Lesley
A. Northup, Ph.D. (Catholic University)
Interim Dean and Associate Professor of Religious
Studies. With research and teaching interests
in American religion, ritual studies, mythography,
and popular religious practice, Dr. Northup
covers a number of different bases in her field.
Her writing is curiously diverse, including
books on women's ritualizing, the 1892 Book
of Common Prayer, and documentary materials
of North American religions, as well as articles
in areas too numerous to remember. Dedicated
to pedagogical innovation and improvement, she
has served on innumerable committees and boards
in the interest of better serving students and
has won lots of awards.
John
S. Kneski, M.Arch. II (Syracuse University)
Associate Dean of The Honors College, Lecturer
in The School of Architecture and Co-Director
of the Honors College Study Abroad Program in
Italy. In his career as an architect and preservationist,
Professor Kneski's work has been published in
magazines such as Metropolis, Interior
Design, Preservation Today, and Architecture.
He has lived in England, Italy, and Poland and
was the author of the official report that lead
to the creation of Miami's most recently designated
historic district in 1997, Spring Garden. In
his work as an educator, Prof. Kneski began
teaching design at the University of Miami in
Florida in 1990, first taught at Florida International
University in 1993, and was appointed to the
position of School Coordinator at the FIU School
of Architecture in 1997. He is an associate
member of the American Institute of Architects,
and is licensed by the State of Florida Board
of Architecture and Interior Design.
Juan Carlos Espinosa (University of Miami)
Associate Dean and Fellow of The Honors College.
Juan Carlos Espinosa is a political scientist with degrees from the University of Miami and Florida State University. Research interests include the Arts and Political Expression; Culture, Politics and Migration; and Civil-Military Relations. Espinosa has published work on numerous topics including articles in The Journal of Latin American Affairs, Problems of Post-Communism, Cuba in Transition, and the journal Encuentro de la Cultura Cubana published in Madrid. He has appeared as an expert on local, regional and world politics on dozens of media outlets at the local, national, and international level including ABC's Nightline, British Broadcasting Corporation, The Miami Herald, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Toronto Globe and Mail. Espinosa is also a musician, sound artist and composer of contemporary classical music. He is currently working on a collaborative intermedia project with artist Xavier Cortada that will take place in Antarctica in January 2007.
Sharon
Placide, M.A. (Florida International University)
Assistant Dean of Student Services and Assistant
Director of the Honors College Study Abroad
Program in Spain. Sharon Placide began her employment
at FIU in January 1991 as a student assistant
and became a full-time employee in the Registrar's
Office in 1992. In 1997 she became the first
Honors College Coordinator of Student Services.
Currently she is responsible for admissions,
orientation, lower-division advising, enrollment,
transfer scholarships and graduation. Also a
Fellow of the College, Dean Placide teaches
in the second-year Honors College course. She
holds the M.A. in Hispanic Studies and is currently
working towards the Ph.D. in Sociology.
Irma
T. de Alonso, Ph.D. (University of York,
England)
Professor, Economics. She has won several FIU
awards in the areas of teaching, advising, research,
and service. In addition to her association
with the Department of Economics and the Honors
College, she is also affiliated with Caribbean
and Latin American studies, the Women's Studies
program, and the Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGs).
Her reseach and teaching areas include Economics
of the Caribbean, Women, culture and economic
development, Quantitative methods, and Principles
of Economics. Additional information may be
found at http://www.fiu.edu/~alonsoi
Daniel
Alvarez, M.A., M.T.S.(Harvard University)
Instructor, Religious Studies. Daniel Alvarez
graduated from Stetson University in 1976 with
a degree in European History. He pursued his
graduate work at Harvard University, earning
two masters' degrees with special emphasis on
theology and philosophy. After working a few
years in college administration in Boston, Massachusetts,
Dan has devoted himself to teaching since his
return to Miami in 1994. He has been a faculty
member at FIU since 1999. In addition to core
coures in religion analysis and world religions,
Dan teaches courses on the Reformation, Protestantism,
Mysticism, Violence and the Sacred, and Religion
in America, among others. In 1998 he published
"On the Possibility of an Evangelical Theology"
in Theology Today, and his paper, "Rupp
in Perspective" will appear in the forthcoming
April issue of Philosophy East and West.
Regina
C. Bailey, M.F.A. (Pratt Institute)
Special Projects Coordinator, The Wolfsonian
Museum. Prior to this position she had been
the Associate Director of the Art Museum at
FIU and the Curator of Collections at the Bass
Museum, Miami Beach, Fl. She has overseen accreditation
for both the Art Museum and the Bass Museum
and the American Association of Museum has used
her policies and procedures and hurricane plan
for their technical assistance program. She
is a peer reviewer for AAM and has served as
panelist for Art in Public Places for Dade County
and the State of Florida and the State of Florida
Division of Cultural Affairs. She is a member
of the American Association of Museums and the
American College and University Museums and
Gallery Association. Ms. Bailey has been teaching
since 1991.
John
Bailly, M.F.A. (Yale University)
Instructor, The Honors College. John Bailly’s
work explores the random nature of information
and the manner in which we process it. Utilizing
juxtapositions of diverse data and multiple
historical references, Bailly’s work intends
for us to reflect on the manner in which we
conceptualize our realities. Born in Slough
, Buckinghamshire in 1968, of a French father
and American mother, he was raised in Paris,
Aix-les-Bains, Long Island , Lyon, and Miami.
He received his MFA in painting and printmaking
from Yale University in 1993. His work has been
exhibited at the John and Mable Ringling Museum
of Art, the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, the von
Liebig Art Center, and the Art and Culture Center
of Hollywood
Martha M. Barantovich, EdD.( Florida International University)
Adjunct professor, Education. Martha is a native Miamian who received all three of her degrees from FIU. Her Bachelors is in Business Administration and she received her Masters in Special Education. Following her Masters degree, Martha taught at Miami Southridge Senior High School for nine years, where she was awarded the Sallie Mae Beginning Teacher of the Year award. She taught for 5 years in varying exceptionalities classrooms and then in a school within a school setting for at-risk students. While at Southridge Senior High, Martha’s interest in educational policy was peaked and she returned to FIU to seek her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction: Instructional Leadership. While attending the annual AERA conference in Chicago in 2003, Martha’s interest in inequity of social structure in education was fueled by attending one of the sessions. She has since been focusing on comprehending the political process of education policy and the resulting disparities in education. She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her mentor, Stephen M. Fain, and one day attend the Skip Barber Racing School.
William
K. Beesting, Ph.D. (Florida State University)
Director of Student Enrichment, came to FIU
in 1983 as the coordinator for academic advising,
when responsible for All 225 freshmen. As FIU
grew, he developed the Academic Advising Center
and served as the first director. Realizing
that good advising did not matter if good teaching
was not occurring in the classroom, he wrote
the proposal for the Academy for the Art of
Teaching, now part of the permanent budget and
in its tenth year. With Rick Schwartz, another
Honors College Faculty member, he founded the
Journal for the Art of Teaching, to promote
thoughtful dialogue about teaching. He still
serves on the editorial board. Served as faculty
advisor to Phi Delta Theta, worked on SGA Constitutional
Revision Committee, Hispanic Heritage, and on
American Heritage Week. With a small group,
he developed and is a founding national board
member of the National Association of Fellowships
Advisors, an organization devoted to helping
students receive highly competitive national
scholarships such as the Rhodes and Truman.
Manuel
J. Carvajal, Ph.D. (University of Florida)
Professor, Economics. He also teaches in the
College of Pharmacy at Nova Southeastern University.
A consultant for the U.S. Agency for International
Development, the World Bank, the Library of
Congress, and other organizations, he is the
author/editor of seven books and numerous journal
articles on inter-gender/inter-ethnic comparisons
and other areas of human capital.
David C. Chatfield, Ph.D.(University of Minnesota)
Associate Professor, Chemistry. David Chatfield invites you to pick the most useful description of him: (1) a computational biophysical chemist with research interests in enzyme catalysis and protein dynamics; (2) a 5’10” man with hazel eyes and brown (incipiently graying) hair; (3) a likeable guy (according to some) who finds meaning in teaching, singing, tennis, and doing science. David publishes regularly in physical and biophysical chemistry journals, serves on federal grant review panels, and loves sitting and thinking in the morning over a good cup of coffee
Helen
Z. Cornely, Ph.D. (Florida International
University)
Associate Professor, Physical Therapy. Dr. Helen
Z. Cornely is currently Chairperson for the
Department of Physical Therapy. She has been
working in home health care for the last 15
years in Dade and Broward Counties, and served
as Director of Rehabilitation Services for Home
Health Care of North Broward. Dr. Cornely received
her BS in Physical Therapy from the University
of Pennsylvania, and also holds a Master's degree
in psychology from Nova University, where the
focus of her studies was Gerontology. She received
her doctoral degree in Adult Education at Florida
International University with her dissertation
on Health Changes in Hispanic Older Adults in
a Spanish Arthritis Self Management Education
Program. In addition to being co-P.I. on numerous
grants, she has authored numerous articles on
balance and fall prevention in the elderly.
Gwyn Davies, Ph.D.(University College London)
Assistant Professor, History.
Dr. Davies teaches a diverse portfolio of courses covering the Classical world. His research interests include the recording and explication of Roman siege systems (his monograph Roman Siege Works will be published shortly) and understanding the mechanisms of imperial supervision and control in upland and desert environments. He is also interested in superpower interactions in the ancient world and in conceptual models of frontier management. Dr. Davies specializes in the Roman Army but is also interested in comparative aspects of warfare over a broad chronological range. He co-directs the Yotvata Roman Fort project in the Arava Valley, Israel, where his ongoing excavations are investigating a Diocletianic quadriburgium and the subsequent early Islamic occupation of the site. In 2005, he won a university teaching award.
Charmaine
DeFrancesco, Ph.D. (Florida State University)
Associate Professor, Health, Physical Education
and Recreation. Charmaine DeFrancesco came to
FIU in 1989 as the Counseling Consultant for
the Athletics Department after developing one
of the first academic support programs for student-athletes
at FSU. In 1991, she joined the College of Education
as a faculty member and since then, has received
several awards for her excellence in teaching.
As a certified consultant in the area of Sport
Psychology, she has had the opportunity to train
athletes, coaches and teachers from the youth
sport to professional levels. She is currently
a member of the United States Olympic Committee's
(USOC) Sport Psychology Registry. She has published
and presented papers in the areas of sport psychology,
learning strategies, and academic support strategies
for student-athletes. Her quest during the next
decade is to get folks in higher education to
realize that there is no such thing as a "dumb
jock."
Grenville
Draper, Ph.D. (University of the West Indies)
Professor, Earth Sciences. Professor Draper
is a geoscientist whose main interest is in
the geological evolution of the Caribbean region.
He holds degrees from the Universities of Cambridge,
and the West Indies. This strange collection
of diplomas resulted when, as a Cambridge undergraduate,
a sense of adventure overcame academic wisdom
and led him to organize a senior thesis topic
in eastern Jamaica. There, serendipity triumphed
over natural ability, but still resulted in
the important discovery that eastern Jamaica
was once the site of the convergence of two
tectonic plates. Bitten by the research bug,
after his masters he returned to Jamaica to
live over the shop and finish the project. A
job offer from FIU presented a magnificent opportunity
to have a US base, learn Spanish and continue
the search for convergent boundary rocks in
northern Caribbean, especially in Hispaniola.
This has resulted in a career where not only
does he do thrilling science, but he gets to
enjoy the intriguing culture and history of
one of the most beautiful, if troubled, parts
of the world. Somehow, he has been able to be
the author/editor 5 books and over 70 research/review papers and journalistic pieces.
Leonard
Elbaum, EdD. (Florida International University)
Associate Professor, Physical Therapy.
He has been a physical therapist for 30 years,
and specializes in helping people learn to walk.
He teaches kinesiology (the scientific study
of human movement), and directs the Kinesiology
Laboratory at FIU, where he uses computer-assisted
digital video and collection of bioelectric
signals to create and analyze biomechanical
models of human movement. He has presented
or published over 250 scientific papers and
workshops. In addition to this ‘day-job
gotten completely out of hand’, Leonard
is also a professional musician (classical and
jazz guitar), consultant to manufacturers of
rehabilitation-related biomedical devices and
health care organizations, and insatiable reader
of biographies, histories, historical fiction,
and/or anything to do with walks or walking.
He holds a BS from Marquette University (Physical
Therapy), an MM from the University of Miami
(Classical Guitar), and EdD from FIU (Exceptional
Education Research). He has also taken
post-graduate coursework in biomedical engineering
at MIT, where he served as a Research Fellow
and Visiting Scientist
Stephen
M. Fain, Ed.D. (Teachers College, Columbia
University)
Founding Professor, College of Education, Department
of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
and Director of the Ed.D. program in Curriculum
& Instruction: Instructional Leadership.
He has served FIU as the Director of the University's
self-study for its initial accreditation, Chair
of the Faculty Senate for 4 years, founder of
FIU’s Institute of Jewish Studies and
as a member of more than 20 University committees
and task forces. Currently he serves on the
Athletic Council. He served the College of Education
as Associate Dean, Department Chair and Founder
of the Taiwan Doctoral Program. Professor Fain’s
scholarly and academic interests are grounded
in curriculum theory and history. Among his
publications are two co-edited texts, five chapters
in books and articles in professional journals.
He is a contributing editor to World Book Encyclopedia.
His latest co-edited book, Schooling in Public
Spaces: The Cultural Politics of Space will
be published in the fall of 2003. He is currently
working on a book responding the Four Freedoms
espoused by FDR in the wake of 9/11. He has
been invited to present lectures and papers
across the United States, Canada and South America.
Additionally, he has taught and lectured in
, Brazil, Israel, Peru, Taiwan and Uruguay.
Professor Fain is a past president of the American
Association for Teaching and Curriculum. He
holds a B.S. from Rutgers University, an Ed.D.
from Teachers College, Columbia University and
he has successfully completed the Introductory
Race Car Driving Course offered by the Skip
Barber Racing School.
H. Scott Fingerhut, J.D.(Emory University)
Adjunct Professor, Law. Scott Fingerhut earned his bachelor’s degree in American Government and Music from the University of Virginia, then his law degree at Emory, where he student-taught and, though not widely celebrated, hosted the Law Follies. After serving proudly as a Miami-Dade prosecutor, he entered private practice, concentrating on criminal defense. He has been named among the region’s top lawyers by the South Florida Legal Guide and Florida Trend Magazine. While education, especially undergraduate education, is his first love, Scott currently serves on many legal councils and boards, and lectures and publishes extensively. From 2000 through 2004, Scott held an appointment with FIU’s School of Policy and Management, teaching a variety of courses in criminal justice. Since then, he has been teaching in FIU’s College of Law. Most dear to his heart among his many honors, however, is his election to Who’s Who Among American Teachers.
Stephen
M. Fjellman, Ph.D.(Stanford University)
Professor, Anthropology. Dr. Fjellman is a post
postmodernist, seeking some understanding in
the world without throwing up his hands in random
dismay. When pressed, he claims to be an anthropologist.
His most important field site is World Disney
World. He is a member of the Church of Baseball,
the Mickey Mouse Club, and the Fellowship of
the Ecology of Mind. He has published in 11
fields and subfields, among them linguistic,
mathematical, psychological, and social anthropology,
social theory, African Studies, culture studies,
science fiction studies, technology studies,
American studies, and Disney Studies. Vinyl
Leaves: Walt Disney World and America is worth
reading. Among his works is A Little Baseball
Music: Journey to the Heartland, available at
this
website. He has won all the teaching awards
available at the University and his main life
interest is in undergraduate education. He is
Co-Director of the Honors College Study Abroad
Program in Italy.
Rubén
Garrote, M.A. (Florida International University)
Instructor, The Honors College. Rubén
Garrote is an Honors College alumnus and a graduate
of F.I.U.’s Religious Studies Department.
He has taught for the department for the past
two years, receiving several awards for teaching
and academic excellence. Mr. Garrote’s
research interests in the history of religion
are varied, ranging from early Christian heresies,
Grail romances, fin de siècle Western
occultism and Afro-Cuban traditions to North
European mythology and economic, political and
ritual theory; and his current projects include
coauthoring histories on Independent Catholicism
and the pioneers of entheogenic exploration.
He is convinced that there is a real world out
there, with objective laws to be discovered,
much to the chagrin of his colleagues.
Fernando
Gonzalez-Reigosa, Ph.D. (Florida
State University)
Founding Professor, Psychology. He is a member
of FIU's founding faculty, and former Dean of
The Honors College at Florida International
University. His extensive professional experience
includes research and teaching on the Psychology
of Culture and Myth. He has served as a consultant
and directed training for the Defense Department
Race Relations Institute, the United Way, The
Equal Economic Opportunity Commission, Coca
Cola of America, General Foods, Strategy Research
Corporation, and many other State and Local
organizations as well as private industries.
Dr.Gonzalez-Reigosa is widely published and
has lectured throughout the U.S. and in Europe
and South America. He earned his B.A. in Psychology
from the University of Puerto Rico, and his
M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the
Florida State University. He is also an alumnus
of Harvard University Management Development
Program.
Caryl
Myers Grof, M.S. (Florida International
University)
Caryl Grof began her career at FIU in 1981 as
Coordinator of Special Programs in Undergraduate
Studies (then known as Lower Division Programs).
She was responsible for the pre-collegiate Vested
Interest Program and the Faculty Scholars Program,
the precursor to the Honors Program. Ms. Grof
has been associated with the Honors College
since its inception as a program in 1990. In
1997, when the Honors Program evolved into the
Honors College, Ms. Grof was named Assistant
Dean. For several years she has taught in the
Freshman Honors course.
Arthur W. Herriott, Ph.D.(College of Wooster)
Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry. Coming to FIU in 1973 when all its classes were taught in two buildings, Dr. Herriott initially taught organic chemistry and environmental science and conducted research in phase transfer catalysis and organophosphorus chemistry. After a few years, he began to focus more on institution-building instead of molecule-building, serving as an Associate Dean for 12 years, as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for 13 years, and as Interim Executive Vice Provost for 2 years. Following a short sabbatical, he has returned to the first love of all faculty – the opportunity to work with students.
Marilyn
Hoder-Salmon, Ph.D. (University of New Mexico)
Associate Professor, English. Her scholarly
teaching and research interests include U.S.
women writers 1860-1930, women and film, women's
narratives of war prose, girlhood in prose,
and theory of artistic adaptation. Her publications
include Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening': Screenplay
as Interpretation, and she is currently co-editor
of a series of reprint novels by British author
Phyllis Bottome. From 1982 to 1999 Dr. Hoder-Salmon
was director of the Women Studies Center, and
she is the founding chair of the B.A. in Women's
Studies and the Film Studies Program. Awards
include a Fulbright-Hays award to India, United
Nations delegate to the 1995 conference on Women
in Beijing, and other honors for projects on
behalf of women's issues.
Robert
H. Hogner, Ph.D.(University of Pittsburgh)
Associate Professor, Marketing and Business
Environment, Director of Service Learning, The
Honors College. Dr. Hogner's research has been
published by numerous journals and presented
at many conferences. Most recently, his paper
entitled "The Evolution of Pollution Control
and Release Registers: Implications for the
Developing Countries" was presented at
a joint Canadian-Indian conference in Kanpur,
India. He is a member of the Academy of Management,
International Association for Business and Society,
Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics,
and United Faculty of Florida. He also serves
as the co-chair of the Academy of Management's
Service Learning Task Force and is a member
of the American Association of Higher Education'
s National Service Learning Consulting Group.
Currently, Dr. Hogner serves as a member of
the College of Business Administration' s Year
2000 E-Commerce Research Group.
Suman
Kakar, Ph.D. (University of Florida)
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice. She has
won several FIU awards in the areas of teaching,
research, and service. Dr. Kakar has been honored
with the Who’s Who: America’s Best
Teachers: Who’s Who Among America’s
Best Teachers. 2002 – 2005. Dr. Kakar
has greatly contributed to research in her field.
She has authored numerous articles that examine
the role of child abuse and family environment
in juvenile delinquency. She has authored several
books including Child Abuse and Delinquency,
and Criminal Justice Approaches to Domestic
Violence. Her research interests focus on family
dynamics, juvenile delinquency, minorities,
and violence prevention. Additional information
may be found at http://www.fiu.edu/~kakars
Scott
Kass, MA, MS (Florida State University)
University Librarian and Adjunct Instructor in the English Department. Scott Kass has led a dual career at Florida International University, having spent 30 years as both a research librarian and writing instructor. Twice the recipient of the University’s Excellence in Teaching Award, he has developed and taught advanced research and writing courses to hospitality students at BBC as well as FIU’s programs in Luzern, Switzerland, and Tianjin, China. He served as the Interim Associate Director of Libraries. Before coming to FIU in 1977, he worked in the music publishing industry as a textbook editor, book designer, advertising copywriter, music engraver, and graphic designer.
Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, Ph.D.(Kansas State University)
Associate Professor, Environmental Studies and Southeast Environmental Research Center. Dr. Jayachandran's expertise is in the area of soil microbiology. His research focuses on nutrient cycling, primarily phosphorus, in wetlands (the Everglades) and agricultural systems, defining soil quality in relation to sustainable agriculture, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and biological interactions of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, microbial diversity and activity in surface and subsurface soils, pesticide degradation, transport, and potential groundwater contamination. Currently Dr. Jayachandran’s laboratory is working on soil microbial structural and functional diversity using novel approaches, developing microbiological agents for biological invasion in South Florida, developing research interests in marine microbiology and human health, and a new agroecology and sustainable agriculture program through USDA. Dr. Jayachandran's group is also active in the development of bioremediation of plant - microbe based systems to clean up contaminated soils and water.
Peter
A. Machonis, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
Associate Professor, Modern Languages. One of
his main research interests is the history of
the French Language and his textbook, Histoire
de la langue: du latin à l'ancien français
(Landham, MD: University Press of America, 1990)
is currently used by many American universities.
In the Fall of 1999, he was featured in four
segments of CBC's Histoire de parler, an hourly
Sunday broadcast in French (Radio - Canada)
on the French language. Since 1980, when he
was awarded a French Government Grant to work
with Prof. Maurice Gross at the Université
de Paris VII, Peter Machonis has worked extensively
on the English lexicon. He is presently an Associate
Professor of French and Linguistics at Florida
International University, located in Miami,
Florida, where he regularly teaches courses
in French Phonetics, History of the French Language,
and General Linguistics. He is likewise the
director of the FIU à Angers, France
Summer Study Program, which sends FIU students
to the Loire Valley for total French immersion
courses and family stays. He is also a member
of the FIU Honors College, where he teaches
an inter-disciplinary course on the Florida
Everglades.
Pete
E.C. Markowitz, Ph.D. (College of William
and Mary)
Professor of Physics. Professor Markowitz joined FIU in 1995. He carries out nuclear and particle physics experiments at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) in Virginia and the European Center for Nuclear and Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. His research interests focus on the the source of gravity, extra dimensions, black holes, quark structure of nuclei, dark matter, dark energy and the electroproduction of quarks and anti-quarks (or matter and anti-matter). A series of experiments measuring strange quark effects in atomic nuclei are mapping out the behavior of these elusive and unstable particles. The experiments use high energy accelerators to bombard various target materials and then to measure the subsequent particles which are produced. During his time at FIU he has taught Nuclear Physics, Intermediate Classical Mechanics, Modern Physics Laboratory, and the introductory physics sequences, as well as a FIG and the Freshman Experience course.
Florentin
Maurrasse, Ph.D. (Columbia University)
Professor, Earth Sciences. Stratigraphy, paleoceanography,
and paleogeography of the Caribbean. Radiolarian
and smaller foraminiferal biostratigraphy. Litho-
and biostratigraphy of deep sea sequences in
the Caribbean Sea and exposed deep sea sequences
on land. Climate changes as recorded in pelagic
sequences. The Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary
in southern Haiti and other Caribbean sites.
Other interests include carbonate facies development
and distribution in the Plio-Pleistocene carbonates
of South Florida and their relation to the region's
hydrogeology.
DeEtta (Dee) Mills, Ph.D. ( George Mason University)
Research Associate, Biology. Dr. Mills received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, then worked at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama on a project that studied the evolutionary divergence of alpheids (snapping shrimp). In 1993 she earned her MS in Biology from Texas Christian University, studying the lethal effects of ultraviolet light (UV) and various photosensitizers on the nematode, Caenorhabditis. elegans . From 1994-1996, she worked for the Center Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD, on the risk of using UV-emitting medical devices to treat HIV-infected dermatology patients. In 1996, she tested and optimized several molecular tools to study the microbial community dynamics during bioremediation of hydrocarbons while earning her Ph.D. from George Mason University. Her current research centers on microbial community analysis and non-human DNA profiling. She teaches for the Forensic Science program at FIU and directs research for the Forensic DNA Profiling Facility.
Ana
Pasztor, Ph.D. (Darmstadt University)
Professor, Computer Science. She has earned
her doctorate in mathematics at Darmstadt University,
Germany. Presently, she teaches classes in logic,
computer ethics, and cognitive science. She
has numerous refereed publications in a wide
range of areas such as abstract algebra, logics
of programming, artificial intelligence, requirement
engineering, design, and more recently, foundational
issues in cognitive science, women’s studies,
pragmatics, and mathematics education.
Joyce
Peterson, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Associate Professor, History and Associate Dean,
Arts and Sciences. Dr. Peterson started out
as a labor historian investigating the social
history of U.S. automobile workers before unionization.
Her current focus is on the areas of gender
and history, particularly the history of women
in the context of the history of the United
States.
Mary
Lou Pfeiffer, L.L.M., M.A. (Florida International
University)
Adjunct Professor, Religious Studies. Mary Lou
holds advanced degrees in Intercultural Human
Rights law (LL.M.) and Religious Studies (M.A.),
with undergraduate degrees in Biology and Religious
Studies. A certified breast biopsy specialist
and radiological technician, she also owns an
art glass studio and has studied architectural
glass in Germany with top European glass artists.
She has attended the UN Sub-commission on Human
Rights for Indigenous Working Peoples in Geneva
for several years. Her research areas include
human rights, indigenous sacred sites, earth
ethics, and studies of breast cancer and asbestosis.
She is currently completing a project on her
uncle’s original “V” mail
letters from World War II, finishing a book
on the Miami Circle, and writing an autobiographical
book on her experiences as a Navy pilot’s
wife who participated in the seagull society
during the Vietnam years. She sits on the Advisory
Boards for the College of Arts and Sciences
and for the Women’s Studies Program, and
is the recipient of the FIU Alumni Torch Award
and two Outstanding Service awards from the
Religious Studies Department. Her two sons,
one a paramedic/firefighter/rescue specialist
and the other an executive chef in Hawaii, are
both avid surfers.
Darden
Pyron, Ph.D. (University of Virginia)
Professor, History. Prof. Pyron served as the
first chairman of the department from 1971-1977
and has taught here ever since. He is currently
one of the most senior faculty members at the
institution. He teaches courses in intellectual
history, Western Civilization, Greece, the American
South, the Civil War, and contemporary or twentieth
century American history and culture. He taught
in the Honors College for three years and created
a course called Creativity and the Human Condition.
He has won the University Teaching Award twice
and the TIP award twice, and loves teaching.
He writes books about American cultural history
and the American South, including Recasting
"Gone with the Wind" in American Culture
and Southern Daughter: The Life of Margaret
Mitchell. He most recently published a biography
of the performer Liberace, called Liberace:
An American Boy. The two biographies were very
widely reviewed in the popular press. The former
has been translated into Czech and German and
was also a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
He will be working on another biographical project,
an edition of the memoirs of the Civil War general
William Tecumseh Sherman, to be called General
Sherman's War of the Rebellion. For hobbies,
Prof. Pyron bikes, lift weights, and gardens,
raising orchids and other tropical plants. He
has biked to work regularly for over 22 years
and spends the summers in North Carolina at
a little cabin on a creek that has been a retreat
for 25 years.
James R. Riach, Ph.D.(University of Georgia)
Adjunct Instructor, Environmental Studies and Medical Anthropology lecturer at the Colleges of Medical Sciences and Pharmacy at NOVA Southeastern University. Dr. Riach’s research and teaching interests include the interconnections between ecosystem health and human well-being, with a focus on the Amazon and South Florida regions. In 1994 he arranged and translated a cultural exchange between members of the Cayapas, an Ecuadorian rainforest culture group, and the Miccosukee of South Florida. Curious about the varied traditional beliefs different cultures have regarding the nature of the universe and human’s role in it, he does not restrict himself to just one interpretation of reality or to just one disciplinary approach to studying it. His work combines multiple theories and methodologies from anthropology, epidemiology, medicine, ecology, and geography. He has worked on health and environmental projects among indigenous rainforest cultures including the Cayapas and the Siona-Secoya of Ecuador and the Aguaruna and Yagua of Peru. As a member of Project Amazonas, Inc., a humanitarian and environmental research and education non-profit organization, he has helped develop integrated strategies to address health, conservation, and development needs in the Peruvian Amazon. He has an interest in incorporating field-based educational programs, communications technologies, and distance learning to assist in such efforts.
William Ritzi, M.S ( Florida International
University)
Instructor, Art Education. William Ritzi has
been a faculty member in the Department of Curriculum
& Instruction at FIU for the past 14 years.
He spends fall and spring enthusiastically teaching
and painting, while his summers are spent painting
on the outer banks of Cape Cod, MA. He is a
third generation Floridian and a summer resident
of Provincetown, MA. Mr. Ritzi is a graduate
of Florida Atlantic University and
Florida International University, where
he studied painting, printmaking and art pedagogy.
The focus of his teaching at FIU is curriculum
and pedagogical practices in visual art, relating
to child and adolescent development. He has
received awards for teaching including T.I.P.,
Excellence in Teaching and Merit Awards. His
artistic passion and creative research lies
in the mediums of painting and printmaking.
His oil paintings of vivid seascapes, coastal
scenes and still lifes have been influenced
by a fortunate life spent along the Atlantic
shores of both Florida and Cape Cod. Mr. Ritzi
has exhibited his works at the Ormond Memorial
Museum in Central FL and the Provincetown
Art Museum in MA, and has been a guest
artist at Walt Disney’s EPCOT International
Flower and Garden Festival: Art in the Garden.
He has also juried or judged many art exhibitions
throughout Florida and the Northeast. His paintings
are in private and public collection and have
been included in numerous shows in Florida and
Cape Cod. He is currently represented by Coconut
Grove Gallery in Miami, FL, Jacob/Fanning Gallery
in Wellfleet, MA and by Hughes Gallery in Boca
Grande, FL.
Meri-Jane
Rochelson, Ph.D. (University of Chicago)
Associate Professor, English. Dr. Rochelson
grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and received
her B.A. degree from Barnard College. In addition
to her work in the English department and Honors
College, she is affiliated with the FIU programs
in Women's Studies and Jewish Studies and has
taught and published in both those areas. Co-editor
of *Transforming Genres: New Approaches to British
Fiction of the 1890s,* she has also edited Israel
Zangwill's 1892 novel, "Children of the
Ghetto", reissued in 1998 with her introduction
and notes. She is currently working on a study
of Zangwill as an Anglo-Jewish writer and political
activist. Dr. Rochelson is married and has two
sons, and she loves learning from and being
inspired by the many students she teaches.
Bennett Schwartz, Ph.D. (Dartmouth College)
Associate Professor, Psychology. Dr. Schwartz conducts research on human memory, with an emphasis on metamemory-- that is, the processes that allow us to monitor and control our own memory abilities. He also focuses on the interaction between memory and consciousness. Dr. Schwartz conducts research on memory in non-human primates that has focused on whether or not great apes, such as gorillas, can remember specific events from their lives. He has written, co-written, and edited three books, and has published widely in Experimental Psychology journals. He won a TIP award for teaching excellence way back in 1997.
John Tsalikis, Ph.D.(University of Mississippi)
Associate Professor, Business/Marketing. John Tsalikis specializes in Marketing Research and has developed the e-course in Marketing Management. He has performed extensive corporate teaching including for Motorola and Cordis. He has also taught in Bolivia, Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and England. John has twenty-one refereed journal publications and was the first to use conjoint analysis in ethical research. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Business Ethics. In 2002 he received an award for Outstanding Senior Faculty Researcher. He has developed his own outdoor advertising business and performed several market research projects for the Bank of Mississippi, the Miami Youth Fair & Exposition, the Miami Film Festival, and SAMY cosmetics among others. John was a member of the Greek national basketball team.
M.O.
Thirunarayanan, Ph.D.
(Arizona State University)
Associate Professor, Learning Technologies,
Curriculum and Instruction. In addition to his
administrative responsibilities, he currently
also teaches learning technologies courses at
the doctoral level and advises doctoral students.
His current interests include researching the
integration of technologies in educational settings
to facilitate teaching and learning, the impact
of technologies on education, and various other
issues related to education. Recent publications
include Technology and Degree Inflation and
From Thinkers to Clickers: The World Wide Web
and the Transformation of the Essence of Being
Human, both in Ubiquity.
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