Latest news with #NSU
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
NSU and Barry University starting women's lacrosse programs for the 2027 season
Barry University and Nova Southeastern University have joined the lacrosse movement. There are approximately 935 NCAA lacrosse teams – 538 for women and 397 for men. There are also at least 200 club programs and an unspecified number that compete in the junior-college and NAIA ranks. Indeed, lacrosse is considered the NCAA's fastest-growing sport as the number of schools competing has doubled over the past 20 years. In addition, lacrosse will make its return as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. It will be the first time since 1908 that lacrosse will be an Olympic-medal sport. Also, Florida State added women's lacrosse for the spring of 2026. Locally, the Sunshine State Conference will now have 10 of their 11 schools playing women's lacrosse, starting in the spring of 2027. That includes Barry and NSU. As for men's lacrosse, there will be nine schools playing the sport once Barry begins action in 2027. NSU has no current plans for men's lacrosse. Here's a closer look at how NSU and Barry are handling lacrosse: ▪ NSU last week announced the hiring of Heather Coppola as its new women's lacrosse coach. By the way, she's no relation to Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola – 'I wish,' she said. Heather Coppola comes to NSU after five years at another NCAA Division II team, the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina. In those five years, Mount Olive went 68-23 overall, including 42-1 in conference play. Given that success, why start all over again at NSU? 'We have all the tools here to be successful,' Coppola said of NSU. 'There's a championship standard here, and a recipe for success. 'I can't find a negative at NSU.' Coppola, a 35-year-old native of the Syracuse (N.Y.) area, previously served as an assistant at the Division I level at Robert Morris. But she said Division II is the perfect fit for her. Since being hired on July 7, Coppola has been recruiting some of the hottest areas in the country for lacrosse talent – Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. 'Players want to come to where it's warm,' Coppola said of her recruiting strategy. 'We're also in a major metropolitan area.' Coppola said an average college lacrosse roster has between 27 and 35 players, and she plans to be in that range. She is recruiting freshmen from the Class of 2026, and she will be active in the transfer portal, too. And Coppola won't limit herself to the U.S. Australia, New Zealand, England and Canada are other hotspots she will recruit. Coppola, who has already secured a Fort Lauderdale apartment, will also soon hired one full-time and one part-time assistant coach. ▪ Dr. Scott Smith, Barry's athletic director, said he is hoping to hire lacrosse coaches by January. Recruiting will start once the coaches are hired, and the players will be enrolled by the fall of 2026. Barry said the lacrosse programs will have lofty goals. 'We want to bring a lacrosse national championship to South Florida,' Smith said. 'By the fourth or fifth year, we want to be competitively nationally.' Smith also said that since 2023 Barry has added 10 sports, including men's volleyball and women's beach volleyball. The other eight sports are: lacrosse, swimming, cross-country and track (both men and women for each). 'Our student-athlete enrollment has more than doubled,' Smith said. 'But it's not just about enrollment. The quality and the caliber of the student-athletes that we bring in – they retain well, they persist in their graduation rates. 'Our academic-success rate over the past 10 years is 90 percent or better among student-athletes. And our student-athletes overall have grade-point averages that are higher than the regular student population.'
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Sooty fingerprints of sister species
In 1957, my brother Richard and I travelled on our 59cc NSU mopeds from our home in Wimbledon to central France to spend our summer digging in the cave of Arcy-sur-Cure. We delved deep into the prehistoric layers in a sequence that saw the transition from occupation by the Neanderthals into the arrival of modern humans. So, I have naturally been fascinated by the recent discoveries in the Grotte de Mandrin, located a bit further south in the Rhone Valley, where Ludovic Slimac and his team have been making some really remarkable findings. Traditionally speaking, modern humans are supposed to have arrived ultimately from Africa and the Levant into Western Europe, precipitating the sudden extinction of the Neanderthals about 40,000 years ago. The Rhone Valley is and was the highway between the Mediterranean and the plains of northern Europe, and Mandrin cave is strategically placed to attract migratory human hunter-gatherers. The occupation layers accumulated over tens of thousands of years and they contain the stone tools made by those who sheltered there, their bones, hearths, food refuse and a source of information that has literally thrown a bright light on a hitherto untouched topic. And that source is, of all things, soot. With every campfire lit, a microscopic film of soot rose up and adhered to the cave roof. Annually, that soot was covered by an equally thin growth of stalactite, forming layers just like tree rings that under a microscope reflect the season of the year. Fragments of roof regularly cleaved off, to be incorporated in the cultural layers. Painstakingly, Ludovic's team have combined these into a unique record of visitations to the shelter. Over a 10,000 year period, there were nearly 300 separate occasions when humans lit their fires there. Under the traditional history, the modern humans migrated up the Rhone valley from the Mediterranean shore to precipitate Neanderthal extinction. But the soot tells a very different story. The cave sheltered Neanderthals briefly and on many visits until about 54,000 years ago. Then there was a sea change with the arrival of modern humans, at least 10,000 years earlier than the traditional story. But it did not lead to any sign of contact between the two human communities, nor the extinction event. Indeed, the Neanderthals returned to their traditional base, before there were yet more visits by modern humans. The soot sequence is so precise that we now know that barely a year separated some of these visits. One of the vital chapters in the human past has been illuminated by ancient fires and soot. For hundreds of generations those two different humans lived isolated alongside each other.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
3D technology being used for historical preservation of Natchitoches
NATCHITOCHES, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Student researchers from Northwestern State University's 3D Digital Summer Field School will present 'Lunchtime Lagniappe,' where they will discuss their findings and experiences creating 3D tours and digital models to document historic buildings in west Natchitoches. 'The intent of the two-week 3D Digital Field School is to engage high school-age students from the local community in documenting Natchitoches' history, primarily in the African American neighborhoods of Jackson Square and the Hill,' the release stated 'The research opens the students up to the importance of historic preservation and teaches valuable technology transfer skills. 'Students spent the first week working on site and using drone technology under the guidance of JD Cox, professor of history and coordinator of NSU's RSST (Remote Systems Science & Technology) and ARGO (Advanced Remote & Geospatial Operations) Lab, and Jason Church, chief of technical services for NCPTT, to gather data and visuals from the former Catanese Grocery on North Street, a former coffin factory and other structures in the area once part of a busy neighborhood. Students use drone technology and handheld scanners to safely document the imperiled buildings. 'Students then spent a week in the computer lab putting data into a database and creating maps that allow viewers to walk through the buildings virtually. With the addition of photographs and oral histories, the information tells the story of the buildings, even after they cease to physically exist.' The event will be held on Friday, June 13, at 12:15 p.m. at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, 800 Front St. in Natchitoches. The event is free and open to the public, and guests are encouraged to bring their lunch during the presentation. 'Please come out if you can and support our hard-working students,' Church said. 'Last year's lecture was the largest attended lunchtime lecture, and we want to top last year's numbers.' For more information about NSU's ARGO lab or NCPTT, visit or Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hans India
11-06-2025
- Science
- Hans India
Sanskrit knowledge serves as a compass for modern society: NSU VC
Tirupati: National Sanskrit University (NSU) Tirupati Vice Chancellor Prof GSR Krishna Murthy said that Sanskrit knowledge serves as a compass for modern society. He spoke at the Vice Chancellors meeting on the concluding day of the fourth Utkarsh Mahotsav (Festival of Excellence) programme, organised by Central Sanskrit University in Nashik on Tuesday. The Vice Chancellor recalled that topics such as 'AI' (Artificial Intelligence) in Sanskrit and the future of future generations through Sanskrit were also discussed at this event. Scholars have discussed Sanskrit academic knowledge in a grand manner during the Utkarsh Samaroh and a roadmap for the development of the Sanskrit language over the next five years was charted. He described the festival as a confluence programme akin to the Triveni Sangam (meeting of three rivers) of the three central Sanskrit universities. Prof Krishna Murthy also announced that the fifth Utkarsh Mahotsav will be organised at the National Sanskrit University, Tirupati.
IOL News
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Originally an Audi? Interesting facts you might not have known about VW's Polo as it turns 50
The first-generation Polo was based on the Audi 50 (left), itself an NSU product. Image: Jason Woosey The Volkswagen Polo is something of a legend in South Africa. Despite the surging popularity of SUVs, the Polo Vivo was still Mzansi's most popular passenger car in 2024, while the more expensive latest-generation Polo remains among the country's most sought-after hatchbacks. The Polo nameplate has only existed in South Africa for 29 years, and even that original model wasn't actually a Polo, which we'll get to later. But in Europe the Polo recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, meaning it has been around for almost as long as the Golf. In fact, the Polo was never originally meant to be a Volkswagen at all. The first-generation Polo was designed by a German car company called NSU Motorenwerke, which was a specialist in motorcycles, small cars and, interestingly enough, was the original creator of the rotary engine. However, the latter's unreliability and the resultant warranty claims nearly drove the company under, and in 1969, NSU was acquired by the Volkswagen Audi Group. While NSU's experience in creating front-wheel drive cars was instrumental to Volkswagen, which was transitioning from rear-engined cars like the Type 3 and Beetle to its modern line-up. But with the Golf having become a key focus for the Wolfsburg-based brand, the small NSU-developed hatchback was passed on to Audi, which turned it into the Audi 50. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Volkswagen Polo MK1 Image: Supplied Yet with the oil crisis in full swing in the early 1970s, Volkswagen couldn't resist the prospect of having another small hatchback in its portfolio, and soon the Audi 50 was stripped down and rebadged as the Volkswagen Polo. Before settling on its name, VW had toyed with other strange names such as Bonito and Mini Golf, Big Car reports. Can you imagine trying to dice a Bonito GTI on Winnie Mandela Drive? The Polo soldiered on in Europe through two generations, and strangely it was never offered in five-door guise until the third-gen arrived in 1994, although a sedan and three-door estate had been offered, the latter arriving with the second generation. From left to right: the six generations of Volkswagen Polo. Image: Supplied South Africa only got its first taste of the Polo in 1996, with a variation of the third-generation model that was actually based on the VW-owned Spanish brand Seat's Cordoba saloon. In fairness, the Seat-based Polo Classic was also offered in Europe, as a saloon version directly based on the Polo hatch was not deemed a worthwhile investment. While the Polo Classic was earmarked for South Africa, as we were still very much a saloon-heavy market, VWSA soon realised it wanted a hatchback to slot between the ageing Citi Golf and the somewhat expensive Golf 3 of the time. Volkswagen Polo Playa: a local creation. Image: Supplied In 1998, a locally flavoured icon was born, in the form of the Polo Playa. Given that they'd already invested in the Polo Classic, which was also readily compatible with the locally produced Golf and Jetta engines, VWSA decided to create its own version of the Seat Cordoba's hatchback sibling, the Ibiza. To do this they transplanted the front end of the Polo Classic onto the Ibiza's shell and adapted the rear tailgate to resemble the upcoming Golf 4. This entailed moving the number plate to the rear bumper. The taillight lenses were also a local design. From 2002 onwards, South Africans got their first taste of the 'real' Volkswagen Polo. This is because VWSA was awarded a major export contract for the fourth-generation model. This export success story still exists with the sixth-generation Polo, which has helped drive the Kariega-based manufacturer's annual volumes well beyond the 100,000 mark. Although the Polo lost any form of South African uniqueness in its transition into an export product, the local flavour returned with the introduction of the Polo Vivo, which replaced the Citi Golf in 2010. Introduced shortly after the fifth-generation entered production, the Polo Vivo was based on the recently discontinued fourth-generation model, allowing the company to create a more budget oriented product using tooling that had already been paid for and amortised. The first-generation Polo Vivo was based on the MK4 Polo. Image: Supplied
