Dean’s Sept. 29 testimony before Congress to be webcast

Every week FIU’s Office of Governmental Relations shares with FIU News what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and how it impacts the university. 

Watch Dean Heithaus testify before the House Agriculture Committee

Mike Heithaus, dean of FIU’s College of Arts & Sciences, will be in Washington, D.C., Sept. 29 to testify before the House Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research.

Scheduled to start at 10 a.m., the hearing – held under the auspices of the House Agriculture Committee – is titled “Research Innovations from Our Nations Agricultural Colleges and Universities.” Heithaus will highlight FIU’s innovative work detecting and protecting crops in South Florida that have recently become susceptible to the deadly laurel wilt disease being spread by an invasive insect.

The dean will also discuss FIU’s outreach efforts as an Hispanic-serving institution to attract minority high school students to the agricultural sciences. The university is working to bridge the gap between the amount of Hispanic farm workers and Hispanic agricultural scientists and engineers.

Other topics to be discussed include veterans and small farmers outreach, economic growth and job creation, and research partnerships in which FIU is engaged.

Click here to watch the webcast of the hearing.

Pope Francis visits D.C. in the midst of a potential government shutdown

On Sept. 23, Pope Francis became the first pontiff ever to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.

Tens of thousands from around the United States gathered in the nation’s capital to be a part of the historic event. Although His Holiness was the first of the papacy to deliver a speech on Capitol Hill, he was the third to pay a visit to Washington, D.C. In his speech to the Legislature, the Pope acknowledged academic institutions for their role in fostering a better future.

“I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead,” he said.

The Pope also challenged America to join a global campaign against climate change. His remarks come on the heels of FIU announcing the opening of the university’s new Sea Level Solutions Center. The center combines expertise in the natural, physical and social sciences, along with architecture, engineering, computer sciences, law, communications, business, health and tourism management to develop long-term strategies in the face of rising seas.

FIU’s global reach and STEM on display in D.C.

Director of FIU’s Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center Frank Mora served as a panelist on a Brookings Institution program Sept. 21. The event, “An Assessment of Colombian Drug Policy Amidst Peace Talks with the FARC,” aimed to evaluate Colombia’s counter narcotics and anti-organized crime strategies and their relation to the country’s ongoing peace talks.

Excelencia in Education hosted the “Celebracion de Excelencia” ceremony Sept. 22. Among the finalists for the “Example of Excelencia” award was the College of Education’s Creating Latino Access to a Valuable Education (CLAVE) program.

FIU student Luis Gustavo Hugo is the face of Excelencia in Education

FIU also attended the Million Women Mentors (MWM) summit and gala, which supports the engagement of 1 million science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) mentors to increase the interest and confidence of girls and women so they persist and succeed in STEM programs and careers.

Panther  spottings

Last week, several FIU community members were seen on the Hill. They include:

• Todd Crowl, director of Southeast Environmental Research Center
• Alex Acosta, dean of the College of Law
• Oscar Loynaz, director of Student Health Services
• George Corton, associate VP of Development, FIU Foundation, Inc.
• Javier Samaniego, partner at Bird & Bird

For more on FIU’s role in D.C. or to see what the office is involved with this fall, stay connected with FIU in D.C. on Facebook and Twitter:

Twitter: @FIUdc

Facebook: FIU Federal Relations, FIU In DC

Website: FIU Federal Relations

Email: Federal@fiu.edu