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At CenExel Clinical Research, our top priorities are the safety and health of our patients and employees. For our Centers of Excellence to provide the highest quality of clinical research, we established and maintain a COVID-19 Task Force with representatives from every Center. The Task Force is charged with continuous monitoring of the pandemic and providing guidance and communication.

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Joining is easy! Just contact Miami Clinical Research to see what’s available. A few questions will be asked and if there is a study suitable, and appears to be a match, we will continue to the next phase.

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Along with the screening, a visit to the research facility for a complimentary physical assessment is required. In this part of the process, you may ask or discuss any questions you may have.

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After being an eligible candidate, and appear to be satisfied with the conditions that come with the study, participation in the clinical research study can begin.

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Potential benefits of participating.

• Have the opportunity to be the first to benefit from treatments that may be more effective than the standard approach.
• Gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available.
• The opportunity to help the community by contributing to medical research.
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UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL RESEARCH

Who conducts clinical trials.

• Clinical Trials are led by a principal investigator, mainly a certified medical doctor. Clinical studies also have a research team that includes nurses, doctors, social workers and other healthcare professionals.
• Clinical studies can be funded, or sponsored, by pharmaceutical companies, academic medical centers, and other organizations, in addition to Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Doctors, other health care providers, and other individuals can also be sponsors of a clinical research.

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This program benefits not only you, and your referral but also the advancement of medical findings. Consider referring friends and family to take part in a clinical research study at Miami Clinical Research. If your referral qualifies for one of our clinical research studies, we’ll give you a reward. 

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What is University of Miami Health Research?

Some people are unaware of health research studies that could help their friends, family, or themselves. UMiamiHealthResearch.org is a place to connect volunteers with health research studies at the University of Miami. Because when we all get involved, it speeds up the time it takes to find new medical treatments and cures that help us live better, longer, healthier lives.

Sign up for our registry to be notified about the studies that interest you.

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How can I participate in a health research study?

Health research refers to research that is done to learn more about human health. Health research also aims to find better ways to prevent and treat disease. University of Miami health research studies can be done from the comfort of your home or safely in a clinic or office setting. Some studies may also provide compensation for your participation.

Why is diversity in research important?

What works for one person may not work for another. Medicines and treatments can have a different effect based on gender, race, and ethnicity. If research volunteers don’t represent all of us, scientists will not know if the results can be applied to all people equally.

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Medical breakthroughs happen when people like you participate in research studies.

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• What Is A Clinical Trial?

Florida Paid Clinical Trials

Match to clinical trials, popular cities.

Clinical trials have several phases, and each phase has a different goal. The first phases aim to measure the toxicity of a drug to learn what would be the correct dosage for a patient. During the first phases investigators also pay close attention to any side effects or potential dangers to consider before releasing the drug.

During the last few phases of clinical research studies, investigators test the intervention on larger and more inclusive groups of individuals to continue examining the effectiveness and side effects of the medication. If individual decides to enroll in a clinical trial the research team usually discloses what phase he/she is joining beforehand, however all phases usually have the same potential benefits and/or side effects.

In Florida, there are some large universities that conduct clinical trials and other types of research studies about different categories both for healthy and non-healthy volunteers. Universities often partner with local hospitals and doctors to conduct research studies. The University of Miami research division in Miami, Florida often partners with Jackson Health Systems. Together, they conduct the largest amount of clinical trials in South Florida with over 700 ongoing trials as of this month.

The University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida has conducted more than 4,000 research studies over the past four years and actively searches for both non-paid and paid volunteers to participate in clinical trials. You can also find clinical trials in local hospitals such as the Baptist Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic. The following lists clinical trials located in Florida that have been provided by clinicaltrials.gov.

Search Clinical Trials in Florida by Condition

This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Policylab.us does not take responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program

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Participate in a clinical trial to learn more about your condition, advance medical discoveries, and receive access to new treatments and medications at no cost! Compensation is available for your time. To get started, browse studies below, fill out a form, and our team will contact you.

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Participant Stories

“My wife, Linda, suffered from memory loss and her primary care doctor referred us to Dr. Verghese at Flourish Research. He spent one and a half hours with us reviewing her history and options. His recommendations helped us get Linda to a proactive neurologist who ultimately diagnosed her with Alzheimer's disease. There was no clinical study for her to participate in at the time, but we stayed in touch and when he found one for which she was eligible, we jumped at the opportunity. Dr. Verghese was great at explaining everything and being upfront and transparent. Linda and I could not tolerate sitting and doing nothing, and we wanted to be assertive. Her participation in two clinical studies has helped us to feel energized. We know that it is unlikely that she will be cured. She has said that this isn't just about her and that participating in clinical studies may very well help others which brings both of us some comfort. My advice to others is, don't wait, this disease is not going to get better without a lot of effort from a great many people.”

Michael, Study Partner

“The staff are professional and friendly. Staff members show genuine concern for their patients.”

Thomas, Study Participant

“It has been a wonderful experience and not only are you helping the world and your family, but you may just one day say ‘I was a part of that’.”

Eliza, Study Participant, Mother and Grandmother of Study Participants

“The people who work here are of excellent human quality, the respect and empathy from the beginning to the end is admirable.”

Diana, Study Participant

“I am hoping to make a big difference in the world. It is the best feeling ever that you can be here knowing that are helping as much as you can.”

Max, Study Participant, Son and Grandson of Study Participants

“Thank you all for making us feel at home.”

Randy, Study Participant

“Excellent staff! I have participated in trials at Flourish for 20 years. They ALWAYS put my health first and the facility is first rate. There are lots of clinical trial companies but Flourish is the gold standard. The Doctor is the best and he oversees things as well as interacts with patients.”

Paul, Study Participant

“I am really glad I chose Flourish for my first clinical trial. Not only did I have a blast with the other patients but the team was very professional and attentive to our needs. They made me feel very taken care of and I truly appreciate them. I’m excited to come back for part two of my trial and hopefully help more in the future.”

Mikayla, Study Participant

“Everyone at Flourish has been wonderful to me! Caring, kind and professional taking time to understand and answer every question I’ve had, respectfully and thoroughly. The staff totally respects your time while making you comfortable and keeping things moving to make each visit and process go as smoothly as possible.”

“After a two-year search for an Alzheimer’s drug study for my husband, he was referred by his neurologist to Flourish. Thankfully, he passed all of the diagnostic tests and is now participating. I am his grateful study partner and have never met smarter, nicer, more persistent, more careful, or more understanding people than the staff and doctors at Flourish. This gives me courage. I hope that the disease will remain slow to progress and that we are helping to understand and to treat Alzheimer’s.”

Pamela, Study Partner

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Our team will take the time to ensure you are fully informed about clinical trial treatments, procedures, timelines, compensation, and more. We will check your vitals, review your medical history with you, and do tests such as labs as needed to make sure the study is a good fit.

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Participate in a clinical trial in your area to learn more about your condition, advance medical research, and receive access to new treatments and medications at no cost to you! Compensation is often available. It’s easy, just browse currently enrolling studies and apply online to see if you qualify.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of participating in a clinical trial.

• Help others and yourself
• Receive study-related care at no cost
• Contribute to advancing medicine
• Get paid to participate

Will I be paid?

• Trials offer compensation as well as additional travel reimbursement in some cases
• You will receive study-related care and tests at no cost
• You do not need to have medical insurance to participate

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Participate in a clinical trial in your area to learn more about your condition, advance medical research, and receive access to new treatments and medications at no cost to you!

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Our main focus is to carry out phases II, III and IV research studies

We also conduct numerous Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supervised investigational studies that upon their approval, deliver new treatment options developed to assist the general public with their individual healthcare needs.

Our Mission

Founded on the principle of improving the health and overall wellbeing of individuals in our global community by performing clinical trials services across a broad base of therapeutic areas to help contribute to the development of pharmaceutical products, biotechnology, and medical devices.

Our State-of-the-Art research facility is located within minutes of Miami International Airport and centrally located from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. Our site adheres to the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and abide by Good Clinical Practice (GCP) for conducting research to protect our patient's right and safety. New Research Institute of South Florida’s clinical staff members are certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and/or Advanced Clinical Life Support (ACLS).

New Research Institute of South Florida, Inc. is a group practice in Miami, Florida, that specializes in conducting medical clinical research trials to the pharmaceutical, nutritional, biomedical, and contract research organizations (CROs), both nationally and internationally. 

Our main focus is to carry out phases II, III and IV research studies. We also conduct numerous Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supervised investigational studies that upon their approval, deliver new treatment options developed to assist the general public with their individual healthcare needs. 

At New Research Institute of South Florida, Inc. We are committed to treating all of our research participants with upmost respect. We are continuously conducting new research studies and can help you find out if you qualify for one of our clinical trials. We also provide transportation to and from out site. We are only a phone call away!

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At New Research Institute of South Florida, Inc. we make sure only qualified personnel have access to the pharmacy. We ensure this by keeping all of the medication at our site in a secure temperature-controlled room that is double-locked and closely monitored with cameras.

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Available Studies

QPS has an almost constant supply of new and ongoing clinical research studies that are seeking healthy participants. Please check out the studies listed above to see if there is one that may be right for you. 

  If you’ve already submitted an application and find a clinical research study that you would like to enroll in, please call to speak to a Recruiting Coordinator at 305-722-4440  between 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

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If you are already participating in a trial and would like to review the details, please visit our ongoing studies page.

Enroll in a Clinical Research Study Today!

Browse & apply for currently enrolling research studies in the miami-dade county area., phase i, ii, iii & iv clinical trials.

Total Research Group LLC (TRG) is a multi-specialty research facility offering quality research services for Phase I, II, III and IV clinical trials. TRG is centrally located in the heart of Miami-Dade County, just minutes from Miami International Airport.

Professional & Compassionate Care

TRG is known for its patient safety and quality research practices. The TRG Team provides professional and compassionate care to its medically-complex patient population.

Participate At Specialty Physician’s Office

TRG’s approach to each of its studies is to greet and service study patients at their specialty physician’s office, so that patients do not have to travel to a different medical office. This approach not only allows patients to feel comfortable by being in a familiar location, but also provides a solid patient population resulting in high-enrollment for each study.

Clinical Research Opportunities in Miami-Dade County

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Are you looking for a clinical trial in Miami, Florida? The Magic City is able to conduct important studies like " Evaluation of N1539 Following Major Surgery " and " Reduced Craniospinal Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy in Treating Younger Patients With Newly Diagnosed WNT-Driven Medulloblastoma " thanks to it’s diverse patient population and industry-leading clinical trial facilities.

While some individuals are looking for paid research studies in Miami, others want to help experts in the fields of psychology and urology develop better treatments for chronic illnesses. Ready to start? Complete the form to the right to find new Miami clinical trials that are close to where you live.

Use our guide to learn which trials are right for you!

We've found 1,708 clinical trials in florida.

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Home  /  News  /  Clinical Care  /  Informatics and Health Data Science

Bringing AI Applications to Patients Faster

A new study asked technology leaders how systems can be streamlined.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to improve medicine, but so far, translating these technologies from the drawing board to patient bedsides has been slow and laborious. To better understand why, researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, technology innovation firm Covered By Group and Weill Cornell Medicine interviewed a small group of digital health and health care AI founders and executives to get their insights into how current systems could be improved. The results were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research .

“While some AI technologies have made it into the clinic, most of these have come from large conglomerates, like Google or Amazon,” said Azizi Seixas, Ph.D. , interim chair of the Department of Informatics and Health Data Science and senior author on the study. “Early-stage startup companies, which produce much of the innovation, are hardly in the mix, and we wanted to understand the barriers they face and how we might help overcome them.”

AI is already revolutionizing research, revealing protein structures that were once thought impossible to predict. In hospitals, these technologies could detect patterns human clinicians might miss, such as identifying early-stage cancer on a scan or harnessing a confluence of vital signs to predict an ICU patient might code in 30 minutes.

Integrating Digital Health, AI into Clinical Practice

To understand why AI is moving so gradually into the clinic, the researchers organized a focus group of early-stage digital health and health care experts, including venture capitalists, founders and CEOs. Their responses showed that hospital systems and tech startups are divided into two distinct cultures: abundant caution on one side (first, do no harm) and an urgent drive to disseminate new technologies on the other. The two communities share goals but often lack a common language to accomplish them.

One of the main issues facing startups is the diverse procurement approaches they find in different hospital systems. There is no single protocol; rather, companies must learn to navigate each system individually.

“Health care system procurement processes are extremely fragmented,” said Iredia Olaye, Ph.D., CEO of Covered By Group, researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine and first author on the study. “As a result, early-stage companies have more significant barriers to integrating digital health and AI into clinical practice than their later-stage technology conglomerate counterparts. The funding and regulatory processes and lack of knowledge digital health executives and health care providers bring to the process are barriers to successful integration.”

In some cases, companies have abandoned going after major health systems to market their products directly to employers or consumers.

“The problem with this approach is that, for truly integrated patient care, physicians and other clinical staff must lead the charge,” said Dr. Olaye. “For digital health and AI use at home, consumers would benefit from physicians’ insights on which technologies will help them the most.”

Challenges in Regulatory Approval Process

Another barrier is the cost of conducting randomized clinical trials. Startups face a Catch-22: If they conduct trials, they may never recoup the costs; if they don’t do trials, they will never gain regulatory approval.

On a public policy level, the authors would like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies in the U.S. and abroad, to review their guidelines to better support these innovative technologies. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance, which governs devices that are substantially similar to existing technologies, was created 10 years ago, long before many AI and digital technologies emerged.

“It’s just not consistent,” said Dr. Seixas. “We need the FDA to update their process to better differentiate between AI, digital health and medical devices and provide clearer guidelines for companies and health systems.”

The Miller School of Medicine, through the Department of Informatics and Health Data Science and other groups, is finding ways to accelerate AI’s transition into clinical care. Most startup health technology companies don’t have chief scientific or chief medical officers, making it challenging to organize clinical research. Academic institutions like the Miller School can help provide that expertise to enable clinical studies and facilitate FDA approval.

“Tech came into health care thinking they were going to change how we do things, but many of them failed because they’re just not wired to care for patients,” said Dr. Seixas. “But that is exactly our wheelhouse. To move forward, we need to add an innovation and technology infrastructure to better incorporate and implement these solutions into health care.”

Tags: AI , Department of Informatics and Health Data Science , digital health , Dr. Azizi Seixas , Dr. Iredia Olaye , FDA , Journal of Medical Internet Research

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More than 100 national cancer experts presented their work at the First Miami Translational and Clinical Oncology Symposium.

Decentralized Clinical Trials Could Boost Diversity in Research

Rsearcher Azizi Seixas, Ph.D., is studying how decentralized, technology-driven methods affect clinical trial participation.

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Father's diet before child is born could affect their health, new study suggests

June 17, 2024 / 10:36 AM EDT / CNN

CNN - Your father's diet  before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.

Released earlier this month in Nature, the study from German research group Helmholtz Munich looked at health data from more than 3,000 families. In all, they found a trend linking fathers' body weight  and their children's, even when accounting for genetics, maternal health, and environmental factors.

But laboratory testing conducted as part of the study may indicate that the impacts come down to a small window of time around conception; perhaps a matter of days or weeks.

"Our results suggest that preventive health care for men wishing to become fathers should receive more attention and that programs should be developed for this purpose, especially with regard to diet ," Raffaele Teperino, head of Helmholtz' environmental epigenetics department, said in a press release.

"This can reduce the risk of diseases like obesity and diabetes in children."

Eating for two

To corroborate the relationships found in the human-family data, researchers ran laboratory tests in mice, examining sperm samples of specimens exposed to high- and low-fat diets.

Mice given food higher in fat for just two weeks were found to produce offspring with a higher risk of metabolic disease, including in some cases a lower tolerance for sugar and a resistance to insulin - traits central to diabetes.

Comparing their findings among mice against human genome data, the researchers identified similar genetic signatures between the high-fat, sugar-intolerant mice and childhood obesity in humans.

Also notable, though, was that when mice in the high-fat group returned to normal diets for four more weeks, none of the same impacts were seen in their offspring.

The study concluded that the high-fat impacts were reversible, meaning a would-be father who's been eating poorly may be able to undo the effects if they eat a healthier diet shortly before conception, at least in the case of the mice.

Wouldn't put it past him

The study joins a growing body of research into the mitochondrial RNA (mt-RNA), genetic material separate from the nucleus of each of the body's cells that can influence which genes are active, early in development.

Previously, scientists understood that mt-RNA from the mother's side could impact children's health, but research like the Helmholtz study points to a more balanced view between parents.

"Previously, it was assumed that fathers had no part in the genetic makeup of their offspring's mitochondria," reads the release. "Recent studies like this one now show that sperm carry fragments of mt-RNA ... into the egg during fertilization."

While maternal body mass index (BMI) has traditionally been associated with health outcomes for children, further analysis by the Munich team found that among families with low-BMI mothers, a high-BMI father doubles the obesity risk of the child, alongside impacts on insulin sensitivity.

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Three Miami University Faculty Awarded Grant to Enhance Science of Reading Curriculum

Miami University is excited to announce that three faculty members, Lena Lee, Michelle Cosmah, and Sarah Watt, have received a $6,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) to enhance the Science of Reading curriculum, with the college matching the grant for a total of $12,000. This project will address curricular gaps, revise course materials, and incorporate culturally relevant teaching perspectives. Additionally, Miami offers certified Orton Gillingham training for students, thanks to Sarah Watt's collaboration with the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). These efforts reflect Miami's commitment to producing strong educators equipped with evidence-based literacy instruction skills.

(AI tools Grammarly and ChatGPT 4.0, a language model developed by OpenAI, assisted in writing this article.)

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Art inspired by science: student researchers unleash their creative side

By Gisela Valencia

June 17, 2024 at 12:09pm

Can art and science really be interconnected?

Scientists collect data, conduct experiments and make discoveries. Artists tell stories and tap into life's intangible spaces to shed light on the human condition. The two roles seem light years apart.

A group of FIU student researchers are bursting through stereotypes and showing us that art and science are actually two sides of the same coin. These students are using their love of nature and scientific inquiry to fuel their creation of art in a variety of mediums from drawings to crafts to photography.

The student researchers are part of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) program , which is based at FIU’s Institute of Environment. The program has collected the most comprehensive, long-term data instrumental to understanding how the Everglades is changing over time. 

While conducting research in the Everglades, the students are often moved to wonder as they stare at the sun glimmering through the trees or as they observe the patterns and properties of the wildlife and organisms they are studying.

This awe has led them to create. It has propelled them to embrace the arts, or in some cases, to renew their artistic activities with science in mind.

Paige Kleindl, a Ph.D. candidate in biology, is one of these students.

“Creativity is at the heart of science and art,” Kleindl says. "Illustration and visual depiction have always been an integral part of understanding science." 

Two years ago, Kleindl and several of her colleagues began meeting informally to talk about their artistic endeavors. The group was composed of their networks — students who were also researchers from the FCE LTER program. The meetings eventually became FCE LTER student group activities, and the crafty scientists became prolific artists.

Fast forward to today, and the group has presented two annual photography competitions, a one-day art showcase and, most recently, a two-month-long art exhibit at the Glenn Gallery at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. The exhibit ended in May, but its beauty left a lasting impression on fans and artists alike.

“It was so much fun,” says Kleindl, who organized the exhibit. “It was great to see the pride on the artists' faces at the exhibit opening. We create art for fun. It’s something we do because we love it, and we love depicting nature. Being able to present these creative depictions of the Everglades to other people was amazing.”

“The name of the exhibit was 'More Than a Scientist’ because it highlighted the multifaceted nature of scientists," Kleindl adds. "People may see us as solely analytical. But scientists are so much more. What we do takes so much passion. That's what motivates us to wake up at four in the morning and travel to the wilderness in 100-degree weather just to take samples. We are passionate about our research, and we are passionate about understanding and preserving the natural world. And that feeds our creative side.”

The exhibit featured 50 pieces of art created by 10 students and one staff member. It showcased a diverse range of artwork, including black ink drawings, photography, traditional scientific illustration, linoleum prints, watercolors and embroidery, among others.

Check out a few of the works created by some of the scientist-artists in the group.

Snail prints

Carlos Pulido, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth and Environment, says that art became a way to re-energize and re-focus on science. He enjoys creating nature-inspired linoleum prints (like the one pictured above). 

“I began creating linoleum prints as a way to unwind from the rigorous demands of my Ph.D.,” he says. “This artistic expression unexpectedly enhanced my research, offering a tactile, hands-on counterbalance to my digitally-heavy routine. I've found that the entire intricate process — from sketching to carving and printing — not only helps with my mental clarity, but also enriches my approach to problem-solving in my scientific work.”

He adds, “I didn't anticipate discovering a community of artists within our own research working groups. Connecting with fellow researchers who also engage in artistic pursuits inspires me and broadens my perspective[s], both personally and professionally.”

Embroidering micro-algae 

When Hanna Innocent was in elementary school, her grandmother taught her the art of embroidery.  

"[She] would buy me embroidery kits when we'd visit during the summer," Innocent recalls. "During COVID, I picked it up again and it was like muscle memory."

Today, Innocent is a master's degree student in biological sciences -- and she weaves science into her artistry. Recently, she created her own embroidery patterns to celebrate the organisms she researches: micro-algae.

"Micro-algae and diatoms are such tiny, beautiful organisms that tend to be overlooked by everyone," she says. "The more I learn about them in my career the more I fall in love with them, not only with how important they are to life on earth, but also with how complex and intricate they can be. I started off drawing them as a way to better understand what they look like, but it turned into depicting them in several different art forms that I enjoy creating in. I see micro-algae as an array of beautiful colors and rainbows, and I want the rest of the world to see them too."

Tiny beauty

Graduate biology student Anne Sabol believes photography can help expand the reach of science. " I work in the conservation realm, and a captivating photo can draw in a new audience and get them to care about the animals we study and are trying to save in a way that traditional science publications cannot."

The result? Sabol snaps away photos of the beauty she witnesses in the Everglades. Recently, one of her photos of a cormorant earned second place in the student group's photography competition this year. 

In the photogoraph above, she captured a unique view of a tiny, intriguing animal that is usually about an inch or two long: a lettuce sea slug. " I chose this picture because it helps everyone appreciate the tiny creatures we might overlook."

Sabol will graduate with her Ph.D. this summer. 

The mangrove forest

Tommy Shannon, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, began his journey into photography while taking pictures under the microscope and in the field. His goal was to photo-document the algae research he was conducting. But things began to change as he realized the beauty of the visual medium.

“Photography took on a second life as an art form when I discovered I could use my photos to share the wonder I see in the natural world,” he says. “In my research I get the privilege to see and experience amazing things that are inaccessible to most people. I feel like photography enables me to make these experiences accessible to a much larger group of people and to share the 'wow' I feel. For me, science and photography are two paths to the same place of discovery and understanding.”

The photo above was taken at one of the long-term ecological research sites that scientists at FIU have been visiting for over two decades.

"It's a place where the land meets the sea in a maze of mangroves and tidal rivers," Shannon explains. He says the photo "illustrates the structure and function of the mangrove forest, from the skyward leaves to the knotty tangle of roots that hold the forest steady in high winds and floods." 

Taking a closer look

At a very young age, Michelle Yi began creating art. Currently a junior marine biology major, Yi is happy to use her artistic skills to spotlight animals she's encountered in the field.  

"I chose to illustrate these pieces in particular to bring awareness to the beauty of predatory species [alligator and dragon/damselflies]," she says. "While all wild animals should be treated and respected as such, always with knowledge and caution, acknowledging their critical role in their home environments and seeing the beauty of their capabilities was a very big inspiration [for me]."

The alligator painting is a white pen piece on a wooden board that was painted black using acrylic paint. Yi then highlighted the alligator with white pen through stippling, a technique that creates an art piece by repeatedly marking the piece with small marks or spots. Yi created the damselfly drawing using colored pencils on canvas papers. 

Tangled roots

Rosario Vidales enjoys designing T-shirts. Vidales is also a Ph.D. student in the Natural Resource Science and Management program. She combined both of her interests to create a shirt design reminiscent of a band T-shirt, with a scientific twist. 

"Since my research involves red mangroves, I thought a design showcasing their tangled prop-roots would be very cool," Vidales says. "I created my design with a picture of red mangrove roots I took while out in the Everglades. I screen-printed the design onto black paper for the ['More Than a Scientist'] exhibit and have also screen printed the design onto a few shirts (which is always a fun conversation starter). I hope to create more nature inspired designs in the future."

Vidales adds that " Carbon   Sequestration, " refers to one of the ecosystem services provided by mangroves through their uptake of  carbon  dioxide from the atmosphere. Red mangroves store the carbon dioxide in their roots, branches and leaves.

Sparkling water

This is what algae looks like under a microscope. This painting features a group of algae called diatoms that are found by the trillions in the Everglades but are invisible to the naked eye.

Kleindl created this piece as a way to illuminate the tiny organisms that have captured her attention and ground her research. "I love algae," Kleindl says. "Diatoms are visually showstopping because of their symmetrical, ornate and complex design. I have seen only a few artists creating algae art, and I wanted to explore my study species from a different perspective. I told myself, 'I’m a creative scientist, let’s see what I can do.'"

This piece showcases the variety of growth forms, shapes and morphological features of diatoms captured in a collage of communities found in a single drop of water. 

“Diatom cell walls are made of glass that reflect light when we view them under the microscope," Kleindl says. "I used glitter paint to create the diatoms as a way to convey a question -  when light glimmers off the waves and water, isn't it reflecting off the cells of diatoms too?”

That's just one more way to explore science through art. 

Crows can count up to four, a new study finds

(CNN) — Perhaps “birdbrained” isn’t such an insult after all –– crows, the ubiquitous urban bird, can vocally count up to four, the latest research has found.

Not only can the inquisitive creatures count, but they can match the number of calls they make when shown a numeral, according to a new study, led by a team of researchers with the University of Tübingen’s animal physiology lab in Germany.

The way the birds recognize and react to numbers is similar to a process we humans use, both to learn to count as toddlers and quickly recognize how many objects we’re looking at. The findings, published on May 23 in the journal Science, deepen our growing understanding of crow intelligence.

“Humans do not have a monopoly on skills such as numerical thinking, abstraction, tool manufacture, and planning ahead,” said animal cognition expert Heather Williams via email. “No one should be surprised that crows are ‘smart.’” Williams, a professor of biology at Williams College in Massachusetts, was not involved in the study.

In the animal kingdom, counting isn’t limited to crows. Chimpanzees have been taught to count in numerical order and understand the value of numerals, much like young children. In attempting to woo mates, some male frogs count the number of calls from competing males to match or even one-up that number when it’s their turn to croak at a female. Scientists have even theorized that ants retrace their paths back to their colonies by counting their steps , though the method isn’t always accurate.

What this latest study showed is that crows, like young humans, can learn to associate numerals with values –– and count out loud accordingly.

Can crows count much like toddlers do?

The research was inspired by toddlers learning to count, said lead study author Diana Liao, a neurobiologist and senior researcher at the Tübingen lab. Toddlers use the words of numbers to tally the number of objects in front of them: If they see three toys in front of them, their counting could sound like “one, two, three” or “one, one, one.”

Maybe crows could do the same, Liao thought. She was inspired, too, by a June 2005 study on chickadees tailoring their alarm calls to a predator’s size. The larger a predator’s wingspan or body length, the fewer “dee” sounds the chickadees used in their alarm call, the study found . The opposite was true for smaller predators –– the songbirds would use more “dee” sounds if they encountered a smaller bird, which could be greater threats to chickadees since they are more agile, Liao said.

The authors of the chickadee study couldn’t confirm whether the small songbirds had control over the number of sounds they made or if the number of sounds were an involuntary response. But the possibility piqued Liao’s curiosity –– could crows, whose intelligence has been well-documented over decades of research, show control over their ability to produce a certain number of sounds, effectively “counting” like toddlers do?

The crows planned their number of caws

Liao and her colleagues trained three carrion crows, a European species closely related to the American crow, over more than 160 sessions. During the trainings, the birds had to learn associations between a series of visual and auditory cues from 1 to 4 and produce the corresponding number of caws. In the example researchers provided, a visual cue might look like a bright blue numeral, and its corresponding audio could be the half-second song of a drumroll.

The crows were expected to perform the same number of caws as the number represented by the cue –– three caws for the cue with the numeral 3 –– within 10 seconds of seeing and hearing the cue. When the birds had stopped counting and cawing, they would peck at an “enter” key on the touchscreen that presented their cues to confirm that they were done. If the birds had counted correctly, they’d receive a treat.

It appeared that as the cues continued, the crows took longer to react to each cue. Their reaction times grew as “more vocalizations were impending,” Liao wrote, suggesting that the crows planned the number of caws they were going to make before they opened their beaks.

The researchers could even tell how many calls the birds planned to make by the way their first call sounded –– subtle acoustic differences that showed that the crows knew how many numbers they were looking at and had synthesized the information.

“They understand abstract numbers … and then plan ahead as they match their behavior to match that number,” Williams said.

Even the mistakes the crows made were somewhat advanced: If the crows had cawed one too many times, stuttered over the same number or submitted their responses with their beak prematurely, Liao and her researchers could detect from the sound of the first call where they went wrong. These are the “same kinds of errors humans make,” Williams said.

We’re still learning how smart crows are

Birds and many other animals were previously thought to make only on-the-spot decisions based on stimuli in their immediate environments, a theory popularized by the 20th century animal behaviorist B.F. Skinner. But the latest research by Liao and her colleagues provides more evidence about crows’ ability to synthesize numbers to produce a sound and suggests that the skill is within their control.

The study team’s findings are highly specific but still significant –– they challenge the once common belief that all animals are merely stimulus-response machines, said Kevin McGowan, a researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, who has spent more than two decades studying wild crows in their habitats. McGowan wasn’t involved in the study.

The study, McGowan told CNN, demonstrated that “crows aren’t just simple nonthinking machines out there reacting to their environment –– they’re actually thinking ahead and have the ability to communicate in a structured, preplanned way. It’s sort of a necessary precursor for having a language.”

Crow intelligence has been studied for decades. Scientists have investigated New Caledonian crows creating their own compound tools to access food. The birds appear to establish rules, according to a November 2013 study coauthored by the University of Tübingen lab’s lead researcher, Andreas Nieder. Crow language has confounded scientists for decades, too, with its widely varying tones and expressions, McGowan said.

The study by Liao and her colleagues isn’t even the first to consider whether crows can count. That research began with Nicholas Thompson in 1968, animal cognition expert Irene Pepperberg noted. A research professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, Pepperberg is best known for her work with an African grey parrot named Alex.

Thompson hypothesized that crows could count based on their caws, the duration and number of which the birds appeared to control in a given burst of sound. The crows’ counting abilities “seem to exceed the demands which survival makes for such abilities,” he wrote.

Another University of Tübingen study on crows’ counting abilities from September 2015 trained the birds to recognize groupings of dots and recorded the activity of neurons in the part of the crows’ brains that receives and makes sense of visual stimuli. The researchers found that the crows’ neurons “ignore the dots’ size, shape and arrangement and only extract their number,” the university said in a statement at the time.

“So, crows’ brains can represent different quantities, and crows can quickly learn to match Arabic numerals to those quantities –– something humans usually explicitly teach their children,” Williams said.

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