Category: Academics

USchool Students Meet Public Defender of Broward County

Gordon Weekes, the head Public Defender for Broward County, speaks to University School students.

Upper School students participating in the Legal Education Seminar had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with Gordon Weekes, who holds the position of head Public Defender for Broward County.

Weekes is a distinguished graduate of the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University and is responsible for overseeing a team of more than 100 public defenders in the second-largest public defense office in Florida. During his interaction with the students, he shared his lifelong commitment to advancing equitable justice for marginalized communities within our region.

Learn more about NSU University School’s college preparatory program for students in Preschool – Grade 12 at www.uschool.nova.edu.

Posted 11/27/23

Student Presents Research on Rapid Intensification of Hurricanes

Rapid intensification of hurricanes is a big challenge for forecasting – models cannot reliably predict rapid intensification even within 24 hours. The recent well-publicized cases include Hurricane Maria 2017 and Dora 2023 wreaked havoc in Puerto Rico and caused catastrophic fires in Maui. Nearly 75% of major hurricanes go through the phase of rapid intensification.

Kerry Emanuel (MIT) and Roger Lukas (UH) were among the first to emphasize the importance of studying the two-phase environment and microphysics at the air-sea interface under hurricanes. More recently NSU’s Physical Oceanography Laboratory (Halmos College of Arts and Sciences) in collaboration with the University of Miami, the University of Rhode Island, and the University of Hawaii linked the microphysics of the air-sea interface to the phenomenon of rapid intensification of hurricanes. This research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences Ph.D. student Breanna Vanderplow continues research in this new direction.

Breanna’s research focuses on the impact of surface-active materials (surfactants) on hurricane intensity and rapid intensification. She implemented a state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics model on an NSU supercomputer that allows simulation of microphysics down to scales of tens of micrometers. This model includes the effect of sea surface tension on sea spray and bubbles in up to Category 5 hurricanes.

Breanna presented her work at meetings in South Korea (organized by Korean Typhoon Center), at Heidelberg University, and at Princeton University. She received an award for the Outstanding Student Oral Presentation at the 35th American Meteorological Society Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology.

Breanna is planning to defend her dissertation work on this subject in early December 2023.

“I believe Breanna’s dissertation is on the level of the best U.S. and international oceanographic organizations. This work provides an important step toward better understanding of rapid intensification and development of a new generation of hurricane forecasting models. Breanna is a role model for the next generation of NSU students,” said Professor Alexander Soloviev, Ph.D., the physical oceanography laboratory lead and Breanna’s adviser.

Posted 11/26/23

Professor Collaborates With Mediterranean School of Business

I am Selima Ben Mrad, Ph.D., a marketing professor at Nova Southeastern University’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. I am Chair of Assurance of Learning (AOL) at HCBE and work as an AACSB Assurance of Learning facilitator. I have also been designated as a Fullbright specialist in assurance of learning and have been actively collaborating with the Mediterranean School of Business (MSB) to help them achieve AACSB accreditation.

I visited MSB twice as a Fullbright Specialist and AOL expert. Each visit was rewarding. I am very excited to continue collaborating with them in the future. I am incredibly grateful to MSB for providing me with a fulfilling experience as a Fullbright specialist. During my time there, I worked closely with Dean Dr. Leila Triki, Dr. Mediha Ferjani (Accreditation Manager), and Dr. Mehdi Zahaf (Academic Planning Unit Director) on a range of projects, including AACSB report writing, MSB governance, AOL timelines, AOL course mapping, documentation development for task forces, and the AOL process. I must express my appreciation to the MSB faculty for their exceptional quality and collegiality, which is genuinely on par with the standards of American universities. Their dedication and active involvement in student improvement are truly commendable.

During my initial visit in April, I conducted two workshops with the faculty to help them understand AACSB standard 5 and the complex language used in accreditation. These workshops covered creating rubrics, explaining course mapping, and discussing the differences between direct and indirect measures. We also explored competencies, Bloom’s taxonomy, and the importance of engagement in the learning process.

During our second visit from Oct. 15-31, we focused on refining AOL competencies by adopting a more faculty-driven approach. We meticulously reviewed and enhanced the competencies and conducted workshops with faculty members to finalize rubrics for one undergraduate program (UPM) and two graduate programs (MBM and EMBA). The faculty members transitioned from using holistic rubrics to analytic rubrics, which made the competencies more precise and measurable. I also emphasized the importance of distinguishing between direct and indirect measures, as emphasized in the AACSB 2020 standards.

Moreover, I worked with the administration to improve AOL governance by creating AOL and curriculum committees, stressing the importance of integrating both entities and considering AOL’s significant role in the curriculum. We also revised the AACSB report, its narrative, and the process changes, highlighting the changing culture at MSB with a greater emphasis on faculty participation.

My main goal is to establish a more mature and systematic process that involves all faculty members. I am pleased to report that MSB has completed one loop and is closing another one. Faculty members have fully owned the process, with 80% actively participating in workshops, contributing to rubric development, and engaging in task forces. They now understand the terminology comprehensively and are actively invested in the AOL process.

Posted 11/26/23

Sherrol Reynolds Named Optometry Professor of the Year

Sherrol Reynolds

Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NSUCO) is proud to announce that Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, O.D., has been recognized as the Optometry Professor of the Year and is nominated for the President’s Distinguished Professor Award of Excellence for 2023.

Reynolds is a professor and an alum of NSUCO in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and a graduate of the University of Florida. She serves as chief of the Davie Primary Care Clinic and director of the Retina Clinic.

“Dr. Sherrol Reynolds wears many hats within our optometry department,” said some of Reynolds’ students. “In these positions, she has helped mold the minds of my classmates and myself into exceptional future optometric physicians.”

She has received several awards such as the National Optometric Association (NOA) NOA Optometrist of the Year in 2013, the Women in Optometry Leadership Award in 2021, the American Optometric Association (AOA) 2021 President’s Award, and the inaugural 2022 American Academy of Optometry Foundation Excellence in Diversity Awareness and Education Award.

Currently, she is a planning group member for the National Eye Institute National Eye Health Education Board (NEHEP) and co-chair of the Eye Health, My Health: Eye Health for African Americans.

Posted 11/26/23

Neuroanatomy SLP Students Take Part in 5 Acts of Kindness

Fabulous five neuroanatomy students, from left are Carly Burch, Eden Pressley, D’Shante Lightbourne, Sarah Kazden and Julie Fumero.

Jillian Yaw Ching, M.S., CCC-SLP, at the hydrocephalus walk

Tambi Braun, SLP.D., CCC/SLP, SLP associate professor, always starts her first day of the semester undergraduate neuroanatomy class with a discussion on positivity and neuromapping, and how kindness and community collaboration are essential to wellbeing. The students took part in five acts of kindness over the course of the semester. The students donated toward adjunct faculty member, Jillian Yaw Ching, M.S., CCC-SLP, participation in the South Florida Walk to End Hydrocephalus, https://www.hydroassoc.org/event/south-florida-walk-to-end-hydrocephalus/.

Yaw Ching also gave a guest lecture on hydrocephalus in the class. The students were sponsored by community members to donate items to Meals on Wheels South Florida for their holiday collection, https://www.mowsoflo.org/.

Plantation community members donated baby clothes to the students for local babies in need. A child’s bicycle and booster seats were donated to a local special needs family and the final act of kindness was groceries for thanksgiving to a local teacher. Braun and the students read inspiring quotes of gratitude and motivation in class as they discussed literacy and language in the corresponding areas of the brain.

Posted 11/26/23

Education Professor Publishing New Edition of Textbook

Simonson

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Professor Michael Simonson, Ph.D., is publishing a new edition of the textbook “Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education.

This will be the eighth edition of the book. Simonson published the first version of the textbook after recognizing there was a future for distance learning back in 1999. When he tried searching for a textbook that could be used at the university level, he came up empty-handed, so he decided to write one himself.

“I put together a team of three in addition to myself and we collaboratively wrote the first edition of Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education,” Simonson said.

Simonson said the book is a best seller in the field.

“It has been in existence in one edition or another for [over 20] years … It’s a book that will give people the background they need, an understanding of what distance education is, what the research and theories are, and then practical information so they can be effective educators at a distance.”

This latest edition of the book focuses on applied research while balancing the theories of teaching and learning that relate to using technology to reach students at a distance.

Simonson said he worked with the Alvin Sherman Library here at NSU to get the edition ready for publishing.

“I had a reference librarian who helped with the references, helped me make sure my citations were done correctly, and she was right there virtually by my side,” he said. “Her name is Melissa Johnson and she was excellent in helping me.”

The book is set to be released next year.

Congratulations on all your heard work Professor Simonson!

Posted 11/26/23

Princeton Review Ranks College of Business and Entrepreneurship

For students aspiring to launch their own businesses, Nova Southeastern University’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers one of the best entrepreneurship studies programs, according to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, the education services company’s publishing partner on this project.

Now in its 18th year, the project annually names the top 50 undergraduate and the top 50 graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies. HCBE is No. 44 on the Top Graduate Programs for Entrepreneurs list for 2024.

Based on a survey The Princeton Review conducted in summer 2023 of administrators at nearly 300 schools with entrepreneurship offerings, the ranking tallies considered more than 40 data points about the school programs, faculties, students, and alumni.

The Princeton Review also reported the schools that ranked highest within their regions of those that were named to the Top 50 lists. Lists were tallied for seven regions: International, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, Southwest, and West. HCBE is ranked No. 9 in the South region.

The Princeton Review posted the rankings at www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/top-entrepreneur. Entrepreneur magazine, The Princeton Review’s publishing partner on this project since 2006, also posted the lists on its website at www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges. The magazine will publish a feature article on the rankings in its December issue available on newsstands November 14.

“We are pleased to recommend the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship to students who aspire to become entrepreneurs,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor in chief. “The schools that made our ranking lists for 2024 are standouts in many ways. Their faculties are outstanding, and their programs of study have robust experiential components. Their students also receive mentoring and networking support that will serve them well into their careers.”

Posted 11/08/23

Professor Presents Dementia-Related Research in England

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D.

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D., from the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at NSU presented a research poster titled “Assessment and Management of Dynamic Aphasia in the Context of Frontotemporal Dementia” at the 61st annual meeting of the Academy of Aphasia (AoA) hosted by the University of Reading, England, UK.

His research sheds light on a lesser-known manifestation of frontotemporal dementia referred to as “dynamic aphasia.” Unlike other variations of aphasia, individuals with dynamic aphasia perform well on clinical tests of naming, verbal repetition, auditory-verbal comprehension and reading, but they have substantial difficulty during conversations. They struggle to answer open-ended questions/requests (e.g., “Tell me about your hobbies”) and it is proposed that they have a breakdown at the stage where thoughts are converted into verbal messages (i.e., the thought-verbal interface).

Through his research, Chandregowda hopes to increase awareness about this clinical condition and contribute to the development of appropriate assessment and management strategies for clinical practice. His presentation at the AoA meeting was well received.

Posted 11/05/23

Speech-Language Pathology Welcomes Former NBA Player

When Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recently sat in front of Nova Southeastern University speech-language pathology faculty and students, he made one thing clear: “I don’t like talking, and I never will.”

He told the crowd about times he spent in the principal’s office after his teacher asked him to read aloud in class and he refused.

His actions were not a product of disobedience, he says, but a part of what would be a lifetime of dealing with a stutter.

“It’s lonely,” said the National Basketball Association veteran and University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Champion to a crowded room of students, faculty, and members of the stuttering community on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at NSU.

Kidd-Gilchrist calls himself lucky, though, despite his stutter. His towering height and athletic abilities have not only brought him success, but often provided a way to mask his condition. When his family was looking at colleges, he said, they sought out campuses with clinics. UK was a perfect fit, allowing Kidd-Gilchrist to play basketball for legendary Wildcats Coach John Calipari, and also have an opportunity to work with his first speech-language pathologist.

“I remember a time when I didn’t want anyone to know about my stutter,” he said. “When I entered speech therapy at the University of Kentucky, I told my therapist that I didn’t want anyone to know.”

As his connection with his therapist grew, Kidd-Gilchrist learned how to use a metronome to time his speech and also developed ways of overcoming adversity both physical and mental.

“My speech-language pathologist helped me start to understand that I wasn’t broken,” he said. “She was always there for me.”

Yet there still were struggles. Being good at basketball meant being in the spotlight. And being in the spotlight meant the dreaded microphones and interviews.

“I felt like I was teased in the media and couldn’t say anything back,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.

After being drafted in 2012 by the NBA as the second overall pick of the first round, Kidd-Gilchrist played in the NBA for nine years, mostly with Charlotte. While spending time in the NBA “bubble” in 2020, Kidd-Gilchrist began reflecting on his journey as a person who stutters. He wanted to turn his knowledge and experience into something that would help others who stutter.

“I have a responsibility to speak out for others,” he said. “Not because I have to do it, but because I want to do it.”

In 2021, he founded Change & Impact, Inc., a stuttering initiative with a mission to improve access to health care and expand services and resources for those who stutter.

NSU speech-language pathology Professor Rachel Williams, the facilitator of Kidd-Gilchrist’s university visit, explained that often stuttering sessions are not covered by insurance, because stuttering is a condition that has no definitive end point.

Since Change & Impact’s inception, Kidd-Gilchrist has been on a national speaking circuit visiting universities, hospitals, stuttering camps, and support groups. His goal is to raise awareness about gaps in the health care system for those who stutter, and the medical need to improve speech therapy insurance coverage for stuttering.

Kidd-Gilchrist shared his life as an SLP patient, student, father, husband, and basketball player during his visit to NSU. Besides his speaking engagement, he met with top administrators with the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, received a tour of the Davie Campus, and also toured NSU’s speech-language pathology clinic. He closed his visit at NSU by thanking the students and faculty who have pursued the speech-language pathology field.

“I appreciate that you wanted to get into this field,” he said. “In doing so, you have an opportunity to help someone.”

To learn more about Change & Impact, visit www.changeandimpactinc.org

Posted 11/05/23

USchool Student-Run Company Among National Finalists

The NSU University School Junior Achievement student-run company, ProFin Technologies, achieved great success at the Junior Achievement Nationals in Washington D.C. They secured a place among the top 10 National Finalists, and also received the first place award for ICE (Intercontinental Exchange) Best Financial Performance. The team recently presented their charitable giving, from net sales of more than $25,000, to their corporate partner, United Way of Broward County.

Learn more about NSU University School’s college preparatory program for students in Preschool – Grade 12 at www.uschool.nova.edu.

Posted 11/05/23

1 2 3 4 5 6 … 54