Tag: Halmos College of Arts and Sciences

Winter Issue of Mako Undergrad Student Journal Available

The Winter 2023 issue of NSU’s Mako Undergraduate Student Journal  published with multiple faculty-mentored student-articles in diverse categories is now available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/mako/.  The journal is online and free and offers articles from across the university.

The reviewers and editors were Aarti Raja, Ph.D., Navdeep Gill, Ph.D., and Santanu De, Ph.D., all faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences from the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS).  Librarian Keri Baker, M.S., of HCAS served as the publication coordinator.

Further submissions are encouraged to support the unique publication experience for our undergraduate students.

Posted 02/05/23

Library of Congress Features Halmos Faculty Article

Yair Solan, Ph.D.

Yair Solan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Politics (DHP) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS), published an article on Buster Keaton’s 1924 film “The Navigator” that was recently featured in Now See Hear!, the blog of the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. The article is part of an online collection of essays dedicated to films selected to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, which annually recommends for preservation a list of films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

In this essay, Solan explores the making of one of the most iconic comedies of the silent era, detailing how a chance encounter with a decommissioned ocean liner led to the production of Keaton’s commercial breakthrough. Emblematic of the actor-director’s inventive visual comedy, the film includes intricate mechanical gags and innovative underwater sequences.

Solan teaches courses in literature and film studies in DHP. He previously presented his research on “The Navigator” in a commentary track on DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film. His published articles have appeared in Modernism/modernity, Studies in American Naturalism, and the Journal of the Short Story in English.

Read the full article.

Posted 02/05/23

International Relations Group Hosts Model UN Event

The Nova International Relations Association, a longtime student group in the Department of Humanities and Politics, hosted its 10th Annual Model United Nations on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

The event, under the leadership of our professor and Model UN Team Coach, George Nelson Bass III, Ph.D., J.D., had eight local high schools (including USchool) and more than 170 participants! It was a resounding success and created a buzz in the schools about NSU.

We were grateful for use of the Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation as it really showcased NSU to the public – both parents and prospective students. They were impressed!

Posted 02/03/23

Halmos Announces Dialogues in Local Democracy

Nova Southeastern University is delighted to announce an exciting community project designed to bring participants from across Broward County to the university’s main campus in Davie for facilitated dialogues related to their communities. The project, “Dialogues in Local Democracy,” is a new project initiated by NSU’s Council for Dialogue and Democracy and supported by the university and through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  (Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities).

The goal of the project is to provide an opportunity for community participants to share their thoughts, suggestions, and reflections about their community. Facilitated dialogues will take place on the NSU main campus in Davie on three Saturdays, February 18th, March 18th and April 15th.  Sessions will run from 8:30 am to 2 pm with breakfast and lunch provided.  Transportation can be arranged as needed. We are inviting participation from residents in Broward County.

The Council for Dialogue and Democracy (CDD) is a collaboration between the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution and Department of Humanities and Politics in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center. For more information about the CDD, please see: https://hcas.nova.edu/cdd/index.html If you have a question about the project, feel free to contact CDD co-directors, Dr. Charles Zelden, (zelden@nova.edu; 954-262-8218) or Dr. Judith McKay (mckayj@nova.edu).; 954-262-3060.

Posted 02/03/23

Halmos Faculty Publishes Op-Ed in Sun Sentinel on ChatGPT

Jeremy Weissman, Ph.D.

Jeremy Weissman, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Humanities and Politics in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), published an op-ed in the Sun Sentinel on the challenges posed to higher education by the public release of ChatGPT, a breakthrough AI program. Amongst ChatGPT’s numerous stunning capacities, it is capable of writing quality college-level essays as well as accurately answering take-home exam questions by simply entering questions or writing prompts into the system.

In the essay, Weissman argues that the threat this software poses to age-old institutions such as the college essay will be replicated across a myriad of professions as ChatGPT is already capable of computer coding, medical diagnoses, and is poised to rapidly become much more powerful and accurate in coming iterations just around the corner. With this developing AI-dominated world in mind, Weissman suggests doubling down on a humanistic orientation to education in the classroom, focusing on teaching students how to better human society and lead meaningful and flourishing lives in a world where many existing job skills are at risk of being replaced by machines.

You can read the full article here with a subscription to the Sun Sentinel.

Posted 01/22/23

Halmos Faculty, Alumna Present on Indigenous Conflict Resolution

Ismael Muvingi, Ph.D.

Ismael Muvingi, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) and Kimberly Hamilton-Wright, Ph.D., doctoral graduate of DCRS, presented at the 2022 Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference held in Orlando and virtually. The theme of the conference was Evolving Horizons in Conflict Resolution.  The presentation was entitled, “Uncustomary Connections: Mainstreaming Indigenous Conflict Resolution Practices.”

Muvingi is the faculty advisor to the African Working Group. His academic interests include human rights, African politics, and transitional justice with a special focus on Africa.

Kimberly Hamilton-Wright, Ph.D.

In addition to her NSU degree, Hamilton-Wright holds an M.P.A. from Webster University, and a B.S. in Journalism from Kansas State University. She is a conflict analysis and resolution researcher, practitioner, and curriculum developer with expertise in womenwarography, gender, veterans, and military community issues. Her research interests also include mainstreaming of indigenous conflict resolution practices. Hamilton-Wright is developing a womenwarography course and outreach program. Additionally, she developed the graduate course, Conflict and Peace Connections: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Women in U.S. Military Communities, as well as the undergraduate course, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: U.S. Domestic and Global Perspectives. As a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) certified practitioner, she provides workplace and group dynamics consulting and workshops.

Posted 01/22/23

Halmos Director Named Education Chair of Resilience Association

Melissa Dore, Ed.D.

In a world full of distractions, it can be difficult to cope with change or being alone with your thoughts. Resilience is related to students’ well-being and academic success. Academic Resilience can be broadly defined in terms of capacities such as persistence, creativity, emotional intelligence, grit, thriving, cognitive flexibility, agency, flourishing, adaptation, addressing social justice and equity, learning from failure and success, and overcoming adversity.

Melissa Dore, Ed.D., Director of Academic Support and Administration of Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) has been elected to be the Education Chair of the Academic Resilience Consortium (ARC) for the next two years. A member of the steering committee, Dore will work closely with the leadership council and working groups to promote a collaborative and consensus-oriented process and culture, providing members educational opportunities to help college students learn, grow, and reach their goals.

The ARC is an association of faculty, staff, and students in higher education who are dedicated to understanding and promoting student resilience.  Members represent many functions in higher education, such as learning services, counseling services, advising programs, academic departments, and bridge programs.  The consortium currently includes 600+ members from 360+ schools in 45 US states and 17 countries.

As an institutional member, all NSU faculty, staff, and students have a free membership and access to all of ARCs resources. https://academicresilience.org/

Posted 01/22/23

Halmos Seminar Addresses Future for Women in Science

The Halmos College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology presents “The Dynamics of Scientific Publication Ethics and the Challenge and Future for Women in Science,” a distinguished speaker seminar.

The seminar will be presented by Laurie Goodman, Ph.D., founder of GigaScience Press on Friday, January 27, at noon at the Knight Auditorium or via Zoom.

Posted 01/18/23

Halmos Faculty, Students Publish Bacteriophages Discoveries

Julie Torruellas Garcia, Ph.D.

Julie Torruellas Garcia, Ph.D., and Katie Crump, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS)  co-teach a two-semester, 3-credit biology research course open to freshman and sophomore students of any major, known as BIOL1000 and BIOL1001, Introduction to Biology Research I and II. This course is part of a national CURE (course based undergraduate research experience) known as SEA-PHAGES, or Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science. In the course, students take ownership of a research project that aims to isolate and characterize undiscovered bacteriophages (known as phage) from the soil that infect and kill bacteria. Any new phages identified could potentially be used in the future as alternative therapeutics to treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.

 

 

Katie Crump Ph.D.

Recently, Garcia and Crump along with nine NSU undergraduate students, published their findings from the 2021-2022 BIOL1000 and BIOL1001 course in Microbiology Resource Announcements (https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/mra.00973-22). The article highlights the discovery and characterization of two new Gordonia rubripertincta bacteriophages, Genamy16 and NovaSharks, that the NSU undergraduate researchers identified using microbiology and genetic approaches. In addition to the journal article publication, the genome sequences of Genamy16 and NovaSharks were also published in GenBank, a comprehensive public database: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/2288522742 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/2288522955

The NSU undergraduate research team includes Sarah Ballarin, Samia Callabero, Joshua Chan, Bhavya Soni, Maria Paula Farez, Ashley Guillen-Tapia, Nashrah Pierre-Louis, Victoria Polishuk, and Melissa Bell.

Please see: https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/mra.00973-22

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/2288522742

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/2288522955

Posted 01/08/23

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

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