UNF's new president has arrived on campus! Today marked Dr. Moez Limayem's first official day as the seventh president of the University of North Florida. Welcome to the Osprey Family, President Limayem! View Dr. Limayem's message to the campus community.
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Dr. Kaveri Subrahmanyam officially began her UNF journey on July 25 as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences after being appointed to the position earlier this year. Subrahmanyam previously worked at California State University in Los Angeles as associate dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences. As she becomes familiar with her new surroundings, she took some time to share a few things about herself:
Why UNF?
I was drawn to UNF because of its focus on student success — it is something that I have been passionate about in my prior work as a teacher, scholar and administrator. I am also a huge believer in the value of public universities and have seen firsthand how institutions such as UNF transform people’s lives and contribute to economic growth in the regions where they are located. The outstanding faculty and staff of UNF are key to making all this possible here in Northeast Florida. Supporting them and ensuring that students succeed is a dream come true for me. The beautiful campus, awesome weather and lovely people were all a big bonus.
What will your new role involve?
First and foremost, I will be leading COAS’s efforts toward advancing the University’s teaching, scholarship and service missions. I will also be responsible for the academic, budgetary and administrative affairs of the College. An important part of my role will be to create a positive and supportive environment so that the students, faculty and staff served by the College can thrive. I will also be interacting with parents, alumni, donors and community members; a key part of my work with these stakeholders will be to communicate the distinctiveness of COAS, celebrate student and faculty successes and seek partnerships to advance innovation and opportunity.
Considering the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest academic college at UNF, what are some goals you’d like to accomplish within your first year?
Given the complexity and disciplinary diversity of COAS, one early priority will be finding out as much as I can about the college. This first semester will be a time for listening and asking questions. I want to learn as much as I can about the people, programs, and resources in COAS as well as the strengths, challenges and opportunities. So, I am going to be reaching out and meeting with folks in the College as well as in the University and surrounding community. Student success is also very important to me — I want to find out what we can do better to help students at key touch points so they can connect the dots and graduate in a timely manner with a job and/or a path towards a fulfilling career. A third goal is to make the College an engaging and welcoming community.
What previous awards or accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am most proud of awards that I received at my previous institution related to my work as a teacher-scholar and mentor. I ran an active laboratory of undergraduate and graduate students, most of whom were from low-income, first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds. All of them graduated and many went on to pursue a master’s or a Ph.D. and have very fulfilling careers. Most are still in contact with me, and I have attended personal milestones in their lives. They are like family, and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to have played a small part in their educational journey.
As someone who holds multiple psychology degrees, what initially led you to choose psychology as a field of study?
I was always fascinated by people, their behavior and motivations. This interest led me to study psychology for my undergraduate degree and I have been hooked ever since.
What is the best advice you've ever received?
The best advice I have received is to talk less and listen more, and to truly hear what the other person is trying to say. The next best advice is to lead by example — whether you are a parent, friend, or leader, you must model the behavior that you expect from others.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in India — in a small township where my dad worked at a nuclear power plant. It was a self-contained little community about 40 miles to the nearest city. My school was on the beach, and it was a very peaceful and idyllic life.
What do you do to relax?
To relax I like to travel, cook western-Indian fusion food, read books about the history of human behavior, watch movies and hang out with my family.
And there's more ...
Dr. Subrahmanyam has published impactful research articles and book chapters on youth and digital media, and is a co-author of "Digital Youth: The Role of Media in Development" (Springer, 2010).
By Byron E. Jones
As a former UNF student-athlete, coach and the current associate athletic director for Compliance and Administration, Nancy Miller has experienced firsthand the impact of Title IX in women’s sports at the collegiate level. A member of UNF’s inaugural women’s basketball team in 1992, Miller has been a fixture of North Florida Athletics for 30 years.
“I had this unique opportunity to be one of the founding members of a women’s basketball program. I was able to parlay that into two degrees, a longtime coaching career and now a career in administration,” said Miller. “I feel fortunate every day when I drive onto this campus that I still get to wear navy and gray, and call myself an Osprey.”
While the campus community celebrates UNF’s 50-year history, it’s also fitting to acknowledge 50 years of Title IX — which became public law on June 23, 1972, with the aim of prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.
Born in the mid-1970s, Miller recognizes she’s never been denied the opportunity to participate in sports recreationally or otherwise simply based on her gender thanks to Title IX — unlike so many before her. Miller began her sports journey at the age of six playing soccer while living in Northern Virginia. She cites Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini and Pat Summit as some of her sports heroes growing up. After moving to the Jacksonville area, she adopted the sport of basketball, which eventually led her to playing basketball at UNF. After a successful collegiate playing career, she transitioned into coaching before working in compliance.
In her current position, Miller is involved with various aspects of NCAA and university compliance for student-athletes including admissions, financial aid, housing and more. Through this role, Miller says she enjoys being a problem-solver and a resource for student-athletes, coaches and the athletics department staff. Miller and her colleagues also work with UNF’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion (EOI) to ensure the athletics staff and student-athletes receive annual Title IX and gender equity training.
Since UNF began competing in intercollegiate sports in the fall of 1983 with men’s and women’s cross country, the athletics department has grown exponentially. To date, UNF Athletics competes at the Division I level with 19 teams (including 11 women’s teams) consisting of 300+ student-athletes. The current landscape of women’s sports at UNF is flourishing with room for continued growth. Miller shares that she has seen an abundant upswing in women’s equity in sports throughout the years.
While she acknowledges there’s still room for improvement regarding Title IX implementation at many institutions including UNF, she recognizes its positive impact in her career. “I wouldn’t be here today as an associate athletic director of a Division I college program if Title IX hadn’t been passed,” Miller said.
Senior Associate AD for Compliance and Administration/SWA Donna Kirk, shares similar sentiments stating that it’s commonplace to see women in executive roles across the athletics and sports landscape because of Title IX. Kirk also champions the opportunities afforded to female athletes because of Title IX. “The amount of scholarship aid available to assist female student-athletes pursue their education and earn degrees would not be what it is without Title IX,” Kirk said. In their roles as administrators, both Kirk and Miller list scholarship dollars and media attention among the biggest improvements they’ve seen regarding women’s equity in sports.
“At UNF, we’ve always been strong proponents of Title IX and gender equity,” said Miller. “You can review coaching salaries, resource allotment, equipment, budgets, scholarships … and realize how attentive to detail we have been with providing equitable resources for both our male and female student-athletes and teams.”
Learn more about Nancy Miller and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.
By Marsha Blasco
With one parent a physician and the other an artist and musician, Dr. Amy Keagy went off to college thinking it was likely that only one would be happy with her career choice. That all changed when her biology professor saw a sketch Keagy had made of a specimen and suggested she explore the field of scientific illustration. It was the first time she realized that she could combine her love of science and art.
Now a biology lecturer at UNF and a freelance scientific illustrator, she wants biology students to see that art is a great addition to science. To do that, she is teaching Scientific Illustration as a summer elective. Thirteen biology majors are learning the techniques they will need to create scientific illustrations for presentations and publications. They will create a portfolio, submit two illustrations to a gallery show Aug. 4 in the Biology Building, and develop a presentation on an organism they have been observing and illustrating during the course.
“I would have loved to have taken a class like this,” said Keagy, whose personal oil painting and illustrations of plants embellish her office walls. “I think there is a strong connection between the arts and sciences, and that many people who gravitate to the sciences have that creative experience of music or art in their background.”
To pursue both her interests and a love of teaching, Keagy earned undergraduate degrees in biology and art, a master’s degree in botany and later a doctorate in education. She also discovered the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators where she found many kindred spirits.
As a freelancer, she continues to help other professors who need illustrations for publications, explaining that photographs are seldom used because details can be missing depending on the angle and lighting. For example, to determine the species of certain snakes and reptiles requires counting the number of scales on the head. “Rather than rely on the resolution of the photo, an illustrator will study the reptile under the microscope, count the scales and depict them accurately,” Keagy said. “It’s that kind of detail that you can’t get from photography.”
Yet photography can be used as a first step in creating an illustration. Emily Hill, a rising senior and student in the class, took a photo of a juvenile Mexican alligator lizard at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens during a class trip. She was then able to use the image as a first layer in the digital illustration app Procreate® and add layers of ink and air brushing for texture. When she removed the photo layer, she had an accurate illustration.
Hill said they explored many art concepts in the course and also the importance of being detail oriented and applying the knowledge from their scientific courses to make accurate works of art. “I loved having a creative outlet that combined my two passions of art and science,” Hill said. “I am so grateful for having the opportunity to take this class.”
After hearing similar positive comments from students, Keagy hopes to be able to teach the course again. She had originally thought of offering it as an interdisciplinary course and making it available to students in other sciences as well as art students. “In that way, art students would be learning more science, and science students would be learning more art,” she said.
Illustrations of the Florida Scrub-Jay and the Juvenile Mexican Alligator Lizard shown above were created by biology student Emily Hill in Dr. Amy Keagy's Scientific Illustration class this summer. All student work will be on exhibition Thursday, Aug. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the UNF Biology Department, Building 59, 2502.
Mark your calendars! The date has been set. UNF's 2022 Convocation will be held Friday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. at the Lazzara Performance Hall, Fine Arts Building.
UNF's 51st Annual Convocation will be a celebration of the accomplishments of many colleagues and friends. It will also be an opportunity to hear remarks from President Limayem and to recognize the achievements of our faculty in the areas of International Service, International Leadership, Teaching, Scholarship, Service, and Advising. Another highlight of this program is the honoring of UNF's 45th Distinguished Professor, Michele Moore. Click here to view a list of awardees.
Meet Sheila Goloborotko, associate professor, Department of Art, Art History and Design in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Sheila Goloborotko is one of the 14 individual artists in Northeast Florida who was recently awarded 2022 Art Ventures Grants as part of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida’s Art Ventures initiative. Artists’ proposals were reviewed by a panel of judges and predominantly evaluated on artistic excellence, with additional consideration for how the artist is influenced by and impacts Northeast Florida. In addition, Goloborotko’s prints are currently included in the exhibition “Picture Window” on display at Centro Espositivo San Vidal in Venice for two months during the Venice Biennale and at the Fortezza Orsini, in Sorano, Italy, during the Saturnia Film Festival Activism Biennale “The Dream.” And she is one of the 26 artists selected to exhibit in the 2022 Florida Biennial, at the Art and Culture Center, in Hollywood, Florida. This year, Florida Biennial received over 1,000 submitted works from 349 artists.
What courses do you teach?
I teach Printmaking: Intro to Printmaking, a survey course that introduces students and makes them fall in love with the world of making prints; Intaglio, an upper-level class dedicated to developing imagery and mark making on metal plates with tools or corrosive mordents, and advanced printing methods; Relief, where students carve linoleum blocks and woodblocks including a large scale woodblock printed in a parking lot with the use of a steam roller; Multiple Ones, a course dedicated to one-of-a-kind printing methods; Kitchen as a Studio, an online course where students learn alternative printing methods used outside a traditional printing studio; and Edition Printing, a class dedicated to printing editions to a visiting artist. I also teach printmaking during study abroad trips; I just returned from a study abroad Printmaking in Brazil, and I have taught Printmaking in Italy.
What research are you doing?
My creative research focuses on print media as the graphic science of democracy — a tool that fosters community building and information sharing to create new socio-political ecologies. I investigate ways that feasibility, sustainability, and venture creation are the natural outgrowths of an ethical printmaking, grassroots-run, people-powered society.
As a multidisciplinary artist, my practice engages in a relentless auto-ethnographic examination of contemporaneous issues as a form of resistance and poetic activism. Resulting works take symbols of intransient, impermanence, and stasis — natural systems, founding documents, language, and democracy itself — and make them changeable, shifting, active, and unsettled. In an ideal merging of method and message, the work invites us into the chaos to find meaning and to engage in important questions about our relationship with nature, information, and one another.
How long have you worked at UNF?
Seven years! I started teaching at UNF in the fall of 2015.
What do you enjoy most about working here?
I love working with UNF's diverse, curious, exciting, inclusive and caring students. Creativity, experimentation and positive energy fill our print studio, which feeds and fuels my passion for teaching and art making. I am blessed to be surrounded by my colleagues, remarkable artists, and thinkers in the Art, Art History and Design department. In addition, I thrive on collaborating with colleagues in other departments.
It is also important to me how UNF recognizes the importance of research creating multiple opportunities for faculty to grow and receive funding.
How do you like to spend your time when you aren’t working?
That is a funny question; perhaps I should start answering by saying I love languages, and English is my fourth language. In English, we have the words "job" and "work" to describe what one's does for a living. Artists are always at work! When I am not at UNF, I am working at my studio developing my creative research and practice — my work. Even when I am outside the studio, the studio is inside me. If I am in a museum, walking on the beach, or hiking, I am always at work. At UNF, I don't have a job; I have work. I believe my duty as an artist and educator is to make art and educate people on how to see and create art themselves. My work is to cultivate and nurture Culture. This is a lifetime endeavor, intrinsically connected with my studio practice, and it is always with me, I am always at work!
Where did you grow up?
My grandparents fled the pogroms in Poland and Russia, and my parents were both born in Brazil. I was born and grew up in São Paulo, under the military regime in Brazil.
Where did you go to school?
Brazilian dictatorship and censorship undermined art schools and universities and forced artists and thinkers into exile. I chose to study Architecture and Urban Planning, the sensible option for many artists of my generation. After graduating, I came to New York for my MFA, received numerous grants to fund my graduate studies, and graduated from Brooklyn College in New York. I started teaching as an adjunct at Brooklyn College before I graduated — and never stopped.
What’s the greatest bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
I learned from my parents, early in life, that we are all equal, under the sun — and that equality and social justice were the pillars of aspiration to build fairness across society. They also taught me that the highest form of wisdom is kindness. I hold these teachings near and dear to my heart — and practice them as my parent’s memories continue to be a blessing.
Who inspires you and why?
I am constantly inspired by artists, activists, educators and people in other fields who find the vocation to serve and lead lives filled with service or simple acts of kindness. Gratitude, compassion and kindness inspire me. It is a life of service, fulfilled by a compilation of many small gestures that can change society and each one of us — for our better selves.
What is a fun fact about you many people may not know?
Early on I disclosed in this interview that I love languages — l am always studying a new one. So that fact doesn’t count. Here is a new one: I love gardening and find a particular pleasure in growing plants from seeds. It is incredible how a tiny seed carries all the information it needs to grow into a tree that eventually feeds us. I think the faith in the whole process and the magic of something so tiny becoming so generous — gives me hope. It teaches me about the cycle of life — and death. I recently wrote that summarizes all: In Nature, change is the most reliable constant; decay and life, the brutal and the beautiful, learn to coexist. What’s the lesson? Nature is always adapting, finding new solutions. No one gesture that we humans make can ever fix the past; but it is certain that, as in Nature, many small gestures can bring about lasting change.
Meet Eric Dickey, Chief Procurement Officer, Procurement Services
What does your job involve?
Overseeing a team of highly qualified procurement and logistics professionals who help develop, negotiate and award contracts that bring the best overall value while still protecting the University from risk.
How long have you worked at UNF?
October 2022 will be six years.
What do you enjoy most about working here?
I find I get the most enjoyment from the people and friendships that I have created with colleagues from across campus. I also enjoy that UNF is so close to the beach and the vibe is more relaxed than the University I worked at previously.
How do you like to spend your time when you aren’t working?
Family is one of the most important things to me. So, when I am not working it is hanging with my wife and two daughters. Whether that is a day at the beach, going to Disney, or in a theatre watching a musical, as long as we are all together, I am grateful for the time they want to share with me.
Where did you grow up?
I was a military brat, so we moved around quite a bit. I was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. We also lived in Louisiana, England, Arizona, Texas and Alabama. To be honest though, I consider Alabama home. It was where both my parents are from and where I spent the last 25 years before moving to Jacksonville.
Where did you go to school?
I went to The University of Alabama, where I majored in Political Science. It was a great seven years. Needless to say, I had a great time! My parents thought I should have had a master’s degree, but the minor in partying really held me back.
What’s the greatest bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
My mother seemed to always give great advice. One of her favorite sayings was “The things in life you take for granted, someone else is praying for.” So, I have always taken that to heart, as well as believing that we should always be kind and respectful to everyone.
Who inspires you and why?
My wife, Angie. She is truly amazing. She is not only my best friend, but she is also an awesome mother to our two beautiful daughters, Sarah, 17, and Allie, 14. I thank God daily that he allowed her to be in my life.
What is a fun fact about you many people may not know?
I love in-person live theatre. Plays or musicals, it doesn’t matter. I just love going and sitting in a theatre. Watching a story unfold and come to life on a stage with live actors is an amazing experience. It’s like being able to escape to a different world, forget about your own problems and focus on someone else’s for a few hours.
Intro to Organic Gardening, Ogier Gardens
Wednesday, Aug. 3, 10 – 11 a.m.
Home gardening can improve your health, save you money, and increase your food security. Learn the basics of starting your own garden with the Ogier Gardens Coordinator, Kevin Anderson.
MOCA Movie Night: ‘Bamboozled’ (2000), MOCA Jacksonville
Thursday, Aug. 4, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of inspiring film as we present monthly screenings connecting to the themes and ideas of our exhibitions and current events. In coordination with the exhibition “Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick,” MOCA Movie Night presents a film by another artist using satire to explore America’s legacy of racism and themes of history, race, gender, and stereotypes. Learn more about the film.
Bam Lecture: ‘Black Feminist Visuality’
Tuesday, Aug. 9, 7 – 8 p.m., Virtual
MOCA's Black Art Matters lecture series highlights Black culture, representation, and history through virtual conversations with leading Black voices in the arts. This month, you can be a part of the conversation with MOCA Curator Ylva Rouse and Dr. Kelli Morgan, who will give her lecture “Black Feminist Visuality: African Women Artists and the Female Body.” Learn more about the lecture.
Ideas Of Our Time: ‘Afro-Nostalgia with Badia Ahad-Legardy’
Thursday, Aug. 25, 7 – 8 p.m., Virtual
Ideas of Our Time is a virtual lecture series providing a forum for creative dialogue with artists, educators, and others around some of the most vital and important art and ideas of our time. This month, join Badia Ahad-Legardy, author, professor, and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Loyola University Chicago for a discussion on her book, "Afro-Nostalgia: Feeling Good in Contemporary Black Culture." This lecture is presented in connection to “Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick.” Learn more about the virtual lecture series.
History of UNF Athletics Excellence
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Presented by a panel of former student-athletes, coaches, and donors will present about past teams and events, moderated by Nick Morrow, director of Athletics. This is a hybrid event that will be held in the Carpenter Library, Second Floor, Classroom 2102A and 2102B and hosted on Zoom simultaneously. Registration is required to attend in person or online.
New UNF Gallery exhibit features 70s art in celebrating of UNF’s 50th anniversary
Jordy/n (Jordy) Bowen, a University of North Florida senior majoring in fine arts, has curated a new exhibit of 1970s art from the UNF Carpenter Library’s Permanent Collection to celebrate UNF’s 50th anniversary. The collection will be on display through the closing reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8. Learn more about the exhibition.
UNF presents 10th annual STEM workshop for middle-school girls
UNF’s College of Computing, Engineering and Construction in partnership with Expanding Your Horizons North Florida hosted the 10th annual STEM workshop for girls in grades 5-8 on Saturday, July 30, at UNF’s Adam W. Herbert University Center. The day included discovery with hands-on math, science and engineering activities led by researchers, scientists, engineers and other STEM professionals from the community. Learn more about the STEM workshop.
UNF alum Sara Gaver crowned Ms. Wheelchair USA
UNF health administration alum and Jacksonville resident Sara Gaver has been crowned Ms. Wheelchair USA 2022. She will spend her yearlong reign on a national speaking tour representing Ms. Wheelchair USA, The Dane Foundation, and her platform, “Cultivating Creative Confidence.” Gaver was born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, a rare congenital disorder that causes muscle weakness, joint contractures and fibrosis. It’s a condition that requires her to use a wheelchair and necessitates 24-hour medical assistance because the use of her arms and legs is limited. Read more about Sara Gaver.
UNF engineers tested materials used on NASA’s Webb Telescope that released historic images
The University of North Florida’s Materials Science and Engineering Research Facility director Dr. Paul Eason and Dr. Philip Brooke, managing engineer with Exponent and UNF undergraduate engineering alum, worked on a grant-funded project in 2010 to flight certify composite panels for use on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) over a decade before it was launched into space on December 25, 2021. The JWST released its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on Tuesday, July 12. Learn more about the telescope project.
UNF English students re-envision Shakespeare in collaboration with Globe Theatre in London
University of North Florida English students are creatively re-envisioning one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays in collaboration with the world-renowned Globe Theatre in London this summer and plan to tour the production to various local community partners. The students, led by English instructor and Hicks Honors College fellow Will Pewitt, are adapting one of Shakespeare’s most complex comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing”—a play thematized by stigmatic gendering and its dynamics with the problematic potency of class—by deconstructing the inherited drama and reconstructing it more inclusively. Learn more about the production project.
UNF healthcare faculty partner with Brooks Rehabilitation to improve care transition
A group of Brooks College of Health faculty is working on a project funded by Brooks Rehabilitation to evaluate social conditions that contribute to the success of health plans once patients transition home from a care facility. This study will provide evidence-based recommendations on implementing more effective care transition plans for Brooks Rehabilitation and the Brooks Center for Care Transitions. It will also have internal and long-term broad impacts on the rehabilitation community, including patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities. Learn more about the care facility study.
We all know that water is a critical nutrient for our bodies. And for anyone who is active outdoors, it is even more important, especially in the heat. But how much water should you be drinking? What else can you drink if you don’t really like water? Should you be drinking sports drinks?
Dr. Lauri Wright, assistant professor, chair and co-director of the Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition program, visited with “First Coast Living” in July to share her expertise and answer some of those questions. Watch the segment online.
Brooks College of Health
Dr. Sericea Stallings-Smith, associate professor in the Department of Public Health, completed the three-week Residential Summer Course in Epidemiology, held in Florence, Italy. She earned a certificate in the areas of Epidemiological Methods, Statistical Models, and Infectious Disease Epidemiology through the European Educational Program in Epidemiology in partnership with the International Epidemiological Association, the World Health Organization, the London School of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, and the Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute.
Dr. Tes Tuason, psychology professor and clinical director, with student Kel Perniciaro, presented the paper “The Unintended Gifts of COVID: Psychological Well-being in the Philippines and ways of coping during COVID,” at the 10thEuropean Conference on Positive Psychology in Reykjavik, Iceland on June 29 – July 2, 2022. In addition, Tuason, with graduate computing student A. Jones, Dr. Karthikeyan Umapathy, associate professor at the School of Computing, and Dr. D. Richard, associate professor of psychology, presented the paper “Longitudinal Study on the Generational Impacts of Habitat for Humanity” at the virtual 18thInternational Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, May 20, 2022.
College of Arts and Sciences
Art, Art History, and Design
Vanessa Cruz, professor, received Fulbright Specialist Award to travel to Mongolia at GerHub. Cruz will complete a project at GerHub in Mongolia that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities both in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within education. She is one of 400 award recipients.
Sheila Goloborotko, associate professor of printmaking, is one of the 26 artists selected to exhibit in the 2022 Florida Biennial, at the Art and Culture Center, in Hollywood, Florida. This year, Florida Biennial received over 1,000 submitted works from 349 artists. Goloborotko is also one of the 14 individual artists in Northeast Florida Awarded 2022 Art Ventures Grants as part of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida’s Art Ventures initiative. In addition, her work is currently included in the exhibition “Picture Window” on display at Centro Espositivo San Vidal in Venice for two months during the Venice Biennale and at the Fortezza Orsini, in Sorano, Italy, during the Saturnia Film Festival Activism Biennale “The Dream.” In the U.S., her work is showcased at the Frogman’s Print Workshop, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Goloborotko and Claudia Scaff, associate professor, took printmaking and graphic design and digital media students for a three-week immersive, experiential and transformational study abroad in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The trip included visits to art galleries and museums, music and dance performances, and participation in popular culture festivities and events. Students worked collaboratively in teams to develop branding, marketing and digital media materials for Projeto Axé, a nonprofit art organization that offers art education to homeless children.
Lance Vickery, assistant professor of sculpture, and Jenny K. Hager, professor of sculpture, collaboration: Invited Artists Talk, “International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art,” International Sculpture Network.
English
Mark Ari, assistant professor of creative writing, published “The Scent of Art” in The International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy. June.
Dr. Nicholas de Villiers, professor of English and film, presented “Basic Pleasure Models, Femmes Fatales, Techno-Orientalist Androids, and ‘Girlfriend Experiences’ from 2019 to 2049 via 2022 and 2046” at the Blade Runner @ 40 conference, Bangor University, Wales. June. De Villiers also presented "Melancholy Ruins, 'Ruin Porn,' and Memory in Tsai Ming-liang’s ‘Stray Dogs,’ ‘Afternoon,’ and Queer Memoir" at the American Comparative Literature Association virtual conference. June.
Dr. Maureen McCluskey, visiting English instructor, published original costume designs in “Chittara Classica - Intervista a Sharon Isbin,” Weekly Magazine. June.
Marcus Pactor, associate English instructor, published the short story "Messages Sent in the Seventeenth Hour of the Defective Rat" in Always Crashing, Issue 5. June.
Music
Dr. Joshua Tomlinson, instructor and area coordinator of Music Technology and Production, continues to gain worldwide attention worldwide for his compositions. This coming September, his electroacoustic theater piece titled, “A Short Story,” was selected for performance at De Montfort University in Leicester, England, as part of the conference series Convergence 2022.
Danny Gottlieb, drum set professor, continues to have a productive summer filled with fun musical adventures, especially with The Walt Disney Company. On June 21, Danny and his percussionist wife, Beth, were featured on Disney Plus in a live concert performance as part of the Orchestra for the live stream of Disney's Harmonious Live show, featuring Idina Menzel.
Physics
Dr. Dewki Talwar, research associate in physics published the following two peer-reviewed papers: “Assessment of optical phonons in BeTe, BexZn1‑xTe, p‑BeTe epilayers and BeTe/ZnTe/GaAs (001) superlattices,” Devki N. Talwar, P. Becla, Applied Physics A, 128, 702 (2022) (June); and “Impact of interfacial thickness on Raman intensity profiles and phonon anisotropy in short-period (AlSb)n/(GaSb)m superlattices,” Devki N. Talwar, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 40, 042704 (2022); (June)
Political Science and Public Administration
Dr. Joshua C. Gellers, associate professor of political science, delivered a virtual keynote speech titled “Who Belongs to Communities of Justice in the Anthropocene?” at the Ph.D. Student Conference on Rights for Non-humans: AI, Robots, Cyborgs, Animals and Nature held at Uppsala University in Sweden (June). Gellers also delivered a virtual keynote speech entitled “Who Belongs to Communities of Justice in the Anthropocene?” at the PhD Student Conference on Rights for Non-humans: AI, Robots, Cyborgs, Animals and Nature held at Uppsala University in Sweden (June).
Psychology
Dr. Sara Davis, assistant professor of Cognitive Psychology, published “Simulated viewing distance impairs the confidence–accuracy relationship for long, but not moderate distances: support for a model incorporating the role of feature ambiguity” in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.
Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Jennifer Barr, instructor of social work, presented “Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Debunking Myths and Building Clinical Competency” at the annual Florida National Association of Social Workers conference in Orlando in June.
College of Education and Human Services
Dr. Shaqwana Freeman-Green, associate professor in Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter Education, has been selected to participate in the inaugural “Inquiry Initiative” sponsored by the Association of Teacher Educators, the nation’s oldest professional organization dedicated to the preparation of teachers. The Initiative is a “first of its kind” collaborative exploration of teacher education practices and research, focused on “opportunity gaps” in education. Opportunity gaps are defined as the unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and options individuals or groups encounter in schools, colleges and universities, and employment and professional contexts. Freeman-Green was one of just 80 university-and school-based teacher educators and education scholars from around the United State chosen to participate in the Initiative. The Initiative aims to cultivate and support collaborative research inquiries across geographic and institutional contexts over a three-year span. Imagined as an alternative to the traditional “drive-thru” mode of professional engagement available via most academic conferences, the Initiative will include sustained and sustainable professional partnerships that result in pedagogical innovations, research reports and presentations, and education policies.
Dr. Rakesh Maurya, assistant professor in Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management, and co-authors, published research titled “Life After Death: A Narrative Exploration of Near-Death Experiences” in Omega – Journal of Death and Dying, June 2022. This qualitative research explored the stories of four individuals who had near-death experiences. The focus of the study was to investigate changes in one's perception and attitude toward life following a near-death experience. Read the article online.
Dr. Matthew Ohlson, associate professor in Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management and director of the Taylor Leadership Institute, in collaboration with Dr. Lakshmi Goel of the Coggin College of Business, served as co-editor on the text “Leadership Strategies for the Hybrid Workforce: Best Practices for Fostering Employee Safety and Significance from IGI Global with chapters from prominent leaders in business, healthcare and education.” Learn more about the book online.
Dr. Nile Stanley, associate professor of Literacy and Arts Education, was a featured speaker and presented "How to perform like a Poetry Star" at the James Weldon Johnson Young Writer's Festival at the Jacksonville Public Library.
MilestonesIn Memoriam
The UNF community was saddened to learn of the death of Susana Watts, assistant director of CCB Operations, who passed away June 25. A native of the Philippines, Susana worked at the University for over 24 years. Read her obituary online.
Athletics Announces Ticketing Updates for 2022-23
With the first regular season home event three weeks away, North Florida Athletics releases ticketing information in advance of the 2022-23 athletics calendar. The breakdown of ticketed and free admission home events is changing this season. Learn more about the ticketing updates for 2022-23.
UNF Athletics Development Shatters Previous Fundraising Records
For the third consecutive year, North Florida Athletic Development shattered numerous fundraising marks across various initiatives and events. The achievements were only possible in large part due to the efforts of thousands of supporters, along with the assistance of coaches, student-athletes and staff. Learn more about the fundraising records set in fiscal year 2022.
O'Connell Named NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee
After putting the final competition chapter of her UNF Athletics career together this past spring, indoor and beach volleyball standout Gabby O'Connell was named an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee as announced Thursday, July 14. Learn more about O'Connell's nomination and the award.
North Florida Athletics Announces INFLCR Partnership
North Florida Athletics, its teams and student-athletes have acquired a powerful tool in sharing its stories, achievements and personalities as UNF has entered a partnership with INFLCR. As the premiere brand building and NIL businesses management platform, INFLCR is a software company that provides an app that enables student-athletes and coaches to more easily gain access to and then share videos, photos and other pieces of content taken of them throughout their respective seasons. Learn more about North Florida's new partnership.
North Florida Athletics Celebrates 202 ASUN Honor Roll Recipients
North Florida Athletics' department-wide academic success was recognized with a stellar showing on the 2021-22 ASUN Honor Roll as 202 North Florida student-athletes earned a spot on the list as released by the league office. Learn more about our student-athletes academic success.
