A Florida State University Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship professor has earned a prestigious global education award honoring individuals setting new standards in their field.

Juliana Binhote, the Jim Moran Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, accepted the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) Global Award in Entrepreneurship Educator Excellence at the 71st ICSB World Congress Awards Gala in Washington D.C. The honor celebrates visionary educators and programs redefining entrepreneurship education through creativity, innovation and measurable impact.

“This award means so much because it reflects a partnership, not just a program,” Binhote said. “What started as a collaboration between Florida State University and the Armenian State University of Economics has grown into something I am incredibly proud of, and being recognized by the ICSB alongside our Armenian partner was incredible.”

The award recognizes Binhote’s leadership in a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project connecting FSU students with peers at the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE), the second-largest university in Armenia. Through Binhote’s LDR 2325: Leadership & Empowerment course, students from both institutions participated in shared coursework, virtual collaboration and design-thinking-based projects that build cross-cultural understanding and entrepreneurial problem-solving skills.

Binhote’s course is a byproduct of the partnership between FSU and ASUE. The collaboration, funded by a U.S. Department of State grant awarded to FSU’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and Learning Systems Institute (LSI), aims to foster innovation and global connections through STEM and social entrepreneurship initiatives.

Each group of students worked in cross-cultural teams addressing real-world societal challenges through entrepreneurship, design thinking and the United Nations sustainable development goals. The students learned entrepreneurship not just by studying it, but by practicing it together, building communication, technology, time management and negotiation skills along the way.

The awards gala, held on July 1, was part of the ICSB World Congress — an annual conference uniting global leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers and researchers to advance the role of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in driving economic growth, sustainability and innovation. During her trip, Binhote also gave testimony at the U.S. Congress. She expressed her three pillars for guiding the future of family business policy and research: legacy, connection and continuity.

“Giving testimony before the U.S. Congress was one of the most meaningful moments of my career,” Binhote added. “I had the opportunity to speak directly to the importance of family business for the future of entrepreneurship and the economy. It was a powerful reminder of how essential it is to connect research, policy and practice, and I felt the weight and privilege of representing that connection in that room.”

“Giving testimony before the U.S. Congress was one of the most meaningful moments of my career. I had the opportunity to speak directly to the importance of family business for the future of entrepreneurship and the economy.” 

– Juliana Binhote, Jim Moran Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Binhote has taught courses in Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation, and Management and Organizational Behavior in the United States, as well as International Business, Negotiation, Family Business, Leadership, Go-To-Market Strategies and Family Law at both undergraduate and graduate levels in Brazil. She emphasizes real-world applications and experiential learning.

The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship is the nation’s first standalone college of entrepreneurship. The college aims to spread entrepreneurship across FSU’s campus and serve all students through collaborative programs, competitions, resources, and more. JMC offers students three undergraduate majors, five graduate majors, 10 minors and extracurricular opportunities to inspire innovation, instill compassion and ignite an entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation of leaders.

For more information on the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, visit its website.

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Children learning their “ABCs” or high school students studying the periodic table can turn to songs to help remember foundational educational concepts. A Florida State University professor is applying the method to chemistry class, using artificial intelligence to create new musical learning aids that help students succeed.

Oliver Steinbock, Cottrell Family Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has previously used AI in his laboratory research to identify chemical compositions of dried salts from images. He is now exploring educational endeavors with the technology through AI-generated songs that explain core chemistry concepts, like thermodynamics and compression, and break down dense equations such as the van der Waals equation.

“I created these chemistry songs as a resource to teach concepts in a different way and create some new interest in the subject matter,” Steinbock said. “These songs can be used by students as at-home study tools, or lecturers could ask students to make their own songs about a topic as an in-class activity and have the students fact-check their songs. It’s just one tool in the toolbox of teaching.”

Steinbock’s 16-song playlist focuses on thermodynamics — the branch of physical chemistry covering interactions among heat, work, temperature and energy — and is available on Suno, a generative AI platform that creates songs based on user prompts. Through different musical genres, Steinbock’s songs teach the laws of thermodynamics, the essential rules of nature that define how energy operates in the universe, which are key foundations for physics and chemistry research.

“Physical chemistry is known as one of the hardest chemistry subjects to learn,” said Wei Yang, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and a professor of biochemistry. “Many students have a love-hate relationship with thermodynamics due to many key equations and concepts that they must comprehend and memorize.”

In addition to serving as mnemonic devices that aid memorization through rhythm and repetition, learning songs helps students of all levels feel more comfortable in the classroom and reduce anxiety, according to research from the University of Washington published by the American Society for Cell Biology.

“These songs can have huge benefits for students with different learning styles, especially those who want to reinforce key concepts in their free time,” said Andrew Fredericks, a student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and an undergraduate researcher in Steinbock’s laboratory. “Many people are curious — and maybe a little nervous — about how AI will continue to impact education and society, but it’s exciting to see technology being used in creative ways to help students learn.”

The country-inspired song “Temperature” helps students understand how temperature is affected by the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, while the K-pop inspired song “Z One” teaches the ideal gas law by describing the relationship among pressure, volume, temperature and amount of a substance in a gas.

To develop these songs, Steinbock input sections of his own research papers into large-language models like ChatGPT and Claude and turned the text into lyrics. He then checked the lyrics for factual errors and adjusted prompts as needed before putting the final lyrics and choice of musical genre into Suno. The result was a series of short, catchy songs highlighting core concepts that students sometimes struggle to learn through traditional lectures and reading.

“This project is a really cool example of how AI can be used in education,” Fredericks said. “By combining the chemistry content with music, the songs make the material feel more approachable and enjoyable.”

Steinbock hopes his students use these songs as an additional learning aid to support their studies while highlighting the importance of ethical and responsible AI use.

“In a project like this, I had to check the facts while also considering how much freedom the AI can take to stretch the concepts or mix in cheesy words,” Steinbock said. “AI has the potential to be a useful learning tool, but it still makes mistakes. We must learn to use it safely and constructively.”

Visit the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry website to learn more about Steinbock’s work and research in the department.

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Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) has secured an $88 million contract from the U.S. Navy to develop advanced modeling, simulation and testing capabilities for the next generation of shipboard power and energy systems through 2031.

“FSU’s Center for Advanced Power Systems is a national leader in highly specialized research and development that supports the U.S. Navy’s most advanced technology needs,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This major award reflects the Navy’s confidence in FSU’s expertise and underscores the important role our university plays in advancing power systems research with real-world impact.”

CAPS is led by Interim Director Sastry Pamidi, a professor in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. CAPS research faculty members Harsha Ravindra and James Langston are leading the new effort.

The contract, awarded by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), will support a broad research and development effort for the Navy.

Through the project, CAPS will develop digital models and architectures for advanced ship systems and evaluate next-generation electrical power and energy systems before they are implemented on physical vessels.

“Modern naval vessels are essentially moving microgrids, facing energy demands that were unimaginable a few decades ago,” Ravindra said. “This partnership with NAVSEA allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in modeling and simulation (M&S) as well as testing of advanced power system components in controller- and power- hardware-in-the-loop environment for shipboard electrical design, rapid prototyping and deployment on ships. The expertise provided by CAPS supports the Navy in design and risk reduction of ships that are faster, more resilient, and exponentially more energy efficient.”

The work is expected to be completed by June 9, 2031, with options that could provide the university an additional $11.5 million in funding for a cumulative $99.5 million award. CAPS also will collaborate with its extensive national network of partners on individual projects that support the broader research agenda.

“Collaborating with leading institutions and industry partners across the country requires a deeply integrated approach,” Langston said. “CAPS has the unique infrastructure, expertise and computational power to serve as the anchor for this nationwide research effort. It’s incredibly rewarding to lead a project that tackles real-world engineering challenges that directly impact national security.”

CAPS and the Navy have a long-standing history of collaboration.

Established in 2000 with support from the Office of Naval Research, CAPS has spent more than 25 years advancing power systems technology. During that time, the center has secured hundreds of millions in grants, trained more than 100 doctoral students who have gone on to careers in academia and industry and pioneered more than 60 patented technologies.

In 2016, CAPS became the first university test site accredited by the U.S. Navy to perform power hardware-in-the-loop simulation testing of megawatt-scale power equipment for surface combatants.

Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson said the award reflects the caliber of CAPS researchers and the center’s world-class capabilities.

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Ravindra, Dr. Langston, Dr. Pamidi and the entire CAPS team for their leadership and hard work,” Patterson said. “Through this partnership with NAVSEA, FSU is helping shape the future of naval power systems, advancing national security innovation and demonstrating how our researchers translate groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions.”

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As Space Exploration Day approaches on July 20, global space agencies are advancing technologies that make discovery cheaper and safer. Still, human space exploration continues to capture the public’s imagination.

In 2018, the Pew Research Center conducted a study showing that 58% of adults feel human astronauts are essential to the future of the U.S. Space Program. The findings highlight the current dilemma faced in modern space exploration: balancing the efficient reality of robotic exploration against the cultural demand for a human presence.

Florida State University Professor of History Ronald E. Doel is a historian of science who has written about the history of planetary and space exploration. He has appeared in several media outlets, including C-SPAN, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Space.com and more.

Doel affirms that space missions involving humans invite a certain romanticism that robotics technology cannot duplicate.

“Space missions lacking human crews do not create strong memories or emotional connections, even if robotic missions have yielded much of what we now know about the Earth and other planets and moons in the solar system,” Doel said.

Robotic landers and rovers have become essential tools for collecting planetary data. But Doel argues that crewed missions offer something machines cannot fully replicate: a human perspective that helps audiences connect with unfamiliar worlds.

“Crewed missions offer audiences a different kind of understanding of foreign places – emotions and insights that are understandable in ways that scientific data is not,” Doel added. “There are times when the human eye can do better than available instruments to discern sudden, brief, discrete changes. Sketches of planetary features from the 19th century until quite recently that were done by humans using telescope eyepieces could capture more detail than photographs, since the eye could discern features that momentarily became visible in instances of remarkable atmospheric stability and stillness. Certain NASA leaders still believe humans can do science in ways that machines cannot.”

Media interested in interviewing professor Ronald E. Doel on the cultural demand for human space exploration in a world of advancing robotics may reach out to him via email at rdoel@fsu.edu.

Ronald E. Doel, professor of history, College of Arts and Sciences

With how much technology has advanced, sending a rover to space would likely be more efficient financially and far more risk averse. But the human element of space exploration remains so important, especially to the public. Why does sending humans to space remain so important despite the advancements we’ve made?

What do Americans know about space exploration? Ask many citizens, and they can describe and tell stories about the Apollo lunar landings and the space shuttle program. They are aware that an International Space Station is orbiting the earth with human beings on board. Older Americans can recall where they were, and how they felt, when Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969, and when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded soon after liftoff in January 1986.

But ask about exploration of our solar system by unmanned robotic spacecraft – one of the major achievements of the 20th century into our own time – and many people draw blanks. Some are aware in general terms that spacecraft have visited Venus and Mars, and that probes reached planets in the outer solar system. Yet compared to familiarity with manned space missions, few Americans are familiar with the Viking, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance landers and rovers on Mars, the Voyager mission of the 1970s and 1980s that visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, or the New Horizons exploration of Pluto in 2016. Fewer still know that a robotic lander parachuted through the thick atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon Titan in 2005, photographing mountains, branching channels and dry riverbeds.

The Space Race captured the public’s attention while taking massive physical risks during the Cold War. As robotics continues to accelerate, and possibly handle more missions that humans once did, could this ultimately dull the excitement of space exploration?

It’s certainly possible. Even the novelty of humans flying to the moon wore off after the initial lunar landings (Apollo 11 and Apollo 12). When Apollo 13 flew towards the moon in April 1970, the major television networks of the time did not broadcast the early live telecast its astronauts beamed back to Earth – going to the moon had become routine. The subsequent oxygen tank explosion that ended the planned Apollo 13 landing and threatened the lives of its three astronauts did generate intense public interest, but this was a story of a possible shipwreck unfolding in real time – not a typical space mission.

When I teach “Space: A History,” I ask my students to informally interview a grandparent (or someone a few generations earlier) to share their memories of space missions. Their reports confirm a much greater familiarity with crewed space fights compared to robotic planetary missions (although some awareness of robotic probes was evident). A familiar response my students received – on robotic explorations – was ‘I heard something about this but didn’t follow it.’ 

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In Florida and across the Caribbean, hurricane season is more than a forecast. It is a reminder that safety, housing and survival are shaped by decisions people make long before a storm arrives.

For Paul Niell, an associate professor in Florida State University’s Department of Art History, those decisions are also questions of history, ecology and cultural knowledge. His research on Indigenous Caribbean architecture points to a timely idea for communities facing stronger storms: Buildings can be designed to work with the environment around them, not apart from it.

“You have to build in such a way that it works with that ecological condition,” Niell said. “And of course, that’s a very complicated problem to work out.”

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A Florida State University paleoclimatologist led the creation of a global database hosting thousands of seawater isotope measurements collected over almost 50 years that will aid scientists in generating more accurate climate reconstructions and predictions.

Associate Professor of Oceanography and Meteorology Alyssa Atwood led the Past Global Changes, or PAGES, project that created the new PAGES CoralHydro2k Seawater δ¹⁸O Database, a publicly accessible archive hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information.

The database, presented in a recent publication by Earth System Science Data, reports the ratio of the heavy to light stable isotopes of oxygen, expressed as delta-oxygen-18 (d¹⁸O), and hydrogen, expressed as delta-hydrogen-2 (d²H), in seawater. It includes nearly 19,000 seawater isotope measurements.

Isotopes are variations of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the nucleus. Water molecules that contain heavier isotopes behave slightly differently than water molecules that contain lighter isotopes. Because of these tiny mass differences, the isotopes become unevenly distributed among the ocean, atmosphere and land, helping scientists to track the global water cycle.

“Water isotope ratios record how water moves among the ocean, atmosphere and land,” Atwood said. “In the ocean, water isotope measurements can track precipitation, evaporation, freshwater runoff from rivers and ice sheets, and ocean circulation patterns, which serve as powerful tracers of Earth’s modern water cycle. Because the hydrological cycle intensifies as global warming accelerates, seawater isotopes also provide important insights into how the global water cycle is changing as the planet warms. This database provides a robust observational framework to track these changes with unprecedented coverage.”

In addition to seawater isotope data, the database includes measurements of ocean hydrology, salinity, temperature and hydrogen isotope ratios where available. It also incorporates extensive metadata that describes sampling locations, depths, data collection and analysis methods and data quality, which are essential for proper quality control, inter-comparison and interpretability across datasets.

“As the team compiled these datasets, we also documented their strengths and weaknesses to provide a set of best reporting and data standardization practices to the community for the future,” Atwood said. “We’ve only scratched the surface in identifying how this data can help us understand how the ocean and global hydrological cycle are currently changing, how they’ve changed in the past, and what we can expect for the future. This database gets us one step closer to realizing that potential.”

Reconstructing historical climate data

The database also supports the development of past climate reconstructions. Seawater isotope data helps refine paleoclimate records based on the oxygen isotope composition of marine organisms such as corals, single-celled amoeba called foraminifera, and mollusks, a type of invertebrate. This allows scientists to make better estimates of past climate conditions and how they have changed over time.

“In this way, the database can help scientists to extend climate records back into the preindustrial era, contextualize modern climate change and improve future climate projections,” Atwood said.

Updating and centralizing seawater isotope data

This initiative began after an earlier CoralHydro2k project discovered that previous compilations of seawater isotope data were out of date. While significant advances in analytical techniques over the past few decades have led to a rapid increase in the quantity and quality of seawater delta-oxygen-18 measurements, much of this data wasn’t publicly available or easily accessible.

“Despite the wide-ranging applications of this data across oceanography, atmospheric science and paleoclimatology, there was no single, actively maintained place where scientists could find and use seawater isotope data,” Atwood said. “We sought to fill this gap by creating a comprehensive, up-to-date, global database of seawater isotope data.”

In the new database, more than half the data compiled comes from “hidden” datasets found in student theses, supplemental tables of journal articles, cruise reports and private research archives.

“The centralization of global seawater isotope data provides an unprecedented resource for improving large-scale synthesis efforts in oceanographic and paleoclimate research by making them more accurate and reliable,” said Michael Stukel, chair of FSU’s Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science.

The database also has a submission portal through the EarthChem Library, allowing researchers to submit new datasets and continue to grow the database, facilitating future research discoveries.

The project team consisted of volunteer scientists from all academic levels, including graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career to senior-level scientists from academic and research institutions in the U.S., Germany, France and Portugal. The study was supported by the PAGES project, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Louisiana Board of Regents and the German Research Foundation.

Visit the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science website for more information about research conducted in the department.

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Altony “Tony” Lee III began serving as chair of the FSU Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors on July 1, bringing to the role more than two decades of experience in higher education, nonprofit development and alumni engagement.

Lee’s appointment reflects his longstanding commitment to Florida State University as both an alumnus and volunteer leader. Through his service to the Alumni Association, including his role as vice chair, he has helped strengthen connections between alumni and the university while advancing initiatives that encourage lifelong engagement with Florida State.

“As a first-generation student, Florida State University provided me with a preeminent college experience and education,” Lee said. “I am honored to serve as chair alongside alumni who are deeply passionate about preserving our rich alumni traditions while embracing new ones.”

Beyond his service to Florida State University, Lee is interim chief of staff at Florida A&M University (FAMU), where he works closely with President Marva B. Johnson, executive leadership and the Board of Trustees to help carry out FAMU’s strategic priorities. In this role, he guides presidential initiatives and helps translate the president’s vision into action across the institution.

Before joining FAMU, Lee served as associate vice chancellor of public affairs for the State University System of Florida, where he helped secure increased investment in higher education. He also strengthened engagement between state policymakers and university leaders, helping ensure Florida’s public universities had a strong voice in decisions affecting higher education.

Throughout his career, Lee has served in advancement and development roles at Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Radford University and Zoo Tampa. Across those organizations, he helped secure millions of dollars in philanthropic support while building public and private partnerships that further their missions.

“Tony’s leadership reflects a deep understanding of both higher education and the lasting value of an engaged alumni community,” said Marla Vickers, vice president for University Advancement and president of the FSU Foundation. “His ability to build relationships and lead with purpose will guide the board as it builds on the Alumni Association’s strong tradition of service and engagement.”

Lee previously served as the board’s vice chair, and he will work alongside fellow directors to help guide the association’s strategic priorities and support its long-term vision.

Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University in 2002, a master’s degree in global and strategic communications from Florida International University and a doctorate in applied learning sciences from the University of Miami.

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Following the U.S. Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) recent World Cup exit, Florida State University coaching expert and former FIFA-certified referee Tim Baghurst says the tournament highlighted longstanding challenges in the nation’s youth soccer development system.

Baghurst directs the FSU Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH), which prepares coaches and sports professionals at all levels. The USMNT’s run to the Round of 16, including its first knockout-stage win since 2002, energized soccer fans across the country. But the team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium also renewed debate about whether the U.S. youth soccer development system is limiting the country’s ability to compete with the world’s best.

Baghurst’s research examines health modeling in sport, stress and burnout in coaching and methods for coach evaluation and certification. He argues that improving youth soccer in the U.S. requires stronger physical education programs and more accessible recreational sports for teens, not just changes at the elite club level.

“The quantity and quality of physical education programming, combined with a lack of recreational sports for teenagers, are forcing youth and parents to choose and specialize in a sport far too soon,” Baghurst said.

Baghurst said one consequence is the country’s growing reliance on expensive club soccer, which can limit who gets access to meaningful development opportunities.

“In the U.S., there has been a systematic shift away from high school soccer toward club-based play,” he said. “This is in part due to the quest to seek ‘better competition’ or be seen by college scouts. Club soccer in the U.S. is more of a pay-to-play system than European models.”

Media interested in speaking with Baghurst about the U.S. youth soccer development system can contact him at tbaghurst@fsu.edu.

Tim Baghurst, FSU COACH Director, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

In the U.S., youth soccer is more of a pay-to-play product, while in Europe, professional clubs tend to fund development. Can this difference tend to drain the talent pool in the U.S.?

Yes. In Europe, youth are often recruited to professional academies, many of which are funded by professional clubs, with parents not paying. Professional clubs view the cost as a potential investment in their future, recognizing that emerging talent could contribute to their adult teams or even be sold to another team for significant profit. Conversely, in the U.S., participation is often limited to those parents who can afford the costs. This can also weaken the talent pool, as clubs are incentivized to keep players on their teams regardless of their skill level or potential, because fewer players mean less revenue. 

How can both youth physical education and recreational opportunities be modified to enhance youth development in soccer in the U.S.?

As a former physical education professor and teacher who has taught abroad, I’m well aware that there isn’t enough quality physical education in U.S. schools compared to other nations. Physical education is made optional for students in many states far too early, despite evidence of its long-term benefits for health and academic success. 

Second, by the end of middle school, recreational sports for youth are an afterthought in most communities. By then, it is expected that they know which sport they are good at and are competing for their school and club teams, often both. If a child has not shown promise by the end of middle school, there is little chance they will have opportunities to develop those skills in a recreational setting unless participating in adult leagues. Without opportunities to learn with other recreational-level players their own age, it is unlikely a high school-aged athlete will ever learn a new sport, even if it is the one they are most suited to. 

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Staying fit can become more challenging as you enter your 40s, when natural biological changes begin to affect muscle mass, metabolism and more.

A massive Swedish study that tracked participants for nearly 50 years found that fitness, strength and muscle endurance begin declining around age 35. But the study also found that adults who became active later in life improved their physical performance by 10%.

Michael Ormsbee, director of the Florida State University Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine (ISSM), is one of the nation’s top nutrition experts. He has appeared in numerous interviews sharing his expertise on topics that range from nighttime pre-sleep feeding strategies, the importance of protein, maximizing human performance, metabolic health and more.

Ormsbee says people don’t need to abandon workout routines that served them well in their 20s and 30s. They simply need to adjust them as they age.

“I don’t think you need a completely different playbook. You just need to be a little smarter about how you apply it,” Ormsbee said. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they must train harder as they get older. In my experience, most people in their 40s are not overtrained. They’re under-recovered.”

The key, Ormsbee said, isn’t doing more. It’s recovering better and being more intentional about the habits that support long-term strength and health.

“Recovery starts to matter more,” Ormsbee emphasized. “Your body can absolutely adapt and get stronger, but you must give it the resources to do that. The fundamentals really don’t change. Strength training is still one of the best things you can do. Aerobic fitness is still incredibly important. Protein still matters. Sleep is still king.”

Media interested in interviewing ISSM Director Michael Ormsbee about ways to stay fit through your 40s and later may reach out to him via email at mormsbee@fsu.edu.

Michael Ormsbee, FSU Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine Director, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Does your body require a different type of training/dietary regimen as you age in your 40s?

What changes is how intentional you must be. If you’re sleeping six hours a night, skimping on protein, always rushing from one thing to the next, and trying to train like you did at 25, eventually that’s going to catch up with you. I’d rather see someone train consistently, recover well and stay healthy for years than go all out for a few months and end up injured or burned out.

What would be three of the most critical pieces of advice for those looking to stay in shape and live a healthy lifestyle in their 40s?

First, make recovery part of the plan. Exercise is the stimulus. Recovery is where your body actually adapts. Everyone wants to know about the latest recovery gadget, but the biggest wins are still the basics. Get enough sleep. Eat enough calories and protein. Stay hydrated. Plan recovery weeks when needed. Keep moving on your off days. Manage stress. Those simple habits consistently outperform the flashy stuff.

Second, don’t stop lifting weights. As we get older, maintaining muscle becomes one of the most important things we can do for our health. Muscle supports metabolism, bone health, physical function, and helps you stay active as you age. You don’t have to train like a competitive athlete, but you should challenge your muscles a few times each week. It’s one of the best investments you can make in your future. You don’t stop moving because you get old, you get old because you stop moving.

Third, stop chasing perfection and focus on consistency. Health is built from what you do most of the time, not what you do once in a while. You don’t need the perfect workout or the perfect diet. You need habits you can stick with for years. A few quality workouts each week, enough protein, good sleep, and staying active will beat the all-or-nothing approach every time.

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An interdisciplinary team from Florida State University’s Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science has uncovered new evidence about processes that may have contributed to ancient mass-extinction events, some of the most dramatic ecosystem reorganizations in Earth’s history.

Assistant professor of meteorology Michael Diamond, assistant professor of geology Emily Stewart, and geology doctoral student Lindsi Allman combined deep-earth geochemistry and atmospheric science to show that natural sulfur and carbon released from metamorphic rocks affects the environment in similar ways to emissions from volcanic eruptions, long considered the primary drivers of mass-extinction events.

The study, “Metamorphic sulfur release as a driver of sustained cooling and mass extinction,” was published today in Science Advances.

“Evidence shows that the process that wipes out species is a climate swing, or an oscillation back and forth between hot and cold climates,” said Stewart, who researches the effects of metamorphic fluids on Earth’s cycles and long-term habitability. “Some extinctions are correlated with the timing of eruptions in large igneous provinces, which are massive magmatic areas that have seen lots of volcanic eruptions and lava spewing out of Earth’s surface. As long as geology as a field has existed, scientists have believed that volcanic eruptions and their emissions were the primary trigger for rapid global cooling and climate swings. We found another process that contributes to these events: metamorphism.”

How it works

Metamorphic processes occur when rock under Earth’s surface is exposed to extreme heat, like when rock in large igneous provinces, such as the Ferrar large igneous province in Antarctica or the Siberian Traps in Russia, is heated by magma. If that rock contains sulfur and carbon, the heating process results in sulfur and carbon emissions, which allow them to seep out at the ground level as gases.

Sulfur emissions become sulfate particles in the atmosphere that act like tiny mirrors, reflecting some of the sun’s energy back into space. The Earth then absorbs less energy from the sun, leading to cooling spikes. Sulfates also act as “cloud seeds,” attracting water vapor to form clouds with liquid droplets that disperse water more efficiently and reflect more sunlight, also contributing to cooling spikes.

“Cooling spikes are the result of sulfur, which doesn’t stay in the atmosphere for more than a few days before dissipating,” said Diamond, who investigates how Earth’s climate is affected by cloud interactions with aerosols. “The opposite warming effect is due to carbon, which is also released in the metamorphic process but doesn’t react with other particles. Carbon remains in the atmosphere for hundreds, thousands or even millions of years. Even after sulfate-driven cooling spikes, the atmosphere is several degrees warmer than before due to carbon gas continually warming while sulfur aerosols cool and eventually disappear from the system.”

Ancient extinctions that may have been influenced by these emissions include the end of the Ordovician Period around 440 million years ago, when up to 85 percent of shallow marine species died, including many trilobites and corals. Another occurred at the end of the Devonian Period around 370 million years ago, when many marine species, especially reef-building corals and bony-armored fish like the Dunkleosteus, died out.

The end of the Permian Period, or the “Great Dying,” occurred around 252 million years ago and wiped out up to 96 percent of marine species and 70 percent of land species. Around 201 million years ago, the end of the Triassic Period eliminated many groups of giant reptiles that dominated land, sea and sky, making way for the rise of dinosaurs.

Why it matters

Although these events occurred millions of years ago, they provide natural experiments for investigating interactions and cycles among the solid Earth, atmosphere, oceans and biosphere. Understanding their causes helps scientists better understand the sensitivity of Earth systems to large-scale environmental change.

“Earth’s systems are deeply interconnected, and major environmental changes rarely result from a single isolated process,” said EOAS department chair Mike Stukel. “Scientific progress often comes from integrating geological observations, geochemical evidence, climate perspectives, and biological implications into a unified framework. This research demonstrates the value of bringing together expertise from multiple fields to better understand Earth’s past and its future, and it highlights why our department is such a special place.”

This work was funded by the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund and several programs within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office.

“The more we study mass-extinction events, the more we see that they’re much more complex than we realized,” Stewart said. “In geology, we thought the question of what could drive ancient mass-extinction events was solved. The only way we broke this misunderstanding was by bringing in perspectives from another field, which pointed us to evidence that hadn’t been considered before.”

Visit the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science website to learn more about research conducted in the department.

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