Science Connect // CBS 12 Features FAU Mars Course, Climate Change Polling, NSF Funds Geosciences, In the News, and more!

CHARLES E. SCHMIDT COLLEGE OF SCIENCE | NOVEMBER 2019 View as Webpage

FAU Human Mission to Mars Course Featured on CBS 12 News

CBS 12 News meteorologist Lauren Olesky visited the College of Science Human Mission to Mars class to learn about this unique course offered at the University. CBS 12 News developed two segments about the course. Watch part 2 here. Learn more about the course at fau.edu/mars.

FAU Poll Shows Most Floridians Concerned About Climate

Change

A poll conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Center for Environmental Studies in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, and the Business and Economics Polling Initiative in FAU’s College of Business, found 68 percent of respondents agreed that climate change has them concerned about the well-being of future generations in Florida. Colin Polsky, director of the FAU Center for Environmental Studies, who led the effort, said the poll showed a surprising lack of a “grand partisan divide” on climate change in Florida, compared to the nation as a whole. Read More.

National Science Foundation Funds Florida Atlantic and Palm Beach State College Partnership for Geoscience Programs and Career Pathways

To address the shortage of geoscience students in the workforce, Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College were awarded $314,841 through the National Science Foundation Geopaths Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Project. This award facilitates the development of a model to increase recruitment and retention of students from Palm Beach State into geosciences programs at FAU. Read more .

13th Annual Pumpkin Drop and Physics Carnival

Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Professor, Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., and FAU First Lady Carolyn Kelly.

Thank you to FAU First Lady Carolyn Kelly for kicking off the annual event by dropping the first pumpkin off the SE-43 building roof. And with a resounding "splat" the festivities began for the 13th year of the Pumpkin Drop and Physics Carnival. Department of Physics Chair and Professor, Luc Wille, Ph.D., hosted, discussing common physics principles demonstrated through the various different drops to a number of school groups in attendance. Following the pumpkin-smashing, everyone enjoyed physics-related carnival games, face painting, dunk tank, and nitrogen ice cream. View photos. Watch the Pumpkin Drop video.

Second Annual FAU Data Science and Analytics Conference

The Second Annual Data Science and Analytics Conference celebrated great success in bringing together the research interests of Florida Atlantic University and local industry leaders. On Saturday, November 2, 2019, over 200 data scientists, local leaders, faculty, and students collaborated in the areas of data science, artificial intelligence and analytics. This year’s conference included:

Keynote talks from experts Nicole Darden Ford, Vice President and CISO, and Kathleen McFetridge, Vice President of Infrastructure, at Carrier Global Corporation, discussing “How to Use Automation and Emerging Technologies to Solve Real-World Problems;”
A keynote talk from Felix Hartmann, Managing Partner at Hartmann Capital, LLC on the topic of “Digital Identity, Data Sovereignty and the Coming Data Science Renaissance;”
“Lightning” talks from leaders at Modernizing Medicine, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter Medical Center, and more;
Speed Networking sessions to discuss issues and find solutions with area data scientists;
Data Demonstrations to learn about current data science and analytics techniques.

View photos from the conference. Learn more at fau.edu/data.

Maria Fadiman, Ph.D., Speaks at National Geographic Explorer's Festival

Associate Professor of Geosciences at the Charles. E. Schmidt College of Science, Maria Fadiman, Ph.D., spoke at the National Geographic Explorer's Festival 2019 on "Conservation and Plant Use." Photographer: Leigh Vogel, National Geographic Explorer’s Festival Spotlight Talk. Find out more .

Kaitlin Grell, Biological Sciences Alumna

Kaitlin Grell at the Seas with Nemo & Friends, Walt Disney World.

Kaitlin Grell earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and an Environmental Science Certificate from FAU in May of 2019. After graduating from FAU, Kaitlin began working with the Walt Disney World Company as an Aquatic Research Intern at the Seas with Nemo & Friends. Read More.

Ask a Scientist Featuring Deborah D'Avolio, Ph.D.

Florida Atlantic University College of Science Dean, Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., discusses systematic work undertaken to increase the amount of knowledge we have. Ata interviews Associate Professor from the FAU Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Deborah D. Avolio, Ph.D., Deborah talks about how research and adding a core curriculum can help with keeping healthcare providers up-to-date on the knowledge required to counter unmet health care needs, such as patients with delirium. This interview was made in partnership with the Research in Action lecture series , as part of the FAU Division of Research.

Listen here.

To Learn English, Bilingual Children Need a Robust Vocabulary

A new study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University , including our own Professor of Psychology, Erika Hoff, Ph.D., at the College of Science, and collaborators at The George Washington University, digs deep into these differences and finds that differences in the vocabulary used while talking to children affect how useful that speech is to the child trying to figure out the patterns of language. Read More.

Colgan Foundation Supports FAU Shark Research

The migration and behavioral patterns of blacktip sharks can tell us a lot about the health of our oceans. That’s why we’re grateful for the generous and ongoing support from the Colgan Foundation to renowned shark researcher Stephen Kajiura, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

Artificial Intelligence-Equipped Rovers: An Interview with Science Magazine

Elan Barenholtz, Ph.D., and William Hahn, Ph.D., co-directors of the Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Lab, are running versions of classic psychology experiments on robots equipped with artificial intelligence. Read the Science Magazine interview.

Contact the Office of Undergraduate and Research Inquiry about undergraduate research opportunities at ouri@fau.edu, or visit General Classroom South-2, Room 212

RSVP for The Case for Space

Tickets available now! Don't miss an evening with noted space expert and author, Robert Zubrin, Ph.D. Join us as he explores how the revolution in spaceflight opens up a future of limitless possibility.

RSVP HERE

The books "The Case for Space" and "The Case for Mars" will be on sale in the lobby before and after the talk. Question and answer session and book signing following the talk.

In the News

Explore FAU Day

The October 19, 2019, Explore FAU Day was a success! Prospective students had a chance to explore all that FAU has to offer. We had over 500 high school students and family members visit the College of Science to talk with our students, faculty, and staff about the programs we offer and the exciting research we perform.

View photos.

Biometric Invention

Student and faculty researchers from the Department of Mathematical Sciences recently filed a utility patent application for an invention that addresses the problem of biometric data protection at different stages of collection, using simple and intuitive transformation techniques to enhance overall data security and resistance to fraud. Read more.