NOVA S OU T H E AS T E RN UN I V E R S I T Y Degree Level: graduate Program: Master of Science in Marine Science, recipient of a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship RESEARCH Area: marine biology Interests: shark sensory biology Implications: assess the relationship between shark swimming patterns and the Earth’s magnetic field Upcoming: applying to doctoral programs Mentors: Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D. Elizabeth Saraf “I became interested in marine biology at a young age. By the end of my undergraduate career, I knew I wanted to continue studying sharks. NSU’s master’s degree program directly supports my interests, and NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute has been tagging sharks since 2010. We found that some sharks exhibit highly directional swimming behavior over great distances, but we are unsure which sensory cues they use to guide this behavior. My hope is to suggest that sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate the open ocean and contribute to scholarly journals while finishing my master’s degree.” Saraf Degree Level: graduate Program: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine RESEARCH Areas: cognitive science and neurology Interests: brain function, similarities among patients with autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy Implications: creating algorithms to predict seizures and using technology to improve patients’ lives Upcoming: becoming a doctor and staying connected with the lab Mentor: Louis Nemzer, Ph.D. Freda Assuah Assuah “My undergraduate studies included cognitive science with a concentration in computer science, because it is problem- solving focused. Working as a research assistant investigating epilepsy, the lab uses mathematical models to understand brain function. We are developing an algorithm to predict the onset of seizures in patients with epilepsy. I am also lead author on a review paper on the similarities between autism and epilepsy recently published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science with the help of all the lab members.” 29
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