Category: Academics

Students Create Campaign for Jewish Community Center

Graphic Design students in the B.A. in Art + Design program in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts at Halmos College of Arts and Sciences recently created a campaign for the David Posnack Jewish Community Center’s (JCC) grant-funded Hire-Ability project.

Through the course ARTS 4500: Professional Print Design, students expanded their professional portfolios with logo designs, food truck wraps and menus, while creating opportunities for adults with special needs. Students also gained experience pitching their concepts to a client, and those who participated were compensated with payments and recognition in the final Hire-Ability materials.

“Our graphic design students had a chance to participate in a project emulating a real-life situation, where a client has a briefing with specifics,” said Kolos Schumy, assistant professor of art and design, who taught the course. “The project with the David Posnack JCC was an ideal, lifelike experience for our students, paving the way for them becoming professional and seasoned graphic artists.”

For more information about the B.A. in Art + Design and its concentration in graphic design, click here.

Posted 04/07/24

Halmos Biology Student, Alum Present at Research Symposium

Sneh Patel, a student in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center, gave a virtual presentation at the University of West Alabama’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 4. His presentation was titled “Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on global education in anatomy and physiology.”

Sean Mahajan, B.S., Halmos biology major alum, was co-author on the project. Halmos Associate Professor Santanu De, M.Sc., Ph.D., mentored the students in the research collaboration.

Posted 04/07/24

NSU Humanities Students Tackle the Problem with Plastics

From left, David Kilroy (Chair, Department of Humanities and Politics), Jared DeRosa, Christophe Godbarge, J.C. Avila (C.O.O., Montachem International, Inc.), Aidan Kunju, Hailee Delgado, Amanda Furiasse (Assistant Professor of Humanities, Marlisa Santos, professor and director, Center for Applied Humanities) at the IN-SIGHT showcase event.

While younger generations may prioritize climate change and plastic waste reduction in their beliefs, they are less likely to recycle than older generations, according to findings in a research study done by Nova Southeastern University students.

A small group of students began a collaboration in 2022 with Montachem International, following the company’s sponsorship of a case competition for NSU’s INST 1500 Global Issues course. Students in that class were invited to do a research project on global plastic use and waste, and three winners were selected based on a faculty panel decision. The three winners were then invited to present to Chief Operating Officer J.C. Avila and his colleagues from Montachem.

Seven students have participated over the past two years in the IN-SIGHT program, an undergraduate think tank that works with businesses and community organizations.

“Montachem’s enthusiasm for that first iteration of the case competition then translated into their support for the think tank,” said Marlisa Santos, Ph.D., director for NSU’s Center for Applied Humanities.

Montachem has been serving the plastics industry since 1988, distributing a line of thermoplastic resins and related additives to plastics’ converters around the globe. Realizing the potential negative impact of plastic distribution, Montachem is exploring approaches to incentivize recycling efforts.

From left, IN-SIGHT fellows Christophe Godbarge, Aidan Kunju, Hailee Delgado Jared DeRosa

The students were 2022-23 IN-SIGHT Fellows Jared DeRosa, Hailee Delgado, Christophe Godbarge and Aidan Kunju and 2023-24 IN-SIGHT Fellows Jared DeRosa, Savannah Delano, Alexis Lass and Charlotte Opris. The groups have worked under the direction of NSU Assistant Professor Amanda Furiasse, in the Center for Applied Humanities.

As part of their project with Montachem, the students did research and produced an in-depth report on a topic that presents a problem and provides a solution.

“The IN-SIGHT fellowship vividly demonstrates the humanities’ unique capacity to embrace diverse perspectives and leverage the inherent creativity of the human spirit, paving the way for sustainable solutions that resonate beyond academia,” Furiasse said.

Among some of the findings of the group uncovered were:

  • Younger people may be more likely to be influenced by social media, which can amplify the appearance of sustainability but may not necessarily translate into practical action.
  • With plastic waste already a major problem worldwide, this trend among younger generations is concerning because it suggests future efforts to address the issue will be hindered by a lack of engagement and participation from those who will soon be responsible for managing waste.

Jared DeRosa and Aidan Kunju assist in a beach cleanup.

The students’ concluded not all plastic products can be recycled with present technologies. Recycling requires significant investment in infrastructure and technology, and while recycling may reduce plastic waste it may not necessarily reduce the environmental impact of plastic production and use because of greenhouse gases recycling produces.

After the students’ presentation, the Montachem asked them to expand on their research. While this is their first client, Santos is optimistic there will be others in the future.

“The IN-SIGHT program demonstrates not only how relevant the humanities are in addressing real-world problems,” she said, “but also how imperative it is to seek perspectives from these disciplines, as they provide critical vision in improving our communities.”

NSU Director Made University Her Home During Its Infancy

Melissa Dore, the director of academic support and administration for the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences

Before Nova Southeastern University became Nova Southeastern University, Melissa Dore was here.

Dore was raised in rural Maine, far from the glitz of South Florida and its enticing beaches and balmy temperatures. She was drawn to the small South Florida school formerly called Nova University because of her love for marine studies. It was January 1992. Nova U. had the only master’s program in coastal zone management she could find.

Without realizing it, Dore found herself catching the wave of three decades of historic growth on the once fledgling campus. In 1994, Nova University merged with Southeastern University of Health Sciences, which added colleges of Pharmacy, Optometry, Allied Health, Medical Sciences and Dental Medicine, to form Nova Southeastern University.

For Dore, it was the right place at the right time.

After receiving her master’s degree in Marine Biology/Coastal Zone Management, Dore was hired in 1997 as an administrative assistant at the Oceanographic Center. She now is the director of academic support and administration for the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences.

“Since I have been here, NSU has provided me opportunities I wouldn’t have been able to get in the Northeast,” she said. “In my current role, I am the liaison among student services, students, faculty and administration for the college. I collaborate with others in the dean’s office to streamline processes to benefit the students and to uphold academic integrity.”

Dore’s first studied ostracods – minute aquatic crustaceans – in the marine environment. She worked with scanning electron microscopy to determine the environmental history of a place by using the ostracods as environmental indicators.

“Throughout my time at NSU, the most exhilarating research I participated in was working with the Broward County Sea Turtle Project back in the early 1990s,” she said. “Seeing what hard work we did then continue to grow and come to fruition now is amazing.”

Dore has used her extensive educational background to amplify her impact at NSU.

With her doctorate in higher education leadership, Dore helped develop retention plans at the undergraduate and graduate levels at NSU. Using her M.S. in College Student Affairs, she has explored how to help students enter the university. Her M.S.in Law, which she’ll complete this summer, has enabled her to research artificial intelligence in higher education and its legal ramifications.

“My current work is building resilience in students, staff, faculty and administrators in higher education,” she said. “I am the educational chair of the Academic Resilience Consortium and I have been developing and running a monthly webinar series focusing on how to create mental, emotional and social resilience in all stakeholders in higher education.”

Dore grew up surrounded by great aunts, uncles and grandparents who loved nature and showed her lakes, ponds, streams, bogs and glacial moraines in the Highlands of Maine. There, she learned how to identify animal tracks, birds and animal calls.

“I grew up swimming, boating and mucking around in these glacial waters,” she said.

Among Dore’s most influential role models were Dr. Lynn Margulis, an evolutionary biologist and huge proponent for the significance of symbiosis in evolution, and physicist and oceanographer Allyn Vine, a leader in the development of submersibles to explore the deep sea.

Education has been Dore’s foundation throughout her life, and her positive experiences in that realm at NSU have kept her here.

“One of the driving forces in higher education for me has been the ability to continue to expand my knowledge and work in a collaborative atmosphere,” she said. “Also, the fact I was allowed to see areas of concern and had the ability to develop solutions for the benefit of the students.”

When Dore is not researching or working with students, faculty and staff, she sings and volunteers. She has been singing with the Nova Singers since 1995. This year marks the 48th concert season of the Nova Singers, NSU’s community chorus made up of 140 members — from undergraduate students to older residents. When the 14th Dalai Lama made a historic visit to campus in 2004, Dore was among the singers at the ceremony at the Alvin Sherman Library, where the religious leader honored the university with a “prayer wheel” and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from NSU.

“We have traveled to Europe, sung in the Vatican and Carnegie Hall, too,” she said. “I also volunteer for the Little Free Libraries in Fort Lauderdale. We stock all the small free libraries around the neighborhoods so everyone has a book to read.”

Halmos Students Present at Political Science Conference

From left, Charlotte Opris, Sophia Wehle, Nicholette Lanane, Melina Isabelle Pecci

Students from the Department of Humanities and Politics in the Hamos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center presented their research at the Florida Political Science annual conference hosted by the University of Florida. Students were mentored by department faculty member Ransford Edwards, Ph.D.

The presenters and papers:

  • Charlotte Opris: The New Global Wave of Authoritarianism: An Inevitable Economic Downfall? (international studies major)
  • Sophia Wehle: A Comparison of the Impact of Colonial Heritage on the Development of Former Western and Soviet Union Colonies (international studies major)
  • Nicholette Lanane: The Digital Divide Within Education: A Look at the Post-Covid Impact (political science major)
  • Melina Isabelle Pecci: Teenage Pregnancy in the US: Systemic, Social, & Safety Issues (political science major)

Posted 03/17/24

Halmos Faculty Member Presents at Conference

From left, Michelle Bellino (University of Michigan), Jan Stewart (dean of education, Manitoba), Zaira Magana (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Lindsey Horner, University of Edinburgh and NSU’s Cheryl Duckworth.

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D., faculty and director of the master’s program in conflict analysis and resolution in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center, presented at the Comparative and International Education Society’s conference in Miami (March 10-15).  Her research looks at how the media covers school shootings, and what the impact of this is for fostering peaceful school cultures.

Duckworth is the faculty facilitator for the Peace and Conflict Education Working Group in the department. She teaches qualitative research methods, peace education, foundations of conflict resolution and history, memory and conflict resolution.

Posted 03/17/24

Criminal Justice Professor Publishes New Textbook Edition

Professor Jennifer Allen of the Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice has published a new edition of the textbook “Research Methods in Criminal Justice.” Now in its fourth edition, the book tackles scientific research in criminal justice.

The book offers updated information on practices and approaches. It’s divided into four sections, guiding readers through the essentials of research in criminal justice: introduction to research, sampling methods, statistics, and common errors in presenting and interpreting research findings and technology.

The chapters offer plenty of data and real criminal justice examples, and some chapters have been combined to make room for new information such as an expanded discussion of qualitative research methods.

The book can easily be understood by criminal justice students.

For more information, click here.

Posted 03/17/24

Education Doctoral Student Builds Connections at Conference

Ashley Wiedow

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice doctoral student Ashley Wiedow attended the national conference for Kappa Delta Pi, where she made a presentation and built connections with other educators.

Wiedow is a third-year doctoral student earning her Ed.D. with a double major in Applied Behavioral Analysis and Special Education. She also serves as the president of the Omega Theta chapter of KDP. Wiedow served as the representative of the chapter and attended the first in-person KDP conference in several years in St. Louis.

Wiedow, a board-certified behavioral analyst, said she enjoyed meeting and connecting with other educators.

Wiedow’s presentation alongside her mentor described teaching as a compass and how it can take one in many different directions, something her mentors did for her as an educator navigating the field of behavior analysis.

The Omega Theta chapter was recognized during the conference and received multiple awards as one of the highest leadership chapters, and Wiedow won the award for Chapter Leader of the Year.

Posted 03/17/24

Dental Medicine Student Studies Postures of Fellow Students

Natalia Sayeg

NSU’s College of Dental Medicine D4 student Natalia Sayeg presented her poster titled “Ergonomic Posture of Dental Students Prior and After Receiving a Flyer with Information on Proper Ergonomics – Pilot Study” at this year’s American Dental Education Association meeting in New Orleans.

The co-authors of her study were Dr. Liliana Mosquera, Dr. Mauricio Schneider, Dr. Nydia Cummings and Dr. Alexander Bendayan.

 The findings from the pilot study shed light on the ergonomic postures of the college’s dental students during seated fixed prosthodontics appointments, revealing a concerning lack of proper posture, particularly in the trunk and neck. The distribution of an informative flyer on proper posture resulted in noticeable improvements for most students.

These observations reinforced the importance of integrating preventive measures and educational initiatives into the dental curriculum to address ergonomic concerns and promote long-term musculoskeletal health among dental students.

Posted 03/17/24

Professor Takes the Offense in Defense of Those with Disabilities

Professor Dietz in the classroom

If you’re looking for a crusader for justice when it comes to disability and accessibility, NSU Professor Matthew Dietz has the credentials. Since 2022, Dietz has been the clinical director of the Disability Inclusion and Advocacy Law Clinic in NSU’s Shepard Broad College of Law. His commitment to defending those with disabilities runs deep.

Throughout his life, Dietz has struggled with his own disability: a stutter.

“Because of my stutter, I was relentlessly teased, even by family,” he said. “I was embarrassed and tried to hide it as best I could. I carried over my own feelings about myself and my own disability to how I felt and how I treated others.”

Dietz defied opinion when he was told he couldn’t do certain things because of his speech impediment. He used the words of naysayers to motivate him to become a trial lawyer.

While he was studying at Brooklyn Law School, Dietz said, he was told there was no way he could ever become a trial attorney. Undeterred, Dietz was eventually selected for the school’s moot court team.

“It was one of my proudest achievements,” he said. “At that time, my wife Debbie bought me a framed poster with a dog seated at a table, eating a fancy dinner with a glass of red wine.  The caption reads, ‘Every dog has his day.’ It hangs in my office at the clinic today.”

The Norman Rockwell that hangs in his office

Another inspirational piece of artwork that hangs in his office Norman Rockwell’s “Golden Rule.” The print depicts people from various cultures, religions and ethnicities who infuse the golden rule in their beliefs. “Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You,” it reads.

Dietz arrived at NSU in summer 2022, after two friends working at the clinic invited him to visit. Since coming to the campus and working with students here, Dietz says the opportunity has been so enjoyable he doesn’t mind his long drive from his home in Miami. He works with a legal clinic’s contingent of 10 students, but he is hoping to grow that number in the future.

Among their activities, he and his students work on discrimination cases, work with families on guardian advocacy matters and form collaborations with other colleges and divisions within NSU.

“My overarching goal of the clinic is to ensure that the college produces students who are competent to practice on day one,” he said. “My hope is that the connection between pure lecture classes and practice with actual clients ‘click’ and students can apply the law to real-life facts.”

Dietz began his career in the 1990s as an insurance defense lawyer, where he received his first exposure to inaccessibility claims and disability law, which was in its infancy as a law practice area. While handling a case, Dietz was referred to noted Miami attorney Edward Resnick. Resnick, a quadriplegic who contracted polio in 1954, grew frustrated with a lifetime of barriers to everyday access and forced businesses to adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act when it became enforceable in the 1990s.

NBC 6 investigative reporter Tony Pipitone interviews Professor Dietz for a story on medically fragile children.

“Resnick opened my eyes to how others see a world that is inequitable by design and how disability rights laws were developed to create equity,” Dietz said. “When I went out on my own in 2001, I became more involved in the disability community in South Florida and discovered for myself the wide range of issues and inequity that people with disabilities deal with daily.”

In 2001, Dietz immersed himself in the Florida Bar’s efforts for diversity and inclusion and pressed to include disability into the definition of diversity. Eventually, he and his wife formed Disability Independence Group, a non-profit dedicated to advocating for increased opportunities for people with disabilities, primarily in the legal system.

Over the past 25 years, Dietz has handled hundreds of cases and been involved in more than 350 decisions. During that time, his disdain for civil rights indignities has grown.

“Most civil rights cases involving persons with disabilities are the result of carelessness, ignorance, indifference or thoughtlessness,” he said. “Once you see the inequity, you can’t ‘unsee it.’  I can’t go into a bathroom and not look at the grab bars in the accessible toilet stall or the fixtures on the sink. I scoff when I go to a large presentation and there is not a closed captioning on a screen.”

NBC 6 investigative reporter Steve Litz interviews Professor Dietz on a story involving a person illegally selling handicapped car tags.

Among Dietz’s most notable cases:

  • From 2012 to 2016, he represented several families and children who were medically fragile and were in nursing homes or at risk of being placed in nursing homes. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against the state of Florida, and in 2023 received a judgment requiring the state to provide adequate services to medically fragile children.
  • About 20 years ago, he forged an agreement in which all of Carnival Corporation’s vessels had to become physically accessible to persons with disabilities.
  • In a series of cases, he represented Deaf patients against hospitals that denied ASL interpreters to develop the standard of “effective communication” in which is required for medical personnel to provide to Deaf patients.

Dietz notes that in addition to working with “eager and smart students,” the biggest benefit of coming to NSU is the opportunity to be in a college of law that is part of a larger university that provides interdisciplinary opportunities.

“Being a lawyer is not an end unto itself, it is a means to an end,” he said. “We live in a society where those who serve people with disabilities need to have an understanding of the law and the remedies that ensure jobs, housing, education or other benefits. Lawyers play a crucial role of facilitating that understanding and ensuring that these benefits are carried out.”

Posted 03/03/24

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