Ytori - Winter 2021

WI NTER 2021

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE UNIVERSITY of FLORIDA COLLEGE of LIBERAL ARTS and SCIENCES

The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.

— IDA B. WELLS

Chicago History Museum / Getty Images

12 WHAT THIS CELEBRATION DID IS BRING TOGETHER THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY WITH THE GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY. 4 | LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

WINTER 2021

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QUESTION 8 | A Virtual Celebration The postponement of in-person ceremonies for the class of 2020 led to creative celebrations

10 | Self-Help By the Decade Associate professor offers a new perspective through podcasting

DISCOVER 12 | From One Milestone to the Next As the African American Studies Program surpasses 50 years, an exciting new chapter awaits

20 | When It All Changed: CLAS Responds to the Pandemic Moving Forward Stitching the Community Together Feeding Southwest Florida in a Time of Need Supporting the New Extended Family Biology Rises to the Occasion Filling Empty Labs with New Purpose

CONNECT 30 | A Wider Perspective An English PhD student uses virtual reality to highlight marginalized groups and histories

32 | Across the Pond How a trip to London helped two students rethink their career paths

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34 | Creative License New book releases from faculty and alumni

38 | Read. Watch. Listen.

CLAS faculty share the art that has helped them through the past year

40 | Laurels Recognizing the achievements of staff, faculty and alumni of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

42 | Finding His Spark Alum makes history as founder of only the fifth Black-owned brewery in U.S.

44 | Toward Anti-Racism A digital event brought minds from across the college to discuss tackling racism in society

COVER Photo by Efren Vasquez Design by Khary Khalfani

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FROM THE DEAN It has been just over a year since I last introduced a new issue of Ytori magazine.

I don’t need to tell you how much has changed since then. As the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world, we at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, like all of you, were forced to quickly adapt to a new way of life. Our faculty, staff and students faced a variety of difficult questions and circumstances as the campus switched to a remote learning environment for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester and the summer, In the fall, we began a return to faceto-face teaching, which expanded further in the current spring semester.

Through all of these challenges, our college family rose to the occasion.

On the following pages, you’ll see examples of how Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty, alumni and students confronted the pandemic head-on and made a positive difference in the lives of others. From innovative research and instruction to assisting local communities, we continued our central mission of education and service.

This issue also celebrates the recent developments and the future of our African American Studies Program (Page 12), looking back on the many who worked to position the program where it is today — and recognizing those who continue to push forward the program as it transitions into a full department. In 2020, I had the pleasure of announcing the new Director of the African American Studies Program, David A. Canton, while mourning the loss of senior lecturer Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, whose work did so much to transform our community and university.

To all who have lost a loved one in the last year, I offer you my sincerest condolences. Our cover, created by UF student designer Khary Khalfani, reflects upon all that has occurred over the past year. Century Tower is an iconic feature of the university skyline, and it holds a unique meaning for all Gators. Dedicated as a memorial to the alumni lost in World Wars I and II, the tower serves as a reminder of our community’s resilience amid deeply felt loss. Khalfani’s design acknowledges the pain caused by this past year that we continue to suffer, but as shown in the rising sun, hints toward a brighter future to come.

We are building Ytori’s online version to make our content more accessible than ever, and it will be our most important online presence. I encourage you to visit news.clas.ufl.edu to stay up to date on all the latest news from the college and to subscribe to our biweekly newsletter. Great things are happening here.

Go Gators and Go Greater,

David E. Richardson Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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UNEXPECTED TIMES

BY SCOT T ROGERS

ELISABETH RIOS-BROOKS was finishing her senior year at UF pursuing a double-major in International Studies and Anthropology when the pandemic hit. Her work hours were quickly cut and then eliminated altogether. Paying her rent and purchasing food suddenly became a challenge. “I was really struggling,” she said.

Rios-Brooks’ family lives in Puerto Rico, depriving her of some immediate support other college students could count on during this difficult time. Wondering how she would make ends meet, RiosBrooks began looking for help. “I emailed all of my professors,” she said, seeing if anyone could point her in the right direction while relying on the UF Field and Fork Pantry for meals.

At the same time, UF was highlighting the Aid-a-Gator program, which provides financial assistance to students who are experiencing unanticipated expenses due to an emergency. After inquiring to learn more about the fund, Rios-Brooks discovered that the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) had just established its own tool to provide funding for students dealing with financial hardship called CLAS CARES. She quickly applied in May, and a few weeks later Rios-Brooks found out she was the inaugural recipient of the CLAS Cares fund. The support Rios-Brooks received allowed her to complete an internship

at the NAACP Washington Bureau as a legislative assistant and finish her time in Gainesville without worrying about paying for rent or food, before flying with her cat to be with her mother in Puerto Rico.

Graduating into a pandemic and economic recession is nothing that Rios-Brooks and her fellow 2020 classmates planned for, but she has continued to obtain valuable experience at UF, remotely helping the Center for African Studies with web design and event programming for a virtual conference to be held during the fall semester. RiosBrooks is passionate about social justice and previously volunteered with Florida group Dream Defenders. Looking forward, she hopes to find a position working with a nonprofit that shares her values.

For those students facing difficult times, Rios-Brooks sees no reason not to apply to the CLAS Cares fund. With gifts from generous alumni, this fund has been set up to help students navigate the stressors brought on by the pandemic and beyond. “The application process was extremely straightforward,” Rios-Brooks said. “I would definitely encourage students to apply.”

To make a gift to the CLAS Cares fund, please visit: clas.ufl.edu/clas-cares

U N I V E R S I T Y of F L O R I D A

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A VIRTUAL

CELEBRATION The postponement of in-person ceremonies for the class of 2020 led to creative celebrations

BY SCOT T ROGERS

A collage of graduate images submitted by family and friends are found on the following pages.

GRADUATION MEANS SOMETHING. It’s the moment when students suddenly aren’t students anymore. When, after years of study, the college experience is over. Unfortunately, due to the spread of the coronavirus, members of the class of 2020 were not able to mark this occasion by walking across the stage to receive their degrees, clad in their regalia — but that doesn’t mean they weren’t able to celebrate at all.

For all graduations in 2020, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences held virtual celebrations to mark this important milestone. Graduating students and their family members were directed to a commencement webpage and encouraged to participate in the festivities by sharing photos of their celebrations on social media using the hashtag #CLASGrads2020.

Once they accessed the page, graduates were greeted by congratulatory videos from Dean David Richardson and Associate Dean Joe Spillane, alumna Domonique Worship ’11 (Political Science/Spanish), student speakers and representatives from every major within the college.

Many family members also sent in photos of their new

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graduates which were shared on the college’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles, while alumni wrote in with words of encouragement to the class of 2020, who face the unprecedented challenge of beginning their professional lives during a pandemic. Please join us in celebrating these graduates and hear from some of our distinguished student speakers.

“ Now that we have graduated, nothing seems to be so sure anymore.

Do not worry. And most certainly do not get discouraged. Believe in yourself and continue to press your fear. And remember, success is not built in a day. It takes time, patience, motivation and dedication.”

— STUDENT SPEAKER FARAH JEAN (POLITICAL SCIENCE)

QUESTION

“ Being a UF student-athlete was never easy, but that was one of the biggest achievements of my life … Sports taught me commitment and discipline and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences told me how to apply those disciplines to my field of interest.”

— STUDENT SPEAKER CARLOTTA RICOLFI (ECONOMICS)

“ These past four years have emboldened us to accept and to embrace the challenges that come our way as we wrap up our undergraduate careers. We will be tempted now more than ever to look up towards our future, but I urge us instead to cut the rungs above us. Because where we are right now — this is success.”

— STUDENT SPEAKER ANNIKA RAMNATH (POLITICAL SCIENCE)

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QUESTION

SELF-HELP BY THE DECADE Associate professor offers a new perspective through podcasting

BY P E Y TO N M C E L A N EY Courtesy of By the Book

TRYSH TRAVIS, associate professor at the Center for Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies Research, ventured into the world of podcasting in 2020 to provide an expert opinion on the popular show By the Book.

Previously recommended by NPR and The New York Times, By the Book is self-described as “half reality show, half self-help podcast, and one wild social experiment.”

The podcast tries to determine if any of the tips found in these publications are worth following, with each episode following hosts Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer as they select a new book and adhere to its teachings for two weeks. They then follow up with an “epilogue” episode, discussing their experiences living by the material.

Travis appeared as a guest throughout the show’s winter 2020 season that took a historical approach to the world of self-help, with each episode examining a single bestseller from a particular decade from the 1930s to the present day.

The hosts turned to Travis for more context on the time periods discussed.

The hosts of the By the Book podcast, Jolenta Greenberg (left) and Kristen Meinzer.

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The eight-episode season started off with 1936’s How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and ended with the 2010 release The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Travis appeared in an epilogue episode for each book to discuss the social, political and, more often than not, economic factors that influenced American culture at the time of the books’ release.

As an expert in the history of media and “mental hygiene” movements centered on mental health and wellness, Travis provided a unique perspective on the self-help books covered in this series. She has found success publishing work on the history of addiction recovery and therapy methods in the United States, despite lacking a formal background in psychology. Travis’ focus is instead on the history of these practices, rather than the medical minutiae. Her work cannot easily be categorized into one academic discipline, allowing her to take advantage of a variety of opportunities.

Travis said she believes it is important to “do work that falls through the cracks of other disciplinary fields but tells a really important story that people in lots of different areas need to know.”

At UF, Travis reaches a wide range of students through her interdisciplinary courses, including those in the new UF Quest curriculum, which examines difficult to answer questions about the human condition. She places great emphasis on “meeting students where they’re at,” rather than sticking to the conventions of a single area of study or method of instruction. She likens this to her ability to reach the By the Book audience.

HER MESSAGE TO BY THE BOOK FANS IS SIMPLE: THINK ABOUT THE WAYS THAT SELF-HELP BOOKS ARE INFLUENCED BY CULTURE, AND HOW MUCH THAT CAN CHANGE OVER TIME. Travis’ involvement with the podcast began after By the Book discovered her work on self-help in a magazine dedicated to American history. Oftentimes incentives in higher education encourage academics to publish work that is accessible for only an expert audience, limiting its potential impact.

Recognizing this issue, Travis makes it a point to publish articles that are accessible to interested audiences outside of academia in addition to works in scholarly journals. Travis also co-founded “Points,” the official blog of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society, a project where scholars are given the opportunity to publish public-facing work on alcohol and drugs from a wide range of disciplines, which, combined with her experience as a guest on By the Book, has allowed her to discover a new and enthusiastic audience.

With thousands of listeners and a lively community of fans on Facebook, the show is well established in the podcasting community. Though many listeners are self-help enthusiasts rather than history buffs, Travis’ role on this season of the show has encouraged listeners to pursue further research into topics that resonated with them.

Her message to By the Book fans is simple: Think about the ways that self-help books are influenced by culture, and how much culture can change over time. She emphasizes the role of consumer culture in self-help books, and advises readers to have a healthy dose of skepticism when engaging in “self-care.”

She encourages self-help enthusiasts everywhere to engage critically with the self-help books they consume, much like By the Book does.

“There is an assumption that the self that seeks a self-help book is a self that believes it can be changed,” Travis said.

“We should always be asking ourselves what’s behind that belief: Who is it that’s telling you that you need to improve?

More importantly, how are they benefitting from you believing that?”

Travis appeared in eight “epilogue” episodes as well as one bonus episode of By the Book season six. You can listen on Stitcher or other podcast streaming platforms.

Travis’ book, The Language of the Heart: A Cultural History of the Recovery Movement from Alcoholics Anonymous to Oprah Winfrey (above) Associate professor Trysh Travis (right)

UNSTOPPABLE MINDS UF launched a new podcast last year, Unstoppable Minds, which highlights professors from around the university.

Featured in the inaugural season of the podcast were professors Laura Guyer from the Center for Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies Research and Phoebe Stubblefield from the Department of Anthropology. Guyer shares her experience founding the Health Disparities minor in CLAS (covered in the Fall 2019 edition of Ytori, page 36), while Stubblefield discusses unearthing mass grave sites attributed to the long-overlooked 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and shares how her family was impacted by the destruction.

Listen to Unstoppable Minds by subscribing to the show on your preferred podcast platform, or visiting ufl.edu/unstoppableminds.

Professor Phoebe Stubblefield

Professor Laura Guyer

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FROM ONE MILESTONE TO THE NEXT As African American Studies surpasses 50 years, an exciting new chapter awaits

BY A N D R E W D O E R F L E R Efren Vasquez

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DISCOVER

W

HEN MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE gathered on Turlington Plaza on February 21, 2020, to recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of African American Studies at UF, the occasion marked five decades of progress, dedicated scholarship and hard work. But those facets don’t tell the whole story: This milestone was also the result of struggle.

For the African American Studies Program, struggle is an essential part of the story. Its mere existence came in the face of resistance — the kind of resistance regularly mounted against grasps for an equitable world. But time and time again the program, home to one of the college’s fastestgrowing majors, has demonstrated its resilience, proving the value that the discipline offers to students craving not only a well-rounded education but a more just society. Now, a half-century after the program’s founding in 1969, its vital role stands to receive a long-sought recognition. Under the leadership of newly hired Director DAVID A. CANTON and with commitment from DEAN DAVID RICHARDSON, African American Studies at UF is seeking to become the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ newest department.

Dean Richardson has committed to four tenure-track lines for African American Studies, which has thus far largely

relied on lecturers, affiliate faculty and visiting professors and to support the growing demand for its offerings.

Accompanying this expansion is a newly constructed area within Turlington Hall that will provide dedicated space for its scholars and students.

Despite the institutional support, those long involved in the program know the struggle is far from over. Even last year, the program suffered a major trial: On August 5, 2020, PATRICIA HILLIARD-NUNN, a senior lecturer, dedicated historian and stalwart voice in the community, died at 57 years old. She not only enriched the program with her mentorship and scholarship but used her work to chronicle its past struggles.

Her loss was deeply felt throughout UF and the greater Gainesville community (a remembrance of Hilliard-Nunn is found on Page 18).

In the face of this blow, the program pushes on, with ambitions that aim even higher than department status — its faculty, staff, alumni and supporters believe UF can and should establish itself as a national destination for African American Studies. Drawing on the lessons and foundation established by their forebears, African American Studies at UF is up for taking on the challenges ahead. “I know that the University of Florida can be the leading higher education institution in this region for African American Studies,” said JACOB GORDON, a member of the program’s advisory board and a Professor Emeritus of African and African American Studies at the University of Kansas. “We have the potential. We have the

The African American Studies anniversary event featured a performance from the Pazeni Sauti UF Africa Choir.

DISCOVER

A large crowd gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the new marker. (Image courtesy of the African American Studies Program)

history. We just have to muster resources to get it done.”

Throughout a two-day event, the 50th anniversary celebration took a comprehensive look at the program’s past, present and future. After a day of panels that highlighted academic work, civic engagement and alumni perspectives, the event closed with a community celebration that brought together a wide representation of those who have contributed to the endurance of African American Studies at UF: alumni who first pushed for the program’s creation; the faculty and administrators who have shepherded the program from its founding to today, including SHARON WRIGHT AUSTIN, the political science professor who directed program from 2011-19; the current students and recent graduates who continue its legacy; and members of the greater Gainesville community with whom the program has long fostered connection. Current and former students offered reflections, while musical performances rang out from the likes of UF’s Pazeni Sauti Africa Choir. Those responsible for the program’s establishment and early years, including original program director RONALD C. FOREMAN and HARRY B. SHAW, professor emeritus and former associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, were recognized for their contributions.

The event also marked the unveiling of a historical marker on Turlington Plaza that notes the program’s founding came in response to a call for “fuller integration of the Black experience into the curriculum.” UF was far from the only institution in this movement: African American Studies

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at UF bloomed out a period of widespread social upheaval when nationwide movements against racism and segregation resulted in new societal, legislative and institutional changes.

But when DAVID L. HORNE first arrived as a student at UF in 1964, his personal goals — and those of the few other Black students — were somewhat more modest, he recalls.

“The first couple years, we just tried to survive and get through university,” said Horne, a Professor Emeritus of Africana Studies at California State University, Northridge.

It had only been a few years since UF, following extended court fights, finally allowed the first Black student on campus in 1958. For Horne, who grew up in segregated Jacksonville, acclimating to the predominantly white college campus while focusing on coursework was a preoccupation unto itself. Not only was his family back home depending on his success, but he believed early cohorts of Black students at UF were viewed widely as “test cases” for integrated higher education.

By the time Horne moved into graduate school at UF, a wave of student activism across the country from the likes of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee encouraged Black students at UF to demand more. They wanted the school not only to tolerate their presence but to embrace Black students, hire Black faculty members and support the study of African American history.

“Florida, both the state and the university, had left out of its history a lot of the valuable contributions and participation by African Americans,” Horne said. “I did not get that kind of info in

textbooks — I got it from Black teachers and counselors, but not from the books given by the school board. That had to change.”

Their activism — through letters, meetings with administration and protests — produced early results in 1969 and 1970: the establishment of the Black Student Union, the creation of what would become the African American Studies Program, and the hiring of new Black faculty members such as Ronald C. Foreman, the program’s first director. “We felt like we were making some progress. People were listening, and the administration was not completely closed off,” Horne said.

“But then there was a gigantic step backwards.”

Still believing progress needed to be made, students made further demands for support for Black students, the hiring of Black faculty members and, notably, the designation of African American Studies as a full-fledged department, with all of the institutional credibility and support that entailed. In stark contrast to earlier discussions, these requests were met with flat refusals from University President Stephen O’Connell’s administration. In response, students organized to lead protests on campus and a sit-in at O’Connell’s office in Tigert Hall on April 15, 1971, presenting a list of 10 demands. As tensions escalated, police arrested 66 students, most of whom also faced academic probation in what came to be known as “Black Thursday.” The administration’s refusal to grant lenience to these student activists led to 123 Black students, about a third of the school’s Black population, to withdraw from the university. [1][2]

American Studies at UF.” “They’re putting the resources and the human power into making it happen. That’s happening now,” Hilliard-Nunn said. Clear steps have already been taken demonstrating the college’s seriousness about bolstering African American Studies. The college enlisted the firm Isaacson Miller to manage a nationwide search to find top candidates to lead the department’s next chapter.

“ It’s about understanding how you build democracy and equality.

In other disciplines, we too often take these things for granted.”

—PAUL ORTIZ, DIRECTOR OF THE SAMUEL PROCTOR ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM

The new director, David A. Canton, comes to UF with a long resume of leadership and scholarship. At Connecticut College, he led the Africana Studies Program, and previously served as the school’s Interim Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, Chair of the Department of History, and Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Equality. He arrives eager to shepherd the creation of the new department and the search for new faculty. The newly renovated space in Turlington Hall, too, is a signal that the program and its students won’t be left on the margins. “You have to have an anchor. We need a place where

(Footnotes: [1] Program for “African American Studies at the University of Florida Celebrates 50 Years,” 2020. African American Studies Time-Line, pp 6-7. [2] Exhibit Text from “Alternative UF: Counterculture Through the Decades,” 2009.

Section “The 1971 Sit-In and Campus Civil Rights” by Bronwyn McCarthy and Candice Ellis.)

In the following decades, new milestones were met: the first certificate in Black studies was awarded in 1971, the program began offering a minor in 2006, and a degree in African American Studies was approved in 2013, when the program was led by Sharon Wright Austin, with the first majors graduating the following year. Nearly half a century after student activists first demanded African American Studies become a department, those involved with the program agree that the prospect seems more assured than ever, with unprecedented institutional support from the college.

“Different people ‘get it’ now,” African American Studies Senior Lecturer Patricia Hilliard-Nunn said before her passing.

In 2014, she produced a documentary about the history of the program called “45 Years of Triumph and Struggle: African

Illustration of The Florida Alligator, Vol. 61, No. 163. Friday, August 1, 1969.

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The waiting area to the redesigned African American Studies offices in Turlington Hall.

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DISCOVER

we can build our culture as we’re growing,” Hilliard-Nunn said.

“And for students, it’s very valuable to know that a space is there for them.” These moves come as interest in the program continues to rise among students. African American studies is one of the college’s fastest-growing undergraduate majors. On the horizon, African American Studies at UF looks to introduce master’s and doctoral programs, further encouraging the palpable student enthusiasm for the subject. “To know is to love us,” Hilliard-Nunn said. “I often tell students in my intro classes, ‘You’ll be back.’”

The program’s offerings hold even more urgency in light of political and cultural movements that have taken hold recently. Protests spurred by the killings of Black Americans including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery have shone a spotlight on the work still needed when it comes to achieving equality.

“The contributions of African Americans have been downplayed in the country’s history, and our current political situation makes it more important that we recognize them,” said JAMES ESSEGBEY, the interim director of the program from 2019 to 2020. “When you look at the history of civil rights, you realize some of the gains have been lost.”

PAUL ORTIZ, director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and a professor of history, said these recent crises emphasize how African Americans face questions that get to the core of a liberal arts education.

“It’s about understanding how you build democracy and equality. In other disciplines, we too often take these things for granted,” Ortiz said. “When trying to understand the Black experience in America, you can’t take ideas like freedom for

granted. Black studies get at the root of these big concepts.

How are we putting into action these values of community building, of solidarity, of working on behalf of underserved?

These are core values, and unless we’re putting them to work, we’re not fulfilling our core mission.”

But the value of African American Studies isn’t only in its advancement of essential ideals. The field — and the discipline, creativity and critical thinking it instills — is also starting to be recognized as a valuable launching pad as students enter the job market. “Our majors and recent graduates are making the case for us,” Ortiz said. “A lot of parents are now sold on the fact that African American Studies can be a great steppingstone to a really great career.”

An understanding of African American Studies is valuable no matter what field you pursue, said advisory board member Gordon. “African American history is the path of the American story from the very beginning to the present time,” he said. “We can’t minimize it. It should be taught not only in history, but in all endeavors. To exclude that is to diminish the greatness of America.”

The legacy and influence of the African American Studies Program at UF extends beyond its students, faculty and others formally involved — and beyond the bounds of the campus.

The program’s relationship with the broader Gainesville community has been a foundational component since the very beginning. For the early cohorts of Black students at UF, the campus wasn’t always the most welcoming environment. In search of a sense of community and belonging, David Horne

James Essegbey, then the interim director of the African American Studies Program, addresses the audience at the 50th anniversary event in 2020.

DISCOVER

said he and his fellow students often looked to the off-campus Black community for support. “They helped us to survive,” Horne said. “They gave us the spiritual grounding we needed.”

That relationship has continued to strengthen over the decades, with African American Studies students and faculty actively involved in volunteer work with the community, social justice campaigns on the local level, and support for institutions such as the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. It’s a component to the program that the new director, David A. Canton, is passionate about, seeking to strengthen the university’s relationship with the surrounding community.

“African American Studies can play an important role in those conversations,” he said. Educators, he added, should also learn from community members.

“ Every step of the way, change came about because of the work of the students, engaged collectively with faculty and staff.

It’s a collaborative effort.”

— PATRICIA HILLIARD-NUNN, FORMER SENIOR LECTURER

The program has also long aimed to engage local high school students — as exhibited by the presence of local high schoolers and their teachers at the 50th anniversary celebration. “What this celebration did is bring together the academic community with the Gainesville community. It highlighted the hand-in-hand work that we do,” Essegbey said.

“That’s why it was important to invite students from the high school to the celebration. This belongs to them, too.” Looking to capture a retrospective of the program’s first half-century seen over the two-day anniversary celebration, Gordon and Ortiz are working to publish a volume that can be used to introduce new UF students — or anyone at all — to African American Studies at UF. Continuing to highlight the effort that has been necessary to establish and sustain the program, they believe, will be important in the program’s next chapter.

“There’s no doubt in my mind if we mobilize resources that it could be one of the greatest, not only in this region, but in America and the world,” Gordon said. “We can’t fix the past, but we can shape the future.” Reaching that goal will count on the joint involvement of students, faculty, administrators and the greater community — as has been the case throughout the program’s history, Hilliard-Nunn noted before her passing.

“Every step of the way, change came about because of the work of the students, engaged collectively with faculty and staff. It’s a collaborative effort,” she said. “Now the real work starts.”

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Patricia Hilliard-Nunn (Courtesy of the Hilliard-Nunn family)

Remembering Patricia Hilliard-Nunn The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences lost one of its most vital voices with the passing of PATRICIA HILLIARDNUNN last year. Her impact on both the University of Florida and the community of Gainesville and surrounding areas was profound.

“Our college faculty lost a shining star when Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, a cornerstone of the African American Studies Program, passed away,” said Dean David Richardson.

“Dr. Hilliard-Nunn was an historian and teacher who contributed her talents to our students, our community, and the university in equal measure. Her passion for her work and scholarship was boundless.”

Hilliard-Nunn’s work shined a light on historical injustices, and her relationships with students left a lasting mark on their lives. Her groundbreaking research brought new attention to lynchings that occurred in Newberry in 1916, and her documentary In the Shadow of Plantations tracked the history of enslaved African Americans in Alachua County.

The UF community gathered virtually on Dec. 9, 2020, to recognize the Hilliard-Nunn’s remarkable achievements and her contributions to scholarship and racial equity. The celebration of her life featured tributes through music, dance and readings, along with remembrances from her loved ones and colleagues.

“Her voice was soft, yet firm, reflecting her knowledge and her faith for connecting,” UF President Kent Fuchs said in a statement shared on Twitter.

David A. Canton Named Director of African American Studies Ushering in the next chapter of a rapidly growing academic unit that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, DR. DAVID A. CANTON assumed duties as Director of the African American Studies Program on August 16, 2020. Dr. Canton comes to the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from Connecticut College, where he was Director of the Africana Studies Program and Associate Professor of History. He received his B.A. in History from Morehouse College, M.A. in Black Studies from The Ohio State University and PhD in History from Temple University.

At UF, Canton will continue his scholarship and teaching as Associate Professor of History, building on a body of work on topics such as 20th-century African American History, the Civil Rights Movement, and Hip Hop and Black Culture in Post-Industrial America. He succeeds Interim Director Dr. James Essegbey of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (2019-20) and Director Dr. Sharon Austin, Professor of Political Science (2011-19).

Richardson adds that “these positions should only be considered a beginning of a steady investment in new faculty members both in African American Studies and affiliated with the program from their positions in other departments.”

Canton will steward the search for these faculty members while shaping the new department’s vision. The chance to lead this process was part of what drew him to the position.

“The opportunity to build a department is exciting,” he said.

“The founders of Black studies programs across the country know that the power to make institutional change comes through departments.”

African American Studies programs, Canton said, have a role to play in the current cultural moment. The tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black Americans have drawn stark attention to systemic racism, and Canton believes a reinvigorated African American Studies Program has an opportunity to help shape public policy and make societal change.

In the years to come, Canton will work toward making UF the first university in the southeast to offer both master’s and doctorate programs in African American Studies. But first, he wants to take time to engage with students, faculty and the community at UF. “I’m going to do a lot of listening for the first year. A lot of listening,” Canton said. “In Black studies, the discourse and conversation are never-ending.”

“ The founders of Black studies programs across the country know that the power to make institutional change comes through departments.”

— DAVID A. CANTON

“I’m thrilled that Dr. Canton has accepted our offer to take the African American Studies Program to the next level,” said David Richardson, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “His track record of leadership and scholarship assures us that the program’s future is bright.”

Canton arrives at UF during a pivotal moment for the African American Studies Program, which recently debuted new office space in Turlington Hall. Dean Richardson has committed to supporting the transition of the program into a full-fledged department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, with four new tenure-track faculty positions already allocated to African American Studies in the next round of searches.

Canton arrives at a pivotal moment for the African American Studies Program.

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WHEN IT ALL CHANGED

ON MARCH 17, 2020, THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA’S CAMPUS SUDDENLY FELL SILENT. As the coronavirus continued to spread across Florida, the university, in coordination with the State University System, announced that classes for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester would be online only. And then there was uncertainty.

In the months that have followed, the country and the world have faced increasing pressures — some new, and some sadly all too familiar. On the following pages, you’ll find the stories of how alumni, faculty and students from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences adapted and rose to meet these challenges. These are the stories of how members of our community reached out to help those in need. These are the stories of how our faculty used their research skills to help fight the virus and support the medical profession, all while creatively working to ensure students received the education they deserve. These are the stories of how our students stood up and made their voices heard.

Lyon Duong

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DISCOVER

Chemistry labs remained open thanks to an abundance of safety precautions.

MOVING FORWARD 2020 was a year of adapting to challenges and major advancements

BY A N D R E W D O E R F L E R A N D S C OT T R O G E R S Brianne Lehan

THIS PAST YEAR FORCED THE STAFF AND FACULTY of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to quickly adapt to an ever-changing environment. Guiding their efforts was a simple mission — to provide the highest quality education possible. Here’s how they did it, along with some exciting developments that will continue to push UF into the future.

CHEMISTRY’S NEW EXPERIMENT When the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival in Florida forced chemistry laboratories to close their doors in March, the department’s faculty, staff and students were overwhelmed with questions. How would the over 3,000 students enrolled in lab classes continue their studies? How would researchers continue their essential work? How could the spaces be adapted to ensure safety for all?

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Months later, the labs are consistently abuzz with students — albeit with many changes. With more than 2,000 students taking a chemistry lab course with an in-person component, the facilities settled this fall into a rhythm with reduced capacities, social distancing and increased safety precautions.

The differences are immediately noticeable in the Chemistry/Chemical Biology Building’s first-floor general lab, where students, all with masks on and the recommended space between them, spread out among the 16 work stations in each of the four bays as they performed acid-base tests.

“I’ve never felt unsafe,” Kyle Bisson, a sophomore chemistry major, said while in the lab on a recent Tuesday afternoon.

He was eager to return after the spring’s shift to online, video-based classes. “It’s fun to play around in the lab, and you’re gaining practical abilities.”

Instead of the usual eight students packing each lab bench — as many as 256 students in a full class — they’re now limited to two per bench. To accommodate the necessary distancing, the General Chemistry 2 lab has expanded in the space of the General Chemistry 1 lab, which was moved online. The course is spread out into multiple sections stretching from midday Monday to early evening Thursday.

Each student now works solo instead of with a partner.

“They have to do more themselves. No free-riders,” lab manager Candace Biggerstaff joked. That’s not the only consequence of each student working alone: It also drastically increases the workload for those running the labs. Twice as many kits have to be prepared by lab managers and lab specialists, and teaching assistants have a much larger footprint to cover in each section as they aid students. The transition has been a heavy lift, but the result is worth it, lab staff said.

“It means a lot to be here in person,” said Jessica Webb, a lab specialist. “The students understand more with face-toface interaction. I can point things out and guide them in a more direct way.”

THE NEW CLASSROOM Meanwhile, in other parts of the college where in-person labs are not a core part of the curriculum, a new model for classrooms needed to be developed. While many students saw a majority of their classes become remote-only, offering a safe, on-campus alternative for students and professors in lecture settings became a necessity.

In collaboration with faculty, UFIT revealed new hybridflexible classrooms, HyFlex for short, prior to the Fall 2020 semester. These HyFlex classrooms are designed to support a wide variety of course configurations, including lecture and discussion. While all UF classrooms have supported videoconferencing for many years, the pandemic highlighted the need for students and faculty to be able to see and hear each other clearly, even when not all are physically present and those in the classroom are wearing masks and socially distancing.

In a HyFlex lecture, an instructor addresses both the in-person and remote learner audiences at the same time, sharing information with socially distanced students in the lecture hall and students via Zoom who are displayed on a screen facing the teacher. For the fall semester, 20 HyFlex classrooms were designed by UFIT, with the college’s rooms located in Turlington Hall and Little Hall.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT UF In July 2020, UF announced a public-private artificial intelligence (AI) partnership with NVIDIA that will catapult UF’s research strength to address some of the world’s most formidable challenges, create unprecedented access to AI training and tools for underrepresented communities, and build momentum for transforming the future of the workforce.

The initiative is anchored by a $50 million gift— $25 million from UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky ('80, electrical engineering) and $25 million in hardware, software and services from NVIDIA, the technology company he cofounded and a leader in AI and accelerated computing.

Along with an additional $20 million investment from UF, the initiative will create an AI-centric data center that houses the world’s fastest AI supercomputer in higher education.

Working closely with NVIDIA, UF will boost the capabilities of its existing supercomputer, HiPerGator. This will give faculty and students within and beyond UF the tools to apply AI across a multitude of areas to improve lives, bolster industry and create economic growth across the state. While AI will ultimately play a huge role in curricula throughout the college, most notably this will be seen in the new Data Sciences major within the Department of Statistics.

UF MOVES TO NO. 6 Continuing UF’s upward trajectory, in 2020 U.S. News & World Report named UF the number six public university in the country. The announcement marks the fourth consecutive year UF rose in the rankings for public universities, advancing from No. 14 in 2017 to No. 6 today.

During the same period, UF leaped from No. 50 to No. 30 on the U.S. News National Universities list, which includes both public and private institutions.

U.S. News also published the first-ever national ranking of undergraduate computer science programs this year, with UF ranking in the top 10% at No. 48 out of 481 public and private programs. CLAS is home to a bachelor of science degree in computer science.

An example of the HyFlex classroom setup.

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DISCOVER

Courtesy of Jimmy McClellan

needed a website to take requests for masks and provide information on how volunteers can sew the masks at home.

McClellan got to work, quickly creating a placeholder site in three days despite never building a website before. The impact was immediate.

Within the first few days of the site launching, the group received over 200 requests for masks. As demand continued to rise, the team realized they needed more volunteers to sew, so McClellan took to social media, posting videos that detailed how to sew the masks and participate. In 2020, the organization provided 9,149 masks to people throughout their area, usually satisfying requests within three days. This past summer the organization and volunteers made 1,106 masks in only 15 days to help their community as it began to reopen, while also passing them out to protesters in support of Black Lives Matter and encouraging a tight community of maskmakers on social media.

Route 1 Mask Match features a team of 70 volunteers in charge of sewing the masks, while additional volunteers help out with public outreach, conducting socially distanced deliveries and taking on other tasks as needed. To learn more, visit route1maskmatch.org.

Alum Jimmy McClellan helped provide his local community with masks.

STITCHING A COMMUNITY TOGETHER An alumnus helps provide sewn masks for those in need

BY S C OT T R O G E R S JIMMY MCCLELLAN ’12 was looking for a way to get involved in his city of Hyattsville, Maryland, located just outside of Washington, D.C. Then the pandemic hit. As a political science graduate, McClellan was always interested in giving back to his community, and after hearing that a newly launched local organization needed someone to manage their social media presence, he reached out.

The organization, Route 1 Mask Match, has been providing sewn masks since last March to help vulnerable and underserved populations in communities surrounding the Route 1 corridor of Maryland — encompassing roughly four square miles. “We are focused on people over 60, essential workers and people who are immunocompromised, along with their caretakers,” McClellan said.

After speaking with one of the organization’s coordinators, Lissa Bell, McClellan realized Route 1 Mask Match also

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Volunteers sew Route 1’s cloth masks based off specifications outlined on their website.

FEEDING SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN A TIME OF NEED Alumna battles hunger during the pandemic

BY A N D R E W D O E R F L E R IN MORE ORDINARY TIMES, MARCELA ROMERO (Economics ’13) would have spent her spring delivering fresh food and nutritional education to elementary schools in the Fort Myers area, informing students and their families about healthy eating habits. But when schools shut their doors in response to the pandemic, Brighter Bites, the nonprofit for which Romero serves as Southwest Florida program director, could no longer provide its usual initiative to promote nutrition and combat obesity.

In response, Romero shifted her energy to volunteering with the local Harry Chapin Food Bank to distribute food to those who needed assistance.

Between March and May 2020, she and Brighter Bites took part in food distributions to feed more than 2,500 families. “We are making sure that every family that is going through a season of food insecurity gets nourishing foods that include produce, bread, meats and canned goods,” Romero said.

As the pandemic continued in the ensuing months, Brighter Bites expanded its efforts to reach the community beyond volunteering with the food bank. The organization started distributing boxes from the USDA Farmers to Families program, establishing seven hubs for people to pick up fresh foods. As of July, the group had distributed 303,580 pounds of food in five different Southwest Florida cities.

Through the summer, the group continued to serve the general community before turning its focus back on how to best serve students once the school year began. The group partnered with Winn-Dixie to send families gift cards for fresh produce at the schools that the group hasn’t been able to reach. Four $25 gift cards went out biweekly to 1,100 families in Immokalee, a farming community that had been hit hard by the pandemic.

In the face of difficulties caused by the pandemic, Romero felt it was important to contribute in any way she could. “A lot of people are going hungry right now,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone is fed.”

Courtesy of Marcela Romero

As the impacts of the pandemic reached Southwest Florida, alumna Marcela Romero retooled an educational nutrition program to distribute food to those who needed assistance.

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DISCOVER

Adobe Stock

No Zoom call was complete this past year without feedback from our furry companions.

SUPPORTING THE NEW EXTENDED FAMILY An ongoing study highlights one PhD student’s work to address inequality in pet ownership

BY S C OT T R O G E R S I HAVE SPENT MONTHS NOW apologizing for two main things over Zoom — my poor internet connection and my pets screaming at me every time I hop on a call. For many of us, the switch to more time spent at home has meant a dramatic increase in quality time with our pets — in my case, spending every waking moment with an ungrateful cat who does not take kindly to office doors being shut.

For JENNIFER APPLEBAUM, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology & Criminology and Law, the pandemic raises important sociological questions when it comes to people’s relationships with their companion animals. “Are pets actually helping people feel less lonely? Are they helping them have a more structured day?” she wondered.

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To answer these questions, Applebaum, with the help of her mentor, department chair BARBARA ZSEMBIK, launched a survey on April 6 designed to gauge how owners feel about their pets during quarantine. Combining closed and open-ended questions, the survey received 3,000 responses as of June 2020. Papers analyzing these results have since been published in several journals, including One Health and Animals, with more papers expected in the future.

“ PETS ARE USUALLY CONSIDERED TO BE FAMILY BY THEIR OWNERS, BUT OUR SYSTEMS THINK OF THEM AS PROPERTY.” The returns suggest what you might expect: People are feeling more attached to their companion animals and leaning on them for support, but the pandemic also brought up some potentially troubling dilemmas. Around 10 percent of initial respondents marked they wouldn’t or might not enter the hospital for the coronavirus due to concern for the welfare of their companion animals. Applebaum notes this is, of course, just in theory — becoming infected with the virus might change their minds — but it speaks to the level of attachment people

have to their animals, along with issues Applebaum has spent her career trying to shine a light on.

Prior to beginning her academic career, Applebaum worked in a front desk position at the Humane Society of North Central Florida where people would come in and attempt to surrender their pets. “It happened almost every day,” Applebaum said.

“It was a last resort for them.” This sparked an interest in the inequalities present in pet ownership. As Applebaum notes, the majority of western countries view pets as true members of families, yet laws and policies treat them as property — like a car. This can lead to very difficult decisions and immense mental and emotional stress for those who are put in situations where they cannot provide for their animals and are forced to relinquish them.

“Pets are usually considered to be family by their owners, but our systems think of them as property,” Applebaum said.

“This can complicate the experience of social inequalities, with adverse consequences for the whole household, when people and their pets aren’t supported together.” Domestic violence and homeless shelters might not allow pets on site, she explained, which might force people in need to avoid the shelters, exacerbating mental and financial strains. People who lack social and economic resources or a support network might

Applebaum’s research highlights the inequalities in pet ownership.

avoid seeking medical attention as well. As stay-at-home orders went into effect across much of the nation in April, national reports noted an increase in pet adoption rates. With extra time added to our days, it makes sense that many would see this as an opportune time to adopt. Applebaum notes, though, that pet adoption can also add stress, either due to behavior or health issues in the pet or unforeseen financial hardships — especially considering the pandemic-induced high unemployment rates.

Applebaum is concerned that as the pandemic continues, shelters will see an increase in relinquished animals. The 2008 economic crisis brought on a nationwide uptick in pets being relinquished to animal shelters, she said, while adoption rates dropped. The pandemic is, of course, a unique situation, where both economic and health factors could make it difficult for owners to care for their pets. “Who is going to take care of pets if the primary caregiver becomes incapacitated?” she asked.

While pursuing her master’s degree at UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Applebaum served as the manager of the school’s Veterinary Community Outreach Program. The program works with rural shelters and treats animals that wouldn’t otherwise see veterinarians. At the time, veterinary students also served once a week at the St. Francis Pet Care Clinic in Gainesville, which provides primary non-emergency veterinary care and services to homeless or very low-income pet owners. This experience further highlighted for Applebaum how nationwide inequality is built into even adopting a pet.

“Veterinary care is not accessible to a huge portion of pet owners,” she said.

During this master’s program, Applebaum conducted a research project where she used a geographic information system (GIS) to map animal intakes at Alachua County Animal Services, then overlaid these results with a map highlighting higher rates of poverty, family violence and Medicaid enrollment. After finding that there was a correlation between animal submissions and these specific areas, Applebaum interviewed people to find out why these two were lining up.

While expected, it confirmed her suspicions that pets are not immune to the effects of living in impoverished communities.

As she continues to assess the incoming results on the quarantine survey, Applebaum also received a National Institutes of Health Doctoral Fellowship this spring. Partnering with PhD student Carlyn Ellison from the Department of Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at UF Health, Applebaum will examine how relationships with companion animals impact the health and well-being of older adults who are aging in place.

“I hope my work can inform the human side and the pet side,” Applebaum said. “The vast majority of pet owners consider their pets to be family members. This conceptualization of a family needs to include pets.”

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BIOLOGY RISES TO THE OCCASION

Adobe Stock

AS THE PANDEMIC FLARED, faculty and students in the Department of Biology knew their expertise would be essential to understanding and combatting its effects.

Throughout 2020, they tackled the issue from a variety of angles in order to foster a society that’s both better informed and better equipped to deal with the coronavirus.

TEACHING ADAPTS Betty Smocovitis, a professor of the history of science, has long actively studied the history of pandemics, teaching a course and authoring publications on the topic. That work took on new urgency this year, and Smocovitis responded by producing essays and lectures drawing parallels to past plagues and continuing to inform students on the subject.

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Dr. Stefanie Gazda, the Biology Online Major Coordinator, helped to guide the department’s proactive approach to online learning in mid-March. Her experience with distance learning was important to help answer questions about using technology, ensuring accessibility, holding labs and proctoring exams.

GUIDING THE PUBLIC Professors José Miguel Ponciano and Ana Longo shared their knowledge of disease dynamics in articles in general-interest publications reaching large audiences in Latin America.

Longo wrote about the effect of collective behaviors on public health in Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, while Ponciano modeled infection projections for a Guatemalan investigative news site.

Tom Hladish, a research scientist in the Department of Biology and the Emerging Pathogens Institute, advised the Florida Department of Health on its COVID-19 response.

He developed forecasting models to identify the areas of greatest need in the state.

The Biology Leadership Circle held a peer messaging contest for undergraduate students in April 2020 to encourage Gators to practice appropriate social distancing and raise awareness about the pandemic. The first-place winner — “Do Your Part, Stay One Gator Apart” — was created by a team of freshmen: Joshua Lopez-Scarim, a biology pre-professional major who plans to pursue an MD-PhD degree; Adeeb Rashid, a biomedical engineering major who plans to attend graduate school in Biomedical Engineering; and Jeffrey Chen, another Biomedical Engineering major who plans to attend medical school.

FINDING CONNECTIONS The lab of professor Derek Cummings led a sweeping review of thousands of past studies on human viruses related to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. These similar viruses can offer clues into what we can expect for the future during our current pandemic, including rates of reinfection and the length of the immune protective response.

The lab, which has long studied coronaviruses, has also developed transmission models for the new virus and took part in outbreak forecasts. PhD student Angkana Huang was the lead author on a publication reviewing antibody mediated immunity to coronaviruses, while postdoctoral researchers Matt Hitchings and Luke Trimmer-Smith, respectively, offered guidance to the Florida Department of Health on COVID-19 testing and volunteered to administer tests.

All stories were originally published in the Fall 2020 Biology Newsletter, Symbiosis.

FILLING EMPTY LABS WITH NEW PURPOSE Chemistry had a creative solution to the hand sanitizer shortage

BY A N D R E W D O E R F L E R AS THE CORONAVIRUS SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY, the UF Department of Chemistry found a creative way to use its expertise to help those on the front lines of the crisis.

When courses shifted online in the spring 2020 semester, the department began using its teaching labs — no longer buzzing with students taking part in hands-on learning — to produce hundreds of liters of much-needed hand sanitizer for UF Health. In just the first month of the effort, the team produced about 560 liters of hand sanitizer made from two formulas — one ethanol-based and the other isopropyl-based.

The idea originated in mid-March when teaching lab specialist Candace Biggerstaff downloaded a World Health Organization formula for hand sanitizer and realized the General Chemistry teaching lab had all of the ingredients sitting around unused while students learned from home.

“She made a batch, and the idea just took off from there,”

said Lisa McElwee-White, the Colonel Allen R. and Margaret G. Crow Professor of Chemistry and chair of the department.

A request went out to people in the department to donate the necessary reagents so that large quantities could be produced for UF Health, which faced a shortage of bulk hand sanitizer to refill its pumps. “We knew there were shortages, and we knew we could make it,” McElwee-White said. “All of the components are commonly found in chemistry labs.”

The effort was led by Biggerstaff, fellow General Chemistry lab specialist Jessica Webb, Organic Chemistry lab manager Joshua Bush, and Organic Chemistry lab specialist Fred Cartwright. Meanwhile, lab specialist Manasi Kamat of Spectroscopic Services connected the chemistry team to UF Health to arrange the contribution. “All the credit goes to the staff,” McElwee-White said. “They’ve done all the labor. They’re really heroes.”

Courtesy of the Department of Chemistry

Workers at a UF Health warehouse receive a pallet of hand sanitizer produced by the Department of Chemistry, along with other materials. (Department of Chemistry)

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CONNECT

Virtual reality walkthroughs give everyone access to history.

A WIDER PERSPECTIVE An English PhD student uses virtual reality to highlight marginalized groups and histories

BY S C OT T R O G E R S Photo illustration designed by Amanda Nelson-Sinagra

THERE IS A POPULAR SAYING you’ve probably heard before — “History is written by the victors.” This has tended to mean that the “Great (white) Men” of American history get most of the spotlight, while many other vital stories go unheard. Thanks to a greater awakening in America this is slowly beginning to change, and English PhD student LAKEN BROOKS is doing her part to ensure marginalized voices can be heard — by everyone — through virtual reality (VR) walkthroughs of historic sites and other digital projects that put accessibility first.

Raised by her grandparents in rural North Carolina, Brooks had the importance of education imparted to her early in life. Though her grandfather had no more than a third-grade education, “He always encouraged me to read; he always encouraged me to go to college,” she said. This focus

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eventually led Brooks to attend Emory College in Virginia where she studied English and received a teaching certificate.

After graduating, Brooks received a Fulbright Student Award which allowed her to participate in an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program in Poland, giving her the opportunity to teach at the University of Szczecin and cementing her interest in continuing her studies. After being accepted at UF to pursue her doctorate in English, though, Brooks wasn’t sure what her focus should be.

Coming from a rural location where stereotypes often obscure the real people living there, Brooks had always been interested in finding a way to highlight the histories of marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ community.

In particular, she was always drawn to historical buildings as a way to connect the past and present. “It helps you be connected to the people who were there and the things they were seeing every day,” she said.

In highlighting marginalized groups, Brooks believed it was important to make sure those groups — limited either due to money, disabilities or another constraint — could experience these histories themselves. Borrowing a VR camera from UF’s Smathers Library, Brooks began experimenting with the technology. “I love VR tours myself,” she said. “It’s a great way to help people experience and see the world who may not have a lot of money or the capability to travel.”

Brooks first produced a simple 360-degree walkthrough of the Baldwin Children’s Literature Collection at UF that could be watched using VR goggles. Intrigued with the results and the possibilities of the technology, Brooks saw an opportunity.

Usually spending her summers with a friend who lives in Washington D.C., she was very familiar with many of the historic sites around the nation’s capital. On a whim, Brooks decided to contact the President Woodrow Wilson House, offering to do a VR walkthrough of the grounds.

“ THESE DIGITAL AND VR TOURS ARE ESPECIALLY HELPFUL NOW DURING THIS PERIOD OF ONLINE LEARNING, AND THEY ARE A GREAT WAY TO KEEP AUDIENCES ENGAGED WITH DIVERSE HISTORIES WHEN MANY MUSEUMS REMAIN CLOSED FOR COVID-19.”

During the 2019 winter break, Brooks was treated to a personal, enhanced tour of the empty house, where Woodrow Wilson retired from public life after his presidency concluded in 1921. The guide walked Brooks and her camera through women’s quarters not usually seen on the standard tour. Wilson suffered a stroke midway through his second term in office in October 1919, paralyzing most of his left side and forcing his wife, Edith, into an essential role. As the primary caretaker for the president, she played a vital role managing the office of the presidency, choosing what matters of state were most important to bring to Wilson and, some historians have argued, essentially taking on the role as the first female president of the United States.

After completing and editing the walkthrough, Brooks uploaded it to a YouTube playlist. Using either VR goggles or watching on a computer or mobile device, viewers can look around every corner of each room while receiving a guided tour from Elizabeth Karcher, the Executive Director of the Wilson House. In particular, the walkthrough highlights Edith and the other women who worked at the house, who are oftentimes obscured by history yet who played incredibly important roles in shaping the world (to view this walkthrough, visit news.clas.ufl.edu).

The pandemic has also shone a spotlight on how these technologies can help organizations during this period of mass closures and social distancing. “Organizations like the National Park Service and National Trust for Historic Preservation have used Google Maps and VR camera tours to highlight people of color who are important in our nation’s history,” Brooks said. “These digital and VR tours are

especially helpful now during this period of online learning, and they are a great way to keep audiences engaged with diverse histories when many museums remain closed for COVID-19.”

Seeking to further explore these technologies, Brooks is planning to launch a small digital initiative. “I spent part of my summer in D.C., and I noticed how many local museums are losing precious funding and are at risk of closing down,” she said. “After working with the National Children’s Museum this summer and noticing how their educational content was helping teachers and parents teach students during this difficult time, I wanted to continue this work in Gainesville.”

Brooks plans to create a QR code she will send to teachers and homeschool groups. After scanning the code, users will be taken to a digital exhibit complete with 3D images of items, videos and author statements, she explained, with the goal being to switch these out every few months.

As Brooks continues experimenting with these technologies, her goal remains constant — to make marginalized histories and works accessible for everyone. “I never thought of myself as a technologically savvy person,” she said. “It’s so cool how technology helps connect people across time and space.”

English PhD student Laken Brooks

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Beyond120 scholars pose for a photo in London during an excursion in the spring.

Courtesy of Beyond120

ACROSS THE POND How a trip to London helped two students rethink their career paths

BY A N D R E W D O E R F L E R AT THE START OF 2020, KATHRYN QUINTERO and HUNTER HALES shared similar career ambitions. Long interested in humanitarian work, the two then-juniors saw themselves eventually taking jobs at non-governmental organizations or other socially-minded nonprofits. But an experience in Spring 2020 made them realize their paths didn’t have to be so narrow — their CLAS degrees were preparing them for rewarding opportunities they hadn’t previously considered.

All it took was a 4,300-mile trip across the pond.

It started in the fall of 2019 when Quintero and Hales first got involved with Beyond120, a CLAS program that promotes experiential learning opportunities in and outside of the classroom. The program emphasizes career preparation by hosting internships, excursions, classes and other initiatives that equip students with the tools and insights to help them

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succeed in the job market after graduation.

Quintero and Hales signed up for a Beyond120-hosted excursion to Washington D.C., where participants had the opportunity to network with alumni in the city and tour professional offices. The trip was a “hard and fast introduction” to what lay before them after Gainesville, Quintero said. “That first experience was like dunking myself into a cold pool,” she said. “It was go, go, go for four days.”

The experience gave them a valuable taste of the skills and experiences necessary to land the kind of jobs they wanted. When the opportunity arose in the spring to take another excursion with Beyond120 — this time to London — they jumped at the chance to see what international opportunities were possible for UF students. That decision would prove revelatory.

CONNECT

The cornerstone of the trip was a series of site visits to workplaces, including major established companies, exciting startups and public-spirited organizations, where UF alumni would share their experiences at these firms, answer questions and impart advice to the group of about 20 current students. Quintero and Hales expected all of the visits to be informative and helpful but were particularly excited about the select few, such as Amnesty International, that specialized in the sort of humanitarian work they saw in their futures.

“ THESE ALUMNI TOOK INITIATIVE TO BRANCH OUT, AND THEY’RE DOING THINGS THAT THEY’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT.” — HUNTER HALES ON THE LONDON EXCURSION

But as it turned out, what they heard in their visits to corporate offices resonated with them in ways they hadn’t expected. Listening to fellow Gators — many of whom opened up about their ideals, skills and ambitions — share their experiences at these companies, they discovered that these opportunities had potential they hadn’t previously recognized.

At the information services provider IHS Markit, Hales was struck by how one alumna had focused on tackling environmental and social issues within corporations.

“I hadn’t considered these avenues to explore what I’m passionate about in the business world. She put that into perspective,” Hales said. “That was game-changing.”

During the visits to professional services company PriceWaterhouseCoopers and language technology provider TransPerfect, Quintero and Hales were both struck by the enthusiasm the alumni had for their jobs — and their eagerness to impart the lessons they’d learned from their journeys. “Sometimes these companies seem monolithic from the outside,” Quintero said. “But they’re made up of people who have journeys like me — people who have stumbled and fallen and have had high and lows in their careers. And they’re willing to speak with me about it.”

Hearing from a diverse array of alumni helped them recognize that their liberal arts and sciences education was imparting transferrable skills that could apply to a wide variety of opportunities.

They came away from the visits Hunter Hales convinced that there may be a place (International Studies)

for them in the business world after all. “Your coursework doesn’t always translate to the job you’re going to get.

These alumni took initiative to branch out, and they’re doing things that they care deeply about,” Hales said.

Alexia Ash, the Associate Kathryn Quintero Director of Country Risk (International Studies) Consulting for IHS Markit, was one alumni host. Her career path ended up much different than she imagined when majoring in mathematics and political science. “When I was in their position, I assumed I should have it all figured out,” Ash said. “The longer I’ve been out of college, the more I realize the most interesting thing is to take opportunities as they come.”

The coronavirus pandemic has made the future more uncertain for everyone — especially those about to enter the job market. But Quintero and Hales learned from their experience that a little bit of uncertainty doesn’t have to be a detriment.

Quintero has realized the plan she once had imagined for herself doesn’t have to limit her options — she can seize opportunities as they arise. “The number one piece of advice that I received, whether in D.C. or London, is that increasingly life is not linear,” she said. “It’s OK to take a breath.”

BEYOND120 Whether at small businesses or multinational companies, internships are an excellent recruitment tool for student talent in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For more information on how your organization can take part, please contact Internship and Experiential Learning Coordinator Brittany Grubbs at internship@advising.ufl.edu.

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Creative License NEW BOOK RELEASES FROM FACULTY and ALUMNI Is Einstein Still Right?

BY C L I F F O R D W I L L A N D N I C O LÁ S Y U N E S (O X F O R D U N I V E R S IT Y P R E S S) In 1986, physics professor CLIFFORD WILL published the awardwinning book Was Einstein Right? which took a look at how Einstein’s theory of relativity was holding up after more than 70 years. The book was written to help a general audience understand how tests and experiments of general relativity in the 1970s and early ’80s had continued to prove that — spoiler alert — yes, Einstein was still right.

Now, 34 years later, Will, who received the 2019 Albert Einstein Medal from the Albert Einstein Society in Bern, Switzerland, is back with a new book co-written by Nicolás Yunes from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Is Einstein Still Right? once again probes Einstein’s theory of relativity to see if new developments in the field have put the famous physicist on shakier ground.

“ WE WANT TO REALLY PRESENT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC HOW SCIENCE WORKS, HOW IT IS THAT WE BELIEVE CERTAIN THINGS ARE CORRECT.” In a rave review in BBC Sky at Night Magazine, astronomy writer Govert Schilling states, “Starting with the detection of gravitational redshift and the bending of starlight by the gravity of the Sun, Will and Yunes provide an entertaining overview of the many tests that general relativity has been put to over the past 100 years or so, introducing pulsars and black holes along the way. In fact, the book contains a lot more interesting stuff — and nice personal anecdotes — than the title suggests.” Along with explaining Einstein’s theory 34 | LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

of relativity and the many discoveries in recent years associated with it, the book exudes an easy camaraderie between the authors. One of the best examples of this is found in a back and forth conversation between the two that closes the book. Here they discuss the many developments in the field and wonder what will come next.

For Will, the desire to revisit this topic came from a concerning aversion to science he sees developing in some segments of society. By breaking down these complicated ideas in an explanatory manner, Will hopes this lifts a veil between the public and his field. “We want to really present to the general public how science works, how it is that we believe certain things are correct,” he said. Will stressed that knowledge evolves and “obeys a pretty basic set of laws. We reject old ideas and adopt new ideas when our old ideas fail to conform to reality.”

Will hopes the new book gives readers a valuable understanding of advancements in the field, while also leaving space for them to interpret the validity of Einstein’s work for themselves. “We titled this book Is Einstein Still Right?” Will said, “and we will leave it to our readers to make up their own minds.”

Aesthetics of Excess: The Art and Politics of Black and Latina Embodiment

BY J I L L I A N H E R N A N D EZ (D U K E U N I V E R S IT Y P R E S S ) Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research assistant professor JILLIAN HERNANDEZ explores how working-class Black and Latina girls and women are often framed as embodying “excessive” styles in her new book, Aesthetics of Excess.

Drawing on her background working in a community art setting with Black and Latina women in North Miami, Hernandez examines how the discourse surrounding “heavy makeup, gaudy jewelry, dramatic hairstyles and clothes that are considered cheap, fake, too short, too tight or too masculine,” racialize the bodies of women and girls of color.

“THERE’S A REAL BEAUTY TO BEING ABLE TO OWN YOURSELF AND HOW YOU SHOW UP IN THE WORLD; AESTHETICS OF EXCESS ILLUMINATES IT.”

At the same time, however, Hernandez points out that these styles can often be appropriated by contemporary art and sometimes even mocked. Recognizing it as one of “7 Books Feminists Should Read in November,” Evette Dionne wrote, “Black and Latina women are style pioneers: The ways Black and Latina women speak, adorn themselves, and embody the contours of their cultures have long been first denigrated and then mimicked by other women to great acclaim… There’s a real beauty to being able to own yourself and how you show up in the world; Aesthetics of Excess illuminates it.”

“What a joy it is to know that this highly original and downright necessary book is now in the world. Aesthetics of Excess makes an outstanding contribution to feminist scholarship” wrote Maria Elena Buszek, author of Pin-Up Grrrls: Feminism, Sexuality, Popular Culture.

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CONNECT Silence, the Implicit, and the Unspoken in Rousseau E D ITE D BY B R I G IT TE W E LTM A N-A R O N (B R I L L) It turns out, there’s a lot to say about silence — at least when it comes to the groundbreaking French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rosseau. French professor BRIGITTE WELTMAN-ARON edits a new examination of the intellectual pioneer’s insight into the unspoken and its connection to his well-known political and moral philosophy. Among the volume’s contributors is Peter Westmoreland, formerly a UF lecturer of philosophy now at St. Petersburg College. As an author, Weltman-Aron’s works include France and Algerian Imprints, a literary comparison of Assia Djebar and Hélène Cixous, and On Other Grounds: Landscape Gardening and Nationalism in Eighteenth-Century England and France.

The Sacred Cause: The Abolitionist Movement, AfroBrazilian Mobilization, and Imperial Politics in Rio de Janeiro

BY J E F F R EY D. N E E D E L L (STA N F O R D) In his latest work, UF Professor of History and Latin American Studies JEFFREY D. NEEDELL examines how slavery was abolished in Brazil after centuries of acceptance. From 1879 to 1888, the country’s abolition movement challenged the consensus of the Brazilian elite under a constitutional monarchy. The book offers a look into a system where slaveholders included both white people and people of color, bringing complex racial and political dynamics to the fore. Sacred Cause continues Needell’s exploration of Brazil’s history, which has previously focused on elite culture in turn-of-the-century Rio de Janeiro and the Conservative Party of the mid-1800s.

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Asteroidea

BY STE P H A N I E A N N S M ITH (A D E L A I D E B O O K S) Professor of English STEPHANIE ANN SMITH drew inspiration from visits to the UF Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience for her seventh novel, Asteroidea.

The book follows a marine biologist who, frustrated with her research into starfish (known scientifically as Asteroidea), returns to her childhood home. There, she must confront revelations about her family and past while the discovery of a new species of Asteroidea presents a new path for her work. Smith’s research for the book was funded by UF’s Rothman Faculty Summer Fellowship in the humanities. Her previous works include the Warpaint trilogy, about female painters dealing with trauma, and Baby Rocket, which focuses on a woman, who as a child was discovered alone in a rocket on Cape Canaveral, working to reconstruct her past.

Living on Automatic: How Emotional Conditioning Shapes Our Lives and Relationships

BY H O M E R B. M A RTI N, M D A N D C H R I STI N E B. L. A D A M S, M D (I N D E P E N D E NTLY P U B L I S H E D) Have you ever wondered what causes problems in your most important relationships, whether it be with your children or romantic partners? Living on Automatic: How Emotional Conditioning Shapes Our Lives and Relationships aims to provide you with a deeper understanding of yourself and others to help you improve relationships and lead a richer life. Co-written by psychiatrists CHRISTINE B. L. ADAMS ’76 and Homer B. Martin, Living on Automatic explores how we often have difficulty with relationships later in life due to our emotional conditioning during childhood. This book draws upon the authors’ combined 80 years of experience treating patients to help readers break the emotional patterns that are passed from generation to generation and create healthier relationships. The book was honored with a gold medal in the Psychology/Mental Health category at the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

The History of Kiziba and Its Kings E D ITE D BY P.R. S C H M I DT A N D TR A N S L ATE D BY G.B. K A M A N Z I (M K U K I N A NYOTA P U B L I S H E R S ) In the early 1900s, King Mutahangarwa of Kiziba led a large research effort to preserve the history of his kingdom, located in what is now northwest Tanzania and southwest Uganda. Once published, however, the findings were largely ignored by scholars. The History of Kiziba and Its Kings translates the studies conducted at this time, revealing information about the region and its peoples.

With this new release, anthropology professor emeritus PETER R. SCHMIDT and G.B. Kamanzi make this research accessible to wide audiences for the first time, bringing King Mutahangarwa’s findings into the modern era. The translation was released with the Tanzania-based Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, whose mission is to support Indigenous literature to preserve history and culture. The original research is an example of Indigenous peoples recording their own history, as well as utilizing important oral history techniques. Finally sharing the story of King Mutahangarwa and the Haya people of Kiziba with modern audiences, the book celebrates East African history and culture.

Altared: A Tale of Renovating a Medieval Church in Tuscany

BY K YL E TA C K W E L L B A L L (S H E B O O K S) In a new memoir, sociology alumna KYLE TACKWELL BALL shares the story of the ultimate “fixer-upper”: a debilitated 12th-century church in Tuscany. Renovating the ancient property into a proper home took several years and no shortage of trials, including “an invasion of mysterious insects, guests who held up the local lavanderia, and a resident ghost with a penchant for Marlboro Lights,” according to the synopsis. Through the often-humorous ordeal, Ball came to appreciate the Italian way of life. And the extensive project appears to have paid off: The result was highlighted with a glamorous spread in Architectural Digest’s March 2010 “Before & After” issue.

Invoking Hope: Theory and Utopia in Dark Times

BY P H I L L I P E . W E G N E R (U N I V E R S IT Y O F M I N N E S OTA P R E S S) In his new book, English professor and Marston-Milbauer Eminent Scholar PHILLIP E. WEGNER argues for the continued practice of theory, utopia and a deep reading of our current moment in time. This critical text was written in response to three events that occurred in 2016: the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia; the 100th anniversary Ferdinand de Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics; and the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. Ultimately, Wegner imagines a better future in what author Bruce Collins calls, “a responsibly grounded, even necessary, account of hope,” while Sianne Ngai from the University of Chicago says, “This fearless book is exactly what we need now.”

Black Panther in Exile: The Pete O’Neal Story

BY PA U L J . M A G N A R E L L A (U N I V E R S IT Y P R E S S O F F L O R I D A) PAUL J. MAGNARELLA, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology and the Levin College of Law, recounts the story of Pete O’Neal, the founder of the Kansas City chapter of the Black Panther Party who was convicted of transporting a shotgun across state lines in 1969. While out on bail pending appeal, O’Neal fled to Africa after police killed a fellow leader of the Black Panther Party. O’Neal has since remained in exile in Tanzania.

In the book, Magnarella, who served as O’Neal’s attorney from 1997 to 2001, challenges his former client’s conviction, which he believes to be a miscarriage of justice, by examining evidence and misconduct during the trial, highlighting a list of constitutional violations. The book seeks to demonstrate how O’Neal was denied justice during the height of an assault on the rights of black activists in the United States.

YTORI — WINTER 2021 | 37

READ. WATCH. LISTEN. CLAS faculty and staff share the art that has helped them through the past year

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A Serious Man ROY HOLLER, Assistant Professor of Israel Studies, says the Coen brothers’ 2009 film A Serious Man has helped him gain some perspective after “feeling that the universe is now conspiring against me.”

“It tells the story of Larry Gopnik, a modern-day Job of midwestern suburbia, and the endless stream of curveballs that life suddenly throws at him,” Holler said. “In search for meaning Larry turns to Judaism, seeking spiritual guidance from three local rabbis, but even these respected community sages are powerless in the face of the almighty filmmaking gods. The moral of this tale? In turbulent days such as these, perhaps it is best to adopt the Rashi quote which opens the movie: ‘Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.’”

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The Decameron

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Charité and Learning the History of Diseases VASSILIKI BETTY SMOCOVITIS, a Professor of the History of Science, has been teaching a course on the History and Evolution of Infectious Disease for 25 years. She recommends the series Charité, available on Netflix. The first part of this German production dramatizes the discovery of microbial disease through major figures that include Rudolf Virchow and Robert Koch. The second season deals with the use of racial hygiene methods like eugenics at Charité, a premier hospital in Berlin. “I think Charité is the perfect mix of history and fictional film for people who would like to understand the history of disease!” Smocovitis said.

For a reading list of “highly entertaining and informative” written works on the history of disease, she points to the Ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ writing on the Great Plague of Athens in History of the Peloponnesian War, Norman Cantor’s In the Wake of the Plague about the Black Death, David Oshinksy’s Polio: An American Story, and Why We Get Sick by Randolph M. Nesse, a book on the science of Darwinian Medicine.

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VICTORIA EMMA PAGÁN WOLPERT, Professor of Classics, recommends The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. “The prologue is a hauntingly familiar description of life during a pandemic, but its realities are offset by the highly entertaining stories of human nature,” she said. “My favorites were the tales of deception.

The descriptions of the gardens were also a balm in these troubled times. The Decameron (a title that means “ten days”) is a ten-out-of-ten recommend!”

Hi-Phi Nation Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere program coordinator LAUREN BURRELL COX recommends a podcast on the Center’s Facebook page once a week. In particular, she endorses Hi-Phi Nation, which she said “uses philosophy to turn stories into ideas, and expertly illustrates how philosophy plays a role in everyday life, not just in the academy.”

“As a humanities scholar, I’m always on the lookout for media that demonstrates how the humanities tackle real-world issues,” she said. “Throughout four seasons of the podcast, Barry Lam investigates topics ranging from psychics to sound illusions through interviews with academics and experts in a variety of fields.” In the most recent season, the podcast looks at the U.S. legal system through the lens of philosophy with episodes focused on “men’s rights,” police power, gender justice, punishment, legal loopholes and prison abolition.

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Laurels RECOGNIZING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF STAFF, FACULTY and ALUMNI OF THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS and SCIENCES JILLIAN HERNANDEZ, assistant professor in the Center for Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies Research, has been selected by a peer review panel for placement on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a tenure of three years for her expertise in Latina feminisms and cultural studies.

Anthropology professor GABRIEL PRIETO received the 2019 SAF Field Discovery Award by the Shanghai Archaeology Forum.

SAMYR QURESHI, criminal justice '14, was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for co-founding the website Knack with fellow UF alum Dennis Hansen, engineering '16. Knack helps students connect with other students on college campuses for tutoring and mentoring.

FRANCISCO MENDEZ, astronomy '20, received a Chambliss Medal from the American Astronomical Society during the society’s virtual meeting in June 2020. These awards recognize exemplary research by undergraduate and graduate students.

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Astronomy professor ANTHONY GONZALEZ was named an American Astronomical Society (AAS) Legacy Fellow. This is a new honor from the AAS that recognizes members “for their contributions toward the AAS mission of enhancing and sharing humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe.”

Seven College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students were among the eight UF recipients of the prestigious Boren Award to learn languages overseas. Boren Scholars and Fellows study a wide range of critical languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese and Swahili. Boren Awards are available to students of all proficiency levels who are committed to enhancing their skills. The college’s honorees were: EILEEN CALUB '22, linguistics and international affairs; ABIGAIL DUMONCEAU sociology '22; RAFAEL GUERRA, history '20; NICO HUERGO, political science and international affairs '22; KATHERINE MCCALL, economics '21; and RAYYAN MERCHANT, computer & information science and linguistics '23.

Department of Physics professor CLIFFORD WILL has received the 2021 Einstein Prize from the American Physical Society (APS). Will received this award for “outstanding contributions to observational tests of general relativity with theories of gravitational waves, astrophysical black holes, and neutron stars,” the APS wrote.

ALYSSA ZUCKER, associate professor and Vada A. Yeomans Chair of Women’s Studies, has been awarded the American Psychological Association Society of Psychology of Women Strickland-Daniel Mentoring Award recognizing a record of excellence as a research mentor and commitment to advancing scholars from underrepresented backgrounds, including women and people of color.

Physics graduate student COREY BATHURST has been selected to receive a 2020-21 Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Research (SCGSR) fellowship. This fellowship will allow Bathurst to continue his PhD research, with his advisor Professor Tarek Saab, at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory starting in January 2021. Corey’s research, performed as part of the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) collaboration, is focused on the direct detection searched for low-mass dark matter. As part of the SCGSR award, Corey will work on detector calibration and background studies at the NEXUS detector testing facility at Fermilab.

MARIXA LASSO, history PhD '96, won the Friedrich Katz Prize in Latin American and Caribbean history for Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal. The prize honors Friedrich Katz, an Austrian-born specialist in Latin American history, whose nearly 50-year career inspired dozens of students and colleagues in the field.

MANOUCHEKA CELESTE, associate professor in the African American Studies Program and the Center for Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies Research, was awarded the International Center Global Fellowship to explore how women around the world are use mourning and wailing for political intervention.

Professor VASUDHA NARAYANAN, Distinguished Professor of Religion, was invited to join the newly reconstituted Advisory Group for the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology.

EDITH KAAN, assistant professor of linguistics, and JORGE VALDÉS KROFF, assistant professor of Spanish and linguistics, received a National Science Foundation fellowship to explore proactive and reactive control in bilingual code-switching in comprehension and production.

DUGGAN COOLEY, psychology '03, was named to the 2020 class of Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” which recognizes, “business people who have achieved success in their industries and demonstrate a commitment to bettering Tampa Bay.” Cooley is the CEO of Pinellas Community Foundation.

R. MATTHEW BAROCAS, history and political science '21, was named the second-ever Schwarzman Scholar from UF. Barocas, who is also part of the UF Honors Program, is one of the 4% of applicants admitted into the prestigious program’s class of 2022. The award will position Barocas for a career as a Foreign Service Officer, promoting international peace and prosperity on behalf of American citizens. The Schwarzman Scholarship, known as the “Rhodes of China,” was created in 2016 by The Blackstone Group CEO Steve Schwarzman on the foundation that understanding China’s role in global trends is a requirement for the success of future leaders.

Department of Astronomy graduate student QUADRY CHANCE was recently named one of this year’s Pre-Doctoral Fellows at the Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA).

Chance is the first UF astronomy graduate student to receive this honor.

The CCA’s predoctoral program enables graduate student researchers from institutions around the world to collaborate with CCA scientists for five months on-site at the Flatiron Institute in New York City. During his time at the center, Chance will be investigating how stellar binarity affects the formation and structure of exoplanet systems.

Department of Chemistry professor CORAY COLINA received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to pursue innovative research and teach abroad in Mexico for the 2020-21 academic year. Colina was selected as a FulbrightGarcía Robles Science and Technology senior scholar and was awarded one of the four grants that are provided annually on this category. With the award, Colina will conduct research on molecular chimeras for opioid receptor modulators and serve as a lecturer at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.

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Jon Renthrope '10 (center) with fellow Cajun Fire founders and UF alums Paul Taylor '11 (left) and Adam Dawson '11 (right).

FINDING HIS SPARK Alum makes history as founder of the fifth Black-owned brewery in the U.S.

BY S C OT T R O G E R S Courtesy of Jon Renthrope

When JON RENTHROPE attended the University of Florida, he found himself wondering where all the good food was. While many might argue that Gainesville has a thriving food scene, most cities have trouble comparing to Renthrope’s hometown of New Orleans. Yet it was during his time in Gainesville where the 2010 political science graduate encountered something missing in his native culinary scene that would go on to help him make history — craft beer. Just one year after graduating, Renthrope founded and began serving as the CEO and brewmaster of Cajun Fire Brewing Company, only the fifth Black-owned brewery in the history of the United States and the first in the South.

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Renthrope grew up knowing many families of restaurateurs, so he always assumed joining the culinary field was a forgone conclusion. Forced to relocate to Florida after Hurricane Katrina devastated his hometown, Renthrope brought his plans and equipment along so he could make classic New Orleans cuisine and build relationships with his fellow students. “You take it for granted how different things are outside of where you are born,” he said, explaining that at UF he was introduced to people from all cultures and walks of life.

“I got to experience an international bubble.”

Yet Renthrope felt as though his culinary skills weren’t quite where he’d like them to be and instead found himself drawn to another passion: political science. Funnily enough, throughout his studies, his home state of Louisiana kept coming up — mainly in case studies about corruption in the state throughout the 1990s. This changed Renthrope’s ambitions of eventually becoming involved in politics, forcing him to realize that to make real change, he’d have to do it as a private citizen. “If I wanted to make the biggest impact in politics, I had to go into business,” he said.

At the same time, Renthrope was becoming acquainted with

craft beer in Gainesville and became interested in learning how he could brew it himself. Internet searches proved unhelpful, so Renthrope had to “dive in to find a network of homebrewers,” he said. This interest stuck and paved the way to make an impact on his hometown. When Renthrope returned to New Orleans after graduation, he saw an opportunity in the market for a new craft brewery that could also play a positive role in the community.

This was the first spark that gave light to Cajun Fire. Once Renthrope decided he wanted to launch his own brewery, he took on apprenticeships across the country to hone his skills before founding the brewery in October 2011 with fellow UF alums Adam Dawson ('11, fine arts) and Paul Taylor ('11, anthropology), his wife Courtney Wilson-Renthrope and Jomarque Renthrope. As an upstart small business, Cajun Fire lacked a human resources staff and other resources typically found in more established companies, which meant that Renthrope had to be “much more proficient and strategic,” he said, to grow the business and hire the right people.

“ IF I WANTED TO MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT IN POLITICS, I HAD TO GO INTO BUSINESS.” — JON RENTHROPE '10

And grow it did. Today, Cajun Fire beers can be found in more than 100 individual retailers including the supermarket chain Rouse’s, Trader Joe’s and Total Wine. Renthrope attributes the business’s success to being mindful of how their beers can complement the local cuisine along with a firm understanding of what brand and flavors will resonate with their customers. His Honey Ale, for example, is brewed with domestic honey, which allows it to last longer on shelves while providing a unique pairing option. Even the pandemic couldn’t slow Cajun Fire down for long — the brewery initially lost 30% of its volume capacity, Renthrope said, but they were able to stabilize and become profitable. Renthrope was also recognized as a 40 Gators Under 40 by the UF Alumni Association in 2019 for the significant impact he has made on his industry and his civic accomplishments.

As a Black brewmaster, Renthrope describes himself as a pioneer in craft beer manufacturing and ownership.

Though diversity in the industry has slowly trended upwards from when he first founded Cajun Fire, a survey conducted in 2019 by the Brewers Association still showed 89% of brewers identifying as white. As the first founder of the first Black-owned brewery in the South, Renthrope

was invited to an event hosted by the Smithsonian where he shared the stage with multiple female brewery CEOs from across the country — a similarly rare sight in a predominantly male industry.

Along with his work through the brewery, Renthrope serves as an executive board member for the 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans Chapter, where he helps mentor youths in the community and works to ensure underserved communities have internet accessibly, which he described as “a necessity.”

As Cajun Fire continues to grow and expand, Renthrope has further plans in mind to help his local community — the company controls 9.8 acres of commercially zoned land with eyes toward constructing a new production warehouse along with a museum and taproom. The company has also raised more than $700,000 for local philanthropies and non-profit organizations in the New Orleans Parish community. All of this is essential work toward revitalizing the Eastern New Orleans community, an area that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

For those interested in following in Renthrope’s footsteps and starting their own business, he offers this advice: “Get out of your own way and be a sponge in the room.”

“Continue to be in a cycle of learning and never get comfortable. Once you stop learning, you stop. I’ve definitely turned out some terrible batches of beer. But keep working, and when you look back you might be on that path for 20 years and see the impact you’ve made. It’s a good feeling.”

Cajun Fire Honey Ale

TOWARD ANTI-RACISM Digital event brought minds from across the college to discuss tackling racism in society

BY S C OT T R O G E R S

ON NOVEMBER 17, 2020, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences hosted a live, digital event on Zoom, “Toward Antiracism: Understanding Anti-Black Racism and Healing Racial Trauma.” Moderated by Dean David Richardson, the event featured presentations from three CLAS faculty members who shared their views on research, teaching and service in a time of a broad national conversation on matters of race.

“There has been a growing movement nationally to address racial issues more directly and forcefully than at any time since the beginning of the 21st century,” said Richardson. “Higher education can and must confront these contemporary issues with a view toward their history and causes, and with this knowledge, we must consider possible steps forward to a more equitable and just society.”

Three talks were given by Assistant Professor of Psychology Della Mosely, Director of the African American Studies Program David Canton, and Associate Professor of Anthropology Lance Gravlee. Each presentation focused on confronting racism and promoting social justice from a specific angle. Mosely outlined a plan for confronting racial trauma, Canton shared how the discipline of African American Studies was designed to deconstruct racism, and Gravlee discussed how racism can be dismantled on campus — and beyond.

OOPS!

“Racial trauma isn’t just those experiences of racism that a person experiences in a classroom or when we see or hear about police violence or the violence of white domestic terrorists,” Mosely said. “It’s also intergenerational. It’s cumulative — it accrues over time and we feel it in our bodies and spirits.”

Throughout each presentation, the speakers encouraged attendees to be active participants in confronting and ending racism, noting it’s not good enough to just be aware of issues faced by marginalized communities.

“We’re dealing with a deep history of deep inequities,” Gravlee said. “I invite all of you to join in the conversation.

Share your ideas about what things we can do to dismantle racism not only on our campus but also in the broader society.”

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and our departments host many informative events throughout the calendar year.

To learn more about upcoming events open to the public, please visit our event calendar: https://clas.ufl.edu/events.

ERROR In the Fall 2019 issue of Ytori, a photo caption on Page 13 incorrectly described the image as depicting Atsena Otie Key. The caption should have read, “A 3d projection of Way Key/Cedar Key (image courtesy of Asa Randall).” We apologize for the error.

CLAS Cares Gators Stick Together In these difficult times, it takes all of us working together to rise above. Established in 2020, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Cares fund provides aid to our students, faculty, programs or departments experiencing obstacles or unexpected expenses due to a hardship.

The CLAS Cares fund gives the Dean the flexibility to meet student needs during times of uncertainty, allowing our most vulnerable students to continue to take advantage of experiential learning and co-curricular activities. (Learn more about how this fund helped a student on Page 7).

Consider giving to the CLAS Cares fund today to ensure that all CLAS Gators receive the help they need when they need it.

LEARN MORE CLAS.UFL.EDU/CLAS-CARES

U N I V E R S I T Y of F L O R I D A

UNIVERSITY of FLORIDA COLLEGE of LIBERAL ARTS and SCIENCES

TENURED | $25,000 - $49,999 Robert and Laurel Kincart Roderick and Elizabeth Odom Howard and Brenda Sheridan DIRECTOR | $10,000 - $24,999 Mark and Virginia Delegal William and Melodie Douglas Thomas and Cheryl Elligett Allen Stewart and Barbara Clark

UF Photography — Eric Zamora

ADVISOR | $5,000 - $9,999 Vikki and James Black Susan Cook and Drew Fine Ted and Willow Dew Michael and Michele Fishman Elsbeth Geiger Edward and Susan Kuhn Gerald Kunde Robert and Carol March Gary and Abby Pruitt Amy and Jeffrey Rubin Dorothy and Terry Smiljanich Kevin and Julie Wilkinson ASSOCIATE | $2,500 - $4,999 Karen and Michael Brisch Vincent Costa Michael Downs Charles and Allison Edwards Margaret and Michael Fields Joan Forrest Robert Fowler Robert and Phyllis Glenn

ASSOCIATE (CONTINUED) Nancy Hall Steven Hochfelder Jeffrey and Julie Hocutt Hogan Humphries Sandra Jones and Richard Rauber Joseph and Mary Lawrence Gregory Lee Bryan Mahoney Pepper and Dave Natonski Michelle Piazza Ann Regan Ian and Lisa White Jewel White Lawrence Winner FELLOW | $1,000 - $2,499 Anonymous Andrew and Cheryl Barenberg Douglas Beach David and Randi Blum Bob Bowser Rachel Bozin James and Pauline Brown Thomas and Catharine Condon James and Beth DeSimone Shannon and John Fable Dan and Susan Fabrick Nina and Keith Ferguson Margaret and Michael French Amy Galloway Dawn and James Granese Richard and Marjory Grant David Griggs Daniel and Angela Hackman Christine and Jonathan Hayes Laura Hayes and Matthew Hayes Andrew Hertz and Linda Rae Grant and Lori Heslep Thomas and Linda Holmes James Hoover John Isaza

Jonathan and Susan Jee FELLOW (CONTINUED) Jeffrey Jenkins Charles and Leslie Layton Richard and Nancy Leslie Ilene and Jeffrey Levenson Laurie Logue Kosko Kevin McHale Mara McNeill Manuel and Linda Menendez David Neel Jeffrey Ottley Bryan John Page Julio and Gloria Pastoriza Stewart and Suzanna Perlman David Pharies and Mary Elizabeth Ginway Bill Pikounis and Nicole Sakowitz James and Becki Polkinghorn Robert Price Jennifer Robinson Michael and Sheila Rokeach Joan Dial Ruffier Michael and Ann Savelle Gary Shecter and Ellen Fernberger Philip Stein Li Tao Benjamin and Saundra Wallace Gordon and Kathy Watts Reverdy Wright SCHOLAR | $500 - $999 Anonymous Joanna and Steven Abbott William and Peggy Allen Glenda Anthony Jeffery Arnott Frank Bracco Bonnie Bunting Amy and Stephen Cochran Sigrid and Brian Corcoran Stanley Crews David Cutright

The Dean’s Circle and the Dean’s Fund for Excellence

Sherard and Terrie Dixon Lizette and David Dunay SCHOLAR (CONTINUED) Bazil Duncan Anne and Cas Dunlap David and Danuta Falstad Tara Hamer Gill and Robert Gill Joshua and Nancy Gillon Stephen and Ruth Gordy Jerome Guilford Kimberly Gustafson and Bryon Minton Deborah and Robert Hagen Dennis Hays Stephen and Brianna Hicks Johnny Humphrey Richard and Carole Jenkins Shawn and Kelly Jewell David and Lesa Kaleel David and Catherine Kasriel Jeanine and Jeffrey Keating Dwight Lambert Kristine Lambert Cynthia and Paul Lavoie Margaret Lezcano Joanne Marian and James Butt Hugh and Maricela Mazzei Vikram Menon Will and Margaret Moore Ann and Grant Morehead Eileen O’Donnell Jim and Sara O’Neal Catherine and Gregory Pope Norman and Margaret Portillo Jonathan and Lindsay Pritt Peter and Anne Rob Melissa Robinson David Robson and Patricia Carey Wondie Russell and Ed Steinman Frank Schwamb Robert Scott Kay Sedberry and Frank Ruggiero David and Masako Semaya

Colin and Lisa Sheppard Qingbiao Shi Chaitram and Mary Singh SCHOLAR (CONTINUED) Thomas Spoto Nancy Smith and John Ossiff Jeffrey Tobias Steve and Charlotte White EMERITUS Robert and Leah Adams Anonymous Anonymous Charles Byrd Thomas Elligett Mitchell and Bridget Gordon James Hoover James and Elizabeth Kalamaras Ashish Karve Martin Leach Thomas and Sheryl Moore Stewart and Suzanna Perlman Michael and Margo Rosenthal

Ytori Magazine WINTER 2021 Ytori is published twice a year by the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Ytori means alligator in the language of the Timucua, the native inhabitants of north-central and northeastern Florida.

STAFF Dean: David E. Richardson Assistant Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs: Ryan Marsh Director of Strategic Engagement: Meredith Palmberg Editor-in-Chief: Scott Rogers Associate Editor: Andrew Doerfler Editorial Assistant: Peyton McElaney Proofreader: Ali Patterson Art Directors: Amanda Nelson-Sinagra and Scott Harper Graphic Designer: Khary Khalfani Creative Production Manager: Amey Owen © 2021 by the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or duplicated without prior permission of the editor.

Ytori University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, 2014 Turlington Hall PO Box 117300 | Gainesville FL 32611 Website: news.clas.ufl.edu Facebook: UF.CLAS Twitter: UF_CLAS Instagram: UF_CLAS

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WINTER 2021

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