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May 2021
Congrats to Dr. Michael Metzner, B.A.’12a graduate of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College for being introduced as a 2021 inductee into the FAUAA Hall of Fame. Dr. Metzner is a medical advisor and associate producer for ABC Studios. He currently works with writers to help create medical stories, as well as with directors and actors to produce realistic and captivating stories for television. In 2017, he was selected as a medical communications fellow for ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Dr. Metzner has worked on projects with ABC, HBO, CBS, FOX, and Netflix with some of the greatest storytellers in the industry.
Dr. Metzner graduated in 2012 from the Wilkes Honors College at FAU as a Flagler Scholar with a double concentration in biological chemistry and visual art with a passion to unite the arts and sciences. He completed the M.D. program at the University of Central Florida and continued his post-graduate training as a general surgery resident at UT Health San Antonio, one of the leading trauma centers in the country...Read More.
FAU announced the recipients of the 52nd annual Honors Convocation awards. The celebration recognizes the University’s most outstanding students and faculty. Congratulations to the following Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College recipients! 
University Scholar
Reece Humphreys
Undergraduate Researcher of the Year
Alyssa Payne
University Club Merit Award
David Harbaugh
University Researcher of the Year
Johanna Kowalko, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Scholar of the Year
Nicholas Baima, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
The Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Wilkes Honors College 2021 Medallion Ceremony was held in a remote, online format on April 29 at 10 a.m. Dr. Michael Metzner, B.A.’12, a graduate of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner served as the keynote speaker. Congratulations to the 47 graduates. Learn more about the graduates, their thesis, favorite honors college memory, and graduation plans in the 2021 Medallion Ceremony booklet.
Research

Four researchers from FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science have received grants totaling $641,818 from the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program. Award recipients also represent the FAU Brain Institute (I-BRAIN), which advances neuroscience research, technology and education, and the FAU Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-HEALTH), created to advance health through pioneering research and practical applications... Read More

How fish exploit different times of day has not been studied systematically. Alex Keene, Ph.D., lead author and a professor of biological sciences in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, on the John D. MacArthur Campus at Jupiter and collaborators have discovered the first nocturnal cichlid species from Lake Malawi, offering clues into the evolution of sleep... Read More
Student Spotlights

The Kenan Social Engagement Program at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University selected Luis Henrique Pollon and Jessica Chomik to receive a grant to launch social ventures that they conceptualized and planned in the Fall 2020 semester... Read More

Luis Henrique Pollon explains how he got involved with Mind and Melody, how it led him to his venture, and how the Kenan Social Engagement Scholarship Program made it all possible in this brief video. Luis will graduate in May with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Business with plans to dedicate himself to expanding his venture.
Max Kade Fellowship Award
 
Felix Mayer, a postdoctoral fellow in the Blakely lab, has been awarded a fellowship from the Max Kade Foundation which supports research across a broad spectrum of disciplines, particularly for those coming from Germany and Austria.  

The Leon Charney Diplomacy Program at Florida Atlantic University recently competed in the virtual National Model United Nations competition and finished second overall out of 100 competing universities... Read More
Faculty Spotlight


Herbert Weissbach, Ph.D., professor emeritus in Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CMBB), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter was selected as a Fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). Fellows are recognized for their meritorious efforts to advance the molecular life sciences through sustained outstanding accomplishments in areas such as scientific research, education, mentorship, commitment to diversity and service to the society and scientific community... Read More
 
Timothy Steigenga, Ph.D., associate dean for community engagement at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College was selected as the 2021 Volunteer of the Year by Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties. Steigenga was nominated for his years of work organizing a school-based mentoring program at Jupiter Elementary School... Read More
 
A new book edited by Jacqueline H. Fewkes, Ph.D., a professor of anthropology at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and Megan Adamson Sijapati, Ph.D., titled "Muslim Communities and Cultures of the Himalayas," is now available from Routledge... Read More
Alumni Spotlight

FAU Wilkes Honors College Alumna Morgan Cable, Ph.D., is a research scientist and group supervisor in the Astrobiology and Oceans Worlds Group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. She worked on the Cassini Mission as a Project Science Systems Engineer and is currently working on the Europa Clipper Mission, which will visit the ocean world Europa around Jupiter... Read More

Kia Taylor Riccio, a doctoral student, and Wilkes Honors College Alumna won a 2021 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF). This prestigious STEM GRF grant is a highly competitive graduate grant that provides financial support for three years of graduate studies within a five-year fellowship period... Read More

Wilkes Honors College Alumnus Fernando Varela '15 recently graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese. Starting August 2021, Fernando will be a tenure-track, Assistant Professor of Spanish at Texas Lutheran University (Seguin, TX)... Read More
Campus

Construction is underway on a 58,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art neuroscience building on FAU’s Jupiter Campus. The building will house FAU’s Brain Institute, and include laboratories, lecture halls and inspiring spaces for creativity and discovery as teams of scientists from various disciplines will tackle complex brain problems. For a sneak peek at the new facility, including regularly-updated construction photos, visit here.
Community

Please join us as we celebrate Arbor Day in the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum at Florida Atlantic University’s Jupiter Campus on Friday, April 30 at 10 a.m.  FAU faculty and staff will dedicate a bench in memory of Dr. Bhagyashree “Shree” Kundalkar. This is a mixed event, both in-person and virtual. In addition, FAU will be celebrating its 11th year as a Tree Campus Higher Education. Learn more about the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum and consider supporting the arboretum.  
 
We kindly ask that you RSVP if you plan to attend. We hope to see you there.  
OLLI Update
Resources

Explore key Jupiter campus locations and learn about life as a Wilkes Honors College student without leaving your home! Our new virtual tour takes visitors throughout the John D. MacArthur Campus, our world-class research facilities and the beautiful Jupiter community with nearby beaches... Tour

FAU Brain Institute’s ASCEND Program recently launched Lab Bench Lessons: Directly from the lab bench, scientists bring you short, fun lessons with downloadable, hands-on activities to spark your interest in neuroscience!... Watch