Tag: Halmos College of Arts and Sciences

When mapped to the environments we interact with daily, the 36 million microbial cells per hour that humans emit just from our skin leave a trail of evidence that can be leveraged for forensic analysis. A group of researchers, including Halmos College faculty member Jose Lopez, Ph.D., affiliate NSU professor George Duncan, Ph.D., collaborated with microbial ecologist principal investigator Jack Gilbert, Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego.  Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Justice (NIJ), the research applied 16S  rRNA gene markers to characterize how distinctive human skin microbiomes really were, and determine if they could identify individuals.

Besides researching if the skin microbiome could identify an individual, another question was asked: How long would the microbiome “signal” last at a potential crime scene? The team has now published a new paper in the journal, Forensics Science International, describing the NIJ study. They found that the human microbiomes of volunteer participants contain rare microbial taxa that can be combined to create unique microbial profiles. Using mock burglary data, it was possible to detect the correct burglars’ microbiota as having contributed to the invaded space of the residents. Unfortunately, the predictions appeared very weak in comparison to accepted forensic standards and therefore the 16S tools cannot be used as “as a reliable trace evidence standard for criminal investigations” at this time.

This June, Halmos faculty member Stefan Kautsch, Ph.D. and marine biology major and physics minor Kyle Hansotia virtually presented at the 236th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Kyle and Dr. Kautsch presented the concept of mass distribution in space and how to instruct students on the concept. In addition to the presentation, Dr. Kautsch served as a judge for the conference’s

Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Awards. This award is for an achievement in astronomical research made by research students. The key factor in deciding the recipient will be that the work contributes to the advancement of the science of astronomy. The award consists of the Chambliss medal.

The AAS was established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC. The membership of about 7,700 consists of individuals whose research and educational interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects now comprising the astronomical sciences. The society is the publisher of the Sky & Telescope magazine, as well as several scientific journals.

 

 

Tony Gaskew, Ph.D., graduate of the doctoral program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), has co-authored an article with Salathiel Thompson entitled, The United States of America vs. The United States of America: Dissecting Systems of Oppression and White Supremacy. It was published in Dialogues in Social Justice: An Adult Education Journal, University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

Gaskew is professor of Criminal Justice and Director, Criminal Justice Program at University of Pittsburg Bradford. He spent over 20 years in law enforcement. In 2016, he was one of ten US educators invited to the White House to participate in a Roundtable on Criminal Justice Reform.

Gaskew has published extensively in the areas of criminal justice, and policing. His book, Rethinking Prison Reentry: Transforming Humiliation into Humility, focuses on the role of the criminal justice system in providing adequate post-secondary prison education opportunities for incarcerated black males and the impact of historical racism on black males and on the criminal justice system.

Gaskew was a recipient of the 2014 NSU Distinguished Alumni Award.  His honors include the Fulbright-Hays Fellow for a research project in Egypt and the Academic Fellow in Terrorist Studies in Israel by The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.  He was named a University of Pittsburgh Faculty Diversity Fellow and Teacher of the Year by The National Society of Leadership and Success. He is the founding director of the nationally recognized UPB Prison Education Program. Gaskew received the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (DHS) Beacon of Dignity Award at Columbia University in 2015 for his outstanding dedication to equality and human rights. He is the book series editor of Critical Perspectives on Race, Crime, and Justice.

To access Gaskew’s article, please see https://journals.uncc.edu/dsj/article/view/890

 

 

 

Jessica Muñiz-Collado, M.F.A., faculty in the Department of Performing and Visual Arts (DPVA) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), was selected to be a Music Technology/Beat-making judge for the 2020 Hit Like a Girl + Beats by Girlz International Contest. The HLAG +BBG was created to spotlight female beat makers/producers from all around the world and encourage females to engage in music technology. The contest is sponsored and endorsed by renowned music companies including Ableton, ROLI, Native Instruments, Melodics, Novation and Presonus.

Muñiz-Collado has performed and recorded with numerous musicians and artists including Grammy-nominated saxophonist Steve Elson, jazz vibraphonist Arthur Lipner, Cookie “Conga” Lopez, Anders Astrand, Jean Geoffroy, Ney Rosauro, and trumpet all-star John Walsh. She has also performed throughout North and South America, toured with the FROST Percussion Sextet in Japan, and was a guest lecturer and performer at the international music conference LeRock & L’Amour held at the Universite Paul-Valery in Montpellier, France.

At NSU, she taught courses in composition, music production, and percussion. In addition, she directed the Mako Band, NSU Pep Band, and managed NSU Mako Records.