BEACON OF HOPE
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A CREATIVE LEGACY
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI | SPRING 2019
Immersive Learning Technology to augment the educational experience. p.16
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BUILDING BUZZ
FROM THE DEAN Dear Friends, I am pleased to let you know that, after extensive discussion and consultation with faculty, staff, students, and friends, we have finalized the College’s strategic plan: IMPACT 2025. IMPACT 2025 supports the University’s priorities and long-term goals while strengthening the College and serving as the foundation for the College of tomorrow. Organized around three major themes—Investing in People, Reimagining the College, and Reaching beyond Coral Gables—IMPACT 2025 is a transformative tool for change and an essential guide for our institution as the University approaches its 2025 centennial. I invite you to explore IMPACT 2025 by visiting our website at www.as.miami.edu/about-us/ strategic-plan/index.html or scanning the QR code below with your smartphone. It will take you directly Leonidas Bachas to the report. Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Once again, I am happy to present another issue of Arts&Sciences magazine, highlighting the impact of our faculty, students, and alumni on the world. This issue showcases the College’s pioneering research and interdisciplinary collaboration across many fields, the drive and resourcefulness of our students, and the philanthropic contributions by members of the community. You’ll discover how innovative technologies are adding another layer of depth to student learning. You’ll read about plans for the new Institute of Mathematical Science of the Americas, spearheaded by the College’s Department of Mathematics and made possible by a $2 million grant from the Simons Foundation. You’ll learn about two innovative A&S programs that provide immersive professional experiences to advance the career goals of both undergraduate and graduate students. As we prepare to congratulate our newest graduates at this spring’s Commencement ceremonies, we continue to celebrate the extraordinary teaching and research on this diverse and dynamic campus that forge such powerful connections among our students and faculty. A liberal arts education is the foundation of the critical thinking and knowledge-based decision-making that will transform our world. I thank you for your continued support of the College for another successful academic year. Wishing you all a wonderful summer! 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
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
SPRING 2019 VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 1 COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES Dean Leonidas G. Bachas Senior Associate Deans Jennifer Ferriss-Hill Douglas Fuller Kenneth J. Voss Associate Deans Charles Mallery José Maria Cardoso da Silva Assistant Dean Leonard Clemons Executive Directors Dawn Reynolds Maryann Tatum Tobin Executive Director of Development Patrick E. Stewart Editor/Writer Deseraé E. del Campo Editorial Contributors Maya Bell Janette Tannen Julia Berg Richard Westlund Robert Jones Barry Williams David Menconi Photography Jenny Abreu Barry Williams 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 © 2019, University of Miami. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences online at as.miami.edu Past issues of the magazine are available online at: as.miami.edu
Inside DEPARTMENTS
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 1 | ARTS & SCIENCES | SPRING 2019
FEATURES
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24
AROUND CAMPUS
ALUMNI NEWS
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26
A|S NEWS
BOOKMARKS
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28
FIVE QUESTIONS
A|S RESEARCH
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30
PHILANTHROPY
END NOTE
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31
STUDENT DIGEST
CLASS NOTES
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OPENING DOORS A&S programs help propel grads and undergrads toward career goals.
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IMMERSIVE LEARNING Innovative technologies augment the educational experience.
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BUILDING BUZZ Fruit fly research lures undergrads.
ARTS | SCIENCES
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Around Campus
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SPEAKING IN RHYME Playing the treacherous Arsinoë in the Ring Theatre’s production of David Ives’s “The School for Lies,” sophomore Queen Griffin makes a play for Jack, the cranky social critic portrayed by senior Nick McCarthy. The romantic comedy was the third of four productions that were featured at the Ring Theatre during the 2018-2019 season.
ARTS | SCIENCES
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A|SNEWS
BEACON OF HOPE
At any given time, the Linda Ray Center serves up to
60 children ranging in age from
infancy 3 years to
Offering five hours of services each weekday for the past 25 years, the center has provided more than
1,000 Lynne Katz poses with Sebastian the Ibis outside the Linda Ray Center.
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at-risk youngsters and families with services and intervention strategies.
THE LINDA RAY CENTER
Y
ou could liken the work of the University of Miami’s Linda Ray Children’s Intervention Center to a phoenix arising from a fire’s ashes. Like the mythological bird coming back to life, the Linda Ray Center arose from the metaphorical ashes of a structure that was once a hub of the very problems the center was created to address. “It was a low-income apartment building where people were consuming a lot of illegal drugs,” says Lynne Katz, research associate professor and director of the center. “And it’s been turned on its side—transformed into a home for a collaborative program to help families get the next generation on their feet.” Named for philanthropist Linda Ray, the center opened its doors in 1993 on the University’s medical campus, adjacent to Jackson Memorial Hospital. At the peak of the drug epidemic, the hospital was on the front lines; scores of addicted mothers delivered their babies there. With her husband, Wendell, Linda Ray renovated and provided the center’s building and interiors, and worked with UM and Miami-Dade County Public Schools to formulate the program plan that continues to guide its work.
A key factor in the center’s impact is the staff’s engagement with clients and communities. This is not the kind of work that can be done at a distance; it requires openness and understanding. ENGAGEMENT AND ADVOCACY
“We’re on the ground making visits to high-risk communities to engage families that have not had a lot of respect because of substance abuse and addiction,” Katz says. “We’ve established understandings with communities like Overtown and Liberty City. Where people might have been initially circumspect—‘What does the University of Miami want with our child, to use him as a guinea pig for research?’—the fact that we’ve established relationships with very diverse cultural and linguistic communities lets them see we’ll advocate on a family’s behalf. “We’ve earned a reputation for understanding, reaching out into communities a long way from the Coral Gables campus. Many families say no one’s ever done that for and with them.” “It’s a true partnership for children,” she adds. The center is also well positioned for kids who present symptoms that suggest the possibility of autism. Michael
HAS BEEN TRANSFORMING TROUBLED LIVES FOR A QUARTER-CENTURY. EARLY INTERVENTION, LONG-TERM BENEFITS
“People used to say that the children of mothers using cocaine had no chance for success or well-being,” Katz says. “But the University wanted to find out what could be done if we got in early, did research, and came up with models to serve children from the time they were born and to see what we could do to change the trajectory of their development. “From the beginning, we knew that the earlier the intervention, the greater the chance of positively changing the outcome.” In retrospect, committing this much time, effort, and resources to a troubled community was an unprecedented, even radical step. “These kids were not getting the attention they needed before the Linda Ray Center,” says psychology professor Daniel Messinger, one of Katz’s longtime research collaborators at the center. “When parents are affected by drug addiction, it can create a fair amount of chaos in everyone’s lives and make parenting very hard. “Having an intervention center devoted to these children and families is a wonderful thing for kids, parents, the community, and the University. The Linda Ray Center is a shining pearl in the UM system. It’s a real privilege to do research there.”
Alessandri, executive director of UM-NSU CARD and clinical professor of psychology, coordinates early screenings for children at the center who may be on the autism spectrum. “If someone shows red flags, we can get them engaged in evaluations and early intervention at no cost to the families,” Alessandri says. “We provide teacher training, and we’re able to deploy some resources to support families. The socioeconomic challenges that a lot of people face can make accessing resources nearly impossible.” The work is challenging. At times, Katz acknowledges, it wears on her and the staff—especially when things don’t go well with troubled families. But the success stories keep them going, especially when former clients come back to show their old teachers that they’re thriving. Katz remembers one girl in particular who gave her a call one day after reaching the ninth grade. “She wanted to know if she could apply to the University of Miami if she works really hard and does well,” Katz says. “That was so awesome. I told her of course I would shepherd her through the process when the time comes. “Wouldn’t that be closing the loop? The fact that she believes in the University as a force in her life and a beacon that she wants to come back to as a young adult—that’s amazing.” n
ARTS | SCIENCES
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A|SNEWS
Beaux ArtsA
South Florida Tradition
The 68th annual Beaux Arts Festival of Art brought more than 200 fine art exhibitors to the grounds of the Lowe Art Museum on the University of Miami campus in January. The festival was originally called the “Clothesline Sale,” as Beaux Arts volunteers used clotheslines to display the works of local artists in front of the Lowe. Now, 68 years later, the volunteerrun festival has evolved and is considered one of the top outdoor fine art shows in the country. The Beaux Arts Festival of Art attracts thousands of visitors annually and offers works in 10 mediums for a variety of budgets. This year’s festival featured live music, children’s entertainment—including free art activities for children ages 4-12 in the Dr. Brandt Foundation Children’s Art Tent —and a variety of dining options ideal for art enthusiasts and families alike. Over $20,000 in cash prizes was awarded with Best in Show given to David Figueroa, from the Sculpture category. Mr. Figueroa is a local crowd favorite and a multiple-time winner of Best in Show. The festival is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables and Cutler Bay and the Dr. Brandt Foundation. n BEST IN SHOW: David Figueroa
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ARTS | SCIENCES
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A|SNEWS
Honoring Educational Excellence
Donald Spivey receives Faculty Senate Outstanding Teaching Award.
Donald Spivey, Distinguished Professor of History and Cooper Fellow of the College of Arts and Sciences, received the 2019 Faculty Senate’s Outstanding Teaching Award. An educator at UM for the past 25 years, Spivey teaches courses on late 19th- and 20th-century America, with a specialization in African-American history, sport, labor, music, and education. Born and raised in Chicago, Spivey attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his B.A. in 1971 and M.A. in history in 1972. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Davis in 1976. How did you feel when you learned you had won this award? When Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Tomas Salerno called me at home to give me the good news, he caught me completely off guard. I felt stunned, jubilant, humble, and grateful for this great honor. After I regained my power of speech, I offered the Senators my heartfelt thanks.
You have received numerous recognitions over the course of your career as an educator. What makes this award different from previous ones? This award is different because it is from the representative body of the faculty of the University. I have received some other awards for teaching, but none come close to this one. I could not be prouder.
Have you thought about the kind of impact you are making on students at UM? You are never sure of the impact you make on students. You do occasionally hear from some of them, and that is especially nice. What I am most proud of is being entrusted with a part of the learning experience of thousands of UM students who have gone on to successful careers in every field.
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Your team-taught course, “The Sixties,” is very popular. Why do you think this decade in American history connects with today’s students? Many of the students probably heard from parents or grandparents about the ’60s, and the many faculty and staff who lend their expertise and experiences to the course help bring the period to life. They were such rich, vibrant, and tumultuous years that we can basically let them speak for themselves. If the stories from that era don’t move you, you should check your pulse.
Who has inspired you and why? My grandmother. She knew education was the key to success. She taught grammar school in the Jim Crow South, though she had only an eighthgrade education. That was considered qualification enough for a black person to teach black children in rural Mississippi in the early 20th century. Any time I feel like going a little easy in the classroom, I remember her and challenge my students to give their best effort and to make learning their top priority. My grandmother would have cried tears of joy at my receiving the award for outstanding teaching. n
Simons Foundation grant funds new Institute of Mathematical Science.
T
Photo: Juniette Fiore
Magnitude of Support
he grant received from New York-based Simons Foundation by the University of Miami Department of Mathematics last January promises to be a powerful factor in the future of the discipline across the hemisphere. Paid out over five years, the $2 million grant supports the piloting of a new Institute of Mathematical Science of the Americas. “Simons Foundation is probably the largest and most prominent foundation that supports research in math and science,” says Robert Stephen Cantrell, mathematics professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics. “This is an enormous feather in the department’s cap, the best possible endorsement any department could get. People are taking notice.” Plans call for the new institute to be up and running by July 2019. A major kickoff conference will follow in September, to be attended by Simons Foundation founder, billionaire hedgefund manager, and philanthropist Jim Simons. Over the longer term, the new institute will coordinate workshops around specialized high-concept topics such as homological mirror symmetry and what Cantrell calls “mathematical sand piles,” as well as hot-topic workshops about emerging issues and discoveries. But the institute’s most important function will be to foster mathematical ties between the University of Miami and Latin America with a series of collaborative partnerships. “Mathematics in Latin America has developed extremely well the last 20 years, especially at IMPA [Brazil’s foremost educational and research institution for mathematics],” says Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Phillip Griffiths, who played an instrumental role in landing the Simons grant. “The time is right to establish stronger connections between U.S. math communities and others in the hemisphere.” “The University has the track record to do this,” Griffiths notes. “It is really building on something that’s already in place and has been flourishing for years. It’s just something that makes a lot of sense at this point in time.” Yuri Tschinkel, director of mathematics and physical
Department of Mathematics Chair Robert Stephen Cantrell
sciences for the Simons Foundation, agrees. “The University of Miami has had a very strong department with very distinguished faculty for many years,” Tschinkel says. “This is potentially a very important institute for mathematics, especially as it connects to other communities across the Americas. “The goal of this program is to build and strengthen communities. We hope our initial grant to UM will help enable that.” In making the award to UM, Simons Foundation also recognized the numerous conferences and activities hosted by the University over the past decade, many of them leading to collaborations with institutions in Brazil and Mexico. “What they expect us to do is very ambitious, and I’ll do everything humanly possible not to disappoint them,” says Professor Ludmil Katzarkov. “They want to put this part of the U.S. on the scientific map. This has been a dream of Jim Simons’ for some time, and some huge steps in this direction have already been taken. “We want to eventually become an institute like MSRI in Berkeley—a big institution with extended connections to South and Central America.” n ARTS | SCIENCES
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QUESTIONS
Claudia Grillo Associate Vice President, Development and Donor Relations 1. What kind of guidance do you give to colleagues to help them develop and meet their fundraising goals for the University?
I can’t think of a more fulfilling or rewarding career than to help individuals tap into their passions and realize their philanthropic aspirations. We are in the process of reinventing and modernizing our development work by upgrading our systems, expanding our use of data
and analytics, and elevating our expertise as relationship managers, prospect researchers, and story tellers. All of these tools and resources are designed to help us up our game as fundraisers and to be more strategic, effective, and successful. 2. How has donor relations changed in both the private and public sector in the past five years?
When I think about donor
relations today, I think about the donor experience. How are we connecting with our donors, keeping them engaged and informed, and moving them along a journey that deepens their appreciation and passion for our institution? Technology is key. With nearly 200,000 alumni, the effective use of technology provides the single greatest opportunity we have to deepen relationships. We are also fortunate that the University has a multitude of unique offerings that we can use to engage individuals, from amazing lectures to renowned faculty/medical experts, visiting dignitaries, and cutting-edge scientific research. 3. What key lessons have you learned throughout your career?
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FALL 2018
I believe culture is what distinguishes great organizations from good ones. If we take care of our people, develop them and value them, they will deliver beyond expectations. If we are open and honest, we can overcome any challenges and move forward in a positive direction.
4. What three words best describe your personality?
I would say: kind, funny, and positive! 5. What is your favorite book and why?
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. So much in our world is complicated and complex, yet I find the message of this simple story to be relevant in big and small ways. The idea of positive thinking is a cornerstone of who I am— believing in myself, going after ‘it,’ and making my way to the other side. This is what has carried me along life’s journey. n
DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE
48,000 A&S ALUMNI WORLDWIDE?
UM Board of Trustees Member, A&S Visiting Committee Member, and Philanthropist
1. Why did you become involved in the A&S Visiting Committee and UM Board of Trustees?
I was asked to become a member of the UM Board of Trustees by past president Tad Foote. He knew me from my tenure as chairperson of the Board of Trustees at Ransom-Everglades School. I am an alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences. I transferred to UM for my senior year in college and was one of the few women majoring in political science. I strongly believe that a great university is led by a great College of Arts and Sciences, and the Visiting Committee affords me an opportunity to be part of that endeavor.
tions to build sustainability. In the process, I have also learned best practices for nonprofit organizations. I am probably considered an elder statesperson who understands the total operation and focuses on several key issues, usually involving individual line items and programs.
3. What excites you most about your philanthropy work in the Miami-Dade community?
Two things. One is the continued artistic excellence of our world-class institutions, such as the New World Symphony and PAMM, and their outreach to embrace all of our citizens. The second is the amazing young people I have met in community 2. How has your role organizations who are as a leader in arts and culture through your committed to addressing various roles as director, the difficult issues we face, chairman, trustee, and such as income disparity and president changed over lack of opportunities for the the years? underserved. I have served on nonprofit boards for four decades. In that time, I have had the 4. How important is it opportunity to be part of conto teach today’s youth siderable growth in the arts about giving back to and culture of our communi- the community and ty. I always served on finance making a difference? committees to understand the My family immigrated from the Ukraine and settled in budgets and monitor alloca-
Baltimore at the turn of the 20th century. They believed, and led by example, the importance of supporting the city that was a part of their success. I have been very fortunate to have these role models. The future of Miami-Dade County will be determined by the fortitude of its young people to confront our challenges.
5. Who inspires you and why?
I am inspired by Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore
County. He was a young boy in Birmingham, Alabama, when he heard Dr. Martin Luther King preach in his church. He heeded Dr. King’s call to action and joined his Children’s March, leading to confrontation with Bull Connor and arrest. Dr. Hrabowski became a distinguished scholar and has devoted his life to passionately advocating for educational opportunities in STEM for minority students. He is nationally recognized as one of our country’s leading college presidents and an incomparable voice for student achievement. n
ARTS | SCIENCES
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QUESTIONS
5
Rose Ellen Greene
PHILANTHROPY
Two Distinct Endowments with a Common Goal At an intimate ceremony on the Coral Gables campus, the College of Arts and Sciences officially appointed Anjan Chakravartty as the inaugural holder of the Appignani Foundation Chair for the Study of Atheism, Humanism, and Secular Ethics. A second transformative gift was also received by the College announcing William Scott Green, senior vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, as the Fain Family Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies. One endowment supports scholarship in Judaic Studies, while the other supports programming in atheism, humanism, and secular ethics—yet, both endowed chairs support higher education and intellectual growth. “As scholars our job is to explore and analyze complex subjects in interesting, careful, rational, and evidence-based ways,” says Leonidas Bachas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The subject of atheism, humanism, and secular ethics represents, from our perspective, scholastic categories to support academic inquiry that are sure to foster new ideas.” “This endowment is an extraordinary gesture to sustain and strengthen the future of Judaic Studies and the academic life of our University,” says Green, senior vice provost and dean of undergraduate education and professor of religious studies. “It gives us much to be grateful for.”
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Judaic Studies Distinguished Chair: Senior Vice Provost William Scott Green (left) is presented the Fain Family Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies by Richard Fain, chair of the UM Board of Trustees, and his wife, Colleen.
I
n a formal ceremony at the Watsco Center Fieldhouse, donor Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and the current chairman of the UM Board of Trustees, presented the Fain Family Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies to Dr. Green. “Dr. Green is a celebrated scholar, educator, and administrator whose work is having an important effect at UM,” says Fain. “Our family is proud to recognize his impact on higher education through the Fain Family Endowed Chair. We are pleased that the fund will enable future researchers to pursue new discoveries and promote greater understanding in a field that resonates with us and many students at the University.” Green’s research focuses on the cultural evolution of ancient Judaism. He says the endowment “will complement and enrich” UM’s established programs in the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and the George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Endowments are a reflection of our donors’ great confidence in the enduring role the University has to play today and well into the future,” says UM President Julio Frenk. The Fain Family Foundation is an active supporter of many charitable causes, including the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System. The Fain families are renowned in Miami for their civic involvement. Time and again they’ve contributed their talent and treasure to the community, primarily to medical research and education. n
visionary “ When leaders like Louis Appignani make gifts to endow faculty chairs, they really create permanent legacies that link their names to lineages of holders of that chair. - UM President Julio Frenk
”
Atheism, Humanism, and Secular Ethics (L to R) UM Provost Jeffrey Duerk, Philanthropist Louis Appignani with wife, Laurie, UM President Julio Frenk, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Leonidas Bachas, and, seated, Professor Anjan Chakravartty.
N
oted as the first named faculty chair of its kind in the United States, the endowment was made possible by a $2.2 million gift from the Louis J. Appignani Foundation. “My objective in funding this chair is to put atheism on an equal footing with theism as a method of studying human behavior and human ethics,” says Louis Appignani, a noted entrepreneur, philanthropist, and longtime supporter of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Appignani Foundation Chair, now held in the College’s Philosophy Department, will implement new interdisciplinary courses, research, and scholarship within philosophical, historical, and scientific concepts. Anjan Chakravartty, who joined the department of philosophy in July 2018, previously served as director of the University of Notre
Dame’s John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, and specializes in the philosophy of science, metaphysics, and epistemology. “It is not surprising that the world is changing,” says Chakravartty. “The world, after all, never sits still. Yet, it may come as a surprise to many that the rise of issues surrounding atheism, agnosticism, humanism, and secularism are increasingly dominant trends—not only in this country but around the world. We should be studying these things and trying to understand them.” The creation of the Appignani Foundation Chair is also a part of University of Miami President Julio Frenk’s 100 Talents initiative, which aims to establish 100 new endowed positions by the University’s centennial in 2025. n ARTS | SCIENCES
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w o r ug ASPIRE
OPENING DOORS,
A&S programs help propel grads and undergrads toward career goals.
J
ennifer Garcon, Ph.D. ’18, enjoys the academic environment, but didn’t want to become a professor. She is now building a career in the library sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences’ UGrow (Graduate Opportunities at Work) program. “I think every doctoral student should have an opportunity to participate in a predoctoral program like this,” says Garcon, a Bollinger Fellow in Public and Community Data Curation at UPenn. “UGrow allowed me to see where my research and archival skills could be applied outside academia.” While working on her doctoral thesis, Garcon was assistant curator and collections research specialist at HistoryMiami Museum as a UGrow Fellow. UGrow Fellows are offered ninemonth placements on or off campus, where they receive mentorship and training. Typically, six to 10 students a year participate in UGrow, whose alumni have gone on to a variety of positions in teaching as well as
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library and digital humanities labs. Tim Watson, associate professor, chair, and director of graduate studies in the Department of English, helped establish the program in 2015 in partnership with The Graduate School at the University of Miami. “The goal of UGrow is to provide professional training and preparation for humanities and social science Ph.D. students interested in careers other than tenure-track faculty positions,” says Watson. “So we help them gain access to other opportunities in museums, libraries, nonprofit organizations, or the private sector, and provide them with the tools to succeed if they choose those options.
Six to ten students a year participate in
UGROW
It’s a win-win for both the student and the hosting organization.” Garcon is particularly focused on finding ways to help libraries expand their data collections about vulnerable minority communities that are not well represented in other repositories. She is also a research associate with the Library of Congress’s Radio Preservation Task Force, an initiative to develop a blueprint for the comprehensive national preservation of sound recordings. The UGrow program continues to expand. In 2019-20 it will offer a data curation and digital humanities position at the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), a library jointly administered by the University of Florida, the University of the Virgin Islands, and Florida International University. Second-year doctoral student Ashley Hemm currently works in the archives at HistoryMiami Museum. “I love working with data and enjoy archival work,” Hemm says. “I’m learning new things every day. UGrow is a great program because it allows you to explore different fields and find out quickly whether or
In its 3-year existence, The majority of organizations A&S students have interned with were for
non-profits or small firms
ASPIRE
has helped increase the number of internships completed by A&S students.
EXPANDING OPTIONS not you enjoy a certain career path.” Alex Macdonagh, a senior biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, is aiming for a career in medical research. A key step on his path was a summer internship arranged through the Arts and Sciences Program for Internship-Related Experiences (ASPIRE). He learned about ASPIRE from his academic advisor in 2017. He made an appointment with the program’s coordinator, John Twichell, who suggested Macdonagh attend the Summer Startups Internship Fair that ASPIRE co-sponsors at Converge Miami. ASPIRE’s mission is to facilitate and promote internships throughout the College of Arts and Sciences through partnerships with local, national, and international organizations. Students are encouraged to apply what they learn in the classroom to the workplace and in service to their community. “A few years ago, Dean Leonidas Bachas recognized a growing need to create opportunities for students to become more actively involved and
civically engaged in society through practical internship opportunities,” explains Twichell, a lecturer in the Department of International Studies. “Since ASPIRE launched in early 2016, the response has been very encouraging.” Through the Converge Miami event, Macdonagh was able to connect with a laboratory manager and was offered a paid summer internship on the spot in the lab of David Watkins, Ph.D., a professor of pathology at the Miller School of Medicine who is conducting leading-edge research on deadly viruses such as HIV, Zika, and Dengue fever. “I’ve learned what it means to be a scientist,” says Macdonagh, who hopes to become a full-time associate after he graduates. Sophomore Nikki Vlahos says she’s already benefited from working as a student intern for ASPIRE. “I’ve learned a lot about gathering data, reaching out to faculty for potential internship opportunities and setting up meetings for students,” Vlahos says. Vlahos adds that ASPIRE plays an important role in connecting Arts and
Sciences students with a variety of non-classroom experiences. “It can be difficult to find an internship that will advance your personal and career goals,” she says. “ASPIRE helps students like me move ahead in the right direction.” n
ARTS | SCIENCES
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By Richard Westlund
immersive learning Innovative technologies augment the educational experience and advance the art and science of learning.
C
enturies after their heyday, ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome continue to exert a provocative pull on our imaginations. Art history students seeking to explore the legacy of these influential civilizations now have a unique way to get up close and personal with them—through virtual reality (VR) technology. Last fall, Karen R. Mathews, assistant professor of art history, took students in an introductory course on a VR tour of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, using special software and headsets in Richter Library. “After putting on their goggles and picking up the controls, the students could teleport to the VR Museum of Fine Art,” Mathews says. “They could see and zoom in on a sculpture in 3D, walk around, or look down from overhead—impossible in the real world. “Many students were so immersed in the experience that they had to be reminded that their time was up!” Bringing virtual reality technology into the classroom is just one of the innovative learning strategies the College of Arts and Sciences is deploying. Other examples include using games and puzzles to stimulate foreign language learning, developing creative exercises to address writer’s block, and teaching science through the flipped classroom approach.
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THE REAL WORLD?: Undergrad student Daniela Baboun experiences the VR Museum of Fine Art while getting some direction from Assistant Professor of Art History Karen R. Mathews.
“We are committed to identifying and implementing new approaches to student learning in the 21st century,” says Dean Leonidas Bachas. “By encouraging fresh ideas, we hope to increase student engagement and improve learning outcomes.” NOVEL APPROACHES STEAM AHEAD By using leading-edge applications like the VR Museum and Google Earth VR, Mathews is giving her students a different learning experience than traditional art history textbooks or classroom presentations. “Our students thought this was great, and it definitely aided their understanding,” she says. In fact, Mathews’s use of virtual reality in her art history class received the “Most Innovative Faculty Member” and “Students’ Choice” awards at the first Teaching and Learning Innovation in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) Day on January 18. 18
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Hosted by the College of Engineering in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences, TALIS Day is expected to become an annual event. “We collaborate closely with the College of Engineering in many ways,” says Jennifer Ferriss-Hill, associate professor of classics and senior associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences. “For instance, their students take most of their foundational classes in our college during their first two years.” The 2019 TALIS Day provided an opportunity for 18 faculty members from both colleges to give 10-minute “micro-presentations” on innovative classroom activities, says Ferriss-Hill. “It yielded some interesting results.” One presentation involved integrating mental health activities into students’ lives, so they would be able to perform better in class. A major portion of the day involved discussion on innovat-
Photo: Juniette Fiore
ing education and the importance of teaching students abductive reasoning—finding the simplest most likely explanation for an observation—as a creative, intuitive, and revolutionary alternative to deductive and inductive reasoning.
“Education should be collaborative and creative.”
Flipping the Classroom
-Jennifer Ferriss-Hill
the classroom in his introductory physics class. Rather
AUGMENTING REALITY A team of University of Miami faculty is collaborating with Plantation-based Magic Leap to explore how augmented reality (AR) technology, which superimposes computer-generated imagery over a user’s view of the real world, may be incorporated into future student learning experiences. Last fall, University of Miami President Julio Frenk and Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz discussed the partnership they call “Project Alexandria.” Abovitz says he hopes faculty members will be inspired to create AR applications that use Magic Leap devices to turn the campus into a global digital hub. In turn, President Frenk says, “I think of Miami as the Alexandria of the 21st century. Through the importance of place, we can eliminate the friction of space and bring people together.” Mathews is excited about the potential for AR to add another layer of depth to learning about art history. “Both VR and AR are extraordinary technologies for student education,” she says. “Along with different visual perspectives, AR would allow students to look at a painting and compare it with others by the same artist. You could also add voice-over commentary or notes about a work’s historical context.” Mathews noted that the Faculty Learning Community for this year and next, sponsored by Academic Technologies, will address pedagogical applications for the Magic Leap platform. This emphasis highlights the potential of AR as a powerful learning tool in other fields of the humanities, from history to classic literature to religious studies. “The UM faculty will be looking at Magic Leap’s innovative technology over the next year,” she says. “The potential for collaboration is enormous. We have only begun to scratch the surface.” n
For the past four years, Joshua Cohn, professor and chair in the Department of Physics, has been flipping than have students listen to a lecture, he assigns reading in advance and uses classroom and laboratory time for interactive group problem-solving activities based on the SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Upside-down Pedagogies) model. “This is a cultural change for our students,” Cohn says. “We have a studio-style learning environment, with groups of three students sitting together at large round tables with laboratory instruments. The idea is that the group is the learning core, and its members help each other solve problems in class.” The teams have access to a laptop, conduct laboratory experiments, and solve group exercises on whiteboards, regularly presenting their findings to the larger group. During these activities, they assume roles that include a group manager, a skeptic who asks questions, and a recorder who writes down the data. To make things more challenging, the professor might not provide all the information needed to solve a problem, simulating a real-world research environment. “It’s very different from sitting in class while the professor lectures or gives a PowerPoint presentation,” Cohn says. While the response is generally positive, Cohn says the flipped classroom approach takes some students out of their comfort zone–especially if they are used to memorizing material in advance of a test. “After we do a 20-minute activity, I will ask someone from the group what we have learned and why we took this approach,” Cohn says. “Their comments allow us to continue to tweak the flipped learning concept to enhance student engagement and outcomes.”
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STUDENTDIGEST
Breana Ross was recently awarded the third annual 2018 Global Citizen of the Year Award by IES Abroad.
Photo: Mike Montero
Global Citizen Student honored for UCapeTown service.
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hen senior Breana Ross, a broadcast journalism and political science major, left the U.S. in spring 2018 to study abroad in South Africa through the University’s UCapeTown program, she thought she had a grasp of what poverty looked like. In addition to their six-credit academic coursework, UCapeTown students dedicate 80 hours of service to a nongovernmental organization of their choice—a perfect fit for Ross. Yet, the scenes Ross saw in South Africa opened her eyes to a harsh reality. As part of her UCapeTown program, she volunteered with an after-school enrichment program called SHAWCO Education, which serves children who live in townships, or areas of forced segregation under apartheid. “As we rode in on the school bus, I couldn’t help but notice that the streets were lined with shacks that barely looked like they were being held together by anything,” Ross says. “They were people’s homes. They were my students’ homes.” 20
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During her four months with UCapeTown, Ross wrote about her experiences on her blog and reported for the University of Cape Town’s student newspaper. For her outstanding ability to convey these experiences to others, Ross was recently awarded the third annual 2018 Global Citizen of the Year Award by IES Abroad, a Chicago-based company that operates study-abroad programs with institutions including UM in 85 locations around the world. She is the first UM student to receive the award. Ross, who taught English and math to elementary students as her service-learning experience in South Africa, says she will undoubtedly draw upon her experiences there as she pursues a career as a journalist. “Many of my students did not have adequate food, water, shelter, or clothing, yet they did not focus on what they did not have,” she says. “They focused on being happy in the present moment and showing love the best ways they knew how.” n
Refusing to Choose Student pursues passions in both arts and sciences through dual degree.
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hoebe Cohen traveled thousands of miles from her native Los Angeles, California to attend the University of Miami. “The more I learned about UM, the more I realized how great a fit it would be,” says Cohen, who was originally recruited by the Frost School of Music. She set out to find a university that would allow her to study both of her academic passions: music and science. “I was drawn to how heavily UM encourages undergraduate research, its neuroscience research labs, its emphasis on individualized learning, as well as the Frost School.” A highlight for this busy junior has been UM’s support and encouragement of her academic pursuits. When she completes her senior year, Cohen will hold dual-degrees with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy (PNP) from the College of Arts and Sciences, and a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance from the Frost School of Music. As part of the Independent Major program in the College of Arts and Sciences, Cohen is able to tailor her academic needs to her professional goals. “Because I am designing my own curriculum,” she says, “I can hand-pick the courses that I deem most interesting and relevant to my studies.” This means probing beyond a traditional neuroscience curriculum to study interdisciplinary topics in PNP such as Artificial Intelligence and Computational Neuroscience. A typical day finds Cohen toggling
between orchestra rehearsals and neuro science research at the Brain Connectivity and Cognition Lab, where she holds an undergraduate research position directed by Dr. Lucina Uddin, associate professor of psychology. But, as she rides her bike across campus, she revels in the freedom of having so profoundly customized her academic experience. Cohen’s curiosity about the sciences began long before she came to UM. As a student of the Mitchell Academy for Science & Technology, she worked in the Laboratory of Neuroimaging at USC.
There, she authored a scientific paper on music and the brain, later earning her the Student Initiative Award from the Intel Science Talent Search, and the request to present her findings at the Milken Institute Global Conference. But music—especially her beloved double bass—has always had a special place in Cohen’s heart. “As a woman in STEM and a woman in a male-dominated instrumental field,” she says, “I am most inspired by people who are pioneers in their fields, innovators with creative ideas, and all who pursue work that they are truly impassioned by.” Cohen is well poised to walk that walk. She is already weighing her varied options for graduate school, which could take the form of doctoral studies in neuroscience, music, or bioethics. “I’d like to continue my interdisciplinary career after graduation,” she says, “whether through performance, graduate studies, a career in the arts, or continued work combining music and the brain.” She hopes to help pave the way for future interdisciplinary students here at UM, bridging the gap between science and the arts.” n
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STUDENTDIGEST
Building Buzz Fruit fly research lures science-driven undergrads
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hen undergrads seek out campus buzz, they’re not usually looking for fruit flies. But some Arts and Sciences students are
opting out of more typical extracurricular activities to help conduct lab research on these diminutive members of the drosophila species.
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“I was interested in seeing what research was like because I was considering pursuing a Ph.D. in physics,” says Joseph Shomar, a senior majoring in math and physics. A typical shift for Shomar in the lab of Dr. Mason Klein, an assistant professor specializing in biological physics, involves putting fruit flies to sleep in order to examine them with specialized, high-tech equipment. Using microscopy and other computer technology, Klein’s lab looks at how different organisms, such as the fruit fly, respond to stimuli in their environment and the resulting processes triggered in their brains. First introduced to Klein’s work with fruit fly larvae during one of his classes, Shomar has now worked in the lab for more than two years. “By being part of a lab, you learn a surprising amount that you otherwise would not have learned,” Shomar says. “In physics, this is particularly true. Labs do a great job of exposing students to the
experimental side of the subject, as well as helping to identify interests in specific subfields.” Shomar never dreamed of coauthoring a significant piece of scientific research so early in his academic career, as well as the networking opportunities that come with such an achievement. He credits the
“Working in an undergraduate job in a University laboratory is a really unique experience.” experience with helping him decide to indeed pursue a doctorate in physics—and helping him zero in on which aspect of the discipline he wishes to pursue in graduate school. Shomar’s lab mate Meghan Dehne, a biochemistry junior, is equally enthusiastic. Peering into a microscope in a tiny corner of Klein’s lab, she recalls jumping on the opportunity to work on his research project as a way to work with other science intellectuals and to boost her academic and professional status through new ways of learning. “Working in an undergraduate job in a University laboratory is a really unique experience,” Dehne says. “It’s not like either class or an off-campus job. It teaches you workplace skills, but it also teaches you what doing science is really like.” n
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ALUMNINEWS
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helly Tygielski, B.A. ’97, clearly likes using her mind. After graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences with a double major in political science and Judaic Studies and minors in biology and chemistry, she went on to earn a master’s degree in public policy from Columbia University. Tygielski spent almost 20 years in the New York corporate world as a manage-
meditation and mindfulness to a few friends on the beach in Hollywood. She quickly developed a following and decided to follow her passion full time. In 2016 she launched America Meditates, a grass-roots organization bringing 90-minute workshops to cities across America. The HEAT Nation Meditation she organized with the Miami HEAT was the largest mass meditation in Fort Lauderdale’s history.
Tygielski also believes in giving back. She spends about a third of her time working with community organizations and school children in underserved neighborhoods. She also serves on the board of the University of Miami Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative (UMindfulness), an interdisciplinary collaboration based in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s a pleasure for me to stay
MAXIMIZING MINDFULNESS ment consultant and senior executive. She married, became a mother, and moved back to South Florida. Juggling such busy personal and professional lives, Tygielski gravitated to using her mind in a new way: practicing mindfulness to reduce stress and maintain a clear focus. “Many people who begin a meditation practice say that they can’t quiet their minds,” Tygielski says. “But the goal of mindfulness is not to erase those thoughts. “Rather, it’s to be able to take a pause and respond to them, so you’re not just reacting to the world.” In 2015 Tygielski began teaching
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Through her firm, YURU Meditation, Tygielski offers seminars,workshops, retreats, and classes on mindfulness. The creator of more than 200 guided meditations and published over 350 mindful contemplations, she has been featured in dozens of publications and has more than 13,000 followers in social media.
connected to the University,” Tygielski says. “When I came to UM, I was focused on the sciences, but my teacher in the College of Arts and Sciences encouraged me to branch out and explore other disciplines. I was able to spend a semester abroad and learn more about the soft sciences. That college experience played a big role in helping me maintain balance in life.” n
Creative Legacy
Writing award remembers matriarch of loyal ’Cane family.
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ndrew Pines, B.S.I.E. ’86, has fond memories of freshman English at UM and assisted students at the writing his days at the University of Miami. Three de- centers of UM and Barry University. She worked until cades after graduating, he is giving back to his alma just two years before she passed away in 2018, at age 92. mater by donating $50,000 of the inheritance When Pines began thinking about a way to honor his mother, left by his mother to establish the Irene Pines Creative Writing his daughter Molly, an English/Spanish major at Amherst College, Award. “We have longstanding family connections to UM and suggested a creative writing prize that might spur serious younger the College of Arts and Sciences,” Pines says. writers to enhance their craft. “I told Molly that was a great idea,” Born in New York, Pines and his brother, Jeffrey, and sister, he says. “I reached out to several professors in the English departDebbie, were raised by their single working mother, Irene Pines, ment who still remembered my mother, and they agreed. on Miami Beach. Going to UM was a natural choice: Older “Together, we decided to create an annual writing competibrother Jeffrey was already a ’Cane, having earned a bachelor’s tion for graduate students. I’m looking forward to launching degree in music in 1976 and an M.B.A. in 1980. this initiative.” n After graduating, Andrew Keeping his mother’s memory alive, UM alumnus Pines went on to earn an Andrew Pines donated $50,000 to establish the M.B.A. at Columbia University and pursued a successful Irene Pines Creative Writing Award. career as an investment banker specializing in healthcare finance. With his wife, Catherine, and children Molly, Analisa, and Owen, he moved to California 16 years ago. Pines worked with many large healthcare systems in South Florida, California, and other locations before retiring from banking five years ago. Since then, Pines has served as executive director and board member of a nonprofit that collects surplus medical supplies and delivers them to the developing world. He also sits on the boards of other healthcare organizations and is chief financial officer for a medical device startup. Meanwhile, Irene Pines put her love of literature and the arts to work in Miami. “She had been a ballet dancer, taught dance, and worked as a fashion artist at both Burdines and Jefferson,” Pines says. In the early 1990s, Irene Pines enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and, in 1995, she earned a doctorate in English at the age of 75. “She was one of the oldest Ph.D. students in UM history,” Pines says. “Her thesis was on A FAMILY TRIBUTE: how older single women are treated in English literature, Andrew with his mother, Irene, a subject near to her heart.” and sister, Debbie. For more than a dozen years, Irene Pines taught
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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
Seizure of Power HERMANN BECK HISTORY From Weimar to Hitler. Studies in the Dissolution of the Weimar Republic and the Establishment of the Third Reich, 1932-1934 (Berghahn: Oxford & New York). This book examines the crisis of the Weimar democracy, the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship, and the Nazi consolidation of power. It draws from multiple perspectives to explore the extent to which the transition from the Weimar Republic to the National Socialist dictatorship was historically predetermined or the product of human miscalculation and intent.
JAY SAVAGE BIOLOGY The Herpetological Contributions of Giorgio Jan (1791-1866) (Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles). In 1858, Giorgio Jan, director of the Milan Natural History Museum, decided to monograph and illustrate all of the world’s snakes. In doing so, he borrowed snakes from all the great museums in Europe and America, save those in London and Berlin, and purchased material from collectors around the world. In addition to publishing many papers describing new species, he planned and published his great work the Iconographie Générale des Ophidiens in 50 installments from 1860-1881.
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JOANNA JOHNSON ENGLISH Topographies of Caribbean Writing, Race, and the British Countryside (Palgrave Macmillan). In Topographies of Caribbean Writing, Race, and the British Countryside, Johnson shows how writers like Derek Walcott, V.S. Naipaul, Jean Rhys, Grace Nichols, Andrea Levy, and Caryl Phillips have very different and unexpected responses to this British rural space. Johnson demonstrates how Caribbean writing shows greater complexity and wider significance than accounts and understandings of the British countryside have traditionally admitted; at the same time, close examination of these works illustrates that complexity and ambiguity remain an essential part of these authors’ relationships.
CATHERINE NEWELL RELIGIOUS STUDIES Destined for the Stars (University of Pittsburgh Press). Destined for the Stars unravels the popularization of the science of space exploration in America between 1944 and 1955, arguing that the success of the US space program was due not to technological or economic superiority, but was sustained by a culture that had long believed it was called by God to settle new frontiers and prepare for the inevitable end of time and God’s final judgment. This history explores the connection between the art of Chesley Bonestell—the father of modern space art whose paintings drew inspiration from depictions of the American West—and the popularity of that art in Cold War America.
KATHRYN FREEMAN ENGLISH A Guide to the Cosmology of William Blake (Routledge). A Guide to the Cosmology of William Blake examines the relationship between Blake’s text and design and his biographical, political, social, and religious contexts. Central to this guide to Blake’s work and ideas is Freeman’s acknowledgment of the paradox of providing orientation in Blake’s universe without disrupting its inherent disorientation of the traditions. In this innovative work, Freeman aligns herself with Blake’s demand that we play an active role in challenging our own readerly habits of passivity as we experience his created and corporeal worlds.
An Author’s Narrative A Simpler Method
JILL EHRENREICH-MAY PSYCHOLOGY Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (Oxford University Press). Based in groundbreaking research from Ehrenreich-May, David H. Barlow, and colleagues, the manual suggests that there may be a simpler and more efficient method of utilizing effective strategies, such as those commonly included in CBT and third-wave behavior therapies, in a manner that addresses the broad array of emotional disorder symptoms in children and adolescents. The manual also includes a therapist guide with two full courses of therapy described (a modular, individual therapy for adolescents and a more structured, group therapy for children, complete with a full parent-directed component), as well as two workbooks, one for children along with their parents or caregivers, and one for adolescents.
CATALINA QUESADA-GOMEZ MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES El libro y la vida. Ensayos críticos sobre la obra de Héctor Abad Faciolince (Liège/Medellín: Presses Universitaires de Liège/Editorial EAFIT). This book examines the work of Colombian writer Héctor Abad Faciolince (Medellín, 1958) from different perspectives. In addition to being an award-winning novelist, Abad Faciolince is also an essayist, journalist, and editor, as well as a renowned intellectual for his outspoken position in favor of the peace process in Colombia. The book brings together eleven critical contributions by academics from all around the world and is the first collective volume that addresses both the author’s entire narrative production and his essays on culture and politics.
SHIGUI RUAN MATHEMATICS Theory and Applications of Abstract Semilinear Cauchy Problems Applied (Springer). The book by Pierre Magal (University of Bordeaux, France) and Ruan provides a self-contained and comprehensive presentation of the fundamental and up-to-date theory of abstract semilinear Cauchy problems and their applications. The book is suitable for senior undergraduates and graduate students in applied and pure mathematics, physics, engineering, biology, epidemiology, and researchers studying fundamental theory and nonlinear dynamics of abstract semilinear problems.
A Poetic Teaching Guide
THOMAS GOODMANN ENGLISH Approaches to Teaching Langland’s “Piers Plowman” (Modern Language Association). The Middle English poem, Piers Plowman, is both rich and beautiful, and a particular challenge to teach: it exists in three versions, lacks a continuous narrative, is written in a West Midlands dialect, weaves a complex allegory, and treats complicated social and political issues, such as labor, Lollardy, and popular uprising.
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A|SRESEARCH Associate Professor of Psychology Rebecca Shearer
Closing the Kindergarten Readiness Gap
is a child clinical and school psychologist who has worked as a practitioner and researcher with young children and families living in impoverished urban areas for the past 15 years. She is also the lead investigator on a research project aimed at increasing the proportion of kids in Miami-Dade County who enter kindergarten ready to learn. Photo: Mike Montero
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hile nearly 80 percent of all children in Miami-Dade participate in some kind of early care and education program, Shearer and her community partners are concerned that too many of the children enter kindergarten classrooms lacking basic knowledge of letters and numbers and the social skills needed to pay attention in class and get along with other kids. “That’s one of the reasons we started the project—to figure out where we can change things and foster better access to higher quality programs,” says Shearer. “The reasons why so many children aren’t kindergarten-ready are complex, but the problem is not unsolvable.” Shearer received initial funding for the project in 2014 from the U.S. Department of Education, and since then, the initiative has expanded. The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Head Start/Early Head Start, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Early Intervention programs are also partnering on the project. “What’s important is that we’re developing relationships within the community to create the interventions that close the kindergarten-readiness gap,” says Shearer. The study recommends expanding early childhood services, increasing access to high quality programs in targeted areas of greater need, and touts the effectiveness of public awareness 28
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campaigns to help increase awareness of early childhood education. It also recognizes tools like an attendance software program for Miami-Dade school-aged children, which can help monitor attendance in real time and reach out to families whose children are not attending school on a regular basis. “It’s really an issue that faces school districts across the nation. We’re focusing on what kinds of early care and education programs children had access to. We’re trying to determine if going to a high-quality preschool program at age 3 or 4 or a high-quality Head Start Program before kindergarten puts children, regardless of how poor their families are, back on a level playing field as far as being ready to read, make friends, and pay attention in a classroom,” she adds. Shearer and her colleagues have also received funding for the second set of Phase I grants awarded by the University of Miami Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge, or U-LINK, a key initiative of the Roadmap to Our New Century. While the Department of Psychology is the lead entity, UM researchers in public health sciences, health economics, history, pediatrics, architecture, and geography and regional studies are also involved in the study. UM’s Center for Computational Science is creating the data management software that allows Shearer and her team to identify and track students throughout their early childhood learning experiences. n
The Scientific Value of Zebrafish
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niversity of Miami researchers have discovered a clue in the zebrafish’s digestive tract that could help people on the autism spectrum alleviate one of the most common yet least studied symptoms of their disorder: gastrointestinal distress. By replicating a mutation in zebrafish that causes a rare, autism-related genetic condition known as Phelan-McDermid Syndrome in humans, the researchers found a drastic reduction in the number
an abnormally slow pace. While the finding applies to zebrafish, a common freshwater aquarium species that shares about 70 percent of its genes with humans, it could explain why many people with an autism spectrum disorder, and particularly those with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS), often suffer severe and disruptive bouts of constipation, diarrhea, reflux, and/or cyclical vomiting. “One issue in autism right now is that a lot of the drugs given to kids with autism
That early transparency enabled graduate students David M. James and Robert A. Kozol to record what happens when zebrafish lacking the shank3 gene digested food infused with tiny, florescent-green tracking beads. Their observations showed that the mutant fish not only had slower and less frequent gut contractions than normal zebrafish, but that the ingested food particles got stuck in the junction between the stomach and the intestine for prolonged periods of time. “It was definitely an ‘Aha!’ moment,”
“One issue in autism right now is that a lot of the drugs given to kids with autism to address their behavioral issues actually make their gut function worse.”
of cells that produce serotonin in the mutant zebrafish’s gut. Serotonin also initiates the contractions that move food through the digestive system. The study is the first to show that a mutation of a particular autismassociated gene, SHANK3, causes food to move through the digestive tract at
to address their behavioral issues actually make their gut function worse,” says senior author Julia Dallman, associate professor of biology whose UM lab studies inherited nervous system disorders by modeling them in zebrafish. During their second week of life, zebrafish are completely transparent.
James says. “It opens up a lot, in terms of studying potential mechanisms for how all this dysmotility is occurring. If we can figure that out, we can start talking about what the proper treatments are, and what’s going to fix this—that’s the real question.” n
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ENDNOTE
An Advocate for Policy Change
“A
s a political scientist, I’m very interested in how much influence policies can have within certain constraints, such as economic, technological or geographic,” says Merike Blofield, a professor in the Department of Political Science and director of the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. “I am particularly interested in how much change public policy can make in people’s everyday lives.” Before joining the College of Arts and Sciences, Blofield earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. She arrived at UM in 2006 and earned tenure with the Department of Political Science in 2010. In 2015, she became the Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, which officially changed its name to the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program this year. Recently, Blofield was recognized by the Women’s Commission as an outstanding contributor to the improvement of women at UM. She was honored with the May A. Brunson Award at a breakfast ceremony in March. “Receiving the award was an honor especially because there are many people on the UM campus who are doing really important work,” says Blofield. “There is also much still to do, such as improving paid parental leave benefits for staff, and addressing salaries among non-tenure track faculty.” A native of Finland, Blofield has lived in Canada, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and the U.S. She is the author of two books: Care Work and Class: Domestic Workers’ Struggle for
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Equal Rights in Latin America, which won a National Women’s Studies Association Sara A. Whaley Book Award, and The Politics of Moral Sin: Abortion and Divorce in Spain, Chile and Argentina. Blofield teaches “Sex, Babies and the State: Comparative Family Policies,” a co-listed course in gender and sexuality studies and political science, which she says is one of her favorite courses to teach at UM. “I love teaching this course. However, the vast majority of the students are female. With the name change, and a fantastic senior lecturer, Dr. Claire Oueslati-Porter, who teaches the GSS 201 (Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies), we hope to send the message that this material is relevant to all genders. The men who take these courses find them incredibly rewarding and eye-opening.” n
CLASSNOTES
AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?
SUBMIT YOUR OWN CLASS NOTE, BOOK OR NEWS casmagazine@miami.edu
70s
Dave Bergen, B.S. ’78, recently announced his retirement from higher education this spring. He earned his master’s while working at Texas A&M University before earning his role as Dean of Students at four different academic institutions. For the last 19 years, Bergen has served the students of Suffolk County Community College in New York, and he was also a co-founder for the Association for Student Conduct Administration. Bergen served his local community for ten years in the elected position of Town Trustee, as well as a member of the executive board for several local organizations.
90s Jim Vickaryous, A.B. ’90, was elected to the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar. The Florida Bar Board of Governors has exclusive authority to formulate and adopt matters of policy concerning the activities of the 106,000 member Florida Bar. Jim is happily married to Jennifer Ferguson and enjoys their three children, Stacy, Evan and Irelyn.
Arelys Rodriguez, B.A., ’94, is an alumna of the Political Science Department. She also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Miami Business School. Rodriguez worked alongside her family and is now part of a new food venture based in Miami named, grown. The restaurant, created by Shannon Allen, is unique as it is one of the only fast food restaurants with a drive thru serving organic food. Rodriquez lives in Miami with her 14-year-old son, Christian.
Elaine St. George, M.F.A. ’72, taught kindergarten through 12th grade in Florida and North Carolina. She has also taught at the college level in Broward College, starting with Miami-Dade College in 1972. St. George is now seeking a doctoral degree in Art Therapy.
80s Frank R. Jimenez, B.S. ’87, is ending his two-year term as President of the University of Miami Alumni Association. He lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where he serves as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Fortune 500 defense contractor Raytheon Company. He and his wife, Deborah, have two girls: Righley, age four, and Reagan, who was born in February 2019.
Mamta Chaudhry -Fryer, M.A. ‘95, Ph.D. ’98, has a debut novel coming out from Nan A. Talese/Doubleday in June entitled, Haunting Paris. Chaudhry-Fryer lives with her husband in Coral Gables, and they spend part of each year in India and in France. She studied with Marilynne Robinson and has also taught literature and creative writing at the University of Miami. Her early fiction, poetry, and feature articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and in India.
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JoAnn Yanez, B.S., CAE, M.D., M.P.H., ’96, was named chairwoman of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health in 2019. This organization represents the academic interests of the licensable integrative health disciplines including naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic and direct entry midwifery. Yanez recently celebrated six years as executive director of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. She resides in Southern California with her husband, Victor Waters, M.D., J.D., and son, Victor Felipe.
00s Marlow Svatek, B.A. ’11, graduated with a double major in International Studies and Philosophy. Her work as a Peace Corps volunteer was recognized by the United Nations, and she was awarded the 2012 Leo Nevas Human Rights Youth Advocate Award. She also attended law school at the University of Chicago. Since graduating from law school, she clerked for two federal judges and will start practicing at a large international law firm in Chicago this fall. She uses the skills she gained as an International Studies major every day.
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Leah Silvieus, M.F.A. ’12, holds a B.A. from Whitworth University and an M.F.A. from the University of Miami. Her new collection, Arabilis, will be published by Sundress Publications. She is the author of Anemochory (Hyacinth Girl Press) and Season of Dares (Bull City Press) and is a Kundiman Fellow. Silvieus currently serves as the Books Editor for Hyphen magazine.
William Hector, B.A. ’15, was awarded a Knight Foundation New Work Miami grant to produce G7:2070, an immersive theatrical summit where audience members are invited to become delegates and join the dignitaries of the seven most powerful nations—the U.S., the Papal Federation of Southern Europe, Imperial China, Ethiopia, Uruguay, Russia, and Disney— as they gather in a post sea-level rise Miami to decide the fate of the world. The production is set for December 2020 at The Kampong. Hector credits UM for his opportunity as a Foote Fellow and for the courses he took with UM professors Jim Nickel, Edith Freni, David Williams, and John Paul Russo. He is also grateful for having the opportunity to develop and pursue an independent program of study in Playwrighting, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) guided by UM professors Maria Stampino and Gina Maranto.
Tabitha Nicole Lopez, M.A. ’18, is a director of Meni-ninho Meni-ninha Preschool, one of the only Brazilian-based preschools in South Florida. After receiving a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Miami, she decided to further her education and enrolled in the MAIA program. Earning a master’s degree in International Administration set a solid foundation for her to grow in the family business. She is happily working alongside children who are eager to learn in a nurturing and culturally rich environment.
WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?
We want to feature stories of donors who have made a legacy gift to the College of Arts & Sciences. If you have included the College in your estate plans, let us know. You could be featured in our next issue.
Consider a planned gift to the University of Miami’s College of Arts & Sciences. Consider a planned gift to the University of Miami’s College of Arts & Sciences. Learn how your legacy can There are a number of ways to make gift to the College: There are aanumber of ways to make a gift to the College: impact generations to come. • Appreciated Securities • Will or Trust Bequest • Charitable Gift Annuity • Charitable Remainder Trust
• Appreciated Securities • Retirement Assets • Life Insurance • Will or Trust Bequest • Charitable Gift Annuity • Charitable Remainder Trust • Retirement Assets Patrick Stewart Kyle Paige • LifeofInsurance Executive Director Development Executive Director College of Arts & Sciences Estate & Gift Planning • Real Estate 305.284.2988 (Retained Life Estate) 305.284.2266 pestewart@miami.edu
kpaige@miami.edu
Angie Gonzalez-Kurver Interim Executive Director of Development UNIVERSITY MIAMI University ofOF Miami College of Arts & Sciences 305.284.4638 | ajgonzalez@miami.edu miami.edu/plannedgiving Cynthia L Beamish, Executive Director University of Miami Office of Estate & Gift Planning 305.284.4342 | cbeamish@miami.edu
• Real Estate
COLLEGE of ARTS & SCIENCES
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MR. ROBOTO Developed to assist people in their everyday activities, the Human Support Robot (HSR) from Toyota is the newest member of the Computer Science Department’s team. Undergraduate and graduate students in the department work directly with the robot by programming it as an at-home, service robot for people who need assistance and support to improve living conditions and quality of life.