Others waved the country’s blue and white flag or wore No. 10 Lionel Messi’s jersey in honor of the star player. For hospitality sophomore and native Argentinian Sabrina Pavon, it was an unforgettable experience, as she was hoisted up onto someone’s shoulders. 

“This is the best day of my life. As an Argentinian and a student, it was so great to be surrounded by so many of my people and to celebrate with my fellow FIU students,” she said.

The month-long fútbol or soccer tournament crowns the sport’s very best every four years and is the most-watched sporting event in the world.

On Sunday, Argentina beat reigning World Cup champs France in extra time, winning with a penalty kick shootout. The win sent Argentinians everywhere into the streets and resulted in a national holiday to celebrate the win and the team’s return to their homeland.

For students like Gabriela Cortes, who is getting her master’s degree in mega event management, being in the heart of such an important world event, brought new meaning to her hospitality degree.

“Being in the home country of the champions was an emotional experience, even though I’m not from Argentina. This really brought my lessons on the ship to life.

Students started their trip on Dec. 5 flying from Miami to Santiago, Chile. There, they boarded Holland America Line’s Oosterdam where they took classes while at sea. At the time, no one knew who was going to win the championship.

The voyage down South America, across the Straits of Magellan, and around Cape Horn included breathtaking and up-close views of glaciers, penguins and turquoise-blue waterfalls. Stops included ports in Chile, in the British Falkland Islands, in Montevideo, Uruguay, and in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America. 

In Ushuaia, students watched the World Cup semi-final match together first streaming it on their phones while on a bus to a shore excursion and then together at an eco-lodge after trekking through the Patagonian wilderness. 

Those who weren’t soccer fans before this trip couldn’t help but give in to the excitement and gain a new appreciation of the sport. Others couldn’t believe they were going to be in the right place, at the right time to celebrate the win.

"The emotion at the obelisk and during the semi-final was unimaginable," added hospitality student, Adilene Rivera Chavez.

All the students agree being in the middle of a World Cup Championship celebration was a win-win for everyone. 

The program aims to help students better understand what it means to live a financially healthy lifestyle by providing a variety of workshops and resources.

The FWP team shared these tips to help you kickstart your financial wellness journey for 2023:

1. Apply to at least three scholarships over winter break. Find yourself some extra funds by dedicating some of your free time to applying for scholarships. Review Academic Works to find scholarships available at FIU, and don’t forget to search online for external opportunities, too.
2. Create your free iGrad profile. iGrad is an online platform that offers personalized financial literacy resources and tools to help students budget and learn to make good decisions with money. You can also find scholarship opportunities on iGrad.
3. Save money by using campus amenities, such as the Wellness and Recreation Center. The FIU Student Health Fee provides funding for a variety of services and amenities at little or no additional cost to students. For instance, the average gym membership costs about $696 per year, but FIU’s gym is available to enrolled students at no additional cost.
4. Schedule a financial wellness coaching session. FWP offers one-on-one sessions with coaches who are ready to help you determine your financial goals, answer your questions and guide you in the right direction. To request an appointment, contact the Financial Wellness Program or stop by GC 267.

Don’t forget to attend FWP’s annual financial wellness celebration this spring semester. In partnership with Wells Fargo and Chase banks, FWP will facilitate educational workshops covering topics like investing, budgeting, wealth management, and more. Follow FWP’s Instagram for more information.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dani Rojas was under tremendous pressure at work. The young Abbott Laboratories engineer was charged with keeping the company’s COVID diagnostic equipment up and running 24/7.

As the subject matter expert on the equipment, anytime it went down, she was called. “It didn’t matter if it was 3 a.m., I was there,” she said. “I had T-minus two hours to fix whatever was wrong or the CEO would be notified.”

Rojas, 29, who graduated from FIU in 2018 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the College of Engineering and Computing, recently received the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Technology Rising Star category at the annual Women of Color STEM conference. The awards showcase excellence and innovation and the under-representation of diverse women in scientific and technical fields.

“The industry is still very male-dominated and it makes you feel as if you have to work twice as hard to succeed,” Rojas said. “It was gratifying just to be nominated for the award, and receiving it was awesome.”

Rojas credits the lab environment at FIU for giving her a boost when starting her career.

“The lab experience taught me so much,” she said. “I learned how to network, how to conduct experiments and how to use simulation software like SolidWorks. Those skills became my golden ticket. I always tell people it’s not just about the classes you take. Talk to professors and grad students about their research. Look for what interests you.”

Her work in FIU’s Adaptive Neural Systems Lab, in particular, enabled her to get an internship with Beckman Coulter Inc., in Miami, which turned into a permanent position when she graduated. Rojas was a manufacturing engineer at Beckman Coulter until she left for Abbott Laboratories in Illinois in December of 2020.

At Abbott, she first worked as a project engineer, where she was assigned to the rapid diagnostics business unit. Recently, she became a project manager for the company’s capital planning division.

“It’s a very different role, but it allows me to use my engineering background while learning more about the business and finance aspects of manufacturing,” Rojas said. The division develops and implements large-scale manufacturing projects and she works regularly with teams around the world, including groups in Germany and Ireland.

As a sports-loving youngster growing up in Colombia, Rojas never pictured herself as an engineer. She moved to New Jersey as a young teen and then back to Colombia, where she finished high school. Eventually, she moved to South Florida. Still unsure about her future, she started community college toying with the idea of pursuing journalism or nursing.

“I was good at math and chemistry and when I took a few basic engineering classes, a professor encouraged me to think about biomedical engineering,” she said. After transferring to FIU, Rojas hit her stride, starting a biomedical club with another student and seeking out lab opportunities.

She strongly believes that there is too much pressure on teens to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. “It’s okay to not know what you want to do at the age of 18,” she said. “Take the time to explore and take random classes that seem interesting. Talk to professors. They are happy when you ask them about their work or their labs. Ask if they need help in the lab. You will be surprised at the opportunities you have.”

It is always gratifying to see FIU alumni excel, said John L. Volakis, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. “And when one of our graduates, such as Dani, is recognized on the national stage, it makes us proud that a Panther is making a difference in the world today.”

Rojas, who has recently taken up painting as a hobby, said she is regularly asked about her future plans. When she answers, she sounds a bit like the college student she was not long ago. “I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “My boss asks me this all the time. I would like to be the project owner of these million-dollar capacity projects one day. But I’m still learning something new every day.”

China is well known for its medicinal use of wild plants, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. These traditional Chinese medicines include many wild orchids, some quite showy.

Typically, orchids are consumed alone or mixed with other herbs in tea or soup. The health benefits vary depending on species; conditions for which orchids are used include immune system boosting, hypertension and stroke.

Many of these medicinal orchids are among the 40-plus species in the genus Dendrobium. In recent decades, supplies of wild-sourced medicinal Dendrobium orchids have declined steadily, with shortages of some types. This is occurring in the limestone regions of Guizhou and Guangxi, the main area where Dendrobium has grown naturally, due to a combination of overharvesting by collectors and habitat loss.

I am an ecologist and lead several research projects in southwestern China, where the nation’s first orchid nature preserve is located in a zone with a highly diverse assortment of orchid species. In 2017, China released a Biodiversity Red List of endangered species found within its borders. It included 68 threatened Dendrobium species but did not mention overharvesting as a factor for their decline, even though I and other researchers have shown that trade in wild-harvested orchids is very active in China.

In my view, China’s Biodiversity Red List significantly underestimates wild harvest as a threat to Chinese orchids. The government has taken encouraging steps on this issue recently, but its actions reflect challenges that are relevant to conserving many wild species, such as balancing use and conservation. The fate of China’s Dendrobium orchids thus offers clues about what China is prepared to do to conserve its many endangered plants and animals.

From forests to cities

Farmers typically collect wild medicinal orchids to sell to middlemen or in rural markets. From there, the plants often move to bigger medicinal plant trading hubs or flower-and-bird markets in major Chinese cities.

The total trade volumes of medicinal orchids are not well documented, but likely vary by species. Available records showed that medicinal Dendrobium species trade peaked in the late 1980s at about 660 short tons (600 metric tons) yearly. More recent evidence suggests that wild medicinal Dendrobium are being traded across borders between China and southeast Asian countries, probably because the plants’ populations are dwindling in China.

Industrial cultivation

Although China faces many well-known sustainability challenges, it is working to position itself as an environmental leader. This is especially true for protecting wild species: In 2019, China sought and won the role of host for the planned 2021 Conference of Parties to the U.N. Convention on Biodiversity. That meeting, originally located in the Chinese city of Kunming, was held in Montreal in late 2022 after several COVID-19 delays.

Actions on orchid conservation reflect this push. On Sept. 7, 2021, China released a revised list of National Key Protected Wild Plants, which included about 1,100 species. The new list added 291 Chinese orchid species, in sharp contrast to the preceding version, which did not protect any orchids.

All 96 species of Chinese Dendrobium are on the list, which means that collecting them is subject to national regulations on wild plant protection. It remains to be seen how effectively these regulations will be enforced.

China also has encouraged production of commercially valuable animals and plants on farms to meet market demand and reduce pressure on wild species. For orchids and many other species, this strategy has produced mixed results.

Growers are now cultivating Dendrobium orchids, including Tie Pi Shi Hu (D. catenatum), one of four “fairy herbs” that are documented in ancient herbal books. This process is mostly done in industrial greenhouses. In 2020, China produced 33,000 short tons (30,000 metric tons) of Dendrobium orchids, with an estimated market value of ¥12 billion RMB, or about $US1.7 billion.

This output has only partly satisfied market demand, and orchid consumers view cultivated orchids as an inferior option. As a result, these plants command a much lower market price than their wild counterparts.

Gastrodia elata, a threatened orchid used in traditional Chinese medicine, is a good example. Mass artificial cultivation techniques for this species were developed as early as the 1980s, but have not ended wild collection.

Forest-grown orchids

One alternative would be to ban use of these threatened orchids. But usage bans on other wild species have produced mixed results. Depending on factors such as market demand and species biology, bans may not be necessary or desirable.

It has been more productive for China to supplement mass orchid cultivation by raising high-value medicinal and edible plants under the canopy of well-managed native forests. These cultivation operations, which could be called “forest grown” or “forest farmed,” are ecologically beneficial because farmers can adopt harvesting methods that enable the plants to persist and reproduce. Forest-grown ginseng in the U.S. is an example of this approach.

Forest-grown Dendrobium farming is popular now in Guizhou and Fujian provinces. The provincial government is encouraging it as a way of reducing poverty.

Forest farming helps producers save money by eliminating or reducing the need for pesticides. In turn, farming without chemicals enables them to sell their plants in organic and other niche markets. It also helps to conserve the target species and the forests where they grow, and preserves native forest diversity. Promoting forest farming can drive interest in forest stewardship and raise awareness about indigenous plants.

This strategy also has some disadvantages. Plants grow more slowly under forest canopies than in shade houses, and yields generally are lower. This means that forest-farmed products must be sold at a premium to be profitable. For now, I believe these semi-wild cultivation operations should be considered experimental.

Conserving high-value plants while also supporting local livelihoods will require officials to think about both ecological and social impacts. If China can find a way to achieve sustainable use of medicinal orchids, it could set a conservation model for other countries that face similar challenges.

Hong Liu, Professor of Earth and Environment, Florida International University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The sound of a cracking glacier falling into the waters within the Straits of Magellan. A jar of Diddle Dee jam made from the wild berries of the United Kingdom’s Falkland Islands sustaining a local economy. The camaraderie created by sporting events, such as celebrating a World Cup win with Argentinians on the streets of Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America.

These are some of the lessons and learning opportunities that 50 undergraduate and grad students are now experiencing first-hand during the return of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management‘s Hospitality at Sea study abroad program. The students and eight faculty members set sail on Dec. 5 from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on a 14-day voyage around South America on Holland America Line’s Oosterdam.

“This is amazing,” said 19-year-old freshman Sebastian Granthon while taking pictures in front of a glacial waterfall from the bow of the 2,000-passenger ship. He never thought he would have a chance to visit the ends of the earth – Patagonia Chile and Argentina, Uruguay and the Falkland Islands  - while still in school.

This year marks the program’s 10^th cruise. The theme is global sustainable tourism and humanity’s role in protecting the environment, which mirrors the school’s new fully online Bachelor of Arts in Global Sustainable Tourism. While at sea, students enroll in one to four classes, such as hospitality law, destination tourism marketing, cruise line operations management, international cuisine, spirits and beverage management, global issues, personal development and global sustainable tourism.

“This is one of FIU’s most unique programs because students are studying on the ship, getting real insight through behind-the-scenes talks with the ship’s crew such as the food and beverage director and environmental officer, then experiencing those lessons while at port and during shore excursions,” said Professor John Buschman, the program’s new director.

While on board, students learned that menus are created six months ahead of departure, that the ship’s environmental officer and crew try to use as little plastic as possible, that the go-to late-night snack is pizza, and that — post-COVID and due to supply chain issues — the ship didn’t receive its delivery of 30,000 eggs, so crew members were sent out to buy as many as possible.

Before boarding the ship, hospitality students visited DUOC University in Santiago, Chile, where students from both hospitality programs continued their COIL or Collaborative Online International Learning with in-person activities and a reception. The result: new friendships and future global learning exchange opportunities.

“I still can’t believe this. This is like a dream. I’m in awe. I’m in a dream right now,” said Tiffany Welches, who is in the first Global Sustainable Tourism class cohort and is expected to graduate next year. “I feel very lucky to be part of FIU. Thanks to this program, I’ve been around a lot of amazing people who care about making people happy and about the planet,” she added.

Some of the other Hospitality at Sea study abroad highlights include trekking in Patagonia, visiting penguins on the Falkland Islands, traveling with locals to a glacial waterfall, experiencing a traditional English afternoon tea with crumpets, eating at a Gaucho ranch in Argentina, sailing the same waters of 16th-century explorers along the Straits of Magellan, and rounding South America’s Cape Horn, where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet.

The trip has opened the eyes and possibilities for many students about the wonders of the world. Some call it life-changing. Granthon sums it all up in one expression, a big smile, and one word, “Unbelievable!”

Keep these tips in mind when starting a new fitness plan to maximize success and long-term adherence:

1. Assess your physical and mental readiness. Before starting a plan, discuss it with your physician and make sure you are cleared to begin. Then, you can move on to mentally preparing yourself with affirmations, so you feel ready and motivated to stick to it.
2. Create a plan. In order for your plan to work over time, it’s important to set expectations for yourself. First, plan out the days and times that you will block off to exercise for the first month to start building a habit. Set the amount of time that you will logically be able to dedicate to your workouts. It’s recommended to start lower and increase the amount of time as you build stronger habits and intensity. Lastly, try to give yourself different exercise options that you enjoy. That way, on the challenging days, you can be flexible and choose from a couple of activities you enjoy, rather than feel stuck doing something you aren’t enjoying.
3. Don’t compare yourself to those around you! Everybody is different, and everyone around you is on a different step on their fitness journey. Keep your personal goals and expectations in mind when setting your program.
4. Be realistic. Set expectations for yourself that are doable. Setting many small goals, or milestones, that you can achieve throughout your journey will help keep you focused and motivated.
5. Make it fun! Having fun is the best way to ensure you stick to your plan long-term, and there are many strategies to make exercise more fun. Having a variety of exercise forms to choose from is one, and exercising with people you know who have similar goals for themselves is another.
6. Find a support system. If you’re struggling with accountability when trying to commit to a new habit, find a good support system to help you navigate through the hard times. A support system can look different for everyone: It could be a gym partner, a family member, or a friend. When you feel discouraged or unmotivated, ask these people to check in and ensure that you stick to your plan.
7. Take it slow. Rushing won’t make the process faster or easier! Focusing on your needs and taking it slow is essential. Changing your lifestyle and starting new habits takes time and consistency.

Your New Year’s resolution to start exercising is achievable if you keep these simple steps in mind. It’s never too late to show up for yourself and become the best version of you!

The FIU Wellness and Recreation Center is a valuable, on-campus resource that you can utilize to increase your physical activity. For more information about the WRC's programs and services, please contact WRC@fiu.edu.

Professor Frank O. Mora was confirmed this week by the Senate as permanent representative of the United States to the Organization of American States (OAS), a position that carries the rank of ambassador.

The OAS is a leading multilateral organization that works to strengthen peace and security in the Western Hemisphere. As ambassador, Mora will help guide diplomatic efforts for the U.S. on matters affecting the region. Mora, who was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden last year, previously served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary for defense for the Western Hemisphere, from 2009 to 2013.

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Mora and know he will lead with distinction in this new role,’’ said FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell. “He is an academic with deep experience and understanding of the region.”

Before Mora's confirmation, Carlos Trujillo, a member of the FIU Board of Trustees, served as the last permanent ambassador to the OAS under the Trump Administration.

At FIU, Mora served as director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center from 2013 to 2019, where his understanding of the region helped elevate the center nationally and internationally. LACC is considered one of the top centers of its kind in the country, serving as a nexus between academia and public policy.

“Professor Mora helped LACC become a solution center on major issues facing the region and I know he will do the same at OAS,’’ said Shlomi Dinar, interim dean of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at FIU, which houses LACC. “It is a testament to the caliber of Green School faculty with direct policy experience like Dr. Mora, who are able to provide critical real-world solutions in the area of foreign policy and international affairs.”

A professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations, as well as senior researcher at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, Mora previously taught national security strategy and Latin American studies at the National War College, National Defense University and served as chair of the department of international studies at Rhodes College.

“I am grateful to FIU for the almost 10 years I have been director and professor at this great institution,” said Mora. “I am also grateful to the Biden administration and the Senate for the opportunity to serve our country in this new role.

Mora has worked as a consultant to the Library of Congress, the U.S. State Department, U.S. Southern Command, as well as the Organization of American States.

At FIU, he worked with a team of scholars to provide research and projections for government entities including the U.S. Department of Defense, publishing numerous studies offering political forecasts on the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

"Ambassador (Steven J.) Green, Mrs. (Dorothea) Green and I congratulate Dr. Mora on his well-deserved appointment as the United States ambassador to the OAS,'' said Kimberly Green. "His work and leadership in the Americas benefitted both FIU and the region, and we are proud to have worked with him during his leadership as director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center."

Norman S. Edelcup, a longtime North Miami-Dade County community leader, has made a gift to establish the Norman S. Edelcup Golden Gift First Generation Scholarship Endowment.

The endowment will support first-generation students who live within a five-mile radius of FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus, through the Vice Provost's Council Golden Gift First Generation Scholarship Program, a program that he has philanthropically supported since 2014. The minimum donation for the Golden Gift First Generation Scholarship is $2,500, which is eligible for a two-to-one matching gift from the State of Florida.

“I am proud to be able to continue to support first-generation students at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in perpetuity,” Edelcup said. “BBC is home to some of FIU’s highest ranked programs, most innovative labs, and its own campus culture. This gift will help ensure that these students can stay on a pathway toward success.”                              

Edelcup is a founder of the Vice Provost's Council on the Biscayne Bay Campus and served on its executive committee for four years. He played a key role in its development, bringing in influential community members to serve on the council. Since its inception in 2012, the council has raised over $2.5 million in scholarships for FIU students.

Edelcup served as mayor of Sunny Isles Beach for 11 years, as well as serving as a city commissioner. He also was a founder and director of the Mt. Sinai Medical Center Foundation. In recognition of his community contributions, the Norman S. Edelcup/Sunny Isles Beach K-8 School was named in his honor.

“We are grateful to have the Honorable Norman Edelcup as a champion of FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus,” said Vice Provost for the Biscayne Bay Campus Pablo G. Ortiz. “Through this gift, he has once again shown his commitment to the educational excellence of students who will be the future leaders of the Miami-Dade County community.”

Edelcup’s gift benefits FIU’s Next Horizon campaign, which is advancing student success and research excellence at the university.

Garcia was a long-standing member of FIU’s Department of Leadership and Professional Studies in the College of Education and served as dean from 2010-2016, prior to the merger with Arts & Sciences. Garcia continued to teach in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education and retired in 2020.

FIU education faculty attended the board meeting with Superintendent Jose L. Dotres, where the school board passed a resolution honoring Garcia’s efforts to forge university-school partnerships that addressed challenges faced by local communities. During her time at FIU, she secured federal, state and foundation grants to address the preparation of teachers in urban schools and family literacy efforts. She helped generate tuition scholarships for graduate degrees and expanded professional development opportunities for teachers from Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

She also developed a national family literacy model that served more than 3,000 minority families in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties and was recognized by the United States Department of Education as an Academic Excellence project. As a researcher, Garcia focused on family involvement, teacher and parent efficacy, and urban teacher preparation. She developed curriculum guides for teacher education in home-school relations, adult literacy and English as a Second Language.

Garcia started her career as a high school Social Studies teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She completed a doctoral degree in educational administration and supervision from FIU and a bachelor’s and master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Miami.

These five simple actions can help boost your job or internship search and prepare you for positive interview experiences in the coming months:

1. Update your resume. Add any work experience you completed during the semester, such as a job or internship, research or other relevant projects and community service. Then, make sure your contact information is current and run a spelling and grammar check. “Make sure you're happy with it. That will be your base to easily update all your online career profiles, like Handshake and LinkedIn,” says Adriana Pinera-Cruz, a career specialist at FIU Career and Talent Development (CTD).

• Pro Tip: Use VMock, an online platform available to FIU students that leverages powerful data analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance your resume.

2. Request an appointment with a career advisor through Handshake. It’s a good idea to visit CTD every semester. Request your spring appointment now, so you don’t forget come January. (Handshake gives FIU students access to career search tools, job and internship opportunities, professional development webinars, and more. If you haven’t claimed your free account, register today at fiu.joinhandshake.com.)

3. Brainstorm talking points for future cover letters. Remember that every cover letter should be tailored to the individual job application, but you can always keep a list of your main job experiences and qualifications on hand so you don’t have to start from scratch.

4. Clean up your social media. Take some time to review your digital footprint (what you post online) and your digital shadow (what others post about you). With the holidays coming, it’s a good time to ask family and friends to check in with you before they post anything about you online. “This will help keep a better handle of your digital presence and what people, including potential employers, can find about you,” Pinera-Cruz says. Learn more about cleaning up your social media in this article in The Muse.

5. Take time to self-reflect. If you’ve had a recent interview, consider what went well and what you could improve on next time. If you’re still trying to figure out your future career path, take a strengths test or complete an interest profiler assessment online to gain some helpful insight. Really think about what makes you YOU and how that relates to the world of work. “The goal is to have a very good idea of yourself so you can speak more eloquently and introspectively about yourself in career situations,” Pinera-Cruz says. She shared the following online tools to help guide you in the right direction:

• 16 Personalities (free personality test)
• My Next Move (free profiler that helps connect your personal interests to career opportunities)

With all that in mind, be sure to mark your calendar for FIU’s Spring Career Fairs:

• All-Majors Fair: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the GC Ballrooms)
• Technical Majors Fair: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the GC Ballrooms)

The new $2 million makes possible an ambitious “phase 2” in The Wolfsonian’s multi-year digital strategy, allowing the museum and study center to dramatically step up its integration of technologies into the Wolfsonian way. Building upon prior successes and a previous focus on workflow, digital literacy, data collection, and digitization—which has 115,000 collection images captured and brought online to date—staff will recenter around robust digital content creation and broadening access to, and engagement with, the museum’s collection. The award will also enhance the team’s application of searchability tools and human-centered design, ensuring that the digital department’s goals, principles, and processes can carry the institution well into the future.

“We are honored to partner with Knight Foundation on this next stage of The Wolfsonian’s digital growth,” said Wolfsonian director Casey Steadman. “This transformation goes hand-in-hand with our plans to improve public access to the collection through our building itself—it’s all about sharing more of what we have, bringing our resources to light.” 

After years as an international finance professional, Marjorie Ucros decided to go back to school and finish her business degree in 2008.

She never imagined that one day she’d be part of a team of people pulling together the United States’ daily presidential brief — a summary of high-level information and analysis on national security produced for the president and key cabinet members and advisers.

Her journey began at FIU. While working full-time at the United Bank of Switzerland in Miami during the day, she took classes at the university. It was not easy to juggle it all, but she made it work.

She graduated in 2010 with a dual degree in business administration and international business and management. Then, she moved to Washington, D.C., and took a job at the United Nations as a finance business manager. In that role, she worked with a number of donors, international governments and private sector organizations to enable initiatives that would reduce poverty in the Caribbean and South America.

As part of her job, she created a network of contacts in D.C. who eventually suggested she make a career switch — into the intelligence community (IC). The IC is a group of separate government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities that support the foreign policy and national security of the United States. 

The idea intrigued her.

“I decided to apply my skills and knowledge to support my adopted country,” says Ucros, a native of Venezuela.

Today, Ucros is an intelligence officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which provides timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security objectives. Through a program that allows professionals in the IC to rotate to different agencies for a time, she is currently working as a mission coordinator at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

In her role at NCTC, she collects and disseminates talking points for National Security Council meetings, works with analysts and helps create the daily presidential brief, a document that has been presented in some form to U.S. presidents since 1946.

“Every day I go to work, and I know that I do make a difference in the overall intelligence mission,” she says. “There [are] specific tasks that go into the larger picture of protecting our nation.”

She encourages diversity and inclusion throughout the IC through her participation in its Hispanic Advisory Council, a network made up of people from all the agencies in the IC who come together to learn from each other, mentor each other and discuss ways to combat low representation of Hispanic, Asian and other minorities in the IC.

Ucros is proud to know that her alma mater is helping diversify the field, particularly through the IC-CAE Intelligence fellowship.

Led by the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, the fellowship is a one-year workforce development program that provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to prepare for a future in any of the 17 agencies of the U.S. IC. FIU was one of four pilot institutions designated as an IC-CAE school by the ODNI in 2005.

The program provides unique coursework, research opportunities, internships, one-on-one mentorship with former intelligence professionals and exclusive networking events with recruiters and other current members of the intelligence community.

In addition to the internships given to students during the program, roughly 80% of students receive a conditional offer of employment right after completing the program.

“Every one of us has something to contribute to national security,” Ucros says. “Everyone has skills they can develop and become [an] expert at it. It’s an incredible opportunity, it makes it more reachable to have a program like this within FIU.”

During the fall semester, students also participated in the Cyber Threat Intelligence Fellowship at FIU, working in Washington, D.C. and taking a course at FIU in DC, the university's hub in the nation's capital. 

The Honorable Avril Haines, director of ODNI, visited FIU last year and highlighted the existing talent and interest in bringing FIU students into the IC.  

Most recently, Stephanie La Rue, chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the ODNI, visited the university to meet with students and discuss diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. La Rue emphasized the importance of building an IC that represents the country as a whole and how FIU’s workforce development programs are helping achieve that goal.

“Programs like this. People, officers, educators and mentors like you all have here [at FIU]. You are part of the solution to make sure that we do have an intelligence community that reflects a country that we’re here to serve,” she said to students. “The American people deserve an intelligence community that reflects our country.”

Alumni like Ucros are already making a difference.

With biodiversity declining at unprecedented rates and less than a decade remaining to avert the worst effects of climate change, world leaders and policymakers are on the hunt for new and innovative solutions. In the halls and meeting rooms of global COP conferences, digital technologies have been heavily promoted to address these interrelated threats to our ecosystem.

At the recent COP27 climate conference in Egypt, the Forest Data Partnership — a global consortium co-ordinated by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, NASA, Google and Unilever — called for a “global alliance to unlock the value of land use data to protect and restore nature.” The WRI promoted its Land and Carbon Lab to measure carbon stocks associated with land use.

Nature4Climate — a coalition of 20 environmental organizations — revealed a new online platform to help implement natural climate solutions. They also exhibited a report on the “nature tech market.” At the COP15 biodiversity conference in Montréal, NatureMetrics, a provider of nature intelligence technology, launched a new digital dashboard to enable standardized measurements of the health of ecosystems.

Many, however, see such efforts as a dangerous push to get untried and untested corporate technologies accepted as “nature-positive solutions” in the Convention on Biological Diversity and climate negotiations.

As researchers examining the role of technologies in biodiversity monitoring and protected area management, we find that these digital technologies have the potential to yield positive results, if co-developed and used ethically with Indigenous Peoples.

Conservation and Big Tech

The influence of the tech industry in environmental governance has grown considerably over the past decade. Tech giants like Microsoft, IBM, Google and Amazon, as well as philanthropic counterparts like the Bezos Earth Fund, have invested significantly in technologies to address global environmental issues.

Microsoft’s $50 million “AI for Earth” program, for instance, aims to “transform the way we monitor, model and ultimately manage Earth’s natural resources through grants, technology and access to data.” Such programs, including the Forest Data Partnership, have helped establish partnerships involving philanthropic, academic, non-governmental, public and private sector institutions.

They not only transform conservation, but natural environments as well. The deployment of digital technologies throughout natural environments, from satellites and aerial sensors to drones, camera traps and wearable sensors, has transformed the Internet of Things into an internet of trees, oceans and wildlife.

In our new economic context, in which data is the new oil, such technologies also transform the world’s forests and oceans into new frontiers of digital commoditization and investment.

Climate action or corporate greenwashing?

Critics warn, however, that these techno-centric solutions are simply corporate greenwashing and that they actually intensify biodiversity loss and climate change. While Microsoft, Amazon and Google tout the use of their technologies for environmental good, they continue to sell cloud computing and artificial intelligence services to oil companies around the world.

Research on Microsoft’s “AI For Earth” program shows that it greenwashes Microsoft’s corporate reputation, while its cloud computing and AI products are promoted to help oil companies better extract and distribute oil. Its vast data centres also use significant amounts of electricity, much of which comes from fossil fuels.

While Microsoft does attempt to offset its emissions by investing in California’s Klamath East project, a stretch of protected woodland managed by a forest products company, its carbon offsets have literally gone up in smoke in recent wildfires.

Similar claims have been made about Amazon and its environmental programs. While Amazon Web Services advertises its support for conservation and climate action, the company continues to drive greenhouse gas emissions by offering its cloud computing and AI services to the oil and gas sector.

In a critique of the Forest Data Partnership, the environmental organization Greenpeace argued that it is “nothing but a green light for eight more years of forest destruction, with little respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.” It also argued that this allows polluters to do more business as usual through “carbon trickery instead of advancing true climate action.”

Technology for a just and sustainable future

At COP15 there has been a critical parallel movement to support Indigenous-led conservation to meet global biodiversity and climate change commitments.

Making up just five per cent of the global population, Indigenous Peoples steward 36 per cent of our remaining intact forests and 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity.

Digital technologies, however, often marginalize local and Indigenous communities in conservation by supporting a shift toward more militarized and coercive approaches to conservation that position communities as targets of surveillance and policing.

Given these concerns, it is important to think critically about the role of digital technologies in global biodiversity and climate frameworks. Can these digital technologies truly support Indigenous-led conservation, climate action and reconciliation with the Earth?

The first step to this would include monitoring new technologies in the new biodiversity and climate frameworks. Digital tools must not be used to maintain the status quo by securing carbon credits and corporate profits. Instead, they need to be co-developed ethically and used with Indigenous Peoples and land defenders to protect their rights to — and control over — the environments they cultivate, care for and protect.

James Stinson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research and Faculty of Education, York University, Canada and Lee Mcloughlin, PhD student Global Sociocultural Studies, Florida International University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Breathe in for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… And breathe out for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

You worked hard this semester, and you’ve earned a well-deserved break. But sometimes after a hectic or stressful period of life, like finals, it can be hard to calm a busy mind and truly enjoy downtime.

But don’t worry. These tips and resources will help you take advantage of your winter break to rest, recover and mentally prepare for a successful Spring semester.

Dedicate some time to self-care before you return to campus. Take a walk around your neighborhood or try a new class at the gym. Read a book purely for enjoyment. Cook a meal with a family member or friend. Practice mindfulness by writing out a gratitude list or a self-reflection on the Fall semester. Listen to a guided meditation session online. Self-care can look different for different people. The important thing is that you try your best to clear your mind and be present in the moment. Take a look at this list of self-care ideas provided by Student Health and Wellness (SHW) if you need some inspiration.

Be kind to your mind. SHW offers a variety of mental wellness resources, which are covered by the health fee and available to students at no additional cost. Looking for a listening ear? Try Togetherall, a safe, online, peer-to-peer support community available 24/7, 365 days a year. Want to speak with a counselor or therapist? Through Bettermynd, students have access to fully online counseling conducted by licensed mental health professionals. Counseling and Psychological Services also offers “CAPS Talks,” a YouTube series covering topics like motivation, handling panic, talking to your parents about mental health and more. View SHW’s full list of mental wellness resources online.

Join a cause that you find meaningful. For example, gather a group of your friends to participate in FIU’s Out of the Darkness Walk, which raises awareness for suicide prevention, or FIU’s Relay for Life, which raises money for cancer research. Having fun with friends while supporting a good cause is a win-win! Find these opportunities and more in your Panther Connect portal.

We’ll see you in January, Panthers!

“I always knew I wanted to make the most of my college experience and participate in organizations that were helping students bring tech to life,” says Maldonado, who found his passion was creating experiential technology, like the virtual reality (VR) prototype he built in one of his classes.

During his junior year, Maldonado met Robert Hacker, director and co-founder of StartUP FIU, and saw the opportunity to learn more about entrepreneurship and how to commercialize his creation within a community of similarly-minded students.

“From the moment I met him, I knew Jose had a bright future ahead,” Hacker says. “His drive to create exciting and immersive technology made him a great fit for StartUP FIU, which attracts our most creative and innovative students.”

Maldonado participated in the first cohort of the Empower Accelerator, a 14-week program aimed at helping early-stage startups launch or grow. It taught him the basics of entrepreneurship, such as how to invent a product, pitch his ideas and think clearly about what it means to build a technology that people want to buy. “It helped me tremendously throughout my year of interviews with Microsoft,” he says, “I mean I had to pitch to a panel of investors as a college student so nothing was more terrifying than that!”

While learning about advanced computing concepts, machine learning and other technology of the future, Maldonado realized a need to create a pipeline for students who were just starting to learn about these fields. It was then that Maldonado, Cesar Villa-Garcia and a team of friends created UPE during late nights in the offices of StartUP FIU, a space dedicated to fostering the innovative mindset necessary to conceive and design the world’s next great startup venture.

“The goal of UPE was to empower students and connect them with opportunities in the realm of tech, which is always growing,” says Maldonado, who also graduated from FIU’s Honors College. “StartUP FIU provided UPE with the ideal space to foster a super-charged intellectual environment geared towards those who want to succeed in tech.”

Maldonado just started a master’s program in learning sciences and human development at the University of Washington. He is hoping to use the skills he learned during his undergraduate years to get more involved with educational tech, possibly in the VR space is he so passionate about.

“My training as an engineer meant I had a specific framework embedded in my mind,” Maldonado says. “At StartUP FIU, we learned it takes a whole other set of equally important skills to build something and bring it to market.”

— By Irene Ferradaz

Among the graduates are exceptional students who will be recognized as Real Triumphs Graduates. They include a groundbreaking female athletic trainer in the National Hockey League who actively works to recruit more women into the profession, as well as researchers who are breaking new ground in the fields of forensics and medicine.

“Our graduates are breaking barriers and using their education to make a difference in the lives of others,” said FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell. “Panthers everywhere are proud of our fall graduates and what they have accomplished.”
 
Real Triumphs Graduates include:

• Forensics has been Mirna Ghemrawi’s passion since she was a little girl growing up in Tripoli, Lebanon. At FIU, she has led groundbreaking DNA research for the development of innovative forensic tests, including a quicker method to identify nonhuman species from crime scene samples. Ghemrawi also has conducted pilot studies that have the potential of helping solve sexual assault cases. Coming from a culture where women and girls have a societal pressure to follow the norms, Ghemrawi, 29, hopes her journey can motivate other women and girls to follow their dreams. She will receive her Ph.D. in biochemistry on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
  
  
• In just three years, Phoebe Langius, 21, became a researcher, founding president of iCureHealthFIU and a triple major graduate. With a 4.0 GPA, she was accepted into the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine through the early assurance program at FIU Honors College, where she worked on groundbreaking research that could lead to gender-specific medication to enhance memory. She also started a campus chapter of iCureHealth, a student organization that educates students and provides resources related to preventable chronic diseases She graduates with a bachelor’s degree in biology on Monday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m.
  
  
• In January, Aisha Visram, 37, became the first female of color to work as an athletic trainer (AT) on a National Hockey League (NHL) gameday bench, as well as the first woman to serve in that capacity in 20 years. A native Torontonian who loves hockey and the health sciences, Visram started in 2012 as an AT for college and professional ice hockey teams in upstate New York before relocating to California in 2020 to be the assistant athletic trainer for the Ontario Reign – the American Hockey League affiliate to the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. A year later, she was the Reign’s head athletic trainer. Virsram was called up by the Kings on January 13 to fill in for bench staff, making history in the process. She has created Equal Opportun-AT, a nonprofit to raise funds to award grants that help cover expenses for women athletic trainers as they seek positions with sports teams. Visram will receive a Doctor of Athletic Training degree on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.

Beyond Real Triumphs Graduates, other graduates who are making a difference include Emily Morgan, 22, who earned her degree while raising quite a few feisty, four-legged, hooved and hairy kids. Kids as in baby goats, that is. Morgan is the owner of a small dairy goat farm in Homestead. Aiyana's Empire Dairy Goats provides goat milk and cheese to the local community. Morgan also organizes and hosts goat yoga sessions to introduce sustainable, local agriculture to a larger audience, who may have never set foot on a farm. Morgan, the first in her family to graduate college, will walk across the stage on Monday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. 

During the 10 a.m. ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 14, FIU alumnus Gaston Taratuta, CEO and Founder of IMS Internet Media Services, a leading company in digital advertising, will speak to the graduating class. Taratuta was named Entrepreneur of The Year for 2022 by EY Global, one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Taratuta is only the second recipient from South America to receive the award in its 22-year history.

FIU alumnus Chad Moss will speak during the 3 p.m. ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Moss is the CEO of Moss Family Office Worldwide, a family asset acquisitions management company, and executive vice president of Moss Construction. His firm employs nearly 80 FIU alumni. His $10 million gift to FIU naming the Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability was the single largest donation by an alumnus. He was recognized in 2017 as the Alumnus of the Year at the FIU Torch Awards and is a member of the FIU Foundation Board of Directors.

FIU Board of Trustees Chair Dean Colson will speak at the 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies on Monday, Dec. 12. FIU Trustee T. Gene Prescott will speak during the 3 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

The Ocean Bank Convocation Center is located at 1180 SW 113th Ave, Miami, FL 33174.

Video clips and photos for media use will be made available through DropBox. This folder will be updated periodically with new images and videos. 

The showcase, held Dec. 2, was the culmination of months of work. Professors and companies provided ideas for projects, then students used their critical thinking skills under the guidance of faculty members to bring possible solutions to life.  Most students developed their projects to a point where they could pitch them to a company. 

“I think it’s great that FIU holds the showcase to give everyone an opportunity to show their passions and hard effort. It’s a great way for the public to view that as well,” said David Trujillo, a senior environmental engineering major. 

Here are four projects from the showcase indicative of the creativity that was on display. 

WHIP-C is supported by industry leaders such as Berkshire Hathaway, State Farm, USAA, risk modeler Verisk and roofing materials maker GAF. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is also a member.

Together, industry and university faculty members identify problems caused by wind storms, and industry members select and fund research proposals brought forward by faculty. Faculty and students then generate data and practical solutions for industry use. 

“Through this partnership, companies gain access to state-of-the-art facilities and expertise in the wind engineering field,” said Ioannis Zisis, an associate professor at the College of Engineering and Computing and director of the FIU site at WHIP-C. “This collaboration allows us to advance academic knowledge while helping businesses in their research and development efforts.” 

WHIP-C was established by the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program, which seeks to accelerate bringing academic research results into a real-world application through partnerships. The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) contributes to WHIP-C research as an affiliate member. 

The universities focus on four research areas: identifying and categorizing the types of wind storms; assessing the vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure; improving community resilience to wind events; evaluating the societal impact caused by wind storms and how that impact is affected by climate change. 

“The research results of this center go into practice fairly quickly,” says Kishor C. Mehta, Horn Professor of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering at TTU and WHIP-C Center Director. “This is important because most civil infrastructure projects and buildings are designed by codes and standards, which can take up to 10 or 15 years to be updated with new research findings. In the case of our center, as soon as we put results out, companies can use them.” 

Research projects are conducted at FIU’s Wall of Wind — part of the Extreme Events Institute, which can simulate the force of a Category 5 hurricane, and Texas Tech’s VorTECH simulator at the National Wind Institute, which can replicate the effects of a powerful tornado in the field.

FIU and Texas Tech are academic leaders in researching damage caused by wind. Florida Tech’s involvement in the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model is key to research for the insurance and reinsurance sectors. 

In one example of a current WHIP-C study, researchers investigate roof shingles and how they interact with powerful winds at full scale. Asphalt shingles are the most common material used for residential roofs in the United States, and the goal of the research is to improve how roofs are built and installed. 

“As the largest insurer of homes in the U.S., State Farm sees how wind damage affects many families every year,” said Eric Haefli, a senior technology researcher at State Farm. “Through our participation in WHIP-C, we hope to find ways to reduce the negative impacts of wind and the damage it can cause to communities. WHIP-C enables us to collaborate with three prominent wind engineering universities and work with world-renowned researchers and students to find answers. Reducing wind losses will benefit our customers and all consumers.” 

Peru has a new president following the ouster of former leader Pedro Castillo at the hands of the country’s Congress.

His removal followed an attempt by Castillo to cling to power by dissolving a Congress intent on impeaching him. Castillo’s opponents accused him of attempting a coup – a charge his supporters similarly levied in regards to his removal from office. The day ended with the former president in detention.

The Conversation asked Eduardo Gamarra, an expert on Latin American politics at Florida International University, to explain the wider context of Peru’s political crisis – and what could happen next.

Can you talk us through the events of Dec. 7, 2022?

In a nutshell, President Pedro Castillo thought he was going to be impeached and tried to move ahead of lawmakers by closing down Congress. He said he intended to rule by decree and reform the country’s constitutional court and judiciary. In effect, he challenged the armed forces to choose sides.

But the plan backfired. He announced that he was closing Congress, but Congress refused to be closed down. Instead, lawmakers went ahead with a previously planned impeachment trial and overwhelmingly voted to remove him from power. The military for its part rejected Castillo’s ploy.

Castillo was later arrested on a charge of violating a constitutional order. He was replaced by former Vice President Dina Boluarte, who was sworn in as president. Peru’s first female leader intends to serve until 2026.

Behind all this was a competition of legitimacy between Congress and the president – and Congress won.

How did it come to such a crisis point?

That isn’t easy to explain, and the wider background and political system needs to be understood first.

Peru has a hybrid system, in which both parliament and the presidency split power and can act against each other. So constitutionally, the president can dismiss Congress and call for new elections, and, at the same time, Congress can impeach and remove the president. But there is some ambiguity, and there is a case to say Castillo exceeded his constitutional powers in this instance.

The point of having such a system is that when there is a crisis of government, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a crisis of state. The prime minister can resign as head of a government, yet the president can remain in place for stability.

But in reality, it encourages instability. Congress has forced a president from office before. President Martín Vizcarra was removed from power in a 2020 impeachment. In fact, Peru has now had six presidents in the last five years. There have also been instances in the past of Peruvian presidents dissolving Congress. Famously, President Alberto Fujimori did this in 1992 in what was undoubtedly a coup d'état.

At the same time, what you have seen in Peru is a dismantling of the traditional party system. More than a dozen parties are now represented in Congress, which makes it hard for any one party to hold a majority.

In the case of Castillo, only around 15 members of Congress were from his party – a tiny minority in the 130-seat assembly. That made it hard for Castillo to form a strong base to push forward his agenda or protect him from impeachment proceedings.

Making matters of governance worse is the fact that there has been a collapse in trust for Peru’s political institutions and parties.

This all leads to an atomized political system – the old parties have disappeared, but no strong new parties have emerged. In this void have been individuals who have driven the political agenda, with no central force to govern cohesively.

Thrown into this is the political polarization that has affected much of the region, with the country increasingly split between the left and the right.

But it gets worse. Not only is the country polarized politically, it is split by ethnicity, region and class.

And this contributed to Castillo’s downfall?

Yes. From the beginning of his term the leftist former teacher was attacked by his many opponents in Congress for a variety of alleged grievances. He has governed over a worsening economy and faces a slew of corruption charges. Indeed, Castillo had already survived two attempts to impeach him before the events of Dec. 7, 2022 – and he only came to power in July 2021.

Recently, he was accused of treason after suggesting in a CNN interview that he would consider giving landlocked Bolivia access to the Pacific Ocean. Suggesting that an apparent off-the-cuff comment amounted to treason might be pushing it. But on top of that, there were serious accusations of corruption against the president. By my count, there were five serious attempts by Congress to bring about malfeasance trials against Castillo.

How has he responded?

Castillo initially was hoping to get the backing of the Organization of American States (OAS) and tried to convince the regional body, which is tasked with, among other things, upholding democracy in the region, that his own Congress was trying to remove him in what he said was a coup. That may have worked – after all, he was a legitimately elected leader.

But before the OAS was due to hear a report into the allegations, things escalated, culminating in Castillo’s ouster.

So, both sides are claiming a coup? Any truth in those claims?

That is a discussion that will likely go on for a long time. Peru’s left will no doubt frame Castillo’s removal as a coup, while anti-Castillo politicians will insist it wasn’t. They will claim they were heading off a coup attempt from Castillo who, by dismissing Congress, was setting the stage to become a dictator-like leader.

My sense is what happened was Castillo was desperate and trying to defend himself from a Congress that was over-zealous about getting rid of him. But this is not to say they do not have grounds for doing so, as there does appear to be credible evidence of corruption.

Having said that, is that enough to say it was a coup – especially when it was brought about through constitutional measures? Perhaps not.

How have Peruvians reacted?

There have been some demonstrations, with people out on the street. But it has been so disorganized, it is hard to say who has been protesting for what and in support of whom. It also hasn’t developed into widespread protests.

Has there been concern from regional leaders and the U.S.?

We have seen the usual international appeals for calm, and the OAS has expressed its called for national unity.

Meanwhile, leftist leaders in the region have expressed support for the ousted Castillo. Brazil’s president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed concern but said it was a “constitutional removal.” Others, such as Bolivia’s President Luis Arce framed Castillo’s ouster as the “overthrow” of a democratically elected government.

There has been very little comment of consequence from the U.S. other than welcoming the new president and urging democratic order. Both the U.S. and regional leaders are likely hoping that the political and economic instability that has plagued Peru in recent years ends. The concern is that ongoing chaos could affect regional stability, and also affect Peru’s position as a trading partner – the country is a large producer of copper and silver, among other mineral resources.

What could happen next?

There are a lot of ways this could play out. The new president has already called for a political truce and a government that represents all parties.

But whether she will be allowed to effectively govern given her lack of a mandate is in question. Boluarte is a legitimate president based on the constitutional process that saw her put in place. But she has no legitimacy in the sense of being democratically elected. She was also very closely aligned with Castillo.

Perhaps the best thing she could do is call immediately for general elections so the people can have a say in what happens next.

But that could also be a risk, given the degree of political polarization in Peru. The country has seen a rise in xenophobic and nationalistic sentiment, due in part to high levels of immigration into the country.

Peruvians want a government that can actually govern. The fear, however, is that the country’s current conditions – economic and political instability mixed with polarization and growing xenophobia – could lend itself to the emergence of a far right populist.

Florida International University has received a $500,000 grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, establishing a Blackstone LaunchPad at FIU. The program will augment entrepreneurship support already available at the university and provide students with skills, knowledge and guidance to transform ideas into companies.
 
Open to students of all majors, Blackstone LaunchPad at FIU will be housed at the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center at FIU Business. FIU offers entrepreneurship education and initiatives across multiple disciplines to prepare student entrepreneurs for success in meeting the demands of new and growing industries.

“We are extremely grateful to the Blackstone Charitable Foundation for providing us with this opportunity to expand the entrepreneurship programs at FIU,” said William Hardin, dean of FIU Business. “This grant will strengthen our commitment to providing our students with the tools they need to assess new enterprise opportunities and start new ventures.”
 
Blackstone LaunchPad at FIU also will collaborate with the Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at FIU Business, which offers no-cost consulting and support to help entrepreneurs start a business or grow an existing business, as well as StartUp FIU entrepreneurship incubator and the Business Innovation & Technology Clinic under FIU Law, the College of Engineering and Computing and College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts.
 
Blackstone LaunchPad at FIU will boost venture coaching for FIU’s student entrepreneurs, leverage existing FIU entrepreneurial and career programs for students, and create a new FIU student pitch competition linked to LaunchPad’s national pitch competition. 
 
“Our focus is on making entrepreneurial skill-building and career resources available for FIU students to help build strong careers at thriving companies,” said James Oyetunji, campus director of Blackstone LaunchPad.
 
The grant is part of the foundation’s $5 million commitment to expand access to its student venture and entrepreneurial skill-building program to five colleges, including three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and two Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).
 
“It is important that our students see that such a powerful company believes in them and is offering financial support,” said Anna Pietraszek, faculty fellow in entrepreneurship and innovation at the Pino Center.
 
Blackstone LaunchPad was founded in 2008 to empower student entrepreneurs as they develop their professional skills and pursue their ventures.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome this new group of Florida LaunchPad schools into our network and community,” said Maura Pally, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. “Blackstone continues to be committed to Florida and to connecting students with professional networks and opportunities to help them build successful companies and careers.”

UHPC is stronger and more durable than traditional concrete. The material is projected to become very important to the construction industry in the coming years, said Atorod Azizinamini, Director of Infrastructure Research and Innovation at the Office of Research & Economic Development and Professor of Civil Engineering at the FIU College of Engineering & Computing.

"Just a shell of UHPC wrapped around a structure adds to its total strength,” said Azizinamini, principal investigator of the grant. “The properties of UHPC allow us to make structures smaller and more lightweight. This translates to energy savings and smaller carbon footprints."

Another major benefit of UHPC is that it is difficult for water to penetrate. This is important because if a substance like saltwater breaches through a building’s concrete and reaches its reinforcing steel, it can cause corrosion.

“The idea of having really high-quality concrete is that you increase the time it takes for chloride in water to penetrate the concrete and reach the steel,” said Kingsley Lau, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-principal investigator of the grant.

By 3D printing UHPC, someone can theoretically create custom, elaborate construction pieces simply by sending a file to a machine. For example, military personnel in the field could print support beams for bridges, and a construction worker in a remote area could print a reinforcement piece for a building. All that would be needed is the UHPC material, a printer and a design. It would be a logistics breakthrough.

The challenge with printing UHPC is that each layer begins to solidify as it is laid down, similar to how a sidewalk is gelatinous before it hardens. As layers of concrete are stacked in a printed design, inconsistencies can form at the seams.

FIU’s research will concentrate on determining what exact chemical compositions of UHPC best prevent these vulnerable seams from forming. The professors will come up with recommendations for three types of 3D printing: printing layers, spraying layers and a new extrusion type of printing that FIU is patenting. Having a specific "ingredient list” for UHPC also will help with the fact that concrete is often locally sourced and its chemical composition can change from place to place.

The grant was secured with the support of members of Congress.

"This is an important investment by the Army Corps towards Florida International University, which will help maintain our defense readiness while further advancing innovation and creating jobs for our workforce in Florida," said U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, ranking member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The research comes at a time when UHPC is becoming more affordable and practical to use. Azizinamini estimates that a cubic yard of the material is selling at less than 10 percent of the price of when it was first commercially released. Building design specifications around UPHC also are being developed. FIU’s research looks to unlock a new wave of advancements around this emerging construction material.

“I am so proud to support the innovative solutions that FIU is developing, which will help ensure our coastal installations are more resilient,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

These words, spoken by social justice activist and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon (known by their stage name ALOK), underscored the theme of this year’s GenderChill: Gender Justice Fashion Show.

Held at the Biscayne Bay Campus on Nov. 18, GenderChill is a community-building event that raises awareness for gender and body diversity through the lens of social justice. This year, GenderChill honored International Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is held annually on Nov. 20.

“Sometimes when it comes to gender, you just need to chill,” said Jess Osborn, who created the inclusive fashion show with the intent to celebrate the full spectrum of gender identity and expression. Osborn launched the event at the University of Miami as a graduate student in 2019, and the Pride Center worked with them to bring it to FIU for the first time this year.

The event began with a question-and-answer session with ALOK, led by Erica Friedman, associate director of FIU’s Pride Center in the Office of Social Justice and Inclusion. ALOK discussed everything from transgender and nonbinary history as it relates to fashion, to legislation affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. They also shared their own journey as a nonbinary person and provided words of encouragement to the LGBTQIA+ students and community in the audience.

“My life is worthy of spontaneity and decoration and adornment,” ALOK said of their love for fashion. “There’s something eternal about authenticity.”

ALOK reminded the audience that there is power in the ability to show compassion. “Powerful people are people who love, and who forgive, and who have a tenderness and refuse to become dissociated.”

Afterward, models took to the runway sporting fashions created by students, alumni and locally based designers, as well as cosplayers. Adding to the excitement, audience members dressed for the occasion and were invited to walk the runway to show off their own personal style.

Alumnus Jamal Morrison, owner of Lamaj Company and designer of custom prom gowns, said it felt good to come home to FIU. Morrison said the pandemic left him in a creative slump, but one day, he sat down at his sewing machine determined to start creating again, and it led to the collection of black dresses with rose prints that he previewed at GenderChill.

“Thank you [FIU Pride Center] for having me be your premier LGBT designer,” said Morrison in an Instagram post after the event.

ALOK highlighted the importance of events like GenderChill in giving voice to the LGBTQIA+ community and uplifting those members who are not yet ready to or who cannot speak up for themselves.

“We can all be a community center for one another. We can all be the first open mic for someone else. We can all be the first runway for someone else. We can give permission to people to express themselves, and we can love them precisely because they are different. That’s what the beauty of community is,” ALOK said.

Keeping with this theme, GenderChill served as a fundraiser for the McKenzie Project, a Miami-based nonprofit organization that aims to uplift Black transgender and nonbinary adults in South Florida. It also raised awareness for FIU’s Javon A. Stovall Memorial Scholarship, which supports graduate students who carry forward the legacy and values of FIU alumnus and Pride Center graduate assistant Javon Stovall. This year’s event was held on the first anniversary of Stovall’s death.

Friedman said, “It’s truly a privilege for the Pride Center to be able to bring the LGBTQIA+ community and allies together to affirm and celebrate who they are through fashion and to support causes that uplift the community and FIU students.”

FIU researchers have moved a step closer to producing synthetic arsenic-based drugs in their quest to solve an urgent worldwide health problem ―the growing number of infections that have become antibiotic-resistant.

The team from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) and the College of Arts, Sciences and Education (CASE) has been awarded a U.S. patent for devising methods for chemically synthesizing arsinothricin (AST), a new arsenic-based antibiotic. College of Medicine researchers previously discovered AST as part of an international team that included the Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, in Japan.

Some 2.8 million people in the United States are infected with drug-resistant bacteria every year, and 35,000 die as a result, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Among the infections becoming more resistant to current antibiotics are pneumonia, tuberculosis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and E. coli. AST is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, produced in small amounts by soil bacteria, that is effective against these pathogens and is not toxic to human cells in tissue culture.

“The ability to chemically synthesize AST is significant because it allows us to produce large quantities of the drug,” said Barry Rosen, Distinguished University Professor in Cellular Biology & Pharmacology at the College of Medicine. The latest patent was awarded to Rosen, fellow HWCOM researcher Masafumi Yoshinaga, and the team of Stanislaw Wnuk, Md Abu Hasan Howlader, and Sk Md Sazzad Hossain Suzol from the CASE Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

“It has been quite challenging to develop a technique to synthesize AST,” Wnuk said. “It involves very sophisticated methods to be able to purify and use AST.” The group’s findings, “Chemical Synthesis of the Organoarsenical Antibiotic Arsinothricin,” were published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal RSC Advances.

Yoshinaga, who has run multiple experimental variations in the lab to develop the synthesis strategy, said that in addition to creating a compound that lends itself to mass production, there is another benefit. “The resulting compound also allows for modifications which could lead to additional new drugs.”

While the group’s research has progressed steadily, they acknowledged that the typical path from start-up to manufacturing a new drug can take 10 years or more. They hope to gain the interest of angel investors and pharmaceutical companies that see the potential in their work.

“It’s very exciting, and from a public health standpoint, the work is extremely important,” Rosen said. “We see this as the first member of a family of arsenic-based drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have facilities to mass produce medications, something universities don’t have.”

As a successful contributor to FIU’s ranking among the top U.S. public universities in the number of U.S. utility patents granted, the team said the support of the Office of Technology Management and Commercialization has been essential to their work, as has the cross-college collaboration.

“We are seeing what can be accomplished when we work in collaboration,” Rosen said. “I believe we will be seeing far more of these cooperative efforts.”

Learn about the work researchers are doing in the video above. 

“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them: their vast glittering openness, wider than the enormous visible round of the horizon, the racing free saltness and sweetness of their massive winds, under the dazzling blue heights of space. They are unique also in the simplicity, the diversity, the related harmony of the forms of life they enclose. The miracle of the light pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and of water, shining and slow-moving below, the grass and water that is the meaning and the central fact of the Everglades of Florida. It is a river of grass.”

— Opening lines of Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ seminal book, The Everglades: River of Grass.

Over the past 15 years, the foundation has awarded more than $1.8 million to 88 graduate student projects focused on protecting the Everglades, with more than half going to FIU students. The research is as diverse as the biodiversity of the Everglades, with projects designed to improve water management practices, track non-native species, manage species distribution, explore restoration solutions and dive into the environmental economics of Everglades National Park, which celebrates its 75^th anniversary this month.

The Everglades Foundation provides matching funds for awarded scholars, in addition to a variety of graduate research opportunities emphasizing science that informs policy and management for protecting and restoring the iconic ecosystem. The 12-month scholarships fund stipends, travel, or research-related expenses for full-time graduate students pursuing cutting-edge research related to restoring the Florida Everglades.

Past recipients have gone on to pursue scientific careers as professors and researchers in universities, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Many continue to work in the Everglades.

This year’s recipients are:

Kenneth Anderson, Ph.D. student in Biological Sciences
Green Family Foundation: FIU ForEverglades Fellow
Project: Shifting Sources and Fates of Carbon with Increasing Hydrologic Presses and Pulses in Coastal Wetlands.

Kevin Montenegro, Ph.D. student in Biological Sciences
FIU ForEverglades Scholar
Project: A Race Against Tides: Measuring the biogeochemical effects of marine wrack deposition on coastal mangrove soil elevation and blue carbon storage potential.

Mack White, Ph.D. student in Earth Systems Science
FIU ForEverglades Scholar
Project: When Worlds Collide: Multi-directional movements of fishes and their role in Everglades nutrient budgets.

The Everglades Foundation recently announced the 2021 winners of its prestigious ForEverglades Scholarships and Fellowships.

This year, six of the nine awardees are from FIU, two from the University of Florida and one from the University of Miami.

“This program provides critical support for the fellows – not only by funding their research on critical topics but also by enabling collaborations between with Everglades Foundation scientists that ensures the results will make a difference in how we protect and restore the Everglades for future generations,” said Evelyn Gaiser, biology professor and Endowed George Barley Eminent Scholars Chair.

FIU’s Institute of Environment and The Everglades Foundation partner every year to support student researchers conducting work in the River of Grass. From improving water management practices, following non-native species populations, influencing species management, exploring restoration solutions and diving into the environmental economics of the national park, FIU students have been changing the future of the Everglades for the better.

The Everglades Foundation provides matching funds for awarded scholars, in addition to a variety of graduate research opportunities emphasizing science that informs policy and management for protecting and restoring the iconic ecosystem. Since 2008, the program has been preparing the next generation of scientists and leaders who will be protecting America’s Everglades.

This year’s awardees are:

• FIU ForEverglades Scholars
  • Thomas Shannon
  • Lauren DeVito
• ForEverglades Scholars
  • Chloe Vorseth
  • Melinda Paduani
  • Alan Mock
  • Lukas Lamb-Wotton

These 12-month scholarships fund stipends, travel, or research-related expenses for full-time graduate students pursuing cutting-edge research related to restoring the Florida Everglades.

To learn more about this year’s scholars and fellows, click here.

Selena Chavez wants more people to know mangroves are essential to the health of the Everglades.

Chavez — a Ph.D. student in the department of Earth and Environment — is working to fill important data gaps in what is known about these important trees and how they respond to hurricanes. Using remote sensing technology, she is gathering data on the effects Hurricane Irma had on mangrove forests.

Mangroves have become a symbol of hope in the conservation and restoration for the Everglades. These trees serve as a wall, protecting South Florida from powerful hurricanes. They also protect South Florida from sea level rise. As more mangroves move into inland areas, they help build up soil levels to stave off rising areas.

During hurricanes, mangroves take a beating. But, it’s difficult for researchers to understand the full scope of the damage. Chavez’s research will gather data and measurements on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, course woody debris, and standing dead biomass, to understand how quickly mangroves are recovering after storms — and where they were hit the hardest. This will help restoration managers pinpoint which areas need the most attention and help.

In 2000, Congress authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or CERP, to fix the damage done by the flood control system that was put in place. The largest hydrologic restoration project ever undertaken in the United States, CERP aims to preserve and protect the Everglades by redirecting the freshwater flow.

The Everglades was not something Chavez knew of growing up. A first-generation American of El Salvadoran parents, Selena grew up by the Chesapeake Bay. More than 800 miles away, she never imagined her career would bring her to being a researcher supporting one of the biggest restoration programs in the world. Through an internship with NASA and interest in coastal wetlands, she was introduced to the Florida Everglades.

Chavez is using data from the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research program under the guidance of Earth and Environment professor Shimon Wdowinski in the FIU Institute of Environment. Her work is funded in part by the Everglades Foundation’s FIU ForEverglades Scholarship.

Angela Nicoletti contributed to this story. 

By Sasha Narinesingh

The long-awaited findings of FIU's inaugural Belonging Survey are now available for review.

The report details the results and findings, representing a key initiative in FIU's unwavering effort to cultivate a culture of belonging.  The climate survey was designed to measure the working and learning environment across the entire university community, focusing on perceptions of diversity, equity and inclusion. It has allowed administrators to examine Panthers’ personal campus experiences, perceptions of the campus climate and FIU’s institutional actions.  

In the fall of 2021, 5,985 surveys were completed by members of the FIU community, with an 11% response rate overall.  Here are five key takeaways from the survey’s quantitative analysis: 

1. The overall campus climate is favorable for those in majority groups.

The campus-wide survey finds that 83% of respondents expressed satisfaction with FIU's overall campus climate. Satisfaction levels were consistent across all stakeholder groups, with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff reflecting similar satisfaction rates.  

2. A sense of belonging is fundamental to creating a better experience for all. 

A total of 73% of respondents indicated that they were satisfied regarding the survey item: “the extent to which you experience a sense of belonging or community at FIU.” However, the percentage of faculty who indicated they were satisfied with their sense of belonging or community at FIU is 67%.  Communities that indicated the lowest level of satisfaction are administration/staff who self-reported as multiracial (52%), undergraduate students who self-reported as nonbinary or transgender (51%), graduate students who self-reported having a long-term disability (49%), and faculty who self-reported as Black or African American (42%). 

 3. There are significant differences in levels of agreement regarding the university’s climate and support. 

There were substantial differences in responses with satisfaction levels for survey questions relating to FIU's campus climate, and levels of agreement in survey items connected to FIU's institutional support for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.  However, the survey items on institutional support of diversity, equity and inclusion represent the lowest percentages among these stakeholder groups and are as follows:  

• 66% of undergraduate students, 62% of administration and staff, and 59% of graduate students agreed that “Retention of historically marginalized students, faculty, and staff is an institutional priority.”  
• 55% of all faculty agreed that “the campus environment is free from tensions related to individual or group differences.”  

4. Black/African American faculty reported the lowest levels of satisfaction and agreement. 

Black or African American faculty reported the lowest levels of satisfaction and agreement across all survey items related to campus climate and FIU's institutional support of DEI practices. These findings include:   

• 34% were satisfied with “the extent to which you feel all community members experience a sense of belonging or community at FIU,” and 42% were satisfied with their own experience with a sense of belonging or community at FIU.  
  
• 44% were satisfied with “The campus experience/environment regarding diversity at FIU.” 
  
• 20% agree that “Retention of historically marginalized students, faculty, and staff is an institutional priority.”  
  
• 32% agree that recruiting historically marginalized members is an institutional priority, the campus environment is free from tensions related to individual or group differences, and senior leadership is showing a commitment to diversity and equity on campus.  

 5. There's room for improvement to better the campus climate.

The key findings mentioned present areas of improvement for strengthening experiences of campus climate and institutional support among communities, including graduate students and faculty members, particularly Black or African American faculty.

In addition, this report highlights important responses that undergraduate nonbinary and transgender students provided regarding their experiences. Although information about nonbinary and transgender graduate students, administration, and staff was not included in the report (the sample size was not large enough to guarantee anonymity), it is important to note that these groups provided significantly lower levels of satisfaction and agreement than their male and female counterparts. Accordingly, the reported perceptions of numerous respondents who identify as multiracial, LGBQIA+, have a long-term disability and belong to the aggregated minority race category reveal additional opportunities for improving diverse communities on campus.  

The last item of the survey was an open-ended prompt asking, “What one change would you make in order to enhance the sense of community at FIU?”

A total of 2,922 open-ended responses (nearly half of all respondents) were submitted. The survey team is currently in the process of analyzing this qualitative data and will release the results during the Spring 2023 semester, as part of the extended dissemination plan.  

Visit go.fiu.edu/belongingsurvey to read the entire report on the quantitative results of the survey.

All students, faculty, and staff are invited to community discussion sessions hosted by FIU's DEI team, which will be both via Zoom and in person on the following days: 

• Student Findings: Wednesday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. – noon in CBC 233 at the MMC campus 
• Faculty & Staff Findings: Friday, Dec. 9, 1 – 3 p.m. in CBC 233 at the MMC campus 

Little did she know that one day — years after moving to the U.S. — her appreciation for her culture would inspire her creative energies and lead her to become an award-winning artist.

Recently, Lacroix earned the top award at the 2022 Florida Biennial: Installations, Portraiture, Materiality, and Magic Realism contest. She was selected from a pool of nearly 350 applicants and only 24 finalists across the state. She will receive a solo exhibition in 2023 at the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, along with a $1,000 honorarium.

The piece that earned her the honor was a commissioned portrait of a woman named Sandy Dorsainvil, which was inspired by a photo taken by acclaimed photojournalist Carl Juste.

“My art is about the beauty of Haiti and the beauty of people,” Lacroix says. “I want it to bring pleasure. I want people to see the beauty of the moment. It’s for people like me who are afraid to go back to Haiti because of all the turmoil and insecurity. In my paintings, you can go to the market or walk to the mountainside safely. You can be in Haiti.”

Lacroix is already brimming with ideas for her solo exhibit.

“I know the first room [of the exhibit] is going to feature still lifes. Then the next room is going to be figurative,” she says. “But the figurative pieces are going to be about people that fascinate me…things that I’ve wanted to do and market scenes because that’s still in high demand.”

For decades, Lacroix has been in the art business and has traveled across the country to exhibit her work at shows ranging from the New York National Fine Arts Show to the New Orleans Jazz Fest. She developed a distinctive, realistic style all her own. She has won various awards and has been featured in numerous publications. She is beloved by art lovers and especially, those in the Haitian community. 

Back to school

Lacroix was only missing one thing: a degree in the field. When she attended college the first time around, she chose a seemingly more practical major — nutritional sciences. But, at 50, she decided it was time to get the degree she’d always wanted.

Lacroix is an assistant program director at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine's Green Family Foundation Neighborhood Health Education Learning Program (NeighborhoodHELP) outreach team. She decided FIU was the perfect place to work and study. She enrolled in the university’s BFA in art.

“I started taking classes and realized all the things I didn’t know,” she says. “Art history has opened my eyes. I discovered so many artists and it all clicks now. I was concerned since I’d been working as a professional artist for 25 years. I didn’t know what my classmates would think of me sitting in class. But, everyone was so welcoming. They felt they could learn from me. I’ve learned from my professors and from the young people in class, too.”

Through the program, she met a newfound source of wisdom — David Chang, Frost Professor of Art, founding director of the Academy of Portrait and Figurative Art and director of art education.

“Professor Chang is so talented,” says Lacroix, who is part of Chang’s Academy of Portrait and Figurative Art. “He’s a hyper-realist. And he knows the business of art. If I had met him earlier, I would not have been taken advantage of as an artist. I would not have been paid 10% of what a painting was worth.” 

This year has marked incredible successes for Lacroix. She earned “Best in Show” award for one of her paintings from Studio 18 in the City of Pembroke Pines. Lacroix has also been selling her paintings like hotcakes. She chronicles her progress on paintings through videos on social media. That’s where customers see her works, and even before she’s finished with the paintings, she’s already received offers and sold them.

Earning the top award at the Biennial is further proof of her chops as an artist.

"Having had Sophia at the Academy of Portrait and Figurative Art and witnessed her commitment and growth, I am not surprised by her success today,” Chang says. “Not only does she have the talent, but more importantly, she possesses the kind of drive and diligence that warrant success professionally. I am very proud of Sophia." 

Panther journey

For her part, Lacroix is proud to be a Panther. She began working with the outreach team at NeighborhoodHELP when the program — which allows medical students to work alongside nursing, social work and physician assistant students, as well as law students when needed, to provide health care during household visits in the community — was still in its fledgling stages.

She landed the job at FIU back in 2009 after she and her husband had been laid off from previous jobs — and she had just given birth to her daughter.

“FIU was God-sent to me,” Lacroix says. “This is the best job I’ve ever had because of the way FIU values employees and their quality of life, and the mission that we have at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. On top of that, being able to go back to school to learn the stuff I always wished I’d had the opportunity to learn is invaluable. It’s such a privilege. I hope my daughter goes to school here. It’s such a blessing.”

FIU hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary of Administration Cheryl Campbell on Dec. 1. Campbell is a top HHS official whose portfolio includes broad oversight in provisioning and managing the department’s human resources. She is passionate about reaching university students interested in a career of service, especially those from minority-serving institutions, as she noted during her visit.

"It's not just enough to be invited to the party but to actually have a place at the table," she said. "This is the level of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility HHS strives for." 

During her visit, Campbell met with university leadership, researchers and students; toured research labs in the Academic Health Center; and attended a leadership roundtable on expanding FIU-HHS partnerships and a fireside chat with FIU Trustee and alumna Chanel T. Rowe JD’14 focused on discussing student opportunities at HHS.

Rowe, who helped coordinate the visit, said: "Working for the federal government is a phenomenal opportunity that helped shape my own career. In organizing this visit, part of the goal was to expose HHS to the rich diversity of talent and skills that our students can offer their workforce and expose students to the various career opportunities at HHS, which goes far beyond medicine to include multiple disciplines.”

The Department of HHS and its agencies, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), are critical to FIU’s leadership in population health, in particular in the areas of adolescent mental health, brain health and the environment, behavioral health and testing interventions and translational research. 

Tomás R. Guilarte, dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, and a team of Stempel College researchers provided a briefing on their research and showed Campbell around their labs. She learned about the ways that FIU researchers are finding links between environmental factors and the growing epidemic of neurodegenerative diseases through various studies.  

The Brain, Behavior, and the Environment program has recently received $2 million toward its work from HRSA, secured by FIU champion Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. This funding will help Stempel continue its transformative work in public health. 

The HHS team followed the informative tour with a meeting with FIU leadership, including President Kenneth A. Jessell, where they touched on key initiatives for FIU in the areas of public health and environmental-based research. The conversation revolved around opportunities for students with the assistant administrator noting, “We have to figure out where we can make the most impact” for the students at FIU. This mission of diversifying the federal workforce is precisely the type of work FIU in Washington, D.C., is helping fulfill. 

In front of a full house in the Graham Center, Campbell discussed with Rowe how HHS is working to cultivate a workforce that draws from the full diversity of the nation and encouraged students to pursue careers in the federal government. She drew on her experiences working in the private sector and transitioning over to her current public service position, providing students with key insight for their future careers. Students asked many questions pertaining to public health, mental health, and the many opportunities that exist within the federal government.

Dear members of the university community,

In recent days, I have been collaborating with colleagues and community leaders to address an FIU Cuban Research Institute-sponsored book presentation. During this presentation, which is part of a long-standing series sponsored by the Cuban Research Institute that hosts authors of books on topics related to Cuba and the Cuban American diaspora, Boston University Professor Dr. Susan Eckstein will present next week on her book “Cuban Privilege: The Making of Immigrant Inequality in America.”

After learning of the event several days ago, it became clear to me that we had an opportunity to enhance it by including other points of view so that we could have a balanced and objective discussion. The event now ensures that we meet the academic rigor and standards of debate and preserve everyone’s right to express their point of view while remaining mindful and sensitive to the experiences of our community.

Dr. Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, spokesperson for the Cuban Democratic Directorate and author of “Cuba: The Doctrine of the Lie,” will participate as the discussant. This format will ensure a scholarly and worthwhile discussion on an important topic.

Because of the widespread interest in the topic, we are moving the symposium from Books & Books in Coral Gables to a larger venue at FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The event will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 9, at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center.

Universities have a responsibility to uphold freedom of expression and support open discussion of issues, even those that may be controversial. At FIU, a public research university rooted in a community largely made up of exiles and immigrants who fled communism and other oppressive regimes, this responsibility takes on a new meaning.

Academic freedom and civil discourse are at the heart of our mission. We know that our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members expect that we uphold these principles.

As a native South Floridian, I have been blessed to know and work with many Cuban Americans. While I will never personally know the pain the Cuban exile community has endured at the hands of the totalitarian regime on the island, I have an appreciation for the history that informs this conversation and the many contributions Cuban Americans have made to the development of FIU, Miami, the State of Florida, and beyond. I assure you we are using these recent events as an opportunity to improve our processes and ensure we create programs that meet the highest academic standards while remaining sensitive to our community. We know you expect nothing less.

Sincerely,
 
Kenneth A. Jessell
President

Click here to listen to Academic Minute.

Richardson and a team of researchers discovered how exposure to DDT can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease risk. The full study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives and was in collaboration with Rutgers University.

Produced by WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Academic Minute airs on 70 stations around the United States and Canada and features researchers from colleges and universities around the world discussing their work. Segments also are shared through Inside Higher Ed. 

As vice president of the integrated supply chain at Titan America, Terrazas is concerned with logistics. He manages the flow of products to clients up and down Florida; the explosive residential development in the last year, he says, has provided a backlog of activities for the cement and building materials producer.  

“The hottest part of the state is the I-4 corridor between Orlando and Tampa. There’s a lot of construction going on there. However, the southwest is strong. Jacksonville is strong. And Miami is coming back,” he adds.  

Business intelligence 

About 15 years ago, Titan sponsored Terrazas’ degree. He went back to school anticipating that the master’s degree would help enrich his path and move his career forward. The company wanted to see him go through some leadership training. He enrolled in the M.S. in Engineering Management, and he focused his studies on systems engineering.  

Terrazas was curious about technology and wanted to understand more about how to use new technology to help manage the full range of capabilities at his company. Currently, in charge of implementing the business intelligence for logistics with Titan America, he uses the background from his degree for creating the digital infrastructure for database management, understanding design and inventory control, among other things. 

Full visibility  

“This is what we’re designing right now—a control tower for full visibility of everything that is going on logistics-wise, and it’s very advanced,” he says. “I am very thankful because all of the planning for it was possible because of the knowledge I received from my engineering management program.”  

Through his work with the company’s databases, Terrazas can inform upper management of the needs of the organization in real time. 

“We’re trying to create a system that is the single source of truth, so if you have a question, you can go to the system and you can find an answer,” Terrazas says. “Once you have that you are in a much better state because you can make some organized decisions and know if you’re having an issue.” 

Supply chain management 

In the wake of supply chain slowdowns, Terrazas says, this bird’s-eye view has been crucial to find workarounds.  

“It’s been a couple of tough years, I would say for the logistics teams,” says Terrazas, who notes that Titan America is in a much better situation compared to competitors because of the visibility and investment in the company's business intelligence system. 

Tips for grads 

Terrazas is an industry advisory board member for FIU’s M.S. in Logistics Engineering degree program, and he is instrumental in helping develop and evaluate the curriculum. His biggest tip for graduates of the Master of Science in Engineering Management program at FIU is to never stop learning. Don’t lose focus on the new technology, he advises. For instance, the cement plant operating in Miami is totally operated by artificial intelligence.  

As far as who he likes to hire, he stresses, “A person with drive.” 

Titan America has established a partnership with the College of Engineering and Computing for internships. In fact, many of his coworkers are FIU graduates, he points out as he reflects on his own experience as a student. 

“My education provided me with enterprise systems tools for managing databases, that are extremely useful. The basic understanding from my courses allowed me to understand what some of the issues were within the company,” Terrazas says. “I would recommend the engineering management program to others, definitely, and it’s especially valuable to those holding leadership positions because you’re able to apply what you learn in current, real-life situations.” 

Since this interview took place, Terrazas was asked to lead the growth of Titan America in the United States. He is now the VP of Growth and Business Development.  

Raimundo Rodulfo '16 and his team are on the verge of helping the City of Coral Gables' administration roll out citywide electronic processes and a high-tech, new development service center off Biltmore Way, which will be a one-stop shop for all permitting, code enforcement, planning and zoning needs. It’s part of a broad campaign to modernize the city’s systems—a task that Rodulfo and the city’s leaders have been working toward for years. 

The FIU graduate loves to find new ways to make life better, more convenient for the residents of Coral Gables as well as provide savings that make sense. As the director of innovation and technology and chief innovation officer at the City of Coral Gables, a position he’s held since 2016, he credits his master’s degree in engineering management from FIU and his 30 years of professional experience across sectors and industries as the foundation for all his projects. 

“I have to apply a process- and efficiency-oriented mentality to improve the city’s technology-powered operations,” says Rodulfo. “Running a smart city infrastructure and services is very complex.” 

In addition to being the first city in the nation to implement an AI-powered integrated/modular smart city pole, and one of the first cities in the nation to use manned drone technology to monitor large crowds and respond to 911 calls before responders are able to arrive, Coral Gables also uses smart lighting and communication infrastructure that incorporate Wi-Fi, 5G, CCTV, traffic, environmental and safety sensors to improve public safety, mobility and economic opportunities. 

Rodulfo has improved citywide efficiencies in the innovation and technology department, including support and financial balance scorecard performance; he reduced response times for fire and police. He also continued building and developing human capital. Because of his work, his research, methodologies and findings have been published in journals, and he is a frequent guest speaker for other organizations on what it takes to prepare the infrastructure for municipalities to serve constituents and move toward sustainability.

The city has received numerous awards, including the Smart Cities Council Innovation Excellence Award and the IEEE Smart Cities Contest Jury Award in 2022. Coral Gables also achieved first place in the Digital Cities 2018 for cities of up to 75,000 population; first place in the U.S. Open Cities Index in 2019 and 2020; and Smart 50 Award in Urban Infrastructure. The city is also recognized as one of the eight Smart Cities to Watch in 2020 by State Tech Magazine and was one of the 12 finalists worldwide in the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for government in 2021.

A proud Panther, Rodulfo built an office library with textbooks from his time at the university as a Master of Science Engineering Management student. He often boasts about the real connections he made in his classes, the tangibility of his degree and the pathways he used to lead one of Miami-Dade County’s main cities through a transformation to become a hyperconnected, transparent and efficient smart city. 

“The things I was learning, I immediately applied to what I was doing,” he says. “My team was challenged with implementing technology that makes sense to improve processes, and with taxpayers’ dollars. There's a lot of scrutiny on how you deploy solutions, the cost of technology and how you maximize efficiency.”

Before returning to the classroom, Rodulfo spent 20 years gaining significant experience in his field. But he wanted more and an MBA didn't quite fit. The master’s degree in engineering management offered the best of both worlds — leadership, business acumen and engineering management.

“I had my hands full in the city. But, you know, it was the best decision. I had great professors with Dr. Schmahl and Dr. Chen, and all the classes in systems engineering and enterprise systems were extremely relevant. The classes helped me a lot to replace legacy systems,” he adds. “There was a lot of alignment, a lot of the things I was learning there, I immediately applied to what I was doing.”

Rodulfo leveraged everything he learned in Schmahl’s class from the academic research to the methodologies and the associated mathematics, he says. The class refreshed his knowledge from engineering school, updated his skills and he was able to achieve his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. 

“People, process and technology. These are the three elements that graduates need to be able to handle well to be successful working for organizations and especially for smart cities like Coral Gables. The master’s degree in engineering management combines those three major elements.”

Rodulfo concludes: “Engineering and enterprise systems will continually be impacted and disrupted by this Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the next one. I found that the master’s degree program helped me a lot, and I would say that the future is bright for anybody who's graduating from that program, especially from FIU, which offers excellence in the faculty and in the curriculum.”

When Jason Dettbarn completed his FIU bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2002, he worked in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences and co-created a campus wide platform called AIRS (automated IP registration system). The platform managed the connectivity of every computer and phone across all FIU campuses. The system was used for about 15 years and was the backbone for technology on campus. 

After earning his master’s degree in computer science in 2013 and working at companies including Motorola, Dettbarn noticed a large gap in organizations being able to manage Apple devices (Apple Macs, iPhones and iPads). Addigy was born. 

“No one was focusing on the apple ecosystem, so I quit my job, and with a second child on the way, it was the most perfect time to start a bootstrapped business,” Dettbarn says.  

The humble beginnings of a great success 

Seven years ago, when Dettbarn started Addigy, he built software and sold it, literally, out of his spare bedroom. He expanded to a small office, and for his first hires, he went back to his roots — he hired two graduates from  FIU's Computer Science Department. Today, his company employs 80 staffers. 

With a couple thousand customers globally, Dettbarn says Addigy is growing at a significant pace, and with that growth, he’s built a pipeline of fit talent to rise to the needs. Every one of the key roles at Addigy from product management to leadership and operations to security, is filled by an FIU graduate, he reveals. Many of these employees started as interns with the company. 

“We are definitely the recipients of great talent from FIU,” affirms Dettbarn who highlights that there is no shortage of work for computer scientists. 

Proud of his Panther network, Dettbarn came back to his alma mater several years ago when he landed a spot in a StartUP FIU entrepreneurship program, which helped him hone his business skills — skills he used to support a global expansion of his company. 

If you're looking for some insight about the tech scene from this wildly successful alumnus, you're in luck. He shared advice for Panthers looking to break into the field.

Tips for students

The most important thing for those in computer engineering is to be assertive and have the fundamentals like Java, and try not to get into computer languages, because you can always learn computer languages, Dettbarn advises.  

“But having full web stack experience is extremely important today because everything out there falls into those categories. There are graduates who don’t have those fundamentals and it’s a real disservice to their careers to not have that,” he offers. 

Dettbarn notes that he looks for graduates who are “malleable,” who are willing to learn. Some companies may look for candidates who have years of experience in a computer programming language, but languages will change over time, he says.  

“I look for employees who are hungry, humble and smart. We’re humble, that means the smartest people in the company will listen to their peers and are hungry for feedback. Those with egos don’t last in the company,” he says. 

His best advice to those who are nearing graduation: Keep learning. 

“Be willing and able to help and be coached and you will have success,” he says. 

With the Internet of Things, hand-held devices and remote work options — the future is going to be even more replete with technology than before. At the same time, the need for professionals who can provide seamless, secure experiences will be even greater, explains Alexander Perez-Pons, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“It’s going to be wonderful, one day, when we have autonomous vehicles. They're going to be communicating with each other and with various centralized locations. The infrastructure that supports this will need protection,” he illustrates as an example. “This is also the case with drones. Soon, Amazon will be using drones to make package deliveries to your home. Again, they'll be communicating with a network, so protecting the infrastructure with networking security will be important in the future with the growth we see.”

According to Perez-Pons, the best route to be in-demand and fully versed to handle the technology growth is to pursue a computer engineering degree that offers graduates the tools to address network security from both hardware and software considerations. In the following Q & A, Perez-Pons offers his take on why the M.S. in Computer Engineering: Network Security degree is so valuable.

Network security and computer engineering — what's the connection?

Computer engineering is at the crossroads between both hardware and software, and network security is supported by both. You must understand devices and programming, both hardware and software. There are a multitude of skills you master with computer engineering that help you gain this understanding. It’s a combination of these items that are relied on for creating and building network security solutions.

What is the role of computer engineers in network security?

A strong computer engineering background provides the ability to find solutions when it comes to network security. For example, you need to be able to analyze malware. That means you must understand computing programs and software in order to understand and lend support to the forensics process. With forensics, you need an understanding of how devices operate — the hardware — and how these devices provide access to the information that resides on them, in addition to how these devices communicate, end to end.

You have to understand the software that's involved, how devices do encryption and how they execute on various platforms or endpoints. Things like encryption algorithms provide safety for data and transmission when you have data in transition and, again, this is the software side.

What is the value in earning an M.S. degree in computer engineering with a network security specialization?

Many of the skill sets that you acquire with computer engineering, the software and hardware understandings, are aligned with the network security courses that are part of our computer engineering program.

Hardware understandings include how devices are configured, how they are integrated into a network and how they're integrated in and operate to support each other. Computer engineering provides the fundamental and tangible skills that you will need to be able to map those skills into the network security aspects.

The edge to having a computer engineering degree is that you know a graduate is going to have both the software and hardware skills, in addition to the network security portion. Computer engineering is a technical degree, which means you have the technical skills to build an organization’s network security infrastructure.

The Master of Science in Computer Engineering: Network Security track is a technical degree in computer engineering that provides students with the tools to understand hardware, software and communication skills — the hard, technical skills needed with regard to network security.

How has today's computer engineering adapted and changed to needs?

There is an explosion of growth with embedded devices. There are more devices communicating and more Internet of Things devices, so now we know we have a different infrastructure. We also have 5G now coming online in areas for better communications among devices. This acceleration is creating different types of abuse cases that will exist in different applications. So networking is fundamental, especially with remote work and working from home across cities and countries. There are different infrastructures to consider. We need to protect those endpoints. We need to make sure that we safeguard those networks. 

The exponential growth that we've seen means we're going to need much more network security, so network security has to adapt to support the protection of these devices even further. We're going to have more networking occurring in our society and more protection will be needed. Whether it's Wi-Fi networking or other physical networks, they all have to be protected.

The way malware gets on a computer is through a network. The way that you know certain attacks are performed are through the network. Unless you come physically to your environment and connect to your computer directly, hackers are going to be able to gain access to your resources through the network, unless you protect it. The network is an indispensable means of protection and the vehicle that's used by many attackers to gain access to your data and resources. 

If you're trying to protect an infrastructure, it's got to be the network — it's the most fundamental aspect and the core of what you need to protect, more than anything else. This is why we picked network security as being the most important specialization that we need to look at.

Last year, hate crimes in 37 major U.S. cities increased by nearly 39%, with the 10 largest metropolitan areas reporting a record increase of 54.5%, according to an analysis of national police data compiled by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. If the increases seen so far this year hold, it would mark the fourth consecutive year in which hate crimes have risen in the United States.
 
“Recently, we have seen an increase in hate crimes and heightened bias rhetoric nationally,” said Shlomi Dinar, interim dean of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs. “In addition, law enforcement professionals face a tremendous task of balancing the tension between protecting free speech and preventing the spread of hate. Working with researchers, community groups and area experts is key to finding this balance. The Green School is proud to be a part of this important work.”

FIU senior, and soon-to-be Global Learning Medallion graduate, Aya Hachimi shares her thoughts and perspective from this conversation.

What led you to attend this virtual discussion?

Previously, I spent almost a year working with a Ukrainian nonprofit organization called ENGin, which connects English speakers with Ukrainian students in order for them to practice conversing in English. Throughout my time volunteering, I met amazing people whose lives were completely disrupted by the war; many lived far away from their families due to their education being elsewhere. For me, joining this conversation added to my previous experiences.

What are your main takeaways from this session?

The students were so open and honest, and very brave; they shared with us that even though they are still pursuing their education, the constant bombings and fear make it difficult for them not to be stressed and distracted. Several students shared that their future plans had been disrupted, perhaps even permanently. With all of these disruptions, these students said that they hope for things to get better so that the borders can open and they can go back to chasing their dreams.

One of the things that struck me the most is that every day, these students hear bombs and sirens, get notifications about safety protocols, and see the news of people on the battlefield and the daily number of deaths. I don’t know if I could live like that. As one of the students stated, these things make them feel horrified and overwhelmed, so they just keep crying. Two of the students’ fathers are currently on the battlefield fighting for their country’s freedom, while another has an uncle whose location has been unknown for months. These young Ukrainians are paralyzed by fear for their families, themselves, and their communities, making everyday life so difficult.

How did this session add to your understanding of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and/or the Ukrainian people?

While I knew some about the culture and the people, and I had read about the ongoing war, I was saddened to hear about the extent of the devastation. The Ukrainian students reported that the occupied territories are ghost towns; civilization has ceased, and everything has been stripped away.

One of the students said: "This is a war not only between two countries but two cultures as well."

The students stressed the uniqueness of their culture, and its distinction from Russia and Russian culture, adding that they want to continue promoting and preserving their culture. One student told us that during an exchange program years ago in the United States, she discovered how little Americans know about Ukraine.

How did this session compare to other Tuesday Times Roundtable (TTR) sessions you have experienced?

The TTRs I have been part of have always focused on adding new perspectives to what we already know. Ukraine and its people, whom I have been able to get to know over the past year, have become near and dear to me. Part of being a global citizen in the international community is learning about current issues within our communities and the world beyond, whether they affect us directly or indirectly. Participating in events like this TTR allowed me to learn about ongoing issues from those who are experiencing them firsthand because honest and personal firsthand accounts help show students like me what is really going on. 

Any final thoughts?

I am really grateful for this opportunity. I don’t think many of us comprehend the severity of living through a war. No matter how much we hear about others’ stories, living them will always be worse. Even though they have endured so much, these students wake up every day hoping for better days. All they ask of us is to be their voice and spread their truth. We are a community. If we don’t help one another, then who will?

"The event kicks off South Florida's holiday season,"  said Brian Schriner, dean of the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts. "The evening showcases our incredibly talented interior architecture students, furthering their relationships with design professionals and raising scholarship and study abroad grants.” 

Throughout the years, South Florida’s architecture and design community has shown its support for quality education through its participation. Material companies and sponsors partner with designers to build unique holiday “trees.” The event reflects the creative energy of the community and is a true collaboration between designers, vendors and the public.  

On the night of the gala, trees are put on display and auctioned off to the highest bidder or placed on sale at a set price. All net proceeds go directly toward providing scholarships and programs for interior architecture students and travel grants for study abroad trips.  The “trees” that are not sold or auctioned are donated to the Cortxia Foundation – an education nonprofit.

Since its start, the event has raised more than $500,000 – benefiting many students who go on to work professionally in the interior design field.  

This year’s 34th installment of the gala — held earlier this month —comes as the no. 16 nationally ranked School of Architecture continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary. More than 400 people attended and nearly $100,000 was raised this year alone. 

Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor Esperanza Muino earned her master's in interior architecture at FIU. She also was a beneficiary of a scholarship raised at the event. Hear about her experience in the video below. 

A healthy obsession with traffic ―and a focus on leadership and professional development ―is what’s behind the success of FIU’s student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (FIU ITE). The group recently received the Best Student Chapter award at the 2022 Florida Puerto Rico District ITE (FLPRITE) annual meeting in St. Augustine. In addition, several members were recognized with individual honors.

“With about 10 active student chapters in the district from universities such as the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University, it is very competitive. I’m so proud of our students,” said Priyanka Alluri, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at FIU's College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and the club’s faculty advisor.

Particularly noteworthy at this year’s conference, she said, was the recognition that FIU’s program produces students prepared for high-level positions in the field.

“I was especially thrilled when the keynote speaker, from ITE International, told the audience that he had just hired two recent FIU graduates at the international level. When he needs to hire, he knows where to come," Alluri said.

The FIU ITE student chapter tackles specific transportation concerns each year.

“We try to solve real-world problems. That could be improving pedestrian or bicycle safety, highway lighting or signage, studying the different types of barriers used in Florida’s express lanes or researching why wrong-way accidents occur,” Alluri said.

An expert in transportation safety who has led numerous traffic safety studies as principal investigator, Alluri understands Florida’s unique problems. High traffic volumes, distracted drivers, roadways constantly under construction and frequent traffic pattern changes provide plenty of opportunities to make roadways safer.

In addition to the Best Student Chapter award, FIU students were also recognized at the FLPRITE meeting. Those honored were:

• First place, Student Poster Competition ― Md Mahmud Hasan Mamun
• Third place, Student Poster Competition ― Jimoku Hinda Salum
• The William R. McGrath FLPRITE District Transportation Scholarship ― John Kodi
• FLPRITE District Student Paper Award ―John Kodi

Student team members at the meeting also included Samia Akter, Melike Inam, Francisca Kasubi and Abdallah Kinero.

Mamun, a Ph.D. candidate and the president of the FIU ITE chapter, received the first-place poster award for his research on how connected and automated vehicles will impact traffic mobility and safety. While the student organization works on a specific initiative each year, it also provides valuable professional development.

“I’ve gotten to hear from amazing people in the industry and improved my own presentation skills,” he said. “It has really boosted my confidence," Muman added.

Through regular networking events, FIU ITE has brought in guest speakers on everything from traffic simulation and cyberattack resilience to career opportunities. The group also performs community outreach and education. Last year, in collaboration with FIU Women’s Transportation Seminar, ITE members provided eight nearby elementary schools with educational materials on bike and pedestrian safety and held a Bike/Walk to School Day.

“We tried to encourage parents to walk or bike with their kids to school and gave them safe routes to take,” Kodi said. “We also held a pedestrian and bike safety event at the Engineering Center at FIU and gave tips to students and faculty.”

John L. Volakis, dean of CEC, said the FIU ITE student chapter is molding tomorrow’s transportation professionals.

“They are working on initiatives that will make our transportation systems safer and more efficient,” he said. “Congratulations to Dr. Alluri and her students."

In early October, the federal agency announced the prompt for the Innovation and Diversity Engagement Awards (IDEA) Case Competition: create a business model that would help Quechua Peruvian women achieve self-sufficiency through the production of potatoes. Out of all teams of two or more that entered the open-to-the-public competition, five teams were selected as finalists – four from FIU and one from Georgetown.  

“I was inspired to work in this competition because I wanted to make a change while gaining research and project implementation experience,” said Andres Guevara, a finance major who was a member of the Panthers for Latina Prosperity team, made up entirely from participants of the Spring 2021 Future of Latin America and the Caribbean FIU in DC Fly-In Seminar. “From my experience with them in the Fly-In, I knew they were capable and dependable people, who would be assets in a group setting.” 

The competition was one component of the second annual USAID Hispanic Serving Institutions Conference and Career Expo, which was streamed worldwide and hosted at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus from Oct. 18-20.  The decades-long relationship between USAID and FIU reached a level of exponential growth one year ago when Administrator Samantha Power gave a speech at Georgetown University stating that the agency would be updating its recruitment strategy after far too long “recruiting from Georgetown, but not FIU,” and came to FIU’s campus several months later to sign a talent development agreement alongside President Kenneth A. Jessell.  

All three FIU teams are all-well connected to The Talent Lab at FIU in Washington, D.C.; in fact, the Peruana Arriba Foundation team was made up of three current Hamilton Scholars who prepared and pitched their presentation from FIU’s brand new center in D.C. Collectively, the students won $30,000 in prize money sponsored by PepsiCo Foundation meant to assist the teams with implementing their project ideas and pursuing their own educational and internship goals toward their public service careers.   

“As a Latino immigrant, I think it is important to work to improve conditions with Latin America as China and Russia look to increase their influence in the region,” said Jhamil Pujols, a political science student who participated.  “This competition helped gather aspects of international development that I didn’t know, such as budgeting.” 

Each team’s live presentation focused on the financial, training and logistical support that the United States could offer Peru’s women potato farmers, while experts in international agricultural affairs from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, USAID, and the PepsiCo Foundation provided feedback for future direction.  

“This experience made me stretch my skill set. As a biological science major, I thought that my major did not have enough context to contribute to the team's efforts. However, I learned that international development is a multidisciplinary task, and we all can contribute to it,” said Lillian Latchmin, an Honors College student from the Hamilton Scholars team. 

The excitement experienced throughout the competition ignited participants to take further action. In the weeks since the conclusion, Carlos Padilla Monroy — an international relations and political science major, also from the Hamilton Scholars team — traveled to Peru to work with the think tank Thought For Action in their development of a campaign to raise awareness around social and economic informality, which is directly related to the competition topic.  

“The research for the Competition allowed me to have enough background knowledge to be selected for this opportunity and to communicate with the Peruvians I am meeting here,” Padilla Monroy said.  

— By Eric Feldman

When Arturo Leon was in engineering school as a young student in Peru, he envisioned himself designing and building bridges. But a spontaneous trip with a friend who was helping a tiny village build a rudimentary dam, changed everything.

“At 3 or 4 in the morning, a community member came to our lodging and knocked on the door, saying there was an emergency,” Leon recalls. “The dam they were building with rocks to help them store water was filling very quickly because of heavy rainfall and they were concerned it was going to overflow or collapse.”

The two students quickly put their heads together, discussing rainfall amounts, the capacity of the dam and the wind’s influence on the surface water fluctuation. “Because I was in college, I always had my calculator,” Leon says with a laugh.

“I did some basic calculations and a group of 200 or so villagers with hand tools made a hole in the dam to allow some water to flow. It was beautiful to see that we could safely release the stored water without damaging the structure and avoiding harm to the town.”

That chance encounter fascinated him and he realized that the ever-changing movement of water ― and its effect on everything it touches ― would always present interesting dilemmas for engineers and society in general.

Today Arturo Leon, Ph.D., is associate professor of water resources engineering and civil and environmental Engineering at FIU's College of Engineering and Computing. He is considered an authority in smart stormwater systems, urban hydraulics and resilient flood control. In addition, the hydraulic numerical models he developed are used by cities throughout the world. For instance, his Illinois Transient Model is helping communities identify problems with their sewer systems and make near real-time decisions on gate operations to prevent overflows.

Leon holds a B.S. and C.E. in civil engineering from Nat. Univ. of San Cristobal de Huamanga, Peru, where he received the Outstanding Thesis award and was recognized as the top student in his program. In 2000, he received his M.S. in hydraulic engineering from the National University of Engineering in Peru, where he also graduated in the top position.

Before coming to the United States, Leon worked in the industry as a staff hydraulic engineer for COSAPI S.A. and then as a staff hydrologic and hydraulic engineer for Knight Piesold Consulting S.A., both in Peru. But his love of the classroom and the challenges of academia continued to pull at him.

The boy from Peru heads to Illinois

A mentor recommended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Although he didn’t speak much English and the harsh Illinois winters and environment weren’t familiar to him, he took a leap of faith.

“I was very motivated,” he recalls. “We were doing amazing simulations. A few of my classmates and I would be in my office. No windows, just lights. I would say, ‘Let’s have lunch,’ without realizing it was four in the morning. I would totally lose the notion of time and sometimes I wouldn’t go home for days.”

Leon’s interest in extreme weather events, their effect on water and sewer systems and the resulting short- and long-term impacts on the environment drove him to research solutions for problems that were coming to the forefront, such as the relationship between climate change and the world’s aging infrastructure. His thesis, “Improved Modeling of Unsteady Free Surface, Pressurized and Mixed Flows in Storm‐sewer Systems,” came from his early work.

In 2007, Leon received his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he stayed on as a post-doctoral research associate. In 2009, he joined Boise State University in Idaho as an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and in 2011 he moved to Oregon State University as an assistant professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering. He joined FIU in 2018 after three years as an associate professor at the University of Houston.

With each move, Leon received an increasing number of grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2012, he was recognized with an EPA Early Career Award, given to principal investigators for outstanding promise. His team was the first to reproduce in the lab the violent geysers that occur in stormwater and combined sewer systems after significant rainfall events.

Leon’s models used around the world

Leon has developed several hydraulic numerical models, that are being used by cities from Dallas to Cleveland to Chicago to Portland and in countries such as France, Germany, China and Australia. These models are helping municipalities to better manage floods and better predict operational sewer problems that could result in overflows.

“Today, we are working on making our models faster, incorporating AI. Faster models are particularly important when optimizing the operation of a system in near real-time. In this case, many simulations need to be run in a few minutes, which is unfeasible using current computers,” he says. “ AI is helping us speed up the computations by finding relationships between system variables, which are used as surrogate models in the optimization. AI is still in its infancy in the water management sector. However, early applications are showing great potential for managing floods and reducing sewer overflows. I believe AI will play a more important role in the near future.”

The results of his research have been published in leading industry and scientific journals, he has been the keynote speaker at noteworthy water resources conferences and he is often interviewed by media as an expert when an extreme weather event occurs. Leon is a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer, the highest post-license certification available in the water resources engineering profession. He has also received the Society of Peruvian Engineers Outstanding Academic Contributions Award from the Ayacucho Province Chapter of Civil Engineers.

Collaboration with students

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in collaboration with the Global Indigenous Forum and the Office of Social Justice and Inclusion, organized a visit to the Seminole Tribe of Florida's Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on Big Cypress Reservation in the Everglades.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida owns and operates the museum and was recognized as a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. The Seminole Indian Library and Archives are maintained by the museum in order to preserve and make available Seminole and Native American heritage to scholars and the general public.

Earlier this month, I was part of a group of approximately 40 curious minds consisting of faculty, staff and students who traveled into the heart of the Everglades to learn about the Seminole people and their strong cultural and historical ties to the Southeast and Florida. Oh, and what an experience and honor it was! To be invited to come and peek into the history and culture and life of the Seminole Indians was truly a special gift. So, you may be wondering, what did I learn? Well besides my strong advocation for everyone to go and see it for themselves, let me tell you some of my favorite takeaways from a very interesting place where I learned about a part of Florida's history and culture that is often overlooked.

Each clan was named after something in nature.

The Seminoles were divided into a number of clans, which are like families. Wind, Bear, Bird, Deer, Panther, Snake, and Otter were names inspired by nature from which each clan drew inspiration. The names of clans were very important because they were also incorporated into their names during a traditional naming ceremony.

Traditional Seminole marriage was matrilocal.     

It was interesting to see a difference in balance with regard to our own societal norms but in this case, we learned from amazing exhibits and our tour guide, Samuel Tommie and Cypress, that the groom would move to his mother-in-law’s camp. He would bring his share of new household items which included various wedding presents from his family and when a child was born, it belonged to the mother's clan. It was against the law to wed someone from your own clan, so big festivals were great places to meet people and form friendships with people from other clans.

They've had a long fight simply to exist.

The museum introduced us to a small theater followed by a movie on how the Seminole tribe came to live in the Everglades hunted by foreigners, how they adapted and how they organized to thrive today. We learned about the three Seminole Wars that spanned multiple decades and began over land that had already been claimed by the Seminoles. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was introduced in the second Seminole War and was enforced by President Andrew Jackson to forcibly remove Native American Tribes.

Numerous tribes were moved to new lands west of the Mississippi, far from where they had previously called home. This act resulted in two of the three Seminole Wars, the infamous Trail of Tears, and numerous deaths. Many tribes gave in since they saw no way to fight but the Seminole Tribe repeatedly resisted removal. From a Seminole's point of view, it is a war that never came to an end, but it was incredibly inspiring to learn that the Seminoles are true survivors able to adapt to their environment despite the immense sadness, upheaval and loss of their people.

Today, the Seminole Tribe has a sovereign government with its own schools, police, and courts. They’ve become self-sufficient as a result of their determination and gaming revenue. The Unconquered Seminole Tribe of Florida has continued to adapt to the changing world as they always have while preserving its traditions, culture and way of life.

Native American culture is beautiful and rich.

With nearly 200,000 pieces in the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum’s collection, my eyes never tired of seeing the impressive artistry of the pieces. Some of their collections include historical newspapers, beadwork, patchwork clothing, baskets, dolls, militaria and various transient pieces.

Some patterns of patchwork were one-of-a-kind and only made by a select group of Seminole artists. It was fascinating to learn that a skirt can tell a story or have personal significance for the maker or owner. Seminole ladies wore however many strands of glass accessories as they could bear while glass beads were generally used to make belts, necklaces, garters and fobs for the men.

Along with many other incredible skills, Seminoles were excellent woodcarvers. They built homes, canoes and dolls out of wood. They made two different kinds of dolls and each one was dressed in clothes made of fabric, like what a Seminole man or woman would wear.

Whether it was music, artwork, food, furs, clothing, basketry, jewelry, or legendary tales, this museum had it all and did an outstanding job combining different media with historical and modern-day pieces to tell a story.

Nature heals the soul.

After we finished the interior museum, there was an option to take a walk around a mile-long boardwalk winding through the woods in an outdoor exhibit. You could see the real fishing camp of one of the Seminoles, historical sites with tribal members showing and telling a story of long ago and a story of life today. The boardwalk was decorated with many plaques explaining how the local flora and fauna were used by the Seminoles. At the midpoint of the footpath, you can see their re-created ceremonial grounds. Cypress, our tour guide, said that these grounds were like those used as a traditional meeting place for political and religious gatherings. As you near the end of the boardwalk there is a Hunting Camp, depicted with temporary camps set up by Seminoles during hunting season. Hides, plumes, and pelts that the Seminoles used and traded are frequently on display in the camp for visitors to learn more about their culture and traditions. It was a refreshing walk that connected you with nature and engulfed you in a healing energy that was a stark difference from the busy city life we often bury ourselves in.

In the Seminole language, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki means a place to learn, a place to remember. If you want to immerse yourself in a section of history that our textbooks missed, you must go visit the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum! So much history, anthropology, and art help you learn about a diverse tribe from our nation, their origin stories, and the traditions that make them unique.

Sincerely,

Kenneth A. Jessell
President

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say turkey is the biggest culprit when it comes to food-borne illnesses during the holidays. The bird can carry a the bacteria called salmonella if not handled properly. What’s the best way to prevent the danger both prior to and following the meal?

FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management food safety experts weigh in on everything from kitchen contamination to leftovers safety to the great debate: Should you wash your poultry? 

Aside from presesnting family and friends with a memorable meal, said Imran Ahmad, research assistant professor at the Chaplin School, “Our aim every Thanksgiving should be to keep the nasty at bay." He suggests four critical steps to ensuring a safe cooking environment: “Clean, separate, cook and chill.” 

When you safely prepare and store your meals, you reduce food waste and lower the risk of spreading bacterial illnesses. Ahmad says safety starts even before you begin cooking by following these food safety tips backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• The “before” makes for a great “after:” Before you start cooking, wash your hands and other tools that you plan to use and then dry them thoroughly.
• Sanitize your station: Before you begin preparing your turkey for the oven, sanitize your prep surface using bacteria-killing agents such as white vinegar, Lysol or kitchen bleach.
• To wash or not to wash the turkey: Don't do it. Washing the bird can splash potentially contaminated droplets and juices onto your countertop, nearby utensils and ready-to-eat foods. Another concern: washing your poultry will contaminate the sink, which, if not sanitized properly, can pose a significant cross-contamination risk. 
• Thawing the frozen turkey: Do not leave the frozen turkey on your kitchen counter or in hot water to thaw. Three ways to safely thaw your Thanksgiving bird are in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.
  • Refrigerator: The rule of thumb for thawing your turkey in the refrigerator is 24 hours for every 5 pounds.
  • Cold water: For a faster thaw, place your turkey in its original wrapping in a cold-water bath for 30 minutes per pound, changing the water every thirty minutes until the turkey is completely thawed.
  • Microwave: Not all turkeys fit in the microwave – but if yours does and you’re in a pinch for time, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for quick microwave thawing. Make sure to cook the turkey immediately after thawing to avoid the food staying in the “Danger Zone.”
•  Cook thoroughly: For safety and doneness, check the internal temperature of your turkey with a food thermometer. The temperature of the turkey and the center of the stuffing must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. Check the temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

Now that all the cooking (and eating) is done, it’s time to safely store those leftovers.

• The two-hour rule: Don’t leave your food sitting out too long after dinner, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
• Saving this for later: Store your leftovers in small shallow containers and put them in your refrigerator – these can be your go-to lunch for the next four days. If you put them in the freezer, leftovers are safe almost indefinitely but will taste best if eaten within two to six months.

“The best Thanksgiving dinner is a stress-free one. Make sure to keep yourself and your guests safe by following these simple food safety tips. Do that and reap the rewards of tasty Thanksgiving leftovers for a few days longer than intended,” Ahmad concluded.

• Enhancements to the curriculum, faculty, and professional staff to ensure graduates are prepared for interdisciplinary, high-demand professions in the fields of journalism, immersive and interactive digital media, and film
• Strengthening of the award-winning multilingual South Florida Media Network, the school’s flagship outlet providing opportunities to learn and innovate in a full-immersion professional learning environment that produces news, information and community engagement, with news bureaus in Miami and Washington, D.C.
• Engaging, inclusive, content-producing coursework that supports an experiential “learn by doing” teaching philosophy and provides skill sets to combat misinformation and disinformation
• A diverse, dedicated, innovative, and acclaimed faculty of practitioners and scholars
• Instruction in the use of industry standard equipment, software, and the latest immersive and emerging technologies
• Capital improvements to facilities and equipment to support signature learning spaces and state-of-the-art equipment and materials
• Student scholarships and financial assistance

— By Kenneth Setzer MA ’97

College of Engineering and Computing senior Lara Garcia has a passion for using data to solve problems. She is applying her computer science and engineering skills to prompt social change.  

Garcia’s past work includes creating maps to show researchers how best to deliver medical care to underserved communities as well as designing illustrations to show philanthropists the true impact of their investments. 

“I find data so fascinating,” Garcia said. “From one perspective, it’s just a set of numbers that look tabular and stagnant. But data can represent anything. It can stand for human behavior, economies and nations.” 

Garcia arrived at the university from Venezuela as an International Baccalaureate graduate. With her elective credits, she took an Honors College course taught by StartUP FIU director Bob Hacker about entrepreneurship and innovation. 

“I was the student who would sit in the front of class, ask a ton of questions and get into intense philosophical debates at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays,” Garcia said. 

After competing in the Hult Prize Challenge and talking with Hacker, Garcia was offered a job at StartUP FIU. She helped the innovation hub streamline internal reporting and joined the student leadership team, where she co-facilitated entrepreneurship boot camps. 

“Lara is a very talented woman,” Hacker says. “She is exceptional at bringing the math and computation of computer science to practical applications for social impact.” 

In her sophomore year, Garcia interned for the MIT Media Lab, an interdisciplinary hub for research and learning. She joined the Biomechatronics Group, which was centered around delivering prosthetic and diabetic care to underserved communities in Mexico, Sierra Leone and the United States. 

A variety of factors can prevent people with diabetes from receiving the care that they need, Garcia said. Poverty rates, political environments and poor public infrastructure are just some. If left untreated, diabetes and its complications can lead to lower limb amputation being required.

The MIT Media Lab was working on deploying mobile health clinics to areas in need of medical attention and prosthetics. First, they needed to know exactly where to go. 

“I played a strategic role in taking all these communities, analyzing hotspots and determining what were the best places or areas to visit,” Garcia said. “I had to account for so many different facets of such an insanely complex problem.” 

Last month, a group of 20 students ranging from sophomores to Ph.D. candidates in engineering, biological sciences, architecture and communications with a shared passion for the resilience of people, buildings and the economy descended on FIU’s brand-new facility in Washington, D.C., for the Fall 2022 Fly-In Seminar, The Future of Resilient Communities.

“I really enjoyed meeting more STEM students, because as a policy person I know change heavily relies on our ability to connect across disciplines and transfer all that we bring to create effective policy, especially on issues like natural disasters and resiliency,” said Noemy-Diaz Burgos, a master’s student in English.

Immediately upon landing, the group visited three federal agencies back-to-back: the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Department of the Interior. To gain the full perspective of how resilience policy is set and carried out, the voice of the private sector was represented during a visit to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the group received lessons in organizing from the advocacy group Our Climate.

“We discovered that not all jobs in D.C. are with the government as we met with lobbying groups, think tanks, and advocacy organizations,” said Francisco “Frank” Gamez, a political science major. “Along the way it was showcased that brief and simple communication is necessary for such a busy environment.”

Fly-In Seminars provide the opportunity not only to partake in content sessions planned by FIU but to engage in D.C.’s dynamic professional development scene, as was the case when the group stopped into the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s networking reception honoring fellow Frances Colon, senior director for international climate policy for the Center for American Progress.

Participants met for three weeks prior to the trip to D.C. to learn about issues and trends related to the program theme by visiting FIU’s Wall of Wind and meeting with faculty at the Sea Level Solutions Center and concluded the program by crafting policy proposals presented to expert panelists from the BuildStrong Coalition and Third Way, and Congressional staff from the offices of Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon.

The impact that the alumni of this Fly-In will make will be compounded for years to come; participants were chosen for their existing contributions to campus and community efforts including the Green Campus Initiative, Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership, and various research labs. With the community that has been created, students’ efforts will be maximized while they also apply for Washington, D.C.,-based internships and complete two digital badges offered by FIU in DC’s Talent Lab.

“Being in D.C. felt energizing and enriching. There is a large community of people who are working to accomplish the same objectives as I am. I feel much less alone,” said Zion Michael, a mechanical engineering major.

— By Eric Feldman

Said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava: “Mayor Ferré was a champion. He took me under his wing. He was a true mentor and a great role model. He gave freely of his time and talent for the benefit of the world.”  

From Books & Books and Miami Book Fair founder Mitchell Kaplan: “He was our Kennedy. The Kennedy family (in Miami) was the Maurice Ferré family.”  

And former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen: “Look at this city. It’s a city transformed. It was transformed thanks to the vision of Maurice Ferre.”  

These remarks, along with those of more than two dozen top leaders in Miami and beyond, make up the intimate portrait of Ferré featured in a 15-minute video produced by his daughter, artist and educator Meme Ferré and Miami filmmaker Aaron Glickman.  

Created with the help of FIU students, the video premiered at a reception hosted at the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and will serve as a teaching tool on civic leadership for the late mayor’s namesake at FIU - the Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership.  

The video includes previously unseen footage of Ferré, as well as personal testimonials about his lasting influence in Miami and beyond.  

“We are very honored to be a part of this endeavor with FIU,’’ said Meme Ferré. “Thank you for initiating this amazing dream. Whenever I called someone wanting (them) to be on the project about Maurice Ferré, it was a huge yes.  

“They told me they want to share with the world how he affected us and how (this) can help in teaching our future leaders about civic leadership and engagement.”  

FIU interim Provost Elizabeth Bejar said it was no coincidence that a video on Ferré’s legacy was unveiled at PAMM in downtown Miami.  

“We are right next to the park (Maurice A. Ferré Park) bearing the name of the visionary founding father of modern Miami,’’ she said. “Mayor Ferré was one of the most dynamic civic leaders who has been an inspiration for future generations of leaders.  

“The Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership builds on his legacy, preparing FIU students and members of the public who will effect positive social change in local and global communities.”  

Four students – recognized as Ferré Fellows by the institute – spoke at the premiere and said they have already benefitted from the late mayor’s legacy.  

“I’ve learned so much about civic leadership and how to bring the community together,’’ said Katherine Mesa, a sophomore majoring in political science.  

Natalie Martinez, a sophomore studying political science and international relations, said she sees herself as a “small blip” in the long legacy of Mayor Ferré.  

“I am very proud to represent FIU and encourage students to not only have open hearts but clear ears in terms of our messaging,” she said. “Civic engagement is not a passing fad. It doesn’t stop with the mid-term election or the next election. We are proud that everyone in this room cares about the civic engagement of our youth.”  

Agatha Carballo, founding director of the Ferré Institute, said there are plans to expand the video project to include footage from the institute’s events and activities. The premiere reception at PAMM was a fundraiser for the institute, which was created with a $2 million donation from the Maurice A. Ferré Foundation and will be housed in the new west wing of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at FIU.  

“We’ve really been overwhelmed with the response,’’ Caraballo said of the video project and the reception, which included a performance artist’s rendition of one of the late mayor’s final speeches, given at the dedication of the park named for him in downtown Miami. “The video will be used as a community outreach and awareness tool to share the legacy of Maurice A. Ferré and to inspire future generations of civic leaders.” 

Bejar said she invited everyone to visit the institute’s new home when it opens next year.  

“Thank you all for your support, and we welcome you to visit the future home in our (Green School) building, opening on our campus in Spring 2023.” 

 FIU senior Carlos Scheckermann clinched an epic penalty shootout with a goal in the 12th round to lift the No. 10 seed FIU men's soccer team to a thrilling NCAA second-round victory over New Hampshire on Sunday night in Miami.     
 
The Panthers captured the shootout, which featured a stretch where each team recorded a goal for eight consecutive rounds, by a 10-9 margin. 
 
The 19 total shootout goals were the most in an NCAA Men's Soccer Championship match since Michigan and Notre Dame combined for 21 in 2018.
 
The Panthers now advance to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2003 where they will face No. 7 seeded Duke on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 1 p.m. ET at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
 
This marks the third time the Panthers have advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and the first time since 2003. FIU also defeated Cal State–Northridge that season in penalties to advance to the third round where they were defeated 2-0 by UCLA.
 
The Panthers own a 1-1 overall record in the NCAA Third Round.
 
FIU has advanced past the third round once in program history. In 1996, the Panther's made a run to the championship match, taking out Indiana in the Round of 16 before eventually falling to St. John's in the final.
 
On Sunday, the two teams were deadlocked after regulation at 1-1 and the score remained tied following 20 minutes of extra time, after each side posted a goal to make the score 2-2 and set up the shootout dramatics.
 
FIU benefited from an own goal by New Hampshire's Chris Pinkham in the 95th minute of extra time to take a 2-1 lead. 
 
New Hampshire responded in the 107th minute of the second overtime period on a tally by Rory O'Driscoll off a freekick just outside the penalty box, deadlocking the game at 2-2.
 
Senior forward Rasmus Tobinski scored the first goal of the match putting FIU ahead in the 14th minute. Tobinski fought his way in front of the New Hampshire goal and tapped in a cross from Philip Hildebrandt.
 
UNH responded with multiple chances in the second half before getting the equalizer in the 64th minute with an own goal. New Hampshire's O'Driscoll sent a cross to the near post which collided with multiple players and eventually found the back of the net.
 
Graduate student Matt Levy came off the bench after overtime to be the man in goal for the shootout. He would go on to make two saves, stopping the first attempt and making a save in the 12th round that eventually led to the victory.
 
After 120 minutes of action, the Panthers outshot the Wildcats 15-10 and six to three on shots on target.
 
FIU also saved more shots on the night with freshman Kevin Harr making four to saves to Jassem Koleilat's one. The Wildcats did have a small advantage in corner kicks 11 to eight.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will hit the road next week to take on No. 7 Duke on Sunday, November 27 at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.


SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUMSoccer), Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news.

The full list of experts that will be continuously updated can be found below.

For help contacting any of our experts, please contact the Office of Media Relations:

• Dianne Fernandez, director of broadcast: 305-608-4870, dfernand37@fiu.edu
• Elizabeth Ferrer-Alfonso, media relations specialist: 305-348-6944, eferrera@fiu.edu
• Amy Ellis, communications manager, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs: 352-999-0577, ellis@fiu.edu 
• Elizabeth Calzadilla, director of marketing and communications, College of Engineering & Computing: 786-338-3346, ecalzadi@fiu.edu 
• Cynthia Corzo, assistant director of media relations and communications, FIU College of Business: 305-965-4709, ccorzo@fiu.edu  
• Ivonne Yee-Amor, director of marketing and communications, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management: 305-299-2091, iamor@fiu.edu 

SUPPLY CHAIN

Andrea Patrucco
Assistant Professor
Marketing & Logistics
College of Business
Patruco can discuss inventory management, purchasing, supply chain strategies and buyer-supplier relationships.
Office: (305) 348-5044
Email: apatrucc@fiu.edu

ECONOMY

Ned Murray
Associate Director
Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center
Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs
Murray is a leading expert on economic and housing market issues in South Florida. He has authored many of the landmark affordable housing needs studies including the leading studies for Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Broward and Monroe Counties.
Phone: (954) 438-8603
Email: murrayn@fiu.edu

MARKETING

 

Gustavo Mosquera
Assistant Teaching Professor
Marketing and Logistics
College of Business
Mosquera can discuss marketing analytics, branding, digital marketing, consumer behavior and business development, and the economic impact of campaigns and major events.
Mosquera is available for interviews in Spanish and English.
Office: (305) 348-5476
Email: gmosquer@fiu.edu

Anthony Miyazaki
Chair, Professor
Marketing and Logistics
College of Business
Miyazaki specializes in buyer behavior, advertising, digital marketing, omnichannel and e-commerce.



Office: (305) 348-3330
Cell: (786) 246-7763
Email: miyazaki@fiu.edu

Rafael Soltero Venegas
Co-Director of Global Sales Lab,
Associate Teaching Professor
Marketing and Logistics
College of Business
Venegas brings 25+ years of progressive experience in product development, managing teams, B2B and consumer sales and marketing, including high-tech capital products and consumables. He has extensive Latin American and Worldwide field experience in establishing new country sales and distribution networks. 
Venegas is available for interviews in Spanish and English.
Office: (305) 348-3620
Email: rsoltero@fiu.edu

CYBERSECURITY

Alexander Crowther
Visiting Research Professor
Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy
Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs
Crowther is currently a Cyber Policy specialist in the Expert Consultant program at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP) at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He is also an adjunct senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation and an adjunct research professor of national security studies at the Strategic Studies Institute. Crowther can discuss cyber policy, national security policy and counterterrorism.
Crowther is available for interviews in Spanish and English.
Email: gcrowthe@fiu.edu

Brian Fonseca
Director, Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy
Executive Director, Cybersecurity@FIU
Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs
Fonseca serves as a Cybersecurity Policy fellow at the D.C.-based think tank New America and is co-author of “The New US Security Agenda: Trends and Emerging Threats”. His technical expertise and publications focus largely on national security and foreign policies, with particular focus on cyberspace. Fonseca can speak on cybersecurity and emerging threats, among other topics.
Office: 305-348-7420
Cell: 305-218-6323
Email: fonsecab@fiu.edu

Randy Pestana
Assistant Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives, Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy
Director of Education and Training, Cybersecurity@FIU
Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs
Pestana manages the institute’s partnerships with the U.S. departments of Commerce, Defense, and State and serves as Director of Education and Training at Cybersecurity@FIU. Much of his work has been linked to governance and security and cybersecurity workforce development issues. Pestana can discuss security studies and cybersecurity among other topics.

Office: 305-348-0114
Email: rpestana@fiu.edu

Nagarajan Prabakar
Undergraduate Director, BSc. in Cybersecurity Program
School of Computing & Information Sciences
College of Engineering & Computing
Prabakar has more than 30 years of experience in the field of computing and extensive expertise in the field of cybersecurity. He can discuss security vulnerabilities and what can be done to prevent cyber attacks.

To schedule an interview with Prabakar, contact Elizabeth Calzadilla. 

Sebastian Schuetz
Assistant Professor
Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics
College of Business
Schuetz can discuss security controls, security education, awareness and training, and data breaches.
Email: sschuetz@fiu.edu

Selcuk Uluagac
Associate Professor, Cybersecurity
Electrical & Computer Engineering
College of Engineering & Computing
Uluagac leads the Cyber-Physical Systems Security Lab (CSL). His research focuses on cybersecurity and privacy, with an emphasis on its practical and applied aspects.
To schedule an interview with Prabakar, contact Elizabeth Calzadilla. 

FINANCE

Deanne Butchey
Teaching Professor
Finance
College of Business
Areas of expertise include rising prices/interest rates and impact on personal finances, stock prices, financial markets, gasoline prices.

Phone: (305) 348-7238
Cell: (954) 257-4911
Email: butcheyd@fiu.edu

Mark del Pezzo
Associate Teaching Professor
Finance
College of Business
Pezzo is available to discuss advanced investments and financial management.


Phone: (305) 348-8459
Cell: (904) 707-8992
Email: mdelpezz@fiu.edu 

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This week, as Congress returned to Washington, D.C., the university celebrated the Florida Congressional delegation and its federal agency partners while inaugurating the expanded FIU in Washington, D.C. hub. This student, research and briefing center is setting a new standard for engaged research universities in the nation’s capital.

This high-tech facility represents a renewed commitment to Capitol Hill and allows students, alumni, researchers and national policymakers to convene, co-work and take courses, while learning more about the impact of FIU research.

Student success: engaged academic experiences

One major prompt for the expansion was the growth of student programs and courses at the Talent Lab at FIU in DC since 2016. Over 120 students intern in the nation's capital every year and over 800 participate in Career Fly-Ins aimed at securing jobs and internships.

This fall semester, 32 students are interning in D.C. and various cohorts are enrolled in one of three academic programs offered by the FIU Honors College, the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA). These courses take place in the Talent Lab classroom located in the center.

“Through our class, ‘The Washington Seminar,’ we take on a specific advocacy project that aligns with our interests and go through the motions of how it can come to fruition. These projects are able to make an impact in communities and allow students like me to advocate for what's important to us," said Lillian Latchmin, a senior studying biological sciences. 

Latchmin herself is supporting the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work by advocating on health disparities research before the federal government and working to create new introductions at the National Institutes of Health. She is also coordinating a visit by the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services later this fall.

Aside from course credit, students also get the opportunity to host their own programs aimed at collaborating with students from other universities across the country. This past month, Carlos Padilla Monroy, a research intern with FIU's Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom, hosted a student-run Panther Dialectic event in the newly renovated facility.

With approximately 15 student interns from different universities in attendance, the Panther Dialect discussion centered around how competition between universities for government grants affects research initiatives, as well as topics related to academic freedom, free speech and health care.

“In Panther Dialectic, we believe in constructive dialogue that embodies positive impact," Padilla Monroy said. "This event did exactly that by opening the conversation to other universities, allowing FIU students [to] create new connections on the national stage."

Research showcase

Throughout the center, electronic displays and curated exhibits showcase major research accomplishments and patented technologies from FIU.

One of the patents developed at the Wall of Wind, the Aerodynamic Mitigation and Power turbine System (AMPS), is also on display. This system, led by Professors Arindam Gan Chowdhury and Andres Tremante, is attached to structures to deflect winds while creating and storing energy.

On an interactive LED wall, over a dozen research initiatives and projects are accessible to the national audiences that will visit the briefing center and celebrate federal collaboration. The interactive technology was also a collaboration between the Divisions of Strategic Communications, Government and External Affairs, and Information Technology.

FIU's national briefing center

A larger multipurpose conference facility allows the FIU community to host national workshops, professional development seminars and other educational activities for students and local stakeholders.

Just last week, the Army Research Lab and the FIU College of Engineering and Computing hosted a research workshop; likewise, over 50 universities convened to review ongoing research on improving radio frequency in devices for the general public and also for public defense purposes.

“Being in a central location like FIU in DC and having a nice facility and interactive screen and everything else, plus being a university that could host this meeting … is a fantastic thing for FIU,” said Dimitris Pavlidis, FIU’s Director of Emerging Research Programs and Research Professor.

During this past inaugural week, students helped coordinate other national dialogues with federal agency partners on topics including extreme events; blockchain; solutions for challenges in the Latin American and Caribbean region; and diversity and inclusion.

Earlier this season, faculty and students helped convene national dialogues for The Chronicle of Higher Education and STEMconnector, in order to further conversations surrounding the impact of research innovation in higher education and student success.

One great collaborative space is a working media lab and recording studio, which is used to help broadcast  national conferences. The College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts' South Florida Media Network also records broadcast packages from the space.

Miami's 'embassy' in D.C.

For many students, alumni and corporate friends working or visiting the capital, FIU in DC serves as Miami's "embassy" in the district, bringing the tastes, sounds and sights of the 305 to the nation’s capital. On any given day, the central rotunda will be hosting informal cafecito hours or intimate lunches that provide an opportunity for FIU to open new doors of opportunities and introduce eclectic groups of individuals.

And for many students, the semester in D.C. is their first time away from South Florida.

“As you move through a place and field you are not familiar with, you often tend to get lost and sometimes misguided, but FIU in DC really creates a space of people, comfort and familiarity that you need to re-ground yourself,” said Marian Balceiro, a Hamilton Scholar studying international relations and economics and a research intern at American Foreign Policy Council.

“But it’s honestly the students and the people that make the experience so amazing," Balceiro adds. "Being able to have a support team full of friends and fellows that are so focused, but still willing to be there for you and make sure you’re doing okay is the best part of my time here. Internships, living alone for the first time and the weather changes can really take a toll on you, and having FIU is very necessary. It’s like you never left home!” 

For more information on FIU in Washington, D.C. and to begin planning your semester experience or national conference, click here.

FIU in Washington, D.C. showcases the impact of FIU research; provides students with engaged academic experiences and internships; and convenes national partners for meaningful conversations across a broad range of issues as it brings the magic of Miami to the nation’s capital.

“Fantastic,’’ he said after meeting with faculty, students and leadership of the Green School. “It’s wonderful to see the expansion of the school.”   

It was the ambassador’s first visit to the new building, along with his wife, Dorothea Green, daughter Kimberly Green and Mireille Charles, executive director of the Green Family Foundation. The 85,000-square-foot, LEED-certified building was funded by a mix of philanthropy and public dollars: $15 million from the Greens, along with $12.7 million from the state of Florida.   

“As a family, we are extremely proud of this school,’’ Green added, noting, in particular, the recent ascension of the Green School as a full member of the prestigious Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), one of only 38 in the world and the only one in Florida.   

“It speaks to what’s being accomplished here,” he said of the APSIA designation. “We thank all of you for everything you are doing in support of these efforts.”   

Pedro Botta, who led the tour for the Green School, said the Greens seemed impressed by the spaciousness and layout of the new building, designed by renowned architect Yann Weymouth, who also designed the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum and the MANGO building at FIU.   

“I think they were blown away by the design, the natural light throughout the building and the seamlessness between the two buildings,’’ said Botta, executive director of strategic initiatives and marketing at the Green School.   

Nestled between the existing Green School building and the Labor Center, the new structure is linked to the original by a covered walkway and short bridges on floors 2 through 5. The building will enable the school to pull most of its departments and centers under one roof for the first time since the school was created in 2008.   

In addition to the covered walkway, Botta said the two buildings will also be linked on the first floor by the existing Green School gallery, which will continue to be used for art exhibitions and conversations that complement the global issues explored by the Green School.   

Kimberly Green, who serves as president of the Green Family Foundation, said she was eager to collaborate with several Green School centers and programs, particularly in the area of arts and humanities. The foundation recently launched Green Space Miami, a new art space that hosts community conversations on critical social issues, particularly those involving historically marginalized communities.   

Green Space Miami is already partnering with FIU’s Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab – led by history professor Rebecca Friedman - for an exhibition on Little Haiti with Miami Herald photographer Carl Juste and hopes to do more, including working with the Green School’s Global Indigenous Forum, which seeks to promote indigenous voices and experiences on campus.   

“All of these universes and constellations are coming together and it’s really impressive,’’ Kimberly Green said, after receiving an update from interim Dean Shlomi Dinar, along with various program directors, faculty members and students from the Green School’s award-winning Model UN team.   

During the 90-minute session, Dinar announced several initiatives and programs being planned, including the creation of a faculty exchange program with other APSIA schools around the world; a lecture series featuring APSIA school deans; and the creation of two new fellowships named for the Greens: the Kimberly and Dorothy Green Fellowship for Senior Faculty, to assist associate and full professors with completing and publishing their research, and the Kimberly and Dorothea Green Fellowship for Advanced Doctoral Students, to assist Ph.D. students with completing their dissertations.  

“This is just a taste of what we are doing,’’ Dinar told the ambassador at the conclusion of the meeting.    

“It was more like a full meal,’’ joked the ambassador.  

Dinar said the Green School is also partnering with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where Green served as ambassador from 1997 to 2001. The ambassador said he welcomed the opportunity to assist with collaborations between FIU and organizations in Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia because of his many connections there.  

In addition, the Green School’s signature event under the Dorothea Green Lecture Series will be renamed State of Global Democracy, to reflect the considerable challenges to democracy being faced by nations throughout the world, including the United States.

“There is a critical mass being built in the area of democracy at the Green School and we want to continue to pursue that,’’ said Dinar, noting as one example the “building of local leadership for democracy” through the recently launched Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership.    

Anthony Pereira, recently appointed director of the Kimberly Green Latin America and Caribbean Center, agreed, noting that Latin America in particular is witnessing a backsliding of democratic institutions.   

“It’s not always the military coups we are used to seeing,’’ he said. “It’s the gradual degrading through institutional tinkering that is moving (nations) toward authoritarianism. We want to research these things and be guardians of (democracy).”   

Another occupant of SIPA II will be the Ferré Institute, led by founding director Agatha Caraballo, who spoke about several of the institute’s initiatives, including a civic engagement campaign with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called Super Citizens.   

The institute will fill most of the second floor of the new building, including a reading room, classroom and office space and a special collection of the former Miami mayor’s artifacts, including several keys to cities he received over the years.    

At the end of the tour, Kimberly Green said she was happy to see the growth and progress at the Green School. 

“The Green Family and the Green Family Foundation are honored and humbled by the efforts of the team at FIU and SiPA toward the education and shaping of a new generation of leaders,’’ she said. “The unique position Miami and South Florida hold in the world, in particular the Global South, sets the stage for our students to receive the most diverse and integrated education to prepare them to face our ever-shifting world.” 

On Nov. 15, FIU hosted a panel discussion on balancing mental health and career goals in demanding industries such as entrepreneurship, entertainment and hospitality. It featured successful local entrepreneurs, a licensed mental health counselor, alumni and a celebrity.

The event was presented by FIU Student Health and Wellness in partnership with Florida Power & Light, FIU Student Access and Success, and FIU Alumni; and it was organized and moderated by FIU Trustee Chanel Rowe JD ’14, who is founder and managing partner at Uriel Law.

The panelists shared this advice:

Lean into your community.

Lamman Rucker, an actor known for hit television series like Greenleaf and an educator, activist and entrepreneur, reminded students that when you’re down on your luck or you’re not feeling like yourself, you have a support system all around you – whether it be family, friends, a mentor, a professor, a religious organization, or a wellness service provided by the university.

Rucker said that throughout his life, he has sought support from his own community, including his “many dads” – father-like figures who, in addition to his own father, played significant roles in his upbringing. He has also been a source of support for loved ones, such as his godchildren, whom he looked after while their parents were working or going to school.

“Lean into your community. Lean into those who love you and who can support you,” Rucker said.

Remember that therapy is a judgment-free zone.

Jeff Rocker, Ph.D., a licensed mental health counselor and celebrity therapist, assured students that therapy is a safe space, and it’s open to everyone.

“You will not be judged by a therapist… we’re going to help you find the best answer for you and help you achieve it,” Rocker said, later adding, “You can’t be helped if you don’t speak up, and to speak up, you have to be vulnerable. There are people who look like you and who think like you, who want to help you.”

Prioritize self-care.

Alexis Brown, chief experience officer of Miami-based events and marketing agency SocialXchange, encouraged students to prioritize self-care and to understand that your self-care needs change as you age. When you’re young, self-care may look like a night out laughing and dancing with friends; but later in life, self-care might mean focusing on your emotional wellness, setting boundaries and creating safe spaces.

For her, balancing self-care and a career in hospitality means prioritizing physical wellness, staying organized and keeping a calendar. No matter what your routine looks like, Brown says self-discipline is key to your success.

“Discipline in itself is a form of self-care. Love yourself enough to be consistent,” Brown said.

Keep an open mind.

Gaston Rossato ’08, alumnus and founder of The Barn Miami, a classic and exotic auto boutique, shared it’s important not to dwell too much if you find yourself thrown off the planned course. He emphasized that resilience, open-mindedness and the ability to pivot will help keep your spirits up.

“Sometimes we think about things a little too much, and we plan too much ahead... For a long time, I thought it was a weakness to dive into things without thinking too much. But I think in the long term, I’ve realized it’s probably a strength to listen to your gut,” Rossato said.

FIU Student Health and Wellness offers a variety of services to support mental well-being, including Counseling and Psychological Services, online self-help platforms, and more. These services are funded by the university health fee and are available to enrolled students at no additional cost. Learn more or schedule an appointment online.

“Flexibility and adaptability are two of the cornerstones of successful hospitality operations,” said Chef John Noble Masi, who is a culinary faculty member at FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University. 

According to a newly-released survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) of “volunteer shoppers”, a Thanksgiving feast for 10 people will cost $64.05, that’s an increase of $10.74 or 20% more than last year. The survey cites general inflation or a 12% increase in food prices over last year for the additional punch to the pocketbook. Smaller turkey flocks due to the avian flu, increased feed costs and supply chain disruptions due to the war in Ukraine are also cited in the survey for increased costs to the holiday meal.

This year, a 16-pound turkey will cost you $28.96 or 21% more than last year. If you’re planning to serve dinner rolls, expect to pay 22% more. And the most surprising increase is the cost of a 14-ounce bag of cubed stuffing mix, which will add an additional $3.88 to your meal, an increase of 69% over last year.

While overall prices are up, there is good news if you plan to spend the holiday in South Florida; the survey shows that food prices are most affordable in the South. If you haven’t bought your frozen turkey yet, many retailers are running specials right now for as low as $.48 a pound. Big box stores like Aldi and Walmart announced a rollback of prices on Thanksgiving staples to last year or pre-pandemic prices. 

While a big turkey looks impressive on the table, Chef Masi suggests buying a smaller bird to avoid over-eating, upfront costs and waste. “The typical guide for a fully cooked turkey is about one pound per guest. The "yield" on a cooked turkey is about 40% of cooked meat, which still gives almost 7 ounces of meat per person. That is plenty of meat, especially if you increase the number of your side dishes,” said Chef Masi.

You may also want to consider buying generic or store brands versus name brands that experts suggest could save you 30% to 50% on your grocery bill. 

Other solutions from Chef Masi to save you both money and time include:

• Share the responsibilities (and the cost) - Some of our best Thanksgiving meals and the easiest on the host are made when others contribute their special dish. It also means that the host does not bear 100% of the cost and the cooking. Make everyone's life easier and less costly by sharing those responsibilities and bringing your special dish to the Thanksgiving table.

• Make it International! - While this tip does not necessarily save money, it does expand our palates! Sharing different foods and dishes is made even better when someone brings something from their culture and heritage. We all learn something new and maybe you will try something that you love! "International" is our middle name here at FIU, and we try to embrace that diversity in all we do.

• Have a PLAN - We teach this to our students all the time, but it is even more important when planning a big meal with lots of guests. Ensure all the guests know what they will be preparing and bringing to your table. In this way, you do not end up with three or four stuffing side dishes and 10 different pies.

• Engage with a local food bank or charity - Most of us are very fortunate to have plenty of food on our table. We always are mindful of those less fortunate than us here at FIU. We have a food pantry to help feed our students in need. There are studies that show that at any given time there is a significant percentage of Americans who do not have enough food and many of these are our students.

“At this time of year and always, we want to encourage everyone to not only give thanks for all our blessings but also to give back to those less fortunate. Even better is the feeling you will get from doing so,” concluded Chef Masi.

Now that’s food for thought!

Such "fast fashions" — inexpensive, poor-quality clothing often meant for a single wearing and manufactured for near-overnight delivery to stores — means big trouble for all of us.

So say an FIU professor and a growing number of students. The cost is there, they explain: in the carbon emitted in making and shipping the often-synthetic (not natural-fiber) items, in the waste created as they are quickly discarded and in the social injustice inherent in the low wages paid to workers, mostly overseas, to turn out the trendy threads that entice impulse purchases. 

The movement away from fast fashion and toward sustainable clothing is gaining traction on campus with clothing exchanges, a new sustainability hub and professors raising awareness of the issue in class.

Jesse Blanchard, an environmental science professor, teaches about the dangers of fast fashion, calling it one of the biggest environmental offenders out there.

“When you wear clothing once and throw it out, it becomes a solid waste issue that we currently have no real solution for. We just pile it up and that's pretty much it,” Blanchard said, while himself wearing a sport coat made of recylced plastic bottles.

The apparel industry is known as one of the worst polluting industries, generating a massive amount of greenhouse gases and making up 10 percent of all carbon emissions every year.

But Blanchard looks to the future with hope and thinks that things are moving in the right direction toward reducing fast fashion emissions with the latest wave of awareness and advocacy from young people.

“The middle economic class in the United States is the most powerful consumer in the world, and our students are part of that,” Blanchard said. “If they make a decision about something that needs to happen, it's going to happen. It's just a matter of, can they can be loud enough to make it happen?”

ACTIVISM ON CAMPUS

Genevieve Lafrinere and Natalie Concepcion teamed up with other students to launch the Panther Sustainability Hub as part of a fellowship that promotes positive change on campus. The hub is located on the northwest side of MMC near the 112th Ave. and 8th Street entrance, across from the Ziff Education Building.

Concepcion and Lafinere were particularly interested in decreasing the clothing waste among students, so they opened a closet at the hub.

“The closet is basically like a thrift store on campus,” said Lafrinere, who studies marine biology. “We accept donations of clothes, shoes or accessories from anyone.”

Students, faculty and staff are welcome to donate or take clothes from the closet, absolutely free of charge. The hub is open for a few hours every weekday.

“We don’t have any restrictions on the closet because not everyone has something to give,” said Concepcion, who studies political science. “You can take what you need.” 

They started the closet to encourage students to change their clothing shopping habits.

“I feel like I see lot of people who are not aware of this issue, especially college students,” Concepcion said. “If we can educate people about this more, that's a win for me.”

Another student group on campus, the Society of Sustainable Souls, hosts clothing exchanges in the Green Library breezeway every month to spread awareness and give second lives to used clothes. For every donated item, a student can choose from those on offer.

“I want to be a part of the change towards sustainability,” said Stephanie Uviovo, vice president and secretary of the club. “I personally study international relations, so I'm all about sustainable development. I want to be able to develop the environment and make a long-lasting important impact in any society or community I find myself in.”

FIU biologist Mark Bond is celebrating in Panama where the vote took place this week. For more than six years, he has been traveling the world advocating for this moment. In 2016, Bond was part of a successful international effort to have four shark species and nine Mobula rays added to the list of protected species when CITES convened in his native South Africa.

He and other FIU biologists including Mike Heithaus, Yannis Papastamatiou, Diego Cardeñosa, Jeremy Kiszka and students and researchers from their labs have provided and contributed to research that helped form the foundation for that proposal as well as today’s landmark proposal. Their work also supported additional listings passed by CITES between 2016 and today.

"This decision is the most significant step toward improving global shark management that countries have taken," Bond said. "It will ensure international shark trade is regulated and traceable."

All 54 species of the requiem shark family are now set to be listed on CITES Appendix II, along with a second proposal for an additional six small hammerhead shark species that was also supported in part by FIU research and was passed this week. All parties approved the latter in consensus and did not require a separate vote. By being listed on CITES Appendix II, nearly all shark species traded internationally for their fins will now be under CITES oversight and controls to help ensure sustainable use and species survival.

 Cardeñosa has contributed research to not only support the listing of additional species of sharks but also to ensure implementation and track outcomes of already awarded protections. Heithaus, who also serves as the executive dean of FIU's College of Arts, Sciences & Education, helped lead Global FinPrint, which was a collaborative, international effort to survey the world's reef shark and ray populations. He, along with Bond and nearly all other marine predator scientists at FIU, contributed to that effort.

"At FIU, our faculty, students and staff are passionate about making a difference in the world," Heithaus said. "Our teams working on environmental issue are helping to make sure that we leave a sustainable and thriving world for future generations. It’s especially exciting for me as a marine ecologist to see our work help catalyze global action to protect and restore sharks since they can be a critical part of keeping oceans healthy.

The proposals require final endorsement by the plenary session at the conclusion of the CITES meeting next week. A third of all sharks and rays are threatened with extinction. The inclusion of nearly all species currently in the global shark fin trade means it will be far easier for customs and enforcement officials to ensure only legal and sustainable trade is taking place since almost every shipment of shark products will now require a permit to prove that trade meets legal and sustainability requirements. Currently, there are few restrictions in place. The government of Panama led the initiative for requiem sharks, in partnership with 40 other nations. Sharks and rays are the second most threatened vertebrate group on the planet, most often fished for their fins and meat.

What those students shared made Dewsbury clearly see how culture, economic mobility and equity are tied to what happens in the classroom — a realization that informed his teaching practice and changed the trajectory of his career. Now, an FIU associate professor of biology and principal investigator of the Science Education and Society research program, Dewsbury wants to shift teaching practices in STEM classrooms across the country, so that every student has the same chance at success.

His unique approach is rooted in human connection. He's not here to simply teach subjects. He’s here to teach students.

Dewsbury recently published a study in the academic journal PLOS ONE examining five years of data on inclusive, active learning approaches in an introductory biology class. The results revealed all students benefitted and earned higher grades, especially Black students who are most negatively impacted by the traditional model of teaching. 

“You have to assume every student has the potential to be excellent,” Dewsbury said. “Readiness varies. Potential is a whole different thing. Everyone has it.”

A new philosophy centered on student success

Dewsbury started out as a graduate teaching assistant at FIU, then an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island (URI) after graduation. Now, he’s back at FIU.

Three brewers and eateries got bragging rights, after being voted the best brewer or best eatery by festivalgoers. For some of them, like Denise Rodriguez Smyth, half of the husband/wife team from 1st place Black Pit Brewing Co., the win is extra special; she's an FIU double alumna. In third place, winners Hannah Jazayri and Rudy Delgado of Rocketeer Beer & Liquid Provisions are also FIU alumni, who studied biology and computer science respectively.

"We're ecstatic. We want to open a brewery and this win is a pretty good affirmation that we should do it," said Jazayri. 

And the rest of the winners are?

Best Brewery:

1st place Black Pit Brewing Co.

2nd place Bay 13 Brewery

3rd place Rocketeer Beer & Liquid Provisions 

Three local, craft brews take home accolades for their taste. From left to right: Black Pit Brewing Co., Bay 13 Brewery, and Rocketeer Beer & Liquid Provisions.

Best Eatery:

1st place The Barrel BBQ

2nd place 109 Burger Joint

3rd place Le Chick Miami 

The three "best eateries" (left to right): The Barrel BBQ, 109 Burger Joint, and Le Chick Miami.

The North Miami Brewfest took place at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Plaza in North Miami and was produced by and benefitted FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourisim Management.

East Campus Circle and portions of Lot 3 at MMC will close starting Wednesday, November 16.

 Please note the following Phase 1 information: 

• East Campus Circle will be closed between Southwest 16^th Street and University Drive starting Wednesday, November 16 through April 14. Subsequently, East Campus Circle will reopen for access only to Lot 3, the Graham Center, and Student Academic Success Center (SASC).
  
• Lot 3 will remain accessible through the Southwest 16^th Street/Gold Garage (PG1) entrance with 120 spaces available.
• The Panther Express and CATS Bus Stop will be temporarily relocated from Lot 3 to the front of the Wertheim Performing Arts Center (WPAC).

Traffic flow patterns within campus will also be impacted. Please note the following: 

• If accessing areas south of Lot 3, we recommend entering campus through Southwest 107^th Avenue and 16^th Street.
  
• If accessing areas north of Lot 3, we recommend entering campus through Southwest 10^th Street when traveling southbound on 107^th Avenue. If traveling northbound on 107^th Avenue, we recommend entering campus through Southwest 8^th Street and 109^th Avenue.

Refer to the map above for information on closures and routes.

The East Campus Circle relocation project is scheduled to be completed August 18, 2023.The Trish and Dan Bell Chapel is scheduled to be completed February 28, 2024.

For additional information, please contact Martha Torres at (305) 348-0232 or e-mail torresma@fiu.edu.

Not only is depression a debilitating disease, but it is also widespread. Approximately 20 million adult Americans experience at least one episode of depression per year.

Millions of them take medication to treat their depression. But for many, the medications don’t work: Either they have minimal or no effect, or the side effects are intolerable. These patients have what is called treatment-resistant depression.

One promising treatment for such patients is a type of brain stimulation therapy called transcranial magnetic stimulation.

This treatment is not new; it has been around since 1995. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared transcranial magnetic stimulation in 2008 for adults with “non-psychotic treatment-resistant depression,” which is typically defined as a failure to respond to two or more antidepressant medications. More recently, in 2018, the FDA cleared it for some patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and smoking cessation.

Insurance generally covers these treatments. Both the psychiatrist and the equipment operator must be certified. While the treatment has been available for years, the equipment to perform the procedure remains expensive enough that few private psychiatry practices can afford it. But with the growing recognition of the potential of transcranial magnetic stimulation, the price will likely eventually come down and access will be greatly expanded.

Does it work?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive, pain-free procedure that has minimal to no side effects, and it often works. Research shows that 58% of once treatment-resistant patients experience a significant reduction in depression following four to six rounds of the therapy. More than 40 independent clinical trials – with more than 2,000 patients worldwide – have demonstrated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is an effective therapy for the treatment of resistant major depression.

As a professor and psychiatrist who has used transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat some of my patients, I have seen depression symptoms decrease even within the first two weeks of treatment. What’s more, the effects continue after the treatment has ended, typically for six months to a year. After that, the patient has the option of maintenance treatment.

About the procedure

For the patient, the procedure is easy and simple. One sits in a comfortable chair with a snug pillow that holds their head in place, puts on earplugs and can then relax, check their phone, watch TV or read a book.

A treatment coil, which looks like a figure 8, is placed on the patient’s head. A nearby stimulator sends an electrical current to the coil, which transforms the current into a magnetic field.

The field, which is highly concentrated, turns on and off rapidly while targeting a portion of the prefrontal cortex – the area of the brain responsible for mood regulation.

Researchers know that people suffering from depression have reduced blood flow and less activity in that part of the brain. Transcranial magnetic stimulation causes increases in both blood flow and in the levels of dopamine and glutamate – two neurotransmitters that are responsible for brain functions like concentration, memory and sleep. It’s the repeated stimulation of this area – the “depression circuit” of the brain – that brings the antidepressant effect.

It is not ‘electroshock’ or deep brain stimulation

Some people confuse transcranial magnetic stimulation with electroconvulsive therapy, a procedure used for patients with severe depression or catatonia. With electroshock therapy, the anesthetized patient receives a direct electrical current, which causes a seizure. Typically, people who undergo this procedure experience some memory loss after treatment.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is very different. It doesn’t require anesthesia, and it doesn’t affect memory. The patient can resume daily activities right after each treatment. Dormant brain connections are reignited without causing a seizure.

It should also not be confused with deep brain stimulation, which is a surgical procedure used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, tremors, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Side effects and access

Transcranial magnetic stimulation patients undergo a total of 36 treatments, at 19 minutes each, for three to six weeks. Research has concluded that this is the best protocol for treatment. Some patients report that it feels like someone is tapping on their head. Others don’t feel anything.

Some very minor side effects may occur. The most common is facial twitching and scalp discomfort during treatment, sensations that go away after the session ends. Some patients report a mild headache or discomfort at the application site. Depending on how effective the therapy was, some patients return for follow-ups every few weeks or months. It can be used in addition to medications, or with no medication at all.

Not everyone with depression can undergo this type of brain stimulation therapy. Those with epilepsy or a history of head injury may not qualify. People with metallic fillings in their teeth are OK for treatment, but others with implanted, nonremovable metallic devices in or around the head are not. Those with pacemakers, defibrillators and vagus nerve stimulators may also not qualify, because the magnetic force of the treatment coil may dislodge these devices and cause severe pain or injury.

But for those who are able to use the therapy, the results can be remarkable. For me, it is amazing to see these patients smile again – and come out on the other side feeling hopeful.

Patricia Junquera, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Services, Florida International University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Every Madden player knows the iconic introduction, “EA Sports, it’s in the game!” But for May Márquez ’20, MS ’21, an EA Sports software engineer, it’s more important what’s

Márquez is a two-time computer science alumna from the College of Engineering and Computing who catches glitches in Madden. On a typical workday, she sifts through code in her Miami apartment while three different games of Madden run in the background, all of them being monitored for bugs.

“We have a system that alerts us to glitches. And every now and then, it’s fun to just watch the bots play,” Márquez says. 

It’s a high-stakes job, at least as far as computer games go. For 23 years in a row, Madden has debuted as the top-selling video game in the United States during its annual August release. The football game is based upon an incredibly popular league, the NFL. Approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population watched the Super Bowl in 2022.  

The mechanics of football are common knowledge for many Americans. But for computer applications, football isn’t such an easy concept, Márquez says. 

“Physics and computer games can be kind of weird. It's not like real life, where objects are literally touching. We're just trying to simulate objects that are touching,” says the Honors College graduate. 

To a human, it’s common sense that you can’t catch a touchdown by reaching through a defender’s skull. For computers, this logic isn’t inherently true. Thus, Madden has an army of employees and resources dedicated to making the game realistic. Márquez works in one of these groups focused on Stability, Hardware, Integrations, Efficiency, Logistics, Development, Continuous, nicknamed S.H.I.E.L.D. for short. They pay special attention to how components of the game interact with each other. 

Sometimes, pieces of the game developed and tested individually have unpredictable interactions when the final game comes together, Márquez says. 

"Generally, these are the biggest glitches that we find,” Márquez says. “Our team calls it ‘Integration Hell.’” 

In a game as complicated as football, there are a lot of moving parts to monitor. One thing that still blows Márquez away about the detail of the game is the live announcer feed, she says.

“The announcers seamlessly talk about everything that's happening in the game,” Márquez says. “There are thousands of voice samples recorded for Madden.” 

It’s pitch black outside and my alarm is blaring. Rubbing the crust from my eyes, I remember that it really is 4 AM right now, and it really is my first day of surgical breast oncology.

After gathering my compression socks, high-arch shoe inserts, fanny pack and a protein shake, I'm finally ready to leave the house. I try listening to Online Med Ed in the car but it’s hard to pay attention when I’m simultaneously trying to think of the questions I might get asked today. I park, chug my protein shake and head inside.

“Here you go,” the nurse says as she plops the heaviest patient chart in my arms. Suddenly, I'm glad that I was still an hour early. The words “ductal carcinoma in situ,”  “BI-RADS 4,” and “sentinel lymph node biopsy,” flash before my eyes.

“I’ll go bring the patient in,” the nurse says. And then I see her. I can’t believe how young she is. Going back to her chart and quickly flipping through the pages and pages of pathology reports, lab results, imaging and histories I find it. My eyes go wide as I look back at her – 20 years old.

I continue listening as the nurse fills out the final consent forms with the patient and notice how, even though the nurse is speaking to her in English, she will only respond in Spanish. When I speak, she doesn’t even look in my direction or acknowledge my existence.

She disappears behind the curtain to change into her gown. The next time I see her, she is surrounded by so many people that there isn’t a spot for me next to her bed. As I am standing in the corner on my tip toes and craning my neck in a thousand directions, and through all of the coordinated hands and wires swaying above her like a symphony, I finally catch a glimpse. “Wait… is she crying?”

Someone leaves her side and I make my move to be beside her. I instinctually grab her hand and am surprised that she immediately squeezes it. Her breath is shaking as she tries breathing deeply. I'm looking at her trying to come up with the right words to say, everyone else notices what I see.

“Sorry that we had to stick you twice for the IV, but you can relax now,” says the anesthesiologist with a smile before he walks away. “It’s okay, this is a very simple procedure. You have nothing to worry about,” says the nurse as she pats her shoulder before following him out. “We caught this early, you’re going to be okay,” says the doctor as he shuts the curtain, leaving me and the patient alone. “How are you feeling right now?” I say, surprising myself in finding the words without thinking.

She grips my hand harder and looks up at me for the first time. “I’m just really worried about the anesthesia. I don’t like the idea of being asleep and not having control over my body.” As we talk, I can see her heart rate decreasing on the monitor. 102, 99, 96. The anesthesia team comes back and I continue to hold her as she is rolled to the OR. The symphony of hands and wires plays again as she is hooked back up to the monitors. 85, 81, 78. “Thank you, I really appreciated that,” she says as an oxygen mask is stretched over her face.

As I walk away to scrub in, I am amazed at the power of holding someone’s hand.

We've been told time and time again throughout our medical training that touch can soothe our patients, but I had no idea the magnitude of its power until this moment. This patient would not have felt comfortable with me or relayed her true fears to me otherwise. I don't know why this patient initially did not want me there to participate in her care, and my thoughts early on were centered on trying to figure out why this was. Was it because we were close to the same age? Was it because I do not speak Spanish? In the end, the reason didn't matter. Although I may have felt hurt at the start of the encounter, I made sure to remind myself of why I was there in the first place and to continue offering the best patient care and support that I could. This wound up making all the difference. 

This year’s 19th World Wildlife Conference will focus on stricter trade regulations for nearly 600 species of animals and plants under threat of extinction from international trade. More than 50 proposals have been put forward to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and will be reviewed at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) from Nov. 14 - 25 in Panama. 

FIU experts are available to discuss many of the species included in the proposals and what these protections might mean for some of the world's most endangered species.

If you would like to contact an FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education expert, please contact JoAnn Adkins, 305-348-0398, jadkins@fiu.edu.

Mark Bond

Research Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Bond’s research focuses on improving the understanding of the ecology of endangered marine wildlife, and the design and implementation of tools and management strategies to conserve and recover species. His work is a mix of applied field research and international policy work. He also serves as the lead for sharks and rays under the CAMAC project. Current field projects aim to improve the conservation of oceanic whitetip sharks, smalltooth sawfish and great hammerheads sharks. 

Watch a video featuring Mark Bond's research on oceanic whitetip sharks. 

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Diego Cardeñosa

Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Cardeñosa uses DNA detective work to uncover the mysteries of the global shark fin trade, leading groundbreaking research to trace fins back to their source. With funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, he developed a portable, easy-to-use DNA testing toolkit that empowers customs officials and inspection personnel to identify illegal species on-site and support prosecutions. His research also focuses on the conservation of critically endangered sharks in the wild. He leads community-based projects in Colombia, working with eight critically endangered species, including the smallest hammerhead sharks in the world, and partnering with local fishers to establish bottom-up Marine Protected Areas that support long-term conservation. Cardeñosa is available for interviews in English and Spanish. Cardeñosa is available for interviews in Spanish.

Research highlights:

• Two-thirds of species in global shark fin trade at risk of extinction
• Eastern Pacific is a major supply chain for illegal shark fin trade
• Silky sharks find hope in the Atlantic
• DNA test kit saves thousands of Earth's most bizarre turtles

Twitter: @DiegoCardenosa
Instagram: @diegocardenosa

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Mike Heithaus

Executive Dean and Marine Ecologist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Well-known internationally through his research on the ecological role of large sharks both in Australian and Florida waters, Mike Heithaus also serves as the executive dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU. He currently conducts research using cutting-edge technology, including cameras worn by animals, to unravel the lives of hard-to-study marine creatures from whales and dolphins to sharks, seals and turtles. His lab’s work in Shark Bay, Australia is the most detailed study of the ecological role of sharks in the world and has been used as the underpinning for affecting positive policy changes in shark conservation initiated by several prominent Non-Governmental Organizations. He also serves as a member of the science advisory committee for Pew Environment’s International Shark Campaign and was one of the lead researchers for Global FinPrint.

Research highlight:
When devastation strikes the oceans, sharks can hold the key

Twitter: @MikeHeithaus
Instagram: @mike_heithaus

Watch Mike Heithaus on NBC's TODAY Show

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

James Fourqurean

Director, Coastlines and Oceans Division Distinguished Professor,
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Fourqurean is a renowned seagrass expert, as well as a marine and estuarine ecologist with FIU for over 25 years. Fourqurean’s research has focused extensively on seagrass ecosystems as models for addressing general ecological questions. Over the last 10 years, Fourqurean has been helping translate the science of carbon dynamics in coastal ecosystems into actionable policy and climate change mitigation strategies. He is one of the lead scientists in the International Blue Carbon Working Group and serves as a scientific representative to the International Blue Carbon Policy Working Group.

Research highlight:

Twitter:

Insert video link if applicable

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Alain Duran

Assistant Teaching Professor, Biology
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Duran is a renowned coral reef ecologist with over 20 years of experience working in Florida and the Greater Caribbean. He specializes in herbivory and the benthic dynamics of cryptic species, such as crustose coralline algae and turf-forming macroalgae. Duran’s RESERVE lab pioneers research on long sediment-laden algal turfs (LSATs), an abundant reef spaceholder that influences multiple ecological processes (e.g., coral recruitment and herbivory) and ultimately affects Florida’s coral reef resilience. Duran is the director of the Florida International University Coastal Conservation and Restoration Lab (CCRL), where he spearheads several cutting-edge research projects focused on coral reef restoration. These projects are in collaboration with multiple state (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) and federal organizations (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration).

Research highlights:

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Alastair Harborne

Associate Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Alastair is a coral reef fish ecologist who studies the ecology and behavior of reef fishes and how they are impacted by anthropogenic changes. His lab uses a combination of underwater surveys, experimental work, acoustic tracking and modeling to generate novel insights into reef fishes and how they can be better managed. He is the principal investigator of the NOAA-funded FISHSCAPE project that examines how fishes use seagrass beds for foraging, and has worked on reefs in Florida, the Caribbean, Australia, and the Indo-Pacific. Alastair is an editor of the journal, Coral Reefs, and a fellow of the International Coral Reef Society. He is also vice chair of the academic group within the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative. Alastair completed his PhD at the University of Exeter (UK) and was a post-doctoral fellow at Exeter and the University of Queensland (Australia).

Research highlight:
Insert video if applicable

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Elizabeth Whitman

Associate Teaching Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Whitman is a marine behavioral ecologist whose research focuses on the foraging ecology and habitat use of sea turtles in coastal Caribbean ecosystems. Her work examines the drivers of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) distributions, including food availability and quality, predation risk from sharks, and responses to the invasion of the non-native seagrass Halophila stipulacea. She also investigates how extreme disturbances, such as hurricanes, and stressors including propeller scarring and overgrazing, shape seagrass ecosystems. Whitman conducts collaborative research across The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Florida, and serves as coordinator of FIU’s National Save The Sea Turtle Foundation internship program, mentoring students in hands-on research and conservation.

Research highlight:
Insert video if applicable

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Heather Bracken-Grissom

Assistant Director, Coastlines and Oceans Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Heather Bracken-Grissom is a marine evolutionary biologist who studies invertebrate biodiversity from shallow tropical waters to extreme environments including the deep sea, hydrothermal vents and aquatic caves. Her current research seeks to understand how organisms have adapted to life in darkness and how they use bioluminescence, the generation of light by an organism, to survive. Bracken-Grissom has led or participated in over 30 research cruises across the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific, searching for novel life and new sources of bioluminescence. In June 2019, she was part of the research team that captured the first live video footage of a giant squid in US waters. Due to her taxonomic expertise, she has two species named after her, a mesophotic reef hermit crab (Cancelllus heatherae) and deep-sea bioluminescent shrimp (Acanthephyra heatheri). 

Research highlight:
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For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Jeremy Kiszka

Associate Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Kiszka is one of the world’s leading marine mammal scientists and has published over 180 research articles and book chapters. Over the past 25 years, he has investigated the ecology, behavior, and conservation of whales, dolphins, manatees, and otters across the globe, including the Indian Ocean, European waters, the Arctic, and North America. He works on some of the most iconic marine mammal species, from manatees in Florida to killer whales (or orcas) in the Arctic. His research focuses on the effects of changing ocean conditions on marine mammals, or on the roles and importance of these animals in marine ecosystems. Kiszka has studied over 60 species of marine mammals across 30 countries and currently serves on international scientific committees, including those of the International Whaling Commission and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Originally from France, he earned his PhD in Oceanography from the University of La Rochelle. He spent six years living in East Africa conducting research on dolphins and whales before joining Florida International University nearly 14 years ago. Kiszka is also the President of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, the largest professional society dedicated to marine mammal science.

Research highlight:
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For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Jose Eirin-Lopez

Professor, Biology
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Eirin-Lopez has pioneered the field of environmental epigenetics, linking the effects of global change to the health of marine ecosystems, particularly in coastal areas heavily impacted by urban development. Over the past decade, his work on nearshore marine ecosystems has included studies of corals, sea urchins, oysters, sharks, and dolphins across the Caribbean (Bonaire, Puerto Rico, and the Florida Keys) and the Pacific (French Polynesia). This research has advanced understanding of the molecular mechanisms that enable these organisms to respond to marine heatwaves and pollution, and has outlined strategies to guide conservation and ecosystem restoration efforts. He has published more than 100 scientific papers and currently serves as editor‑in‑chief of the journal, Gene Reports.

Research highlight:
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For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Simon Dedman

Postdoctoral Scientist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Dedman is a leader in the use of machine learning tools for studying the movements of sharks, rays and tunas, authoring multiple papers on associated drivers. He has developed software packages that help scientists improve the speed and ease of analyzing the movement data and developing management advice. His work improves understanding of population change by revealing where animals go, as well as when and why they go home. Dedman earned a Ph.D. in spatial management of Irish Sea skates and rays, with hands-on fisheries expertise in the U.K., Ireland, the Bahamas and the U.S. His ongoing work uses causal models to reveal whether sharks are more crucial to coral reefs, or vice versa, and he has recently published work examining the ecological roles of sharks and demonstrating how protecting them can benefit entire ecosystems, particularly those associated with coral reefs. He is spearheading the deployment of AI for shark literature review and knowledge extraction, revealing trends in methodologies; geographic, gender and national disparities in publishing volume and impact; and differences in social vs. academic sharing of scientific knowledge. This project will facilitate literature reviews for shark scientists, accelerating knowledge gain and progression to discovery stages, and identifying knowledge gaps to guide future research priorities.

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For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Yannis Papastamatiou

Associate Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

With over 130 research publications, Papastamatiou is one of the world’s leading shark behavioral ecologists. Papastamatiou’s use of new tag technologies on species ranging from pelagic oceanic whitetips to home-ranging reef sharks has advanced the field of predator ecology and led to evidence-based marine protected area zoning. His work has appeared on National Geographic and BBC. Papastamatiou has over 1,800 dives and is certified in most forms of scientific and technical diving. He is interested in the ecology of mesophotic reefs and in the use of technical diving for underwater exploration. A native of London, Papastamatiou has conducted research in California, Florida, Hawaii, South Africa, French Polynesia, Japan, Mexico and throughout the Mediterranean and Northern Pacific Ocean. He earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Papastamatiou is fluent in Greek.

Research highlight:
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For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Simon Dedman

Postdoctoral Scientist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Discover Their Work

Dedman is a leader in the use of machine learning tools for studying the movements of sharks, rays and tunas, authoring multiple papers on associated drivers. He has developed software packages that help scientists improve the speed and ease of analyzing movement data and developing management advice.

His work improves understanding of population change by revealing where animals go, as well as when and why they go home. His ongoing research uses causal models to explore ecological relationships and advance conservation strategies.

Research highlight:
Insert video if applicable

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Yannis Papastamatiou

Associate Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Discover Their Work

With over 130 research publications, Papastamatiou is one of the world’s leading shark behavioral ecologists. His work using advanced tagging technologies has helped shape marine protected area strategies.

His research spans globally and has appeared on National Geographic and BBC, advancing understanding of predator ecology and ocean conservation.

Research highlight:
Insert video if applicable

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Yannis Papastamatiou

Associate Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Discover their work

With over 130 research publications, Papastamatiou is one of the world’s leading shark behavioral ecologists. Papastamatiou’s use of new tag technologies on species ranging from pelagic oceanic whitetips to home-ranging reef sharks has advanced the field of predator ecology and led to evidence-based marine protected area zoning. His work has appeared on National Geographic and BBC. Papastamatiou has over 1,800 dives and is certified in most forms of scientific and technical diving. He is interested in the ecology of mesophotic reefs and in the use of technical diving for underwater exploration. A native of London, Papastamatiou has conducted research in California, Florida, Hawaii, South Africa, French Polynesia, Japan, Mexico and throughout the Mediterranean and Northern Pacific Ocean. He earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Papastamatiou is fluent in Greek.

Research highlight:
Insert video if applicable

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

This year’s 19th World Wildlife Conference will focus on stricter trade regulations for nearly 600 species of animals and plants under threat of extinction from international trade. More than 50 proposals have been put forward to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and will be reviewed at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) from Nov. 14 - 25 in Panama. 

FIU experts are available to discuss many of the species included in the proposals and what these protections might mean for some of the world's most endangered species.

Members of FIU's College of Arts, Sciences & Education communications team are available to assist members of the media in contacting experts:

• JoAnn Adkins, 305-348-0398, jadkins@fiu.edu
• Ayleen Barbel Fattal, 305-348-4492, abarbel@fiu.edu

Mark Bond

Research Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Mark Bond puts critically important data into the hands of key decision-makers — to protect some of the world’s most endangered sharks and rays. His work is a mix of applied field research and international policy work, largely centered on sharks and rays. Today, one of the biggest threats to sharks and rays is overexploitation, driven by the global shark fin trade. Bond gathers and presents data to governments and decision-makers via multinational agreements, such as CITES, to protect these species. He also works with customs, fisheries, and environment enforcement officials to help implement domestic regulations and increase the compliance and data collection capacity required for effective management. He’s working to improve the regulation and enforcement of shark and ray management in the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and The Seychelles. 

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Diego Cardeñosa

Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Cardeñosa uses DNA detective work to uncover the mysteries of the global shark fin trade. His recent research showed two-thirds of shark species in the fin trade are at risk of extinction — and the study will provide key evidence for deliberations at the 19^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to CITES. He’s led groundbreaking research to trace fins back to their source. With funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Cardeñosa also created a portable, easy-to-use DNA testing toolkit that gives customs officials and inspection personnel the power to identify illegal species on-site and have the proof to prosecute crimes. The tool is being used in Hong Kong and Peru with great success. Cardeñosa is available for interviews in Spanish.

Research highlights:

• Two-thirds of species in global shark fin trade at risk of extinction 
• Eastern Pacific is a major supply chain for illegal shark fin trade
• Silky sharks find hope in the Atlantic
• DNA test kit saves thousands of Earth's most bizarre turtles

Twitter: @DiegoCardenosa
Instagram: @diegocardenosa

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu 

Watch a video about Cardeñosa's research.

Mike Heithaus

Executive Dean and Marine Ecologist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Well-known internationally through his research on the ecological role of large sharks both in Australian and Florida waters, Mike Heithaus also serves as the executive dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU. He currently conducts research using cutting-edge technology, including cameras worn by animals, to unravel the lives of hard-to-study marine creatures from whales and dolphins to sharks, seals and turtles. His lab’s work in Shark Bay, Australia is the most detailed study of the ecological role of sharks in the world and has been used as the underpinning for affecting positive policy changes in shark conservation initiated by several prominent Non-Governmental Organizations. He also serves as a member of the science advisory committee for Pew Environment’s International Shark Campaign and was one of the lead researchers for Global FinPrint.

Research highlight: 

• When devastation strikes the oceans, sharks can hold the key

Twitter: @MikeHeithaus
Instagram: @mike_heithaus

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Watch Mike Heithaus on NBC's TODAY Show.

Matt Shirley

Conservation Biologist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Matt Shirley is a conservation biologist relying on flagship species to advance conservation and ecology research in the West and Central African tropical forests and wetlands. His applied research programs are focused on crocodilians, pangolins, and forest-dwelling tortoises — where he employs different technology to better understand the secret lives of some of the world's most endangered species. His work has resulted in the recognition of 3 new crocodile species in Africa and a better understanding of the processes shaping their distribution, population structure, and abundance. This enables him to implement applied conservation work to ensure the future of these species populations, including conservation breeding and reintroductions, reinforcement of local national parks and wildlife management authority capacity, and training African graduate students. Recently his work is expanding into the policy domain, where Matt works with the IUCN to guide mechanisms for species trade through CITES. 

Research highlights:

• Researchers explore secret lives of world’s most trafficked mammal

Twitter: @projectmecistops

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Matt Shirley explains how he uses technology to save one of the world's most trafficked mammals.

Hong Liu

Professor and Conservation Biologist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Hong Liu is on a mission to save some of the world's most endangered orchids. Her current research addresses important environmental issues such as predicting horticultural plant naturalization, the ecological consequences of specialized invasive pollinators and invasive mutualism. She's also interested in rare plant restoration, especially endangered orchids. She is currently leading several conservation and restoration research projects in a remote area in southwestern China where the first orchid nature preserve is situated. She teaches courses in restoration ecology and invasive species ecology. 

Research highlights:

• The search for one of Florida's most rare, endangered orchids
  
• Online trade poses new threats to wild orchids
  
• Rare, endangered orchids slip across southern Chinese border

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Alessandro Cattenazi

Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Alessandro Catenazzi searches for biodiversity, identifying new species of amphibians in previously unexplored parts of the Amazon. His research is focused on frog ecology and conservation, and the directions of the lab are diverse — from disease ecology to taxonomy and community ecology to physiology, but all with the goal of documenting and preserving biological diversity. He has helped discover more than 60 previously unknown species of amphibians, along with 7 species of reptiles, a diatom and a spider.

Research highlights:

• Researcher collects key data to establish 9 new protected areas in Peru

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Christian Cox

Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Christian Cox studies the evolution of functional diversity in nature. Understanding how diversity is promoted and maintained within species is crucial for predicting the impact of selection and the potential for adaptive evolution at all biological levels. His research integrates physiology, evolutionary biology, transcriptomics and genomics to understand both the evolution and function of phenotypic, functional and genetic variation at different levels of biological organization, between sexes, within species and among species.

Research highlights: 

• Uncovering the evolutionary history of a snake through its markings
  

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Earlier this month, the Hollo School of Real Estate at FIU Business brought together 200-plus attendees at “REact 2022 - Miami: A Real Estate and Technology Powerhouse,” its second annual real estate conference.

Keynote speaker Miami Mayor Francis Suarez recalled the area’s progress from the days of Ninja loans and double-digit losses in real estate values in 2008 and 2009. Although he was nowhere near being elected, Suarez sees it as a valuable lesson.

“We have to compete,” said Suarez. “We just can’t sit back and hope we survive the competition.”

He pointed out that during the last 24 months $2.5 trillion in assets have relocated to or made a significant footprint in Miami, including Blackstone, Citadel and Millennium. In real estate, prices are up 12% on purchases as well as 30% on rentals.

“There isn’t a city that has a brighter future, that’s better positioned for the next 10 years, than Miami,” Suarez insisted. “Our focus is to keep taxes low, keep people safe and drive innovation. We’re No. 1 in the United States in tech job growth.”

An in-depth look at the local real estate and business landscape - “Miami: Still a Boom or Bust City!” – kicked off the conference. Industry experts discussed some factors that have driven South Florida’s real estate demand and economic base.

“The bust in other cities, countries and economies proved a boom in our city,” said Veronica Cervera Goeseke, chief executive officer of Cervera Real Estate. “Miami comes out of difficult times faster than others.”

Financial crises in Miami, like in other cities, create opportunities to develop more significant projects and to get more creative, explained Jeffrey Ardizon, principal at The Estate Cos, which has 13 apartment building deals in its pipeline.

Panelists agreed the city’s cultural diversity, global investments, smart development, talented workforce, supportive government and innovations in public transportation are key to the continued, long-term growth and stability.

“When you’re looking at Miami, there’s a lot of permanence and ability to perform,” said Aly khan Merali, chief financial officer of Turnberry. “The horizon is quite limitless.”

Land prices, commercial properties and supply chain issues continue to command attention in the real estate industry, including corporate and retail. Several conference presenters forecast corrections in land and construction prices. Others said caution is a must, but don’t see significant distress in the marketplace.

In one session, panelists discussed the lack of rental properties and whether enough of them were being built. “Will the current development satisfy the need or are we going to overbuild?” asked moderator Adam Tiktin, managing director of Franklin Street.

“It can’t keep growing in the same place and call it growth,” said Cassie Resnick, managing director of Mast Capital.

Jakub Hejl, president of Westside Capital, added that new housing growth will come in areas away from the city center, but near mass transit options.

FIU professors Eli Beracha, director of Hollo School of Real Estate; Zhonghua Wu, professor at the Hollo School of Real Estate; and Clay Dickinson, adjunct lecturer at the Hollo School, presented research on real estate, hospitality and technology and discussed how academia is partnering with industry practitioners to prepare the next generation of investors.

In the day’s final panel, experts discussed the leading role that bitcoin, blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFTs and tokenization will take in real estate transactions. Panelists agreed that from a nearly non-existent role 20 years ago, technology’s activity in real estate is mind-blowing.

“For investors, technology offers fewer barriers to entry,” said Juan Alvarez, president of Blokhaus Real Estate Tokenization. “Cryptocurrency can be used for transactions — security tokens for smart contracts.”

One of the trending topics right now is non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – digital assets that include collectibles, artwork, and video game characters. Its feasibility for real estate transactions is being explored. “Right now, it’s a bit of a novelty,” Sami Ahmed, counsel at PAG LAW.

Today, technology is also making vacations or events easier to plan, execute and purchase, noted Greg Pesik, senior management advisor of Provision Partners.

“It allows you to create identical twins, an experience for guests who want to go to those places. You can see the room in a virtual world and how it can be set up for an event,” he said. “The use of cryptocurrency on booking engines for travel has grown 200%.”

Save the date: Next year's REact Real Estate Conference will be held on Nov. 3.

A health disparity is a health difference that adversely affects disadvantaged populations, such as a greater likelihood and earlier onset of disease, more risk factors for disease, worse patterns of disease symptoms and premature and/or excessive morbidity and mortality. Diseases with well-documented health disparities include HIV, Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer. In recognition of the FIU-RCMI's exceptional performance and its plans for expansion, NIH just renewed the FIU-RCMI with a 5-year, $19.4 million grant, which is the university's largest NIH award to date.

Eric F. Wagner, FIU-RCMI's principal investigator and professor of social work at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, notes, “The new grant is especially timely and important for increasing FIU health disparities investigators’ success in obtaining competitive extramural research support. We pride ourselves on providing a variety of training and mentorship opportunities conducive to grant and career success for post-doctoral fellows and early-stage investigators, particularly individuals from groups underrepresented in science.”

"The goal of our FIU-RCMI Investigator Development Core program is to expand the pool of researchers at FIU who will carry out health disparities research and who will be in a strong position to obtain funding to support their work," said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, core leader and chair of epidemiology at Stempel College. Trepka has led four cohorts through the program. She adds, "It’s extremely rewarding to see them become independent investigators who are getting publications and receiving their first large NIH grants.” The FIU-RCMI Investigator Development Core is co-led by Jason Mitchell, associate professor of health promotion and disease prevention at Stempel College.

Since its inception, the center has supported and mentored dozens of post-doctoral fellows, junior faculty and other early-stage investigators. Many have gone on to develop significant careers, including some key researchers at FIU.

“The FIU-RCMI has and will continue to drive FIU’s outstanding growth in research capacity in the area of health disparities,” said FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell. “Over the past five years, our faculty have demonstrated a passion and commitment to the kind of work that has a positive impact on the health of our community and the world.”

The three major research projects funded by the new grant are led by researchers who received mentoring and training through the FIU-RCMI.

“These are research projects led by investigators from backgrounds underrepresented in science, given that all are women and several further identify as minorities,” said Wagner. “These are brilliant researchers who have overcome historical and systemic obstacles to obtaining NIH funding and are using science to make the world a better place.”

The new grant will allow the FIU-RCMI to expand its scope to help:

• Address HIV and COVID-19 disparities among people with HIV.
  The pandemic has caused disruption to HIV services and care, substantially impacting people with HIV. Diana Sheehan, assistant professor of epidemiology at Stempel College, will mine and interpret data to understand whether the pandemic has exacerbated HIV disparities among minority populations. "Our findings will help inform the state of Florida on what community and structural barriers need to be addressed to ensure disparities don't increase during and after the era of COVID-19," Sheehan said.

• Explore microbiome profiles, sleep and cognition among mid-life Latinx adults.
  Latinx populations are disproportionately affected by health disparities related to sleep and are 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The NIH-funded study led by Shanna Burke, associate professor of social work at Stempel College, and Sabrina Sales Martinez, assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition at Stempel College, will be among the first of its kind to examine microbiota, metabolome, sleep, stress and cognition measures to identify early risk factors of Alzheimer's disease linked to gut health. Burke and Sales Martinez share that their findings “may lead to interventions targeting risk factors associated with the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”
  
  
• Reduce cancer disparities in Hispanic and Black children in Miami.
  Diana Azzam, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Stempel College, is determined to identify drug treatments that can help improve the health of childhood cancer patients from minority populations. According to Azzam, these young patients tend to have limited access to precision medicine clinical trials and treatments that could potentially save their lives. Azzam’s lab is conducting a study to identify specific biomarkers among minority populations that can be targeted using FDA-approved drugs. “Our data show these populations have different genomics and respond differently to drugs,” Azzam said.

Research Support Capacity Expansion

The FIU-RCMI Research Capacity Core is devoted to providing measurable and sustainable research resources and support to help underrepresented early-stage investigators flourish. Zoran Bursac, leader of the FIU core and chair of biostatistics, notes that the primary goal of the core is “providing infrastructure support and connecting underrepresented early-stage investigators to resources, including guidance and training in contemporary quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches to prepare pilot proposals, conduct, analyze and publish data and competitive K and R applications.” The FIU-RCMI Research Capacity Core is co-led by Michael Anastario, assistant professor of health promotion and disease prevention at Stempel College, and Melissa Ward, assistant professor of epidemiology at Stempel College.

Hiring Additional Health Disparities Faculty

The FIU-RCMI Recruitment Core is responsible for recruiting at least three established health disparities investigators, from backgrounds underrepresented in science, to bolster the center’s research, training and community engagement efforts in health disparities. Tomás R. Guilarte, core leader and dean of Stempel College, is particularly appreciative of the university’s support of this hiring initiative, which will involve “a national search to recruit three investigators with externally-funded research programs related to health disparities and health equity to join the FIU faculty and contribute to the research mission of our center.” The FIU-RCMI Recruitment Core is co-led by Burke and Sales Martinez.

 
Community Impact

FIU-RCMI faculty also work closely with under-resourced community organizations to build their research capacity. "We've gone on to secure large-scale grants in partnership with them, and they have gone on to secure grants independently, speaking to the mutual benefit of our community-university research partnerships," Wagner said.

The center also partners with community organizations to disseminate vital health information to underserved communities. For example, FIU-RCMI won supplemental NIH funding to help address COVID-19 health disparities plaguing minority communities in South Florida. Last year, together with community partners, the FIU-RCMI invited South Floridians from predominantly Black, Hispanic and Haitian-Creole communities to a series of seven virtual COVID-19 town hall meetings. The FIU-RCMI provided public health and medical experts to briefly present state-of-the-science community-specific information on COVID-19 prevention and vaccination and addressed community member questions about the pandemic.   

"The town halls helped the people who were hesitant and just needed opportunities to hear more information from people they trusted," said Michelle Hospital, leader of the FIU-RCMI’s Community Engagement Core and an associate professor of biostatistics at Stempel College. "Our community partners played a big role in helping us connect with these individuals." The FIU-RCMI Community Engagement Core is co-led by Melissa Howard, associate professor of health promotion and disease prevention at Stempel College.

The FIU-RCMI team is comprised of 25 FIU faculty from various disciplines and currently contributes to 78 different faculty, staff and student positions. Although most faculty are from Stempel College, the team includes researchers from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU.

FIU received the awards as part of the 2022 DoD Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions Research and Education Program.

“We have an important, longstanding partnership with the Department of Defense that not only supports the multidisciplinary research we do, but also the academic enrichment of our diverse student body,” said John L. Volakis, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing and professor of electrical and computer engineering. “We are grateful for the DoD’s continued collaboration and generous award of state-of-the-art equipment that will support significant DoD research priorities.”

Completing a fleet

Professor Dwayne McDaniel and his research team have received an award to acquire two Spot robots from Boston Dynamics. Inspired by the biology of a dog, Spot robots are built to capture data while navigating rugged terrain.

“We want to reduce risk for soldiers and have robotic platforms take the risk instead,” said McDaniel, principal investigator of the DoD award. “The robots will probably be used in areas that don’t have Wi-Fi or GPS, so one of the things we will be doing is developing novel communication and path planning methods for the robots and the soldiers."

Seeing like the Ant-Man

A DoD award has been awarded to CEC Professor Daniela Radu to study how optical communication between components in computer chips can eliminate the need for wires, making electronics lighter overall. With DoD funds, FIU is acquiring a transmission electron microscope (TEM), which can capture details as small as a billionth of a meter wide. The technology will enable faculty to show undergraduate students samples of materials at the atomic level.

“If you replace electronic communications with light emitted by nanolasers, you reduce the need for wires, hence, moving toward ultra-small, ultra-lightweight components. But to miniaturize these electronics that send and receive light, you need to be able to see on a small scale. You need to be at the size of the Ant-Man,” said Radu, principal investigator of the award.

Professor Cheng-Yu Lai of CEC and Physics Associate Professor Hebin Li of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education collaborated on the grant, focusing on quantum science research that will be facilitated by access to the TEM.

Controlling electronics at atomic scale 

Emerging electronics and biomedical electronics perform functions that are so specific and important that every aspect needs to be just right. For example, a medical device that goes inside a human body needs to be packaged so that it retrieves health information and performs the required electronic therapy, but its size and interactions do no harm to the body.

CEC Professors Pulugurtha Markondeya Raj and Vladimir Pozdin have received an award from the DoD to research packaging devices for health-monitoring, therapeutics, high-bandwidth communication, and power management for computing. The team will purchase an Atomic Layer Deposition tool, which forms coatings at the atomic scale.

“For undergraduate students, this will be a bridge between fundamental classroom science and next-generation technology with immediate market traction,” said Pulugurtha, principal investigator of the award. “This will allow students to apply their basic knowledge about engineering to design and make highly efficient devices at atomic scale through foundational principles.”

Global learning and engagement introduces people to new cultures, ways of thinking and much more. It is the foundation to successfully addressing the world's most pressing and complex problems. It prepares us to find solutions toward meeting global goals such as the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, for which FIU's overall impact is ranked sixth among U.S. public universities. 

But what IS it, exactly? At FIU, international education has many dimensions.

Click through the photo gallery to learn more. 

This highly competitive award recognizes the dedication and contribution to the field of international education of professionals with more than 10 years of service. The Association of International Educators, also known as NAFSA, is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange in more than 150 countries.

Parra was honored during the NAFSA Region VII All-Region Summit Business Meeting and Award Ceremony held in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Supporting international visiting students and scholars

FIU Global Mobility consists of the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) and the Office of Education Abroad (OEA). The ISSS supports between 3,000 and 4,000 international students 24/7, 365 days a year. Even before students arrive in the United States, the ISSS team is in continual communication with students in matters as varied as visa issues to health certificates to class selection. When students arrive on campus, the ISSS team helps with everything — from health and immunization requirements to immigration laws to educational standards as well as internship and employment opportunities. Each student comes with a unique background so this support requires constant adjusting in alignment with domestic as well as foreign policy changes.

Parra has guided the university through various immigration policy shifts and is instrumental in ensuring that FIU is up to date with the federal immigration database, Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). In addition, Parra implemented the latest software to serve students’ needs and their academic progress while also implementing virtual appointments to streamline one-on-one interaction.

Outbound programming, coordinated by the OEA under Parra's purview, aims to offer students optimal learning experiences across the globe. This includes faculty-led study abroad group trips, third-party study abroad programs, exchange semesters for individual students at partner institutions, internships abroad and more.

Utmost priority is placed on the safety of our students which requires that faculty directors as well as students are cognizant of potential risks and how to minimize them. In addition, academic standards must be met for every student to ensure that the investment in time abroad counts toward prompt degree completion. Partners and vendors must be vetted; safety protocols followed; and student pre-departure preparation takes up much of the time for the Education Abroad team. In this field, too, ever-changing policies and requirements keep Parra and her team busy.  

Global Mobility during a global pandemic

FIU relied greatly on Parra’s expertise to guide the institution through the unprecedented hardships that ensued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bringing students safely back from abroad and guiding our international visitors on campus through the many uncertainties from 2020-2022 presented endless challenges.

Parra and her teams rolled up their sleeves and found new ways to serve their constituents. When asked what she considers her greatest achievements as the executive director of FIU Global Mobility, Parra said: “COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a devil in disguise. At first, the global travel restrictions seemed an insurmountable obstacle. Working remotely, however, taught us to be creative and to design several mechanisms that kept us closer to our international students and scholars than ever before. The innovative set of virtual services we implemented for our international visitors enabled us to advise and support them more efficiently (more than 46,000 virtual contacts since 2020). This Virtual Office remains a popular option.

"In terms of Education Abroad offerings," she added, "prior to COVID we would have never considered a portfolio of virtual options. To meet our students’ hunger for global experiences, however, we worked with faculty to design Virtual Study Abroad (we have about 1500+ students who have embarked in a Virtual Study Abroad Experience since 2020), and coordinated virtual internships as well as virtual exchanges. While these technology-supported services and learning programs are never a full replacement for the in-person contact and engagement abroad, they are attractive options for many of our international visitors as well as our native students and we will continue them.”

An internationalization leader

“Dr. Parra is the ultimate champion for our students and faculty who seek meaningful learning experiences abroad and, on the flipside, those who come to FIU from across the globe for exactly the same,” said Pablo Ortiz, vice president for Regional & World Locations. “She has consistently provided excellent leadership and service, which is evident in our record of safe and sound programs abroad and our international visitors being in good standing and graduating well prepared for their careers.”

Parra joined FIU in 2017 as the senior director of ISSS. In 2018, she also assumed responsibility for the OEA and was promoted to executive director of FIU Global Mobility. Aside from her duties on campus, Parra has been an active leader and member of NAFSA’s South-East Region VII and served as an Academy Coach among other capacities. In Florida, Parra served as the chair of the Florida Association of International Education (FAIE), which bestowed her with the “You Make a World of Difference" Award in February. 

Prior to joining FIU, she held leadership positions at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), first as assistant director of the International Career Development Center at the Fischler College of Education, then as associate dean for International Affairs, and finally as associate director for the Office of International Affairs. She earned her Ed.D. in instructional technology and distance education from NSU. Parra is a native of Cordoba, Argentina.

Masked villains, a prince and princess, sword fights, and a rave are all things that you can expect to see in FIU Theatre’s upcoming production, The Green Bird, by Hillary DePiano, based on the classic commedia dell’arte play by Carlo Gozzi.

Commedia dell’arte originated in Italy in the 15th century. Actors performed mostly improvised plays while playing stock characters. These stock characters — like the young lovers, the witty servant and the pompous king —were exaggerated stereotypes that appeared in many plays. The actors would also wear masks that were associated with those characters no matter where a show was being performed. The masks were like a character unto themselves. 

La Rue’s visit follows the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines’ visit to FIU, where she highlighted the existing talent and interest in bringing FIU students into the intelligence community.  

The U.S. intelligence community (IC) is a group of separate government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities that support the foreign policy and national security of the United States. Member organizations include intelligence agencies, military intelligence and civilian intelligence and analysis offices within federal executive departments. 

La Rue's visit included a fireside chat with FIU’s Vice Provost for DEI El pagnier Kay “EK” Hudson; Carleen Vincent-Robinson, assistant dean at the Steven J. Green School of International Public Affairs and faculty fellow for social justice and inclusion and student access and success; and Brian Fonseca, director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, as the moderator.

La Rue emphasized the importance of building an IC that represents the country as a whole and how FIU’s workforce development programs are helping achieve that goal.

“Programs like this. People, officers, educators and mentors like you all have here [at FIU]. You are part of the solution to make sure that we do have an intelligence community that reflects a country that we’re here to serve,” she said to students. “The American people deserve an intelligence community that reflects our country.” 

Before the chat, La Rue had a private social engagement with students in FIU’s Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence IC-CAE Intelligence Fellowship Program.

Led by the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, the IC-CAE intelligence fellowship is a one-year workforce development program that prepares students to be the next generation of intelligence professionals. FIU was one of four pilot institutions designated as an IC-CAE school by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2005. 

The program provides unique coursework, research opportunities, internships, one-on-one mentorship with former intelligence professionals, and exclusive networking events with recruiters and other current members of the intelligence community. In addition to the internships given to students during the program, roughly 80% of students receive a conditional offer of employment right after completing their program. 

“We’ve been doing this program for several years,” said Hector Cadavid, deputy director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. “It's no surprise that we're top in class because we put a lot of thought and intentionality into our processes.” 

FIU is powering the next generation of foreign affairs professionals.

The university is turning out leaders ready to tackle the most pressing issues of the day. FIU alumni have forged careers at all levels of the federal government in Washington, D.C. and students are increasingly capturing the attention of recruiters and agencies as the intelligent, diverse representatives that the government needs.

In particular, in recent years, FIU alumni have ascended to high roles in foreign affairs, including Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); lead travel aide to the Secretary of State; and director of social inclusion at the Organization of American States and federal judge, to name a few. Alumni have also been recognized as groundbreakers. For example, up until President Joe Biden was inaugurated, Nilda Pedrosa ‘96 (who passed away in 2021) was the highest-ranking woman at the State Department and the second Hispanic to serve as Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

This alumni network also forms the foundation from which the university is able to provide additional mentors and support to FIU students. More than 100 students intern for Washington-based organizations, and another 300 participate in thematic career “fly-in” seminars through FIU in Washington, D.C., the university’s hub in the capital. Students and recent alumni have also earned top awards, including Rangel Fellowships and a Payne Fellowship, which are catapulting them into careers with the U.S. Foreign Service. To continue growing the alumni network and capitalizing on student success, later this year, the university will open an expanded facility on Capitol Hill.

Many agencies and branches of government also regularly come to campus and recruit students through events including FIU Career and Talent Development’s annual federal government conference, which brings representatives from the military, FBI, CIA and many others to the university to engage with students.

In March alone, USAID Administrator Samantha Power visited FIU and signed a historic agreement to increase jobs, internships and research opportunities for students. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian P. McKeon came to the university and met with students and researchers. He discussed the agency’s issues of focus for the next few decades and emphasized the need for the federal government to recruit young people with a variety of talents. Likewise, intelligence professionals spoke virtually with students to share tips for pursuing careers in the FBI, CIA and other agencies. 

Alumni leading the way

Ernesto Alfonso ’11 is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently serving as a special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Brian P. McKeon. He is a prime example of FIU students landing significant positions in government thanks to preparation they received at the university.

“FIU was crucial for me,” says Alfonso, who majored in international relations and economics. “It was where I cemented my international affairs background.”

He says meeting the Diplomat in Residence at FIU — a senior foreign service officer assigned by the Department of State to certain colleges and universities — was a turning point for him. The diplomat was a first-generation immigrant.

“Just seeing yourself in somebody like that, it broke so many barriers for me,” he says. “I realized, ‘This could be me’.”

Alfonso packed his bags and moved to the nation’s capital after graduation to intern with the university’s governmental affairs office in Washington. He worked on advocacy efforts and became the main contact working with a delegation of foreign affairs professionals from the Republic of Georgia, eventually bringing them to FIU.  

“It was my first diplomatic engagement,” Alfonso says. “It got me really excited about doing this line of work.”

Alfonso became the first Panther to earn the prestigious Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, which funded his graduate studies at Columbia University. The fellowship — funded by the Department of State – offers students interested in pursuing a career in the Foreign Service financial support for two years of higher education. Fellows commit to working in the Foreign Service for five years upon completion of their degree.

Alfonso has since worked as a Foreign Service Officer in Mexico, Afghanistan and Italy. He also served at the Department of State’s Operations Center, which monitors world events and prepares written briefs for the Secretary of State and other senior officials. Currently, he advises the Deputy Secretary of State, particularly on European-U.S. relations. He helped coordinate the recent visit to FIU.

Alfonso says the diversity at FIU was crucial in preparing him for his career.

“Without knowing it, I was already working in a multicultural and multilingual setting at home,” he says. “That is the key foundation of the work I do. The ability to represent people started at FIU.”

He adds that FIU students interested in pursuing foreign affairs should boldly dive into the field.

“Students should know that across the board in federal government, we want people of diverse regions and populations, to mirror what America looks like,” he says. “They also need to be the best and brightest, committed to representing our country.”

The future of foreign affairs

Panthers are heeding the call and increasingly filling the ranks of the Foreign Service. Recent alumna Pierina Anton Lopez ’20 found her inspiration to serve while on a trip through the FIU Honors College to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. She taught English to students and helped raise money to buy school resources for students in need in the area.

The international relations major earned a spot on the university’s top-ranked Model United Nations team. She participated in two “DC fly-ins,” which are seminars that provide students unprecedented access to representatives on the hill and career-building tips. She completed several internships, including one with the International Rescue Committee and another at the USAID’s Bureau for Africa’s Office of Sustainable Development, Education and Youth Division. She earned the university’s Global Learning (GL) Medallion and conducted research on education and resilience in conflict-torn regions as a GL fellow. She also conducted research on foreign policy in the Latin American and Caribbean region with a student team and presented findings to representatives of the Department of State.

In 2021, Anton Lopez became the first Panther to earn the prestigious USAID Payne Fellowship, which provides young individuals up to $96,000 in benefits over two years toward a pathway to working at the USAID Foreign Service.

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in global human development from Georgetown University and is also a fellow for the Global Campaign for Education, working on advocacy and communications for the advancement of inclusive, quality education for all. After graduation, she will begin her career in the Foreign Service.

“FIU was the perfect training ground for me,” she says. “At FIU, we don’t place any limits on ourselves. I have no doubt in my mind that FIU will produce the country’s next leaders.”

The future of foreign affairs is in good hands.

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By Mallorie KM Berger, MS '01

Grandfathers are some of the best storytellers and my “Papa” was no different. He had lived through a lot growing up in the South under the system of Jim Crow and had a lifetime of experiences, knowledge, and traditions he shared with me as a child. One story he left untold—the story of the Montford Point Marines, the 20,000 Black men who integrated the Marine Corps during World War II. If this sounds new or you don’t know about these men, you are not alone. These Marines epitomize the term “hidden figures” because very little has been written about their story and for the most part, many embraced silence.

Despite African American men's eagerness to fight in WWII, it was impossible for them to join the Marines. It took extensive pressure from Civil Rights leaders to compel President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 8802 in 1941, forcing the Marines to integrate despite the refusal of the Marine Corps Commandant to accept them.

After 144 years of official policy against allowing Blacks to serve as Marines, on June 1, 1942, the nation’s first Black Marines broke the color barrier, entering a military organization that believed the Corps to be an elite society preserved for whites only. They were called the “Montford Point Marines” after the segregated North Carolina Marine Corps base where Black recruits trained near Jacksonville.

Montford Point Camp was swampy and inhabited by snakes, mosquitoes, bears, and alligators. Conditions were rough. The men were forced to live in cardboard tents with concrete floors, potbelly stoves for heat and outhouses for bathrooms. Training, equipment, and supplies were all inferior. They were assigned to only non-combat duties (support or service), due to the prejudiced belief that they would abandon their posts under duress.

Recruits endured indignities, encountered discrimination, and suffered from inexplicable trauma on and off duty. The hostilities the Black Marines faced on base were amplified by southern discrimination and hatred by the locals. They were always on edge about avoiding trouble and run-ins with local law enforcement and white residents of Jacksonville and surrounding communities.

The Montford Pointers were treated as an experiment initially; their intellect and performance were doubted. However, they served honorably, won the respect of those who served with them, and accomplished everything that was expected and asked of them. Despite the challenges presented to the Montford Pointers, their valor and performance paved the way for our present integrated armed forces, and they have earned their due place in American history.

Yang is the owner of Standard Kegs, a keg and beverage equipment supplier and distribution business for the craft beer, kombucha and craft coffee industries. Standard Kegs makes steel kegs, one-way kegs, keg washers, and even brewing equipment and focuses on everything from brewhouse design to installation and support from its four U.S.-based warehouses.

So how did Yang go from the Brew FIU lab to beer baron? 

“We were all required to do a semester-long internship prior to graduation, and I didn’t want to do a regular internship at a hotel or restaurant, since my only interest was brewing,” said Yang from his Greenville, Texas warehouse. “The only craft brewery locally was Titanic at the time, but dozens of others were in planning. It was an opportune time to help craft guys market by having a locals-only craft beer festival, which complemented the South Beach Wine & Food Festival®, which also got its start at FIU.”

Yang and fellow classmates Matthew Weintraub and Richard Lopez from his brew science course convinced Professor Barry Gump, Eminent Scholar and Harvey R. Chaplin Eminent Scholar Chair in Beverage Management, to let them put on a festival focused on craft beers. They borrowed whatever they could and even used their own funds to help put on the first festival, which took place just steps away from the Chaplin School at the Kovens Conference Center at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in North Miami.

“We managed to scrape together about 18 vendors who were willing to donate time and beer to the event, simultaneously selling tickets however we could, and trying to be careful not to market it as a typical beer fest where most attendees are only looking to get intoxicated. 

Somehow, we sold around 200 tickets and managed to make a tiny profit which was promptly used to purchase new equipment for the Brew Lab,” he added. 

Yang says trying something new that hadn’t been done before was “terrifying” yet exciting at the same time. He credits his education and the inaugural festival experience for giving him the confidence and skillset to build a team, manage revenue and approach clients today. 

The festival is marking its 10^th anniversary this year and welcomes a crowd of 1,600 now. North Miami Brewfest is scheduled to take place Saturday, Nov.14, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) plaza in North Miami. 

“I can’t believe time has gone by so quickly. Looking at this event 10 years later, I am extremely glad it blossomed under the leadership of Dr. Gump and Dean Q (Professor and Director of Facilities Administration Mohammad Qureshi). Never had I imagined this will be a lasting legacy.”

Tickets to North Miami Brewfest are still available at: https://www.northmiamibrewfest.com/tickets/ 

The annual FIU-FAU matchup known as the Shula Bowl takes place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and fans should grab the opportunity to watch the South Florida rivalry at FIU Stadium. 

Named for the late Don Shula – who in 1972 coached the Miami Dolphins to the only perfect season in NFL history and had ties to the head coaches at both FAU and FIU when the programs debuted in 2001 and 2002, respectively – the game gives folks a chance to catch up with friends and family from the next county over.

FIU and FAU currently have identical season records: 4 wins and 5 losses. The outcome on Saturday will give one team a definitive advantage toward its end-of-year bowl game aspirations.

Among the Panthers suiting up is redshirt sophomore Julius Pierce, an offensive lineman from central Florida who is majoring in sports science. The student-athlete shared his take on the season, his appreciation for the coaches who work with him and the one person he counts on always being in the stands.

Julius, overall, how are you feeling about the season, which already is a great improvement, in terms of wins, over last year?
Definitely, I’d have to agree with that statement. It’s a big improvement. I think a lot of that comes from the culture change. The guys believe in each other and the staff and the process a lot more than we have in the past. Obviously, you want to win every game, but I think we’re trending in the right direction.

Tell me about your relationship with the coaches. How are they motivating you guys? 
In particular, I’d have to say the offensive line coach, Greg Austin, does a lot to help you believe in yourself. He gets you really prepared for the game that’s coming up. He tells you everything to know about the opponent: different blitz packages, sub packages, who’s gonna be playing, what they’re best move is. He does a lot from a mental aspect. From a physical aspect, he’s pushing you, just makes you wanna go out there and play for him. Then the graduate assistant that works with us, Aaron Haigler. He’s one of the hardest workers. He’s a good guy. Those guys get you really ready for the season and for each game that’s coming up.

People want to know: How do you decompress when you are not practicing, playing or studying?
I play a lot of the video game Call of Duty, especially the new one that just came out. A couple of the guys on the team have it, so that’s how we spend our time together outside of football. That or sleeping or eating. I do a lot of eating.

You are from Florida, about four hours from Miami. Have your family or any friends come down to watch you here? Who is your biggest fan?
That’s an easy one. I’d have to say my mom. She’ll be down this weekend for the Shula Bowl, and she is crazy excited for it. She’s been with me through the roller coaster at FIU the last couple years, you know, sitting behind a couple guys and developing. I played tight end in high school, so coming in and having to mold myself into a college ready offensive lineman, Mom has been there with me.

What do you want to say to fans about coming out to the game?
We had a rough couple years against [FAU], but it’s time [for a win]. It’s about the work we put in this year, and even the last couple years. We’re hungry and we’re ready. That’s the biggest message. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is one of the largest franchises in video game history with an estimated player count of around 300 million. Alain Mesa '09 is the voice and likeness of Col. Alejandro Vargas, one of the main characters in this year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. 

As FIU's AVP of Brand Marketing and a video game aficionado, I recently caught up with Mesa. He says this role reminded him of his time at FIU Theatre, where he was allowed to bring a few of his own ideas to the role and be more involved in what the final character brought to the audience versus some of his earlier voice work. 

If you play big blockbuster games, chances are you have heard Mesa's voice. His voice was featured in Red Dead Redemption II, Saints Row, Forza Horizon 5, Uncharted 4 and Tom Clancy's The Division.

Mesa is a self-professed croqueta connoisseur and while he lives in Los Angeles you can catch him in Miami visiting family from time to time. He encourages students looking to break into the entertainment industry to move to New York or Los Angeles when starting out as most of the work is still being created there.

Please enjoy the interview above as much as I enjoyed speaking to Mesa. 

Miami-Dade County is no longer under a tropical storm watch. Broward and Palm Beach counties are under multiple watches and warnings. While the forecasted path of the storm has shifted north of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the area is expected to be impacted by wind and rain.  

University operations will remain normal today and Thursday. We ask that professors and supervisors exercise flexibility with students, faculty and staff who may be impacted by the storm or the closure of schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We also ask that university departments with scheduled evening activities today exercise caution and take appropriate measures to ensure everyone’s safety.

Any changes to university operations will be communicated to the university community immediately. Please continue to monitor your emails.

Also, please monitor local media and pay attention to updates from the National Hurricane Center throughout the next few days.

Thank you for your cooperation, and be safe. 

Judge Advocates defend soldiers in all military legal matters, preside over courts-martial (in which service members face trials), provide legal counsel to military officials and work in a wide variety of legal areas from civil law to prosecution. There is an acceptance rate of about 10-15% from applicants seeking these roles.

FIU Law graduates are shining at the national level. Out of its roughly 150 law graduates per year, FIU has placed two alumni in the JAG Corps every year for the last nine years. That means, about 18 FIU Law alumni have entered the JAG Corps within the last few years.

“We’re one of the top producers of JAG Corps in the country,” says Eric Carpenter, associate professor of law. “These positions are hyper-competitive, and we have tremendous success. We’re getting selected for these roles about 70% of the time. Pretty much all of our students that are interested in getting in, get in.”

The secret? Carpenter, a retired Judge Advocate himself, prepares students with top-notch academic and cocurricular experiences specifically created to equip law students to enter the JAG Corps. He teaches a military justice course regularly — something that sets FIU apart.

“Maybe 10 colleges around the country do that,” he says. “We do it at FIU."

Most significantly, Carpenter himself serves as the hub for students to learn about the JAG Corps. Every year, he organizes a JAG fair at which representatives from the different services in the military come to discuss what it’s like to be a Judge Advocate. He also invites alumni who served in the JAG Corps to share their journeys with students. If students decide to apply for JAG positions, Carpenter guides them throughout the process.

Carpenter has also created a network of internship possibilities for law students interested in this legal area. Students have interned at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, which has its legal offices on Brickell; U.S. Southern Command; and local civilian attorney offices that work in military justice.

Carpenter is a member of the National Institute of Military Justice, a private, non-governmental organization. Through a program of the organization, one student per semester for the last five years has usually traveled to Guantanamo Bay to observe hearings at the base.

When JAG recruiters come across FIU students who have resumes bursting with military law experience like these, the results speak for themselves.

“For our students who have interned in these places and taken this class, it’s really obvious to the recruiter that they’re serious about joining the military,” Carpenter says. “That carries a ton of weight. It’s one of the things that differentiates them from everyone else.”

The JAG Corps is a great first job out of law school, Carpenter says.

“It teaches discipline and how to be an attorney. The training is as good as it gets across the country,” he says. “I believe these are some of the best legal jobs you can get anywhere, and you are doing something with great meaning, serving your country. That’s why it’s exciting to help students get into it.”

Whether alumni make a career in the JAG Corps or move on to other jobs later, the JAG Corps sets lawyers up for future careers at the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and others.

“These are all organizations that recruit heavily from the JAG Corps,” he says. “After JAG, alumni are going to be highly desirable employees. They’re going to be great leaders in our community and in our country.”

Standout success

Captain Guybert “Jimmy” Paul J.D. '15 served 13 years as an active duty member of the Army. After his wife passed away from cancer, he transitioned back to civilian life. Two years later, he started at FIU Law.

He thought his life in the Army was over. But, then, he met Carpenter. The professor encouraged him to consider joining the JAG Corps. “You’re a lawyer plus you’re a soldier,” he said.

Even before graduating, Paul received two offers from the JAG Corps and one from a civilian law firm. The civilian law firm’s salary was eye-popping.

He went back for Carpenter’s advice.

“He told me this was a tough decision,” Paul recalls. “Because he was so candid, I decided to go into the Army's JAG Corps. I realized I could be working with more people like [Retired Lieutenant] Colonel Carpenter.”

Paul is happy to say that he has indeed worked — and continues to work — with incredible leaders that remind him of Carpenter.

He has worked at Fort Hood in Texas and at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He particularly loved his time as a prosecutor in the 82^nd Airborne Division — a division known for its zero tolerance of misconduct. As part of his job, he was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq (previously as a soldier, he had deployed to Afghanistan). He also worked representing soldiers in civil administration cases. Currently, he advises the general of the United States Army Special Forces, commonly known as the “Green Berets,” on all civil matters.

“The jobs are challenging, but I’ve loved each one of them,” he says, adding that FIU prepared him to do it all.

Case in point: Even after graduation, Paul would carry around a binder with information about litigation that one of his professors, H. Scott Fingerhut, provided students. The binder was so valuable, that, when in 2018 Paul deployed to Iraq and had to conduct a military trial overseas, he asked a friend in the states to mail him the binder as he prepared.

“My real binder, the one I took for my first trial was Professor Fingerhut’s binder. And I won,” he says. “FIU gets you ready. It’s the reason why we have such a high bar passage rate. You look back after you graduate, and you say, ‘They prepared me for everything.’”

The honor of service

Judge Advocates commit to a four-year term of service. Paul has been in the JAG Corps for seven years now.

“What makes me come to work happy is the people,” he says. “The people are so great. And the opportunities the JAG Corps offers you, the opportunity to practice multiple areas of the law... you can prosecute or you can do contract law or you can do civil law or you can do other areas of law.”

He says serving the U.S. is one of his most important achievements.

“The first one was marrying a great woman,” he says, referring to his late wife. “The other is serving my country. When you’re on a mountainside in Afghanistan freezing your tail off, you need something to inspire you. For me, it was my wife and service to my country.”

Originally from Haiti, Paul says he’s proud to serve America’s democratic ideals.

“To me, [serving] is a sacrifice I’m willing to do for the rest of my life,” he says. “It’s bigger than me. You can’t have what we have in this country if no one is willing to sacrifice.”

It is a celebratory day for the Panther family!

Dr. Kenneth A. Jessell, who has led FIU with diligence and pride since January as Interim President and most recently as President-Designate, was confirmed today by the Florida Board of Governors as the sixth president of FIU.

President Jessell is the leader that FIU needs during this pivotal moment for our institution. He is smart, strategic, visionary, and so proud to be a Panther.

During his 13-year career at FIU, President Jessell has been instrumental in supporting the growth of FIU’s academic and research excellence, and I am confident that he will maintain our current momentum and continue to advance FIU’s excellence in research, scholarship, and teaching. 

Please join me in congratulating President Jessell on this extraordinary achievement.

Go Panthers!

Sincerely, 

Dean C. Colson

Chair, FIU Board of Trustees

“I have a couple of different feelings about transitioning out, you know," he says. "Simultaneously you feel anxiety and excitement because you're worried about what's next."

What helped ease that anxiety was the U.S. Special Operations Command Warrior Care Program. Established in 2005, the Care Coalition, as it’s also known, is a way for Special Operations Forces (SOF) service members, like Motto, who are wounded, ill, or service injured to transition to a life outside of uniform. Motto had a college degree earned while serving, but some of the skills he picked up, like digital forensic analysis, weren’t reflected on his resume. The Care Coalition set him up for a fellowship at FIU's Global Forensic and Justice Center (GFJC) to get hands-on training and a network of potential employers.

“GFJC was an easy choice,” Motto explains. “They have a long-standing history with the Warrior Care Program, supporting many other fellowships.”

GFJC has been supporting the Department of Defense in forensic training since 2008. Kevin Lothridge, deputy director of GFJC, knew supporting the men and women only while in uniform wasn’t enough.

“We’re teaching them valuable skillset[s] not only to help protect our country, but that can be applied to private companies as they transition out of uniform,” explains Lothridge. “These fellowships give people like Philip a way to learn from our experts and apply their military-learned skills in a civilian approach.”

Motto was selected for the three-month fellowship in Largo, Florida more than 780 miles from where he was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. The Care Coalition also assisted with getting him a place to stay so he could focus on the tasks at hand. During his fellowship, Motto did more than just observe courses. He worked on system administration and software compliance and created a local area network for computers and routers in the office.

“I was also able to connect with former SOF members who work at GFJC,” Motto says. “They showed me not only how to navigate different work-related projects, but also some things I can expect in the ‘civilian’ life.”

A big part of the Care Coalition fellowship is to bridge the service member from uniform to employment. Digital forensics skills, like what Motto was focused on, gave him a pick of several positions, eventually landing with Xator Corporation as a Devops System Engineer.

“Xator is extremely humbled and proud of our nation's Special Operations Heroes participating in the U.S. Special Operations Command Warrior Care Program,” says Craig Archer, an identity intelligence solutions architect at Xator Corporation. “The Care Coalition fellowship at GFJC provided the precise hands-on training and technical skills that Xator’s national security clients require. Phil Motto hit the ground running and is excelling. He is living proof that veterans, Florida International University and the U.S. Special Operations Command Warrior Care Program are value-added to the workforce, industry and our nation's interests.” 

“My greatest takeaway from [the military] was how to actually embrace other cultures and different points of views,” Mottos says.

He credits the fellowship as a pivotal pathway out of the military.

“I feel proud of everything I did,” says Motto reflecting on his career. As of November 1, he is retired from the military and happily getting to spend more time with his wife of 11 years and four kids.

By Michelle Chernicoff

In its 50 years of educating students, FIU has graduated more than 4,700 veterans and military-affiliated Panthers. Throughout its history, the university has proved it is committed to veterans' success through educational support services; partnerships that increase career readiness and employment opportunities; and financial assistance.

In recognition of this commitment, FIU has earned five national distinctions in the 2022-23 academic year:

• Military Friendly ranked FIU among its Top 10 colleges and universities.
• U.S. Veterans Magazine ranked FIU among its “Best of the Best” list.
• U.S. News & World Report ranked FIU No. 35 among its “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans.”
• Colleges of Distinction recognized FIU among its top institutions for Military Support – one of only five universities in Florida on its list.
• Military Times ranked FIU No. 36 among its “Best for Vets” public and private universities.

FIU was the first university in the state of Florida to offer in-state tuition to veterans regardless of their state of origin. Additionally, more than 20 scholarships are available to assist veteran and military-affiliated Panthers financially.

Through the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (VMA), FIU strives to ensure each of these students successfully transitions to college life and fulfills their professional goals. Among its programming, FIU hosts the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Success on Campus program, which provides an on-campus counselor who assists students in understanding their V.A. benefits.

In 2021, FIU launched the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success, which connects students to staff and support services across the university, including Admissions, OneStop Enrollment, Career and Talent Development, Student Health and Wellness, the Disability Resource Center, and more. This initiative, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, focuses on increasing persistence, retention, and graduation rates; tracking employment rates following graduation; and coordinating services to address academic, financial, physical, and social needs.

“We are here to ensure each veteran and military-affiliated Panther has access to the services they need to create a fulfilling university experience and successful transition into the next stage of their professional lives,” said Assistant Vice President for Student Equity and Support Phillip Lloyd Hamilton, who is the interim director of VMA.

The university also has longstanding partnerships with military organizations such as the U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Fla., which have created meaningful internship and job opportunities for students. The Miami Military Museum provides internships and work-study employment to students as well as opportunities to learn about local military history – a relationship spearheaded by FIU’s resident military historian Anthony Atwood. Mission United of the United Way Miami collaborates with FIU to provide veterans food, care packages and other assistance when they fall on hard times. Global City Development has sponsored scholarships for veterans as well as stoles and cords for graduating students.

Maj. Danay Montes de Oca '98, MA '04, JM '22 is a three-time FIU alumna and 30-year Army Reservist. She says the personal support is not only what kept her coming back to FIU, but also partly what inspired her to join the veteran and military affairs team at Miami Dade College, which she now directs. Montes de Oca, pictured left, graduated with her Juris master’s and recognition as a Real Triumphs Graduate this past summer.

But without the assistance of FIU’s VMA office over her three stints as a student, as well as the encouragement of mentors such as College of Law Assistant Dean Christopher Carbot and FIU Registrar Dulce Beltran, she said she would not be where she is today. Among her many fond memories of FIU is a conversation with Carbot, who called her personally when she began but didn’t finish her application to the juris master program.

“That’s the kind of service I have always received from FIU… That right there is what’s helped me to be the director I am today at MDC and to serve my students who are veterans, in turn,” she said.

Throughout the year, VMA offers a variety of programming and services, from educational and professional development to networking and social events. In November, VMA celebrates Veterans Appreciation Month with a commemorative breakfast, virtual race, a football tailgate, workshops and more. Visit the VMA website for a schedule and registration information.

While the forecasted path of the storm has shifted slightly north of Miami-Dade County, our area remains under a tropical storm watch. Broward and Palm Beach counties are under multiple watches and warnings.

University operations remain normal. We ask that professors and supervisors exercise flexibility with students, faculty and staff who may be impacted by the storm or the closure of schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Any changes to university operations will be communicated to the university community immediately. Please continue to monitor your emails.

Also, please monitor local media and pay attention to updates from the National Hurricane Center throughout the next few days.

FIU has a communication protocol to keep the community informed about university operations during emergencies, including storms. Please look for emails, follow FIU on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check FIU News and monitor local media for updates.

Storm preparation may be a new experience for many members of our university community. For tips on what to do, please visit the FIU Department of Emergency Management website or Miami-Dade County’s Hurricane Guide.

Thank you for your cooperation, and be safe. 

Miami-Dade County remains under a tropical storm watch. Broward and Palm Beach counties are under multiple watches and warnings.

While it is too soon to determine Tropical Storm Nicole’s impact on South Florida, it is important to remain vigilant and prepare for potential flooding, rain, high winds and storm surge.

University operations remain normal at this time. FIU officials will meet later today with local leaders and community partners to discuss any potential closures if needed. Any changes will be communicated to the university community as soon as decisions are made. Please continue to monitor your emails.

This is a good time to make sure you and your family have several days’ worth of supplies and medicines. Storm preparation may be a new experience for many members of our university community. For tips on what to do, please visit the FIU Department of Emergency Management website or Miami-Dade County’s Hurricane Guide.

Please monitor local media and pay attention to updates from the National Hurricane Center throughout the next few days.

FIU has a communication protocol to keep the community informed about university operations during emergencies, including storms. Please look for emails, follow FIU on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check FIU News and monitor local media for updates.

Thank you for your cooperation, and be safe. 

As FIU's AVP of Brand Marketing and a video game aficionado, I recently caught up with Mesa. He says this role reminded him of his time at FIU Theatre, where he was allowed to bring a few of his own ideas to the role and be more involved in what the final character brought to the audience versus some of his earlier voice work. 

If you play big blockbuster games, chances are you have heard Mesa's voice. His voice was featured in Red Dead Redemption II, Saints Row, Forza Horizon 5, Uncharted 4 and Tom Clancy's The Division.

Mesa is a self-professed croqueta connoisseur and while he lives in Los Angeles you can catch him in Miami visiting family from time to time. He encourages students looking to break into the entertainment industry to move to New York or Los Angeles when starting out as most of the work is still being created there.

Please enjoy the interview above as much as I enjoyed speaking to Mesa. 

Each year on Nov. 8, colleges and universities across the United States come together to honor and celebrate the achievements of first-generation students, who face unique challenges as they attempt to break familial cycles and chart new paths. The celebration marks the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which was intended to help level a playing field that historically had been weighted against Americans from minority and low-income backgrounds.

Alec Joseph

Alec Joseph is looking forward to graduating from FIU this year and will be among the first generation in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Joseph grew up in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood and was eager to attend FIU.

As a computer science major and a scholar in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, he has participated in faculty-guided, undergraduate research examining open-source software for 5G applications. He also earned a prestigious CodePath Tech Fellowship, serving as a campus ambassador and advancing CodePath’s mission to diversify tech and provide learning opportunities for computer science students. And he recently designed an e-commerce website for his family’s small business.

Joseph was inspired to go into computer science by the power of his smartphone. “The first phone I ever had was a Windows phone… and I love math, like mathematics and writing in general, and I wanted to see how math applied to other fields like computer science and computer engineering,” he said.

Joseph said that, for him and his family, earning his bachelor’s degree will be an incredible milestone not only because he is first-generation, but also because he has autism. When he was a child, he was told he may never speak, and some doubted he would even graduate high school.

“My mother and my father worked hard with me as a child for me to be able to speak, as well as to be able to communicate with other people to achieve the goals that I wanted to achieve and prove myself,” Joseph said.

Now, he is on the cusp of graduating from a four-year university with his sights set on a job at a major tech company, such as Google, Microsoft or Citrix. He also plans to pursue a master’s degree in the future.

Registering for his family’s FIU Commencement tickets was a moment he will always remember. “Seeing me walk and get my diploma, I know my family is so very excited for me,” Joseph said.

First-Gen Forward

FIU’s commitment to supporting students like Joseph has earned the university national distinction as a First-Gen Forward Institution from the Center for First-Generation Student Success.

FIU’s approach centers on three main initiatives:

1. The First-Generation Scholarship Program provides need-based financial assistance to students and features more than 50 philanthropic-supported scholarship opportunities. Since 2006, the state of Florida has backed first-generation scholarships by matching donations; currently, the state matches every dollar donated to first-generation scholarships 2-to-1. With this support, FIU has awarded more than 14,400 scholarships to first-generation students.
2. Since 1992, FIU has been home to federally funded TRIO programs, which support first-generation and other underrepresented students beginning in the fourth grade through earning their bachelor’s degree. TRIO programs include the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science, Educational Talent Search, and Student Support Services.
3. The Office of Student Access and Success (SAS) is committed to improving students’ learning and success by providing engaged learning experiences through meaningful and strategic programming and services that will facilitate successful transitions between pre-collegiate, undergraduate and graduate education. SAS offers 12 educational pathways that shape students’ learning.

“It’s important to note that FIU leadership, both past and present, have made first-generation student support a university-wide priority. At the institutional level, we are committed to helping these students achieve their dreams of higher education and beyond,” said Jeannette Cruz, Ed.D., senior director of the Office of Student Access and Success and the chair of the First-Generation Initiatives committee.

Rodoshi Sharife

Also eagerly awaiting her commencement ceremony is senior Rodoshi Sharife, who emigrated from Bangladesh with her parents when she was 6 years old.

Sharife was raised to believe in the importance of attaining a higher education and always knew she would be the first in her family to go to college and earn a bachelor’s degree in the United States.

“I’m an only child, so coming here was basically setting up a standard for my family—the only one out of the country, the only one who’s a girl and who’s doing all these big things. It means a lot to my family, and it’s a lot of prestige, as well. But it also meant figuring things out in the American education system by myself, for instance, with FAFSA,” Sharife said. “But having the support from my parents in whatever I chose to do was a big motivation.”

Sharife is double-majoring in natural and applied sciences and biology with a minor in education, and she intends to pursue a career as a physician assistant. Outside of class, she is a member of the FIU Alumni Association Student Ambassadors, representing the university at alumni- and community-facing events. She is also a Panther Camp facilitator, helping new students feel comfortable at the university and get to know their new peers. And she is preparing for an Alternative Breaks trip this semester. To boost her resume and graduate school applications, Sharife also recently earned a certificate in phlebotomy and is compiling clinical hours.

She heard the call to help others at an early age: “Growing up, I always saw my uncle, who is a doctor back home, helping out the people in our village for free. It was always a dream of mine to serve my country in a way where I use my education for good,” Sharife said. Once she becomes a physician assistant, she envisions herself traveling to Bangladesh regularly to give back to her family’s community.

Sharife said she knows her parents are proud of her – her father may even cry when he sees her in her cap and gown.

“Now that I’m finally about to graduate, it feels like a celebration of all my achievements, all my goals and all my hard work.”

The Freebee service that provides free trips to students has replaced its electric, open-air shuttles with a fleet of six Model X Teslas.

The new cars revolutionize the way students without transportation go grocery shopping, visit nearby friends or get back to the main campus from the Engineering Center.

“The Tesla Freebee rides are great for our students,” said Tom Hartley, assistant vice president of Parking & Transportation at FIU. “Not everybody has a car, and car ownership is expensive, especially in Miami. It is critical for us to help provide a community where you can live and work and not have to have a car.”

Free, on-demand transportation services are available to the entire FIU community through the Ride Freebee app. Trips up to about three miles, so long as they either begin or end at MMC or the Engineering Center, cost nothing while cutting down on congestion and emissions. 

The new electric vehicles align with the university’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint and create a more sustainable campus environment. To that end, FIU has installed at MMC, BBC and the Engineering Center a total of 16 electric vehicle charging stations available for the nominal fee of $1 per hour, with plans to add more as needed, and 11 cost-free tire inflations stations to increase Panthers' vehicle fuel efficiency. And the Parking & Transportation team plans to replace the existing buses that go between MMC and BBC with newer, greener versions.

Hartley expects up to a 30% increase in the current number of Freebee trips since the Tesla upgrade. Freebee, which has been serving FIU since 2020, currently provides about 5,000 rides to Panthers per month.

“It’s really all about safety, comfort, productivity and efficiency,” Hartley said, noting that the previous vehicles had a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour and had to take slower back-road routes, and also were open-air vehicles, which exposed the riders to unpredictable weather changes. “Being able to keep folks on campus safe is huge, especially when you don’t know what the weather will do next.”

Aaliyah Mesidort, a junior who studies biology and has frequently used Freebee, loves the service. “Freebee is very convenient for people who don’t have cars, especially when they’re trying to go do grocery shopping. It definitely takes a load off your back,” she said. “The Teslas make it even better: they have air conditioning, can go on the main roads, look cooler and are still free.”

Miami-Dade County is currently under a tropical storm watch. Broward County and counties north through the Volusia County/Brevard County line are under a hurricane watch.

While it is too soon to determine Subtropical Storm Nicole’s impact to South Florida, forecasters expect heavy rainfall from the system for portions of Florida by Wednesday or Thursday.

University operations are normal. Any changes will be communicated to the university community in a timely manner.

This is a good time to make sure you and your family have several days’ worth of supplies and medicines. Storm preparation may be a new experience for many members of our university community. For tips on what to do, please visit the FIU Department of Emergency Management website or Miami-Dade County’s Hurricane Guide.

Please monitor local media and pay attention to updates from the National Hurricane Center throughout the next few days.

FIU has a communication protocol to keep the community informed about university operations during emergencies, including storms. Please look for emails, follow FIU on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check FIU News and monitor local media for updates.

Thank you for your cooperation, and be safe. 

He was a little confused. Sure, it had been amazing, but what did it have to do with research?

Well, actually, a lot. Messina is a leisure researcher. The FIU recreational therapy associate professor in the School of Education and Human Development saw a spectacular episode, of course. But also a fun way to explore concepts within her work, like how recreational activities are closely intertwined with self-identity (and she didn't have to go to the Upside Down to do it!)

Spoiler alert for fans who haven’t binge-watched season four of “Stranger Things" — the first episode, “The Hellfire Club,” features an epic, edge-of-your-seat scene featuring two activities that seem worlds apart: High school basketball and Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss plays while some of the characters are in a darkened classroom playing the role-playing game D&D, and at the same time, a championship basketball game is going down in the brightly lit gym.

“I don’t play basketball or D&D and I walked away from that scene with goosebumps,” Messina said. “I kept wondering what people who do play basketball or D&D might think about that scene, and what would they think about the opposite?”

they're the main character. pic.twitter.com/THZYh8bEYm

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) May 31, 2022

Within the field of leisure research, basketball and D&D have something in common. They're both categorized as serious leisure — an activity that contains elements of perseverance and significant personal effort based on knowledge and training.

An interesting part about the scene, Messina says, is there are visual differences, but also major parallels playing out, showing commonalities between the two activities. That’s why she wants to tap into how people who either play basketball or D&D view how their own leisure activity and identity are represented, and if they identify with the portrayal, as well as what they think about the other activity they don’t play.

Messina’s idea to study “Stranger Things” is really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to leisure research. But it does provide a good introduction to what she does — something that's not always easy to describe.

“People don’t always understand what this work involves,” Messina said. “It’s common to equate overall health with a routine fitness activity that you may not even enjoy, but I look at how leisure goes beyond that and checks important boxes for our physical, emotional, social, cognitive and spiritual wellbeing.”

When Messina teaches her students about leisure and recreation, she usually focuses on one question. What do you do?

For most people, that’s how they spend their free time. How one person chooses to spend that time may drastically differ from another. However, what matters is they have a leisure activity in the first place. Messina has seen firsthand the life-changing impact leisure has on someone’s life.  

At Mercy Hospital, she interned in a rehabilitation unit, adapting games for men recovering from injury and stroke. Their favorite was dominos. She still remembers how they’d light up while playing — a welcome reprieve from the day-to-day routines of hospital life.

Then, at the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center, Messina introduced oil pastel drawing to adult men with criminal charges and a history of mental illness. At first, they dismissed the whole idea as silly, only later admitting the activity made it easier to share what was on their mind.

This experience impacted her deeply, inspiring her to conduct research on the benefit of recreation for marginalized groups — such as those within the criminal justice system, as well as people experiencing housing insecurity — as a doctoral student at Temple University. During her studies, Messina met a woman who loved to walk. She journeyed 80 blocks — to and from the Delaware River — every day to keep herself busy. That walk wasn’t just a walk. It was a path to building self-determination and self-efficacy.

“Leisure allows you to build yourself in positive ways that no other activity does, especially for people who are trying to figure out those next steps in life,” Messina said. “Leisure is not for the privileged few. The data shows we all need it to give us those wins we really need from time to time when life isn’t giving us wins in other ways.”

Messina looks forward to continuing to examine how leisure impacts homeless populations, and how leisure can be used as a coping tool during stressful times. She’s also interested in creating a leisure education elective class for students.

“The “Stranger Things” study is the fun part of being a leisure researcher, and it is really one of the things I love about studying leisure. There’s so much that it’s tied to, other concepts like psychology, identity, intrinsic motivation and self-determination. Leisure looks at how those elements connect and tie to what we do for fun."

"I think it's still amazing that at 8:30 at night, you're all still sitting here and trying to learn something and trying to elevate yourselves," he added as he was welcomed by stunned students.

The surprise appearance wraps up a five-week hospitality course open to all FIU students, The David Grutman Experience: The Class, where the Miami hospitality entrepreneur and founder of Groot Hospitality brings real-life lessons to life.

During a Q&A session, Drake talked about everything from his career to his family to social media and shared insights into how he finished up his album in the studio hours before class.

The artist, born Aubrey Drake Graham, told the class of 400 students: “Exploration as an artist...really just...boils down to confidence. I think you have to find the balance between doing what you know works for you and what you know people love you for, but also giving yourself a shock, waking yourself up because it can become very formulaic." 

The question-and-answer sessions have been a hit all semester. For five weeks this fall, Grutman shared his origin story, while bringing along entrepreneurs, who just happen to be A-list celebrities, like fashion and beauty icon and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, Grammy Award-winning artists DJ Khaled and Black Coffee, the founder of delivery service GoPuff Rafael Ilishayev, and millennial Youtube sensations and now entrepreneurs, NelkBoys.

Just before Drake took the stage, business partner David Einhorn of Papi Steak, in which Drake is an investor, also took the stage. Grutman’s entire team, from the “mood director” at LIV to his publicist, have shared their best lifehacks and lessons. 

“We wanted to create a course where students can identify with the professor, get real-life advice for becoming entrepreneurs, and see themselves following in that person’s footsteps. The David Grutman Experience: The Class is all that and more,” said Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

Grutman’s Groot Hospitality is behind the successful nightclub LIV at Fontainebleau, half a dozen restaurants—including Komodo, Swan and Gekko—The Goodtime Hotel, and, soon to come, a resort in the Bahamas.

This is the third time Grutman has taught the course.

One of Grutman’s best pieces of advice, besides building relationships (which is how he got Drake to class) includes, “Execute. Once you execute that vision, that vision becomes a reality and once people see that reality there, they want to keep doing it.”

Since 1989, architecture students in Canaves' methods and materials course gather around the lake behind the Green Library to put their learning to practice for what has now become an FIU tradition – Walk on Water. The competition consists of designing and constructing floatable shoes that can be used to "walk" across the lake—a distance of about 350 feet.

This year, 51 teams of students in the no. 16 nationally ranked School of Architecture showcased their athleticism, creativity and design skills at the big event. In preparation, students practiced day and night at the lake, all in the hopes of crossing the finish line to get an “A” on their project, but also the possibility of a $1,000 cash prize for finishing first. In addition, if the student manages to surpass the record time, they receive an additional $1,000 prize.  

Under their Looney Tunes-inspired team name, “Road Runners," sophomore architecture students Andre Morgan and Jorge Tabla were the 2022 champions. They scurried across the lake to finish in 44.71 seconds – breaking the record that was only set last year of 51.5 seconds.  

“We practiced a lot and practice makes perfect,” Morgan said. “This is one step closer to my goals. I want to become an architect and, hopefully, open my own firm.”  

Students don’t have to design shoes or get into the lake to participate in Walk on Water. Freshmen in the school's beginning figure drawing course sit on the shore of the lake to draw scenery during the event. Next year, they will have the opportunity to compete in the tradition.  

“It was really fun being out here seeing what we would do next year,” said architecture major Brian Rodriguez. “It was a great experience having to draw everything. I enjoyed watching the people move [across the water].” 

This year’s Walk on Water also kicked off the School of Architecture's year-long 25th-anniversary celebrations.  

Shortly after entering World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a radio “fireside chat” imploring Americans to “spread before you a map of the whole earth.” Methods, weapons, and geography would differentiate this war, he said, underscoring the relationship between maps and power.

While speaking to the significance of maps in the first half of the 20th century, as ambitions, conflicts, and technologies exploded in scope and scale, Roosevelt’s words ring just as true today. “Plotting Power” explores how maps have informed, expanded and personified our world. Likewise, as agents of manipulation, maps are well-positioned to influence and shape global views when driven by economic, nationalistic, or political interests.

Geographic imagery has widely been used as a tool to gather, share and disseminate information about the world, a vehicle to explore and interpret dramatic changes impacting everyday life. Focusing on maps and globes provides a new lens to process the wide-ranging materials found in the Wolfsonian collection and a window to better understand the modern world. 

Never timelier and more urgent, “Plotting Power” examines Ukraine, hatemongering, and the creation of political division through cartography.

“I was interested in exploring how maps, as uniquely trusted documents, are well-suited for nefarious purposes—for the transmission of ideas, whether truthful or not,” said curator Lea Nickless. “What struck me most as a storyteller is that this powerful narrative continues to be just as resonant today.”

Rest is a fundamental element of a successful fitness journey because it is essential for performance. But it’s often overlooked.

Resting doesn’t mean leading a completely sedentary lifestyle on off days. This is known as passive recovery, and it’s only recommended when dealing with a lot of pain or an injury. Rest is about listening to your body and responding to its needs. On regular rest days, try to focus on active recovery: resting from your regular training, but still remaining active throughout the day.

Why is recovery so important after a workout? Research shows that when engaging in any type of intense exercise, the working muscles start to break down, causing microtears in the muscle fibers. By giving your body a break with an active recovery day, the microtears begin to rebuild, and the feeling of soreness and pain will decrease. If your body doesn’t get the break it needs, the microtears won’t have the chance to heal, which can result in overtraining and can increase the likelihood of an injury. 

Here are some ways to ensure that you are resting and recovering properly:

1. Get sleep. Having good sleeping habits is essential for recovery. While you’re on your fitness journey, try to stay rested and sleep seven to eight hours each day.
2. Stretch it out. Use your rest days to stretch, and challenge yourself with dynamic stretches. Remember that stretching can also have a positive effect on your training days.
3. Go for a walk. Use your rest day to recharge. Take a walk outside, maybe with your friends or your dog, or even while listening to your favorite podcast. Walking will help you stay on top of your active recovery – and it can also help you alleviate mental stress.
4. Try something new. Try new activities outside of your regular training sessions, such as yoga or Pilates. You can also use your rest days for new experiences with friends. Hiking, kayaking or even dancing are just some of the ways you can let your body rest while actively recovering and having fun!
5. Treat yourself to a massage. It can help you relax physically, but it can also serve as mental relaxation time to reset before you go back into your training routine.
6. Above all: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

Making rest a priority during your fitness journey can have a significant effect on your overall experience with exercise. You’ll feel better physically and mentally, and it can improve your overall training performance. Resting is the key to staying consistent and enjoying your workouts!

The FIU Wellness and Recreation Center is a valuable, on-campus resource that you can utilize to increase your physical activity. For more information about the WRC's programs and services, please contact WRC@fiu.edu.

The first gift, a $100,000 contribution from the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, will create the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation Scholarship Endowment and is expected to begin providing scholarships to students as early as the 22-23 academic year.

Taleed El-Sabawi joins the faculty as an assistant professor whose research focuses on addiction and mental health policy, politics and law. John (Alex) Erwin joins FIU Law as an assistant professor with areas of research in environmental and wildlife law. And Amber Polk joins the faculty as an assistant professor whose areas of research interest include animal rights and environmental law.  

“FIU Law is delighted to have these three accomplished teachers and scholars join us. They each have a proven record of success and their work will make vital contributions to our students and South Florida and beyond,” said Dean Antony Page.  

The addition of FIU Law’s newest faculty reflects a trend among top-performing law schools of hiring tenure-track professors with advanced degrees. Each of FIU Law’s new hires holds a Ph.D, compared to fewer than half of tenure-track law professors hired nationally last year. More than two-thirds of FIU Law’s tenured and tenure-track faculty hold advanced degrees.   

“Law professors with Ph.D.s are experts in their cognate fields,” noted Dean Page. “This enriches their teaching and allows them to better contribute to increasingly valuable interdisciplinary scholarship.” 

Addiction and Mental Health Policy 

Taleed El-Sabawi 

Assistant Professor of Law 

Ph.D. in public health, health services management and policy with a doctoral cognate in political science, The Ohio State University 

J.D., The University of Texas School of Law 

El-Sabawi has studied and written extensively on the narrative discourses surrounding opioid overdose deaths, federal administrative regulation of potentially habit-forming substances, and health insurance parity. Recently, she co-authored a model law that creates non-police behavioral health crisis response teams. She has provided technical assistance to federal, state and local governments looking to improve their responses to behavioral health issues. 

El-Sabawi specializes in the use of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze texts, including congressional hearing testimony, regulations, legislation, news media, political speeches and interview transcripts.  

“My research looks at how policy change is achieved. What motivates legislators, how numbers are used to influence policy, and what stories we tell with the data,” she says. 

El-Sabawi believes today’s opioid crisis has been caused by the criminalization of drug use.  

“Every overdose is a policy failure,” says the Miami native. “If we moved to more of a public health approach, if we had a safe supply, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”  

El-Sabawi would like to see harm reduction – a practice in which drug users are treated with compassion and offered access to healthcare, social services and treatment – implemented on a wider basis. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), when used as part of a comprehensive prevention strategy, harm reduction plays a significant role in preventing drug-related deaths.  

Environmental Law  

John (Alex) Erwin 

Assistant Professor of Law 

Ph.D. in genetics, University of Arizona 

J.D., University of Arizona 

Erwin’s background is in wildlife conservation and genetics. He experience includes field work, wet lab genetics and bioinformatics, and he has worked with everything from freshwater mussels to jaguars. His dissertation work explored the effects of sport hunting on mountain lion populations and aided the reintroduction of black-tailed prairie dogs into Arizona. 

In his several years as a conservation geneticist, Erwin worked often with wildlife agencies. Those experiences sometimes left him frustrated. He thought a law degree would aid his efforts as a biologist, but he surprised himself.  

“I found myself thinking about how my work could be applied more broadly,” he says. “I decided I could make more of an impact as a legal scholar who’s got a background as a wildlife biologist than I could as a wildlife biologist who has a law degree.” 

His research is in environmental law and natural resources law, and he’s published in peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as law reviews. To date his research has focused on three issues: wildlife conservation and management; genetic engineering and related biotechnological developments; and, more broadly, the interplay of science, law and policy. An article he wrote on a policy for hybridization under the Endangered Species Act was recognized as one of the top environmental policy-relevant articles from 2016-2017. 

A native Floridian, Erwin says he returned to the Sunshine State and came to FIU Law, in part, because he wanted to focus his efforts on Florida species. “Florida is one of the few eastern states that has incredible biodiversity of species. That really appeals to me.”  

Erwin would like to improve how agencies incorporate novel scientific developments into wildlife conservation. His recent work charts a path for the agencies to use genetic engineering for wildlife conservation. Previously, he developed a framework for the agencies to determine when hybrids (crosses between two different species) should be protected. 

“The science and the species keep evolving,” Erwin says, “And our laws haven’t caught up.” 

Amber Polk 

Assistant Professor of Law 

Ph.D. in philosophy, University of Illinois 

J.D., University of Illinois College of Law 

 A legal philosopher with a primary interest in our collective environmental crises, Polk’s research focuses on rights-based environmentalism as a legal, political and moral movement. Prior to joining FIU Law, she was the teaching fellow for the Environmental Law and Policy LLM program at Stanford Law School.  

Part of what attracted Polk, a Pennsylvania native, to FIU Law was Miami’s location as ground zero for many of the environmental challenges facing society today, including climate change, sea level rise, coastal erosion, the competition between people and wildlife for land and water resources. 

“A lot of science goes into policy decisions, but there’s more to it than that,” says Polk, who speaks earnestly about environmental justice. “There’s often a temptation to make environmental policy decisions by relying exclusively on scientific data and some form of cost-benefit analysis, but there are other normative factors to be considered, such as matters of fairness, which neither can address.” 

Polk points to recent events to illustrate the issues. 

“Take Hurricane Ian, for example,” says Polk, referring to the monster storm that pummeled southwest Florida when it made U.S. landfall Sept. 28 as a Category 4 hurricane. “Its aftermath presents many compelling questions of environmental protection and environmental justice. Do people rebuild as things were? Can they? Should we encourage them to? How do we support people who are displaced as a result of Ian’s destruction? How do we plan for a future that will displace people from the coastline? Being here stimulates a host of important inquiries in our environmental policy. Florida is a great incubator in that respect.” 

Polk is looking forward to working with her colleagues to ensure that graduates of FIU Law’s environmental program are prepared to face the future. 

“Law structures society, and so it plays a fundamental role in determining what society could be. The notion of civic education traces its roots to Aristotle, but it is more important now than ever,” Polk says. “Massive climate migration and justice issues will occur over the next 100 years in Florida. The generation of lawyers who are in law school today will be guiding those discussions. Let’s equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to be better critical thinkers.” 

Hannibal Travis, Florida International University

The internet has opened access to culture. Billions of webpages build on the art, images, music, film, television and writing of the past.

This explosion of content leads to tough questions over ownership of creative work and exclusivity of use. The highest court in the land may soon try to better define the limits of free use, or the right to remix previously published work.

On Oct. 12, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith. The case addresses when artists or writers may quote from and comment on others’ works. While quotation in everyday speech usually refers only to text, as a legal matter, paintings, photographs and architectural forms are also subject to quotation.

In 1984, Warhol created 16 variations of a portrait of the singer Prince based on a photograph taken by Lynn Goldsmith. For a payment of US$400, Goldsmith granted Warhol permission to use the photograph to make a sketch or painting to illustrate a Vanity Fair article on the success of Prince’s recording “Purple Rain.” The license allowed no other uses.

The foundation now owns the paintings, prints and sketches Warhol made of the photograph, and profits handsomely selling them to museums and licensing them to others.

My research often deals with how the right to express oneself can be harmed by narrow interpretations of the law. I focus on the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech, and the fair use privilege, which moderates the effect of copyright law on artists and writers by allowing a certain amount of copying.

In the Goldsmith case, the Court is being asked to correct what I think is an important error in copyright case law – the assumption that deriving any value from another’s copyrighted work is an infringement that is automatically “unfair” unless one can meet the difficult burden of proving the use has no impact on the value of the original.

Intellectual property shapes the international economy. The U.S. market has an outsized effect on creators around the world. So the way that the Supreme Court defines fair use affects everyone from journalists and politicians to musicians, photographers and streamers in the U.S. and abroad.

Future of fair use is technical

Enforcement of copyright in the digital world takes many forms.

The rise of file fingerprinting and filtering algorithms means online creators face an often relentless barrage of threats when attempting to quote other creators’ works. These can take the form of copyright strikes, which can lead to account suspension and termination, and takedown requests. Channel demonetization happens when YouTube blocks a creator’s ability to make money by refusing to share advertising revenue. These techniques result in works being deleted from websites without a trial or much in the way of due process.

YouTube itself and other platforms like Facebook, where images and videos can be shared, might have been banned all along had the Supreme Court not clarified in the 1980s that new technologies that have a mix of lawful and copyright-violating uses are not necessarily illegal.

The Court also issued a double-edged ruling on fair use nearly three decades ago in a case involving the rap group 2 Live Crew’s “Pretty Woman” which spoofs a Roy Orbison song. While helpfully clarifying that parodies and harsh attacks on copyrighted works can be a fair use, many legal observers, including me, feel that the opinion undermined the text and intentions behind fair use. Specifically, it required that fair users vary their “meaning or message” starkly from the original work, and imposed a difficult burden of proof upon them.

Fast-forward to arguments made before the Court in October 2022. The lower court judgment being reviewed by the Supreme Court concluded that because Warhol’s modified print of a photograph of Prince looked similar to and derived value from the photographer’s original version, it was a copyright infringement. The court saw it as infringing on the photographer’s rights despite Warhol’s intention to place the photograph into a new artistic context as a comment on celebrity culture – as his 1962 soup can and Marilyn Monroe works did.

Other federal courts had ruled that a subsequent creation deriving value from and sharing the message of a previous work is unlikely to be a fair use. This presumption applied even if an initial work’s textual or audiovisual components are altered in major ways by the new work, whether it is a news report on a book, a remix of comic book characters or song lyrics, a guide to a film or television series, or a new level of a video game.

Judges and justices who opposed this trend argued that the First Amendment was being trampled and that fair use was endangered.

The Warhol Foundation argues that fair use may exist in diverse circumstances ranging from postmodern art to showing corporate logos in films, displaying street art in music videos and making unauthorized use of photographs in newspapers. The argument gained traction among the Supreme Court’s justices, with severalsuggesting during their questioning that artists and other Americans should be able to shed new light on existing images and words, and not simply as parodies or critiques.

My research has traced how a particular brand of economics and a set of sociological assumptions have distorted the free speech right to engage in fair use expression. In place of an older libertarian system that permitted authors to put text and characters from prior authors’ work into new creations, 20th century courts developed what I consider to be a restrictive and arbitrary standard that quotations must serve different meanings and purposes. This departs from the language and intentions behind the Copyright Act of 1976, which refers to “comment” on existing works as being potentially fair, in addition to criticism or ridicule.

However the court rules, fair use will continue to be with us. As law professor Lawrence Lessig once observed, people inevitably imitate the tales and images or music that they admire or grew up with. That impulse will be impossible “to kill it off once the public has tasted the freedom to create and share what they create with others via the web,” Lessig wrote.

A decision from the court is expected in May or June 2023. With the justices’ questioning bringing out serious problems with the lower court ruling, a resolution in favor of subsequent artists’ rights could help writers and filmmakers as well. It will help decide whether a few unlucky creators will be hit with large judgments, and millions more creators will be deterred from expressing themselves or may have their work automatically filtered by faceless censors.

Hannibal Travis, Professor of Law, Florida International University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Indian national holiday commemorates the triumph of light over darkness and marks the start of the Hindu New Year. It was observed for five days this week with rows of oil lamps, prayers and traditional dishes.

“Diwali is like a time of renewal and spirituality that celebrates when light brings an end to darkness,” said Aakash Gobin, a junior political science major. “It’s an important way for me to connect to my Indian and Hindu heritage. It's a thousands-of-years-old tradition passed from my ancestors to me, and I want to continue it.”

Some liken Diwali to Hannukah, as both are referred to as “festival of lights” and celebrate good prevailing over evil.

Sasha Restifo, a religious studies professor in the Jain Studies Program, explained how Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which means “row of lights.”

“Diwali is one of the most important holidays in India because it encompasses so many different meanings and important events in different religious traditions,” Restifo said. “I think it's a great holiday because it unites different religious traditions. Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all celebrate it even though they view it with different meanings.”

Diwali traditions typically include oil lamps called diyas placed in rows inside of homes, traditional Indian dishes and sweets, colorful designs called rangoli made up of sand, flower petals and rice placed at home entrances and nighttime fireworks.

Srimant Mohanty is an international student who grew up marking the festival with his family in India.

“Diwali is a festival where you meet with the people you spend your life with,” said Mohanty, who is a graduate computer science student. “You eat food and share with your relatives and neighbors. You share your joy and happiness with others. It’s beautiful to meet with people in your life…it refreshes you.”

Whether or not they know the difference between a pirouette and plié, students interested in ballet now have an outlet at MMC. 

The classical French dance is taught in a fitness class at the rec center, and folks of all backgrounds and levels can participate, from complete beginners to those who have been dancing since they could walk.

Elena Passoni, a student studying architecture in the accelerated master’s program, danced ballet from the age of 5 to 16 and said the FIU class has reawakened her former passion.

“Being able to dance again has really made me feel better and had a positive impact on my mental and physical health," Passioni said. "I'm doing something for myself that I enjoy without any pressure, just for fun.”

Most ballet enthusiasts are typically introduced to the dance as schoolchildren, when classes for that age group abound. “This ballet class was the first I’ve ever heard of tailored to students our age,” said Passoni, who added that she would recommend the class to anyone interested so they can experience the same benefits she has.

“I think it's a great class, even for people who don't know ballet at all,” Passoni said. “It's an amazing opportunity to move your body and learn about ballet at our age.”

Jacqueline Castro signed up for the class as a complete beginner – except for a brief stint when she was 4 – to finally live out her childhood dream of dancing ballet.

“This ballet class has impacted me a lot,” said Castro, a graduate student studying computer science. “As a student and full-time employee, I always felt like I never had time to do anything for myself. Now, I feel like I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do as a little girl. I’ve realized that dream for myself.”

Castro said her confidence has soared since starting to dance.

“Ballet has helped my posture, grace and self-esteem,” said Castro. “It’s really fun to be in an environment with girls and guys all together dancing.”

The class features solo dancing and is divided into barre work that stretches the arms and legs, jumps and leaps that strengthen the core and full-body conditioning exercises.

Shari Little, a part-time FIU employee who also is a trained ballet instructor, had the idea to start the class when the university was closed due to the pandemic. 

Little learned ballet when she was 7 years old and worked as a professional ballerina for 17 years before transitioning into teaching and then running the education program at the Miami City Ballet.

During the pandemic lockdown, she learned how to teach ballet classes online for a local studio. When FIU's Healthy Living Program was looking for fresh ideas to keep students engaged, Little offered to teach ballet over Zoom and, eventually, turned the class into a popular in-person experience.

Little emphasized how ballet helps lift students’ self-confidence.

“A couple of students who were quite shy have really come out of their shells. I’ve seen a difference in how they approach everything,” Little said. “Ballet helps you build confidence by gesture and posture. When you start to stand up straight, and you're aware of how you approach a room or people, it makes a huge difference in the way people react to you.”

Through NSE, students expand their horizons by visiting new places and engaging in different cultures – all while earning credit toward their major by taking classes and living at one of 180 participating, accredited universities.

Sofia Wagner headed to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the spring semester of 2022. The “small-town” experience in the snowy Northeast was a stark contrast to life in the Miami sunshine. But she says it helped her see that she may even want to consider a small town for her post-graduation plans.

“[It’s] something I never would have expected to love, but I ultimately realized that it’s an environment I truly feel at home in!” said Wagner, who is a junior majoring in nutrition sciences and a member of the Honors College.

“Going on exchange has not only given me countless new friends and memories, but also the change of pace that allowed me to come back home more motivated and focused than ever... I would highly encourage everyone to participate in NSE and allow themselves the opportunity to explore a new environment, meet people from different backgrounds, and give themselves a space to grow as an individual,” Wagner said. 

Amanda Puga also spent the spring of 2022 studying away from FIU. Her exchange at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) put her amid a community with a dense military population, due to the university’s proximity to the U.S. Air Force Academy and nearby bases.

Living in this community intensified her interest in pursuing a career as a psychologist focusing on military personnel, and she is now considering pursuing a graduate degree at UCCS to achieve this goal.

At UCCS, Puga also spent significant time exploring the great outdoors through skiing, camping, hiking, sandboarding and sledding – and she’s convinced Colorado’s vast and diverse terrain makes it “one of the most beautiful states in the U.S.” Having never lived outside Miami in her life, she says participating in NSE “introduced me to a new type of community that I was able to learn from and appreciate.”

“I would 100 percent encourage other students to take advantage of the amazing opportunity provided by NSE and experience as much of the world as they can! I'm already missing my dorm's view of the mountains like crazy, and I know I will be going back to visit soon,” said Puga, who is vice president of the FIU NSE student club and a junior majoring in psychology and behavior analysis.

NSE participants have the option to pay either FIU tuition rates or the in-state tuition cost of the host school. Priority recruitment for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 NSE placements begins Oct. 26. Students who are interested in participating in an exchange can learn more about the program at an upcoming informational session on FIU’s National Student Exchange website.

Editor’s note: Morgan Hughes was an intern for  FIU News and Communications during the spring semester. She arrived on campus in January as part of the  National Student Exchange program, which allows students at universities throughout the country to study at another participating institution in North America, to grow personally, academically and professionally. Earlier this month, Hughes drove home from Miami to receive her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the  University of Massachusetts Amherst even as she continues to investigate full-time employment in South Florida. Here she shares her experience as a last-semester senior at FIU.

As I walked to my first class of the spring semester 2,000 miles away from my actual university, my surroundings felt louder than ever.

It wasn’t the music blaring from the Graham Center or the buzzing of students finding their new classes. It was how acutely different this environment sounded from where I came from. Within 20 minutes I heard Spanish, Portuguese and French being spoken, in the same space as Canadian and West African accents.

“This was exactly what I came here for,” I told my mother over the phone.

I drove 22 hours from the University of Massachusetts Amherst to begin my spring semester as a national exchange student at FIU. The program, NSE, offers students the opportunity to spend a semester “abroad” at over 100 universities around the country and its territories.

I chose FIU for its palpable diversity and embedded Hispanic culture. I came to practice speaking Spanish and to learn about global cultures from people born in other countries.

An adventurous Sagittarius, I have always been the type to make myself at home. As a graduating senior, I jumped at the chance to explore a new school with new people, resources and opportunities.

I interned and wrote  more than a dozen stories for FIU News, took  Slay & Squat dance classes with high heels in hand at the rec center, created social media content for a nightlife and entertainment company, religiously attended  Healthy Living Programevents and giveaways and, on walks home to the dorm after class, stumbled upon carnivals and festivals galore. I finished up my minor in sociology and managed to soak up a little sun along the way.

To put things into perspective: Massachusetts has a population of nearly 7 million, and about 20 percent of residents are nonwhite. Of about 30,000 students at UMass, 32 percent of the undergraduates are nonwhite, according to its website. While UMass is actually doing a great job trying to diversity its ranks, FIU is the definition of diversity.

Miami-Dade County has a population nearly 2.8 million people, with about 86 percent nonwhite residents. Of over 56,000 FIU students, 85 percent are nonwhite, according to its website.

FIU is truly an international university, and its community is tight knit. People who grew up in Miami may take it for granted, but for someone coming from a less diverse hometown and university, the melding of cultures is something beautiful I will always admire.

Language barriers are not social barriers. Foreign customs and ways of being are not an inhibitor of friendship. Curiosity is welcome, and sharing is a pleasure.

What inspires me most about people at FIU and in Miami is how tied they are to their heritage.

I am of Irish and Polish descent. I am proud of my heritage, but the last person to actually step foot on those lands arrived in the United States even before my grandparents were born. My first friend at FIU spoke to her mother in Polish over the phone, and I didn’t even recognize the language. Sure, we Irish-Americans love our Guinness beer and potatoes, but I don’t know much about where I come from.

The people I met were not just proud of their heritage, but deeply connected to it in a way I never could have understood before spending time in Miami.

My semester in Miami was a cultural exchange for me. I loved talking to people about what life is like in Massachusetts and why its colonial history is part of why so few people leave the place they grew up. In exchange, I asked about what Puerto Ricans are doing to conserve their beaches and the origins of Colombian cuisine.  

When shopping at the Walmart on W. Flagler Street upon arriving at campus, I stopped a store employee to ask for a shower caddy for my dorm bathroom. When she cocked her head to the side and said, “No entiendo,” I realized I needed to call upon the Spanish I learned in high school and college.

The woman spent almost 10 minutes with me trying to communicate what I needed, since I couldn’t find a Spanish word that directly translated and struggled to remember basic Spanish grammar. When we finally figured it out, she patted my head and gave me a high five.

This was the moment I truly realized what was ahead of me. That same day, I went home and enrolled in a Spanish class at FIU. I began practicing giving directions and having conversations in Spanish with Uber drivers, and my patient bilingual friends allowed me to translate what they were saying and politely corrected my responses.

It’s nerve-wracking to be somewhere where people don’t speak your language. To some extent, I was able to check my privilege in living in a country that speaks mine.

Miami and FIU helped me feel the ways diversity can enrich life. I have so much admiration for the people who come to this country for opportunity and new experiences and are smacked upside the head with language and cultural barriers. And they make it work.

They learn, they grow, they adapt.

That’s what FIU did for me. After just four months, my world feels so enriched, my perspectives expanded and my potential unlocked. The community at FIU is truly Worlds Ahead. I want my children to grow up in a place as enriching as Miami.

I’ve since graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and thanks to NSE, I no longer feel “stuck” in New England. I feel confident I can drop myself in any place and make it my home.

The award is from the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, which assists universities and colleges in developing highly competitive students from populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM disciplines: Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans and Native Pacific Islanders.

FIU is a long-time participant in the LSAMP program to support undergraduate students seeking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees. The recent award, for the Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship program, will help finance graduate fellows as they continue on the academic path to earning a Ph.D. The program is primarily geared toward encouraging students who might not have considered pursuing a doctoral degree but have demonstrated the potential to do so. 

“The more diverse our graduate population is, the more perspectives we have,” explains Lidia Kos, associate dean of FIU’s University Graduate School, professor of biology and co-director of the LSAMP program. “People coming from different backgrounds, from different cultures, always bring new ideas.”

Recruitment is underway to identify qualified LSAMP fellows by fall 2023 who will be bolstered financially, academically and socially through the cohort-based program. Financial support will enable the students to focus full-time on graduate-level coursework and research for two years. The project also offers essential components of culturally sensitive mentoring, professional development activities, interactive retreats, team-building and peer support.

A key aspect of the grant is providing participants exposure to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that they can incorporate it into their research as they move forward. They will first get instruction on the ethics and uses of AI, which combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem-solving. Students will then team up to design and execute an interdisciplinary AI project under the supervision of Professor Mark Finlayson, eminent scholar-chaired associate professor of computer science at FIU’s Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences.

“AI is a big trend right now. It’s potentially a complete game-changer in the evolving world of technology,” says Finlayson, who designed a micro-credential program on AI for FIU. “AI is getting integrated into basically everything. It is going to be ubiquitous. Any place where you have human intellectual activity, you potentially have an application of AI.”

The goal of the Bridge to the Doctorate program is to help students successfully transition into post-graduate careers within industry, government and academia.

“We’re preparing a diverse STEM workforce—including the AI component—because that’s what NSF would like to see — students who are prepared to face the challenges of the 21st-century workforce,” says Alla Mirzoyan, the University Graduate School’s director of training and fellowships and a co-director of FIU’s LSAMP program. She will be overseeing the fellows’ professional development. “We know there is always more to be done in attracting diverse graduate students. So, we are really excited to have this program.”

The NSF grant will defray the costs for a dozen students. To demonstrate its commitment to the program’s mission and to these students, FIU is covering the cost for an additional three students, bringing the total spots to 15.

“The more Ph.D.s you produce among minorities, the more impact you have,” Mirzoyan says. “They then go back and teach, mentor the next generation. So it has a multiplier effect.”

To learn more about the LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship program, including how to apply, visit https://gradschool.fiu.edu/bdfellowship/

The new materials on view, augmenting earlier gifts also made by Vicki Gold Levi, provide the core for describing the impact of Afro-Cuban music on the American dance music scene. “I’ve been taken with Cuba for as long as I can remember—I mamboed my way through high school and never looked back!” said Vicki Gold Levi. “The Wolfsonian has accepted so much of my collection with open arms, and I am thrilled to be publicly sharing many of the objects in Turn the Beat Around for the very first time.”

This donation bolsters previous gifts of Cuban material by Gold Levi to the museum, including collections donated in 2002 and a promised gift in 2016 of more than 3,000 artifacts ranging from cigar labels to sheet music covers. Selections from her gifts are included in Turn the Beat Around, in addition to loans of the performance jackets of Gloria Estefan and Tito Puente, and other items from the Wolfsonian collection. Florida International University is additionally home to Cuban music cultural treasures The Díaz-Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection and The Celia Cruz Music Score Collection, cementing FIU’s status as the leading hub of Cuban culture and study in South Florida.

In a tiny town in Turkey, a young Berrin Tansel spent much of her time swimming with her five brothers and sisters in the clear coastal waters. But when they began coming home with black, sticky tar on their feet ― a sign of the arrival of the petroleum industry ― Tansel knew her agricultural and fishing village was in for a change.

What she couldn’t know at the time was how much her own life would be impacted by this environmental event.

Today, Berrin Tansel, Ph.D., is a professor of environmental engineering and undergraduate program director of FIU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. An expert in coastal water management and pollution, coastal hazards and water conservation, Tansel has received numerous honors including the prestigious 2021 Science Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists. She was also named the 2021 Margaret S. Petersen Outstanding Woman of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Among her other notable accomplishments, Tansel helped NASA build water filtration systems for use in space vehicles and was part of the Boston Harbor project that transformed what was then known as the dirtiest harbor in America. She was also part of the team that lead research on the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

From Turkey to Miami

The path from Turkey to Boston to Miami wasn’t premeditated or without hardship. But for the kid whose parents didn’t even attend high school, it has been an adventure brought about through an incessant drive for knowledge, consistent hard work, deep self-discovery and plenty of opportunity.

Each year, FIU recognizes the outstanding, valuable contributions faculty make to the university and academic communities. The award honors full-time faculty and administrators whose work demonstrates impact in the areas of research, creative activities, teaching and mentorship. This year, 34 outstanding faculty members were selected for the award.

“We are incredibly grateful for all that our faculty do every single day to ensure that our students succeed,” President-Designate Kenneth A. Jessell said. “The commitment and hard work of our faculty is instrumental to the success of our students and our university. It is because of faculty like our Top Scholars that FIU is leading in higher education at the state and national levels.”

The scholars span areas and departments across the entire university. From producing cutting-edge research to leading impactful community outreach, these faculty are shining a light on all that FIU has to offer. They were recently recognized during a breakfast reception.

“You are a world-class, dedicated faculty who focus on teaching, research and professional practice, and you make up the very backbone of FIU,” Interim Provost, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth M. Béjar told the scholars at the reception. “You all are the examples our students learn from. You are their role models, and I know that our students are in great hands.”

“I was very humbled to receive the award from FIU,” said Gregory Fabiano, professor of psychology. “The award is a mile marker that my colleagues and I are all doing good work together and good work as we moved forward.”

Fabiano and a team at the FIU Center for Children and Families are conducting research to uncover successful evidence-based interventions that can help improve behavior in children with ADHD. The team is working with a summer treatment program in South Florida and New York for their study.

Bianca Premo, interim chair and professor at the Department of History was recognized for earning a prestigious John S. Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. She is one of six faculty from the department who earned an FIU Top Scholar award this year — a fact she is especially proud of.

“I can’t say enough about the faculty in my department,” she says. “We do it all, everything from individual research to bringing in important grants impacting the community to paying close attention to our students. Personally, I’m really gratified to receive this award. And as interim chair, I am beyond proud of being a member of the department.”

For Maria “Cristy” Charters, associate teaching professor of computer science, the award recognizes her work on a passion project she’s been committed to since 2014.

Previously a high school programming teacher at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Charters saw firsthand the need for elementary students to be exposed early on to computer science.

For years, Charters teamed up with Steve Luis, currently the executive director for technology at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, to organize an annual event in which children engaged with computing during a fun contest. Later, Charters brought in computer science students who could teach and mentor children throughout an entire semester.

What began as a small program matching children at two local schools with FIU students — through a collaboration with the Women in Computer Science student organization — has now become a full-fledged program working with an average of 16 schools per semester. The program is now part of the community outreach conducted by Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE),  FIU’s largest student tech organization.

In 2021, Charters began teaching a free, no-credit course in which she trains students on effective ways to teach the children.

“It’s a way to spread computer science to the little ones,” Charters said. “I feel honored [about receiving this award]. The recognition isn’t just mine. It’s been a collaborative effort. I want to say thank you to everyone.”

Congratulations to all of the 2022 Top Scholar Awardees:

Leila Allen, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Diana Azzam, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

Melissa Baralt, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Alicia Boymelgreen, College of Engineering and Computing

Umut Caglar, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Julio Capo, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Prem Chapagain, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Maria Cristina Charters, College of Engineering and Computing

David Chatfield, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Antonio Duran, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Asia Eaton, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Gregory Fabiano, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Kianoush Gholamiboroujeni, College of Engineering and Computing

Ingelise Giles, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Deana Goldin, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Alastair Harborne, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Muhammad Hossain, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

Kellina Lupas, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Catherine Mas, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Lindsey Maxwell, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Alexander Mebel, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Ann Miller, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Okezi Otovo, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Magda Novelli Pearson, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Bianca Premo, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Jason Richardson, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

Idaykis Rodriguez, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Daniel Royles, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Fahad Saeed, College of Engineering and Computing

Nicole Schatz, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Dionne Stephens, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Sonia Underwood, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Shimon Wdowinski, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Elizabeth Whitman, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

The research buoy system managed by the FIU Institute of Environment is collecting real-time data on Biscayne Bay that FIU scientists are currently analyzing.

Members of the communications team are available to assist members of the media in contacting experts:

• • JoAnn Adkins, 305-348-0398, jadkins@fiu.edu
  • Angela Nicoletti, 305-348-2864, anicolet@fiu.edu
  • Nathalie Medina, 305-348-7678, nmedina@fiu.edu
  • Ayleen Barbel Fattal, 305-348-4492, abarbel@fiu.edu

Todd Crowl

Executive Director, FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Crowl is a nationally renowned researcher in the fields of food web ecology, urban stream ecology and predator-prey interactions. He is the principal investigator on an NSF-funded project (CREST CAChE) focused on aquatic chemistry and water contamination. About Biscayne Bay, Crowl can provide up-to-date information regarding the readings from the FIU instruments, what areas in the bay are most at-risk and what can be done to improve mitigation efforts.

Saving Biscayne Bay Townhall (2021)
Local 10 Special: Saving Biscayne Bay (2020)

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Piero Gardinali

Associate Director
Freshwater Resources Division, Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Gardinali is an expert in the fields of environmental chemistry, chemical oceanography, and water quality monitoring. He specializes in the detection of pollutants and contaminants in many of our South Florida waterways. About Biscayne Bay, Gardinali can provide updates on the sampling and data collected. He can speak about the equipment being used to collect the data and can elaborate on what the data is telling us and may be contributing to the fish kills.  Gardinali is available for interviews in English and Spanish. 

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu 

Read more about FIU's work to bring Biscayne Bay back from the Brink

James Fourqurean

Distinguished University Professor 
Director, Coastlines and Oceans Division 
FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Fourqurean is a renowned seagrass expert, as well as a marine and estuarine ecologist with FIU for over 25 years. Fourqurean’s research has focused extensively on seagrass ecosystems as models for addressing general ecological questions. Over the last 10 years, Fourqurean has been helping translate the science of carbon dynamics in coastal ecosystems into actionable policy and climate change mitigation strategies. He is one of the lead scientists in the International Blue Carbon Working Group and serves as a scientific representative to the International Blue Carbon Policy Working Group. About Biscayne Bay, Fourqurean can elaborate on the role that seagrass – and their die-off – is having on the bay, how this happened and what we may be able to do to fix it.

Research highlights: Researcher dedicates life’s work to ocean’s secret weapon against climate change

 

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

Tiffany Troxler

Director of Science for Sea Level Solutions
FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Troxler is a wetland ecosystems ecologist who studies water quality and ecosystem responses to environmental change. Her research informs the management and restoration of coastal and freshwater wetland ecosystems. She was a primary player in the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summits hosted by FIU and was one of nine experts chosen by Miami-Dade County to sit on the Biscayne Bay Taskforce. About Biscayne Bay, Troxler can elaborate on the work of the Biscayne Bay Taskforce, including its most recent report. Troxler can also identify solutions for the bay’s health issues.

 

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

Henry Briceno

Research Professor 
FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

For over 16 years, Briceno has been leading water quality monitoring efforts at FIU. He focuses on how our changing climate is impacting our waterways and the impacts that people and nature have on our ecological systems. Briceno leads the Institute’s Water Quality Monitoring Network. About Biscayne Bay, Briceno can discuss the equipment FIU uses to gather data on the bay’s health. He can speak specifically about the data being collected and the history of Biscayne Bay’s water quality. Briceno is available for interviews in English and Spanish. 

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

 

Kevin Boswell

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Director of the Marine Biology Program
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Boswell is a marine ecologist, whose research focuses on the interacting factors that mediate the distributional patterns, behavior, habitat use, energetics and natural ecology of coastal and ocean animals, including the implications of ecosystem variability, particularly for rapidly changing environments. His lab integrates advanced sampling techniques, such as active and passive underwater acoustics, with observations from autonomous aerial and aquatic platforms to collect high-resolution data to describe spatial and temporal patterns of interest, ranging from individual-level interactions to broad ecosystem dynamics. About Biscayne Bay, Boswell specializes in advanced technology for water quality monitoring.

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu 

Rita Teutonico

Associate Dean of Research
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Teutonico is an expert in sustainability science and the molecular genetics of environmental stress on plants. She has also developed and taught interdisciplinary courses related to the science and business of technology, including bioethics. About Biscayne Bay, Teutonico says Biscayne Bay is in a crisis right now from too many nutrients and pollutants running into the bay and creating an unhealthy ecosystem for marine life.

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu 

John Berry

Associate Professor
FIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Berry can speak to the toxicity of Florida Red Tide, and other marine and freshwater algae, and the toxins’ effects on wildlife health and human health. Berry is a chemist with specialization on environmental chemistry and chemical toxicology/pharmacology. His research specifically focuses on the chemistry of toxic cyanobacteria, commonly known as “blue-green algae,” and their effects on the environment and human health. 

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

Ligia Collado-Vides

Teaching Proferssor
Associate Chair, Department of Biological Studies
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Collado-Vides is a marine botanist with a research emphasis in ecology of tropical marine macroalgae, or seaweeds and sargassum. Her research focuses on evaluating the effects of land-based stressors on coastal ecosystems and their potential impact in coral reefs and seagrass ecosystems. Her lab is conducting research on the role of calcareous green algae in the carbon budget of Florida Bay and the Mexican Caribbean. She is estimating the organic and inorganic carbon produced by these algae along a salinity and nutrient gradient. Collado-Vides is available for interviews in English and Spanish. 

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Brad Schonhoff 

Program Manager
FIU CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Schonhoff's main interest is in bridging science and non-science communities through education and communication, especially regarding the impacts and solutions for climate change and sea level rise. He received his M.S. degree at FIU in 2015, after studying the effect of water levels and flooding on emissions of two major greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide and methane - from Everglades soils.

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

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The native of Antigua and Barbuda came to FIU in 2019 and built a top-notch academic career for herself. A chemistry and math major who currently boasts a 4.0 GPA, Spencer was part of a group of Panthers who participated in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research program this past summer. During the program, she analyzed ways to optimize a material for use in batteries for electrical cars — and how to make these cars a more efficient, sustainable alternative to combustion engine cars.

Spencer was recently named a finalist for the internationally recognized 2023 Rhodes Scholarship. The scholarship is often considered the most prestigious international program of its kind in the world and is also the oldest one, first started in 1902. If selected during the next round of interviews, Spencer would receive a scholarship to study full-time, post-graduation at the globally acclaimed University of Oxford.

“I’m so excited,” Spencer says. “I came to study in the U.S. because I wanted to have access to people with different viewpoints. FIU is an incredible school. It has this international community. People at FIU, they are so passionate about their research and so interested in what they are doing. I have come to incorporate it into my life goals to constantly be in an environment with people like that. Going to Oxford would allow me to be in this kind of community, and it would also allow me to learn about more perspectives and viewpoints.”

At FIU, Spencer is part of a lab headed by Alexander Mebel, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, in which she studies chemical reactions that may allow life to be conducive in space. She is a student in the Honors College and a member of various organizations on campus, including the FIU Undergraduate Research Society, as well as a student leader in the National Society of Leadership and Success.

She is a peer learning assistant, helping students in Calculus 3 with their assignments. She was selected for this year’s UN-affiliated Millennium Fellowship, which will allow her to complete a project improving financial literacy among university students and young professionals. As part of a class she took last year with chemistry and biochemistry Professor David Chatfield, she and a group of students also analyzed possible drug treatments for COVID-19.

Spencer’s research specialty is computational chemistry,  a type of chemistry that utilizes computer simulation to help in solving complex problems. Her goal is to use computational chemistry to uncover innovations for sustainable development, and ultimately, to help people protect themselves in the face of climate change.

She is particularly interested in discovering ways fuel cells — cells that do not produce carbon emissions — can be introduced and adopted in technology and products (like cars) in Antigua and Barbuda and across the Caribbean, which is often devastated by natural disasters like hurricanes. These regions, she says, would especially benefit from using renewable energy.

Scientific discoveries could also open the doors to increased alternatives and infrastructure that could help the region prepare for climate events, she adds.

“I want to make sure people get the resources they need in times of crisis,” she says. Her way of helping is through science.

She believes that computational chemistry and machine learning offer a particularly powerful tool to make a difference — and to become a better chemist.

“My knowledge of chemistry has been cemented by doing computational work because you need to know the ins and outs of chemistry,” she says. “The computer doesn’t have a brain. You have to tell it what to do. In the future, I want to make sure that we can find more efficient ways of using the computer for this. As a researcher, I want to use machine learning to study sustainability.”

Being a finalist for the Rhodes scholarship is an important step in Spencer achieving her goals and launching a career of impact.

“Joni is a remarkable young scholar,” says Director of Prestigious Scholar Development Ashley Kuntz. “Her faculty and research supervisors praise her intellect, character and work ethic. We can all be very proud she is representing FIU on the international stage. This is a well-deserved recognition of Joni’s academic accomplishments and of her potential to thrive as a graduate student at Oxford.”

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Todd Crowl first started receiving calls Wednesday morning. FIU’s director of the Institute of Environment started making calls of his own, deploying university research teams to pull real-time data from the bay. These FIU researchers are working closely with county, state and federal officials along with the advocacy group Miami Waterkeeper to address the very dire challenges facing Biscayne Bay. This large network of teams was ready to work together to mitigate further disaster when the dead fish first started appearing from North Miami down to the Museum Park area.

The current efforts are focused on stabilizing the bay, but simultaneously, researchers are trying to pinpoint the source of the problem. Piero Gardinali, associate director of the institute, says the cause is likely a combination of factors.

“In 2020 we learned that the bay was at a tipping point with a number of things,” said the analytic chemist and water quality expert. “Oxygen is what drives most of the life in the water so anything that consumes oxygen or produces conditions where organisms can grow and decompose is going to be a problem.”

Nutrient pollution from storm drains, fertilizer runoff and leaky septic tanks can lead to these unwanted organisms which consume oxygen desperately needed by the marine life of the bay. Other toxic contaminants, such as plastic pollution, can exasperate the situation. While it’s still too early to say what caused this latest oxygen loss in the bay, Gardinali cautions this week serves as yet one more warning sign of an ecosystem in trouble.

This is the third year in a row where dead fish have appeared almost without warning in the bay.

Last year, buoys deployed by the Institute of Environment registered low oxygen levels amid high temperatures and slower currents during Labor Day weekend just as dead fish started appearing on the surface. But it was the massive fish kill of 2020, where tens of thousands of fish and other marine life were estimated to have been killed in August, that first sounded the alarm for Biscayne Bay’s very serious troubles. It was then that these teams of researchers, advocates and government scientists and officials were brought together, sharing information, equipment, resources and ideas. Five months later, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levina Cava appointed Irela Bague as the county’s first Chief Bay Officer. Now, two years later, Biscayne Bay has a coordinated network of South Florida’s top experts fighting for its survival.

Crowl and Gardinali remain optimistic about the bay, which is ecologically and economically essential to Miami, and say it can be saved.

“The circumstances here are very sad, but we have all come together as a coordinated collaboration to solve this,” Crowl said. “And that commitment shows we are all truly in this together.”

FIU experts are available to discuss the recent fish kill and issues related to the health of Biscayne Bay.

The research buoy system managed by the FIU Institute of Environment is collecting real-time data on Biscayne Bay that FIU scientists are currently analyzing.

Members of the communications team are available to assist members of the media in contacting experts:

• • JoAnn Adkins, 305-348-0398, jadkins@fiu.edu
  • Angela Nicoletti, 305-348-2864, anicolet@fiu.edu
  • Nathalie Medina, 305-348-7678, nmedina@fiu.edu
  • Ayleen Barbel Fattal, 305-348-4492, abarbel@fiu.edu

Todd Crowl

Executive Director, FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Crowl is a nationally renowned researcher in the fields of food web ecology, urban stream ecology and predator-prey interactions. He is the principal investigator on an NSF-funded project (CREST CAChE) focused on aquatic chemistry and water contamination. About Biscayne Bay, Crowl can provide up-to-date information regarding the readings from the FIU instruments, what areas in the bay are most at-risk and what can be done to improve mitigation efforts.

Saving Biscayne Bay Townhall (2021)
Local 10 Special: Saving Biscayne Bay (2020)

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu

Piero Gardinali

Associate Director
Freshwater Resources Division, Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Gardinali is an expert in the fields of environmental chemistry, chemical oceanography, and water quality monitoring. He specializes in the detection of pollutants and contaminants in many of our South Florida waterways. About Biscayne Bay, Gardinali can provide updates on the sampling and data collected. He can speak about the equipment being used to collect the data and can elaborate on what the data is telling us and may be contributing to the fish kills.  Gardinali is available for interviews in English and Spanish. 

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu 

Read more about FIU's work to bring Biscayne Bay back from the Brink

James Fourqurean

Distinguished University Professor 
Director, Coastlines and Oceans Division 
FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Fourqurean is a renowned seagrass expert, as well as a marine and estuarine ecologist with FIU for over 25 years. Fourqurean’s research has focused extensively on seagrass ecosystems as models for addressing general ecological questions. Over the last 10 years, Fourqurean has been helping translate the science of carbon dynamics in coastal ecosystems into actionable policy and climate change mitigation strategies. He is one of the lead scientists in the International Blue Carbon Working Group and serves as a scientific representative to the International Blue Carbon Policy Working Group. About Biscayne Bay, Fourqurean can elaborate on the role that seagrass – and their die-off – is having on the bay, how this happened and what we may be able to do to fix it.

Research highlights: Researcher dedicates life’s work to ocean’s secret weapon against climate change

 

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

Tiffany Troxler

Director of Science for Sea Level Solutions
FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Troxler is a wetland ecosystems ecologist who studies water quality and ecosystem responses to environmental change. Her research informs the management and restoration of coastal and freshwater wetland ecosystems. She was a primary player in the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summits hosted by FIU and was one of nine experts chosen by Miami-Dade County to sit on the Biscayne Bay Taskforce. About Biscayne Bay, Troxler can elaborate on the work of the Biscayne Bay Taskforce, including its most recent report. Troxler can also identify solutions for the bay’s health issues.

 

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

Henry Briceno

Research Professor 
FIU Institute of Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

For over 16 years, Briceno has been leading water quality monitoring efforts at FIU. He focuses on how our changing climate is impacting our waterways and the impacts that people and nature have on our ecological systems. Briceno leads the Institute’s Water Quality Monitoring Network. About Biscayne Bay, Briceno can discuss the equipment FIU uses to gather data on the bay’s health. He can speak specifically about the data being collected and the history of Biscayne Bay’s water quality. Briceno is available for interviews in English and Spanish. 

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

 

Kevin Boswell

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Director of the Marine Biology Program
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Boswell is a marine ecologist, whose research focuses on the interacting factors that mediate the distributional patterns, behavior, habitat use, energetics and natural ecology of coastal and ocean animals, including the implications of ecosystem variability, particularly for rapidly changing environments. His lab integrates advanced sampling techniques, such as active and passive underwater acoustics, with observations from autonomous aerial and aquatic platforms to collect high-resolution data to describe spatial and temporal patterns of interest, ranging from individual-level interactions to broad ecosystem dynamics. About Biscayne Bay, Boswell specializes in advanced technology for water quality monitoring.

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu 

Rita Teutonico

Associate Dean of Research
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Teutonico is an expert in sustainability science and the molecular genetics of environmental stress on plants. She has also developed and taught interdisciplinary courses related to the science and business of technology, including bioethics. About Biscayne Bay, Teutonico says Biscayne Bay is in a crisis right now from too many nutrients and pollutants running into the bay and creating an unhealthy ecosystem for marine life.

For help, contact:
JoAnn Adkins
305-348-0398
jadkins@fiu.edu 

John Berry

Associate Professor
FIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Berry can speak to the toxicity of Florida Red Tide, and other marine and freshwater algae, and the toxins’ effects on wildlife health and human health. Berry is a chemist with specialization on environmental chemistry and chemical toxicology/pharmacology. His research specifically focuses on the chemistry of toxic cyanobacteria, commonly known as “blue-green algae,” and their effects on the environment and human health. 

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

Ligia Collado-Vides

Teaching Proferssor
Associate Chair, Department of Biological Studies
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Collado-Vides is a marine botanist with a research emphasis in ecology of tropical marine macroalgae, or seaweeds and sargassum. Her research focuses on evaluating the effects of land-based stressors on coastal ecosystems and their potential impact in coral reefs and seagrass ecosystems. Her lab is conducting research on the role of calcareous green algae in the carbon budget of Florida Bay and the Mexican Caribbean. She is estimating the organic and inorganic carbon produced by these algae along a salinity and nutrient gradient. Collado-Vides is available for interviews in English and Spanish. 

For help, contact:
Nathalie Medina
305-348-7678
nmedina@fiu.edu

Brad Schonhoff 

Program Manager
FIU CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Schonhoff's main interest is in bridging science and non-science communities through education and communication, especially regarding the impacts and solutions for climate change and sea level rise. He received his M.S. degree at FIU in 2015, after studying the effect of water levels and flooding on emissions of two major greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide and methane - from Everglades soils.

For help, contact:
Angela Nicoletti
305-348-4493
anicolet@fiu.edu 

FIU Institute of Environment researchers are investigating the cause of a fish kill that occurred on Biscayne Bay over Labor Day weekend.

Signs of trouble began bubbling up on Sept. 1 when the institute’s buoys began registering low oxygen levels, higher temperatures and slower currents leading to potential stagnation, Research Professor Henry Briceño said.

“That’s not good news,” he said. “Usually when that does combine, we have some very bad conditions for fish to survive.”

Dead fish were reported across different areas of Biscayne Bay although the effects of the drop in oxygen do not initially appear to be as deadly as the fish kill that occurred in 2020, where tens of thousands of fish and other marine life were estimated to have been killed.

Institute of Environment researchers were among the first to respond then to study the massive algal bloom that appeared after the 2020 fish kill.

Again, Briceño suspects pollution entering the bay from land is a likely contributor to the fish kill. Once these nutrients enter the bay, they tend to trigger algal blooms that consume available oxygen. The problem becomes worse at night when already diminished seagrasses have no sunlight to help make new oxygen for fish and other marine life to breathe.

Researchers headed into the water Sept. 8 to collect more samples and perform more measurements that could further shed light on conditions in the bay.

In part because of the research performed at FIU’s Institute of Environment, the university is ranked No. 11 in the world for positive impact on life below water by The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

A fish kill this week is a clear sign the health of Biscayne Bay is at risk, FIU Institute of Environment researchers said.

Researchers set out Wednesday to survey Biscayne Bay between the 79^th Street and Julia Tuttle causeways, where dead fish were seen bobbing along the surface.

“It is an emergency. The bay is not in a good place right now,” said Piero Gardinali, a chemistry professor who is director of the institute’s Freshwater Resources Division. “It’s a warning sign more than anything else. People have been predicting that things like this could happen. I think it’s time for us to sit at the table and say ‘OK, let’s do something about it.’”

Researchers believe fish were killed when the bay’s saltwater became so hot, it could no longer retain oxygen in the amounts necessary for marine life to thrive.

They are using an autonomous surface vehicle equipped with sensors to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and chlorophyll, which can be an indicator for algae. What they find could provide more details on the health of the bay. The vessel allows researchers to collect more data over a larger area.

“You’ve heard people say that we are at a tipping point,” Gardinali said. “It might be just that we have done so much damage to the bay that it’s at a tipping point and anything that changes could put us over that tipping point.”

Many factors over time have contributed to the current state of Biscayne Bay, Gardinali said. Sea grass is dying, temperatures have been rising, nutrients have been entering the bay and there have been sewage leaks. After years and decades, all of these factors could have contributed to the fish kill. 

Students and faculty from the FIU CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment will also collect samples to determine whether nitrogen, phosphorus or other potentially harmful nutrients or pollutants may have played a role.

Results from the survey should be available the week of Aug. 17.

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“Being a news reporter was always a dream of mine. It was the dream that made me keep pushing through treatment and what I held on to. I am blessed beyond belief for my health. I look back and I’m thankful for all the blessings along the way,” she stated. 

The former South Florida resident uses her voice to tell people’s stories and to be the voice for those who may not have one. She also maintains her connection with the American Cancer Society (ACS) to help spread awareness. 

“This is something that we all fight differently. One of my ways is to spread awareness,” said Ferreyra. “I continue to share my story with my peers whenever I can because I believe it’s so important for young women to also be conscious of their health and do regular self-exams.” 

She hopes that through sharing her own story and voice, she can influence the fight against cancer with funding, research and awareness. 

“Breast cancer isn’t tied to age—it doesn’t discriminate,” she said.   

Being a student can present challenges but imagine what it may be like if you’re also told you have a disease that could take your life. This was a reality for Ferreyra.   

Too young  

“It was January, and you have goals, and you’re planning on graduating that year—everything was aligned,” recalled Ferreyra whose diagnosis came in 2017. She was 25. “I was getting dressed for work and I felt a little lump—being so young, I thought it would go away.”  

Ferreyra hadn’t been worried at all because of her age. She didn’t even feel like going to the doctor to get checked, but at the urging of family and friends, she decided to make the appointment. She was devastated with her diagnosis. Pursuing her bachelor’s degree, Ferreyra looked forward to finishing strong at FIU and didn’t realize that one appointment would lead to a diverted path in her education.  

FIU support   

Ferreyra sought support from FIU. Her family lived in Colorado at the time but traveled back and forth to help. Ferreyra remained in Miami for treatment and her boyfriend, a fellow FIU Panther and now fiancé, also assisted her. One of the first things she did after her diagnosis was go to the FIU Disability Resource Center. She knew the center would provide good guidance on next steps for accommodations or pausing her education. There, she spoke with a staff member who was also a cancer survivor.  

“Hearing from him was eye opening. It was nice to see him overcome the disease—you see so much negativity online,” she noted and discussed how she also reached out to the ACS. Her interest in learning how to help both herself and others, coupled with her bilingualism, helped foster Ferreyra’s relationship with the ACS—a relationship that developed into speaking engagements, a breast cancer awareness campaign in Latin America that aired on the Lifetime Channel, and even a video stateside to promote the organization’s support for research.   

When Ferreyra decided to return to school, she chose to enroll in some online courses to allow for the flexibility she needed to receive her daily radiation therapy. This too, she highlighted, afforded her the support she required to get healthy and stay on track. She took her laptop with her and worked on coursework in between appointments—a welcome distraction during a difficult time. 

“I wanted to graduate. Cancer happened to me, but it was just a hurdle on the way,” said Ferreyra. “I think the most important thing for young women to know is that early detection does save lives.” 

By Seema Azim Al-Shaikhli

A breast cancer diagnosis does not have to be a death warrant. Early detection is the key to saving lives. Mammography is the easiest and most important screening test for breast cancer. But many minority women forego regular screenings.

I saw this disparity as a volunteer at a Muslim women’s community organization. Delayed screening is a common denominator in many cases because of cultural factors and inaccurate beliefs about breast cancer. This is not unique to my local Muslim community. Studies show that American Muslim women, in general, are less likely to get regular mammograms.

A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breasts. It can help detect cancer years before a woman or her doctor might be able to actually feel a lump. Yet, data shows more than a third of eligible women did not have a mammogram within the past two years. Reasons vary from lack of understanding about the importance of regular screening to fear of the procedure to lack of insurance. Not surprisingly, Muslim and other minority women have disproportionately lower mammography rates.

As a medical student and first-generation Afghan-Indian Muslim-American woman, I felt compelled to address this disparity and found an ally in my medical school. The Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine runs a mobile center that offers free mammograms to uninsured women in Miami-Dade County. The service is supported by the Braman Family and The Batchelor foundations with the goal of “driving out breast cancer from our community.”

In Islamic history, mosques and medical institutions commonly were adjacent to one another. This inspired my idea of bringing the school’s mobile mammography center to a local mosque to create a sense of acceptability and comfort for Muslim women while highlighting the importance of health, a foundation of our faith.

The college’s Linda Fenner 3D Mobile Mammography Center routinely collaborates with community agencies, including places of worship, to provide free breast screenings. But it had never partnered with a mosque. That changed this year. With the support of Imam Abdul Hamid Samra, for the first time, our “mammovan” performed free breast screenings at the Islamic Center of Greater Miami, in Miami Gardens. We also hosted an educational webinar for the mosque and translated a mammography infographic into Arabic and Urdu. All of this encouraged Muslim women to consider the importance of breast health.

The mammovan’s next visit to the mosque is scheduled for October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, as Lorraine Nowakowski, the mobile mammography center’s director of clinical operations, likes to say, “For us, every month is October.”

This year, more than 43,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer in the United States. We urge women 40 and older to speak with their healthcare providers about the benefits of mammograms and when to start. Women in that age group can call 305-FIU-PINK — 305-348-7465 — to see if they qualify for a free screening mammogram.

This op-ed was originally published by the Miami Herald.

Despite the best intentions and planning, unexpected life events may work to derail studies and graduation. Whether it’s an illness, a family emergency, a basic need like food or a computer, or even mental health, FIU’s students have options that can help them stay the course.

Regardless of location, FIU’s online students also have access to the same university resources as on-campus students, as well as additional support made available exclusively for fully online learners.

While there are many university resources available, the following seven can help with the most common issues.

A unique feature available to fully online FIU undergraduate students is a success coach. The coach helps students adjust to their new fully online learning experience. They also help students create a plan to work toward goals while maximizing the resources and services available to them.

“We get a lot of questions, but we love helping students succeed especially because we get to do it from their first day until they graduate,” said FIU Online Success Coach Shequesta Scott. Success coaches help online students set goals. We also connect students to the university resources they need.”

Professors can be extremely helpful with making arrangements for students when unexpected things happen. Maria Gallo knew she needed to tell her professors at the start of class that she was pregnant with a delivery date that fell during final exam week. She made arrangements in advance and said that her online professors were very supportive. 

“I was going to make it work and finish the summer goals I set for myself. My online professors really helped,” Gallo declared. Her advice is to communicate your needs early if you can.

Online students can communicate directly with the Disability Resource Center to help coordinate academic accommodations, which are determined on a case-by-case and highly individualized basis. The center encourages students to make an active decision about the use of accommodations at the very start of each semester. 

When Priscilla Ferreyra became ill with breast cancer, she knew she would need help with sorting out her studies and treatment. She reached out to the center to gain guidance on the next steps for accommodations and even pausing her education and gained a wealth of knowledge from a staff member who also was a cancer survivor.

“Hearing from him was eye-opening. It was nice to see him overcome the disease—you see so much negativity online,” she noted.

From some, when unexpected things occur, it can be difficult to maintain mental health. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides therapy to online students and their families with an digital or face-to-face services provided through WellConnect. These mental health services are covered by the student health fee, so there is no additional cost. 

“We are living through a uniquely difficult time,” said Todd Lengnick, director of Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS). “But we are here to help and offer hope. We’ll get through this together.”

Students can call 866-640-4777 and mention FIU as the school code or visit go.fiu.edu/counseling and log in with their FIU credentials to start taking advantage of the services.

FIU is helping its students in need, including those who are online. The Student Food Pantry is available to all currently enrolled students. No proof of need is required, and students can access the pantry once a week taking up to 10 pounds of food each visit. Students need to fill out a form on the pantry’s website and bring their FIU I Card ID.

If you suddenly need a computer, FIU’s computer labs can help. The university’s computer labs are open to currently registered students. Students will need to sign in and provide a valid Panther ID for entry. Students have access to a variety of discipline-specific software for Windows and Macintosh.

When you don’t know where to turn, and you need help identifying options and resolving student issues, students can connect with the university’s Ombudsperson. The Ombudsperson may resolve problems through various methods, including making inquiries or referrals to the appropriate University department for review.

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) has been a long-time champion for fostering a campus culture where students, faculty and staff have the resources to work together in a barrier-free learning environment. The department’s dedicated staff guide and support students with disabilities and assist them along the way to a successful college experience.

“Some of the benefits of using the DRC include the fact that students, such as myself, are helped to succeed and not struggle in their classes so that they may graduate in a timely manner; as well as feeling a sense of inclusion with the rest of the diverse community here at FIU,” said Mayasophia Cárdenas-Ríos, a junior studying international business.

This semester, the DRC introduced Cori, the center's first-ever mascot, in hopes of facilitating dialogue about various disability topics, such as service and emotional support animals on campus, the lived disability experience, and invisible disabilities. 

“While we always aim to provide a stellar array of core services related to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), we are thrilled that Cori creates buzz about the DRC,” said Amanda Niguidula, director of the Disability Resource Center.

Cori, a Corgi, will serve as an educational tool and rebranding effort to help destigmatize disability in the FIU community and to empower students, faculty and staff to be more inclusive in their practices and programming. 

Additionally, Cori’s presence on DRC’s social media sites will allow for a more interactive experience.

“I feel that Cori can make the benefits of using the DRC better by creating a sense of camaraderie among the entire community here at FIU while informing them of the various resources the DRC has to offer. Plus, who doesn’t love dogs!” said Cárdenas-Ríos.

“It’s an exciting time for us to draw attention to the talented and accomplished students who work together to make FIU a more inclusive community,” added Niguidula.

Learn more about the Disability Resource Center and everything it has to offer.

And be sure to follow Cori on Instagram and Facebook as he shares his journey, which will highlight the day-to-day adventures of students with disabilities from the point of view of a service animal.

On the strength of its state and national regional championships last spring, FIU Law is now ranked among the nation’s Top 20 law school trial teams, tied for 19th.

Students on the trial team learn how to prepare a case for trial. They review legal documents, witness statements and physical evidence. In competition they argue motions, deliver opening statements, conduct direct and cross examinations and deliver closing arguments. Second-year, third-year and evening law students are selected based on their performance at a rigorous tryout.  

The Trial Competition Performance Rankings are based on competition data compiled by the University of Georgia School of Law at www.trialteamcentral.org and maintained by the Fordham University School of Law Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Professor H. Scott Fingerhut, who serves as assistant director of the Trial Advocacy Program.  Professor H.T. Smith is the program’s founding director.

“H.T. and I could not be prouder of our students, passionate, principled advocates all, for this remarkable achievement,” Fingerhut said. “Mock trial at the law school level, the southeast region in particular, is extraordinarily competitive, and breaking into the national Top 20 is a surefire indication that we are doing something right.

“From the Dean’s unwavering confidence in our abilities, to our magnificently-skilled alumni coaching staff, to our tireless and creative administrative and audio-visual crew, we support one another as family.  Like they say, ‘it takes a village,’ and this village now stands among the country’s very best.  It’s all a reflection of our special FIU advocacy brand, as together we continue to cultivate the next generation of great trial lawyers.”

We know this because scientists from every Arctic country in Europe, Asia and North America have been working together for 30 years, carrying out coordinated experiments to examine vegetation change across the tundra biome. The journal Arctic Science is commemorating these efforts with a special issue this fall that focuses on three decades of research findings from the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX). These researchers know better than most what a warming planet looks like.

“There are shrubs that are almost tree-size,” said Steven Oberbauer, FIU biologist and North American lead for ITEX. “It’s not supposed to be that way. At least, that’s not how it used to be.”

Traditionally, plants in the Arctic’s tundra region are low-lying and grow very slowly because of their very short growing season. But as temperatures warm, the growing season is beginning earlier. Some plants are moving into areas they did not occupy before, and species composition is changing. These changes have not been swift and easily could have gone unrecognized. But ITEX is doing what it was designed to do — documenting and providing an understanding of the impacts of climate change on this vast, treeless region with its frozen subsoil.

The work being done by this international network of scientists isn’t showy. The scientists trek to the same research sites year after year conducting experiments and documenting what they find. It’s their consistency that makes their work special. It began as studies of individual plant species, but ITEX has grown to the warming effects on entire ecosystems. After 30 years of data collection, scientists can answer many questions about what is happening and what the world should expect for the future of the Arctic. For the questions they don’t yet have answers to, their 30 years of research have laid the groundwork for investigations that will continue to search for answers.

Scientists first sounded the alarm for a rapidly warming Arctic in the mid-1980s. Some met and agreed to work together, forming ITEX. In 1992, Alexandra Fiord in the Canadian High Arctic became the first official site. Oberbauer attended his first ITEX meeting in 1994 — two years after the project launched and 17 years after he first started working in the Arctic. He says maintaining a long-term, multi-site, multi-institution collaboration like ITEX is hard to do. There were times when the grants ran out. Personnel changed. And even more recently, travel was all but blocked because of a global pandemic. Yet, somehow, the scientists found ways to keep the data collection going. Part of ITEX’s success may be attributed to the small number of participants, which fluctuates but usually involves no more than 100 researchers. It’s a tight-knit community that has spent three decades working together across three continents for the benefit of the planet.

The tundra is an ecosystem struggling to maintain balance. But just as Arctic Science is featuring 30 years of ITEX research, it’s also highlighting recommendations for expanded research opportunities and the need for ITEX to continue on.

Oberbauer, who will soon celebrate his 68th birthday, is laying the groundwork for other FIU researchers to continue his sites with ITEX. But after 30 years with this project and more than 45 total in the Arctic, he’s not quite ready to be totally done.

“I love going out in the field,” Oberbauer said. “It’s just a lot of fun. It’s so beautiful out there. As long as I can, I’ll probably keep going.”

After earning his master’s degree in computer science in 2013 and working at companies including Motorola, Dettbarn noticed a large gap in organizations being able to manage Apple devices (Apple Macs, iPhones and iPads). Addigy was born. 

“No one was focusing on the apple ecosystem, so I quit my job, and with a second child on the way, it was the most perfect time to start a bootstrapped business,” Dettbarn says.  

The humble beginnings of a great success 

Seven years ago, when Dettbarn started Addigy, he built software and sold it, literally, out of his spare bedroom. He expanded to a small office, and for his first hires, he went back to his roots — he hired two graduates from  FIU's Computer Science Department. Today, his company employs 80 staffers. 

With a couple thousand customers globally, Dettbarn says Addigy is growing at a significant pace, and with that growth, he’s built a pipeline of fit talent to rise to the needs. Every one of the key roles at Addigy from product management to leadership and operations to security, is filled by an FIU graduate, he reveals. Many of these employees started as interns with the company. 

“We are definitely the recipients of great talent from FIU,” affirms Dettbarn who highlights that there is no shortage of work for computer scientists. 

Proud of his Panther network, Dettbarn came back to his alma mater several years ago when he landed a spot in a StartUP FIU entrepreneurship program, which helped him hone his business skills — skills he used to support a global expansion of his company. 

If you're looking for some insight about the tech scene from this wildly successful alumnus, you're in luck. He shared advice for Panthers looking to break into the field.

Tips for students

The most important thing for those in computer engineering is to be assertive and have the fundamentals like Java, and try not to get into computer languages, because you can always learn computer languages, Dettbarn advises.  

“But having full web stack experience is extremely important today because everything out there falls into those categories. There are graduates who don’t have those fundamentals and it’s a real disservice to their careers to not have that,” he offers. 

Dettbarn notes that he looks for graduates who are “malleable,” who are willing to learn. Some companies may look for candidates who have years of experience in a computer programming language, but languages will change over time, he says.  

“I look for employees who are hungry, humble and smart. We’re humble, that means the smartest people in the company will listen to their peers and are hungry for feedback. Those with egos don’t last in the company,” he says. 

His best advice to those who are nearing graduation: Keep learning. 

“Be willing and able to help and be coached and you will have success,” he says. 

With the Internet of Things, hand-held devices and remote work options — the future is going to be even more replete with technology than before. At the same time, the need for professionals who can provide seamless, secure experiences will be even greater, explains Alexander Perez-Pons, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“It’s going to be wonderful, one day, when we have autonomous vehicles. They're going to be communicating with each other and with various centralized locations. The infrastructure that supports this will need protection,” he illustrates as an example. “This is also the case with drones. Soon, Amazon will be using drones to make package deliveries to your home. Again, they'll be communicating with a network, so protecting the infrastructure with networking security will be important in the future with the growth we see.”

According to Perez-Pons, the best route to be in-demand and fully versed to handle the technology growth is to pursue a computer engineering degree that offers graduates the tools to address network security from both hardware and software considerations. In the following Q & A, Perez-Pons offers his take on why the M.S. in Computer Engineering: Network Security degree is so valuable.

Network security and computer engineering — what's the connection?

Computer engineering is at the crossroads between both hardware and software, and network security is supported by both. You must understand devices and programming, both hardware and software. There are a multitude of skills you master with computer engineering that help you gain this understanding. It’s a combination of these items that are relied on for creating and building network security solutions.

What is the role of computer engineers in network security?

A strong computer engineering background provides the ability to find solutions when it comes to network security. For example, you need to be able to analyze malware. That means you must understand computing programs and software in order to understand and lend support to the forensics process. With forensics, you need an understanding of how devices operate — the hardware — and how these devices provide access to the information that resides on them, in addition to how these devices communicate, end to end.

You have to understand the software that's involved, how devices do encryption and how they execute on various platforms or endpoints. Things like encryption algorithms provide safety for data and transmission when you have data in transition and, again, this is the software side.

What is the value in earning an M.S. degree in computer engineering with a network security specialization?

Many of the skill sets that you acquire with computer engineering, the software and hardware understandings, are aligned with the network security courses that are part of our computer engineering program.

Hardware understandings include how devices are configured, how they are integrated into a network and how they're integrated in and operate to support each other. Computer engineering provides the fundamental and tangible skills that you will need to be able to map those skills into the network security aspects.

The edge to having a computer engineering degree is that you know a graduate is going to have both the software and hardware skills, in addition to the network security portion. Computer engineering is a technical degree, which means you have the technical skills to build an organization’s network security infrastructure.

The Master of Science in Computer Engineering: Network Security track is a technical degree in computer engineering that provides students with the tools to understand hardware, software and communication skills — the hard, technical skills needed with regard to network security.

How has today's computer engineering adapted and changed to needs?

There is an explosion of growth with embedded devices. There are more devices communicating and more Internet of Things devices, so now we know we have a different infrastructure. We also have 5G now coming online in areas for better communications among devices. This acceleration is creating different types of abuse cases that will exist in different applications. So networking is fundamental, especially with remote work and working from home across cities and countries. There are different infrastructures to consider. We need to protect those endpoints. We need to make sure that we safeguard those networks. 

The exponential growth that we've seen means we're going to need much more network security, so network security has to adapt to support the protection of these devices even further. We're going to have more networking occurring in our society and more protection will be needed. Whether it's Wi-Fi networking or other physical networks, they all have to be protected.

The way malware gets on a computer is through a network. The way that you know certain attacks are performed are through the network. Unless you come physically to your environment and connect to your computer directly, hackers are going to be able to gain access to your resources through the network, unless you protect it. The network is an indispensable means of protection and the vehicle that's used by many attackers to gain access to your data and resources. 

If you're trying to protect an infrastructure, it's got to be the network — it's the most fundamental aspect and the core of what you need to protect, more than anything else. This is why we picked network security as being the most important specialization that we need to look at.

FIU is a driver of the new South Florida tech boom. With a history of turning out highly qualified graduates who together have laid a foundation for the growing industry, the university is redoubling efforts to meet the demands of an exciting, unprecedented era.

Miami Tech, shorthand for a technology hub now in the making, has a buttress in FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing.

“This is our moment,” says John Volakis, dean of the college. “We realize that we have a responsibility to enable the Miami Tech movement, and we are taking that responsibility seriously.”

And that responsibility goes way back.

“We were here before #MiamiTech,” says Steven Luis, executive director for technology at the college, referencing the hashtag that first appeared in early tweets that called for marshalling ideas and resources in support of a concerted, communitywide initiative. “FIU has been steadily contributing to the success of the industry in Miami for years.”

ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE

Chief among those contributions: graduating more than 5,000 computer science and information technology professionals in recent years.

“To have a tech boom, you need an educated workforce,” says Jason Liu, interim director of the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences. “Companies come here, and they’re going to look for talent, and FIU is the No. 1 feeder into this market.”

Already the country’s top producer of minority graduates in STEM, FIU has a commitment to honing local talent. “Why import tech workers when we can grow our own?” ask folks like Miami Mayor Francis Suarez ’01 and others within the community. Enrollment in computing and information technology majors at FIU has doubled in recent years and, nationally, experts predict an unprecedented demand for tech employees. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in computer and information technology are expected to grow 13% by 2030, resulting in more than 650,000 jobs. According to one analysis, Florida ranked among the top five states for information technology job postings.

FIU alumnus Miami Mayor Francis Suarez '01 talks about converting the "brain drain to the brain gain." Courtesy of the Miami Herald

It was growing demand – from Miamians who are increasingly seeking careers in tech and from companies that need skilled talent – and FIU’s steps to meet the demand that motivated the Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to invest $10 million in the school last year (which has since been renamed in recognition of the donation). The contribution, says Raul Moas, senior director of community and national initiatives at the foundation, “is leveraging an undeniable trend of increased demand from our community to break into tech and FIU’s commitment to meeting those aspirations head on.”

FIU has since promised $100+ million over the next few years to advance tech education. Already the university has broken ground on a nearly $75 million, six-story building complete with makerspaces, active learning classrooms and research labs.

AN EDUCATION IN TUNE WITH INDUSTRY

The heart of FIU’s efforts to turn out workforce-ready graduates remains hiring top professors and working with industry partners to ensure a robust curriculum that meets real-world needs.

“We’re asking companies to work with us so that we develop students’ core competencies in the skills that are needed in the region,” FIU’s Luis says. “We can’t do this alone. We want to create a strong tech ecosystem with companies.”

Industry goliaths such as security software company Kaseya and human resources software company Ultimate Kronos Group, both based in South Florida, began partnering with FIU years ago. Company and school leaders met together to discuss ways to ensure a primed workforce, and hundreds of students and graduates have since accepted internships and jobs with the two firms in recognition of the high-quality education and ready-to-go skills behind them. Kaseya and Kronos have followed up with in-kind donations to the school and support for a variety of student activities as well as on-campus trainings in specialized areas.

More recent collaborations include a joint $2.25 million investment from the Knight Foundation that will allow expanded programming with national nonprofit CodePath to increase diversity in computer science and engineering. FIU is also powering the new SoftBank Operator School to prepare students to run tech startups and partnering with Break Through Tech to propel women and members of other underrepresented communities into technology careers.

THE PROOF IS IN THE OUTPUT

Wildly successful alumni like Rachelle Tobkes ’16, who within a few short years earned the title of “Rockstar Engineer” among the more than 2,000 software engineers at multinational tech giant Citrix, can’t say enough about the launching pad she found on campus.

“FIU prepared me for being a software engineer in the real world,” Tobkes says. “FIU not only developed me for my career, but also connected me to professionals, internships and job opportunities, which played a huge role in landing and excelling in my current position.”

Another Panther in the field: Jason Dettbarn ’02, MS ‘13, founder and CEO of Miami-based Addigy Technology. Following time at Motorola and elsewhere, he started the cloud-based IT management platform for Mac users in 2014. To complement his earlier FIU computer science training, Dettbarn applied for a spot in the highly competitive StartUP FIU entrepreneurship engine to hone his business skills. Soon he raised more than $9 million in venture capital to support a global expansion of his company, which today has 75 employees.

Dettbarn has returned frequently to campus to host quarterly meetings with his management team and mentor senior students as they complete required design projects.

“More than half of our employees come from FIU,” says Dettbarn, who scoops up a handful of graduating seniors at the conclusion of each design-project showcase. “It’s like going back to the wishing well and tapping into the finest of Miami,” he says. “The people of FIU continue to be a big part of my journey and success.”

#Miami Tech, here we come. 

Cyberattacks are surging in all categories of the digital sphere and are likely to become more frequent and damaging, says Alexander Perez-Pons, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

With high profile attacks on network management company SolarWinds; the Colonial Pipeline; meat processing company JBS; and software firm Kaseya the urgency for professionals who can counteract, contain and even prevent network breaches has moved to the forefront, highlighting the great need for graduates with a master's in computer engineering, which focuses on network security and takes just 10 months to complete.

Security needs

“If you look at the horizon, there will be what looks like an explosion in IoT devices—more devices everywhere recording, monitoring, gathering information,” says Perez-Pons. “These devices make our lives easier, but how can security now not be a major factor?”

When looking at the past 30-plus years of devices and programming, Perez-Pons points out that decades ago, the main push was the functionality and capability of a product. Security for devices was not a main component.

“Consumers assume that companies are doing their due diligence to protect their data with security measures,” cautions Perez-Pons, who admits he does whatever possible to keep his exposure limited.

One common security measure that is taken to limit data exposure is using two-factor identification. Information is a commodity that can be traded even when there are security measures in place—there are privacy concerns today that question how much control you have over your data, he explains. There’s always a possibility that somebody may try to gain access to your devices and this is why two-factor identification is a good thing because it protects the network.

“Minimizing your digital ‘surface’ or exposure is a good way of thinking,” says Perez-Pons, and it starts with cybersecurity that considers network security. “So, if the networks are safe, good communication can take place and anything that is suspicious or could have malicious intent can be identified and stopped before it goes further.”

National need

This was the case in the Kaseya breach. Kaseya is an IT and security management solutions provider for managed services providers and small to medium-sized businesses. The company responded quickly to a ransomware attack on its network infrastructure that was launched over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The company found the network breach and was able to limit the effects to about 50 of its 35,000 customers, provide a decryption key and avoided paying a ransom.

“Cyberattacks are on the rise, and it’s no longer a question of if, but when. Network security is here to stay as companies need to be diligent about their security posture,” says Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya. “There is an untapped gold mine of professional opportunities in this area, which comes with job security for the long-term.”

The urgency to help stop the breaches has the current federal administration moving to boost critical infrastructure. Collaborative work is being initiated across agencies to ensure new methods are used to prevent attacks. This is an evolving industry, however, insists Perez-Pons. One where professionals in the field need to be many steps ahead of criminals and be prepared with the latest methods and knowledge because it’s a shifting surface. It’s not static—he stresses that what we secure today may not be secure tomorrow—it’s ongoing.

Because of the shifting nature of the field, many professionals are seeking education and training in the latest techniques with higher education and certifications, such as with the master’s degree in computer engineering, notes Perez-Pons.

M.S. in Computer Engineering: Network Security

The fully online M.S. in Computer Engineering, which focuses on network security, offers students exposure on how to configure firewalls and how to be able to secure whole networks for organizations, Perez-Pons says. In addition, the program provides preparation for valuable certifications including Network+, Security+, and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

“It covers what's involved with when you communicate and how you need encryption, to make sure that if somebody is sniffing or doing a man-in-the-middle attack, they're not going to see that information has been transmitted in plain English,” says Perez-Pons, who describes the forensic techniques that are used, including reverse engineering needs to limit or neutralize ransomware or malware attacks. 

Many of Perez-Pons’ students are professionals already working in the field, looking for an “uptick” in their careers to specialize and move into a higher earning bracket. The fact that the degree is offered online offers a great advantage to those who work, he notes. 

The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have designated FIU as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. The designation, pioneered by Perez-Pons, helps FIU meet the growing demand for professionals with network and cybersecurity expertise in various disciplines.

“We have to be 100 percent right all the time. If we just have one small weak link, and an attacker finds that, they only have to be right once,” says Perez-Pons. “As you can see, the demand is huge.”

Miami-Dade student support specialists who already have master’s degrees in counseling, social work or a related field of study, can enroll in FIU’s School Counselor Pathway Program to work toward their certification in school counseling. The first cohort of 30 have already begun the online program.

“With this program, we are going to make a significant difference, filling the ongoing need for school counselors in our local school system,” said Laura Dinehart, dean of the School of Education and Human Development.

The demand for school counselors has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Education Association. For its part, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of school counselors to grow by 10 percent through 2031 with 32,000 annual openings expected during that time period.

Coursework in FIU’s pathway program focuses on providing critical services for students and collaborating with parents, teachers, school and district administrators to coordinate the delivery of programs. Students in the program will also learn about activities that help children succeed in school.

“The selected course curriculum is very similar to what we do in our nationally accredited School Counseling Program, and the instructors have worked in the field as school counselors or have taught the courses as subject matter experts for several years,” said Associate Professor Valerie Dixon, director of the Counselor Education program.

Students must complete a supervised school counseling internship in the spring, and then are eligible to take the Florida school counseling certification exam. M-DCPS is covering costs of their employees to attend the program.

FIU is helping address a national shortage of highly qualified rehabilitation counselors with $1 million in tuition support for master’s level students.

Certified rehabilitation counselors work with state, federal and private entities to coordinate services that assist people with disabilities cope with limitations, obtain employment and live the most independent life they can live.

As the population ages and veterans with disabilities transition to life outside the military, demand for rehabilitation counselors continues to grow according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

To keep up with the demand, the U.S. Department of Education is giving FIU a $900,000 “Training ‘Beyond Possible’ Rehabilitation Counselors” grant over the next five years. FIU is matching those funds for a total grant amount of $1 million.

The grant will cover full tuition and provides stipends and allows for students to attend and present at conferences that lead to networking opportunities and a better understanding of the profession. The program takes about two years to complete. Students participate in two field experiences and become national certified rehabilitation counselors upon passing an examination.

“My students leave here as nationally certified rehabilitation counselors,” said Associate Professor Valerie E.D. Russell, the grant’s principal investigator and program coordinator of the FIU Master of Science in Counselor Education Rehabilitation Counseling Track. “It prepares them for immediate national and international career opportunities, not just a job.”

For more details on rehabilitation counseling track of FIU’s Master of Science in Counselor Education program and to apply, click here.

FIU has launched a customized doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy studies to respond to urgent issues facing Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), America’s fourth-largest school district.

Faculty in FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education worked closely with M-DCPS to redesign the doctoral degree to focus on specific challenges impacting education today in South Florida, such as teacher retention, limited family involvement and curriculum issues.

To identify the school district’s needs, FIU surveyed more than 400 M-DCPS school site administrators. M-DCPS then selected top issues that the different classes will work to address. The current class of 11 administrators is focusing on teacher retention. The students, who began their studies in January, include principals and assistant principals from throughout the district.

“At FIU, we’re always working to stay ahead of the game. We routinely ensure our degree programs are relevant and give our students the skills and knowledge employers need,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “The findings and work that will be completed by these students will help M-DCPS address critical issues and also have major implications for educational policy.”

The 72-credit hour program can be completed in seven semesters. Some future topics that these classes will tackle include educational policy, applications of educational psychology, and education research and data analysis.

“FIU’s fully-customized Educational Leadership program offered a rigorous curriculum that is ideal for principals and assistant principals,” said Miami Palmetto Senior High School Assistant Principal Tierney E. Hunter. “The support, guidance and motivation I received from award-winning educators will prove instrumental to my success as an educator.”

The second class of seven administrators will begin in the fall.

“Providing our classroom teachers and school administrators with learning opportunities that will expand their bandwidth of knowledge is critical to elevating student academic performance and narrowing the achievement gap,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho. “I am thrilled about our ongoing partnership with Florida International University and the school’s new doctoral degree program which focuses on issues such as education policy, accountability, research, and teacher retention in Miami-Dade County Public Schools – all of which impact student performance.”

FIU and M-DCPS have worked together over the past seven years through a collaboration known as Achieving Community Collaboration in Education and Student Success (ACCESS). An achievement-oriented partnership, ACCESS aligns the combined instructional, research and creative talents of FIU and M-DCPS to improve the academic success of K-12 students

ASP participants have access to weekly, one-on-one tutoring in up to two subject areas. They also participate in biweekly sessions with an academic coach, who helps students develop the study and test-taking strategies that work best for them, improve time management and motivation, and more.

“It’s all based on what the individual student needs,” said academic coach Kiara Kumar. “Over the course of the program, I listen to them and help them identify areas we can work on together, and from there, we build their plan.”

ASPs typically last two semesters – during the first semester, Kumar works with students to identify and develop success tactics, and the second semester focuses on employing and perfecting those tactics to ensure long-term success.

“Each student is different and has different needs,” said Kumar. “One student may really need help with reading comprehension and notetaking, while another may be confident in their study skills but struggle when it comes time to put the knowledge learned to the test.”

It’s making a difference: The ASP program boasted a 100 percent year-over-year retention rate among the students who participated last academic year. Over the past two years, students who participated have seen an average increase of 0.14 in their cumulative GPAs.

“It’s so difficult to raise a cumulative GPA, but this increase could mean the difference between someone being on academic probation and then getting off, or being close to probation and then getting in the clear,” said Kumar.

Junior Dakota Ali is one of the program’s recent success stories. Ali hopes to pursue a career in medicine; but, last year, organic chemistry and physics seemed to be getting the best of him.

“I felt like I just couldn’t pass the classes, but I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to be in the medical field. I was feeling like I didn’t have anywhere to turn for help, and that’s when I learned about the program,” Ali said.

With an ASP and Kumar’s support, Ali passed the classes and is back on track for graduation.

“Working with [Kumar] felt like working with family – she’s an extension of your support system, and she really cares,” he said. Ali’s recipe for success was a combination of consistent tutoring, tips to improve notetaking and focus, and one-on-one support from Kumar – and it paid off.

“Now I have the confidence to overcome any mistakes I may make and move forward,” Ali said, adding, “If you’re willing to put in the effort, this program will make all the difference for you.” Learn more about Academic Success Plans online or by emailing Kiara Kumar at ckumar@fiu.edu.

With a humble heart and a great sense of Panther pride, I am honored to begin my journey as the sixth president of FIU, an institution that means so much to me and to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community.

Today, as I begin this new chapter, I am grateful to every member of our FIU family for your tireless work and passion for FIU. On a personal note, I thank you for your support and guidance, especially throughout my months of service as Interim President. I am also thankful to the members of our FIU Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee for entrusting me to lead FIU to new heights. I humbly look forward to meeting with the Board of Governors next month as part of the presidential confirmation process and thank its members in advance for their support of FIU.

As a proud member of the Panther family for the last 13 years, I firmly believe in the strength of our university community, one that for 50 years has pushed boundaries, exceeded expectations, and affected change in our city, the state, our nation, and the world. Inspired by our past, and propelled by the hopes and dreams of tomorrow, I am energized and optimistic about all that we will accomplish together.

At FIU, we have a unique opportunity to continue being a leader in solving the most complex problems of our day, all while giving committed and hardworking students in our community the chance to succeed. As your President, I promise to lead FIU with humility, honesty, and integrity, always keeping an open mind and listening to you.

As I mentioned in last week’s community sessions, my presidency will be anchored by four key pillars: student success, research excellence, sustainable resources, and affinity and engagement. Guided by FIU’s Next Horizon 2025 Strategic Plan, I am confident that we will be among the top 50 public universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings by 2025.

We are well on our way. FIU is the fastest-rising university in U.S. News public rankings in the last 10 years, and we have already achieved many “Top 50” rankings, including those focused on economic mobility, return on investment, innovation, and research expenditure growth, which are so closely aligned to our mission. 

As the largest R1 Hispanic Serving Institution in the country, FIU will continue to invest in our students and their academic and career successes. In addition, we will continue to support and embrace faculty who are pushing the boundaries of research and bringing that knowledge into the classroom as part of evidence-based and inclusive teaching that educates students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

FIU has always had lofty goals. As President, and with your support, I will work every day to make sure we continue this tradition into our next 50 years.

I look forward to what is next for this university, and I am grateful to all of you for joining me in this new and exciting journey for FIU.

Sincerely,

Kenneth A. Jessell
President-Designate

The selection of Jessell, who has served as FIU’s interim president since January, is pending confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors.

“In Dr. Jessell we have found the best possible leader for FIU at this moment in its history,” said Dean C. Colson, chair of the FIU Board of Trustees. “His passion, vision, and knowledge of the institution are unmatched. We are fortunate to have him.”

FIU’s Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Roger Tovar, vice chair of the FIU Board of Trustees, spent months working with a search firm to identify, recruit and interview candidates. 

The search firm communicated with approximately 186 individuals regarding the position. From this group, more than 70 individuals submitted their documents to be considered by the search committee. Jessell was chosen from a highly qualified pool of 12 individuals that the Presidential Search Committee interviewed. Nine of the 12 were sitting, past or interim presidents.

“Dr. Jessell has been a key part of the leadership team that has brought FIU to this point, and he’s the right leader to keep us moving forward as a leading research institution,” Tovar said.

In the days leading up to today’s BOT meeting, Dr. Jessell held six open forums during which he took questions from students, faculty, staff and members of the community. 

During the forums, Jessell laid out four key areas of focus: Student success, research excellence, sustainable resources, and affinity and engagement.

“We have realized significant success in many of these areas, and yes, the best is yet to come for FIU,” Jessell said. “FIU is on a trajectory of success, and I am committed to ensuring that we have the focus and the resources to achieve our goals and continue to provide our students exceptional opportunities.”

FIU is the fastest-rising university in U.S. News & World Report public rankings in the last 10 years and has achieved many “Top 50” rankings, including those focused on economic mobility, return on investment, innovation, and research expenditure growth.

Prior to serving as interim president, Jessell was FIU’s senior vice president for finance and administration and CFO for 13 years. In this position, he was responsible for the management and administration of financial, facility and business service operations of the university. He also is a professor of finance in the College of Business Administration at FIU.

Prior to his time at FIU, Jessell served as the senior vice president for financial affairs at Florida Atlantic University. During his 26-year career at FAU, Jessell served in several key leadership positions, including interim university provost, interim vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FAU Foundation, associate university provost and associate dean in the College of Business Administration. Jessell started at FAU in 1983 as an assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Real Estate.

Jessell’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of financial management and real estate finance and appraisal. He has published 16 articles and abstracts in academic journals including The Financial Review, Journal of Cash Management, The Appraisal Review, Housing Finance Review, Applied Economics and Journal of Financial Education. He also has presented several research papers in the areas of finance and real estate at professional conferences and organizations including the Oxford Roundtable in Oxford, England.

A native Floridian, Jessell received his Baccalaureate Degree in Political Science from Florida State University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Finance from FSU. Jessell and his wife Lori have two adult children, Amanda and John, and a grandson James.

Jessell’s appointment now is pending confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which is scheduled to meet on Nov. 9 and 10, 2022.

Additional mages and videos can be found at this link.

Today, your FIU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name Dr. Kenneth A. Jessell the university’s sixth president. 

We are fortunate to have been able to recruit Dr. Jessell, who has served as interim president since January. His presidency now is pending confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which is scheduled to meet on November 9 and 10, 2022.

During the past few months, we have seen Dr. Jessell’s vision and his commitment to FIU. We are confident he is the individual uniquely suited to propel this university into its next 50 years. A Panther through and through, he has been part of the management team that has helped make FIU the fastest-rising university of the last 10 years in U.S. News & World Report public rankings. His work ethic, his sharp mind and kind heart are the hallmarks of great leadership.

Dr. Jessell was selected after the Presidential Search Committee, chaired by BOT Vice Chair Roger Tovar, worked with a search firm to identify, recruit, and interview candidates.  

The search firm communicated with approximately 186 individuals regarding the position. From this group, more than 70 individuals submitted their documents to be considered by the search committee. Dr. Jessell stood out in a highly-qualified pool of 12 individuals that the Presidential Search Committee interviewed. Nine of the 12 were sitting, past or interim presidents. 

Last week the FIU community had opportunities to interact with Dr. Jessell during a series of forums. Transcripts from those sessions were reviewed by members of the Board of Trustees leading up to today’s vote. 

I want to thank you —the FIU community—for participating in the sessions, for bringing forward challenges and opportunities, and for demonstrating your respect for Dr. Jessell, whom many of you know well from his 13-year track record of integrity and success at FIU. 

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Jessell on his appointment as FIU’s sixth president and supporting him as he embarks on this new assignment as the president of one of the largest and most dynamic institutions in the nation. 

Go Panthers!

Dean C. Colson
Chair, FIU Board of Trustees

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the federal government agency which oversees the United States’ humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts abroad, is hosting its second annual conference and career expo at FIU from October 18-20. 

The free, open-to-the-public conference focuses on what USAID does, why partnerships between federal agencies and Hispanic Serving Institutions like FIU are important, and how students and alumni can start a career with the agency. High level speakers include the Agency’s Deputy Administrator Paloma Adams-Allen and Chief Diversity Officer Neneh Diallo.

The event is the first major FIU-USAID collaboration since USAID’s Administrator Samantha Power and FIU Interim President Kenneth Jessell signed an agreement to work closely together on talent development and research efforts this March. During the conference, FIU and USAID leaders will meet to discuss additional projects including the already-in-the-works FIU-USAID digital badge and speaker series to prepare students who wish to work in international development. 

The hybrid conference takes place virtually October 18^th and 19^th and has in-person sessions at the Wolfe University Center ballrooms at the BBC October 20^th, which includes free lunch and a networking reception there. In addition to USAID-focused panel discussions, representatives of the Peace Corps will be available.

The conference was designed to correspond with the Partnership for Public Service’s “Public Service Roadshow.” The Partnership, the nation’s leading nonprofit promoting federal government service, will host additional sessions at MMC featuring the speakers from the Cybersecurity Talent Initiative and Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as a session for humanities majors, highlighting the fact that there is opportunity in government for all majors and interests.

In the weeks prior to the conference, USAID challenged several student groups, including DC Fly-In alumni and current Hamilton Scholars in Washington, to pitch ideas of how the agency could be more innovative and inclusive in supporting women farmers in Peru. The winners of this case competition, which includes a $15,000 grand prize, will be announced at BBC on Thursday.

To register for the USAID conference, click here.

Longtime FIU supporter Elliot Stone cares deeply about the health of the environment. The founder of Royal Castle Builders, LLC, Stone is a Miami native who sees the powerful, positive results of serving his community.

That's why when FIU’s Institute of Environment needed to add a buoy to its Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay monitoring system, Stone stepped in with a $50,000 gift.

"The work that FIU is doing to understand and protect our local environment is uniquely valuable," says Stone. "Whether in Biscayne Bay, the Keys, or the Everglades, FIU is leading the way for us to live harmoniously in these very special ecosystems. I am honored to do a small part in furtherance of this all important mission." 

The specialized little yellow buoys don’t just float in one place to guide ships or mark boating lanes. They have work to do, and actively collect, analyze and transmit real-time data on water conditions back to FIU as part of the university’s efforts to address, and redress, environmental contamination.

In recognition of Stone’s generosity, FIU is naming the buoy the Royal Castle Companies & Singer Management LLC, Buoy.

An advocate of the university, Stone also supports FIU athletics and the Jewish Museum of Florida–FIU, among several other areas at the university. He is also a member of the FIU Foundation Board of Directors and established the Senator Richard B. Stone Public Policy Scholarship Endowment to help students interested in serving the public. The endowment honors his late father, who served Florida as a U.S. senator and the nation as an ambassador.

The buoy — made possible by Stone's gift — will play a crucial role in FIU's efforts to protect and preserve the Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay. 

“Buoys provide us with real-time data continuously," says Todd Crowl, director of FIU’s Institute of Environment. "Because the bay has so many inputs [canals, etc.] potentially bringing in contaminants and pollutants, we need a large network of these ‘sentinel’ buoys to be our eyes."

The buoy monitoring system is part of the larger overall Institute of Environment’s CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment’s mission to monitor and address the ecosystem’s responses to man-made and natural stressors in South Florida’s waters such as harmful algal blooms like red tide. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment is one of less than 30 such NSF-funded centers in the nation.

“To fully understand where our major pollutants are coming from, we have to heavily instrument Biscayne Bay,” Crowl explains. “Having individuals like Elliot donate funds to purchase an additional buoy to the five we currently operate shows that the community is aware of these issues and wants to help us protect our bay.”

Jose Faria is on a mission to get students to their dream jobs faster, while also helping members of our South Florida community earn a livelihood, especially those who are experiencing homelessness or formerly incarcerated individuals.

For these efforts, the 16-year veteran and Moss endowed chair of the Department of Construction in the Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability within the College of Engineering and Computing has been named the winner of the 2022 Real Triumphs Faculty Award. Each year, the President’s Council awards a professor $15,000 to recognize their research excellence, collaboration, teaching and leadership.

Faria was selected by members of the President’s Council Real Triumphs Faculty Award Committee. The cash prize will be distributed from an endowment funded by donations from the President’s Council, FIU’s premier community relations board. 

“One of the reasons why I’m extremely happy to receive this award is because it’s a testament to the work our team does,” said Faria. “We are making changes in the community. We are a department that’s committed to helping people.”

The Venezuelan native worked as an industrial engineer for Pepsi in his homeland before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. The shift to teaching as a professor came naturally to him.

“The most rewarding aspect of my work is seeing lives changed,” said Faria. “I see students who were once shy and insecure in the classroom turn into professionals that are confident and know what they want.”

Wanting to see students start their careers more quickly, Faria sought to increase the graduation rate in the Moss Department of Construction Management by creating a software that allows students and their advisors to better understand academic progress and offers specific pathways to graduation.

“These plans help students have a better experience and graduate faster so that they can get to work faster,” said Faria. “Then, they can start earning a higher salary faster and provide for their families.”

Faria collaborated with other faculty to change the curriculum to further ensure success for students, about 60 percent of whom work while taking classes. The changes resulted in a doubling of the four-year construction management graduation rate, which is projected to reach 60 percent.

Additionally, Faria helped develop and launch a community-focused Certificate Program on Construction Trades to provide free construction training and education to transform the lives of homeless, formerly incarcerated and underprivileged individuals through programs offered in local local community centers and jails. Over 1,200 people have benefited from this program.

“We do this outreach to the community for the betterment of those who live around us,” said Faria. “I’ve seen individuals who have been brought down to their knees in life because they’ve lost everything. Now, these same people have become an example to those around them. That is the most gratifying feeling that one can have.”

FIU star defensive back Demetrius Hill has had a busy season so far, showing up all over the field with big plays. The Panther has started all five games to date and looks forward to Friday night's showdown at 7 p.m. against the University of Texas, San Antonio, at FIU Stadium. This season, the redshirt freshman has been turning heads and making a name for himself, amassing 43 total tackles, a stat in which he leads the team.

But Hill knows football is just one half of any successful student-athlete's life. The sports management major knows that earning a degree remains the end goal. To get there, he and his teammates must walk a fine line: balance studies with sports. Learning to do that is critical to Hill's success, just as it is for every FIU student-athlete.

First, how do you manage your time between practice, games and travel with the time you need to read, study and go to class?
Like my parents always tell me, I’m a student-athlete, so I always get my schoolwork done first. I get it out of the way early in the week so that I have the rest of the week to focus on football and get ready for the next opponent.

What does FIU do to help you guys be successful in your studies?
The people at the SAC [Student-Athlete Academic Center] are amazing. Anytime I need tutoring, help with my studies, they’re there.

Do you guys ever take books and schoolwork on the road? Is that encouraged?
I always take my laptop and textbooks that I need according to the week or the assignment that I have to get done.

You put a lot of energy into the game. How do you then regroup to cover the academic side?
It’s not as easy as people would think or say it is. It’s kind of mentally hard but, you know, at the end of the day, you’ve got to push through. You’re a student-athlete, you’ve got to get the grades.

I've heard from other players that Coach Mac has been a very positive influence on you guys. Does he ever address the academic side?
Yes, always. He told us to be centered on the football field and off the football field. He’s high on class, hard on us to get our grades. I love that from a coach. I’ve never had it before, but I love how hard he is on us with things like that.”

People are giving you lots of props for your work on the field, even comparing you to the great Johnathan Cyprien. How are you feeling these days about the team and the season moving forward?
We’re in a rebuilding process. I really trust Coach Mac and my other coaches, and they trust in us. As We continue to build that trust, we’ll win more games, everything will come together.

What do you want to say to the fans in terms of getting them to show up for the game on Friday night?
I would love for everyone to come out, just like they did for the homecoming game and the first home game. Home games are the best. When our school supports us, that boosts the whole team. It’s always awesome to have my friends, my classmates, even sometimes my professors in the stands. I know they’re there somewhere, cheering us on, so it feels really good.

Kenneth A. Jessell currently serves in the temporary position of interim president and has been recommended by the presidential search committee as a finalist for the permanent job. The FIU Board of Trustees is considering Jessell and expected to make a decision in the coming weeks. 

The public gatherings featured introductory comments from Jessell and gave students, university personnel and outside supporters a chance to ask questions and gain insight into how he might lead the institution moving forward. The South Florida native is already known to many as he served as FIU’s senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer from 2009 until he accepted the role of interim president in January. 

Respected for his history of fiscal responsibility and a willingness to step in when called upon earlier this year by the Board of Trustees, Jessell stands out to many for his approachable demeanor, unbounded love for the institution and grounding in academia. He holds the position of full professor in the College of Business.  

Married to his wife of 46 years, Lori, with whom he shares adult children John and Amanda (Jeffrey) and grandson James, Jessell has been lauded for a steadfast nature that many view as ideal at a time of national debate on whether a university degree still holds value and how the growing burden of student-loan debt should be addressed. 

In his opening remarks, Jessell covered four priority areas on which the university has concentrated and to which he has committed his support should he be appointed president. 

Student success: “We will continue to be accountable to our stakeholders and measure our progress and performance in educating our students, including retention and graduation rates, employment and strategic degrees as well as other key metrics. FIU’s keen focus on performance has been the primary reason why we have excelled in both state and national rankings as well as why we have received significant incremental state performance funding and philanthropic funding. I am committed to our goal of achieving Top 50 Public University in U.S. News and World Report Rankings in three years. We all know an FIU education is not restricted to students with high financial resources, and our #4 ranking in social mobility by U.S. News and #32 ranking in Washington Monthly reflect our commitment to improving the lives of our students, their families and our community. We are committed to improving these impressive rankings even further.”

Research excellence: “I remain committed to the research enterprise of our university and the planned investment of resources to expand research opportunities. Research is critical to expanding knowledge, developing innovative solutions to problems and gaining a better understanding of the complex world we live in. Our research expenditures have surpassed $245 million, and we are in the Top 10 of research expenditure growth of R1 public universities over the past 10 years and we are poised to hit the $400 million mark by 2025.”

Sustainable resources: “FIU must have sufficient and sustainable human, physical and financial resources to fulfill our mission of outstanding teaching, research excellence and community engagement. The recruitment and retention of our best faculty and staff is my highest priority.” Jessell provided an update on a proposal approved last month by the Board of Trustees that makes a legislative budget request of $60.7 million that would put almost $26 million toward retention of outstanding faculty and staff. Also included is $5 million for the hiring of additional faculty in areas of strategic importance and $12.5 million for investments in technology to improve operational efficiencies and cover recurring costs and $15 million for scholarships. And he said that he would “advocate for additional funding to achieve a level that is fair and equitable for FIU compared to our sister institutions.” Finally, the former chief financial officer concluded: “You have my commitment that I will stay focused on FIU’s strategic priorities and not take on new initiatives that are not strategic and that often times dilute the scarce resources we already have. I will also work tirelessly on expanding our sources of revenues, particularly philanthropy, net auxiliary revenues and external grant funding and find ways to provide high quality administrative support services and achieve cost savings through shared services, including human resources, information technology, business and financial services and research administration.”

University affinity: “Students who are engaged with their university through student clubs and organizations . . . typically achieve greater gains in learning, are more satisfied with their college experiences, experience stronger mental health and well-being, feel more prepared for life after college, are more likely to promote their institution and give back financially to their alma mater. This engagement translates to higher retention and graduation rates of our students. These benefits are multiplied when we create an engaged community of faculty and staff where mentoring, collegial discussions and encouragement take place and where ideas for research and innovation emerge throughout our great halls, in our offices, in our Wolfe and Graham centers, in our food courts, on our plazas and lawns and on the Bay. The experience of our students while they are here will define how active and supportive alumni are. [Alumni] provide mentoring and internship opportunities for our current students and help improve job placement rates once our students graduate. And they help with admissions by serving as ambassadors and telling our remarkable story. And finally, we need to stay engaged with our community. We can enrich the lives of our residents through health and civic partnerships, service and research, and we know the community will reciprocate by supporting FIU.” 

During the question portion of the meetings, audience members attending either in-person or online inquired about a wide variety of topics, among them Jessell’s stance on acadeemic freedom; his position on work flexibility; his plans for retaining employee talent; the possibility of adjusting student fees; how student advising might be adapted to better meet the needs of undergraduates; how to expand use of the Biscayne Bay Campus and satellite FIU@I-75 location; and his support of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. 

As part of the Master of Science in Engineering Management, his course provides hands-on experience with a brewing company’s actual sales data — the hands-on experience in this case is all about the numbers, he stressed. Graduate students are given valuable tools for the fundamentals of demand planning and forecasting, he affirmed. 

Check out the Q and A below to learn more about the course and how it equips students to find solutions to real problems. 

What is your background?

My Ph.D. is in transportation engineering. My area of expertise is in operations research, revenue management and price optimization. I have worked for Continental Airlines, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Cargill Corporations, to name a few. I am also a consultant in many fields such as agriculture, consumer packaged goods and entertainment ticketing industries.

What do you teach in class?

For my class, I teach demand forecasting, pricing analytics and optimization. I lean on my real-world experience and offer my students an opportunity to solve real-world problems from the industry. In this course, students learn about forecasting methods such as regression, time series analysis and pricing analytics like price optimization and price elasticity of demand.

How do students use “real” data in your class?

I have a close relationship with a major brewing company. The brewing company sponsors the course by providing actual current retail data that I use for a final case study. My students gain real-world experience doing the case study, and the brewing company receives valuable forecasting and pricing analysis reports from my students.

What is the need for the knowledge provided in this class?

Any business, regardless of what they do, needs to conduct forecasting. Organizations need to know what the demand is for their products or services so they can plan. Furthermore, students in my class gain problem-solving skills, learn how to forecast demand, find optimal prices that maximize profit or market share. These abilities are invaluable for companies for procurement, planning, profitability, consumer retainment and inventory control. The skills learned can help companies determine supply chain needs and uncover vulnerabilities.

What’s the value of this class?

The value of this class is that it prepares students to identify internal and external forces affecting demand, as well as understand consumer purchase behavior. Students are taught how to determine frequent price changes like those in hospitality, agriculture, and transportation industries, to name a few. This education helps them understand the reason behind trends and shifts, to interpret what’s happening and make sense of the data. The result of this specific knowledge applied in practice is beneficial to any organization as it forms its decision-making process, pricing and operations.

How have industries changed with regard to forecasting and demand management?

Years ago, pricing was not scientific. However, the airlines who were the pioneers in using pricing science in their revenue management, understood how to forecast demand and use pricing science to compete with other players while still making a profit. We see other examples in hospitality and agriculture. There are supply, demand, and pricing trends to consider.

There was and continues to be a skill gap in demand management and pricing. I teach students to leverage a framework for statistical and scientific analysis that can be used in any industry. Using this framework, students can help predict demand and find the best options for positive results. This skill is something they can take with them and apply to their jobs when they graduate—wherever they go.

The five-year Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health will launch the Authentic Bioinformatics in the Classroom (ABC) project led by the FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education and its Department of Biological Sciences and STEM Transformation Institute.

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary STEM field that integrates the biology, chemistry, and physics of life science data with computer science, statistics and mathematics to analyze large amounts of biological data. Bioinformatics was a critical tool for scientists throughout the pandemic in tracking and better understanding COVID-19.

The FIU-led project opens doors for students to explore biology in new innovative ways, while also offering hands-on research opportunities. The team will partner with Miami-Dade County Public Schools administration and biology teachers to develop, implement, test, and improve a bioinformatics and research-oriented curriculum aligned with state standards for biology that requires no new lab equipment.

The ABC team, led by Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Jessica Liberles and Physics Professor Laird Kramer, includes Rocio Benabentos, associate director of the STEM Transformation Institute, and FIUteach faculty members Nicholas Oehm and Lisa Giles.

“The high school biology curriculum will be infused with bioinformatics to help students make connections between concepts,” Liberles said. “By adding fun, interactive explorations and visualizations of molecular data in ways that were not really possible before, we hope to increase the number of 'aha' moments in the classroom.”

The ABC project brings together FIU faculty, STEM Transformation Institute researchers, FIUteach students and high school biology teachers to boost the biology curriculum with some of the technological advances that have transformed much of how biological research is practiced, such as working with large data sets and using computer modeling to determine how viruses work.

FIU’s ABC project grew out of a one-credit, standalone Computational Biology of Emerging Infectious Disease FIU lab course Liberles developed that incorporated research experience for undergraduate biology students. Recently, students have used bioinformatics to identify potential targets on the structure of the coronavirus proteins that can be further investigated as antiviral targets against current and future coronaviruses.

By bringing this program to high schools, Liberles and Kramer hope to give at least 18,000 diverse students access to emerging and in-demand bioinformatics careers.

“For some students, there's always kind of a disconnect between what they do in a classroom and what they could do in the real world,” Kramer said. “We're trying to break down that barrier to show how bioinformatics was vital throughout the pandemic and maybe spark an interest in future bioinformatics and biomedical careers through their classroom investigations of bioinformatics data using easy tools.”

As the ABC project is rolled out, FIUteach undergraduate pre-service teachers and students in FIU’s secondary teacher preparation program will serve as Bioinformatics Ambassadors, working with teachers to implement the modules, which in turn invigorates their teaching identity and prepares them to use bioinformatics and research in their future classrooms.

Fulbright HSI Leader status has been conferred on 43 HSIs, including FIU, because they have demonstrated noteworthy engagement with Fulbright exchange participants during the 2021-2022 academic year and have promoted Fulbright Program opportunities on campus.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs Ethan Rosenzweig, speaking on behalf of ECA, which sponsors the Fulbright Program, announced the Fulbright HSI Leaders on October 10 during an international plenary session at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) annual conference in San Diego.

In his remarks, DAS Rosenzweig noted the strong relationship between HSIs and the Fulbright Program stating, “The Fulbright Program’s success with HSIs is built on real collaboration with you and your institutions.” He thanked HSI leaders for their collaboration and for recognizing the value of the Fulbright Program in deepening campus internationalization efforts; and he recognized Fulbright campus liaisons and advisors for recruiting and advising applicants.  He also commended current Fulbright participants and alumni from and hosted by HSIs for sharing “their expertise, experience, perspective, and enthusiasm with their institutions, their communities, and their societies.” 

As per the grant listings of the Fulbright program administering organizations, the Institute of International Education (IIE) and World Learning (WL), FIU’s historic record of sending and receiving Fulbright faculty and students is impressive: