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UNF’s CAMP Osprey Leadership Mentoring Awards Feature Leadership Guru Drew Dudley

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The University of North Florida’s Department of Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management along with the Taylor Leadership Institute will host the Collegiate Achievement Mentoring Program (CAMP) Osprey Leadership Mentoring Awards, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at the Student Union, Building 58W, Ballroom, Room 3703.

The ceremony will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the CAMP program which has impacted more than 1,500 students and trained over 500 collegiate mentors. Drew Dudley, Ted Talks speaker, author and founder of Day One Leadership, will be the inspirational keynote speaker. Jonathan Catherman, best-selling author of “The Manual to Middle School” will also provide advice to students on achieving their full potential.

“This event serves to honor the work of the amazing leaders who have helped to create CAMP Osprey,” said Dr. Matthew Ohlson, program director and assistant professor of Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management. “We want to model our mission of ‘leaders can change the world, one person at a time’ by allowing every participant the opportunity to enhance their own leadership skills and be a force for positive advancement in their schools and communities.”

The ceremony will honor three student mentors from the CAMP Osprey program, junior Nicholas Marchese, sophomore Casey Estes and senior Diandra Thompson. Three community leaders will also be recognized, including Tenikka Hughes, Emmy-nominated Action News journalist; Dr. Bruce Taylor, former UNF Board of Trustees chairperson and co-founder of the Taylor Leadership Institute; and Lt. General Rick Tryon, Taylor Leadership Institute director. Francesca Enea-Bruey and Jason Watkins, two former mentors who helped to get the initial program off the ground, will also be honored.

Marchese is a student-athlete who received the Jeffrey Dow Leadership Award for his commitment to service as a leadership mentor working with high-poverty students from Putnam County. Estes is a student-athlete who served as a mentor at Tiger Academy in Jacksonville’s Northside and exemplified service leadership by helping a group of high-needs girls increase confidence as well as leadership skills. Thompson is a communications major who created her own expanded mentoring model for female students within the culturally diverse River City Science Academy.

Hughes will be honored with the Community Engagement Award for her passion in promoting education and for making a positive impact on local youth. For their exceptional commitment to creating leaders at the University and in the community, Taylor will be honored with the Leadership Legacy Award, while Lt. Tryon will receive the Leadership Catalyst Award. Students and community partners from Flagler County schools, Putnam County schools and River City Science Academy will also be honored.

Admission is free with a children’s book donation to Tenikka’s Books for Kids drive to benefit the Jacksonville Public Library’s summer learning programs. Ticket and sponsorship packages are available on the CAMP Osprey website. Contact Ohlson for event questions at (904) 620-5271.

In 2008, the CAMP program began pairing collegiate students with high-needs children as CAMP Gator at the University of Florida. The hallmark of the program is effective leadership development that increases student achievement, confidence and leadership abilities.

The program moved to UNF as CAMP Osprey in 2015 and has expanded to nine schools in three states utilizing face-to-face and virtual mentoring. CAMP Osprey has been supported through generous grants from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, Deerwood Rotary, the Cummer Foundation, Clay Electric and Florida Blue.

Forbes Names University of North Florida 2018 ‘Best Value College’

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When it comes to value, the University of North Florida is among the top universities in the country, according to a new ranking from Forbes.

UNF has been named a Forbes 2018 “Best Value College” and is among an exclusive class of only 300 schools nationwide ranked to help students as well as families evaluate the likely return on their investment. The University is the only Northeast Florida higher education institution to land on the list.

“We’re pleased to be included on this list and take great pride in being nationally recognized by some very elite organizations for delivering an exceptional education at an extraordinary value,” said UNF President John Delaney.

The 2018 Forbes Best Value College ranking indexes schools that deliver the best bang for the tuition buck based on net price of tuition, net debt, alumni earnings, timely graduation, school quality and access for low-income students. Forbes used data collected from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and PayScale, the world’s largest salary database.

The Forbes list evaluates institutions offering four-year degrees and doesn’t include private for-profit schools such as the University of Phoenix or DeVry University. In-state tuition is used for state universities.

This latest recognition comes on the heels of UNF receiving several other national designations, including U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 “Best Online Programs,” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s “Best College Value of 2018,” 2018 “Best in the Southeast” by Princeton Review, 2018 “Best Regional” University by U.S. News & World Report, 2018 “Best Colleges” by College Factual, to name a few.

UNF Honoring Students’ Exceptional Service at Spring Commencement

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The University of North Florida will honor students with outstanding records of volunteerism and caring spirits, when it hands out more than 1,850 degrees Friday, April 27, during spring commencement at the UNF Arena, Building 34, on campus.

Senior Sara-Marie Saliba, who will graduate from the Brooks College of Health with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, will be recognized as the recipient of the Senior Service Award, while Ayshka Elise Rodriguez-Velez, who will be graduating with a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering, will be recognized as the recipient of the Albert D. Ernest Jr. Caring Award.

The UNF Alumni Association presents the Senior Service Award to a graduating senior for outstanding volunteer service to the University or community. The Caring Award recognizes students who demonstrate the spirit of caring, humanitarianism and volunteerism exemplified by Albert Ernest.

Saliba, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, believes that a nursing career will provide her the opportunity to greatly impact individuals and the community. She has been an instrumental member of the Student Nurses Association, serving as volunteer chair and first vice president. She also revived the Red Cross Ospreys Club on campus in association with the American Red Cross, functioning as the club’s vice president.

Because Saliba wants to drive change and promote health, she has participated in the UNF Environmental Center’s “Garbage on the Green” project. This initiative educates students, faculty and staff about ways to reduce campus trash through recycling and litter-prevention practices.

A Jacksonville native who lives on the Southside, Saliba has exemplified the University’s commitment to community service through her seven-year volunteer involvement with St. Maron Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic Church. She has volunteered at Mayo Clinic’s optical shop and emergency department, in addiation to tutoring Sulzbacher Center students twice weekly over the last two years as well as mentoring other adolescents in the community. Rodriguez-Velez, a Southside resident, plans to pursue a career in biomedical application and devices that will help serve the world community. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate careers at UNF, she has been a member and an officer of the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Rodriguez-Velez has invested her time outside of class by volunteering for programs such as the SHPE Jr. program at Ribault High School and Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day. These initiatives that promote STEM awareness and offer hands-on activities, give children from underrepresented households opportunities to see the world beyond their backyards. As a Hispanic female engineer, Rodriguez-Velez hopes to inspire other young women and Hispanics to pursue their dreams, no matter what they may be.

The ceremony for the Brooks College of Health and the College of Education and Human Services will take place at 9 a.m., followed by a 12:30 p.m. ceremony for the Coggin College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences (art, biology, chemistry, economics, English, fine arts, French studies, history, interdisciplinary studies, international studies, math, music, philosophy, physics, practical philosophy and applied ethics, religious studies, Spanish and statistics.)

The ceremony for the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction and the final ceremony for COAS (anthropology, communication, criminal justice, political science, public administration, psychology, social work and sociology) will take place at 4 p.m.

The University expects to award a total of 1,545 bachelor’s degrees, 242 master’s degrees and 71 doctorates this term. Including the spring 2018 graduates, UNF has issued a total of 75,501 bachelor’s degrees, 18,883 master’s degrees and 602 doctorates since first opening its doors in 1972.

UNF Project Paints ‘Hope and History’ for Local High School Students

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The University of North Florida’s Center for Urban Education and Policy (CUEP) is launching a large-scale public art mural project to supplement Civil Rights Movement curriculum and teach Jacksonville’s high school students about local historical events like Ax Handle Saturday and the 1960’s Sit-Ins.

This initiative, “Hope and History: Learning from Our Past to Lead into Our Future,” will be discussed with the public 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 6, during the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s Public Art Week event at The Eastside Brotherhood, 915 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.

The event will feature Dr. Rudy Jamison, CUEP community initiatives coordinator and UNF visiting assistant professor of educational leadership; Dr. Chris Janson, CUEP director and UNF associate professor of leadership, school counseling and sport management; Rodney L. Hurst Sr., local author and civil rights leader; Bruce Moye, Eastside Brotherhood president; as well as Roosevelt Watson III and Nicole Holderbaum, local artists. The high school students involved in the mural project will also speak about their experiences.

This project is part of a historically significant community-based learning curriculum that the CUEP developed to immerse students in understanding civil rights issues and meeting community leaders from a local perspective in order to foster a deeper understanding of historical, as well as modern, struggles against prejudice and oppression.

“Ax Handle Saturday is the quintessential public education and youth leadership development story where students fought for dignity and respect through sit-in demonstrations,” said Jamison. “Through this collaborative project, we hope to amplify a story of resistance in the spirit of hope, love, courage and agency.”

The high school students involved in the project are being guided by regional artists Roosevelt Watson III, Nicole Holderbaum and Suzanne Pickett as they conceptualize, prepare, design and implement their interpretations of regional events that occurred during the Movement into a large-sized mural that the students will paint on the side of the Brotherhood building.

For more information on the project, contact Dr. Rudy Jamison at (904) 386-8926.

The Center for Urban Education and Policy at UNF believes in empowering schools and communities by uniting strengths, inviting advocacy and inspiring innovation.

The Eastside Brotherhood is one of Jacksonville’s first African-American social clubs, founded by “OutEast” community members. As a central preserver of the historical Eastside, The Eastside Brotherhood is committed to a healthy, thriving community.

Florida Board of Governors Confirms UNF’s Sixth President David Szymanski

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The Florida Board of Governors confirmed the selection of Dr. David Szymanski as UNF’s sixth president today during its regular BOG meeting on campus. He will begin Thursday, May 31.

Szymanski is currently the dean of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati, which has a campus of more than 44,000 students. Under his leadership as Lindner dean, enrollment in the business college has grown some 50 percent for undergraduate and nearly 200 percent for graduate students, with first-year retention rates as high as 93 percent and six-year graduation rates increasing 1,000 basis points to 71 percent.

During his eight years at UC, Szymanski has also led curriculum changes for undergraduate and graduate students, revising the MBA to be more flexible for the professional and time-constrained student. New masters and doctoral degrees in demand by students and businesses have been added in addition to new graduate certificate programs. Additionally, the College launched new online courses and degree programs.

Lindner’s MBA program has gone from being unranked to now being a Top 35 full-time and Top 25 part-time public program by Bloomberg Businessweek. In addition, the College now has Top 25 master’s programs in accounting, analytics, applied economics, finance, marketing and tax as well as Top 10 undergraduate programs in accounting, marketing and microeconomics.

With Szymanski’s guidance, Lindner is now the most profitable college at UC, generating 81 percent of the net operating profit on the academic side of the enterprise. He has helped raise more than $70M, and in fiscal year 2017, the College raised more than $20M, making it the first academic unit in the university’s history to break the $20M threshold.

Prior to joining UC, he was the director of the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University. Szymanski has served on a number of corporate and professional boards, including several NCAA boards/committees and currently sits on the board of directors of Office Depot. He earned his doctorate and MBA, both with a marketing emphasis, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Szymanski will succeed John A. Delaney, who has served as UNF president for the last 15 years. He retires as University president Thursday, May 31. In addition to Delaney, UNF has had four other permanent presidents, including founding president Dr. Thomas Carpenter (1969-1980), Dr. Curtis McCray (1982-1988), Dr. Adam Herbert (1989-1998) and Dr. Anne Hopkins (1999-2000).

UNF Brotman Lecture Series Speaker Discusses “The True Story Behind ‘Dolphin Tale’” Movie

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Abigale Stone, stranding coordinator at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, will discuss “Rescuing Winter, Hope and More: The True Story Behind ‘Dolphin Tale’” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, in the Andrew A. Robinson Jr. Theater, Building 14A, on the UNF campus. Doors open at 6 p.m. Displays about local dolphin research at UNF as well as the Fish and Wildlife Commission will also be available between 6 and 7 p.m.

Stone has been at CMA since 1996 and is highly experienced in the behavioral assessments, observations, animal handling, medical procedures and treatment of various cetacean species, which includes dolphins, whales and porpoises. Over the past 20 years, she has played an integral role in the growth of the aquarium, especially regarding the facility’s most famous resident, Winter the dolphin, the lead character in the 2011 movie “Dolphin Tale.”

Winter arrived at CMA in December 2005 after she was found off Florida’s east coast entangled in a crab trap, cutting off all circulation to her tail, which CMA tried to save. As a result, the bottlenose dolphin developed a modified swimming pattern that put her at risk of developing degenerative changes in her spine.

As a primary caregiver to Winter, Stone was part of the team that developed her prosthetic tail and taught her how to use it. During the period that she managed the resident dolphins, Stone focused on behavior conditioning for husbandry or medical management and cognitive research initiatives.

In addition to resident dolphin care, her talents have majorly contributed to the hundreds of responses the Stranding Team conducts each year for marine animals in distress. In 2009, Stone became the Stranding Coordinator for CMA. In this role, she has provided rehabilitative care to several species of cetaceans and is responsible for the collection and management of data used for marine mammal research as well as conservation initiatives. Most recently, in collaboration with CMA’s Education Team, Stone expanded her scope of work to include the role of principle investigator for CMA’s Dolphin Photo ID program.

This Distinguished Voices Lecture is sponsored by The Brotman Family Coastal Biology Lecture Series and the UNF Coastal and Marine Biology Flagship Program. All Distinguished Voices lectures are free and open to the public and require an e-ticket, however, seating is limited. To get an e-ticket, visit the UNF E-ticketing webpage. For more information, contact Michelle Davis, UNF Coastal and Marine Biology Flagship Program, at (904) 620-2830 or at [email protected].

The Coastal and Marine Biology Flagship Program is one of only six UNF academic programs selected for Flagship status because of the research accomplishments of its faculty, educational opportunities for its students and its contributions to public education and science-based policymaking about the ocean. The program’s mission is to discover and educate others about coastal and marine life with the goal of preserving it for future generations.

SR Education Group Ranks UNF a 2018 Top, Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online College

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The University of North Florida has been named a 2018 Top and Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online College by SR Education Group, a leading education research publisher.

SR Education Group evaluated more than 500 accredited colleges across the country offering online degrees using factors important to military students, with only 60 colleges making the 2018 Top Military-Friendly Online Colleges list. UNF was also highlighted as a Top 25 military-friendly college committed to affordability, ranking No. 6 in the country on the 2018 Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online College list.

“The fact that we’re being nationally recognized for our online programs is a testament to the exceptional education offered at our institution,” said UNF President John Delaney. “Faculty in our online programs are committed to this form of program delivery and have developed course materials and teaching methods that are second to none.”

Colleges were required to offer at least 10 fully online degrees to be considered for the Military-Friendly Online College rankings. All accredited schools that met this requirement were evaluated based on four key factors for military support in online education: military culture, online support, financial aid and flexibility. SR Education Group used government data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Comparison Tool to evaluate schools in these four categories and manually researched annual tuition rates of online programs offered by all schools on the military-friendly list.

This latest recognition comes on the heels of UNF receiving several other national designations, including U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 “Best Online” Bachelor’s Program, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s “Best College Value of 2018,” 2018 “Best in the Southeast” by Princeton Review, 2018 “Best Regional” University by U.S. News & World Report, 2018 “Best Colleges” by College Factual and the 2017 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from Insight into Diversity magazine, to name a few.

SR Education Group’s mission is to create authoritative online resources for students seeking an online education program that best suits their budget and career aspirations. SR Education Group is passionate about making quality education attainable for everyone and believes that objective information about education, careers, and educational financing should be free and easily accessible.

UNF Students to Host Tenth Annual Dance Marathon to Benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

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12 Hour and 10 minute Event to Raise Funds and Awareness
for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville

Dance Marathon at the University of North Florida (UNF) will be hosting its tenth annual event on Saturday, March 3, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 10:10 p.m. at the UNF Field House. Proceeds benefit the two local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals – Wolfson Children’s Hospital and the pediatric programs at UF Health Jacksonville.

To honor of all children being treated at the local CMN Hospitals, students will stay on their feet for 12 hours and 10 minutes. The 12 hours signify the typical shift of dedicated hospital staff while the 10 minutes tributes the event’s tenth year in the Jacksonville community. To keep dancers motivated, miracle children impacted by the hospitals will make special visits throughout the day to share their unique journey and interact with all participants. There will also be games, entertainment and, of course, dancing!

Opening ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. and are free and open to the public. After 11 a.m., visitors are asked to donate $5 per hour at the door to CMN Hospitals. The event concludes in a symbolic closing ceremony with miracle children cutting off the dancers’ ID bands beginning at 9:30 p.m.

There will be four local high schools that will be hosting their own dance marathon’s later in their school year! Those four high schools include, Bartram Trail, Bishop Kenney, Episcopal and Ponte Vedra. The total amount the high schools raise will be going toward UNF’s grand total, which will be given straight to the local hospitals.

Dance Marathon is a nationwide movement involving college and high school students at more than 300 schools. These students spend a year learning invaluable leadership and life skills while raising funds and interacting with children’s hospital patients and families. More students participate in Dance Marathon than any other student-led philanthropy in the United States. Since its founding in 1991, this movement has raised more than $80 million for CMN Hospitals.

For more information on how to get involved or donate, go to unfdm.com. Contact Nikki Sabol for UNF Dance Marathon or high school Dance Marathon press opportunities.

ABOUT UNF DANCE MARATHON
Started at the University of North Florida in 2008, UNF Dance Marathon team and students have raised more than $160,000 for CMN Hospitals. All of the funds raised by the students stays local at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and the pediatric programs at UF Health Jacksonville. UNF Dance Marathon’s motto is “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” especially when it is “FTK-For The Kids!”

ABOUT CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK-JACKSONVILLE
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is dedicated to improving the health and welfare of all children by raising funds and awareness for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and the pediatric programs at UF Health Jacksonville. A founding principle of CMN Hospitals is that all funds raised in a community stay in that community. Therefore, all donations made in Northeast Florida/Southeast Georgia are used to purchase medical equipment, child life activities and educational resources for both local pediatric programs. Learn more at CMNJax.com.

UNF Opera Ensemble Presents 10th Anniversary Production of ‘La Bohème’

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In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the University of North Opera Ensemble in the School of Music presents “La Bohème,” a classic opera by Giacomo Puccini, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10, as well as 3 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at the Andrew A. Robinson Jr. Theater, Building 14A.

“UNF Opera is proud to present this timeless classic as an anniversary production celebrating a decade of opera at UNF and abroad,” said Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki, associate professor of voice and director of opera at UNF. “The last 10 years have been a time of exceptional growth for this young ensemble. We take pride in the fact that the School of Music provides some of the finest undergraduate and graduate vocal training in the state.”

This is the first time the UNF Opera Ensemble has presented a full production of “La Bohème,” the world’s most popular opera, on the University’s campus. The production features a cast of 25 singers, 14 children and an 18-piece community orchestra. This fully staged and costumed production will be sung in Italian with the English translation projected above the stage.

At first glance, “La Bohème” is the definitive depiction of the joys and sorrows of love and loss; however, it reveals the deep emotional significance hidden in the trivial things—a bonnet, an old overcoat, a chance meeting with a neighbor—that make up our everyday lives. The production will be directed by Biernacki and conducted by Curtis Tucker, artistic director of First Coast Opera, Northeast Florida’s premier opera company.

UNF Opera has successfully produced over 20 opera productions in the last decade, including American opera classics, such as “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” “The Consul” and “Street Scene,” as well as operatic all-time favorites, like “Magic Flute,” “Marriage of Figaro,” “La Traviata” and “Barber of Seville.” Since 2010, UNF Opera has participated in a study abroad program in the Czech Republic. The program involves study and performance of at least two full operas in established European opera theatres with professional orchestras as well as master classes, individual coaching and open-air orchestra concerts.

Since 2008, UNF Opera has produced over 20 complete productions, including six complete operas in Europe during its annual opera study abroad program in the Czech Republic. Traditional operas include the “Magic Flute,” “Marriage of Figaro,” “La Traviata,” “Barber of Seville” and “Cosi Fan Tutte,” among others. UNF Opera has also produced other 20th-century American works, such as “The Consul,” performed in the Lazzara Performance Hall in 2011.

Comprised and cast from both undergraduate and graduate voice majors, the UNF Opera Ensemble focuses on skill development, stagecraft and theatrical experience through production and performance of complete operatic works suitable for student voices. The UNF Opera Ensemble also engages in community outreach, student recruitment and promotion of operatic arts in the community through production of special concerts, educational programs and school performances.

Tickets for this performance cost $25 for adults and are free for UNF faculty, staff and students with proper identification. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online here. For more information about this performance, contact the UNF School of Music at (904) 620-2961 or email [email protected].

The Music Flagship Program provides music majors and non-music majors alike the opportunity to develop their knowledge, understanding and ability in all aspects of music at a level relevant and appropriate to their needs and interests and to prepare music majors for careers as performers, teachers, composers, arrangers and professionals in the music industry and its supporting fields. Our students experience transformational learning opportunities through international study abroad programs, interaction with world class guest artists and community based performance and pedagogical programs.

NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott Discusses Space Experiences at UNF

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The University of North Florida’s Center for Advancement of Women in Engineering celebrates International Women’s Week with the fourth annual Women Leaders in STEM Conference, featuring keynote speaker Nicole Stott, a NASA astronaut and artist, at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 6, at the Adam W. Herbert University Center, Building 43.

Stott will be sharing her incredible experiences in space, inspiring women and sharing the importance of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) and the inclusion of women in the field. Following the lecture, there will be a panel discussion of prominent engineering leaders at 10:15 a.m. and a networking event at 11:15 a.m. Panelists will share their experiences and how they have earned respect as women in a male-dominated discipline.

“We’re excited that astronaut Stott, engineering leaders and so many members of the Jacksonville community are joining efforts with the Center to inspire more women to pursue engineering and help them advance,” said Dr. Alexandra Schonning, director of The Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering. “We’re better as a community, and companies thrive, when we’re inclusive of diverse people. We need more women in engineering, so this is a step in the right direction.”

A NASA veteran, Stott’s experience includes two spaceflights and 104 days spent living and working in space on both the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. She first joined NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in 1988 as an operations engineer in the Orbiter Processing Facility and later joined the Johnson Space Center team as a member of the NASA Aircraft Operations Division, where she served as a flight simulation engineer flying on the Shuttle Training Aircraft and helping train astronaut pilots to land the Space Shuttle.

In 2009, Stott launched on her first spaceflight to the International Space Station with the crew of Discovery STS128 and participated in the first spacewalk of that mission. While she was still living on the ISS during her first spaceflight, she was assigned to her second spaceflight, which became the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

A heavily decorated astronaut and engineer, Stott is the recipient of NASA Space Flight, Distinguished Service and Exceptional Achievement Medals; the Russian Medal of Merit for Space; Florida Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee; and distinguished excellence awards from her alma maters Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida.

Stott retired from her 27-year career with NASA in 2015 and has embarked on her next adventure as an artist. She combines her spaceflight experience and artwork to inspire creative thinking about solutions to our planetary challenges to raise awareness of the surprising interplay between science and art as well as to promote the work being done every day in space to improve life here on Earth.

The lecture is free; however registration and an e-ticket is required and can be obtained at unf.edu/lectures. For more information about this event, contact Jessica Russell, engineering administrative secretary, at (904) 620-1390 or email [email protected].

The Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering focuses on increasing recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in Engineering though outreach activities in the K12 community, a coaching program for engineering students, and conferences for the engineering professionals. For more information, visit unf.edu/cawe.