Tag: Halmos College of Arts and Sciences

Halmos Hosts National Chemistry Olympiad

In late April 2022, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry and Physics was host to a National Chemistry Olympiad competition.  Competing in the three-part contest were 11 students from local high schools with several teachers and parents accompanying. The event was conducted by Halmos’ own Venkatesh Shanbhag, Ph.D., who has served more than  20 years as the coordinator for the South Florida section of the American Chemical Society.

Shanbhag also coordinated the qualifier examination where nearly 400 high school students from 27 high schools participated.  The two-stage testing of the qualifier examination narrowed the field down to the 11 contestants competing on the national level. Along with the South Florida section of the contest, the American Chemical Society held similar national competitions across the country.

Based on the overall national results, 20 competitors are selected to undergo an intensive three-week training at the Airforce Academy in Colorado to select a national team of four to compete at the 51st International Chemistry Olympiad to be held in Tianjin China July 10-18.

The Parker / Panza Science Annex facility was utilized for the purpose of testing and the lab practical.  A light breakfast before testing and a following lunch at the Don Taft University Center was provided for each of the participants.

Posted 07/17/22

Halmos Faculty Presents at Women United Leadership Committee

McKay

Judith McKay, J.D., Ph.D., director of the doctoral program, and 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), presented at the Women United Leadership Committee of the United Way of Broward County on June 21, 2022. Her topic was “Women, Conflict, and Mental Health.”

McKay is the faculty adviser to the Social Justice Roundtable and works with students in the community through Community Resolution Services (CRS), a practicum and volunteer site for DCRS. CRS hosts Story Café, We Love our Families series, The Women’s Roundtable, and is involved in offering workshops for the county’s Crisis Intervention Teams, and other events for community groups and organizations. She is also the co-director of the NSU Council for Dialogue and Democracy housed in HCAS. For more information, please contact her at mckayj@nova.edu.

Posted 07/17/22

Student Receives Award at Meteorological Conference

Breanna Vanderplow

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) held its 35th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology in New Orleans, Louisiana in May 2022. This year Nova Southeastern University Ph.D. student Breanna Vanderplow from the Physical Oceanography Laboratory at the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences/Halmos College of Arts and Sciences was chosen for the Outstanding Student Oral Presentation Award.

Vanderplow presented her work on the new research that may help predict hurricane intensification in the presence of natural (biological) or anthropogenic (oil spill, dispersants) surfactants. Vanderplow is the first author of the paper titled “Increased Sea Spray Generation Due to Surfactants: An Insight Into Tropical Cyclone Intensity?” a result of collaboration with scientists from the University of Hawaii, University of Miami, and University of Rhode Island.

The research involved laboratory experiments at the UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science SUSTAIN facility, a numerical model developed at NSU using the state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics software ANSYS Fluent, and NSU’s supercomputer.

The laboratory lead and the paper co-author Professor Alexander Soloviev, Ph.D., said that hurricane track forecasting has seen continuous improvement during the last half century.

“At the same time, prediction of hurricane intensity, especially rapid intensification, has seen only a little or no improvement,” he said. “Furthermore, hurricane researchers are still debating why rapid intensification happens. One hypothesis is that hurricane intensity can depend on the microphysics of the air-sea interface that has not yet been implemented in operational hurricane forecasting models.“

The Physical Oceanography Laboratory is currently working on a pioneering approach to implement microphysics of the air-sea interface in  hurricane forecasting models. Vanderplow has made an important contribution in this direction.

Vanderplow graduated from the NSU Honors College and was a recipient of the NSU President’s Scholarship. She received her MS Degree from the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and is now a Ph.D. student at the Physical Oceanography Laboratory. She considers it a great privilege to be able to present her work at this conference and any conferences where she can represent NSU.

Posted 07/17/22

NSU-Broward Program Works 24/7 to Keep Sea Turtles Safe

A loggerhead sea turtle hatchling

You might say that when Sierra Ciciarelli was a little girl she was as determined as the sea turtles that she works to protect.

“My dream was to be a marine biologist and work with them,” she said. “But from a young age, I was quickly told that I wouldn’t get a job in the marine biology field, let alone with sea turtles.”

Sierra Ciciarelli

Ciciarelli used those words as fuel for her future, inevitably graduating in 2020 with a Master of Professional Science in Marine Conservation from the University of Miami. While finishing up her master’s, the 24-year-old came to Nova Southeastern University where she has been realizing her dream as outreach manager and assistant field manager with the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program.

NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences manages the program through a partnership with the county and a network of multiple community volunteer organizations. The challenge: to monitor all sea turtle nesting activities along more than 24 miles of Broward County beaches and effectively contribute to sea turtle conservation by providing thorough and relevant data to local, state, and federal conservation agencies, and active engagement with the community through outreach and education.

Ciciarelli has been with the program since 2020. This is her third Broward County nesting season, which starts each year on March 1 and ends October 31. There are three species of sea turtles on beaches she patrols: loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtles. Loggerheads make up about 95 percent of the nesting in Broward County. All told, there are about 140,000 hatchlings each season, Ciciarelli said.

Protecting sea turtles is a tireless, yet important, task, she said, adding that “many species take upwards of 25 years to become sexually mature. Only then can they breed and supplement their populations.”

Sea turtle nesting area

The sea turtle program relies on two crews who work seven days a week during nesting season.

“Our most visible crew is our Morning Crew. We begin our surveys a half hour before sunrise and follow the high tide line on the beach with the help of our ATVs,” she said. “If we spot a sea turtle crawl, we will follow her up the beach to determine whether she nested. Sea turtles nest about 50 percent of the time.”

If a sea turtle chooses not to nest, it’s likely the turtle didn’t like something about the spot. If that happens, the turtle eventually will return to find a more suitable nest.

Once a sea turtle nests, though, Ciciarelli and her crew kick into action.

“We collect data and establish a perimeter around the nest to protect to the eggs, we monitor the nest throughout the season, and document when the turtles hatch,” she said. “We allow the hatchlings to get out on their own and after three days, we will excavate or dig up the nest contents. During this process, we collect more data and get an idea of the hatching success of the nest.”

And if the crew find any stragglers in the nest, they release those turtles later in the evening.

Survival for the typical sea turtle is a difficult journey, fraught with a variety of predators, Ciciarelli explained.

Abby Nease, project manager for the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, uncovers a sea turtle nest.

“First, the sea turtle mamas must find an adequate spot to nest and not be spooked by people or deterred by beach furniture and lighting. Once the nest is laid, the nest must withstand tides and storm events such as thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes,” she said. “Foxes are common land predators, digging up nests to feast on eggs, and raccoons are also common predators of eggs and hatchlings. Additionally, ghost crabs also can get the hatchlings as they try to make their way to the water.”

But the predators don’t end there.

As baby sea turtles make their way to the surf, sea birds – such as gulls, terns, and frigate birds – will can eat them. If they escape the birds, they must contend with reef fish, including snappers, groupers, and mahi mahi.

“Here in Broward, we have three reef tracts that the hatchlings must successfully navigate,” Ciciarelli said. “As sea turtles grow, their list of predators diminishes. As larger juveniles and adults, sharks are their primary predator.”

The largest threat, however, comes from human-related sources, including coastal development and beach erosion, beach furniture, by-catch and entanglement in fishing gear, marine debris and trash, light pollution, climate change, illegal poaching, boat strikes, and chemical pollution and oil spills.

Sierra Ciciarelli explains to onlookers sea turtle conservation efforts.

The Evening Crew is responsible for monitoring restraining cages that have been installed in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale nest areas, which have heavy light pollution. These cages safely hold hatchlings until surveyors can collect them and release them to the water, Ciciarelli says.

Without the cages, hatchlings can get disoriented, and head away from the ocean into unsafe places such as pools, storm drains, and roads. The Lighting Crew also works with the Evening Crew, counting and documenting the different light fixtures present on each property. This data is then reported to local code enforcement in an effort to make lights on properties sea turtle friendly.

When they are not physically rescuing sea turtles, crews working with the conservation program spend a considerable amount of time educating people on how their behavior can positively or negatively affect South Florida’s sea turtles.

Ciciarelli has some tips for vacationers and residents unfamiliar with sea turtle nesting habitat:

  • If staying in a beachfront hotel or condo, close your curtains at night and do your best to keep lights off to cut down on illumination.
  • If you are walking the beach at night, stay at least 50 feet away from sea turtles that are nesting or hatching.
  • Keep in mind that sea turtles are extremely sensitive to light, so avoid using flashlights.
  • Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints, keeping the surrounding beach as natural as possible.
  • Don’t litter. Marine life can often mistake debris for food, and it can cause stomach blockages and starvation.

“Small actions matter,” Ciciarelli said. “Those actions help to make people active stewards of the environment.”

The 24/7 Sea Turtle Emergency Line is 954-328-0508 and for more information, explore the Sea Turtle Conservation Program website.

Posted 07/03/22

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

Grad Student Publishes Article in Southern Discourse in the Center

Adara Cox

Adara Cox, NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) Graduate Assistant Coordinator, co-published “Black Tutor Perspectives on Trauma and Transformation: An Edited Transcript of the 2021 SWCA Keynote Panel” in the Fall 2021 issue of Southern Discourse in the Center. Cox is a Halmos College of Arts and Sciences MA student in the Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media program.

The article was co-authored with other Southeastern Writing Center Association 2021 Conference Keynote panelists: Talisha Haltiwanger Morrison, Ph.D.; LaKela Atkinson, Ph.D.; Chanara Andrews-Bickers; Micah Williams; and Genny Kennedy. The keynote panel elevated the experiences of Black writing center tutors. “Black Tutor Perspectives…” includes the edited transcript from the keynote with an introduction from Haltiwanger Morrison and Atkinson.

According to Cox, “Writing this article provided me with the opportunity to reflect upon the conversation we had while on the panel, discussing our experiences working in predominantly white spaces such as writing centers. Because this was my first time working on a transcript, I learned about what processes are involved with editing and revising a transcript from a recorded audio. This transcript shares our thoughts and suggestions of how to equip writing centers to support POC tutors and faculty; and what can be integrated into writing center praxis, so that centers are more proactive rather than reactive regarding diversity.”

To access the full issue of Southern Discourse in the Center, click here!

To access “Black Tutor Perspectives on Trauma and Transformation: An Edited Transcript of the 2021 SWCA Keynote Panel,” click here!

To learn more about the NSU Writing and Communication Center, visit https://www.nova.edu/wcc/.

Posted 07/03/22

Halmos Doctoral Candidate is Featured Speaker in Lecture Series

Jacqueline Ennis, M.S.

Jacqueline Ennis, M.S., Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), was the featured speaker on June 7, 2022, for the Conflict Analysis and Resolution Lecture Series. Ennis spoke on “Expanding the ‘Lens’ of Research on Adverse Childhood Experiences.”

Ennis has had a variety of senior level research and research administration positions during her career.  She was an Assistant Commissioner for Research and Evaluation for the state mental health departments in Oklahoma and Virginia.  She also established and chaired the Outcomes Research program at MedStar Health Research Institute.  Prior to entering the doctoral program, Ennis received a master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from NSU. She is passionate about research and social justice and is a strong proponent of the Scholarship of Engagement.

Posted 07/05/22

Halmos Professor Publishes Chapter on Linguistic Justice

Shanti Bruce, Ph.D.

Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., professor and chair for the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College, recently published a chapter in the book Linguistic Justice on Campus: Pedagogy and Advocacy for Multilingual Students, published by Multilingual Matters in its New Perspectives on Language and Education series. The book supports writing educators on college campuses as they work toward linguistic equity and social justice for multilingual students.

Bruce’s chapter is titled “Locating Linguistic Justice in Language Identity Surveys” and is included in Part 1 of the book, which focuses on translingual and antidiscriminatory pedagogy and practices.

Bruce’s books ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors and Creative Approaches to Writing Center Work were each honored with the International Writing Centers Association’s Outstanding Scholarship Award for Best Book. She also published What Every Multilingual Student Should Know About Writing for College and Tutoring Second Language Writers.

To learn more about Linguistic Justice on Campus: Pedagogy and Advocacy for Multilingual Students, click here.

Posted 07/03/22

Sun-Sentinel Story Features NSU Coral Reef Restoration Efforts

NSU oceanside nursery provides home to thousands of at-risk corals

This story appeared in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on June 22, 2022.

By Olivia Lloyd

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

NSU Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center

DANIA BEACH — In a 600-gallon tank overlooking Port Everglades, small pieces of brain coral and massive star coral grow serenely below the surface of the water. Although some of these pieces are the size of a quarter, all 2,376 fragments at this nursery could make a difference.

“These are what we call corals of opportunity,” said Kyle Pisano, the onshore coral nursery manager. “Corals that have been dislodged from the reef in some way, whether from anchors or storms or something else.”

They bring these corals of opportunity, which would otherwise die, to the nursery to try to grow more coral, in an effort to strengthen Florida’s struggling coral reef populations.

Researchers at Nova Southeastern University are propagating and studying coral at their Oceanographic Campus in Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach. For the past 10 years, they have been growing coral at this nursery to preserve genetic diversity, create more coral for outplanting in the ocean and save coral from disease.

In 2019, NSU researchers began the Noah’s Ark project in a coordinated effort to save corals at risk of stony coral tissue loss disease. This disease has swept Florida and the Caribbean, resulting in large die-offs.

In two years, the researchers rescued 980 corals, called naive corals, before the disease infect them.

“Initially, the efforts were focused on collecting corals ahead of the moving disease front, taking them out of the oceans and saving them from being affected by the disease,” said Dr. Abby Renegar, a researcher scientist working on the project.

Coral samples at the center

Now, the researchers have transitioned more into more broadly preserving corals, including corals that survived disease. They’re studying and propagating those corals in the hopes that their genotype will breed more disease-resistant corals.

“We’ve sort of moved our focus with the capability of the nursery that was established during the initial response to stony coral tissue loss disease to start providing a home for endemic corals for many different reasons,” Renegar said.

In the past year, NSU’s nursery has produced 3,605 fragments of coral, of which a third have been returned to the reefs.

Some corals, such as the ones NSU received during the Noah’s Ark project, won’t be outplanted. Instead, they’ll be preserved in labs or aquariums, or studied for research. Pisano said they partly function as a seed bank.

One of the most impressive specimens at the nursery is a meter-wide brain coral that the researchers estimate is roughly 150 years old, said NSU graduate student Katrina Smith. They’re waiting for another expert to give the exact age, and when they do, they might split it into smaller pieces, essentially in a small-scale cloning process.

Once the researchers decide a coral will be fragmented, they often use a bandsaw or tile saw to split it into pieces, taking care to protect the coral as much as possible. Then the specimens go in large tanks, where they receive artificial saltwater that is mixed on-site using salt from their 900-pound barrels. If the corals need additional nutrients, the nursery researchers may sprinkle a plankton mixture over the coral with a turkey baster.

Many corals must be quarantined for 30 days upon arrival if they aren’t immediately outplanted, and they require veterinary checks if they are at the facility long enough. These corals are studied and documented, and many return to offshore reefs.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 25% of marine life depends on coral reefs at some point in their lifetime. Reefs are vital in medical research and bring in tens of billions of dollars worldwide from diving, fishing and tourism. They also serve as barriers against storms.

Coral is in danger right in NSU’s backyard. Smith estimated that roughly 40,000 corals in Port Everglades are at risk because of construction on the port meant to deepen and widen it. Some of these corals will likely go to NSU’s nursery, but it can’t accommodate 40,000 corals. Bigger solutions are needed, Pisano said, and he thinks they’ll happen in time.

“I think it’s always going to be a struggle, and there’s always going to be pushback because environmental mitigation is expensive,” Pisano said. “It takes time, it takes people, it takes effort. But I think eventually we will get there.”

With disease, ocean acidification, water quality issues and ocean warming, among even more factors, Renegar said it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing die-offs. That can make creating solutions more challenging, but the team is doing what they can to preserve coral with what they have.

“A lot of what we do is not necessarily just Band-Aids for the situation,” said Matthew Rojano, a graduate student working on the project. “They are pretty helpful in preserving the genetic pool that these corals are propagating. But if you don’t fix the underlying issues, then putting them back out isn’t really going to do much good.”

Posted 07/03/22

WCC Faculty Coordinator Co-Hosts GSOLE Webinar

Janine Morris

Janine Morris, Ph.D., NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) Faculty Coordinator, co-hosted a Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE) webinar on linguistic inclusivity, “Toward Linguistic Inclusivity: Evaluating Approaches to Instructional Materials and Technology,” April 29, 2022. Morris co-hosted the webinar with Catrina Mitchum, Ph.D. (University of Arizona) and Marcela Hebbard, Ph.D. (University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley). Morris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts of the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences.

The workshop was the fourth and final session of a series of webinars on cross-cultural rhetorics and linguistic diversity in online writing instruction. “Toward Linguistic Inclusivity” focused on creating instructional materials that are linguistically accessible and inclusive. Morris states, “Instructors aren’t always aware of how their instructions come across to their students. They may be engaging in exclusionary or discriminatory practices without realizing.” Through hands-on activities, the workshop aimed to bring awareness to participants and invited them to change existing assignments and activities.

Archives of the GSOLE 2021-2022 webinar series are available at the GSOLE website. 

Learn more about the WCC here.

Posted 07/03/22

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