CHARLES E. SCHMIDT COLLEGE OF SCIENCE | AUGUST 2020 View as Webpage
Professor of Biological Sciences Featured on WPTV5 for Face Mask Experiment
Nwadiuta Esiobu, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences, was recently featured on WPTV5 for an experiment to determine the effectiveness of various face coverings at stopping the spread of germs. The segment aired on affiliate stations across the nation. The experiment looked at the effectiveness of three different types of face coverings: an N95 mask, a cloth mask, and a face gaiter. Read more.
Papiya Bhattacharjee Recipient of Distance Learning Association Innovation Award
Papiya Bhattacharjee, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, received the United States Distance Learning Association’s Innovation Award, one of the world's most prestigious distance learning awards, in conjunction with FAU's Center for Online and Continuing Education. Battacharjee was recognized at a virtual meeting on July 23, 2020. The award is for the development of the “Methods of Calculus" eText adaptation, a free open educational resource, provided at no cost to students. Read more.
Congratulations Class of 2020 Future Doctors
Congratulations to FAU's future doctors on their acceptance to health professional medical programs! Our pre-health professional students' acceptance recognizes countless hours of hard work and determination. Click here to see the Owls who are going on to pursue a career in medicine.
Pursue a Degree in Geosciences at FAU
Students that study geosciences have the opportunity to experience all that nature has to offer. And at FAU, the world becomes your classroom; with a strong field-based research component that includes study areas throughout South Florida and across the globe. This is complemented by the cutting-edge science conducted in our labs, which are equipped with state of the art technology. Our program provides the flexibility you need, allowing students to pick and choose between traditional and fully online classes. Learn more.
University Coronavirus Updates
FAU continues to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19). For the most recent updates, visit the University's dedicated web page at www.fau.edu/coronavirus.
Researcher Maps Out Visuals for the Brain to Recreate a New Future
Summer Sheremata, Ph.D., refines mapping tools of healthy brains in an effort to help identify where systems can go awry in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other psychiatric and neurological disorders.

“We need to grab sensory information from the external world, but also maintain the memory and meaning of that information,” said Sheremata, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and the FAU Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Read more.
Three Minute Thesis Championship Runner-Up Michelle Edwards
Congratulations to Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Championship Runner-Up, Michelle Edwards. Michelle's winning talk is titled: “Exposure to Multiple Algal Toxins Among Juvenile Bull Sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon” She works with faculty advisor, Matthew Ajemian, Ph.D. Click here to learn more and see all of the 3MT Competition winners from the College of Science.
Pre-Health Professions Offerings Expand on FAU's Davie Campus
The Schmidt College of Science Pre-Health Professions Office is providing a greater presence on the Davie campus. The Pre-Health team will be working closely with the Undergraduate Admissions office to develop science pathways to pre-health degree programs, providing more offerings for different majors on the campus, and will support those efforts with additional advisors. The Davie campus Pre-Health Professions team includes Gina Jones, Pre-Health Advising Director, and advisors Ana Botero and Versel Reid. Read more.
Pre-Health Office Virtual Workshops and Support
With the recent changes at FAU due to COVID-19, the Pre-Health Professions office immediately revised how they work with, advise, and support their students.

In order to continue serving their students, a range of programming, workshops, and student support activities are available in a virtual environment. Read more.
Stephen Kaijura Filmed for Nat Geo Sharkfest
Stephen Kaijura, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences, will be in three of the programs featured in National Geographic's Sharkfest 2020. National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild together are airing five full weeks of shark programming with seventeen original premieres. The eighth annual event, which began in July has air dates through August, on National Geographic, followed by two weeks of content on Nat Geo WILD. Read more.
Alumna Breanna Degroot Lead Author on Whitespotted Eagle Ray Behavior Study
Breanna DeGroot, an alumna of the M.S. in Biological Sciences program at FAU, is lead author on a study using uniquely coded transmitters and acoustic telemetry to give researchers a leading edge to unravel fine-scale movement, behavior, and habitat use of the "near-threatened" whitespotted eagle rays in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Breanna is a research technician with the Fisheries Ecology and Conservation program. Breanna is working with Matt Ajemian, Ph.D., co-author and an assistant research professor at FAU’s Harbor Branch. Read more.
Announcing Partnership with MediaOps, and Call for Presentations
MediaOps Partnership

FAU's third annual Data Science, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Conference will be held on the MediaOps, Inc.virtual conference platform. MediaOps brings virtual conferences to the next level, with a range of features for an immersive virtual experience.

Call for Presentations

The proposals for thirty-minute presentations should be original research, demonstrations, or conversation topics, that help users of data science and artificial intelligence in south Florida and beyond. Student poster presentation proposals are also accepted for consideration.
Engage with the data science and AI community across industry, government, and higher education • Share your business or academic expertise • Showcase the latest trends and developments
Presentation Proposal Submission Deadline: Monday, August 17, 2020
Conference Date:
Saturday, November 14, 2020  
9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET
Scientific Editor Chat with Ata Sarajedini
Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., professor and Bjorn Lamborn Endowed Chair in Astrophysics, was recently interviewed by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) of Journals to discuss his research and role as a scientific editor for the AAS Journals. Sarajedini goes into detail about what is on the horizon for the field, how he chose to study observational stellar astronomy, and more. Watch here.
Human Mission to Mars Course Highlights
No Prior Orbit Experience Necessary. Watch highlights from the Fall 2019 Human Mission to Mars course, including lectures from space experts, the unique coursework our students participated in, and view the journey taken by students in the inaugural FAU mission to mars. Learn more.
Viewing the NEOWISE Comet
Using the Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) space telescope, scientists first spotted the comet, now known as NEOWISE, as it hurtled toward the sun on March 27, 2020. The comet, which is about three miles across, gradually brightened as sunlight and solar wind caused it to release gases and form a tail. Shown here is a photo taken by FAU Observatory Manager and Instructor, Eric Vandernoot. Eric captured the comet through the Observatory telescope at an eight-second exposure at 6:50 am on July 12. You can still view the comet in the night sky through early August.
In the News
Maryam Ghasemi Ghonchehnazi Accepted into a Radiotherapy in Physics Residency Program
Maryam Ghasemi, an alumna of the Professional Science Master in Medical Physics was admitted into a Radiotherapy Physics Residency program at the University of California at San Diego Department of Radiation Oncology. Read more.
Marjan Shojaei Admitted to Residency in Radiation Oncology
Marjan Shojaei, a graduate of FAU's internationally accredited Professional Science Master in Medical Physics in Fall 2018, was admitted to residency in Radiation Oncology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Read more.
FAU Cares Emergency Fund for Students
Florida Atlantic University has established the "FAU Cares Emergency Fund" for currently registered, degree-seeking students who are experiencing financial hardship. The fund can be used for education-related expenses such as room, board, tuition, and personal expenses.
Students can apply here through FAU’s Office of Student Financial Aid. For more information and to donate to the FAU Cares Emergency Fund, visit fauf.fau.edu/fau-cares.
Sponsored Research Awards
Nwadiuto Esiobu, Ph.D.
Florida Native Plant Society, $1,494

Marguerite Koch-Rose, Ph.D.
South Florida Water Management District, $40,000

Brain Benscoter, Ph.D.
U.S. Department of Energy, $113,097

Rainer Steinwandt, Ph.D.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, $50,000
Colin Polsky, Ph.D.
Clark University FFT, $23,999

Alex Keene, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ National Institute of General Medical Sciences, $1,444,734

Gregg Fields, Ph.D.
Michigan Tech University-FFT, $112,125
Upcoming Events
Submit your news for Science Connect to scicomm@fau.edu.