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Fall 2010
University of Miami
Read any god boks lately?
A&S Faculty share their favorites
close up14
Object Description
| Title | Arts and Sciences magazine, Vol. 11, No. 1, Fall 2010 |
| Creator | University of Miami |
| Summary | “Art & Sciences” is published in the fall and spring by the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Miami since 1998. The magazine seeks to increase awareness of the College’s activities by telling the stories of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. |
| Subject |
University of Miami. College of Arts and Sciences University of Miami -- Periodicals University of Miami -- Alumni and alumnae -- Periodicals University of Miami -- Alumni Association -- Periodicals University of Miami -- Students -- Periodicals Universities and colleges -- Faculty -- Periodicals College students -- Florida -- Coral Gables |
| Genre | Periodicals |
| Publisher | University of Miami |
| Publication Date | 2010 |
| Publication Place | Coral Gables (Fla.) |
| Coverage Temporal | 2010-2019 |
| Coverage Spatial | Coral Gables (Fla.) |
| Physical Description | 1 online resource (36 pages) |
| Language | eng |
| Repository | University of Miami. Library. University Archives |
| Collection Title | Arts and Science Publications |
| Collection No. | ASU0242 |
| Rights | This material is protected by copyright. Copyright is held by the University of Miami. For additional information, please visit: http://merrick.library.miami.edu/digitalprojects/copyright.html |
| Standardized Rights Statement | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Object ID | asu0242000026 |
| Digital ID | asu02420000260001001 |
| Full Text |
010
READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY? A&S FACULTY SHARE THEIR FAVORITES
r ' M /
a r CLOSE UP 1
UNiVER SiTY OF MIAMI
i. ■ '• w'-:
COVER STORY
READ, QRANGE AND GREEN: wHAT A&s FAcULTY MEMBERs ARE READING
COLLEGE OF ARTS EDiTÜRiAL ADVANCEMENT
AND SCIENCES Managing Editor Assistant Dean
Dean Sara LaJeunesse for Development
Leonidas G. Bachas Contributing Writers Holly Davis
Senior Ivette Yee Director
Associate Deans of Development
Angel Kaifer Photographers Jeanne Luis
Daniel L. Pals Kathryn Wanless
Perri Lee Roberts Jan Kratochvil Alumni Relations Linda Scott
Associate Deans Design and illustration
Rita L. Deutsch Christina Ullman Administrative
Charles Mallery Ullman Design Assistant, Development Kimberly Carter
Winter is around the corner. For booklovers living in south Florida, that means lounging on the patio—free from mosquitoes—with a great novel. For those living further north, it means leafing through a book by the warm glow of a fire. No matter where you live, you'll surely come across something new and exciting to read this winter with our collection of faculty favorites.
COVER IMAGE AND IMAGE THIS SPREAD: DREAMSTIME.COM
Arts & Sciences is produced in the fall and spring by the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami. Through the magazine we seek to increase awareness of the College's activities by telling the stories of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Send comments, requests for permission to reprint material, requests for extra copies, and change of address notification to: Arts & Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, PQ. Box 248004, Coral Gables, FL 33124-4620; Phone: (305) 284-3874. All contents © 2010, University of Miami. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Postmaster and others, please send change of address notification to College of Arts and Sciences, PQ. Box 248004, Coral Gables, FL 33124-4620. Telephone (305) 284-3874.
fall_201 0/
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"dean'
B LEONIDAS G. BACHAS
DEAN OF THE UM COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
You joined the College of Arts and Sciences in July 2010. What is your vision for the future of the College?
We are living in a rapidly changing and interconnected world— a world of accelerating technological, societal, and global complexity—defined by new relations among nations, people, cultures, and values. As disciplinary and national boundaries blur, an education in liberal arts becomes even more relevant.
By creating a lively and stimulating scholarly atmosphere, our College will be well-positioned to help promote the University as a leading research and educational institution. As the dean of
the College, I will encourage and invest in initiatives to promote creativity, strengthen our research activities, and enhance our faculty scholarly productivity. I will also promote a stimulating and challenging intellectual environment, employing integrative learning to educate and prepare our students for becoming tomorrow's world leaders.
With today's emphasis on college as career preparation, why study arts and sciences?
A liberal arts education not only promotes critical thinking, but also integrates principles from multiple disciplines among the arts and humanities and social and natural sciences. This integrative approach to learning empowers our students to excel in their chosen careers. As a major research university, we link faculty research and scholarship to our educational mission. Through their interactions with our dedicated faculty, our students learn how to integrate their classroom and laboratory/studio learning experiences with our wide range of curricular and co-curricular activities into a foundation that cultivates a life-long love for learning. This integrated approach to education is key for our current students and graduates, as studies have shown that a typical college graduate will hold five to six different careers during his/her lifetime.
You have said, "I value interdisciplinary activities as a major contributor to research, scholarship, and learning.” What does that mean?
I believe that the University is doing a great job leveraging its research and scholarship to help address local and global challenges, enhancing the intellectual capital of the region and the nation. Some of these challenges are most effectively addressed through interdisciplinary activities. I believe that such activities— in addition to a strong disciplinary foundation—create a scholarly environment that enriches the education of both undergraduate and graduate students. Naturally, creativity and innovative ideas do not emanate only from interdisciplinary activities but also through traditional disciplinary scholarship.
"As the dean of the College, I will encourage and Invest in Initiatives that promote creativity and research among our faculty, as well as a stimulating and challenging intellectual environment that prepares our students for becoming tomorrow's world leaders. " — Leonidas G. Bachas, Dean of the UM College of Arts and Sciences
2 FALL 2010
Through their interactions with our dedicated faculty, our students cultivate a life-long love of learning."
LEONIDAS G. BACHAS
DEAN, COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
What do you plan to do to keep graduates engaged in the college?
Undoubtedly, development efforts are important in sustaining academic excellence and cultivating relationships between current students and alumni. I will maintain open communication with our alumni, establish new ways to maintain an engaged connection, and encourage alumni to remain part of the life of the College.
What are your plans for promoting diversity at UM?
I believe that a diverse college enhances the overall experience of all students and faculty by providing a plurality of perspectives,
ideals, and beliefs regarding education, culture, and society overall. The University actively participates in a global scholarly environment, and the College's activities and initiatives should incorporate aspects of this multinational and multicultural perspective.
At the end of the week, managing one of the University's largest academic units, what do you do to kick back?
I love playing sports and spending time with family and friends.
I have been playing competitive soccer since I was young, so coming to Miami allows me to enjoy this sport year-round. I also enjoy reading books.
ARTS I SCIENCES 3
NEWSBRiEFs
"The annex is important because it will bring together under one roof researchers from different departments and campuses to examine the role of the nervous system and behavior in health and illness."
PHILIP M. M c CABE
n advanced imaging of the brain
a new facility will enable um researchers to collaboratively probe the activities of the brain.
Determining how molecular changes in the nervous system relate to specific types of behavior remains a major challenge for neuroscience. The motivation to meet this challenge is great, as the acquired knowledge could help doctors better treat neurological diseases—in part, perhaps, by regenerating damaged brain or spinal-cord tissue.
A new building on campus, to be available in 2012, will allow UM scientists to make significant progress in that direction. The annex will be attached to the Cox Science Building and will serve as an interactive hub for researchers—faculty members, staff members, and students alike—whose studies on the brain, behavior, and health require the use of sophisticated image analyses.
"The annex is important because it will bring together under one roof researchers from different departments and campuses to examine the role of the nervous system and behavior in health and illness," said Philip M. McCabe, a professor in the Department of Psychology and the director of UM's Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience.
The annex will boast almost 38,000 square feet of workspace spread over three floors. it will feature a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRi) core, which registers blood flow to different areas of the brain, thus allowing researchers to determine which areas are especially active during particular thoughts, activities, or disease states.
"For example, researchers will be able to image the brain while subjects are engaged in memory tasks," said McCabe. "Such
experiments could provide us with information that may one day help people who have memory impairments." Similarly, he added, the fMRi Core Laboratory will allow scientists to study central-nervous-system processes such as attention, emotion, and language.
The annex also will house a variety of microscopes designed to examine cellular and molecular activities, including a unique new microscope designed to image molecules in living neural tissue, termed "isPiN" for in situ Protein interactions. Developed by UM Professor of Biology Akira Chiba and collaborators, the isPiN will allow scientists to study for the first time how proteins bind and signal to each other, in the neural tissue of living organisms, to form complex networks.
"imaging is crucial in biology," said Kathryn T. Tosney, chair of the Department of Biology. "To study something effectively, you often need to see it, and as our research endeavors have become increasingly sophisticated our need to see ever smaller and more elusive things has also grown," she said. "Researchers have gone from visualizing organs and cells to visualizing actual molecules. And with isPiN, we can actually discern the activities of molecules in a living organism by using fluorescent components that change to particular colors under specific molecular conditions."
Whether through the isPiN microscope, the fMRi core, or its other assets, the annex is intended to foster a collaborative environment—a goal also evidenced in its architectural structure. For example, rather than being composed entirely of individual faculty labs, it has abundant space designed for visiting collaborators from other UM campuses and other universities. Thus, "the annex could help make our campus a crucial hub for future transformational research," said Tosney.
4 FALL 2010
MATTHEW SACINO '11
of Academic Enhancement, what sets Matthew apart from his peers is not his impressive academic resume, but his altruism, work ethic, and sense of responsibility.
in the summers of 2008 and 2009, Sacino was awarded the Lois Pope Undergraduate Fellowship to conduct neuro-regeneration research under the guidance of Vance Lemmon, a professor of neurological surgery, at UM's Miami Project to CURE Paralysis. During his time there Sacino noticed that medical supplies were being wasted, and he decided to do something about it. Utilizing the relationships he'd built at the hospital, he created the Recovered Medical Supplies initiative, which, to date, has been responsible for delivering seven palettes—almost 340 boxes—of medical supplies to developing nations.
Sacino also founded a physician mentors program at UM, which provides students with a chance to shadow doctors to gain realistic exposure to the job prior to entering medical school. in addition, he created and edits with Burjor K. Captain, an assistant professor of chemistry, the Undergraduate Research Newsletter, a forum for students to share their research, and he serves as the president of the Undergraduate Neuroscience Club.
"While the breadth of Matthew's achievements is wide, his focus could not be more precise," said Reese. "He aims to relieve the suffering of others through a combination of hard work, scientific discovery, and communication."
"My ultimate goal is to help reduce health disparities throughout the United States and abroad."
n MAKING THE GRADE
STUDENT IS NAMED TO USA TODAYS 2010 ALL-USA COLLEGE ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM
Matthew Sacino '11 is one of 20 students in the United States to be named to the USA TODAYs 2010 All-USA College Academic First Team. "I was in complete shock when I found out that I won," said Sacino, who is pursuing a neurobiology major and chemistry minor. "It is an honor to be grouped with such outstanding peers."
PHOTO: JAN KRATOCHViL
(Left) Matthew Sacino '11 is one of 20 students in the United States to be named to the USA TODAYS 2010 All-USA College Academic First Team.
The team of 20 was selected by a panel of judges from hundreds of students nominated by colleges and universities across the United States. The judges considered applicants' grades, leadership abilities, extracurricular activities, and the extent to which they use their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.
Each of the scholarship winners received a $2,500 cash award. Sacino, who also received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship honorable mention last February, said he will use the money to help pay for his education. "i eventually hope to enter a joint M.D./ Ph.D. program and, later, to practice neurosurgery while also researching neurodegerative diseases," he said. "My ultimate goal is to help reduce health disparities throughout the United States and abroad."
According to Kefryn B. Reese, the director of prestigious awards and fellowships for the UM Office
ARTS I SCIENCES 5
B TWO NEW NAMED PROFESSORSHIPS FILLED
WELL-REGARDED ECOLOGIST AND POLITICAL SCIENTIST JOIN THE UM FACULTY
What do J. Albert C. Uy, an ecologist who studies biological diversity, and Ariel C. Armony, a political scientist who focuses on Latin America, have in common? Both have been appointed to prestigious new chaired professorships within the College of Arts and Sciences. According to Kathryn T. Tosney, chair of the Department of Biology, such prestigious positions are time-honored means of luring world-class professors to a university, where they can help catalyze the achievement of excellence in a crucial field.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF J. ALBERT C. UY
J. ALBERT C. UY, ARESTY CHAIR IN TROPICAL ECOLOGY
Uy (pronounced "oo-y") will join the faculty of the Department of Biology as the first Aresty Chair in Tropical Ecology, supported by a generous gift from alumni Jeffrey Aresty '77 and Patricia (Pickton) Aresty '76.
Uy researches the origin of biological species, with tropical birds as his study organisms. "I use a combination of observational, experimental, and molecular approaches to study populations that are on the verge of becoming new species," he said. In particular, Uy focuses on the evolution of reproductive barriers—certain traits, such as plumage color, courtship songs, and overall physical appearance—that prevent individual animals from recognizing each other as potential mates and, thus, limiting the exchange of genes between populations. In essence, these barriers result in the creation of new species.
Uy will help expand the department's tropical biology group by working to recruit new faculty members and graduate students who are conducting innovative research. He also aims to help bridge the gap between researchers who study at the level of the molecule and those who study the whole organism. "It is extremely exciting to be part of a growing group that truly embraces integrative biology," he said.
Tosney points out that the Aresty Chair in Tropical Ecology has two distinct objectives. Its purpose, she said, "is to foster excellence both in research and in education."
In that spirit, Uy will teach an undergraduate field course in the Solomon Islands that focuses on island ecology, evolution, and conservation. "One of the most effective tools for inspiring young biologists is to provide them with hands-on experience and immersion in the field," he said. "My field course will offer not only a rigorous academic curriculum, but also will provide a unique avenue for students to become directly involved with conservation initiatives in the South Pacific. As a result, students will be exposed both to theory and to applications."
Uy was born and raised in the Philippines. He earned a bachelor's degree in integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1994 and a Ph.D. degree in biology at the University of Maryland in 2000. He served as an assistant professor at San Francisco State University from 2002 to 2004 and then moved to Syracuse University where he now is an associate professor. Uy will assume his post at UM in January 2011.
"I am extremely excited to move to a place that is more like my childhood home in terms of the tropical climate and the diverse culture," said Uy. "I hope Miami will be a sort of homecoming for me."
6 FALL 2010
ARIEL C. ARMONY, WEEKS CHAIR IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
An expert in Latin American politics, Armony is the Weeks
Chair in Latin American Studies. He is also a professor in the Department of International Studies and the director of UM's Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS). The newly established Weeks Chair is supported by a generous endowment from Marta S. Weeks, former chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and parent of alumna Leslie Anne Davies, B.S. '85.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Armony notes that politics always has been dominant in his life. "Growing up through the second Perón era in the 1970s, the military dictatorship and the return of democracy to Argentina marked me both personally and intellectually," he said.
To pursue his interest in politics, Armony attended college at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, where he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and literature in 1989. He then completed a master's degree in international affairs at Ohio University in 1992 and a Ph.D. degree in political science at the University of Pittsburgh in 1998. He published his first book, Argentina, the United States, and the Anti-Communist Crusade in Central America, 1977-1984, while pursuing his doctoral degree.
In 1998, Armony became an assistant professor of government at Colby College in Maine. There, he taught courses and conducted research on topics such as authoritarianism, democratization, citizen participation, and U.S.-Latin American relations. He also published numerous scholarly books and articles on Latin American themes, including the much-acclaimed book The Dubious Link: Civic Engagement and Democratization.
In 2006, Armony was appointed as the Audrey Wade Hittinger Katz and Sheldon Toby Katz Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of Government at Colby College, as well as director of its Latin American Studies Program. From 2008 to 2009, he spent a sabbatical year at Nankai University in the People's Republic of China as a Fulbright Scholar, where he taught courses on comparative politics, U.S. foreign policy, and globalization and social innovation. While in China he also researched and published several articles on China-Latin American relations.
In addition to being a Fulbright Scholar, Armony has been the
PHOTO: JAN KRATOCHVIL
recipient of numerous other fellowships, grants, and awards from a variety of U.S. academic institutions and foundations, including the Mellon Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Kellogg Foundation.
Armony says that his goal as the director of CLAS is to help it become one of the nation's top centers on Latin America and the Caribbean. "I envision a center that extends internationally, innovates constantly, and draws maximum benefits from collaboration across disciplines," he said. "The center should serve as a connecting platform between the Americas, the vibrant and highly diverse Miami community, and the rest of the world."
Armony says that he is excited about the move. "Miami is a gateway to Latin America, as well as a portal to the United States, not only for Latin Americans but increasingly for people from outside the hemisphere. There are few cities in the world that offer so many possibilities to experience a multicultural life."
HENRY FONTE NAMED CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE ARTS AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE RING THEATRE
Henry Fonte, a professor of theatre who emigrated from to Miami from Cuba as a boy and broke new ground in higher education when he started a college program that produces original works, has been named the new chair of the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Theatre Arts, as well as artistic director of the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre.
Fonte previously was a professor of theatre at The Hartt School, the performing arts conservatory at the University of Hartford. He brings 30 years of experience to his new position, from acting in Off-Broadway and in regional theatres across the country, to writing, directing, and producing new works for the stage.
"I'm thrilled about this new challenge, and I think the job is a great match for me," says Fonte.
ARTS | SCIENCES 7
NEWSBB
PHOTO: COURTESY OF UM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
ryskamp fellowship awarded to um assistant professor of history
social history of religion expert wins prestigious fellowship
BY IVETTE YEE
Martin Nesvig, an assistant professor of history, has been named one of 13 Charles A. Ryskamp Fellows in the United States. During his fellowship, Nesvig will work on his second book, tentatively titled Hucksters, Orgies, Peyote and the Devil, a study of the religious culture of Spaniards in indigenous cultural areas of rural western Mexico in the first century after Spanish-lndian contact.
"I was honored and delighted to receive this fellowship and I look forward to dedicating time to finishing my project on the historical sociology of religion in colonial Michoacan, Mexico," Nesvig said.
Nesvig's area of expertise is the social history of religion. He recently completed his first book, Ideology and Inquisition: The World of the Censors in Early Mexico. His previous honors include awards from the Mellon Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities and a Fulbright fellowship. At UM, he teaches courses on colonial Latin America, the Inquisition, the Mexican Revolution, and the history of anarchism.
Ryskamp fellowships are named after Charles A. Ryskamp, a literary scholar, distinguished library and museum director, and long-serving trustee of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Funded by the Mellon Foundation, Ryskamp fellowships are awarded each year to scholars who have advanced their fields, particularly the social sciences and humanities, and who have a carefully developed plan for new research.
n secrets in love and war
um professor receives national endowment for the humanities award to translate a Lebanese novel into English
Christina E. Civantos has won a prestigious, yearlong research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to translate into English the novel Majma"al-Asrar—literally, the gathering or collection of secrets—by renowned Lebanese author Elias Khoury. Originally published in 1994, the book depicts a love triangle enmeshed in secrets and set against the backdrop of various wars.
An associate professor of modern languages and literatures, Civantos is one of only three Floridians to have received a 2010 award from NEH, which is an independent grant-making agency of the U.S. government that supports research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
Civantos says she is excited not only to bring the novel to English speakers for their literary enjoyment but also to offer them a much-needed window into the many facets of Arab culture and Arab creativity—an especially important contribution at a time of strained relations between the English-speaking world and Arab-lslamic cultures. Civantos' critical introduction to the novel will help readers better understand its cultural context.
The book's story, which primarily takes place during Lebanon's civil war from 1975 to 1990, focuses on a group of Lebanese Christians: a grocery-store owner haunted by a family history of emigration, his best friend, and the young woman with whom they both are romantically involved. "As soon as I started reading, I wanted to know more about the quirky characters, their secrets, and what they might do next," said Civantos. "I was impressed by the way the story led me through a meditation on the effects of war and violence on daily life and family relationships, while still maintaining a light tone."
Translating a book from one language into another involves much more than just rewriting the text. "There are cultural concepts that surround given words or phrases, and it can be difficult to find a way to transfer these while maintaining the flow of the text," according to Civantos. "In general, as a translator I am always trying to find a balance between transmitting exactly what was said and creating an English version of how it was said in Arabic, including the tone, the register, and the rhythm of the passage."
Civantos' academic research focuses on 19th and 20th-century Latin American and Arabic studies. She is particularly interested in issues surrounding migrations, Orientalism (Westerners' perceptions of West Asian and North African cultures), and the politics of literacy. Her previous publications include Between Argentines and Arabs: Argentine Orientalism, Arab Immigrants, and the Writing of Identity and various articles in scholarly journals. Civantos expects her translation of the Khoury novel, which she has tentatively titled The Box of Secrets, to be published in 2012.
(Above) Christina £ Civantos is one of only three Floridians to have received a 2010 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
8 FALL 2010
l
"Some of the greatest changes we will see in the decades ahead will come from the fields of genetics and genomics, and if we are not to create more problems than we solve, we have to take seriously the ethical, legal, and social implications of these advances."
STEPHEN SAPP
ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTINA ULLMAN
ETHics AND GENETICS
an interdisciplinary "ethics and genetics" course pushes students out of their comfort zones.
"Some of the greatest changes we will see in the decades ahead will come from the fields of genetics and genomics," said Stephen Sapp, a professor of religious studies, "and if we are not to create more problems than we solve, we have to take seriously the ethical, legal, and social implications of these advances."
This relationship between biology and ethics is the focus of a course, called "Ethics and Genetics," that is co-taught by Sapp and Luis Glaser, a professor of biology and the special assistant to the president. Held each spring since 2003, the course covers topics such as public access to private genetic information, stemcell research, and the cultivation of genetically modified plants as sources of food.
"Throughout history, scientific progress and ethical values have been intertwined," said Sapp. "Although the results of science most often improve our lives, they sometimes can be harmful if careful consideration is not given to their moral implications."
Students are required to read a variety of journal articles as well as the book The Strongest Boy in the World: How Genetic Information Is Reshaping Our Lives by Phillip Reilly. The final assignment is a research paper on a topic of the students' choosing.
Given its interdisciplinary content, the class draws students of diverse majors. Katherine Davis, a recent biology graduate who took the course last spring, said it was one of her favorites because it integrated scientific, medical, and societal issues. Now, as a medical student at Yale University, she intends to put the knowledge and skills she gained into practice.
"Not only did the topics of the Ethics and Genetics class help prepare me for Yale, but the style with which the course was taught also helped," said Davis. "The professors emphasized self-directed learning and active participation over examinations, which is precisely the model that Yale follows."
Sapp said that by focusing on critical thinking rather than memorization, the course pushes students out of their comfort zones and encourages them to think about their chosen fields of study from a different perspective. Quoting the philosopher, John Searle, he said, "The quest for knowledge and truth, as well as depth, insight, and originality, is not effortless, and it is certainly not comfortable."
arts i sciences 9
ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTINA ULLMAN
□ THE RoLE oF THE EDITOR
um faculty members play an important role by editing books.
By editing books, faculty members are able to convey much more about a topic than they can when writing articles for scholarly journals, and they often reach a larger audience as well.
The books that faculty members edit typically address variations on a single theme. For example, Roger Kanet, a professor of international studies, will soon publish a book about Russian foreign policy whose 14 contributors live in 10 countries. Stephen Cantrell, a professor of mathematics, coedited Spatial Ecology with UM colleagues Chris Cosner and Shigui Ruan. "Editing this book allowed us to focus discussion about this topic," Cantrell said.
Such activity is important "because it brings together the world's experts"
"Editing books helps disseminate researchers' ideas to a wider audience."
CHRIS COSNER
to summarize what is new in their field, said Kanet, who has edited more than 30 books. And an important bonus, Cosner noted, is that "editing books helps disseminate researchers' ideas to a wider audience."
Not only do faculty-edited books benefit readers, they also benefit the faculty members themselves and their contributors. When the editor selects contents of the chapters and the researchers who will write them, he or she helps to support the work of those scholars.
NEW MATHEMATiCAL FiELD
in their new book Spatial Ecology, Cantrell, Cosner, and Ruan explore the relationship between mathematics and ecology, focusing in particular on emerging challenges in this relatively new field. For example, they investigate the role of space in structuring biological communities. According to CRC Press, the book's publisher, it "will inspire readers to open up new areas of research in the mathematical theory of spatial ecology and its connections with evolutionary theory, epidemiology, and economics."
RUSSiA GOES iTS OWN WAY
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, expectations were high, both in Russia and the West, that a "new world order" was emerging in which Russia and the other former Soviet republics would join the Western community of nations. Kanet's new book considers why this has not quite occurred. Russian Foreign Policy in the 21st Century examines the influence of 1990s Western policies in "nationalizing" Russians' views of their self-interests; the commitment of President Vladimir Putin to rebuilding Russia as a great power in its own right; and the deterioration of Russian relations with the European Union and the United States during the first decade of the 21st century.
10 FALL 2010
B STUDENTS WIN SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY ABROAD
FIVE STUDENTS TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH THE HELP OF AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
Five College of Arts and Sciences students have been awarded prestigious 2009-2010 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships. The goal of the scholarship program is to prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.
One of the winners, Stephanie Ruiz, who is majoring in international studies, is using her scholarship to study Middle Eastern culture, politics, and economics in Istanbul, Turkey this fall. "Understanding these topics is necessary for a career in foreign policy and in intelligence, both of which I am interested in pursuing," she said. Ruiz, who is taking courses at Koc University in Istanbul, said that she is learning about the ties between the Middle East and the West, and Turkey's strategic role in balancing these regional powers. "As they say, Istanbul is where the East and the West come together," she said.
Jenessy Rodriguez, an international studies/history major, already made use of her scholarship to study abroad. She spent the FALL 2010 semester taking courses at L'I nstitut Catholique in Paris, France. "I'm very passionate about French culture and literature, as well as the French language," said Rodriguez. "During my trip, not only did I improve my French, but I also challenged myself to embrace new traditions and cultures."
Also during her trip, Rodriguez completed an internship with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In particular, she worked for a UNESCO-sponsored organization called Zonta International, which aims to stop violence against women and increase education for all. "The internship was such an amazing experience and really painted a picture of my future for me in the field of international relations," she said.
Three other College of Arts and Sciences students also won a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in 20092010: Rafael Hernandez, a biology major, Aubrey Stutzman, an international studies major, and Carolyn Stull, a biology major.
Each of the Gilman scholarship winners received indepth guidance during the application process from the UM Office of International Education and Exchange Programs (IEEP). Two IEEP staff members have served on the national Gilman Scholarship selection panel, giving them first-hand expertise on what makes a Gilman candidate successful. "Understanding the philosophy and mission of the Gilman Scholarship is key," said Elyse M. Resnick, a UM assistant director of international education and exchange programs. "We are able to help our students focus on what points should
College of Arts and Sciences students (left, Stephanie Ruiz; middle, Rafael Hernandez; right, Jenessy Rodriguez) have been awarded prestigious 2009-2010 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships.
PHOTO: JAN KRATOCHVIL
be emphasized, which really helps them to stand out at the national level. At least one UM student has won a Gilman scholarship every semester since spring 2008, and that gives us enormous satisfaction. These are top-notch students who wouldn't have had an opportunity to study abroad without it."
Gilman scholarships are given to exceptional students who have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad, including students with high financial need, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, and students with diverse ethnic backgrounds.
ARTS | SCIENCES 11
n UM PsYOHoLoGisT Develops PATiENT-REPoRTING MEASURE TO AID CYSTIC FIBROSIS PATIENTS
BY E-VERiTAS
In a move that signals a growing trend in health care of trusting patients to reliably describe their condition, University of Miami Professor of Psychology Alexandra L. Quittner has developed a quality-of-life measure that allows people with cystic fibrosis to report their symptoms instead of relying on the impressions of physicians or less-direct physiological outcomes.
"Getting the medical community to accept and value a patient-reported outcome is a sea change in terms of health care," said Quittner, who directs the Child Division in UM's Department of Psychology. "We have depended mainly on physiological indicators and pulmonologists who ask their patients how they are doing."
Cystic fibrosis, or CF, is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of about 70,000 people worldwide, including 30,000 children and adults in the United States. There is no cure.
Quittner's tool, called Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised, is used all over the world by CF patients to report their symptoms. Using a four-point frequency and intensity scale, the tool measures such symptoms as the severity of a patient's cough, mucus production, chest congestion, wheezing, and the ability to perform certain tasks like climbing stairs, walking, and running. Last February, the Food and Drug Administration used the tool as the basis to approve a new inhaled antibiotic for CF patients, making it the first time that a patient-reported outcome had ever been used to approve a drug for a respiratory disease.
"There is such important work to be done at the intersection of behavior and medicine," said Quittner. "So much of medicine relates to behavior change, and yet health care providers have not been trained to change behavior. It's been rewarding to bring psychological research to the medical community."
PHOTO: KATHRYN WANLESS
BOOKMARKS
CHILD-CENTERED PRACTICES FOR THE COURTROOM AND COMMUNITY How can early childhood professionals provide the best possible services to families in the child welfare system? A new guidebook written by Lynne F. Katz, a research assistant professor of psychology, and colleagues Judge Cindy S. Lederman and Joy D. Osofsky, a professor of pediatrics, psychiatry, and public health at Louisiana State University, introduces early childhood professionals to the coordinated, evidence-based practices used successfully in Miami's juvenile court and child welfare community. The authors use a gripping case study of one young mother and her children to explain why effective, integrated services are needed to improve child and family outcomes. Then, the authors give practical tips and guidance about how to plan and implement a coordinated system of care, advance a more therapeutic approach to child welfare in the courtroom and community, and choose and implement an evidence-based parenting program to improve relationships between children and parents, among other tips.
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B THREE MIAMi HURRiCANES TO RESEARCH BRAZiL
THREE NEWLY NAMED FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS WILL APPLY THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS WHILE DEEPENING THEIR OWN LIFE EXPERIENCES.
Brazil is famous for its lively culture—think samba, soccer, and supermodels—not to mention its economic prowess and natural beauty. But the country also is known for its poverty, tropical diseases, and immense oil reserves. Three UM Fulbright scholars—Douglas O. Fuller, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Regional Studies; John Twichell, a graduate student in the Department of international Studies; and Kristina Rosales, an undergraduate student—will research these important threats and opportunities.
Fuller plans to use his Fulbright award to conduct research on the influence of climate and climate change on vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, a life-threatening illness that is transmitted by mosquitoes. "As the planet warms, tropical diseases and their vectors may spread into northern latitudes," Fuller said. "The recent outbreak of dengue fever in Key West, FL is an example." Fuller's goal is to develop an early-warning system for dengue fever outbreaks. Based at the Federal University of Amazonas in Manaus, he will work with Brazilian scientists to model this vector-borne disease using satellite and climate data.
"This scholarship will also allow me to fulfill a lifelong dream," said Fuller. "Although i lived in Brazil for a brief period in the 1980s, i never had the opportunity to travel to the Amazon," he said. Based on his experiences there, he plans to develop a summer field course on the Amazon for UM undergraduates.
Twichell will use his Fulbright scholarship to investigate the political and economic factors behind Brazil's oil development policy. "Oil reserves can contribute significantly to a country's broad-scale development, including infrastructure, education, and health care," said Twichell. "My work will compare Brazil's relatively successful approach to developing its oil sector with the policies of other Latin American countries."
"Being a Fulbright scholar is a great way to make long-lasting working collaborations with other people."
DOUG o. FULLER
As a Fulbright scholar, Kristina Rosales will focus on the crackcocaine epidemic that is affecting a large and growing population of young people in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (slums). "i plan to work with two non-governmental organizations to construct a database that brings together into one place information from various studies on the topic of crack-cocaine abuse," she said. "i hope the database will help local governments to develop some realistic solutions to the problem."
Helping the people of Brazil is a common objective of these three members of the UM community—who are among the 15 American academics chosen for Brazil out of the 102 who applied in 2010—and not only during their tenure as Fulbright scholars, but also over the long term. Each individual plans to continue his or her work in the country in the future. "Being a Fulbright scholar is a great way to make long-lasting working collaborations with other people," Fuller observed.
These scholars' intentions are in keeping with the general goals of the Fulbright program itself, which aims to promote bi-national cooperation and nurture open-minded and thoughtful leaders, both in the United States and abroad, who can work together to address mutual concerns and build mutual understanding.
(Opposite page, from ¡eft) Douglas O. Fuller, John Twichell, and Kristina Rosales received Fulbright Scholarships to study in Brazil.
A READER'S GUIDE TO PROUST'S 'IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME'
A new book written by David R. Ellison, a distinguished professor in the humanities and chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, analyzes Marcel Prousts book A la Recherche du Temps Perdu (in Search of Lost Time). According to Ellison, Prousts 3,000-page multifaceted novel is many things at once: a novel of education, a portrait of French society during the Third Republic, a masterful psychological analysis of love, a reflection on homosexuality, an essay on moral and aesthetic theory, and above all one of the great literary achievements of the 20th century. Focused both on large themes and on narrative and stylistic particularities, Ellisons readings expand the readers understanding of a complex work and provide tools for further study of Proust.
CORPUS OF EARLY ITALIAN PAINTINGS IN NORTH AMERICAN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS: THE SOUTH
Professor of Art and Art History and Senior Associate Dean Perri Lee Roberts has published a three-volume reference work on the Italian paintings created between 1250 and 1500 that are housed in art museums in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Puerto Rico. Roberts provides full information, bibliography, and scholarly commentary on each work of art, all of which are illustrated with full-page reproductions. Neatly packaged in a slipcase, the work was published by the Georgia Museum Art in 2009. It is a major accomplishment and an essential reference for scholars and connoisseurs interested in the history of medieval and Renaissance Italian painting.
ARTS I SCIENCES 13
e
inter is around the corner. south Florida, that means
free from mosquitoes—with a great novel. For those living further north, it means leafing through a book by the warm glow of a fire. No matter where you live, you’ll surely come across something new and exciting to read this winter with our collection of faculty favorites.
For booklovers living in lounging on the patio—
Mihoko Suzuki
Mihoko Suzuki is a professor of English and director of the center for the Humanities. She traces her interest in Renaissance and early modern studies—the focus of her current research—to the book Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada, which she read as a child.
What iS YOUR FAvORITE BOOK AND Why?
My favorite book is George eliot's Middlemarch. It made a huge impact on me when I read it in college. It's an amazingly rich and complex depiction of 19th century english society. It masterfully distills the contradictions between young people's aspirations and the limits imposed by life lived and experience.
what types of books would YOU consider to be guilty pleasures?
Historical detective fiction, especially the series by C.J. Sansom, which features a hunchbacked lawyer confronting corruption and intrigue in Tudor England.
is there an obscure author that you would recommend? why?
I recommend a novel by Japanese writer, Minae Mizumura, The Real Novel, which is due out in English translation. It's both a good read and serious literature that makes productive connections to the victorian novels of Emily and Charlotte Bronte, and to their 20th century heirs, such as Jean Rhys.
which childhood book was your favorite?
A book I read in third grade, Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada. I trace the origin of my interest in Renaissance politics, and especially the place of women in it, to this book.
WHAT BOOK iS cURRENTLY on your MGHTSTAND?
Martha Nussbaum's Not for Profit: Why Democracy
Needs the Humanities.
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Casey Klofstad
Casey Klosftad is an assistant professor of political science. His research focuses on everyday conversations about politics and current events among citizens—what he calls "civic talk." His new book Civic Talk: Peers, Politics, and the Future of Democracy will be in stores in December.
WHAT TYPES OF BOOKS WOULD YOU CONSiDER TO BE GUiLTY PLEASURES?
Any post-apocalyptic novels, like Steven King's The Stand, Margaret Atwood's Orxy and Crake, and Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Reading about how humanity would, or would not, move on after a major disaster is very intriguing to me.
iS THERE A BOOK THAT YOU CAN'T WAiT TO READ OVER THE HOLIDAY?
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. it is a great collection
of his short stories that deals with the holiday season. it's very irreverent and very funny.
iS THERE AN OBSCURE AUTHOR THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND? WHY?
i recently listened to the first book in The Strain trilogy by Guillermo del Toro. He is known for his work in film, but is now moving into writing novels. The Strain trilogy is a vampire saga, but is much darker than Twilight or the other fluffier vampire novels and films out there today.
which BOOK TAUGHT YOU THE MOST AND WHAT DID IT TEACH YOU?
i'd have to say Voice and Equality by Verba et al. The central thesis of this book is that not everyone participates in politics. This is a problem because the people that do participate are more advantaged than the rest of us. Consequently, the "voice" heard by the government is not reflective of the general public's preferences. This is a serious challenge to the strength of democracy that i am attempting to address in my own research.
WHAT BOOKS ARE CURRENTLY ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne and Why Empathy Matters by J.D. Trout.
John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald is the chair of the Department of Religious Studies. His choice for favorite author—George Eliot, whose writings often comprised various religious elements—reflects his interest in religion as a topic of research.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) because of her realism as a novelist, her indebtedness to Greek literature, her deft use of religious themes, her knowledge of the academic study of religion, and her fascinating personal life.
IS THERE A BOOK THAT YOU CAN'T WAiT TO READ OVER THE HOLIDAY? Barbara Burkhardt's William Maxell: A Literary Life.
IS THERE AN OBSCURE AUTHOR THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND? WHY?
i enjoyed The Snow Geese, by William Fiennes, perhaps because one of the characters in the book is based on a friend of mine. For those who like novels dealing with the Deep South (where i grew up), i would recommend Two Letters Then Booger Den by Temple Davis.
WHICH CHILDHOOD BOOK WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
it depended on my age. initially, it was Mother Goose fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Later, it was Zane Grey's novels about the Old West, with Dr. Seuss's books (The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham) always a pleasant diversion.
As a teenager, i discovered C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and devoured them. Regardless of age, however, comic books of all sorts were my uncontested favorite, and i collected them by the hundreds.
WHAT BOOK IS CURRENTLY ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
Moshe Adler's Economics for the Rest of Us.
16 FALL 2010
FACULTY FAVORITE BOOKS
Middlemarch by George Eliot Beloved by Toni Morrison Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri Running in the Family by Michael Ondatjee Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Scent of Apples by Bienvenido Santos
Robin Bachin
Robin Bachin is the Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor of History and director of the American Studies Program. As a scholar of American urban, immigration, and cultural history, it is no surprise that Bachin prizes author Toni Morrison—who writes about racism and slavery in the United States—above all other writers.
WHAT iS YOUR FAVORiTE BOOK?
Toni Morrison's Beloved is my favorite book because of its immense power to evoke the emotional and psychological trauma of slavery's legacy. Morrison so movingly portrays how the lead character, Sethe, is haunted by memories of her life in servitude, her efforts to shield her children from being victims of that life, and her tragic decision to take the life of her own daughter in an effort to protect her from the horrors of slavery. I don't know of any other work of fiction that lays bare the physical brutality, emotional suffering, and loss of personal and familial identity under slavery in such an elegant and graceful manner.
IS THERE A BOOK THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT TO READ OVER THE HOLIDAY?
I'm looking forward to reading Chris Cleave's Little Bee, a book about a British couple that encounters a young girl
from Nigeria on an African beach and who then leaves an indelible mark on their lives. It has received wonderful reviews and I'm anxious to read it.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK CHARACTER AND WHY?
My favorite book character is Scout from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. I appreciate how Lee so poignantly weaves together Scout's ability to confront the prejudices of her community, her appreciation of the strength of her father's convictions, and her own sense of what it means to be a young girl who defies prescribed roles.
WHICH CHILDHOOD BOOK WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
James and the Giant Peach was my favorite childhood book because it is at once fanciful and frightful, with characters full of ingenuity that ultimately achieve redemption.
WHAT BOOKS ARE CURRENTLY ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
Mandela's Way: 15 Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage by Richard Stengel; In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan; and Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth by Juliet Schor.
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Michael McCullough
Michael McCullough is a professor of psychology whose wide-ranging interests in book topics often mirror his interests in the human social behaviors—such as forgiveness, revenge, and gratitude—that are the focus of his research. He says he'd rather read a non-fiction book than a fiction one.
WHAT iS YOUR FAVORiTE BOOK AND WHY?
This would probably be The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation by Matt Ridley because it opened my eyes to the fact that evolution shaped humans' moral instincts in profound ways, and that this is the direction in which I needed to focus my own research and thinking. I found the book in a used bookstore nine years ago, and I am still getting energy from it.
WHAT TYPES OF BOOKS WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE GUILTY PLEASURES?
Biographies/Memoirs. I recently read Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky, which is David Henderson's biography of Jimi Hendrix. Henderson thinks Jimi was murdered.
IS THERE AN OBSCURE AUTHOR THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND? WHY?
He's not obscure by any means, but Richard Wrangham's book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human is the best piece of book-length science writing that I've read in a long time. I read it cover to cover, wrote the author to congratulate him on it, and then read it a second time.
iS THERE A CLASSIC BOOK THAT YOU DiD NOT LiKE?
Wuthering Heights because I was a kid, and it was assigned reading when we were staying at my cousins' farm. I had to read it while everybody else was out riding ATVs and fishing and having a great time.
WHAT BOOKS ARE CURRENTLY ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
Revenge in the Cultures of Lowland South America by Beckerman and Valentine
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace
Wisdom of the Hive: Social Physiology of Honey Bee Colonies by Thomas Seeley
The Myth of American Exceptionalism by Godfrey Hodgson
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Atrevete (a Spanish textbook) by Heining-Boynton, Cowell, and Torres-Quiñones Learning to Live Together: Preventing Hatred and Violence in Child and Adolescent Development by Hamburg and Hamburg
Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages by Patrick McGovern
18 FALL 2010
FACULTY READING LIST OVER THE HOLIDAY
Holidays on Ice by David Sedans
Little Bee by chris cleave
Brazil by Jesse Lee Kerchavel
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
William Maxwell: A Literary Life by Barbara Burkhardt
M. Evelina Galang
Evelina Galang is an associate professor of English and the director of the creative Writing Program. in 2001, she was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in the Philippines, where she explored the stories of women who were forced into prostitution during World War ii. Her findings are published in a collection of essays, titled Lolas House: Women Living With War.
what is your favorite book and why?
My favorite books change with the season. i have about 50 favorite books depending on the tide...among them: Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth, Michael Ondatjee's Running in the Family, Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior, and Bienvenido Santos's Scent of Apples. These books transport me and inspire me to act.
iS THERE A Book THAT YOU OAN'T WAiT
to read over the holi day?
yes. Jesse Lee Kerchavel's Brazil and Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs.
who is your favorite book character and why?
Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Pest. She's bold and outspoken, and she doesn't care what other people think of her. She speaks her mind.
which childhood book was your favorite?
I'd say there are many, but the ones that come to mind are Little Women, Ramona the Pest, A Separate Peace, and The Island of the Blue Dolphin.
WHICH BOOK TAUGHT YOU THE MOST AND WHAT DID IT TEACH YOU?
As a child, Little Women taught me to be myself.
ARTS I SCIENCES 19
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| Full Text | Fall 2010 University of Miami Read any god boks lately? A&S Faculty share their favorites close up14 |
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