The following "highlights" are listed in alphabetical order by the last name of the faculty/staff member. The date the highlight was posted is listed in parentheses after the item.
A
Dr. Ana Maria Azzarolo, biomedical science, has been invited to become a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Health (NIH), anterior eye disease study section. This is an important acknowledgement of her status in her research discipline and follows a recent award of competitive NIH funding to continue her research program. Dr. Azzarolo's research focuses on finding the causes and cure of Sjšgren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects over four million people in the United States alone, and among other things is characterized by a progressive dysfunction and destruction of the glands that produce tears which leads to eye dryness, and the glands that produce saliva which leads to dry mouth. Participation in a study section is one of the best opportunities to learn which research applications are determined to represent cutting edge proposals and typically is comprised of researchers who are considered field leading experts. (posted May 2009)
B
Dr. Jonathan Bagby, electrical engineering, was honored at the recent 2009 Honors Convocation. He was introduced as a finalist for the 2009 Distinguished Teacher of the Year award, and received the 2009 FAU National Alumni Association's Degree of Difference award. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Phyllis Bebko, Broward campuses, was appointed the chair of the research committee of the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators in April 2009 at the NABCA Annual Conference. She also led a panel, "Definitions and Profiles: An Update on the Work of the NABCA Research Committee." (posted May 2009)
Dr. Alan L. Berger, Raddock Family Eminent Scholar in Holocaust Studies and director of the Center for the Study of Values and Violence after Auschwitz, co-edited the Encyclopedia of Jewish-American Literature (2009). (posted Spring 2009)
Dr. Alan L. Berger, Raddock Family Eminent Scholar Chair in Holocaust Studies and director of the Center for the Study of Values and Violence after Auschwitz, presented a paper, "Hugh Nissenson's Religious Atheism: Spare, Original, and Strange," American Literature Association, San Francisco, CA. May, 2008. He also chaired and was a discussant for a session on Saul Bellow, American Literature Association, San Francisco, CA. May, 2008. (posted 2008)
Dr. Kristen Block, history, has been offered fellowships focusing on the early Americas for the academic year 2009-10 at Harvard University's Warren Center for Studies in American History and the John Carter Brown Library, a research library at Brown University. These postdoctoral positions will allow her explore new projects in Atlantic history and religious history as she completes revisions to a book manuscript, "Faith and Fortune: Religious Identity and the Politics of Profit in the Early Caribbean." (posted May 2009)
Dr. Ira Bogotch, educational leadership, and Tony Townsend of the University of Glasgow, recently had their book, The Elusive What and the Problematic How: The Essential Leadership Questions for School Leaders and Educational Researchers by Sense Publishers (Boston). (posted May 2009)
Dr. Ernest Andrew Brewer, teacher education, and Dr. Penelope Fritzer, education, had a textbook published this semester, Social Studies Content For Elementary and Middle School Teachers, Second Edition. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Lawrence Brickman, clinical biomedical science (visiting), was recently honored by the Cascade Lakes Papanicolaou Corps Cancer Research Unit for his valuable contributions in the fight against cancer and his dedicated service to his patients. The award, presented to Dr. Brickman at the organization's inaugural Golf Outing event, comes as a result of his frequent lectures to the South Florida community about cancer and other topics, such as trauma. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Valerie C. Bryan, educational leadership, co-authored "Chapter 13: Information Technology" in B. Van der Smissen, M.Moiseichk and V.J. Hartenburg (Eds.), Management of Recreation and Parks, 3rd Edition. Ashburn, Va.: Commission for Accreditation of Recreation and Park Agencies, National Recreation and Park Association. (posted May 2009)
C
Dr. Mary M. Cameron, anthropology, recently received a Fulbright grant to fund a one-year research project, in 2010, titled "Ayurveda and Nature in Nepal." The project extends Dr. Cameron's prior research on farming, gender, caste and Ayurveda to Nepali understandings of human-nature relationships, and initiates new inquiry on biodiversity conservation, gender and nature. It will advance medical anthropological knowledge by synthesizing it with new paradigms in environmental anthropology, particularly the dwelling perspective and new political ecology. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Stephanie Castro, management programs, was elected to a five-year leadership position in the research methods division of the national Academy of Management (the oldest and largest scholarly management association in the world). In 2008, she served as preconference development workshop chair. At the 2009 Chicago meeting, she will serve as program chair. Next year she will serve as division chair-elect, followed by positions as division chair and past-division chair. The research methods division is comprised of more than 2,300 members from colleges and universities worldwide and aims to do whatever it can to improve the process of doing organizational research (qualitative, quantitative and multi-faceted). (posted May 2009)
D
Tim Dial, theatre and dance, is collaborating with the Utah Shakespearean Festival, one of the oldest and largest Shakespeare festivals in North America. Begun in 1962, the festival was the recipient of the Tony Award for "Outstanding Regional Theatre" in 2000. Mr. Dial designed the costumes for this season's "The Comedy of Errors," directed by Kirk Boyd. The festival's productions, attended by approximately 150,000 patrons, open in early in July, and run through the summer at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah. (posted May 2009)
E
Jill Eckardt, housing and residential life, was elected vice president/president of the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International a three-year term. The first year she will be vice president then moves into the president-elect position the second year and the third year she is president. The association includes more than 6,400 housing professionals from more than 900 colleges and universities in 22 different countries, who serve approximately 1.8 million students worldwide -- including more than 200 corporate members. (posted 2008)
F
Dr. Charles Finkl, geosciences, received a lifetime achievement award last week for his work and accomplishments in the coastal sciences field at the 10th International Coastal Symposium (ICS 2009). The conference held in Lisbon, Portugal, was attended by 550 delegates from 49 countries. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Robin N. Fiore, Adelaide R. Snyder Professor of Ethics/philosophy/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine at FAU, was one of three bioethicists invited to review 2009 funding proposals for stem cell research by the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, a publicly funded stem cell research initiative. The purpose of the fund is to promote state-funded stem cell research and cures through grants and loans to public and private entities in Maryland. The Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006 requires that research proposals be evaluated not only on scientific merit but also on the ethical implications of the research. Fiore and the scientists and bioethicists reviewed 57 proposals in the Exploratory Research Grant category. Along with coauthors Ritter and Goodman, Fiore has recently published "Justice and Vulnerability in Embryonic Stem Cell Research" in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Cheung, HS, Ed. Bentham Science Publishers [forthcoming 2009]. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Robin N. Fiore, Adelaide R. Snyder Professor of Ethics (Philosophy), gave the keynote speech "Ethics Rules and State Agencie" in Tallahassee FL at a seminar presented by the Administrative Law Section, Public Utilities Law Committee of the Florida Bar in January 2008. Dr. Fiore also co-organized and participated in a special session on public health ethics -- "Mobile Contagion: The Case of the TB Traveler" -- at the 17th Annual Meeting of the Association of Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) in San Antonio, TX, in February 2008. (posted 2008)
G
Dr. Barbara Ganson, history, has been elected to the Board of Trusteesof the International Women's Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.The museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of women inaviation and space. (posted 2008)
Dr. Simon Glynn, philosophy, had his paper, "Democracy, Liberalism and Freedom", included as a chapter in the book International Perspectives on Pragmatism published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing House. (posted May 2009)
Drs. B. Sue Graves, Michael Whitehurst and Patrick Jacobs, exercise science and health promotion, recently published a chapter, "Lifespan effects of aging and deconditioning," in the American College of Sports Medicine¹s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Jacobs was also featured in a SoBeFit's Face Off article (January/February 2009), "Pumping Iron vs. Pitching Sandbags: What¹s best to build strength: traditional strength training or functional training?" (posted Spring 2009)
Dr. B. Sue Graves, exercise science and health promotion, is a mentor for the American College of Sports ' (ACSM) Inaugural Leadership and Diversity Training Program. She chaired the Interest Group on Aging and conducted an aging table discussion at the Josephine Rathbone Breakfast, a women's mentoring event, at the recent meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. (posted 2008)
H
Dr. Michael Hartman, exercise science and health promotion, presented two abstracts at the American College of Sports Medicine's national meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana in May. He was first author on "age-related changes in skeletal muscle activation following short-term resistance training" and a co-author on "time course for the effects of passive stretching on musculotendinous stiffness: a dose-response study." He also was a coauthor on the paper, "Force-Time Curve Characteristics and Hormonal Alterations During an Eleven-Week Training Period in Elite Women Weightlifters", recently published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. (posted 2008)
L
Dr. Susan Love Brown, anthropology, presented her paper, "Josiah Warren: Community and the Frontiers of Anarchism in the Age of Jackson and Utopian Socialism," at the Utopian Studies Society of Europe annual conference at the University of Limerick in Ireland in July 2008. She also delivered three lectures ("Culture Change from Traditional to Modern," "The Nature of Equality" and "Poverty and Prosperity in Utopian Communities") to an audience of international students at the "Poverty and Prosperity" seminar sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies at Georgia Tech in Atlanta in July. Her paper, "Society: Toward an Objective View," appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of the Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. Another paper, "Babyboomer Mythology and Stephen King¹s IT: An American Cultural Analysis," appeared in the Spring 2008 issue of Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture 1900 - Present. Dr. Brown has also had several contributions to reference works published recently with Salem Press: "Atlanta Child Murders" (The 80¹s in America), "Florence Griffith-Joyner" (The 80¹s in America) and "1987: Cann Postulates the African Eve (aka: Mitochondrial Eve)" (Great Events from History: The Twentieth Century, 1971-2000). (posted Spring 2009)
K
Dr. Paul Sergius Koku, marketing, has had his manuscript titled "Innovations in the Pharmaceutical Industry and the Stock Market's Reaction: Does The Business Cycle Matter" accepted for inclusion as a chapter in a forthcoming book titled Stock Returns: Cyclicity, Prediction and Economic Consequences (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.). (posted Spring 2009)
M
Dr. Marion Merzer, Broward campuses, was re-elected for a second term as secretary of the Florida Association of Branch Campus Administrators in April 2009. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Catherine S. Meschievitz, international programs, has been selected to participate in the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) "Germany Today" Program for 2009. This year's program will focus on inbound and outbound student mobility between Germany and North America, and will take place from June 7 through June 13, 2009. Dr. Meschievitz will represent FAU, one of 20 U.S. and Canadian universities to be invited, in visits at various institutions in Bonn, Brussels and Berlin to meet with national and European Union policy makers, university administrators, faculty and students. The group will study some of the most innovative models for international education and study abroad. It will also gain insights into other German and European policy developments in higher education, like the Bologna Process, the German "Excellence Initiative" for university research, and new models of institutional governance. The objective is to initiate new partnerships and joint activities in the field of higher education. (posted May 2009)
Drs. Pat Maslin-Ostrowski, Merideth Mountford, educational leadership, and Ph.D. candidates Judith Garrard and Joyce Krzemienski presented a paper on "Leaders Learning in Action and on Action while Connecting to Real Problems in Education" at the Annual American Educational Research Association on April in San Diego, Calif. Also, Maslin-Ostrowski and Ellie Drago-Severson of the University of Columbia, presented their paper "In one voice: Faculty and principals call for new possibilities in leadership preparation" at the Annual American Educational Research Association in April in San Diego, Calif. (posted May 2009)
Donna Mercer, Jupiter dining services, received the December 2008 Faculty/Staff of the Month award from the South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH), an organization comprised of nine southeastern states. Donna was nominated by the MacRSA students for her dedication and hard work in providing them with the best residential dining options possible. (posted May 2009)
Mary Moffett, Jupiter admissions, has been appointed FAU's Representative for the Florida Office of Women in Higher Education (FLOWHE). She is also co-chair of the educational fair committee for the Higher Education Partnership of South East Florida (HEPSEF). (posted May 2009)
Dr. James Murley, Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions/architecture, urban and public affairs, is serving in several state and local capacities to address energy and climate change issues. He was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to chair the Florida Energy and Climate Commission, the lead state energy for coordinating federal, state and local energy and climate policies. In addition, Murley serves as vice chair of the Miami Dade County Energy and Climate Advisory Task Force and as chair of the Built Environment and Infrastructure Committee of the Broward County Climate Change Task Force. He recently contributed an essay titled, "Balancing the Natural and Human Community," to a recently published book Views of Seaside, Commentaries and Observations on a City of Ideas (Rizzoli, 2008). (posted May 2009)
P
Dr. John Pisapia, educational leadership, will be awarded the International School Association's Distinguished Service Award in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July 2009. The International School Association is the organization that developed the International Baccalaureate Program. (posted May 2009)
R
Drs. Daniel Reyes-Guerra and Merideth Mountford, educational leadership, presented a paper on "Preparing leaders through school district-university collaboration: A partnership pilot internship program's results" at the Annual American Educational Research Association in April in San Diego, Calif. (posted May 2009)
X
Lana Thompson, graduate student in English under Drs. Wenying Xu and Oliver Buckton, wrote a chapter titled "Rebellions and Countercultures" in the recently published reference book, The Cultural History of Reading (Greenwood). She has also received a travel grant from the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, Pa., to work on a book about plastic surgery. (posted May 2009)
V
Dr. Mar’a D. Vasquez, educational leadership (visiting), published a Spanish translation of K.W. Brown's Borbones y aguardiante, la reforma imperial en el sur peruano: Arequipa en v’speras de la independencia [Bourbons and brandy : Imperial reform in eighteenth-century Arequipa]. Lima, Peru. 2008. The translated version was a project funded by the Peruvian Department of the Treasury and the Institute of Peruvian Studies. The book is considered one of the best historical sources in the region regarding economic history in Peru. (posted May 2009)
W
Dr. Eileen N. Whelan Ariza, education, was selected for a 2009 Fulbright Award from the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Dr. Ariza will lecture at the La Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the United Stated Department of State. The J.William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is composed of 12 educational and public leaders appointed by the President of the United States who approve the candidates nominated for awards. A highly competitive award, Dr. Ariza's appointment was one of three available for Mexico. (posted 2008)
Priscilla Winder, Ph.D. candidate in the Center for Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Research under the direction of Dr. Amy Wright, will be presenting her dissertation research at the 50th Anniversary Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) in Hawaii (June 27-July 1). The title of her poster is "Madeirolide A and B, novel macrolides from a deep-water marine sponge of the genus, leiodermatium" and is co-authored by Srinivasa Natala Reddy, Dedra Harmody, Peter J. McCarthy, Shirley A. Pomponi and Amy E. Wright. Priscilla received a travel grant of $1,000 from the ASP as well as grants from a private donation to HBOI, the Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology and the department of chemistry and biochemistry. (posted May 2009)
Drs. Jeanette Wyneken and Michael Salmon, biological sciences, along with graduate students Erin Dougherty, Jeff Guertin, Maria Merrill, Erin McMichael, Cody Mott and Justin Perrault presented their work on sea turtle behavior, physiology, functional anatomy and conservation at the 29th International Sea Turtle Society symposium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Dr. Wyneken co-taught a workshop on sea turtle anatomy. The meeting drew more than 700 attendees from more than 35 countries. (posted May 2009)
Z
Michael Zager, Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in Performing Arts, will spend this summer working at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand -- his third summer in Thailand. In 2006 and 2008, he was awarded Fulbright Specialist Grants, which were hosted by Payap. His mission was to develop a commercial music program and record label that emulates the programs at FAU. As part of his assignment, Zager produced a CD titled "Tales From the River," which morphs Southeast Asian instruments with western instruments. This summer, he will produce a CD in Payap's new recording studio, which Zager helped to design. Zager has been commissioned by the Fulbright Program in Thailand to write a song commemorating the 60th anniversary of the program, which occurs in 2010. The song, entitled "We Learn to Care," was composed and arranged by Michael Zager, and the lyrics were written by Porntip Kanjananiyot, executive director of the U.S. Educational Foundation in Thailand; John Latartara of the University of Mississippi; and independent lyricist Aram Schefrin. Zager recorded the song with members of the FAU Chamber Singers, under the direction of Patricia Fleitas, as well as FAU student and faculty musicians. Alejandro Sanchez-Samper, FAU's assistant director of commercial music, mixed the song. (posted May 2009)
Dr. Robert Zoeller, exercise science and health promotion, presented two abstracts, as co-author, at the American College of Sports Medicine's national meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana in May. The abstracts were "association of a polymorphism in the estrogen receptor 1 gene with fasting glucose levels in Caucasians" and "variants in MCPI and MCPIR are associated with baseline muscle size and strength." (posted 2008)
SPECIAL GROUPINGS
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FAU Faculty Members Receive Tenure, Promotion In recognition of their contributions to the fulfillment of Florida Atlantic University's multi-faceted mission in education, research and community engagement, the following faculty members have been awarded tenure and promotion. This listing indicates their departments and new titles. College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Barry Kaye College of Business College of Education Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing Charles E. Schmidt College of Science The following faculty members have been awarded tenure: The following faculty members have been promoted to the ranks indicated: Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science College of Education Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Charles E. Schmidt College of Science |
The following faculty members received FAU Environmental Sciences Everglades Fellowship Awards to provide fellowships for master's and doctoral students, post-doctoral research associates and interns: Dr. John Baldwin, biological sciences, "Evaluation of Bald Eagle Population Dynamics and Foraging Ecology: Current and Historical Trends in Florida Bay and the Southern Estuaries of Everglades National Park"; Dr. Xavier Comas-Quiros, geosciences, "Multi-Scale Characterization of Dissolution Structures and Porosity Distribution in the Upper Part of the Biscayne Aquifer Using Non-Invasive Electromagnetic Methods"; Dr. Marguerite Koch-Rose, biological sciences, "Everglades Restoration and Climate Change Effects on Submerged Aquatic Vegetation at the Florida Bay Transition Zones in Support of Landscape/Ecosystem Models"; Dr. Scott Markwith, geosciences, "Hydrochory Analysis in the Greater Everglades Ridge and Slough Ecosystem: Decompartmentalization and Sheet Flow Enhancement's Potential to Restore Ecological Connectivity and Species Composition"; Dr. Diana Mitsova, urban and regional planning, "Seasonal Flushing of Oil and Grease from Urban Runoff to the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve"; and Dr. Zhixiao Xie, geosciences, "Develop a Fine Resolution DEM to Support Hydrological Modeling and Ecological Study in the Everglades"
The fellowships are funded from a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service to the FAU Environmental Sciences Program to facilitate restoration of the Everglades ecosystem. The aim is to (1) produce high-quality publishable scientific papers that provide guidance for the restoration of the Everglades ecosystem; (2) provide support and training for outstanding fellows to conduct research that is pertinent to the science, management, or policy needs of National Park Service or other U.S. Department of Interior agencies in South Florida; and (3) to foster synergistic collaborations among faculty and students in the FAU Environmental Sciences Program and staff at the National Park Service. (posted May 2009)
