Tag: Halmos College of Arts and Sciences

Dean and Professor Emeritus Participates in Symposium

Honggang Yang, Ph.D.

Honggang Yang, Ph.D., Dean and Professor Emeritus from the former NSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), participated in a symposium titled “Asian American and Pacific Islanders’ Contributions and Challenges in American Society.” The event was hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the virtual symposium scheduled for May 25, 2022.

Yang designed and implemented the Residential Institute (RI) in 1999, still used by the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS).  RI brings distance learning students to campus twice a year to engage in on-campus learning, attend keynote lectures, and participate in working groups and social activities. In addition, he implemented other programs such as the Campus Diversity Dialogues.

Posted 06/06/22

HCAS Faculty, Grad Student Spearhead Literacy Program

Kelly Concannon, Ph.D., Faculty Coordinator at the NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC), and Autumn Bishard, WCC Graduate Assistant Coordinator, initiated a Literacy Outreach Program with Just for Today in Summer 2021, designed to help individuals in addiction recovery programs reach their literacy goals. Concannon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS). Bishard is an HCAS Master’s student in Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media.

The Literacy Outreach program is a community outreach project headed by Concannon. Just for Today is aimed at helping women prepare for the writing portion of the GED test. Future plans for the program include working with additional facilities and locating clients invested in pursuing multiple literacy goals such as taking the GED Exam, writing a memoir, starting a blog, and more.

According to Bishard, “This program has only further sparked my passion to become an educator one day and has really motivated me to help others succeed. Seeing individuals realize their full potential and achieve the goals that they have set out for themselves is a feeling that I will never forget.” Likewise, Concannon says that “The program allows us to put much of the work that we do at the WCC into practice. Further, we are able to participate in multiple opportunities for mentorship.”

Learn about the NSU Writing and Communication Center by visiting www.nova.edu/wcc.

Posted 06/05/22

Halmos Faculty Member Presents at Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale

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), was invited by the Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale to present at a luncheon meeting. Her topic was Conflict and Change in Organizations.

McKay is the faculty adviser to the Social Justice Roundtable and works with students in the community through Community Resolution Services, a practicum and volunteer site for DCRS. Community Resolution Services 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 on Dialogue and Democracy.

Posted 05/22/22

Halmos Biology Students Present at NSU Undergraduate Symposium

From left, Luzcarime Saco Vertiz; Santanu De, Ph.D.; and Monica Aguiar.

Students in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), co-mentored by Arthur Sikora, Ph.D. (Department of Chemistry and Physics) and Santanu De, Ph.D. (Department of Biological Sciences), jointly presented a poster on an interdisciplinary research collaboration.  The title was “Substantiation and Validation of the Benefits of CUREs in STEM using a Combination of Self-Reported Gains and Alignment with Learning Objectives.”  The presenters were Monica Aguiar and Luzcarime Saco Vertiz. The student co-authors also included Mina Ghali, Rachel Keating, Ane Mashiach, Rajin Persaud, Kayla Rubalsky, Akshata Sastry, Irene Stepensky, and Trisha Sudhakar.

Posted 05/22/22

Music and Theatre Professor Gets Distinguished Appointment

Bill J. Adams, DMA

At the recent 73rd Annual Convention of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) in Memphis, Bill J. Adams, DMA, professor and program director of Music and Theatre for the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College, was elected as the chair of the College and University Division of the SETC.

“It’s an honor to serve with the hundreds of volunteers and theatre professionals who make SETC the most important theatre support organization in the world,” Adam said.

SETC is the strongest and broadest network of theatre practitioners in the United States with an active membership of 4,461 individuals and 347 organizations including theatres, educational institutions and arts organizations. SETC provides extensive resources through services, publications and products, which contribute significantly to the careers of emerging artists, seasoned professionals and academicians.

Adams’ role as chair will include the creation and execution of programs, projects and activities that create liaisons between college and university members, institutions and the SETC Board.

For more information about the B.A. in Music and B.A. in Theatre programs, click here.

Posted 05/22/22

Faculty Member Publishes Article on Early Film Reenactments

Alex Bordino, Ph.D.

In March, Alex Bordino, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication for the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College, published an article in The Journal of American Culture examining how early film reenactments of real events aligned with an “antimodern sensibility” and often fetishize Indigenous cultures.

The article, titled “Antimodernism and Indigenous Reconstruction: Proto-Ethnographic Attractions in Early Cinema, 1894-1914” is based on a portion of his dissertation research and argues that early film reenactments produce a desire to “reject modernity” and embrace premodern cultures, turning these cultures into a capitalist commodity.

Click here to access the full article.

 The Journal of American Culture is a multidisciplinary journal which accepts studies of American literature, history and the arts with the aim of producing holistic analyses of American culture.

Bordino, who teaches digital media courses in the B.A. in Communication program, is an experienced feature-film editor and event videographer. He has also published in the Journal of Screenwriting, Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal, and the Journal of Film and Video.

Posted 05/22/22

Halmos Faculty Presents at Conference in Nashville

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D.

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), presented at the 2022 Annual Conference of the International Studies Association (ISA) held in Nashville, TN, on March 29-April 2.

The conference theme was “A Wider Discipline for a Smaller World.” ISA has more than 6,500 members representing 100 countries. Duckworth’s presented on the contributions of famed educational theorist Dr. Maria Montessori.  In her presentation called, “Why IR scholars need Dr. Maria Montessori”, Duckworth made the case that Montessori’s contributions go far beyond early childhood education.  Rather, she is best understood as a global peace and security thinker.

Duckworth is the faculty facilitator for the Peace and Conflict Education Working Group in DCRS. The group seeks to equip and empower schools worldwide to be examples and builders of peace, and to promote activities and curriculum that can help extend peace into the local communities. She teaches qualitative research methods, foundations of conflict resolution, History, Memory and Conflict Resolution, and peace education.

Posted 05/11/22

Halmos Alumnus Publishes in Journal of International Students

Zhiwei Wang, Ph.D., graduate of the doctoral program in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies at Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center

Zhiwei Wang, Ph.D., graduate of the doctoral program in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS), in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) has published an article in the Journal of International Students. The article is titled, “Conflict Resolution Skills of Chinese Students in the U.S.: An Interpretative Phenomenological Research Study.” His co-authors include Qijun Zhu, St. Thomas University, and Dong Ke, University College London.

Wang is an assistant professor at Shenzhen Polytechnic University, China. His major research interests include Cross-culture Studies, Mediation, International Student Management, Media and Conflict, and Student Services. In addition to his NSU degree, Wang has an M.S. in International Relations from Northeastern University and an M.A. in Mass Communications from Murray State University.

Of his time at NSU, Wang expressed his appreciation for the education he received:

I firmly believe that my most crucial growth took place at NSU, under the help and guidance of Professor McKay, Professor Cooper, Professor Katz, and Professor Zanko. In 2017, Professor Katz offered me a chance to work in his research team, in which my understanding of research skills had greatly enhanced. In 2018, Professor McKay taught me an important lesson about teaching students. She said one of the keys to being a good teacher is not to teach students but ask your students questions and raise their interests. They will find answers by themselves if you can trigger their interests and talents. In the same year, I won the Art of Peace scholarships, which enabled me to study peace through the lens of arts. In that research project, Professor Cooper inspired me a lot, encouraging me to proceed with my target. Professor Zanko was on my dissertation committee, illuminating my thoughts and sharpening my ideas in many ways throughout my dissertation writing process. For me, the impact of education at the Department of Conflict Resolution is a lifetime long.

Thus, I feel like I am fortunate to get into this program with many knowledgeable, student-centered, and world-class professors. If I could choose my doctoral program in conflict resolution again, I would still choose here, Department of Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University.

For more information about Wang’s article, please see Conflict Resolution Skills of Chinese Students in the U.S. | Journal of International Students (ojed.org)

Published 05/11/22

Communication Students Collaborate with Hoffman’s

On Thursday, April 21, Communication students in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts in the Halmos College pitched packaging design and promotion strategies for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day products at Hoffman’s Chocolates. During the pitch, students showcased a documentary film capturing the eight-week experiential learning collaboration with Hoffman’s Chocolates and BBX Capital Foundation and shared their creative process leading up to their final design proposals. 

“The experience I have gained in this course will follow me into all of my future endeavors, and I can’t thank Hoffman’s Chocolates and the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts enough for this opportunity,” said Samantha Langmaack, one of nine communication majors enrolled in the special topics course.

Following the students’ presentation, Hoffman’s leadership announced the selected packaging designs that will be produced and sold at Hoffman’s stores leading up to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

“We’ve been doing this program for four years,” said Lois Marino, executive director of BBX Capital Foundation. “And every year, I say this is the best; these students are the best. And every year, the students outdo themselves.”

The special topics communications course kicked off with a site visit to the Hoffman’s Chocolates Plantation location, where students met with the Hoffman’s corporate and store leadership, learned about the chocolate business, sampled chocolates, and discussed project goals.

Following the site visit, students worked in teams to conduct market research and complete in-store observations, surveys and focus groups to curate a selection of specific chocolates, create customer-focused packaging, and develop marketing strategies for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day products. Hoffman’s leadership provided students with feedback that was incorporated into their final design pitches.

“Our students delivered wonderfully innovative packaging ideas that won over the room and showed they are well-poised to enter the corporate communication environment,” said Miriam Ahmed, Ph.D., assistant professor of graphic design for the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts. “I can’t wait to walk into a Hoffman’s store and see our NSU students’ work!”

In 2021, the special topics course partnered with Hoffman’s Chocolates, BBX Capital and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.

“Hoffman’s Chocolates and BBX Capital are outstanding partners,” said Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., professor and chair for the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts. “Their support has allowed participating students to work with industry professionals and strive to have their work featured at Hoffman’s stores, and I am so proud that each year the students have come through with designs worthy of store shelves. That says so much about the quality of our students, academic program, and this experiential learning opportunity.”

For more information about the B.A. in Communication program, click here.

Posted 05/08/22

Interdisciplinary NSU Team Presents Research in Philadelphia

Group photo in front of the Love Statue in Center City Philadelphia. Bottom Row (left to right): Akshata Sastry, Alina Poothurail, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Luzcarime Saco Vertiz, Caroline Roy, Sanjana Vadlamudi, and Isadora Rocha De Abreu. Top Row (left to right): Varun Andrews, Ryan Luib, Espélancia Bell, Pujita Julakanti, Carol Manikkuttiyil, Rajin Persaud, Alexander Lavin.

A team of 23 NSU delegates representing the College of Psychology neuroscience major, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine public health major, Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS) biology and chemistry majors, Farquhar Honors College and the Nova (K-12) Public Schools traveled together to present their research as part of the NSU Chapter of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).

They joined thousands of presenters including coauthors from Grandview University, Xavier University, Ursinus College, Rochester Institute of Technology, and University of Florida. The conference brought together five national scientific societies at the 2022 Experimental Biology conference held in Philadelphia, Pa. (April 2-5) https://www.experimentalbiology.org/. Research was presented at a variety of poster sessions and at a Spotlight Session on Teaching Strategies and Lessons Learned During COVID-19 chaired by HCAS Assistant Professor Arthur Sikora.

HCAS biology major Rachel Keating received the ASBMB Society Travel Award. Projects were funded by the National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative and the Sigma Xi Science, Math, and Engineering Education Grant. HCAS Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions, Megan Troy, presented the Master of Science in Biological Sciences Health Studies and Research Concentrations at graduate program fairs held by the ASBMB and the American Physiology Society (APS).

The projects presented by the team were the following:

  • Arthur Sikora, Bonnie Hall, Steven Mills, Rebecca Roberts, and Paul Craig. You gotta work, BASIL! Reimagining an established CURE to provide high-quality digital learning experiences that are intentionally equitable, inclusion and accessible for all students.
  • Emily Schmitt Lavin, Varun Andrews, Espélancia Bell, Kenneth Bui, Vincent Do, Neha Joshi, Alexander Lavin, Carol Manikkuttiyil, Shashank Nutalapati, Alina Poothurail, Caroline Roy, Sanjana Vadlamudi, Shawn McQuaid , Michele Parsons, Aarti Raja . The Nova Hydroculture Project: Bringing a community of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) learners together to grow a unique garden.
  • Isadora Rocha De Abreu, Allison Barkdull, Travis Craddock. A computational analysis of colchicine structural analogs as potential microtubule destabilizing agents.
  • Rachel Keating , Luzcarime Saco Vertiz, Victor Manly, Akshata Sastry, Santanu De , Arthur Sikora. Quantification of Learning Gains in a Science CURE: Leveraging learning objectives to substantiate and validate the benefits of experiential education.
  • Emily Schmitt Lavin, Lyla Abbas, Aisha Abdool, Jordan Nichole Carreras, Jose Diaz, Seethal Doki, Rachel Harris, Heidi Hellenbrand, Pujita Julakanti, Brianna Lacasse, Sanjana Likki, Ryan Luib, Rathika Manikandan, Carol Manikkuttiyil, Saimi Reyes, Isadora Rocha De Abreu, Vibha Sankavaram, Tassnime Sebaei, Chino Villanueva, Arthur Sikora. Creating a learning model where students practice the scientific process through protein modeling.

NSU had additional research presented by groups from the College of Pharmacy (Abstract 532.8) and the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research (Abstract 576.6) at the Conference.

Posted 04/24/22

1 … 18 19 20 21 22 … 51