Happy Holidays!

As we reflect on 2025, I am filled with gratitude and pride for all that our FIU community has accomplished together. This year has been especially meaningful to me as my first serving as FIU’s seventh president, and I am grateful for the outpouring of support and the trust placed in me to lead this institution into its next chapter.

Together, we celebrated a year of extraordinary momentum. FIU was once again recognized by the Wall Street Journal as the No. 1 university in Florida, and we continue to lead the nation in economic mobility while achieving outstanding results in student success and research excellence. Take a look at some of the most impactful research stories of 2025.

Panther pride was on full display this year, from the classroom to the field. This week, on Dec. 26, our football team heads plays in a bowl game. Let’s show up and show out for our team!

I invite you to take a moment to watch the year-in-review video and reflect on the many milestones that defined 2025. They represent the dedication, innovation, and resilience of our students, faculty, and staff.

I wish you a joyful and restful holiday season. May the New Year bring you and your loved ones health, happiness, and continued success.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to FIU. Paws up!

Sincerely,

Jeanette M. Nuñez
President

The cabbage palm — or Sabal palmetto — officially the Florida state tree since 1953, is a defining feature of the state’s coastal landscapes. Even in all its glory, this quintessential giant is not spared from the growing threats of sea-level rise and salt exposure, according to Amir Khoddamzadeh of FIU's Institute of Environment, an associate professor of environmental horticulture in the Department of Earth and Environment. In a new study in HortScience, he takes a closer look at how these challenges affect young seedlings of cabbage palms and proposes a simple solution that could help stave off catastrophic damage — silicon.       

Khoddamzadeh’s curiosity about the cabbage palms’ salt tolerance began on a typical humid, rain-soaked day at the Montgomery Botanical Center in Coral Gables. Wandering the grounds, he noticed entire swaths of palmettos standing in water — a sight that stopped him in his tracks. One pressing question followed: what will become of Florida’s Sabal palmettos in 20 or 30 years if young palms can’t survive rising salinity?

To find answers, Khoddamzadeh teamed up with Patrick Griffith, executive director of Montgomery Botanical Center, and Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, a geneticist at the USDA ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami. They set their sights on silicon, a powerful ally known for its resilience-boosting properties. With its sponge-like ability to retain water, silicon offers a lifeline for vulnerable young palms by improving physiological processes. Already widely used — even by NASA to grow plants in space — it’s both commercially accessible and affordable, making it a perfect candidate for helping palms survive salinity.

“We wanted to work on something that ornamental plant nursery producers and landscapers can use,”  Khoddamzadeh said.

It’s also simple to apply. Just few grams mixed with water can help young plants survive all kinds of stressors.

To test the approach, the team grew 96 one-year-old seedlings in a greenhouse for 12 months, watering them with varying salt levels, adding silicon to the soil in different amounts and tracking everything from soil nutrients, plant growth and development to survival rates. Silicon not only improved the palms’ tolerance to salt but also boosted chlorophyll content — giving them a deeper green hue — and increased leaf production.

The study also established the ecological threshold for seedling survival — a critical finding for future restoration efforts.

“Bringing together the unmatched palms at Montgomery and the fantastic student enthusiasm at FIU is what made it all work,” said Griffith. “I am thrilled to see all the ways that our garden and the university bring these findings to the community. And the fact that this project was student-led is a real bonus — we love seeing the next generation of plant people succeed.”

It’s easier to invest in healthy soils by using sustainable materials like silicon, according to Khoddamzadeh. The alternative is an increasing amount of fertilizer, which becomes problematic when rainfall carries excess nutrients into waterways and Biscayne Bay. Planting adult trees, which are more stress-tolerant, is another option for greater resilience. He also suggests communities plant more native species that can absorb or slow salinity intrusion before it reaches cabbage palms.

Griffith said resilience can be as simple as paying attention to palms, taking action when they show signs of stress and being mindful of the best spots for new plantings.

Cabbage palms play a major role in Florida’s ornamental trade, a multi-billion-dollar industry. They also support the state’s nursery and landscaping industries, which together generate more than $30 billion and more than 260,000 jobs annually, according to the research. They also provide habitat, food and nesting material for countless native species. A threat to their survival could be a threat to the stability of entire ecosystems.

The study is part of a broader effort to understand how specialty crops resist salinity — because if the palm’s growth is negatively affected, the impact could be even harsher on other landscaping, ornamental plants and food crops.

Ongoing collaborations among FIU, the Montgomery Botanical Center and the USDA include testing crops like tomatoes, jalapeños, peppers, cabbage, snap beans and sweet corn — all with the goal of helping Florida’s agriculture and landscapes adapt to rising sea levels.

This year, while many consumers still want stuff, experts say shoppers are seeking value and less material goods. According to Deloitte’s 40^th annual Holiday Retail Survey, Americans are reigning in their holiday budgets by 10% this year in what many are calling a tough economic climate.

But while many are budgeting, they are still looking to give something meaningful. So, why not give an experience that results in memories? Here are some ideas to help you check off that hard-to-buy for person on your gift list:

• Food and Drink Events – Food and drink are a necessity but giving them as a gift is a great idea. Why not consider making a purchase that gives back through FIU’s very own South Beach Wine & Food Festival®. The Festival got its start in 1997 as the Florida Extravaganza at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU). Alumnus and then professor, the late Patrick “Chip” Cassidy, had an idea of creating an event that combined wine and food. Now known as SOBEWFF®, this year the Festival is celebrating its’ 25^th anniversary with all net proceeds going back to FIU and its students. Buy your loved one a ticket to one of the Festival’s more than 100 events. Check out all of them in the SOBEWFF® holiday gift guide. Plus, FIU Family gets a gift too, an exclusive 15% discount on select events using code FIUFAM15 at checkout here.

Wine lovers attend a 2024 SOBEWFF(R) FIU & SGWS led seminar, a great holiday gift idea.

• Travel Experiences – A record-breaking number of Americans are traveling for the holidays this year. In fact, AAA projects more than 122.4 million will set off by plane, train or automobile, which is up from 119.7 million in 2024. But travel isn’t just for the holidays. In fact, FIU has a number of study abroad trips happening during the holiday break and many more scheduled for spring and summer. Consider giving your favorite Gen Z or Gen Alpha a trip of a lifetime. There are a lot to choose from. Visit FIU Hospitality’s website for more details.

• Adventures/Sports – Everyone loves a good adventure. From ziplining to attending a great sporting event, adventure and sports-related experiences are always a fan favorite. Speaking of fans, did you know that FIU Football is heading to a national bowl game? Why not support our student-athletes as they prepare to take on the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Friday, Dec. 26, in Dallas, Texas? Give your favorite FIU Panther a ticket to the game. Tickets are still available and there’s even a tailgate before kickoff. Purchase your bowl tickets here.

FIU Football is headed to a national bowl game in Texas.

• Workshops and Classes – Giving magazine subscriptions was the in thing a decade ago, but now giving a digital subscription to a master class or a professional development workshop is the gift that keeps on giving. FIU Chaplin School has a new executive education program designed to give users the competitive edge across the industry with courses such as AI in hospitality, hospitality leadership, beverage management and even barista training. Check out all the courses here.

So, no matter if the person you’re buying for has been naughty or nice this year, giving an experience will make you this holiday season’s biggest hit. Happy Holidays!

But what if the stuff you are responsible for weighs as much as six tons?

That’s what FIU athletics staff is dealing with right now. In anticipation of the big game, the athletic trainers and equipment handlers are reviewing checklists for every item possibly needed as the team prepares for its first post-season appearance in six years.

Up to 12,000 pounds of essential football equipment and operational gear will be transported to support a bowl-game practices and competition. Beyond uniforms and protective gear, including plenty of extras should anything break or rip, loaded into 15-20 trunks will be sideline operations equipment, technology and medical supplies.

Uniforms and footwear

• 80 game helmets
• 150 game jerseys
• 180 pairs of game pants
• Practice jerseys
• Practice pants
• 180 pairs of cleats
• 80 travel shoes

Protective Gear and accessories

• 90 shoulder pads
• 100 padded compression shorts
• 100 knee pad sets
• 150–200 pairs of gloves
• 200+ pairs of socks

Communication Systems and Technology

• 36 headsets + backups
• Sideline comms hub/ upstairs hubs, cables, antennas
• 10–15 tablets/iPads
• Chargers, printers, replay equipment/video cart

Other

• Footballs (12 game balls, 50 practice)
• Rain gear trunk
• Kicking nets
• Towels (300)
• Coaches sideline apparel (polos, pants, jackets)
• Coaches footwear
• Dirty jersey laundry bin
• Dirty pants laundry bin

Newly arrived in South Florida in September, Kalfa is the chief of cardiovascular surgery at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and a co-director of the Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. At the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, he serves as a professor in the departments of pediatrics and surgical sciences as well as a researcher focused on transplant innovation, surgical planning and robot surgery.

Among his plans: to develop a congenital heart defect research institute that builds upon the collaboration between Nicklaus and FIU to integrate basic science, translational research and clinical trials.

Kalfa recently discussed his professional interests and the exciting work he is trailblazing.

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects, affecting nearly 1% of newborns in the U.S., or about 40,000 infants. Half of those will need an operation to fix or replace a valve. What unmet clinical needs in this area does your research address?

We still don’t have many good options in terms of heart valve replacement for children. Today, we can use preserved, non-living tissue valves that from animals. But these do not last long. They degenerate and stop working. Another challenge is that, sometimes, there’s no valve small enough. The smallest valve we have at our disposal is 15 millimeters. Sometimes the place we need to put the valve is 6 or 7 mm. Lastly, those replacement valves can’t grow with the baby or child. They outgrow the valve, and each time we need to replace it involves another open heart surgery.

I’m focused on living allogenic valve transplantation [LAVT, also known as partial heart transplantation]. We’re working on a framework for storing and rehabilitating living donor valves, capable of growing with the child, so there’s no need for repeated surgeries.

How would these living valves be kept ‘alive’ before they could be used?

For mid-term and long-term storage, my lab developed a bioreactor to keep fresh, living valves. This device is designed to provide a mechanical environment to keep the valve opening and closing, like it would in the body. The tissue would also be kept in a specific solution that my lab has patented. It can keep tissue alive for seven weeks, which is huge because in the past, before we came up with this technology, we could only keep a valve alive outside the body for a maximum of 48 hours. Recently, I received a $4.2 million NIH grant to continue fine tuning this bioreactor and begin pre-clinical trials.

Initiated and partially funded by alumnus and former Sig Ep National Grand President Thomas B. Jelke ’90 and his wife, alumna Rebecca Jelke ’96, the renovation project transformed the building into a unique, multipurpose facility aptly named Jelke Learning Community.

Accounting and finance major Alejandro Madrigal, president of the FIU chapter, feels a great deal of pride in the new space. “No other [campus] organization has this.”

The first floor features an office, a large conference room decorated with nostalgia and photos of the chapter’s founding members, study rooms and a common room. The latter is furnished with foosball, billiards and domino tables, large screen TVs, video game consoles and an old-fashioned arcade game, and a big, cozy couch from which to enjoy it all. According to Jelke, this space helps foster “a sense of belonging, a place to call home without necessarily having to live here.”

The first level of the building fulfills the mission of “building balanced men” by offering its members a place to not only work and study hard, but to also unwind, bond and connect. For Madrigal, “You can’t be studying all day and expect to be mentally [sound]. You need to have your fun. You need to be with your brothers.” Having the ability to walk over and introduce yourself to someone new and to support each other is priceless.

Meanwhile, the high-ceilinged upstairs boasts 2,600 square feet of space divided between a large meeting room equipped with multiple large-screen TVs and projector screens, a pantry and bathrooms. Capable of seating up to 200 people, this space will be used to hold classes by day and to host events and meetings on evenings and weekends by various members and organizations of the FIU community.

As Jelke explains, Sig Ep fraternity houses around the country are primarily residential quarters with some dedicated space for university use. FIU’s Jelke Learning Community, however, has been reimagined with the latter objective in mind. “This is the first one that’s been created specifically for that purpose,” says Jelke.

Creating opportunities for personal and professional learning, growth and development drives the brothers. But thinking of the larger community is an integral part of their mission and vision. Enter the Jelke Learning Community, a place where both members and the FIU family at-large can thrive. As echoed by Jelke, “The unique part of this place is [that] we fully want to partner with the university.”

Jelke realized this dream with the help of several of his Sig Ep brothers: FIU alumni Juan Linares ’92, the architect; Francisco Oses ’94, the contractor who handled the metalworks; and Benjamin A. Sardinas ’01, the project manager. Moreover, Rebecca Jelke designed the facility.

“This facility will allow us to surround the members in the best environment to fulfill our mission,” says Jelke.

That sentiment is shared by Former FIU President Kenneth Jessell who championed this project. “I think it's a very, very exciting opportunity for us to evaluate this modern approach to Greek life on campus.”

Research out of the laboratory of Dean Tomás R. Guilarte reveals a promising new target to thwart the debilitating neurological disease.

Associate Professor Diana Azzam tests hundreds of FDA-approved drugs directly on a patient’s tumor sample. The results are life-saving.

Associate Professor Bilal El-Zahab and his team have discovered a way to lengthen the lifespan of lithium-sulfur batteries.

Work by Associate Professor Joshua Hutcheson and Research Assistant Professor Valentina Dargam suggests that AI-enhanced stethoscopes could help detect cardiac disease earlier.

Professor Giri Narasimhan has developed an AI model capable of crunching real-time data to address dangerous situations.

Manmade chemicals are accumulating across the River of Grass, find Associate Professor Natalia Soares Quinete and her student researchers.

The world's only undersea research lab has gotten enhancements: sensor technology and AI-powered monitoring systems.

Dr. Makoto Hashimoto arrived at FIU in January and practices at Baptist Health, where he has performed more than 100 robot-assisted cardiac surgeries in 2025, creating the busiest program in Florida.

Dr. David Kalfa is a trailblazer in tissue-engineered cardiovascular devices and heart transplantation in babies. He is co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute and an FIU professor.

Read more in our annual publication

In a full circle moment, Pierce this week collected a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice (he previously earned a first undergraduate degree in integrated studies from MTSU) and next week will get a chance to flash his prowess on the field as an amateur one last time. On Dec. 26, he joins the team for the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl in Dallas.

“I’ve kind of had an unorthodox career,” admits Pierce, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in 2024. Now an elder statesman on the team, he has enjoyed success on the gridiron – starting in every game this season and earning Conference-USA Player of the Week honors – while also taking on a leadership role.

“That’s been awesome because I kind of liked having that weight on my shoulders,” he says. “ I like the responsibility of being the guy that people look up to and setting the example for other people.”

To the uninitiated, his position as center appears to be “the fat dude who snaps the ball,” he says. But in reality, he continues, a lot goes into the role.

Often considered the “brains” of the offensive line, the center has hands on the football on every play, must read defenses, make split-second decisions and communicate adjustments to guards and tackles. The “thinking man’s” job also brings with it physical demands.

“I've been able to mentor the future of the program,” Pierce says of what the past season had meant to him. Having younger guys ask him questions to fine-tune their own game has been satisfying, he says.

And playing under Simmons has been positive all around, he adds. “He’s everything that I thought he'd be. I think that's why we're winning a lot, because our team is really close.”

Pierce is referring to the constructive culture that Simmons has established in the locker room and beyond, which has brought the players together.

“He remind us, there's never not a time to do the right thing, and the right thing can be as little as taking the right step on a play or . . . just showing a little bit of respect to somebody. Those are the kinds of things that Coach Simmons teaches us that help us win games, which is important, but also help us be successful in life and improve us as men.”

On the cusp of a new chapter, Pierce is putting his energy into “training and trying my hand at the next level” by looking for a shot in the National Football League or the United Football League. If neither should work out, his backup plan is to pursue becoming a firefighter, a profession that builds upon his interest in community service, he explains. In the past, Pierce has worked with youngsters at the Boys and Girls Club and helped out at local elementary school field days.

But first, he has one more game as a Panther ahead of him, something he doesn’t take lightly.

“It's a reward, you know, for 12 weeks of hard work that you put in,” he says. “A lot of guys around the country, they had to turn their pads in, and I'm blessed to be able to at least get one more opportunity with my brothers.”

Julius, the pride of Panther Nation goes with you and will be cheering your every move. 

Fernandez first enrolled at FIU in 1972, the year the university opened its doors.

“FIU was just starting and if you wanted to study at that level, FIU was the place to go,” said Fernandez, recalling a bumper sticker that said, “FIU in ’72.”

For three years, he successfully navigated classes and work, but business was good and the job was demanding. When he left FIU behind, he always believed he missed his opportunity for a degree. Life continued on. Children. Grandchildren. Lots more clients. His wife, Marcia earned both her bachelor’s and master’s from FIU. He watched as his son, Robert, earned two master’s degrees from his almost alma mater — both in business. Today, that same son is now an assistant teaching professor in the College of Business. It was a random conversation with his son that led Fernandez to start thinking about graduation again.

“After my son began teaching there it all came back — all the memories and motivation to do it came back,” he said. “I began thinking about it and I asked him to find out if I could graduate.”

Robert inquired with his colleagues to learn more about the Interdisciplinary Studies degree program in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. Designed for students with unique career goals and backgrounds, the degree program was a perfect fit to help Fernandez finally graduate.

“I was so close…I was embarrassed to think that because I couldn’t take that last course, I wasn’t able to graduate,” Fernandez said. “I may not have the degree that I was aiming to, but I will be having one just as good.”

He never gave up the dream of graduating but didn’t think it was possible.

“When I found I could, I felt so happy and so good about it. At my age, this is one of the things that I wanted to do in my life,” he said. “I’m 85 years old, to be able to walk graduation, you have no idea, you cannot think how good I feel about it.”

Fernandez first came to Miami in 1969. He had first emigrated from Cuba to Spain, then went to New York and eventually landed in his permanent home. When he enrolled at FIU, he worked by day and took classes at night, a common trend for FIU students back then. He recalls fondly the university’s only three buildings. He also points out that things are a little different today.

“FIU is doing what everyone expected from FIU,” Fernandez said. “The way they have conducted everything they have done for the benefit of the city and the students. I think that FIU is one of the best universities because the way they began and where they are now is quite an accomplishment.”

Fernandez stresses the importance of an active mind, whether through work or other pursuits, and says anyone missing courses should go back and finish their degree. For him, he’s taking his own advice and not slowing down. He still works at his accounting firm and plans to walk across the commencement stage on Dec. 16.

“I know that I’m going to be a vision walking with the rest of the youngsters, but I don’t mind. To me, this is an accomplishment that I’ve been able to achieve in my life,” Fernandez said.

FIU has organizied a charter flight for those wishing to travel together as well as a comprehensive fan package.

Here are details of the package:

December 9, 2025

Winners of four in a row and bowl bound for the first time this decade, the FIU football team has accepted an invitation to participate in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas against UTSA on Friday, Dec. 26.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (7 local) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN from the SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

Click here or visit FIUSports.com/BowlTickets to purchase tickets to the game. Below is a pricing breakdown:

• Lower Level (105, 104, 103): $100 each
• Lower Level (106, 102) / Upper Level (205, 204, 203): $80 each
• Lower Level (107, 101, 100) / Upper Level (207, 206, 202, 201, 200): $60 each
• Lower Level (109) / Upper Level (209, 208): $40 each

Fans are urged to please purchase game tickets directly though the link above. This not only financially benefits FIU while ensuring all Panther supporters are seated together, but it also is the only way to officially track the number of fans who travel. That documented support is a vital factor when bowls are making their selections; therefore, future FIU bowl locations will be influenced by the number of tickets that are purchased directly from FIU.

FIU officials are working to create the best possible bowl experience for all fans. Information related to travel, lodging and events surrounding the bowl are still being finalized and will be communicated in the coming days.

For those who have not already completed the bowl interest form, please visit FIUSports.com/BowlForm and fill out the short document to ensure you receive all FIU bowl game information. Additionally, please bookmark FIUSports.com/Bowl as this bowl central page will have all information related to the game.

"We are incredibly honored to accept an invitation to the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl," said Director of Athletics Scott Carr. "This is a great bowl game which honors our nation's everyday heroes. Executive Director Brant Ringler and his team host and run a first-class event. We are excited to compete and represent FIU on a national stage, and I know our student-athletes, students, alumni and supporters will have a great time and create some lifelong memories. I encourage all of Panther Nation to get behind this team and join us in Dallas as we look to conclude a great first season under Coach Simmons!"

This will be FIU's sixth all-time bowl game but first since 2019 and comes in Willie Simmons initial season as an FBS head coach. With FIU's dominant 56-16 win at Sam Houston to close out the regular season last Saturday, the Panthers (7-5) are guaranteed their first winning season since 2018. It also continued Simmons' streak of having a winning campaign in all nine of his years as a head coach (first eight at the FCS level between Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M).

Additionally, a bowl game triumph would be the 8th victory of the season for FIU, which would be tied for the 2nd most in program history (2011, 2017) behind only a nine-win year in 2018.

FIU and UTSA – an American Conference member – have met four times before with the all-time series tied at two games apiece. All four meetings came between 2014 and 2022 when UTSA was a Conference USA member.

UTSA posted a 6–6 record, including a 4–4 mark in the American Athletic Conference. A key signature victory for the Roadrunners came on Thursday, Oct. 30, in a 48–26 win over American Conference champion Tulane, who will be appearing in the College Football Playoff. Offensively, they are led by running back Robert Henry, a first-team All-American. The senior from Lumberton, Mississippi, has totaled 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns on 151 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt and 95.0 yards per game. At quarterback, Owen McCown has thrown for 2,700 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Wideout Devin McCuin leads the program with seven touchdowns and 653 receiving yards, while AJ Wilson has added four touchdowns and 504 yards.

Defensively, Shad Banks Jr. anchors the unit, earning first-team All-American honors after recording 86 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and three forced fumbles. Nnanna Anyanwu leads UTSA in sacks with five, while Chidera Otutu has added 2.5.

FIU enters the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on the aforementioned four-game winning streak, which is tied for the longest in single-season program history (2010, 2018). A victory in Dallas would produce the longest single-season winning streak in program lore.

The Panthers went undefeated in November and garnered a total of 14 All-Conference USA postseason honors. Highlighting that list was running back Kejon Owens, who was named Offensive Player of the Year – the first FIU player to earn the award in the CUSA era (since 2013).

In total, FIU had four First Team and five Second Team honorees along with two Honorable Mention and two All-Freshman recipients. The quartet of first teamers and quintet of second teamers are both the most during FIU's tenure in the league.

FIU's inaugural season was 2002, and the Panthers played three years at the FCS level (formerly Division I-AA) before making the jump to FBS (formerly Division I-A) in 2005. FIU made its first bowl appearance in 2010, and has a 2-3 all-time bowl record:

2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Dec. 26 in Detroit, MI)
FIU def. Toledo, 34-32

2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl (Dec. 20 in St. Petersburg, FL)
Marshall def. FIU, 20-10

2017 Bad Boy Movers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21 in St. Petersburg, FL)
Temple def. FIU, 28-3

2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 21 in Nassau, Bahamas)
FIU def. Toledo, 35-32

2019 Camelia Bowl (Dec. 21 in Montgomery, AL)
Arkansas State def. FIU, 34-26

The sound of high school seniors cheering and high-fiving was deafening.

This week, thousands got the news that sent them leaping for joy: acceptance to Miami’s public research university. Social media posts captured the euphoria for all to see.

“Early Action” unfolded at 3:05 p.m. on December 11. That is when the FIU Office of Admissions formally made available its first round of decisions for the 2026-2027 academic year. Florida applicants received priority consideration as did high achievers from elsewhere.

“We have received applications from all 50 states,” said Jody Glassman, assistant vice president for Enrollment & University Admissions. “In Florida, we had a 23% increase in applications from Tampa and 25% increase from Orlando. Students from Cypress Bay, Coral Reef, Miami Palmetto and Hialeah Gardens Senior [high schools] along with a few of the Miami area private schools showed a lot of Panther pride and spirit as decisions dropped.”

In addition to Floridians looking to become Panthers, “Students in New York, New Jersey, Texas and Puerto Rico were most anxious about learning their decision,” Glassman said.  “More than 600 accessed the portal in the first hour.”

In total, just over 12,000 acceptances were shared through the portal system that allows students to learn their individual fates. With digital confetti flying, those who made the cut then had the chance to accept on the spot or continue to weigh their options until spring.

More than 150 wasted no time in saying ‘yes’ immediately, Glassman reports. Still others waited until later in the evening to cast their lot with Miami’s Top 50 public university.

“Every year I am thrilled to talk about how the class excels and how impressive the students are as we read through their applications and learn more about their stories,” Glassman said. “This year is no different.”

With the average GPA over the 4.0 mark and SAT scores greater than 1200, applicants showed their academic prowess.

But, Glassman added, “I also feel like this year the class have a lot of special qualities that we haven’t seen before. This is the class born at the same time as the iPhone and the same year as the final book in the Harry Potter series was released, and both are still going strong nearly 18 years later. This class was born into innovation and maybe just a little bit of magic.”

In addition to continuing a yearslong trend of attracting ever-higher-achieving applicants, FIU also has experienced a growth in the number of applicants.

For the Early Action first round, FIU saw 19% more applications than the previous year. That includes a 15% jump in in-state applicants and a 22% jump in out-of-state applicants.

Additional students will be accepted in January and early April.

The final analysis: This is the place to be.

Sonia Underwood, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, recently published her research, Identity Development in Chemistry: The Social Functionality and Moral Significance of Being (Considered) a “Real” Chemist, in ACS Publications. The study discusses the need to broaden the field’s definition beyond traditional academic roles while promoting diverse career paths.

This push for broader identity is vital, as the field struggles with a 25 percent decline in majors over the past five years, significantly higher than the three percent decline in other STEM fields as reported by C&EN News by the American Chemical Society. The field needs to showcase the diverse applications of chemistry and the skills gained through a chemistry degree to attract and retain students and professionals, according to Underwood. She said broadening the definition of who counts as a “real” chemist helps people across all career paths feel they legitimately belong in the field, which is essential for retaining diverse talent in chemistry.

Underwood and graduate student Giselle Castano, who conduct research as part of FIU’s STEM Transformation Institute, explored the challenges faced by chemists who don’t fit traditional molds and the impact of these stereotypes across different career paths.

“Chemisty plays a role in everything we have,” Underwood said of the scientists' hand in everything from developing paints and creating flavors and fragrances to improving fertilizers and contributing to the manufacture of thousands of other products.These chemists may not fit the “pure chemist” stereotype of one who works strictly in a lab, but their work is critical to society.

“If we can identify what creates barriers to identification and belonging, we can work toward making chemistry more welcoming and effective at retaining the diverse talent it needs,” said Castano.

The “Pure Chemist” Stereotype
During their research, Underwood and Castano found that the participants referred to a “pure chemist” as an idealized image of a chemist when asked what characteristics make up a chemist. They often referenced someone with a chemistry degree doing molecular-level research in academia — particularly in organic or inorganic chemistry. Not biochemists. Not chemistry education researchers. Not industrial chemists or chemical engineers.

“What makes this stereotype powerful isn't just that it exists, but that it functions as the measuring stick for legitimacy in the field,” Castano said. “It creates a hierarchy where theoretical, bench chemistry in academic settings is seen as more rigorous and ‘real’ than applied or interdisciplinary work.”

This stereotype, notes Castano, is similar to how some people might say classical music is ‘real music’ while dismissing jazz or electronic music. Those who do not fit the traditional academic, lab-based, or molecular research mold often feel excluded despite being part of the field.

“This hierarchy doesn't just rank different types of chemistry—it determines who gets respect, recognition, and opportunities in the field,” Castano said. “This narrow definition excludes many talented people doing important work, simply because they don't fit the traditional mold.”

Call for Cultural Change
These stereotypes impact chemists in various ways. For instance, those who work in the industry feel there’s a boundary between academia and industry, with some chemists reporting experiencing negative perceptions about their own career choices. Underwood emphasized that individuals should be supported regardless of their career paths or research areas. She and Castano also say “fitting the mold” of a pure chemist is sometimes more important than quality work, leading to challenges in career progression for chemists who follow less traditional career paths.

 “Although change is slow, institutions are making progress by promoting collaboration across different research areas,” Underwood said.

The research paper provides reflection questions at the end to spark structured dialogue.

“This isn't about implementing a policy overnight—it's about creating space for honest examination of how we assign value to different types of chemistry work and whether those standards align with the inclusive, interdisciplinary community we claim to want,” Castano said.

In 1999, Garcia and his team at The Miami Herald won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting after they uncovered widespread voting fraud happening in Miami's 1997 mayoral election.

The Knight Foundation is supporting investment in real-world newsroom experiences, advanced production technologies and interdisciplinary collaborations that reflect the changing face of media. Plans include a mobile reporting lab for community-based storytelling and a next-gen media innovation studio to train students in immersive and data journalism. 

“There is no better news ecosystem than South Florida,” García said. “FIU is well positioned to be the premier training ground to graduate journalists who are leaders, critical thinkers, and problem solvers, exactly what our profession needs, students con chispa, with spark, who are fearless and creative, and do it the Caplin Way.”

Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, president and CEO of Knight Foundation, said, “We're proud to support the crucial work of preparing the next generation of journalists to serve their communities with integrity, innovation, and purpose. The leadership of FIU and Manny reflects the deep commitment needed to fortify the talent pipeline of future journalists that will ensure communities have access to local news and information."

This Knight Foundation's generosity to the Caplin School support FIU’s core principles, which emphasize student success, research excellence and real-world impact. The Caplin School’s initiatives, fueled by this partnership, will empower students to become ethical, tech-savvy communicators who shape the future of media and democracy.

“The Caplin Way is rooted in experiential learning, where students develop the objective reporting, storytelling, technical and leadership skills needed to thrive in today’s dynamic media landscape. This investment strengthens our ability to deliver on our promise of connecting students with the industry, elevating standards and advancing ethical journalism that serves the public good,” said Brian Schriner, dean of the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts.

Kenneth C. Hall, president of the FIU Foundation, stated, “We are deeply grateful to the Knight Foundation for its continued partnership and belief in the transformative power of journalism. Support of the Caplin School reflects a shared commitment to advancing student success, faculty excellence, and community impact, the hallmarks of FIU’s vision.”

Roberto Fernandez, 85, first enrolled at Florida International University in 1972, the year the university opened, but stepped away in 1975 just one class shy of graduating to focus on building his accounting business. Now, 50 years later, Fernandez has returned to FIU to complete his degree. Encouraged by his son, an assistant teaching professor in FIU’s College of Business, Fernandez learned he could finish his studies through the Interdisciplinary Studies program, designed for students with diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Fernandez will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. 

FIU enters the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on the aforementioned four-game winning streak, which is tied for the longest in single-season program history (2010, 2018). A victory in Dallas would produce the longest single-season winning streak in program lore.
 
The Panthers went undefeated in November and garnered a total of 14 All-Conference USA postseason honors. Highlighting that list was running back Kejon Owens, who was named Offensive Player of the Year – the first FIU player to earn the award in the CUSA era (since 2013).
 
In total, FIU had four First Team and five Second Team honorees along with two Honorable Mention and two All-Freshman recipients. The quartet of first teamers and quintet of second teamers are both the most during FIU’s tenure in the league.
 
FIU’s inaugural season was 2002, and the Panthers played three years at the FCS level (formerly Division I-AA) before making the jump to FBS (formerly Division I-A) in 2005. FIU made its first bowl appearance in 2010, and has a 2-3 all-time bowl record:
 
2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Dec. 26 in Detroit, MI)
FIU def. Toledo, 34-32
 
2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl (Dec. 20 in St. Petersburg, FL)
Marshall def. FIU, 20-10
 
2017 Bad Boy Movers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21 in St. Petersburg, FL)
Temple def. FIU, 28-3
 
2018 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 21 in Nassau, Bahamas)
FIU def. Toledo, 35-32
 
2019 Camelia Bowl (Dec. 21 in Montgomery, AL)
Arkansas State def. FIU, 34-26

The Miami version of the jam had SBDC consultants, OpenAI mentors and other partners guiding local business owners in using AI in ways they could put to work immediately. The collaboration reflects FIU’s continued momentum as an “AI-first” university, embedding artificial intelligence across research, instruction and community impact.

“Big businesses drive the stock market and headlines, while small businesses drive our local economy,” said Brian Van Hook, regional director of the Florida SBDC at FIU, which operates out of the College of Business, during his opening remarks at the event. “The fact that so many of you are taking time away from your operations to learn how AI can help you, that’s huge. AI is a game changer whether you are a large business or small business.”

OpenAI Academy’s goal is to give small business owners access to AI tools to help them compete and innovate. A recent survey conducted for OpenAI showed that half of small business owners believe AI skills are increasingly essential for employees, and 60% expect meaningful efficiency gains when AI knowledge becomes part of their teams’ capabilities.

At the Miami event, business owners worked on solutions to support a range of tasks, from automated marketing content and customer communication to data-driven decision-making that improves scheduling, purchasing and inventory planning.

In addiiton to the Florida SBDC at FIU, other local partners included the Idea Center at Miami Dade College and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

One of the featured speakers was Alden Chance, owner of Tropirollz, a Miami-based Caribbean Fusion Sushi restaurant. He is a client of the SBDC at FIU, which specializes in supporting local companies at no charge, and shared with attendees how AI allowed him to automate time-consuming tasks and reclaim hours he desperately needed to run and grow his business.

“Time is one of the biggest challenges we have as small business owners,” Chance told the audience. “OpenAI and ChatGPT helped us break through the administrative overload.”

Chance uses AI to draft marketing materials, create campaigns, respond to customer emails and even analyze customer behavior. The impact, he said, has been transformational.

“If I’m stuck on email, ChatGPT writes the response. If I’m not sure what my next marketing move should be, I ask it to analyze my data and fill the gaps,” he said. “It’s like having an extra team member.”

Chance also credited the Florida SBDC at FIU for helping him adopt AI in a meaningful way. “Without SBDC at FIU, I wouldn’t be in this room today. Reach out to them. They’re amazing resources.”

The featured AI consultants focused their instruction on help small businesses grow, increase productivity and become more competitive in the digital age.

FIU's participation reinforced the university's commitment to ensuring Miami’s entrepreneurs and small business owners benefit from emerging technologies. FIU has continued to expand its AI ecosystem, including new coursework, research initiatives, partnerships and community programming in collaboration with OpenAI and other tech leaders.

“The SBDC at FIU, the university and our partners are making sure local businesses have the tools to innovate and compete,” Van Hook said. “Small businesses drive Miami. Giving them access to AI drives Miami forward.”

And FIU began by celebrating with a new Panther tradition: President Jeanette M. Nuñez hosted the university’s first Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 3 at the presidential Reagan House on campus.

Hundreds of faculty, staff, students, community members and their families gathered for a special night filled with fun, performances, Christmas carols, holiday-shaped cookies (and beverages including hot chocolate with marshmallows) and, of course, a majestic tree decorated with twinkling multi-colored lights and topped with a golden star.

A photo booth invited guests to take photos with Roary, who was decked out in his full Santa Claus suit and a children's zone allowed kids to write letters to Santa and enjoy arts and crafts. 

"I, for one, am delighted to welcome you all here to Reagan House for the inaugural Presidential Tree Lighting Ceremony," Nuñez said during the event. "I'm so excited to kick off this event because we get to kick off the holiday season. We get to kick off a season where we celebrate family. We celebrate with each other here in Panther Nation. It's a season of giving and it's a season of reflecting on all of our blessings."

The Dazzlers, cheerleaders and the FIU Marching Band and color guard delighted guests with lively performances and plenty of Panther spirit. The Panther family joined Nuñez in the countdown and watched as the tree came to life with glowing lights.

The moment the tree began to sparkle, a group of students from the Wertheim School of Music regaled guests with beautiful renditions of classic Christmas carols such as “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful" and “Angels We Have Heard on High,” among others. 

Burkina Faso’s security minister headed to Tehran on Nov. 12, 2025, for high-level talks with Iranian officials. The visit was a fruitful one: The West African nation reopened its Iranian embassy, finalized new agreements on security cooperation and held discussions about strengthening relations in agriculture and industry.

Far from being a routine bilateral diplomatic event for both countries, the trip was part of a broader trend. Since the onset of war in Gaza in late 2023, sparked by the Tehran-aligned and -funded Palestinian group Hamas, Iran has found itself increasingly isolated and facing a number of political and economic crises. Internationally, Tehran’s network of proxy nonstate groups across the Middle East, its so-called axis of resistance, was stretched to a breaking point with Israel’s brutal campaigns against Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in late 2024.

Tehran’s regional difficulties then culminated with a punishing 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, which the United States joined, and the subsequent EU-imposed U.N. “snapback” sanctions – a series of penalties against Iran that were initially lifted after it signed a deal in 2015 limiting Tehran’s nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions.

On top of this, Iran is now facing an environmental crisis in the shape of severe drought affecting the capital.

As Iranian officials attempt to weather this rocky new reality, they have looked to advance geostrategic interests elsewhere. As an expert on Iran’s foreign policy, I believe one key emergent area for this is Africa, where Iran has increased its outreach to historically dependable and strategically significant partners such as Burkina Faso. This outreach has created important opportunities for Tehran to engage with countries on issues such as security and critical minerals, while also expanding its market for weapons and other exports while bypassing sanctions.

Security, uranium and economy in West Africa

In addition to Burkina Faso, Iran has intensified its outreach to other African countries in West Africa and the Sahel region, such as Mali and Niger.

Since the early 2020s, these countries have experienced military coups and distanced themselves from the West. They have also confronted serious security threats from rebels, militias and jihadists. Consequently, and as was the case with Ethiopia, they have looked toward Iran as a security partner and a potential supplier of arms, drones and other equipment.

For Iran, expanding relations with these African countries holds the benefit of opening up economically critical markets, including metals and minerals. For instance, Tehran has aspired to access gold from Burkina Faso and Mali, and uranium from Niger. Depending on the extent of the damage and destruction to Iran’s nuclear program during the 12-day war, the potential uranium procured from these countries could be particularly critical if Iran decides to reconstitute or weaponize its program.

After the Iranian and Malian foreign ministers met in May 2024, they did so again the following year in October to discuss reinforcing bilateral and multilateral relations.

To this end, both nations agreed to hold a joint economic commission and to show solidarity and support at meetings of international organizations such as the U.N. and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Meanwhile, in April and May 2025, Iran and Niger signed economic and security agreements after earlier inking a deal by which Tehran would acquire 300 tons of uranium for US$56 million.

From February to October, Iran also looked to deepen diplomatic relations with Sierra Leone by holding bilateral meetings with the West African nation. Apart from attempting to access uranium, Tehran sought Sierra Leone’s support in multilateral institutions such as the U.N. and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

That said, Sierra Leone, while serving as a nonpermanent member of the U.N. Security Council, voted against lifting sanctions on Iran in September, due in part to the African nation’s dependence on British aid.

Outreach opportunities in Africa

In addition to its engagement with countries in West Africa, Iran has also looked elsewhere on the continent for areas of strategic significance.

Between October and November 2025, Tehran coordinated with Malawi on circumventing sanctions and importing aircraft.

In August, Iran sought to strengthen security ties with South Africa – its largest trading partner on the continent by far. At the time, the South African army chief, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, made statements supporting Iran and criticizing Israel that created controversy. Between April and October, Iran held meetings and signed agreements with Zimbabwe in the areas of economy, the environment and medical tourism.

While attending the Non-Aligned Movement’s meeting of foreign ministers in Kampala in October, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and thanked him for Uganda’s condemnation of the U.S. and Israel during the 12-day war, during which Uganda evacuated 41 students from Iran. Araghchi also expressed Tehran’s interest and intent on strengthening cooperation with Kampala in agriculture, the economy and commerce.

For Iran, Uganda is strategically important because it possesses not only uranium but also cobalt, which is used to manufacture lithium batteries, superalloys and other industrial products.

How Iran is still constrained

While Iran has increased its outreach to reliable and significant African partners across the continent, it has encountered a number of consequential constraints.

For one, there continues to be extensive trade competition from Iran’s Middle East rivals. As recently as 2023, the United Arab Emirates was a top export partner for Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Uganda and Zimbabwe, as well as a top import partner of Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe. As it had done with several countries in the Horn of Africa in 2016, the UAE, alongside Saudi Arabia, could pressure others on the continent to reduce or eliminate their engagement with Tehran.

Particularly with the U.N. snapback sanctions now back in place, the ongoing reality of global economic pressure on Iran could also give African countries pause when considering stronger bilateral ties with Tehran. Yet before then, and even with the U.S. reimposing sanctions on Tehran after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, these countries did not simply stop engaging with Tehran.

The final constraint is the transactional nature of Iran’s outreach. This could create distrust among its African partners. In November 2025, for instance, Tehran reportedly supplied drones to Eritrea as tensions escalated between it and Ethiopia. Such a move by Iran could complicate its relationship with Ethiopia and put Tehran in the middle of another conflict between those countries.

Time will tell whether the opportunities outweigh the constraints as Iran attempts to forge closer relations with the continent. Yet for government officials in Tehran weathering sundry crises at home and abroad, it will feel like they have few alternatives than to seek opportunities where they can find them.

Eric Lob, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

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

According to the International Energy Agency, large-scale data centers around the world used about 460 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2022, a figure that analysts expect to continue rising years into the future.

One potential solution being proposed is nuclear energy – produced by existing large-scale nuclear power plants, reactivated old ones, new ones that might be constructed with government subsidies, and other, smaller types of nuclear plants that are in development and not yet available.

The discussion around powering AI data centers, in particular, has involved a type of nuclear power plant called a small modular reactor. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are about 70 different designs being researched and developed around the world, including reactors that could one day serve small or remote communities, military applications and even ships at sea or spacecraft.

Proponents say these reactor designs provide consistent power without climate-changing carbon emissions. They can also be located close to places that need their energy, reducing dependence on the electricity grid. They are still years from being commercially available: Demonstration projects may begin construction before 2030, with commercial ones reaching operation perhaps by the mid-2030s. And there is not yet a plan from the U.S. Department of Energy to handle the radioactive waste they would generate.

I am an engineer whose work focuses on the nuclear industry, including waste handling and decommissioning of nuclear reactors. Here’s what this type of reactor is, how it works and what it can do:

The basics

There are three general sizes of nuclear reactors – only one of which, conventional nuclear plants, has been built commercially. Conventional plants are built in permanent locations on large plots of land around reactor cores as tall as 30 feet (10 meters). They usually generate more than 1,000 megawatts of power, enough to supply 700,000 to 1 million homes.

The other types are still being researched and are considerably smaller. Microreactors have cores that are small enough to fit into the trailer of a semitruck. They can be installed on land about as big as a football field and generate less than 20 megawatts.

Small modular reactors are in between. Their cores are roughly 9 feet (3 meters) across and 18 feet (6 meters) tall. The entire operation occupies an area of about 50 acres and can generate up to 300 megawatts of electricity.

Because of the reactors’ size, they can be built in factories from various components and then be shipped by truck, rail or water to the location where they are assembled.

All the different types of small modular reactors generate heat the same way: by splitting heavy atoms and capturing the heat into a variety of materials – like water, liquid metal or molten salt – that circulate through water to generate steam that drives a turbine.

They are also designed with safety features to reduce the risk and severity of accidents that might release radiation or radioactive material into the surroundings. For instance, passive systems and those based on fundamental principles like gravity can terminate nuclear reactions before they reach levels where explosions or leaks might occur. These reactors also produce less heat and have far smaller amounts of nuclear material than traditional large reactors, which can reduce the radioactivity risk as well.

Construction and deployment

Small modular reactors are well-suited to provide electricity in remote places or regions without a large power grid – places where large nuclear power plants are impractical.

Their compact design and flexible placements make them ideal for small geographical regions or industrial installations, like desalination plants, or in countries just starting to develop nuclear power.

They can be built and put into operation within two or three years – more quickly than the decade or longer it can take to secure permits and construction of standard nuclear power plants and complete construction of a large nuclear plant.

There remains a range of technical challenges before small modular reactors can actually be built and put into use. These include relatively straightforward questions like how many people are needed to operate each reactor, and more complex decisions about refinements to safety regulations, both in the U.S. and internationally. It’s also not yet clear what the best way is to manage the transport of radioactive materials, especially for reactors that use coolants other than water, which could produce new forms of radioactive waste.

Understanding the fuel

Larger nuclear power plants use fuel that is about 5% uranium-235, the element that splits in a nuclear reaction, releasing heat. But many small modular reactor designs use a different fuel, with between 5% and 20% uranium-235.

This different fuel, called “high-assay low-enriched uranium,” lets the reactors generate more electricity from a smaller volume of fuel material. And though it contains significantly more uranium than standard nuclear fuel, it remains far below the concentration of 90% uranium-235 that is used in nuclear weapons.

The more concentrated fuel also allows reactors to run longer between refueling and reduces the amount of radioactive waste that remains after the fuel is spent.

US efforts

The U.S. Department of Energy is working to develop domestic manufacturing of this type of uranium for small modular reactors, to avoid being dependent on foreign sources.

Under a government contract, a Maryland-headquartered nuclear fuel company called Centrus Energy has produced nearly 1 ton (920 kilograms) of that fuel since 2023 under a contract estimated to cost taxpayers US$120 million. In mid-2025, Centrus received a $110 million contract extension to produce that amount again by the middle of 2026.

The Department of Energy is distributing the fuel Centrus has made to five companies for demonstrations and development projects.

Managing waste

All nuclear plants require safe handling of the fuel and the resulting waste. There is no permanent place to store nuclear waste in the U.S. Most nuclear waste is stored on the land around the reactors where it was generated.

The Department of Energy says it is trying to find a place to temporarily store waste from small modular reactors, but that process has been tied up in the courts for years and may not be resolved anytime soon.

Other industrial uses

In addition to delivering electricity, small modular reactors can also directly generate large amounts of heat.

That can be useful for desalination plants, which use both electricity and heat to convert seawater into fresh water for drinking and irrigation. Remote mining operations also often need both heat and power to operate equipment, ensure living quarters are habitable and process minerals.

Small modular reactors may also be useful on university campuses. A microreactor planned for the University of Illinois will provide power and steam to campus buildings, while also teaching students how to operate nuclear plants, and offer research and demonstration opportunities for more reactor improvements in the future.

Leonel Lagos, Associate Professor of Construction Management; Director of Research, Applied Research Center, Florida International University

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

Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar: Advancing water management in Azerbaijan
Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar, professor and graduate program director in the Department of Earth and Environment and an affiliated scholar with the Institute of Environment, spent September at Khazar University in Baku, Azerbaijan. His project strengthened institutional and academic capacity in integrated water resources management through lectures, workshops and partnerships.

Bhaskar delivered seminars on transboundary water governance, irrigation strategies, land-use monitoring and nature-based soil conservation. He also collaborated with Khazar University’s Environmental Research Centre on assessing land-cover change impacts in the Kura-Aras River Basin and Absheron Peninsula.

During Baku Water Week 2025, he presented on geospatial technologies for water-quality monitoring and spoke on sustainable environmental and agricultural management at the Eurasia Universities Summit. Future plans include joint research, student mobility and visiting scholar exchanges.

Dileep Rao: Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Argentina
Dileep Rao, clinical professor of entrepreneurship in the College of Business, served at Universidad Nacional de la Plata in Buenos Aires. Working with that institution's provost, he helped lay the groundwork for a "unicorn-entrepreneur ecosystem" in Argentina.

Rao led lectures and workshops on growth ventures, high-potential entrepreneurship, venture financing, and business planning. His approach—focused on building companies before seeking venture capital—generated wide interest, including at a national meeting of Argentine university spin-offs.

Leaders from the IT firm Quanttrace also attended his session at Universidad Nacional de San Martín, gaining practical guidance for refining their business strategy.

Staci Bernhard: Supporting global strategy in Peru

“My dad gave me advice that has helped shape every career decision I’ve made,” Marquez says. “He told me to choose something I’d love so much that I’d do it for free, because in doing so I would become exceptional at it and people would compensate me well. So I always ask myself three questions: Will this work give me satisfaction? Is it challenging? And will it help others?” 

Today, Marquez is new product development manager at Silicon Valley-based Ceribell. There, he is leading next-generation hardware development at the forefront of a breakthrough in emergency neurological care: an AI-powered point-of-care EEG system that rapidly detects, diagnoses and monitors seizures. 

Before joining Ceribell, Marquez was an early employee at Alto Neuroscience, a biopharmaceutical startup that, like Ceribell, has recently gone public. While Alto applies brain-based biomarkers to develop precision medicines for mental health, Ceribell operates in the medical device space, building next-generation systems for real-time neurological monitoring. The contrast between the two industries, biopharma and medtech, reflects his continued pursuit of innovation and learning across the evolving landscape of brain science.  

It's the kind of innovation that would have seemed impossible to the young immigrant born in Medellín, Colombia, who spoke only Spanish and fled as a political refugee at age 12 with his parents and older brother. The family settled in Miami and later Orlando. 

Although he always had a technical mind and thought he might be interested in engineering, Marquez began college at the University of Central Florida as a biology major. When his father suggested he explore the relatively new field of biomedical engineering, the suggestion proved transformative. Marquez transferred to FIU, where its established program was already earning accolades. 

Marquez earned a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering (2016), a master’s in electrical engineering (2017) and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering (2020) from FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing. 

His classroom education at FIU and his involvement in organizations such as the Biomedical Engineering Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Engineering in Medicine and Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement were equally vital to his development.  

Also crucial was the access he had to FIU’s engineering faculty and their research labs, where curiosity was met with exceptional mentorship and opportunity. During his undergraduate years, Marquez worked across three research groups: the Medical Photonics Laboratory led by Jessica Ramella-Roman; the Human Cyber-Physical Systems (HCPS) Laboratory headed by Ou Bai; and the Adaptive Neural Systems Laboratory.

“These experiences were among the most valuable aspects of my time at FIU,” he says. “They not only provided hands-on technical training, but also fostered a love for research, exploration and collaboration.”

He urges today’s students to pursue similar opportunities.

“Go talk to people. Don’t be afraid to ask to work in a lab. You only need one person to say yes.” 

He’s particularly grateful for the experiences in the HCPS Laboratory with Bai, his mentor and doctoral advisor. There, he worked on multiple projects, including sensor development to diagnose leg-length discrepancies and identification of biomarkers indicative of Parkinson’s disease.

“By the time I graduated, I had authored or co-authored 16 publications, received a patent and was working on commercializing our technology for Parkinson’s disease,” he says. 

“Sebastian was an outstanding student,” Bai says. “We provide opportunities, but he was always eager to learn. He is a great forward-thinking leader who inspires his colleagues and is a problem-solver.” 

Those qualities became increasingly important as Marquez worked with university staff charged with helping move products from the research phase to the market by collaborating with industry partners.   

“From the earliest days of working with Sebastian at FIU, he knew that he wanted to advance from researcher to inventor and then on to entrepreneur,” says Robert Hacker, director and co-founder of StartUP FIU. Hacker became an influential mentor to Marquez, teaching him business acumen and details such as the importance of user feedback. 

“Joining a startup in Silicon Valley after his Ph.D. was just the next logical step in his plan, but he intentionally chose to be challenged in the best startup community in the world,” Hacker says. 

While Marquez continues to push boundaries professionally, he also finds time to give back. He mentors young students interested in STEM and, in his downtime, enjoys restoring vintage cars. An engineer to the core.

On a recent Saturday night, the FIU Symphony Orchestra took center stage alongside a star-studded lineup of guest artists to honor the life and music of Celia Cruz in a sweeping symphonic tribute. The event combined live orchestral performance, powerful visuals and immersive storytelling to celebrate the Queen of Salsa’s legacy while placing FIU students at the heart of the experience.

“I was just happy that we were able to bring this show to life,” said Maestro Javier José Mendoza, an associate professor and the director of orchestral studies, who led the FIU orchestra performance and savored the experience. “With a show like this, it’s hard to live in the moment. You’re thinking about timing, tempos, what comes next. But I kept telling myself to enjoy it because we’re only doing it once. The overwhelming feeling throughout it all was nostalgia.”

From the opening moments, the atmosphere inside the Arsht Center was electric. Each orchestral piece was paired with striking imagery and visual storytelling that elevated the music and paid homage to Cruz’s life, career and cultural impact. As the audience sang, danced and applauded throughout the night, the concert transformed into a shared celebration across generations.

Students at the center of the experience

For FIU’s student musicians, Celia Sinfónica was not just a performance, it was a milestone.

Yuval Shati, a first-year graduate trumpet player, described the opportunity as unforgettable.

“When the curtain opened and we saw the audience before even playing a note, it felt like a dream come true,” she said. “Seeing people who grew up with this music, seeing how much it meant to them, it made everything we worked for feel real.”

Shati said one moment that stood out to her in particular was the powerful drum solo by Afro-Cuban percussionist Brenda Navarrete leading into “Quimbara.”

“All I wanted to do was put my trumpet down and dance with the crowd,” she added. “The entire audience just exploded with energy.”

For Andres Garcia, a first-year freshman violinist who has only been at FIU for a few months, the experience still feels surreal.

“As a freshman, I didn’t expect to be playing with such well-known and famous individuals in my first year of college,” Garcia said. “It felt like playing at Carnegie Hall as a freshman in high school.”

Garcia also emphasized the impact of working under Maestro Mendoza’s leadership.

“He’s taught us not just to learn the music, but to feel it to understand what it’s trying to say and how to communicate that to the audience. Orchestra is all about communication. If that connection isn’t there, the music won’t sound great.”

Honoring legacy

For Francisco Castillo, a senior double bass player majoring in music business and production, the night carried deep cultural significance.

“Being on that stage, performing Celia’s music, felt like a responsibility,” Castillo said. “This is a legacy for Latin people. You’re not just playing notes, you’re honoring history.”

His favorite moment came during Willy Chirino’s emotional performance of “Por Si Acaso No Regreso.”

“It’s the one piece where we, the bass section, didn’t play,” he explained. “So I was able to step back, observe and really take it all in. Knowing the story behind the song, knowing that Celia recorded it, and then hearing him sing it, was incredibly powerful.”

Castillo says Maestro Mendoza’s influence has shaped him beyond the stage.

“He’s taught me responsibility and patience, showing up prepared, respecting the music, being professional. Those are lessons that will stay with me long after I graduate.”

Finding connection through music

For Carolina Santana, a first-year undergraduate trumpet player and music education major, the night brought a mix of pressure, pride and joy.

“It was pressure, because you want to do justice to something this important to Miami and to so many generations,” Santana said. “But after, you feel relief and pride because you were part of something so meaningful.”

Her favorite moment of the concert came when Navarrete, known as much for her singing as her musicianship, performed “Drume Negrita.”

“Hearing the woodwinds and strings accompany her voice was just beautiful. That moment really stayed with me,” she said.

She credits Maestro Mendoza for helping her understand what it truly means to be part of an ensemble.

“He’s taught me that conducting isn’t just about keeping time — it’s about feeling the emotion and keeping everyone connected. Every person in the orchestra plays a role, and he guides us through that together.”

A night that will resonate beyond the stage

As the final notes echoed through the Arsht Center and the audience rose to their feet, the impact of Celia Sinfónica was undeniable.

For Maestro Mendoza, the performance was both a celebration and a testament to his students’ dedication.

“They’re playing great and they’ve really risen to the occasion,” he said. “No question they aced the test.”

In a night filled with nostalgia, culture, and powerful music, FIU’s Symphony Orchestra didn’t just support the legacy of Celia Cruz, they helped reimagine it for a new generation.

Often, death investigations rely on maggots — the larvae of blow flies that are among the first insects to colonize a body after death — to estimate how long a person has been dead. The presence of eggs or the sizes of the maggots are indicators of time since death. Yet, there is a stage in development during which the maggot’s physical form changes very little, which limits the precision of time-of-death estimates. While changes may not be visible on a maggot’s outside, its genes can still tell a story.

Rather than relying on the physical appearance of maggots, FIU biologists Matthew DeGennaro, a leading insect researcher, and Jeffrey Wells, whose insect research is tied to forensics, have identified a technique that focuses on a maggot’s gene expression and metabolic changes to more accurately estimate how long someone has been dead. In doing so, they have created a molecular “clock” that could revolutionize death investigations worldwide. The findings were published in PLOS Genetics.

“Studying insects can reveal insights that benefit our lives” DeGennaro said. “Estimating the time of death is a surprising example.”

The traditional process of estimating time since death using insects involves collecting data on the maggots' developmental stages. Because insects are cold-blooded, both temperature and time must be considered. In the past, the time since death was determined by looking at size, weight and appearance. The older the maggot, the longer the person has likely been dead.

However, there is one problem with that process: As the maggots get older (specifically late-stage larvae), they don’t change much in size or shape, which makes it difficult for medical examiners to pinpoint their age. This time period could last from hours to days, depending on the temperature. Weight and behavior are unreliable indicators during this time, which creates a large gap in accuracy for estimating time of death.

The researchers successfully pinpointed nine specific genes that act as reliable molecular markers for age. Ph.D. student Sheng-Hao Lin was able to detect changes in gene expression that happened during the late-stage larval timeframe. This allowed the researchers to create a molecular clock that works even when maggots aren't physically changing and, as a result, the team was able to reliably determine the age of the late-stage maggots.

Now that the foundational research is complete, the next step is testing the molecular clock in real-world conditions.

In a groundbreaking study, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry Natalia Soares Quinete and Ph.D. student Maria Guerra de Navarro, both researchers in FIU’s Institute of Environment, found that some airborne PFAS in South Florida cling to particles so fine they can reach deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. PFAS are known to be present in water, soil, food and a variety of consumer products. These latest findings reveal an overlooked threat scientists are only beginning to understand — one that, for the most part, points to the urgent need for further research and stronger regulations. What’s surprising, the researchers said, is that even in South Florida — a region without smokestacks or heavy industry — PFAS still find their way into the atmosphere, where warm, humid conditions make it easier for these chemicals to travel. While the levels detected here are relatively small, researchers emphasize they’re far from harmless.

“Our data can help us determine how much enters the lower respiratory tract and then the circulatory system and how much that could contribute to their accumulation and, eventually, disease,” Quinete said. “Men, who tend to inhale more air, may face slightly higher exposure.” 

For now, immediate risks appear low, but long-term exposure remains a mystery. Guerra de Navarro noted that although Miami lacks a clear pollution source, PFAS released elsewhere can still drift in through the air.

“They’re definitely arriving here,” she said, noting their presence is largely going unnoticed.

For both chemists, this study is about closing a major gap in understanding. More research is needed, they said, because the levels of PFAS found in Florida alone aren’t enough to shape nationwide regulations. Instead, their work provides a framework for future studies and highlights how much of the problem starts with our everyday choices.

Many of the PFAS they detected — roughly 30 types — stem from common household products such as cleaning and skincare items, as well as food packaging.

“What we use daily can impact both our environment and our health,” said Guerra de Navarro. “Part of the solution is being mindful of what we buy and how it affects our surroundings.”

Quinete’s team is now exploring the complex life cycle of PFAS in the atmosphere — how they break down, transform and interact through processes such as oxidation and aerosol formation. Guerra de Navarro, who previously studied PFAS in wastewater, is expanding her research to stormwater systems, another pathway through which these chemicals may spread.

“We continue this work to expand our understanding,” Quinete said. “The goal is to get a complete picture of how these chemicals behave.”

While much about PFAS in the air remains unknown, their research marks an important first step in understanding how they travel through our environment and potential effects on human health.

A group of man-made chemicals are accumulating across the River of Grass — raising questions about potential impacts to water quality and ongoing restoration efforts.

For the first time, a preliminary analysis by FIU researchers, in collaboration with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, detected 12 different PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) within the Miccosukee Indian Reservation.

The “forever chemicals,” known to pose health risks to both humans and wildlife, were present in dozens of samples collected from both marshlands and canals. According to results published in Environmental Research, there are likely multiple sources bringing these persistent pollutants into this once-pristine environment.

Natalia Soares Quinete — study author and an environmental chemist who leads FIU’s initiative to study the local prevalence of PFAS — says the levels are relatively low and don’t surpass surface water screening standards.

“Now, whether lower concentrations automatically mean ‘safe’ for this ecosystem and the people and wildlife it supports isn’t something that has been determined with certainty yet,” Quinete points out. “Especially considering how these chemicals tend to accumulate and build up over time in the environment.”

Widely used in countless consumer and industry products, PFAS are the chemicals that give fabrics and materials resistance to heat, water and stains. They make non-stick cookware non-stick and waterproof mascara waterproof. Many of the 15,000 variations in existence today were created less than a century ago. Yet, they’ve become totally ubiquitous, not only in the environment — collecting in the air, soil and water — but inside wildlife and humans. Even low levels of exposure are believed to be problematic. That’s why strict near-zero limits are in place for some PFAS in U.S. drinking water.

Quinete and her research group have been among the first to extensively track and measure the local spread of PFAS in South Florida. They’ve published study after study pinpointing the presence of the chemicals in drinking water, rainwater and the canals that feed into Miami’s Biscayne Bay, as well as the marine life living in those coastal ecosystems, including oysters and economically important fish and lobsters.

More recently, the team’s work shifted to closely monitoring three canals with high PFAS concentrations — Miami River, Little River, and Biscayne Canal — to pinpoint potential sources, like airports or landfills.

Around the time that sampling was underway, though, Quinete heard from the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.

Concern was growing among members of the community over PFAS. They suspected the chemicals could be contaminating their water sources. But didn’t have any data to know for certain. Or even begin to ascertain the extent of the problem. Quinete’s team offered help. 

The Tribe first identified several locations of most concern. Then, Courtney Heath — an FIU master’s student in the Quinete’s lab — went out with them to collect samples.  

“Clean and safe drinking water is a top priority for the Miccosukee Tribe. The Miccosukee Constitution requires that Tribal government protect the health of both its citizens and its lands and waters,” said Amy Castaneda, the Miccosukee Tribe Water Resources Director.

“Working collaboratively with Dr. Quinete and her world-class team at FIU, we have been able to identify risks, find sources and strategize remedies to ensure clean water not just for the Tribal community but for all of South Florida’s residents, human and otherwise.”

PFAS levels in the reservation ranged from 3.94 to 40.1 parts per trillion (ppt). In comparison, Miami’s major canals — Miami River, Little River, and Biscayne Canal — were several times greater (30.1 to 153 ppt) with 78% of samples exceeding safe surface water screening standards.

The most predominant compounds in the Everglades were PFBA (which has been found to affect the liver and thyroid), as well as PFOS and PFOA (since phased out of production over cancer concerns).

In the northern reaches of the reservation, one particular canal was a “hotspot” with the highest sum of PFAS concentrations. Profiles of specific chemicals mirrored those previously found in Lake Okeechobee. At this time, the researchers can’t claim there’s a significant connection, though they say it’s an intriguing clue that deserves a closer look — considering current restoration efforts hinge on recharging the freshwater supply in the Everglades with water from Lake Okeechobee. 

“It could be one contributor but we need more research to know for certain,” Heath says. “It’s important to consider every aspect, because PFAS come from many sources — the water, air, soil. This data is just one piece of the puzzle that raises a bigger question: What are the sources of these PFAS? Where are they coming from?”

Quinete and the team look forward to continuing collaborating with the Tribe to answer these questions.

While there may not be any truly pristine PFAS-free place on the planet, the researchers know there’s only one way to understand the scale of the problem and guide future solutions or regulations — and that’s by collecting more and more data.

It’s an approach that FIU has followed for decades with success.

Nearly 40 years ago, teams of Everglades researchers discovered phosphorus, a common ingredient in fertilizer, was lurking in canal-water discharge coming from farmlands farther upstate. They gathered evidence showing the nutrient-rich waters were harming the wetlands and the wildlife they support. In collaboration with the Miccosukee Tribe, the findings informed real-world change: The restriction of phosphorus to 10 parts per billion for Everglades National Park — a standard incorporated into the federal Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Today, FIU still leads the science behind this massive restoration effort.

“Current restoration doesn’t take into consideration contaminants, like PFAS,” Quinete says. “But as known endocrine disruptors, they can potentially impact the Everglades ecosystem. So, understanding their presence is the first step toward protecting this fragile ecosystem.”

PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. As these chemicals leach out of failing septic systems and landfills and wash off airport runways and farm fields, they can end up in streams that ultimately discharge into ocean ecosystems where fish, dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine species live.

We study the risks from these persistent pollutants in coastal environments as environmental analytical chemists at Florida International University’s Institute of the Environment.

Because PFAS can enter the food chain and accumulate in marine plants and animals, including fish that humans eat, the spread of these chemicals has ecological and human health implications.

In a new study, we traced the origins of PFAS contamination in Miami’s Biscayne Bay to help pinpoint ways to reduce the harm.

What are PFAS?

PFAS – perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a group of human-made contaminants that have been used for over 50 years. They’re found in personal care products, such as cosmetics and shampoo, and in water-repellent coatings for nonstick cookware and food packaging. They’re also used in adhesives and aqueous firefighting foams, among other products.

As those PFAS-containing products washed down drains and were thrown in landfills over the years, PFAS chemicals became widespread in the environment. Eventually, these chemicals found their way into aquatic ecosystems, including surface water, groundwater and coastal environments.

The same stability and resistance to degrading that makes these chemicals valuable for water- and stain-proof products also makes them nearly impossible to destroy. Hence, the nickname “forever chemicals.” They persist in the environment for decades to centuries.

That’s a problem, because PFAS have been linked to immunological disorders, endocrine, developmental, reproductive and neurological disruption and increased risk of bladder, liver, kidney and testicular cancer. A drinking water study by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated these chemicals were in at least 45% of tap water across the U.S., and a large percentage of Americans are now believed to have PFAS detectable in their blood.

Studies have also found PFAS in a broad range of marine wildlife, including in the livers of otters and in gulls’ eggs, as well as in freshwater fish across the U.S. These chemicals have already been shown to affect the immune system and liver function of fish and marine mammals.

How PFAS get into the marine environment

When we began tracking the sources of PFAS in Biscayne Bay, we found hot spots of these chemicals around the exits of urban canals – especially the Miami River, Little River and Biscayne Canal. Each of these canals, we found, is a major point source contributing to the presence of PFAS in offshore areas of the Atlantic Ocean.

One major source of that PFAS is sewage contamination from failed septic systems and wastewater leaks in urban areas. This is evident by the presence of the types of PFAS – such as PFOS, PFOA, PFPeA, PFHxS, PFHxA, PFBA and PFBS – that are used as stain and grease repellents and in carpets, food packaging materials and household products.

Another major source is represented by the predominance of 6-2 FTS in the Miami River – 6-2 FTS is a fluorotelomer PFAS typically used in aqueous film-forming foam found at military and airport facilities. The Miami River flows past rail yards, industries and Miami International Airport on its way to Biscayne Bay.

We also used a model to predict how ocean currents would disperse PFAS coming out of those canals and into coastal areas. We found that the PFAS concentrations were highest close to the canals, decreased along the bay and declined as ocean water became deeper and more saline, which makes PFAS less soluble in water.

Overall, PFAS concentrations were almost six times higher in surface waters near land compared with deep-water samples collected 13 to 33 feet (4 to 10 meters) below the surface in the bay and offshore. That suggests the highest risk is to pelagic fish that hang out in surface waters, such as mackerel, tunas and mahi-mahi.

How marine organisms are at risk

The levels of PFOS and PFOA in our study were below the Florida Department of Environmental Protection advisory levels in surface water for human health exposure. However, the advisory levels might not be protective of human and marine life.

They do not take into consideration that these chemicals accumulate through the food chain. Higher concentration in the top of the food web means PFAS could pose a greater risk to dolphins, sharks and humans that consume fish.

Many types of PFAS identified in our samples are not regulated, and their potential toxicity is unknown. We believe there is a need for federal and state agencies to develop guidelines and implement action plans to protect people and the aquatic life in Biscayne Bay.

What you can do about it

Given the persistence of PFAS and their widespread use, it is not surprising that these forever chemicals are found in almost all water systems in South Florida and are showing up in coastal waters around the world.

While scientists look for effective and efficient ways to eliminate and remove these chemicals from water, food and the environment, people can limit their use of PFAS-containing products to reduce the amounts of these chemicals that get into the marine environment.

Here are some common products that contain PFAS to watch for: Teflon nonstick cookware; food packaging for fast food and popcorn; water-resistant clothing and cosmetics; and treated carpets.

Natalia Soares Quinete, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Florida International University and Olutobi Daniel Ogunbiyi, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, Florida International University

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

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Cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 is down according to America's Farm Bureau Federation.

Use AI tools to compare prices across stores, find the best deals and even get step-by-step instructions for preparing holiday meals. Here are some other ways to use AI this season:

• Smart Shopping: According to Bitesdigest.com, apps like Instacart+ AI Planner and Amazon Fresh SmartCart use your shopping history and dietary goals to recommend items, schedule deliveries, and apply digital coupons automatically. 
• Reduce Food Waste: AI-powered meal planners optimize recipes to use overlapping ingredients, so you buy less and waste less says conservefood.org. They also help you track pantry inventory and suggest recipes for items close to expiration. 
• AI-Powered Apps: These apps and tools can help streamline your holiday meal planning. Try ListGenie to automate your shopping list and analyze your grocery history or you can try Flipp to compile digital ads from over a thousand retailers. This lets you browse weekly flyers, compare prices and create shopping lists, all in one place. 

Daniel Bagner, psychology professor and a licensed and board-certified clinical child psychologist, says one of the most powerful things parents can do is carve out a little one-on-one time each day.

“Spend a few minutes doing something fun together like reading a book, playing a quick game, anything you both enjoy,” Bagner explains. “That small investment goes a long way in strengthening your connection and reducing behavior problems.”

Bagner also emphasizes the importance of structure during the extended time away from school. Without the natural rhythm of the school day, kids may feel unanchored. Setting up playdates, planning outings or building simple routines at home can help maintain stability.

Sleep is another major piece of the puzzle. “Keeping a consistent bedtime is crucial,” says Bagner. “Not getting enough sleep can affect a child’s mood and behavior, and the busy holiday season can make that even more challenging.” Even when relatives are visiting or schedules change, he recommends following through with established limits, including bedtime routines.

Shayl Griffith, assistant professor in FIU’s Department of Counseling, Recreation and School Psychology and researcher at the Center for Children and Families, adds that screen time is another area where consistency matters.

According to Griffith, research shows that certain types of screen use such as educational apps can be beneficial. “If families choose to allow screen time, it helps to be intentional,” she says. “Choose content that is calming but also enriching based on your child’s interests and learning goals. And use built-in tools, like Screen Time on iOS or Digital Wellbeing on Android, to set limits and block inappropriate content.”

Griffith notes that keeping some parts of the screen routine steady such as turning devices off at night and sticking to agreed-upon content, can make it easier for children to transition back to school after the break.

Both experts also recognize that holidays can heighten emotions, especially for children experiencing changes such as a recent move, parental separation or the loss of a loved one. Bagner encourages parents to create space for these conversations. “Give your child opportunities to share how they’re feeling,” he says. “And model that it’s okay to talk about tough emotions. You might say something like, ‘It’s really difficult to celebrate the holidays without grandma.’”

For families looking to build positive routines and strengthen their parenting skills, the Center for Children and Families also offers free in-person and online workshops through its Parent Club, made possible by The Children’s Trust.

For families seeking additional support or wishing to learn more about clinical services and research opportunities, the Center for Children and Families is available to help.

For better or worse, screentime has become a mainstay in family life — but FIU researchers say boundaries are possible with just a few simple changes.

In many homes, the glow of a screen does more than entertain — it soothes, distracts and, for a while, keeps the peace. For parents raising children with behavioral challenges, that quiet can feel like a lifeline. Kids who struggle with attention, hyperactivity or temper issues often find structure and stimulation in digital content. But in low-income households, where caregiving support and resources are limited, screens often become the simplest solution — a reliance that comes with a cost. As parents juggle long work hours and financial stress, children can be left vulnerable to content that is violent, inappropriate or geared toward adults.

Recognizing these challenges, Shayl Griffith, assistant professor at FIU’s Department of Counseling, Recreation and School Psychology, alongside professors Daniel Bagner and Katie Hart, explored how families can build healthier media habits for preschoolers with behavioral challenges — supporting child development and overall family well-being.

In a recent study published by the Journal of Children and Media, the team uncovered practical strategies for families at FIU’s Center for Children and Families’ Summer Academy in Liberty City, directed by Hart, where parents were already participating in behavioral management programs through the early intervention program generously funded by The Children’s Trust.

Griffith has seen firsthand how difficult it can be for families to manage children’s struggles with self-regulation and unhealthy media use. Turning off a device or transitioning to another activity can trigger frustration or meltdowns, which screens can unintentionally amplify. While parents try to do better and follow professional recommendations — like setting consistent viewing times, limiting device use at night or helping children transition smoothly between activities — tight schedules, lack of support, financial strain and other structural barriers frequently get in the way.

“In our digital world, discussions about parenting and technology are just parenting now,” said Griffith.

To address these realities, Griffith and her colleagues designed a seven-week intervention for 31 families, focusing on healthy media use. Rather than emphasizing strict screen time limits, the curriculum stressed the quality of content, helping parents choose educational material, set boundaries and create guardrails around access.

“So the tablet serves less whatever it wants to the child,” Griffith said, “and a little more of what parents want their child to use.”

Parents were encouraged to switch from algorithm-driven platforms like YouTube to apps with curated educational material, such as PBS Kids. They were also advised to watch alongside their kids, giving them insights into what their children were consuming and creating opportunities for conversation and learning.

“Changes can’t be too big because there are a lot of stressors. These are families who are under immense pressure,” said Griffith. “We focused on doable steps that they can maintain over time because the difficulty tends to be time and energy.”

Griffith and her team worked closely with each family, learning about their dynamics and suggesting small, achievable steps that feel less draining and more practical — like cutting back on screen time before bed. For children with behavioral challenges, restless nights can worsen focus and emotional regulation the next day, making this simple change especially impactful.

“Any small change can spark bigger changes,” Griffith said. “It’s really about breaking things down and picking priorities for each family, depending on their concerns and lifestyles.”

Next, Griffith and the team plan to test this approach on a larger scale and are currently applying for funding to study 150 families with children with externalizing behavioral challenges.

For the families in Liberty City, screens that once sparked stress now support learning and connection — not by enforcing a perfect routine, but through greater awareness and understanding of what their children truly need. As Griffith’s team looks to expand their work, the hope is to help more parents find that same balance: using technology as a tool, not a trap, and capturing children’s attention with purpose.

With the holiday season already underway, FIU experts are available to offer insights on a variety of topics, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday trends, supply chain and tariffs, cybersecurity risks, marketing strategies, and consumer behavior. 

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:

• Supply Chain
• Economy
• Marketing
• Cybersecurity
• Finance
• Thanksgiving

Supply Chain

Craig Austin

Assistant Teaching Professor
Marketing and Logistics
College of Business

Austin specializes in supply chain logistics, export marketing, import/export and international logistics, as well as transportation logistics.

Office: (305) 348-7763
Email: laaustin@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Sebastian Garcia-Dastugue

Assistant Professor
Marketing and Logistics
College of Business

Garcia-Dastugue can discuss Blockchain Technology, food supply chain, scarcity, the impact of innovations on supply chain management and how supply chain professionals can assess and communicate disruptions.
Garcia-Dastugue is available for interviews in Spanish and English.

Office: (305) 348-4195
Cell: (305) 798-3006
Email: sgarciad@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Andrea Patrucco

Assistant Professor
Marketing & Logistics
College of Business

Patrucco can discuss inventory management, purchasing, supply chain strategies and buyer-supplier relationships.

Office: (305) 348-5044
Email: apatrucc@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Economy

Mihaela Pintea 

Associate Professor and Chairperson
Department of Economics
Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs

Pintea is available to discuss topics such as inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and macroeconomic policies and their effects on the economy.
Email: pinteam@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Alexandra Bassil
305-348-4166
abassil@fiu.edu

Daniel Zayas
305-348-5360
dzayas@fiu.edu

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

For help, contact:
Alexandra Bassil
305-348-4166
abassil@fiu.edu

Daniel Zayas
305-348-5360
dzayas@fiu.edu

Oscar Saenz

Associate Chair
Enterprise and Logistics Engineering 
College of Engineering and Computing

Saenz is the interim program director for Enterprise and Logistics Engineering at FIU. After holding management positions in the industry for 15 years, today he teaches students about engineering project management, production planning and quality management.

Email: ossaenz@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.ed

Marketing

Jaclyn Tanenbaum  

Director, Master of Science Marketing Program
Associate Teaching Professor, Marketing & Logistics
College of Business

Tanenbaum is an expert in branding, retail marketing/retailing and also can discuss consumer behavior.

Phone: (305) 348-2571
Email: jtanenba@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Gustavo Mosquera

Associate Teaching Professor
Marketing & 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.

Phone: (305) 348-5476
Email: gmosquer@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Linnea Chapman

Assistant Professor
Marketing & Logistics
College of Business

Chapman studies consumer psychology, with a focus on how emotions and relationships influence marketplace decisions.

Phone: (305) 348-8460
Email: lechapma@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Anthony Miyazaki

Professor
Department of Marketing & Logistics
College of Business

Miyazaki specializes in buyer behavior, advertising, digital marketing, omnichannel and e-commerce.

Office: (305) 348-3330
Email: miyazaki@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Rafael Soltero Venegas

Co-Director of Global Sales Lab
Associate Teaching Professor
Marketing & 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

For help, contact:
Michelle Lopez
305-348-7422
mplopez@fiu.edu

Cybersecurity

Brian Fonseca

Director, Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy
Executive Director, Cybersecurity@FIU

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

For help, contact:
Irene Ferradaz
305-348-2977
Iferrada@fiu.edu

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.

Office: 305-348-7763
Email: acrowthe@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Irene Ferradaz
305-348-2977
Iferrada@fiu.edu

Nagarajan Prabakar

Undergraduate Director, BSc. in Cybersecurity Program
Knight Foundation 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.  

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.edu

Selcuk Uluagac

Professor, Cybersecurity
Knight Foundation School of Computing & Information Sciences
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 Uluagac, contact  Elizabeth Calzadilla.  

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.edu

Alexander Perez-Pons

Associate Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering 
College of Engineering and Computing

Perez-Perez-Pons is an expert in business intelligence, mobile technologies and network security. A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) since 2005, he conducts research in the areas of real-time embedded systems, biometrics and cybersecurity, with focuses on wearable sensor security, mobile malware, reverse engineering and digital forensics.

Perez-Pons is available for interviews in Spanish and English.

Office: 305-348-7253
Email: aperezpo@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.ed

Bogdan Carbunar

Associate Professor
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences 
College of Engineering and Computing

Carbunar directs the Cyber Security and Privacy Research (CaSPR) Lab at FIU. His research interests include fraud and abuse detection in online systems (e.g., Google, Facebook, Yelp) and mobile authentication.

Email: carbunar@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.ed

Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman

Associate Professor
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences 
College of Engineering and Computing

Rahman leads the Analytics of Cyber Defense (ACyD) Lab at FIU and is a senior member of IEEE. His primary research interests are in cyber-physical systems and Internet of Things. Rahman’s focuses include computer and information security analysis, secure and dependable resource allocation, risk assessment, security design and resiliency analysis.

Email: marahman@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.ed

Ruimin Sun

Associate Professor
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences 
College of Engineering and Computing

Sun’s expertise is in protecting desktop and mobile devices against cyber-attacks using intelligent defense strategies. Her research interests include cyber physical system security, mobile device information privacy and real-time anomaly detection.

Email: rsun@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.ed

Amin Kharraz

Associate Professor
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences 
College of Engineering and Computing

Kharraz is the director of the Systems Security Lab at FIU, where he conducts research on advanced malware attacks, web and browser security. His focuses include web and browser security, code analysis and malware detection.

Email: mkharraz@fiu.edu

For help, contact:
Elizabeth Calzadilla
786-338-3346
ecalzadi@fiu.ed

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
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Pezzo is available to discuss advanced investments and financial management.

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Thanksgiving

John Noble Masi

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Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Masi is an expert in restaurant and hotel operations and can answer all holiday meal planning questions.
Office: 305-919-4199
Email: jmasi@fiu.edu

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305-299-2091
iamor@fiu.edu

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The dogs scored an average 80 percent success rate, though many teams lacked access to explosives and proper facilities. The goal, however, is 90 percent, according to Lauryn DeGreeff, associate professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and researcher in FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center.

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) was created in 2009 to set consistent rules and standards. A subgroup established guidelines for how explosives-detection dogs should be trained, tested and certified. This was the first time researchers tested how training translates to actual performance.

Results varied not only by location and explosive type but also by whether teams had access to training materials. 

by Michelle Chernicoff

Take a deep breath. Notice the odors in the air, the smell of the floor cleaner, the leftover bacon from breakfast, the avocado tree outside dying from a killer fungus. Can’t catch a whiff of that last one? A trained detection dog could zero in on a single infected tree in an avocado orchard in a matter of minutes, alerting farmers and saving the crop before widespread disease sets in.  

“A basic principle of forensic science is ‘every contact leaves a trace,’” says Kenneth G. Furton, FIU provost and executive vice president who happens also to be a chemistry professor. In the case of dogs, the trace they hone in on is scent. 

Odors are composed of one or many volatile organic compounds and are a primary focus of the detection dog and certification program within FIU's Global Forensic and Justice Center (GFJC). The program is a leader in research and standardization within the field.

Furton began research in the area in 1993 and, along with others, has identified characteristic odors for locating people and human remains, drugs, currency, accelerants, explosives, invasive species, fungi and, most recently, COVID-19.  

“When the pandemic hit, we already knew how it could be done, but the key issues were how safely, quickly and effectively we could train and deploy dogs for this application,” Furton explains.

In 2020, GFJC researchers worked with seasoned detection canines to introduce them to a new odor: COVID-19. They used face masks from Baptist Health hospital patients who had tested positive to train the dogs to identify the scent on humans as well as surfaces. In a matter of weeks, the pilot program demonstrated the ability of dogs to detect COVID accurately. Four canines were trained and demonstrated the ability to detect the virus with the same accuracy, or better, as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test. 

Canines are known for their sharp noses, but why exactly are they so good at this kind of work? “Due to their superior sense of smell and unique olfactory anatomy, a canine’s ability to detect specific odorants can reach very low or trace levels, with a sensitivity on par or even surpassing some electronic sensors or instrumentation,” says Janet M. Crespo-Cajigas, a student in the chemisty doctoral program.

Adds Vidia Gokool, a Ph.D. candidate who works in Furton's lab and is developing software algorithms to match odor profiles from different substances: “Within the canine sciences, the dogs themselves are referred to as detectors or sensors. Whether you are working with a service animal that alerts to low glucose levels or a police canine trained to locate illicit substances, both canines are acting as sensors picking out the unique scent they trained on and communicating its presence to the humans around them.” 

The South Beach Wine and Food Festival was the first major event to put the canines' COVID-detection skills to work. Then a pilot program at an employee entrance at Miami International Airport allowed the researchers to implement the canines in a real-world, long-term application. The dogs have shown an average accuracy rate of 97.5 percent in published, peer-reviewed, double-blind trials.  

Historically, detection canines were trained without science-backed practices. “Since I started in this research, the field has come a long way, driven by scientists like Dr. Furton,” says Lauryn E. DeGreeff, an associate professor of chemistry. “Now many organizations have adopted science-based approaches to detection training. What really inspires me to continue this field of research is the number of questions that still need to be addressed and to continue to conduct research that directly aids those handlers in the field.” 

And the developments coming out of FIU have certainly done that. Furton, for example, developed a system that allows trainers to quickly assess a canine’s ability and thresholds. DeGreeff has conducted research that led to the invention of a device that trains dogs by delivering mimics of homemade explosives commonly used by terrorists.

“The most exciting aspect of canine detection work is that we don’t know the bounds of their abilities and applications,” Gokool says. “Just two years ago we didn’t have a need for COVID-19 detection canines, but now we have trained and effectively deployed canines in many different venues and across the country. When the scientific community is tasked with a new question of how to detect and locate a new substance, more times than not, the fastest and most effective answer is a well-trained canine.” 

Erica Garcia has spent the last several months training dogs to detect COVID-19.

The dogs were taught at FIU’s International Forensic Research Institute (IFRI) to identify the odor produced by metabolic changes in those infected with the virus. Garcia, an environmental studies freshman and Honors College student, was responsible for safely removing the COVID-19 odor sample from its container and placing the sealed sample on a surface for the dogs to detect. The training was conducted in large spaces like auditoriums, labs and libraries.

“I’ve always wanted to do something with scent detection and dogs. I love working with animals,” Garcia said. “I saw this opportunity and said, ‘Let’s see how powerful these dogs can actually be.'”

High proficiency in detection comes with practice, and the dogs can achieve greater than 90 percent accuracy and low false positives after completing the final stages of training.

The canine team consists of a Belgian Malinois named Cobra, a Dutch Shepherd named Betta, and two small rescue dogs, Mac and Hubble.

The training starts in the IFRI lab on an octopus-like wheel with canisters at the ends. The odor sample is randomly placed in one canister and the canines circle the wheel sniffing each one until they detect the right canister.

When the dog detects the odor, it alerts the handler by sitting down next to it. This technique is practiced so when the dogs are searching for the odor on a surface in a big room, the dog will sit down and alert the handler where to clean. After the lab, the dogs move on to practice in big open spaces.

.   

These canines know a thing or two about detecting deadly viruses. Before sniffing out the COVID-19 odor on campus, the dogs were trained to detect the disease odor produced by a specific fungus that destroyed avocado trees in South Florida.

Getting the dogs used to the FIU environment is one of the important tasks Garcia handles to ensure the dogs are comfortable, especially as more students are expected on campus in the summer and fall semesters. Their days include walking around campus, roaming aisle by aisle in the library, and searching classrooms and auditoriums.

“My favorite part has been seeing the dogs grow in their talent,” Garcia said. “It’s mind-blowing seeing their progress in detecting COVID-19 and anything you train them on.”

The detection dog team is the first in the United States to gain certification specific to COVID-19 and earned it just in time to work this year’s Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (SOBEWFF®).

At the start of the pandemic, Garcia was like many others around the world – home, bored and with little to do. To get out of the house, she started searching for safe internships available. That’s when she reached out to her advisor who directed her to the Agroecology program.

Garcia was offered a scholarship through the Innovative Curriculum of Agriculture Training and Career for Hispanics (iCATCH), which granted her an internship to help train COVID-19 detector dogs on campus.

Environmental science is something Garcia has always been interested in—whether it’s wildlife, conservation or agriculture. Working as a volunteer at Zoo Miami during high school reinforced her love for animals and her career in the environment.

In the future, Garcia hopes to work for the USDA in its dog scent detection program.

“I needed to do something, whether it was out in Africa or training dogs here at FIU,” she said. “This internship is a gateway to get into that.”

Kenneth G. Furton, Florida International University; Julian Mendel, Florida International University, and Kelvin J. Frank Jr., Florida International University

With up to 300 million scent receptors, dogs are among the best smell detectors in the animal world. The human nose, by comparison, contains only around 6 million scent receptors. Dog brains also devote 40% more brain space than humans to analyzing odors.

That’s why people train dogs to search for diverse targets via smell, from illegal drugs and agricultural pests to missing persons, endangered wildlife species and more. Dogs accomplish this by successfully recognizing the odors of substances called volatile organic compounds that are specifically associated with these targets. Not only can trained dogs detect these volatile organic compounds, but oftentimes they can do it with greater sensitivity than analytical instruments.

Volatile organic compounds can be produced by living organisms as well as by natural or synthetic materials. In humans, they are produced by the body’s metabolic activity, then enter the bloodstream and are finally released into the air through blood, urine, feces, skin or breath.

Scientists have found that dogs can be trained to successfully recognize unique volatile organic compounds, called “biomarkers,” in the exhaled breath of patients with certain diseases or chronic medical conditions, including cancer and diabetes, as well as for pre-seizure detection in epileptic individuals.

Our team of canine scent scientists at Florida International University wanted to figure out whether COVID-19 is among the diseases that trained dogs can detect. Our recent study, which we carried out with our colleague, forensic biologist DeEtta Mills, confirms that it is.

We believe that dogs hold great promise as a rapid screening method that, used with other measures such as rapid tests, can help stop COVID-19 spread and end the pandemic. Some of the dogs trained during our research have already proved their abilities at airports and public events.

Training dogs to detect COVID-19

For several decades, Florida International University’s International Forensic Research Institute has been a global institution for research on detector dogs. The majority of this research has focused on identifying the specific volatile organic compounds that natural or synthetic materials and living organisms produce and which dogs can be trained to detect.

In our recent research, we hypothesized that people infected with COVID-19 would release specific volatile organic compounds, and that a well-trained odor detection dog would be able to tell these biomarkers apart from other volatile organic compounds.

So in collaboration with Baptist Health South Florida, a nonprofit health care organization, we obtained face masks from hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses, as well as from those who tested negative for COVID-19.

We then trained four dogs to respond to COVID-19 positive masks, while ignoring COVID-19 negative masks and unused masks. In the process, the dogs learned to tell the difference between biomarkers originating from COVID-19 breath and from non-COVID-19 breath.

One of the training tools we used was a scent detection wheel. We placed both COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 negative masks in cans with small holes in the lids, which were attached to the ends of the wheel’s arms. The dogs then walked around the wheel sniffing the volatile organic compounds coming out of these holes.

After 40 double-blind trials – meaning that the people training the dogs didn’t know which masks were which – we found that each of the four dogs in this study accurately detected COVID-19 positive masks more than 90% of the time.

Mac, a Terrier mix, got it right in 96.2% of attempts. Cobra, a Belgian Malinois, was correct 99.4% of the time. One Betta, a Dutch Shepherd, got it right in 98.1% of attempts, and Hubble, a Border Collie mix, 96.3% of the time.

After the study, Cobra and One Betta went to work at the State Emergency Operation Command Center, in Tallahassee, Florida, screening for COVID-19 on surfaces. In May 2021, both dogs also put their COVID-19 detection skills to work at the annual Food and Wine Festival in Miami.

In September 2021, Cobra and One Betta worked for two separate 30-day pilot studies at Miami International Airport, screening individuals for COVID-19.

Other agencies are beginning to adopt FIU’s methods for training dogs to detect COVID-19. Recently, with FIU’s assistance, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts started putting two young labradors named Duke and Huntah to work detecting COVID-19. These two dogs are also sniffing for COVID-19 at facilities in the nearby Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District.

Next steps in COVID-19 detection

Now that we know dogs can be trained to sniff out COVID-19, our team hopes to identify the exact volatile organic compounds – the biomarkers – that they’re detecting. To accomplish this, we are continuing to analyze both COVID-19 positive masks and COVID-19 negative masks in the laboratory.

Pinning down which biomarkers are linked to COVID-19 will help in developing materials and training aids for teaching other dogs how to detect the disease.

[Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]

It may also contribute to developing COVID-19 sensors for use in odor-detecting devices – which might then join rapid testing and sniffer dogs like One Betta, Hubble, Mac and Cobra in helping get the pandemic under control.

Kenneth G. Furton, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University; Julian Mendel, Research Assistant Professor in Forensic Research, Florida International University, and Kelvin J. Frank Jr., Forensic Science Professor / Postdoctoral Research Associate, Florida International University

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

We came to understand that rum is more than a drink. It tells a story of history, culture and innovation. Seeing how each step, from fermentation to bottling, comes together taught us how tradition and technology blend to create world-class products.

The global spirits industry is a $650 billion dollar market and is expected to grow to $780 billion by 2030, according to a recent Spirits Market Report. On this trip, we got to dive deep and see how rum goes from barrel to bottle, something that expanded our knowledge as we each continue our educational journeys in beverage management.

We began with a stop at San Juan Distillers, in Puerto Rico's capital city, which represented a new producer for many of us.

There, we saw experienced a very personal side of rum production. The owner, José R. Álvarez Reyes, and his son, José Roberto Álvarez Jr., guided us through their facility, sharing the passion and dedication that drive their work. Their operation is small, with around 20 workers, but every bottle is crafted with care, respect for the land and a deep love for heritage. It was inspiring to see how what once started as a “crazy idea” became a thriving and meaningful reality. 

On the other end of the spectrum is Bacardi, which we all know well. Bacardi has its North American headquarters in Miami and supports us as Chaplin students through a partnership that aims to advance education, entrepreneurship and sustainability around the spirits industry.

At Casa Bacardi, located in Cataño, across the bay from Old San Juan, we saw a global brand with a legacy that spans generations. The world's largest rum distillery was filled with striking artwork and beautifully designed architecture that reflected Bacardi's history and pride. As FIU students associated with the university's Bacardi Center of Excellence, we had the exclusive chance to walk through the lab and see the specific yeast used to create the signature rum. This experience made us feel like insiders in one of the world’s most renowned beverage operations.

Before leaving the island, we visited La Factoria, one of Puerto Rico’s most famous cocktail bars and a globally recognized name in mixology. The atmosphere was electric, a space where creativity and culture are blended as effortlessly as the drinks themselves. It’s no wonder the bar has earned a spot on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for multiple years, a reflection of its commitment to innovation, hospitality and artistry. We learned about the bar’s operation and how it opens earlier than most by selling coffee during the day while operating as the location for eight independent clubs, each occupying a different room and featuring different types of music. The goal is to appeal to the 23-and-above crowd by showcasing a mature and thoughtful design to create unique experiences. 

Opportunities like this remind us how fortunate we are to be part of a program that values hands-on learning and cultural exploration. Through the program, we didn’t just study rum; we experienced its history, its people and its spirit. We learned that the industry opens many career opportunities. Our time in Puerto Rico reminded us that true hospitality is about more than service; it’s about telling a story, building connections and honoring tradition, lessons we’ll bring with us into the future.

From barrel to bottle, an insider look at the beverage management industry

Ulloa now serves as an administrative and volunteer coordinator at Caring for Miami, the nonprofit initiative of Christ Fellowship Church, that provides essential resources — from a mobile food market to meal kits for public school students — across South Florida. A study by No Kid Hungry Florida reveals that over 72% of Floridians are finding it more difficult to afford groceries, with 24% of families reporting not having enough food to eat on multiple occasions.

She first joined the organization during her undergraduate years, forming part of the team that introduced the mobile market: a renovated county bus that serves as a one-aisle grocery store. Unlike at traditional food banks that provide pre-selected kits, Caring for Miami’s patrons get to select from a fresh array of food options with the help of a “personal shopper.” Items are then bagged, allowing patrons to feel as though they’re on a shopping trip.

She has witnessed first-hand the impact of the mobile market, sharing how its layout has helped patrons maintain their dignity. “They’ll come, and you’ll see on their face that they’re downcast. When they come inside [the market], their eyes brighten. They leave with a smile.”

• Shift promotions for self-improvement items like fitness equipment or self-help books from November and December to January, when consumers are focused on their own New Year’s resolutions.
• Rethink pricing incentives during gifting seasons. If retailers discount both self-improvement and leisure products for the holidays, Chapman suggests spotlighting the latter instead.
• Humanize review requests. When companies solicit feedback, adding a personal touch such as a note signed by a real employee (“Thanks for your review! – Alex, Founder”) can reduce consumers’ negativity.
• Offer small incentives for reviews. Even a modest gift card can increase positivity and reduce the likelihood of low ratings.

The annual festival, known for spotlighting local eateries and South Florida craft beer innovators, draws crowds eager to sample bold flavors and celebrate the artistry behind brewing and gastronomy. Every year, attendees vote for their favorite exhibitors and crown the People’s Choice Award winners.

Local craft brewers return to 13th annual North Miami BrewFest.

This year, for the first time ever, students took home two of the three top categories. In first place for best brewery wasn’t a brewery after all, but students from the Bacardi Center of Excellence and its student club called the FIU Bartender’s Guild. The group started working on their beer cocktail creations months ago, reflecting the diverse talent on display at BrewFest. This year’s other first place winners include:

• Best Brewery: FIU Bartender’s Guild
• Best Eatery: La Birra Bar
• Best Dessert: Chef Christian

Burgers and wings took home top awards for Best Eateries.

Alumni-owned businesses and local breweries also took home the hardware, including Brewsaki and alumni-owned Rocketeer Beer in second and third place, respectively, for Best Brewery. In the best eats category, La Birra Bar took home first place for the third year in a row, but it might be worth paying a visit to second-place Ty’s Hometown BBQ to try out their award-winning wings or to Fin’s Kitchen, a food truck that took home third place for its’ blueberry and Haitian-rum glazed wings.

Fan favorites Temple Street Eatery and Wan's also returned this year as did other alumni-owned breweries including Tripping Animals, Conscious Brewing and Black Pit Brewing. More than 30 breweries and 20 eateries took part in the event.

“I’m grateful to keep representing culture, flavor and community, one brownie at a time,” said Chef Christian Barruos-Brens, a junior studying in the Chaplin School. His signature Cafecito brownies took home first place for best dessert. Local bakery, Be Pastry, came in second place for their perfectly crunchy churros topped with chocolate or caramel and baked with love.

These bakers and chefs took home top prizes for Best Desserts.

These awards underscored the festival’s spirit of community, giving recognition to those who captured the crowd’s imagination and palate, like Laura Rodriguez, whose craft creation, a Mango American Ale, was an ode to her abuelita.

“The Philippine mangoes I used in this recipe are from my grandma’s house, so the beer is close to my heart because it’s like I put a little bit of myself and my culture into it,” said Rodriguez, who showcased her beer as part of Brew FIU, an FIU student club, focused on brew science.

Rodriguez, set to graduate next summer, aspires to become a general manager in the restaurant industry and used BrewFest as an opportunity to showcase a lineup of beers and fermentations that blended technical skill with personal storytelling.

Her Toasted Coconut Turkish Coffee Stout was a crowd favorite. Infused with cold-brew Turkish coffee and coconut, the stout evoked the flavors of an Almond Joy: rich, mocha-like and indulgent. “I didn’t realize it came out so great,” Rodriguez admitted with a smile, reflecting on the surprise success of her creation. 

Rodriguez’s brewing journey began months before the festival and, having just participated in her last edition, she is grateful for the experience. “It feels bittersweet, but I’m excited to end on a great note because these are all of my passion projects that I’ve been able to bring to life,” she said.

“I’m very grateful for every opportunity I get here because it furthers my career and gives me real-life experiences. I’ve made so many friends here that will be my friends for the rest of my life.”

“It was my colleague, Dr. Jaime Ousley, who texted me,” Mendoza recalled. “I couldn’t believe it. I had to look it up myself.” He quickly shared the news with folks in the building. “Everybody was ecstatic,” he said. Later that night, at home with his wife, he finally caught his breath. “We celebrated. When reality set in, it was just sheer happiness.”

For FIU, the 2026 Grammy nomination is a national recognition of a program that has redefined what a university orchestra can be.

As director of orchestral studies, Mendoza has conducted the FIU Symphony Orchestra for eight years and transformed it into a laboratory for innovation where classical music meets popular culture, Latin music traditions and the modern music industry. It is that group that now owns a piece of music’s highest honor.

“The orchestra as an ensemble has approximately 300 years of history,” Mendoza explained. “But if it’s going to survive, it must evolve. We’ve used the orchestra as a vehicle to present popular music that has wider appeal to modern audiences.”

Mendoza’s Grammy-nominated work with reggaeton superstar Yandel marked a watershed moment for FIU’s program by merging the energy of urban Latin music with the sophistication of orchestral performance and placing students at the center of it all. Dozens took the stage at Miami’s Arsht Center to perform the music recorded live for the album, released on April 3 by Warner Music Latina, and now nominated in the category of Best Música Urbana Album. (Notably, Yandel has been nominated for Latin Grammy awards multiple times, having won twice; the current nomination, by contrast, is part of the Grammys.)

Bringing Latin icons to the symphony stage

FIU students performed with Yandel as part of his Sinfónico USA Tour 2025, with one show taking place on campus, a free event for all students that saw the Wertheim Performing Arts Center packed to capacity.

Earlier this month, Mendoza and the FIU Symphony Orchestra performed another highly successful classical twist with Rubén Blades’ Maestra Vida, a large-scale salsa cantata that sold out at Wertheim Performing Arts Center. The performance required students to master Afro-Caribbean rhythms and salsa orchestration, a challenge that dramatically expanded their musical range.

Now, the orchestra is preparing for its next ambitious show: Celia Sinfónica: A Symphonic Tribute to the Queen of Salsa, a full symphonic celebration of Celia Cruz’s 100th birthday, presented in partnership with Celia Cruz Entertainment, Loud & Live, and FIU CasaCuba.

Under Mendoza’s baton, the orchestra will reimagine Cruz’s iconic hits, including “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” and “Quimbara,” as sweeping symphonic works infused with Afro-Caribbean soul.

“This recognition allowed the students to see the fruit of their labor,” Mendoza said. “They’ve become even more motivated and more dedicated. It’s re-energized them as we prepare for Celia Sinfónica and reminds them that the hard work pays off.”

Students at the center of the moment

For Mendoza, the most meaningful part of the GRAMMY moment wasn’t the nomination itself, it was watching what it sparked in his students. “That energy is being felt directly inside the rehearsal room,” he shared.

Especially by Gianluca Nagaro, first-year graduate student and concertmaster for Celia Sinfónica:

“It’s an honor to be part of something this meaningful,” Nagaro says. “I grew up hearing Celia Cruz at home, and now I get to reinterpret her music with a full orchestra. Dr. Mendoza always reminds us that performance is half about the music and half about what the audience experiences.”

For Mendoza, this transformation, artistic, emotional and professional, is the core of why he does this work.

A global vision for FIU

Beyond Miami, Mendoza’s leadership is propelling the FIU Symphony Orchestra onto the international stage. In June 2026, the orchestra will perform at the National Auditorium in Madrid after being invited by cultural partners at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Centro Superior de Investigación y Promoción Musical.

Unlike many international invitations, this one is fully hosted, a rare honor that signals FIU’s growing global recognition.

“We serve as a laboratory,” Mendoza said. “Some of the projects we incubate here continue beyond FIU, like Yandel's Sinfónico tour, which is now international. That’s powerful for our students, for FIU and for the future of orchestral music.”

His long-term vision is ambitious but clear: that FIU helps redefine what a collegiate orchestra looks like in the 21st century.

“My hope,” he said, “is that we will be perceived by this generation as one of the best, if not the best, collegiate orchestras in the country.”

When the FIU Symphony Orchestra and student vocalists took the stage alongside global music icon Yandel last October, it kicked off a bold collaboration—one that quickly evolved from a campus performance into a national platform. What unfolded at the Wertheim School of Music has since grown into a high-profile recording, a multi-city tour, and national television recognition—culminating in a major album release under Warner Music Latina.

At the heart of it all was a daring creative vision: merging the pulse of Latin Urban music with the sweeping power of a full symphony orchestra.

Turning a Live Performance Into an Album

The project took a major leap forward after that first concert. Yandel invited FIU Conductor Javier José Mendoza, members of the FIU Symphony Orchestra, alumni, and student vocalists to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in December for a live album recording session.

The result, Yandel Sinfónico En Vivo—released on April 3 by Warner Music Latina—reimagines tracks like “Encantadora,” “Nunca Me Olvides,” and “Noche de Entierro” with orchestral color and cinematic depth.

Unlike a traditional studio setup, this was a high-stakes, one-night-only performance—captured in real time before a live audience. There were no second takes. Every note, cue, and transition had to land perfectly.

The soprano auditioned for a spot in FIU’s music school in advance of her freshman year and quickly embraced practicing for campus recitals and opera productions.

But in between memorizing arias and learning to sing in foreign languages, as is required of vocal performance majors, another interest kept pulling at her heart strings until she could no longer ignore it.

The gnawing feeling one day precipitated a formidable decision: She would set the stage for eventually earning a medical degree, all the while keeping up with her music theory and history classes, rehearsals and concerts.

Spoiler alert: Chaffins, who graduates in the spring from the Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts, the Honors College and the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, has earned acceptance to several medical schools and will choose one to start in the fall of 2026.

Renaissance woman

Reared on “reading and storytelling” and outings to musicals and symphony concerts, Chaffins grew up taking voice lessons and participating in children’s chorus and church choir.

Then, beginning in high school, she fell hard for anatomy and other science classes.

“Sometimes they’re viewed in two different spheres,” she says of her twin loves. “I don’t really view it that way. Art is all about encapsulating what it means to be a human being, and I think medicine is exactly the same thing.

“The heart of medicine is communication and really understanding people's stories and where they come from and meeting them where they are at.”

A beautiful, almost lyrical sentiment, for sure, but the question remains: How in the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart does she do it all?

A planner par excellence

Arriving with an associate degree from Miami Dade College (as part of dual enrollment studies) helped get several prerequisites out of the way but did not reduce the time it took for Chaffins to accomplish all that she has demanded of herself at FIU.

On top of immediately joining the Honors College, which features challenging, interdisciplinary classes designed to foster critical thinking and requires a capstone research project, Chaffins formally added a natural and applied sciences major after her sophomore year. Meeting the requirements of three different programs entailed serious attention to scheduling, both with regard to her academics and her life.

Her status as a student on a pre-med track – a sequence of coursework designed to prepare one for admission to medical school regardless of major – presented still more requirements, two of the most time-consuming falling outside of classes: studying for months to score well on the standardized Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, and fulfilling hundreds of hours of voluntary clinical experience, which she completed by making hospice visits and still continues today. (And like most FIU students, she worked part-time, as well as took singing jobs, for pay.)

Looking back as she heads into the home stretch, Chaffins states what might be surprising to many: “Music, honestly, was the harder major. It was so intense just because of the amount of classes we have to take,” she explains.

“All of our ensembles, including opera, which is six hours a week, and choir, which is another six hours a week, are one credit each. It just took a lot of time and some big commitment.”

A reflection of her name

Part of what got her through, she says, is the tight-knit vocal performance community within the Wertheim School of Music.

“I was very grateful to have had a lot of people who were really supportive, not only just academically, holding my hand and making sure I got where I needed to get, but also emotionally,” she says.

Associate Professor of Music Robert Dundas has known Chaffins her entire FIU career. Having seen her occasionally “tired” in the midst of her many pursuits, yet always enthusiastic, he appreciates both her character and her abilities.

“Grace, right from the start, struck us all as an amazing student,” he says. “The way she writes, the way she expresses herself, she's really top-notch. And then on top of that, she's got a beautiful voice.

“She's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet,” he continues. “She holds herself very professionally in every situation. She's always very attentive and very focused. She's exemplary in many, many ways.”

The future Dr. Chaffins

Now, a semester from walking the commencement stage, Chaffins looks forward to her final music course, vocal pedagogy, which will close the loop on her unique undergraduate experience.

“We're going to go into a lot of the mechanics of the anatomy of the vocal cords,” she says, “which I'm very, very excited for.”

Thinking she’ll specialize one day in pediatrics or maybe ear, nose and throat, she imagines that music somehow will remain a part of her life as she practices medicine.

That she could take a wide approach to her studies has meant the world to her, she addss.

“It's really a testament to FIU. You can really do anything here, combine all of your interests. You don't have to be stuck in a box.”

As the anti-diva prepares to leave one stage for another, those watching from the orchestra seats can only respond, “Brava.” 🎶

Students in FIU’s Symphony Orchestra are in for a treat: the orchestra is performing live alongside a group of acclaimed artists during a special tribute to Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa.

Celia Sinfónica is a first-of-its-kind concert featuring a symphonic arrangement of some of Cruz’s most iconic songs, including “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” and “Quimbara.” The concert is presented by FIU’s Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts in partnership with Celia Cruz Entertainment, Loud & Live and FIU CasaCuba. It will take place Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The concert features stars including Willy Chirino, Lena Burke, Albita, Lucrecia, Goyo, Lissette and Brenda Navarrete. FIU Associate Professor Javier José Mendoza, director of orchestral studies, has been preparing the students for the concert and will be leading the student orchestra as it accompanies the stars during the concert. 

The students are rising to the occasion. “I’m very proud of them,” Mendoza said during a rehearsal this week. Students have been hard at work preparing for the big day. And, they have enjoyed every minute of it.

“I love it,” said music performance major Adrian Ulloa, who plays the cello. Ulloa was born and raised in Miami, and he’s grown up listening to Celia Cruz songs and Latin rhythms all around him.

“Miami is the heart of Latin music,” Ulloa said. “This concert brings the beauty of classical music together with Latin culture and music. It’s a unique sound. This music is in our blood. It just makes me want to move [and dance].”

Lucrecia Pérez-Saéz, one of the artists who will be singing at the concert, recently came to campus to rehearse with the orchestra.

When asked what her favorite part about working with FIU students is, she said: “Everything!”

“It’s marvelous having contact with students, seeing their faces, their learning, their yearning [passion]… it’s vital,” she said. “I was happy to come and establish a connection with them and rehearse with them. I too was a music student once. When you have contact with students studying classical music and who are also nourishing themselves with our Latin music… I’m very proud to [be part of] this fusion and I’m proud to honor Celia.”

Honoring a legacy

Taimy Balbuzano is earning her master’s degree in music with a focus in orchestral conducting. She is the assistant conductor for the concert under Mendoza. The tribute to Cruz has a special place in her heart.

Balbuzano is a Cuban native who grew up studying music in Cuba. And yet, she had never heard of Cruz, a legendary Cuban singer.

The Cuban government banned Cruz’s music from the island because of her opposition to communism and Fidel Castro’s regime. In fact, like many other artists who voiced discontent with the Cuban government, Cruz was erased from the country’s music scene and history. Young musicians like Balbuzano grew up oblivious to Cruz’s legacy.

It wasn’t until Balbuzano arrived in Miami in the 1990s that she heard about Cruz.

"You could hear her music everywhere in Miami," Balbuzano recalled. Immediately, she began listening to all of Cruz’s music, and she loved it. (“Quimbara is my favorite song because you can see that Celia was such a happy woman,” she added.)

Today, Balbuzano is proud to be involved in the tribute for Cruz.

“Being part of this concert is very meaningful to me,” Balbuzano said. “I’m glad to help celebrate her. It’s also very meaningful that FIU, which is in Miami, is celebrating Celia Cruz. She sang for the Hispanic world, and Miami has such a unique blend of cultures.”

Fusing genres

The concert is one of various innovative, genre-bending performances the students have participated in within the last year. Through a collaboration with Warner Music Latina, the student Symphony Orchestra performed live with Latin Grammy-winning reggaeton artist Yandel during a concert hosted at FIU last year.

The students were later invited to perform and record again with Yandel for his album, Sinfónico (En Vivo), which brought together the energy of urban music with the sophistication of orchestral performance. The album was nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY, effectively providing Mendoza and the students with their first GRAMMY nominations. The GRAMMY awards will take place Feb. 1, 2026.

FIU students also recently performed Rubén Blades’ Maestra Vida as part of FIU’s 2025 Music Festival. The large-scale Blades production is a “salsa opera” that united FIU’s full orchestra with voice and music theatre students.

These popular-classical music combinations help diversify the talents, skills and career possibilities of students, Mendoza said. 

“[These experiences] give them practical experience on how to function in a professional situation that is not a classical professional situation,” Mendoza explained. “These types of projects are very different than going and playing Beethoven with the South Florida Symphony, and I’m very happy that students have both types of experiences before starting their careers. FIU is a place that gives incredible opportunities to our students.”

Bass player Francisco Castillo agreed. Castillo is earning his degree in music business and production, and he plans to become a composer. He is one of several students who both performed with Yandel and will participate in Saturday’s tribute to Cruz.

“It’s just amazing,” Castillo says. “Playing in this concert and also with Yandel…being able to explore other genres, it’s really fulfilling. I’m 100% sure that I’ll use what I’m learning now about fusion of genres and creating new sounds in my future as I compose music.”

FIU and Celia

FIU has longstanding connections with Cruz. In 1992, FIU granted Cruz an Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree. And the Celia Cruz Foundation has been a longtime collaborator with FIU CasaCuba. 

The idea for the concert came when Omer Pardillo-Cid, president of the Celia Cruz Foundation, and Lili Betancourt Space, exeutive director of FIU CasaCuba, came together to discuss ways that the Celia Cruz Foundation and FIU could join forces to celebrate Cruz’s 100^th birthday. The Wertheim School of Music and its students eagerly became involved in the project. 

“The music of Celia is timeless,” Pardillo-Cid said. “Seeing the new generation perform her music is very touching for me. I worked for Celia all my life. I started working with Celia at the age of 17 as an intern. I went on to become her publicist and then her manager. Today I’m the executor of her estate.”

He said he’s proud to collaborate with FIU to keep Cruz’s legacy alive.

In 2021, the Celia Cruz Foundation donated 230 of Cruz’s music scores to FIU. “Celia’s original music scores were donated to FIU, to the School of Music, so future generations can learn her music and touch those arrangements [that are] from the '50s with her handwriting…it’s very special. What better place for it to be than FIU, which is very close to the community, very close to Miami?”

During a recent concert rehearsal on campus, Pardillo-Cid surprised students by providing each with two free tickets to the concert so their parents, family members or other loved ones could watch them perform live.

“This project really embodies exactly the vision for CasaCuba,” Betancourt Space said. “Celia is so iconic in the Cuban American community, and she is truly international. She brings so many people together from lots of places beyond the Cuban American community. It’s really about bringing her to the whole community, to multiple generations, folks all over the world. She’s an internationally recognized icon. Who better to be the ambassador for FIU and CasaCuba than Celia?” 

The students of the FIU Symphony Orchestra and concert choir intertwined reggaeton rhythms with classical instrumentation on Tuesday when they provided backup for Latin Grammy-winning artist Yandel.

It was part of a new collaboration between FIU's Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts and Warner Music Latina. The parties came together on campus to celebrate the release of Yandel’s latest album, ELYTE, and created, for one night only, The ELYTE Symphony, which saw students take center stage at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center concert hall for what was billed as Reggaetón Sinfónico.

The Puerto Rican singing sensation used the evening to express his gratitude by announcing the ELYTE scholarship to support the next generation of musicians.

“This is what we do,” said Karen S. Veloz, Wertheim school director. “It was a night where the worlds of symphonic music and reggaeton collided in a magnificent performance under the direction of Javier Mendoza and the music legend himself – Yandel. FIU music faculty challenged its students, and they embraced the challenge with passion and professionalism. I could not be prouder of them.”

For many of the students involved, the opportunity to perform with Yandel was a highlight of their young careers and an unforgettable experience.

“Performing live with Yandel has been one of the best experiences here at FIU,” said Catherin Meza, graduate student studying vocal performance. The entire process was an immersive educational time for students like Meza. They rehearsed for weeks leading up to the event and worked with music faculty and industry professionals from Warner Music Latina on the technical arrangements as well as the creative elements.

“During the dress rehearsal, we had the opportunity to interact with Yandel’s lead singer and she encouraged us to have to have fun and enjoy the moment,” Meza said. “As a musician, being versatile is extremely important and merging both classical training and reggaeton was so fun. I grew up listening to Yandel's music and I am grateful we were given this opportunity to perform with such a legend.”

By the night of the show, The Wertheim was packed to capacity with 600 FIU students and professionals from the Latin music industry.

Behind the scenes, alumnus Cesar Toirac ’16 MS ’17 ensured the show’s success. Director of marketing services for Warner Music Group, he served as executive producer of the show and proved key to getting the event to FIU, where he remembered the talents, hard-working students who would make the night a success.

The collaboration is part of FIU’s broader commitment to providing students with real-world experiences that prepare them for success after graduation. Whether they go on to become performers, educators or industry professionals, students benefit from engageing in high-level in events that offer insight into what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of music.

“This collaboration reinforces our efforts to ensure students learn by doing - where they can put theory into practice and enter their respective careers with confidence to thrive," said Brian Schriner, dean of the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts. “Such moments are possible because of dedicated faculty, who create unique, experiential learning opportunities through establishing industry partnerships that support our core mission and create FIU memories they will cherish forever.”

 

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On Tuesday night, The Wertheim was packed to capacity with an audience of 600 FIU students and professionals from the Latin music industry.

Behind the scenes, alumnus Cesar Toirac ’16 MS ’17 ensured the show’s success. Director of marketing services for Warner Music Group, he served as executive producer of the show and proved key to getting the event to FIU, where he remembered the talented, hard-working students of his alma mater.

“We wanted to make sure that [the event] was something that no one has ever done before,” Toirac said of the collaborative evening. “We actually wanted to make sure that every single piece of this production was being orchestrated by the FIU students.”

The partnership is part of FIU’s broader commitment to providing students with real-world experiences that prepare them for success after graduation. Whether they go on to become performers, educators or industry professionals, students benefit from engageing in high-level in events that offer insight into what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of music.

“This collaboration reinforces our efforts to ensure students learn by doing - where they can put theory into practice and enter their respective careers with confidence to thrive," said Brian Schriner, dean of the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts. “Such moments are possible because of dedicated faculty, who create unique, experiential learning opportunities through establishing industry partnerships that support our core mission and create FIU memories they will cherish forever.”

When the FIU Symphony Orchestra and student vocalists took the stage alongside global music icon Yandel last October, it kicked off a bold collaboration—one that quickly evolved from a campus performance into a national platform. What unfolded at the Wertheim School of Music has since grown into a high-profile recording, a multi-city tour, and national television recognition—culminating in a major album release under Warner Music Latina.

At the heart of it all was a daring creative vision: merging the pulse of Latin Urban music with the sweeping power of a full symphony orchestra.

Turning a Live Performance Into an Album

The project took a major leap forward after that first concert. Yandel invited FIU Conductor Javier José Mendoza, members of the FIU Symphony Orchestra, alumni, and student vocalists to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in December for a live album recording session.

The result, Yandel Sinfónico En Vivo—released on April 3 by Warner Music Latina—reimagines tracks like “Encantadora,” “Nunca Me Olvides,” and “Noche de Entierro” with orchestral color and cinematic depth.

Unlike a traditional studio setup, this was a high-stakes, one-night-only performance—captured in real time before a live audience. There were no second takes. Every note, cue, and transition had to land perfectly.

For many of the students involved, it was their first time recording music in this style and at such a high level.

Bethany Xiques, a graduate violin student studying with Teaching Professor Misha Vitenson, reflected on the experience:

“We were stepping into a new sound, adapting on the spot, and learning how to bring that energy into a recording. To be part of a Warner Music Latina release, knowing it’s reaching a global audience, is an experience I’ll carry with me forever.”

But beyond technical growth, the collaboration also held deep personal meaning for others.

Noelia Lee Luna, a graduate choral conducting student studying with Director of Choral Activities Erynn Millard, shared how the opportunity resonated with her:

“I grew up listening to his music—his name is a household name back in Puerto Rico—so being part of this project made me feel truly seen and heard. It gave me the space to express my pride in where I come from—our rich culture and music. Sharing that with others was powerful. I feel deeply humbled to have been chosen, and this experience has not only elevated my confidence as a musician but also reminded me of the strength that comes from staying rooted in who you are.”

Lights, Cameras, Fallon

The project soon reached an even wider stage. On March 31, Yandel and Mendoza performed “Puño de Tito” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, introducing millions of viewers to this groundbreaking blend of Latin Urban and symphonic music. 

Rolling Stone described the sound as “a bold fusion of urban Latin and classical that expands the sound of Latin music.”

For FIU, the national spotlight marked more than just a performance—it affirmed the school’s role at the forefront of artistic innovation and cultural leadership.

“To see this work promoted on national television, connecting cultures through music—that kind of visibility matters,” said Mendoza. "It showed that the orchestra is not just responding to the moment—we're part of shaping it. This is the kind of moment where the orchestra becomes a true ambassador for FIU."

The Tour Ahead

The momentum continues with the Yandel Sinfónico USA Tour, running from May 30 through June 8, 2025. Mendoza will join Yandel to conduct performances across several cities, with FIU students joining for the Florida portion of the tour.

The announcement drew national attention. Rolling Stone spotlighted the collaboration, noting that Yandel's October performance with the FIU Symphony Orchestra served as the inspiration for the upcoming tour.

For Dr. Mendoza and Wertheim School of Music Director Karen S. Veloz, this project exemplifies a vision they’ve long championed: empowering students by giving them real-world performance opportunities.

“As the Director of the School of Music and someone deeply rooted in the music business field, seeing our students and faculty, Javier Mendoza, record with Yandel on a commercial label is incredibly powerful,” said Veloz. “It’s not just a first—it’s a breakthrough. We’ve always talked about bridging the gap between the classroom and the industry, and this is that bridge in action. Our students are not just performing—they’re building careers, pushing creative boundaries, and reshaping what it means to be a young professional in music today. I’m proud, inspired, and energized by what this moment represents.”

This philosophy aligns with initiatives like FIU Wertheim Music on Tour, which allows students to perform across South Florida and beyond—expanding their resumes while promoting cultural engagement. The Sinfónico tour is the highest-profile extension of this mission to date.

And as the collaboration continues to evolve, it reflects the kind of opportunity the Wertheim School of Music is committed to creating: immersive, career-shaping moments that prepare students not just to enter the industry—but to shape it.

With each new stage, each new audience, this partnership is opening doors—and proving that when vision meets preparation, a campus performance can become something much more: a cultural milestone with global reach.

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A breakthrough DNA-recognition tool developed by FIU marine biologist Diego Cardeñosa could change that, giving law enforcement the power to identify protected species on the spot and catch traffickers in the act. Cardeñosa conducts his research as part of FIU’s Global Forensic and Justic Center and the Institute of Environment. Designed for field use rather than a lab, his portable and cost-effective device gives officers a critical advantage in fighting wildlife crime — one of the most lucrative forms of illegal activity in the world, worth an estimated $20 billion a year. Analyzing a tiny tissue sample, Cardeñosa tested 55 shark and ray species, including 38 protected under CITES, the international treaty that regulates trade to protect species from extinction.

For someone who has dedicated his life and career to protecting these endangered animals, the new device is another front in that battle. It builds on a previous “DNA toolkit” Cardeñosa’s team developed in 2018, which could identify nine of the 12 species protected under CITES at the time. Today, the list has grown to 149 species, accounting for 68% of the global fin trade. Now, the device can even flag unknown species not in the database, giving authorities a way to catch unexpected or illegal shipments before it’s too late.          

“A lot of the law enforcement that we’ve worked with in the past say that if they cannot have preliminary evidence within 24 hours, they have to let the container go,” Cardeñosa said. “If that first layer of proof is gone, then everything else falls.”

With fins arriving dried, frozen, preserved in alcohol or even processed into shark fin soup, officers are often left guessing — a nearly impossible task when the clock is ticking.

“If we don’t have that data, then all the effort we’re putting into creating international laws is wasted,” he said.

Since the 1970s, shark populations have plummeted by roughly 70%, driven largely by overfishing and the cruel practice of finning, in which sharks are stripped of their fins and discarded at sea, leaving them unable to swim or breathe. Slow-growing and producing few offspring, many shark species are highly vulnerable, with at least 30 now on the brink of extinction. Rays, too, face similar threats, with many species targeted for the growing international fin trade.

He hopes to deploy the device widely — from Sri Lanka and Indonesia to Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica and Brazil — to reduce overfishing and make it more difficult to profit from illegal fins in the future.

“That’s the whole point, trying to create a deterrent so people won’t do it,” he said. “Then, because of that, we can start to see a change on the other side of the supply chain.”

Cardeñosa stresses the importance of funding to expand the tool’s international reach.

“We need to start combating illegal wildlife trade and take it seriously and support these kinds of initiatives, so they don’t end up being only a scientific effort,” he said.

Beyond sharks and rays, the device could also help protect broader wildlife.

“We are now trying to adapt it to turtles and mammals,” he added, signaling a future where this technology could help curb illegal trade across multiple species worldwide.

For Cardeñosa, every fin identified represents more than a scientific breakthrough, but a step toward safeguarding ecosystems teetering on the edge of collapse. He credits supporters Paul G. Allen Philanthropies, Wildlife Conservation Society, Gallifrey Foundation and the National Science Foundation for helping make the research possible.

A groundbreaking test developed by an FIU scientist can detect small, elusive hammerheads without anyone ever setting eyes on them — a critical new tool for species fighting for survival.

This first-of-its-kind test can detect traces of the sharks without ever catching or disturbing them. Like faint biological echoes lingering in the current, the test reveals where the sharks have been by identifying fragments of genetic material left behind in the water. In a recent study published in Frontiers in Marine Science, FIU marine biologist Diego Cardeñosa, who is affiliated with FIU's Institute of Environment and the Global Forensic and Justice Center, demonstrates the test’s effectiveness, showing how it can help scientists locate and protect these endangered species.

Small-bodied hammerhead sharks like the scalloped bonnethead, scoophead and Pacific bonnethead have been pushed to the brink by overfishing, leaving so few that scientists have struggled to study them. With their lives and habitats largely unknown, conservation efforts have fallen behind — until now. Cardeñosa’s new environmental DNA (eDNA) test could change the fate of these critically endangered sharks.

“Just by screening different locations along their distribution range from Mexico to Northern Peru, we can identify high-priority areas where conservation resources might be needed,” Cardeñosa said. “The short-term goal is to find these three species, as they’re likely among the most critically endangered coastal sharks in the world.”

Cardeñosa believes these hammerhead sharks were once abundant. They inhabit shallow, remote coastal habitats where scientific monitoring is limited and fisheries management is weak. Colombia’s Uramba/Bahía Málaga National Natural Park, the site of his research, may be one of the last refuges where researchers can still find them.

“You can drop a hook and line there and, within 10 minutes, catch one or two of these species,” he said. Elsewhere, sightings are nearly nonexistent: the scalloped bonnethead was last recorded in Mexico in 1994, and the scoophead in 2007. In Honduras, one of these species was only recently discovered after decades without a trace.

“That’s how hard it is to find them,” Cardeñosa said. “It’s on us if we want to act to protect them or if we just let them slip away.” 

For Cardeñosa, the urgency goes beyond ecosystem roles.

“A lot of these are some of the most derived or newest shark species on the evolutionary scale,” he said. “If they disappear, we’re also losing a piece of our planet’s evolutionary history. Extinction is forever, and that’s enough reason for me to do something.”

He hopes his research not only raises awareness of these overlooked species but also sparks curiosity about how powerful this new method can be.

“It’s fascinating that you can take a simple water sample and know whether a species was there or not,” he said.

With such a vast range to cover, the data provide critical information on where to focus protection efforts and how to maximize impact. The science can also help more than just hammerheads. Once the water sample is collected and DNA extracted, that information can be stored in a lab for years. So if future scientists want to study another species that might have lingered in the area, the DNA will still be there.

FIU’s fight against the illegal wildlife trade of sharks, rays and turtles has just received $2 million to develop a new tool for forensic detection.

Researcher Diego Cardeñosa is a co-principal investigator in one of 10 projects receiving funding under the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP) program, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Cardeñosa and a multidisciplinary team of scientists are developing new species identification technology, analyzing online wildlife trade markets and implementing artificial intelligence modeling to better understand, and ultimately disrupt, illegal wildlife trade supply chain operations. Their goal is to develop a universal test that can be used to identify highly traded species anywhere in the world.

Now in its second year, the PACSP program is designed to catalyze deep collaboration between researchers advancing basic science and conservation partners engaging in on-the-ground conservation. 

“Securing one of the most competitive grants in the nation validates our commitment to combatting wildlife crime,” said Cardeñosa. “This project represents the culmination of years of research and dedication to establishing FIU as a leader in wildlife forensics.”

Cardeñosa has dedicated his career to finding new and more effective ways to combat illegal trade of turtles, sharks and rays. He developed a portable, rapid DNA test that identifies specific shark species in a fraction of the time and cost as that of traditional testing. Cardeñosa and the team can build on his work with this grant.

Overall, the projects focus on a range of species — from sharks, turtles and grizzly bears to Venus flytraps and Hawaiian honeycreeper — and the outcomes will have far-reaching implications for biodiversity and conservation, policy and the economy.  

"The fundamental knowledge these projects create, even though related to specific species, will unlock innovative conservation efforts across a broader range of threatened species and ecosystems," said Lara Littlefield, executive director for programs and partnerships at the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. "For instance, studying whether mosquitos infected with bacteria can limit the spread of malaria among birds in Hawaii could ultimately limit disease spread among other animals more broadly." 

Each project extends basic science into on-the-ground conservation to address critical knowledge and data gaps, enabling greater real-world impact to benefit species and ecosystems.

"The unique partnerships this program creates forge a roadmap to broader conservation action by uniting the skills, expertise and tools needed to address the most urgent threats to our natural world," said Susan Marqusee, NSF assistant director for biological sciences. "These projects also will engage the public, policymakers, law enforcement and others in conservation through education, outreach and other broader impacts." 

The project titled “Strengthening conservation partnerships by advancing molecular and analytic tools for disrupting illegal wildlife trade” is a collaboration between FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center, Worchester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Maryland. Learn more about the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice program and view the full list of awards and awardees by visiting nsf.gov.

FIU recently co-hosted one of the world’s premier gatherings in computational design, which involves the use of algorithms, software and data analysis to enhance and automate the design and fabrication process. The ACADIA Conference brought researchers, designers and technologists to campus from across the globe for six days of hands-on workshops, presentations and dialogue.

Led by Professor Shahin Vassigh and supported by School of Architecture faculty, students and staff, the event showcased FIU’s growing influence in computational design, digital fabrication and resilience-focused innovation.

“FIU is honored to host the 2025 ACADIA Conference, an extraordinary achievement led by Dr. Shahin Vassigh and our School of Architecture faculty and students,” said Provost, Executive Vice President and CEO Elizabeth Béjar. “Through the pioneering work of CARTA's Robotics and Digital Fabrication Lab and the Doctor of Design program, FIU is advancing research and innovation that connect technology, design and resilience. This conference exemplifies the spirit of FIU, where FIU innovation meets purpose, and FIU technology and design shape a more resilient and sustainable future.” 

The conference emphasized CARTA’s mission to merge creativity, technology and research to drive the future of design. A keynote speech from David Benjamin, associate professor at Columbia University, emphasized the role of algorithms in relation to calculation and data processing to address global challenges. “My particular interest is climate change and decarbonization, and there’s a huge potential for computation to address this problem,” he said.

FIU Professor Neil Leach spoke on a panel that considered the coming role of AI in architecture. “The way AI is going to transform architecture is going to be very straightforward based on data, automation and optimization,” he said. “It will radically transform the world of architecture. The area where we’ll feel the greatest disruption is education. How are we to educate the architects of tomorrow when we have no idea what the practice of tomorrow is going to be like?”

Professors Thomas Spiegelhalter and Eric Goldemberg shared perspectives on the future of architectural practice, and still others explored material sustainability and emerging computational methodologies. Doctor of Design candidate Teri Watson shared her research on integrating seaweed into construction materials such as cement to promote sustainability. ” FIU alumna and renowned “Robot Whisperer” Madeline Gannon '08 MA '10 - so named for her blending of techniques in art, design, computer science and robotics - led discussion on AI, robotics and interactive systems. Others involved in the conference include Professor Sam Moshaver, Professor Bhavleen Kaur DDes ’24, Professor Marcelo Ertorteguy, Doctor of Design candidate Misri Patel and alumna Sara Pezeshk Ph.D. ’22.

Marking the occasion of the conference was the unveiling of DUAL, an installation born from the fusion of art and algorithm. The piece represents a collaboration between Pininfarina, Alpha Additive, Florida International University and the University of Miami. The 3D-printed sculpture is made entirely from recycled car tires.

Keynote speaker Samuele Sordi, chief architect officer at Pininfarina of America, presented the design philosophy behind the installation and reflected on the evolving purpose of architecture. “The role of architecture is to be the enabler of different experiences and lifestyles that can define a very strong identity.” The conference concluded with broader reflections on the rapidly expanding possibilities at the intersection of design, technology and innovation.

Hosting the 2025 ACADIA Conference marks a significant milestone for FIU CARTA and the School of Architecture, strengthening the university’s global presence as a leader in innovation at the intersection of design and technology.

This bizarrely disorienting world sets the stage for FIU Theatre’s current production, Jen Silverman’s darkly comic gothic mystery, "The Moors," now playing through November 23 at The Wertheim.

“This play is about loneliness and isolation,” says director and assistant professor Melvin Huffnagle. “Coming out of Covid, a lot of people can understand and relate to that sense of yearning. These characters are yearning for human connection.”

All eyes are on Cape Canaveral today as the New Glenn rocket has launched into space. The rocket, made by Blue Origin, is carrying two twin probes as part of NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to learn more about the solar wind’s interaction with Mars and its magnetic environment.

Celebrating the fruit of her labors is alumna Denisse Aranda ’10, who works on the New Glenn heavy-lift rocket.

Aranda is a principal space systems contamination control engineer at Blue Origin. As a level 5 engineer, Aranda is recognized as a “subject matter expert,” a distinction achieved by less than 5% of the company’s engineers.

In her role, Aranda leads the team that keeps Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket and the cargo the rocket carries, as clean as they need to be before, during and after the launch. She’s the lead contamination control engineer for the 320-plus-foot New Glenn rocket, owning the end-to-end cleanliness plan for the rocket’s architecture and other flight hardware.

“The stuff we worry about is microscopic,” Aranda says. “If there is just a little bit of debris from the tanks, it could affect everything. I look at ways we clean anything that could cause contamination, how to quantify it, model it and predict it. When you’re talking about systems that are so complex and precise like our rocket engines, even small quantities of tiny particulates at high speeds and extreme temperatures, can make all the difference.”

Each mission requires a different level of cleanliness. The contamination sensitivity of the cargo — known as the “payload” — aboard each rocket depends on the mission profile and science goals. For example, payloads with star trackers and optics, like the James Webb telescope and deep-space observatories, tolerate almost no contamination. Dust accumulated on such lenses block and scatter light, acting much like smudged glasses. It could throw off the accuracy of data returning to scientists on Earth.  

Consequences of microscopic particles can also change the course of a mission. For something like a lunar lander — which is a spacecraft designed to land on the moon’s surface — bad optical data caused by contamination can push the lander outside a safe descent path and lead to a potential crash landing on the Moon.

As part of contamination control, Aranda also oversees planetary protection measures — an area she considers one of the most fascinating parts of her job.

Planetary protection involves making sure that microbes from Earth and space don’t cross-contaminate.

“We are protecting the planets and moon in our Solar System,” Aranda explains. “Essentially, we don’t want to get our Earth microbes, DNA and germs, and deposit them on other planets. That would be really problematic for the search of life in the universe”

How so? If spacecraft later gather samples of a planet’s microbes and discover Earth-like microbes, it could mistakenly lead scientists to believe that there are signs of life on other planets, when in reality it’s a contamination problem from an earlier mission.

Likewise, germs from other planets could impact the Earth’s ecosystem upon the spacecraft’s return if not properly cleaned. Aranda is one of the engineers working to make sure Earth and other planets remain safe from this kind of contamination.

“This dual focus on protecting other planets and our own is critical as space exploration continues to advance,” Aranda says.

As a bonus to her usual job, last year Aranda was a co-host of the live webcast of the New Glenn rocket's first launch into space. (Pictured here to the right are Aranda, right, and her colleague Ariane Cornell, vice president of New Glenn Strategy and Business Operations at Blue Origin, while webcasting the first launch). 

Giving back

Aranda loves her job.

“There’s just something to be said for work that has meaning in some way,” says Aranda. “We’re bigger than ourselves, our country, our affiliation. The stuff that we’re working on, I personally feel, benefits all of humanity.”

In fact, space research touches all of our lives — even if we’re not scientists.

“Everything you use every single day is because of space,” Aranda says. “GPS, satellite, weather updates. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, you’re benefitting from these technological advances.”

Committed to her core goal of paying it forward, Aranda is also leading impact by inspiring the next generation of scientists. For eight years, Aranda has volunteered her time as the program director for Science Camps of America, a non-profit that hosts science-related, experiential learning summer camps for middle and high school students.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things,” Aranda says. “It’s a sleep-away summer camp in a Hawaiian island. We get students from all over the world. We take away their cell phones, and they spend the next days working on science. We have experts in a variety of areas that support our camp, including a geologist, marine biologist and volcanologist. I do all the aerospace and engineering topics.”

Her favorite project: teaching the students to build circuits, which involves soldering and building a USB solar powered phone charger.

Proud Panther

Aranda, who worked at NASA before starting at Blue Origin, says her time at FIU was foundational for her success.

“I love everything about FIU,” says Aranda, who currently serves on the industry advisory board of FIU’s Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. “I have to give a special shout out to Dr. Lagos. Because of the research I did at FIU’s Applied Research Center, I was able to get my first internship at NASA and co-authored a scientific article as a sophomore.”

Her mentor, Leonel Lagos is an associate professor in the Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability and director of research at FIU’s Applied Research Center. He oversees FIU’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Through the partnership, students gain real-world experience and conduct research on environmental cleanup for nuclear and radioactive materials located in the Department of Energy’s sites across the U.S. 

Aranda was part of FIU’s inaugural Department of Energy (DOE) Fellows cohort in 2007. A star student, Aranda won various awards for her research presentations as a fellow and made important contributions to the research team. 

 

“I always tell students that to work in my lab they have to have ‘ganas,’ the desire to work, and Denisse had it. She still does, she has that spark,” Lagos says. “I remember Denisse was always enthusiastic about her work. She contributed to the team and was always willing to help. And, obviously, she’s very smart.”

He is proud to see all that Aranda has accomplished: While at FIU, Aranda interned twice at NASA, one at its Glenn Research Center and the other at its Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. She also interned at the U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C. After graduation, she went on to work at NASA Langley Research Center for nearly eight years before starting her journey at Blue Origin.

Aranda’s work is literally out of this world. 

“Denisse is one-of-a-kind,” Lagos says. “She is very passionate about her work, and she’s also passionate about teaching young kids about science. We’re so happy that she was part of our research team.”

Aranda’s words of wisdom for students: love what you do.

“I just follow my curiosity,” she says. “I’m having fun. I still find this interesting and fascinating. That’s my biggest advice. Be motivated by curiosity, and do something you enjoy.” 

Watch the recording of Blue Origin's webcast of the launch.

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Visiting the nation’s capital with FIU D.C. has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my academic journey. 

I am a communication arts major, and I’m passionate about communicating how aerospace, technology and policy intersect. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to travel with FIU for its Space, Aerospace & Innovation Fly-In.

The fly-in was the perfect preview of how my studies and my professional goals work together in real-world settings at the heart of Washington, D.C. The decisions made in D.C. directly influence programs at NASA, where I am currently an intern working on strategic communications. The fly-in helped me realize just how essential communicators are within this field, and how I can use my skills to tell stories that make innovations understandable and meaningful not only within Congress, but beyond that.

During the trip, FIU in DC filled our schedule with opportunities to meet with leading professionals across both government and industry. We were able to hear from experts in space policy and technology, including folks from the U.S. Space Force, think tanks and law offices that work in aerospace policy. These leaders shared insights into their respective fields, ranging from national security and the future of space operations to the ways autonomous systems are evolving and the new policies emerging as they advance.

The most impactful experience for me was visiting Capitol Hill. We had various meetings set up with staff on the Hill to hear about science, space and technology. We learned how they research, create bills and develop new avenues of funding for important research.

One of the major highlights for me: Speaking with staff members at Congressman George Whitesides’ office and meeting Congressman Whitesides himself. Congressman Whitesides serves as Vice Ranking Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. He also worked at NASA years ago. These meetings deepened my understanding of how federal legislation and industry partnerships can change the trajectory of science projects in our country. 

I’ve seen the projects that government agencies can do, and the people on the Hill are the ones approving them and making them happen. This is where I want to be in the future. I want to use my skills to help communicate about projects and advocate for policies and funding for these kinds of projects.

If I’m going to communicate about something, I want to communicate about something that will have an impact. As a communicator, when we walk in a room and hear people saying that they are in aerospace and technology, you think ‘I’m in the wrong room.’ But this trip helped me realize, ‘I am in the right room.’ There is a space for communicators in this area. Actually, there are many spots for communicators to engage in this work.

Engagement and academic exchange

During the trip, we also visited Honeywell’s Washington, D.C. facility. Honeywell is a manufacturer of technologies for aerospace, building automation and other areas. We took a tour and saw firsthand how many products they produce and how these products impact aviation and aerospace technologies.

We also attended an event at FIU in DC called Capitalizing on Universities for National Security. I was selected as one of the student moderators of the event. I led a conversation at a table of professionals, which included representatives from the Department of Defense, FIU and private capital firms. The goal was to see how all of us together could brainstorm ideas for bridging gaps between university research and industry. Hearing from these professionals helped me learn about different avenues in my future career that I could take while still staying near a topic I am passionate about.

Another highlight of this trip was our attendance at the United States Army Annual Meeting & Exposition where we were able to explore and network with even more professionals and make connections. Seeing all the displays of emerging technology was a reminder that adaptability is important going into this field. Technology and the policy surrounding it change at a rapid rate. As a future communicator, I must remember to stay curious and to remain a lifelong learner to respond effectively to change.

By the end of the Fly-In, I had experienced everything I wanted to and more. This fly-in has given me the confidence and career direction I needed. It reaffirmed my current pursuits of being a communicator but also opened my eyes to possibly working at the intersection of communication and policy.  

This new career direction would allow me to inform the public about space, technology and aerospace and use my voice to push these projects forward from behind the scenes through public policy.

I can’t wait to make my way back to Washington, D.C. soon.

Hosted by the Miami-Florida Jean Monnet European Center of Excellence at FIU, the group spent the afternoon engaging with students, faculty and community members about transatlantic relations, global challenges and opportunities for collaboration.

FIU President Jeanette M. Nuñez welcomed the delegation, which also included deputy chiefs of mission, consuls general and honorary consuls representing EU member states, alongside Provost Elizabeth Béjar, Green School Dean Shlomi Dinar and Dr. Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation and co-chair of the Green School Dean’s Advisory Board.

“Your visit to Florida signifies something special for us,” Nuñez said. “Many European Union citizens call our state home, and we are honored and privileged to have such a strong relationship with the EU. We understand innovation and technology in this day and age truly transcends borders.”

Dinar emphasized the significance of connecting students directly with global decision-makers.

“Today’s visit reflects the commitment of the Green School to connect our students and community with global leaders and practitioners who are shaping the world we live in.” he said. “Your visit offers our students an invaluable opportunity to engage with global changemakers. We’re truly honored to be part of this historic occasion.”

Addressing a full audience in the College of Law courtroom, Jovita Neliupšienė, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, delivered a keynote titled “The Transatlantic Partnership and EU-Florida Relations,” highlighting the strategic importance of EU–U.S. cooperation. She shared that the purpose of the delegation’s trip was to deepen ties with Floridians and better understand the state’s perspectives firsthand.

“Our next stop is to meet with Florida’s legislators at the state capitol in Tallahassee. We want to find out what are the most important and crucial issues to both the EU and US. Our EU community is the longest lasting example of peace. Peace is a key component of our European Union integration, and the EU is one of the biggest customers of U.S. technology-exporting companies,” Neliupšienė said.

Before opening the floor for student questions, Markus Thiel, director of the Miami-Florida Jean Monnet European Center of Excellence, introduced H.E. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Ambassador of Denmark to the United States, who offered closing reflections on the power of youth and diplomacy.

He encouraged students to consider careers in foreign service and international relations: “The most important relationship is between the U.S. and the EU, and we are all interested in maintaining it,” he said. 

Students asked questions on topics such as data privacy, emerging technology and global governance.

Meeting and exchanging ideas with world leaders who shape international policy offered students a rare glimpse into the realities of global diplomacy and a tangible connection between classroom learning and real-world impact. It was a moment that embodied the Green School’s mission to prepare globally engaged citizens ready to lead, serve and make a difference on the world stage.

“I will always cherish the opportunity to meet with the Ambassadors," said international relations students Fabian Ramos. "It was important to hear from government leaders who impact global diplomacy and as Ambassador Neliupšiené mentioned, as young people we are the generation of future leaders and we must continue to give our best." 

Last summer, Medina, a physician assistant who is a 2006 alumna and a faculty member in the Physician Assistant Program at FIU's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, had just arrived home with her two daughters when a neighbor urgently asked for help. While another neighbor stayed to watch Medina’s children, she rushed towards the sound of frantic cries.

“I saw a little boy unresponsive on the side of the pool, his mother on the phone with 911,” said Medina. “I said, ‘I’m a physician assistant. I know CPR.’ Something came over me that told me to stop thinking and just do.”

Medina performed CPR for seven-and-a-half minutes until rescue crews arrived. She then helped first responders with suction and intubation as they took over care. The child, Dylan Smith, spent nearly two months recovering at Holtz Children’s Hospital, the same hospital where Medina works. She visited Dylan and his family frequently to check on his progress. “From our understanding, this was a really rare case—typically, they don’t make it,” she said.

Dylan’s mom, Tiffany Smith, told a local news station that the youngster and his sister were taking turns to see who could hold their breath the longest. “Dylan, being the resilient Dylan he is, pushed it too far and suffered from shallow-water blackout,” she explained.

Shallow-water blackout, also known as hypoxic blackout, is a temporary loss of consciousness caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. It can be deadly and can happen to anyone, even strong or experienced swimmers, in any depth of water. The condition typically occurs when a person holds their breath for an extended period or hyperventilates- takes a lot of deep, fast breaths- before diving underwater.

Today, Dylan has made a full recovery, and the two families have grown close. “He’s at my house a lot, playing with my daughters,” said Medina. “To see him healthy and full of life—it’s a miracle. I wish we could have met under different circumstances, but I’m so grateful to have been part of this story.”

Medina described the experience as both terrifying and transformative. “I was super scared, my hands were shaking, and I thought I wasn’t the person for this,” she said. “But I stopped thinking and just did what I had to do—what I was trained to do.”

The incident reaffirmed her pride in the physician assistant profession. “This reminded me—and I hope others too—that PAs play a critical role in patient care.”

Medina praised the first responders, doctors, and staff who contributed to Dylan’s recovery and urged others in the community to learn CPR so they can respond in case of an emergency.

“Buscando las Palabras while Writing: Conversations between Writing Centers in Latin America and the United States,” champions cross-cultural collaboration among English- and Spanish-speaking writers. Through a collection of essays, reflections and dialogues, it explores how writing centers can bridge languages, cultures and communities.

Edited by Glenn Hutchinson, the center's director and an associate professor of English, the book features scholars from Mexico, Colombia and the United States. Hutchinson co-authored two chapters with Andrea Torres Perdigón of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, while one chapter was written by FIU tutors Manuel Delgadillo, Diana Rivero, Sabrina Martinez, Nicole Larraguibel and Mario Avalos.

The idea for the book emerged from a Collaborative Online International Learning partnership between FIU’s center and the one at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.

“Through that collaboration between our tutor training classes, we realized there was so much to learn from one another,” Hutchinson said.

Defying traditional writing norms, the book encourages readers to see writing as transformative and ever-evolving. It emphasizes “‘the connection between a creative process with no limits and the variety of advantages found in translingualism,” states the book abstract. “Its authors researched writing center philosophy and practice, and the politics of language.”

FIU’s presence at the conference extended beyond the award. Five students and three faculty members presented six research projects, exploring writing center development, tutor training and the evolving role of AI in writing.

Building on its commitment to innovation, the center continues to lead in exploring how technology intersects with writing.

“We help writers navigate new AI writing tools and discuss how they want to express and preserve their voice and ideas as writers,” Hutchinson said.

As part of this effort, Hutchinson and graduate tutor Larraguibel have developed an AI training module for tutors and conducted a survey on student use of AI tools. Their ongoing research examines how technology can support linguistic and cultural diversity and writing.

“Writing is a process,” Hutchinson said. “Our trained staff of writing consultants and tutors can help writers in all stages of the writing process.”

The Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management has appointed luxury cruise veteran and highly-respected travel executive Larry Pimentel as the school’s first distinguished executive-in-residence for cruise curriculum development.

Pimentel is one of the industry’s leading authorities in the business of passenger shipping. Inducted into the British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame, Pimentel is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern cruising and celebrated for his visionary leadership and groundbreaking innovations.

With a career that spans more than three decades, Pimentel served as CEO of leading iconic cruise brands including Azamara, SeaDream Yacht Club, Cunard Line, Seabourn and most recently was the founding president and CEO of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings, which is the joint owner and operator of Four Seasons Yachts.

“Larry Pimentel’s career continues to build on a remarkable legacy of innovation and impact,” said Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School. “His influence has shaped the industry for decades, and his guidance at FIU will give our students unmatched access to expertise and inspiration. This appointment places Miami, and FIU, at the very center of the global conversation on cruise leadership."

The appointment aligns directly with the Chaplin School’s mission to prioritize global thought leadership, student success and industry partnerships. Miami is home to top U.S.-based cruise lines such as Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. By leveraging Miami’s position as the global cruise capital, the Chaplin school will amplify its role as a hub for research, education and leadership in the cruise sector,, ranging from ocean cruising to expedition and coastal cruising to river boats. The top-ranked Chaplin School is also the only program that offers both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in cruise line operations management.

“I am honored to join FIU’s Chaplin School in this distinguished role. Miami is the heartbeat of the cruise industry, and this initiative offers a unique platform to shape its future while mentoring the next generation of leaders,” said Pimentel.

In collaboration with fellow hospitality industry leader and CEO of Crescent Seas Thatcher Brown, Pimentel will also help establish a Cruise Advisory Board, ensuring top-level industry engagement and guidance as FIU strengthens its global reputation in hospitality education. The Cruise Advisory Board will also play a central role in connecting industry executives with faculty and students to foster collaboration, innovation and global impact.

This initiative marks a significant milestone for the Chaplin School as it continues to expand its global reach, enhance industry partnerships and position itself as the benchmark for experiential hospitality education.

To learn more about the appointment or FIU’s Cruise Line Operations programs, please visit the school’s website.

As part of President Jeanette M. Nuñez’s Presidential Speaker Series, political professional Beth Matuga, a Democrat, and political polling expert Ryan Tyson, a Republican, engaged in a thoughtful, courteous conversation, even as they agreed to disagree on a variety of topics.

The discussion was moderated by Nuñez and allowed the Panther community a chance to hear firsthand from two experts in the thick of their political parties’ work.

In her introductory remarks, Nuñez said that Matuga and Tyson “embody the spirit of civil discourse, of honest debate.”

“Here at FIU, we all know we’re committed to that type of dialogue and debate,” Nuñez said. “We are committed to ensuring that our students have ample views on all different topics, recognizing that they may not align with your views. But when you get to listen to both Beth and Ryan, you’ll appreciate how politics and policy and people all come together and all converge, and it really is just an interesting opportunity to hear, to listen, to learn.”

Amidst quips, jokes and lots of differences (and some agreements) of opinion, Matuga and Tyson spoke on a range of topics including the government shutdown; Tuesday’s elections; their thoughts on upcoming primaries and elections; and their advice and insight for students interested in pursuing careers in politics.

Both agreed on one major point: “Our body politic is in a very bad place right now,” Matuga said. “The ability to have a pleasant conversation without [heated] debate is evaporating.”

Tyson and Matuga both condemned violence surrounding political differences. “That’s a deeper cultural problem,” Tyson said. "That's sad."

They also agreed on the importance that affordability and the economic landscape have on shaping voter decisions.

His new book, "Transforming Educational Leadership: Non-Traditional Narratives to Promote Equity in Uncertain Times," focuses on driving changes in education policy and practices.

“Everyone can and must be a leader in education,” he said. “Even small acts make a difference.”

When writing this book, Kundu spoke to students, school leaders, two former secretaries of education, and community leaders. He asked each of them to tell him something they thought was unfair in education.

He says this book aims to answer questions such as, “When you see something that’s unfair, what can you do about it in that instance? How can you change something that you see as unfair yourself? Or how could you and your friends change something that’s unfair?”

Those lived experiences, from a range of vantage points, illustrate the obstacles students, parents, educators, organizational leaders and scholars faced through the school system. Their lessons serve as examples of how each person can be a leader for education and foster a collective responsibility.

“Education is more contested now than in the past and this book can help us navigate that noise and move through it,” Kundu said.

The message of this book is to showcase that anyone can make a difference, not just leaders in the school system. His target audience is literally everyone — college students working toward careers in education, teachers looking for inspiration, academics wondering what they can do to make a difference, parents and more.

“I think it’s great that people care about education; it shows they care about the future,” he added. “Public education is our most important social institution — it’s about all students.”

Kundu notes that writing this book was a labor of love. During the process he had the opportunity to chat with a few of his own mentors. 

“I have 10 stories in here of people I’ve admired for a long time. It was very cool to have met them through this project and have gotten to hear stories I had no idea about,” he said. “That was really cool — getting to hear from people I respected like Arne Duncan and John B. King."

The book is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

When success seems unlikely, Anindya Kundu believes it should become the only option.

The assistant professor of educational leadership joined FIU this fall with a plan to disrupt the common belief that some people don’t have what it takes to succeed in educational spaces. Kundu studies success cases in young people, particularly racial minorities from low-income backgrounds, to highlight possibilities. He believes if students are provided the right types of cultural and social support, then success for all students should be possible.

As a second-generation American, Kundu experienced life in both lower-income neighborhoods and wealthier suburbs as a kid. His family’s social mobility was a result of his father’s career successes as an engineer. His parents had left India to pursue the American dream and provide their children with a strong education and career path. Kundu packed his bags and left his family’s home in Portland, Ore. to head to college at the University of Chicago. Originally wanting to be a lawyer, Kundu changed his mind after watching his sister navigate law school. He decided his passion lied with working against inequality in America.

“Going to college in Chicago really opens your eyes up to that,” Kundu said. He described how University of Chicago is an extremely well-resourced institution, nestled within the South Side of Chicago, which is often deplete of resources.

While pursuing his bachelor’s in Law, Letters and Society, Kundu got involved in a research project on gun violence and schools in Chicago. The experience made him realize he wanted to do research and maybe go into academia. He worked as a researcher collecting data on youth detainees and monitoring the admissions process at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center – the largest juvenile detention center in America. He realized that even the kids who were detained there were bright, but lacked opportunity.

With experience under his belt, Kundu headed to New York to earn a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from New York University. Under the guidance of Pedro Noguera, Kundu looked at adding a social perspective to grit – a combination of your passion for learning, perseverance at task and purposeful activities. The idea behind Kundu’s recently published book “The Power of Student Agency” came from his dissertation research.

“I was drawn to write a book ideally that would be useful for education practitioners, leaders, parents and students,” Kundu said. “The book is broken up into sections for people that might find it useful.” The book went on to become a finalist for the 2021 Association of American Publisher’s PROSE (Professional and Scholarly Excellence) Award.

When Kundu speaks about student agency, people listen. Sometimes millions of people. Kundu joined the TED Residency program – an incubator for breakthrough ideas – in 2017. He spent 14 weeks in the TED headquarters in New York City collaborating with other TED residents. At the end of the program, Kundu gave his first TED talk on student agency. In 2019, he joined the residency program again, this time as an alumni mentor.

“The second time, I had the opportunity to talk about something I thought was equally if not more important – the opportunity gap in U.S. public education,” Kundu said.

His talk has garnered nearly 2.5 million views, making it the fifth most popular talk of 2020.

“Not everyone considers research or academia to be a position of potential to influence public discourse, but I think I have enough training and evidence-backed research to say something important,” Kundu said. “My job gives me the platform to do so. FIU is really supportive of that.”

With just three months shy of a decade in New York, Kundu, his wife, and their newborn twins moved to Miami. Kundu wants his work to have a wider reaching impact. He wants to influence practice and policy positively, something he believes he can do in Miami by working directly with communities. After all, his research is all about helping students navigate social, cultural, institutional and economic obstacles to beat the odds. For someone like Kundu, there may be no better place than a minority-majority city that is home to the fourth largest school district in the nation.

The milestone—achieved just months after the program’s launch in January 2025—cements the institute’s position as Florida’s leader in robotic cardiac surgeries and exemplifies the strong talent pipeline created through the FIU and Baptist Health partnership to recruit top physicians and researchers.

Hashimoto, an internationally renowned surgeon, is the first joint hire between the two landmark South Florida institutions. He serves as professor and director of robotic surgery at FIU Medicine, while practicing at Baptist Health.

“Dr. Hashimoto’s appointment and accomplishments underscore the power of academic – clinical partnerships to elevate care for our community and create a hub for world class care attracting patients and physicians to South Florida,” said Dr. Juan C. Cendan, dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and senior vice president for health affairs at FIU.

For Hashimoto, who was recruited from Japan, where he previously built a leading robotic cardiac surgery program, this milestone is deeply personal and reaffirming of future success. "Reaching 100 cases has strengthened our confidence that our program will continue to lead this field in Florida," he said.

How Robotic Cardiac Surgery Works

Robotic-assisted surgery represents a major leap forward from traditional open-heart surgery. Instead of a large incision through the breastbone, the surgeon makes a few small incisions between the ribs. A sophisticated robotic system, with tiny instruments and a high-definition 3D camera, is then inserted.

The surgeon sits at a console, controlling the robotic arms with precision. This technology enhances the surgeon's dexterity, allowing for steadier movements and a greater range of motion than the human hand. The magnified, high-definition view provides unparalleled detail of the heart and surrounding tissues.

VIDEO: Dr. Hashimoto patient discusses her experience with robotic heart surgery

The benefits for patients are significant. They typically experience less pain and scarring, shorter hospital stays, reduced blood loss, lower risk of infection, and faster recovery and return to normal activities.

The study, published in Science Advances, shows that fins from four out of five shark species regulated under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) remain common in Hong Kong’s markets, the global hub for shark fins, even though little to no legal trade has been reported since trade regulations took effect in 2014.

“There’s a huge gap between what’s on paper and what’s happening in the real world,” said Cardeñosa, lead author of the study and researcher in FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center and Institute of Environment. “DNA evidence clearly shows these protected species are still entering the global market at alarming rates. There are 70 times more fins from oceanic whitetips and 10 times as many hammerhead fins than would be expected based on legal and certified reporting.”

In 2013 countries acknowledged the severity of the problem and at a global meeting of members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) imposed the trade regulations on five particularly threatened shark species that were important in trade — three large species of hammerheads (scalloped, smooth and great), the porbeagle and the oceanic whitetip. These regulations required that all trade be reported and certified as not threatening the species’ survival. 

“Since the 2014 listings of these species on CITES, very little trade has been reported and certified, which makes a great deal of sense because of how poorly they are doing in the wild,” Chapman said. “Given these numbers, we would expect to find very few of their fins in Hong Kong.”

The study examined trade records and performed extensive DNA analyses on nearly 20,000 shark fin samples collected from markets between 2014 and 2021. Despite very low levels of legal trade, researchers found fins from scalloped, smooth and great hammerheads and oceanic whitetip sharks were commonly found year-after-year 

“Our findings show that while global trade regulations are a powerful tool, their effectiveness depends on countries actually enforcing them,” Chapman said. “We’re seeing clear evidence of widespread noncompliance. Illegal trade is still happening on a massive scale.”

These species were added to CITES Appendix II in 2013, meaning that international trade of these species is only permitted if it is legal, traceable and sustainable. Yet 81% of shark-fin-exporting countries have never reported any trade in these listed species, suggesting illegal exports are ongoing.

Hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks are considered either critically endangered or vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, and their ongoing exploitation threatens to push populations even closer to collapse. The team’s genetic tracking reveals that illegal trade spans continents and involves many major fishing nations. The team red-flagged several countries that are very likely involved in the illegal shark fin trade at a high level, among them Spain, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Philippines, Ghana and Brazil. 

“We are reaching a major tipping point where if the fishing and trade of these species is not meaningfully reduced, then these sharks will disappear,” said Cardenosa. “This would be a huge loss of top predators in our oceans, which could unleash serious and unpredictable ecosystem changes that negatively affect us.” 

The study’s authors call for stronger efforts to engage CITES compliance mechanisms, greater enforcement and transparency in the trade and expanded genetic monitoring along supply chains.

“Shedding light on this problem is a major step toward solving it,” Chapman said. “CITES has internal compliance mechanisms to deal with illegal trade and in early December they will also decide whether to ban global trade in one of these species, the oceanic whitetip. We are at the point where these more stringent actions are needed.”

FIU’s fight against the illegal wildlife trade of sharks, rays and turtles has just received $2 million to develop a new tool for forensic detection.

Researcher Diego Cardeñosa is a co-principal investigator in one of 10 projects receiving funding under the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP) program, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Cardeñosa and a multidisciplinary team of scientists are developing new species identification technology, analyzing online wildlife trade markets and implementing artificial intelligence modeling to better understand, and ultimately disrupt, illegal wildlife trade supply chain operations. Their goal is to develop a universal test that can be used to identify highly traded species anywhere in the world.

Now in its second year, the PACSP program is designed to catalyze deep collaboration between researchers advancing basic science and conservation partners engaging in on-the-ground conservation. 

“Securing one of the most competitive grants in the nation validates our commitment to combatting wildlife crime,” said Cardeñosa. “This project represents the culmination of years of research and dedication to establishing FIU as a leader in wildlife forensics.”

Cardeñosa has dedicated his career to finding new and more effective ways to combat illegal trade of turtles, sharks and rays. He developed a portable, rapid DNA test that identifies specific shark species in a fraction of the time and cost as that of traditional testing. Cardeñosa and the team can build on his work with this grant.

Overall, the projects focus on a range of species — from sharks, turtles and grizzly bears to Venus flytraps and Hawaiian honeycreeper — and the outcomes will have far-reaching implications for biodiversity and conservation, policy and the economy.  

"The fundamental knowledge these projects create, even though related to specific species, will unlock innovative conservation efforts across a broader range of threatened species and ecosystems," said Lara Littlefield, executive director for programs and partnerships at the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. "For instance, studying whether mosquitos infected with bacteria can limit the spread of malaria among birds in Hawaii could ultimately limit disease spread among other animals more broadly." 

Each project extends basic science into on-the-ground conservation to address critical knowledge and data gaps, enabling greater real-world impact to benefit species and ecosystems.

"The unique partnerships this program creates forge a roadmap to broader conservation action by uniting the skills, expertise and tools needed to address the most urgent threats to our natural world," said Susan Marqusee, NSF assistant director for biological sciences. "These projects also will engage the public, policymakers, law enforcement and others in conservation through education, outreach and other broader impacts." 

The project titled “Strengthening conservation partnerships by advancing molecular and analytic tools for disrupting illegal wildlife trade” is a collaboration between FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center, Worchester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Maryland. Learn more about the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice program and view the full list of awards and awardees by visiting nsf.gov.

FIU scientists have discovered two major problems after analyzing small shark fins from Hong Kong markets — small coastal species are much more common in the international fin trade than previously thought and there is a burgeoning market for juveniles of large species.

Between 2014 and 2021, researchers analyzed the DNA of approximately 4,000 small shark fins collected from the markets. They looked at whole shark fins as well as trimmings taken from large and small fins, resulting in the most comprehensive assessment of species diversity of one of the world’s largest shark fin markets. Their analysis revealed small coastal shark species are more common and threatened by international fin trade than previously documented, according to new research recently published in Science Advances.

This combined approach highlighted important management gaps for 19 small threatened species that are not currently regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This includes the Triakidae family, which comprise some of the most threatened and most common species in the small fin category, according to Diego Cardeñosa, FIU biologist and lead author in the study. He says international trade regulations must be applied sooner rather than later to protect this family due to their increased extinction risk and unsustainable trade levels.

  
The DNA analysis revealed something else — the small shark species are not the only ones showing up in the fin trade as small fins. A quarter of the small fins were actually from juveniles of large shark species, including critically endangered hammerheads as well as threatened silky sharks and blacktips. This finding indicates substantial exploitation of juveniles could be affecting fisheries’ sustainability.
 
For more than a decade, fin trade research has primarily focused on large fins, but by surveying small ones, Cardeñosa said the actual species composition in the markets is quite different than what the previous assessments represent.
 
“Customs personnel around the world should thoroughly inspect small fin consignments as they likely hold species that are already regulated by international policies and should be accompanied by the right certificates,” Cardeñosa said. “Otherwise, they are being illegally traded.”
 
Cardeñosa is calling for enhanced surveillance and further research to ensure effective conservation strategies under emerging trade regulations. The study is a collaboration between Florida International University, University of Miami, Mote Marine Laboratory and others.

"While most of the management attention has been focused on large, iconic shark species caught in industrial open ocean fisheries, this study highlights that we must also pay attention to small, less famous species that are mainly caught in small-scale coastal fisheries. They may be small in size, but the catch of these species is huge and it is pushing many of them toward extinction," said Demian Chapman, co-lead of the study, and manager of Mote’s Sharks & Rays Conservation Research Program.

Every year, thousands of shark and ray fins are smuggled across international borders, hidden in plain sight in shipping containers or mislabeled among other cargo. For authorities tasked with stopping illegal wildlife trade, determining what’s inside those shipments has long been nearly impossible — until now.

A breakthrough DNA-recognition tool developed by FIU marine biologist Diego Cardeñosa could change that, giving law enforcement the power to identify protected species on the spot and catch traffickers in the act. Cardeñosa conducts his research as part of FIU’s Global Forensic and Justic Center and the Institute of Environment. Designed for field use rather than a lab, his portable and cost-effective device gives officers a critical advantage in fighting wildlife crime — one of the most lucrative forms of illegal activity in the world, worth an estimated $20 billion a year. Analyzing a tiny tissue sample, Cardeñosa tested 55 shark and ray species, including 38 protected under CITES, the international treaty that regulates trade to protect species from extinction.

For someone who has dedicated his life and career to protecting these endangered animals, the new device is another front in that battle. It builds on a previous “DNA toolkit” Cardeñosa’s team developed in 2018, which could identify nine of the 12 species protected under CITES at the time. Today, the list has grown to 149 species, accounting for 68% of the global fin trade. Now, the device can even flag unknown species not in the database, giving authorities a way to catch unexpected or illegal shipments before it’s too late.          

“A lot of the law enforcement that we’ve worked with in the past say that if they cannot have preliminary evidence within 24 hours, they have to let the container go,” Cardeñosa said. “If that first layer of proof is gone, then everything else falls.”

With fins arriving dried, frozen, preserved in alcohol or even processed into shark fin soup, officers are often left guessing — a nearly impossible task when the clock is ticking.

“If we don’t have that data, then all the effort we’re putting into creating international laws is wasted,” he said.

Since the 1970s, shark populations have plummeted by roughly 70%, driven largely by overfishing and the cruel practice of finning, in which sharks are stripped of their fins and discarded at sea, leaving them unable to swim or breathe. Slow-growing and producing few offspring, many shark species are highly vulnerable, with at least 30 now on the brink of extinction. Rays, too, face similar threats, with many species targeted for the growing international fin trade.

He hopes to deploy the device widely — from Sri Lanka and Indonesia to Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica and Brazil — to reduce overfishing and make it more difficult to profit from illegal fins in the future.

“That’s the whole point, trying to create a deterrent so people won’t do it,” he said. “Then, because of that, we can start to see a change on the other side of the supply chain.”

Cardeñosa stresses the importance of funding to expand the tool’s international reach.

“We need to start combating illegal wildlife trade and take it seriously and support these kinds of initiatives, so they don’t end up being only a scientific effort,” he said.

Beyond sharks and rays, the device could also help protect broader wildlife.

“We are now trying to adapt it to turtles and mammals,” he added, signaling a future where this technology could help curb illegal trade across multiple species worldwide.

For Cardeñosa, every fin identified represents more than a scientific breakthrough, but a step toward safeguarding ecosystems teetering on the edge of collapse. He credits supporters Paul G. Allen Philanthropies, Wildlife Conservation Society, Gallifrey Foundation and the National Science Foundation for helping make the research possible.

What happens when global trade, technology and geopolitics converge at one of the world’s most strategic crossroads? That question framed much of my experience in Panama recently, where I had the opportunity to join the FIU delegation for a series of conversations and visits that connected policy, research and practice in meaningful ways.

To start, I had the distinct privilege of briefing U.S. Ambassador to Panama, and FIU alumnus, Kevin Marino Cabrera ’13 alongside Brian Fonseca MA ’10, Ph.D. ’25, director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. Our discussion explored China’s engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean from 2000 to the present, tracing how China has expanded its influence across diplomatic, informational/technological, military and economic domains. In Panama, a country that bridges oceans and continents, these trends take on particular significance. Its position as a global gateway, due to its strategic location and the Panama Canal, which serves as a critical trade route, makes it both a participant in, and a barometer of, the shifting dynamics of international power and connectivity. 

“It was great to welcome President Nuñez and FIU researchers to Panama to discuss the university’s long-standing partnership with the Department of State and plans to expand its collaboration in Panama,” Cabrera said. “U.S. universities strengthen our people-to-people ties, expand opportunity and showcase the best of American higher education.” 

The briefing leveraged insights that are part of the university’s Security Research Hub, which offers various dashboards to inform policy development. The hub was launched in collaboration with US Southern Command and has received Congressional support over the years.  

Nuñez also joined Ramón Icaza Clément, Panama’s minister of Canal Affairs, and Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, to sign a memorandum of understanding with the goal of deepening collaboration and opening new pathways for research and policy engagement at one of the world’s most vital arteries of commerce. I found it inspiring to see firsthand how FIU is advancing meaningful partnerships and research.

“We take great pride in partnering with a university that has become an important bridge for the Americas, one that exemplifies academic excellence, innovation and commitment to public service,” Vásquez Morales said. “FIU’s own mission aligns perfectly with the canal’s commitment to sustainable development and international cooperation.”

Now, as the organization celebrates its 10th anniversary, the project faces new headwinds, and new learning opportunities, as international trade reshapes its operations.

David Wernick, a teaching professor of international business, helped bring the Bandhwari Women’s Project to life after learning about the initiative from the Incentive Foundation in India. The project links FIU International Business Honors Society (IBHS) students with women artisans in India’s Bandhwari Village, who handcraft textiles and accessories sold in the U.S. to fund education, healthcare and skills training for their families.

What began as a service-learning project under Wernick’s guidance has grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by IBHS students and alumni.

“It’s been exciting to watch this program grow and see how many lives it’s touched, for both the women and children of Bandhwari Village, and more than 150 of our students,” Wernick said.

This year, Wernick said, the group’s work offers a real-world look at the complexities of global commerce.

“The trade tensions with India have been a significant challenge,” he said. “Our products, which formerly entered the U.S. duty free, are suddenly facing a steep 50% tariff. Shipping costs have risen dramatically as smaller logistics firms have exited the U.S.–India route.”

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Rather than discouraging students, Wernick views the challenge as a “teaching moment.” “It’s a chance to see the real-world implications of trade policy for small enterprises navigating an increasingly turbulent business environment,” he said.

Brianna Page ’25, president of The Bandhwari Women’s Project, is determined to keep the mission on course.

“The recent trade discussions between India and the United States has certainly created challenges,” she said. “With our largest event of the year, the Second Annual Bandhwari Women’s Project Fashion Show coming up, it’s imperative that we bring over new products to display.”

Higher tariffs and the elimination of the de minimis exemption for low-value shipments have made imports “even more expensive than the cost of the products themselves,” Page explained.

“Nevertheless, the show must go on. While prices will rise, the quality and uniqueness of our products will overshadow the increase. Support for the Bandhwari women is needed now more than ever.”

Students say the project offers far more than business experience. Political science major Taylor Perez, who is preparing for her first trip to India, said she joined to understand the human side of international cooperation. “Seeing firsthand what a project like this does for the people who are part of it — that’s what drew me in,” she said.

For Wernick, that blend of business education and global empathy is what makes the Bandhwari Women’s Project endure. “In the end,” he said, “this is about students learning to use the tools of business to make a difference in a complex world — and doing it with a ton of heart.”

The Second Annual Bandhwari Women’s Project Fashion Show will be held Friday, November 14 at FIU’s BBC Campus. The event is free for FIU students and $45 for the general public online through November 1, then $60 at the door. All proceeds from ticket sales, donations, the silent auction, and vendor partnerships will go directly toward expanding the Bandhwari Project. Find more information and registration here.

This first-of-its-kind test can detect traces of the sharks without ever catching or disturbing them. Like faint biological echoes lingering in the current, the test reveals where the sharks have been by identifying fragments of genetic material left behind in the water. In a recent study published in Frontiers in Marine Science, FIU marine biologist Diego Cardeñosa, who is affiliated with FIU's Institute of Environment and the Global Forensic and Justice Center, demonstrates the test’s effectiveness, showing how it can help scientists locate and protect these endangered species.

Small-bodied hammerhead sharks like the scalloped bonnethead, scoophead and Pacific bonnethead have been pushed to the brink by overfishing, leaving so few that scientists have struggled to study them. With their lives and habitats largely unknown, conservation efforts have fallen behind — until now. Cardeñosa’s new environmental DNA (eDNA) test could change the fate of these critically endangered sharks.

“Just by screening different locations along their distribution range from Mexico to Northern Peru, we can identify high-priority areas where conservation resources might be needed,” Cardeñosa said. “The short-term goal is to find these three species, as they’re likely among the most critically endangered coastal sharks in the world.”

Cardeñosa believes these hammerhead sharks were once abundant. They inhabit shallow, remote coastal habitats where scientific monitoring is limited and fisheries management is weak. Colombia’s Uramba/Bahía Málaga National Natural Park, the site of his research, may be one of the last refuges where researchers can still find them.

“You can drop a hook and line there and, within 10 minutes, catch one or two of these species,” he said. Elsewhere, sightings are nearly nonexistent: the scalloped bonnethead was last recorded in Mexico in 1994, and the scoophead in 2007. In Honduras, one of these species was only recently discovered after decades without a trace.

“That’s how hard it is to find them,” Cardeñosa said. “It’s on us if we want to act to protect them or if we just let them slip away.” 

For Cardeñosa, the urgency goes beyond ecosystem roles.

“A lot of these are some of the most derived or newest shark species on the evolutionary scale,” he said. “If they disappear, we’re also losing a piece of our planet’s evolutionary history. Extinction is forever, and that’s enough reason for me to do something.”

He hopes his research not only raises awareness of these overlooked species but also sparks curiosity about how powerful this new method can be.

“It’s fascinating that you can take a simple water sample and know whether a species was there or not,” he said.

With such a vast range to cover, the data provide critical information on where to focus protection efforts and how to maximize impact. The science can also help more than just hammerheads. Once the water sample is collected and DNA extracted, that information can be stored in a lab for years. So if future scientists want to study another species that might have lingered in the area, the DNA will still be there.

Researchers are advocating for a “no-take zone” off the coast of Colombia after one of the world’s smallest and most threatened hammerhead species was found to do very little traveling outside of a Marine Protected Area in the region.

A team of researchers including FIU shark biologists Diego Cardeñosa and Yannis Papastamatiou, tracked the movements of scalloped bonnetheads inside a marine protected area (MPA) along the Colombian Pacific Coast, where this species still occurs in high numbers. Using acoustic telemetry, a technique that tracks underwater movements through sound signals, they determined the sharks spent a significant portion of their monitoring period within the study area. 

“Using telemetry we show these little sharks are very residential to small areas,” Papastamatiou said. “This is bad news if overfishing occurs but good news for designing well placed, and enforced, protected areas.”

Research typically focuses on the large, iconic hammerheads, but very little research exists on the scalloped bonnethead — the smallest of the nine recognized hammerhead species — which is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. This new study provides the first insights into the movement behavior of the scalloped bonnethead with important implications for its protection and management.

“This study is the first of its kind for this species, the most threatened hammerhead shark in the world endemic to the eastern pacific,” said Cardeñosa, corresponding author in the study. “The results show us that localized conservation efforts with local fishing communities is the most effective strategy to protect this species.” 

The Colombian Pacific coast is heavily fished by small-scale fisheries. About 7 percent of the coast is protected, with only three national parks in the region. The study was carried out in the Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park, an area encompassing 181 square miles. Established in 2010, it is a biodiversity hotspot featuring the highest above-ground mangrove forest biomass of any region outside the Coral Triangle — a vital marine region spanning six countries. 

For this study, the researchers looked at the sharks’ movement patterns to assess how long they stay in the area, the influence of tides and time of day on their movements, and the degree of protection a no-take zone could provide in this location. According to the acoustic data, their movements were limited to just 0.54 square miles within the park. Data also showed the scalloped bonnetheads spent less time in the area at high tide and at night, suggesting more movement and more activity at those times. 

According to the study, this combination of small space use and high residency makes the scalloped bonnethead especially vulnerable, but it also makes a strong case for creating an MPA surrounding that core area. Establishing a small no-take zone within the National Park’s MPA — less than 2 miles along the coastline and extending about 1.25 miles offshore — would cover a significant part of the area used by this small coastal shark and could have great benefits for conservation.

The findings have been shared with the local communities and, in a joint effort, the goal is to establish a no-take zone that prohibits the capture or removal of the sharks. The no-take zone would also safeguard the needs of the community and would be under the management of local stakeholders. The researchers note that shark movement data should be incorporated with the interests of all local stakeholders for an optimal MPA to be effective.

The study was a collaboration between the FIU Global Forensic and Justice Center, the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Save our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center at Nova Southeastern University and the Centro de Investigaciones Oceanográficas e Hidrográficas del Pacífico in Colombia.

Diego Cardeñosa first chased after a shark when he was 11 years old.

He was on a scuba diving trip with his parents in Providencia, a tiny Colombian island in the Caribbean more than 770 miles away from his home in Bogotá.

The scuba instructor told the group they were supposed to stick together. As soon as Cardeñosa noticed a nurse shark, he chased after it for a closer look.  The instructor raced after him. And since that day, Cardeñosa has never stopped chasing them.

Today, Cardeñosa is a distinguished postdoctoral scholar in FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education. In the past decade, he’s traveled the world trying to learn more about how to protect these important predators. In Bimini, he studied the impacts of habitat loss on the growth and survival rate of juvenile lemon sharks. In Fiji, he searched for critically important shark nursery areas. He even moved to Hong Kong and lived in a 10-square-meters shoebox apartment to work in the hub of the global shark fin trade.

They know nothing of the statistics — that fewer than 100 of their kind remain in the wild — or the years of planning that led to this moment. To them, it was just a strange, noisy trip. But FIU’s Paul Reillo knows these bongos are the very definition of a second chance.

Reillo is a research professor and director of FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute. He is also the founding director of the nonprofit Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), which operates the facility where the 17 bongos were raised. For years, he worked toward this moment — breeding the animals in semi-wild conditions, tending to their health and wellness alongside his RSCF team. This includes FIU alumnus Matt Morris, RCSF’s operations director and team lead for the mountain bongo. Together, they prepared the bongos for the long journey as best they could, building custom crates to keep them safe and calm during the 36-hour journey to their ancestral home on Mt. Kenya. Reillo found time to do the paperwork. A lot of paperwork. He worked closely with the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust to find the bongos a safe place to call home. He worked closely with DHL to secure them safe transport. He worked to raise the funds to make this moment happen. For this species’ last chance at survival, he worked.

“There is simply no higher calling for humanity than to protect what remains of nature,” Reillo said. “The mountain bongo’s story of decline and recovery has been entirely on our watch, and the species’ future rests with all of us.”

The mountain bongo, the largest forest antelope native only to Kenya, has experienced a devastating population decline in the past 80 years due to poaching, forest degradation and habitat fragmentation. The species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a critically endangered sub-species. The conservation effort aims to help them breed so that their offspring can be sustainably reintroduced into Mount Kenya’s forests.

The 17 bongos successfully made their journey from Loxahatchee, Florida, to a 30-acre sanctuary on the slopes of Mount Kenya. They are thriving. The plan is to move into an adjacent, expansive reserve that will include critically endangered black rhinos. The work is all being done in collaboration with the Meru County Government, Ntimaka and Kamulu Community Forest Associations, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. RSCF is an organizational trustee of the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust, overseeing the bongo and rhino sanctuary.

This is the second time Reillo has sent bongos to Kenya, the first being in 2004. He hopes to repatriate more in the very near future. For him, this is just another step in the species’ fight for survival. For him, the work continues.

Two dozen rare Amazon parrot chicks left orphaned and homeless by a sophisticated wildlife smuggling operation are receiving round-the-clock care by FIU conservation zoologists.
 
The birds were poached from their nests and smuggled while still eggs, though some had hatched by the time they were discovered in a Chinese national’s carry-on bag (a cleverly disguised incubator) by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents on March 23 at Miami International Airport. This presented a unique challenge to the federal agencies that regulate the importation of wildlife because they lack the specialized equipment and means to hatch and care for so many tiny hatchlings at the airport’s USDA quarantine facility.

Soon after discovering the eggs, they contacted Paul Reillo, FIU research professor and director of FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute, for assistance. The eggs and hatchlings were transported to the institute’s program partner, the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), where they have been cared for ever since.

 
“It’s clear this was part of a very sophisticated trafficking operation,” said Reillo, who is also the founding director of RSCF. “It’s not easy to assemble a group of this many eggs synchronized to all hatch around the same time. The total elapsed time from the first to last hatching was just 10 days.”
 
The smuggler, who was traveling from Nicaragua en route to Asia with a total of 29 eggs, was arrested and recently pled guilty to wildlife trafficking charges, resulting in one of the largest parrot-smuggling busts in recent years.
 
In total, 26 of 29 eggs hatched, with 24 parrot chicks surviving and now nearly fully feathered. FIU researchers provided USFWS law enforcement with DNA species identification, revealing three of the parrots are red-lored Amazons and the other 21 are endangered yellow-naped Amazons.

Yellow-naped Amazons are threatened with extinction in the wild and prohibited from international trade. Their beauty, temperament and mimicking ability make them among the most trafficked Central American parrot species, with more than 90 percent of wild nests poached for the illegal pet trade. 
 
“This batch of intercepted eggs likely represents a significant fraction of offspring from a swath of forest, seriously impacting species already in trouble,” Reillo said.  “In high demand as pets with high price tags on their heads, parrots have become innocent victims of human greed. Aside from the sheer number of eggs, what makes this case unusual is that most of the intercepted eggs were viable, and the chicks survived. Smuggled animals often experience very high mortality.”
 
For more than 30 years, Reillo and his team have successfully bred and managed endangered parrot species to support their recovery in the wild. Incubating and caring for the smuggled hatchlings is demanding work as they require round-the-clock care.

Officials from the USDA did an emergency site visit and approved RSCF as a quarantine site to care for the birds. For the next 45 days, they remained under federally mandated quarantine, meeting biosecurity and safety standards until the birds tested negative for pathogens. Now, the parrot chicks fill their days with demanding chirps and playful movements that will soon transition to flight.
 
Due to political issues and because the birds are being hand-reared, they are poor candidates for repatriation or release. Reillo and the USFWS hope the birds will find new homes among South Florida zoos and wildlife centers where they can serve as conservation ambassadors, educating the public about the consequences of wildlife trafficking.
 
“The reality for many threatened and endangered species is they are being illegally trafficked for the pet trade, for animal products and for food,” said Mike Heithaus, executive dean of FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education. “FIU has built robust anti-trafficking programs to combat this issue and these parrots are very lucky to have Dr. Reillo and his team step up to help give them a fighting chance at survival. Now, what we really need is stop trafficking before animals are removed from the wild so we don’t lose these species forever.”

Researchers and conservationists are embarking on a bold initiative to save the world’s most trafficked wild mammal — the pangolin.

With core-funding support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Operation Pangolin has launched in Cameroon and Gabon with plans to expand into Nigeria soon. Among the least studied animals in the world, little is known about the natural history or ecology of the world’s eight pangolin species. Even less is known of their role in a significant criminal economy where trafficked pangolins and the illegal sale of their scales and meat often go undetected. Operation Pangolin will generate much-needed data to inform conservation strategies in Central Africa, with global implications for the illicit wildlife trade. The team will then help implement the identified strategies with a plan to eventually expand their efforts into Asia, the only other continent with native pangolin populations.

“Without urgent conservation action at a global scale, all eight species of pangolins face extinction,” said project lead Matthew H. Shirley, a conservation ecologist at Florida International University’s Global Forensic and Justice Center and co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Pangolin Specialist Group. “Operation Pangolin is a chance to alter the conservation landscape for pangolins and other wildlife threatened by illicit human behavior.”

In addition to Shirley, who will focus on ecological monitoring, the collaborative research team includes:

• Alasdair Davies from the Arribada Initiative, focusing on technological innovation;
• Dan Challender from the University of Oxford, focusing on trade and policy;
• Meredith Gore from the University of Maryland, focusing on conservation criminology;
• Bistra Dilkina from the University of Southern California, focusing on data coalescence and artificial intelligence

The researchers are joining forces with Carla Louise Mousset Moumbolou and her team from the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (Gabon’s national parks agency) to lead implementation efforts in Gabon and Andrew Fowler and his team from ZSL (Zoological Society of London) to lead implementation in Cameroon. The project is supported by the IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group, a global network of 189 pangolin technical specialists.

The team is developing toolkits for pangolin monitoring and data collection, a critical first step to prevent extinction of these evolutionarily distinct and imperiled mammals. The toolkits will incorporate the latest advancements in hardware and software, while using locally accessible and low-cost technological components. The researchers will work with local conservation stakeholders, including indigenous peoples, local communities and government agencies to deploy monitoring programs, implement conservation interventions and develop predictive tools for addressing wildlife crime.

“Accurate, actionable data is the foundation of effective conservation efforts,” said Gabe Miller, director of technology on behalf of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “Operation Pangolin will provide a blueprint for how conservationists can turn data into solutions that address important issues like wildlife trafficking and the biodiversity crisis head on.”

Both IUCN and the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agree that the development of pangolin-specific monitoring methods linked to anti-trafficking efforts is the highest conservation priority for these mammals. Throughout history, pangolins have been sustainably used for food and medicine, but overexploitation has exploded in recent decades resulting in threatened status for all eight species. The main threat, both in Asia and increasingly in Africa, is poaching for international wildlife trafficking. Enough pangolin scales have been seized in the past decade to account for at least 1 million pangolins, yet little is known of the trafficking supply chains. This number does not account for the pangolins that are removed undetected from the wild to fuel this illegal enterprise. At least 250,000 are estimated to be taken from African and Asian forests every year for consumers in China, Vietnam, and even western Europe and the United States.

The $4 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation supports the current launch of the project in Central Africa. The research team is concurrently raising funds in an effort to expand the project to Asia by 2027. Operation Pangolin is a six-year initiative that, in addition to reducing extinction risk for pangolins, lays the groundwork for sustainable conservation solutions for other species.

“People depend on biodiversity for food, income, ecosystem health and their own well-being,” Shirley said. “We are trying to end the disconnect between data and decision-making for pangolins and in the process, develop tools that can be adapted to other illicit products such as shark fins, elephant ivory and rhino horn.”

FIU has a team of conservation scientists, protecting some of the world’s most endangered and threatened species. 

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

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Kelly Wuthrich, a Ph.D. biology student in Christian Cox's lab at FIU's Institute of Environment, is decoding this secret language of color change, focusing particularly on female water anoles (Anolis aquaticus). Beneath dense green canopies and towering trees of the Costa Rican jungle, she sought to uncover a meaning beyond camouflage, a common tactic lizards use to hide from predators. Her findings, recently published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, reveal that females in better physical condition display bluer, less green lateral stripes. These hues may attract potential mates, but they could also reflect the health of the ecosystem, hinting at environmental changes shaping the species.

“People just assume that females are dull in coloration and that they’re not using their signals for male attraction or any sort of communication,” said Wuthrich. “But that may not be true.”

Through these delicate shifts, females could be communicating their overall condition, signaling fitness and readiness to reproduce. That glow, however, is fleeting and fades quickly under stress, whether from poor nutrition, environmental pressures, predator encounters or the intense energy demands of egg production.

“If environments are changing, that can alter their ability to blend in with their surroundings, making them more vulnerable to predators, or even humans,” Wuthrich said.

For her, tracking the evolution of female water anoles offers a deeper understanding of how biology works and how the world itself is changing.

“Historically, males have dominated the field and have been the focus of a lot of studies,” said Wuthrich. “I think it’s important to fully understand the extent that females may play with their own signaling, even if it’s not as flashy as males.”

Could color changes also play a role in female-female communication? That’s what Wuthrich hopes to explore next. She wants to understand how female anoles interact with one another and what that might reveal about the genus as a whole. With more than 400 species spread across Central and South America, the Caribbean and the United States, these discoveries could have far-reaching implications.

“It would give us insights into the evolution of that species itself,” said Wuthrich. “And that matters. Gaining an understanding of our natural world is important. This is where we live, where we come from and we’re all distantly related to each other, even plants.”  

Wuthrich, who will graduate in Spring 2026, would like to return to Costa Rica in search of the elusive females, determined to uncover the subtle signals that have, until now, gone largely unnoticed.

More than 1,500 students work with event producers and Food Network stars during the four-day event.

Tickets are now on sale. Celebrated as one of America’s most iconic culinary events, the Festival returns February 19–22, 2026, marking 25 years of unforgettable flavors, world-class talent and vibrant Miami energy. This four-day destination event brings together globally acclaimed chefs, Food Network personalities, and top wine and spirits producers for an extraordinary celebration. Enjoy an incredible mix of new and fan-favorite experiences—from walk-around tastings and intimate dinners to late-night parties, brunches, lunches, master classes, and wine seminars.

More than 1,500 FIU students help run the Festival in all kinds of roles, from marketing, to logistics, to event planning and culinary operations management. All proceeds from benefit the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU) and has successfully raised more than $45 million to date in support of its mission to EAT. DRINK. EDUCATE. Purchase your tickets and learn more at www.sobewff.org.

Students get hands-on learning experiences in a number of different roles.

Beneath the surface, unseen by the city above, the bay’s currents swirl and shift during powerful storms, creating intricate patterns few have ever mapped. Filling this scientific gap, Huang uncovers these hidden movements and their long-term effects on the bay. Her work could help forecast future hurricane-driven flooding, giving rise to early warnings for residents and guidance for authorities on where to mitigate damage and whether to evacuate. Her research also informs water management decisions, including how much freshwater should be released into the bay after extreme weather and what potential pollutants it carries. This information will help protect both the ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. Her latest findings were recently published in ScienceDirect.

Biscayne Bay is no ordinary waterway. With seven major inlets and a unique geography, it connects the land to the open ocean, fuels tourism, supports countless species and sustains the people who live along its shores. Stretching nearly the entire length of Miami-Dade County and bordering the southeastern Everglades, with its complex water management system, the bay has long been a focal point for scientists studying how nature and urban life intersect.

Huang explains that in Biscayne Bay and other multiple-inlet systems, water doesn’t simply flow in and out. It dances through, swirling and shifting in patterns that dictate everything from the survival of fish larvae to how nutrients and pollutants spread. During hurricanes, powerful winds twist these currents in unexpected directions, adding yet another layer of complexity to an already delicate ecosystem.

In South Florida, where water management can mean the difference between safety and disaster, Huang’s findings are crucial. As restored freshwater travels from the Everglades through the canals, it carries more than just water into the bay. Pollutants, including forever chemicals that persist and accumulate over time, are among the invisible passengers swept along with the currents.

“It’s a pathway to understanding coastal hazards to improve resilience and sustainability for South Florida coastal communities and ecosystems,” Huang said.  

Huang is using cutting-edge computer modeling at FIU's Institute of Environment to uncover how these powerful winds and catastrophic storms dictate the bay’s fate. She recently recreated Irma’s impact in remarkable detail, simulating water levels, circulation and sediment movement across the bay. The results, while striking, confirmed what she had long suspected — Irma’s fierce winds reshaped the bay’s circulation patterns, scattering marine life and carrying pollutants farther than expected. Huang is now expanding the research, compiling observations from 12 additional storms. She hopes to uncover long-term trends and recurring patterns.

Under the leadership of its new president, the university stands at the forefront of a new era of policy leadership at a time of historically high space exploration. Chosen earlier this year to head Miami’s public research university, Jeanette M. Nuñez continues to serve as chair of the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, known as Space Florida, a position to which she was reappointed by the governor following her resignation as lieutenant governor.

That body supports a growing network of private facilities, technology and infrastructure related to spacecraft launches and recovery. It has positioned the state as a magnet for leading firms such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Contributing nearly $6 billion annually to Florida’s economy, the space sector supports more than 150,000 aerospace-related jobs and fuels innovation, technological advancement and workforce development across industries.

The next frontier isn’t just about rockets and satellites, as FIU’s president and Florida’s leaders well understand. Questions have been raised about governance, security and the policies that will determine who controls activity and benefits from increased investment.

Helping address those growing high-level concerns is the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy (JGI). Founded in 1985, JGI has earned a national reputation for advancing research in public policy, national security and cybersecurity issues.

Now, it’s expanding its reach upward, into space.

"Space is not just a scientific frontier,” says Brian Fonseca MA ’10, Ph.D. ’25, drector of the institute. “It’s a strategic domain where global economic, security and geopolitical interests are converging, and our policies must evolve accordingly.”

To that end, JGI has hired space policy specialist Laura Delgado López. The recently named senior fellow has more than 15 years of experience in the field and brings deep expertise as a former policy advisor to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, one of the six areas of the space agency, which is responsible for scientific missions to study climate and other planets as well as collaborating with international partners on scientific research.

Delgado López’s work at JGI centers on space governance and security, with a particular focus on Latin America, a region driven by rapid market growth and a thriving “NewSpace” startup ecosystem increasingly important to the global space economy. Her forthcoming “space policy dashboard” will map the complex network of public and private space actors to help identify policy gaps and strengthen international collaboration.

The research reflects JGI’s overall mission of producing rigorous, policy-relevant research that informs real-world decision-making. The work aligns closely with the priorities of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The latter, headquartered in nearby Doral, views space exploration primarily through the lens of strategic competition, regional security and strengthening partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While JGI leads FIU’s exploration of the policy and governance dimensions of space, others at FIU are propelling the university’s contribution to space science, engineering and technology. (See sidebar.)

Delgado López has also taken on mentoring students like Alexandra Bishop, a senior in the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs who serves as a junior research analyst at JGI. Bishop studies China’s access to space facilities in Argentina and its implications for U.S. national security.

“My work at JGI has taught me how to analyze problems impartially and write accurate, thoughtful recommendations that are presented to policymakers,” she explains. Inspired by her father’s law enforcement career, Bishop hopes to pursue a future role in national security.

For students like Bishop, working alongside experts like Delgado López provides real-world exposure to the intersection of technology, strategy and global security. This collaborative relationship between industry experts and students serves to cultivate the next generation of leaders in space policy and governance.

As the aerospace sector continues to expand, FIU is ensuring its students and researchers are ready to lead, whether that be by developing resilient technologies or shaping policies that govern their responsible use.

“Space is still a young field, but with a rich history,” Delgado López says. “That makes it an exciting industry for students to build their careers.”

The collective efforts of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, the College of Engineering & Computing and others are helping FIU bridge science and policy to define how humanity explores, secures and governs the final frontier.

Frightful fiction
For those drawn to eerie tales, Rhona Trauvitch, associate teaching professor of English, offers both a general science fiction course and another, "Short Stories of Horror and the Weird," that have students tackling works such as Frankenstein, Never Let Me Go, Wicked Weeds, the graphic novel The Wake and the short story Bloodchild. 

Trauvitch says she loves seeing the students’ excitement as they read about characters in hair-raising situations: children reared to have their organs harvested to save others, a gentleman zombie searching for a cure to regain his humanity, a young human who must become a host for the eggs of an intelligent alien species.

Those are just a few of the plots she throws at them with great success.

“They seem to like the opportunity to discuss these genres and tropes with their peers,” she said in perhaps the greatest understatement ever.

Shakespeare's scariest
The English department is full of classes that dive into the ghoulish. This includes Shakespeare. His tragic plays are filled with hauntings in the form of ghosts and witches, and death is a recurring theme.

James Sutton, associate professor, notes that in Hamlet, 10 people die and in Titus Andronicus 26 people get killed in what are very bloody scenes that include cannibalism. Sutton adds that many of Shakespeare’s tragedies can be described like the movie The Sixth Sense: "We see dead people."

His spookiest lesson involves the three witches in Macbeth. “Students really latch on to the ghostly,” he said.

“I try to be serious, but a lot of this literature ends up being a lot of fun, too.”

The art of gore
If blood and guts are more your fascination, Professor Anthony Galaska from the theatre department has you covered. His stage makeup course is a dive into special effects artistry, where students learn how to create bruises, cuts, burns, broken noses, bites and more. (Spoiler alert! You’ll never look at oatmeal the same way again. Scabs anyone?)

In this hands-on course, students read real police reports and then design makeup effects to match, using materials such as mortician’s wax, toilet paper and cream makeup. 

Galaska also teaches lighting design, where fear and tension in films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hellraiser and Psycho are used to show how lighting and shadow work to build suspense. These techniques translate to the stage as well, appearing in classics such as Macbeth and Hamlet.

“With film you can really direct the framework of what an audience sees, so you get more jump scares out of that,” Galaska said. 

(For a frightening on-campus experience, check out the student production of The Moors, on stage on campus November 14-23.)

Fashion of the afterlife
Also from theatre, Associate Professor Marina Pareja explores darker fascinations in her costume history and costume design courses. 

“Costume history is a favorite of mine to teach,” Pareja said. “I approach it much like an art history course."

The course examines the Victorian era’s obsession with death and the afterlife, including trends like "spirit photography," séances and mourning rituals. 

“Fashion reflected these obsessions,” Pareja added. “The result is equal parts eerie, poetic and theatrical, which gives my students plenty to explore.”

Pareja keeps her classes lively and interactive.

“Instead of sitting through slides, we connect fashion to art, politics and daily life. I try to keep things moving, so it feels more like piecing together stories than memorizing timelines,” she said.

Witchcraft, wonders and worldviews
The "Magic and Religions" elective dives into themes related to the supernatural. It covers beliefs, practices and symbols related to magic and witchcraft in different global traditions. The course also explores the relationship between magic and modern science and technology.

“I most enjoy watching the students grapple with different perspectives and develop their own ideas on why beliefs in the supernatural are still so prevalent in today’s society,” said Erin Weston, associate teaching professor in the religious studies department in the School of International Public Affairs. “Once they start looking, they see how widespread these ideas are.”

Other assorted frights
If you’re craving still more chills, FIU offers other frightful courses including "Hispanic Gothic: Horror and the Fantastic in Spain and Latin America" and "Writing Mystery and Suspense," to name a few. And pre-med students absolutely must check out Asociate Teaching Professor Ana Benaduce’s anatomy class. Her lesson on the skeletal system is bone-chilling but in a humerus way.

Why do so many of us love a good scare — from haunted houses and horror movies to roller coasters that make our hearts race? According to FIU psychology researcher Matthew Sutherland, the answer lies deep in the brain, where our alarm, control and reward systems work together to turn fear into fun.

Why fear feels so good

Sutherland, a cognitive neuroscientist and researcher at the Center for Children and Families, explains that haunted houses hijack the brain’s alarm system, the amygdala. When we see a jump scare or hear a sudden scream, the amygdala floods the body with adrenaline and stress hormones, preparing us to react.

“The amygdala’s job is to protect us,” Sutherland explains. “It makes our hearts race, sharpens our senses, and keeps us alert, even when we know we’re safe.”

That’s where the prefrontal cortex steps in. This part of the brain helps us reason and recognize that the danger isn’t real — that the zombie is just an actor or the roller coaster is securely designed. Once the brain realizes the threat is pretend, fear flips to thrill.

“Our brains let us experience the physiological rush of fear while knowing we’re not in real danger,” says Sutherland. “That combination transforms anxiety into excitement.”

The reward of facing fear

After the initial shock, the brain’s reward system, takes over. Dopamine — the “feel-good” chemical — is released, reinforcing the idea that facing a fear feels good.

“This is why people often come out of haunted houses laughing,” Sutherland notes. “The brain learns that ‘surviving’ a scare can be fun and rewarding, which motivates us to do it again.”

Helping kids handle “safe scares”

Children’s brains process fear a little differently. The amygdala develops early, but the prefrontal cortex — the part that helps them reason through their emotions — takes much longer to mature. That’s why younger kids often react as if a pretend threat is real.

Around age seven or eight, most kids begin to realize that fear can be fun in the right setting. Helping them approach spooky situations gradually can boost their confidence and emotional control.

Parents can make Halloween more enjoyable by previewing decorations in daylight, encouraging kids to choose age-appropriate scares, and letting them take the lead — even by doing the scaring themselves.

“When kids realize they can calm down after being startled, they learn resilience,” Sutherland says. “It’s not about avoiding fear, but learning that they can handle it.”

The social side of scares

Fear also brings us closer together. When we share a scare — whether it’s clinging to a friend in a haunted maze or laughing after a jump scare — our brains release oxytocin, a hormone that builds trust and connection.

“Facing fear together acts like social glue,” Sutherland explains. “It turns scary moments into shared memories that bring people closer.”

When fear feels different

For some children, fear hits differently. Kids with anxiety may have amygdalae that react more strongly, making it harder to turn off the alarm. Children with ADHD often have lower dopamine activity, which may lead them to seek bigger thrills — louder screams, faster rides or scarier experiences.

Understanding how each child experiences fear helps parents guide them toward what feels safe and fun for them.

The spooky takeaway

“Think of your brain like an orchestra,” Sutherland says. “The amygdala plays the pounding drum of fear, the prefrontal cortex conducts to keep everything in rhythm, and the striatum adds the triumphant brass that makes the experience rewarding instead of terrifying. When all three systems play in harmony, fear becomes fun, the joy of feeling scared while knowing we’re safe.”

For most children, the spooky fun of Halloween is a healthy way to experience and manage fear in a safe, playful environment. But for some, the experience can feel overwhelming.

If your child struggles with intense fear, anxiety, or other emotional or behavioral challenges, the Center for Children and Families offers a range of evidence-based clinical services across home, school, and peer settings. Visit ccf.fiu.edu or call 305-348-0477 for more information.

This was far from your typical student field trip. Alongside nine other students from FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, I had the unique chance to go behind the scenes of an industry projected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2035, according to Allied Market Research. But on this trip, we weren’t just walking the show floor; we were gaining an insider’s view of hospitality’s future, one booth, ballroom, and back-of-house tour at a time.

FIU Hospitality graduate student Emma Vitasse poses at the shared University Village booth.

The magic beyond the trade show floor

IMEX brings together the world’s most experienced event professionals alongside destinations, convention and visitors bureaus, airlines and hospitality tech companies. More than 17,000 attendees and 3,700 global suppliers from over 150 countries gathered this year to launch trends, seal deals and showcase cutting-edge technology that will shape events over the next decade.

For students like us, who have yet to enter the workforce full-time, IMEX offered a rare front-row seat to the real-world mechanics of hospitality and events. Listening to professionals who began as interns or transitioned into hospitality from other industries reminded me just how dynamic and open this field can be. Their advice was clear: Don’t wait until graduation to start building your network. Thanks to FIU’s support, that’s exactly what we did.

Beyond meeting industry leaders before we even join the workforce, we dived into the challenges, tips and strategies that will shape our careers by attending educational sessions. Yet, for me, the clearest connections between classroom theory and real life happened away from the trade show floor.

One unforgettable moment came during a backstage tour of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The sales team guided us through the business of luxury, showing us everything from the 40,000-square-foot theater-style meeting space to a hidden bar we accessed through the on-site barber shop. We learned how the team pitches meeting spaces, tailors packages for major conventions and stays ahead of shifting guest preferences.

Students toured The Chelsea, a theater-style meeting space inside the luxurious Cosmopolitan Hotel.

We also toured other well-known hotels like Caesars Palace, Flamingo and Paris Las Vegas.  A representative from the Vida\Estilo Hospitality Group, which owns several restaurants in these iconic hotels, walked us through their decision to expand from Miami into Las Vegas by adapting their brand to meet the demands of a fast-paced new market. At Caesars Palace’s Café Americano, we discussed how 24/7 operations, breakfast offerings and a long-term lease with renovation clauses helped secure a coveted spot on the Las Vegas Strip. It was like seeing a live case study unfold before our eyes.

From the classroom to the real world

Attending IMEX was about watching classroom lessons come alive. In one session, “How Smart Partnerships Between Event Organizers and Destinations Can Shape the Future,” I discovered how destination management companies act as a glue between event planners and local communities. I already understood the basics from my classes, but learning how planners can request customized itineraries for any event size or how Barcelona’s tourist tax benefits local development gave me fresh insight into the nuanced operations behind global events and destination management.

Another highlight was the “Media Power Panel: Uncovering Getting Covered,” which provided practical strategies for earning media coverage for events. I’ve already started applying these tips in my current job, using new techniques to craft press releases and pitch stories that capture the attention of media professionals, whose email boxes are flooded with AI-written content.

Scholarships that open doors

None of these opportunities would have been possible without FIU and the Eta Sigma Delta honor society, which sponsored our group’s participation. I’ve been fortunate to receive several travel scholarships through the Chaplin School that allowed me to attend industry events in Orlando and Switzerland. But IMEX was on an entirely different scale, both in size and impact.

IMEX taught me that real learning extends far beyond the classroom. It happens when you meet a global hotel executive, walk through a five-star restaurant during service or listen to a keynote speaker predict what hospitality will look like in 2035.

Students got lessons in guest experiences and how to sell a 40,000 square foot space.

Full circle

IMEX wasn’t what I expected. On the trade show floor, everything ran like a well-oiled machine. Attendees listened intently to speakers through high-quality headphones, blocking out the noise of the trade show and other sessions happening side-by-side. Outside the trade show space, some took part in breathwork or meditation or slowed down at the Resilience Room. Las Vegas, which looks like a movie set, further reinforced the lesson I learned during this trip: embrace bold, expressive ideas. Build your hotel around a replica of the Eiffel Tower, give attendees an opportunity to take a photo of their aura, create a bar with a three-story crystal chandelier.

To make an impact in an industry that has to keep guests engaged and impressed, you have to take risks and lean into creativity. That’s the mindset I’ll carry with me as I move forward in my professional journey.

________________________________________________________________________________

Bonus:
If you could not join IMEX America 2025, anyone can access the main takeaways from over 250 educational sessions that were available during the three days of the tradeshow here.

Imagine a room full of college seniors all passionate about the same field and each recognized for academic excellence. One would think such individuals, specifically chosen for their demonstrated commitment to their future careers, would produce the ideal small groups to work together on a unique project. Turns out, it’s not that simple.

In March, I spent three days at the Young Hospitality Summit (YHS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, among, as one guest speaker described us, “like-minded people” from more than 40 universities worldwide. I was selected as one of the three delegates to represent FIU at the event hosted by EHL Hospitality Business School, which is known to have the best hospitality management program in the world.

The summit gathered top industry professionals to discuss sustainability, technology, mental health and talent retention – critical topics for the industry and those of us about to enter it. During presentations from leaders within the lodging sector, we also learned about real estate and, to my surprise, something called “cognitive” cities. While many of us have heard about “smart” cities, which focus on data collection and application for efficient management, cognitive cities use technology to gather data for proactive decision-making or problem-solving. Neom, one of the summit partners, is already making this concept a reality in Saudi Arabia.

To envision what the hospitality industry could look like in that futuristic cognitive world, Neom presented the challenge we would be asked to work on for the next two days. My team - students from the United States, the Netherlands, France and Indonesia – had about eight hours to come up with “a pioneering, sustainable service model tailored specifically for Neom” that would “significantly reduce waste, energy and water usage.”

Group projects are always a challenge due to varying work styles and motivations among the participants. In this task, besides having to overcome time restrictions and cultural differences, we faced another barrier: unaligned values.

When my team met for the first time, our discussion – much to my surprise – revolved not around generating ideas for the project but instead focused on concerns surrounding the scale of Neom’s development as well as the company’s close affiliation with the ruler of Saudi Arabia. It seemed some delegates had trouble moving past the region’s history, politics and social issues, questions about which the Neom representatives sidestepped during the Q&A session.

In contrast to some European delegates in the conference room, I had never heard about Neom before the summit. My opinions on the company were inconclusive and solely based on the information shared by the representatives. While some of us were ready to start brainstorming, others felt uneasy about sharing potential innovations with Neom.

For me, the initial panic about developing an innovative idea in such a short time was the main concern. With so many directions in which we could go, how do we agree on the “winning” idea? Soon, however, I realized that my experience at FIU had equipped me well for the challenge of finding common ground with relative strangers.

For example, as the final project for one of the Honors College seminars, my professors intentionally grouped students in my class with others with whom they had never interacted. Similar to the YHS challenge, we were given a general prompt to see how we can use our differences to our advantage. As students of different majors – hospitality management, natural applied sciences and biochemistry - we immediately gravitated to different aspects of the prompt. In the end, our polar interests resulted in a multi-dimensional work that took into account diverse interests and talents. Reflecting on this prior experience reassured me that, facing the YHS challenge, we certainly could overcome differences in our backgrounds.

But what about the unaligned opinions and values? That was a bigger question.

Just like scientists who encounter ethical dilemmas, we had to weigh our priorities. Was leveraging the resources of an entity that raises ambivalent opinions worth putting aside our concerns in pursuit of potential advancement in the industry? With other key industry players attending the project presentation, we agreed our model could benefit the whole industry rather than one specific company. On the last day of the summit, we presented our innovative model to Neom - self-sufficient farms to feed the residents. We didn’t win the competition, but we achieved our goal of completing something meaningful that held real potential to become viable in the context of future cities. Who knows, one day, this model could lead to innovation, whether it would be one of us making it a reality or one of the YHS attendees taking inspiration from our idea.

As our world becomes more globalized, divided groups like mine will become the norm. We will be prompted to work in more diverse teams, which means more varying perspectives, various cultural experiences and even more unaligned values. While YHS turned out to be a unique experiment for me, it is likely all of us will have to undergo similar training to be better equipped for the world of tomorrow.

But how do you find those opportunities? Enter the "Civic Engagement with Global Reach Student Summit." The goals of the summit: to connect students with opportunities, scholarships, dynamic FIU alumni and global employers that can help them deepen their civic engagement and jumpstart international collaborations. The summit, which took place on Oct. 24 at MMC, was hosted by FIU Global and welcomed students from FIU, Miami Dade College and Broward College. 

During a series of panel sessions, students interacted directly with representatives from the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, Millennium Campus Network, Helios Education Foundation, the Fund for Education Abroad and the German Academic Exchange Service.

Students also learned about prestigious scholarships that can fund study abroad programs and a variety of organizations that can provide them with opportunities to collaborate with colleagues around the world. 

"Global learning experiences at home and abroad can be lifechanging, especially for students about to start their careers," said Birgitta “Gitta” Rausch-Montoto, director of FIU Global and a Fulbright Program campus liaison. "There are endless opportunities for students to engage with their global communities...fellowships at home, international exchange, study abroad programs, work on international research projects and internships and more. This summit was designed for students to learn about these opportunities and to remind them that they are the next generation of global leaders to shape our interconnected society and economy."

Some of the takeaways from the summit came from student leaders who shared the ways they engage in local and global communities, whether through research collaborations or through programs like the Millennium Fellowship, Peace Corps Prep or FIU's own Global Learning Medallion program.

“It was great to participate in the summit and hear how other young leaders are driving change in our community," said Agustina Garibotti, a political science and international relations major, who spoke on one of the summit's panels. "I believe that by highlighting student voices, we are giving a space for genuine engagement, where everyone can learn from one another.”

Students who attended the summit gained tips and tricks on how to overcome “imposter syndrome” when pursuing high impact opportunities such as scholarships through the U.S. Fulbright Program.

“The highlight for me was getting to hear from people that were either in the same boat as me [as a college student], or people who were way past that," said Raquel Monge, an international relations student and participant in the summit. "I really enjoyed getting advice from them on how to get active on campus and not be afraid to put yourself out there.”

Throughout the summit, student groups including the Vietnamese Student Association, Argentinian Student Association, Venezuelan Student Association, the Latin American Dance Club and students from the English Language Institute held cultural activities (including a Vietnamese fashion presentation and a mini Latin dance class). These activities offered unique opportunities for students to introduce others to their culture through social interaction and for students to learn about each other's traditions. 

“I hope [students] walk away with enrichment about a new culture," said Isabella Bello, who studies communication arts and is the outreach coordinator for the Venezuelan Student Association.

Justin Jean-Baptiste, another student panelist, said that the summit motivated him to further pursue international engagement. 

"This is going to inspire me to apply for not only the Peace Corps, but for Fulbright, for Boren, for the Critical Language Scholarship, for any opportunity that I can find to make a difference internationally,” he said. 

The summit acted as a special FIU precursor to the Fulbright Association Conference, which was also hosted by FIU that same weekend, and brought together more than 400 Fulbright scholars, leaders and international education experts from around the world to campus. Learn more about FIU's robust participation in the Fulbright program.

FIU is a hub of international exchange through the U.S. Fulbright Program. 

In the last decade, the university has received designation as a top producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars five times. Fulbright awards are notoriously difficult to land, and yet over the years, FIU has received more than 350 awards. These awards represent faculty, students and alumni going abroad from FIU as well as incoming faculty and students from other countries joining the university for research or study.

The Fulbright Program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).  The program awards thousands of merit-based fellowships and scholarships in the U.S. at more than 160 countries every year to accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields. Fulbrighters study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.

This semester, FIU is hosting or sending abroad a total of 25 people through the Fulbright program. FIU also hosted the Fulbright Association’s annual conference. As part of the conference, more than 400 Fulbright scholars, leaders and international education experts from across the globe gathered at MMC Oct. 24-26. Among featured speakers were the president of the Beacon Council, president of the World Affairs Council of America, the Washington Director of Human Rights Watch and more.

“FIU is proud to have served as the university partner for this gathering,” says Birgitta “Gitta” Rausch-Montoto, director of FIU Global and a Fulbright Program campus liaison. “Global exchanges of students and faculty are integral to FIU’s commitment to international education—they foster the advancement of scientific and scholarly knowledge and enhance worldwide collaboration in ways that only in-person engagement can truly achieve.”

Impactful research

Since 1975, FIU has been actively engaged with the Fulbright Program, assisting faculty, staff, students and alumni in applying for awards and working with partner institutions to host international scholars and experts on campus. As a result, both faculty and students at FIU and across the globe have worked together to address areas such as coral reef conservation; microgrids and renewable energy; agricultural science; diplomacy and peace studies; science and music education; and entrepreneurship and innovation, among many others.

For example, biomedical engineering alumnus Nelson Abarca ’21 recently began working at the Fundacion Cien research center in Madrid, Spain. He is helping a research team uncover ways to improve how dementia is diagnosed.

“If we can diagnose patients with frontotemporal dementia earlier, it can potentially help us find more individually tailored treatments in the future,” Abarca explains. “I’ve already started working in the lab. I’m learning so much. I’m fortunate that my lab is amazing and that there are so many great scientists here. The other day I shadowed a neuropsychologist evaluating a patient with dementia. It was a great experience.”

He says gaining an international perspective is crucial as he prepares for his goal: medical school.

“Being a Fulbright Scholar is going to set my medical school application apart,” he says. “It gives me a different perspective about research and healthcare that I didn’t have before.”

International exchange

Many Fulbrighters cite their desire to learn about the world and to apply lessons they learn internationally at home as a major reason for participating in the program. 

This is also true for Agustina Rosenbluth Mulki, a graduate student at FIU who came from Argentina to study at the university through the Fulbright program. She decided she wanted to earn a graduate degree abroad to strengthen her already solid business skills. She holds various degrees related to industrial engineering and business from her home country. And this semester, she will earn her master’s in engineering management at FIU.

Rosenbluth Mulki has experience in supply chain management and has worked in logistics, inventory management and international trade (import and export). She says this degree is taking her skills to the next level.  

“I’m impressed with everything I’ve learned at FIU,” she says. “We have access to the latest textbooks and scholarship here. I’m gaining more experience in the industry. I’m taking back home many new ideas about engineering management and new knowledge about software that I didn’t know about before." 

"This degree from FIU is preparing me to be a leader," she adds, "and I think it’s going to open a lot of doors for me within my province [hometown] and within my country.”

She says that FIU has been the perfect place for her.

“Since day one, FIU has made me feel at home,” Rosenbluth Mulki says. “I’ve felt like I’m part of something bigger than me, I’m part of FIU.”

She will be walking across the commencement stage this semester.

Flourishing of the arts

For Jamie Ousley, music is an international language. Ousley is an associate professor of music and the coordinator of jazz performance at FIU. In 2023, he traveled to Costa Rica on a Fulbright Specialist award and spent several weeks at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNCR).

There, he helped develop a curriculum for a new master’s degree in jazz studies and worked with students who were eager to learn about jazz. The students knew very few jazz musicians to mentor them — and few who were American, where jazz is often regarded as originating. These students deeply appreciated Ousley’s mentorship.  

While in Costa Rica, Ousley also collaborated with a group of international artists to record an album that was nominated for an award at the 2024 Latin Grammys.

“Claude Bolling Goes Latin: Suite for Flute and Latin Music Ensemble” is a new arrangement of Claude Bolling’s most famous piece, infused with Latin Jazz. It was produced by the professor who hosted Ousley at UNCR and propelled the group of musicians to experience a new level of recognition.

“Being nominated for a Latin Grammy was a new experience for me,” Ousley says. “That was very exciting. The ceremony was in Miami for the first time after many years. It was great. At the Latin Grammys, you see the business side of the music industry. It’s the red carpet. I enjoyed it a lot. And of course, the album itself is very good music.”

And even though earning both the Latin Grammy nomination and the Fulbright award itself are outstanding career achievements, Ousley says the most important things he helped produce during that trip were “students in the program at Costa Rica.”

“They graduated and are now the jazz educators around Central America,” he says. “Many are from Panama and Costa Rica, and they are spreading jazz education around the region.”

For Ousley, intercultural exchange is crucial.

“Cultural diplomacy is so important,” he says. “Music is a way to do it. It’s a universal language. It’s important to have human relationships. It’s so easy to take the humanity out of the equation when thinking about different, far-off places. The Fulbright program is a great way to bring humans from different parts of the world together.”

“At the FIU Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, our experiential curriculum powers Caplin News and is bolstered by strategic alliances that fuel excellence and prepare our students to lead, innovate and make an impact in a rapidly changing world,” said CARTA Dean Brian Schriner. He has actively pursued collaborations with area news organizations to provide real-world learning. “Our partnerships connect our talented students with industry leaders, expand creative and research opportunities and amplify the power of storytelling."

Caplin News showcases student reporting from class assignments. It's at that online platform that news outlets find interesting, well-reported articles to share with their own readers.

In recent weeks, Miami Community News has published 10 student pieces. FIU alumna Emilie Gonzalez has helped guide the effort in her role as a newswriter at the organization. “It’s been an honor to reconnect with Caplin so soon after graduating,” she said. “Seeing my peers succeed and publish their stories makes me incredibly proud of how far this program has come.”

Students in professors Denise Hruby and Alex Harris' classes recently contributed stories to The Miami Herald that focus on environmental reporting and public awareness. The Biscayne Times featured a three-part series by Sofia Baltodano and Cassandra Martinez that profiled candidates in the current Miami mayoral race. “It was hard work,” Baltodano says. “But seeing it pay off was very rewarding, especially as a young journalist.”

Francesca Cagnana worked for three weeks on a story about the difficutly that young people are encountering in finding jobs. The written piece was picked up by the online site of Miami’s public radio station, WLRN. “It was really exciting,” said Cagnana. “After it was published, I sent it to my dad. He showed it to virtually everybody.”

The mentorship of professors Gregg Birnbaum and Sergio Bustos, along with that of other Caplin faculty, reflects the school’s ongoing commitment to connecting students to experiential learning opportunities.

“This is the best possible training for student journalists,” Birnbaum said. “From the start of the semester, my top goal has been to help students build the skills and confidence to step into any newsroom. Publishing in leading South Florida outlets proves they’re ready.”

In addition to Caplin News, students produce a live broadcast known as Caplin NewsBreak, which delivers daily updates, in English and Spanish, on stories that matter to South Floridians. Both operate out of the school’s new bureaus, in Miami and Washington, D.C.

In the last decade, the university has received designation as a top producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars five times. Fulbright awards are notoriously difficult to land, and yet over the years, FIU has received more than 350 awards. These awards represent faculty, students and alumni going abroad from FIU as well as incoming faculty and students from other countries joining the university for research or study.

The Fulbright Program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).  The program awards thousands of merit-based fellowships and scholarships in the U.S. at more than 160 countries every year to accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields. Fulbrighters study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.

This semester, FIU is hosting or sending abroad a total of 25 people through the Fulbright program. FIU also hosted the Fulbright Association’s annual conference. As part of the conference, more than 400 Fulbright scholars, leaders and international education experts from across the globe gathered at MMC Oct. 24-26. Among featured speakers were the president of the Beacon Council, president of the World Affairs Council of America, the Washington Director of Human Rights Watch and more.

“FIU is proud to have served as the university partner for this gathering,” says Birgitta “Gitta” Rausch-Montoto, director of FIU Global and a Fulbright Program campus liaison. “Global exchanges of students and faculty are integral to FIU’s commitment to international education—they foster the advancement of scientific and scholarly knowledge and enhance worldwide collaboration in ways that only in-person engagement can truly achieve.”

Impactful research

Since 1975, FIU has been actively engaged with the Fulbright Program, assisting faculty, staff, students and alumni in applying for awards and working with partner institutions to host international scholars and experts on campus. As a result, both faculty and students at FIU and across the globe have worked together to address areas such as coral reef conservation; microgrids and renewable energy; agricultural science; diplomacy and peace studies; science and music education; and entrepreneurship and innovation, among many others.

For example, biomedical engineering alumnus Nelson Abarca ’21 recently began working at the Fundacion Cien research center in Madrid, Spain. He is helping a research team uncover ways to improve how dementia is diagnosed.

“If we can diagnose patients with frontotemporal dementia earlier, it can potentially help us find more individually tailored treatments in the future,” Abarca explains. “I’ve already started working in the lab. I’m learning so much. I’m fortunate that my lab is amazing and that there are so many great scientists here. The other day I shadowed a neuropsychologist evaluating a patient with dementia. It was a great experience.”

He says gaining an international perspective is crucial as he prepares for his goal: medical school.

“Being a Fulbright Scholar is going to set my medical school application apart,” he says. “It gives me a different perspective about research and healthcare that I didn’t have before.”

International exchange

Many Fulbrighters cite their desire to learn about the world and to apply lessons they learn internationally at home as a major reason for participating in the program. 

This is also true for Agustina Rosenbluth Mulki, a graduate student at FIU who came from Argentina to study at the university through the Fulbright program. She decided she wanted to earn a graduate degree abroad to strengthen her already solid business skills. She holds various degrees related to industrial engineering and business from her home country. And this semester, she will earn her master’s in engineering management at FIU.

Rosenbluth Mulki has experience in supply chain management and has worked in logistics, inventory management and international trade (import and export). She says this degree is taking her skills to the next level.  

“I’m impressed with everything I’ve learned at FIU,” she says. “We have access to the latest textbooks and scholarship here. I’m gaining more experience in the industry. I’m taking back home many new ideas about engineering management and new knowledge about software that I didn’t know about before." 

"This degree from FIU is preparing me to be a leader," she adds, "and I think it’s going to open a lot of doors for me within my province [hometown] and within my country.”

She says that FIU has been the perfect place for her.

“Since day one, FIU has made me feel at home,” Rosenbluth Mulki says. “I’ve felt like I’m part of something bigger than me, I’m part of FIU.”

She will be walking across the commencement stage this semester.

Flourishing of the arts

For Jamie Ousley, music is an international language. Ousley is an associate professor of music and the coordinator of jazz performance at FIU. In 2023, he traveled to Costa Rica on a Fulbright Specialist award and spent several weeks at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNCR).

There, he helped develop a curriculum for a new master’s degree in jazz studies and worked with students who were eager to learn about jazz. The students knew very few jazz musicians to mentor them — and few who were American, where jazz is often regarded as originating. These students deeply appreciated Ousley’s mentorship.  

While in Costa Rica, Ousley also collaborated with a group of international artists to record an album that was nominated for an award at the 2024 Latin Grammys.

“Claude Bolling Goes Latin: Suite for Flute and Latin Music Ensemble” is a new arrangement of Claude Bolling’s most famous piece, infused with Latin Jazz. It was produced by the professor who hosted Ousley at UNCR and propelled the group of musicians to experience a new level of recognition.

“Being nominated for a Latin Grammy was a new experience for me,” Ousley says. “That was very exciting. The ceremony was in Miami for the first time after many years. It was great. At the Latin Grammys, you see the business side of the music industry. It’s the red carpet. I enjoyed it a lot. And of course, the album itself is very good music.”

And even though earning both the Latin Grammy nomination and the Fulbright award itself are outstanding career achievements, Ousley says the most important things he helped produce during that trip were “students in the program at Costa Rica.”

“They graduated and are now the jazz educators around Central America,” he says. “Many are from Panama and Costa Rica, and they are spreading jazz education around the region.”

For Ousley, intercultural exchange is crucial.

“Cultural diplomacy is so important,” he says. “Music is a way to do it. It’s a universal language. It’s important to have human relationships. It’s so easy to take the humanity out of the equation when thinking about different, far-off places. The Fulbright program is a great way to bring humans from different parts of the world together.”

In an increasingly globalized world, leadership means not only mastering an area of expertise but learning how to thrive in international settings. Students often find that international experiences set them apart as they launch careers. 

But how do you find those opportunities? Enter the "Civic Engagement with Global Reach Student Summit." The goals of the summit: to connect students with opportunities, scholarships, dynamic FIU alumni and global employers that can help them deepen their civic engagement and jumpstart international collaborations. The summit, which took place on Oct. 24 at MMC, was hosted by FIU Global and welcomed students from FIU, Miami Dade College and Broward College. 

During a series of panel sessions, students interacted directly with representatives from the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, Millennium Campus Network, Helios Education Foundation, the Fund for Education Abroad and the German Academic Exchange Service.

Students also learned about prestigious scholarships that can fund study abroad programs and a variety of organizations that can provide them with opportunities to collaborate with colleagues around the world. 

"Global learning experiences at home and abroad can be lifechanging, especially for students about to start their careers," said Birgitta “Gitta” Rausch-Montoto, director of FIU Global and a Fulbright Program campus liaison. "There are endless opportunities for students to engage with their global communities...fellowships at home, international exchange, study abroad programs, work on international research projects and internships and more. This summit was designed for students to learn about these opportunities and to remind them that they are the next generation of global leaders to shape our interconnected society and economy."

Some of the takeaways from the summit came from student leaders who shared the ways they engage in local and global communities, whether through research collaborations or through programs like the Millennium Fellowship, Peace Corps Prep or FIU's own Global Learning Medallion program.

“It was great to participate in the summit and hear how other young leaders are driving change in our community," said Agustina Garibotti, a political science and international relations major, who spoke on one of the summit's panels. "I believe that by highlighting student voices, we are giving a space for genuine engagement, where everyone can learn from one another.”

Students who attended the summit gained tips and tricks on how to overcome “imposter syndrome” when pursuing high impact opportunities such as scholarships through the U.S. Fulbright Program.

“The highlight for me was getting to hear from people that were either in the same boat as me [as a college student], or people who were way past that," said Raquel Monge, an international relations student and participant in the summit. "I really enjoyed getting advice from them on how to get active on campus and not be afraid to put yourself out there.”

Throughout the summit, student groups including the Vietnamese Student Association, Argentinian Student Association, Venezuelan Student Association, the Latin American Dance Club and students from the English Language Institute held cultural activities (including a Vietnamese fashion presentation and a mini Latin dance class). These activities offered unique opportunities for students to introduce others to their culture through social interaction and for students to learn about each other's traditions. 

“I hope [students] walk away with enrichment about a new culture," said Isabella Bello, who studies communication arts and is the outreach coordinator for the Venezuelan Student Association.

Justin Jean-Baptiste, another student panelist, said that the summit motivated him to further pursue international engagement. 

"This is going to inspire me to apply for not only the Peace Corps, but for Fulbright, for Boren, for the Critical Language Scholarship, for any opportunity that I can find to make a difference internationally,” he said. 

The summit acted as a special FIU precursor to the Fulbright Association Conference, which was also hosted by FIU that same weekend, and brought together more than 400 Fulbright scholars, leaders and international education experts from around the world to campus. Learn more about FIU's robust participation in the Fulbright program.

Time to toast to the 13th anniversary of the annual event

“Brewers from Florida’s top craft breweries, restaurateurs and our own students work so hard to create unique flavors, some made especially for the event," said Mohammad Qureshi, North Miami BrewFest director and faculty administrator. "We hope everyone will come out to support not only these establishments, but our hospitality program, which is making such a difference in so many lives,” he added. 

The great news is that alumni, faculty, staff and students over 21 can use the promo code FIUFAM15 for a 15% discount on tickets.

Fan favorite Rocketeer beer is back again this year.

In the past, more than half of the event participants have been FIU alumni-owned or operated businesses. So far, more than 30 breweries have signed on to participate, including: Alchemy and Hops, Brewsaki, Funky Buddha, MIA Beer Company, Bread and Beer, Rocketeer Beer, The Tank Brewing Co, Melo Seltzer, Redshift Brewing, Unseen Creature, Pompano Beach Brewing Company, Yeasty Brews, Wiener Dog Brewery, Sun Cruiser, Uncommon Path Brewing, Bay 13 Brewery, Biscayne Bay Brewing, La Tropical, Black Pit Brewing Co, La Rubia, Conscious Brewing, No Seasons, Magic 13 Brewing, Scarab Brewing, Prison Pals Brewing Co, Tripping Animals Brewing, Long Drink and  Twin Flames Brewing Company.

Many local eateries will also be in attendance, such as: Be Pastry, Chef K Provisions, Twin Dragon Hibachi, If and When Eats, Night Owl Cookies, Soulfull Biscuit, Wans, Mission BBQ, Fin’s Kitchen, Exquisite Catering, Temple Street Eatery, Sushi Maki and La Birria Bar. Students from FIU’s Bacardi Center of Excellence and FIU Bistro will also be showing off their gastronomic and cocktail creations.

This one-day festival includes a DJ playing live music, fun interactive games, including a bowling alley, and educational activities, run by students, that inform festivalgoers the latest in sustainability practices, cocktail making and brew science.

La Birra Bar returns with its signature and award-winning burgers.

North Miami Brewfest tickets are now on sale at www.northmiamibrewfest.com and on Eventbrite. FIU Family and Friends can get a discount with the promo code FIUFAM15. Ticket proceeds benefit the Chaplin School’s mission to contribute to brewing science education and innovation for the craft brew industry, brewpubs and homebrew organizations, as well as its Bachelor of Science in Beverage Management degree. 

NoMi Village in North Miami is home again to this year's North Miami BrewFest.

Riopedre Maqueira is one of only 27 medical students nationwide chosen for the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program this year. She is the fifth FIU Medicine student to earn this distinction.

She began her fellowship in July at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the nation’s largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research.

“Being selected is an incredible honor,” she says. “I have always aspired to become a physician-scientist, and I know that training here at the NIH will give me the preparation and mentorship to pursue that path.”

Under the mentorship of a pair of renowned physician-researchers associated with the NIH Clinical Center, one a dermatologist and the other a pulmonologist, Riopedre Maqueira is conducting translational research on tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and lymphangioleiomyomatosis, two rare diseases that can affect multiple organ systems.

A typical week at the NIH Clinical Center blends data analysis, patient care and collaborative learning. Riopedre Maqueira reviews data, compiles findings, and sees patients alongside her mentors to connect her research directly to patient outcomes.

“Even while focusing on research, I’m surrounded by patients every day,” she says. “It’s been a true bench-to-bedside experience.”

She and the other fellows attend weekly lectures led by physician-scientists and participate in journal clubs led by peers, activities that encourages discussion and discovery.

Taking a research year during medical school, even though it meant postponing graduation, felt like a natural next step for Riopedre Maqueira.

“I have always been interested in research, so I knew I wanted to dedicate time during medical school to pursue it,” she says. “At the same time, I truly enjoy clinical work and patient interaction, so I wanted to be at an institution that allowed me to do both.”

As an aspiring dermatologist, Riopedre Maqueira says her time at the NIH aligns perfectly with her long-term goals. Her interest in dermatology began during third-year clinical rotations, when she discovered how much she enjoyed hands-on procedures and solving problems through physical exams. She was especially drawn to how dermatology intersects with other specialties and how the skin, the body’s largest organ, often reveals what’s happening beneath the surface.

“I’m particularly drawn to cutaneous syndromes, and TSC is a key condition in that area,” she says. “This fellowship allows me to study it in depth while gaining broader insights into translational research that I hope to carry forward into my career.”

Dermatology is among the most competitive specialties in medicine, with limited residency spots available each year. For students like Riopedre Maqueira, completing a research year can provide valuable experience and strengthen residency applications.

Her research will culminate in a presentation at the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program Research Symposium in May 2026. Beyond that, she hopes her work will lead to earlier diagnoses and improved outcomes for patients.

“I hope my research will help improve the quality of life for patients living with TSC,” she says. “I want it to contribute to a better understanding of this condition, especially for patients who don’t fit the classic TSC mold, so we can diagnose them earlier and manage their disease more effectively.”

Riopedre Maqueira plans to resume her studies at FIU Medicine in fall 2026 and graduate with the Class of 2027.

• Student success – ensuring every Panther graduates prepared to lead and proud of their FIU experience.
• Research excellence – doubling research expenditures and advancing innovation in resilience, health, and technology.
• Strategic partnerships – forging alliances with healthcare, business, and government to expand opportunity and impact.

For the first time in its 53 years, Florida International University welcomed one of its own to the helm.

Two-time alumna Jeanette M. Nuñez ’94, MPA ’98 today received high praise and heartfelt wishes at an investiture ceremony that recognized all the passion, promise and possibility she brings to her position as FIU’s seventh president.

Already on the job for several months – first, beginning in February, in an interim role and, in June, formally as full president with the approval of the Board of Governors of the State University System – the only woman to ever hold FIU’s highest office looked upon a crowd of nearly 1,000 as she vowed to lead with honesty, integrity and respect for all.

An unbridled future

Addressing the assembled faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, trustees and elected officials as well as her own family - including two children with degrees from FIU and a third still weighing that option - Nuñez thanked all who have stood behind her and acknowledged her predecessors, three of whom - Modesto A. Maidique, Mark B. Rosenberg and Kenneth A. Jessell - rose to be recognized.

Born and bred at FIU, the new president spoke of first stepping onto campus 35 years ago as a student. Today, she looks upon her alma mater with a clear understanding of exactly what the university means to South Florida, the state and beyond.

“I have often asked, ‘What would Miami look like without FIU as its anchor?’ I can assure you that the very soul of Miami would not be the same. Here, we do more than educate. FIU changes lives, launches careers, lifts families, propels the economy and ensures prosperity for all Floridians.”

Reiterating a commitment to student success, research and strategic partnerships, Nuñez closed by announcing the Supporting Outstanding Academic Results (SOAR) initiative to accelerate discovery, support FIU’s exceptional faculty and elevate student success while strengthening community partnerships with the goal of achieving Top 30 public university status by the year 2030.

“I love this university. I love its ambition. I love its drive,” she concluded. “So let’s hunt, Panthers. FIU is on a collision course with greatness.”

Displayed on the lounge’s walls are 22 paintings that place FIU at the center of some of the world’s most famous paintings. Roary is the main character in Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory." The Green Library, the Panther statue and iconic palm trees stand along the blue swirls of van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” And the Kissing Bridge is the bridge in Monet’s “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies.”

All the works in the exhibit were created by alumni Wendy X. Ordóñez ’07, MAT ’10, MFA ‘23 and Oscar D. Hernandez ‘18, two talented artists who are staff members at Student Health & Wellness (SHW). The artists made the works on Procreate, a software program popular among artists and illustrators. Some of the works were created from scratch by the two artists, and others involved superimposing FIU art created by the artists onto the original, historic artwork. 

The exhibit was designed to provide Panther-filled art to the campus community while raising awareness about health and wellness services available to students. While the exhibit is on display, SHW — which houses a variety of units such as Healthy Living, the Student Health Clinics and Counseling and Psychological Services — hosts various health resource fairs at the piano lounge. During these events, students who participate in the fairs receive free shirts and sweaters that feature designs from the exhibit.

Five hundred and sixty people attended the exhibit opening. Students clamor for the creative merch.

“I love the shirt,” says finance major Oriana Hernandez, who attended one of the SHW events. She got a free shirt that features the “Couple Dancing” design. “Everyone that sees my shirt loves it. My boyfriend asked me about it…it’s beautiful.”

She adds, “The exhibit itself is really creative. I’m really into art and design, and I love how the exhibit merges both of them into an academic context like this. It also made me interested in learning more about the original pieces of art.”

Hernandez also appreciated the educational component. “I learned about different services that we can get, like free massages and free therapy,” she said. 

Marketing major Daniela Navarro-Balestena agrees. “It was interesting to learn more about the clinics and the free check-ups that are included in our tuition,” she says. “It was good to see all the resources available if we need help, and that it’s not a taboo topic to speak about. It really shows us that if we ever have a problem, they want us to reach out to them and they want to help us.”

As to the exhibit? “The art is wonderful,” Navarro-Balestena says. “Seeing how Roary is incorporated into the art was great, and the T-shirt is really cute. I got the sweater with the Roary Kiss. I love it. Wearing it fills you with Panther Pride. It’s Roary and shows FIU, but it’s also subtle enough that it just looks like a really nice design.”

Art for awareness

This is the second year the exhibit goes on display at MMC. Fourteen new paintings were added for this year’s collection. Ordóñez and Hernandez chose the historic works for the project based on SHW team recommendations, and they spent months creating the artwork.

The goal is to use art to create awareness about student health and wellness. SHW is intentional about improving student success outcomes through its events. To earn swag, students take a moment and learn about SHW services that could help them. They receive important information about the student health fee, including all of the services they can receive for free like counseling, clinical care, massages, nutrition education, STI testing and much more.

Additionally, students complete a survey that provides information about a specific health topic. Since the art exhibit runs during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the questions help students learn how to report an incident and receive help on campus. 

“While being responsive to students in crisis will always be a priority, proactive education is a cornerstone of Student Health & Wellness’s mission," says Breny DaParre Garcia, associate vice president for Student Health & Wellness. "My goal has always been to provide students with the proper tools they need to overcome life’s challenges. I want them to remain pawsitively aware of all available resources. When our marketing team approached me with an idea last year on how to engage students in a different way, I absolutely loved the art exhibit idea. Research shows that art can be a successful way to improve mental wellbeing, so the merging of both perspectives was a unique way to reach students." 

For the Panthers behind the art, the exhibit is a true labor of love.

Ordóñez is the assistant director of marketing and communications at SHW. She is also a three-time alumna who studied under renowned classical artist and Frost Professor of Art David Chang. Whether creating art for FIU or for her personal work, she’s using the skills she mastered in Chang’s courses.

“FIU has such a treasure in Professor Chang,” she says. “He has brought the atelier world to FIU. He provides the same exact quality of work and education as the best artists in the world.” 

Ordóñez is happy to be using her artistry to give back to FIU and to help students connect with health and wellness.

“I love art and I love FIU," Ordóñez says. "This exhibit brought both loves together. Working at FIU, I know I’m making a positive difference in the world.”

She has another achievement to celebrate: Miami International Fine Arts will be hosting her first solo exhibit, titled “Valió la Pena” in December. The exhibit explores Ordóñez’s motherhood and pays homage to the sacrifices her parents made when they moved to the U.S. from Colombia to give her the best possible opportunities.

Hernandez, the other FIU artist on the project, is another proud Panther. He is a junior content strategist at SHW. He holds a bachelor's of fine arts in art from FIU and is a current student, pursuing another bachelor's degree in marine biology.

He says he enjoyed working on the special FIU exhibit. “It’s always very exciting to pick out well known artworks and turn them into FIU-themed pieces,” he says. “I enjoy trying out the different styles and trying to convey the original artist’s techniques, as it provides a fun challenge when making these.”

His favorite part of the process? “Seeing the students enjoy the designs and comment on which one is their favorite or seeing the students spot a funny or interesting part of the piece,” Hernandez says. 

So, which one is your favorite piece? Let the team know by commenting on the SHW Instagram page, and keep up to date with health and wellness tips by following SHW.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 31, so if you haven't seen it yet, make sure to check it out. 

“Every Halloween night, the world becomes a stage. You get to make your entrance, so design it like you mean it,” says Marina Pareja, FIU associate professor of costume design.

Whether you’re pulling together a last-minute look or reimagining an old favorite, remember: You don’t need to buy a costume. You can design one.

“Good costume design isn’t about how much you spend,” Pareja says. “It’s about who your character is and how that story shows up through clothes.”

This year, Pareja decided to prove it. In a single afternoon, she and FIU Theatre’s costume team pulled together three Halloween looks from their inventory. The thought was to create costumes with things you might find in a closet or at a thrift store. The result: a detective, a hippie, and a zombie. Each one tells a story and shows how thinking like a designer turns everyday clothes into something theatrical.

According to FIU researchers, the science says no.

While sugar can make kids temporarily more energetic or excited, studies show it doesn’t cause long-term hyperactivity or ADHD.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” said Paulo Graziano, professor of psychology and researcher at the Center for Children and Families. “Even the newest studies don’t show a causal link between sugar and ADHD. Some results suggest there might be minor, short-term changes in behavior after sugar consumption, but nothing that indicates sugar is a cause.”

Still, Graziano emphasizes that nutrition plays a powerful role in how children feel and function.

“Kids with ADHD are already at higher risk for poor diets and struggle more with self-control and planning,” he explained. “Since they also tend to have difficulties with executive functioning, a healthy diet becomes even more important. Balanced nutrition supports the very skills, like attention and impulse control, that these children need help developing.”

Madeline Curzon, FIU psychology doctoral candidate, studies how nutrition relates to children’s thinking and behavior. Her research finds that children who eat more fruits and vegetables, whether or not they have ADHD, tend to exhibit stronger attention and problem-solving skills.

“Good nutrition is essential for children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive health,” Curzon said. “That doesn’t mean occasional sweets are harmful. Glucose, which is a form of sugar, actually fuels the brain. The key is where it comes from. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are much better sources than candy or soda.”

Curzon said Halloween can be a perfect opportunity for parents to show balance in action.

“Let your kids enjoy the night,” she said. “Then in the days that follow, focus on healthy meals and talk about how certain foods help our bodies and brains feel their best.”

Graziano agrees. “Halloween shouldn’t be about restriction or guilt,” he said. “It’s about helping kids develop self-regulation and healthy habits—skills that stick long after the candy’s gone.”

Why fear feels so good

Sutherland, a cognitive neuroscientist and researcher at the Center for Children and Families, explains that haunted houses hijack the brain’s alarm system, the amygdala. When we see a jump scare or hear a sudden scream, the amygdala floods the body with adrenaline and stress hormones, preparing us to react.

“The amygdala’s job is to protect us,” Sutherland explains. “It makes our hearts race, sharpens our senses, and keeps us alert, even when we know we’re safe.”

That’s where the prefrontal cortex steps in. This part of the brain helps us reason and recognize that the danger isn’t real — that the zombie is just an actor or the roller coaster is securely designed. Once the brain realizes the threat is pretend, fear flips to thrill.

“Our brains let us experience the physiological rush of fear while knowing we’re not in real danger,” says Sutherland. “That combination transforms anxiety into excitement.”

The reward of facing fear

After the initial shock, the brain’s reward system, takes over. Dopamine — the “feel-good” chemical — is released, reinforcing the idea that facing a fear feels good.

“This is why people often come out of haunted houses laughing,” Sutherland notes. “The brain learns that ‘surviving’ a scare can be fun and rewarding, which motivates us to do it again.”

Helping kids handle “safe scares”

Children’s brains process fear a little differently. The amygdala develops early, but the prefrontal cortex — the part that helps them reason through their emotions — takes much longer to mature. That’s why younger kids often react as if a pretend threat is real.

Around age seven or eight, most kids begin to realize that fear can be fun in the right setting. Helping them approach spooky situations gradually can boost their confidence and emotional control.

Parents can make Halloween more enjoyable by previewing decorations in daylight, encouraging kids to choose age-appropriate scares, and letting them take the lead — even by doing the scaring themselves.

“When kids realize they can calm down after being startled, they learn resilience,” Sutherland says. “It’s not about avoiding fear, but learning that they can handle it.”

The social side of scares

Fear also brings us closer together. When we share a scare — whether it’s clinging to a friend in a haunted maze or laughing after a jump scare — our brains release oxytocin, a hormone that builds trust and connection.

“Facing fear together acts like social glue,” Sutherland explains. “It turns scary moments into shared memories that bring people closer.”

When fear feels different

For some children, fear hits differently. Kids with anxiety may have amygdalae that react more strongly, making it harder to turn off the alarm. Children with ADHD often have lower dopamine activity, which may lead them to seek bigger thrills — louder screams, faster rides or scarier experiences.

Understanding how each child experiences fear helps parents guide them toward what feels safe and fun for them.

The spooky takeaway

“Think of your brain like an orchestra,” Sutherland says. “The amygdala plays the pounding drum of fear, the prefrontal cortex conducts to keep everything in rhythm, and the striatum adds the triumphant brass that makes the experience rewarding instead of terrifying. When all three systems play in harmony, fear becomes fun, the joy of feeling scared while knowing we’re safe.”

For most children, the spooky fun of Halloween is a healthy way to experience and manage fear in a safe, playful environment. But for some, the experience can feel overwhelming.

If your child struggles with intense fear, anxiety, or other emotional or behavioral challenges, the Center for Children and Families offers a range of evidence-based clinical services across home, school, and peer settings. Visit ccf.fiu.edu or call 305-348-0477 for more information.

The award celebrates a dozen educators in higher education who prepare students to become engaged, thoughtful leaders in their communities. FIU alumna and public policy assistant teaching professor Daniella Long also received the same award.

Wernick is in the Department of International Business and at FIU since 2002. He teaches courses in international business and management at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to his research and teaching responsibilities, Wernick advise the International Business Honor Society, which runs Bandhwari Women’s Project. It is for this transformative initiative that Wernick received the Changemaking Award. 

The Bandhwari Women’s Project began when Wernick traveled to India to study its economy and society. During a visit to the village of Bandhwari, near New Delhi, he witnessed the deep poverty, which particularly affected women and children. There, he met Anup Nair, who with his wife had “adopted” the village by supporting its families in various ways through the Incentive Foundation, including building a women’s center.

Inspired, Wernick saw an opportunity for students to gain real-world experience while making a difference. This led to the launch of the Bandhwari Women’s Project, a partnership between the honor society and the local women’s cooperative to create exportable handicrafts for sale throughout the academic year, with proceeds reinvested back into the community. A trip to the Bandhwari village is then arranged for students to witness the direct impact of their contributions and to immerse themselves in India’s culture.

“It has truly been a joy to work with our friends at the Incentive Foundation to develop a program that has touched so many lives these past 10 years," Wernick says. "I look forward to continuing this remarkable journey of cross-cultural friendship and discovery while scaling our sustainable enterprise in the years to come.”

A group of 15 FIU students traveled to India during spring break, expanding the innovative social enterprise initiative Bandhwari Women’s Project, created to help a community of poor and marginalized women near New Delhi gain financial independence through creating hand-crafted fashion accessories.

Since the project was founded in 2016 by international business teaching professor David Wernick, FIU student members of the International Business Honor Society (IBHS) have been traveling to India on a regular basis.

This year the students, who received scholarships from FIU’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) to help cover their trip expenses, partnered with a group of Indian business students from the Symbiosis Center for Management Studies to develop new products for the local market and marketing materials.

FIU student Vania Arredondo shows the new products created by the women of the Bandhwari Women's Project

Among the new products produced this year were jewelry bags, scrunchies and beach blankets – all made from repurposed sari fabrics. IBHS students manage the production, logistics, marketing, sales and distribution of the products, with many of the items sold on campus, at local artisan markets and via the IBHS website. Most of the proceeds go back to India to fund educational initiatives.

With the U.N.’s International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8, FIU Business aims to lead by example as the Bandhwari Women’s Project has given the women of the village a means of economic freedom and security, stability in the village and material goods, from new sewing machines to health items.

The initiative is also benefitting FIU students in many ways, from building business skills to gaining new humanitarian insights.

Kassandra Perez, a senior majoring in economics and supply chain management, described the trip as a life-changing experience.

“In the span of about a week, I was able to witness the big impact that a small initiative like this can have on a poor village,” Perez said. “My time in India has opened my eyes to the role that business can play in promoting change. Sometimes all it takes is one small act of kindness to see not only growth in our world but in ourselves.”

This year, in addition to helping the women of Bandhwari village design beautiful handicrafts for export, the students volunteered their time at the local primary school teaching English and math. They also engaged the children in learning games, arts and crafts, song and dance, and sports. Before their departure, the 15 students installed a volleyball net in the schoolyard and a basketball hoop, and donated sporting goods.  

“Capitalizing on Universities for National Security” launched a national partnership of stakeholders across industries working toward similar objectives in supporting national security.  

FIU’s robust research record and its recognized strength as a solutions-oriented institution prompted administrators to call the gathering. Invited were more than 50 members of private industry, heads of government agencies, policymakers and higher-education leaders. The goal: strategize and share ideas to strengthen collaboration to advance national defense capacity.

Held at FIU’s center on Capitol Hill, the meeting addressed a problem that many at the highest levels have recognized for years: New tech can neither protect the homeland nor meet the firepower of adversaries if it never leaves university labs.

Investment and commercialization remain critical, attendees agreed.

“Procurement, regulation and opening up defense innovation to startups and new ideas,” were among the discussion topics that venture capitalist David Blumberg applauded. “Everyone walked away with new connections, as well as a plan for action.” 

Reducing bureaucratic barriers likewise was high on the list of needed actions, with the hope that universities could serve as a conduit between private industry and defense agencies. 

Among those representing FIU were Board of Trustees member George Heisel and College of Engineerig & Computing professors Stavros Georgakopoulos and Tanaji Paul. Georgakopoulos has received millions of dollars in uninterrupted federal funding over the course of decades from the Department of Defense for his work in electromagnetic systems. That work has direct application in military and aerospace communications systems. Paul's research focuses on materials science and nanomechanics of such materials.

“Advancing national security through university innovation requires an unconventional, systems-level approach that bridges research, industry and policy,” Paul said. “Solutions must be multifaceted and rooted in understanding defense needs, reimagining procurement pathways and learning from innovation models across sectors. Sustained collaboration among universities, investors, and defense partners is essential to accelerate technology transition and strengthen national defense capacity.”

On the question of research funding, all in attendance agreed that change is in order. Traditional funding and procurement systems tend to favor large, established contractors, leaving university-based innovators and smaller startups underutilized despite their capacity for groundbreaking work. 

Blumberg commented, “Regulation needs to be reduced and flexible. Defense procurement should not simply be the domain of the largest prime contractors and big consultants. It should be open to startups in a smart, efficient way.”  

Toward that goal, participants suggested creating a national database of university-based and early-stage projects that could connect researchers with investors, bridging the gap between early innovation and funding. 

Finally, educating the next generation of industry leaders remains critical, attendees asserted.

Notably, FIU involved students in the meeting. Sixteen were already in the capital for a program of organized company tours, policy discussions and introductions to leaders in the arena of aerospace. They participated in discussions during the meeting and learned firsthand of the need for continuous innovation across industries.

“We need more workforce development in the context of national security . . . developing out the capabilities and the opportunities for [students] to be able to look at a future career and how they play a vital role,” said Cosima Boswell- Koller, executive director of research engagement at the University of Alabama. “What they're doing right now can have ramifications for our national security in the long run.”

Participants reached a shared conclusion: Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to sustaining U.S. national defense. Education, communication and innovation ecosystems must work together to overcome bureaucratic inefficiencies and accelerate the pace of progress.  

For photos of the event, click here.  

What starts as rolling dice can grow into months-long campaigns, detailed character arc creations and collaborative storytelling, turning a game into a structured, skill-driven pursuit that fosters problem-solving, creativity and social bonds within a global community.

To understand what makes D&D more than just a pastime, Messina, an associate professor and program director for FIU’s Rehabilitation and Recreational Therapy Program, studies how games like this promote identity-building and connection. Inspired by a scene in Stranger Things (season four, episode one), Messina set out to learn more about how D&D relates to the concept of serious leisure. She recently published her research findings in Leisure Studies.

The game provides players with “the sense of a safe space and a place to create their own identity,” Messina said. In the 1980s, D&D was often dismissed — sometimes demonized — as an inappropriate game due to perceived but unfounded links to the occult. Today, it’s widely recognized as a place for players to explore, connect and express themselves.

“Players were comfortable being themselves by engaging in the game pursuit,” Messina said, “but at the same time were building personas in line with, or in contrast to, their normal personality. They described it as a way to take charge, or lead an effort in ways that their normal personality would allow for, but they wouldn’t be inclined to do.”

Messina attributes this to the lack of real-world consequences. Players may feel more comfortable from both social and safety perspectives. But they do still have to be cautious as brash actions could get a beloved character killed.

“That’s not something you see in other games,” Messina said. “It’s something they’ve been developing over months or years.”

Beyond personal expression, Messina says the social and emotional benefits of D&D reflect the very traits that make serious leisure valuable: the sense of identity, the relationships built through shared experiences and the continued connection with the same group of people over time.

One participant from the study shared that as she grew older, the game gave her a sense of belonging and a meaningful way to spend her time.

“As we’re growing older and no longer playing sports, what does that place for leisure activity look like for adults,” Messina asked.

Leisure research has explored how people progress through their leisure pursuits. When little league, dance class and high school drama are things of the past, individuals often lose structured opportunities for teamwork and creative expression. D&D helps fill that gap.

“For example,” Messina added, “for thespians who no longer have plays to take part in after high school and suddenly find themselves working for an HR department, how would they express themselves? Where does that identity go? Dungeons and Dragons would be a good outlet for that.”

The game can also provide structure and purpose for people managing mental illness who might not be able to hold a full-time job because of their symptoms. The game gives them structure versus filling their day with binge streaming.

“The idea of being able to use leisure to structure your time and gain some wins let’s you see a positive return on what you’re dedicating your time to, and building on that and seeing your skill sets grow,” Messina said. “That’s going to turn into self-determination. You’re going to be more motivated to build on your own skill sets and have a sense of autonomy.”

Activities such as D&D can be used for young children as a reward structure or with older adults, such as retirees, to help provide a sense of purpose and daily rhythm.  

“Post retirement is one of the most dangerous points in an adult’s life,” she said. “They lose that sense of structure and possibly their social connection.”

Building structure through leisure pursuits after retirement has been shown to help maintain physical fitness, social interaction, cognitive processing and attention span and decrease depression.

“The idea of structure and reward with desired pursuit can work for all ages,” Messina said.

Emily Messina, a die-hard “Stranger Things” fan, finished the first episode of season four with one thing on her mind. Turning to her husband, she said, “Wow, that would make an amazing study!”

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."

Amid the global pandemic, an increasing number of people turned to golf for a socially distanced outdoor activity.

With new consumers joining the par-tee (see what we did there), growing a loyal customer base largely relies on brand managers understanding brand experience. Mi Ryoung Chung, assistant teaching professor in FIU's Department of Counseling, Recreation, and School Psychology and Jon Welty Peachey from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign led a study examining the relationship between brand experience and customer satisfaction for golf club products.

"Brand experience has been looked at a lot, but not much in sports," said Chung, a former pro-South Korean golfer who points out this is one of the first brand studies of its kind for sports products. "People who play sports, it affects them differently,”

The researchers collected responses through online surveys from 386 golf players. The results revealed that experiencing one brand can influence a golfer’s uncertainty toward other brands. However, that does not translate into satisfaction or loyalty to the brand they experienced. Previous research suggests brand experience should influence satisfaction and loyalty, but when it comes to golf products, the researchers say golfers seem to buck that trend.

The findings are significant for sports marketing practitioners as the study explores an alternative marketing approach for brand differentiation that has the potential to attract and retain more customers. In the case of golf products, while brand experience may not increase satisfaction, it can alleviate or eliminate uncertainty.

"The less uncertainty you have toward a brand, you will tend to be more inclined to buy that brand over time," Chung said. "It was interesting to find that even if you try a product, it doesn't lead to satisfaction."

There is a need for more research on sports products, according to Chung. Future research should be conducted to understand the consequences of brand experience in the sports context.

This study was published in Sports, Business and Management.

What do puzzles, gymnastics, writing and using maps all have in common?

They all rely on people’s ability to visualize objects as they spin, flip or turn in space, without physically moving them. This is a spatial skill that developmental psychologists call mental rotation.

Whether a person is navigating a new city or doing a cartwheel, they must use mental rotation skills to move shapes or objects in their mind and make sense of where their bodies are going and what surrounds them.

When children play with puzzles, building blocks or pattern games, they are also practicing mental rotation.

Over time, these skills support learning in math, science and reading. This can look like visualizing pulley systems in physics or seeing the differences between similar-looking letters such as b and d, which young children often confuse.

Strong mental rotation skills also lay the foundation for doing well in school and developing interest in careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Most preschool-age children are not yet learning to read – but it turns out they are still using some of these same spatial reasoning skills as they think about the world around them.

We are scholars of, developmental science and were curious to find out how children as young as 3 years old mentally rotate objects.

While there is research on the age at which children can mentally rotate objects, less is understood about how children are solving mental rotation problems. We found in our research, conducted from 2022 to 2023, that young children are using the same problem-solving strategies as adults when they solve a mental rotation task.

Children think visually, just like adults

We used eye-tracking technology to understand how a sample of 148 children, all between 3 and 7 years old, solved different mental rotation problems. Eye-trackers use harmless infrared light to capture eye movements. This technology lets us observe how children solve these problems in real time.

As part of our study, we showed each child a large picture of items such as a fire truck, as well as two smaller pictures of the same truck, one placed above the other and positioned slightly differently.

Children were asked to say which small picture on the right matched the large one on the left. In this example, the correct answer is the top picture, because that top fire truck can be rotated to match the large fire truck. The bottom fire truck was a mirrored image, and no matter how much you rotate it, it will never match the large fire truck.

While the children thought about their response, the eye-tracker, mounted right below the computer screen, recorded their eye movements.

By looking at where and for how long children looked at each image, we figured out what kind of strategy they were using.

Some children focused on fewer parts of the object and spent less time studying its details. This suggests they used a holistic strategy, meaning they took in the whole image at once, instead of breaking it into pieces. These children mentally rotated the entire object to solve the task.

Other children focused on parts of the object and spent more time studying its details. This suggests they broke the image down into pieces instead of visualizing the image as a whole, known as a piecemeal strategy. Our findings support prior work showing that children generally use these two visual approaches to solve mental rotation problems.

This study helped us learn where children look while solving puzzles and identify how they solve these problems – without ever having to ask the child, who might be too young to explain, about their process.

Children were more likely to turn the whole image instead of breaking it down into pieces, a pattern of problem solving adults typically also use. This means that even very young children are already thinking about how objects move and turn in space in ways that are more advanced than expected.

Supporting children’s visual skills

Knowing how young children mentally rotate objects may help researchers, teachers and parents understand why some children struggle with learning to read.

Children who break an image down into pieces, instead of visualizing it as a whole, to solve mental rotation problems may be the very same children who struggle with discriminating similar-looking letters such as p and q and may later be diagnosed with dyslexia.

Parents can play an important role in building their child’s mental rotation skills. Parents can help children by offering them opportunities to practice rotating real objects with toys such as three-dimensional puzzles or building blocks. Tangrams – flat, colorful puzzles that come in different shapes – can be used to practice breaking down shapes of animals into pieces. Parents can encourage their child to look for shapes that match parts of the animal or object they are building.

Nov. 8 is International STEM Day, a celebration of all things science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Research like ours provides valuable guidance for designing early STEM activities and educational tools. By directly observing children’s problem solving in real time, we can develop better ways for educators and toy makers to support strong spatial thinking from an early age. To celebrate, we encourage people to engage in activities that test their spatial skills, such as ditching the GPS for the day or playing a game of Tetris.

Mental rotation is a powerful skill that helps us understand and interact with the surrounding physical world. From solving puzzles to reading maps, mental rotation plays a role in many everyday activities. Building mental rotation abilities can improve children’s performance in subjects such as reading, math and science and may inspire future careers in STEM fields.

Shannon Pruden, Professor of psychology, Florida International University and Karinna Rodriguez, PhD candidate in psychology, Florida International University

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

If you're looking for ways to support your child’s learning before he or she even enters a classroom, new research from FIU offers an answer that’s backed by science and surprisingly simple: puzzles, blocks and spatial words.

Spatial reasoning —the ability to visualize how shapes and objects move or fit together — is one of the strongest predictors of later success in math, science, engineering and even reading. And the earlier it develops, the better the foundation for future STEM learning.

This is at the center of the new findings from researchers at the Center for Children and Families, published in Infant and Child Development. They discovered that children as young as 3 years old use the same mental strategies as adults to solve spatial puzzles. In other words, preschoolers aren’t just guessing or copying. They’re mentally rotating whole objects in their minds with surprising speed and accuracy.

“We now know young kids don’t just get the right answer—they're often using the same mental tools as adults,” said Karinna A. Rodriguez, lead author and FIU doctoral student. “That tells us we can start supporting these skills much earlier than we thought—through toys, play and everyday conversations.”

Researchers used eye-tracking technology to observe how children ages 3 to 7 approached a mental rotation task, something used in past studies with adults. The majority of kids used what’s called a “holistic strategy,” mentally rotating the object as a whole rather than breaking it down into parts. Those who used this strategy solved problems twice as fast as those who used a slower, piecemeal approach.

“He blended history, culture and current issues in a way that made the material feel alive,” said Santiago Fermin, a sophomore finance major in the College of Business. “He checked in on students individually, encouraged us to push our own boundaries and even brought in international students from Nepal to share their culture.”

Chapagain is a professor in the Department of Physics and associate director of the Biomolecular Sciences Institute. Swapping his lab coat for hiking boots, he guided the students through Nepal’s biodiversity, ethnic traditions, arts and culture. Along the way, they discussed local customs including open-air cremations and the multi-faith living goddess Kumari. They visited Sirubari, a village run largely by women because most of the men migrate for work. It is known for its homestay hospitality and indigenous culture. They even spent time in a smaller, more remote village.

“It was complete peace, no sound of vehicles, the only thing you could hear were the birds,” Chapagain said. “It felt like a retreat, a meditative place.”

The students, however, had some adjusting to do. Starting with no air conditioning. There were also bugs. In the early morning hours, a few rats scurried across the ceiling. Yet, by morning, several of the students said it was their favorite part of the trip. The villagers welcomed them with music, cultural shows and open homes.

There were other memorable moments. Back in the city, they crossed paths with a rhino from Chitwan National Park known to strut about city streets. Jungle safaris and visits to elephant and tiger breeding centers rounded out the experience.

Chapagain’s family still lives in Nepal, including his father and younger siblings in Kathmandu. One day, he joined his brother, a school principal, for a volleyball game. His students noticed and jumped in, spontaneous fun that he now plans to build into future programs.

Trek to Everest Base Camp

While study abroad trips are often about new experiences for the students, Chapagain had his moment of self-discovery when the students set off for Mount Everest.

“I lived in Nepal for 25 years and never imagined myself going there,” he said. “First of all, it was expensive and second, it was hard.”

He initially planned the trek only for students, but their encouragement wore him down. Every class they’d ask if he was coming. “They reminded me I spoke the language, knew the people. They said they needed me with them,” he laughed.

Seven of the students and Chapagain took on the six-day, 80-mile climb plus a three-day descent. At one point, sick with a cold, he was provided a horse. Saying it was worse than hiking sick, he said next time, he would rather crawl.

“Even when he was clearly in pain, Dr. Chapagain motivated all of us,” Fermin said. “He made sure we learned about the lives of porters and sherpas. We also talked about our own lives, the landscapes, even the foods we’d tried. Those conversations made the journey feel personal as well as educational.”

These experiences will tie Chapagain to these students for a lifetime, much like how atoms bond with molecules through various forces.

As a scientist, he investigates proteins involved in diseases and viruses including Ebola, Marburg, and SARS-CoV-2. Using computational modeling, he studies how they function. He collaborates with researchers at other institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Cambridge University and Johns Hopkins University. He is also collaborating with the Stahelin Lab at Purdue University on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health to uncover how viruses make copies of themselves and spread. With FIU colleagues, he researches Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular calcifications and DNA supercoiling. His work spans physics, chemistry, biology and medicine.

“Science fascinates me,” Chapagain said. “From the electrons and atoms at the quantum scale to the way they organize into living systems, it’s all intriguing. And now with AI revolutionizing our understanding of biology and medicine, it is opening doors to discoveries once thought impossible.”

The same adventurous spirit that guided students through the Himalayas is the same adventurous spirit that guides his scientific pursuits. For him, it’s simply two sides of discovery.

This is not a real hurricane. It is science in action at FIU’s Wall of Wind (WOW), the nation’s only university-based facility capable of simulating a Category 5 hurricane and testing structures at full scale. Over the last 20 years these capacities have enabled a wide range of innovative research into extreme weather that has helped reduce the impact of storms. The 2017 hurricane season alone cost the U.S. upwards of $339.2B (2024 dollars).

“The main beneficiaries of the work done at the Wall of Wind are the communities threatened by hurricanes and other extreme weather events,” said Arindam Gan Chowdhury, director of the NSF-funded NHERI Wall of Wind Experimental Facility, interim director of the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC), and professor of civil and environmental engineering at FIU.

As Chowdhury notes, the research at WOW tests more than just buildings, and includes things like “traffic signals, transmission and power systems, bridges, everything, even the natural environment including trees and coastal features.” These infrastructure systems are often taken for granted, but when a storm disables them, the impact can be severe, bringing daily life to standstill.

The mission of WOW is twofold. First, help scientists better understand the effects of hurricane-force winds and wind-driven rain on the built and the natural environments. Then use the knowledge to make communities more resilient through technologies that provide solutions.

Extreme Weather Across the U.S.

The work at WOW resonates far beyond South Florida.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, and the eighth anniversaries of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, which brought catastrophic flooding to Houston, Texas and destruction to Puerto Rico. Katrina and Harvey are the costliest storms in U.S. history, causing $201B and $160B respectively (adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars). Maria is the deadliest to strike the U.S. since the Galveston hurricane of 1900, with an estimated 3,000 lives lost.

And hurricanes are not the only extreme wind events Americans face. For example, there are tornadoes, those spiraling titans of destructive wind that are the embodiment of extreme weather in popular imagination. These events can even emerge in outbreaks, like in 2011 when over 175 tornadoes struck 3 states from April 25-28, causing an estimated $14B in damages (2024 dollars).

More common are downbursts — powerful columns of air that slam into the ground during thunderstorms and spread outward — which also create extreme weather events. These powerful winds are just the kind of forces tested at WOW by scientists like Amal Elawady, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at FIU.

Elawady’s latest research article, of which she is a co-author, analyzes the protective and adverse roles that trees play during extreme wind conditions. She finds that whether trees shield a home from wind or make the wind force more intense depend on several factors, including the strength and direction of the wind, the species of tree, and the size and position of the tree relative to the low-rise structure (like a home).

The results of her research, itself generated by industry collaboration, could soon be included in insurance risk models. Eventually these improved risk models will help homeowners understand their unique risk for damage during extreme weather events. Research like this shows that WOW is having a broad impact beyond hurricane vulnerable coastal communities.

A World-Renowned Research Center with 20 Years of Impact

August marked the 33rd anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, which devastated South Florida in 1992. Today, WOW stands as a symbol of resilience and preparedness born from that disaster.

WOW began as a mobile prototype in 2005 with two gasoline-powered fans capable of producing 120 mph wind. In 2007, it expanded to a six-fan system that was able to simulate hurricane conditions more realistically, including wind-driven rain.

In 2012, WOW reached its current form: an 180,000 lb., 8,400-horsepower, 12-fan wall capable of replicating the destructive power of wind and rain, with speeds up to 157 mph, conditions representative of a Category 5 hurricane.

In that same year, researchers from the Italian university Politecnico di Milano came to WOW to test designs for the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest). True to its name, the Bosco Verticale is a pair of residential towers draped in living vegetation. By subjecting their designs to WOW’s simulated storm conditions, the team was able to evaluate how trees and other plants designed to be integrated into the façades would endure the forces of Milan’s weather.

Today, the building stands as iconic as ever, offering locals and visitors from around the world the changing colors of the seasons and a glimpse of nature and technology in balance. And for those looking with informed eyes, you can see the enduring legacy of FIU’s scientific achievements in the forest green hues of Milan’s skyline.

Over the past 20 years, WOW research has yielded tangible benefits for communities across the globe, from safer construction practices to improved risk modeling. Its work directly informs building codes and leads to stronger products, tested against hurricane conditions.

Building Codes: Small Changes, Big Impact

FIU researchers have been studying the effects of extreme wind even before the completion of the WOW or its early prototypes as part of the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) established by the Florida Board of Regents in 1996.

The IHRC, together with the Risk Reduction in the Americas program, became part of FIUs Extreme Events Institute (EEI). An early success story came from a small adjustment to roofing practices. Tests showed that ring-shank nails provide stronger anchoring for roofs than traditional smooth-shank nails. This change, adopted into Florida’s building code in 2004, has made homes significantly more resilient during hurricanes.

Fast forward to 2025 and WOW has expanded that legacy, helping to inform a host of updates to the engineering standards set by The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). These standards describe the forces, like wind, that engineers need to consider when designing structures to be safe and reliable. Updates spurred by WOW research contain guidelines for elevated homes, roof components, and canopies among others. These changes inform U.S. and international building codes and homes built to these standards are better able to withstand extreme winds.

In 2018 the ASCE distinguished WOW with the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation. ASCE recognized WOW for its pivotal role in expanding opportunities in research, innovation and education in the design, materials, and construction industries. WOW’s impact has directly enhanced the safety and resiliency of new and existing buildings and infrastructure through full- and large-scale testing.

WOW lets scientists pair what they see after real storms with full-scale simulations. This way, they can check whether their ideas hold up in the lab. At the same time, real-world observations back up the results from WOW’s experiments.

“We documented damage to dozens of elevated buildings after Hurricane Michael (2018), said Elaina Sutley, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at the University of Kansas. "Thanks to the collaboration with the Wall of Wind staff, we were able to combine our fieldwork findings with wind tunnel experiments to quantitatively understand the impact of the gap underneath elevated buildings.” 

Sutley’s research team marshaled the data produced at WOW to propose updates to the ASCE codes and “as of 2024, the building codes and standards used in the U.S. have design provisions for elevated buildings, and new elevated buildings on the coast are safer because of it,” she said.

For structural engineers, canopies are structural extensions to buildings, that are designed to resist environmental forces while serving a functional purpose, like providing protection from sun or rain. In Florida, many homes have outdoor rooms that are extensions of the roof and which have been enclosed with netting, glass or other material. These "Florida Rooms" are a kind of canopy that FIU engineers have made safer.

“My first proposal was in the 2016 version,” said Ioannis Zisis, professor of civil and environmental engineering at FIU. “We conducted research on canopies, which in Florida are often called ‘Florida rooms,’ and found that there were no relevant design guidelines in the existing building codes. To address this gap, we performed testing at the WOW. My collaboration with colleagues in Canada led to a successful proposal that introduced new design guidelines for canopies in the 2016 and 2022 versions of the ASCE/SEI 7.”

Research at WOW continues to focus on recreating and validating post-disaster field observations and updating engineering codes and standards with global implications for the daily lives of people.

Innovation and Product Development

WOW research has also led to new patents and technologies, increasing resilience across the nation — especially for the 40% of Americans living in coastal areas that are at increased risk from severe storms.

Among these pioneering innovations is the Aerodynamic Mitigation and Power System (AMPS), designed by Chowdhury and Andres Tremante, professor of mechanical and materials engineering at FIU.

AMPS uses rooftop micro-turbines, placed horizontally along the edges of the roof, to reduce wind pressure on the vulnerable corners and edges of buildings while simultaneously generating renewable energy. 

The turbines resemble long, rotating metal screws. When wind flows through them, the spiral structures spin, disrupting vortices that can damage roofs while also capturing wind energy. AMPS substantially reduces the risk of roof damage during storms. The renewable energy generated can then be stored in batteries to power homes during outages or potentially supplied to the grid.

“AMPS turns wind from a foe to a friend,” said Chowdhury. “Because in the end you are using wind that would be destructive for a positive thing.”

Private companies also come to WOW to test their designs under real-world conditions. In 2017, for example, Draper Inc., a shade system company, tested its outdoor zip shade system at WOW. The company wanted to evaluate how well its products withstood wind forces and to identify ways to make their designs more resilient to extreme winds.

“There were a lot of questions from people, if I put this on my back porch, does this mean it’s good for 10 mile per hour winds, 20, what speed is it good for,” said Draper Inc Market Director Clint Childress. “We wanted to put some science behind the answer that we gave. Then we found the wall of wind, and that was the perfect situation for us to be able to test this building product, to be able to verify what our design could do and identify where the design could be improved.”

Echoing the above, John Knezevich is president of Knezevich Consulting and a licensed professional engineer. He regularly consults for Bison Innovative Products, a leading company in the roof paver industry. Knezevich believes the roofing industry has greatly benefited from the scientific testing enabled by WOW. “Now Bison has something that’s truly proven by science, and it’s legitimate. Architects, engineers, and building officials see what Bison has accomplished, and they expect it.”

Elaborating further, John Knezevich said, “probably the number one thing that the Wall of Wind has accomplished in the last 20 years is advancing the roofing industry, which benefits Florida homeowners considerably, because it directly reduces losses caused by wind damage.”

Through innovations like AMPS and extensive product testing, WOW is helping to transform not only how the built and natural environment withstand extreme wind, but also how we imagine and design solutions to it.

The Future

WOW’s success is shaping the future of extreme weather resilience research. FIU, in conjunction with a consortium of top universities and industry, is leading the design of the National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events (NICHE). The NICHE design is supported by the Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure (MsRI) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Its difficult to exaggerate how massive the NICHE will be when complete. The planned facility will be the largest of its kind in the world, capable of placing structures as large as a two-story home under experimental conditions. Equally as impressive, it will be able to test these structures at full scale against the combined forces of wind, wave, and storm surge, which are common features of the most powerful storms.

“The envisioned NICHE directly responds to one of the biggest societally driven challenges of the 21st Century, addressing the vexing impacts from natural hazards to ensure communities, infrastructure, and natural environments continue to thrive,” said Arindam Chowdhury, principal investigator of NICHE. “NICHE will enable discovery of technologies and innovative solutions to foster resilient communities that are safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”

   NICHE Diagrams. Source: NSF NHERI

The multi-university collaboration marks the next chapter in the effort to protect communities from increasingly extreme weather.

Additionally, NICHE will house a digital twin of the facility. The digital twin will enable researchers to create high-resolution virtual simulations of their experiments. These virtual simulations will allow researchers to tweak experimental conditions digitally and place participants and stakeholders into fully immersive virtual conditions, experiencing experimental storm conditions from the ground up. "Visualizing first-hand the benefit of a mitigation solution at full scale under realistic wind-wave conditions will act as a strong motivator for implementing strategies at a regional level to reduce losses from future storms," concluded Arindam Chowdhury.

This fall, FIU will also unveil the Wind-Only Physical Design Testbed (WOPDT), featuring a single 16-foot-fan that can generate 200 mph winds, which will help researchers understand the effects of the very strongest storms. WOPDT will inform the NICHE design in the short term and will be upgraded in the coming years, potentially giving it the capacity to complement the full-scale NICHE.

Upon completion, the NICHE will be incorporated into NSF’s Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI). Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the NHERI network advances natural hazards engineering research to protect human life, reduce damage and minimize economic losses during natural hazard events.

Located at universities across the U.S., NHERI's experimental facilities support research on mitigating damage caused by earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, windstorms, storm surge and flooding, and other hazards.

NICHE is the next phase of extreme weather simulation, building on two decades of innovation at WOW. Integrated within NHERI, it will help guide extreme weather research now and into the future, enabling larger-scale testing against multiple hazards and the increasingly powerful conditions that define modern storms.

The festival opens on Oct. 23 with “Amernet and Friends,” launching both the FIU Music Festival and the Amernet String Quartet’s Chamber Music Series. Led by the Amernet String Quartet, FIU’s Ensemble-in-Residence, this concert marks the first collaboration between the School of Music and Coral Gables’ Sanctuary for the Arts. Bringing the energy of the international chamber music scene to Miami, the program highlights the artistry of FIU’s own musicians alongside distinguished guest performers, including renowned mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway.

On Oct. 24, soprano Laura León takes the stage for An Evening of Cuban Song. An FIU alumna and internationally acclaimed performer, León presents a dazzling program of Cuban coloratura masterworks. Accompanied by pianist Robert Koenig, she brings to life music that showcases her virtuosic range and expressive artistry. León’s journey from her roots in Cuba to stages around the world infuses her performance with warmth, authenticity, and grace.

On Oct. 25, the FIU Jazz Band, directed by Aldo Salvent, performs with guest artist Ashley Pezzotti. This concert celebrates Pezzotti’s addition to the FIU faculty as an adjunct instructor in the jazz vocal studio. A Miami-born, New York–based vocalist who has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Pezzotti brings real-world experience and mentorship to FIU students, offering insight into the life of a professional jazz musician.

On Oct. 26, organist Dexter Kennedy performs in collaboration with the American Guild of Organists. Coordinated by adjunct instructor Joanne Schulte, the concert highlights Kennedy’s exceptional talent and underscores FIU’s growing commitment to sacred and organ music education.

On Oct. 29, harpist Noelia Cotuna appears in partnership with the Spanish Cultural Embassy. As part of the Young Artist Program, Cotuna represents a new generation of musicians. Her performance underscores FIU’s mission to prepare 21st-century musicians with diverse skills and global perspectives. Under the leadership of Dr. Karen Veloz, FIU aims to broaden students’ exposure to a variety of instruments and musical traditions, with plans to establish a harp studio in the future. This initiative builds on Veloz’s past collaborations, including performances at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and ongoing efforts to expand cultural and diplomatic partnerships.

On Oct. 30, the Ensemblast Quartet, led by FIU alumnus Isaac Casal, makes its FIU Music Festival debut with El Templar de los Tambores. This dynamic program blends contemporary works, Latin American rhythms, and world music influences. The concert connects directly to FIU’s New Music Program, directed by Orlando Jacinto García and Jason Calloway, featuring original student compositions alongside avant-garde works. With guest percussionists and Panama’s Ballet Folklórico Aires Panameños, the performance highlights FIU’s dedication to creativity, cultural dialogue, and innovation. Through this approach, students not only perform but also create, developing as lyricists, composers, and musicians who bring original ideas to life.

On Oct. 31, The Baltimore Consort returns to FIU with The Food of Love: Songs, Dances, and Fancies for Shakespeare. Known for their lively interpretations of early music performed on period instruments such as the lute, cittern, viols, and flute, the ensemble bridges historical scholarship and performance. Their long-awaited return offers students an immersive experience in Renaissance music, bringing to life what they study in the classroom.

The festival concludes with Rubén Blades’ Maestra Vida, on Nov. 1 and 2, presented in collaboration with choral director Maibel Troia. This large-scale production, which premiered at Lincoln Center, is a “salsa opera” uniting FIU’s full orchestra with voice and music theatre students. The work celebrates Latin American musical storytelling and contemporary composition. As the nation’s top-ranked Hispanic-Serving Institution, FIU proudly presents Maestra Vidaas a reflection of its mission to serve both students and the community through creativity, cultural identity, and opportunity.

Through all of these performances, The Wertheim School of Music continues to cultivate the 21st-century musician, who must be versatile, globally minded, and prepared for diverse professional paths. By uniting tradition and innovation, the 2025 FIU Music Festival embodies the School’s enduring commitment to artistic excellence, education, and community engagement.

Buy tickets now.

Hurricanes are America’s most destructive natural hazards, causing more deaths and property damage than any other type of disaster. Since 1980, these powerful tropical storms have done more than US$1.5 trillion in damage and killed more than 7,000 people.

The No. 1 cause of the damages and deaths from hurricanes is storm surge.

Storm surge is the rise in the ocean’s water level, caused by a combination of powerful winds pushing water toward the coastline and reduced air pressure within the hurricane compared to the pressure outside of it. In addition to these factors, waves breaking close to the coast causes sea level to increase near the coastline, a phenomenon we call wave setup, which can be an important component of storm surge.

Accurate storm surge predictions are critical for giving coastal residents time to evacuate and giving emergency responders time to prepare. But storm surge forecasts at high resolution can be slow.

As a coastal engineer, I study how storm surge and waves interact with natural and human-made features on the ocean floor and coast and ways to mitigate their impact. I have used physics-based models for coastal flooding and have recently been exploring ways that artificial intelligence can improve the speed of storm surge forecasting.

How storm surge is forecast today

Today, operational storm surge forecasts rely on hydrodynamic models, which are based on the physics of water flow.

These models use current environmental conditions – such as how fast the storm is moving toward shore, its wind speed and direction, the timing of the tide, and the shape of the seafloor and the landscape – to compute the projected surge height and determine which locations are most at risk.

Hydrodynamic models have substantially improved in recent decades, and computers have become significantly more powerful, such that rapid low-resolution simulations are possible over very large areas. However, high-resolution simulation that provide neighborhood-level detail can take several hours to run.

Those hours can be critical for communities at risk to evacuate safely and for emergency responders to prepare adequately.

To forecast storm surge across a wide area, modelers break up the target area into many small pieces that together form a computational grid or mesh. Picture pixels in an image. The smaller the grid pieces, or cells, the higher the resolution and the more accurate the forecast. However, creating many small cells across a large area requires greater computing power, so forecasting storm surge takes longer as a result.

Forecasters can use low-resolution computer grids to speed up the process, but that reduces accuracy, leaving communities with more uncertainty about their flood risk.

AI can help speed that up.

How AI can create better forecasts

There are two main sources of uncertainty in storm surge predictions.

One involves the data fed into the computer model. A hurricane’s storm track and wind field, which determine where it will make landfall and how intense the surge will be, are still hard to forecast accurately more than a few days in advance. Changes to the coast and sea floor, such as from channel dredging or loss of salt marshes, mangroves or sand dunes, can affect the resistance that storm surge will face.

The second uncertainty involves the resolution of the computational grid, over which the mathematical equations of the surge and wave motion are solved. The resolution determines how well the model sees changes in landscape elevation and land cover and accounts for them, and at how much granularity the physics of hurricane surge and waves is solved.

AI models can produce detailed predictions faster. For example, engineers and scientists have developed AI models based on deep neural networks that can predict water levels along the coastline quickly and accurately by using data about the wind field. In some cases, these models have been more accurate than traditional hydrodynamic models.

AI can also develop forecasts for areas with little historic data, or be used to understand extreme conditions that may not have occurred there before.

For these forecasts, physics-based models can be used to generate synthetic data to train the AI on scenarios that might be possible but haven’t actually happened. Once an AI model is trained on both the historic and synthetic data, it can quickly generate surge forecasts using details about the wind and atmospheric pressure.

Training the AI on data from hydrodynamic models can also improve its ability to quickly generate inundation risk maps showing which streets or houses are likely to flood in extreme events that may not have a historical precedent but could happen in the future.

The future of AI for hurricane forecasting

AI is already being used in operational storm surge forecasts in a limited way, mainly to augment the commonly used physics-based models.

In addition to improving those methods, my team and other researchers have been developing ways to use AI for storm surge prediction using observed data, assessing the damage after hurricanes and processing camera images to deduce flood intensity. That can fill a critical gap in the data needed for validating storm surge models at granular levels.

As artificial intelligence models rapidly spread through every aspect of our lives and more data becomes available for training them, the technology offers potential to improve hurricane and storm surge forecasting in the future, giving coastal communities faster and more detailed warnings about the risks on the way.

Navid Tahvildari, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University

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

Artificial intelligence is becoming an asset in hurricane forecasting.

In 2024, an AI-based model created by Google correctly predicted Hurricane Beryl would make landfall in Texas while a top traditional model called for landfall in Mexico. Two months later, another AI-based model foresaw Hurricane Francine’s landfall in Louisiana many days in advance of traditional models. 

Now, there is another dimension of hurricane forecasting where AI is expected to make an impact: flood forecasting. 

Coastal engineering expert Navid Tahvildari studies how AI can be used to predict floods at the College of Engineering and Computing. While few such models are public today, he says, the technology and knowledge needed to make them are quickly coming together. 

Tahvildari sat down with FIU News to discuss AI’s potential in flood forecasting. 

What can AI flooding models do that traditional models cannot? 

AI-based models have several interesting advantages, in my opinion. 

The first is speed. Once trained, AI-based models operate at much greater efficiency than traditional forecasting systems. They run in a matter of seconds, not hours. And they can operate on personal laptops, while traditional models require expensive and powerful computers. This gives AI models greater flexibility in creating forecasts.  

This advantage becomes particularly pronounced when we want to make high-resolution forecasts at the scale of individual buildings. Physics-based traditional models—the industry standard for decades—take a long time to produce results at this street-level scale over a large geographical area. Meanwhile, research shows that AI models—trained by high-resolution output from traditional models—can generate reliable flood forecasts in a matter of seconds.

An additional appealing advantage of AI-based models is that they ‘think’ differently than traditional computer models. Similar to how ChatGPT uses an abundance of information it has already learned to answer users’ questions, AI-based models use an abundance of environmental data from the past to create predictions about the future. Previous water levels, atmospheric data and even images of floods captured by cameras from many past events can be used by AI models to predict flooding. By contrast, traditional physics-based models can typically be calibrated using only a few past events. 

So, will AI models replace traditional models?

No, AI models probably won't be replacing traditional, physics-based flood models anytime soon. Rather, both types of models have compelling strengths, and combining the best of the two technologies should help us create better forecasts in the future.  

Given that computing power has increased more than a thousand-fold in the last 30 years, why do traditional flooding models still take hours to run?

To understand this problem, we need to appreciate the extraordinary complexity behind hurricane flooding. 

During a hurricane, storm surge and waves interact with coastal landscape and rush inland. As this water comes onshore, the terrain changes flow patterns. Even seemingly minor elements like marsh vegetation can somewhat influence wave movement and surge by creating friction. If you want an accurate flood forecast, you need to account for all these factors in one way or another. 

In traditional, physics-based flood forecasting, these factors are converted into complex mathematical equations and connected to form what is essentially a giant math problem. Solve that, and you have your forecast. 

These models become very expensive to run over a large area if they have to also ‘zoom in’ and resolve things at the street level. Think about it: To predict flooding accurately at a very high level of granularity, the computer has to account for thousands of small details that affect flooding, like depressions in roadways, for example. So, traditional models take a long time to account for everything. They must compromise: They can either run street level simulations at small areas at a time, or run over low-resolution grids that miss small details but produce results faster. 

How are AI flooding models able to run so much faster and with higher resolution? 

AI-based models can skip over the complicated math that traditional models do by basing their predictions entirely off of past observations.  

In the U.S., there is plenty of real-time data on environmental conditions right before a flood, like tides, winds, waves, and rainfall. There is also a wealth of information coming from flood sensors, the number of which has been growing rapidly in recent years.   

AI can connect the dots between recorded flood data and recorded hurricane conditions to predict the details of an incoming flood.  

There is a catch though: AI models are accurate only in the range of data they are trained with, so they may struggle with predicting outcomes for the most powerful, extreme hurricanes. Since these storms are rare, there is not much historic extreme data available for AI to learn from. 

This is a shortcoming that can be overcome by combining physics-based models and AI models. Specifically, we can use physics-based models to generate the extreme conditions that are scarce or missing in historic records and feed that to AI models. This approach enables forecasts that will mimic the nuanced relationships that physics-based forecasts capture while retaining the speed that artificial intelligence brings.  

How might this technology help South Florida in the future? 

These models yield numerous practical applications for South Florida, especially from an emergency management standpoint.  

One example: AI’s ability to rapidly simulate ‘What if?’ flooding scenarios where multiple flood sources come together could become very important.  

In coastal areas, there is a ‘King Tide’ – an unusually high tide – happening once per year in the fall, coinciding with the hurricane season. If a storm was threatening to make landfall in South Florida during King Tide – as Major Hurricane Dorian nearly did in 2019 – the flood threat would be severe, and decision-makers would probably want to have a quickly-generated, comprehensive forecast – the kind of prediction that AI-based models excel at. 

Another example that could help Floridians: In a previous study, we used a traditional physics-based flood model to find the best locations to place ambulances prior to a hurricane and determine areas that should be served aerially so that patients can be transported to critical trauma centers as soon as possible. AI can help with such decisions by enabling rapid forecasts based on the most recent information on hurricane track and intensity. 

When might we see AI-based flooding models that South Floridians can use before the next storm? 

I think that we are close to being able to make forecasts like these for upcoming storms, technology-wise. The ultimate goal is to have a model like this available to you on your smartphone. But first, we need more data. These AI models need to be trained with substantial amounts of it, with high resolution in space and time, to produce reliable predictions.  

While more flood sensors are coming online, they are still scarce, and physics-based models need to improve to produce reliable synthetic data to train AI models. In the case of urban flooding, for example, we need models that not only capture tides and surge hydrodynamics but also simulate rainfall-driven flooding. We also need to incorporate information from other features that affect flooding, like stormwater infrastructure, tide gates, etc. Modeling efforts that bring these capabilities together have gained traction recently, but more work needs to be done.

What’s next?  

What’s exciting to me is that at FIU, we have opportunities to apply AI alongside other hurricane-related research at the university to advance innovative hurricane preparedness solutions. FIU is home to the Wall of Wind, the only university-based hurricane simulator capable of generating Category 5 hurricane winds.  

Being at FIU puts us at the epicenter of hurricane research, both in terms of research activity and actual location. I'm excited to see how my colleagues and I can build comprehensive, cutting-edge approaches to hurricane preparedness that give people the resources they need to protect what matters most. 

The 2,175-mile system of interconnected, man-made canals crisscrossing Florida, from Orlando to the Keys, has a particularly important role when a hurricane happens to be pinwheeling toward the peninsula: Flood control. 

Before a storm is set to make landfall, water managers strategically lower canal levels to absorb incoming rainfall and storm surge. But as the tragedies in Texas and Spain have shown, floods are as unpredictable as they are dangerous. And they are getting harder to get a handle on. Weather conditions change on a dime and any sudden shifts can overwhelm conventional flood models.

Traditional physics-based models replicate canal systems in meticulous detail, accounting for factors from water flow to gate operations. While precise, these simulations require enormous computational power and can take close to an hour to complete. In fast-moving storm conditions, delays can hinder timely decision-making.

Real-time systems are needed. That’s why a collaborative team from FIU developed an advanced AI model that could transform how water managers predict and respond to flooding in Florida’s vast canal system. The breakthrough, detailed in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, offers near-instant simulations of flood scenarios. It then goes further, suggesting actionable strategies.

“Accuracy is obviously very important to us, because overestimation of water stages can cause false alarms and panic while underestimation can result in unexpected and dangerous flooding events,” said Giri Narasimhan, an FIU Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences professor.

“We were able to create a tool that provides water managers with the information to either eliminate a flood event or drastically reduce it.”

Recent FIU graduate Jimeng Shi, who led the research as Ph.D. student in Narasimhan’s research group, developed the model to run through complex or worst-case scenarios in seconds.

Using nearly a decade of historical environmental and weather data collected by the South Florida Water Management District, the AI system was trained to recognize how rainfall, tides, groundwater and storm surge interact across the region. Historic storms – including Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Sandy (2012) and Tropical Storm Isaias (2020) – were used to fine-tune the model’s reliability. Researchers tested it on the Miami River, which runs through downtown Miami and drains into Biscayne Bay.

According to the researchers, this is all a part of their broader efforts to make AI a trustworthy tool in real-world, high-stakes scenarios.

Study co-author and director of FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center Jayantha Obeysekera, who previously served as the chief modeler at the South Florida Water Management District, said the technology has potential beyond immediate flood control.

"The model also holds a lot of potential as a tool to help agencies make longer-term decisions,” he said. “It could guide 20- or 30-year infrastructure investments, such as whether to build new pumps, reservoirs or levees by screening potential solutions efficiently.” 

Alumna Dominique Ehrl ’16 has many titles — and through her work as Miss New Mexico USA, she’s bringing together all her interests to lead impact. Her platform: to bolster small businesses.

The journey, Ehrl says, has been surreal. It has also been full of detours.  

Growing up, Ehrl was a dancer and an athlete. She says she also felt “a bit like a nerd.” She never thought about beauty pageants — not until she met a former Miss New Mexico at a store in her hometown in Sante Fe.

“We chatted a bit, and she proposed the idea that I should consider competing,” Ehrl recalls. “She debunked a lot of stereotypes I had about pageants at the time. It took someone believing in me, seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself, to realize that all the elements and things that I enjoy are celebrated in pageantry. I decided to compete.”

At 19, Ehrl won third place in the Miss New Mexico competition hosted by the Miss America Organization. At 28, she earned third place once again in the competition to become Miss New Mexico USA, this time through a different organization, Miss USA.

Earlier this year, Ehrl, a newlywed, realized that age restrictions and marriage status requirements had changed for Miss USA competitions. She was eligible to compete again. She decided to give the crown one more chance.

And, this time, she won.

“When my name was announced as Miss New Mexico USA 2025, I felt so proud of myself,” she says. “It felt almost unbelievable. I went into it with the mindset to win. I put in the hard work and really refined the areas I knew I needed to improve in.”

Preparing for the competition is not easy. The women practice articulating their stories in three minutes; get in top physical shape; rehearse walking patterns while wearing heels and showing their style; and dig deep into their own motivations to present themselves and their personalities quickly and concisely.

So, what’s one of the keys to success?

“You need to figure out how to step into your confidence,” Ehrl says. “A lot of times you might not feel like you have it in you at that moment, but this competition commands it from you. Part of being a woman is understanding how you feel best in your own skin and body.”

Ehrl says the timing of the triumph was perfect. 

“It was God’s plan,” Ehrl says. “I wasn’t ready to win a few years ago. There was more that I needed to learn about myself to take on this role. Today, I have such a better grasp on who I am, and I am able to articulate that and share that with more grace and confidence and just stand in that a little more.”

Igniting small business success

Ehrl’s title is helping her lead impact for a sector close to her heart: small businesses. 

“Technology is transformational for small businesses,” Ehrl says. “I’m very passionate about digital literacy and about empowering business owners to embrace technology and face the fear of learning,” she explains.

Since graduating from FIU in 2016, Ehrl has built an impressive career working at Google and its subsidiary, YouTube. Through her various roles, Ehrl has developed a keen sense of technology’s power to help small businesses grow.  

She began her career at Google working directly with small business owners across the country. She helped these small business owners learn how to maximize Google Ads to connect with their audiences and grow their brands. She also heard their frustrations about not understanding — or having time — to incorporate technology into their marketing strategies.

She also watched her mom, who founded a dance studio, go through the same experiences.

“My mom opened her small business around the same time,” she says. “After a few years, my mom ended up having to close her business. I truly believe that if I had known back then what I know now, maybe there was something I could have done to help keep her dream alive. I feel this call to help other entrepreneurs who are in the same boat. I don’t want them to have to go through the struggles my mom went through.”

Ehrl’s plan? To launch a project that connects small businesses with technological knowledge. “I want to help make a collective, a holistic hub of resources and support, including one-on-one consultation and a workshop series. I think that work begins here in New Mexico. I’ve already started, and it has been so fulfilling.”

“Small businesses have always given me a sense of belonging,” Ehrl says. “The warmth of the coffee shop, the barista that knows my order, the local florist or local nail technician, those connections and encounters have always helped me build community in each city that I’ve lived in. And that’s what connects all of us. Small businesses are the backbone of our country. When small businesses thrive, I really believe communities thrive.”

From FIU to Big Tech

Ehrl says her time at FIU set her up for a string of triumphs.

“I really feel like my professors and mentors at FIU played a big role in my success,” Ehrl says.  “It was the support FIU gave me that helped me to build my own confidence and find my own way.”

When Ehrl arrived at the university, she was on a pre-med track. But she soon discovered that was not the right path. Her professors, mentors and advisors helped her navigate other possible career paths, and they encouraged her to lean into her strengths — communications and marketing. They also helped her explore her talents. 

One of her favorite experiences? Stepping outside her comfort zone and taking a business course as a senior.  

“I was very shy about business at the time,” Ehrl recalls. “The course was Advanced Professional Selling. It sounded super interesting. I figured this could be helpful. It was only for business majors, which I wasn't. I emailed the professor with my own elevator pitch with why I was interested in the class, and she allowed me to take the course.”

It proved eye-opening.

“I just loved getting a taste of the business world that I always craved but, at the time, I hadn’t had the confidence to pursue,” Ehrl says. “I think being in that sales class helped me to confirm that I could be in these spaces. I just needed a bit of that support system that I found through marketing, sales, business and communication courses I took at FIU to help me see that. That was the full circle moment for me.”

She graduated with a bachelor’s in communication arts after completing internships at Univision, The Food Network and NBCUniversal. 

Today, she is a product marketing manager at YouTube TV. She and her team conduct research about consumer needs, uncover gaps in services and use the findings to inform YouTube TV’s marketing strategy.

She'll be putting down her laptop and headphones for a moment as she grabs her evening gown and high heels and prepares for another experience of a lifetime: Ehrl will represent her home state in the Miss USA beauty pageant in Reno next week. 

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“It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Gasper, noting that the hectic pace of residency will make it hard to pursue races at this level in the years ahead.

Growing up, Gasper played multiple sports and began racing by age six, learning to ride a bike without training wheels just weeks before his first triathlon. But in the years that followed, he began experiencing episodes of rapid, irregular heartbeats. “I would often run to my mom telling her that my heart was racing and that something felt wrong,” Gasper says.

In fifth grade, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare heart rhythm disorder in which extra electrical pathways cause dangerously fast heartbeats. Without treatment, he could experience serious episodes or even heart failture triggered by physical activity, stimulants or stressful situations. He underwent a minimally invasive procedure to eliminate two abnormal pathways disrupting his heart rhythm. Since then, he has remained healthy. Gasper credits the experience with sparking his interest in medicine and says it continues to motivate him today.

“Looking back, it’s hard to believe the same kid who worried in the cardiologist’s office about whether he could play sports now competes in Ironman races, trains through medical school and shares his journey through triathlon,” he says.

Gasper went on to focus on baseball in college, but after graduation, he felt something was missing. Inspired by a friend’s Ironman journey, he returned to triathlons nearly two decades after he first started. “It took time to build endurance, but through it, I found a new passion,” he says.

Juggling lectures, labs and studying with 12–20 hours of weekly training require a strict routine. Gasper starts his day early, waking between 4:45 and 5:15 a.m. for his first workout. His days are filled with classes and academic commitments, often capped off by a run or swim. He maximizes his time using an indoor training bike while reviewing digital flashcards, a method he calls his ‘biggest hack’ for combining training and studying.

His dedication means early mornings, long hours and sometimes missing out on social events. However, Gasper views these sacrifices as reminders of the opportunities he has. “I’m fortunate to pursue two dreams,” says Gasper. “It’s all worth it if it means I’m alive, healthy and able to do what I love.”

Both medicine and triathlon require resilience, discipline and the ability to persevere when things get tough. “You put in the work day after day, stay focused on the bigger picture and remember why you started,” says Gasper. Medical school has taught him to push through mental fatigue, while triathlon has instilled in him the ability to stay calm under pressure and keep moving forward despite exhaustion. Both experiences have equipped him to embrace challenges, manage his time and build the consistency that earns trust. “You can’t lose if you keep showing up.”

Gasper’s motivation goes beyond crossing the finish line. He wants his races to help those facing barriers, including illness, financial hardship or limited access to health care. “As with medicine, I want to raise awareness and give a voice to those who struggle in silence,” he says.

To further that mission, he is partnering with the College of Medicine to incorporate fundraising into his races. He is also in the process of partnering with the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation (SADS) to raise awareness and support families affected by genetic heart rhythm disorders linked to sudden cardiac arrest. “My diagnosis was, fortunately, curable, but many SADS conditions are not,” says Gasper.

In a testament to what’s possible with drive and determination, Gasper will race alongside some of the world’s top triathletes in September 2026.

Looking to the future, he hopes to pursue a career in ophthalmology while keeping triathlon as an integral part of his life, using both pursuits to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.

For the first time, a preliminary analysis by FIU researchers, in collaboration with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, detected 12 different PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) within the Miccosukee Indian Reservation.

The “forever chemicals,” known to pose health risks to both humans and wildlife, were present in dozens of samples collected from both marshlands and canals. According to results published in Environmental Research, there are likely multiple sources bringing these persistent pollutants into this once-pristine environment.

Natalia Soares Quinete — study author and an environmental chemist who leads FIU’s initiative to study the local prevalence of PFAS — says the levels are relatively low and don’t surpass surface water screening standards.

“Now, whether lower concentrations automatically mean ‘safe’ for this ecosystem and the people and wildlife it supports isn’t something that has been determined with certainty yet,” Quinete points out. “Especially considering how these chemicals tend to accumulate and build up over time in the environment.”

Widely used in countless consumer and industry products, PFAS are the chemicals that give fabrics and materials resistance to heat, water and stains. They make non-stick cookware non-stick and waterproof mascara waterproof. Many of the 15,000 variations in existence today were created less than a century ago. Yet, they’ve become totally ubiquitous, not only in the environment — collecting in the air, soil and water — but inside wildlife and humans. Even low levels of exposure are believed to be problematic. That’s why strict near-zero limits are in place for some PFAS in U.S. drinking water.

Quinete and her research group have been among the first to extensively track and measure the local spread of PFAS in South Florida. They’ve published study after study pinpointing the presence of the chemicals in drinking water, rainwater and the canals that feed into Miami’s Biscayne Bay, as well as the marine life living in those coastal ecosystems, including oysters and economically important fish and lobsters.

More recently, the team’s work shifted to closely monitoring three canals with high PFAS concentrations — Miami River, Little River, and Biscayne Canal — to pinpoint potential sources, like airports or landfills.

Around the time that sampling was underway, though, Quinete heard from the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.

Concern was growing among members of the community over PFAS. They suspected the chemicals could be contaminating their water sources. But didn’t have any data to know for certain. Or even begin to ascertain the extent of the problem. Quinete’s team offered help. 

The Tribe first identified several locations of most concern. Then, Courtney Heath — an FIU master’s student in the Quinete’s lab — went out with them to collect samples.  

“Clean and safe drinking water is a top priority for the Miccosukee Tribe. The Miccosukee Constitution requires that Tribal government protect the health of both its citizens and its lands and waters,” said Amy Castaneda, the Miccosukee Tribe Water Resources Director.

“Working collaboratively with Dr. Quinete and her world-class team at FIU, we have been able to identify risks, find sources and strategize remedies to ensure clean water not just for the Tribal community but for all of South Florida’s residents, human and otherwise.”

PFAS levels in the reservation ranged from 3.94 to 40.1 parts per trillion (ppt). In comparison, Miami’s major canals — Miami River, Little River, and Biscayne Canal — were several times greater (30.1 to 153 ppt) with 78% of samples exceeding safe surface water screening standards.

The most predominant compounds in the Everglades were PFBA (which has been found to affect the liver and thyroid), as well as PFOS and PFOA (since phased out of production over cancer concerns).

In the northern reaches of the reservation, one particular canal was a “hotspot” with the highest sum of PFAS concentrations. Profiles of specific chemicals mirrored those previously found in Lake Okeechobee. At this time, the researchers can’t claim there’s a significant connection, though they say it’s an intriguing clue that deserves a closer look — considering current restoration efforts hinge on recharging the freshwater supply in the Everglades with water from Lake Okeechobee. 

“It could be one contributor but we need more research to know for certain,” Heath says. “It’s important to consider every aspect, because PFAS come from many sources — the water, air, soil. This data is just one piece of the puzzle that raises a bigger question: What are the sources of these PFAS? Where are they coming from?”

Quinete and the team look forward to continuing collaborating with the Tribe to answer these questions.

While there may not be any truly pristine PFAS-free place on the planet, the researchers know there’s only one way to understand the scale of the problem and guide future solutions or regulations — and that’s by collecting more and more data.

It’s an approach that FIU has followed for decades with success.

Nearly 40 years ago, teams of Everglades researchers discovered phosphorus, a common ingredient in fertilizer, was lurking in canal-water discharge coming from farmlands farther upstate. They gathered evidence showing the nutrient-rich waters were harming the wetlands and the wildlife they support. In collaboration with the Miccosukee Tribe, the findings informed real-world change: The restriction of phosphorus to 10 parts per billion for Everglades National Park — a standard incorporated into the federal Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Today, FIU still leads the science behind this massive restoration effort.

“Current restoration doesn’t take into consideration contaminants, like PFAS,” Quinete says. “But as known endocrine disruptors, they can potentially impact the Everglades ecosystem. So, understanding their presence is the first step toward protecting this fragile ecosystem.”

PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. As these chemicals leach out of failing septic systems and landfills and wash off airport runways and farm fields, they can end up in streams that ultimately discharge into ocean ecosystems where fish, dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine species live.

We study the risks from these persistent pollutants in coastal environments as environmental analytical chemists at Florida International University’s Institute of the Environment.

Because PFAS can enter the food chain and accumulate in marine plants and animals, including fish that humans eat, the spread of these chemicals has ecological and human health implications.

In a new study, we traced the origins of PFAS contamination in Miami’s Biscayne Bay to help pinpoint ways to reduce the harm.

What are PFAS?

PFAS – perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a group of human-made contaminants that have been used for over 50 years. They’re found in personal care products, such as cosmetics and shampoo, and in water-repellent coatings for nonstick cookware and food packaging. They’re also used in adhesives and aqueous firefighting foams, among other products.

As those PFAS-containing products washed down drains and were thrown in landfills over the years, PFAS chemicals became widespread in the environment. Eventually, these chemicals found their way into aquatic ecosystems, including surface water, groundwater and coastal environments.

The same stability and resistance to degrading that makes these chemicals valuable for water- and stain-proof products also makes them nearly impossible to destroy. Hence, the nickname “forever chemicals.” They persist in the environment for decades to centuries.

That’s a problem, because PFAS have been linked to immunological disorders, endocrine, developmental, reproductive and neurological disruption and increased risk of bladder, liver, kidney and testicular cancer. A drinking water study by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated these chemicals were in at least 45% of tap water across the U.S., and a large percentage of Americans are now believed to have PFAS detectable in their blood.

Studies have also found PFAS in a broad range of marine wildlife, including in the livers of otters and in gulls’ eggs, as well as in freshwater fish across the U.S. These chemicals have already been shown to affect the immune system and liver function of fish and marine mammals.

How PFAS get into the marine environment

When we began tracking the sources of PFAS in Biscayne Bay, we found hot spots of these chemicals around the exits of urban canals – especially the Miami River, Little River and Biscayne Canal. Each of these canals, we found, is a major point source contributing to the presence of PFAS in offshore areas of the Atlantic Ocean.

One major source of that PFAS is sewage contamination from failed septic systems and wastewater leaks in urban areas. This is evident by the presence of the types of PFAS – such as PFOS, PFOA, PFPeA, PFHxS, PFHxA, PFBA and PFBS – that are used as stain and grease repellents and in carpets, food packaging materials and household products.

Another major source is represented by the predominance of 6-2 FTS in the Miami River – 6-2 FTS is a fluorotelomer PFAS typically used in aqueous film-forming foam found at military and airport facilities. The Miami River flows past rail yards, industries and Miami International Airport on its way to Biscayne Bay.

We also used a model to predict how ocean currents would disperse PFAS coming out of those canals and into coastal areas. We found that the PFAS concentrations were highest close to the canals, decreased along the bay and declined as ocean water became deeper and more saline, which makes PFAS less soluble in water.

Overall, PFAS concentrations were almost six times higher in surface waters near land compared with deep-water samples collected 13 to 33 feet (4 to 10 meters) below the surface in the bay and offshore. That suggests the highest risk is to pelagic fish that hang out in surface waters, such as mackerel, tunas and mahi-mahi.

How marine organisms are at risk

The levels of PFOS and PFOA in our study were below the Florida Department of Environmental Protection advisory levels in surface water for human health exposure. However, the advisory levels might not be protective of human and marine life.

They do not take into consideration that these chemicals accumulate through the food chain. Higher concentration in the top of the food web means PFAS could pose a greater risk to dolphins, sharks and humans that consume fish.

Many types of PFAS identified in our samples are not regulated, and their potential toxicity is unknown. We believe there is a need for federal and state agencies to develop guidelines and implement action plans to protect people and the aquatic life in Biscayne Bay.

What you can do about it

Given the persistence of PFAS and their widespread use, it is not surprising that these forever chemicals are found in almost all water systems in South Florida and are showing up in coastal waters around the world.

While scientists look for effective and efficient ways to eliminate and remove these chemicals from water, food and the environment, people can limit their use of PFAS-containing products to reduce the amounts of these chemicals that get into the marine environment.

Here are some common products that contain PFAS to watch for: Teflon nonstick cookware; food packaging for fast food and popcorn; water-resistant clothing and cosmetics; and treated carpets.

Natalia Soares Quinete, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Florida International University and Olutobi Daniel Ogunbiyi, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, Florida International University

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

Degree
Ph.D. candidate, chemistry and biochemistry

College
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Undergraduate Experience
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Fun Fact
Graphic design, digital illustration and painting are his top ways to de-stress

 

 

Tracking “Forever Chemicals”

PFAS have infiltrated the environment. This group of thousands of different toxic manmade “forever chemicals” get into the water, soil, air, and stick around for long time, posing health risks to both humans and wildlife. The EPA warned even low levels of exposure can be dangerous, later setting strict near-zero limits for PFAS in drinking water.

There’s been few studies on the distribution and occurrence of PFAS in South Florida. Olutobi “Daniel” Ogunbiyi is changing that. Working alongside FIU chemist Natalia Quinete, Ogunbiyi’s multifold research project uses the power of high-resolution mass spectrometry to expose the pervasiveness of PFAS pollution. He’s detected these contaminants in drinking water and Miami’s Biscayne Bay, where Ogunbiyi also traced back how canals carry PFAS, including unregulated ones with unknown toxicity, into the bay.

They’re even lurking in recreational fisheries — important to the state’s economy, since more than 4 million anglers spent $8 billion while fishing in Florida in 2023 contributing nearly $14 billion to the state’s economic output, according to the American Sportfishing Association. Ogunbiyi found black fin tuna and lobsters had low but still detectable PFAS levels, an indication the contaminants are accumulating through the food chain with unknown consequences.

This data will help policy makers and regulatory agencies like the EPA develop guidelines for controlling and reducing PFAS.

“The EPA can’t make decisive decisions without data like we’re collecting. It’s exciting I can use chemistry to solve environment problems like PFAS pollution.”

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When someone opens the door and enters a hospital room, wearing a stethoscope is a telltale sign that they’re a clinician. This medical device has been around for over 200 years and remains a staple in the clinic despite significant advances in medical diagnostics and technologies.

The stethoscope is a medical instrument used to listen to and amplify the internal sounds produced by the body. Physicians still use the sounds they hear through stethoscopes as initial indicators of heart or lung diseases. For example, a heart murmur or crackling lungs often signify an issue is present. Although there have been significant advances in imaging and monitoring technologies, the stethoscope remains a quick, accessible and cost-effective tool for assessing a patient’s health.

Though stethoscopes remain useful today, audible symptoms of disease often appear only at later stages of illness. At that point, treatments are less likely to work and outcomes are often poor. This is especially the case for heart disease, where changes in heart sounds are not always clearly defined and may be difficult to hear.

We are scientists and engineers who are exploring ways to use heart sounds to detect disease earlier and more accurately. Our research suggests that combining stethoscopes with artificial intelligence could help doctors be less reliant on the human ear to diagnose heart disease, leading to more timely and effective treatment.

History of the stethoscope

The invention of the stethoscope is widely credited to the 19th-century French physician René Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec. Before the stethoscope, physicians often placed their ear directly on a patient’s chest to listen for abnormalities in breathing and heart sounds.

In 1816, a young girl showing symptoms of heart disease sought consultation with Laënnec. Placing his ear on her chest, however, was considered socially inappropriate. Inspired by children transmitting sounds through a long wooden stick, he instead rolled a sheet of paper to listen to her heart. He was surprised by the sudden clarity of the heart sounds, and the first stethoscope was born.

Over the next couple of decades, researchers modified the shape of this early stethoscope to improve its comfort, portability and sound transmission. This includes the addition of a thin, flat membrane called a diaphragm that vibrates and amplifies sound.

The next major breakthrough occurred in the mid-1850s, when Irish physician Arthur Leared and American physician George Philip Cammann developed stethoscopes that could transmit sounds to both ears. These binaural stethoscopes use two flexible tubes connected to separate earpieces, allowing clearer and more balanced sound by reducing outside noise.

These early models are remarkably similar to the stethoscopes medical doctors use today, with only slight modifications mainly designed for user comfort.

Listening to the heart

Medical schools continue to teach the art of auscultation – the use of sound to assess the function of the heart, lungs and other organs. Digital models of stethoscopes, which have been commercially available since the early 2000s, offer new tools like sound amplification and recording – yet the basic principle that Laënnec introduced endures.

When listening to the heart, doctors pay close attention to the familiar “lub-dub” rhythm of each heartbeat. The first sound – the lub – happens when the valves between the upper and lower chambers of the heart close as it contracts and pushes blood out to the body. The second sound – the dub – occurs when the valves leading out of the heart close as the heart relaxes and refills with blood.

Along with these two normal sounds, doctors also listen for unusual noises – such as murmurs, extra beats or clicks – that can point to problems with how blood is flowing or whether the heart valves are working properly.

Heart sounds can vary greatly depending on the type of heart disease present. Sometimes, different diseases produce the same abnormal sound. For example, a systolic murmur – an extra sound between first and second heart sounds – may be heard with narrowing of either the aortic or pulmonary valve. Yet the very same murmur can also appear when the heart is structurally normal and healthy. This overlap makes it challenging to diagnose disease based solely on the presence of murmurs.

Teaching AI to hear what people can’t

AI technology can identify the hidden differences in the sounds of healthy and damaged hearts and use them to diagnose disease before traditional acoustic changes like murmurs even appear. Instead of relying on the presence of extra or abnormal sounds to diagnose disease, AI can detect differences in sound that are too faint or subtle for the human ear to detect.

To build these algorithms, researchers record heart sounds using digital stethoscopes. These stethoscopes convert sound into electronic signals that can be amplified, stored and analyzed using computers. Researchers can then label which sounds are normal or abnormal to train an algorithm to recognize patterns in the sounds it can then use to predict whether new sounds are normal or abnormal.

Researchers are developing algorithms that can analyze digitally recorded heart sounds in combination with digital stethoscopes as a low-cost, noninvasive and accessible tool to screen for heart disease. However, a lot of these algorithms are built on datasets of moderate-to-severe heart disease. Because it is difficult to find patients at early stages of disease, prior to when symptoms begin to show, the algorithms don’t have much information on what hearts in the earliest stages of disease sound like.

To bridge this gap, our team is using animal models to teach the algorithms to analyze heart sounds to find early signs of disease. After training the algorithms on these sounds, we assess its accuracy by comparing it with image scans of calcium buildup in the heart. Our research suggests that an AI-based algorithm can classify healthy heart sounds correctly over 95% of the time and can even differentiate between types of heart disease with nearly 85% accuracy. Most importantly, our algorithm is able to detect early stages of disease, before cardiac murmurs or structural changes appear.

We believe teaching AI to hear what humans can’t could transform how doctors diagnose and respond to heart disease.

Valentina Dargam, Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University and Joshua Hutcheson, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University

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

Hurricane Idalia blew a flamboyance, or flock, of 300-400 flamingos that was likely migrating between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba off course in August 2023 and unceremoniously deposited the birds across a wide swath of the eastern United States, from Florida’s Gulf Coast all the way up to Wisconsin and east to Pennsylvania.

I’m an estuarine scientist. That means I study ecosystems where fresh water flows into the ocean. I’ve spent 35 years with Audubon Florida studying the ecology of American flamingos and other wading birds in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park. So naturally, I was thrilled and intrigued by the sudden arrival of these flamingos.

One of the birds was rescued in the Tampa area after nearly drowning in the Gulf of Mexico. His rescuers named him Peaches.

A colleague and I were able to place a GPS tracking device and a bright blue band around his spindly leg, with the code “US02” engraved in white letters.

We were hoping to track his movements and see whether he ended up settling in Florida. Unfortunately, a few days after Peaches was released back into the wilds of Tampa Bay, the tracking device failed. His last reported sighting was on a beach near Marco Island on Oct. 5, 2023.

Then, in June 2025, I received an email from colleagues at the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in Yucatan, Mexico, who had photographed Peaches, blue band still in place, nesting in the reserve.

Peaches’ story is the latest piece in the historical puzzle of flamingos in Florida. Though the native population disappeared more than 100 years ago, recent events lead me to believe that flamingos may be coming back to the Sunshine State, and that their return has been facilitated by the concerted effort to restore the Everglades and coastal ecosystems.

Decimation of a population

In 1956, ornithologist and founder of the National Audubon’s Everglades Science Center Robert Porter Allen wrote “The Flamingos: Their Life History and Survival,” which is still considered a seminal document on the history of flamingos in Florida.

In his book, Allen cites several historical and scientific manuscripts from the 1800s that indicate flamboyances of hundreds to thousands were seen in the Everglades, Florida Bay and the Florida Keys.

Allen documents the demise of flamingos in the late 1800s, in Florida and throughout their Caribbean and Bahamian range. Like all wading birds in Florida, they fell victim to the women’s fashion trend of adorning hats with bird feathers. Wading bird feathers were literally worth their weight in gold.

Led by the National Association of Audubon Societies’ vocal opposition, the grassroots environmental movement that followed brought about laws prohibiting the hunting and sale of bird feathers. But enforcement of those laws in sparsely populated Florida was difficult, and on two occasions deputized Audubon wardens were murdered protecting wading bird nesting colonies.

Fortunately, within a few years, societal pressure turned the tide against the practice of wearing feathers. The passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918 officially ended the feather trade.

Given legal protection, most species managed to reestablish huge nesting populations in the Everglades by the 1930s-1940s, presumably migrating from remote populations in Central America and the Caribbean.

Flamingos, however, did not.

A long road to recovery

In 1956, 40 years after hunting had ended, Allen estimated flamingo populations were only about 25% of what they had been in the previous century, with numbers plummeting from 168,000 to 43,000 breeding adults. They nested in significant numbers at only four locations, compared to 29 historically.

Flamingos’ unique breeding behaviors and their longevity – they can live up to 50 years in the wild – may account for their struggle to bounce back. Other Florida wading birds can nest multiple times a year at different locations, laying three to five eggs at a time.

Flamingos, on the other hand, nest only once a year, generally returning to the same location year after year, and lay only one egg. Furthermore, they prefer forming huge nesting colonies, with thousands of nests, in part due to their elaborate group courtship rituals.

Reason to hope

As a result of their rarity from the 1950s to 1980s, scientists – including myself – believed that any flamingos sighted intermittently around Florida were not wild birds but rather escapees from captive populations.

The largest flock observed in the state between 1930 and 1976 was 14 birds spotted in Biscayne Bay in 1934, on the day after Hialeah Race Track in Miami imported a group of about 30 flamingos. The track’s owners had failed to pinion the birds, and they simply flew away upon release.

But my opinion began to change in 2002, when a flamingo that was banded as a chick at Rio Lagartos was photographed in Florida Bay. In 2012, a second bird from Rio Lagartos was photographed.

By that time, I had observed flamingos in Florida Bay on several occasions, including larger flamboyances of 24 and 64 individuals. Although I still thought the majority of these flocks were escapees, the banded birds provided some evidence that at least a few wild flamingos were starting to spend time in Florida.

Then in 2015, my colleagues put a tracking device on a flamingo they had captured at the Key West Naval Air Station. Conchy, as we called him, was given the blue band US01 and released in Florida Bay in December 2015.

He lived in Florida Bay for two years, and the fact that he stayed for that long was proof to me that it was possible for flamingos to make a more permanent home in Florida.

In 2018, several colleagues and I published a paper laying out both evidence from historical accounts and also previously overlooked evidence from museums that flamingos were native to Florida. We also presented new data from researchers and citizen science portals that strongly indicated that wild flamingo numbers were increasing in Florida. This suggested that the population might be finally recovering.

Call it a comeback

Fast-forward to today, and it appears that this slow comeback may finally have legs. Six months after Hurricane Idalia, my colleagues at Audubon Florida and I conducted a weeklong online survey of flamingo sightings in Florida.

We received more than 50 reputable observations. After sorting through these observations to remove duplicates, we concluded that at least 100 flamingos were left in the state.

Then in July 2025, a flock of 125 individuals was photographed in Florida Bay. Based on our observations, my colleagues and I believe that the flamingos that arrived with Idalia may be reestablishing a home in Florida.

Progress toward restoration

The question is, why now? The 24 flamingos I saw in 1992 and the 64 I saw in 2004 didn’t take up permanent residence in the state. So what’s changed?

To me, the answer is clear: Efforts to restore the Everglades and Florida’s coastal ecosystems are beginning to show progress.

When I arrived in the Keys in 1989, Florida Bay was undergoing an ecological collapse. A 1993 interagency report by the federal government found that a hundred years of draining, diking and rerouting the flows of the Everglades to create urban and agricultural lands had raised the salt content of the water, making it uninhabitable for many estuarine animals.

The report noted that the bay’s famous seagrass beds were undergoing a massive die-off, accompanied by algal blooms that depleted oxygen levels, thereby killing fish in large numbers. Mangrove trees were dying on its myriad islands, and birds that for decades had nested in them had disappeared.

These events kick-started Everglades restoration efforts, and in 2000 the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. With a cost in the tens of billions of dollars, it was to be the largest and most expensive ecological restoration project the world has ever seen.

Today, the bay’s health is vastly improved from the condition I observe in the 1980s. Water flow has gotten better, and the salinity is back to appropriate levels to support wildlife.

In 2018 and 2021, more than 100,000 pairs of wading birds such as white ibis, wood storks and roseate spoonbills nested in the Everglades. These numbers hadn’t been seen since the 1940s. In the 1980s and 1990s, 20,000 nesting pairs was thought to be a banner year.

While the Everglades and Florida Bay are still a long way from full restoration, I believe that the return of flamingos such as Conchy and Peaches is evidence that these efforts are on the right track.

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

Garcia, who along with earning a BA in political science completes certificates in marketing and social media as well as a certificate in Latin American and Caribbean studies, plans to use the $10,000 scholarship to defray her studies at FIU College of Law. 

“This award means more than financial support. It’s a reminder that hard work, passion and perseverance do not go unnoticed,” Garcia said. “I’m deeply thankful for the encouragement this award provides.” 

Building community through service

Garcia’s began her higher education journey at Miami Dade College. There, she received two awards recognizing her hundreds of hours of community service. After transferring to FIU, she quickly established herself as a campus leader. When she realized there was no undergraduate pre-law organization for Honors College students, she founded one, which has since grown to nearly 200 members and published FIU’s first undergraduate law review journal under her leadership. 

Her service extended beyond student organizations. As a social media student assistant for the Honors College, she strengthened the college’s digital presence, highlighting student achievements and helping foster a sense of community. 

“Service has always been at the heart of what I do,” said Garcia. “I want my work to matter - not just for me, but for the people around me. 

Inspiration for law 

Garcia traces her passion for law back to her childhood, when political and legal debates were part of everyday life at home. 

With talk radio blaring in the family car during morning rides to school, her interest was piqued. "Those conversations really opened my eyes to the importance of law and policy, and they inspired me to dream of a future in the legal field,” says Garcia. 

That early inspiration was strengthened at FIU, where Garcia found support from mentors who believed in her potential even when she doubted herself. She points to FIU Law’s Interim Dean Michelle Mason, whose open-door policy gave her confidence during the most challenging moments of her academic journey. “She always told me, ‘I’m available to you no matter how busy I am, and I know you’re going to do amazing in law school.’ People like her made the experience for me, even when 99% of the time I felt like I wasn’t going to make it,”. 

She also credits Honors College Dean Juan Carlos Espinosa as a guiding influence who encouraged her to push forward with her goals. His leadership and support reinforced for her that FIU was a place where ambitious students could thrive while making a meaningful impact on their communities. 

Looking to the future 

Now, as she begins her law school career, Garcia hopes to explore opportunities in corporate law or the private sector, while remaining open to future service in government. 

She also intentionally plans to give back to FIU in the future. “I would love to create an endowment to provide scholarships, just like the Pérez family has done,” she said. “And I want to serve on the FIU Honors College Dean’s Advisory Board to stay connected to the college and help the future honors students.” 

About the Pérez Scholars Endowment 

Jorge M. Pérez, CEO of The Related Group, and his wife, Darlene Boytell-Pérez, have long supported FIU. In 2013, the couple donated a collection of Cuban art valued at more than $315,000 to FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs and the Frost Art Museum. The donation included a gift of $250,000 in support of the Cuban Research Institute at FIU. The couple also donated $250,000 to the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, which was the largest individual gift in the history of the program. Additionally, Boytell-Pérez, a nurse practitioner and a two-time graduate of FIU, was named Alumna of the Year by the FIU Alumni Association in 2016 for her dedication to her alma mater.

The couple first established the Perez Scholars Endowment in 2018 with a $1 million gift to provide merit- and need-based scholarships to exceptional FIU Honors College students. Since 2019, 22 students have received multi-year $10,000 scholarships. 

This year, the couple committed an additional $1 million, fully integrating the endowment and ensuring permanent support for both the Jorge and Darlene Pérez Scholars Scholarship (for undergraduates) and the Pérez Excellence Award (for graduating Honors students). With this new gift, the endowment expands to permanently sustain both the Scholars Scholarship and the Excellence Award. 

“Jorge and Darlene Pérez have been great partners in FIU’s pursuit of excellence.” said FIU President Jeanette M. Nuñez. “With this latest gift, they are demonstrating their commitment to our best and brightest Honors College students and providing the foundation for our students to become the next generation of leaders."  

The Pérez family’s support extends far beyond financial resources. They have built lasting relationships with all of their past award recipients, meeting with them annually and following along their career trajectories. 

For Garcia, receiving the award represents both opportunity and responsibility. 

“I’m grateful to the Pérez family and to FIU Honors for believing in me,” she said. “This award is helping me take the first step toward the career I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid.” 

In an era when technological change is accelerating faster than at any time previously, the innovation of FIU researchers was on full display at eMerge Americas 2025.

Now in its 11^th year, the global tech conference and expo on Miami Beach creates an ecosystem for innovators, entrepreneurs, industry experts and institutions of higher education to gather and connect over the course of two days. This year, FIU celebrated a decade of participation by giving passes to more than 750 students, faculty and alumni to attend the two-day event.

FIU showcased research in the College of Engineering & Computing, the FIU Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, as well as Aquarius Reef Base, cybersecurity initiatives, Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), additive materials and the hurricane research being conducted in the FIU Extreme Events Institute. Much of the innovation featured is “dual use,” meaning it has both civilian and military applications, like the work being done to invent and develop the next generation of foldable, deployable, reconfigurable systems that operate at higher frequencies in the Transforming Antennas Center.

The centerpiece of FIU’s exhibit booth were touch screens – wall and table top – that gave visitors access to a wealth of content around these research topics, including videos. FIU partnered with MultiTaction, a leading developer of advanced collaboration and  visualization solutions, to bring the touch screens to the FIU booth. (A MultiTaction interactive touch screen is the focal point of the university’s FIU in DC center.)

He waited patiently, hoping for the day they would reveal their identity. Days stretched into weeks, then months. Ten months passed before a tiny white petal — smaller than a fingernail — finally revealed itself in August 2013. Kumar, an expert on Asian orchids, was almost certain it was an unidentified species. At the faintest touch, the fragile bloom slipped from its stem. And with it came a heartbreaking realization: to give this orchid a name, he would have to dissect the very flower he waited so long to see.

Though the government gave him permission to collect a sample, he worried the plant would shrivel before he could reach the bottom of the mountain. With a rainstorm moving in, and the water level rising from a nearby stream, he got to work, there on the forest floor. In the pouring rain and with a camera around his neck, he documented as much as he could. Then, preparing for the journey out of the forest, he carefully selected a single specimen to take with him. He kept watch over it for three years before handing it over to a garden for safekeeping. Despite Kumar’s warnings not to touch the plant or uproot it, the handler cut it into three parts. It died. When Kumar found out, it brought the seasoned botanist to tears, knowing the specimen was lost forever. 

A researcher affiliated with FIU and its partner institutions, Kumar has spent 25 years trekking through Asia's deepest forests looking for rare orchids. He has battled illegal collectors and mourned species lost to habitat destruction. In total, he has discovered 38 previously unknown species and has more that he’s currently writing up.

Over the years, his discoveries have spanned much of Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, among other countries. Today, he continues his orchid research in collaboration with Hong Liu, professor in FIU’s Department of Earth and Environment and Jason Downing '11, Ph.D. '16, an orchid biologist at Fairchild Tropical Garden, a partner organization of FIU. Kumar credits his success to a mix of fieldwork in taxonomy - the science of classifying, naming, and describing living organisms based on their shared characteristics - his passion for photography and hiking. He’s even a bit of an artist, having drawn the illustrations for almost all his orchid discoveries.

The work is often a mix of heartbreak and joy. In Laos, for example, he identified a new species in 2013. That orchid was declared extinct just two years later after lime mining destroyed its only known mountain habitat. The plant has not been reported anywhere else in the world.

Kumar partnered with the government in Laos to establish a greenhouse for orchid conservation and cultivation. During his time there, Kumar and his colleagues added 50 new orchid records.

“You need to conserve the habitat first, if you want to conserve the plant,” Kumar said. “But it’s not so easy in some countries, because they don’t have other options to bring economy to the country.”

One small orchid he identified was thought to be extinct after years of illegal collection. Kumar explains that locals often harvest these orchids from the wild for personal gardens, though they rarely survive. Collectors repeatedly return to the forest, depleting populations. In one case, Kumar recognized a new species after his friend showed him a photo of an orchid purchased in Laos from a local nursery. Eventually, the orchid disappeared from the wild, and Kumar feared it had vanished forever. To his relief, the species was later discovered in Vietnam. Yet, the threat persists, and the plant is still being trafficked illegally, sometimes selling in the United States for as much as $200.

During his time in Southeast Asia, he would hike the forest twice a week and helped discover 14 new orchid species.

“Each new species is unique, and it gives me a kind of happiness that I helped — I contributed to science in some way,” he said.

A special discovery for Kumar was one he found in India and named after his father — Peristylus sahanii (the latter a reference to the family surname). Nearly two decades after discovering his first orchid species in India, a friend sent him a photo last month, which he immediately recognized as the same flower he had dedicated to his father. He was overjoyed to see it was still thriving.

His plant names don’t always have personal touches like the one he attributed to his dad. Sometimes he uses personal connections and inspiration, other times he goes by plant characteristics. One of his discoveries was named after his Ph. D. supervisor in India and another — “Black Crown Thismia” — for its resemblance to a black crown. He notes that it’s important to identify new orchid species for conservation purposes citing a proverb that says, “You cannot protect something which you do not know.” His efforts have not gone unnoticed. An orchid native to Vietnam is actually named after him as an honorary nod from Russian and Vietnamese scientists who discovered the flower.

Kumar, who struggled to find mentorship in his own studies, is committed to guiding the next generation of botanists. 

“If someone is trying to conserve a plant, I’m going to help them,” Kumar said. “Because that’s a need of the time. Many species are going extinct before they’re even identified. We need these people.”

His passion for botany bloomed early.  In college, his rooftop garden in India held around 500 plants — so many there was barely space to walk. Though his father, a retired mechanical engineer, wanted him to study medicine, Kumar was set on a career in botany. At India’s Gossner College, he earned a bachelor of science in botany with zoology and geology to become the only student in the program with that rare combination. He went on to earn a master’s degree at Ranchi University, specializing in cytogenetics, radiation genetics and plant breeding, before focusing on orchids during his Ph.D. at Forest Research Institute in Jharkhand.

Kumar now mentors students through his work with the Botanical Society of America, which promotes educating middle school and high school students, as well as everyone else, about plants. By guiding the next generation of botanists he hopes to inspire young minds to look closer and carry forward the work of protecting fragile ecosystems.

“I like to train the next generation,” Kumar said. “Taxonomists themselves” – individuals like him, who are dedicated to collecting and analyzing specimens in support of worldwide research “are becoming endangered, and they are an essential part of conservation.”

Florida’s night orchid is at risk of extinction, but backyard fruit trees could hold the key to their survival.

Orchid growers often rely on expensive propagation techniques to increase plant populations using costly, synthetic plant growth regulators/hormones (PGRs). For the first time, scientists have used a mix of natural products found locally to propagate Epidendrum nocturnum – a rare fragrant orchid that only blooms at night in Florida.

FIU horticulturist Amir A. Khoddamzadeh and a team of scientists developed the protocol for in-vitro micropropagation and acclimatization where they use coconut water, banana powder and potato dextrose to induce the growth of cells in Petri dishes.

“There are very limited studies on using the organic-based PGRs in the tissue culture process and none specifically on South Florida’s native orchids,” said Khoddamzadeh, lead principal investigator for FIU’s Conservation and Sustainable Horticulture Lab. “Industrial nurseries haven’t used organic PGRs often as a regular additive in the media. We established a protocol that can be used by botanical gardens and nursery producers.”

Many plants in tropical and subtropical climates do not propagate through seeds so propagation using plant tissue culture is an important method for increasing the number of plants. Current in-vitro micropropagation methods typically involve several grams of the synthetic PGRs to regulate growth and developmental processes in tissue culture, Khoddamzadeh said. These synthetic chemicals can cost $300 to $800 per 100 grams. In large nurseries, the chemicals may be gone in just one batch of culture jars.

Khoddamzadeh initially looked at the media used in tissue culture and the addition of inexpensive organic materials. He took a seed pod collected from the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and placed it in the petri dish with coconut water, banana powder and potato dextrose which served as PGRs. These additives shocked the cells and produced induction, which increased the number of shoots, roots and leaves.

For Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and its Million Orchid Project – the nation’s largest educational outreach program dedicated to orchids – this propagation alternative could be a game changer for orchids grown there and in commercial nurseries. Khoddamzadeh and his lab collaborate with Fairchild biologist and FIU alumnus Jason Downing on this initiative.

This study was published in The American Journal of Plant Sciences. Khoddamzadeh is also the editor of a special issue in Plants on "Micropropagation, Acclimatization and Genebanking of Horticultural Crops" which will focus on the different aspects of conservation horticulture and plant biotechnology.

Financial support was provided by the USDA NIFA grants program (2016-38422-25549) and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Keeping a plant alive takes special care and a good level of patience. Keeping orchids alive and beautiful is tougher still.

From his lab at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, FIU biological sciences student Myles Covington is conducting research on orchids – one of the largest family of flowering plants in the world.

Covington is particularly interested in the endangered Dendrophylax lindenii, also known as the ghost orchid. As one of the only leafless orchids in the world and almost completely white, this plant got its name because at night, it’s flowers can look like a floating ghost.

The majority of Covington’s work with these unique species consists of propagation, or the growing of the orchids. He also works with their genetics, trying to piece together a plan to conserve the ghost orchids that are left.

“These two tasks in combination help to understand what can be done to increase their numbers and is a majority of the grey area when it comes to starting a conservation effort,” he said.

While the coronavirus pandemic briefly paused most work at Fairchild, workers watered Covington’s orchids on occasion.

“There was definitely water and heat stress just from how incredibly hot it gets, but now that the rain is back, it is getting much easier to manage,” he said.

Once Fairchild reopened, Covington got back to work.

His research doesn’t stop at Fairchild, however. He takes his knowledge of plants to FIU, where Covington studies how orchids manage the transition from moving to a flask where they are grown to their final destination in the humid outdoors.

Covington discovered he had a green thumb when, as a child, he grew plants with his family. To this day, he meticulously cares for more than 20 plants at home. Still, when he first enrolled at FIU, Covington was a pre-med student focused on medical biology.

He later rediscovered his roots and love for plants, changing his focus to plant biology and studying orchids under professor Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, director of the Agroecology Program. The program also helped Covington land a plant pathology internship with the USDA in South Carolina last summer.

“FIU really gave me a platform to turn my passion into a career,” he said.

Covington first worked as an intern in Fairchild’s microbiology program in 2016 before volunteering for the Million Orchid Project, which seeks to reintroduce native orchids throughout South Florida.

“Through the project we are able to get orchids from Fairchild out to schools and students as an educational program,” he said. “We have contracted with different communities and municipalities to plant the right native species in public areas for even more people to enjoy.”

His work also gained recognition in a recent interview with CBSMiami.

Covington plans to graduate from FIU in 2021 and attend graduate school to continue his studies in genomic research. He hopes his work will make others more appreciative of plants and generate a limitless supply of young, native orchids in the South Florida community.

To read more about the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, visit CASE News.

In an era where AI is transforming workplaces and reshaping how companies hire, Boris has found his place in human resources, a field driven by empathy, understanding and relationships. “AI can help with certain processes,” he said, “but it can’t replace relationship-building, critical thinking, and the ability to connect authentically with people.” 

That belief led him to Nestlé, a multi-billion-dollar global food and beverage company that operates over 2,000 brands and produces 10,000 different products on five continents, from coffee and tea to bottled water, infant formula, ice-cream, frozen dinners and pet food, to name a few. 

Boris is part of the company’s prestigious two-year career accelerator program, which is preparing him for HR leadership roles. He joins more three dozen other FIU alumni as part of Nestlé’s 270,000-strong worldwide workforce. He currently works in Nestlé’s Ohio location and will travel to factory sites across the United Sates. 

“You get to manage real projects, present to leadership and learn the full spectrum of Nestlé HR operations, from corporate offices to Nestle’s distribution centers,” Boris explained. By the end of the program, he’ll have a clear sense of which environment best fits his skills, interests and long-term career goals. 

Boris’s journey to Nestlé began when the Honors College Career Services “helped me see how my communication degree and my people skills could translate into HR,” he said. “That’s where everything clicked for me.” Boris earned a degree in public relations, advertising and applied communications from the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts and minors in business administration and project management from FIU Business.

The leadership program of which Boris is now a part followed upon his participation, as a student, in a symposium offered by the company. Selection into the program represents a rare opportunity to join a Global 500 company, the forty-eighth largest in the world.

Boris credits the mentorship, unique coursework and peer network of the Honors College for pushing him outside of his comfort zone and giving him both the professional skills and personal growth needed to excel. And he points to the broader FIU community and the experiences it offered as foundational to his standing out as an ideal job candidate.

His leadership roles on campus include serving as president of Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity and the FIU student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, which gave him practical skills in organizing, motivating and guiding peers. Boris also served on the Student Government Association as a new member educator and vice president of professional development, fostering collaboration across student organizations and Greek life on the Biscayne Bay Campus. HR internships across industries, including consumer goods, supply chain, tech and aerospace, complemented his classroom learning with real-world experience. 

Nestlé’s rigorous selection process had Boris calling on all of those past opportunities as he faced three rounds of interviews. 

The first round focused on behavioral questions, where Boris was asked to reflect on past experiences and his skills in leadership, teamwork and problem solving. “They wanted to know how I handled challenges, motivated others, and adapted when plans didn’t go as expected,” he said. 

The second round consisted of case study exercises. Boris and other candidates were given a real-world HR scenario and asked to analyze the situation, develop recommendations and present solutions to a panel of Nestlé managers. “That part really tested our ability to think on our feet and communicate clearly,” Boris explained. “I leaned heavily on the experiences I had leading student organizations...being able to speak confidently about strategy and people management made all the difference.” 

The final round was a mix of panel interviews with senior HR leaders. These conversations drilled deeper into his leadership style, long-term career goals, and how he would fit into Nestlé’s culture. “One of the first things they asked about was my leadership experience on campus,” Boris recalled. “Being part of Alpha Kappa Psi and student government really set me up for success and made me stand out. Having specific stories ready to share, like when I had to manage conflict or rally my peers around a project, made my answers real and relatable.” 

For current FIU students aiming to follow a similar path, Boris offers simple but powerful advice: “Don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back. Be yourself and be fully authentic when connecting with professors or future employers, and don’t be afraid to go after opportunities.” 

As told to Alexandra Pecharich

During my junior year, I got involved with the Bacardi Center of Excellence within the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and have not looked back. The organization is an educational partnership that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship by bringing together academic resources and industry expertise.

The activities of the center have proved critical to my growing interest in beverage management, and now I plan to make my career in this area of hospitality. Among the opportunities that opened up to me were the chance to serve as president of the bartenders guild, one of several student organizations under the center’s umbrella. I’ve also overseen marketing for the center’s events.

Another major perk: the chance to work at the renowned Tales of the Cocktail conference. The weeklong gathering held annually in New Orleans welcomes 30,000 members of industry, among them spirits company executives, small-business owners and bar and beverage professionals from across the globe. On tap are seminars, workshops and competitions.

For three years, I have participated behind the scenes alongside hundreds of others who prep drinks for the adjacent brand-sponsored tastings and networking functions. 

I am already employed full-time at a neighborhood cocktail bar in Miami and so bring experience with me. Nonetheless, the environment of the conference, which flows out to hotels and other spaces throughout the city, has taken my skills to another level and informs how I hope one day to lead.

The biggest thing I’ve learned during my time in the Big Easy is how to optimize the performance of a team. The chance to work under representatives of establishments on the World’s 50 Best Bars list catapulted my knowledge. Folks innovating on the front lines showed me the way.

In class, our professors teach us that as future managers we need to understand that everyone brings a different perspective and different talents to the table. Strong managers grasp this and take the time to learn how and where individuals excel and then build on those strengths by placing them in the correct roles, be it logistics, inventory, direct customer service or something else. I saw this dynamic firsthand in New Orleans.

All of that speaks to why I am involved in the production and customer-service aspects of the cocktail industry, both as part of my regular job and at the conference: No position is beneath anyone, and learning the industry from the ground up has value for those aspiring to leadership.

The Chaplin School is clearly teaching us the skills we students need to be good managers. At the same time, learning how to do the tasks performed by those whom we will one day supervise is critical. Such an approach will help us not only set high expectations down the road but realistic ones as well, thereby avoiding the kind of high-pressure, toxic work environments that serve no one.

With these lessons in hand, I am ready for anything.

Work hard. Make connections. Take hold of opportunities.  

That’s the mindset that guided hospitality alumna Alexandra Poit ’22 MS ’24 to launch a successful career even before graduating from FIU.

It began when she joined the Bartender’s Guild, a student organization open to all majors. 

As the vice president of the guild, Poit worked event after event, gaining experience and networking with industry executives. At one of these events, she met the senior director of human resources and the vice president of hospitality for the Kaseya Center, the home of the Miami Heat and a premier sports and entertainment venue.

“We started a conversation, and I said how I was really interested in resource and human development. They said, ‘We just opened a role in that area. It might be a good fit for you.’”

She applied and was selected for the position as a human resources supervisor, just in time for her graduation ceremony. Today, Poit is a premium restaurant manager at the Kaseya Center.

She says part of her success comes from her FIU network — and from experiential learning opportunities like the ones she embraced through the guilds.

“It’s part of what makes FIU’s hospitality program super unique,” says Poit. “The classes are so important. They are the foundation." 

"Then what we learn outside the class is a gamechanger. Other students from other schools hear me talk about the guilds, and they say, ‘You have a bartender’s guild?’ I can’t think of any other school that does. FIU is ahead of the curve, and it’s helping students.”

Alumna Yasmine Tesone '24 has a similar story. Thanks to her involvement in the Coffee Guild, Tesone got the opportunity to present a coffee cocktail she created at the U.S. Open in New York City twice and to visit coffee farms in Latin America as well as the North American headquarters of Italian coffee brand Lavazza. She later started a job with Lavazza and became part of the company's corporate training program and the world's largest coffee training school network. 

Gateway to industry

Poit and Tesone are two of hundreds of Panthers who have gained valuable connections and experiences through FIU’s Bartender’s Guild, Coffee Guild and Wine Guild. All three guilds are student organizations housed with the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. The organizations cater to students who are interested in learning the ins and outs of the beverage industry, event management and managerial skills. Faculty members play a crucial role in helping establish academic learning and opportunities for the guilds.

Students attend presentations and workshops with industry leaders; gain experiences that transform them into food and beverage professionals; attend nationally recognized industry conferences; and build their networks by working at a variety of events. Students also regularly go behind the scenes of the beverage industry, meeting with CEOs, owners and managers of companies and taking tours of such facilities.

“We are teaching pivotal skills that students will need to be well-rounded and efficient managers,” says Mitchell Meredith, beverage program manager of FIU’s Bacardi Center of Excellence and the faculty advisor of the Coffee Guild and Bartender’s Guild.

He adds, “The guilds prepare students for the food and beverage industry. They are gaining real-world knowledge. What do you do when the cooler that you were promised at an event isn’t there? That’s what management is. Pivoting and making the best decision to move the organization forward. That’s what our students are learning.”

Becoming leaders

Graduate hospitality student Ian Gonzalez ’24 is involved in all three guilds and even served as the president of the Bartender’s Guild during his undergraduate years. He says the guilds are a transformative set of experiences that are preparing him for his future goal: to become a beverage director and restaurant owner. 

“The guilds provide us with the best return on our investment,” Gonzalez says. “We’re bridging academia and industry. The hands-on learning we get, the events we do, that’s the beauty of it. It’s about experiential learning with the goal of getting jobs and becoming managers and leaders in the industry.”

Inspired by his involvement in the guilds, he decided to learn yet another aspect of the industry by becoming a marketing intern for FIU’s Bacardi Center of Excellence.

“As a manager of a restaurant, you need to understand different aspects of the industry, not just the beverage or food side. The internship at the Bacardi Center is helping me understand the marketing and financial aspects. I’m also working at a restaurant in Miami, and, thanks to the internship, now I’m thinking of questions like ‘What’s our audience? What kind of drink does our audience want? Now just by walking into a restaurant I understand what the message behind the décor and look is.”

Alumnus Anthony Peñas '24 is the lead sommelier at Klaw Miami, an upscale eatery. While at FIU, Peñas served as the president of the Wine Guild. The experience was deeply formative. 

"FIU's Wine Guild was instrumental in shaping both my leadership style and approach to wine education at Klaw," he says. Peñas adds that his FIU mentors are not only outstanding educators but recognized wine experts who helped him develop the foundation of his own expertise. "At Klaw, that foundation is reflected in the wine and spirits education program I've helped implement," Peñas says. 

For example, he helped jumpstart a wine education experience — the "beverage of the day" spotlight — at team meetings. This allows his team to spend an entire week learning about a single grape varietal, wine region and vintage or high-end spirit.

"The influence of FIU's program — and the mentorship I received there — continues to shape how I teach and lead every day." 

Part of the strength of all three guilds lies in thier ties to the Chaplin School’s academic areas, which provide resources, faculty mentors and industry partners that collaborate in programming for the guilds. The Bartender’s and Coffee guilds are housed in the Chaplin School’s Bacardi Center of Excellence and the Wine Guild is housed in the Vidal-Duart Wine Studies Program. 

Learn more about these guilds and other Chaplin School student organizations, including a more recently launched Hotel Guild.

In many homes, the glow of a screen does more than entertain — it soothes, distracts and, for a while, keeps the peace. For parents raising children with behavioral challenges, that quiet can feel like a lifeline. Kids who struggle with attention, hyperactivity or temper issues often find structure and stimulation in digital content. But in low-income households, where caregiving support and resources are limited, screens often become the simplest solution — a reliance that comes with a cost. As parents juggle long work hours and financial stress, children can be left vulnerable to content that is violent, inappropriate or geared toward adults.

Recognizing these challenges, Shayl Griffith, assistant professor at FIU’s Department of Counseling, Recreation and School Psychology, alongside professors Daniel Bagner and Katie Hart, explored how families can build healthier media habits for preschoolers with behavioral challenges — supporting child development and overall family well-being.

In a recent study published by the Journal of Children and Media, the team uncovered practical strategies for families at FIU’s Center for Children and Families’ Summer Academy in Liberty City, directed by Hart, where parents were already participating in behavioral management programs through the early intervention program generously funded by The Children’s Trust.

Griffith has seen firsthand how difficult it can be for families to manage children’s struggles with self-regulation and unhealthy media use. Turning off a device or transitioning to another activity can trigger frustration or meltdowns, which screens can unintentionally amplify. While parents try to do better and follow professional recommendations — like setting consistent viewing times, limiting device use at night or helping children transition smoothly between activities — tight schedules, lack of support, financial strain and other structural barriers frequently get in the way.

“In our digital world, discussions about parenting and technology are just parenting now,” said Griffith.

To address these realities, Griffith and her colleagues designed a seven-week intervention for 31 families, focusing on healthy media use. Rather than emphasizing strict screen time limits, the curriculum stressed the quality of content, helping parents choose educational material, set boundaries and create guardrails around access.

“So the tablet serves less whatever it wants to the child,” Griffith said, “and a little more of what parents want their child to use.”

Parents were encouraged to switch from algorithm-driven platforms like YouTube to apps with curated educational material, such as PBS Kids. They were also advised to watch alongside their kids, giving them insights into what their children were consuming and creating opportunities for conversation and learning.

“Changes can’t be too big because there are a lot of stressors. These are families who are under immense pressure,” said Griffith. “We focused on doable steps that they can maintain over time because the difficulty tends to be time and energy.”

Griffith and her team worked closely with each family, learning about their dynamics and suggesting small, achievable steps that feel less draining and more practical — like cutting back on screen time before bed. For children with behavioral challenges, restless nights can worsen focus and emotional regulation the next day, making this simple change especially impactful.

“Any small change can spark bigger changes,” Griffith said. “It’s really about breaking things down and picking priorities for each family, depending on their concerns and lifestyles.”

Next, Griffith and the team plan to test this approach on a larger scale and are currently applying for funding to study 150 families with children with externalizing behavioral challenges.

For the families in Liberty City, screens that once sparked stress now support learning and connection — not by enforcing a perfect routine, but through greater awareness and understanding of what their children truly need. As Griffith’s team looks to expand their work, the hope is to help more parents find that same balance: using technology as a tool, not a trap, and capturing children’s attention with purpose.

Viral social media trends started innocently enough.

In the early 2010s there was planking, the “Harlem Shake” dance and lip syncing to Carly Rae Jepsen’s summer anthem “Call Me Maybe.”

Then came the ice bucket challenge, which raised an estimated US$115 million for ALS research.

In recent years, social media challenges have grown more popular – and more dangerous, leading to serious injuries and even deaths. It’s not hard to see why. The milk crate challenge dares people to walk or run across a loosely stacked pyramid of milk crates, the Tide pod challenge involves eating laundry detergent pods, and the Benadryl challenge encourages taking six or more doses of over-the-counter allergy medication all at once.

As clinical psychology researchers, we study why social media challenges are so appealing to teens despite the dangers they pose, and steps parents can take to protect their kids.

Appeal of viral stunts

Almost all American teens today have access to a smartphone and actively use multiple social media platforms – with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat being the most popular among this age group.

Meanwhile, the teenage years are linked to an increase in risk-taking. The human brain isn’t fully developed until a person reaches their mid-20s, and the parts of the brain that relate to reward and doing what feels good develop more quickly than areas linked to decision-making. As a result, teens are more likely to act impulsively and risk physical injury to gain popularity.

Teens are also particularly vulnerable to social pressure.

A 2016 study found that teens were more likely to “like” a photo – even when it showed drug or alcohol use – if the photo had more “likes” from peers. The same study also showed that activity increased in the reward centers of teenage brains when viewing posts with more “likes.” Simply put, teens pay closer attention to social media content with a high number of “likes” and views.

In best-case scenarios, this vulnerability to social pressure may result in, say, buying a certain brand of sneakers. Yet in worst-case scenarios, this can lead teens to do dangerous stunts to impress or amuse their friends.

In our work, we found that celebrities, musicians, athletes and influencers can also increase risky teen behaviors, such as alcohol and drug use, especially because they earn many “likes” and attract huge followings on social media.

Teens today may find it more difficult to resist social pressure. They not only have unlimited access to their peers and other influencers, but online social networks are also much larger, with teens following hundreds – sometimes thousands – of online users.

What parents can do

Below are five ways parents can help their teen resist social pressure and avoid risks linked to social media trends.

1. Listen to your teen

Parents can learn more about social media by asking their teen open-ended questions about their experiences, such as, “Has anything you’ve seen on Instagram upset you lately?”

Share your own concerns about social media while listening to your teen’s thoughts and perspectives. This kind of open communication can improve kids’ mental health and social skills.

Research also shows that watching media content with your teens – and discussing issues that come up during and after media use – helps with children’s brain development and critical thinking. It can also help to resolve questions or clear up misinformation.

2. Talk about what is rewarding

Teens don’t always know why they engage in certain behaviors or are curious about dangerous activities. Having a conversation with them about what feels good about “likes” and comments online could help them identify similar rewarding experiences offline – such as joining a school sports team or extracurricular club. Research shows that sports participation is a helpful way to build one’s social identity, self-esteem and meaningful connections with others.

3. Talk about what is risky

Social media posts often glamorize risky behaviors. For example, alcohol use posts focus on the fun aspects and avoid depictions of blackouts or injury. Similarly, teens see “likes” and views from social media challenges, but not hospitalizations and deaths.

Parents can talk to teens about this gap. Since teens are often more knowledgeable about the latest social media challenges, ask them about the topic and help them think through possible risks.

4. Get informed

One of the best ways to connect with teens is to learn about topics that interest them. If they enjoy Instagram, consider creating your own account and ask them to show you the ropes on the platform, as teaching others can be rewarding for teens. Also, take the time to explore on your own and keep up to date on social media features, challenges and risky trends.

5. Make a plan

A family media plan can help you and your teen agree on screen-free times, media curfews and ways to choose good media habits. Social media can also help teens form friendships, stay connected with distant friends and family members, reduce stress and access medical providers, help lines or other tools that support physical and mental health.

Come up with a plan that all family members can follow to enjoy the benefits of social media. Your family can always revise the media plan as your child gets older.

Elisa M. Trucco, Associate Professor of Psychology, Florida International University and Julie Cristello, Doctoral candidate in Clinical Science, Florida International University

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

What the compromised drone cannot do, however, is regain control. Lost to its original assignment – whether it’s delivering a package, inspecting an aging bridge or monitoring the health of crops – the machine is essentially useless.

At FIU, cybersecurity researchers have developed a series of countermeasures to fight back mid-flight against hostile takeovers.

Because drones are essentially flying computers, they are subject to the same software and hardware exploitation as their land-bound counterparts. But current drone-defense techniques fail to monitor all possible vulnerabilities.

FIU’s technology, called SHIELD, is different. Keeping watch over the entire control system, it picks up on subtle cues of malicious activity. It then identifies the kind of attack — even the stealthiest ones that often slip under the radar — before launching an attack-specific recovery process. The findings were presented at the prestigious IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks.

“Without robust recovery mechanisms, a drone cannot complete its mission under attacks, because even if it is possible to detect the attacks, the mission often gets terminated as a fail-safe move,” said Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman, lead researcher and associate professor in FIU’s Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences.

“What’s important about our framework is that it helps the system recover, so the mission can be completed.”

Safeguarding the security of drones may soon become more important than ever before. This summer, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed expanding commercial drone use across industries. From Amazon deliveries to agriculture, the FAA expects more businesses to deploy unmanned aircraft, raising questions about safety in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Many patients of Lyme disease do not recall being bitten by a tick before onset of symptoms, which has long-fueled speculation about other possible carriers. Mosquitoes became the obvious suspects since they are known to be carriers of a variety of other diseases. A team of international scientists including FIU’s Fernando Noriega, say not so fast. Their research, published in Parasites and Vectors, says the bacteria that causes Lyme disease is typically found in tissues and rarely found in high concentrations in the bloodstream. Mosquitoes’ fast-eating habits prevent them from taking up the bacteria. Ticks, on the other hand, are slow eaters, which allows them to acquire the bacteria as it migrates from tissues.

“Our results show that mosquitoes do not have the biological capacity to efficiently acquire and maintain the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, and that they are unable to transmit them naturally or mechanically,” said Noriega, emeritus professor of biology and researcher in FIU’s Biological Sciences Institute. “This study provides compelling evidence against Lyme disease transmission by mosquitoes and reinforces Ixodes ticks as the only competent vectors, which is critical for targeted public health interventions and accurate risk communication.”

Further acquitting mosquitoes, the scientists also say mosquitoes have an enzyme in their guts that naturally destroys the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. So even if a mosquito bites an infected animal and the bacteria sneaks through, the bacteria would be destroyed during digestion.

“The need for scientific investigation and eliminating suspects is key in tackling vector-borne diseases,” said Matthew DeGennaro, director of the Biomolecular Sciences Institute and neurogeneticist specializing in mosquito behavior. The institute is dedicated to finding treatments, cures and methods of prevention for diseases including those transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and other vectors.

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on the planet, killing hundreds of thousands of people every year through the spread of disease. Neurogeneticist Matthew DeGennaro is on the hunt for a lifesaving perfume. 

He’s the first scientist to make a mutant mosquito — a game-changing tool in researching mosquito behavior. Secured in his Tropical Genetics Lab, DeGennaro relies on his mutants to help answer globally critical questions like how mosquitoes find people. Because he can’t ask a mosquito, he removes a single gene to create a mutant and then observes its behavior. In 2019, DeGennaro unleashed a new era in mosquito prevention research when he, with the help of his students, identified the olfactory receptor mosquitoes rely on to detect people. His focus has now shifted to finding a scent to disrupt that receptor.

DeGennaro’s research has provided other key insights including what goes into a mosquito’s decision of where to lay eggs and natural odors that could keep mosquitoes at bay. The research has been supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Defense. DeGennaro has been an investigator of the CDC-sponsored Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease since its inception. His growing understanding of mosquito behavior could someday help end the global scourge of mosquito-borne diseases.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, one of the most common species in the U.S., love everything about humans. They love our body heat and odors, which enable them to find us. They love to feed on our blood to make their eggs mature. They even love all the standing water that we create. Uncovered containers, old tires and junk piles collect water and are perfect for breeding.

And with the advent of warm weather across the southern U.S., mosquito breeding season is already underway.

Given all the options that Aedes females have in urban areas, how do these cosmopolitan mosquitoes find the perfect site to lay their eggs? Scientists previously thought this was a solitary act, but now research shows that female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – the main vector in the U.S. for diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and other viruses – can rely on one another for good reviews of breeding sites.

Our Laboratory of Tropical Genetics at Florida International University discovered a new behavior in which these mosquitoes work together to find suitable egg-laying sites. These findings, recently published in Communications Biology, show that mosquitoes regulate their own population density at breeding sites – an insight that could inform future mosquito control efforts.

Where and why female mosquitoes cluster

Scientists know that female mosquitoes can be picky when it comes to where they lay their eggs. Aedes aegypti look for human-made breeding sites with relatively clean water, such as birdbaths, tires or even water-filled trash. But given two equal choices, you might expect them to spread evenly between the two.

On the contrary, when we released females in a two-choice test where both breeding site options were equivalent, we repeatedly found more mosquitoes in one chamber than in the other. Furthermore, this occurred irrespective of where the preferred chamber was positioned, whether the mosquitoes could touch water or whether mosquito eggs were already present at the breeding sites.

Female mosquitoes clearly were following one another in small groups to one breeding site rather than another – a newly discovered behavior in Aedes aegypti that we call aggregation.

The insects evidently preferred not to lay their eggs alone. When we tested 30 mosquitoes in our trials, they chose one site over another by a 2-to-1 margin. However, this changed as the test population increased beyond 30 mosquitoes. When we tested 60 or 90 females, the aggregation disappeared.

This tells us that females can regulate their own density at breeding sites – a response that likely is a mechanism to limit larval competition.

Mosquitoes are smelling each other

Mosquitoes largely sense the world through smell, using three families of olfactory receptors. These receptors detect odors when females are choosing where to lay eggs. But how do females sense each other to regulate their densities at breeding sites?

We explored this question by first placing 15 mosquitoes at one of our two test breeding sites. Other females seeking a place to lay preferred the unoccupied site over the one that was already occupied, even though we had already observed that the mosquitoes preferred not to lay their eggs alone. Something was directing them away from the occupied breeding site; we speculated that it might be carbon dioxide, which is an important cue for mosquitoes in all stages of their life cycle.

When female mosquitoes are looking for a blood meal, they fly toward the odor of CO₂, which all vertebrate animals exhale and release through their skin. After feeding, they fly away from it, likely to avoid the risk of being killed by the host.

Mosquitoes also emit CO₂, and normally other mosquitoes can smell it, thanks to a receptor component called Gr3 in their olfactory organs. But when we released mutant females that lacked a functional Gr3 receptor to seek a place to lay eggs in our two-site test, we found that these insects, which could not detect CO₂, were willing to lay their eggs at preoccupied breeding sites. This suggested that normal mosquitoes might be avoiding the preoccupied laying site because they smelled CO₂ emitted by mosquitoes that were already there.

To confirm this, we offered two unoccupied breeding sites to females seeking a place to lay. However, we increased CO₂ levels around one of the sites to between 600 and 750 parts per million, compared with the normal level of about 450 to 500 ppm at the other site. We found that Aedes aegypti females avoided the unoccupied sites with elevated CO₂. This behavior appears designed to keep occupied breeding sites from becoming too crowded.

Overall, we found that two families of receptors play a role in the interactions between Aedes aegypti females when they seek breeding sites. Odorant receptors detect an unknown odor, which draws females toward a site; gustatory receptors detect CO₂, which deters females from breeding sites when the carbon dioxide level is high. The balance between these attractive and repellent odors will ultimately determine whether a female chooses or avoids a particular site.

Implications for mosquito control

Suppressing mosquito populations in urban areas using biolarvicides – pesticides made from live bacteria that are toxic to mosquito larvae – is a primary control strategy to limit the spread of deadly diseases such as West Nile virus and Zika virus. This is especially true for Aedes aegypti, which is the most common urban mosquito species that reproduces in artificial breeding sites that humans create. Other control tactics, such as spraying pesticides over large areas, target beneficial insects as well as mosquitoes and can be controversial.

Knowing that female Aedes aegypti use social cues to pick the best breeding grounds for their young and will move on from a breeding site when it becomes too crowded could lead to new control measures. Interrupting the female mosquito reproductive cycle would reduce the spread of mosquitoes and the spread of diseases that these insects carry.

Kaylee Marrero, Ph.D. Student and Transdisciplinary Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences Fellow, Florida International University; Andre Luis da Costa da Silva, Research Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, and Matthew DeGennaro, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University

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

The secret of the world’s deadliest animal’s reproductive success could lead to fewer baby mosquitoes. That could mean improved pest control.

FIU Biomolecular Sciences Institute researchers collaborated with an international team to study juvenile hormone, a molecule that regulates development, reproduction and behavior in insects. They produced genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — carriers of deadly diseases including yellow fever, dengue and zika — that cannot make juvenile hormone. The mutants could still mate and have babies. Just not as many as their juvenile hormone-producing counterparts. The researchers say greater understanding of hormone action could unleash a new generation of mosquito control tools.

“It’s essential to understand why juvenile hormone is so important, so we can use this information to control insects and pests in a better way,” said FIU biological sciences Professor Fernando G. Noriega, the study’s corresponding author.

All insects — from bees and butterflies to mosquitoes — produce the hormone in question. It plays a critical role in their development, controls different functions and dictates certain behaviors. It helps mosquito larvae to complete metamorphosis into an adult when they’re ready. It functions similar to the hormones people rely on for puberty and to reach sexual maturity. 

Mosquitoes and their distant relatives — crabs and lobsters — both have methyl farnesoate (MF). In crustaceans, MF regulates reproduction. Insects have the ability to turn MF into juvenile hormone, giving them an evolutionary reproductive advantage in producing more and more offspring. 

The team of biologists and chemists —  including FIU’s Noriega, Marcela Nouzova, Francisco Fernandez Lima and Matthew DeGennaro — worked together to take the mosquitos back in time, where it was as if they never evolved to produce juvenile hormone at all. 

Nouzova is the lead author of the study and the mastermind behind this project. She designed the experiments and led the genome editing process, creating the mutant mosquitoes for the experiments.

“In order to explore the evolutionary significance of the two hormones, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis to generate Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lacking the enzymes needed to catalyze the synthesis of either juvenile hormone or both methyl farnesoate and juvenile hormone,” Nouzova said.

While the mutants that only had MF successfully reached adulthood, they were lacking in reproductive competence. They couldn’t keep up with the stronger, non-mutant males. The mutant females also were affected. Normally, a female can lay up to 100 eggs after mating. In their short lifespan, they can lay three different sets, amounting to hundreds of eggs. The mutants, though, laid 50 percent fewer eggs. 

The other mutants lost the ability to make MF completely. They died as a larva and never reached adulthood_. This means juvenile hormone is a master regulator of mosquito reproduction, DeGennaro said.

This information about mosquito reproduction biology can help control populations of insects we want less of, like mosquitoes. It can also help us improve reproduction success and boost the populations of insects we need more of. 

The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Ayleen Barbel Fattal and Chrystian Tejedor contributed to this story. 

Karlene Cousins, chair of FIU Business’s Department of Information Systems, said AI 305 was created to highlight South Florida as a rising hub for artificial intelligence—showcasing real-world AI applications while giving students hands-on experiences and direct access to the industry leaders driving innovation across the region.

FIU students have torn that stereotype to pieces. 

Every year, a group of students at INIT FIU organizes ShellHacks, the largest hackathon in Florida. A hackathon is a tech event where participants collaborate to build software projects, like apps, games and other products. 

What started in 2017 with a hundred attendees has grown into a sprawling 36-hour competition featuring workshops, a career fair with 85-plus recruiters, and prize pools that include Apple M3 laptops and AirPods. Planning begins nine months in advance and involves ordering 100 pounds of mac and cheese and 9,500 cans of soda. 

FIU News sat down with three key participants from this year’s hackathon to find out how the event comes together. 

Elizabeth Hechavarria is a cybersecurity major and the senior director of ShellHacks. Skylar Hall is a computer science senior and leads technical workshops at INIT FIU.  

Alumnus Cesar Villa-Garcia co-founded INIT FIU and ShellHacks. A product manager at American Express, he remains involved in the hackathon as an alum. 

What sets ShellHacks apart from other hackathons? 

Hall: ShellHacks is our heart and soul. And because we take such good care and preparation, we bring top companies and top talent. We obsess over the theming, the marketing, the layout, the food and the technical support. Most of all, the people here are super nice, and everyone wants to help each other. 

Villa-Garcia: One reason we draw such large crowds is that word has spread that FIU is a really great school to start your career in technology. The corporate presence at the hackathon is massive. Our students and alumni keep getting big internships and job opportunities. Also, FIU as a university has made a lot of investments in the computer science and technology space. I think that both things have increased the attention on ShellHacks. 

Just how big is the corporate presence at ShellHacks? 

Hechavarria: We're looking at 35-plus sponsors. Each sponsor usually brings a team of recruiters so that they can speak to multiple students at once. We had around 100 recruiters in total this year to speak to our nearly 1,500 attendees. 

How many of these recruiters are FIU alumni? 

Hechavarria: At least 40%. The whole Microsoft team this year was made up of alumni. 

State Farm, almost the whole team was alumni. We had a few in Capital One. 

Villa-Garcia: At American Express right now, we have a group chat of over 50 FIU alumni that I put together. When ShellHacks was coming around, I reached out and said, “Hey guys, do you want to volunteer, do you want to help the students?” 

I was able to get 10 people to sign up and become mentors.  

This event sounds like a massive undertaking. What's the hardest part of ShellHacks to organize?  

Hechavarria: The weekend of ShellHacks is actually one of the easiest parts. The most difficult pieces are trying to reach deadlines, getting the venue in order, placing the catering orders, and executing all of the planning. I was sending about 200 emails per week in the months leading up to this year’s ShellHacks. 

Wait, so if this event runs over the weekend, where does everyone sleep? 

Hechavarria: The hackers are welcome to sleep where they hack. I've seen people just bring sleeping bags, air mattresses, floaties—like pool floaties—to sleep on during the event. 

We also provide a few pool floaties here and there too. 

AI has really boomed in tech. How central is AI to ShellHacks now? 

Villa-Garcia: The very first thing that comes to mind is the number of students that now reach out asking for more AI-related events and activities, workshops. There's much more demand from students wanting to learn these skills, since they're highly sought after. 

This year, the title sponsor was Google Cloud ADK/A2A, and they wanted students to build AI agents for the hackathon. 

Hechavarria: We do allow starter code and boilerplates, and we encourage students to try troubleshooting with AI, but we prefer them to do the project themselves. AI is a great tool, but it should not be doing your whole project. 

It sounds like there is almost a recruiting aspect to this. You are trying to get the best students to come out from FIU and other universities to compete. What goes into that? 

Hechavarria: A large part of it is the work we do outside of ShellHacks, which is in INIT. We have tracks that we try to pipeline students leading up to ShellHacks by placing them into different groups. 

We first teach students the basics. Then they start making projects. Finally, we give them help with resumes and soft skills. Then they are ready for ShellHacks. 

What soft skills do students develop by running this hackathon? 

Villa-Garcia: With organizing a hackathon comes the ability to work in a team. Employers want to see someone who can be a team player, work cross-functionally. 

When you go into industry as an engineer, you're put in there to work and collaborate with designers, marketing, product, business. The hackathon experience allows the organizers to really do that. 

The other one is the ability to communicate and present ideas to different stakeholders. The industry relations team works on raising funds, talking to sponsors, reaching out to them.  

And that’s what’s so cool about ShellHacks. This hackathon put many of us on the path to leadership in tech, and so we are happy to come back and help current students.

ShellHacks 2025 Sponsors and Community Partners

Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar Jane Goodall.

Goodall’s life journey stretches from marveling at the somewhat unremarkable creatures – though she would never call them that – in her English backyard as a wide-eyed little girl in the 1930s to challenging the very definition of what it means to be human through her research on chimpanzees in Tanzania. From there, she went on to become a global icon and a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Until her death at age 91, Goodall retained a charm, open-mindedness, optimism and wide-eyed wonder that are more typical of children. I know this because I have been fortunate to spend time with her and to share insights from my own scientific career. To the public, she was a world-renowned scientist and icon. To me, she was Jane – my inspiring mentor and friend.

Despite the massive changes Goodall wrought in the world of science, upending the study of animal behavior, she was always cheerful, encouraging and inspiring. I think of her as a gentle disrupter. One of her greatest gifts was her ability to make everyone, at any age, feel that they have the power to change the world.

Discovering tool use in animals

In her pioneering studies in the lush rainforest of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream Game Reserve, now a national park, Goodall noted that the most successful chimp leaders were gentle, caring and familial. Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat did not last.

I also am a primatologist, and Goodall’s groundbreaking observations of chimpanzees at Gombe were part of my preliminary studies. She famously recorded chimps taking long pieces of grass and inserting them into termite nests to “fish” for the insects to eat, something no one else had previously observed.

It was the first time an animal had been seen using a tool, a discovery that altered how scientists differentiated between humanity and the rest of the animal kingdom.

Renowned anthropologist Louis Leakey chose Goodall to do this work precisely because she was not formally trained. When she turned up in Leakey’s office in Tanzania in 1957, at age 23, Leakey initially hired her as his secretary, but he soon spotted her potential and encouraged her to study chimpanzees. Leakey wanted someone with a completely open mind, something he believed most scientists lost over the course of their formal training.

Because chimps are humans’ closest living relatives, Leakey hoped that understanding the animals would provide insights into early humans. In a predominantly male field, he also thought a woman would be more patient and insightful than a male observer. He wasn’t wrong.

Six months in, when Goodall wrote up her observations of chimps using tools, Leakey wrote, “Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as human.”

Goodall spoke of animals as having emotions and cultures, and in the case of chimps, communities that were almost tribal. She also named the chimps she observed, an unheard-of practice at the time, garnering ridicule from scientists who had traditionally numbered their research subjects.

One of her most remarkable observations became known as the Gombe Chimp War. It was a four-year-long conflict in which eight adult males from one community killed all six males of another community, taking over their territory, only to lose it to another, bigger community with even more males.

Confidence in her path

Goodall was persuasive, powerful and determined, and she often advised me not to succumb to people’s criticisms. Her path to groundbreaking discoveries did not involve stepping on people or elbowing competitors aside.

Rather, her journey to Africa was motivated by her wonder, her love of animals and a powerful imagination. As a little girl, she was entranced by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 story “Tarzan of the Apes,” and she loved to joke that Tarzan married the wrong Jane.

When I was a 23-year-old former NFL cheerleader, with no scientific background at that time, and looked at Goodall’s work, I imagined that I, too, could be like her. In large part because of her, I became a primatologist, co-discovered a new species of lemur in Madagascar and have had an amazing life and career, in science and on TV, as a National Geographic explorer.
When it came time to write my own story, I asked Goodall to contribute the introduction. She wrote:

“Mireya Mayor reminds me a little of myself. Like me she loved being with animals when she was a child. And like me she followed her dream until it became a reality.”

Storyteller and teacher

Goodall was an incredible storyteller and saw it as the most successful way to help people understand the true nature of animals. With compelling imagery, she shared extraordinary stories about the intelligence of animals, from apes and dolphins to rats and birds, and, of course, the octopus. She inspired me to become a wildlife correspondent for National Geographic so that I could share the stories and plights of endangered animals around the world.

Goodall inspired and advised world leaders, celebrities, scientists and conservationists. She also touched the lives of millions of children.

Through the Jane Goodall Institute, which works to engage people around the world in conservation, she launched Roots & Shoots, a global youth program that operates in more than 60 countries. The program teaches children about connections between people, animals and the environment, and ways to engage locally to help all three.

Along with Goodall’s warmth, friendship and wonderful stories, I treasure this comment from her: “The greatest danger to our future is our apathy. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other.”

It’s a radical notion from a one-of-a-kind scientist.

Mireya Mayor, Director of Exploration and Science Communication, Florida International University

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

Jane Goodall was considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. She passed away today. The university community enjoyed a visit from the renowed anthropologist and primatologist in March of 2023. We share a previously published article below about the message she shared.

World-renowned ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall has a message for the people of South Florida: “We need people who are positive. We need people who have hope.”

In an inspirational address and moderated Q&A in front of an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd of 3,400 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center March 31, the global icon shared some essential truths that have guided her incomparable life. Early in the evening, Goodall told the crowd she believes storytelling is more effective than presenting facts in trying to convey information. And so it was that Goodall shared many anecdotes, often laced with humor, from her remarkable life.

Goodall grew up in London, in a home that had few material possessions. It never bothered her, said Goodall, because her mother was “a really positive, supportive presence” in her life.

When Goodall first joined the chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in the 1960s, it was difficult, she said.

World-renowned ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall has a message for the people of South Florida: “We need people who are positive. We need people who have hope.”

In an inspirational address and moderated Q&A in front of an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd of 3,400 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center March 31, the global icon shared some essential truths that have guided her incomparable life. Early in the evening, Goodall told the crowd she believes storytelling is more effective than presenting facts in trying to convey information. And so it was that Goodall shared many anecdotes, often laced with humor, from her remarkable life.

Goodall grew up in London, in a home that had few material possessions. It never bothered her, said Goodall, because her mother was “a really positive, supportive presence” in her life.

When Goodall first joined the chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in the 1960s, it was difficult, she said.

“For four months, the chimps ran away when they saw me.”

The money was running out after six months, said Goodall, adding to the stress of the situation. During that time, her mother patiently assured her to keep at it. You’re observing, she said. You’re learning a lot through those observations, she said. Don’t give up.

“And then, in the fifth month, I had a breakthrough observation,” she said. “A chimp was using a tool.” Goodall had seen the chimpanzee turn leaves it had stripped from a branch into a tool it then used to catch termites in their mounds.

That changed Goodall’s life as well as our understanding of our relationship to the rest of the animal kingdom.     

“Jane has been a personal hero of mine, as well as a friend, and to see the incredibly powerful effect she had on this huge audience was simply fantastic,” said Mireya Mayor, director of Science Communication and Exploration in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. Mayor was instrumental in bringing Goodall to FIU. “Her personal stories, her message of hope and her undying positivity and optimism for our power to make a better world brought the entire crowd of students, faculty, alumni and donors to our feet.”

Some key messages from Goodall’s presentation

Protecting the environment isn’t just for the land, it’s for people, too.

“We have compromised young peoples’ future. In fact, we’ve been stealing it.” In the late 1980s, Goodall met with 12 high school students in Tanzania, who shared their fear and depression at what was happening around them. JGI created Roots & Shoots in 1991 as an outgrowth of that meeting. Today, the youth empowerment organization has chapters all over the world.

If you don’t talk to people, how can you ever expect them to change?

Today the U.N. Messenger of Peace travels 300 days a year engaging others, encouraging them to get involved and do their part to protect the natural world. Like her mother told her so many years ago, Goodall told Friday night’s crowd: Don’t give up. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in 1977, a global community-centered conservation organization that advances her work. 

“We are all human beings, we all laugh, we all cry, we all bleed, we are a family.” - @JaneGoodallInst pic.twitter.com/oQf8atRljl

— FIU (@FIU) April 1, 2023

Every single day you live on this planet, you make an impact. It’s up to you what kind of impact it will be.

“We need people who are positive. We need people who have hope.” Respect and compassion for each other, the animals and the environment is essential, Goodall says. “We all love. We all cry. We all bleed. We are family.”

The audience loved every word of her message.

The presentation began and ended with a standing ovation from the crowd, and spontaneous applause broke out several times through her remarks. Ten year old Sloane David is one of her fans.

“I attend The Greene School in Jupiter, and I did a project on Dr. Goodall in school. I read one of her books,” said the fifth grader, whose mother, Kim, made the three-hour drive so the two of them could hear Goodall speak in person. After the event, David said she hopes to join the closest Roots & Shoots chapter.

Said her mom, “I’ve loved Jane since I was a little girl, and tonight, I just loved her message of hope.” ♦

Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar Jane Goodall.

Goodall’s life journey stretches from marveling at the somewhat unremarkable creatures – though she would never call them that – in her English backyard as a wide-eyed little girl in the 1930s to challenging the very definition of what it means to be human through her research on chimpanzees in Tanzania. From there, she went on to become a global icon and a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Until her death at age 91, Goodall retained a charm, open-mindedness, optimism and wide-eyed wonder that are more typical of children. I know this because I have been fortunate to spend time with her and to share insights from my own scientific career. To the public, she was a world-renowned scientist and icon. To me, she was Jane – my inspiring mentor and friend.

Despite the massive changes Goodall wrought in the world of science, upending the study of animal behavior, she was always cheerful, encouraging and inspiring. I think of her as a gentle disrupter. One of her greatest gifts was her ability to make everyone, at any age, feel that they have the power to change the world.

Discovering tool use in animals

In her pioneering studies in the lush rainforest of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream Game Reserve, now a national park, Goodall noted that the most successful chimp leaders were gentle, caring and familial. Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat did not last.

I also am a primatologist, and Goodall’s groundbreaking observations of chimpanzees at Gombe were part of my preliminary studies. She famously recorded chimps taking long pieces of grass and inserting them into termite nests to “fish” for the insects to eat, something no one else had previously observed.

It was the first time an animal had been seen using a tool, a discovery that altered how scientists differentiated between humanity and the rest of the animal kingdom.

Renowned anthropologist Louis Leakey chose Goodall to do this work precisely because she was not formally trained. When she turned up in Leakey’s office in Tanzania in 1957, at age 23, Leakey initially hired her as his secretary, but he soon spotted her potential and encouraged her to study chimpanzees. Leakey wanted someone with a completely open mind, something he believed most scientists lost over the course of their formal training.

 

Because chimps are humans’ closest living relatives, Leakey hoped that understanding the animals would provide insights into early humans. In a predominantly male field, he also thought a woman would be more patient and insightful than a male observer. He wasn’t wrong.

Six months in, when Goodall wrote up her observations of chimps using tools, Leakey wrote, “Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as human.”

Goodall spoke of animals as having emotions and cultures, and in the case of chimps, communities that were almost tribal. She also named the chimps she observed, an unheard-of practice at the time, garnering ridicule from scientists who had traditionally numbered their research subjects.

 

One of her most remarkable observations became known as the Gombe Chimp War. It was a four-year-long conflict in which eight adult males from one community killed all six males of another community, taking over their territory, only to lose it to another, bigger community with even more males.

Confidence in her path

Goodall was persuasive, powerful and determined, and she often advised me not to succumb to people’s criticisms. Her path to groundbreaking discoveries did not involve stepping on people or elbowing competitors aside.

Rather, her journey to Africa was motivated by her wonder, her love of animals and a powerful imagination. As a little girl, she was entranced by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 story “Tarzan of the Apes,” and she loved to joke that Tarzan married the wrong Jane.

When I was a 23-year-old former NFL cheerleader, with no scientific background at that time, and looked at Goodall’s work, I imagined that I, too, could be like her. In large part because of her, I became a primatologist, co-discovered a new species of lemur in Madagascar and have had an amazing life and career, in science and on TV, as a National Geographic explorer.
When it came time to write my own story, I asked Goodall to contribute the introduction. She wrote:

“Mireya Mayor reminds me a little of myself. Like me she loved being with animals when she was a child. And like me she followed her dream until it became a reality.”

Storyteller and teacher

Goodall was an incredible storyteller and saw it as the most successful way to help people understand the true nature of animals. With compelling imagery, she shared extraordinary stories about the intelligence of animals, from apes and dolphins to rats and birds, and, of course, the octopus. She inspired me to become a wildlife correspondent for National Geographic so that I could share the stories and plights of endangered animals around the world.

Goodall inspired and advised world leaders, celebrities, scientists and conservationists. She also touched the lives of millions of children.

Through the Jane Goodall Institute, which works to engage people around the world in conservation, she launched Roots & Shoots, a global youth program that operates in more than 60 countries. The program teaches children about connections between people, animals and the environment, and ways to engage locally to help all three.

Along with Goodall’s warmth, friendship and wonderful stories, I treasure this comment from her: “The greatest danger to our future is our apathy. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other.”

It’s a radical notion from a one-of-a-kind scientist.

Mireya Mayor, Director of Exploration and Science Communication, Florida International University

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

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The widespread citizen science effort transforms the year’s highest seasonal water events — known as King Tides — into a crucial data collection campaign that directly informs South Florida’s long-term climate adaptation strategies. Organized by the Institute of Environment and its Sea Level Solutions Team, scientists equip volunteers with tools to measure water depth, salinity and water quality.

Armed with their FIU kits, the volunteers will head into flood-prone neighborhoods to document conditions and upload results into a shared database. The data will help scientists and policymakers better understand the scope of flooding, track changes over time, and inform adaptation strategies for the region.

Sea Level Solutions Day has grown into one of FIU’s signature public science events, shedding a light on how sea level rising is affecting South Florida. To date, the data collected from this program have revealed significant flooding in local communities, sometimes more than two feet deep, and underscored the urgent need for localized resilience planning. The Institute of Environment continues to expand its work surrounding this initiative with research on water quality, saltwater intrusion, mangrove and coral resilience, and urban flooding models.

The 10th Annual Sea Level Solutions Day will take place Oct. 8 during the King Tide in several locations across Miami-Dade County. Volunteers can sign up here.

Wetlands have flourished along the world’s coastlines for thousands of years, playing valuable roles in the lives of people and wildlife. They protect the land from storm surge, stop seawater from contaminating drinking water supplies, and create habitat for birds, fish and threatened species.

Much of that may be gone in a matter of decades.

As the planet warms, sea level rises at an ever-faster rate. Wetlands have generally kept pace by building upward and creeping inland a few meters per year. But raised roadbeds, cities, farms and increasing land elevation can leave wetlands with nowhere to go. Sea-level rise projections for midcentury suggest the waterline will be shifting 15 to 100 times faster than wetland migration has been clocked.

I have been studying coastal geology and wetlands for more than 40 years. The rates of sea-level rise that we’re seeing now mean portions of today’s coastal wetland ecosystems will be lost to the ocean in the years and decades to come at a tempo never seen before.

Wetland plants were able to keep pace in the past

The presence of expansive wetlands along the coasts is in large part because sea level has been relatively stable for millennia.

Wetland plants could easily adapt to small changes in the ocean level because those changes were typically less than 1 millimeter per year. The plants naturally create or trap sediment, building elevation to keep up with rising seas. Wetland ecosystems are also adept at migrating horizontally and therefore could colonize areas of the coastline that were slowly flooded over time.

However, the world’s climate began to change about a century and a half ago. Fossil fuel combustion in factories and vehicles sent increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, raising global temperatures. This also warmed the oceans, causing them to expand, and accelerated the melting of glaciers and ice sheets. The combination of thermal expansion of seawater and melting land ice has added volume to the ocean, causing sea level to rise at ever-faster rates.

Water level data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at gauges distributed along the U.S. coast indicates the average rate of sea-level rise is now about 10 millimeters per year – much faster than in the past – and it is expected to continue accelerating. During the second half of the 21st century, scientists expect sea-level rise to average about 30 millimeters per year. That’s 30 times faster than it was rising before the Industrial Revolution.

Sea level is rising faster than wetlands can adapt

The rates of sea-level rise along the mid-Atlantic and southeastern U.S. coasts are now faster than most coastal wetland plant communities can build elevation.

Within decades, it is very likely that much of these crucial ecosystems will drown. Areas once occupied by a lush, expansive and contiguous coastal wetland ecosystem will, over time, become riddled with small, isolated ponds that enlarge, interconnect and eventually transform to open seawater.

A regional analysis I recently conducted of published horizontal rates of wetland migration along the U.S. mid-Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico coastal plains suggests wetlands can move inland at an annual pace measured in meters to tens of meters. In the same areas, however, theoretical rates at which the shoreline will move inland – calculated using NOAA sea-level projections in the year 2050 – range between 100 to 150 meters per year. That’s 15 to 100 times faster than wetlands can move.

The inundation models that scientists typically use to emulate coastal wetland resilience to rising seas assume wetlands will migrate inland at the same rate as the shoreline. As a result of the work I recently completed, it appears the models have overestimated coastal wetland resilience and that wetland losses this century will be higher than predicted.

Even under the most ambitious scenarios for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, sea-level rise will likely continue to accelerate this century. That means the loss of wetland ecosystems as they currently exist along our coastlines will continue for generations as the climate continues to warm and the oceans rise.

3 ways to protect these valuable ecosystems

So, what can be done to save our coastal wetlands? What actions can be undertaken to minimize the loss of these ecologically and economically important areas?

First, land managers could implement programs to acquire or create conservation corridors adjacent to areas where coastal wetlands currently exist. These undeveloped or natural landscapes will provide a pathway through which the wetlands can move inland as sea level rises.

Second, it seems ever more urgent to remove human-built structures – roads, dikes, levees – that will prevent the landward advance of coastal wetlands.

A project in Oregon did this by removing an earthen dike to allow the wetlands to migrate. In South Florida, engineers elevated miles of U.S. Highway 41, locally known as the Tamiami Trail, between Miami and Naples to allow the resumption of water flows that had been cut off.

Finally, in areas historically drained for agriculture and flood control, surface water management projects can restore freshwater flow toward the coastal zone. In South Florida, for example, rainwater in the Everglades prevented salt water from advancing underground – until extensive canals were built to drain the region for development and agriculture. Several large water management projects are now redirecting rainwater back into the Everglades to slow the advancing underground saltwater plume, which can be lethal to freshwater wetland and upland plant communities.

Randall W. Parkinson, Research Associate Professor in Coastal Geology, Florida International University

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

The 2,175-mile system of interconnected, man-made canals crisscrossing Florida, from Orlando to the Keys, has a particularly important role when a hurricane happens to be pinwheeling toward the peninsula: Flood control. 

Before a storm is set to make landfall, water managers strategically lower canal levels to absorb incoming rainfall and storm surge. But as the tragedies in Texas and Spain have shown, floods are as unpredictable as they are dangerous. And they are getting harder to get a handle on. Weather conditions change on a dime and any sudden shifts can overwhelm conventional flood models.

Traditional physics-based models replicate canal systems in meticulous detail, accounting for factors from water flow to gate operations. While precise, these simulations require enormous computational power and can take close to an hour to complete. In fast-moving storm conditions, delays can hinder timely decision-making.

Real-time systems are needed. That’s why a collaborative team from FIU developed an advanced AI model that could transform how water managers predict and respond to flooding in Florida’s vast canal system. The breakthrough, detailed in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, offers near-instant simulations of flood scenarios. It then goes further, suggesting actionable strategies.

“Accuracy is obviously very important to us, because overestimation of water stages can cause false alarms and panic while underestimation can result in unexpected and dangerous flooding events,” said Giri Narasimhan, an FIU Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences professor.

“We were able to create a tool that provides water managers with the information to either eliminate a flood event or drastically reduce it.”

Recent FIU graduate Jimeng Shi, who led the research as Ph.D. student in Narasimhan’s research group, developed the model to run through complex or worst-case scenarios in seconds.

Using nearly a decade of historical environmental and weather data collected by the South Florida Water Management District, the AI system was trained to recognize how rainfall, tides, groundwater and storm surge interact across the region. Historic storms – including Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Sandy (2012) and Tropical Storm Isaias (2020) – were used to fine-tune the model’s reliability. Researchers tested it on the Miami River, which runs through downtown Miami and drains into Biscayne Bay.

According to the researchers, this is all a part of their broader efforts to make AI a trustworthy tool in real-world, high-stakes scenarios.

Study co-author and director of FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center Jayantha Obeysekera, who previously served as the chief modeler at the South Florida Water Management District, said the technology has potential beyond immediate flood control.

"The model also holds a lot of potential as a tool to help agencies make longer-term decisions,” he said. “It could guide 20- or 30-year infrastructure investments, such as whether to build new pumps, reservoirs or levees by screening potential solutions efficiently.” 

As the social media coordinator for the FIU Coffee Guild student club that is part of the Bacardi Center of Excellence, an educational partnership with the iconic spirits brand, I was to cover the coffee contest that challenges students to creatively express themselves by crafting original coffee cocktails. 

My assignment included covering competitors Paola Ortega and Aanchal Khemlani, who happened to be my friends in the hospitality program. The coffee drinks the two undergraduates presented carried roots in their family traditions and cultural heritage. As I worked to share their stories, I recognized the opportunity to capture emotion, connection and something people want to remember.

For example, Khemlani presented a drink influenced by the Burmese dish Khao Soi, which she described as her grandfather’s favorite. That delicacy inspired her to blend coconut milk with curry paste, transforming the flavors into a syrup that brought both warmth and meaning to her creation.

Ortega found her spark in her grandfather’s farm in the Dominican Republic, named San Fernando, which also inspired the name of her drink. He cultivated honeybees, and she incorporated the sweetener into her drink alongside passionfruit sourced directly from her hometown. The goal of her creation was to craft a refreshing beverage for enjoying on a tropical day.

The competition itself was surprisingly intense. The participants worked under a time limit as they “pulled” espresso shots by brewing the strong coffee on the spot as judges stood nearby evaluating detail.

But Ortega and Khemlani remained calm and confident in what appeared, to me, an overwhelming situation. I watched Ortega’s seamless blend of flavors win her first place, with Khemlani leveraging time management to take second. Laughter, tears and a sense of pride ensured. For me, it wasn’t just about capturing these emotions. It was about amplifying them and giving students their due.

Hospitality students Aanchal Khemlani, left, and Paola Ortega with Lavazza executive Frank Larusso at the US Open.

That work led to something I never imagined: the chance to travel alongside the two winners, who did I mention are my friends, to the US Open Tennis Championships in New York City this past month. There Ortega and Khemlani prepared and showcased their drinks in the Lavazza Premium Coffee Corporation’s suite. It’s an invitation exclusive to FIU Hospitality students thanks to a partnership between the school and the coffee brand.

What started as a photography assignment for me turned into a full-circle marketing experience. I wasn’t just documenting their story; I became a part of it. From meeting Lavazza’s team to exploring the US Open’s interactive spaces, I saw firsthand how storytelling, branding and hospitality intersect at this world-class event.

Looking back, this journey taught me more than I could have learned in any classroom. It showed me the value of finding the human side of every achievement and the reward inherent in giving others the platform to shine. Ortega and Khemlani proved themselves as champions, but I walked away with a victory of my own: the realization that my role behind the camera and in front of the audience has the power to turn a competition into a lasting memory. Coffee got me to the US Open, and thanks to this experience, may lead to so much more on my future career path.

Whether you’re sipping cafecito and munching on croquetas while enjoying time with friends or grabbing a hearty snack to-go right before class, you can never go wrong with a croqueta. The fried fritters (most often filled with ham) are a staple of Cuban cuisine and have become a beloved tradition Miamians of all backgrounds happily bite into.

Today is a special day for all croqueta lovers — it is Croqueta Day in South Florida. The local holiday was started by Sergio’s restaurants a few years ago and by 2020, both Miami-Dade County and Broward County had officially declared Oct. 1 honorary Croqueta Day.

In other words, we all have the best excuse to grab one or two (or maybe three, who’s counting?) croquetas and enjoy a good, old-fashioned Miami snack at 3:05 p.m. (For best results, have your croqueta with a café con leche. You’ll thank me later.)

As South Floridians feed their love for croquetas today, Panthers are ready to feast. The croqueta is a favorite savory snack on campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors alike.

Whether at Vicky Bakery, Bustelo, Sergio’s or the ventanita and the Barnes and Noble Café, Panthers have a variety of options to choose their perfect croqueta. (Or you could just get a croqueta from each place. Croqueta calories don’t count.).

So, what is it about croquetas that keeps us coming back for more?

“It’s definitely one of my favorites snacks,” says Samantha Ruiz, a student majoring in public relations, advertising and applied communications. “I like that it’s fried, I like the ham. It’s small and crispy. It’s just the perfect-sized snack. I eat my croquetas with a café con leche with sugar, always.”

Ivan Lopez, associate teaching professor of theatre, says croquetas hold a special place in his heart.

“My grandfather owned a carnicería [butcher shop] in Cuba,” Lopez says. “He used to make croquetas from scratch. I grew up watching him make croquetas, and I grew up eating croquetas.”

Needless to say, Lopez is a croqueta fan. And he’s happy that he can find an array of croqueta options at FIU.  

“It’s so very Miami that you can get croquetas at four different places in about a quarter of a mile at FIU,” Lopez says. “I realized this on a walk one day. I crossed Vicky Bakery, the ventanita at the bookstore, Bustelo and Sergio’s.”

His favorite spot for a croqueta break? Vicky Bakery, no question about it.

Others are hard-core fans of Sergio’s croquetas (and make sure to grab one at lunch with whatever else they order) and yet others prefer to stop by the ventanita at the bookstore for croqueta fuel on their way to class.

Meanwhile, those like biology major Sophia Nuñez are team Bustelo all the way.

“My favorite is the ham croqueta,” she says. “I always go to Bustelo.” One of her top croqueta-drink combos? Croqueta and hot chocolate.

Poor sleep and sleep deprivation negatively affect the makeup of your gut microbiome, which can lead to a more inflammatory gut microbiome. An unhealthy gut can result in failure to produce the compounds needed for proper brain function.

The resulting inflammation and impaired brain function open the door for toxic proteins to accumulate, raising the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The good news: There are everyday things you can do to try to prevent this unhealthy cycle. Here are five tips – small but impactful habits – to strive for that might make a meaningful difference in your senior years.

1. Snooze Smart

Aim for 7-8 hours of solid sleep – your brain cleans up while you power down.

Sleep problems are modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep problems impact one-third of U.S. adults – that’s 83.6 million Americans who sleep less than the minimum recommended 7 hours per night. In Florida, 37% of adults report that they do not get adequate sleep. That number rises to 38% in Miami-Dade and 41% in Broward counties.

Our studies have found that sleep efficiency (the time you are asleep compared to the total time in bed) is significantly associated with executive attention after adjusting for education and income. Executive attention helps you stay focused, ignore distractions, switch tasks when needed, and stay in control when you’re feeling overwhelmed or pulled in many directions. Put another way, inadequate sleep negatively affects our ability to focus on these higher-level tasks.

Sleep fragmentation (waking up after you were asleep) was significantly associated with immediate memory. In our studies, this meant that people who had more frequent interruptions of their sleep had poorer performance on cognitive tests of immediate memory, or the ability to repeat information after they have heard it.

2. Stress Less, Think More

Chronic stress shrinks brain power.

One key to decreasing future negative cognitive outcomes might be related to controlling our anxiety. Our previous studies have shown a relationship between anxiety and future Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Cortisol is a hormone your body releases when you’re stressed. It can help with energy, alertness, and dealing with inflammation. But when stress is chronic, cortisol levels can stay high for too long – and that’s not healthy.

In our studies, we measure cortisol through saliva. We found that how well people slept affected the link between their morning cortisol levels and how well they remembered things later. The interaction between sleep duration and cortisol at bedtime was significantly associated with nonverbal memory – the ability to recall things such as images, shapes, faces, and emotional content. In other words, better sleep quality is associated with lower morning cortisol levels, which is associated with better nonverbal memory.

3. Eat Calm

A healthy gut means a happier brain. Ditch the junk, fuel the focus.

Diet might play a role in keeping anxiety at bay. Recently, preliminary results of our ongoing Tri-Sleep study have shown that lycopene was significantly associated with lower anxiety. Beta-cryptoxanthin, a natural pigment and antioxidant in certain fruits and vegetables that gives them their bright orange or red color, was a significant predictor of anxiety. We found that a higher intake of this antioxidant was associated with less frequent anxiety symptoms.

Foods high in lycopene include:

• Tomatoes and tomato products (think tomato paste, pizza sauce, and ketchup)
• Watermelon
• Pink grapefruit
• Papaya and guava
• Apricots
• Red bell peppers
• Carrots
• Pumpkin

Foods high in beta-cryptoxanthin include:

• Oranges and orange juice
• Tangerines
• Red bell peppers
• Papaya
• Pumpkin
• Persimmons

Nourishing your body may support restful, restorative sleep.

Preliminary data from the Tri-Sleep study have demonstrated an association between diet quality and sleep quality. It may suggest that a healthy diet, one higher in fiber and protein, abundant in fruits and vegetables, and lower in saturated fats, can improve the quality of sleep by reducing sleep fragmentation, or the occurrence of short, interrupted sleep episodes.

We still need more research to better understand how what we eat affects how well we sleep and what’s happening in the body to explain the link.

5. Move It or Lose It

Regular exercise keeps both your muscles and memory in shape.

Recent studies have shown that physical activity is related to a decrease in Alzheimer’s disease risk. One study even found that as little as 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week was related to a 41% decrease in Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Our preliminary data from the Tri-Sleep study has found that memory was significantly associated with the waist-to-hip ratio, which is a measurement that compares your waist and hip circumferences to assess the amount of abdominal fat you carry. Generally speaking, it’s healthier to have your waist smaller than your hips.

Waist-to-hip ratio has been touted as a more reliable predictor of premature death and future cardiometabolic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, among other examples, than BMI. Cardiometabolic conditions are significant risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

Nationally, FIU is ranked No. 54 (up from No. 77 last year) and No. 22 among public universities. 

The Wall Street Journal rankings focus on how well colleges prepare students for financial success, rewarding “the boost an institution provides to its graduates’ salaries.” The rankings weigh student outcomes and learning environment in the calculations. The methodology places particular emphasis on how well institutions improve the trajectories of their students’ lives – including graduation rates and their post-university salaries – as well as the quality of the classroom experience. 

FIU’s continued recognition underscores the university’s commitment to providing a world-class education that delivers results. The ranking as Florida’s top university demonstrates the institution’s strength in academic excellence, research impact, and student success, while also reflecting the voices of students who consistently rate their FIU experience highly. 

“These rankings reaffirm what our students and alumni already know: FIU delivers results,” said FIU President Jeanette M. Nuñez. “We are providing an incredible education that transforms lives, fuels innovation, and strengthens Florida’s workforce and economy. To be recognized as the state’s top university for the second year in a row is a testament to our faculty, our staff, and our students.” 

FIU’s success in The Wall Street Journal ranking comes on the heels of a string of national accolades.  

These rankings come on the heels of a series of accolades:  

• In Florida, FIU has been No. 1 for three years in a row in performance-based funding metrics that measure student success.
• In the U.S. News & World Report rankings released last week, FIU made the top 50 public university list again at No. 46 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation for social mobility (upward economic mobility).
• Washington Monthly ranked FIU the No. 8 university in the country.
• FIU was named No. 21 among Top Public Universities (No. 70 nationally) by Niche 
• Washington Monthly also recognized FIU as the No. 1 “Best Bang for the Buck” in the Southeast in its national rankings.  
• FIU is one of just 21 institutions nationwide with both the Carnegie R1 designation for very high research activity and the Opportunity Colleges & Universities designation  

“The Wall Street Journal rankings are focused on outcomes that matter most to students and their families – career prospects, earnings and experiences,” said FIU Provost, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth M. Béjar. “To be recognized once again as Florida’s top university confirms that FIU is excelling where it counts: preparing students for successful careers, advancing impactful research, and ensuring a return on investment that transforms lives.”

But come Oct. 1, millions of viewers will see her in action as she takes on two other contestants on Jeopardy!

The long-running program – its current incarnation started 41 years ago - remains one of the country’s most-popular game shows.

Mueller's appearance was taped earlier this year, and she is forbidden to reveal significant details prior to its airing. She cannot, for example, divulge if she won and returned for additional episodes, in which of the subject categories she might have excelled or even if she aced Final Jeopardy as part of the program’s climactic ending. But she can say she had a blast.

“It was really a great adventure and so much fun,” she shares. “All of the contestants were so nice. It didn't even feel like we were competing against each other, which obviously we were, but everybody was cheering for everybody else.”

The program, which airs every weekday and has a total weekly audience of 20 million (not counting Saturday reruns), pits brainy people against one another in a sophisticated trivia contest that can lead to tens of thousands of dollars for the champion.

Questions – which on Jeopardy! are actually called “answers,” while the responses from competitors are framed in the form of a question – revolve around everything from history, geography, literature and science to entertainment and sports.

Mueller spilled enough deets to suggest how others might land a spot and demo their smarts on national television.

Try and try again

A lifelong Jeopardy! fan who watches nightly with her physician-husband and their 5-year-old son – the couple met during trivia night at a bar in Coconut Grove – Mueller first tried out for the show some 10 years ago but didn’t make it.

Fast forward, and she says snagging a berth requires “a combination of luck and skill.”

Annually, around 120,000 to 130,000 people take the free online test. From there, roughly 2,500 to 3,000 advance to an interview and a live game of “fake Jeopardy!,” as Mueller calls it, both over Zoom. Only about 400 secure a coveted position – much better than Powerball odds but miles from a sure thing.

Act natural

A decade ago, much of the tryout was in-person. “I just remember them asking me questions and feeling kind of nervous and tripping over my words,” Mueller recalls.

The difference this time? Remaining calm and cool. “I was able to answer the questions a little bit more confidently,” says the now-seasoned adjunct faculty member.

Which comes back to Mueller’s top advice for those who make it beyond the initial test: “It sounds really trite to say,” she acknowledges, “just be confident and be yourself.”

Forget cramming

With millions of potential questions in the mix, studying assiduously in advance of the show makes little sense. Instead, general knowledge gleaned through education and a life of curiosity prepare one to compete.

Mueller earned a master's in Asian studies from FIU in 2019 and a doctoral degree in anthropology in 2022 (the two were part of a dual-degree program), which required high-level coursework and led to an academic investigation that involved oveseas travel.

“My dissertation was about a caste-based minority community in Japan,” she explains. In the context of performing well on a TV game show, “I'm sure it was helpful to immerse myself in in that [obscure research topic] as well the years I spent doing my Ph.D.”

Make the buzzer your friend

While Mueller eschews memorizing specific royal lineages or the lyrics to Taylor Swift songs – the latter having commanded its own category last year – she concedes there is one all-important thing every contestant needs to master: the buzzer.

“The biggest preparation that I did was trying to simulate the use of a buzzer because that's a big part of Jeopardy,” she says. “Most of the contestants have a pretty good, broad knowledge base and know a lot of the answers, but it's just a matter of can you ring in first.”

To practice, Mueller used a toilet-paper dispenser, the cylindrical contraption found in many home bathrooms that has a mechanical push button on either end. Watching episodes in training for her appearance, “I pushed that down whenever I was trying to ‘ring in’ for a question. That kind of helped with reflex and accuracy.”

Unbeknown to the viewing public, ringing in early counts against a contestant – a light flashes to signal “go” only after the host finishes reading – and momentarily blocks him or her, thereby giving the others an extra few-hundreths of a second to respond.

“The buzzer is the hardest thing to practice and can really be the determiner,” she says of who ultimately wins.

No great expectations

Now, with her students and the rest of the world about to learn her fate, Mueller dutifully remains mum on the outcome. She does, however, share the one objective with which she went into the exciting venture.

Rather than dreaming of a huge jackpot, she aimed small and put on her best reserve – such demeanor being a hallmark of Jeopardy! contestants, she confirms.

“I tried to keep my goal modest,” she states before admitting that, for her, logging success is mostly about what doesn't happen: “I just don't want to embarrass myself and become a meme.”

Everone will find out this week.

Jeopardy! is syndicated nationally and runs on local broadcast networks at different times in each market. Check local listings for program time and channel. In the Miami area, it airs weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the ABC affiliate. The latest episodes can also been seen on streaming services Hulu and Peacock via the Jeopardy.com website.

FIU marine researcher Jeremy Kiszka has teamed up with Fahlo, a company that sells bracelets with access to an app, which provides tracking information for endangered species. With each bracelet sold, their goal is to spark curiosity for science and conservation. The wildlife-themed bracelets, which cost $16.95 each, come with a QR that opens an app that allows users to follow a real animal’s movements. Each bracelet features one of 18 species being tracked by a partner organization. Kiszka’s lab provides tracking for two groups of species: whales and dolphins. Through the interactive app, users can read about their individual whale or dolphin, see exclusive photos, follow their movements and get updates along the way.

Though entirely fictional, Miss Piggy is a celebrity, fashion influencer and pop culture icon. She has graced the covers of Vogue and Time, been a guest on daytime and nighttime talk shows and even landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her influence is very real, even though she is not. Miss Piggy blurs the line between fiction and reality, much like the strange paradoxes of quantum mechanics.

That interplay between the real and the imagined is exactly what Trauvitch explores through FIU’s Science & Fiction Lab — and it’s the foundation of a teaching method that just earned a $400,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The grant will support the lab’s next phase: “Enhancing Multiliteracy in STEM with Fi-Sci Pattern Mapping Pedagogy.” The project will measure how fiction, as a rhetorical tool, helps students make complex and counterintuitive scientific ideas more accessible, bridging the gap between the humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

It is worth noting, less than 5% of NSF grants are awarded to humanities researchers.

“We want to use this power of fictionality to help communicate and understand science better — because humans understand fiction very easily,” Trauvitch says.

At the heart of the lab is fiction-science pattern mapping, a method that guides students in uncovering surprising links between literature and science. One computer science class, for example, might examine ethical dilemmas inspired by Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot,” debating how robots might make decisions in unexpected situations. Through exercises like this, students aren’t just learning concepts — they’re practicing how to think across disciplines.

Since its inception in 2021, the lab has introduced students to the practice of applying and communicating their expertise across disciplinary divides. In 2022, seed funding from FIU’s Honors College, the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and the Office of Micro-Credentials allowed faculty fellows to co-create and implement a series of “jigsaw modules:” stand-alone lessons that can be slotted into existing courses, engaging hundreds of students in interdisciplinary content. Building on this momentum, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded the lab a $150,000 grant in 2023 to expand its programming.

Trauvitch initially expected the lab to help non-science majors better grasp STEM concepts. She did not expect the work to impact STEM students, but it did. They were also gaining a richer understanding of fiction.

Now, with NSF funding, the team will develop a detailed rubric to measure whether the fiction-science framework tangibly improves students’ understanding across both humanities and STEM. 

“We are using a multiliteracy approach,” Trauvitch explains. “To truly understand something, you need multiple approaches. It’s no longer enough to just know one thing. You need to access it through different disciplines, different media, maybe even different languages. With this rubric, we’ll be able to see whether students can take a multiliterate view of science.”

She hopes students will learn to spot unexpected connections, bridge imagination and reality and, ultimately, discover that understanding often begins with seeing the familiar in entirely new ways. Beyond measurable outcomes, Trauvitch hopes the lab encourages students to explore interests outside their majors and helps them explain their field to non-experts.

“This doesn’t mean dumbing things down,” she adds. “It means having interdisciplinary fluency — so students can share their expertise with anyone, not just fellow specialists.”

The approach also prepares graduates for a globalized job market, equipping them to explain what they do — and why it matters.

“If we show this works the way we think it does, we might even include it in the general education state curriculum,” she says. “That would help people not only understand and communicate science better, which all of us desperately need, but it also gives humanities students confidence in their expertise.” 

It’s the students’ imaginative analogies that keep Trauvitch and the lab inspired. She recalls one moment in particular: a student explained a connection they had made between Virginia Woolf’s “Jacob’s Room” and dark matter. In the novel, Jacob exists only through the perspectives of others — a brother, friend, neighbor — leaving readers to piece together who he really is. Dark matter, the student argued, works in much the same way: invisible, elusive and known only through the effects it leaves on the universe around it.

Swamp eels.  

First detected in South Florida in the early 2000s, the sleek, snake-like fish — likely introduced through live food markets from Southeast Asia — now glide through the Everglades marshes as if they belong. Their appetite for crayfish and other small fish, the same prey wading birds rely on to feed their young, has reshaped the food web in unsettling ways, posing an unexpected threat to the multi-billion-dollar effort to restore the Everglades. 

Nathan Dorn, aquatic ecologist in the Institute of Environment and associate professor of biological sciences at FIU, has tracked changes in small animal communities in the Everglades for more than 18 years. His research began with water-level shifts caused by restoration projects, but startling data revealing the near disappearance of crayfish and other small fish in Taylor Slough kept pointing him in a different direction.  

“These were numbers and densities of particularly the crayfish and a couple of fish that we’d never seen before,” Dorn recalls. “They were so low, they were basically absent from the system.”  

Attention then turned to the eels.   

Electrofishing surveys confirmed they had become a significant part of the large fish community — and a new predator in the system. In a recent study, Dorn and his colleague, FIU postdoctoral associate Matthew Pintar, uncovered how much of the prey base for seasonally nesting wading birds — an important indicator group for Everglades restoration — has been lost. According to their research, it accounts for an 80% loss in Taylor Slough. 

Historically, the Everglades have been the epicenter of wading birds nesting in the southeastern United States. Species like the white ibis, great egret, little blue heron and tricolored heron depend on the wetlands to feed their chicks primarily with fish. 

“If we’ve rerouted water in Florida to recapture even some of the functions of historical Everglades, we expect to see relatively high numbers of nesting birds on a semi-regular basis in Everglades National Park,” Dorn said. “But the birds are fundamentally limited in their nesting efforts by food availability.”  

The effects reverberate through the marsh. With the loss of primary food for wading birds, feeding relationships have shifted, taking with them biodiversity and community structure.  

From a scientific standpoint, this is called an ecosystem collapse — not a total breakdown, but a major shift in the food web.  

“It’s not that the Everglades is a completely collapsed ecosystem,” Dorn said. “It’s just a rearranged ecosystem in terms of its food web that is taking on a whole new characteristic just by a change in a top predator introduced unthinkingly.”  

In their native range, stretching from China to Indonesia and Bangladesh, swamp eels are known for resilience — a trait that gives them an advantage in Florida. Unlike any other fish in the Everglades, they withstand drought by sitting in mud and breathing air through modified lungs until the water level returns. When the marsh floods and baby crayfish and fish spill into the water, the eels are already lying in wait.  

“That’s not something that we think is a normal phenomenon,” says Dorn. “It’s a really novel predator with some novel traits and it’s a new sort of loss factor for our fish in the system.”  

While Dorn thinks some of the native animals might adapt to the presence of this new predator, it is still unknown whether balance can be restored.  

“They don’t behave like any of our native fish, yet they control everything else. Now you’re depending on the rest of the system to adapt to that animal, but it’s probably not going to be the system or the community that we were anticipating we’d get,” he said.  

Plenty of species have slipped through the Everglades with little lasting harm, but swamp eels are proving far more disruptive.  

“You almost have to take an invasive or introduced species as guilty until proven innocent, rather than the other way around, because you’re not going to get them out without an incredible amount of effort.”  

Prevention needs to be the first line of defense, according to Dorn. If the system doesn’t adapt, restoration goals would have to factor in the uninvited guests — so efforts align with where the Everglades is heading, not just where it has been.

Photo by Jamëg Mungen '23, biological technician

That timeless command of language is at the heart of his classic rom-com battle of wits, Much Ado About Nothing. Opening FIU Theatre’s 2025–26 season, the production runs September 26–October 5 at The Wertheim.

In Beatrice and Benedick, Shakespeare gives us two characters who wield wit like armor. Their verbal jousting delivers comedy at its sharpest, but what begins as a defense against vulnerability soon becomes the spark that threatens to break down their defenses.

“We explored every corner of the campus. I loved it,” Delva says. “It was like a buzz of electricity. As we walked through GC, seeing students everywhere, hearing conversations, I felt an immediate sense of community. That stood out to me because at other schools I visited, it felt quiet and disconnected, but here I felt like I could belong. I felt like this was already home.”

Today, as Delva prepares to finish his senior year at FIU, he is leaving behind his own unique energy and impact. While pursuing his computer science degree in the College of Engineering and Computing, Delva hasn’t just studied algorithms and code. He’s curated a rich tapestry of experiences through campus organizations and internships that have molded him into a career-ready professional.

“I can’t give credit to just one event or group,” he says. “My coursework gave me valuable skills and organizations like INIT, the National Society of Black Engineers, the FIU Tech Talent Academy and Break Through Tech gave me hands-on experience and made me part of a community that wanted to see everyone succeed.”

Even as a youngster, the Palm Beach County native knew that he would do something with computers when he grew up. He became the family’s go-to person for everything IT, helping solve computer problems and showing his Haitian grandmother how to navigate her iPhone. “I got the job, but I worked for free,” he says with a laugh.

After graduating from high school in 2022, Delva attended Palm Beach State College, but his desire to delve deeper into computer science motivated him to transfer to FIU the following year.

As a newcomer on campus, he was Initially shy and kept to himself. Soon he realized that to make the most of his college career, he’d need to go outside of his bubble. “I told myself I would sign up for things and go to meetings,” he says.

Through projects with Tech Talent Academy and CodePath, Delva learned everything from technical skills to much-needed softer skills.

“The soft skills in computer science can be overlooked,” he says. “Learning to communicate with a team, report to a project manager and understand and embrace others’ ideas is critical. CodePath also helped with interviews, breaking down a problem into digestible sizes.”

Among the many valuable learning opportunities for Delva was an internship with the Army Educational Outreach Program, which provides hands-on STEM research positions to undergraduate students.

“I got to work with a really big team that was looking for ways to analyze social media behavior to combat the bystander affect,” he said. The bystander effect is the phenomenon where people are less likely to help someone in need — or report the potential of a problem — if they believe someone else will take action.

The project hit close to home because Delva was in high school at the time of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy, when a lone gunman killed 17 students and staff in a mass shooting.

“I went to a different school, but everyone knew someone from there. I wanted to work on something that might help prevent tragedies like this from happening again.”

Delva’s work in the AEOP internship contributed to building a model to help identify and flag unusual social media content that could point to potential problems.

What distinguishes Delva goes beyond the solid work skills he developed in the classroom, says Anthony Zaatar, part of the ABC Fitness Insights Team, where Delva interned. This team leverages data to provide club operators with insights for decision-making and improving member experiences. 

“Mark-Anthony’s ambition and drive set him apart from the start,” Zaatar says. “In his role as a software engineer intern, he excelled quickly, learning, adapting and seeking out knowledge well beyond what was required. That constant curiosity and dedication to self-improvement will continue to make him stand out and excel in any environment.”

Delva has also enjoyed helping other FIU students by performing resume reviews and encouraging them to seek out ways to become involved in the organizations most meaningful to them.

His goal for the remainder of his senior year is to learn as much as possible before searching for a job as a software engineer.

“I love exploring different avenues, and FIU has given me the ability to do that. I plan to come back to school to earn my master’s degree in machine learning and AI in order to pursue a career as a machine learning engineer.”