Horizons Fall 2015

39 NSU HORIZONS a role model—show that hard work can definitely pull you through and that you can do a lot of things when you just set your mind to it,” she said. Being part of the team helped her adjust to college while being far away from her family. Another part of her adjust- ment was her professors, including her biology professor, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Ph.D., interim chair of the biology department at the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. “If I had any questions, she would always be there to help answer them,” Alfino said. “She was very organized and helped me succeed.” Schmitt Lavin said that Alfino has an intensity and desire to succeed that is genuinely refreshing. “During the semester, while studying Biology II/Lab, Lauren was always intensely engaged in the subject matter,’’ Schmitt Lavin said. “But when we started to discuss life in the oceans, that is when I truly saw the sparks of excitement light up her face!” In the long term, Alfino plans to attend veterinarian school or graduate school for marine biology. For now, NSU is the right place for her, and she believes she can learn much with faculty support. “NSU has a far reach with marine biology because of its commitment to protecting the coral reefs and the ocean,” said Alfino. “Being here was the right choice.” n Protecting the world’s coral reefs has been at the forefront for researchers and students at NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. To that end, NSU has been selected to oversee the new National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program. This program is a partnership between NSU, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs, and the U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee. It will create seven two-year positions in each of the seven U.S. coral reef jurisdictions. Through these highly qualified fellows, this program will help address current management capacity gaps and build long-term capacity in the coral reef jurisdictions of the United States. The new vision for the program is for a thriving collaborative fellowship that builds excellent next-generation leaders and capacity for effective local coral reef ecosystem management. The seven jurisdictions where these new fellows will be placed are Florida, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Anticipated start date of the fellows is January 2016. Fellows can be expected to work on national goals for climate change, land-based sources of pollution, and fishing, as well as address- ing local needs such as the development of management plans for marine-managed areas, increased community involvement in monitoring and response, climate change adaptation, and biological monitoring. n AROUND NSU NSU TO OVERSEE NATIONAL CORAL REEF PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION The Charles W. Daniels Endowed Scholarship is among the numerous scholarship opportunities NSU can offer its students with high academic achievement and/or financial need. The Charles W. Daniels Endowed Scholarship was established by Robert S. Lafferty, Jr., of The Lafferty Family Foundation to recruit and retain outstanding undergraduate students. For more information on the availability of scholarships, email PHSS @nova.edu . If you would like to establish a Changing Lives Scholarship please email annualgiving@nova.edu or call (954) 262-2127. To establish a permanent source of scholarships through an endowed fund, please call (954) 262-2109. To read more inspiring stories, please go to www.nova.edu/giving .