 |
| SARASOTA, Fla. (April 09, 2018) – The “2018 GloBull Showcase,” a three-day lecture series about global issues, starts today and continues Thursday and next week at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
Organized by interdisciplinary social sciences student Yolanda Woody, the new lecture series is intended to resemble “TED Talks” with academics and local experts weighing in on climate change, hunger, homelessness, discrimination, refugees and migration and other global issues. The talks will run 20 minutes each with opportunities for questions and comments by audience members. The discussions are free and open to the public. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. The events will run from noon to 2 p.m. on the following days:
Dr. McBrien, a professor of comparative and international education and one of the speakers, praised Woody for organizing the lecture series. “Globalization is increasingly affecting all aspects of our lives, and I am excited to work with students who are engaging in its challenges and opportunities,” she said. “I am so proud of Yolanda’s leadership and of the Global Society’s officers in promoting this and other global events on campus.” The showcase will conclude April 17 with an event featuring the Salinas Family Aztec Dancers, appearances by local charitable organizations and the Taste of the World food festival. The events will be held in the USFSM Courtyard and end at about noon. To attend for the lecture series, register at eventbrite.com/e/globull-showcase-lecture-series-tickets-44191611299. Registration is free.
“I want the GloBull Showcase to be an event where students come out and are made aware of different issues and cultures while also having fun mingling with their peers and faculty,” Woody said. “Overall, I hope the showcase empowers people to serve and speak up about issues and do something about them.”
Research by Dr. Telang, USFSM students is published Kudos to Dr. Aparna Telang and USF Sarasota-Manatee students Jessica Skinner, Robert Z. Nemitz, and Alexander M. McClure on the upcoming publication of their study, “Metagenome and culture-based methods reveal candidate bacterial mutualists in the Southern house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus(Diptera: Culicidae)” in the Journal of Medical Entomology. The article, due out next month, examines bacteria within mosquitos that can be “mutualist,” meaning the bacteria and their host are dependent on one another. Dr. Telang, an assistant professor of biology, suggests it might be possible to interfere with that relationship to control the insects without resorting to insecticides, which can harm the environment. “Once you characterize the bacteria, how then do you exploit that relationship, or dependency, between the mosquito and the bacteria? That’s the next line of research,” she said. Common throughout Florida, the Southern house mosquito can serve as host to West Nile virus and the bacteria that causes St. Louis encephalitis. Both viruses are found in birds and because the insects are opportunistic, feeding both on people and birds, they can transmit the viruses to people. Dr. Telang, who intends to deepen her research, possibly in collaboration with a microbiologist, said that while much study is devoted to these diseases, little is known about the bacteria within mosquitos that play mutualist roles. Meanwhile, she says her students played “significant” roles during the two-year study of mutualist bacteria, helping in the lab and writing parts of the manuscript. Their contribution could be beneficial as they pursue graduate studies. “Many undergraduates don’t have published research and this will help them to become more competitive when they apply to graduate school,” she said.
Career Connections Day set for Friday
USFSM’s Office of Career Services is offering USF Sarasota-Manatee students a chance to meet face-to-face with employers at a Career Connections Day scheduled Friday, April 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Students will board a van at USFSM and be taken to Manatee County offices in downtown Bradenton to interview for positions, including internships, across all levels of government. The county is seeking 10 summer interns.
In addition to learning about job opportunities, students can learn about government services. To register, visit the Office of Career Services. ### |
| About USF Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) USF Sarasota-Manatee is a regional campus of the University of South Florida system, offering the prestige of a nationally ranked research university with the convenience of a hometown location, including classes in Manatee and Sarasota counties, Venice and online. USFSM is ideal for those interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit in a small, personal setting with distinguished faculty and a dynamic curriculum of more than 40 academic programs. Website: www.usfsm.edu. |