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March
 
The annual honor goes to a research scientist whose extraordinary work fulfills the SURA mission “to advance collaborative research and education and to strengthen the scientific capabilities of its members and our nation.”
 
“Dr. Blakely's work is not only important for the public health benefits that have grown from his research, but also the inspiration it provides to the next generation of neuroscience researchers,” said Jerry P. Draayer, SURA President & CEO.
Children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have adept and competent emotional processing skills when viewing their mother’s faces. They are just as “in-tune” with their mother’s feelings and emotions as children without ASD. Co-author  Nancy Aaron Jones, Ph.D., an associate psychology professor and director of the  WAVES Laboratory in FAU’s College of Science, and a member of FAU’s  Brain Institute explained this finding may indicate greater potential for children with ASD to learn and socialize with people they know rather than with strangers.
A leading neuroscientist at Florida Atlantic University has been named a Kavli Fellow by The National Academy of Sciences.  Alex Keene, Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences in FAU's  Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, recently participated in the 30th Annual U.S.  Kavli Frontiers of Science symposium (KFoS).
 
Keene's research is focused on understanding the neural mechanisms of sleep loss in Mexican cavefish, and he and his team are investigating the neural circuitry regulating taste memory in fruit flies. He is only the second FAU faculty member to be named a Kavli Fellow.
FAU is now an official chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), a global network inspiring bold leadership, research and solutions that advance women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The FAU AWIS chapter is composed of 25 members and partner organizations across five colleges at the university, including the  Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. 
Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus and John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter will soon offer two new state-of-the-art student housing facilities after the Florida State University System’s (SUS) Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve $78.5 million in construction projects during today’s meeting of the SUS leadership body.
 
On the Jupiter campus, the university will build a $17.1 million, 165-bed residential hall that will provide a total of 435 beds once finished. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2020 with completion by summer 2021.

Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College is celebrating the academic achievements of its students, and particularly those students in the Class of 2019, with its fifteenth annual Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Research on Friday, April 5, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. All Wilkes Honors College students are engaged in interesting research and creative activities, including their senior thesis projects. The Symposium showcases honors students and their projects in a one-day event that includes a series of concurrent talks, a poster session, and a visual arts presentation. The event is a celebration of academic achievements of its students, and includes a presentation titled, "Can Hip Hop Save Biotech," from Dr. David Sun Kong.
Congratulations to this year's Florida Atlantic University Wilkes Honors College Outstanding Young Owl! Christine Sylvain, executive director, Path to College Fellowship was recognized for making a mark in her profession and community. We are proud to share the story of this alumna making a difference. 
The Kenan Social Engagement Program at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University is pleased to announce the selection of two new Kenan Social Engagement Program scholarship winners. Amanda Barstow was awarded $10,000 to launch her social enterprise, Daisy, which is designed to provide feminine hygiene products to at-risk women. David Gorski was awarded $2,500 to start his social venture, Life-Metrics, a mobile app platform that establishes quantitative connections between health, usage data and psychological/physical well-being. 
Go Owls! On Monday, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College hosted Admitted Students Day. Nearly 200 future owls were able to experience life as a Wilkes Honors College student. The group participated in class sessions, visited the Roger Dean Stadium and Loggerhead Marinelife Center. Check out the photos from the exciting day for potential students and their families.
The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium’s Journey Through the Human Brain, a $2.5 million, 2,500-square-foot permanent exhibit is now open after three years of development. The exhibit is a partnership between the South Florida Science Center and Florida Atlantic University’s Brain Institute. Major portions of the exhibit also feature significant hands-on participation from the Max Plank Florida Institute of Neuroscience and Scripps Research Institute of Florida. 
The  Florida Atlantic University Tech Runway is now open for business in Jupiter. The FAU business incubator officially expanded its' services to the FAU Jupiter campus this month.

Rhys Williams, the managing director of FAU Tech Runway made the announcement during a BioFlorida Palm Beach and Treasure Coast chapter event held March 12 on the John D. MacArthur Campus. Williams hopes the expansion will help catapult dozens of technology startups and companies in the early stages of business in the Jupiter area. 
FAU Day at Roger Dean Stadium!
FAU Day at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium was held March 21. The communications team for Florida Atlantic University at Jupiter set up a booth at the stadium during the spring training Game to highlight what our campus has to offer and the research being conducted right across the street. Owlsley threw out the first pitch!
Upcoming Events
Friday, March 29, 4-5:30 p.m.
Els Center of Excellence, Jupiter  RSVP
Saturday, March 30, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
South Florida Science Center & Aquarium
Film Screening "The U Turn" with director Luis Argueta
Tuesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m.
AD 119, FAU Jupiter Campus
Thursday, April 4, 12-1:00 p.m.
SR-258
Florida Atlantic University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus , located in downtown Abacoa offers a variety of upper-division and graduate course. The campus houses the Academy for Community Inclusion , Center for Autism and Related Disabilities , College of Education , Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College , John D. MacArthur Campus Library and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute , the largest lifelong learning program in the nation. FAU Jupiter unites scientists and students in research and training programs and leverages FAU’s close affiliations with Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Florida Institute , also located on the campus. As part of this effort, the university-wide Brain Institute launched in 2016 and is a hub of cutting-edge, multidisciplinary neuroscience activity that builds on existing neuroscience centers and programs within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine , Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology offers research and training programs in molecular biology and biotechnology and serves as a link between FAU and other institutions and industries in this field.