Arts & Sciences annual publications 2015

The Fragile Wild Conservationists race the clock to restore balance between civilizations and the shrinking tropical wilderness Page 18

18

On the cover: The Fragile Wild Scientists race to save tropical species

3

Alumnus’ crime novel completed five years after his death

4

Combating life-threatening diseases, one molecule at a time

8

Scientists unlock tangled mysteries of DNA

10 Faculty + peers + technology = success

FIU transforms the math experience

12

Primal understanding is at our fingertips

14

What’s in your air

Analytical chemistry for everyone

16

Cultivating success

22

Research for the birds

24

Creating a just, peaceful and prosperous world Green Family Foundation transforms School of International and Public Affairs

25

Exhibit takes viewers ‘Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow’

26

Unusual plant points to diamonds beneath the ground

28

Putting treatment within reach

Telemedicine revolutionizes access to mental health care

30

Unraveling the mysteries of the human brain

32

Shakespeare first edition coming to FIU

34 Picture: Researchers at the FIU Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment Laboratory study the upside-down jellyfish to understand the effects of chemical and physical stressors on the organism.

news.FIU.edu

Message from the Dean The past year was an amazing and

transformative year for the College of Arts &

Sciences! I am honored to serve as the dean and to help facilitate the amazing work of our faculty,

which was honored in the United States House of Representatives.

Arts & Sciences faculty played a leading role

in establishing the Sea Level Solutions Center,

students and staff.

which is addressing — and helping to solve —

4,300 degrees, and our researchers accounted

to our community. And this summer, English

Last year, the college awarded more than

for more than $45 million in external research

funding. In addition, the outstanding efforts of

our faculty and students provided the inspiration to be entrusted with more than $30 million in

philanthropic pledges to support all three of our amazing schools.

A single gift of $20 million to name the

the critical challenges that sea level rise presents alumnus Richard Blanco took to the steps of the United States Embassy in Havana as the

American flag was raised in Cuba for the first

time in more than 54 years. Blanco wrote and

delivered an original poem to commemorate the historic event.

In the classroom, we are developing and

Steven J. Green School of International and Public

implementing methods to better engage

and Caribbean Center has set the Green School

learning classrooms. I’m particularly excited by

to become the first school in the state to join the

in lower division math courses. Thanks to our

Affairs and the Kimberly Green Latin American

on a path to being fully independent and applying prestigious Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs. I thank the Green family for their trust and support.

The School of Environment, Arts and Society

also received tremendous support this year. Paul

G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. pledged $4 million to initiate

students, including the opening of three active

our tremendous gains in student achievement

dedicated faculty and staff, we saw double digit

increases in pass rates while maintaining the rigor of the curriculum! The work that all of our faculty members are doing to improve student success has distinguished FIU on a national scale.

This is an exciting time to be part of the

the Global FinPrint project — an international

College of Arts & Sciences. We are making an

sharks and rays worldwide. The project forms a

the ocean, around the world, and online — to

collaboration to assess the status of coral reef

key piece of the Tropical Conservation Institute,

which received a $5 million challenge grant from the Batchelor Foundation.

Our impact is being felt within our community

and globally. It can be seen in the 3,000 children who received treatment last year for ADHD,

impact from our classrooms — on campus, under our local community and throughout the world! I hope you will be as inspired as I am by the work featured in Arts & Sciences.

Sincerely,

anxiety and other behavior disorders from the Center for Children and Families. It can also be seen in the innovative cancer treatments

Michael R. Heithaus

Institute and in the Agroecology Program’s

Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

being developed by the Biomolecular Sciences Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach Program,

Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Florida International University

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 1

Arts & Sciences Mike Heithaus Dean William Anderson Associate Dean Maricel Cigales Associate Dean Maureen Donnelly Associate Dean Michael Maunder Associate Dean Jeremy Rowan Assistant Dean Evelyn Gaiser Executive Director, School of Environment, Arts and Society Suzanna Rose Executive Director, School of Integrated Science and Humanity JoAnn C. Adkins Editor, Arts & Sciences Magazine Aileen Solá-Trautmann Art Director Barbarita Ramos Graphic Designer Writers Ayleen Barbel Fattal Robyn Nissim Evelyn S. Perez

College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board Victor C. Balestra, Chair Mariel E. Acosta-Garcia Sandy Batchelor Frank DuMond Fausto B. Gomez Patricia B. Keon Paul D. Landrum Joe Zammit Lucia John Mills Esther Moreno Michael Rosenberg Dan Tasciotti

FIU Board of Trustees Albert R. Maury, ’96, ’02, Chairperson Claudia Puig, Vice Chair Mark B. Rosenberg, Secretary Cesar L. Alvarez Jose J. Armas Jorge L. Arrizurieta Leonard Boord Mayi de la Vega, ’81 Gerald C. Grant, Jr., ’78, ’89 Michael G. Joseph Natasha Lowell Justo L. Pozo ’80 Faculty Member Kathleen Wilson Chair, FIU Faculty Senate Student Member Alexis Calatayud President, Student Government MMC

Photographers Douglas Garland Douglas Hungerford Timothy Long Christopher Necuze

Arts & Sciences is an annual publication produced by the College of Arts & Sciences and the Division of External Relations at Florida International University. Please send comments, requests for copies, or requests for permission to reprint material to jadkins@fiu.edu.

College of Arts & Sciences Florida International University 11200 SW 8th St., ECS 450 Miami, FL 33199 305-348-2864 casdean@fiu.edu

cas.fiu.edu 14982_10/15

2 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

Heithaus becomes dean

Mike Heithaus swims outside the FIU Aquarius Reef Base.

Mike Heithaus was appointed dean of FIU’s College of Arts & Sciences as of April 1, 2015.

Heithaus, who served as interim dean since July 2014, replaced Kenneth G. Furton, who was named provost and executive vice president of FIU last year. As the seventh dean of Arts & Sciences, Heithaus is committed to initiatives that improve student success, engage faculty and expand research opportunities.

“Because of its diversity and reach, the College of Arts & Sciences requires a dynamic leader who is committed to creating opportunities for our students,” Furton said. “After an extensive nationwide search, it became apparent that Dr. Heithaus has the passion and the skills best suited to lead FIU’s College of Arts & Sciences.”

Heithaus is the founding executive director of the School of Environment, Arts and Society (SEAS) and also served as associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. With SEAS, he oversaw approximately $20 million in annual research expenditures and helped to raise more than $12 million in philanthropic gifts since 2011. He was also instrumental in FIU securing ownership of the Aquarius Reef Base in the Florida Keys, the world’s only undersea research laboratory.

Well-known internationally through his research on the ecological role of large sharks, both in Australia and Florida waters, he has been with FIU since 2003. Heithaus served as the director of FIU’s Marine Sciences Program from 2008-2009.

Prior to joining FIU, he was a staff scientist at the Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research, where he worked with National Geographic’s Remote Imaging Department conducting studies using their “crittercam.”

Heithaus has been involved in the production of more than a dozen natural history documentaries. 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. Extending his reach to inspire future generations of researchers, conservationists and enthusiasts, he has produced a series of educational videos and authored textbooks for K-12 classrooms.

Heithaus earned his Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University in Canada and his Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Oberlin College in Ohio.

n

alumnus’ crime novel completed five years after his death

By Evelyn S. Perez | esuperez@fiu.edu

J

ack Vaughn’s old friend Cal has gone missing.

His vintage Cadillac has been pulled out of a South Florida canal. His house is suddenly up for sale. His gym has been appropriated by a gang of Russian thugs. Vaughn suspects foul play. The fictional ex-cop goes in search of his friend, hoping to find him alive. And that is where Vaughn’s story was about to end.

Jack Vaughn is the creation of FIU alumnus Anthony Gagliano, who earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing in 2002. The search for Cal was Gagliano’s second crime novel featuring Jack Vaughn. Gagliano titled the book The Emperor’s Club. But in 2009, midway through his manuscript, Gagliano suffered a stroke. He died shortly after at the age of 53. The plight of Vaughn and his missing friend Cal were resigned to the fate of a book not yet finished.

Gagliano’s first book, Straits of Fortune, was critically acclaimed. His former professors, Les Standiford and Dan Wakefield, were fans. So when their former student unexpectedly passed away, they were disappointed to know his next novel would never see the light of day.

“I knew Anthony was a real talent from the first time he read in my class,” Wakefield said. “I told him, you can just take Jack Vaughn and keep going.”

But because he couldn’t, Wakefield and Standiford decided they would keep Vaughn going — at least until the story ends in The Emperor’s Club. So they

contacted Gagliano’s widow and asked for the incomplete manuscript. She dug it up from his computer and sent it to the professors. They got to work.

“This was a labor of love. We wanted to do it,” said Standiford, who also serves as director of FIU’s Creative Writing Program. “The manuscript was really good and close to being publishable. So we gave it a shot.”

There are many challenges in finishing another person’s creative work, especially when you don’t know how the story was supposed to end. Maintaining another author’s cadence and the voice of their characters is tricky. And making sense of unfinished chapters can be downright confusing.

“I’d be reading along and I’d say, wait, didn’t this just happen?,” Standiford said.

It was in that moment Standiford realized Gagliano would move around pieces of the plot to find the best fit within the storyline. Old stuff would be inserted into new stuff. It was clear the intent was to reconcile these replicated storylines in the final draft.

While Standiford did a lot of the heavy lifting, it was up to Wakefield to decide how the book ends. He was tasked with writing the final chapter.

Once the manuscript was completed, Standiford called on his colleague at FIU, John Dufresne, to serve as editor.

“I was a fan the first time I read it,” Dufresne said.

Satisfied, the trio went in search of a publisher. Three years went by with nothing. The crime novel was

facing a major challenge. Typically, publishers expect authors of mystery and suspense thrillers to create a series out of their lead characters. The Emperor’s Club was the second book to follow fictional ex-cop Jack Vaughn. It would also be the last.

“Publishers look at what it will be like at the end of 10 books in somebody’s career. Not a single book,” Standiford said.

Undeterred, Dufresne turned to a friend and colleague at MidTown Publishing in New York. With a single phone call, they found their publisher.

The Emperor’s Club hit bookshelves at the end of 2014.

“For me, this is Anthony getting his rightful place in Miami literary history,” Dufresne said.

Gagliano’s widow has arranged to donate proceeds from the book to the FIU Creative Writing Program in her late husband’s name.

n

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 3

Combating life-threatening diseases,

one molecule at a time

4 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh works with student Carlos Parra in her chemistry lab.

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

U

nder the gaze of a microscope, Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh’s eyes focus

(BSI) in the School of Integrated

awards and federal grants to support

Science and Humanity.

their work. Biochemist Fenfei Leng was

on winding strands of DNA. For her,

Biochemist Joong Ho Moon is

awarded a $317,000 grant from the

it’s the twist and turns of the DNA

seeking to improve the effectiveness of

National Institute of General Medical

double helix that are most interesting.

gene therapy to treat or prevent disease.

Sciences in the National Institutes of

The theoretical chemist believes

Although it is currently only being tested

Health (NIH) for his efforts to develop

the enzymes that regulate the

as treatment for incurable diseases,

new and more effective cancer

overwinding or underwinding of DNA

gene therapy has the potential to treat

treatment drugs and new ways to

are potential keys to treating a variety

inherited disorders, certain types of

combat obesity.

of diseases. She hopes her research

cancers and some viral infections. With

“The purpose of the institute is to

will lead to the discovery of new drugs

support from a nearly $490,000 award

enhance the intellectual environment

to treat bacteria that are currently

from the National Science Foundation,

and resources for biomolecular and

drug resistant.

Moon is studying gene and drug delivery

biomedical research here at FIU,” Tse-

The complexity of her work —

methods through particles without toxic

Dinh said. “Through interdisciplinary

combating diseases at the molecular

effects. Through this research, Moon

collaborations, we hope to increase

level — is a growing scientific trend

believes he can dramatically improve the

external funding for our projects that will

worldwide. FIU researchers, including

effectiveness of gene therapy methods

expand the scientific and translational

Tse-Dinh, are advancing the science

and reduce the risks associated with

impact of our research.”

behind diseases, cancer biology and

that type of treatment.

neurodegenerative disorders as part of the Biomolecular Sciences Institute

Moon is just one of the many BSI faculty members leveraging career

Alan Potamkin, co-chairman of Potamkin Automotive Group, was among the first individuals to support

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 5

“Inhibiting DNA repair within cancer cells slows tumor growth. Our proposed research will test a variety of compounds to determine which ones are the best inhibitors of DNA repair.”

— Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh

the institute’s efforts. His $75,000 gift to BSI will fund preliminary research for the treatment of glioblastoma — a malignant tumor affecting the brain or spine. Dr. Aizik Wolf, Neurosurgeon and Medical Director of the Miami Neuroscience Center at Larkin Community Hospital, was instrumental in securing Potamkin’s support for the project. As the lead in this research, Tse-Dinh hopes to identify predictive biomarkers, or molecular signatures, that may provide more effective, individualized treatment for glioblastoma patients.

BSI researchers, a team Tse-Dinh assembled as founding director, come from all across the university. Their combined research could lead to cures for certain cancers, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Yuan Liu is one of the researchers looking at neurodegenerative disorders. With support from a $1.6 million NIH award, Liu and her team have developed a new strategy for the treatment of Friedreich’s Ataxia — a rare inherited disease that causes damage in the nervous system leading to unsteady movement. The disorder also causes problems in the heart and spine, and can sometimes lead to diabetes. Liu is now in the process 6 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

of patenting the first effective form of treatment for this disease.

Liu and Tse-Dinh, both from the College of Arts & Sciences, have partnered with cell biologist Irina Agoulnik from FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine to develop a new, cellular-level treatment for prostate cancer, a project supported by the Community Foundation of Broward. The team believes they can combat prostate cancer that returns in patients who have already been treated by castration.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer has no known cure, with 75 percent of patients dying within five years of onset.

The problem lies at the very core of the human body — DNA. When damage occurs within a person’s DNA, it can cause a mutation in the DNA sequence.

This is typically fixed by a process called DNA repair, a function that exists in all cells. It is typically a good thing, except when it comes to cancer, where the repair actually helps the bad cells thrive.

To make matters worse, DNA repair in cancer cells occurs at a higher and more efficient rate than in normal cells. So while normal cells go through a natural life cycle in which they replicate and eventually die off, cancer cells keep multiplying.

The BSI researchers believe that by

stopping the DNA repair, damage will build up in the cancer cells causing them to die, essentially killing the prostate cancer.

“Inhibiting DNA repair within cancer cells slows tumor growth,” Tse-Dinh said. “Our proposed research will test a variety of compounds to determine which ones are the best inhibitors of DNA repair.”

The researchers hope to establish a novel method for screening and determining which compounds will most effectively block DNA repair in cancer cells without affecting normal cell growth.

“We anticipate that within the timeframe of this project, we will discover a new class of compounds that can be developed to treat advanced prostate cancer disease,” Agoulnik said.

According to the researchers, it is likely that the compounds identified in this study may also be effective in curing other cancers and relieving the symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

By studying the smallest particles of the human body, each of BSI’s faculty members are researching innovative solutions for some of our most complex health issues.

n

Cancer facts — The Killer The disease accounts for

8.2 million

deaths

worldwide

Leading types and annual mortality rates in the United States

Lung & Bronchus

28%

26%

Cancer accounts for nearly

Lung & Bronchus

Prostate

9%

15%

Breast

Colon & Rectum

8%

9%

Colon & Rectum

Pancreas

7%

7%

Pancreas

Liver

5%

American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2015 World Health Organization: World Cancer Report 2014

5%

Ovary

1 of every 4 deaths in the U.S.

1,620 each day

589,430 Americans are expected to die of cancer in 2015 Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 7

Scientists unlock tangled

mysteries of

DNA

8 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu

C

hromosomal proteins hold the key to our DNA and they are changing, according to marine sciences professor Jose Eirin-Lopez.

While today’s human body contains a variety of these proteins, Eirin-Lopez believes they evolved from a single ancestor millions of years ago. This finding is pivotal in unraveling the mysteries of DNA organization and regulation and could someday lead to innovative therapies for a variety of diseases including cancer.

DNA is the recipe for all living things.

Each of our cells has a DNA molecule enclosed within its nucleus, containing the entirety of our genetic information.

However, like a recipe book, not all that information is required at the same time.

Most DNA remains tightly packaged in chromosomes until specific pieces of information are needed to do a job. It is up to a group of proteins known as chromosomal proteins to unlock the information required to trigger action in a cell — to form a bone, determine eye color, metabolize food, fight infections or any other function. While significant information is available about the structure and functions of chromosomal proteins, very little is known about their origin and evolution. Eirin-Lopez and a team of researchers are the first to explain the mechanisms responsible for the evolutionary diversification of a specific group of chromosomal proteins known as High Mobility Group Nucleosome-binding (HMG-N) proteins.

“In the early stages of life on earth, cells were rudimentary yet still able

to perform their jobs. But evolution, through mutations, drift and natural selection, has led these proteins to evolve into higher performers,” said Eirin-Lopez, who co-authored the study with Rodrigo Gonzalez-Romero from FIU and Juan Ausio from the University of Victoria in Canada.

The research unveils the mechanisms responsible for the specialization of this group of proteins, from a common ancestor directing a variety of activities to specialized groups working in concert. However, along with better cell performance, a higher number of chromosomal proteins also provides more potential targets for harmful mutations. If one or more of these proteins are altered or mutated they can give erroneous instructions to cells.

The potential health consequences of such mistakes are massive, often causing cells to grow uncontrollably and resulting in cancer.

“The only way we can alleviate the negative effects of these alterations is by getting an exhaustive knowledge about these proteins and their function, helping us to develop therapies to reinstate the correct communication with DNA and the cell,” Eirin-Lopez said.

“Nonetheless, our knowledge about chromosomal proteins will never be complete until we determine how they came to be and to fulfill their current roles in the cell. Only evolutionary analyses can answer that question.

Understanding this better prepares us to take action in the future.”

n

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 9

S R E E P + Y FACULT = Y G O L O N +TECH

S S E C C SU math experience e th s rm fo s n a tr FIU

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

G

rowing up in Jamaica, Garfield Jugar was never a “math person.”

Actually, he hated math. Tired of his mother always taking his radio away as punishment for his bad grades, Jugar buckled down and tried to teach himself.

Jugar would wait for his family to go to sleep late at night and turn off the television. He would then talk through the process to solve the problems.

Over time, the self-teaching method produced results and math stopped being a problem. Actually, Jugar started to enjoy it. By the time he was ready for college, he decided to major in it and enrolled at FIU. The autodidactic student became a Learning Assistant (LA) in FIU’s Mastery Math Lab, a high-tech, high-touch approach to improving student performance through evidence-based teaching techniques including peer mentoring. The Mastery Math Lab, where students attend weekly problem-solving sessions, is designed for students in Intermediate and College Algebra courses. It is predominantly staffed by Learning Assistants, like Jugar, who are there to help their peers navigate the rigors of math. This approach is an alternative to traditional lecture learning and, 10 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

for many, makes classwork more relatable. It’s also one of several transformative interventions the college has implemented in recent years to better engage students in the classroom.

Throughout higher education, math courses traditionally have some of the highest failure rates nationwide. Even though math is a skill nearly every person uses on a daily basis, it has become a significant impediment to degree completion. FIU is not immune to this reality. It is what led to the creation of the Mastery Math Program, and has since led to other projects that are reversing course on this trend.

Last year, new approaches to teaching were implemented in onsite and online versions of introductory math courses including Finite Math, Social Choice Math and Pre-Calculus Algebra. Faculty engagement was a key component in these transformations. A team approach was devised, allowing for cross-collaborations on common issues and challenges. Special workshops were offered to arm the professors with new, evidence-based teaching methods.

In just a few short months, test scores were on the rise. By the end of

the academic year, nearly 900 students who were at-risk of failing were able to successfully complete their lower division math courses.

“The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has done an incredible job improving the success of our students while maintaining the rigor of the curriculum,” said College of Arts & Sciences Dean Mike Heithaus.

“There is more work to do, but to have made such large gains so quickly is inspiring.”

Pass rates experienced double-digit increases college-wide. This is in addition to more than 1,300 students who successfully completed College Algebra — but would have likely failed using previous teaching methods — since the inception of the Mastery Math Program.

“With full implementation, this transformation has the potential to positively impact the nearly 12,000 students who take undergraduate math courses each year at FIU,” said Leanne Wells, director of the FIU Mastery Math Program.

In addition to new teaching methods and peer learning, technology is also playing a role in the success of FIU’s efforts in math. High-tech components include personal response devices,

Lower Division Math Pass Rates Onsite classes at Modesto A. Maidique Campus Before intervention

After intervention

80 Mastery Math Program (full implementation)

Introductory math course transformation

70

60

50 % Pass Rate

such as iClickers, which provide real-time feedback for students and instructors. But ultimately, the success is tied to the relationships between students and the course content.

In addition, an important component to the changes being implemented in FIU’s math classes is the use of Learning Assistants.

The Learning Assistant program was pioneered in Physics during a time when enrollment numbers were steadily dropping for physics majors.

Today, the peer-mentoring program is being implemented at a much greater scale. In addition to physics and math, FIU has deployed LAs in chemistry, earth sciences and biological sciences with plans to expand to other areas.

FIU currently has the largest LA program in the country, with 178 Learning Assistants supporting more than 6,700 enrollments in 110 sections of STEM courses in nine disciplines.

For students like Garfield Jugar, his time as a Learning Assistant allowed him to teach others, while honing his skills as a mathematician and teacher. Now a teacher in Broward County, the student who once couldn’t pass a math test has since become the educator. n

40

30

20

10

0

College Algebra

Finite Math

Social Choice Math

Pre-Calculus Algebra

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 11

12 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

Researchers have long been interested in the relationship between hand preference and language in development.

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

F

IU psychologist Eliza Nelson believes understanding handedness — the tendency to use one hand more naturally than the other — gives insight into how the brain works and how it has changed over time. She is also examining overall motor skills.

While her ultimate goal is to advance scientific understanding about the human brain, her subjects are not always human.

As director of the FIU Hands Lab, Nelson is studying spider monkeys at Miami’s Monkey Jungle, observing how they use their hands. Though her focus is on their hand preference, Nelson recently made an unexpected discovery about the lanky-armed primates. Spider monkeys’ hands are not like most other primates — they have four fingers and no thumb — making them an interesting model for studying grasping and motor function.

They have long been believed to only be capable of using their hands like hooks. But when Nelson gave a group of spider monkeys tubes of peanut butter, hoping to learn more about their hand preference, some of the monkeys used individual fingers to dig out the yummy treat. It is the first time this type of independent digit control

has ever been reported for this species.

While an intriguing and unexpected find, Nelson’s team was most interested in studying the species’ reach and coordination — both of which are particularly difficult for spider monkeys given their unique hand structure. Comparing results of both tasks is critical for understanding the evolution of hand-use preferences in primates. Contrary to predictions and previous findings, Nelson’s research shows multiple measures are needed to fully characterize the concept of handedness. She hopes to make an important case for standardizing measures in this field and fill a gap in our knowledge of handedness in primates.

As a researcher in FIU’s Center for Children and Families, Nelson also focuses on motor skill research in children, specifically how their hands are controlled. Her work examines links between motor abilities and cognition including reasoning, communication and language.

In a recent study, Nelson determined infants who consistently prefer to use their right hand are more likely to develop advanced language skills

by age two. In that study, Nelson measured hand preference in different ways according to the age-appropriate motor level. She looked at how infants used their hands to pick up toys and compared it to how they used their hands in combination to manipulate toys as toddlers.

Results showed children who had clear, early hand preference performed better on language skills tests than those who did not develop handedness until toddlerhood. Those who were inconsistent in their hand use as infants, but developed a preference for the left or right hand as toddlers, had language scores in the typical range for their age.

By studying how the hands are used, researchers can better understand how the brain is organized, hopefully leading to a better understanding of how a number of human disorders, including autism and schizophrenia, affect the brain.

Nelson’s research on handedness consistency and the emergence of language skills is ongoing. Her ultimate goal is to identify how language and motor skills are linked in development and to identify earlier markers of school readiness.

n

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 13

What’s in your

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY FOR EVERYONE

14 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

J

ust 2 centimeters long and 2 millimeters in diameter, an FIU researcher has invented a sorbent tube that could bring analytical chemistry to the masses. The simple yet highly sensitive device is designed to sample volatile chemicals in the air, your home, food and even your body.

Called the CMV (capillary microextraction of volatiles), the device can sample air by drawing just a small amount of air through it. When sent to a laboratory for analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are identified including those VOCs associated with the presence of bacteria, mold, carcinogens and much more. The CMV could potentially be used in medical diagnostics simply by breathing through it — offering an inexpensive, non-invasive method for disease-detection.

Because of its portability, low cost and proven sensitivity, the CMV can impact nearly all industries including medicine, law enforcement, shipping, insurance, and even private in-home use.

FIU inventor Jose Almirall, a chemist and director of the FIU International Forensic Research Institute, and alumnus Digno Caballero have formed IAD-x, LLC to further develop the device and expand research with the intent to put analytical chemistry within reach for the average person.

Their efforts were on display early this spring at the eMerge Americas technology conference at the Miami Beach Convention Center — a platform connecting revolutionary startups,

cutting-edge ideas, global industry leaders and investors worldwide.

“For academics and researchers, eMerge is a golden opportunity to connect with industry and bring scientific discoveries to market,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.

The IAD-x collaboration is revolutionizing the field of analytical chemistry while helping to foster economic growth and employment opportunities. The team was selected by the National Science Foundation to participate in the Innovation Corps Teams Program (I-Corps) this past summer. The program connects NSFfunded researchers with the business community and entrepreneurs to promote innovation and technology transfer. Although initially developed to detect explosives, additional applications and potential markets for the CMV became apparent through the NSF-funded I-Corps customer discovery process.

“I recommend any faculty member wanting to explore commercialization of science and technology to consider going through the I-Corps program,” Almirall said. “The I-Corps team of a student or post-doc, a business mentor and the principal investigator is provided with the tools necessary to begin to evaluate whether a scientific discovery can be turned into a viable business.”

Still in the early stages of development, the researchers are exploring market opportunities for industry applications. All of their efforts are concentrated at FIU where IAD-x is being incubated. n

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 15

Cultivating Success

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu and Evelyn S. Perez | esuperez@fiu.edu Garfield Jarrett on his farm in Homestead, Fla.

G

arfield Jarrett was a U.S. Marine.

Military service was both his passion and his career. But injuries sustained during a roadside attack in Iraq ended it all.

Jarrett was granted a medical discharge and returned home to South Florida where he enrolled at FIU to pursue a degree in social work. He was driven by a desire to help people but also felt adrift in his new reality. One day on campus, a flyer caught his attention. It was announcing a new agriculture program for military veterans in the College of Arts & Sciences. Suddenly, the aimlessness gave way to memories of his childhood growing up on his grandfather’s sugarcane plantation in Jamaica. It brought a smile to his face.

South Florida is home to more than 200,000 veterans, and nearly 10 percent are currently unemployed. Miami-Dade County is also home to a large population 16 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

of Hispanic and migrant farmworkers. FIU Agroecology Program directors Mahadev Bhat and Krish Jayachandran know these statistics well, which led them to create the Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach Program for military veterans, socially disadvantaged farmers, beginner farmers, and nursery growers. In addition to providing technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to launch farm operations, the program also teaches aspiring farmers about government assistance programs and how to access them.

Jarrett was among the first to enroll, having recently graduated from the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work.

Today, he spends his time cultivating kale, carrots and other crops on his farm in Homestead. He is also rearing livestock. He has found both his calling and a place where he truly feels at home.

He is now looking to combine his social

work education with his farming business, offering outreach activities for veterans and K-12 students at his southwest Miami-Dade County farm. The veterans program has caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who lauded FIU’s efforts during a recent session of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach Program will provide direct benefit to not only our brave men and women returning from harm’s way, but also to the countless small farms in Homestead,” Curbelo said.

Bhat and Jayachandran have long dedicated their careers to people like Jarrett. For them, agroecology — a field that combines ecology and agriculture — is not just about improving farming.

It’s about innovation. They are fostering in an era of modern agriculture — one that relies on technology, public/private partnerships, university collaborations

and community engagement to develop endeavors that are environmentally, socially and economically beneficial.

Throughout Florida, more than 1.5 million people work in the state’s agriculture, natural resources and food industries and that number is on the rise. Nearly a third of those are in Miami-Dade County. In fact, agriculture represents $2.7 billion annually in local economic impact, yet occupies just 6 percent of the county’s available land, according to the South Dade Chamber of Commerce. Bhat and Jayachandran believe this low-impact yet high-return industry still has untapped potential. They are currently developing projects that create environmentally sustainable practices, help ensure food security, and provide a catalyst for economic growth. The Agroecology Program is working closely with the International Center for Tropical Botany, a collaboration between FIU and the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Researchers are combining the study and cultivation of plants with modern day uses, including food products. The Agroecology Program is also working with the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management to develop farm-to-table food programs. While the ideas are still in the development phase, Bhat and Jayachandran hope, in partnership with the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center, they can establish research and product development in the heart of Miami’s agricultural community.

Agroecology Program combines sustainability with economic opportunity in southwest Miami-Dade County “Agricultural science is the way of the future,” Jayachandran said. “If we are going to feed more than 9 billion people in the future, we have to get creative in how we use our soil resources and water resources.”

The ultimate goal is to create a universitysupported incubator and food venture center to foster economic growth as well as technology and product innovation. Since its inception more than a decade ago, the Agroecology Program has secured 18 USDA grants from its National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Office of Advocacy and Outreach to fund research, outreach and engagement initiatives, scholarships and more. Bhat and Jayachandran hope the program can continue to grow, offering inspiration, sustainability and diverse career paths. n

Aspiring banker becomes agroecologist

S

tephany Alvarez-Ventura, a once-aspiring banker, now spends her days among honeybees and organic gardens.

The Dominican Republic-native worked parttime at a bank in high school. Upon graduation, she enrolled at FIU to pursue a career in finance.

But an essay project in an English class piqued her interest in the environment, specifically pollution. She shifted her career aspirations to environmental studies. She landed an internship at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water in Washington D.C., where she ultimately was offered a job. Instead, she returned home to Miami to further her education in FIU’s School of Environment, Arts and Society.

Alvarez-Ventura devoted her thesis to studying colony collapse disorder — a serious disease affecting honeybee colony health and its ability to pollinate crops. Today, she is the program coordinator with the FIU Agroecology Program and continues to foster new relationships throughout Miami-Dade County.

Since its inception in 2005, the Agroecology Program has secured $7 million in research grants and awarded more than 150 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students like Alvarez-Ventura. In 2012, FIU became one of the first universities in the nation to receive the USDA’s Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities designation, which AlvarezVentura says is a testament to her alma mater’s commitment to people like her. n

Stephany Alvarez-Ventura

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 17

Coelogyne Fimbriata Pygmy Marmoset

Grasshopper Sparrow

T

he Yachang Orchid Nature Preserve is home to 2,400 vascular plants and at least 130 species of orchids.

Rarest among those is the Geodorum eulophioides. Hong Liu will never forget the first time she laid eyes on it.

For more than eight decades, it was believed to be extinct, a victim of human progress. But there it rested in a remote corner of southwest China, not extinct but not exactly safe either.

A few years ago, a local villager illegally cleared a portion of the preserve to plant eucalyptus, an economically lucrative plant in China. With just that single crop, the farmer claimed more than half of the land that hosted the only known viable population of G. eulophioides. Liu knew time was not on her side to save the rare orchid.

She spent the next several years successfully negotiating greater

18 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

Coelogyne Fimbriata photo by Hong Liu.

The

Fragile Wild

East African Bongo Antelope

SCIENTISTS RACE TO SAVE TROPICAL SPECIES

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu

protection for the orchid, but her efforts are far from finished. She is among the many researchers in FIU’s School of Environment, Arts and Society seeking to preserve plant and animal species that call the tropics and subtropics home.

Home to the International Center for Tropical Botany and the Tropical Conservation Institute, FIU’s geographic expertise in conservation extends from South Florida to the Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa, the Pacific and Asia. These regions comprise the top global biodiversity hotspots — areas of exceptional species richness facing extraordinary threats. Combined, the International Center for Tropical Botany, dedicated to plant conservation, and the Tropical Conservation Institute, dedicated to animal conservation, account for one of the most ambitious efforts in recent years to protect and

preserve some of the most biologically rich and diverse regions of the world.

The International Center for Tropical Botany, a partnership between FIU and the National Tropical Botanical Garden, is headquartered at The Kampong, the historic estate of plant explorer David Fairchild. It brings together FIU’s botanists and the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s research team, their extraordinary tropical plant collections and Pacific Island field programs. The center is supported by a $2.5 million gift from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and a matching $2.5 million gift from the Batchelor Foundation. FIU’s move to expand its botanical resources comes at a time when botany programs are shrinking all across the world and some are closing altogether. In the United States alone, half of the nation’s top-funded universities have eliminated

their botany programs in the past 20 years. The decision is usually an economic one.

“When threats are so high, it’s amazing that resources are being pulled,” said Christopher Baraloto, who joined FIU in 2015 as the director of the International Center for Tropical Botany.

“The tropics, in particular, have so much diversity that there’s so much we still don’t know. Without that knowledge, we have to ask ourselves, is it worth the risk to stop investing?”

Botany — the scientific study of plants — is important to many aspects of human life including the supply of food, timber, fiber, agriculture, medicine, and cosmetics. Plants support the basic daily functions of human life by providing essential ecosystem services such as the protection of watersheds, the absorption of carbon and the provision Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 19

Prosthechea Boothiana

of grazing lands. It’s these fundamental realities that make botany a critical area of study for the world’s growing population.

Mike Maunder, associate dean of research engagement in FIU’s College of Arts & Sciences, has devoted his career to habitat and species conservation. He has been involved with conservation projects in sub-Saharan Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and the United States. Today, he carries many titles. In addition to

associate dean, he is the interim director of The Kampong and co-director of FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute.

Last fall, Maunder went in search of plants that were known to have once populated Africa’s remote Imatong Mountains, long before war consumed the country known today as the Republic of South Sudan. Maunder and Kenyan botanist Quentin Luke began the long task of finding what remains of South Sudan’s historically rich plant life.

During 30 years of civil war, the African country experienced no conservation biology. No ecology. No biology field studies. The country’s economic infrastructure was destroyed and its universities wrecked.

South Sudan gained its independence in 2011, a welcome change to its violent history. But Maunder knows from experience that the window of opportunity to conserve and protect what remains is very tight.

He’s been there before, only last time it was Somalia.

In South Sudan, the people have begun to rebuild, posing a new threat for the country’s endangered species. A mix of tropical forests within the Imatong and grasslands and swamps to the north, South Sudan is now threatened by largescale habitat loss, falling victim to both traditional and industrial agriculture.

historic shark census catches predators on camera R

esearchers have embarked on the largest-ever attempt to survey the world’s shark and ray populations of coral reefs.

Predators are disappearing from the oceans in alarming numbers with nearly a quarter of shark, ray and skate species threatened with extinction. The lack of comprehensive and up-to-date data on

20 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

species abundance and distribution is hindering efforts to protect and replenish these ecologically important marine animals.

Deploying baited underwater video equipment, researchers hope to catch the ocean’s top predators on camera in their natural habitats. More than 400 reef locations will be surveyed during

The imbalance for conservation isn’t just being felt by South Sudan’s plant life. Maunder says the forests are silent. What wildlife remained after the fighting ended is now being devoured by people starved of protein. Maunder and other conservationists are looking for a solution that allows the people to thrive without destroying the country’s biodiversity. That balance has become a core focal point for both the International Center for Tropical Botany and the Tropical Conservation Institute.

“The advantage of FIU is that we already have a large group of biologists working in the tropics that bring a level of expertise that is urgently needed,” Maunder said. “And we are magnifying those resources through strategic collaborations with our institutional partners.”

Though their work often takes them to far-off places like China and South Sudan, there is plenty of work still to be done much closer to home. Embedded throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, FIU researchers are racing the clock in the Amazon to catalogue species, preserve what remains and begin the arduous journey of restoring populations of plants and animals that have been depleted by humans.

Formed in partnership with the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation

the three-year project dubbed Global FinPrint. The project is focusing on three key geographic regions where data gaps exist — Indo-Pacific, tropical western Atlantic, and southern and eastern Africa and Indian Ocean islands. Mike Heithaus, FIU marine biologist and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, is part of the international team of researchers.

“Recent estimates suggest around 100 million sharks are taken from the oceans every year for their fins and meat.

This is resulting in severe population declines for some species, and many of the species that are in trouble live in coastal habitats like coral reefs,” Heithaus said. “This could be a big problem for

(RSCF), the Tropical Conservation Institute is supported by a $5 million challenge grant from the Batchelor Foundation. From majestic creatures including reef sharks to tiny primates, the institute is one of North America’s only academic hubs for tropical conservation located in a top hotspot. Paul Reillo, RSCF’s founding president and fellow in the School of Environment, Arts and Society, serves as co-director of the Tropical Conservation Institute. For more than 20 years, Reillo has taken a hands-on approach to biodiversity conservation, developing novel husbandry, management and restoration methods for endangered species. The field-oriented population biologist, ecological geneticist and environmental engineer has led a variety of captive breeding programs that are helping to stop extinctions throughout the tropics.

Among the institute’s target species is the pygmy marmoset, the world’s smallest monkey, easily fitting in the palm of a human hand. They are found in the Amazon, living in the rainforest along rivers and streams. While not currently endangered, pygmy marmosets are considered a species of special concern.

Humans continue to encroach on their habitat and the pet trade serves as a major threat. Tropical Conservation Institute scientists are leveraging this tiny

and charismatic species to help protect the vast expanses of rapidly vanishing Amazonian forests in which they reside.

In addition to the pygmy marmoset, ambitious conservation projects are currently under way for the East African bongo antelope, sharks, Amazon parrots and many others. The philosophy is simple — protect and recover flagship species — which helps ecosystems and helps other species and people that live within those ecosystems. Some of the work focuses on captive-breeding programs, but the end goal is fieldbased conservation of wild populations and habitats.

In Florida, the institute recently embarked on a historic effort to save a local species of bird that is fighting extinction. Seven Florida grasshopper sparrows, among the world’s most endangered birds, are under the care of Tropical Conservation Institute researchers. Less than 100 male Florida grasshopper sparrows are accounted for in Central Florida, their only known habitat. Five of the seven sparrows were taken as tiny chicks from nests likely to fail and hand-reared from five days of age. The other two were parent-reared, and all are youngsters from this year’s summer breeding season. These seven tiny songbirds are the first of their kind to be raised in a captive setting.

“The plight of these sparrows is, unfortunately, a common theme throughout the tropics and subtropics,” Reillo said. “The Tropical Conservation Institute is designed to address the critical issues driving wildlife to extinction and declines in biodiversity-rich ecosystems. These little sparrows, and all the species fighting for survival on this changing planet, are why we’re here.”

Researchers throughout the College of Arts & Sciences hope to build a foundation for future scientists that will work to preserve the diversity of life on the planet.

Plant by plant and animal by animal, the teams within FIU’s International Center for Tropical Botany and Tropical Conservation Institute are racing the clock to discover, protect and restore. Their missions are closely intertwined because their subjects are so closely intertwined. Their research and conservation efforts are giving some of the planet’s most vulnerable species a fighting chance at survival.

But even more importantly, these teams of researchers are preparing the next generation — one that will carry the charge of stewarding a natural world

these ecosystems because sharks and rays, which are also in trouble in many places, may be important for maintaining healthy ecosystems. This global survey will fill in data gaps that could help governments, fisheries and others better understand and conserve these important predators.”

The new data will be consolidated with thousands of hours of existing video data to form a single dataset for analysis, producing the first global standardized survey of shark, ray and skates in coral reef environments.

With a $4 million pledge from Microsoft Co-Founder Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc., Global FinPrint is one of

several initiatives within Allen’s portfolio of ocean health programs.

Survey data will be made available in 2018 through an open-access database platform created by Vulcan’s technology development team and will include information on species density, habitats and diversity trends. Researchers,

policymakers, governments and others will be able to use this database to help inform conservation priorities, such as identifying and protecting areas with large or important shark populations, and to better understand the ecological importance of sharks as apex predators. n

shredded by human demand.

n

Prosthechea Boothiana photo by Mario Cisneros.

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 21

Research for the

Birds

By Robyn Nissim | Contributing writer

D

ead birds might be the last thing you would think of collecting, but they were the target of a recent campusbased research initiative.

Six undergraduate students, along with their professor, spent 21 consecutive days searching for birds that died after crashing into campus buildings.

“Window strikes are pretty common,” said Biologist John Withey. “Birds can survive, but it depends on how fast they’re going.”

A victim brought to him recently was an ovenbird, a warbler with black speckles on a white chest that commonly winters in Florida. His students’ efforts are part of a continentwide, scientific study of bird-window collisions. This hands-on project reflects Withey’s approach to teaching and research since arriving at FIU in 2012.

22 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

He organizes his classes and laboratory to enable discoveries in a manner similar to his experience as a student in California and Washington.

“That’s what I value — giving back the opportunities that I had,” he said.

Withey mentors and inspires FIU’s young scientists through the rigors of precise ecological fieldwork and data analysis. One new opportunity this semester was the course on urban ecology, which incorporates his love of birds. Withey says this nascent, interdisciplinary field offers a vital looking glass into the future of an increasingly urbanized world that remains dependent on natural systems.

Miami offers an exceptional realworld laboratory for investigating the interaction of hundreds of bird species within a densely built environment.

Withey has published widely on urban ecology and avian research. He recently traveled to Colorado to discuss how birds interact with differing patches of hardwood hammock in southern Florida. Using statistical analysis, the research is finding that residential birds engage differently than migratory birds with the remnants of this declining habitat.

“We don’t know that much about the habitat’s quality. Are birds finding what they need?,” he asks.

In another study, published this year, Withey and co-authors found that birds previously categorized as vulnerable were impacted more by urbanization and agricultural expansion than other groups of vertebrates. Huge conversions of natural land are straining ecosystems globally and locally.

Withey challenges his urban ecology students to invent ways for cities and nature to coexist. More than 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in cities, and the greater Miami region is one of the densest and largest, ranking No. 8 in the nation, according to the U.S. Census. Neighborhood parks that could support birds are conspicuously absent in Miami-Dade County, and its two largest cities, Miami and Hialeah, rank among the nation’s three worst for green space, according to a 2014 report from the Trust for Public Land.

People in such concrete jungles might lose sight of natural wonder.

“Birds can help us reconnect,” Withey said.

In the city, he appreciates when a small mockingbird defends its nest against a mighty hawk, and when hordes of black grackles gather noisily at sunset. But some bird watching requires adventure into remote

areas. After all, endangered species are ones you don’t see in the city, according to Withey.

Withey spent 18 months with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute intensely studying songbirds and their preferred habitats in Panama, and the results appeared last year in a single-authored paper in the journal Biological Conservation.

Withey says that Florida residents can support birds locally by adding native and fruiting plants to yards, keeping cats indoors, and adding stickers of hawks to windows.

In future years, Withey plans for the window-collision study to expand beyond collecting dead birds and into an experiment of preventive window treatments. Getting the broader community involved in citizen science is also on Withey’s agenda, and every year he conducts birdwatching sessions during “Environmental Immersion” days at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

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Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 23

Just, Peaceful and Prosperous Creating a

World

Green Family Foundation transforms School of International and Public Affairs

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu

W

hen Steven J. Green started out in business more than four decades ago, his work was largely defined by geographic boundaries.

Fast-forward to today, and a person can be an importer and an exporter with little more than a computer.

In this globalized society, Green believes greater international understanding is necessary to be a successful person. And he’s not just referring to business.

The former Steven J. Green, left, walks with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg ambassador to Singapore, business leader and philanthropist is helping to advance international understanding through a bold commitment to education. He, along with his wife Dorothea, daughter Kimberly and the Green Family Foundation, has made a $20 million gift to FIU College of Arts & Sciences to name its School of International and Public Affairs, now known as the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs.

“I think the interconnectivity of the 24 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

world today is so close that unless people have a knowledge of other cultures and other political systems, we’re never going to have a peaceful world,” Green said. “To make a political difference, to make a social difference, you have to integrate many factors of lifestyle — health, safety, governance and laws. The School of International and Public Affairs deals with the integration of these ideas and truly creates a platform for tomorrow’s leaders.”

During his term as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore from 1997-2001, Green spearheaded strategic programs that enhanced U.S.-Singapore alliances in economic development, intellectual property, immigration and national security. Now, the chairman and CEO of Greenstreet Partners is leading the efforts of the Green School’s Strategic Advisory Board.

“FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs is a platform from which people can develop a universal understanding,” he said. “The integration of the 72 countries represented in the school’s student body — cultures living together, working together, dealing together — is a real opportunity for universal understanding.”

The Green School will now become a stand-alone school within FIU. In addition, FIU has renamed its Latin American and Caribbean Center to the Kimberly Green Latin American

and Caribbean Center and established the Kimberly Green Scholarship and Dorothea Green Lecture Series Fund.

“This gift reinforces FIU’s destiny as a preeminent center for international education and global problem-solving,” FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg said.

For Green — a man who spent the better part of his career globalizing well-known domestic brands, including Samsonite and Culligan — much of his education came from the new people, new cultures and even the new foods he discovered in his travels. But he says it’s his wife’s giving nature that has long-inspired his philanthropic spirit.

Throughout his career, he has found opportunities to make a difference. Some are very personal to him. Others are simply attempts to leave the world a little better than how he found it. The naming of the School of International and Public Affairs combines both — a very personal way for the family to support new ideas and future leaders while hopefully creating a better world.

“I have two grandchildren and I want them to live in a peaceful world where there is greater understanding of cultures, a world where American competitiveness continues,” Green said. “It would be easy to just live out the rest of my life and smile when I can, hoping it’s more often than not. But the reality is, you want to leave this earth feeling that you’ve created something.”

n

Exhibit takes viewers

‘Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow’

By Evelyn S. Perez | esuperez@fiu.edu

B

y the time World War II began in 1939, Germany had purged itself of its Jewish professors, scientists and scholars. Some of these academics, deprived of their livelihoods by the Nazis, found refuge in the United States. But in this new world, they faced an uncertain future.

Many of the refugee scholars unexpectedly found positions in historically black colleges in the American South. There, as recent escapees from persecution in Nazi Germany, they came face to face with the absurdities of a rigidly segregated Jim Crow society. In their new positions, they met, taught and interacted with students who had grown up in and struggled with this racist environment.

Last fall, FIU and the Coral Gables Museum, presented Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges, an exhibit offering a narrative of the offbeat encounters of these two groups, each the object of exclusion and hatred in the segregated South.

Bringing the three-month exhibit to South Florida was a five-year mission for English Professor Asher Milbauer, who also serves as director of the Exile

Studies Program. He first read Gabrielle Simon Edgcomb’s book, From Swastika to Jim Crow: Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges, and later saw the PBS documentary led by Joel Sucher and Steven Fischler. When he heard about the exhibit, he knew he wanted to see it.

“I was deeply moved by the friendship, understanding and respect that developed between the displaced Jewish German refugee professors and their Afro-American students in the historically black colleges in the Jim Crow South,” Milbauer said.

Since 2009, Milbauer worked with numerous groups to bring the exhibit to Miami, including the Coral Gables Museum; Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York City; collaborators in the FIU Center for the Humanities in an Urban Environment; and others.

“The story of their encounter represents a unique moment in American history and has significant universal implications. It points to a simple truth: to get along and live in harmony we have to recognize that each of us has a story to tell,” Milbauer said. “To have the exhibit in Miami, a city of exiles, provided us all with a terrific teaching moment.”

The power of a story can be one of the most influential aspects of society, preserving history, celebrating cultures and helping us to understand our place in the world. Storytelling comes in many forms — the written word, oral traditions, pictures and art — and the School of Environment, Arts and Society (SEAS) leverages these avenues to help advance its mission to improve the lives of people and effect positive change for the environment in which we live.

Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow was a signature event for SEAS and the College of Arts & Sciences, helping to advance dialogues about conflict, discrimination and understanding.

FIU hosted a robust series of events — including panel discussions, staged readings, film screenings, lectures, an interfaith panel discussion, and a professional development workshop for Miami-Dade County Public School teachers. Several of the events featured Guy Stern, who served in a U.S. special military intelligence unit comprised largely of Jews who fled Nazi persecution known as the Ritchie Boys. Stern served as the FIU/Betsy Exile Studies Scholar in Residence, which is sponsored by The Betsy – South Beach.

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Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 25

26 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

By Evelyn S. Perez | esuperez@fiu.edu

A

UNUSUAL PLANT POINTS TO DIAMONDS

rare discovery by an FIU geologist could radically change diamond prospecting worldwide.

Researcher Stephen Haggerty recently embarked on a field trip to search for a long-elusive kimberlite pipe in the dense bush of northwestern Liberia. Kimberlite pipes are concealed geological structures that serve as the primary source of the world’s commercial diamond production. They form as a result of violent eruptions of certain types of volcanoes.

Haggerty first searched for this particular kimberlite pipe in the late 1970s and 1980s, but civil wars stalled his efforts. He returned in 2013, finally discovering exactly what he was looking for and something he did not expect. Rising out of the ground above the kimberlite pipe was a Pandanus candelabrum, an unusual plant known to locals as pamaya. The palmlike plant with its aerial roots and spiny fronds was growing in the chemically unique soil directly above the kimberlite pipe.

Subsequent exploration by foot,

vehicle and air shows that the pamaya plant only seems to grow in areas where the diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes are present — making these plants the first and only known botanical indicator for these diamond areas, according to Haggerty.

“We don’t know if this plant can grow anywhere else where there aren’t kimberlite pipes present. It’s too early to tell,” said Haggerty, who also is the chief exploration officer of Youssef Diamond Mining Company. “The roots of the plant are typical of swampy areas, but for Liberia, it appears to be kimberlite-specific.”

The discovery in Liberia could change the dynamics of diamond exploration worldwide by providing a natural and easily identifiable marker for the locations of diamond-rich deposits.

It could become the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly form of prospecting in West Africa.

Haggerty’s findings were published in the June-July edition of Economic Geology.

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BENEATH THE GROUND Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 27

Putting treatment within reach

Telemedicine revolutionizes access to mental health care 28 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

For millions of Americans, mental health treatment is largely out of reach — a fact FIU psychologists are trying to change.

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

I

n-person treatments for mental health can be costly, time-consuming and often unavailable in convenient locations. For these reasons, many don’t seek help. But researchers at FIU’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) are pioneering the use of electronic media to provide health care services in a more convenient and cost-effective setting. This new trend is called telemedicine.

Currently, the researchers are providing comprehensive diagnostic assessments and state-of-the-art treatments for children and adolescents who experience excessive fear and anxiety-related problems or exhibit disruptive behavior disorders.

Because some children do not respond to traditional forms of therapy, psychologist Jeremy Pettit and researchers in CCF’s Child Anxiety and Phobia Program are implementing a computer-based treatment that seems more like a video game to kids than therapy. The computers help train children to direct their attention away from threatening stimuli.

This format is easier for them to grasp because it uses technology with which they are already familiar. Preliminary findings show this method can be effective in treating anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents.

For children with behavior disorders, one of the most effective treatments is changing how parents and children interact to improve the child’s behavior while also improving the parent/child relationship. However, availability, accessibility and acceptability of evidence-based early intervention methods can be challenging.

To address the lack of access to this type of treatment, psychologist Jonathan Comer and researchers in the Mental Health Interventions and Technology Program at CCF are exploring ways to provide highly specialized therapy to families remotely. They are using telemedicine to provide training and feedback to parents using webcams, wireless Bluetooth ear devices and video teleconferencing. Parents are remotely coached in real-time to apply parent-child interaction therapy techniques to manage their children’s behavioral problems at home.

This type of internet-delivered therapy can also be effective for children with disruptive behavior disorders including obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD). Comer conducted a preliminary study using two-way audio and video equipment to allow for realtime communication. Results showed all participants exhibited significant improvement with their OCD symptoms. Some no longer met the criteria for an OCD diagnosis.

Early intervention is crucial, especially for children with anxiety or behavior disorders.

With the use of telemedicine, mental health professionals can broaden the availability of supported interventions.

The implementation of telemedicine for mental health treatment marks one of the most significant shifts in therapy in the past decade.

The team at FIU’s Center for Children and Families is exploring new ways to utilize this growing trend to expand the availability of and access to effective treatment for those who need it most.

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Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 29

Unraveling the

mysteries of the

human

brain

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

T

he brain is the most complex organ in the human body. It makes up 2 percent of a body’s mass yet uses 20 percent of its blood and oxygen supply. It controls the way we think.

It controls our movements. It dictates the way we make decisions. And it determines how we recall memories.

It is powerful and yet, fragile.

In the past 50 years, technological advances have allowed us to use the science of neuroimaging to better understand the brain — not just its anatomy, but its psychology — leading to what we know as cognitive neuroscience. In the next 50 years, a routine brain scan may eliminate the need for lengthy testing and intensive evaluations. A doctor may be able to diagnose neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as psychological issues including 30 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

depression and addiction, even without typical symptoms.

The science isn’t there yet, but FIU researchers believe it will get there.

Physicist Angela Laird is developing FIU’s Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging Center (CNIC), a program dedicated to the study of the brain.

CNIC features more than 50 affiliate researchers from all across the university including psychology, physics, chemistry, biology, education, medicine, business and more.

For Laird, it’s about more than diagnosing and treating illness. CNIC’s mission is also dedicated to education.

Laird is currently studying reasoning and problem-solving among students in her physics classes utilizing the same neuroimaging techniques used in diagnostic studies. By monitoring brain activity while the students are

learning, she hopes to identify the best methods for teaching today’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students and better craft the way classes are taught well into the future.

CNIC scientists have dedicated their careers to understanding mental processes in the healthy and diseased human brain. They study brain activity, cognition, emotion, action, sensory perception and mental health, while working to develop new technologies in cognitive neuroimaging. Psychologist Anthony Dick is studying language development. Modern Languages Professor Melissa Baralt is exploring the cognitive effects of bilingualism.

Psychologist Matthew Sutherland is leveraging neuroimaging techniques to study the impact of drug abuse on human brain function. With funding from the National Institutes of Health,

Angela Laird, director of Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging Center.

he is examining the long-term impact of marijuana use on brain function of patients living with HIV/AIDS. Others are conducting research to reduce health disparities among minority populations, especially those living with HIV/AIDS and drug addiction, examining how alterations in brain function can affect medication adherence and the tendency for risky behaviors.

CNIC’s mission is to act as a catalyst for the research programs at FIU, enabling deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying brain development, adaptation and learning, and response to disease. Fostering community engagement and outreach is key to developing this understanding.

Laird is passionate about sharing the wonders of science. And for her, no student is too young to start studying

the brain. This was most evident during the recent Brain Day event at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science where schoolchildren enjoyed activities created by Laird and other CNIC researchers. Earlier in the year, Laird and her FIU students also hosted an interactive presentation for 40 kindergarten and first-graders during a day of art and science at FIU. The kids created brain hats designed to help them learn the major lobes of the brain and what they control.

Understanding the scientific basis of thought and function of the brain drives the entire cognitive neuroscience team at FIU. While countless discoveries remain to be uncovered about the human brain, researchers are engaging the latest technologies to advance what we know about the organ that gives us the ability to know.

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Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 31

SHAKESPEARE COMING

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu and Evelyn S. Perez | esuperez@fiu.edu

W

hen William Shakespeare died in 1616, he left behind many

unpublished plays. These celebrated works were destined to be lost in a time of handwritten manuscripts and pirated printings. No Macbeth. No Antony and Cleopatra. No Tempest.

But a sentimental gesture by the author’s friends, John Heminge and Henry Condell, changed the course of literary history. Just a few years after Shakespeare died, the duo set out to collect his writings and publish them in a book known as the First Folio. This book may be one of the most important secular books in the English language, containing almost all of the known plays that Shakespeare wrote including 18 that were never released in his lifetime.

About 750 copies of the First Folio were printed in 1623 and less than 250 are known to survive today. The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C.

32 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

FIRST EDITION TO FIU holds the largest collection and is about to embark on an unprecedented journey.

In 2016 — 400 years after Shakespeare’s death — the folios will go on tour to all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico in the Folger’s exhibit First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare. One site has been chosen for each state. In February, when the First Folio comes to Florida, it will take up residence in the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at FIU, thanks in large part to the efforts of FIU Department of English Chairman James Sutton.

“This is a dream come true. I’ve been teaching at FIU for 20 years and have yet to meet students, from elementary school to college, who weren’t pulled in and electrified by Shakespeare,” Sutton said.

The selection process was highly competitive. Sutton, along with Gayle Williams and Shawn Tonner from FIU Libraries, and Klaudio Rodriguez from the Frost, drafted and submitted FIU’s application to host the folio in Florida.

The 500-square-foot traveling exhibit, which will be on display Feb. 2-27, 2016, tells a two-part story. The first is about the book itself. The second is about Shakespeare’s plays and their significance. When the folio arrives in Miami, its pages will be opened to the “to be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet, one of the most quoted selection of words ever written. Sutton believes Shakespeare’s words continue to define the human experience — what it means to love, to struggle, to persevere and even to die.

Visitors will be able to indulge in digital content and interactive activities, including a 3-D virtual tour of the old Globe Theatre in London. FIU will celebrate the folio’s visit with a series of events including a grand opening, family day, educational programming, and a closing day festival. The university will also team up with The Betsy – South Beach to host an academic conference for teachers. Additional events are currently being planned including a

film series and theater performances.

For those who can’t get enough of the bard, associated events — including performances of A Midsummer’s Night Dream by the Miami City Ballet — will be offered throughout South Florida after the exhibit departs FIU. For John Heminge and Henry Condell, they simply set out to preserve the work of a friend. It is unlikely that they ever imagined their efforts would ensure Shakespeare’s plays would grace theaters all across the world.

That his plays would become ballets.

That, someday, motion pictures would be invented and his works would find a new medium. That his words would be spoken four centuries later by schoolchildren who barely recognize Shakespeare’s English. It is unlikely that those two friends would have ever imagined that the book they set out to publish would today be an international treasure about to embark on a national tour in a country that did not exist when Shakespeare was alive.

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EVENT SCHEDULE Jan. 14-31

Feb. 14-17

Feb. 25-26

March 18

Much Ado About Nothing

by Shakespeare Miami

Academic conference for teachers, The Betsy – South Beach

SOBE Wine and Food Festival events, The Biltmore

A Midsummer’s Night Dream opening

by Miami City Ballet

Feb. 2

Feb. 20

Feb. 27

April 8

Exhibit opening, Frost Art Museum

Folio Family Day, Frost Art Museum

Closing day festival, Frost Art Museum

Two Gentlemen of Verona opening by FIU Department of Theatre Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 33

College of Arts & Sciences in

For the complete stories, visit news.FIU.edu.

FIU awarded selective grant to train leaders from Africa FIU was one of 20 American universities, and the only in Florida, selected to host African scholars as part of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. Twenty-five fellows from Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and other sub-Saharan nations called the Modesto A. Maidique Campus home during the summer while taking part in academic coursework, leadership training and community service projects. Supported by the U.S. Department of State, the initiative supports the fellows who hope to strengthen democratic governance, bring prosperity and enhance peace and security across Africa.

Scientists question Nicaraguan canal in newly released report A group of international scientists — including FIU geology and water quality experts — convened to review the environmental impact assessment report commissioned for the proposed construction of a shipping canal in Nicaragua. The trans-isthmus canal would be built by the Nicaraguan government and the Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Company, and would exceed the Panama Canal’s size and capacity. The scientists raised concerns about the canal’s environmental impact assessment report, citing the short amount of time taken to evaluate the impacts of such a largescale project and insufficient data collection on sediments, species, erosion and fisheries. The scientists’ review garnered international attention as the controversial project continues to be debated throughout Latin America.

34 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

1-day sale turns 10-year-old book into ‘New York Times’ best seller Les Standiford’s 10-year-old Meet You In Hell met the New York Times Best Sellers list this year. Wanting to tell the story of the larger-thanlife personalities responsible for the boom of the American steel industry, the director of the FIU Creative Writing Program published the historical nonfiction book in 2005. A decade later, a promotion offered by the book’s publisher made the book’s sales rocket, placing it in the top 10 of the country’s best sellers for the month of May. The promotion was a great success, generating sales of more than 3,800 e-books in April and helping the older book rise from obscurity. It is estimated half of all reading in the U.S. is done without paper today. With consumer adoption of hand-held technology rapidly rising, many argue e-publishing will continue to transform reader trends for many years to come.

Student ecology club named chapter of the year FIU’s ecology club, GLADES, has been named student chapter of the year by the Ecological Society of America. GLADES — or Growth of Leadership, Academics and Diversity in Ecological Sciences — provides students with a network to explore research, professional development, community outreach and leadership opportunities in ecology. Now in its second year at FIU, the club has organized a variety of events and initiatives on campus and in the community, including panel discussions, lectures, research presentations, beach cleanups and an adopt-a-tree program.

Creative writing student earns best new poet accolade FIU Master of Fine Arts student Annik Adey-Babinski is living her dream of studying and writing poetry.

Adey-Babinski’s poem “Wash Bucket” was one of 50 selected for publication in Best New Poets 2014, an annual anthology that recognizes the country’s emerging writers. Inspired by a dream her boyfriend had, the poem follows the journey of a wayward man who has left to battle his demons and has now returned to heal others, including a sick blue bird.

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 35

College of Arts & Sciences in

For the complete stories, visit news.FIU.edu.

Obama marks Earth Day in the Everglades President Barack Obama celebrated Earth Day with FIU researchers in Everglades National Park. The president took to the podium to speak about climate change and the importance of preservation.

Evelyn Gaiser, executive director of the School of Environment, Arts and Society, along with biologist Philip Stoddard, public administration student Jacqueline Crucet, journalism student Bryan Palacio, and Arts & Sciences alumnus Larry Perez were among those who joined Obama in the River of Grass.

Alumna introduces VP at White House college summit Provost and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton and physics alumna Idaykis Rodriguez joined President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and higher education leaders in Washington D.C. to announce federal actions to help students prepare for and graduate from college. Rodriguez, a postdoctoral fellow at FIU’s STEM Transformation Institute, introduced Biden at the White House’s College Opportunity Summit. Rodriguez shared her struggles to finance her education and the role her college mentor played in her academic success.

FIU announced its commitment to initiatives in line with the Obama administration’s priorities, including college readiness partnerships, college completion networks and increasing the number of college graduates in STEM fields.

36 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015

FIU becomes major research partner of Florida Keys sanctuary Under an agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), FIU has been named a major research, monitoring and education partner of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. With resource protection and public outreach as major focal points for the sanctuary, NOAA committed $1.3 million in October for FIU to provide support of sanctuary operations with personnel and partnership opportunities. Among the personnel are scientists who monitor conditions and assess resource damages, mechanics who maintain facilities, educational/outreach specialists, and administrative staff.

Physicist ignites big bang in fashion industry When Fiorella Terenzi transformed a Milan fashion show into an astronomical marvel, she did not anticipate the impact it would have on the fashion industry. Just months after Italian designer Ermenegildo Zegna debuted his fall-winter collection to the sights and sounds of space with the help of Terenzi, the FIU physicist was invited to give a presentation about the collaboration during The New York Times International Luxury Conference in 2014. A pioneer in the field of acoustic astronomy, Terenzi produced sounds from space that were blended with music from Tchaikovsky for Zegna’s fashion show soundtrack. Models walked in tempo with pulsating stars as animations of space served as the visual backdrop. While her specialty is sound, Terenzi also consulted on the animations, intertwining fashion and science in a one-of-a-kind display.

Geeki Girls descend on FIU FIU’s School of Integrated Science and Humanity along with the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies hosted the GeekiWood conference in September in collaboration with non-profit Geeki Girls. The conference offered tools to empower adolescents to have a greater appreciation for science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and the arts. It’s a way to encourage teens, especially girls, to pursue STEM-related areas in their studies as well as future college and career planning.

Producers, educators, technicians and scientists explained to a group of more than 200 middle school girls — and boys — how technology facilitates the creative process. The conference included an expo featuring FIU student organizations and researchers showcasing STEM-related work including a dogs and drones exhibit, reptiles and their ecological importance in South Florida, 3-D printing and more.

Arts & Sciences 2014-2015 | 37

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