Tag: Halmos College of Arts and Sciences

Air Show Camera Crew May Have Damaged Sea Oat Sanctuary

Air show camera crew

Sea oats

Two years ago, Fort Lauderdale used a $5,000 dune grant from Broward County to plant 6,500 sea oats along a five-block section of State Road A1A in front of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. The weekend of May 8-9, this protected area was trampled by several TV cameramen and reporters covering the Fort Lauderdale Air Show.

Halmos College of Arts and Sciences environmental faculty member J. Matthew Hoch, Ph.D. was interviewed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the potential damage to the sea oats.

“Even if the stems are not damaged, you can still damage the root network,” he said. “I think a lot of people do ignorantly walk on them and think they are not going to do any harm. Maybe the [camera crews] thought that getting a shot from a certain angle outweighed protecting the sea oats.”

An onlooker took pictures all day on Saturday of camera crews standing on the roped-off sand dunes potentially damaging the protected plants. Sea oats are protected under regulations of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Their seeds cannot be collected without a permit and the plants cannot be cut back or removed. It was unknown if the air show incident damaged the sea oats. If it did, the damage might not be visible.

A Fort Lauderdale official said the city plans to send an expert out to check on whether the sea oats were damaged. Hoch stated that, “New sea oats can be planted but it takes them about two years to get back to where they can do what they need to do with shoreline protection.”

Alumna Thanks NSU for Helping Her Find the Right Career Path

Safiyah Muhammad

This May, Safiyah Muhammad graduated with her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Graduating from NSU’s Halmos Colleges of Arts and Sciences in 2016 with a chemistry major, Muhammad’s Ph.D. thesis was entitled, “Cobalt Catalyst for Parahydrogen Induced Hyperpolarization of Olefins.” She has accepted a job at Dow.

Safiyah says her time here at NSU was foundational.

“I am truly grateful that I had the opportunity to attend Nova Southeastern University; the Trustee Scholarship that I received allowed me to complete my coursework without any financial stress. It was during my time at NSU that I attended my first chemistry course and fell in love with it. The structure of the classes at NSU really allowed me to fully immerse myself in the material I was studying and to get to know the faculty,” she said. “Without the amazing mentoring of the faculty members, I never would have switched my major from marine biology to chemistry, nor would I have known about the opportunities that are available to chemists after completion of their degree. I owe a great deal of my success to my time at NSU and will forever be proud to call NSU my Alma Mater. Fins up!”

Alumnae Projects Put Marine Bacteria Under the Microscope

We are familiar with the catch phrases “Light my fire” and “Fins up.”  They now fit very well with two new NSU publications in the scientific journal Frontiers of Marine Science and Frontiers of Microbiology, respectively.

The papers were written by two HCAS alumni: Rachael Storo (formerly Karns) and Alexis Berger. The papers focus on their master’s theses and are published in peer reviewed journals with the guidance of their mentor, HCAS biology Professor Jose (Joe) Lopez, Ph.D.

The two projects share a commonality with their focus on marine microbial symbionts, which represent the beneficial or neutral bacteria that live with or on most eukaryotes (multicellular organisms).  For example, some bacterial symbionts help digest food in the guts many animals, or procure nitrogen for plants.

Using the latest molecular genetics and statistical tools, Storo investigated the composition of bacteria at four different anatomical locales (gills, teeth, skin, cloaca) from five different shark species found in South Florida waters (nurse, lemon, sandbar, Caribbean reef, and tiger). Her findings showed that the teeth microbiota may have been the most distinct communities across the different locales. The data can provide useful bacterial identification for shark bites (as well as bytes) in the future.

In a completely different animal system but no less charismatic, Berger aimed to test the hypothesis that bacterial symbionts generated light for the pelagic (floating) invertebrate called “pyrosomes”. These tunicate animals were aptly named because they can light up the oceans with their self-generated bioluminescence. This phenomenon of glowing can be a fairly common trait among organisms living at depth. The recently completed DEEPEND project assisted in the collection of pyrosomes in blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Halmos’ Top Biology Students Reflect on Their Honors

This spring, five of the highest academically performing biology students from the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences orally presented the highlights of their honors in Major Portfolio to a large Zoom audience of faculty and many of their peers. The students reflected on their journeys as Sharks.

In addition to maintaining a minimum 3.8 GPA, each student also was required to complete four 4000 level didactic elective courses and a major research project in an independent study, internship or practicum course.

The research project titles included: Development of “Sharkavir:”  A New Hypothetical Inhibitor for HIV-1 Protease (Feza Abbas); Impacts of COVID-19 on Global Healthcare Research and Management (Stephanie Autore); Synthesis of Metal-Binding Polymers for Water Purification using  Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transer Polymerization (Sneha Polam); Periodically Disturbing the Spatial Structure of a Microbial Community Composed of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Determines its Composition (Brandon Toscan); and The effect of stress on the transcriptomes of circulating immune cells in patients with Gulf War Illness (Kyle Hansotia).

HCAS Faculty Presents for the ACON Research Council Sofa Talk on Nursing Research with Faculty from the Kathy Assaf College of Nursing

 

On March 25, 2021, Santanu De, M.Sc., Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), was invited to deliver a Zoom presentation organized in collaboration between the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing, and American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACON).  The talk was titled, “Protein 14-3-3 Eta (YWHAH): A Potential Regulator of Mammalian Female Fertility,” and was attended by about 20 faculty and students from both the colleges, among other institutions.  The other presenter was Ellen Mullarkey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, faculty in the Kathy Assaf College of Nursing.

De’s research interests include STEM education, pedagogy, reproductive physiology, developmental biology, cell biology, and protein biology.

Nova International Relations Association (NIRA) Wins Distinguished Delegation Award at Southern Regional Model United Nations Conference

The weekend of March 26-28th the Nova International Relations Association (NIRA) competed in the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) Annual Conference. Led by NIRA president Genesis Alvarez (Legal Studies major) and vice president Janay Joseph (History major), the team continued its impressive streak of awards at this prestigious conference. The team, which also included Jackie Chavez, Luke Dombroski, and Angelica Lopez Uscamaita represented Colombia and was awarded a Distinguished Delegation Award for their hard work. This marks the fifth year in a row NIRA won a top award at SRMUN for NSU while competing against students from universities all over the southeast.

SRMUN

HCAS Professor is Elected to the Board of Directors of Stonewall National Museum and Archives

James Doan, Ph.D.

James Doan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Humanities and Politics in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS), was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives, the largest museum of its kind in the world, dedicated to LGBTQ history and culture.

Doan indicated that he is thrilled to be a new member of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives Board of Directors. He further said, “this new position integrates with my teaching and work at NSU.”

Doan’s teaching and research interests include Irish literature and language, folklore and mythology, family history and genealogy, and English language and British literature. He is actively involved in the theatre community in South Florida, having written and directed plays for the Actors Community Theatre (ACT) in Davie. Doan also co-founded the South Florida Irish Theatre with a mission to develop Irish American Theatre in the region.

 

HCAS History Student Wins First Place in Undergraduate Student Symposium Film Competition

Janay Joseph

Janay Joseph, a junior History major in the Department of Humanities and Politics here at NSU, recently took First Place in the Undergraduate Student Symposium’s Film Competition. Her film: “She Had a Dream: Eula Johnson’s Fight to Desegregate Broward County” was inspired by her internship with History Fort Lauderdale. “She Had a Dream” is a historical documentary about Eula Johnson, a Civil Rights Activist in South Florida, and her involvement in a series of protests called the “Wade-Ins” to protest segregated beaches in Fort Lauderdale. With the upcoming 60th Anniversary of the Wade-Ins, this short documentary follows Johnson’s planning and execution of the protests as well as the racial backlash she received due to her actions. The documentary is narrated by Johnson in her own words using archived audio from one of her talks to the community in 1988. This is paired with images from historical archives, and interviews from local historians.

HCAS Communication Major and Faculty Member Present at Florida Scholastic Press Association Annual Conference

On Friday, April 23, Megan Fitzgerald, Ph.D., associate professor and program director for the B.A. in Communication program, and Flor Mireles, senior communication major and copy editor of NSU’s student-run newspaper, The Current, presented at the Florida Scholastic Press Association’s annual conference. 

The theme of this year’s virtual conference was “Outside the Box.” Their presentation, “Let’s Get Social: Building Your Newspaper’s Social Media Presence,” focused on the importance of building a social media presence for school newspapers. In an ever increasing digital world, even traditional print newspapers can benefit from social media when used effectively. Their presentation discussed best practices, including developing a brand, audience engagement and creating a style guide. Over 35 journalism students, educators and advisors attended the Zoom session.

For more information about the communication major and its journalism concentration, offered through the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts, visit https://hcas.nova.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/communication.html

HCAS Student Presents at the Florida Political Science Association Annual Meeting

Andrea Angel Riano

 

Andrea Angel Riano, a student in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center (HCAS) presented a research paper at one of the 14 panels of the Florida Political Science Association Annual Meeting.  She is a senior, majoring in Legal Studies and Political Science.

The 2021 FPSA Virtual Conference had over 40 participants and featured presentations from 35 different institutions. This Conference encourages faculty and students to conduct meaningful research on a subject of their interest, while providing them with the opportunity to present and share their work among peers and faculty mentors.

Riano’s paper is entitled “The relationship between mining, forced displacement, and territorial and economic conflicts in Colombia,” and the research was performed under the guidance of Ransford F. Edwards, Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Politics. The paper aims to illustrate the relationship that exists between the extractive industry and its economic implications and forced displacement in Colombia, which is a country characterized by a strong political, social and armed conflict.

According to Riano, “having the opportunity to work on a research project and sharing it with my mentors and peers, not only helped me to develop my writing and public speaking skills; but also showed me that with dedication and the right system of support even the hardest tasks become possible.”

 

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