Science Connect // Exercise Science, $1 Million Gift, Meet Astro Dog, Student Spotlight, Ask a Scientist, and more!

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

Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion Joins the College of Science

The Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion (ESHP) comes to us from the College of Education, and is led by Dr. Michael Whitehurst, who serves as the Chair and Professor. The department offers interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in a number of areas, such as clinical, corporate, and community health promotion, post graduate study in health sciences, and even advanced study in areas such as biomedical sciences. ESHP has over 1,000 undergraduate majors, making it the fifth largest undergraduate degree program at the University. Read more.

FAU Receives $1 million From Rubin and Cindy Gruber

Rubin and Cindy Gruber. Photo: Jeffrey Tholl Photography.

FAU officially announced a $1 million gift from Rubin and Cindy Gruber to establish The Rubin and Cindy Gruber Sandbox and to support student scholarships through their endowment.

The Rubin and Cindy Gruber Sandbox will house the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science’s Machine Perception & Cognitive Robotics Laboratory (MPCR) within the S.E. Wimberly Library at FAU’s Boca Raton campus. Students will be able to directly engage with the fast-advancing field of artificial intelligence. Led by co-directors Elan Barenholtz, Ph.D., and William Edward Hahn, Ph.D., the MPCR Lab has produced high-profile research and created strong community partnerships with local industries. Read more.

Ask a Scientist

Florida Atlantic University College of Science Dean, Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., discusses the elements of the scientific method and interviews shark researcher, Stephen Kajiura, Ph.D. Kajiura studies the seasonal aggregations of black tip sharks that visit South Florida during the winter months. Stephen is a Professor of Biology at Florida Atlantic University. Listen here.

Florida Atlantic University College of Science Dean, Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., discusses how the scientific method is a tool used to better understand the natural world. He interviews Gregg Fields, Ph.D., who studies metastasis, or how cancer spreads throughout the body - often considered the deadliest aspect of the disease. Dr. Fields and his research team are looking for ways to stop the spread of cancer. Listen here.

Meet Ph.D. Candidate Kate Galloway

Integrative Biology Ph.D. candidate, Kate Galloway, works alongside Marianne Porter, Ph.D., in the Florida Atlantic Biomechanics Lab.

Ph.D. candidate in Integrative Biology, Kate Galloway, goes into detail about her research, her experience at FAU and where you can find her exhibit on lionfish in this recent Q&A. Read more.

Meet Astro the Robo Dog

Astro the robo dog standing with Elan Barenholtz, Ph.D., and Pedram Nimreezi

Robo dog might look like a cross between Batman and the Terminator, but this four-legged, mechanical canine is being trained to help people. The Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Lab (MPCR) uses a combination of deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) when programming the 100-pound super robot. Read more.

Advisor Spotlight: Wendy Gueldner

Meet College of Science Academic Advisor Wendy Gueldner, she advises Biology, Geosciences, and Health Science students. She has over eight years of experience in advising and over 17 years of experience in higher education, including work in admissions and annual giving. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and has worked with local non-profits such as Jewish National Fund and the Disabled Veteran's LIFE Memorial Foundation. Originally from New York, she has been living in Florida since 2003, and is married with boy/girl twins and a 12-year old yellow lab named Molly. To make an appointment and meet with Wendy or another advisor, visit the Make an Advising Appointment page.

In the News

Tolerance to Stress is a "Trade-Off" as Flies Age

With the help of the common fruit fly (D. melanogaster), which ages quickly because it only lives about 60 days, neuroscientists from Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science provide insights into healthy aging by investigating the effects of a foraging gene on age and stress tolerance. Read More.

Rod Murphey AVP for Academic Affairs, Jupiter

Florida Atlantic University named Rod Murphey, Ph.D., the new Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs of FAU's John D. MacArthur Campus. Murphey previously served FAU as chair of Biological Sciences, director of the Jupiter Life Science Initiative, and Director of the Integrative Biology Ph.D. program. Murphey will be responsible for the management of all academic operations on the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter.

Gregg Fields Named Exec. Director, FAU I-HEALTH

Florida Atlantic University has named Gregg B. Fields, Ph.D., as executive director of FAU’s Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-HEALTH), one of the university’s four research pillars. Fields served as a professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and director of the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Read more.

Deep Learning Short Course

Monday, August 12-Friday, August 16

FAU’s Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics (MPCR) Lab is hosting an Introduction to Deep Learning Short Course. This course is for individuals with minimal to no prior experience in Deep Learning. Get hands-on practice with real world applications, learn about Deep Neural Networks and the applied research projects taking place in the lab. Register here.