FIU Magazine Winter 2016-17

MAGAZINE WINTER 2016-2017 VOLUME 36

StartUP FIU helps new companies go BIG

FANFARE AND FANTASY FIU’s symphony orchestra, marching band, wind ensemble and choirs dazzled the audience in the fall with an evening that included “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland and “Choral Fantasy” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Artists-in-residence Robert Davidovici, violin, and Kemal Gekic, piano, also performed, with Raffaele Livio Ponti conducting. The event was part of the FIU Music Festival held in the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2016.

Photo by Doug Garland ’10

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ENDANGERED OCEAN DWELLERS

Marine researchers are saving sharks from the jaws of extinction.

EMPLOYEE GIVING RISES

FIU faculty and staff are fired up about donating to the university.

FOCUS ON PATENTS An engineering professor’s inventions boost wireless communication.

RESEARCH RECOGNIZED

FIU identifies the programs that stand out for research excellence.

DEATH IN THE BALANCE

The College of Law works with defense attorneys in capital cases.

ON THE COVER

JUMPSTARTING STARTUPS FIU helps entrepreneurs get up and running.

FIU’S FEDERAL PUSH

An expanded mission and new office in Washington pay dividends.

MAGAZINE.FIU.EDU

Online-only stories, videos and photos

THE HERBERT AND NICOLE WERTHEIM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER celebrates 20 years of hosting music, theater and community events for all of South Florida.

A GROUP OF ALUMNI—ALL BROTHERS OF SIGMA PHI EPSILON—have turned their friendships and a love of FIU into a powerful force for giving.

A life in theater Director and Broadway star Andy Señor ’97 finds that all roads lead home.

Boosting local companies FIU’s Small Business Development Center helps hundreds of existing companies get ahead.

A hand to the next gen Panther Alumni Week 2017 featured successful vocalists, all music grads, in concert at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center.

WHENEVER YOU SEE THE PLAY BUTTON, VISIT MAGAZINE.FIU.EDU TO GET OUR DIGITAL-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT • • •

Read how graduating students are giving back to the university through a new class-gift program.

Watch a video about StartUP FIU and what it takes to create an ecosystem for entrepreneurs.

Learn how the university is advocating at the federal level.

GET FEATURED ON FACEBOOK! Send us a photo of yourself reading FIU Magazine — at home, at work or on vacation — and we will share it on our Facebook page! Email photos to magazine@fiu.edu.

FROM THE EDITOR “Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long…we keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

— Walt Disney This issue features some of the new paths being walked by our FIU family. Managing Editor Alexandra Pecharich has written an engaging story about StartUP FIU, the university’s nascent entrepreneurship hub. I’m hard-pressed to think of another major city that is as steeped in entrepreneurial values as South Florida. StartUP FIU is a welcome addition to the scene.

Freelance journalist Eric Barton has written a fascinating read about the College of Law’s Death Penalty Clinic. As the only organization in Florida dedicated to making sure defense lawyers in capital cases give their clients the most effective representation possible, the clinic and those involved are offering services that can literally save lives.

As this country ushers in its 45th president, faculty member and presidential historian Kevin Evans has penned a thought-provoking editorial reminding us that our country has been through tumultuous political times in the past, even as he points out an important difference between those times and today.

JoAnn Adkins, director of marketing and communications in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, introduces us to FIU’s groundbreaking shark researchers

FIU MAGAZINE Editorial Advisory Board

FIU President

Joann Adkins Director of Marketing The College of Arts, Sciences & Education

FIU Board of Trustees

Mark B. Rosenberg

Heather Bermudez ’06, MS ’12 Marketing Manager South Beach Wine & Food Festival Paul Dodson Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Amy Ellis Communications Manager Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs Stephen Fain Faculty Administrator Professor Emeritus Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President

Claudia Puig (Chair) Jorge L. Arrizurieta (Vice Chair) Cesar L. Alvarez Jose J. Armas Leonard Boord Alian Collazo Gerald C. Grant Jr. ’78, MBA ’89 Michael G. Joseph Natasha Lowell Albert Maury ’96, ’02 Justo L. Pozo ’80 Marc D. Sarnoff Kathleen L. Wilson FIU MAGAZINE

Division of External Relations Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy

Lazaro Gonzalez Marketing and Branding Strategist Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management Susan Jay Executive Director of Development The College of Engineering & Computing Larry Lunsford Vice President for Student Affairs

Senior Vice President

Terry Witherell Vice President

Karen Cochrane Editor

Alexandra Pecharich Managing Editor

Aileen Solá-Trautmann Art Director

Steven Moll Vice Provost Biscayne Bay Campus

Doug Garland ’10

Maureen Pelham Director of Research Development Division of Research Duane Wiles Associate Vice President, Annual Giving Executive Director, Alumni Association Ileana Varela Associate Director Marketing and Public Relations Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Senior Multimedia Producer

Barbarita Ramos Graphic Designer

Writers

Eric Barton Joel Delgado ’12 Clara-Meretan Kiah ’15 Gisela Valencia ’15

Photographer Ben Guzman

determined to protect the world’s shark population.

One final note: As this issue was going to press, we learned that Joel Delgado’s story about David Kadko’s expedition to the Arctic (“Journey to the Top of the World”) was recognized with a Grand Prize in Writing for the Web in CASE District III. The regional annual awards competition honors the best communications work from private and public universities in the southeastern United States. Integral to the piece’s impact was the microsite — arctic.fiu.edu — created by our External Relations team. Featuring Delgado’s prose, the photography and videography of Tim Long, and the web design talents of our Digital Communications team, its vivid storytelling takes the reader/viewer along on Kadko’s grand adventure. If you haven’t checked out the site yet, please do. It will be well worth your time.

Always Blue and Gold,

Karen Cochrane

Copyright 2017, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of External Relations and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the university. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. To reach us, call 305-348-7235.

Alumni Office: Write to Office of Alumni Relations at MMC MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199, or call 305-348-3334 or toll-free at 800-FIU-ALUM. Visit fiualumni.com.

Change of Address: Please send updated address information to FIU Office of Alumni Relations, MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199 or by email to cochrane@fiu.edu.

Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via email to cochrane@fiu.edu or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of External Relations, MMC PC 515, Miami, FL 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation.

15854_02/17 FIU Magazine is printed on 30 percent PCW recycled paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

Treasure: Old World Jewish wedding rings Around the 14th century, many Jewish couples who followed the Ashkenazic tradition—those living in France, Germany and Eastern Europe—took to using “house” rings as part of religious wedding ceremonies. The unique jewelry was borrowed by the couple and then returned to the community. The rings featured palaces, castles and temples to symbolize the couple’s marital home, the synagogue to which they belonged and, in some cases, Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.

Some had a clasp that could be opened in order to insert a small paper on which a prayer for the success of the marriage was written.

The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, located in Miami Beach, holds the above pictured examples in its collection. The silver pieces, donated by Sylvia and Jack Shorstein of Jacksonville, are believed to have German origins and date to the late 19th century. Some Florida congregations have re-introduced the centuries-old custom by maintaining ceremonial rings to loan to couples during weddings.

Focus on Latino voters The 2016 presidential election offered an ideal opportunity for the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs to launch the Latino Public Opinion Forum.

With the number of Hispanic-American voters now topping 27 million – and immigration playing a pivotal role in the national debate – the rapidly growing demographic will continue to have a decisive impact on national elections. Two decades ago, FIU pioneered the study of Hispanic-American political attitudes with its annual Cuba Poll, the longest-running research project tracking the opinions of Cuban-Americans in South Florida and creating the most complete picture of Cuban-American voting trends over time.

The Latino Public Opinion Forum builds upon this work by broadening the scope of inquiry to include other rapidly growing Latino populations, including Central Americans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.

FIU law grads continue to dominate bar exam For the third time in a row, FIU College of Law graduates earned the highest bar passage rate in Florida, with 87.5 percent of recent grads passing the exam that allows them to practice law in the state.

First among Florida’s 11 law schools on the July 2016 bar examination, FIU College of Law graduates exceeded the statewide average bar passage rate of 68.2 percent by almost 20 percentage points. FIU also took top honors on the February 2016 and July 2015 exams.

“FIU Law graduates continue to excel in passing the bar and, subsequently, in securing employment. Our students’ work ethic and dedication, as well as the quality of teaching from our faculty, are evidenced in these results,” said R. Alexander Acosta, dean of FIU Law.

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ON THE PROWL

Helping the community get smarter about money FIU’s College of Business and the SunTrust Foundation have joined forces to establish a financial literacy center to empower low- and middle-income residents of Miami-Dade County’s multicultural communities.

The technology-intensive SunTrust FIU Financial Wellness Clinic is designed to boost participants’ skills in the areas of saving, borrowing and investing. Interactive workshops will be offered to high school students and their parents, and a variety of resources and educational tools will be available in both Spanish and English.

NURTURING MIAMI’S CULTURAL SCENE FIU will soon have use of a new

FIU football begins new era with hiring of Butch Davis

15,000-square-foot studio and lab space

FIU football has hired former college and NFL coach Butch Davis to be the new head coach starting next season.

Davis, 65, left his position as a television analyst at ESPN and agreed to a fiveyear deal to become the fifth head coach in program history.

The hire created a buzz among local and national media outlets and infused a sense of optimism among the university community. Davis believes he can turn things around for FIU football, which has not had a winning season since 2011.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Davis said. “I love this opportunity and I am grateful to be here. I look at this challenge as one that has no limits.”

Most football fans in South Florida will remember Davis from his time at the University of Miami, where he was head coach from 1995 to 2001. In his final season with Miami in 2000, he guided the Hurricanes to an 11-1 record and a win in the Sugar Bowl. Davis last coached at the college level with the University of North Carolina, taking the Tar Heels to three bowl game appearances in four seasons between 2006 and 2011.

to create and celebrate the visual arts.

Steering veterans to jobs FIU has unveiled a career and talent development program in support of its more than 1,100 student veterans. A grant from Citi has made possible the initiative, which launched in January 2017. The main goal is to help translate the skills and expertise veterans developed during their years of service into meaningful employment in the civilian world. The program will also introduce employers to the benefits of hiring veterans.

in the Wynwood neighborhood in which A partnership between the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts and the arts organization Mana Contemporary will give students and the community access to exhibitions, lectures and master classes as well as creative and research opportunities. The total estimated impact of the arrangement is valued at $10 million, which includes a charitable contribution of $2.5 million in support of innovative programming, student scholarships and the work of visiting artists-in-residence.

#5 National ranking for the master’s

of international business program in the College of Business as published by U.S. News & World Report

ON THE PROWL

Tackling the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure The U.S. Department of Transportation is boosting FIU’s efforts to address one of the country’s biggest transportation challenges: the more than 61,000 bridges considered structurally deficient.

The Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center will receive $1.5 million per year for five years to work with the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to advance accelerated bridge design and construction, which makes possible the replacing or

Life-saving training The Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is helping prevent

retrofitting of aging bridges without affecting

choking deaths. Nearly 5,000 people die annually due to accidental choking.

traffic. Directed by Atorod Azizinamini, chair

Tragically, in 2015, alumna Analise Dlugasch ’11, MS ’13 was one of them.

of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and one of the world’s top

In memory of their daughter, the Dlugasch family, along with friends and the American Heart Association, made contributions to establish the FIU Hospitality

bridge engineers, the center is a national

Emergency Alert & Response Training (HEART). One-hundred-and-fifty hospitality management

leader in the field.

students participated in the inaugural session of the program. They learned how to provide

Combined with additional state and private funding, the award has a total value of more than $10 million.

choking relief, to perform CPR and to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to assist individuals in the event of cardiac arrest.

The plan is to open the program to all FIU students, faculty and staff and, ultimately, encourage its adoption by the larger hospitality industry in South Florida, thereby setting a new safety standard for the region.

TEDxFIU celebrates five years FIU students, alumni and faculty inspired a record audience of more than 600—with another 1,500 watching live online—at the fifth annual TEDxFIU in November. Among those whose powerful stories took center stage: a 2003 graduate who started a sandal-making workshop in Haiti to create jobs for earthquake survivors; a professor who is identifying mosquito genes to help develop better repellents; and a student who survived sexual abuse as an Angolan refugee to become a women’s rights 6 | WINTER 2016-2017

advocate.

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ON THE PROWL

Questions

for The Wolfsonian-FIU director

T

im Rodgers has had a special place in his heart for The Wolfsonian-FIU ever since its Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts published the art historian’s first scholarly article back in 1989, when he was a Ph.D. student at Brown University. Today Rodgers is director of the one-of-a-kind museum in Miami Beach.

It houses a research center and library and boasts a 180,000-piece collection devoted to art and design from the 1850s to the 1950s.

Covering the height of the Industrial Revolution through the aftermath of the Second World War, artifacts include a variety of media, from furniture and appliances to rare books and propaganda posters.

1. Prior to arriving at the Wolfsonian in 2015, you were director of the Scottsdale Museum of Art in Arizona. What attracted you to FIU and South Florida?

I have always admired the museum’s amazing collection, stellar exhibitions and publications, and great staff. And now that I am part of FIU, I have the same admiration for the high-quality work being accomplished at the university. The creative energy of Miami is a plus as well. It’s the perfect time to be in the arts in South Florida.

2. The Wolfsonian puts design on display in non-traditional forms.

How should first-time visitors approach the museum and its exhibitions?

With an open mind. We are not a typical art museum, and that is what makes The Wolfsonian special and memorable. We are an institution that values all things made by humans because our creations represent the ideas we hold. For those of us who like to “see” ideas as much as read about them, The Wolfsonian’s wide range of objects allows us insight into the past as well as the present.

3.

You sit on a universitywide arts committee. Why is exposure to the arts so vital for young people in particular?

The 21st century will be remembered as the century of images. Selfies, emoji, photos, videos and movies are the means by which we communicate with one another. What better way to learn about how to make and interpret images than through the study of art?

4. The museum is digitizing its collection at the same time that you are actively inviting visitors and researchers to your physical space. Why all this “behind-the-scenes” activity?

We want to make sure that people around the world have access to our collection, programs, exhibitions and publications. We believe our virtual museum and online publications provide a very full experience for those who cannot get here.

5. The Wolfsonian is celebrating 20 years since its joining the university.

What plans do you have for the coming years?

In the next five years we will be renovating our current building to triple the amount of exhibition space. This will allow us to show much, much more of the permanent collection. People are going to be amazed to see what we have! n WINTER 2016-2017

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Team Pre Researchers go far and deep to protect endangered sharks

By JoAnn Adkins | Photos by Ben Guzman

D

emian Chapman walked through the

shark species. Chapman was on his way

streets of Hong Kong overwhelmed by

to Bangkok but stopped in Hong Kong —

conservation efforts have improved there.

Knowing when a shark product is from a

the shark fin capital of the world — to help

protected species and when it is not can be

Shop after shop was overflowing with fins

establish a monitoring program to determine

a major challenge — many fins look alike.

from species unknown. The marine biologist

how many shark species were in the local fin

Chapman has spent his career trying to

knew many were sustainably fished. He

trade. He then set his sights on CITES and

make fins more identifiable, a critical step

suspected others were from endangered

was part of a team that successfully pushed

in stopping the illegal fishing of endangered

species on the brink of extinction. It made him

for all five species on the agenda to be listed

species. He is the co-developer of a guide

angry. It made him sick.

for regulation. This means exporters are now

and iPhone app that help fishermen and

required to have permits to trade them. The

enforcement officials quickly and easily

the Convention on International Trade in

monitoring program Chapman developed

identify fins of protected species. He also

Endangered Species (CITES) was set to

with local officials in Hong Kong has been

conducts DNA testing and is working with

convene in Bangkok. There, nations would

key to enforcing these directives. While

border patrol in Hong Kong to develop

decide whether to regulate the fins and other

many thought shark conservation in Hong

more portable methods for in-the-field

products of five commercially important

Kong would be impossible, Chapman said

identification. He even does DNA testing

the smell of shark meat for sale.

That was in September 2013, right before

8 | WINTER 2016-2017

dator in the markets to track how CITES actually works for the species it protects.

“You don’t start out as a scientist thinking

When extinction is looming According to FIU research, around 100 million sharks are killed every year. They are

capturing sharks and rays on camera in their natural habitats.

They are trying to identify the last remaining

you will become an advocate,” Chapman

being illegally fished and their fins and meat

strongholds of sharks and rays around the

said. “I became an advocate out of necessity.

illegally traded. Though sharks have survived

world. The project has received core funding

I can’t sit around while sharks disappear.”

on this planet for more than 400 million years,

from Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft,

a quarter of all species are now threatened

and is part of FIU’s Tropical Conservation

with extinction.

Institute. Global FinPrint’s data is providing

A native of New Zealand, Chapman is the latest addition to a growing team at FIU

desperately needed information to protect the

dedicated to the study and protection of large

Michael Heithaus understands this reality

marine predators. The researchers have come

better than most. The dean of FIU’s College of

sharks and rays that are left and to rebuild

from all across the world — South Africa,

Arts, Sciences & Education has dedicated his

populations that are in trouble.

Europe, China and North America — to form a

career to the great ocean predators. Before

research hub in South Florida. They are unified

Chapman joined the team at FIU, he and

Heithaus fell in love with the oceans as a

in a single mission: to protect, conserve and

Heithaus were already working together on

child during annual holiday visits with his

restore the world’s shark populations.

Global FinPrint, an international project that is

grandmother in Florida. While in college, he

Though he is a native of landlocked Ohio,

Pictured from left, Yannis Papastamatiou, Kevin Boswell, Mark Bond, Demian Chapman, Jeremy Kiszka, Yuying Zhang, and Mike Heithaus WINTER 2016-2017

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was introduced to Shark Bay, Australia, a place

answers and solutions to the ocean’s great

how fisheries and other human activities

so remote that few people call it home. Its

challenges. Advances in technology have

impact the ecosystems of these predators.

waters are relatively untouched and feature a

created new methods for getting to the core

Papastamatiou joined FIU in 2015. Bond

vibrant tiger shark population.

of what’s plaguing particular species of

signed on not long after. Recognizing the

predators. Many scientists use satellite tags

growing emphasis on predator biology and

research scientists and students from his

to track the movements of sharks with the

ecology at FIU, Chapman soon realized a

lab, has conducted one of the world’s most

idea that if you know where they are, you

predator hub was assembling, something

in-depth studies on sharks there. The team

can focus conservation efforts there. But

he wanted to be a part of. He arrived in the

has answered critical questions about how

FIU scientist Yannis Papastamatiou wants to

fall of 2016.

sharks function, and how they help maintain

know what drives a shark to do what it does

healthy populations of other animals and

and go where it goes. Known internationally

Marine Sciences Program who are working

even plants. His work in Shark Bay has

for his work in predator physiology and

in complementary areas including: Kevin

revealed a critical piece of knowledge that

behavior, the London native explores the

Boswell, a fisheries and acoustics technology

has given rise to new conservation priorities

secret lives of sharks. He uses a variety of

expert who works regularly with predators;

and strategies worldwide — without sharks,

different tracking tags that reveal details

and Yuying Zhang, a fisheries expert who

the health of the world’s oceans would

about a shark’s behavior and physiology as it

is currently working on new methods of

suffer greatly. People would too. Aside from

swims freely through its environment. These

sampling for shark populations.

serving as an important food source, healthy

include sensors that record swim speed,

oceans also help mitigate climate change

acceleration, direction, and even digestive

of interest and expertise, they share several

as seagrass beds absorb and store vast

processes. Video cameras attached to the

common attributes. They all started out

amounts of carbon dioxide. But seagrasses

sharks provide further information on where

as researchers but have found themselves

need sharks to balance the food chain.

the animals are and what they are doing.

evolving into advocates. They never run out

Heithaus is helping the world to understand

He is collecting as much data as possible

of questions to pursue. And they all have a

that sharks are indispensable animals that

about shark behavior, hoping to add a whole

sense of adventure that is balanced by deep

need protection from people, not necessarily

new level of understanding — one that can

respect for the predators they work with.

the other way around.

help predict how distributions of sharks

For 20 years, Heithaus, along with

The team is joined by others in the

Though each scientist brings unique areas

They are recognizable faces outside of the

could change over time with climate change.

shark community. Papastamatiou, Heithaus

Though he studies coastal and open ocean

and Chapman are regulars on Discovery

populations, Papastamatiou brings an added

Channel’s Shark Week. Heithaus also hosted

involved in establishing shark sanctuaries and

layer of adventure to FIU’s Marine Sciences

a Critter Cam series on National Geographic

marine protected areas. Their efforts have

Program by diving to deep depths and going

and has authored several textbooks.

been instrumental in obtaining protections

where many others dare not.

Chapman gained international fame in 2007

Advocate, explore and save For years, FIU scientists have been

through international treaties. In 2016,

He also works with sawfish, a type of ray

with the discovery of the first documented

FIU scientist Mark Bond was part of an

distinguished by a long extension of its nose

virgin birth of a shark. He conducted DNA

international effort to have four shark species

and teeth resembling a saw. Perhaps one of

testing on a female hammerhead that

and nine mobula rays added to the CITES list

the planet’s strangest creatures, all species of

mysteriously appeared in a tank occupied

of protected species. The October meeting

sawfish are listed as critically endangered or

by three female sharks and determined the

was in Bond’s native country of South Africa.

endangered. Papastamatiou is quick to point

pup’s genetic makeup perfectly matched

Just like Chapman, Bond planned for a

out that Florida represents the last stand for

one of the adult females with no sign of

career split between ocean and lab. He was

the sawfish in the United States, which is one

a male parent. It wasn’t long before other

not looking for a career in advocacy. In fact,

reason he chose to come to FIU. But most

cases of predator asexual reproduction were

before the 2016 CITES meeting, he didn’t

of all, he was drawn to the idea of creating a

identified by Chapman.

own a single suit. He now has three hanging

marine predator research hub.

“I want to play a part in change,” Bond

But saving the world’s sharks is at the heart of it all. Without sharks, the scientists would

in his closet.

The FIU predator research hub

all be out of work. More importantly, the oceans and the planet would be in trouble.

said. “I learned a lot about the advocacy side

Heithaus says the predator research

at CITES. We went for 13 species to be listed,

hub came about fairly organically. Marine

and when the votes came down it was a huge

biologist Jeremy Kiszka joined Heithaus’

for optimism,” Heithaus said. “Oceans can

adrenaline rush.”

lab as a post-doctoral researcher in 2012

rebound. We just need to address the issues

to focus on marine top-predator ecology.

caused by people. We need to trust science.

He has worked all over the world studying

And we need to work together.” n

But the researchers still find the greatest adventure in the open water, pursuing 10 | WINTER 2016-2017

“The planet is changing, but there is cause

For the love of FIU Employees give back to move the university forward

By Gisela Valencia ’15

Founding faculty member Stephen Fain believes in the power of community.

When he first arrived on campus in 1971, only about 100 people worked at FIU. “It was a family,” Fain says. “We were fused together by a vision of empowerment and service. Many of us worked closely together, although we represented very different aspects of the university. For me and many others, our home families blended with our newly formed FIU family.”

As the university grew and became the largest public university in South Florida, a bit of that initial tight-knit community feel started to fade. Today FIU employs more than 9,700 people.

In 2012, Fain found a way to bring back some of that closeness: With Senior Vice President of Advancement Howard Lipman, Fain helped found the Ignite campaign so faculty and staff could contribute financially to the university in a personally meaningful way.

“I believed this was a way to rekindle that rich family spirit,” Fain says. And, at the closing of the campaign’s fifth year, he knows he was right. “Ignite has become a component, a cultural constant at FIU,” Fain explains. Great case in point: The annual Ignite pin that donors receive after making their pledges has become something of a collector’s item on campus.

Popular projects to which employees give include scholarship funds for students facing financial and other burdens, such as one that supports homeless and former foster students and another that assists students facing unexpected hardships.

“Over the years, the campaign has caused people to find ways to enrich their own lives and those of the university members,” Fain says. “We thought we’d be able to rally the community to come together.”

And they did. Faculty and staff answered the call to give back to their university, increasingly contributing more and more to the campaign. In the first year of the campaign, 31 percent of the faculty and staff participated and supported 99 projects. By 2016, 50 percent of the faculty and staff contributed to more than 160 projects through the campaign. Since its inception, the campaign has raised more than $11 million.

WINTER 2016-2017

| 11

And just as Fain had hoped, that sense of kinship is growing stronger and stronger.

has been successful under Mark Rosenberg.

His commitment to FIU’s growth is not only obvious, but contagious.”

Creating community Graham Center staff members don’t just

“FIU changes lives,” Rosenberg says. That knowledge is at the core of his commitment

write out a check for the Ignite campaign

to FIU. And it is also at the core of the

and call it a day. They go above and beyond

enthusiasm with which faculty and staff

the call of duty to co-host and produce a

across campus support Ignite.

fundraiser: a lip sync competition that draws

“The Ignite campaign's success shows

contestants from around campus and creates

that faculty and staff are not just here to

a unique team spirit within their own office.

work at FIU,” Rosenberg says. “They are

“Ignite has brought us closer,” says Senior

The unrelenting dedication of the people who

of his team. He adds that many staff members

work here drives our FIU forward and fuels

also contribute individually toward the Ruth

the Ignite campaign. Their unwavering faith in

Hamilton Make a Difference Fund, named for

the university and in the life of the mind leads

the center’s former longtime director, a woman

them to give of themselves every day during

who remains a friend and mentor to many. The

their jobs and also to give of themselves

Make a Difference Fund helps FIU students

through the Ignite campaign.”

with living expenses while they are completing “Giving in Ruth’s honor was a natural

Investing in the future “I give back to FIU because FIU gives

choice for the office,” Mathew says. “Ignite

to us every single day,” says Mercedes

has made it very personal for us.”

Rodriguez, an associate director in the Office

And giving back to that fund, Mathew says,

of Research and Economic Development.

“is about helping students succeed. It’s the

“Not only is it an enriching place to work, but

least we can do for students in need who

there are numerous opportunities for learning,

have an opportunity to get an internship that

workshops and classes for which you can sign

could jumpstart their career.”

up that are for credit and may be free. You can always improve yourself thanks to FIU.”

Excellence in success The FIU First Generation Scholarship Fund,

Among other projects, Rodriguez gives back to the Berta D. Villares Book Scholarship

one of the most popular Ignite projects,

Award, which offers employees earning their

is FIU’s response to the numerous first-

degrees at FIU a scholarship to help pay for

generation students who need a scholarship to

their textbooks.

access higher education. Leading by example,

degree program in comparative sociology.

wife, Rosalie, donated $1 million to the first-

At the time, the textbook scholarship fund

generation scholarship fund through Ignite at

was not available. Today, Rodriguez, who

the beginning of this year’s campaign.

graduated in 2008, is glad to help others through. She knows that through giving

financial assistance to achieve the goal of

back, we can move forward.

at the time. “Our hope is that this gift will support the next generation of researchers,

$11m+ raised in five years

Ultimately, she says, investing in FIU is investing in the future.

“You give back now, and your kids are

leaders and entrepreneurs in preparing for the

going to benefit later,” says Rodriguez,

workforce and to help create good jobs.”

whose son graduated from FIU in 2007. “The

Fain says Rosenberg’s dedication has

stronger we make FIU, the more we and our

established the foundation for a culture of

communities benefit. It’s on us to make this

giving at FIU. “It’s not surprising that Ignite

institution better in every way.” n

12 | WINTER 2016-2017

projects supported in FY 2015-2016

going through the same journey she went

myself, I understand what it means to receive obtaining a college degree,” Rosenberg said

160+

In 2004, Rodriguez began a master’s

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and his

“As a first-generation college graduate

of employees contributed in FY 2015-2016

here to work together to build up our FIU.

Director of the Graham Center Sanyo Mathew

internship programs away from home.

50%

Read how students are giving back through a new class-gift campaign. magazine.fiu.edu

[FOCUS ON INNOVATION]

ORIGAMI ANTENNAS W

hen critical data matters, finding better ways to transmit it can save time, money and even lives. A professor in the

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has taken giant leaps toward solving problems that hamper the transmission of crucial information.

Stavros Georgakopoulos holds a patent for “origami antennas.” Inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding—with its mathematical underpinning—his lightweight version of the traditionally bulky equipment has huge implications. For example, soldiers in the field have for years shared intelligence with base stations by relying on heavy, cumbersome metal antennas that often must be transported by hand or in backpacks over rough terrain. At a fraction of the weight, the model made possible

by Georgakopoulos—he mainly uses paper (inkjet-printed with copper and silver to serve as conductors) but is exploring flexible plastics and other materials—can be stowed compactly, opened easily and collapsed quickly. The launching of satellite antennas during space missions would likewise be improved. The invention, research for which was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, is now being brought to market via his startup company and has generated talks with the military and a private aerospace firm.

Also helping to keep the data flowing: Georgakopoulos’ innovations in wireless power transfer and wireless communications. He holds two patents focused on eliminating the need for batteries—which can be both time-consuming and expensive to replace—across a variety of devices. These include instruments that measure vital statistics, sensors that monitor environmental conditions when mounted on airplanes or cars, and even sensors that can be embedded within the concrete poured to build new bridges. The last could provide feedback regarding a structure’s soundness for 100 or more years, Georgakopoulos says.

Free of batteries, any of these devices can last indefinitely, he adds.

Having worked in industry for six years before joining FIU in 2007, Georgakopoulos combines the engineer’s passion for solving problems with the professor’s love of research and teaching.

“Whatever we do, we try to be innovative and make a difference in the world,” he says of the team working in his campus lab.

Stavros Georgakopoulos with one version of an origami antenna

“That’s what excites my students, the innovative applications that can have a transformative impact.” n WINTER 2016-2017

| 13

Recognizing excellence FIU identifies standout research programs

By Karen Cochrane

G

reat universities understand that they are truly the sum of their parts. They are home to programs that uplift communities and translate scientific discoveries into practical applications. These programs drive local and state economies and serve as job

creators. A truly special program is more than a bragging point for advocates and alumni. It is a beacon and a catalyst.

With that in mind, Provost and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton made the identification and support of FIU’s great—or “preeminent” programs in university parlance—a key component of the university’s 2015-2020 strategic plan, FIUBeyondPossible2020.

Last fall, Furton invited university programs to apply for the distinction and appointed a universitywide committee to review the applications. After months of consideration, President Mark B. Rosenberg and Furton announced the inaugural group of FIU preeminent programs.

“These programs are enhancing the university’s reputation, both nationally and internationally, and providing distinctive learning opportunities, conducting pioneering research and fostering engagement, and expanding the university’s financial base,” said Rosenberg and Furton in an email announcing the programs. “These programs, in addition to others across the university, are impactful programs that are enhancing lives around the globe.” Below is a snapshot of FIU’s inaugural preeminent programs:

The Bridge Engineering Program: Of the nation's approximately

The Center for Children and Families: Revolutionizing

The Extreme Events Institute:

600,000 publicly owned vehicular bridges,

treatments for child mental health,

Research Center and the Disaster

nearly 25 percent are either structurally

CCF is a nationally recognized

Resilience in the Americas program,

deficient or functionally obsolete. The

center committed to improving lives

EEI is a globally involved center for

Accelerated Bridge Construction-University

of children and their families. More

research, education and training in

Transportation Center focuses primarily

than 3,000 families are helped locally

natural hazards and disaster risk

on replacing or retrofitting substandard

every year through clinical programs

reduction and management. The

structures while maintaining the flow of

and customized treatment. Countless

institute conducts multidisciplinary

traffic. The mission is to reduce the societal

more are helped all across the world

research on hazards and vulnerabilities

costs of bridge construction by reducing

through research breakthroughs

of all types, with emphasis on the

the duration of work zones, focusing

and new treatments developed by

role of pre-impact "risk drivers.” EEI

special attention on safety, preservation,

CCF faculty. The center has trained

projects include researchers from

thousands of education professionals

the social and behavioral sciences,

and is also preparing the next

engineering, computer science, earth

generation of mental health care

and atmospheric sciences, public

providers through FIU’s psychology

health, public administration, business

degree programs.

and architecture.

service life, construction costs, education of the profession and development of a next-generation workforce fully equipped with this knowledge.

14 | WINTER 2016-2017

Comprising the International Hurricane

The Institute for Water and Environment: Uniting

The STEM Transformation Institute: This

FIU’s top centers and programs focused on global water and

multidisciplinary collaboration across the colleges of Arts,

environmental threats, the institute addresses both natural

Sciences & Education and Engineering & Computing is

and human-induced contaminants including pesticides, oil

paving the way for student success in STEM — science,

spills, pharmaceuticals and more. The institute coordinates

technology, engineering and math. The team is conducting

the university's international programs that provide water

research and developing effective educational practices

management services to people and ecosystems, including

that lead to more and better prepared STEM professionals.

integrated water management policies, water sanitation and

The institute also features FIUteach, which is part of a

hygiene improvements, and associated education programs

nationwide secondary STEM teacher preparation initiative.

across multiple continents. From the Everglades to coral reefs,

FIUTeach engages more college students in teaching

institute researchers are preserving freshwater and marine

careers and placing new math and science teachers in

resources for future generations.

middle school and high school classrooms.

n

WINTER 2016-2017

| 15

16 | WINTER 2016-2017

A Final Defense

FIU Law clinic helps educate lawyersByhandling death penalty cases Eric Barton

By Eric Barton | Photos by Doug Garland ’10

W

hen Kevin Evers killed three men in Miami Beach in 2003 simply because they wouldn’t turn down their music, it was by all accounts a cold-blooded act, and

prosecutors sought the death penalty.

Then one of Evers’ attorneys, Stephen K. Harper, an assistant public defender at the time,

found out a lot more about Evers. Unemployed at the time of the murders, Evers had lost his wife in childbirth. He had given up his daughter for adoption. His family had a history of

“[The clinic] is saving lives.”

— Edith Georgi

Retired Miami-Dade County assistant public defender

serious mental illness. Nothing could excuse what Evers had done, but Harper hoped the personal information might save his client from death row.

Harper prepared what’s known as a mitigation package, a legal document that lists reasons and evidence in support of sparing a defendant from lethal injection. “If you prepare the mitigation evidence effectively, you’ll often convince prosecutors to waive death or to offer a plea to something less than death or to get a jury to vote for life [imprisonment],” Harper said.

But while this mitigation evidence can often save defendants from death row, its collection is rarely done right in Florida capital cases. That’s what Harper has found as co-director of Florida Center for Capital Representation at the FIU College of Law. It is the only organization in Florida that consults with, teaches and assists lawyers in all aspects of capital representation. Those efforts are made possible through a two-year $620,000 grant from the Themis Fund, an anti-death penalty group.

Among other activity at the center, Harper helps attorneys throughout the state prepare mitigation evidence through his “death penalty clinic.” He teaches a course on the subject to law students and each semester selects several of them, for which they receive course credit, to work with lawyers engaged in capital cases. The clinic has closed 34 cases and is currently consulting on 83 cases.

WINTER 2016-2017

| 17

state agency keeps track of pending capital cases, so a clearinghouse was created,

The clinic has closed 34 cases and is currently consulting on 83 cases.

In addition to the center’s work on

based on data from the 20 judicial circuits, to show trends.

The data will also determine which Florida circuit courts seek the death penalty most often and which state attorney offices are

to attorneys who handle death penalty cases,

most effective at getting death penalty

mitigation, Harper and co-director Karen

said Edith Georgi, a Miami-Dade County

convictions. Initial results have shown that

Gottlieb worked with others to encourage the

assistant public defender who tried more than

the now former prosecutor in Jacksonville

Legislature to change Florida’s death penalty

75 jury trials from 1981 until her retirement

sought and received death penalty

law. And while the legislature did change the

in November. Georgi said Harper’s work

convictions far more than any other circuit in

law, requiring a life sentence unless the jury

has been instrumental in bringing about a

Florida, Harper said.

voted for death by a vote of 10-2 or more, it

change. “He really knows how to pull people

One of the many reasons for this is that

did not go far enough, as Harper and Gottlieb

together,” Georgi said. “Steve’s organization

trials are not conducted uniformly throughout

had predicted. The state’s Supreme Court

has been extremely effective in getting

the state. For example, jury selection in

declared the law invalid in a ruling in October,

results. It’s saving lives, definitely.”

capital cases takes only a day or two in

deciding that juries ought to be unanimous when sentencing a defendant to death.

Rewriting the state’s flawed law is crucial

18 | WINTER 2016-2017

Among Harper’s first tasks was simply

Jacksonville, while attorneys in Miami-Dade

to begin compiling all the pending and

will often spend more than a month on the

possible death penalty cases in Florida. No

same task, Harper said.

Left: Working to ensure justice: Karen Gottlieb, co-director of FIU’s Center for Capital Representation; Stephen Harper, visiting assistant clinic professor and head of the Death Penalty Clinic; visiting research scholar Hannah Gorman; and visiting clinical professor of law Elisa Quesada.

To help educate defense attorneys on how

“It’s a life history investigation,” Alberto

to hold more effective jury selection, Harper

said. “The prosecution often makes the

enlisted third-year law student Ashley Allison.

person look one-dimensional and defined by

She is working on a comprehensive memo

the worst thing they’ve done in their life. We

that will outline how to effectively pick juries

try to look at the whole person as a way to

and make sure the trial record is clear if

possibly bring some empathy.”

denied opportunities to question jurors. It will

Alberto helped prepare mitigation evidence

offer suggestions on how to question potential

in the case of Jessica McCarty, the Palm Bay

jurors, asking about their potential biases

mother who murdered her three children in

regarding the death penalty and any personal

2015. The mitigation package showed that

history that might influence how they would

McCarty had a history of mental illness that

vote if they make the jury. Once completed,

went untreated. The evidence was enough

the memo will be circulated to Florida lawyers

to convince prosecutors to drop the death

who work on death penalty cases.

penalty and agree to a plea deal that sent

“There’s huge variations in how death penalty cases are handled in Florida, and it

McCarty away for life.

McCarty’s case is evidence of the

shouldn’t be that way,” Allison said. “We’re

importance of what Harper’s clinic is doing,

hoping to create some uniformity in the way

Alberto said. “It’s good to see that there’s a

death penalty cases are defended.”

center making sure that justice is done right,”

Allison became interested in the subject based in part on her own family history.

Alberto said.

In the Evers case, Harper and his co-

Allison said her great-great-grandfather died

counsel presented mitigation evidence

in jail, after waiting 15 years for a trial. “I grew

that showed their client suffered a bipolar

up realizing the justice system doesn’t always

disorder, psychotic episodes and brain

work,” Allison said. She interned at the

damage that kept him from controlling his

Miami-Dade Public Defender’s office and will

impulses. Evers had pleaded guilty, leaving

start work there full time after graduation.

the fate of his sentencing to a judge, and the

In working with attorneys to more

penalty. Evers is now serving a life sentence

Harper encourages them to hire mitigation

in a Martin County prison.

Among them is Deb Alberto, of Able

— FIU law student Ashley Allison

judge agreed to spare Evers from the death

effectively prepare mitigation packages,

specialists who can help gather evidence.

“We’re hoping to create some uniformity in the way death penalty cases are defended.”

“Once we gathered that mitigation package, we had a pretty convincing

Detectives in Melbourne. A former investigative

argument to present to the prosecution and

journalist, Alberto now spends her days

ultimately to the court,” Harper recalled.

combing documents and interviewing family,

Now, Harper and his colleagues at the

friends and former co-workers of defendants

death penalty clinic hope they can teach

who face the death penalty.

other attorneys how to do the same. n

WINTER 2016-2017

| 19

See what entrepreneurs, investors and university leaders have to say about StartUP FIU. magazine.fiu.edu

StartUP FIU creates an innovation ecosystem to rev the engine of economic growth

By Alexandra Pecharich | Illustration by Chris McAllister

ason Dettbarn, 39, stands in front

“You could have just showed your video,”

of about two dozen other equally

professors’ research to market, part of the

Hacker tells Dettbarn. “[Your talk] did not add

university’s strategic plan. These endeavors

enterprising individuals and shares details

anything, which means all those words were

feed a lofty mission: to impact the South

about his early-stage company. In 2014,

wasted.” To Wilson, he says with a mix of

Florida economy at the highest level.

the two-time FIU alumnus founded a firm

exasperation and urgency, “I don’t see you

that provides a cloud-based platform to

separating from [the competition]. You have

organizations in need of IT management

the ability to do that. You just have to figure out

for their Mac computers, and it’s attracting

how.” He suggests she focus on her products’

business development center, which annually

customers worldwide. With slides running

premium ingredients and exotic flavors as she

helps more than 1,000 companies overcome

behind him, he practices a short speech that

works toward establishing a national brand.

specific problems and identify the steps to

he hopes to deliver soon to potential investors.

A few minutes later, he clicks on a video.

Next up, Helene Wilson, 35, takes the floor to discuss her artisanal ice cream. In 2016,

(For the record: Hacker’s feedback elicits

Entrepreneurship as an equalizer FIU already has a well-regarded small-

expand. StartUP, on the other hand, is about

no frowns or tears but, rather, is accepted as

entrepreneurship. It supports activity with

valuable advice from a seasoned expert.)

the potential for exponential growth. In other

The scene comes out of an innovative new

words, game changers.

she walked away from a legal career after

business incubator called StartUP FIU. It

people went crazy for the small-batch treats

aims to put the resources of a public research

and Austin, Texas, to demonstrate how

she started crafting for herself in law school.

university—experts, instruction, facilities and

cities can be invigorated by a single

Today she sells to a growing group of fans as

connections to funding sources—behind

transformational company. The two saw

well as the general public through a third-

entrepreneurs with the drive and the will to go

their fortunes rise mostly on the coattails

party sweets shop.

the distance.

of two startups. Seattle’s Microsoft and

After each presentation, the others in

“We provide support for ideas, inventions

Hacker gives the examples of Seattle

Austin’s Dell each served as “a magnet

the room—who themselves will shortly go

and early-stage startup companies that can

for really intelligent people. The ones that

before the group—ask questions and offer

scale globally,” says Emily Gresham, an

wanted to be entrepreneurs trained [at

observations. Dettbarn and Wilson consider

assistant vice president in the Division of

the companies] and then they spun out,”

their peers’ comments and then wait to hear

Research and Economic Development and the

Hacker says. Consequently, that clustering

from Robert Hacker. The business strategist

co-founder, with Hacker, of StartUP. “We’re

of talent and new companies, “created a

and financial consultant once built the second

here to serve our community.”

system, an environment, a community for

largest retail company in Asia. To those

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and

entrepreneurship.”

assembled, his opinion carries the kind of

Provost Kenneth E. Furton have gone so far

weight that would-be superstars ascribe to

as to make the fostering of new businesses,

effect. That the university has taken up the

Simon Cowell’s judgments.

and the complementary goal of bringing

effort is promising, says Jaret L. Davis, who

FIU hopes to jumpstart a similar cascade

WINTER 2016-2017

| 21

chairs the Miami-Dade economic development

and opportunity is not,” she continues.

organization known as The Beacon Council.

“Sometimes we have to create opportunity.”

“Every single place where there is a top innovation hub, there is a world-class research institution,” Davis says. “So to have a world-

A place to think big StartUP FIU formally began in the fall of 2016. Nineteen companies—representing

A ready pool of talent As has been well documented,

students, alumni and local residents with no affiliation to the university—were selected

class research institution like FIU here, they’re

immigrants to the United States are more

from more than 160 that applied. Together,

providing the seeds of innovation.” (FIU’s

than twice as likely as native-born citizens

company founders began a 14-week

research activity places it among the top 2.5

to start companies. South Florida's

program, at no charge, designed to guide

percent of higher education institutions in the

population has the largest percent of

them to success.

United States.)

immigrants within the 100 largest U.S.

Davis gives the example of Stanford University and its relationship with Palo Alto, California, which expects job growth

metropolitan areas.

Slightly more than half of Miami-Dade County residents are foreign born. The

They attended workshops on campus on topics such as leadership, networking and storytelling—the latter to help them personalize and perfect their investor pitches.

They participated in weekly “deliverable”

“A properly structured innovation ecosystem enables anyone to take a dream and see it come to fruition.”

sessions during which teams address—

—Jaret L. Davis, chair of Miami-Dade County's Beacon Council

an assigned mentor in addition to direction

methodically and, often, through extensive research—aspects such as understanding their specific markets and knowing the competition. And they received advice from from Gresham and Hacker and other StartUP personnel, as well as introductions to movers

of more than 40 percent in the next decade

area is already a recognized leader in

in the community. In December, selected

and serves as the economic focal point of

entrepreneurial activity, with a 2014 report

teams had the chance to seek financial

Silicon Valley. Likewise, he cites Duke and

ranking it second among 40 big markets.

backing by making presentations before a

the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hacker sees a clear divide between the

panel of venture capitalists à la “Shark Tank.”

as drivers for the highly successful Research

kinds of companies that provide a basic

The first cohort mirrored the diversity of

Triangle Park, which attracts IT firms from

living for an individual or a family and the

South Florida, with almost half of designated

startups to multinationals.

kinds of businesses that will ultimately

company leaders born outside of the United

attract investors and transform a city. “The

States. More than a quarter of the companies

ecosystem enables anyone to realize their

problem is that someone here looks at his

are helmed by women and nearly 70 percent

dreams without limit,” Davis says. “It’s a

neighbor, and his neighbor has a cafecito

by someone under the age of 30.

liberator. It makes it so that the average Joe

place. He doesn’t look at his neighbor and

can take an idea, take a dream and see it

see someone who’s trying to send a rocket

of industries and serve a wide variety of

come to fruition. It’s wonderful that StartUP

to the moon or develop a driverless car,”

needs. Among the first cohort: a virtual reality

FIU is working with people to help them

Hacker says. “The issue we have here is

physical therapy system; a cloud-based eye-

navigate the waters of innovation.”

that people don’t think big enough.”

disease screening system; an e-commerce

“A properly structured innovation

These days, harsh reality demands

The reason? For all its startup

The businesses also represent a range

marketplace for aircraft and engine parts;

focused encouragement in the interest

enthusiasm, Greater Miami ranks 39th in

an online platform that serves the needs

of improving economic stability and

access to capital. That alone poses a huge

of e-sports competitors; a “virtual college

resiliency in the region. “The prosperity

barrier to anyone with a larger vision. FIU

counselor” mobile app; and an organic

gap is widening,” Gresham says of South

hopes to change that reality by catalyzing

banana-juice distributor.

Florida, where the chasm between the rich

local talent—which Hacker, Gresham and

and the poor is among the nation’s widest.

others see in abundance—and putting it

people in the field that tell us this is the

“We know that talent is equally dispersed

directly in front of the folks with the money.

process of becoming a business,” says Ali

22 | WINTER 2016-2017

“It’s been really helpful to hear from older

Qureshi, 30, CEO of Delta Design.

The 2010 alumnus Read about FIU’s Small Business Development Center, which works with established companies. magazine.fiu.edu

followed up his undergraduate FIU degree in architecture with a master’s degree

from MIT. A few years ago he quit a job in his chosen field to join his brother, who is a current FIU marketing student, and another FIU alumnus to start the company. Currently they are focused on commercializing a 3D-printed prosthetic leg that could offer a low-cost option to amputees around the world.

Focusing on individual facets of the business through a rigorous, disciplined approach kept them on track, Qureshi says.

Think you’ve got what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Then StartUP FIU might be your way forward.

The incubator has plans to expand in 2017, with no fewer than four fully operational programs expected to be up and running within the year. Students, alumni, faculty and local residents with no university affiliation are all invited to apply. Participants pay nothing for the experience nor does FIU take company equity or otherwise expect financial gain. (Company founders do agree to report on their progress for at least three years.)

While the team possesses the needed

The secret to getting in?

design and engineering skills, their collective

“No secret,” says Robert Hacker, StartUP’s co-founder and director. In addition to communicating a business concept with the potential to scale up, successful applicants must show a high degree of perseverance and be “coachable.” That’s it.

business skills were lacking.

“Before [StartUP], our methodology was more like shots in the dark. We didn’t

Ready to get started?

really have a plan,” he says. “I feel like now

Decide which program fits your needs and apply at startup.fiu.edu.

we’re kind of restructuring ourselves and understanding that we have to think about this. If you want to get to a certain level, you have to do the proper steps.”

The team also benefited from existing university networks. Hacker connected Delta with Professor Wei-Chiang Lin of FIU’s biomedical engineering department and steered the group to a local microfinance

Empower: FIU’s flagship accelerator (see main article) is funded with a $1.25 million grant from the State of Florida and based out of a newly renovated 10,000-square-foot collaborative space at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

It welcomed an initial cohort representing 19 companies in fall of 2016 and a second started in January of 2017.

West End: Funded with state monies, this technology-focused accelerator is based in a commercial building near Tamiami Airport in suburban Kendall. A study by the Metropolitan Center, FIU’s economic development think tank, indicates a strong potential to capitalize on the growing population center’s clustering of professionals with technology skills.

company that could work with needy clients to help them purchase the prosthetics.

Andrea Saladrigas, 21, currently an FIU marketing student, entered the program with her father. Both already had successful businesses, he as a Southwest Florida-based beekeeper who rents out hives to farmers around the country, she as the purveyor of her own brand of local honey. They brought to the incubator a socially driven enterprise that aims to empower low-income women and

Food FIU: Citi Foundation has provided a $500,000 grant to launch an incubator at the Biscayne Bay Campus. In partnership with the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Food FIU will offer food entrepreneurs access to stateof-the-art commercial kitchen facilities as well as technical expertise from faculty and students to innovate, test concepts and scale their businesses. It is intended to serve low- and moderate-income individuals.

Art + Design: The Ratcliffe Foundation has provided more than $800,000 to fund an arts incubator in partnership with the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts. With the goal of turning artists into successful entrepreneurs, the program will offer monthly lectures, legal and accounting support, market research assistance and seed capital. Admission is currently limited to enrolled FIU students.

others as backyard beekeepers whom the pair would outfit with hives at no charge and WINTER 2016-2017

| 23

evolution,” Crofton says. For example, “If you go out to Silicon Valley, if you want to get some time with somebody, unless you know somebody who knows somebody, it might be hard.” In South Florida, on the other hand, Crofton has seen firsthand an interest in helping others build something new right at home.

“It’s a small enough community [that] you can pick up the phone, call people and say this is what I’m trying to do and I want to do it in Miami. As an entrepreneurial center, Entrepreneur Andrea Saladrigas, an FIU student, participated in StartUP FIU while launching a social enterprise based on urban beekeeping.

we’re still a little bit of an underdog,” says the Florida native. “When you’re an underdog, people are more willing to work together, and

then pay an income through honey sales.

“What I found amazing about [StartUP] is

her company in 2005.

“This is going to sound terrible,” she says,

I think that’s a huge advantage right now.”

The willingness of local businesspeople

that they’re giving us the framework, where to

“but if I could have traded my master’s in

to serve as mentors and guest speakers as

start,” Saladrigas says. “They’re teaching us

international business for assistance like this

for StartUP—Crofton himself has come to

how to do a scientific experiment. We literally

kind—with a mentor, with a Bob Hacker, with

campus to address program participants as

start with a hypothesis and you finish up with

the program—I would. It would have been

a group—reflects that general openness to

a full-grown idea.”

good for me.”

lending a hand.

Perfect timing

South Florida’s relatively recent arrival

Hacker is bullish on Saladrigas’ project, which he acknowledges as ambitious.

(The goal is to onboard thousands of local

Gresham finds another advantage in Despite coming late to the party, South

on the innovation scene. In an era that

beekeepers within five years.) Also in her

Florida’s embryonic startup ecosystem

many recognize as “the fourth industrial

corner: a handpicked mentor, FIU alumna

could well soar in the near future, say those

revolution”—characterized by a fusion of

Misha Kuryla-Gomez MIB '04. The founder

in the know. Support efforts have reached

technologies that is blurring the lines between

and owner of Misha’s Cupcakes has a chain

critical mass as commercial organizations,

the physical, digital and biological spheres—

of successful bakeries in South Florida and

other academic institutions and nonprofits

Miami could well have the upper hand over

additional product distribution through more

increasingly have committed resources

older, more established cities when it comes

than a dozen other local retailers.

to guiding new and boosting existing

to addressing contemporary concerns.

“I’ve been so impressed,” Kurlya-Gomez

entrepreneurs in the region. Adding the power

“Urbanization is going to be the problem

says of her mentee’s drive, and of the idea

of a major research university to the mix

of our times: sustainable agriculture,

of the company as a viable business with a

strengthens this work across the board.

transportation, affordable housing, health,

social impact. Kurlya-Gomez and Saladrigas

And while risk taking is “normal” in places

education,” Gresham says. “Miami is going

agree that the older woman’s most important

such as the West Coast, New York and

through changes that every big city is going

contribution to the startup has been her

Boston, explains Mark Crofton, the Miami

through. We should be thought leaders.”

emphasis on operational issues, something

metropolitan area has a few advantages. The

that early-stage founders sometimes gloss

global vice president for software company

has an international population with a global

over in their rush to get up and running.

SAP, which has offices in Miami, Crofton sees

perspective that lends itself to disrupting

the local startup community’s relatively small

the established way of doing things. It’s that

size and newcomer status as positives.

spirit and energy that FIU hopes to capitalize

Kuryla-Gomez can only sigh when she considers how StartUP FIU might have helped her avoid “so many mistakes and so many obstacles” when she was establishing 24 | WINTER 2016-2017

“I find a lot more cooperation than competition right now at this stage of our

As an emerging 21st century city, Miami

on as it champions a new generation of entrepreneurs. n

Florida international University alUmni association

april

1, 2017 |

jw marriott marqUis

The Alumni Association Torch Awards recognize the impact FIU graduates are making in virtually every industry and facet of life. Outstanding alumni contribute to their chosen field, alma mater and community.

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS Roberto R. Muñoz ’80 South Florida Market President BBVA Compass Division of Athletics

Chad Moss ’94 Executive Vice President Moss & Associates LLC President, Moss Foundation Chad Moss is being honored as the 2017 Alumnus of the Year.

A 1994 graduate with a bachelor of science in construction management, he has been a strong supporter of the School of Construction in the College of Engineering & Computing and serves on the FIU Foundation Board of Directors. His professional achievements on both public and private projects have earned numerous awards and widespread praise.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS CHARLES E. PERRY YOUNG ALUMNI VISIONARY

Manny Angelo Varas ’10, MBA ’14 President, MV Group USA College of Business

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

Seth J. Crapp ’98 Pediatric Radiologist & Associate Radiology Associates of Florida P.A. College of Arts, Sciences & Education School of Integrated Science and Humanity

OUTSTANDING FACULTY

Mark Allen Weiss, Ph.D. Eminent Scholar and Associate Director School of Computing and Information Sciences College of Engineering & Computing

Thomas M. Cornish ’85 Chief Operating Officer, BankUnited College of Business Oscar E. Cordova ’85 Director of Architectural Services CGI Windows & Doors Inc. College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts Brian L. Machovina ’91, MS ’94 , Ph.D. ’15 Owner, Coreyak LLC College of Arts, Sciences & Education School of Environment, Arts and Society David L. Van Rooy MS ’03, Ph.D. ’05 Vice President, Executive Development Walmart Stores Inc. College of Arts, Sciences & Education School of Environment, Arts and Society Pablo G. Ortiz ’91 Vice President, Regional Academic Locations and Institutional Development FIU Division of Finance and Administration College of Arts, Sciences & Education School of Education and Human Development Manuel S. Miranda ’78 State Farm Agent Manny Miranda Insurance Agency Inc. College of Engineering & Computing

John “Chip” Acierno III ’83 Executive Vice President of Marketing, Sales & Customer Service The Executive Transportation Group Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Marcia C. Del Rey ’05 Judge, Miami-Dade Circuit Court College of Law Aurelio M. Fernandez III ’74, ’85 President & CEO Memorial Healthcare Systems Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences Michael R. Mendez ’03, MBA ’10 President, Mendez Fuel Holdings LLC Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs Marcus M. Flanagan ’90 Medical Social Worker Self-Employed Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work Walter B. Gonzalez Jr. ’96 President, Goja, LLC Division of Student Affairs Leonor R. Anthony ’06, MA ’09 Director, Simons Gallery Honors College

To learn more about our awardees and to purchase tickets, visit torchawards.fiu.edu.

in DC

Students, faculty and alumni are making a mark in the nation’s capital

By Joel Delgado ’12 | Photos by Doug Garland ’10

D

arren Martin didn’t know how cold it

also mentored FIU students who came to

Aileen Marty and College of Arts, Sciences &

could get in Washington, D.C.

Washington to complete their own internships.

Education Dean Michael Heithaus – visit each

“If I had not gone to FIU, I might not have

year, often to brief public officials on a range of

could make. Pea coats and snow boots are

had the opportunity to get involved in politics,”

issues such as the Zika threat and agricultural

not part of a typical South Florida resident’s

says Martin, who participated in clubs on

innovation.

attire, and Martin soon realized he would

campus and volunteered in local elections as a

need both as he served an internship in

student. “As an alum, you should want to give

2001, which began with a focus on

the fall of 2011 in the Office of Presidential

back and see your school supported. This is

fostering congressional and federal agency

Correspondence at the White House.

my way of giving back.”

relationships and strengthening alumni

It’s a mistake any student from FIU

Not long after getting started, Martin met

Martin’s success story stands out as

FIU has had an office in D.C. since

relations in efforts to expand the university’s

Carlos Becerra ’98, MPA ’01, who heads

just one of many Becerra has witnessed

financial base, including securing federal

the Washington branch of FIU’s Office of

and that FIU leadership hopes to replicate.

funds for research conducted at FIU. That is

Governmental Relations, otherwise known

“Our students have grit and go above and

still the case today, but that mission has been

as “FIU in DC.” When Martin said he did not

beyond,” Becerra says. “You transport

expanded in recent years.

own a coat, Becerra offered him his own. That

them to a competitive town like this one,

gesture, and the support that followed from

and they will succeed and become our best

faculty and alumni to help them gain a

Becerra’s team, quickly made Martin feel at

ambassadors in D.C.”

competitive advantage in one of the most

home in the Beltway and provided a sort of extended family.

“Carlos brought me in to meet the team,” Martin recalls. “They were all very inviting, encouraging me to get involved.”

After finishing his internship and graduating

HHHH From the halls of Congress to the offices

Now the office also works with students,

important cities in the world, amplifying FIU’s voice in national dialogues on a number

of K Street, FIU’s presence is everywhere in

of important issues facing the nation,

Washington, D.C.

including sea level rise, higher education and

Approximately 2,500 alumni in the D.C. metro area work in places such as legislative

transportation infrastructure.

And the payoff is there. In 2016 alone, the

in 2012 with a bachelor’s in political science,

offices, engineering firms and museums.

office advocated for critical grant initiatives

Martin returned full time to the White House,

Roughly 80 to 100 students annually hold

that resulted in $22.7 million in funding;

eventually working up to an associate director

internships and fellowships at government

produced more than 40 events, including

position in the Office of Legislative Affairs.

agencies such as the Department of Energy

TEDxFIU and presidential debate watch

and nonprofit organizations such as the

parties, and hosted 800 individuals and key

with Becerra and helped advocate for the

Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute.

federal officials; welcomed 140 students who

university and even hosted FIU President

Hundreds of professors and researchers

were either completing internships or visiting

Mark B. Rosenberg in the West Wing. He

– including infectious diseases expert Dr.

as part of their studies; directly placed 13 of

Through it all, Martin stayed in touch

26 | WINTER 2016-2017

As this issue of FIU Magazine went to press, the country learned that FIU Law Dean R. Alexander Acosta had been nominated for the position of secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor by President Donald Trump.

A Miami native and first-generation university graduate and lawyer, Acosta joined FIU in 2009 and is the second See a list of FIU's legislative priorities. magazine.fiu.edu

dean to lead the FIU College of Law. Before coming to FIU, he served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

WINTER 2016-2017

| 27

those interns in positions the office helped

interest. The students sat for mock interviews

alumni network in D.C. in the summer of 2016

negotiate; and worked to assist 11 alumni in

with alumni and took behind-the-scenes

and has seen the university’s continued growth

their successful pursuit of full-time positions

tours of facilities such as the Pentagon, FBI

in Washington through the years.

within the city.

headquarters and Fox News.

“We have access to power,” says Ramos,

“The establishment of a stronger FIU

who holds a bachelor’s degree in social work

space just blocks from the Capitol building,

presence in D.C. has already enabled us

from FIU. “We have influence in the decisions

giving the university a dynamic hub from which

to expand the global experience we offer,

that are being made here.”

to address the problems that policymakers

allowing us to give students greater access

In 1989 two-time alumna Ileana Ros-

tackle every day.

to internships and jobs,” says John Stack,

Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87 became the only FIU

In June the office moved to a new, larger

“We want to assert our national leadership in these key areas,” Becerra says. “It’s important that the university is a player and propel our brand in D.C. The lessons learned at FIU in Miami could be very telling for the rest of the country.”

HHHH In the fall of 2016 Honors College alumna Diana Bermudez ’16 completed a fellowship at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, where she planned events to promote the organization’s education and nonprofit programs and initiatives.

“As a university, we want to be recognized and we have so much to offer. The staff in this office wants us to succeed and make a good name for FIU and ourselves,” says Bermudez, who majored in international relations.

Renewed energy has been placed not only on finding internships and jobs for students, but also preparing and equipping them for success once they start them, either in Washington or elsewhere. That process has been pushed forward thanks to alumni living in the D.C. area getting more involved and engaged.

FIU in DC worked with Student Affairs to identify 20 students from a wide range of disciplines and fly them to D.C. for a two-day career success workshop in November, the first of a planned series of “fly-ins” during which students experience the nation’s capital and get a glimpse of the available opportunities.

The staff organized professional development workshops in the high-tech office space and matched students with alumni and employers working in their areas of 28 | WINTER 2016-2017

Impact on D.C.: FIU students and recent alumni are increasingly landing important opportunities in our nation’s capital. From left, Diana Bermudez ’16, was a foundation fellow in the fall at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation; Jose-Andres Camacho is a senior international relations major who

founding dean of the Steven J. Green School

graduate to be elected to the U.S. Congress

of International and Public Affairs. “Through

and today is the most senior Republican

a more engaged academic presence, policy-

woman in the U.S. House of Representatives.

relevant research, experiential learning and

“FIU’s goals, interests and legislative agenda

internships and immersive experiences with

dovetail with mine so I feel privileged, honored

our D.C. partners, we will create even more

and humbled to be part of the FIU community

of the global-minded leaders our nation so

here in D.C.,” Ros-Lehtinen says. “I’m so

desperately needs.”

happy to have the FIU presence here.”

HHHH William A. Ramos ’85, the director

Much of FIU’s influence resides in the work of professors and researchers, who travel to

of intergovernmental affairs at the U.S.

Washington roughly 500 times each year, often

Department of Commerce during the Obama

to speak to government agencies on important

administration, became the president of FIU’s

topics facing the nation. As one of only 15

universities that have a satellite presence in

decades investigating ways to meet the

vision for the university while celebrating a

Washington, FIU provides faculty and other

nation’s critical infrastructure challenges.

breakthrough year in the nation’s capital.

university leaders both practical assistance

He delivered his findings to top officials with

and a physical space from which to operate.

the goal of advancing production of safer,

Washington center will underline this passion,”

environmentally friendly bridges.

Rosenberg says. “We want to be seen as

In September Laura Dinehart, executive director of the School of Education &

Azizinamini used the office as a

“If we are about impact, then our

a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art facility that

Human Development, passed through on

home base during his visit and found it

fosters great thinking about the issues and

her way to meeting with then-U.S. Secretary

indispensable.

problems impacting humankind, that involves

of Education John King in support of the

“The staff and space have enhanced our

FIU-produced solutions and approaches.”

In just such a case of making a national impact, FIU professors in December used the space for the first time to offer continuing education to 31 engineering professionals from around the country.

By bringing together engineers, architects and building officials for a two-day course on the structural design of skyscrapers, faculty in the College of Engineering & Computing were able to leverage the university’s preeminent research strengths.

And on the biggest stage of all, during the transition from President Barack Obama to President-elect Donald Trump, FIU in DC is working with alumni from across the political spectrum. The office contacted roughly 20 alumni who were outgoing appointees and offered them help in their next pursuits. At the same time, the office worked with about a dozen alumni who served in transition team roles.

interned recently at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute; Isabela Corzo ’15 served as federal relations intern in the FIU in DC office; Roberto Cervantes ’15 completed a communications fellowship at the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute.

Obama administration’s efforts to diversify the

visibility and our capabilities to be able to

country’s teacher workforce. Dinehart’s work

relay our message in D.C.,” he says.

and expertise reflect FIU’s own growing profile.

“The nation is moving to a more diverse

His high-profile appearance at the U.S. DOT, coupled with a strong grant application,

population,” Dinehart says, “and we know

led in December to the agency’s awarding

that we have to be a model for the rest of the

of a $7.5 million grant to FIU to work with

nation. We are in a unique position to do that.”

Federal Highway Administration and the

In June Professor Atorod Azizinamini, the head of the university’s nationally recognized Accelerated Bridge Construction research program, made

American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials.

HHHH The FIU in DC team has been focused

a presentation at the Department of

on building for the future and synchronizing

Transportation. Azizinamini has spent

with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg’s

With so many graduates already on the new administration’s radar, there is a strong likelihood that FIU alumni will be appointed to key positions. Vice President Michelle Palacio and the FIU in DC team gathered the names and information of alumni interested in federal appointments and have helped make introductions and connections that could position them for important roles.

That experience suggests that someday soon FIU will make an unprecedented mark in D.C. “More and more people are waking up and seeing how FIU can impact this city,” Palacio says. “We won’t be surprised to see several members of Congress or Cabinet members who are FIU alumni in the future.” n WINTER 2016-2017

| 29

CLASS NOTES 1990s Albert J. Primo ’93 was named chief

Panther Getaway Tours 2017 See the world and make new memories in the company of FIU Panthers.

April 29 - May 6: Timeless Treasures Cruise (Athens to Rome) May 21 - May 31: Budapest, Vienna & Prague

innovation officer at accounting firm Kaufman Rossin. Primo was also appointed to the advisory council at Xero, a New Zealandbased software company that develops cloud-based accounting software.

Marcos M. Brito ’94 joined City National Bank as a senior corporate banking relationship manager.

Patricia M. Siles ’94, MAcc ’96, a certified public accountant, is secretary of the Zoo Miami Foundation Board of Directors.

Elsa Jaramillo-Velez ’95 is the human resources director for the City of Coral Gables.

She joined the advisory board for FIU’s master of public administration program.

May 27 - June 4: European Collage Cruise (Barcelona to Rome) June 16 - June 21: San Francisco & California Wine Country June 24 - July 1: Romantic Rhine River Cruise (Zurich to Amsterdam) June 25 - July 2: The Grand Canyon to Zion July 13 - July 23: Canadian Rockies Glacier & Yellowstone July 21 - July 28: Alaska Charms Cruise Aug. 11 - Aug. 20: Oregon & Washington Sept. 14 - Sept. 21: Oktoberfest (Munich) Oct. 6 - Oct. 17: Albuquerque Balloon Festival and U.S. National Parks — SOLD OUT Oct. 7 - Oct. 17: Mediterranean Radiance Cruise (Rome to Monte Carlo) Dec. 4 - Dec. 11: Christmas in the Heart of Germany River Cruise (Frankfurt to Prague) — SOLD OUT

For full tour details, visit

fiualumni.com/travel 30 | WINTER 2016-2017

David E. Hollander MS ’97, a certified public accountant and principal at Morrison Brown Argiz & Farra, was named vicechairperson of Florida Atlantic University School of Accounting advisory council, which provides guidance to the school to prepare students for accounting careers.

France-Luce Benson ’99 was named one of six winning playwrights at the 2016 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, the nation’s premier short play competition.

The winning scripts will be published by Samuel French in the 41st annual edition of its Off Off Broadway Plays collection.

Benson’s play, “Risen from the Dough,” was inspired by every Haitian bakery she had ever visited, from Flatbush Avenue in New York City to Miami’s Little Haiti.

2000s Bernardo L. Piereck ’01 was made a partner at the law firm Dechert, LLP. He deals with clients on issues related to mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, joint ventures and securities.

Erika Maldonado ’02, MS ’04 was promoted to weekday evening news anchor at Univision WGBO-Channel 66 in Chicago after working 10 years as a general assignment reporter. “Erika is an outstanding, award-winning journalist who has covered some of the most important stories in Chicago for the past 10 years,” said Univision Chicago news director Teri Arvesu.

Sean P. Gazitua ’03 was promoted to president and CEO of WTDC, a foreign trade zone and logistics company in Miami. He is active in the FIU Alumni Association and Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni Volunteer Corporation.

Rubi Hurtado ’03, ’14 participated in a global field course in India. Through the program, she explored sacred groves and forest temples of the Western Ghats; examined the multifaceted relationship between people and nature; and addressed sustainability for the future.

Edmond F. Kenny ’03 was appointed senior director of alumni relations at Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Apphia C. Campbell ’06 was featured in American Theatre Magazine in the December 2016 “Role Call: People to Watch” spotlight.

Campbell has toured Europe and Asia with her one-woman play, “Black is the Color of My Voice,” inspired by the life and the music of Nina Simone. In the feature, Nate Jacobs, founder and artistic director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, calls Campbell “a true professional, a God-given actress.”

Richard A. Garcia ’06 joined City National Bank as vice president of the home association team.

Julio B. de Blas MBA ’07 is regional engineer for South Florida at Professional Service Industries in the geotechnical and construction services departments.

Viviana Jordan ’07 was elected first vicechair of the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women, on which she has served three terms. Jordan also serves as vice president of the FIU Young Alumni Council.

Hanadys Ale ’08, MD ’13 completed her residency at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and became the first to hold the hospital’s allergy and immunology fellowship.

Jose Ripol ’09 was named among the top 50 advertising creatives in the country

by AdWeek.

2010s Nalisa S. Saati ’10 helps at-risk students in Miami-Dade make strides toward success as program director of the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League. The league recruits students from lower-income neighborhoods and provides access to mentors, tutors and scholarships.

Show Your Pride with an FIU License Plate!

Sarena Bahad ’10, MBA ’13 launched the new Snapchat channel @WomenInTech, which profiles women in the field from around the world.

Antonina Kulchitskaya ’11 took second place in the social sciences category at the Florida Statewide Graduate Research Symposium for her presentation on “The Four Problems of Mind-Uploading.”

Isa Maza ’12 and Silvy I. Revilla ’12 (now Maza) were married in New York City on Oct. 8, 2016, surrounded by family and friends, many of whom are also alumni of FIU. Isa, center-left, and Silvy, center-right, are pictured at their wedding with fellow graduates of FIU.

Nathalie Louie ’13 and Alexander Louie ’14 welcomed the birth of their son, Jacob Alexander, on Jan. 29, 2016.

Jairo Pava ’11 is a software test engineer at the South Florida tech company Ultimate Software. He began teaching part-time at FIU in Fall 2016.

Tatiana Pandiani ’13 directed Princeton’s Summer Theater 2016 opening show, Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins.” One reviewer called her production “smooth and assured.”

Maritza A. Haro ’11, JD ’15 is an associate at the Bercow Radell & Fernandez law firm, where she works on cases involving land use, zoning, and developmental and environmental law.

Tiffany C. Huertas ’11, a reporter for KGBT-TV in Harlingen, Texas, received the Lone Star Flag and a senate proclamation for her work in the Rio Grande Valley in

Jean-Baptiste M. Ramet MS ’14 joined Marcus & Millichap as a commercial real estate investment broker.

Hellen Rivas ’16 was hired as an associate producer at NBC Universal Media.

October 2016.

Eric Feldman ’10, MS ’12 is a two-time FIU graduate working at FIU and currently pursuing a Doctor of Education. From the moment he stepped foot on campus—for an orientation tour in 2007—Eric felt the Panther spirit. He purchased his first FIU license plate as a freshman, and it didn’t take long for his involvement and Panther pride to earn him the nickname Mr. FIU. Taking his passion one step further, Eric discovered he could customize his license plate and chose the letter combination “MRFIU.” His wife, Kasey Feldman ’10, quickly claimed “MSFIU.” Their FIU love story began when they started dating as undergrads after they met while working for Student Media.

“Having an FIU plate that says MRFIU feels pretty good, especially on campus.

It's as if the campus belongs to me as I'm driving through,” Eric says. “We are a community. That's what I love about FIU!” For these passionate Panthers, FIU license plates just make sense. Next time you see MRFIU or MSFIU drive by, be sure to honk and wave.

Display your Panther Pride everywhere you go with the FIU license plate.

Available at your local Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Proceeds support student scholarships. Visit go.fiu.edu/plate today!

WINTER 2016-2017

| 31

Political engagement makes government better A professor of political science urges everyone to get involved

By Kevin Evans Kevin Evans is a

In my Introduction to American Government

shows that the average person is not deeply

professor of political

class, I spend a great deal of time discussing

engaged in politics. Many do not take the

science in the Steven

Federalist 10 and Federalist 51. The Federalist

time to learn about the issues of the day, and

J. Green School of

Papers were a series of essays by Alexander

still others abstain from political participation

International and Public

Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

altogether. Our system is designed to

Affairs. He teaches

urging the citizens of New York to ratify the

function best when citizens are seeking

and writes on issues

U.S. Constitution. These two texts provide

out their self-interest in government and

related to conflict and cooperation between

the theoretical framework for understanding

actively dangling the keys to political office

the branches of American government and the

how our system of government is supposed to

in front of their representatives to enforce

institutional development of the presidency.

function and “control the violence of faction.”

representation.

Interpreting the 2016 presidential

Factions, or groups of citizens pursuing

I hope our most recent election will

elections has been a very difficult task. The

their “common impulse of passion” that are

spur citizens to more actively engage in

nastiness, conflict and misinformation have

“adverse to the rights of other citizens,” are

politics. The foundations of our system

been disheartening. And while most would

a problem in Madison’s eyes because they

of government do not hold up very well

agree that the volume and intensity of vitriol

potentially create chaos and tyranny. Madison

if we do not push our representatives to

have been unprecedented, the history of

felt that factions generated “instability,

actually represent us. Regardless of whom

presidential elections is littered with plenty

injustice and confusion,” which were “the

you voted for in November, passionately

of ugliness. The death of Andrew Jackson’s

mortal diseases under which popular

pursuing your interests in government is

wife, Rachel, is often attributed, at least in

governments have everywhere perished.”

the best way for the system to function as

part, to the personal attacks levied against

Yet, Madison did not shy away from the

intended. Democracy is about much more

the Jacksons in 1828; the North and South

intense conflict and problems brought about

than elections, and we cannot go back into

went to war with one another soon after

by factions. In Federalist 10, he argues that

hibernation for another four years.

the election of 1860; and Grover Cleveland

the solution is to “take in a greater variety

often heard chants of “Ma, Ma, where’s my

of parties and interests.” In other words, a

to your favorite interest group, sit through a

Pa?” as his political opponents sought to

large, diverse republic that brings conflict into

city council meeting and fight for meaningful

discredit him with an alleged illicit relationship

government can pit factions and ambitions

reforms. While we often feel that the political

and pregnancy cover-up in 1884. We are no

against one another and, to some extent,

parties do not represent us very well, we

strangers to difficult elections.

diffuse them.

do not always participate in meaningful

Despite these bitter contests, the country

Given the sustained durability of our

So, call your member of Congress, donate

ways to try and transform them. (I am guilty

has always found a way to move forward.

institutions today, that scheme appears to

of that, too!) The simple truth is that party

Our hope then should not lie in a belief that

have worked fairly well. One of the problems

organizations have a wide-open door at the

we all need to come together in agreement.

of the system, however, is that it relies heavily

local level, but typically activists are the only

Instead, our hope should be rooted in the

on Madison’s inaccurate view of human

ones willing to pour in the time and effort. If

robustness of our institutions—institutions

nature. Madison felt that citizens would be

more people walk through that door, perhaps

that are specifically designed to leverage our

passionate about politics and actively seek

our parties will become something better as

differences, self interest and policy conflict for

out their factional interests. Yet, decades

well. In the end, our politics cannot change

the public good.

and decades of political science research

for the better unless we seriously engage.

32 | WINTER 2016-2017

n

VIP:

Very Important Panther

Johanna C. Salazar MBA ’10 • Director, Brand Engagement, Viacom International Media Networks • Co-founder, Grateful Group LLC • Co-founder, Young Women Social Entrepreneurs—Miami Chapter Q: Working in media—as a content strategist, executive producer and self-proclaimed “disrupter”—how do you maintain the needed level of creativity?

A: For me, creativity is simply the art of figuring things out, coming up with ideas when the options seem obsolete and never giving up on your vision. I find that listening to my gut and following my purpose, while never forgetting my core values, keeps my creativity alive.

Q: As an entrepreneur, you must be both focused and fearless.

How do you sustain that?

A: I believe my strength comes from learning and knowledge. I read something every day related to my industry. I also pay attention to various news outlets so I know what’s happening in my community and in the world. I take courses and I ask lots of “stupid” questions constantly. I embrace change and I confront failure.

I live my life learning from my mistakes because I don’t want to live with regret. Some might call me fearless, I call it “riskful.” My mother once told me that if we don’t take risks in life we won’t succeed. I took that piece of advice very seriously and made it my life motto.

Q: Gratitude is huge for you. How has that simple—but powerful— approach guided you to success?

A: Life is full of hardships and lessons; if we focus on the bad, it will become our truth. If we look at the other side, the blessings and the positive, that will become our truth. Whenever I find myself going through a human moment, I get myself thinking about all the things I’m grateful for. This exercise usually helps me refocus.

Q: You have created organizations to empower others.

Why is that important to you?

A: Empowerment is the responsibility of every leader and manager. I think this is something we all need to take very seriously because if we are bad leaders we will raise bad future leaders.

Q: What is your best advice to someone looking to succeed in business, or in any field?

A: I love this quote by Einstein: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” I love this quote because it made me think long and hard about success and the meaning of success for me. I decided that I am a woman of value because my meaning of success is happiness. If you are grateful, you are happy. If you are happy, you have achieved success!

Q: How did FIU help position you for success?

A: FIU made me feel like I was part of an awesome learning community. I built amazing relationships and friendships that are still part of my life. I believe FIU is more than just an institution. It’s a community of people that really care, that love their jobs, that make things happen. I look forward to being part of the FIU community for the rest of my life!

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Division of External Relations Modesto A. Maidique Campus, MARC 510 Miami, FL 33199-0001 Change Service Requested

Construction of the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2016, was completed following a generous contribution from the philanthropists whose name the facility bears. Pictured here with then-FIU President Modesto A. Maidique (second from right) and Frederick Kaufman (far right), then-director of the School of Music, the Wertheims helped the university take a leap forward in music and theater education.

Photo courtesy of FIU Special Collections & University Archives