FAU Department of Psychology Assistant Professor, Carmen Varela, Ph.D., recently received the Alzheimer’s Association’s “Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity” award to investigate the relationship between sleep patterns and one’s overall brain health. Read more on the FAU News Desk. Watch the spotlight with Dr. Varela on WPLG Local 10 News.

Researchers from the Schmidt College of Science found that habitat quality, disease state, and immune function are intertwined, impacting juvenile green sea turtles. Read more.

Listen to the interview with Sarah Milton, Ph.D., lead author on the study and Chair and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, on NPR member station, WLRN Radio.

Necibe Tuncer, Ph.D., study author and an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and collaborators, are the first to introduce a novel mathematical framework to study the interplay between infectious diseases, human behavior, and economic growth. Read more.

A group of 14 Master of Urban and Regional Planning students, led by Louis A. Merlin, Ph.D., AICP, Assistant Professor, were awarded the Outstanding Student Project Award from the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association. The award was presented at the Florida Planning Conference in September, for the team’s Plan for the Northwest Planning Area in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Read more.

Findings from a study performed by Francis Motta, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics, and collaborators, suggest that surveillance testing and isolation of positive cases may remain important mitigation strategies for universities even if 100 percent of the students are vaccinated against COVID-19. Motta worked closely with collaborators at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. Read more.

Scientists from the Department of Geosciences have received an exploratory grant from the United States Department of Energy for a novel ground-penetrating radar prototype to efficiently identify hot spots and hot moments for biogenic gas accumulation and release in the subtropical peat soils of Florida’s Everglades. Professor Xavier Comas, Ph.D., is principal investigator on the study, working with co-investigator, FAU Professor, Caiyun Zhang, Ph.D., and collaborators in the USGS and Exeter University. Read more.

Researchers from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning are the first to explore whether greater amounts of neighborhood open space and forest are associated with neighborhood-based walking in older adults in the United States. Moreover, this is the first known nationally representative study to suggest that physical activity levels among older African Americans may benefit from greater amounts of neighborhood open space, including parks. The study was led by Lilah Besser, Ph.D., (pictured left) first author and Assistant Professor, in collaboration with Diana Mitsova, Ph.D., (pictured right) co-author, Professor, John DeGrove Eminent Scholar Chair in Growth Management and Development, and Director of the Visual Planning Technology Lab. Read more.

The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science is proud to announce the Summer 2021 Dean's List. Congratulations to our high achieving undergraduates. Read more.

The Schmidt College of Science is pleased to announce several new appointments to leadership positions: the Associate Dean for Faculty Development, John Baldwin, Ph.D., (pictured left), Associate Dean for Research, Predrag Cudic, Ph.D., (pictured middle), and the Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Andrew Terentis, Ph.D., (pictured right).

Interim Chair and Professor of the Department of Psychology, Robin Vallacher, Ph.D., (pictured left) was interviewed alongside FAU Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, Kevin Wagner, Ph.D., on West Palm Beach's WPTV 5 show "To the Point." Vallacher and Wagner discussed how social media has changed our political discourse. Watch here.

Read about the world changing work of FAU scientists in this latest issue of Owl Research & Innovation, Watching the World Warm Up: The Changing Face of Climate Science. Read more.

Wayne Robinson, a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior, is a member of Tanja Godenschwege, Ph.D.'s, laboratory on FAU's Jupiter campus. Robinson has mastered skills in molecular biology and imaging to investigate the cellular causes of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Read more.

Get outside this coming weekend and visit the Schmidt College of Science at the 8th Annual LagoonFest on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach. Additional FAU and research partner exhibits include FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, OctoNation (presented by FAU alumna, “Octogirl,” Chelsea Bennice, Ph.D.), Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Enjoy activities such as kayak and boat tours of Lake Worth Lagoon, and a “Kid’s Zone” for family activities. Admission is free. Learn more.

Challenge the CNA exam this fall with the Schmidt College of Science continuing education course, Certified Nursing Assistant Test Prep.

Session 2: starts Nov. 13

Learn about graduate and undergraduate programs, certificates, minors, and career opportunities offered across the Schmidt College of Science. Learn more.

Graduate Programs in Psychology Workshop

Exploring Careers in Environment, Design & Policy: Geosciences, Urban Development, Urban & Regional Planning Workshop

All workshops will be virtual and open to all campuses. Workshops serve a range of students, from freshman to seniors, and topics including Pre-Health Freshman FAQ, Interview Boot Camp, How to Open a File, and more. Learn more.

Watch 2021 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Championship Competitor, Afrouz Ataei, present “Liver Cancer Risk Quantification Through an Artificial Neural Network Based on Personal Health Data.” Learn more about the FAU 3MT Competition.

Join the next Breezeway Dialogues: The Crisis of Race and Policing: Wrong, Right and Everything in Between on Nov. 3, 12 p.m., at the Social Science Rotunda (SO-44), Boca Raton campus. Learn more.

FAU strongly encourages everyone to wear face coverings inside buildings as well as outside when around large groups of people. Help us move Forward Together.

Submit your news for Science Connect to [email protected].