arts&sciences magazine spring 2018

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| THE YEAR OF GLASS

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI | SPRING 2018

Celebrating a Centennial

In his 45-year career at UM, Professor Emeritus Harry Pershing Schultz reached new heights in research, teaching, and service

| A FOCUS ON SOUTH AMERICA

FROM THE DEAN

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s we chart a course toward our University’s centennial in 2025, innovation, research, and collaboration across disciplines are fundamental to what we do in the College. We transform the lives of our undergraduate and graduate students through integrated learning and innovative programs as we address real-world challenges. This past February, our faculty participated in a retreat to discuss, plan, and implement new ideas and initiatives that will propel the College toward a unified vision: to be revolutionary in its research, education, and technology; to be a diverse and inclusive academic community that is globally engaged and connected; and to maintain our Leonidas G. Bachas Dean, College of Arts & Sciences identity as a pioneering leader in liberal arts education.

These goals were addressed within three strategic planning areas: re-imagining the College of the future; investing in people, ideas, and infrastructure; and reaching out with our scholarship, teaching, and service beyond the confines of our Coral Gables campus. As we prepare and guide the next Leonidas Bachas generation of global leaders and innovative thinkers, it is vital Dean, College of Arts & Sciences that we continue our mission of advancing knowledge and education in the realms of the natural and social sciences, the arts, and the humanities.

An example of this shared vision is the new Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Science on the Coral Gables campus. It is through a generous gift from UM philanthropists Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost that we and the College of Engineering will embark on a new commitment to engage in scientific scholarship and breakthroughs in research across multiple fields.

We are also delighted by the recent appointments of new leadership at the University—Jacqueline A. Travisano, Executive Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Operating Officer; and Jeffrey Duerk, Executive Vice President and Provost. In this issue, we feature both Drs. Duerk and Travisano in a Q&A that highlights their commitment, goals, and aspirations for the U. Our distinguished faculty has advanced ideas to address our challenges and help our students become critical thinkers and global citizens in the 21st century. Together, we are determined to guide and engage our students and prepare them for a life of leadership that goes beyond the classroom and into the real world.

Go ‘Canes!

Leonidas Bachas

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Your gift to the College of Arts & Sciences helps us support student scholarships and retain leading faculty. as.miami.edu/donate

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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

SPRING 2018 VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES Dean Leonidas G. Bachas Senior Associate Deans Douglas Fuller Angel Kaifer Maria Galli Stampino Associate Deans Charles Mallery José Maria Cardoso da Silva Assistant Dean Leonard Clemons Executive Directors Dawn Reynolds Maryann Tatum Tobin Interim Executive Director of Development Angie Gonzalez-Kurver Editor/Writer Deseraé E. del Campo Editorial Contributors Susanne Haase Michael Malone David Menconi Richard Westlund Photography Jenny Abreu Juniette Fiore Andrew Innerarity Design and Layout Cowen Design, Inc.

Arts & Sciences is produced in the fall and spring by the College of Arts & Sciences Office of Communications.

Through the magazine, we seek to increase awareness of the College’s activities by telling the stories of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Send comments, requests for permissions to reprint material, requests for extra copies and change-of-address notification to: College of Arts & Sciences P.O. Box 248004 Coral Gables, FL 33124-4620 Telephone 305-284-2485 casmagazine@miami.edu All contents © 2018, University of Miami.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences on the web as.miami.edu Past issues of the magazine are available at: as.miami.edu/news/magazine

Inside DEPARTMENTS

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 | ARTS & SCIENCES | SPRING 2018

FEATURES

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AROUND CAMPUS

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12 Q&A WITH JEFFREY DUERK

A&S NEWS

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STUDENT DIGEST

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CLASS SPOTLIGHT

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FACULTY CORNER

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A&S RESEARCH

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IMPACTS FROM HURRICANE IRMA Research grants study how Hurricane Irma impacted South Florida.

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CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL Reaching new heights in research, teaching, and service.

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BOOKMARKS

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CLASS NOTES

ARTS | SCIENCES

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Around Campus Around Campus

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SHINING a light on OPPRESSION University of Miami students faced life’s difficulties at the annual Tunnel of Oppression exhibit. The student exhibit transformed the Shalala Student Center into a temporary space with rooms separated by curtains, creating an interactive tunnel that compelled students to see the darkness of issues from racism to sexual violence, human trafficking, climate change, and poverty. Each room told a different story using videos, social media posts, and other forms of interactive displays to get their narratives across, but the light found at the end of a tunnel comes with the opportunity to overcome and correct today’s injustices and obstacles.

ARTS | SCIENCES

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A|S News

Antillean Visions

There was a time—not very long ago—when maps were used to guide us from place to place, a time before smartphones and GPS technology become the norm. This was a time in our past when maps were the only means to chart our movements and record our history; in essence, it was maps that shaped our lives.

This spring the Lowe Art Museum, partnering with University of Miami Libraries, HistoryMiami Museum, Fortress Fine Art Storage, Jay I. Kislak and the Kislak Foundation Collection, Beaux Arts, and other generous supporters, celebrated the grand opening of Antillean Visions: Maps and the Making of the Caribbean, an exhibition exploring over five centuries of navigating and mapping of the Caribbean.

“It is our hope that the many diasporic Caribbean communities in Miami that will come to see the show will have particular connections to its themes and ideas,” said William Pestle, who curated the exhibit and is an associate professor of anthropology and director of the Latin American Studies Program.

The exhibit features nearly 200 rare and historically significant maps of the region, from the earliest published view of the Antilles in 1511

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to the past five centuries of migration, commerce, conflict, and cultural production. It provides fascinating views of the political, social, and economic influences that have shaped—and continue to shape—the region by tracing map-making over five centuries.

“UM is the ideal place for this exhibit because of our proximity to, and kinship with, the Caribbean,” said Pestle. “It is because of our community’s deep roots in the region that the University holds the amazing collections from which this show is built—after all, the pieces drawn from the UM Libraries’ collections, which make up nearly 70 percent of the objects in the show, are in our possession because our alumni and supporters donated them to the University.”

Antillean Visions: Maps and the Making of the Caribbean will be on view at the Lowe through May 27, 2018.

A|S News

Exploring Atheism and Secularism Anjan Chakravartty, a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame who also directs the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, has been appointed as the new chair for the study of Atheism, Humanism, and Secular Ethics at the College of Arts & Sciences. He will officially join the University of Miami on July 1.

This new gift is made possible through a $2.2 million gift from the Louis J. Appignani Foundation, a bold step to create the first such chair in the country. It also advances UM President Julio Frenk’s initiative to provide for 100 endowed chairs by the University’s centennial.

Harvey Siegel, a professor of philosophy who chaired the department for 12 years, first met endowed chair donor Louis Appignani 15 years ago. At the time, the Miami Herald had just published an article about the formation of the Appignani Foundation, and Siegel, who had then just been named chair, was encouraged to meet with the founder.

“The article made it clear that the founder had as his primary purpose the challenging of religion and the advocacy of atheism,” Siegel remembered. The two met on campus and enjoyed a “charming” lunch, “but he wanted to do something that would advocate for atheism, and I told him that the U should not and would not do that,” Siegel said.

Appignani, through his foundation, continued to support a number of department events, sponsoring speakers and lectures, over many years.

“We tried to find some kind of way that our scholarly ambitions could meet his own ambitions—and after 15 years we found a way to do that—through the endowed chair,” Siegel said. “He appreciates that the U cannot advocate for atheism, but he also appreciates that it’s of value to study the questions in their full historical and philosophical dimensions.”

Appignani was motivated both as an entrepreneur and for academic reasons to fund the endowed chair.

“I’m an entrepreneur and wanted to support something different— the idea that there was no organized study in the country and that this would be the first [was exciting],” he said. “The chair extends the reach of scientific inquiry to delve into early man’s thoughts on atheism and on down through the millennium. There will be interesting courses that span philosophy, government, and history.”

Appignani believes the new chair and the studies and coursework that are developed will have a long-term positive effect on spreading the idea of critical thinking throughout the country. “I’m just proud

of the University for taking the leap forwards into the future. It should help recruiting young people and developing a reputation to emphasize critical thinking on all the major issues of the day.”

For his part, Chakravartty is “thrilled” to be coming to Miami, and his enthusiasm has everything to do with the city’s reputation as a “city of the future,” and the University’s reputation as a leading academic institution with a diverse student body.

Chakravartty specializes in the philosophy of science, metaphysics and epistemology. Canadian by birth, he focused his doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge on the philosophy and history of science—explored through an interdisciplinary lens encompassing both the sciences and the humanities. He appreciates that the University, in announcing the chair, defined atheism in a very broad way.

“The chair is framed in a way that suggests or promotes the idea that it will be a broad and interdisciplinary exploration of some of these issues, including how we might use the sciences, logic and reason as a basis for study,” Chakravartty said. “It’s outstanding and a feather in the cap of the University that it is taking a leadership role.

The University of Miami seems the perfect place where this kind of mandate might flourish given the wonderful diversity of students who come from so many different parts of the world.”

Anjan Chakravartty

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A|S News Dean Leonidas Bachas

A New Vision for Arts & Sciences To best serve the faculty, staff, and students at the College of Arts & Sciences, the Dean’s Office is implementing a five-year strategic plan designed to reinvent and reinvigorate the College and emphasize its strengths, opportunities, challenges, and future potential.

At an A&S faculty retreat held in February, workgroups developed new ideas, policies, and approaches that will ultimately propel the College towards a unified vision and direction while mirroring the University of Miami’s Roadmap initiatives established by UM President Julio Frenk.

The strategic plan, currently in its early stages, is focusing on three key initiatives: “Re-Imagining the College,” “Investing in People,” and “Beyond Coral Gables.”

“The goal is to make sure our new methods are measurable and can be implemented two or three years from now,” said Leonidas Bachas, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Special attention will be given to the student experience and career projection, supporting faculty growth and diversity, and enhancing our global visibility as a research institution. Overall, we are committed to building the College’s reputation as an essential unit to the University by offering competitive degrees in the sciences and liberal studies.”

Other goals in the strategic plan include increasing endowed chairs, professorships, and philanthropic support; assisting faculty and staff in professional growth; and taking advantage of the city of Miami as a backdrop to expand research and scholarship for both students and faculty.

“Our next step is to finalize our strategic plan by early fall,” said Bachas. “This plan speaks to our mission and goals and will merge with the University’s vision as well. I appreciate the faculty support and feedback during this process and am very excited to move forward and set these goals into motion.”

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Enthralled by a Puppet and a Tony Tony-Award winning Broadway composer and writer Jeff Marx came to the University of Miami prepared. A large black duffel bag held two of his most prized possessions: “Nicky,” a puppet from his celebrated Broadway musical, Avenue Q, and his 2004 Tony Award.

Marx knew that the students in the UM Musical Theatre program would be thrilled to see—and hold—both.

“I admire Jeff so much,” said senior Bobby Eddy, who is majoring in musical theatre and was ecstatic when he was able to hold and operate the Avenue Q puppet “Nicky.” “Actually, it was Avenue Q

Jeff Marx

that inspired me to pursue a career in musical theatre. This is really a life-changing moment for me. I will never forget it.”

In 2004, Marx and Robert Lopez won a Tony Award for creating and writing all the songs for the hit Broadway musical, which was nominated for six Tony Awards and won three in the categories of Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Original Book.

Though Marx played the piano and regaled the students with stories, the highlight of the day came when he pulled his Tony Award from the large black duffel bag. Each and every student held the award—some taking selfies while others asking their classmates to take their picture.

New Student on Campus

A|S News

Suffering Through the Violence Mexican activist, poet, and novelist Javier Sicilia shared the riveting story of losing his son to Mexico’s violent drug war during a February 9 event at the University of Miami’s Shalala Student Center, where he was the keynote speaker at the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures’ conference, titled “Lands of Freedom? Oppressions, Subversions, and Pursuits of Justice in a Changing World.”

Devastated when his son was kidnapped and murdered in 2011, Sicilia renounced his life vocation as a poet to become an anti-violence activist who challenges Mexican leaders to end the systemic violence in his country. Speaking without notes, Sicilia weaved a narrative that ranged from artistic impulse to Christian mysticism to esoteric philosophical thought, yet was always grounded in the powerful emotion of his personal grief—and that of “tens of thousands of other parents in Mexico like me.”

Sicilia also referred to his last poem, “The

World Is Not Worthy of Words,” written as a homage to his son, and tried to explain why a person who had lived and breathed poetry all his life would forsake their greatest passion to pursue a different course.

His 24-year-old son, Juan Francisco Sicilia Ortega, along with six friends—five young men and a woman—were attempting to reclaim a stolen laptop computer and camera when their inquiry to police led them into a web of narcotraffickers. All seven were kidnapped and found murdered shortly afterward.

More an appeal to end “senseless and absurd violence” than a lecture, Sicilia compared the disappearances, unrelenting violence, and silencing of resistance to the disappearance of meaningful language in our technological age, where in the world of social media, the human experience exists for only an instant in time.

A Spiritual Connection Neuroscientist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Amishi Jha, was invited to attend the Mind & Life Conference hosted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama this spring. Jha’s research is centered on mindfulness, which is training to be attentive and emotionally balanced. At the conference, Jha spoke to the Dalai Lama about attention, meta-awareness, and how the ability to pay attention is an important element in mind training. From her lab, Jha has conducted and published numerous studies on mindfulness training with military personnel, first responders, and athletes.

The Department of Computer Science welcomed a new member to the team this semester. Meet the Human Support Robot (HSR) from Toyota. Developed to assist people in their everyday activities, the HSR was created to coexist with family members in the home by providing support to improve living conditions and quality of life. Only two other universities in the U.S. received the HSR—MIT and Stanford. The University of Miami is collaborating with Associate Professor Christine Lisetti and her team of students at the Florida International University School of Computing and Information to program the HSR as an at-home, intervention service robot for people with addictions or health issues. It will be programmed and studied by UM and FIU students for the next three years.

ARTS | SCIENCES

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Student Digest UHACK@UM: A STUDENT-RUN HACKATHON For 24 hours University of Miami students became full-fledged hackers. But don’t worry, no one broke any cyber-security laws or bypassed top government security clearances.

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t UHack, we’re not breaking into any computers,” said UM junior David Grossman, who is a Foote Fellow, a da Vinci student, and a member of the UHack team, which is made up of students earning their B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or Engineering. “For 24 hours, we are collaborating, building projects, and learning about technology. Students either have ideas before they arrive of what they want to create or they gain some sort of inspiration from our sponsors who bring specific hardware to UHack.”

UHack is a free event for students interested in creating their own software, website, app, or the prototype of their dreams. This year’s hackathon, held from 11 a.m. on Saturday to 11 a.m. on Sunday, was the fifth held at the University of Miami, sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Department of Computer Science, and UM Student Government. Outside sponsors included Shure Audio, Citrix, Facebook, VMWare, IBM, and Coursera.

“We had over 200 attendees create 29 different hacks, ranging from apps that help your family members track their medicine intake to artificial intelligences that can create music,” said Grossman, who is graduating in 2019 with a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics.

At UHack, students are encouraged to break out into groups of four to brainstorm and create their projects; they have a full 24 hours to develop their invention using available software and tools. To help jump-start ideas, UHack also included learning workshops, from web development to understanding audio software as well as digital privacy and security. Students also learned how to pitch their UHack projects to The Launch Pad, a UM initiative developed to help both students and alumni create new enterprises and become entrepreneurs.

One of the winners this year was a program called “VRTeacher.”

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Evan Miller, class of 2020, who is majoring in Computer Science, is one of its creators. “My team created a prototype virtual reality teaching tool where teachers can stand in virtual reality and draw on a whiteboard,” said Miller. “It was difficult since it was our first experience programming for virtual reality, but it was very fun since we normally wouldn’t have had the opportunity to use a virtual reality headset.”

Other winners included a program called “GreatGiver.org,” which is a web app created to bridge the gap between shelters and volunteers that wish to donate goods and their time. Winning teams were awarded with their own drones, Amazon Echos, or virtual reality headsets.

“One thing I learned from UHack was how to work well in a team,” said Miller. “Team programming is a skill that is very difficult to learn in class, and the environment of UHack was the perfect place to develop that skill.”

Class Spotlight A DIGITAL REVOLUTION

OUR OWN ROSETTA STONE

Popular course covers bullying, online dating, and privacy.

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t’s not unusual for classes in the social sciences to change with Phone Immunodeficiency Virus.” Written by Nick Rice, a freshman the times, often with surprising speed. Still, few change as from Cary, North Carolina, the paper casts music students as host much or as fast as Professor Samantha Phillips’ English 106, population with the phones as a disease. a writing class called “Relationships in the Digital Age.” With “I noted how cell phones, like viruses, led to lower productivity headlines pulled not just from the news but from the social-media and the best way to fight them was through preventing the problem, timelines students are seeing, it’s a fast-moving subject. similar to how a vaccine works,” says Rice, a freshman athletic-train As you might expect, it’s one of the most popular courses on ing major on a pre-med/pre-physical therapy track. “I never really campus. Phillips is teaching three sections of 19 students per section used social media much before because I didn’t see a point to it – I’d this spring, mostly freshmen and sophomores, with upwards of rather interact with others in person. However, the class opened my twenty or so students on the eyes to how social media can waiting list trying to get in. help fortify long-distance “There’s a lot of interest relationships. But it appears from students because it’s very to take away some of the relevant,” Phillips says. “These intimacy of close-distance students are born mostly in relationships.”

1998 or 1999, which means that Obviously, this class isn’t most of them grew up without just happy talk about the smartphones until late middle joys of surfing the worldschool or high school. So they wide web. Indeed, Phillips have a foot in the less techsays her students display a driven world and they’ve seen healthy skepticism about the the change—the revolution.” online world.

ONLINE IDENTITIES: Professor Samantha Phillips speaks of the internet Phillips’ class syllabus covers “They’re not blind to wilderness. online dating, bullying, privacy, the issues of technology,” gaming, social movements, Phillips says. “Older people advertising, and other topics one encounters in the internet wilderthink all teenagers are in love with technology, but it’s more love-hate ness, often with a hot-button focus on recently relevant issues like than that. It will be interesting to see how they will use tech with fake news. Along with lectures and discussion, the workload includes their own kids, because there may be some backlash. I see them an end-of-class, multi-media project and three papers. Paper titles being critical of parents handing an iPad to a toddler. Generally from this semester include “Snap Snap Your Privacy Away,” “Lost speaking, they see that with a cynical eye and don’t think it’s positive.”

Without My Contacts” and “To Express or Impress.”

One reason for that is that, having grown up with technology, they’ve “I love technology and I knew the subject would be interesting,” witnessed if not experienced the down side to online over-sharing. said freshman Adriana Wei. “Social media is definitely a part of our “Some of them have made mistakes, sure, but I don’t see it as lives and we are all connected in some way to the digital world, and generational,” Phillips says. “There’s a lot of millennial hating out at times, I see that relationship having a negative impact. For example, there, older people who say youth are addicted to technology. My in class we discussed how we would feel if we lost our cellphones, and I students are savvy about it, but privacy is very different to them. It can relate to that because I have lost my phone and I cried! It’s strange seems natural to share things online because they’ve grown up there. how emotionally connected we are to our phones and social media.”

One of my goals is for students to examine and write about their Another paper from this semester is “MCPIV: Musician Cell online versus offline identities.”

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Faculty Corner

Peering into the Cosmos In the midst of an Alaskan winter, scientists from NASA and academic institutions around the world gathered together to launch four rockets into outer space with hopes to better understand the secrets of the cosmos.

Officially named the 2018 Poker Flat Sounding Rocket Campaign, the endeavor consists of two separate missions: One lead by the University of Miami explores X-ray emissions coming from outer space and our galaxy; the other studies how microscopic ice particles found 53 miles above the Earth, called Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs), are formed.

Massimiliano Galeazzi, associate chair and professor of physics, is the principal investigator for the DXL (Diffuse X-rays from the Local Galaxy) mission. Galeazzi says the DXL mission is designed to study X-rays coming from two different sources in space.

“The first source,” he said, “is located outside our solar system and is generated by remnants of multiple supernovae explosions forming what is now called the Local Hot Bubble region of our galaxy. The second source is within the solar system and is generated by the solar wind interacting with neutral gas in the solar system and Earth’s atmosphere.”

The DXL mission, which launched from the Poker Flat Research range in Alaska, seeks to gain a better understanding of the nature and characteristics of these sources, specifically the X-rays produced when the solar wind, which is composed when heavily charged ions are emitted by the sun and interact with the Earth’s neutral gasses— hydrogen and helium—found in our atmosphere.

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Photo credit: NASA

Massimiliano Galeazzi

Faculty Corner

Insights into Brain Connectivity

East Meets West The Chinese University of Hong Kong hosted an international conference in March and invited philosophers and academics from around the world to discuss, dissect, and analyze the work of distinguished philosopher Michael Slote—who also happens to be a professor of philosophy at the College of Arts & Sciences.

The conference, entitled “Slote Encountering Chinese Philosophy,” welcomed philosophers from academic institutions such as Rutgers University, the University of Bern in Switzerland, Indiana University, Loyola Marymount University, and The University of New South Wales in Australia—to name a few.

During his time at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Slote delivered a few lectures as a visiting professor of the 2018 Tang Chun-I Visiting Professorship series, which was established in 2003. Since 2003, the institution has welcomed one or two notable philosophers to its philosophy department to offer a postgraduate lecture course on a dedicated topic of expertise, a formal public lecture, and staff seminar presentation.

“My lecture focused on the comparison and connection between Chinese and Western philosophy, as well as my newest book on this subject, entitled ‘The Philosophy of Yin and Yang,’ said Slote.

“The book will have the Chinese translation and the English text side-by-side. Of course, while in Hong Kong, I attended the conference to listen and respond to a group of philosophers commenting and discussing my work. It was truly a great honor and I was very pleased.”

Lucina Uddin, a cognitive neuroscientist in the Department of Psychology, was recognized for her work in brain connectivity and cognition by two international science organizations this year. The most recent award was given to Uddin for her contributions to autism research in brain dynamics and cognition in the field of medical sciences by the Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), an international organization created in 2015 to support peace and humanitarian efforts in the name of science, education, and research around the globe.

The USERN prize identifies young scientists—all under the age of 40—from around the world who have contributed to their field of research by developing and building significant science projects to better humanity; the organization’s slogan is “Science without Borders.” Uddin was one of five scientists honored at a ceremony in the Ukraine this fall.

Uddin was also given the Wiley Young Investigator Award for her contributions to the field of human brain mapping by the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM).

According to the website, OHBM is an “international organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of the anatomical and functional organization of the human brain using neuroimaging.” Both recognitions included a $5,000 cash award. Uddin was interviewed about the OHBM award, her research and what it means to be recognized for her contributions to the field of brain mapping.

“The OHBM award is special to me because I was recognized for my work by my peers in the neuroimaging community,” said Uddin. “These are fellow scientists and researchers whom I’ve known for years, but the USERN award was actually a pleasant surprise!”

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QUESTIONS

Five Questions

Jeffrey Duerk Executive Vice President and Provost

1. Now that you have settled into the role as Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Miami, what new goals or initiatives do you want to implement?

One is to improve our interdisciplinary collaboration.

I’m a strong believer that the institutions that excel in interdisciplinary work and research will win, and it’s important for us to adapt in collaborative initiatives across the University. I think many believe this can only occur between science and medicine or engineering and medicine, but it’s actually much broader.

People talk about their competitive advantage, but I want to talk about our collaborative advantage.

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2. How essential is it to prepare students to be leaders in the 21st century?

Whenever I talk to students, I tell them that in four years they shouldn’t just say that they are a University of Miami alumnus.

What I believe they should be able to articulate is that they are leaders who also happen to be University of Miami alumnus. I want them to think about their leadership first and the role we play second.

3. UM will celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for a building to house the new Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science; how do you see it fit in the University’s strategy to enhance STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics)?

It’s important for the University, as well as the region, to have this opportunity for reinvestment

in STEM. The Frost Institutes are really a manifestation of our Roadmap goals and that shows true momentum. The world is positioned right for UM to have improved STEM, and I think the region recognizes that the traditional economic model for Southeast Florida will benefit from our expanding capacities in the STEM disciplines.

4. How important is a liberal arts education for today’s undergraduates?

Liberal arts and the humanities really provide us with a context of who we are and how we see things. It gives us the perspective for answering the question: Why? It’s a fundamental component to our learning environment here at the University, and I think that without it there is no richness in having a well-rounded education.

5. Who has inspired you?

I’m inspired by the work of author David Halberstam, who wrote some amazing books about the mid and latter parts of the 20th century and author Stephen Ambrose, also a historian. He wrote “Undaunted Courage” about the explorers Lewis and Clark. Their story is a metaphor I use quite often. It’s about going on a journey with a great team and with great uncertainty and great courage. They had conviction, and faith, which I think is very similar to being a Provost at the University of Miami. Their story, like ours at UM, is also about planning well and doing it surrounded by good people, and at the same time accepting some level of uncertainty and risk—and reward. My dad also imprinted in me these three beliefs: Work hard then play hard; there is always room for the best; and you only have integrity once.

Did you know?

Dr. Duerk holds 40 patents for MRI innovations and was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2017.

Five Questions

Jacqueline Travisano

Executive Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Operating Officer

Did you know?

Dr. Travisano was honored with the Glass Ceiling Award by the National Diversity Council and was named one of South Florida Business Journal’s Influential Business Women.

2. How do you see your role as the University of Miami moves toward its centennial?

In one of my earliest conversations with President Julio Frenk he talked about administrative excellence, defining it as “what occurs at the intersection of operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and superior service.” That is my mission, what I’m here to do, and I am conscious that in doing so what is unique and special about the U must be preserved and even enhanced.

3. What does success and impact of the U look like to you?

At the highest level, our success occurs when we achieve our common purpose to transform lives through teaching, research, innovation, and service. The impact from transforming the lives of our students, patients, neighbors, and community —both locally and across the globe—cannot be understated.

It is truly a grand purpose for a grand University.

4. What advice do you have for women who still struggle to find balance in work and family?

Women should empower themselves to make changes in order to achieve age-appropriate goals.

Determine what the next right step is, set a goal, achieve it, and then raise the bar for that next step. Always be thinking about the future. Do not dwell on today, as it will be gone tomorrow. Most importantly, women need to give themselves the permission to say ‘no’ when at a crossroad or a decision point. Too often I find women who feel they must say yes to every opportunity and time commitment.

5 5. What is your favorite book and why?

That’s a good question. I do like to read, and read as often as possible. The books I read trend toward business, higher education, and history as subjects. “The Blood of Free Men” is one of my favorites. It is an account of the liberation of Paris during World War II, and its author, Dr. Michael Neiberg, has been my dear friend for 35 years and is an internationally recognized historian.

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QUESTIONS

1. With an impressive career in business and finance in higher education, what have you learned from your first few months at the U? The U plays such an important role in the greater Miami community. It is a very special place and those fortunate enough to be a part of it have an immense sense of pride in what we do here. The accomplishments the University has made, relative to its youth, are phenomenal and I get the sense that the U community can do anything we set our minds to.

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B

ack in 1993, the University of Miami’s Department of Psychology took a dramatic step forward to serve South Florida families dealing with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a challenging neurological disorder that affects the way the brain develops and processes information.

For the past 25 years, the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) has been a leader in autism research, while educating parents and professionals, and helping families get the best possible clinical care.

“We have learned that early intervention is crucial to achieving better outcomes,” said Michael Alessandri, executive director and clinical professor of psychology, who joined the center in 1996. “When high-quality therapy is delivered early and intensively, there are significant improvements. The children who walk through our doors today have great potential for thriving in school and finding a job that can support them in adulthood.”

Autism spectrum disorder has long been one of the most challenging developmental issues facing children and parents. It is characterized by impaired social interactions, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and limited activities and interests. It usually appears during the first three years of life.

“A child who has delayed speech, limited use of gestures such as

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pointing, who is not making eye contact, does not respond to his name, and has unusual rituals or body movements should be evaluated right away,” Alessandri said. “We can reliably diagnose autism at 18 months, so don’t delay in bringing your son or daughter in for an evaluation.The earlier ASD can be diagnosed and treated, the better the potential outcome.” Alessandri also advises that “in all cases, treatment should begin when autism is suspected. Parents should not wait until there is confirmation of diagnosis.”

DEDICATED TO AUTISM Alessandri can trace his dedication to autism research and care back to 1981. He had just graduated from high school in New York and was volunteering as a counselor at a summer camp for children with special needs. “One day at the camp I met Marlon, an African-American boy with autism, and knew right away that this was the field I wanted to pursue. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a teacher, neurologist, or psychologist, but I knew my career would have to be one in which autism was front and center in my daily work.”

Alessandri continued to work at the summer camp, as he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester, followed later in life with a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from Rutgers University.

In 1992, he was offered a faculty position at San José State University in California, where he developed SJSU CARES, a center for training psychology students about autism. Two years later at a national conference, he met Diane Adreon, Ed.D., who, along with former UM faculty Drs. Peter Mundy and Keith Scott, had founded CARD at the University of Miami in July 1993. In her first year, Adreon saw 88 clients as CARD’s only full-time staff member.

When state funding became available in 1996 to expand CARD’s staff, Alessandri gave up his tenured-track faculty position at SJSU to come to UM. A 1999 alliance with Nova Southeastern University in Broward led to a dramatic expansion of the center’s services.

Today, the UM-NSU CARD program serves more than 11,000 clients from five offices in South Florida with a team of more than 25 full- and part-time clinicians and 25 other research and administrative staff members. The center maintains close ties with the UM Mailman Center for Child Development and works closely with consulting neurologist Roberto F. Tuchman, M.D., director of the autism program at Nicklaus Children’s Dan Marino Outpatient Center in Weston.

The UM-NSU CARD program provides free educational and support services to Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe county families, while six other centers serve the rest of the state.

One of the primary missions of UM-NSU CARD is to provide guidance and support to parents seeking clinical resources to help their children with ASD. The center also provides autism-related training for healthcare professionals, teachers and first responders, education programs for the public, technical assistance for South Florida schools, and support for local businesses who want to hire people with autism.

“With support from a new grant, we recently created and launched an online course aimed at awakening the autism entrepreneur,” Alessandri added. “Our goal is to promote innovative and sustainable business models and work opportunities for adults on the autism spectrum.”

AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH From the early days of CARD, Adreon, Alessandri, and their colleagues have taken an evidence-based approach to understanding and treating autism. “For many years, researchers tried to find an autism gene,” he said. “Today, we know that autism involves a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors.” Intervention approaches have also been refined and validated, and “we now know that treatments that use the principles of applied behavior analysis have the strongest support for producing optimal outcomes.”

In the past 25 years, clinicians have also expanded their view of autism to encompass individuals at different places on the spectrum.

One child with ASD may be non-verbal or have an intellectual disability, while another might be fluent with language or have a genius IQ,

RECOGNIZED FOR

Leadership

Professor Michael Alessandri has received more than $30 million in research and service grants, along with several notable awards within the field, including the Autism Society of America’s Wendy F. Miller Autism Professional of the Year Award and the National Autism Program of the Year for UM-NSU CARD. Alessandri has also received numerous other community service awards, including the March of Dimes Community Excellence in Health Care Award (2007), the Health Services Coalition Outstanding Community Leader Award (2009), and the Parent to Parent Excellence in Family Advocacy Award (2010).

He was also named one of the Ronald McDonald House’s 12 Good Men (2008) and the Dewar’s 12 Man of Distinction (2007). In 2012, he was selected by the Children’s Trust as the David Lawrence Champion for Children. In 2016, Alessandri was named the Visionary Leader of the Year by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; and in 2017, he was recognized by the Dade County Bar Association with the Fostering Inclusion and Diversity Award.

Alessandri said.

Another change since the 1990s is the skyrocketing rate of ASD to an estimated rate of one in 68 children (one in 42 boys). “More and more parents, doctors, teachers, and communities now have to deal with ASD, increasing the demand for our education and support services,” Alessandri said. “Fortunately, our team at UM-NSU CARD is prepared to meet those needs, while continuing to invest in vital research learn more about this growing public health challenge.” n ARTS | SCIENCES

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Studying the Lasting Impacts of Hurricane Irma

REPTILIAN INVASION: UM graduate student, Winter Beckles, is working with Professor J. Albert Uy to study how Hurricane Irma is impacting the anole lizard.

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Research grants support 14 faculty projects.

BY RICHARD WESTLUND

A

s Hurricane Irma crossed the Caribbean last September as a powerful category five storm, Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered one of the largest mass evacuations in U.S. history. Ultimately, 6.4 million Floridians left their homes, often driving long distances in search of a safe shelter.

Now, Annette M. La Greca, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Cooper Fellow and Provost Scholar, is studying how that evacuation affected 580 families with young children under 18 years of age in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, and Lee Counties.

“Little is known about factors that contribute to families’ decisions to evacuate or about how evacuation experiences affect children and parents,” said La Greca. “We designed an online survey, recruited our families in mid-December and are now analyzing the results.”

Our initial findings indicate that personal and family safety was a key driver for families that heeded orders to leave mandatory evacuation zones during Irma, she said. On the other hand, parents who did not evacuate cited uncertainty about the hurricane’s path, and a desire to keep family members together and to protect their home and belongings.

The goal of the study was to understand the impact of evacuation stress, to inform policy makers regarding how best to prepare families for a major hurricane, and to develop “Before

the Storm” materials to help parents and children cope with this process.

La Greca’s study, “Impact of Evacuation Experiences and Stressors on Youth and Families,” was one of 14 projects funded and supported by the College of Arts & Sciences.

“Our goal was to support a wide range of studies in the social and natural sciences,” said Dean Leonidas G. Bachas, who announced the grants during the fall semester. “We need to understand the lessons of Hurricane Irma, which caused 93 deaths and $50 billion dollars in damage in our state, in order to plan and prepare more effectively for future storms.”

Here is a closer look at the research grants in disciplines ranging from anthropology to political science, psychology, biology, chemistry, and geography.

ANTHROPOLOGY Large storm systems like Irma can alter the physical landscape and affect archaeological sites of the Calusa (and other prehistoric) peoples. Professor Traci Ardren and Associate Professor Will Pestle are working with graduate and undergraduate students on “Tracking Hurricane Irma’s Impact on Cultural Resources of South Florida,” a project that involves examining sites in the Middle Keys and the 10,000 island regions on Florida’s southwest coast.

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“Our analysis will compare storm impacts in the two regions in an attempt to determine which site characteristics, such as elevation, proximity to the shoreline, and vegetative cover, as well as storm variables such as wind speed and storm surge height best predict observed site loss and damage,” Ardren said. “That will allow us to create a model of the factors affecting storm impacts on sites in each region.”

BIOLOGY Along with its impact on humans, Hurricane Irma affected South Florida’s coastal habitats and many types of plant and animal species. As director of the University of Miami Coastal Ecology Laboratory (CEL), Associate Professor Kathleen Sullivan Sealey received a Waitt Foundation Rapid Ocean Response Grant in 2016 to assess the damage done by Hurricane Matthew on coastal ecosystems on New Providence, The Bahamas.

Now, she is working with Jacob Patus and Krystle Young to study Irma’s impact on four Biscayne Bay coastal wetland restoration projects from Deering Estate to Card Sound

Assistant Professor Michelle E. Afkhami is directing a fifth study on “Habitat Fragmentation in Miami-Dade’s Imperiled Pine Rocklands,” a 70-mile limestone ridge that is home to many endangered and threatened species. “Our ability to conserve Pine Rocklands (and many other fragmented habitats across the world) could be greatly improved by understanding how extreme weather disturbances interact with habitat fragmentation —the breaking-up of natural landscapes by humans,” she said.

Afkhami’s study will provide research experiences for a doctoral student, five undergraduates, and a Miami Dade College-UM Bridge Program student. The results will be integrated into the UM BioReach Program, which brings fourth graders from local tribal and Hispanic-serving schools to the UM campus for hands-on science experiences.

Aresty Professor J. Albert C. Uy’s project, “Leveraging Hurricane-Induced Habitat Transformations to Explore Mechanisms of Evolution in the Wild,” looks at color changes

evidence of how evolution works in the wild.”

CHEMISTRY Hurricane Irma’s wind gusts and rain also affected South Florida’s contaminated industrial sites, potentially releasing dangerous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from Superfund sites (contaminated land) in South Florida into the surrounding environment. Research Assistant Professor Elsayed Zahran and his students are studying PCB levels in waters and sediments from areas near contaminated sites to better understand and address the implications of this pollution in his project, “Effect of Hurricane Irma on the Release of Polychlorinated Biphenyls to the Environment in South Florida.”

GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL STUDIES How do the 50,000 residents of South Florida’s mobile home parks respond to hurricane threats?

To help answer that question, Assistant Professor Justin Stoler and lecturer Shivangi Prasad are interviewing a sample of residents.

“WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE LESSONS OF HURRICANE IRMA, WHICH CAUSED 93 DEATHS AND $50 BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE IN OUR STATE, IN ORDER TO PLAN AND PREPARE MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR FUTURE STORMS.” - DEAN LEONIDAS G. BACHAS Road Bridge. “The health of the Biscayne Bay ecosystem requires that a critical balance be maintained among the ecosystem communities,” she said. “Hurricane impact mapping of coastal resources is a key tool for communicating with decision-makers and managers of coastal protected areas.”

Other Department of Biology projects include “Testing a New Hypothesis for Hurricane Effect on an Invasive Species,” a study led by Assistant Professor J. David Van Dyken; and “Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery of Living Plant Collections,” led by Associate Professor Kenneth Feeley and Carol Horvitz Nutt.

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in the dewlaps (large throat fans) in anoles, a family of invasive lizards in South Florida. The project is being led by Uy’s graduate student, Winter Beckles, who found that the color of anole dewlaps match the environment where they are found. With Irma changing the habitat overnight, Uy and Beckles are exploring how populations change in response to these new conditions.

“Because the visibility of dewlaps depends on available light, we would expect that the loss of vegetation from Irma should favor different dewlap colors,” Uy said. “This field experiment can provide unique experimental

Their study, “Does Hurricane Complacency Shift After Two Near-Misses? A Qualitative Analysis of Hazard Vulnerability among South Florida Mobile Home Residents,” will look at disparities in hurricane preparedness, risk perception, and evacuation behavior among mobile home residents.

Building on the success of GIS Day 2017, Diana K. Ter-Ghazaryan, director of the Geospatial Technology Program, is planning a project on “The Role of Geospatial Technology in Preparing for and Dealing with the Aftermath of Hurricanes.”

Working in partnership with UM Libraries, she is bringing educators and users together in a collaborative process to share best practices on geographic information systems (GIS), and the latest tools and approaches in forecasting hurricanes and responding to their damage.

POLITICAL SCIENCE “Public Opinion and Government Response” is the topic of a research study led by Associate Professors Casey Klofstad and Joseph Uscinski, and Assistant Professor Jennifer M. Connolly.

Their goal is to survey Floridians to assess their experience during Irma, and their receptivity to public directives to safeguard their lives.

“Our ability to address these two questions will give us a greater understanding of how the public responds to natural disasters

like Irma, and greater knowledge of how governmental agencies should communicate with the public and respond to these types of situations,” said Klofstad. “Given climate change, and increases in surface sea temperature and storm activity, addressing these two questions is critical.”

PSYCHOLOGY Recovering from natural disasters like Irma requires significant financial assistance from individuals as well as the government. Professor Michael McCullough, director of the Evolution & Human Behavior Lab, is looking at “Who Helps? Identifying Internalized Prosocial Motivation in Post-Irma Charitable Giving.”

His goal is to identify whether people possess an internal altruistic motivation that prompts them to help victims of Hurricane Irma.

“This research may reveal new insights into charitable giving, perhaps even yielding insights that can improve the effectiveness of future disaster relief fundraising efforts,” said Associate Professor Jill Ehrenreich-May, director of the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Treatment, who joined La Greca

in recruiting families for “After the Storm: Preliminary Evaluation of a Preventive Intervention for Youth Exposed to Natural Disasters.” Their goal is to determine if an evidence-informed, parent-directed preventive intervention can guide mental health providers seeking to help young people cope more effectively in the aftermath of hurricanes.

In another department study, Assistant Professor Kiara Timpano, director of the Program for Anxiety, Stress, and OCD (PASO) is working with Maria Llabre, Justin Stoler, and Shivangi Prasad to assess “The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Mental and Physical Health: Consideration of Evacuation Behaviors and Geo‐Demographic Factors.”

Their interdisciplinary project seeks to understand the relationship between mental and physical health and behavioral reactions to Irma. “We also seek to develop individual‐level interventions, state and local communication strategies, and evacuation policy recommendations,” said Timpano. “Our findings may help guide anticipated responses to future storms.” n

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It wasn’t just the glass that sparkled at the kick-off party for the “Year of Glass” in the Lowe Art Museum’s Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion.

S THEYE S A L AR OFG

Above, top to bottom: Edifice, c. 1998 glass, mixed media Robin Grebe Target, 1997 cast glass, paint and steel Janusz Walentynowicz Artist/Mind/Studio/World Series II, 1993 glazed ceramic Viola Frey Opposite page: Royal Amulet Basket, 2011, glass Laura Donefer

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CELEBRATING GLASS: UM Provost Jeffrey Duerk; Myrna Palley; Dean Leonidas Bachas; Sheldon Palley; and Director of the Lowe Art Museum, Jill Deupi.

Myrna and Sheldon Palley beamed with happiness as they welcomed nearly 350 family and friends—many of whom came from all over the United States and Canada—to share their life’s passion: the studio glass movement.

“We might have collected the glass, but the collection belongs to the community where we have lived for the past 70 years: attending UM, working, and raising our family,” said Myrna Palley. “Miami and the University of Miami mean so much to Sheldon and me that giving the collection to the Lowe, and making it available for everyone to see and enjoy, was our way of saying thank you. The community has done so much for us.”

The reinstalled Pavilion now features more than 150 pieces by leading glass artists, including Dale Chihuly, Jose Chardiet, Mary Van Cline, KeKe Cribbs, Laura Donefer,

Marvin Lipofsky, Harvey Littleton, Richard Marquis, William Morris, Tom Patti, Clifford Rainey, Therman Statom, and Lino Tagliapietra.

The splendid new layout (guest curated by Linda Boone of Habatat Galleries) is a testament to the generosity of the Palleys as well as others who have donated works to the Pavilion over the years, including the Matus family, the Martin E. Messinger family, Pat and Larry Stewart, and Florence and Robert Werner. Beaux Arts, which has been the Lowe’s philanthropic partner for more than six decades, also generously supported the Pavilion’s original construction.

One of the evening’s highlights was a lecture by leading studio glass artist Therman Statom, who served as the inaugural speaker of the new Palley’s Distinguished Glass Artist Lecture Series.

“Myrna and Sheldon’s vision and passion

have transformed the Lowe Art Museum into one of the nation’s finest academic art museums, which in turn has been transformative for the entire University,” said UM Provost Jeffrey L. Duerk. “Their newly reinstalled Pavilion is a testament to the wonder of glass as well as to the Palleys’ importance as collectors in this exciting field.” n

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W

Celebrating a

CENTENNIAL IN HIS 45-YEAR CAREER AT UM, PROFESSOR EMERITUS HARRY PERSHING SCHULTZ LED THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY TO NEW HEIGHTS IN RESEARCH, TEACHING, AND SERVICE.

By Richard Westlund

CLOCKWISE: Cox Science Building, c. 1978; Professor Carl Hoff, 1985; Undergraduate Lab; (L-R) Art Brown, Harry Schultz, Clarence Stuckwisch and former UM President, the late Edward T. Foote, c. 1982; Professor Schultz with student; Professor Schultz at desk.

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hen Professor Emeritus Harry Pershing Schultz joined the University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences in 1947, the Department of Chemistry was housed in an old wooden building near the site of today’s Coral Gables Library.

“Our young University was mainly an undergraduate institution, although there was already some research activity underway,” recalled Schultz in an interview shortly after his 100th birthday in early March. “Our administration was eager to accept returning veterans from World War II, and I wanted to help these wonderful individuals get an advanced education.”

For the next 45 years, Schultz continued to teach generations of students, moving through the ranks from assistant professor to professor, while building the department’s research program. He served as chair from 1972 until he retired in 1984, demonstrating his commitment to UM by continuing to teach part time until 1991.

“The career of Professor Schultz exemplifies the steady progress our Department of Chemistry has made through the years as a center of research as well as teaching and service,” said Leonidas Bachas, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Now, we look forward to honoring his legacy with the creation of the Harry Pershing Schultz Fellowship Fund in Chemistry as we begin an exciting new chapter in our program.”

Seventy-one years after Schultz joined the University, the department that he once helped transform will be part of a progression toward a more collaborative setting as part of the Phillip and Patricia Frost Science and Engineering Building. The space will be dedicated to the comprehensive study of chemistry and molecular science. With the groundbreaking scheduled for May 3, 2018, this monumental event is the catalyst that will

propel the sciences to new heights at the University of Miami and beyond.

“Harry Schultz deserves the credit for launching the Department of Chemistry’s research program,” said Professor Carl D. Hoff. “That commitment to research continues to be vital in advancing our knowledge, as well as attracting toptier faculty and students to our University.”

A LONG CAREER AT THE U Born on March 9, 1918, in Wisconsin, Schultz earned a B.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1942. In 1943, he married Pearle Henriksen; they lived together for nearly 70 years until her passing in 2014. During World War II, he served as a government scientist and then completed a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1946, also at the University of Wisconsin. After a year as a research scientist with Merck, Schultz chose an academic career and joined the UM faculty. “My initial focus was generating a framework of vigorous and organized instruction of organic chemistry in lecture and labs,” he said.

His son, Tor Schultz, Ph.D., who followed his father’s footsteps in academia and holds a doctorate in Wood Chemistry, recalls those early days at UM. “My father would take me up to his lab in the old wooden triangular building on weekends, and I remember the strong chemical smells from the undergraduate teaching labs,” he said.

Along with teaching undergraduates—including a growing flow of women and minority students—Schultz began a graduate program that started the department’s research activity. Through the years, Schultz extended the chemical knowledge of quinoxaline, a little-known organic compound with potential medical applications.

“Harry Schultz was a bench chemist who made smelly, new compounds,” Hoff said. “He used his great mind to help other researchers, as well as his students, and earned wide respect in our field.”

Through the years, Schultz and his students published more than 70 research papers in the realm of heterocyclic aromatic organic chemistry, with applied portions of his research being medicinally oriented.

“After retirement he developed an interest in chemical topology and published several papers on this topic,” said Professor George Fisher, who wrote a tribute to Schultz in the South Florida American Chemical Society Newsletter. Schultz also co-authored two books, a lab manual of organic chemistry, and a biography of Sir Isaac Newton with his wife, Pearle, as his co-author.

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“I remember that Professor Schultz would get up every morning at 6 a.m. and ride his bike to Matheson Hammock where he would swim in the ocean,” Professor Emeritus Carl Snyder said. “He would then ride his bike to UM where he would teach the 8 a.m. lecture on organic chemistry.”

AN EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER AND LEADER Looking back at the growth of the Department of Chemistry in a 1986 newsletter, Schultz noted its resemblance to the ‘S’ or sigma curve that often traces the growth of a biological system. He wrote, “Painfully, slowly, and at first imperceptibly, growth of Chemistry commenced at the University. With the passage of time, each advance paved the way for more rapid progress and a more active department, until the initial, almost horizontal, beginning arm of the ‘S’ started to sweep up into the vertical, fast growth portion of the curve, reflecting a department coping successfully and expanding mightily.”

Along with highlighting the maturation of the department in research and service, as well as in teaching, Schultz added, “The most pleasing change for me personally to observe as time passed was the greater proportion of minorities and women who were in my classes and who constituted a larger number of those progressing to professional and graduate programs.”

Certainly, generations of UM students Professor Emeritus Carl Snyder admired and respected Schultz’ ability to teach organic chemistry. “I remember my father’s picture on the wall next to the pool by the student union, as he was voted the best teacher at UM for 20 straight years,” said Tor Schultz.

From 1968 to 1972, Schultz was the Ph.D. mentor for George Fisher, now Professor of Chemistry at Barry University. “Schultz delighted in seeing his students succeed,” Fisher said. “When a student earned a 100 percent on an exam in his organic chemistry course, he gave that student a red rose as a reward. I thank him for inspiring me to teach organic chemistry at Barry University, and I have continued his legacy of the red rose.”

When Hoff joined the UM faculty in 1981, he remembers being amazed at seeing students wait in line to shake Schultz’ hand after a long and difficult final exam in organic chemistry. “Harry was a

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Professor Emeritus Cecil Criss

straight shooter who cared about his students. He was the real deal.”

Schultz’ colleagues also give him high marks for his leadership skills. “Harry was the most organized person that I ever remember meeting,” said Cecil Criss, retired professor and chair of the department from 1984 to 1991. “He was extremely fair in evaluating people, and encouraged faculty members doing research, teaching, or writing books. Harry also had a photographic memory and unbelievably fast reading speed, and would often read an entire book in one evening.”

In professional circles, Schultz served as chair of the American Chemistry Society’s Miami Subsection and Florida Section, as well as becoming an ACS Councilor. He received the Florida Section Award in 1986, before retiring in the 1990s to Sheridan, Wyoming. His family includes three children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Reflecting on his long career, Snyder said, “Professor Schultz did more to build the Chemistry Department than any other single person. Establishing the Harry Pershing Schultz Fellowship Fund in Chemistry will be a fitting tribute to his career.” n For more information or if you would like to discuss your gift to the Harry Pershing Schultz Fellowship Fund in Chemistry please contact Angie Gonzalez-Kurver in our Development Office at 305-284-4638 or email ajgonzalez@miami.edu.

Harry Schultz (second from left) with UM Chemistry Faculty, North Campus Laboratory, 1951

A|S Research

CROP FAILURE in the ANDES

Photo: Saul Tito

Kenneth Feeley, the Smathers Chair of Tropical Tree Biology in the Department of Biology, is an expert in studying the effects of climate change on tropical forests. From the mountains of Peru to the lowlands of the Amazon, Feeley examines the ramifications of climate change on the trees and other species that comprise the diverse forests of these regions. Yet, Feeley shifted gears from studying tropical forests to examining the impacts of climate change in rural farming communities in Peru.

As co-author of a study published in Global Change Biology, Feeley, along with fellow biologist, Richard Tito, a native Quechua Indian from the region and the study’s first author, discovered that tough times lie ahead for rural farmers growing the Andes’ staple crops—corn and potatoes.

“The research was executed in a very remote part of Peru,” said Feeley.

“We were trying to look at how the traditional agriculture practices of people in the high Andes Mountains will be impacted by climate change, so we performed a set of experiments to simulate different scenarios under global warming.”

In the first experiment, the researchers simulated what will happen if farmers continue cultivating the same areas amid rising temperatures. To do this, they grew corn farther down the mountain, where temperatures are slightly higher. The simulation revealed that, with just a small temperature increase of 1.3 degrees to 2.6 degrees, nearly all the corn plants were killed by invading birds and pest insects.

Potato plants fared even worse. When potatoes were grown at lower elevations (but in their normal soil), most of the plants died and any potatoes that survived were of such low quality they had no market value.

In a second set of experiments, the researchers simulated what will happen if farmers try to counteract rising temperatures by moving their corn farms to higher elevations. (Potato crops are already grown along mountain peaks, so moving those farms higher isn’t an option.) To accomplish this simulation, the

A FOCUS on SOUTH AMERICA UM RESEARCHERS FROM DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEFORESTATION IN SOUTH AMERICA.

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A|S Research

Photos: Saul Tito

researchers grew corn under normal temperatures but in soils carried in from higher elevations. When grown at a higher elevation, the corn plants survived but the quality and quantity of the harvest was greatly reduced. When grown at a higher elevation, the corn plants survived but the quality and quantity of the harvest was greatly reduced.

“We found big decreases in the yield, quality, and the market value of the corn and potatoes planted under these simulated future conditions,” said Feeley. “Notably, much of the decline was due to increased damage by pests, something that is often not taken into account in greenhouse or lab studies. Given the extreme importance of these staple crops for Andean communities, our findings can have huge, and scary, implications.”

The study measured the crops during a growing season within the remote Huamburque area of the Andean Amazon basin, where elevations range between 3,000 and 4,000 meters. Unfortunately, Feeley said, farmers in this rural area of Peru lack the means to purchase genetically-modified varieties of corn or potato, as well as pesticides to remove the pests or commercial fertilizers.

Small communities in rural places don’t have the technology or market access to quickly adapt to climate change,” said Feeley. “Some farmers might be able to switch their crop to a variety that is tolerant to higher temperatures, but many lack the resources to save

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their crops by using irrigation pumps or fertilizers. These farmers are in jeopardy as are millions of people who depend on these crops throughout the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.”

The study, “Global Climate Change Increases Risk of Crop Yield Losses and Food Insecurity in the Tropical Andes” was published in the journal Global Change Biology.

CLEARING THE FOREST with CONSEQUENCES

Y

ears of research on the Brazilian Amazonia’s rich biodiversity and ecological functions has documented the region’s importance to humanity and the planet. Yet, Brazil’s rainforest is under stress from many of the very initiatives, including agriculture like soybean farms and the expansion of infrastructure, such as roads and dams, thought to be essential for the well-being of its population.

But in a new study, Professor José Maria Cardoso da Silva found that many of the theories about how societies living in tropical forest regions can improve their living standards, which include deforestation, migration, public investment, and agriculture, do more harm

A|S Research

“...no country in the world can be considered as developed if it does not find ways to conciliate economic prosperity with a healthy environment.” than good because they fail to conserve the region’s natural wealth— the forest.

“Essentially, regions covered by forests, which are so important on a global scale because of climate change, must follow a different developmental pattern because these regions are fundamentally different,” Silva said. “The only way to improve human welfare is by protecting the forest while building up modern and sustainable infrastructure in the region’s cities.”

For his study, Silva and co-author Shivangi Prasad evaluated whether reducing the forest to make way for development, migrating from small cities to larger cities, investing in government pensions, subsidies, and social welfare programs, and increasing agriculture and other jobs, improved human welfare in the Brazilian Amazonia by looking at how the Human Development Index (HDI) of 499 municipalities in the region changed from 2005 to 2012, when the government implemented strategies to control deforestation and promote more sustainable development.

“What we found in our study is that increases in urbanization, agriculture, and public investment projects, during a time of reduced deforestation, does not translate into high human -development growth, unless they are done correctly and take into account the importance of the forest itself,” said Silva.

These theories, the study found, all proved unsuccessful due to improper planning and capacity of the local municipal governments in the Brazilian Amazonia to develop and implement sound, long-term sustainable development plans.

Prasad, Silva’s co-author who lectures in the Department of Geography and Regional Studies, says the research can be applied to other countries where tropical rainforests and people intermingle, such as Indonesia and countries in the Congo Basin—global areas with very large tropical rainforest regions.

“If you look at our research, this is exactly what is happening in the Amazon where deforestation is being replaced by soybeans, while in Indonesia it’s palm oil plantations,” said Prasad. “The problem when growing just one crop is that it reduces biodiversity. Also, the way the land is cleared is also a problem because mass deforestation of large swaths of land are cleared by fire.”

In conclusion, Silva said, “I am a strong believer that without the outright conservation of the natural ecosystems, no country in the world can be considered as developed if it does not find ways to conciliate economic prosperity with a healthy environment.”

The study entitled, “The Impact of Deforestation, Urbanization, Public Investments, and Agriculture on Human Welfare in the Brazilian Amazonia,” is published in the journal Land Use Policy. n ARTS | SCIENCES

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Bookmarks R E C E N T A & S FA C U LT Y P U B L I C AT I O N S

Science, Aliens, and Terrorism FRED FROHOCK POLITICAL SCIENCE Crossroads to Eden, (Archway). Crossroads to Eden is a fast-paced ensemble novel of extraordinary characters and their journeys into the unexplored regions of alien possession, reproductive cloning guided by the miracles of contemporary science, and efforts to cope with domestic terrorism.

VISITING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

HOLLY IGLESIAS ENGLISH Sleeping Things (Amazon Press). In Sleeping Things, Iglesias creates vignettes through which to glimpse themes of home and history, nostalgia and oblivion. Pulitzer-Prize winner Madeleine Blais says of the collection: “If you are a writer in want of dynamite material, it really helps if you grew up in a white bread Midwestern suburb and were taught by nuns, and as a young adult found yourself embedded in a refugee community trapped in the middle of the culture wars. We may be, as the author claims, ‘a mere speck in the cosmos,’ but in Iglesias’ hands, even a mere speck contains multitudes.”

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JOSE CARDOSO DA SILVA GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL STUDIES Caatinga: The Largest Tropical Dry Forest Region in South America (Springer Publishing). Tropical dry forests are the most endangered ecosystem in the Americas Yet, they are less known and protected when compared with the humid forests such as Amazonia.

In this new book, Silva and colleagues first reveal the extraordinary biodiversity of the Caatinga, South America’s largest tropical dry forest region that covers 225 million acres of northeastern Brazil, then describe the major threats to the region’s socio-ecological systems—climate change and deforestation. The book also proposes major actions that could enable the transformation of Caatinga into a place where people and nature can thrive together.

KAREN MATHEWS ART & ART HISTORY Conflict, Commerce, and an Aesthetic of Appropriation in the Italian Maritime Cities, 1000-1150 (Brill Publishers). In Conflict, Commerce, and an Aesthetic of Appropriation in the Italian Maritime Cities, 1000-1150, Mathews analyzes the relationship between war, trade, and the use of spolia (appropriated objects from past and foreign cultures) as architectural decoration in the public monuments of the Italian maritime republics in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

This comparative study addressing five urban centers argues that the multivalence of spolia and their openness to new interpretations made them the ideal visual form to define a distinct Mediterranean identity for the inhabitants of these cities, celebrating the wealth and prestige that resulted from the paired endeavors of war and commerce while referencing the cultures across the sea that inspired the greatest hostility, fear, or admiration.

VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

DREW BILLINGS RELIGIOUS STUDIES Acts of the Apostles and the Rhetoric of Roman -Imperialism (Cambridge University Press). Billings brings an interdisciplinary approach to a text of critical importance by comparing the methods of representation in Acts with visual and verbal representations that were common during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan.

Billings argues that Acts adopts the rhetoric of Roman imperialism found on imperial monuments and in the epigraphic record of the early second century. His study bridges the fields of classics, art history, gender studies, Jewish studies and New Testament studies in exploring how Early Christian texts relate to wider patterns in the cultural production of the Roman Empire.

Bookmarks

Jewish life in America

JUSTIN RITZINGER RELIGIOUS STUDIES Anarchy in the Pure Land: Reinventing the Cult of Maitreya in Modern Chinese Buddhism (Oxford University Press) investigates the 20th-century reinvention of the cult of Maitreya, the future Buddha, conceived by the reformer Taixu and promoted by the Chinese Buddhist reform movement.

The cult presents an apparent anomaly: It shows precisely the kind of concern for ritual, supernatural beings, and the afterlife that the reformers supposedly rejected in the name of “modernity.” This book shows that, rather than a concession to tradition, the reimagining of ideas and practices associated with Maitreya was an important site for formulating a Buddhist vision of modernity.

Memories of Cuba IRA SHESKIN GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL STUDIES American Jewish Year Book (Jewish Publication Society and the American Jewish Committee). The American Jewish Year Book, now in its 117th year, is the annual record of the North American Jewish communities and provides insight into their major trends. It stands as the “volume of record” for all interested in up-to-date information on North America’s Jewish communities.

JOAQUÍN ROY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Memoir of My Youth in Cuba: A Soldier in the Spanish Army during the Separatist War, 1895–1898 (University of Alabama Press) is a translation based on the Spanish version by Josep Conangla and edited by Roy who found the memoir and was given access to the Conangla family archives. Conangla’s memoir is an important addition to the accounts of Spanish and Cuban soldiers who served in Cuba’s second War of Independence.

TIMOTHY WATSON ENGLISH Culture Writing (Oxford University Press). This book analyzes the dynamic exchanges between literary writers and anthropologists in Britain, the United States, France, and the Caribbean in the 1950s and early 1960s. As the British and French empires collapsed and the United States rose to global power in the early Cold War, some anthropologists questioned their discipline's role in imperialism and experimented with literary forms and technique. Simultaneously, some literary writers were turning to ethnographic methods for representing the people and cultural practices of Britain, France, and the United States, bringing anthropology back home.

LOUIS HERNS MARCELIN ANTHROPOLOGY Haitian Youth in the Americas/Les jeunes Haïtiens dans les Amériques (Presses de l’Universite du Quebec). This bilingual (English and French) volume examines the contexts in which Haitian youth and young people of Haitian descent negotiate their socio-cultural conditions in Haiti and in different societies across the Americas. It uses a transdisciplinary perspective to consider interconnected themes affecting these youth through a theoretical framework centered on the concepts of practice, generation, identity and transnational circulation. This book provides unique insights into the complexity of identity processes as well as the ambivalence of the modes of belonging and engagement of young people of Haitian descent in Haiti and the societies throughout the Americas in which they live or circulate.

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Class Notes

60s

AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Submit your own class note, book, or news as.miami.edu/alumni/class-note casmagazine@miami.edu

Sandra Sutker Kahn, A.B. ’64, is a clinical psychotherapist having established a practice in Illinois in 1976. She is a writer and frequent speaker on psychological matters, specializing in issues related to male-female relationships, depression, anxiety, divorce, and single mothering. Over the years, she has appeared as a frequent guest on many local and national television shows, including “Oprah,” and “Good Morning America.” Hosting a radio show, “Shared Feelings with Sandra Kahn,” a wide variety of topics are discussed with her listeners. She has also served as a psychotherapist for The Chicago Bears, and continues to give lectures and seminars throughout the country.

Paul J. D’Angelo, B.A. ’63, recently published his book Soundings, Honoring Influential Teachers.

The book contains reflections of his experience as a UM student and a member of the Band of the Hour, where he received a full scholarship from 1959-1963. The book is a remembrance of the many teachers and events that contributed to his career. D’Angelo takes the reader from his origins as a child entertainer, through high school as a musician, to his training as a symphony orchestral conductor—with some extraordinary times and entertaining anecdotes along the way.

70s Gail Edwards, B.F.A. ’74, recently appeared on Netflix’s “Fuller House” with Bob Saget, reprising her role as Vicky Larson 24 years after her last appearance on ABC’s “Full House.” Later moving to Sedona, AZ, Edwards concluded her roles on the original series and is now the Associate Artistic Director at her local theatre. She has since become an avid bridge player and a member of the Sedona Elks Lodge, which supports veterans and other Verde Valley charities. Edwards appears in Season Three’s closer of “Here Comes the Sun,” now available on Netflix.

50s Philip Benzil, B.S. ’54, a retired dentist, has been elected to the Miami Beach Senior High School Hall of Fame for his lifetime commitment to community service.

Fredric Krell, B.A. ’54, retired from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, NY, where he was band director for 33 years. Following Roosevelt High, he joined the football coaching staff at Somers High School in Lincolndale, NY. In November 2016, the team won the New York State High School Championship for the first time in the program’s history.

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SPRING 2018

80s Lisa Conti, B.S. ’84, was recognized at the American Veterinary Medical Association Convention with the Karl F. Meyer–James H. Steele Gold Headed Cane Award by the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society.

Conti received a B.S. in Chemistry from UM in 1984, her veterinary degree from the University of Florida in 1988, and her Master’s in Public Health from the University of South Florida in 1993. She is Deputy Commissioner and Chief Science Officer of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Earlier, Conti was with the Florida Department of Health for 23 years, serving as Division Director of Environmental Health, Florida State Public Health Veterinarian, and state HIV/AIDS Surveillance Coordinator. She is board certified as a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

Class Notes

90s

00s

C. Dean Furman, A.B. ’90, was elected President of the Louisville Bar Association, a 3,000-member, voluntary local bar association. He practices commercial litigation, personal injury, whistleblower, and federal criminal healthcare defense.

He and his wife, Dr. Christian Davis Furman, A.B. ’92, will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in 2018.

Jeanette Rodriguez, B.F.A. ’00, has worked as a multicultural artist with extensive knowledge in brand identity and development, communication strategies, and digital design with Barnes and Noble since 2014. Rodriguez was recently promoted from eComm Visual Designer to Art Director, Digital Experience.

Michael Mena, A.B. ’01, was elected to the Coral Gables City Commission and sworn in as a City Commissioner in April 2017. He is serving the remaining two-year term in the City Commission Group Five seat.

Mena is an attorney and partner at Akerman, LLP. He earned his A.B. in Political Science at UM and his J.D. at Columbia University School of Law. He is married to Lisa Marie Mena, and has two daughters, Aria and Pilar.

Shani Simpson, B.A. ’05, ecently had her first solo art show with Art Serve at the BDO Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Art Serve is an outlet for local and emerging artists to show and sell their work. The solo show featured works from the Sombras; Working Lunch, and Gemelos photograph series as well as large-scale abstract paintings New Day and Anillos.

Matthew Stock, B.S. ’04, is a naturalist and photographer, and has combined his expertise in science with his passion for capturing beauty in nature. His most recent project, Abandoned Vehicles of the Everglades, was featured at an exclusive art installation at The Biltmore Hotel, officially launching December’s 2017 Art Week Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Fiona Taylor, M.A. ’94, recently co-founded a comedy and satire site for female writers called The Belladonna, www.thebelladonnacomedy.com. The site is dedicated to developing and supporting the voices of female writers. As one of the four co-founders and editors, together with Carrie Wittmer, Brooke Preston, and Caitlin Kunkel, Taylor helps provide thoughtful feedback to all pieces, whether or not they are accepted. A series of free writing sessions called The Belladonna Workshops has also been launched.

Gustavo I. Lopez, A.B. ’95, has joined Olé Communications in Coral Gables, FL, a joint venture partnering with Time Warner in HBO Latin America, NBC Universal for the Universal, E!, Syfy and Telemundo channels in Latin America, and with A&E Networks for the A&E, History and Lifetime channels in Latin America. This is full circle for Lopez as he began his career in television with HBO Latin America almost 20 years ago. He is married to Christina Ortega Lopez, B.S.C ’97.

Karen Guggenheim, A.B. ’93, M.A. ’03, faced life-altering challenges, which caused her to look to her education and dual degrees to create and spread a new approach to psychology and work towards building a global movement of happiness. In March 2018, she brought the World Happiness Summit to the UM Coral Gables campus for an immersive workshop that featured yoga, meditation, live musical entertainment, break-away sessions, and keynote speeches from top experts in positive psychology, government, sustainability, economics, mindfulness, technology, business, and media. The theme of the event was Sustainable Happiness: Developing Balanced Personal, Interpersonal, Career & Environmental Ecosystems.

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Class Notes Brianne Coger, A.B. ’05, enlisted in the United States Navy in 2007 and is currently a Chief Petty Officer (and one of only twelve females) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians in the Navy. With a challenging combination of technical knowledge and physical demands, the EOD program appealed to Coger. EOD Technicians—the world’s ultimate bomb squad—perform some of the most harrowing, dangerous work in order to keep others out of harm’s way, and they do so in every environment. They work on land and underwater with all branches of the military, and support civilian law enforcement agencies and the Secret Service.

Courtney Cross-Johnson, A.B. ’11, was recently selected as a transformative leader in Teach for America’s feature for Black History Month 2018: 13 Black Leaders Who are Shaping the Future of their Communities. She began her journey as a UM undergraduate and credits that time for her love for service and leadership. She is currently Manager of Marketing for the alumni community at Teach for America, creating impact, guiding education strategies, and connecting with students through structure and community. She is continually stepping up to expand opportunities for students in the highest-need communities. In addition to being a member of the Dallas-Fort Worth Urban League Young Professionals, Cross-Johnson’s voluntee service with the HERitage Giving Fund helps bring together black female philanthropists to fund nonprofits in North Texas that specifically serve women and girls. She also volunteers with Black Girls Code-Dallas, an organization that encourages girls from age 7 to 17 to enter STEM fields.

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Olajide N. Bamishigbin, Jr., B.A. ’12, received a Ph.D. in Health Psychology in June 2017 from the University of California, Los Angeles. Now an Assistant Professor at California State UniversityLos Angeles teaching multiple psychology courses, he also conducts research in the field of health psychology, investigating the associations between risk factors, resilience resources, and the physical and mental health of underrepresented populations. His primary focus is on African American fathers. His secondary interest is in underrepresented minorities with cancer.

Correction Aida Levitan, Ph.D., A.B. ’69, is the Chair of the Amigos Board of the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami, not the Chair of the Cuban Heritage Collection as noted in the Fall 2017 issue of Arts & Sciences magazine.

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