FIU CASE Magazine

ARTS SCIENCES EDUCATION FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2017

EXTREMES

CLIMATE Science uncovers secrets hidden within natural disasters

CONTENTS

Scientists advance forecasting to give people more time to prepare for approaching storms

Alumna fights cyber criminals for Comcast

Music legend Sam Moore looks to change the narrative on soul

Students advance research, conservation of Florida Everglades

Three women are shaping the future of STEM

Selective mutism program helps children find their brave voice

World’s deepest coral nursery could help restore threatened coral reefs

Mother, researcher, cancer fighter: one professor proves she’s a survivor

FROM THE DEAN On the first day of the fall semester, I stood atop the Stocker AstroScience Center to marvel at the Great American Solar Eclipse. In the chaos that is the first day of classes, it was a rare chance to pause. I was fortunate that my family was able to join me and the many others on campus who took time out of the day to look up.

From the observation deck of Stocker, I also had that rare bird’s-eye-view of campus. There were several thousand students, faculty and staff doing exactly what we were. Pausing. Watching.

From rooftops, sitting in the grass, standing along walkways, from the windows of buildings, and all those joining us at the astroscience center. I was reminded of how fortunate we are to be

Mike Heithaus, Dean William Anderson, Vice Dean Ady Arguelles, Executive Director of Development Maricel Cigales, Associate Dean Maureen Donnelly, Associate Dean Valerie Johnsen, Executive Director of Academic Support and Analysis Hector Junco, Executive Director of Finance and Operations Suzanna Rose, Associate Dean Jeremy Rowan, Assistant Dean Laura Dinehart, Executive Director, School of Education and Human Development Evelyn Gaiser, Executive Director, School of Environment, Arts and Society Walter Van Hamme, Executive Director, School of Integrated Science and Humanity

part of this one big community of students, alumni, faculty, staff

JoAnn C. Adkins, Editor, Arts, Sciences & Education Magazine

and community partners that have the goal of creating a better,

Aileen Solá-Trautmann, Art Director

inspiring future. How will we achieve this goal? Our innovative and

Barbarita Ramos, Graphic Designer

excellent teaching will train the next generation. Our research and

Writers Ayleen Barbel Fattal, Evelyn S. Gonzalez Chrystian Tejedor

creative works will help solve local and global challenges while inspiring the public. And, our deliberate engagement will ensure that we maximize our impact.

In the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, we are fortunate to have venues like the Stocker AstroScience Center to give our students and the community the resources to learn about the world around us and to develop solutions to the challenges that face us. But it’s the people who make amazing things happen — faculty who teach and research, donors who provide the opportunities to always move forward, community partners who help bring about change and our staff who provide the support that makes it all possible. In the pages of this magazine you will meet Bethany Reeb-Sutherland who encapsulates the qualities of our faculty — optimistic in the face of adversity, compassionate, student-focused and driven to use her experiences to create new knowledge that will help others.

Our students are amazing (including the 3,000 we graduated last year). They are innovating, creating and pushing the limits of education — constantly rethinking what is possible. To serve them, we are rethinking how we do things. We are researching new teaching methods to improve classroom experiences. We are accelerating research initiatives in key areas where highly skilled and engaged workers are needed — the environment, child mental health, and STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). We are growing initiatives in the humanities to ensure our students develop their creativity and critical thinking as they embark on future careers. We are providing the support they need to graduate sooner, with less debt and with real-life experiences to enhance their education.

In this issue of Arts, Sciences & Education, we celebrate the work of all those who make our successes possible. I hope you will be as inspired as I am and find a way to get involved!

Mike Heithaus Dean, College of Arts, Sciences & Education Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Arts, Sciences & Education is an annual publication produced by the College of Arts, Sciences & Education and the Division of External Relations at Florida International University.

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

@FIUCASE

Photographers Carl-Frederick Francois, Douglas Garland, Ben Guzman, Timothy Long, Kristen Mayoral, Christopher Necuze, Ivan Santiago College of Arts, Sciences & Education Dean’s Advisory Board Gonzalo A. Acevedo, Co-Chair Kevin Senecal, Co-Chair Richard Standifer, Co-Chair Mariel Acosta-Garcia Victor Balestra Sandy Batchelor Manya “Terry” Blechman Stephen E. Davis III Suleyman Demir Steven Dinh Frank DuMond Sharon Fine Robert “Bob” Fitzsimmons Kirsten Hines Patricia B. Keon Paul D. Landrum Brian Machovina Nancy G. Maynard Olga Melin Michael Mendez John Mills Esther Moreno Michael N. Rosenberg Carl Stocker Daniel Tasciotti Fiorella Terenzi Jennifer Tisthammer Cenk Tuncay Mine Üçer FIU Board of Trustees Claudia Puig, Chairperson Jorge L. Arrizurieta, Vice Chair Mark B. Rosenberg, Secretary Cesar L. Alvarez Jose J. Armas Leonard Boord Dean C. Colson Gerald C. Grant, Jr., ’78, ’89 Michael G. Joseph Natasha Lowell Justo L. Pozo ’80 Marc D. Sarnoff Faculty Member Kathleen L. Wilson, Chair, FIU Faculty Senate Student Member Krista M. Schmidt President, Student Government MMC

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 1

DISCOVERIES

INVENTION Science

C

hemical testing is a multi-billion dollar industry where accuracy is critical and time is of the essence. Thanks to a new, patented technology developed at FIU, sampling and testing is about to get faster, more sensitive and cheaper.

The new testing method involves a composite made of muslin cotton, a common fabric, with a custom-chemical coating designed by College of Arts, Sciences & Education chemists Kenneth G. Furton and Abuzar Kabir.

The tiny piece of cloth is already proving to be a powerful tool in chemical testing.

The researchers have extracted targeted components from air and liquid samples within 15 minutes of exposure.

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For Furton, who is also FIU’s provost and executive vice president and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the revolutionary new method was developed from a desire to improve sample preparation in a way that benefits scientists, but more importantly, the general public.

“We hope this will be a game-changer for the industry,” Furton said.

Currently, to test for an illicit drug in urine or a pollutant in the air or water, components must be separated from the sample in a complicated, multi-step process. Often, toxic solvents and expensive equipment are required. The normal process can take 24 hours or more. That time frame doesn’t even include actual chemical testing.

But with the new FIU method, referred to as “fabric phase sorptive extraction,” results could be secured within hours. This could improve water and air quality monitoring, forensic testing and even monitoring of fruit for ripeness.

FIU holds a patent on the invention and is currently working to commercialize the technology for widespread use in a variety of applications.

Researchers at more than 30 universities have independently validated the innovation.

More than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles have been accepted for publication on the technology. Those findings have convinced leading experts in chemical testing that the technology should replace existing sample preparation methods.

The Fight against Zika The Biomolecular Sciences Institute has received $1.4 million in state and federal grants to help stop the spread of Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses. Biologist Matthew DeGennaro, who leads the

FABRIC PHASE SORPTIVE EXTRACTION GOAL: Improve chemical testing with speed, accuracy and reduced costs UNPRECEDENTED: Results in minutes, not days INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Experts calling for FIU method to replace current methods of chemical sampling

projects, studies how mosquitoes find human and plant hosts in the hopes of identifying molecular targets in the insect. His work could lead to the development of better repellants. The research team is also developing new baited traps that could reduce populations of dangerous mosquitoes.

Stopping Ebola

“

We hope this will be a game-changer for the industry.

The curiosity of one FIU physics Ph.D. student could improve decontamination of Ebola sites worldwide. Nepal-native Jeevan GC studied how proteins, DNA and other biomolecules function.

As West Africa was battling the worst Ebola outbreak in history, GC was studying transformer proteins.

He started to wonder if the Ebola virus depends on these proteins to function. Through his research, he discovered it does and he found a weak spot that could be targeted to destroy the virus. His efforts could lead to the development of new, more effective disinfectants to combat the spread of Ebola.

NEW TOOL DEVELOPED TO ASSESS OIL SPILLS Scientists are getting a new perspective of what happens to oil in a spill, thanks to a tool developed by researchers from FIU’s Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. Little is known about how oil acts when it mixes with seawater or sunlight during a spill. But by combining techniques to create one powerful instrument, scientists can see how oil behaves at the molecular level. Traditional analytical technologies offer limited information, but now, scientists can simultaneously examine molecules by mass, size and shape without lengthy sample preparation and separation steps. Ph.D. candidate Paolo Benigni says this expanded knowledge could improve clean-up efforts for future oil spills, enabling officials to predict toxicity of spilled oil, how far it might travel and how long it would likely stay in the environment. One of the two techniques combined for this new method — trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) — was developed by FIU chemist Francisco Fernandez-Lima in collaboration with Bruker Daltonics Inc. Combining existing methods to improve data collection could help shape more effective environmental policies and could be used to study other contaminants.

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“

CREATIONS

COMING SOON to a theater near you When Charles Dickens self-published A Christmas Carol in 1843, it was a desperate attempt to save his struggling writing career. But more than give rise to a literary sensation, the book restored the spirit of Christmas and revived the nostalgia and tradition that is still celebrated today.

Now, the story behind the story is bound for the big screen, thanks to the literary work of FIU Creative Writing Program Director Les Standiford. In 2008, he published The Man Who Invented Christmas, a historical account of how A Christmas Carol came to be. The film, based on this novel, is slated for release during the 2017 holiday season starring Dan Stevens, Jonathan Pryce, and Christopher Plummer as Scrooge.

“It’s extremely gratifying to have my book picked for adaptation,” Standiford said. “I hope audiences will come out of the screenings saying ‘Geez, that was interesting. I didn’t know half of that stuff.’”

In The Man Who Invented Christmas, Standiford recounts how three failed books left Dickens broke and distressed. Over the course of six weeks, he penned the tale of Tiny Tim and Scrooge hoping the book would keep his family financially afloat. When the book was rejected by his publishers, Dickens published it himself.

It was met with instant success and critical acclaim.

“That no one had bothered to tell this story before continues to astonish me,” Standiford said. “I think it is very nearly as heart-warming a story as A Christmas Carol itself.”

A PULITZER Finalist Campbell McGrath’s ambitious and lively ode to the 20th century landed him among poetry’s elite as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2017. The FIU English professor and author of more than a dozen books recently took on an entire century of history with his latest work XX: Poems for the Twentieth Century. The book features a poem for each year in a century that gave us Hollywood, the atomic bomb, Elvis and Dolly the cloned sheep.

The project caught the attention of the Pulitzer Prize committee, which announced the finalists and the awards April 10. At FIU, McGrath is the Phillip and Patricia Frost Professor of Creative Writing. He has taken some of the top prizes in poetry during his career including a Guggenheim fellowship, a Witter Bynner Fellowship from the Library of Congress, and the Academy of American Poets Prize.

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‘One Today’ sets tone for U2 tour Richard Blanco’s “One Today” was written in 2013 for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. It would’ve been tough to find a larger stage for the poem, but when someone recently called from U2’s production company, Blanco realized his ode to the American experience was about to go on tour.

Each night, during the Joshua Tree Tour 2017, the rock band reminds its fans we are all living under one sky in this one today as Blanco’s poem is projected on giant screens as part of a poetry anthology. The tour marks the 30th anniversary of U2’s breakthrough album, The Joshua Tree, which explored the American experience in the 1980s.

For the anniversary tour, the band chose poetry to ignite conversations about the current political climate.

“The poem still carries the same message,” Blanco said. “We’re a great experiment. The American people have always strived, and continue to strive, to be one people. We can live in great harmony.”

RICHARD BLANCO returns to the classroom FIU graduate and famed poet becomes the teacher this fall

Richard Blanco has returned to FIU, this time as a professor.

The FIU alumnus has spent his career writing and delivering socially minded poetry, including poems for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration and the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. This fall, Blanco will challenge FIU students in writing and re-imagining poetry.

“At critical times, we turn to poetry to find language for what we can’t understand about what’s going on or what we feel,” Blanco said. “That’s why I developed these courses, to bring to the forefront the scrutiny and wisdom of poetry as it relates to this critical juncture in our nation’s divide.”

Blanco says a poem is a mirror that reflects both the poet’s life and reader’s life while trying to make sense of an event or experience. It can promote healing and inspire change.

“Every time I read a great poem or I sit down to write one, I discover something new about myself, the world and my relationship to it,” Blanco said. “And, so, I hope the same happens for them through the poetry we’ll read, discuss and feel. I want them to know poetry belongs to them because it is about them.”

The award-winning poet has previously taught courses at Central Connecticut State University, Georgetown University, American University and Wesleyan University. He was named the first education ambassador for the Academy of American Poets in 2015. A builder of cities as well as poems, Blanco holds a bachelor of science in civil engineering and a master of fine arts in creative writing, both from FIU.

RICHARD BLANCO FELLOWSHIP IN CREATIVE WRITING The Richard Blanco Fellowship in Creative Writing supports FIU graduate students in pursuit of their professional paths. The fellowship gives talented writers across genres the tools to connect with their intended audiences.

To support this project, visit case.fiu.edu/give.

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HUMANITIES

HOLD ON, HE’S COMING Legend Sam Moore wants to change narrative on soul

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu

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wants to build a program around the stories of the artists who shaped the music and helped to define cultural shifts. So much of the history of Overtown and its vibrant music scene are at-risk of being lost as fewer people remain who were actually there to live it. There are stories, but the stories, he says, are part of the problem — what was left out, what was embellished. In some cases, nostalgia overshadows harsh realities. In others, stereotypes have masked what was ohso right with the places and times. The truth, he says, is somewhere in the muddy middle.

“When we talk about culture, how do you miss the churches, the entertainers, the actual culture,” Moore said. “You know, artists of the time could go to Miami Beach and play, but they couldn’t stay.”

Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles and so many top entertainers of the time would sing at the beach but convene in Overtown, staying at the local hotels but often at someone’s home.

They would sit around the pool at Overtown’s Sir John Hotel aggrandizing stories. Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, James Brown and so many others would perform at the Overtown clubs to audiences that were as diverse as the music. Sam’s wife, Joyce Moore, was a witness to this. In the 1960s, she was a white girl from Chicago studying business and theater at the University of Miami. She wouldn’t meet Sam until later, but back then, she and her friends would often hop in a car to take in the sounds from Overtown’s music scene. There was a time in the segregated South when Overtown was one of the hottest racially mixed music scenes in America.

“

At the clubs, it was never about color,” Sam said. “It was just a bunch of people there for the music.

“

O

vertown is rarely mentioned in stories about legendary Soul Man Sam Moore.

If it is, it’s declared as a prosaic fact, almost like a rite of passage and declaration of hardship. Sam Moore grew up in Overtown. But what’s missing are the stories.

“Was I happy as a kid? I was happy. It wasn’t easy, but I was a happy kid,” Sam says as he stops to think more about life in Miami’s historically black neighborhood during the 1940s and 50s. “In school, there were occasional fights. But there weren’t guns or knives. At the end, we were still friends. I’d have a busted lip and the next day at school, the kid who gave it to me is sitting there and we’re cracking jokes. That’s what those days were like.

We were a community.”

He reminisces about Goodbread Alley, where the smell of homemade bread would fill the streets. He waves his hand in front of his face as if he can still smell the sweet aroma of a fresh-baked loaf. But he also recounts the time his neighbor, a “very sweet lady,” was gunned down by her husband in her home across the street. He had a hard-working mother and a doting grandmother. His father wasn’t around, a reality that impacted his life. Throughout his youth, he made good choices and bad ones.

But it was his community and his experiences that helped shape his music.

Today, his energy belies his 82 years. Sam was one-half of the dynamite duo Sam & Dave, which produced hits including “Hold On, I’m Coming” and their signature classic “Soul Man.” As a solo artist, he has performed at three presidential inaugurations and for all six living presidents. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Hall of Fame. He is not looking to retire from a career that has spanned gospel, jazz, rhythm & blues, rock & roll, country, bluegrass and, of course, the birth of soul. He still performs. He still records. He travels wherever the music takes him and even has a new album in the works. But after a long life away from Miami, he’s returned home — this time to stay.

He wants to set the record straight about Overtown and about the music. He has joined FIU as the artist in residence for the Center for the Humanities in an Urban Environment. He

During the 1960s, Sam Moore and Dave Prater were one of the most popular soul acts. They were unrestrained performers. No two performances were ever the same. When the duo broke up for the final time in 1981, Sam embarked on a solo career. Through

it all, there have been high times and low times. He is unapologetically candid about his experiences. After all, each moment helped carve out a genre of music known today simply as soul.

Sam wants to preserve the experiences and stories of the music, especially those that center around Overtown. So much of music today, he says, is built around what’s trending.

The narrative and passion are lost. Equally discouraging to Sam, the respect for the music is fading. Online music streaming and sharing services make it more difficult for artists to protect their stake in the music. And as Joyce points out, with so many songs being covered by newer acts, the meanings of songs have gotten lost.

“Today, they teach skill but they don’t teach the history, who they’re playing or for what,” she said.

Sam has big plans for his collaboration with FIU. He wants to teach and recruit other notable musicians to join him in educating students about the stories and social changes that shaped the music. He wants to teach others about how the music ushered in cultural shifts.

He wants to bring the characters back to life who have long since passed and not just the notable names from Overtown, though there are quite a few. He wants people to remember heavyweights like Jackie Wilson and Isaac Hayes, those who inspired and shaped the career of a poor kid from Overtown and so many others like him.

He wants to preserve the culture — the collective intellectual achievements of those who produced an entire generation and genre of music and continue to inspire today’s music, though the songwriters and performers of today may not realize it.

Overtown’s soul was destroyed by construction of highways through the neighborhood. Thousands were displaced and the clubs, where music once echoed through the streets well into the night, were silenced.

Legends of Overtown’s glory days are still told, but fewer and fewer of those who were actually there are around to tell the tales. Sam is ready to get to work to ensure the narrative of Overtown’s music lives on.

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HEALTHY MINDS

Psychologist Jami Furr encourages Aylani Suazo to use her brave voice during “Wacky Wednesday” activities at the FIU Center for Children and Families’ Brave Bunch Camp.

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WHEN A CHILD STOPS SPEAKING, she helps find their voice

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

E

her in and out of school, I began looking for local

halfway through the school year when Aylani was

in selective mutism,” Aysel said. “I found

in first grade. What seemed like just shyness was

information on Brave Bunch online and decided

affecting her daughter’s progress in school. Then,

to take the chance.”

leven-year-old Aylani Suazo had not spoken to anyone in school since age 7.

Her mother, Aysel, knew there was a problem

Aylani went completely silent.

Not long ago, Aysel realized her daughter suffers from selective mutism — an anxiety disorder that causes her to not utter a word in certain public places, like school, although she is otherwise talkative at home.

More prevalent in girls than boys, selective mutism is two to three times more likely to affect bilingual children. The disorder can hinder academic achievement and socialization. It can cause a child to become isolated and withdrawn leading to missed birthday parties and less time in the playground.

Most elementary schools have at least one child with selective mutism. The condition usually begins by age 5, but it is often mistaken for shyness and goes undiagnosed until it begins to interfere with a child’s progress in school.

“There are a number of factors that put a child at risk for selective mutism including anxiety in the family history, reinforcing avoidant behavior or allowing the child to escape speaking opportunities and modeling of anxious behavior,” said Psychologist Jami Furr with FIU’s Center for Children and Families. “It is much less common for a trauma to be the trigger of selective mutism.”

Furr’s training and research focuses on anxiety

“When I realized Aylani’s anxiety was affecting help but could not find people that specialized

One of only seven programs in the country and the only one in the Southeastern United States, Brave Bunch is a week-long program designed with a camp format for children ages 4 through 10.

Directed by Furr, the program teaches coping skills, incorporates activities that encourage verbalization, social interaction and exposure to unfamiliar peers and adults to help children like Aylani find their “brave voice.” The camp also incorporates daily two-hour parent training sessions and bi-monthly booster sessions for families after camp is over.

“With six-hour days, they have time to process, adjust and practice multiple situations with repeated exposure,” Furr told the New York Times.

“The idea is to translate gains to a real school setting, where they have the most limited speech.”

For Aylani, the week she spent at FIU’s Brave Bunch camp proved to be transformative.

She orders in restaurants and responds when spoken to. Now in 6th grade, Aylani is already communicating with her teachers and peers.

“Brave Bunch has given us, both my daughter and I, strength and the tools we need to move forward,” Aysel said. “I would definitely recommend this program. So far it has changed our lives.”

Since its founding at FIU in 2010, the Center

disorders. She decided to specialize in selective

for Children and Families has helped nearly 7,000

mutism after identifying a lack of available services

families like the Suazos. The center’s researchers

and a real need for effective treatment.

and clinical experts are among the nation’s best in

For a year, Aylani received therapy to treat

treating ADHD, autism, anxiety and other behavioral

her selective mutism in her home state of North

disorders. The evidence-based treatments

Carolina with no success. Last summer, Aylani and

developed through the center’s programs, including

her family traveled to South Florida to take part in

Brave Bunch, have the potential to benefit millions

FIU’s Brave Bunch Program for Selective Mutism.

around the world.

For information about services related to selective mutism and other anxiety disorders, contact FIU’s Center for Children and Families at 305-348-0477 or visit ccf.fiu.edu.

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STEM

THE

S

I

S

T

E

R

H

O

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal and Chrystian Tejedor

THREE WOMEN. THREE STORIES.

ONE MOVEMENT.

If Zahra Hazari has her way, there will be at least 10,000 more women pursuing physics degrees in the United States by 2020. It’s an endeavor that would have seemed impossible 30 years ago, a time when no one seemed to care that women were not flocking to careers in science, technology, engineering or math — no one except an elite few like Yesim Darici. When she joined FIU in the mid-1980s, Darici became the first female physics professor in the state of Florida. Hazari, Darici and recent FIU graduate Natasha Blanch are changing the face of STEM in the United States. Because of their efforts and others like them, the days of women being under-represented in STEM careers should come to an end.

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O

D

YESIM DARICI, ZAHRA HAZARI and NATASHA BLANCH

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because discrimination was absent, but because she was oblivious to it.

In the mid-1970s she enrolled at Middle East Technical University to pursue a physics degree. In Turkey, most physicists are teachers and as a result, most physicists are women. She wanted to experiment — to push the limits of science. So, she set her sights on a Ph.D. in the United States.

The Trailblazer

Yesim Darici Yesim Darici did not pursue a career in advocacy. She is a scientist — a theoretical and experimental physicist with expertise in transition metals.

Yet, Darici is a trailblazer for women in science. Today, she is also FIU’s leading advocate for women and gender issues as the director of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies.

For Darici, advocacy just comes naturally. For six years, she served as the education officer for an organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating Hispanic-American physicists. Yet, she is Turkish.

“Well I’m not Hispanic, but my school is,” Darici says without pause.

She also served on the American Physical Society’s committee on minorities to advance initiatives that attract more women and under-

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represented minorities to careers in physics. She worked with federally funded programs to engage local high school kids from economically under-served areas in both science and college life. She also coordinated physics workshops for high school teachers. Throughout her 30-year career at FIU, Darici has championed STEM initiatives for women and minorities at the university, including two National Science Foundationfunded projects to increase diversity among its faculty.

As she talks about her accomplishments today, Darici sometimes takes a pause as if it’s occurring to her for the first time that she has spent a lifetime as an advocate. In her youth, Darici existed in a world without discrimination — not

At the University of MissouriColumbia in the early 1980s, Darici had no idea she would be an anomaly.

Her professors were all men. Most of her classmates were men. Few were foreign. She didn’t really notice. She was self-aware and confident. She made the transition with ease and upon earning her Ph.D., she accepted a research position at West Virginia University studying coal technology. In total, 11 postdoctoral researchers were hired for the project. Ten were men.

“Discrimination, I’m sure it was there, but I never looked for it,” Darici said.

When a new position was advertised for a physics professor at FIU, Darici applied. The interview committee was made up of all men.

That’s because there were no women physics professors in the state of Florida in the mid-1980s. She would become the first.

Throughout her career, she has helped others find success in the sciences. She has mentored countless students. There have been many successes, but she has also endured many bouts of discrimination.

When she talks about these experiences today, it’s usually with a smile — not because they’re all happy memories though many of them are. She smiles because she knows what success feels like.

The Changemaker

Zahra Hazari thinks more women should become scientists or engineers.

And she definitely thinks the world could use a few more female physics majors — 10,000 would be a good start.

With thousands of high school physics teachers (male and female) helping her out, she may hit that target by 2020.

It’s a dream that’s been catalyzing in her mind since she first studied physics in Florida. Even before joining FIU in 2014 as a physics education professor, Hazari had dedicated her research to improving access for women and other under-represented minorities in physics.

She served on two key committees

At FIU, she has been tireless in improving opportunities for underrepresented minorities in STEM. She recently led an effort to secure funding for students pursuing computer science degrees. STEM degrees historically take longer to complete than other types of degrees, a reality that can lead many students to exhaust their financial aid before reaching graduation. For someone who studies why students abandon STEM pursuits, Hazari knew funding support could help get students to the finish line. Working with collaborators at FIU and at two other universities, Hazari received a

Her research in trying to understand why some students complete STEM degrees and others don’t is ongoing.

She is exploring why people of different genders sometimes abandon physics as a major and whether classroom environments and classmate behaviors can influence a student’s decision to stick with or abandon science careers.

Her efforts recently culminated in a game-changing project that has garnered NSF support. Hazari, her colleagues in the FIU STEM Transformation Institute, partners from physics organizations and another university have been awarded a

dedicated to encouraging more women to pursue physics careers, one with the American Physical Society and the other with the American Association of Physics Teachers.

$5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) of which $1 million will go to FIU to help students in computer science finish their degrees.

$3 million grant to recruit thousands more women to pursue physics degrees. The plan seems simple but the undertaking is monumental — partner with 10,000 high school physics teachers who are willing to recruit at least one female student each to pursue a physics degree in college.

Hazari and the FIU team are developing a recruitment program and training materials to help the teachers identify and engage the students best suited for the highly skilled field.

“We could accomplish something that’s never been done in history,” Hazari said. “We could change the face of physics in the United States.”

Hazari is piloting her program this year at 10 schools. She is fine-tuning the lessons and best practices the teachers will use to further encourage their students to seek physics degrees.

After ensuring the lessons apply to students in urban, suburban and rural schools, the campaign will expand to 24 teachers in 2018. After that, they will ramp up quickly, hoping to reach the 10,000 physics teachers — or 60 percent of all U.S. physics teachers — in 2019.

“We could achieve the largest increase of women in physics in any decade in history,” Hazari said. “It’s very exciting to encourage women to participate in physics when they might not have considered it before and they may be perfect. They might have a love for physics they never knew existed.”

“

We could accomplish something that’s never been done in history. We could change the face of physics in the United States.

“

Zahra Hazari

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 13

After taking the first course, I realized I can be the driving force behind a student who hopes to become a neurosurgeon, a rocket scientist, a physicist or a mathematician.

The Future

“

Natasha Blanch Natasha Blanch hopes to one day be one of those teachers picking up the torch, igniting the imagination of her students to pursue STEM degrees.

She recently became the first FIU

across the country.

Blanch and other students in the program rely on master teachers to provide mentorship and guidance as

student to complete the FIUteach

they navigate through FIUteach and

program when she graduated in

prepare for a teaching career. Working

Spring 2017 with a bachelor’s degree

together with Miami-Dade County

in mathematics and a teaching

Public Schools, FIUteach serves as a

certification. The program enables

pipeline of highly skilled and diverse

STEM students like Blanch to earn

teachers to the fourth-largest school

both a degree in their major and a

district in the country and beyond.

teaching certification without adding

First, however, Blanch is taking a

time or expense to their four-year

detour to the Marshall Islands where

degree program.

she will teach accounting and coach

“After taking the first course, I realized I can be the driving

high school students in math.

“A lot of students in ninth or tenth

force behind a student who hopes

grade aren’t at grade-level,” she said.

to become a neurosurgeon, a

“Some students have zero concept of

rocket scientist, a physicist or a

fractions so it’s definitely going to be

mathematician,” Blanch said.

a change. I anticipate teaching with

She began her first year at FIU as

minimal resources, having to think

a finance major, but quickly realized

outside of the box and being very

analyzing balance sheets was not for

creative with the little that we will have.

her. While working at a math learning

Hopefully I can make my lessons more

center, she realized she enjoyed

meaningful for the students and more

teaching others. Her academic advisor

culturally relevant for them.”

“

introduced her to FIUteach, which

14 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

qualified math and science teachers

Though Blanch is the first to complete

is part of the National Math and

the program, more will soon follow.

Science Institute’s UTeach program, a

Currently, 350 students are enrolled in

secondary STEM teacher preparation

FIUteach, making it one of the largest

initiative that is helping to produce

Uteach programs in the nation.

ABROAD

BLINDFOLDED

Students discover pure empathy through challenging study abroad trip

Joshua Metellus learned a new lesson in empathy while navigating the streets of Vatican City while blindfolded.

A

few students donned blindfolds, nervously held on to canes and clung to the arms of their classmates for support during a walk

Now, on the streets of Vatican City, Metellus

nothing can be taken for granted. It really got

was blindfolded. For several hours, he was

me to open up my eyes on how you can take

without the sense he relies on most as a deaf

things for granted.”

along bumpy cobblestone streets. Some joked

person. But he refused to back down from the

For Metellus, this study abroad trip really

and managed to maneuver effectively around

exercise. He zeroed in on his sense of touch to

Vatican City as their friends warned them of

help him anticipate what was ahead — a trash

was a once in a lifetime opportunity — where

obstacles in their paths.

can or street curb.

Joshua Metellus was terrified. The activity,

And so it was that a step at a time, the

meant to help recreational therapy students

young man who already knew what it was like

better understand the challenges faced by

to face a life-altering loss, challenged himself

people with disabilities, caught him off guard.

again and again. The guide who was assigned

Metellus didn’t fear having a disability.

to help Metellus had no meaningful way of

he learned to empathize even more with people who have other disabilities. In the long run, Metellus said, this will make him more successful in his future career as a recreational therapy provider, and one day, an advocate for people with disabilities.

“I like to challenge myself,” he said. “I

Having lost his hearing at a young age, what

communicating with him. The only source of

he feared most was losing another one of his

comfort came from another deaf student. She

senses. Metellus has long-known a disability

grabbed Metellus’ hand and began to sign into

to people that deaf people might look like

means having to do more. He had to learn sign

his palm, allowing him to feel the gestures she

we have a disability but we’re similar to you

language, master lip reading, learn to work with

made to ask if he was OK.

guys. People with disabilities might do things

interpreters and even depend on others to help with note-taking in class.

“It was very emotional, very isolating,” Metellus said. “I learned a new lesson —

have to put myself out there. I have to prove

differently, but we can still do the same thing you guys can do.”

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 15

CONSERVATION

RESEARCH

With an Attitude

16 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

WORLD’S DEEPEST CORAL NURSERY

Marine scientists, astronauts join forces

By Evelyn S. Gonzalez | esgonzal@fiu.edu

N

estled in the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, 10 tree-like structures made of PVC pipes rise up from the ocean floor. They are adorned with plastic cards that hang from fiberglass branches. The cards house growing pieces of endangered coral. An odd sight to see, this group of makeshift trees could help solve one of the greatest environmental problems facing the world’s oceans today — the loss of coral reefs. affect shallow reefs more than

coral reefs without the support of

two groups not far from FIU’s

The structures are divided into

deep reefs, marine scientist

Aquarius. It would be impossible.”

Aquarius Reef Base. Scientists

Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty is

call them nurseries, a place

studying whether corals in deep

the European Space Agency

where they grow new corals. One

waters can be used to repopulate

and the Japan Aerospace

resides at 90 feet below the ocean

imperiled reefs in shallow waters.

surface, the deepest coral nursery

He and the members of his lab

Exploration Agency descended

in the world.

have partnered with the Coral

“People haven’t tried to grow coral reef nurseries at these depths before, so there are new

Restoration Foundation to create the nurseries.

When it came to the actual

questions we’ll be able to address

labor of “planting” the trees,

with science,” said Anthony

the team sought the help of

Bellantuono, a post-doctoral

astronauts. Establishing a nursery

research associate in the College

at those depths would be difficult

of Arts, Sciences & Education.

to accomplish on routine dives

Coral reefs provide economic

because of time limits designed to

services, including coastal

avoid decompression sickness. But

protection, fisheries and tourism

thanks to FIU’s Medina Aquarius

estimated to be worth $375 billion

Program, which houses the

each year. Yet, 20 percent of the

world’s only underwater research

world’s coral reefs have been

laboratory, people can live and

destroyed and show no immediate

work underwater for days and

prospects of recovery. The rest

weeks at a time.

are threatened, according to the

“Saturation diving allows us to

When astronauts from NASA,

on Aquarius for a training mission in 2015, they took the trees with them. The scientific project was a perfect exercise for the astronauts to test communications equipment in an isolated and extreme environment. They deployed the trees under the direction of Rodriguez-Lanetty and named the nurseries Mercury and Atlas.

In subsequent training missions during the past two years, NASA astronauts continued to work

trees per nursery feet deep

Mercury Nursery

on the nurseries and students and researchers from RodriguezLanetty’s lab make regular visits to monitor the progress, test new ideas and maintain the health of the

World Wildlife Fund. Fishing,

conduct research that can’t be

growing corals. The research being

pollution and global warming are

done anywhere else in the world,”

conducted at Aquarius is a step

the primary culprits.

Rodriguez-Lanetty said. “We

towards ensuring the future health

wouldn’t be able to study deep

of the oceans.

Because these disturbances

coral fragments deployed

feet deep

Atlas Nursery

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 17

Hurricanes Katia, Irma and Jose line up in the Atlantic Basin during the 2017 hurricane season. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens and Jesse Allen

18 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

APPROACHING

STORMS Why advances in science could give people more time to prepare for the wind, rain and storm surge brought on by hurricanes

By JoAnn C. Adkins, Ayleen Barbel Fattal, Evelyn S. Gonzalez and Chrystian Tejedor

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 19

CLIMATE EXTREMES

increase at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less — hold important clues as to how intense a storm will be when it reaches populated areas.

There’s only one problem — rapid intensification is unpredictable. FIU meteorologist Haiyan Jiang hopes to change that.

Using passive microwave satellite observations, Jiang has developed an algorithm that can help predict the onset of rapid intensification of major storms. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center and the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Haiyan Jiang

Warning Center are now using her data throughout the hurricane and typhoon seasons to improve storm modeling.

T

Jiang’s former student Brad

he 2017 hurricane season will go on record as one of the most active and devastating in recent history, yet people are far better prepared today thanks to better predictions. FIU researchers think the science of storm forecasting can get even better.

Klotz, who recently earned his Ph.D. from FIU, is in search of the strongest winds in hurricanes. As a Ph.D. student, he studied how ocean surface winds interact with hurricane strength and speed. If forecasters can use surface winds to help identify the location of the strongest winds in a storm,

Early storm warnings proved

techniques. They are searching for

they may be able to better predict where the most devastating landfall

critical during recent hurricanes

signals embedded within storms that

including Harvey, Irma and Maria.

could offer clues to a hurricane’s

better forecasting before a storm,

In Texas, official watches went

path, intensity and probable impacts.

this information could also help

impacts could be. In addition to

into effect at least 61 hours before

Hurricane Harvey was unique in

map out recovery efforts well

Hurricane Harvey made landfall. In

that it largely fell apart by Aug. 19

before any damage has been

Florida, residents were put on alert

while crossing over the Caribbean.

done. As a meteorologist with

six days prior to Hurricane Irma’s

For three days, there was no cone of

the National Oceanic and

approach and official watches were

concern. No watches. No warnings.

Atmospheric Administration’s

first issued 68 hours before landfall.

Suddenly, on Aug. 23, Harvey re-

National Hurricane Center, Klotz

For Puerto Rico, residents were

emerged as a tropical depression in

is continuing his research.

warned of potential impacts from

the Gulf of Mexico. During the next

an approaching hurricane four days

61 hours, the tropical depression

comes another deadly effect of

before Hurricane Maria closed in, and

rapidly intensified into Category 4

hurricanes — storm surge. When

official watches started rolling out 48

Hurricane Harvey bringing thrashing

Hurricane Irma slammed into

hours before landfall.

winds and heavy rainfall.

Florida in September of 2017, the

FIU researchers and students

While Harvey’s re-emergence as a

Often, with the wind and rain

storm’s heavy winds pushed the

are developing new methods to

major hurricane was surprising, nearly

ocean onto land, flooding several

increase the amount of time people

every storm experiences a period of

neighborhoods including Miami’s

have to get out of harm’s way. They

rapid intensification. Those moments

Brickell neighborhood. Streets were

are developing new modeling

— when maximum sustained winds

turned into rivers.

20 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

Hurricanes and earthquakes: can one predict the other?

Scientists explore possible link between powerful storms and future seismic activity While sea level rise poses a long-term threat for Florida, surge events create short-term crises for the same areas grappling with the impending danger of rising tides.

Some areas in coastal Florida are particularly vulnerable including Key Biscayne, according to Earth and Environment Professor Stephen Leatherman. Across the Caribbean, coastal communities and island nations are highly vulnerable to storm surge. The impacts can be deadly.

Battered by a decade that included several active hurricane seasons and a catastrophic earthquake, Haiti was still struggling to recover in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew came barreling through the Caribbean as a Category 4. The storm brought strong winds, heavy rains and deadly tides. Approximately 1,000 people died, many related to storm surge.

FIU researchers are working with the National Hurricane Center to develop a storm surge database for Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Led by Earth and Environment researcher Keqi Zhang, their efforts will improve storm surge forecasting for the shared island of Hispaniola.

The information they provide could help local government officials make more informed decisions when hurricanes approach, including when to evacuate.

With most natural disasters, nature is rarely the problem. The devastation is a result of people living in the direct path of nature.

Ignoring potential disasters until they are a clear threat to people is no longer an option, according to geologist José F. Longoria, who researches earthquakes, volcanic hazards and floods. Educating people about their vulnerabilities as early as elementary school, he said,

will help them better understand the actions that must be taken.

“When nothing happens, no one worries,” said Longoria, who teaches a course on natural disasters at FIU. “Look at us when we are not in hurricane season. Nobody talks about it, nobody prepares.”

FIU is trying to change that trend.

Before 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, the university did not offer a class focused solely on disasters. Today, there are more than 25 and the Extreme Events Institute and Sea Level Solutions Center are leading research and community outreach programs to prepare Florida for the challenges ahead.

The numbers prove that improved predictions save lives. One study in the journal Epidemiologic Reviews calculated that America suffered an average of 1,400 hurricane deaths per decade from 1910 to 1939, 700 deaths per decade from 1940 to 1969, and about 250 deaths per decade from 1970 to 1999.

“The number of people killed by hurricanes halves about every 25 years, in spite of the fact that coastal populations have been increasing, because of what we’re doing with forecasting,” said FIU research meteorologist Hugh Willoughby.

Predictions, the most powerful tool people have to mitigate the wrath of hurricanes, have improved just in the past five years to give people at least one extra day of warning before a storm strikes.

With continued research, the FIU scientists believe those numbers will only continue to improve, giving people more time and

When three major hurricanes and just as many powerful earthquakes happen at around the same time, as they did in 2017, many wonder if they are connected. While the 2017 hurricanes and the recent earthquakes in Mexico are likely not connected, geophysicist Shimon Wdowinski believes there could be a correlation between hurricanes and the earthquakes that come much later. He is spearheading research supported by NASA examining whether powerful hurricanes can trigger earthquakes.

Wdowinski developed the idea for the research project following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The magnitude 7 event destroyed much of Port-au-Prince and killed upwards of 300,000 people. Two years prior, four powerful hurricanes — Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike — dumped heavy rains on Haiti in just a matter of weeks, killing 800 people and devastating crops.

In certain mountainous environments prone to both tropical cyclones and earthquakes, heavy rain — 3 to 9 feet of rain in a span of 3 to 5 days — can induce a large number of landslides. Over time, the landslide material is carried to the ocean resulting in significant erosion of the mountains and affecting the stress field within the Earth’s crust. Wdowinski thinks this could trigger an earthquake. If he is right, an earthquake can occur several months to years after a wet cyclone strikes in an area.

Haiti experiences limited seismic activity so Wdowinski is testing his hypothesis in Taiwan, where there are plenty of earthquake and cyclone data to examine.

“We plan to provide convincing observations that will demonstrate the proposed cascading relations between wet tropical cyclones, landslides and earthquakes,” Wdowinski said.

He believes whatever results he gets will be applicable to the Caribbean and parts of South America.

The data can also be applied to other similar tectonic environments affected by wet tropical cyclones including the Philippines where a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit in July of 2017 — the same region devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Although the delay of months and years between wet cyclones and earthquakes will make it difficult to translate results into a forecasting tool, Wdowinski hopes the data can be used to issue a general warning about possible future earthquakes.

more certainty as to a storm’s path, projected landfall and intensity.

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 21

CLIMATE EXTREMES

NATURE SIGNALS

SOS

Long-term research, short-term extremes uncover clues to survival

W

hen extreme weather strikes, nature endures devastation but also reveals secrets to its resiliency. Researchers in FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education are investigating the clues that plants, animals and ecosystems leave behind in moments of suffering and recovery. What they find could offer solutions to protecting nature from long-term changes happening to the planet.

Hugh Willoughby knows a thing or two about extreme climate events. Throughout his career, the FIU research meteorologist has flown more than 400 missions into the eyes of storms for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Among those was 1989’s Hurricane Hugo, which ravaged the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and parts of the southeast United States.

“The Caribbean will be the best predictor of climate change,” Willoughby said.

Since 2015, energy has been increasing in these storms, but there’s not enough data to establish a trend. The 2017 hurricane season may change all that. Willoughby says data from recent major storms, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, could prove temperatures are rising in the Caribbean. It will take months of data collection and review before scientists can say for sure. But if Willoughby is right, the Caribbean could serve as a barometer for the rest of the world.

Other subtropical and tropical regions are offering clues of their own. In 2008, China was hit with a devastating cold spell followed by a drought. In 2010, South Florida suffered its own cold spell. And in 2011, one of the most pristine and untouched coasts in world — Shark Bay, Australia — experienced drastic changes after temperatures hit historic highs.

In each of these scenarios, FIU had researchers who have been working in these areas for decades. They have been monitoring conditions, wildlife and plants. Armed with years of long-term research data, they were able to assess how these isolated weather events impacted their areas. They witnessed catastrophic losses. But they also witnessed stories of adaption and survival. It’s on these moments researchers are focusing with the hopes of developing new methods of conservation and giving policy solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.

22 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

South China Cold Spell and Drought In 2008, botanist Hong Liu was watching closely as temperatures started to drop around the Yachang National Orchid Nature Reserve in China. Housed within its 54,000 acres were 29 species of delicate and mostly endangered orchids. The nearly 1,000 flowering plants were relatively new there, having only been moved two years prior by Liu and other orchid conservationists. The orchids’ native habitat was to be flooded as part of a largescale hydropower project along the Hongshui River and the assisted migration was the only chance to save many of the species.

The concept of assisted migration is new and somewhat controversial. It is largely untested and can come with a high price tag.

In the case of Yachang, the land is protected but sits

at a higher elevation and is not an exact match of the transplanted orchids’ native habitat. When temperatures hit the second lowest ever recorded for the region, Liu feared it would be too much for the rare flowers.

Amazingly, the orchids proved largely resistant to the extreme climate event.

While some plants did not survive, only one species was wiped out entirely by the cold. When a record-setting drought hit the region a short time later, not a single orchid died. Liu continues to study the orchids at Yachang.

It will be years before the assisted migration can be deemed a success, but she is hopeful the orchids will continue to thrive. If they do, the controversy around assisted migration could become a little less controversial.

South Florida Cold Spell

When temperatures in South Florida

said Evelyn Gaiser, lead principal

dropped below 50 degrees for several

investigator of the FCE-LTER and

consecutive days and as low as 35

executive director of the School of

degrees in 2010, FIU scientists knew

Environment, Arts and Society.

there would be consequences for plants

Snook, a popular game fish, offered a

and animals in the Florida Everglades.

particularly unique insight. Sensitive to

They were right.

temperature changes, snook should not

For nearly two decades, FIU has

have survived the cold spell. Yet many

led the National Science Foundation’s

were able to shelter in pockets of deep,

Florida Coastal Everglades Long

freshwater that insulated them, said

Term Ecological Research Program

Jennifer Rehage, an ecologist with

(FCE-LTER) in collaboration with other

the FIU Southeast Environmental

universities and partnering organizations

Research Center. The takeaway for

across the United States. With

scientists — freshwater flow in the

substantial monitoring and research

Everglades is critical for fish to survive

data at their fingertips, they were able

extreme temperatures.

to assess conditions for many species

“The risks to these species are

once temperatures returned to normal.

especially high when they are

Native, temperate plants and animals

unable to move to more hospitable

fared well. Non-native, tropical ones did

environments,” said John Schade,

not. The results were consistent across

program director in the National

many species including mangroves,

Science Foundation’s Long Term

bees, crocodiles, bull sharks and more.

Ecological Research Network, which

Some took years to recover.

funded the research. “In a world where

“This short but extreme cold event

extreme climate events are becoming

mimicked the effects of a strong tropical

more common, studies like this are

storm or hurricane. The short-term

critical to our ability to manage the

consequences were different but the

fisheries we need to feed growing

long-term conclusions were similar,”

human populations.”

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 23

CLIMATE EXTREMES

What’s next?

Western Australia Heat Wave

Across the globe, in the pristine waters of Shark Bay, Australia, a 10-week-long heat wave dealt a harsh blow to the 1,853 square miles of seagrass beds in the region as well as the animals that rely on them for food and shelter. Populations of scallops and manna crabs were so adversely affected that fishing of those species was halted.

Marine scientist Mike Heithaus has been studying life in the waters of Shark Bay for more than 20 years. Along with FIU seagrass biologist James Fourqurean, the research team began an immediate assessment of conditions for plant and animal life. At the FIU study sites, at least 70 percent and as much as 90 percent of seagrasses were wiped out. Today, they are still struggling to recover.

“We wanted to know how much the ecosystem might recover over

24 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

a few years,” said Rob Nowicki, a researcher at Mote Marine Laboratory who conducted much of the fieldwork while a marine sciences Ph.D. student in the Heithaus lab. “If you take a punch and get up quickly, you’re ready for the next punch. But our study has suggested this system took a punch, and in the short term, it has not gotten back up.”

If relatively pristine ecosystems like Shark Bay can be this drastically impacted by an extreme climate event, Heithaus and others warn this raises major concerns for areas already damaged by human activity. It also heightens the urgency for international conservation programs and global policy. The researchers continue to study the waters of Shark Bay and other areas throughout the world, working closely with local governments and international governing bodies.

As 2017 goes on record as the most active hurricane season since 2005, FIU scientists are working furiously to assess what changes have occurred in South Florida, the Caribbean and the Gulf region, gathering data from long-term monitoring stations still standing in the Florida Keys, Florida Everglades, Guadalupe, Dominica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Texas and elsewhere. Interestingly, in some ways, hurricanes can have some benefits for the environment. Irma kicked up mud onto the coastline in Florida, helping to build up some areas and provide nutrients for mangrove forests. But the storm also caused significant damage.

The research continues.

Extreme weather events are testing the ability of nature to adapt and survive on this changing planet.

Clues left behind in the wake of extreme weather would likely go unnoticed if not for the long-term research programs that can differentiate between a cyclical trend and an abnormal climate event. As long as there are scientists dedicating decades of their careers to understanding how plants, animals and their habitats function, the clues left behind will continue to be uncovered to help shape future policy and conservation.

AQUARIUS SUSTAINS DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE IRMA

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu

T

he FIU Aquarius Reef Base has been sidelined by Hurricane Irma, but the world’s only underwater research laboratory should be back in operation by the spring of 2018.

The Aquarius habitat sits off the coast of Key Largo, 60 feet deep on the ocean floor. When Hurricane Irma marched across the Caribbean toward the Florida Keys in October, the storm passed over Aquarius ripping the lab’s 94,000-pound life support buoy from its moorings and causing damage to the underwater facilities. Initial estimates put repair costs around $500,000.

“Our schedule for 2018 is filling up fast with research, training and outreach missions being planned so we are working hard to get Aquarius back in operation as quickly as possible,” said James Fourqurean, a marine scientist at FIU and director of the university’s Marine Education and Research Initiative which houses Aquarius.

“These missions can’t be moved to another location because there is no other Aquarius, no other underwater research lab anywhere in the world. We have already started receiving donations through a grassroots campaign that is helping greatly, so we’re off to a good start.”

The wet porch, which serves as the entry point into the habitat, took on excess water and life support systems sustained

damage, according to Roger Garcia, operations director of Aquarius. On the exterior, decking, air supply hoses, cabling and other support systems were damaged. Structurally, one of the legs on the four-leg platform that the habitat sits on was damaged and will take some time to repair.

As for the buoy, the storm blew it away from Aquarius, and it eventually came to a rest along the Lignum Vitae Channel, about 14 miles from the habitat. The attached mooring line helped bring it to a stop and it eventually floated under a bridge, which is where the Aquarius team found it. The buoy suffered significant structural damage and has been towed to a South Florida shipyard for repairs.

The good news, according to Fourqurean, is that the habitat stayed in place and the interior living quarters remained dry.

FIU took over Aquarius from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2013 and formed the Medina Aquarius Program, a research and community outreach program. The facility allows scientists to live and work underwater for extended periods of time. In addition to FIU research being conducted there on coral reef conservation, predator/prey behaviors and seagrasses, Aquarius also offers unique training opportunities for NASA astronauts and others.

“Aquarius gives us the gift of time, meaning researchers can conduct critical research there in a week’s time that would take months or years to do if relying on traditional dives,” said Mike Heithaus, a marine scientist and dean of the FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education. “Because we can broadcast live from under the ocean we can also interact with and inspire the next generation.”

Since assuming operations, nearly five years ago, FIU has hosted 19 research and training missions at Aquarius. Recently, FIU and the Coral Restoration Foundation established the world’s deepest coral nursery there to study possible solutions for the rampant loss of coral reefs worldwide. Throughout it all, FIU has also hosted virtual field trips for hundreds of schools worldwide, giving nearly 34,000 schoolchildren the chance to see the habitat up close and interact with aquanauts residing there.

The Medina Aquarius Program features the world’s only underwater research laboratory, a unique research asset for marine conservation programs worldwide.

Research at Aquarius is leading to advances in coral reef restoration and mitigation of ocean acidification while also inspiring future generations of marine scientists, ocean enthusiasts and decisionmakers. Contributions to the program will help return Aquarius to operations and advance critical programs for ocean preservation.

To give, please contact Ady Arguelles at 305-348-7942 or aarguell@fiu.edu.

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 25

CLIMATE EXTREMES

EXTINCTION LOOMS for 2 rare bird species after devastating hurricanes

Conservationists race to save remaining populations

By JoAnn C. Adkins | jadkins@fiu.edu

C

onservation biologist Paul Reillo is torn between two worlds in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria — one of swift action and one of waiting.

There is little time to rest. More than 200 animals, many fighting extinction, are relying on him. The FIU scientist is the founder of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), a partner in FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute (TCI), which offers safe haven, captive breeding programs and field-based conservation to help save endangered species. In a matter of two weeks, two species of birds on the brink of extinction were dealt devastating blows when Hurricanes Irma and Maria crossed the Caribbean, leaving devastation in their wakes. The team at the Tropical Conservation Institute knows it is facing an unprecedented conservation crisis.

WORKING Hurricane Irma caused more than $200,000 in damages at RSCF’s property in Loxahatchee, Fla. Little could be done to save enclosures and fences from the storm, but Reillo and his team secured the animals, including 40 endangered east African bongo antelopes, 35 primates including

WAITING Meanwhile, Reillo is waiting for news about Dominica’s critically endangered Imperial Amazon.

Since the late 1990s, he has been working with Dominica’s Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division to help restore the rare parrot’s population in the wild which has been devastated by habitat loss, the pet trade and natural disasters. In 2000, the local government established a national park to protect critical habitat for the rare parrot species. Reillo raised many of the funds himself to purchase the land necessary for

“The flagship species we have fought to save for so many years may now face imminent extinction,” Reillo said, pausing for a rare break from post-hurricane clean-up.

When Maria marched across the Caribbean, the expansive forests of the island were decimated. Tree canopies were gutted and critical habitat for the Imperial Amazon was destroyed. Dominica is among the most hardest hit countries by the recent spate of storms that attacked the Caribbean.

Fewer than 250 mature Imperial Amazons were known to populate the forests of Dominica before Maria. Local forestry officials have been looking for any signs that some of the rare parrots weathered the storm, but the bird is elusive and difficult to find under normal circumstances. These are not normal circumstances.

“TCI’s fight to save endangered species is critical,” said Mike Heithaus, dean of FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education, which houses TCI. “Recent hurricanes have proven how very vulnerable many species are. Our programs can make the difference between an animal being here and not, but the monumental task before us is going to require tremendous local, national and international support.”

endangered golden lion tamarins, nearly 100 parrots representing a variety of threatened and endangered species and 42 critically endangered Florida grasshopper sparrows.

the initiative.

Hurricane Maria, in a matter of a single day, destroyed more than 20 years of work to save the species.

Even if Imperial Amazons survived, the catastrophic destruction of the island’s richly biodiverse forests is causing alarm for conservationists. Locals have spotted the

26 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

The TCI team is putting in long hours to rebuild what was destroyed at the RSCF facility and to help the animals recover from the stress brought on by the storm.

The Florida grasshopper sparrows are the greatest cause for concern. It is the world’s most endangered bird with less than 100 remaining in the wild before Irma. The team fears the hurricane has crippled the wild population which resides exclusively in the prairie grasses of Central Florida. They are working with state and federal wildlife officials on strategies to help preserve the small number of birds that remain on the planet.

COMMUNITY RALLIES TO BOLSTER RECOVERY EFFORTS AT BOTANICAL GARDEN

more common Jaco parrot among the gutted forests, but those are struggling to find food. Their plight represents a much larger crisis looming over Dominica’s wildlife and especially the Imperial Amazons.

Reillo believes the Imperial Amazon still has a fighting chance. For now, the focus is on getting supplies to the island including tarps, chainsaws, tools and veterinary supplies. Researchers and forestry officials are still trying to assess the status of the population and develop a strategy for recovery. The FIU Tropical Conservation Institute team is preparing for an aggressive plan that Reillo knows will come at a significant cost. But the alternative — loss of another flagship species — poses a far greater cost to the health of the planet.

The FIU Tropical Conservation Institute is the last remaining hope for many species fighting extinction. TCI is supported by the Batchelor Foundation, which has provided a challenge grant to support its many critical programs.

Contributions received to help save the Florida grasshopper sparrow and the Imperial Amazon could be matched by the grant.

To give, please contact Ady Arguelles at 305-348-7942 or aarguell@fiu.edu.

After Hurricane Irma ravaged the living collections at The Kampong, researchers, staff and students from the International Center for Tropical Botany at The Kampong (ICTB) and many community volunteers jumped into action.

ICTB, a collaboration between FIU and the National Tropical Botanical Garden, maintains a robust research program at The Kampong and researchers rely on the unique international collection of trees, flowers and other plants there. Nearly 260 of the facility’s 600 trees were brought down or damaged by Hurricane Irma’s wind and heavy rains.

Initial inspection after the storm revealed devastation. A banyan tree that formed an archway over the property was sheared away. The top two-thirds of a sorrowless tree, one of the biggest in the United States, was on the ground. A baobab tree, planted in 1928 by original estate owner and botanist David Fairchild, was leveled.

property and wiped out The Kampong’s succulent garden.

Volunteers and ICTB staff worked long hours to restore the downed trees to their upright positions. Injured branches were trimmed. Nearly all of the trees have a fighting chance because of swift action by staff, students and community volunteers, according to Christopher Baraloto, director of ICTB. “The Kampong’s living collections are essential for research. It’s also an important part of our local community’s history and culture,” Baraloto, said. “As unfortunate as Hurricane Irma’s damage is, the situation will hopefully bring the community together to work closer.”

Morell says the botanical garden will need to rebuild damaged landscape areas and repair irrigation and electrical systems. They will replace the plants that were lost using propagated plants that were sent elsewhere.

“The Kampong’s recovery will be much like the recovery of someone

Overall, Hurricane Irma’s impacts appear to be far worse than that of Hurricanes Andrew in 1992 and Wilma in 2005 because Irma was so large the storms effect were felt for 12 hours, according to The Kampong Director Craig Morell. Storm surge flooded the

who was in a serious car accident,” Morell said. “It’ll need triage for the first month, critical care for the next six months and up to five years of rehab and therapy. It’s going to take time, money and a lot of work, but The Kampong is resilient. It will recover.”

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 27

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

MENTORING

Psychology professor juggles motherhood, mentoring, research and cancer

28 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu

P

sychologist Bethany Reeb-Sutherland never lets anything get in the way of helping those who depend on her. Not even cancer.

Mother. Wife. Educator. Mentor.

Researcher. She navigates each relationship with a calm, quiet demeanor that can be deceiving. Under her gentle exterior is a strength of will and loyalty that is unwavering.

In the spring of 2016, Reeb-Sutherland was riding a wave of success. In her fourth year as an assistant professor at FIU, she was managing the Brain and Behavior Development Lab. She was advising several graduate students and two undergraduate McNair Fellows along with several research assistants. They were all flourishing. Her research on early childhood development was catching the attention of her seasoned peers all across the United States.

She and her husband, FIU Psychologist Matthew Sutherland, celebrated the birth of their second son March 21. Two weeks later, at the age of 37, the mother, wife, educator, mentor and researcher took on another title — cancer patient.

She first noticed symptoms late in her pregnancy, but they were dismissed — after all, what woman’s body doesn’t change while pregnant? Once her son was born, breastfeeding was a challenge. She knew something wasn’t right. But she was too young, too healthy, and had no family history of breast cancer. The scientific odds were in her favor. The diagnosis was not. With a 2-week-old baby and a 3-year-old son at home, Reeb-Sutherland was presented with the greatest test of her will — stage three breast cancer.

“My first thought was how is this going to affect my children,” Reeb-Sutherland said.

Shock soon gave way to action. As she was developing treatment plans with her doctors, she was tending to her family at home. She called a meeting with her students to ensure their research and their studies didn’t go offtrack. The woman, who was preparing for the fight of her life, focused much of her attention on those who depended on her.

“When Bethany asked us all to meet with her and told us she had been diagnosed with such a serious illness, we were all

Vanessa Vietes, Christopher Clifford, Michele Bechor and Michelle Ramos are reunited with their professor and mentor, Bethany Reeb-Sutherland (center) one year after her cancer diagnosis.

speechless,” said Michele Bechor, one of

dinner table often are about how she can

though her students point out her dedication

the graduate students Reeb-Sutherland

help her students with any issues they may

and optimism never wavered. Four of those

advises. “The news was heartbreaking and

be facing,” Matthew Sutherland said.

currently working in Reeb-Sutherland’s lab

unexpected. The last thing on our minds was how her illness would affect our work.”

Reeb-Sutherland spent most of the

But her reach extends well beyond the classroom. Reeb-Sutherland’s research is uncovering mysteries about how

recently nominated her for the FIU Provost Award for Mentorship of graduate students.

“She never put us on the back-burner

meeting outlining how the students would

social and emotional behaviors develop

even when we, ourselves, asked her to,”

proceed with papers and projects. She

in children, including anxiety. Using

wrote Ph.D. candidate Michelle Ramos in her

refused to dwell on what was behind her.

electroencephalography (EEG) to detect and

nomination. “She never dropped the ball on

record electrical activity in the brain, she

us, and in turn, we strived to never drop the

“You can’t change it, so why spend the energy,” she said. “Change your perspective. Move forward.”

That summer, she underwent chemotherapy and continued teaching online courses. She remained accessible to her students. She showed up for meetings, phoning in when she was too sick to attend in person. In early fall, she had a double mastectomy. Less than six weeks later, she joined her graduate students in San Diego at an international research conference, a conference she helped to organize.

Her husband, full of worry, found few

examines individual differences in socioemotional behavior. She also examines biological and environmental factors, including maternal depression, influencing development, and behavior. As she was navigating cancer treatments, the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences notified her that she would receive the 2017 Early Career Impact Award for her major contributions to advancing the sciences of mind, brain and behavior.

Today, Reeb-Sutherland has shed the title

ball on her.”

Nearly one year since her cancer diagnosis, Reeb-Sutherland received the award during the FIU Graduate Student Appreciation Week.

“While there’s obviously never a good time to be sick, it was particularly heartbreaking to see Bethany fight through this at this young age, life stage and point in her career,” her husband said.

“But the silver lining is that all of this has motivated Bethany to pursue new research into ways to help mothers, children

surprises in how his wife handled the months

of cancer patient, though it will be years

and their families better cope with the

after her diagnosis.

before she can say with certainty if she is

emotional distress surrounding cancer

cancer-free. She has reclaimed her stride

diagnosis and treatment.”

“Many of our discussions around the

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 29

WORLDS AHEAD

AMBITION Takes a Detour Researcher finds stride at FIU, uncovers challenges in STEM education

By Chrystian Tejedor | ctejedor@fiu.edu

R

emy Dou long dreamed of a science career and hoped that dream would begin at Harvard. He applied his senior year of high school, but never

heard back. Not even a courtesy rejection letter.

Dou enrolled in his second-choice school and stayed there for a semester but says it wasn’t the right fit. The Miami-native enrolled at FIU to finish his bachelor’s degree. His classes were challenging and he enjoyed the interactive environment. Once considered his fallback school, Dou realized FIU was the perfect fit for him. Upon graduation, he was hired as a biology teacher in Miami.

“I loved it. I just loved it,” he said. “I love teaching kids, and I looked for grants to get them cool stuff. We built a greenhouse at one school, designed rockets and flew them.”

After eight years, Dou traded the classroom for the White House, developing education programs for minority

30 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

But he had a lot of questions about students in STEM and quickly realized answers weren’t easy to find. He wanted to conduct research that could answer why students shy away from STEM fields. And he knew where he wanted to conduct this research — at FIU. Careers in STEM are getting lots of attention these days. They’re high-paying. They’re in-demand. Yet, employers are struggling to fill open positions. In fact, a 2016 STEM index produced by defense giant Raytheon and U.S. News and World Report found while universities had boosted the number of students earning STEM degrees, there are still 230,246 STEM jobs left unfilled.

Part of the problem is minorities and women are under-represented.

Only 8 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields are awarded to women. And the number of black students who earned STEM degrees dropped by 15 percent year-over-year. The one bright spot is the number of STEM degrees awarded to Hispanic students has risen by 13 percent.

Dou, a Cuban-American, started debating what could cause students to give up on promising STEM careers. Are the subjects too hard? Are teaching methods bad? Do students not believe in themselves?

For years, Dou collaborated with his mentors at the FIU STEM Transformation Institute. Together, they discovered students are more likely to stick with a STEM major if their peers and their professors offer recognition that helps students see themselves as biologists, physicists or chemists. Good grades didn’t make a difference.

“This is the part that attracts me to this career — that it’s not academic performance that predicts a student’s persistence in science careers,” he said. “It’s these factors related more to students’ beliefs, and attitudes and emotion surrounding science.”

With this research under his belt, Dou reflects on his early days as a high school science teacher. He now knows the tight bonds he built with his students are what mattered most.

“I just knew that as a teacher I wanted students to feel interested in what I was teaching,” he said. “I was more focused that they got engaged in the lesson and what we were doing. I was not so focused on whether they got an A in my class.”

Today, Dou continues his work as an assistant professor at FIU. He sometimes reflects back on the journey that brought him here, one that included disappointment, self-discovery and achievement.

Not long ago, Dou was sorting through old papers in his parents’ home. He came across an envelope with the Harvard emblem. As it turns out, the college had responded. He had been accepted. His parents, fearing the financial costs of a Harvard education, thought the dream was out of reach. They hid the letter hoping to protect Remy from the frustrations of his reality, a decision they have long regretted. But Dou says he is not fazed by it. He knows his parents were acting out of love. And he found his calling at FIU, a place that allowed him to grow as a scientist and evolve into an educator. He is happy. And he is helping others like him find new, innovative ways to engage in STEM education and succeed.

MINGLING: the secret tool of success in STEM education

Social butterflies may be more likely to continue studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and ultimately take up a career in those fields, according to new research.

The study, conducted by FIU post-doctoral researcher Justyna P. Zwolak and science education professor Remy Dou, was published recently in the journal Physical Review of Physics Educational Research and was listed in the Editor’s Choice section of Science magazine. It shatters the age-old stereotype of the typical scientist — ­that of a lone researcher clad in a lab coat toiling away in a windowless lab.

“We know that as people, connections matter. Who you know matters,” Dou said.

Their research suggests increasing the interactions among students in introductory science courses may hold the key to increasing the number of STEM graduates — a chronic area of concern in the United States.

FIU, recognized as the nation’s leader in producing STEM degrees for Hispanics, redesigned its introductory physics courses to help maintain students’ interests.

Instructors no longer just lecture students. They expect students to work collaboratively to discover which physics principles are at play.

Without the confines of a standard lecture hall, Zwolak and Dou were able to study how often students interacted, with whom and what effect it had on individual performance. Their findings show that students who sought out their peers and those specific students who were sought out by others were more likely to continue taking physics courses.

“How willing they are to interact with others, to reach out to others, that was telling us more about their chances of persisting to the next course,” said Zwolak, of FIU’s STEM Transformation Institute. “It doesn’t depend solely on doing well academically, but also on doing well socially.”

Professors who teach similar courses could institute a short 5-question survey students could complete on their phones at the end of class that will help them gauge whether students have enough interaction, and whether those interactions are meaningful.

“For students who are really close to others, the access to information and its quality is going to be better because they could be connected to the smartest person in class through one or two others,” Zwolak said.

“For professors, analyzing the closeness of students gave us up to 75 percent accuracy in predicting whether a student would persist or not,” she added.

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 31

ENVIRONMENT

SOLUTIONS In the Everglades Viviana Mazzei

S

ea level rise is a monumental threat, but one FIU biologist is tracking levels using one of the

Florida Everglades’ tiniest residents.

Viviana Mazzei is examining communities of algae called diatoms to help resource managers pinpoint which areas need freshwater most.

“There are ways to map that now, with aerial photography, for example, but it takes a while to see the effects of saltwater that way,” Mazzei said. “The turnover rate for micro-organisms is

Mazzei is conducing her research

forests, pine rocklands and sawgrass

as part of FIU’s Florida Coastal

marshes. Their interconnectivity

Everglades Long Term Ecological

makes them especially vulnerable

Research Program, which is dedicated

to changes in the environment. In

to providing and communicating

2000, the U.S. Congress authorized

the science that will drive policy

the Comprehensive Everglades

solutions for water, climate change

Restoration Plan to restore, preserve

and human impacts in the Everglades.

and protect the water resources

Her research project is funded by

of the Florida Everglades. While

the Everglades Foundation’s FIU

attempts are being made to restore

ForEverglades Scholarship.

and redirect freshwater flow in

The Florida Everglades is a

the Everglades, Mazzei says early

so fast that we will be able to see the

wetland made up of different

indicators of environmental changes

changes happening in the environment

ecosystems, including swamps,

are needed to focus and expedite

more quickly.”

hardwood hammocks, mangrove

these restoration efforts.

CLOSED SECTION OF THE EVERGLADES REOPENS After nearly 40 years of being closed off to the public as a protection measure for the American crocodile, visitors to Everglades National Park can now explore Joe Bay. Scientists in FIU’s Southeast Environmental Research Center are studying the effects of the decades-long closure and reopening on Joe Bay’s recreational fisheries. Led by Jennifer Rehage, the research team is using net hauls, snorkeling, baited remote underwater video (BRUV) surveys, and local angler surveys to examine fish there and nearby Little Madeira Bay and Long Sound. The three areas have different access regulations, allowing the scientists to evaluate the effects of the closure.

32 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

DID YOU KNOW? >>>

FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education is developing an Everglades Observatory for field operations, research, education and public outreach. The most important source of freshwater for people in Florida, the Everglades also offers storm protection, wildlife habitat and recreation. The observatory will feature a collaborative hub of scientists, educators and community partners focused on a vibrant future for the River of Grass. To support this project, visit case.fiu.edu/give.

Researchers in the FLORIDA COASTAL EVERGLADES LONG TERM EVERGLADES RESEARCH PROGRAM are conducting the longest and largest studies on the Florida Everglades.

Housed at FIU, the program includes scientists from 27 institutions throughout the United States.

It is part of the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research Network.

EVERGLADES MANGROVES WORTH BILLIONS IN FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Mangroves in Everglades National Park are worth billions of dollars, according to a recent FIU study.

Based on a scientific cost estimate, Earth and Environment researchers put the value of the stored carbon in the mangroves somewhere between $2 billion and $3.4 billion — a relatively small price tag considering the cost to society if the carbon currently stored in these mangroves were ever released into the atmosphere, according to lead researcher and recent FIU graduate Meenakshi Jerath. In addition to removing excess carbon dioxide from the air, mangroves provide a variety of other benefits, including flood control, storm protection and maintaining water quality. The multibillion-dollar estimate reflects the cost to preserve the mangroves by restoring freshwater flow to the areas that need it the most.

The mangrove forests of the Everglades National Park are the largest in the continental United States. Although protected, the Everglades is affected by sea level rise, hurricanes, changes in water flow and other environmental events. According to the researchers, funding of mangrove restoration and protection programs is critical to help solidify mangroves as a key tool in the nation’s climate change mitigation strategies.

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 33

RESEARCH

DRAWING Conclusions Sketching, painting, 3-D models improve understanding of scientific complexities

W

hen conducting experiments or studies, researchers follow procedure. They observe.

They measure. They solve complex equations. They take detailed notes and catalog their results. And many of them draw. The rigors behind scientific discovery and understanding might appear constraining to some, but increasingly, researchers at Florida International University are turning to a decidedly right-brained approach to better illustrate what they find while examining the world around them.

Many professors even apply the artistic touch in the classroom, where a few lines drawn on paper or a 3-D model made with everyday supplies could help students unravel the unseen forces at play in a physics problem, provide the context needed to study a geological formation or even develop a better understanding of how DNA is formed.

“ Unless you sketch it, you can’t really

understand what’s going on. It’s sort of like you’re enhancing reality by drawing it.

“

- Geologist Grenville Draper

34 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

Physicist

Geologist

Teacher

Ecologist

It’s impossible to keep everything in your head, says physics professor Angie Laird.

Drawing the components of a problem and linking them to the physical world helps students better apply formulas discussed in class.

“You can teach them the concepts, how to do the math and what the equations mean, but when they begin to solve problems interdependently, there’s a huge disconnect in putting the concepts and the equations and the math together in a way that results in an answer,” Laird said.

That’s especially the case with long word problems.

Laird says a drawing doesn’t have to be great. Laird often draws simple stick figures and arrows to indicate the

Grenville Draper applies his youthful passion for drawing comics and caricatures to his current work as a geologist.

These days, sketches of a student chained to his desk studying for final exams have been replaced by detailed diagrams of mountains and rock formations. Most of Draper’s work entails the study of deformed rocks.

“Unless you sketch it, you can’t really understand what’s going on,” he said. “It’s sort of like you’re enhancing reality by drawing it.”

Since the rocks themselves are highly layered, the rock formations themselves can be complicated. Photographs can help geologists analyze the formations, but they can just as easily confuse.

FIU graduate and current master’s student Jennifer Guada is a high school art teacher. Her class is where students can free their minds and explore their creativity.

Recognizing that not all students learn the same way, a colleague enlisted Guada’s help in teaching his biology students about how DNA is formed. Using pipe cleaners and cardboard, students built the double helix structure of a DNA strand, connecting base pairs correctly to illustrate a particular trait such as brown hair or blue eyes. While most students hit the mark, those that connected pairs incorrectly led her colleague to discuss a new topic — DNA mutations.

“It’s a way for our students

Diatoms are excellent indicators of changes in the environment. Aquatic ecologist Evelyn Gaiser turns to these colonies of microscopic algae to pinpoint which areas of the Florida Everglades are most susceptible to sea level rise and other disturbances.

Under a microscope, diatoms are highly intricate and ornate. Drawing their shape and texture helps Gaiser better understand their form and function and interpret how they respond to long-term changes in the environment.

“Drawing and describing things through art are great mechanisms for improving eye for detail,” Gaiser said.

“Diatom biologists have

movement of people. In other drawings, Laird’s stick figures have elongated hands like something out of a Tim Burton movie.

“Physics can be a daunting and intimidating field of study,” Laird said. “I think it’s important to create a comfortable atmosphere where it’s OK to be a bit silly.”

“I communicate a lot of concepts through drawing,” Draper says. “Most common sedimentary rocks are layered, and different layer thicknesses affect the kind of geometry that develops. You can scribble as many words as you like, but the only way to see it is with a cross-section drawing like in engineering.”

to come out of this robotic method of learning,” Guada said.

For Guada, these collaborations are growing. In the upcoming year, she plans to work with mathematics professors to help their students better understand the properties of cubes by making cubist works of art.

long been using the arts to communicate the beautiful intricacies of these organisms to the world, from drawing to photography and sculpture.”

Taking her science one step further, Gaiser collaborates with FIU Artist-in-Residence Xavier Cortada to create environmentally oriented artwork including diatoms.

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 35

ACHIEVING

MYRNA SOTO:

COMCAST’S ULTIMATE PROTECTOR Psychology alumna finds niche in cyber security When you’re an $80 billion cable, broadcast, Internet and home security giant, cyber security is no joke.

Myrna Soto lives this reality every day. She is the senior vice president global chief information security officer of Comcast Corp., the world’s largest cable television and broadcasting company. She develops cyber security, network/infrastructure security, and data security strategies for the company, including its Xfinity and NBCUniversal divisions.

It might surprise many to know her expertise doesn’t lie in technology. She understands the mindsets of would-be cyber criminals. The woman tasked with Comcast’s cybersecurity holds a psychology degree.

Soto graduated from FIU in 1993. She planned to become a therapist specializing in organizational psychology. Instead, she found a career spanning call center management to information technology.

She has taken risks and pursued opportunities with American Express, MGM International Resorts and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

She has risen to the highest levels of leadership, serves on several boards of directors for major companies and was recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Latinas of 2017.

Throughout her career, she has applied what she learned at FIU about human behavior to better understand employee behavior and attitudes.

At Comcast, she also leverages her psychology background to understand the technology that is being developed and how it is being used.

“In security and cybersecurity, my degree has been beneficial in understanding adversaries and the motivations of malfeasance,” Soto said. “This has allowed me and my teams to respond to incidents and develop proactive defenses.”

For the executive tasked with protecting Comcast from adversaries who could be sitting at a coffee shop around the corner or on another continent, Soto remains vigilant. By understanding what goes on in the minds of hackers and what motivates them, Soto is a formidable foe for the cyber criminals of the world.

36 | CASE | Arts, Sciences & Education 2017

Alumna named Miami-Dade’s 2017 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR Like her mother before her, Cisely Scott made education her career. Initially, she followed in her mother’s footsteps, working as a Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher. Then she became an assistant principal. Earlier this year, the FIU alumna was named Assistant Principal of the Year by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. It marked the fourth consecutive year an FIU alumnus has won this district award.

"When I heard my name it was just surreal," said Scott, who earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 2000. "I was overcome with joy, there was just this energy from a whole room of people being excited for you that just overtakes you. I felt humbled. I felt proud. I was excited."

For Scott, a good day at work means motivating all 420 students at Lenora B. Smith Elementary to succeed. Scott and her teachers celebrate students with perfect attendance and they plan math and science nights where students learn while having a good time.

“They’re having fun competing in different mathematical contests, I was competing with children in the fraction competition,” she said.

“They build airplanes and see who can go the farthest. They’ve even learned to make ice cream.”

She also ensures teachers are motivated – she has built tight bonds with her teachers, knowing when to reassure them and when to push them to accomplish tougher goals.

“They know we’re setting the bar high and I want to inspire them to move a little higher,” Scott said.

“We’re producing leaders and we’re building the bench as we go along.”

Arts, Sciences & Education 2017 | CASE | 37

Practical.

Sentimental.

Unexpected.

Our researchers can’t work without their…

Stuffed toy

Charles Bleiker Early childhood educator “I incorporate narrative and make-believe into my early childhood research. Stuffed animals and other props are essential tools to get kids to perform at their highest level.”

Electrical tape

Mike Heithaus Marine scientist “It’s got so many uses and it’s weatherproof, which is perfect for marine research. It can even substitute for a bandage and won’t slide off in the water.”

Baseball cap

Rudolf Jaffe Environmental chemist “I got this hat on a family trip in 2000 where we saw incredible wildlife. That experience reminded me why I was an environmental scientist and the importance of protecting the environment. It also keeps me from getting sunburned.”

Smart Phone

Fiorella Terenzi Astrophysicist “My iPhone puts the whole universe at my fingertips.”

Digital recorder Phillip Carter Linguist

“The bread and butter of my research is listening to the way people speak and analyzing natural language.

To do that, I record people in natural language settings.”

ID Tags

Hong Liu Tropical botanist “I can’t live without tags. I use them to number individual plants and flowers so I can find them again and again to follow their fates after certain treatments.”