Researchers from the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion are the first to examine the relationship between grit and a muscular endurance performance task – specifically, the grueling back squat. The expectation was that a “gritty” individual would perform above normal expectations or, in the context of resistance training, perform more repetitions in a resistance training set. Read more.

Emmanuelle Tognoli, Ph.D, a research professor in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, is part of a team of FAU researchers that were awarded a $675,000 grant to design experiences, or mathematical model, that give older adults a chance to form meaningful social interactions while accommodating for age-related impairments.⁠ Read more.

In a recent study published in the Royal Society’s journal Biology Letters, Morgan Slevin, lead and corresponding author and an FAU doctoral student in integrative biology and neuroscience, studied the gut microbiota in relation to cognitive performance in 38 zebra finches to determine how the gut microbiome affects the brain and decision making. Read more.

Shi Bai, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, is working on a mathematical method called lattice-based cryptographic systems, which is the use of mathematical equations to protect the security of messages. The race is on to build better cybersecurity to combat the looming threat of quantum computers and their ability to crack encrypted data. Read more.

Despite a challenging year due to COVID-19, sponsored research awards to FAU faculty are up, and continue to rise. For the 2021 fiscal year, the Schmidt College of Science research awards amounted to over $10.5 million, up nearly $1 million from the previous fiscal year. Read more on President John Kelly's blog commending research efforts.

FAU’s Center for Online and Continuing Education (COCE) has been selected as the recipient of the Online Learning Consortium Accelerate 2021 Excellence and Innovation in Online Teaching Award for the development of online science labs in collaboration with faculty from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. The award submission focused on the innovative use of technology and effective online pedagogy in the development of interactive and immersive online science labs.

Faculty in the college, including the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Biological Sciences, have been at the forefront of innovative online science labs that provide students with a realistic laboratory experience while maintaining the excitement of performing and analyzing data from experiments. Read more.

We are celebrating shark awareness to commemorate research and conservation of 500 unique species of sharks. Learn about these important ocean predators and scientists from the Schmidt College of Science studying everything from how they swim to migration patterns. Read more.

Professor and director of FAU’s Center for Environmental Studies, Colin Polsky, Ph.D., was featured in Boca Magazine’s Winds of Change article to discuss the challenges that South Florida faces on the front lines of the global climate crisis. Read more.

Watch 2021 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Championship Second Runner-Up, Nirthieca Suthakaran, present “The Effects of STXBP1 in Infant Epilepsy.” Nirthieca, a Ph.D. student in Integrative Biology, was awarded $1,000 as the 3MT Championship Second Runner-Up winner. Learn more about the FAU 3MT Competition.

Open to members of the FAU community - students, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff - to showcase the cutting-edge research, scholarship, and creativity happening at FAU. Submit your photographs today for an opportunity to win an iPad, Apple Watch, or AirPods. Top photographs will be published in an upcoming issue of Owl Research and Innovation magazine. Learn more.

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

FAU is planning a full on-campus, in-person instruction and campus experience beginning Fall 2021. For more information on COVID-19 updates and campus guidance visit: fau.edu/coronavirus/.

Submit your news for Science Connect to scicomm@fau.edu.