/19/23

Learn About Businesses Amid Changing Social Norms, Feb. 9

The Farquhar Honors College and the Alvin Sherman Library present “The Open Classroom: Are Businesses Doing Well While Doing Good?”

Join us for an open discussion on how changes in social norms impact the free market and how firms can positively contribute to society while maintaining a profit.

  • When: Thursday, Feb. 9 at 12:30 p.m.
  • Where: Cotilla Gallery, Alvin Sherman Library, 2nd floor
  • Free and open to the public

Register here

The Open Classroom series features conversations with scholars from various disciplines who share their expertise on important issues and provide insightful perspectives rarely seen in the media.

Posted 01/27/23

Farquhar Honors Student Combats Food Insecurity

Farquhar Honors College student Amber Gulau helped underprivileged communities in South Florida combat food insecurity with nutritional education and resources. Completed as part of the Honors in Major program, she worked with organizations like Meals on Wheels South Florida and Florida Impact to pursue her passion for community nutrition.

During her time with these organizations, she hosted educational sessions on nutrition and food safety, created meal menus, and proposed a pilot program to provide the elderly with nutritional supplements not covered by the Older Americans Act (OAA).

“My favorite part of this experience was seeing how eager and appreciative the community members were to learn when I delivered education,” said Gulau, a senior biology and nutrition major. “The members were always interactive and asked many questions, which was great! I also enjoyed learning about the community members’ cultural traditions and how they impacted their food safety practices and intake.”

Upon graduating, she plans to further her education through NSU’s Master of Science in Nutrition program and concentrate on Functional Nutrition and Herbal Therapy. Afterward, she will pursue a D.O. in Osteopathic Medicine to become an endocrinologist and use her knowledge of nutrition to help people with hormone-related health conditions.

“The Honors in Major program [provided] me with opportunities to interact with the community and strengthen my leadership skills,” she said. “Without the program, I would not have had the opportunity to [connect] to wonderful organizations like Meals on Wheels and Florida Impact. Through the Honors in Major [program], I have grown professionally in my ability to provide appropriate and relevant education to people aged five to 80 years old. I also improved my cultural competency, which will continue to develop and be applied in my future endeavors. Upon completing the requirements for the program, I feel inspired to continue the work I have done and strengthen my impact within community nutrition!”

The Honors in Major program is an exclusive opportunity for high-achieving NSU seniors to participate in research or an applied experience within their academic discipline under faculty guidance.

Learn more about the Honors in Major program.

Posted 01/21/23

Honors Course Reunion Celebrates Alumni and Ancestry

Former and current students connect at course reunion.

On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the Farquhar Honors College Genetics and Genealogy course hosted its second reunion to celebrate the generations of students who have taken the course. Alumni, current students, and faculty shared their family histories, cultural foods and traditions, and favorite memories from the course at the reunion.

Alumni couples who met through the course

Funded by the Honors College, the reunion allowed former and current students to connect with each other and course instructors Emily Schmitt Lavin, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), and James Doan, Ph.D., professor in HCAS. Attendees brought their families, dishes from their culture, and family trees to commemorate their lineage and time with the course.

Lavin and Doan have been teaching this interdisciplinary course since 2007. The course has been a favorite among students over the years as they get to create a family tree and explore their ancestry in the context of human evolution.

The nature of the work carried out through the course allows students to form close bonds with each other as they learn about their personal histories and their peers’. Amid this personalized learning environment, two couples have emerged from the course, one of which has married and started a family together — merging the family trees they created in the class.

Learn more about the Genetics and Genealogy course.

Posted 01/08/23

Rosemary Duffy Larson Trust Makes Gift to Honors College

The Rosemary Duffy Larson Trust has gifted the Farquhar Honors College funds to help honors students pursue graduate degrees at NSU. Named after the trust, the Rosemary Duffy Larson Honors Graduate Scholarship will prioritize students with a history of community service and financial need.

Honors students are among the highest undergraduate academic achievers at NSU. Many honors students aspire to pursue graduate degrees, with 59% of students already in the Dual Admission program. However, graduate school presents a financial challenge for students, as many must rely on personal funds and student loans to finance their graduate education. This scholarship will alleviate some of this financial stress and allow more honors students to further their education at NSU.

The scholarship’s namesake, Rosemary Duffy Larson, was a philanthropist committed to serving the South Florida community. She leaves a legacy of charity and service that will benefit honors students who share her dedication to the community.

Honors students are eligible for the scholarship if they complete an undergraduate degree at NSU, maintain good standing in the Honors College, and fulfill the requirements for either the Honors Transdisciplinary Studies minor, general citation, or research citation in honors. They must also plan to enroll in a full-time graduate program at NSU. The scholarship amount will vary.

Learn more about the Farquhar Honors College.

Posted 12/12/22

Honors Alum Embarks on Rheumatology Fellowship

Farquhar Honors College alum Biana Modilevsky was selected as a fellow for the University of Arizona’s Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program. Completing her internal medicine residency this summer after three challenging but rewarding years at Swedish Hospital in Chicago, IL, she’s ready to take the next step towards becoming a rheumatologist.

Biana Modilevsky

During her residency, Modilevsky learned the technical side of practicing medicine and the art of medicine—the interpersonal connections formed with patients and their families.

“My favorite part of my job as a resident physician was finally being able to take some autonomy and responsibility for what I was doing,” said Modilevsky, who was chief resident during her final year of residency. “Up until the point of starting residency, I had spent my life learning about a lot of these topics in books, but this was the first time I was truly applying my knowledge. Though it was incredibly rewarding to begin formulating my own plans and truly applying what I had previously learned from studying, it was also really comforting to have backup from attendings and my co-residents to talk things through.”

Modilevsky has always loved science, but her passion for medicine grew after shadowing a rheumatologist in high school who became a mentor to her. Witnessing patient interactions and the excitement with which her mentor approached his work, she was inspired to pursue a medical career.

After graduating from NSU in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, she swiftly moved on to medical school at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University, where she received her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine in 2019.

“I feel like I had so many extra ‘tools’ in my toolbox as an honors student at NSU,” said Modilevsky, who now serves on the Honors Alumni Advisory Board. “The program truly offered a myriad of opportunities to excel, get involved in extracurriculars and the community, and broaden my learning horizons… I also had opportunities to meet other students outside of the college of science through honors socials, mixers, and outings, and gained exceptional mentors along the way. The Honors College was altogether one of my favorite parts and highlights of my time at NSU which I will forever be grateful for.”

In a few years, Modilevsky hopes to work as a rheumatologist. Whether she practices privately or in an academic setting, she’s not sure yet but is excited to apply everything she’s learned and possibly teach others one day.

Honors Course Promotes Inclusivity, Challenges Biases

Students in the Farquhar Honors College’s We Are All Biased: Social Stratification course tackle controversial topics with open minds and informed opinions to combat bias and misinformation. During a roundtable-style discussion following the Harkness method, students discuss hot-topic issues collaboratively and respectfully.

The Harkness method is a learning method that allows students to facilitate discussion among themselves and encourages each student to contribute to the conversation and respond to the previous speakers’ points with textual evidence. Each Harkness discussion in the class follows an overarching theme relating to identity, with the third and final discussion focusing on Sex and Gender. Previous discussions focused on Social Class and Race and Ethnicity.

Students discussed a recent case where a university professor in Ohio refused to use a transgender student’s pronouns and was consequently disciplined by the university. The case sparked widespread debate and resulted in a lawsuit against the university that the professor ultimately won. The class conversation focused on the differing perspectives in this case and how freedom of speech, religion, identity, the law, and language intersect to inform those perspectives.

The course, taught by Tara Ellsley, Ed.D., Upper School Teacher at the NSU University School, prompts students to check their biases and consider opposing perspectives as they learn how identity impacts their view of the world. Rather than trying to change their beliefs, the course invites students to reflect on their biases from a neutral perspective in a safe environment, especially when discussing inequality and social issues.

Other course activities include a visit from a guest speaker from SunServe, a nonprofit organization providing social services for the LGBTQ+ community in South Florida, and a final social action project that urges students to investigate a social issue and develop a call-to-action in response.

Posted 12/11/22

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