Inside UNF — October 23, 2025

It’s the story of Dr. Beyza Aslan, University of North Florida associate professor of mathematics and statistics — a mathematician, educator, artist and mother whose journey from childhood crocheting to mathematical artistry is reshaping how we see math.

Her goal is to show that math is accessible in everything we see; it’s beautiful and can be fun.

Growing up in Turkey, Aslan learned to crochet before she could even read.

“In my culture, young girls are taught crafts by the women in their families, not just as hobbies, but as traditions tied to marriage dowries,” said Aslan.

Yet for Aslan, it wasn’t only about preparing for marriage; she found joy in creating outfits for her dolls, discovering a peaceful rhythm in the loops and stitches that calmed her young mind.

After decades of academic rigor as an undergraduate at the Middle Eastern Technical Institute and later at the University of Florida where she earned her Ph.D. in mathematics, marriage, raising children and building a career, crafting and crocheting fell by the wayside.

But in January 2020, at a mathematics conference, Aslan picked up a book on crochet and math that piqued her interest.

Then came COVID-19. Isolated at home with her two children, she returned to crochet not as a pastime, but as a lifeline. Circular patterns, polygons and Islamic tilings began to emerge from her hooks, each stitch a meditation on geometry.

Crocheting became more than therapy, it became a bridge between her mathematical mind and artistic soul. She began designing her own patterns, assigning stitches to angles, visualizing 3D topology and even crocheting a soccer ball composed of hexagons and pentagons.

“Crochet makes math tangible,” Aslan explained.  “You can touch it, twist it, and see it from every angle.”

Today, she’s on a mission to transform the perception of mathematics from fear to fiercelessly fun by showing that math isn’t just a subject, it’s a vibrant part of everything we see and do, beginning with her exhibit at The Jessie.

“This exhibit is the start,” said Aslan. “It gave me an entry to promote and change the attitude about math. All students must take math at UNF regardless of their major, and in alignment with Student Success, I want to build upon the success of this exhibit and show that math is fun — there’s a softer side to math.”

While the exhibit may be over, Aslan’s work is just beginning. After captivating students and educators with her crochet-infused mathematics showcase, she is now turning her attention to something even more ambitious — building a curriculum that blends fiber arts with mathematical exploration for her UNF students with plans to launch in 2027.

“I envision my students of all majors creating crochet in any form of fiber art pieces reflecting mathematics to be exhibited in campus galleries, embracing experiential learning at its finest,” Aslan said.

To change the perception of math in young learners, Aslan is planning to take her exhibit on the road to area middle and high schools as well.

Learn more about the growth of North Florida Athletics under Nick Morrow's leadership.

Dr. Bethanie Simmons-Becil, assistant professor, presented at the Annual American Psychiatric Nurse Association conference on incorporating complimentary and integrative therapies in advanced psychiatric mental health nursing practice.

Jocelyn Gonzalez-Etheredge and Melissa Titus, instructors, presented to a group of participants on the evolution of Psych Mental Health Simulation days in undergraduate nursing education, during the Annual American Psychiatric Nurse conference.

Andrea Derkits, visiting instructor, led a Healthy Relationships Workshop for students: "The One Love Foundation Behind the Post Workshop" on Oct. 13.

Danny Gottlieb, professor, performed in New York at the memorial service on Oct. 12 for Dr. Jack Kleinsinger and completed the UNF Foundation grant archive of the world's greatest collection of live jazz concerts. Kleinsinger was a New York assistant District Attorney, who loved jazz music, and in 1973 decided to produce a jazz concert. That event started 50 years of jazz concert production, with production of more than 330 performances. Gottlieb first performed at one of Kleinsinger’s concerts in 1976, and in 2012 received a UNF Foundation grant to copy and archive the audio from every concert, as well as copy more than 2,000 pages of Kleinsinger’s printed programs, photos and reviews. The material is stored in our Carpenter Library. This material is also used in Gottlieb's DL Evolution of Jazz course, which he has taught since 2007. Kleinsinger donated his archive to UNF and awarded him an honorary doctorate of letters for his contribution. Kleinsinger recently passed away at age 89, and Gottlieb performed on drums at the service as part of his memorial tribute. What makes each of these concerts so special was the fact that it featured some of the greatest names in jazz, including Dave Brubeck, Buddy Rich and Dizzy Gillespie, and that Kleinsinger created each concert with a specific theme with musicians playing in combinations in which they had never performed prior. It allowed Kleinsinger to really help create unique, one-of-a-kind music for each concert. It is arguably the most unique and greatest collection of live jazz stored anywhere in the world.

Dr. Joshua C. Gellers, professor, published "Killing Owls Runs Afoul of More-than-human Rights" in Ethics, Policy & Environment. In addition, he published "Sustainable AI Needs to Accept Economic Reality" in AI & Society, and delivered a keynote speech, "Between Resistance and Hype: The Case for a Pragmatic AI Future," at the Nazarbayev University Annual Research Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan in September.

Dr. Angie LeRoy, assistant professor, and her team from the UNF HEAL Lab published an article in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Debbie Magyar, regional director, Chris Evangelista, senior consultant, Clay County, and Emilie Griffin, business consultant and recent UNF gra, earned their Certified AI Trainer credentials through the America's SBDC Google AI U Trainer Program at the National Annual Training Event in Orlando.

Marge Cirillo, business consultant SBDC, was presented the Florida State Star Award during the Florida SBDC Network Awards. 

Chris Evangelista, senior consultant with the SBDC, was presented with the Florida Rising Star Award.

Dr. Terrie Galanti, associate professor along with Dr. Nancy Holincheck of George Mason University, published “STEM teacher identity and agency: A cross-case analysis of four teachers' actions for equity in STEM” in Journal for STEM Education Research.

Dr. Rakesh Maurya, associate professor, presented two innovative educational sessions at the 2025 ACES National Conference in Philadelphia. In collaboration with Dr. Akkurt and Dr. Brown, he explored “The Impact of ChatGPT Use on Counselor Trainees’ Individual Counseling Skills Development, as well as another session with Dr. Beeson and Dr. Zhai, titled “Can ChatGPT Be My Partner? A Pilot Study Evaluating the Impact of ChatGPT’s Use in Client Simulations.”

Dr. David Hoppey, professor, reflects on Project PREP in his article,” Partnering and Persisting,” published in American Educator.

Dr. Nile Stanley, associate professor, gave a keynote presentation, “Tailoring biblio-poetry therapies using AI and biofeedback for addiction treatment” at the 6th edition of the global conference on Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health and Psychiatry in Orlando.

Dr. Christine Weber, professor, has been invited to serve on the advisory board for the newly awarded National Research Cener for Advanced Education.

Dr. Christian Winterbottom, professor, and Dr. Rachelle Curcio, associate professor, Wendy Baker, director of clinical experiences, Dr. Jamey Burns, faculty administrator, Roshanda Jones, instructor and Jennifer Shepard, adjunct, along with partner school districts, participated in a professional learning exchange visit to Zwolle, the Netherlands, as part of our ongoing Cross-Atlantic Collaboration on Teacher Education.

The following employees were either hired by UNF or were promoted from OPS positions recently:

Younes Abdelkarim, Integrated Solutions Engineer I, ITS
Nathaniel Barnette, Parking Enforcement Specialist, Parking and Transportation Services
Edward Capps, Parking Enforcement Specialist, Parking and Transportation Services
Sarah Carmichael, Academic Advisor, Brooks College of Health, Advising
Sydney Chatani, Program Assistant, Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work
Maethel Cooper, Office Manager, Student Success
Anna Daugherty, Engineer I, ITS
Albert Drake, Law Enforcement Officer, University Police Department
Consuela Gains, Senior Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities
Victoria Hoffman, Human Resources Associate, Human Resources
Kylie Johnson, Care Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Students
Richard Knecht, Law Enforcement Officer, University Police Department
Justin Knoll, Senior Institutional Research Programmer Analyst, Office of Institutional Research
Anthony Kowalczyk, Law Enforcement Officer, University Police Department
Christy Lott, Buyer, Procurement Services - Strategic Sourcing
Sydney McNeill, Community Coordinator, Silverfield College of Education and Human Services
Anna Pakulski, Financial Coordinator, Hicks Honors College
Cameron Womer, Network Engineer III, ITS
Avery Yost, Member Services Coordinator, RecWell

Great Job

North Florida women's swimming dominated throughout all three sessions of their first home meet of the season at the Osprey Beach Blast Invite with a double winner over Howard and Georgia Southern in early October. Learn more about the swim team's dominant performance.

 
Men's Basketball vs. Warner (Exhibition)

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m.  |  UNF Arena  |  Free Admission