The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 20

February 2, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 3 News News Briefs Get the scoop on events happening on campus and around campus Sharks Abroad Month Every Monday and Wednesday in February at 12 p.m. the Office of International Affairs will hold virtual presentations on opportunities for NSU students to study abroad. The presentations will cover information on different programdiscounts, scholarships, travel credits and other information crucial to studying abroad. Additionally, two $25 Amazon gift cards will be raffled off at every single presentation, as well as an entry into a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card to be raffled at the end of the month. Students can see a full list of the programs, as well as register on NSU’s Office of International affairs website. President Hanbury’s town hall meetings The schedule for this semester’s virtual student town hall meetings with NSU’s President Hanbury has been released. For each town hall meeting, a different population of NSU students will have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about NSU’s present and future. The first meeting will on Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. for undergraduate students at the Davie campus, the next meeting will on Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. for students in the Health Professions Division, and the final meeting will be on March 3 at 6:30 p.m. for online graduate students. Students are encouraged to submit questions in advance when they register for the meetings on the town hall website. Researching hidden ancestors Through the Alvin Sherman Library and The Genealogical Society of Broward County, a presentation by Karen Hamilton, a genealogical author, will be held on Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Hamilton’s presentation will concentrate on her own experiences in researching hard-to-find ancestors and ideas and resources to help attendees find their own hidden ancestors. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees must register beforehand on the Alvin Sherman Library website. Wonder Women Award nominations Current NSU students, staff or faculty are now able to submit nominations for the annual Wonder Woman Award hosted by the Center for Academic and Professional success, in partnership with H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement and The Women’s Success Series. The Wonder Women recipients’ qualities are described as leadership, academic excellence, community service, integrity and women’s empowerment. The winner of the award will receive a $500 scholarship. Nominations will close on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. and can be completed at nova.edu/ wonderwomennominations. Celebrate Student Research through the Undergraduate Student Symposium Sharks Abroad Month at NSU Hostedby theFarquharHonorsCollege, NSU’s Undergraduate Student Symposium (USS) is held this year in a new virtual format while retaining the same opportunity for students to present their hard work and research. The USS provides an opportunity for undergraduate students of all disciplines to showcase their own personal research and scholarship via mediums such as poster displays, oral presentations, performances and film presentations. The symposium will be held completely virtually starting on April 6 and will conclude with the winners being announced on April 9. Opening day for the symposium will feature a virtual welcome and introduction followed by keynote Speaker Nancy Klimas, director for the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine at NSU. After which, the symposium officially opens and all presentations will be viewable online. Final judging of the submissions will be held on April 8. Any undergraduate student interested in taking part in the USS must submit an application on their project to the Honors College as well as fulfill any other necessary requirements outlined on the USS website. The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 12 at 11:59 p.m. and applicants will be notified if they have been selected for the USS via email by March 12. Throughout February, the Sharks Abroad Office at NSU will host its fourth annual Sharks Abroad Month. In past years, the event has only been a week-long, but this year’s event has been extended to provide virtual opportunities throughout the month. Cassidy Campanella, a junior public health major at NSU and the sharks abroad peer advisor supervisor, explained that the decision to extend the event allows for greater student involvement. “We decided that with COVID-19 it would be better to disperse our events throughout an entire month rather than condensing them into one week,” she said. A major aspect of the USS is the opportunity for students to work with a faculty sponsor on their project. Don Rosenblum, the dean of the Farquhar Honors College, explained, “There are faculty who work closely and mentor students and really are looking to see if they can generate the next generation of students who are interested in research. We use the term research, but we really think about scholarship more broadly. Literature, the arts, mathematics, so it’s not really just about bio or biomedical science.” In regards to this first-ever virtual format for the USS, Robin St. George, academic program manager for the Farquhar Honors College, explained, “You won’t get that feel for being in person and having someone explain their poster to you, but I think we will be able to reach larger and greater populations because we will be online and open it to pretty much everyone. They’ll be able to stop by and check out a poster or video recording and then be able to ask questions and have responses the same day. It will be a way to broadly showcase our students’ works. They really do amazing projects.” Student research, including posters and oral presentations, will be judged on a variety of criteria in order to determine the winner, including the significance of the research question, quality of the argument and soundness of conclusions among others. Virtual events will be held every Monday and Wednesday this month and will focus on a range of different topics including tips to finding an affordable study abroad program, choosing a program that’s right for you, general travel tips and more. Troy’Nia Douglas, a senior psychology student at NSU and first-year peer advisor with sharks abroad explained that many students have the misconception that they are unable to study abroad. She said, “A lot of the time students don’t think that studying abroad is possible for them, because they think they can’t afford it, [but I always say] anyone can actually study abroad. Our program providers work Additionally, all students who present a poster, paper or film at the USS are eligible to earn one ExEL unit. Genesis Alvarez, a junior legal studies major and previous presenter at the symposium said, “I was a freshman when I presented at the USS so I didn’t really know what to expect but I did recognize the inherent value in stripping away that fear from presenting what it is that you know best which is your own work. I was excited to present. I was excited to work on my really hard to make sure that study abroad opportunities are very affordable and because of COVID 19, they also have new virtual options as well.” At each presentation, students will have the chance to speak with NSU’s study abroad program providers to learn more about different programs and gain insight into the options they have when it comes to studying abroad as an NSU shark. “I think it’s a super valuable [opportunity] because students get to talk directly with the program providers. So, if they know that they want to go with a specific program, they can speak to them, ask them specific questions and gain general interpersonal skills and my presentation skills and that was my mindset going into it.” Students, alumni and family are welcome to attend the online symposium and view the projects being presented. Additionally, more information on the USS can be found on its website . Despite less than perfect circumstances in this new virtual format, Rosenblum said, “If there’s a will there’s a way, we will make sure student research is celebrated.” information as well. Our program providers are awesome… It’s also really interactive and we always do tons of giveaways and raffles,” said Campanella. At every presentation, the Sharks Abroad Office will give away two $25 Amazon gift cards. NSU students who attend the virtual events will also be entered for the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card at the end of the month. For a full list of presentations and information about how to register for the events, visit the sharks abroad website at nova.edu/sharksabroad or connect with their Instagram page @sharksabroad. By: Emma Heineman Features Editor By: Rick Esner News Editor PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY R. ST. GEORGE Undergraduate students Stephanie Talavera and Anastasia Zwenger present their research on memory and attention while SCUBA diving.