Horizons Fall 2014

21 HORIZONS Climate changes But the Oceanographic Center and the Law Center are not the only NSU schools tackling environmental issues. In 2010, the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences began its Climate Sustainability Lecture Series to increase understand- ing of the science and impact of climate change. Experts from the college and other institutions are featured speakers, giv- ing students and faculty members the opportunity to discuss scientific, technological, and policy aspects of climate change. “This is opening a window for students to see how modern research is being done,” Song Gao, Ph.D., associate professor teaching chemistry and faculty adviser for student research, stated in a previous NSU interview. “Through courses in chemistry, environmental sciences, and other disciplines, we are bringing and enhancing the environmental dimension of the college.” Leela Mansukhani, a junior in Farquhar College’s Under- graduate Honors Program who is majoring in environmental studies, will spend next semester focusing on environmental issues at The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. This center offers students from across the country hands-on expe- rience as interns at government organizations in and around the nation’s capital. Mansukhani became interested in environ- mental issues in her senior year of high school when she attended a boarding school at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains in India. “It’s easy to forget the simple benefits of sitting outside and staring at the sky, or breathing in the smell of fresh grass and trees,” said Man- sukhani, who is working on a campaign to get plastic water bottles removed from the campus. Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, said students like Mansukhani are “much more acquainted with the environment and its importance than their predecessors. Because of this, environmental issues have become a growing area for us where students are doing much of the leading and some of the teaching. The enthusiasm we see in stu- dents is really a part of what’s helped us to grow exponentially in this area.” Meanwhile, at NSU’s Mailman Segal Center for Human Development (MSC), art programs combine learning about the environment with helping children use their creative skills, according to Roni Leiderman, Ph.D., dean of the center. “It’s just one of the programs we have here, and it exposes children to using recycled materials to create works of art and other things, rather than just sending a message that when you are finished with something, it just ends up in the trash,” said Leiderman. From avoiding processed treats to using non- toxic cleaning materials, it’s all “part of the process of work- ing with developing children. Our students are very young, so we model what we want them to learn, whether it’s through projects or eating healthy foods, but it’s all done in an edu- cational, yet very playful way,” Leiderman added. Environmental impact Collaborative efforts at NSU’s Health Professions Division also shed light on environmental issues. Cutting-edge research being done in a laboratory at the College of Pharmacy puts an emphasis on the environment and how much it contributes to women developing breast cancer. Near Gold Circle Lake, students plant a Rainbow Eucalyptus that, as it grows, will show multicolored streaks on its trunk.