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(01/10/14 5:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Kelley School of Business has released its Indiana Business Review for 2014, with the economic forecast for the Bloomington area and the state. The Indiana Business Review is a publication that stems from a smaller annual economic forecast that is conducted at the end of every year. This year’s report is one of the biggest yet. “The report has been published since 1926,” executive editor Carol Rogers said.“And we have the largest university libraries and even Fortune 500 companies receive the review.”The 46-page report is especially long this year because IU partnered with other schools such as Purdue and the University of Southern Indiana to get as much content as possible, Rogers said. “Folks had a lot to say,” she said. The review focused on two major components: population and economy. Researchers discovered that half of the jobs lost during the 2008-2009 recession have been regained, and the housing market has continued its improvement, according to the IBR website. Another large part of the 2014 review was dedicated to energy because of the amount of coal available to Indiana residents and the amount of energy used by the state on a daily basis. The review also involves IU students as well as faculty in the process of gathering and putting together all the data. “Graduate students fact check and proofread,” Rogers said. “And a number of grad students co-author articles.” Doctoral students also give input, helping with the writing and the research of each article, she said.The review as a whole was positive for the state of Indiana, according to the press release, which said that some parts of the state are going to fare better than others.The full publication is available for free online at ibrc.indiana.edu. —Laura Schulte
(09/02/13 8:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington man was arrested Aug. 28 after a drug investigation led police to the Bloomington Mini-Mart at 2002 S. Rogers St., according to a press release from the City of Bloomington Police Department. Dipesh Sharma, 20, was booked at the Monroe County Jail after 150 grams of “Darkness” synthetic marijuana was found in the Mini-Mart. The drug investigation began two months ago when information was received about the convenience store selling synthetic drugs. The investigation revealed that the employee selling the drugs was the son of the business’ owners.Confidential informants were used to make several purchases from Sharma both at the store and in a local park. On Aug. 28, Bloomington police, along with Indiana State Excise Police and investigators assigned to the Organized Crime and Corruption Unit of the Indiana State Police, served 13 search warrants on the business, the residences of the owners, various banks and Sharma’s vehicle. The case is still under investigation and additional arrests or criminal charges are possible, according to the release. — Laura Schulte
(08/16/13 7:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ty Smith, Hud Mellencamp and Speck Mellencamp have turned themselves into authorities after an arrest warrant was issued Thursday for their alleged involvement in a fight that resulted in facial fractures and stitches for the victim. Speck Mellencamp, 18, Ty Smith, 19, and Hud Mellencamp, 19, face felony battery charges, according to a press release issued by the Bloomington Police Department. Speck Mellencamp and Hud Mellencamp are sons of musician John Mellencamp. Smith is a freshmen wide receiver for the IU football team and son of IU baseball coach Tracy Smith.Speck Mellencamp turned himself in at 11:17 a.m. Friday at the Monroe County Jail, a dispatcher with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. He was held at $5,000 surety and $500 cash bond, but posted bond and was released Friday.Smith turned himself in at 5 p.m. Thursday, posted bond, and was released at 7:19 p.m. Thursday, a dispatcher said. Hud Mellencamp turned himself in at 6:15 a.m. Monday morning. He was held at $5,000 surety and $500 cash bond and was released at 6:40 a.m. after posting bond, a jail officer said. The arrest warrants stem from a July 29 altercation, when the three suspects climbed of front porch stairs of the victim’s home in the 1400 block of North Lincoln Street, according to the BPD press release. When the male victim asked if he could help them, the suspects began punching and kicking him. The victim's three roommates responded to the commotion, and pulled the victim up, at which point he was knocked off the porch, where Speck Mellencamp continued to punch him, according to police. Speck Mellencamp was pulled from the victim and all three suspects ran from the residence. The victim suffered facial fractures, cuts requiring stitches and was referred to a plastic surgeon due to his injuries.
(04/29/13 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite her land-locked position, IU senior Sabena Siddiqui has dedicated her studies and her life to marine mammals and the effects of captivity. In 2010, at the age of 21, Siddiqui started the American Cetacean Society Student Coalition at IU, part of a national organization, Siddiqui said. Since then Siddiqui has worked on many internships and studied marine animals and their behaviors. But her interest in sea animals hasn’t just started in recent years. “It started with how I started my career,” she said. “I’ve been obsessed with whales and dolphins since I was a toddler. Then in 2010, I applied to the Mote Marine Laboratory as an intern. When I got it, I was shocked.”The internship launched her career, despite the disapproval from her family, she said. “I’ve had a lot of people discourage me,” she said. “But my worst fear is regret. So I borrowed money from my aunt and bought a plane ticket to Florida without telling my dad.”From there, Siddiqui worked at the marine laboratory and lived with an artist who gave her free rent as long as she took care of the animals while she was away at art shows. Though she enjoyed the internship, she said, it was hard for her to work with marine animals that were in captivity. Her interest in studying animals in captivity came after watching the movie “The Cove.” The movie, she said, inspired her to look deeper into the study of marine mammals.“I contacted the American Cetacean Society and presented some of my research to them. They told me to write a proposal and see if I got accepted into the conference,” Siddiqui said. “I was accepted.”After being accepted and presenting at the conference, Siddiqui said she gained confidence in her work. “The following year, I was approached about starting the first student coalition,” she said. The ACSSC at IU advocates for many things, even though it’s so far from the ocean, in Indiana. One of their campaigns is for sustainable seafood.“It’s a pretty important issue,” she said. “We hand out seafood watch cards, so when you’re purchasing seafood it shows you what some of the alternatives are.”In addition to the 2,000 seafood cards the organization has handed out, they also bring in many guest speakers and films, as well as test the Jordan River, Siddiqui said. “We test biological components and we show that all sources lead to the ocean,” she said. “They’re all connected.”The ACSSC also takes a stand against the captivity of marine mammals by handing out pamphlets on campus. When Siddiqui finishes her time at IU, she plans to continue her studies in graduate school, even though the programs are very competitive, she said. At the moment, she’s applying for funding. Siddiqui said she believes her passions will take her far in her studies of marine mammals and what captivity does to them. “During one of my internships I was told I was too passionate to be doing research,” she said. “The passion drives the insanity to be able to do this kind of work.”
(04/24/13 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU has been awarded a $4.2 million grant by the U.S. Agency for International Development through Higher Education for Development to promote women’s access to higher education in South Sudan. The project is headed by Terry Mason, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the IU School of Education. The project is also partnered with Virginia Tech and two South Sudanese institutions to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, according to a press release from April 16. “It will provide funds to support curriculum development and educational materials for two universities in South Sudan, the University of Juba and the University of the Upper Nile,” Mason said.The program will place emphasis on providing opportunities for women to become prepared to teach at the university level and for girls to finish high school and be eligible to study at the university, Mason said. Also, there will be master’s degrees offered and improvement of administrative systems and educational policies. The project is in its beginning phases. “The project is just now starting so it has only been a couple of months,” Mason said. “We currently have a team on the ground in South Sudan collecting baseline data for the project so we will know what the starting point is for our efforts and how to plan accordingly.”According to the press release, the grant was provided by USAID, the federal government’s major agency for distributing economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide. Also involved is Higher Education for Development, which works to promote higher education engagement in social and economic development. Mason got involved when HED made the announcement about the project. “I began working with others here at IU and at Virginia Tech to write a proposal for the project,” he said. “The goals of the project are similar to those of other projects that I have worked on in countries like Afghanistan and Macedonia, so I thought we could be very productive on this one.”Mason isn’t the only one working on the project at IU. “Some graduate students from the IU School of Education will participate in the project,” Mason said. “Assisting with curriculum and materials development and conducting research with educators in South Sudan.”Mason said there will be more opportunities for students to get involved with the project as it moves along, even if they’re not graduate students. “I would like to see students on this campus get involved in helping South Sudan develop as a new democratic nation that will play a key role in the future of Africa,” Mason said. “As we move ahead we will be looking for those opportunities and will share them with the IU community as they arise.”
(04/23/13 11:27pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU has been awarded a $4.2 million grant by the U.S. Agency for International Development through Higher Education for Development to promote women’s access to higher education in South Sudan. The project is headed by Terry Mason, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the IU School of Education. The project is also partnered with Virginia Tech and two South Sudanese institutions to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, according to a press release from April 16. “It will provide funds to support curriculum development and educational materials for two universities in South Sudan, the University of Juba and the University of the Upper Nile,” Mason said.The program will place emphasis on providing opportunities for women to become prepared to teach at the university level and for girls to finish high school and be eligible to study at the university, Mason said. Also, there will be master’s degrees offered and improvement of administrative systems and educational policies. The project is in its beginning phases. “The project is just now starting so it has only been a couple of months,” Mason said. “We currently have a team on the ground in South Sudan collecting baseline data for the project so we will know what the starting point is for our efforts and how to plan accordingly.”According to the press release, the grant was provided by USAID, the federal government’s major agency for distributing economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide. Also involved is Higher Education for Development, which works to promote higher education engagement in social and economic development. Mason got involved when HED made the announcement about the project. “I began working with others here at IU and at Virginia Tech to write a proposal for the project,” he said. “The goals of the project are similar to those of other projects that I have worked on in countries like Afghanistan and Macedonia, so I thought we could be very productive on this one.”Mason isn’t the only one working on the project at IU. “Some graduate students from the IU School of Education will participate in the project,” Mason said. “Assisting with curriculum and materials development and conducting research with educators in South Sudan.”Mason said there will be more opportunities for students to get involved with the project as it moves along, even if they’re not graduate students. “I would like to see students on this campus get involved in helping South Sudan develop as a new democratic nation that will play a key role in the future of Africa,” Mason said. “As we move ahead we will be looking for those opportunities and will share them with the IU community as they arise.”
(04/23/13 2:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The second annual IU Latino Faculty and Staff Council Awards will be presented Friday to outstanding members of the University’s Latino community. The awards will be presented to recipients at Oliver Winery to recognize important contributions by IU undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff, LFASC Director Israel Herrera said. “The LFASC distinguishes and empowers individuals whose efforts have contributed to a positive campus environment in tandem with helping support the retention of Latinos at Indiana University,” Herrera said in an email. “It is also meant to highlight exemplary academic and professional work.”The awards are presented to members or groups that have participated in service, mentoring or diversity initiatives that enhance and support Latinos on the IU campus. There were six awards handed out. They are Distinguished Faculty, Distinguished Staff, Distinguished Graduate Student, Distinguished Undergraduate Student and Distinguished Group or Event. This year there was also an additional award, the Latino Faculty Special Mention Award. “There is an Award Committee in LFASC who chooses the recipients based on certain criteria,” Herrera said.The following are the recipients of this year’s awards. Distinguished Group or Event Aidé Acosta, a visiting assistant professor in Latino studies and American studies, and Mintzi Martinez-Rivera, a doctoral candidate in folklore and anthropology put on an undergraduate research symposium in Latino studies on March 21-22 in the Indiana Memorial Union. “The first-of-its kind endeavor proved a transformative event for IU students and faculty,” Herrera said. “The purpose of the symposium was to engage undergrads with graduate students and faculty working on issues of race, migration and Latino social conditions.”Distinguished Latino Undergrad Student Alicia Nieves is majoring in political science and migration studies in the Individualized Major Program. “During the spring 2010 semester, Alicia started with other students the advocacy group on campus called DREAM IU,” Herrera said. “This diverse organization works to raise awareness and support for the bipartisan federal legislation called the DREAM Act that provides undocumented youth a pathway to higher education and citizenship.”Her sophomore year, Nieves helped to reverse former Rep. Baron Hill’s, D-9th District, position to be in favor of the DREAM Act. Distinguished Latino StaffBecky Pérez, research associate at IU’s Center on Education and Lifelong Learning travels throughout the state to implement individual and group behavioral interventions and develop culturally responsive practices that address the needs of students and their families, Herrera said. “Her passion for her job goes beyond the training that she does with the staff and takes time to interact with the students while she is on site,” he said. Distinguished Latino Graduate StudentNancy Ortiz is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry. “While performing at the top of her class, Nancy cares about outreach and community work and has taken leadership roles in the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists, the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science and the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate,” Herrera said. Distinguished Latino Faculty Herman Aguinis is a professor in the Kelley School of Business. “Professor Aguinis is the founding director of the Institute for Global Organization Effectiveness,” Herrera said. “He secured a $5 million private cash donation, which funds all of IGOE’s operations.”Latino Faculty Special Mention AwardDaniel Mindiola is a professor in the Department of Chemistry. “He has worked tirelessly over the course of his entire career to enhance student and professional diversity in the natural sciences both on campus and nationally,” Herrera said. “He also freely mentors Hispanic/Chicano students at IU and has an open door policy, offering advice to both undergraduate and graduate students.”
(04/17/13 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Passengers headed out to and returning home from weekend festivities frequent the Night Owl bus. They climb on the bus, which is often already full of other students who are seemingly intoxicated. While students can’t be deterred from going out late at night, drinking or participating in other activities after dark, there are ways that IU has tried to combat the fears of campus at night. The Night Owl bus is the first line of safe rides that is available to students. According to its website, the line runs until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and offers service to the A, 6 and 9 Routes through and around campus. “The buses provide a safe ride all around campus and to downtown Bloomington on Friday and Saturday nights,” Perry Maull, the operations manager, said. The Night Owl service employs students as drivers and managers, and also shares contacts with IUPD for high-risk situations. “We now have radios that link to the IUPD line,” Maull said. “So that they can be reached directly.”The drivers of the buses have been trained to handle high-risk situations and have different training from the regular drivers. All of the drivers have completed the USDOT bus operator program, and are taught by a certified trainer to follow all requirements that are mandated. But the Night Owl drivers even have more training than the rest.“Night Owl drivers have additional training each summer before school starts on how to handle potential situations,” Maull said. The training that the drivers get consists of a presentation from an IUPD detective, and an on-duty operator at all times that helps drivers through problems, said Maull. Maull said although the Night Owl buses are usually safe, they have had a few problems this year. “The only one I can think of is when a group of people got on the bus and started ripping posters down and pulling down the piping and the pull chords,” he said. “But that was the only incident this year, and it was just people behaving badly.”Maull said often, when there are situations on the bus, its not that the riders are unsafe. It’s that the students are acting unsafely. He believes that the Night Owl buses do in fact make the campus safer for students at night.The IU Police Department Officers also take measures to keep students safe on campus at night. “We have motor patrol and foot patrol,” said IUPD lieutenant William Munroe. “We also have patrols around the residence halls, and bike patrol around the residence areas.”In recent years, according to statistics, crimes have changed, but nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. According to statistics available on the IUPD website, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assaults and burglaries are the most common offenses that occur on campus. Statistics from the IUPD website say that since 2009, sex offenses have dropped from 55 reported cases to 28 reported cases in 2011. During that same time period, robberies have increased from 1 reported case to 5. Reported aggravated assaults have gone up from 3 in 2009 to 17 in 2011. “Some categories go up, and some go down,” Munroe said. “Alcohol crimes have always remained at a steady rate though.”Though IUPD officers are always ready and willing to help said Munroe, students still need to make sure that they’re keeping themselves in mind.“People need to take responsibility for their own safety,” Munroe said. While the campus police and the bus systems help students directly with safety, other campus organizations are drafting plans to make campus safer at night. IU Student Association has recently been focusing on student safety at night with pointed initiatives, such as a revamp of the night ride system. The safe ride system currently has many rules, including no transportation off-campus, no rides for students under the influence, and no transportation for more than two riders at a time, according to the old safe ride website. The new safe ride escort system will have a new set of rules. “There won’t be stipulations on alcohol use,” Kyle Straub, IUSA student body president, said. “There still has to be immediate need though. If someone’s hurt, in a bad situation, and can’t find a ride home, that’s when it can be used.”The new safety rides will only take students home, and the users can be intoxicated, within reason. These reasons include belligerent actions and vomiting, Straub said. “Drivers are allowed to say ‘no,’ if they have justified reason,” Straub said. The best thing to do is make sure you’re keeping yourself safe, Straub said. “A lot of times it can be a result of a student being in an unsafe environment,” he said. “Students put themselves there. We’re still trying to protect them though.”
(04/15/13 2:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Rahaf Safi was surprised to learn she was named a 2013 Truman scholar when President Michael McRobbie told her the news during a meeting of the Board Aeons on April 10. “It was an exciting moment because I was surrounded by friends and faculty that helped me achieve the things I have,” she said.The Truman Scholars award, named after President Harry Truman, is an award given to students dedicated to education and public service, according to the scholarship website. Students across the country compete for 60 awards and go through applications and interviews. “The first part was applying for the IU nomination,” Safi said. “They selected me and helped me with my application. From there, I was named a finalist in February.Along with applying, more work went into Safi receiving the award. She has a large presence on campus, and is very involved, she said. “At IU, I founded Oxfam America,” she said. “It works with hunger, poverty and injustice. We hold events to educate students on global affairs and how they relate to students.”Safi founded Oxfam at IU at the beginning of her senior year as a part of a bigger association. “Oxfam has been growing,” she said. “They’re all over the world. This is just a branch of Oxfam America, at IU.”Safi is also involved in many other activities on campus. She volunteers at the non-profit domestic violence shelter Middle Way House and is a student representative for the Committee for Fee Review. She also is a recent appointment to the Board of Aeons, an Indiana Daily Student employee and a participant in AmeriCorps in Bloomington.The reward Safi received for her involvement at IU will give her a chance to pursue graduate studies. “I’ll be part of a community of current and former Truman Scholars,” she said. “Hopefully it will lead to quite a few things, like after I graduate, a job in the field of constitutional design.”Safi, a political science and philosophy major with a concentration in the Political and Civic Engagement Program, plans to attend law school after she graduates. She said she is proud to represent her University, and is glad for all of the opportunities that she’s received. “I’m proud to be a Hoosier,” she said. “I’m proud to represent IU as a Truman Scholar. It’s tremendous the amount of support that I’ve gotten, and I thank those who have helped me reach this point.”
(04/05/13 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU has named its 2012-13 Outstanding Junior Faculty, giving them support to continue research they’ve started within their school or department. The awards this year will support the creation of innovative textile art and research on public investments in energy, the worldwide loss of costal mangrove forests, the development of anti-malarial drugs, the relationship between vision and balance and the appropriateness of cancer screenings, according to a March 25 press release. “The awards are given out to recognize our best faculty members,” said Sarita Soni, vice provost for research. “We want to keep them, so we recognize them. Every year we recognize four to six people.”This year, Soni said IU has chosen six faculty members from four different departments and schools on campus. “I was interested to see that we have four schools represented on campus,” she said. “We have the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the School of Optometry, the School of Public Health and the College of Arts and Sciences. We often have many nominations from the College of Arts and Sciences, but it’s nice to have other schools compete too.”The Outstanding Junior Faculty Awards are given out to untenured professors who do a great job of teaching with outstanding programs, Soni said.The professors must have taught at IU for at least two years but less than six in order to be eligible for the award, and they must be nominated. Once chosen, the awards they receive are given as funding for research. Soni also said the faculty who receive these awards often go on to do great things, even beyond IU. “The candidates end up getting national recognition,” Soni said. This year there are six recipients. The first is Silas Cook, who has worked in the department of chemistry since 2009. His lab group has been working to create efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly reactions to enable production of more affordable medications. The second is Shirin Hassan, who has been with the School of Optometry since 2007. The Outstanding Junior Faculty award will support her research examining the relationship between peripheral vision field loss and balance problems in older adults. Beth Meyerson is an assistant professor in the School of Public Health. Her award will help support a national cervical cancer screening policy adoption study of state programs. Rowland Ricketts III has been with the College of Arts and Sciences since 2008, working as a textiles faculty member. His award will be used to explore the controlled fading of dye in clothing. Sanya Carley has been with the SPEA since 2010. Her award will support research on state-by-state energy investments. Rinku Roy Chodhury has been a part of the College and Arts and Sciences since 2008. Her award will support cross-continental analyses of costal mangroves in Mexico and Bangladesh.
(04/03/13 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The College of Arts and Sciences has announced the theme for the 2013 fall semester to be “Connectedness: Networks in a Complex World."“Themester is a themed semester,” said Tracy Bee, coordinator of Themester and director of academic initiatives for the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s not a word in the dictionary. It’s something that is only at IU.”Themester runs just through the fall semester, with courses and other events related to the theme, Bee said. “We want to connect what’s going on in classes to what’s going on outside,” Bee said. “These are issues that students will face their whole lives.”The 2013 Themester theme is very relevant to students’ lives, according to the Themester website. “I think the Themester will give students a good idea of networks,” political science professor Armando Razo said. “We’re connected to people in ways that we don’t realize.” The classes students can elect to take as a part of Themester range from general introductory courses to specific courses for majors, Bee said. “There are a variety of classes, and every year they’re different,” she said. “The goal is to attract undergraduates.”These courses will include apparel merchandising, statistics, English, honors courses and others. Although the courses have been chosen, Themester is still in its planning phase. “We’re organizing and planning right now,” Razo said. “We’re still finalizing. We’ll have speakers, lectures, movies, classes ... It’s a whole package.”The Themester project has three goals, according to the website. The first is to advance the teachings of the College of Arts and Sciences, providing students a liberal education informed from across the disciplines in the sciences. The second is to encourage educational programs that extend from the campus to the community and state. The final goal is to promote undergraduate research on a topic of socio-cultural, historical or scientific importance.The “Connectedness” Themester was chosen because of its relevancy to today’s students, Razo said.“There’s social media, but it’s more than that,” he said. “There are very similar structures of connectedness in very different places. There are networks everywhere, in the body, in nature, in space."
(04/02/13 3:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Next fall, IU will welcome veteran actor, producer, director and editor Robby Benson as a new professor in the Department of Telecommunications. Benson, who has been acting, writing and producing since the age of 11, has acted in 30 movies and three Broadway plays. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes and has worked alongside famous actors such as Audrey Hepburn and Paul Newman. Benson also voiced the Beast in Disney’s Academy Award-nominated “Beauty and the Beast.”“Benson is an extraordinarily gifted person,” Telecommunications Director Walter Gantz said. “He will be bringing skills from his experiences with writing, directing, acting and composing and combining them with teaching.”Gantz said Benson is coming to IU as the new professor of practice, which is a position that wasn’t open when Benson initially applied to teach in the telecommunications department. “We had two regular positions open, and Robby saw the researcher position, and he wrote in,” Gantz said. “He didn’t fit the position, but discussions led to his new position, the professor of practice.”The professor of practice position is available in different schools and departments throughout IU. The professors are people with outstanding credentials in the field in which they teach, Gantz said. As a telecommunications professor of practice, Benson will be teaching two higher-level advanced production courses starting next fall, Gantz said. The first class will be a production class in which students will produce a 13-15 minute short film. In the second class, students will be working to create a YouTube comedy show that will argue through issues of the day in a comedic way. Though Benson will be working full-time next year, he will be working on his professional work as well. “During the summers, Benson wants to produce full-length films,” Gantz said. Gantz said he is looking forward to the experience and skills that Benson will bring to the department. “He’s going to bring enthusiasm, energy and vision to IU,” he said. “He’s going to tap into resources across campus to make film. It’s why he’s such a great hire.”
(03/29/13 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Lilly Library will have a new director effective Monday. Joel Silver will take control of the library from Breon Mitchell, who has been the director since 2001, Silver said.“He always said that he would retire at a certain date,” Silver said. “He wants to travel with his wife. He’s been at IU for 40 years.”Silver has nursed a long-standing relationship with the Lilly Library since he started working there in 1983, according to a press release from March 19. “I have been serving as the interim director and the curator of books up until my appointment,” Silver said. Silver has also done more than just work with the Lilly Library in his time at IU. According to a press release, he has been operations manager, adjunct associate professor and director of special collections specialization in the School of Library and Information Science. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of English. He has made academic contributions with published articles, books and many exhibition catalogs. He also has done work as a lecturer. While Silver said he doesn’t yet have plans for specific programs at Lilly, he does know he wants to make sure Mitchell’s work is continued. “I’m going to keep growing the collection and increase the online presence to make the collections available to everyone,” he said. “We’re also going to continue to put on programs at the museum, as well.”In regards to change, he’s not sure if much will differ from how the museum is run now. “It’s still too early to tell,” he said. “There are a couple of open staff positions, because there have been retirements recently, but that’s all right now.”The Lilly Library won’t have any special events the rest of this school year, said Silver, but there is still the semester-long exhibition that has been up since January, which is the Print Culture East and West. According to the Lilly Library website, the collection will run through April 10, and it explores the interchange of print technologies, ideas and visual imagery between Japan and the Western world. The collection contains rare Japanese books from Lilly Library’s holdings. Silver said he encourages people to take advantage of the tools the Lilly Library offers. “Lilly is available not only to people wanting to use the collections, but to people who want to view the things that we have,” he said.
(03/20/13 2:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU School of Public Health has added a new appendix to its school. The Office of Global and Community Health Partnerships is a resource for creating community engagement, according to a press release. It will be a resource for students and community members and will seek to increase the community engagement of the school through partnerships so there is more of an effect on health care.“The office manages all partnerships,” said Erin Cooperman, executive director of the office. “The partnerships help bolster the public health care workforce.”The partnerships will do more than just provide reinforcement to the public health care force. Cooperman also said they help students continue their education, place interns with corporations, help the community and work with community coalitions. The partnerships work with a wide variety of social groups. “Our office is mainly concerned with workforce development,” Cooperman said. “We work with the Indiana State Department of Health, mainly, as well as the Bedford Domestic Violence Coalition, which helps to reduce domestic violence in Bedford.”Other partnerships include the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis public health training center and AmeriCorps’ active living coalition. The school works closely with the committees and supports many coalitions, Cooperman said. Partnerships with the community have been an ongoing project since the school first started out. The difference with the global and community health partnerships is that they’re very new, so the faculty involved are working on structuring the program, Cooperman said. These partnerships begin in one of two ways.“They can come to us, asking for help, then we take it to the University,” Cooperman said. “The other way it can be done is the faculty asks them. We primarily make the connections, though.”The school also has some partnerships abroad.“We also have partnerships with Cairo University, Seoul National University and Beijing Sport University,” Cooperman said. “We try to partner with universities that are studying the same things we are, so obesity for example. A lot of countries are having problems with obesity.”The connections the office makes are of great importance to the school, Cooperman said.“It’s important that the University interacts with the community,” Cooperman said. “We need the community partners to see how people take care of their health. We can’t understand health without community partners.”
(03/18/13 1:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Adam Riess, a Nobel Prize laureate and astrophysicist, will give a lecture Tuesday as part of the annual Joseph and Sophia Konopinski lecture series.The lecture will cover dark energy. His studies of dark energy won him the Nobel Prize.“He will mostly be talking about the expansion of the universe,” said Gerardo Ortiz, IU physics professor and head of the Konopinski lecture committee. “There is a moment when expansion should stop because of gravity, but it’s not because of the expansion of the universe. The explanation is dark energy — it contradicts gravity.”There were two teams that worked toward the discovery of dark energy, said Ortiz, and Riess was one of the leaders. They concluded that the universe is not only expanding, but accelerating as well. The two teams based the discovery off an idea that Einstein had long ago. Up until now, it was only a theory. “People receive the Nobel Prize for finding facts, not for speculation,” Ortiz said. The expansion was measured and discovered through the study of super novae, said Ortiz. Some were closer to the earth than others, but the super novae that provided the most information were those that were farther away.“The farther away they are, the longer the light takes to reach earth, so the light is older when it reaches us,” Ortiz said. Riess was chosen to speak by the Konopinski lecture committee based on his outstanding accomplishments. “The committee chooses topics of interest to not only the University, but the public as well,” Ortiz said. “The speaker also has to be a good public speaker.”The committee wants to involve more people in the excitement that surrounds these kinds of discoveries.“We want to captivate the people who may become the new Adam Riess,” he said. “And we also want to educate the general public as well.”The Konopinski lecture was first endowed in 1990 and has brought many laureates and famous speakers to campus, Ortiz said. “It’s a part of a project that the physics school is known for,” he said. The lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Whittenberger Auditorium, followed by an open reception in the IMU University Club. The Konopinski committee hopes the talk will draw in not only students this year, but also members from the community who wonder about outer space. “People are concerned about where we’re at in the universe and where we’re going,” said Ortiz. “It’s ingrained in society’s mind, so people should be interested.”
(03/17/13 7:05pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Adam Riess, a Nobel Prize laureate and astrophysicist, will give a lecture Tuesday as part of the annual Joseph and Sophia Konopinski lecture series.The lecture will cover dark energy. His studies of dark energy won him the Nobel Prize.“He will mostly be talking about the expansion of the universe,” said Gerardo Ortiz, IU physics professor and head of the Konopinski lecture committee. “There is a moment when expansion should stop because of gravity, but it’s not because of the expansion of the universe. The explanation is dark energy — it contradicts gravity.”There were two teams that worked toward the discovery of dark energy, said Ortiz, and Riess was one of the leaders. They concluded that the universe is not only expanding, but accelerating as well. The discovery the two teams made was based off an idea that Einstein had long ago. Up until now, it was only a theory. “People receive the Nobel Prize for finding facts, not for speculation,” Ortiz said. The expansion was measured and discovered through the study of super novae, said Ortiz. Some were closer to the earth than others, but the super novae that provided the most information were those that were farther away.“The farther away they are, the longer the light takes to reach earth, so the light is older when it reaches us,” Ortiz said. Riess was chosen to speak by the Konopinski lecture committee based on his outstanding accomplishments. “The committee chooses topics of interest to not only the university, but the public as well,” Ortiz said. “The speaker also has to be a good public speaker.”The committee wants to involve more people in the excitement that surrounds these kinds of discoveries.“We want to captivate the people who may become the new Adam Riess,” he said. “And we also want to educate the general public as well.”The Konopinski lecture was first endowed in 1990 and has brought many laureates and famous speakers to campus, Ortiz said. “It’s a part of a project that the physics school is known for,” he said. The lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Whittenberger Auditorium, followed by an open reception in the IMU University Club. The Konopinski committee hopes the talk will draw in not only students this year, but also members from the community who wonder about outer space. “People are concerned about where we’re at in the universe and where we’re going,” said Ortiz. “It’s ingrained in society’s mind, so people should be interested.”
(03/08/13 4:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Hungarian Cultural Association put on its annual commemoration of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. Located in the University Club room, the March 7 commemoration consisted of many parts of Hungarian culture and celebrated Hungary’s fight for independence from the Habsburg monarchy of the Austrian empire. “This is a commemoration of the revolution,” said Lucas Torok, president of the Hungarian Cultural Association. “It dealt with people looking for freedom, liberty and equality ... for their own nation state.”The evening consisted of speeches that Lajos Kossuth, a leader of the revolution who also left an impression in America, had given, as well as speeches from others.“Kossuth came here to get help to start a revolution,” said visiting professor from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Ivan Bertenyi. “He was very popular here, but he could not get the material help to the Hungarian coast. But he did make a very positive impact with the U.S.”Some of the speeches, given by students in the HCA, gave the history of Kossuth’s travels within the United States as he tried to get support for his home country. Even though he didn’t get what he needed, he did leave behind some tell-tale signs of his visit, such as the top hat with feathers towards the front and his u-shaped beard. He also left behind an example for the U.S., which was dealing with the problem of slavery at the time.“He liberated the serfs in Hungary,” Bertenyi said. “It was an example that we had to follow.”Although Kossuth is not usually honored as a part of the commemoration, Bertenyi thought sharing his stories would be better for those in attendance. “It’s traditional to hold speeches to commemorate, but I thought it would be more interesting to Americans to talk about the relations,” he said. Also a part of the commemoration was world-renowned harpist Erzsebet Gaal. Gaal, a doctoral graduate of music at IU, played traditional Hungarian songs as HCA students and members sang along. She also played a selection of her own songs. Students also read excerpts of speeches both from and about Kossuth’s time in the U.S. The other speeches read came from people such as Millard Fillmore, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The commemoration celebration ended with a dinner of traditional Hungarian foods, cooked by members of the community for all of those in attendance. Torok said the speeches, songs and food were all meant to show students about a different culture.“It’s important to know there are things for IU students on campus,” he said. “It would be good to recognize cultures other than their own.”
(03/05/13 9:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU is now offering another way for students to measure and track their financial debt.Affordability.iu.edu is a new website launched last month that gives students a list of ways to save money on tuition.“We wanted an easy place for students to find information,” said Mark Land, IU director of communications. “It has links to other tools for students to use.” The website contains links to three different initiatives IU has launched in recent years.The three programs the website links to are MoneySmarts, the Summer Tuition Discount and the Finish in Four initiative. MoneySmarts will start next year for incoming freshmen.“MoneySmarts is an online financial literacy course that will be required for all freshmen,” said Valerie Peña, vice president of public affairs for IU. “And there will also be events throughout the year on how to manage student debt, how to borrow and how to get out not loaded with debt.”The Summer Tuition Discount, which was available to students starting in summer 2012, is an incentive to take summer classes, Land said. “You can take any class on any campus and receive 25 percent off of the summer class,” Peña said. The 25 percent discount is available only to in-state residents wishing to take summer classes, but students from out of state can also receive an incentive, according to the website. Out-of-state residents receive an equivalent dollar reduction in tuition to those who live within Indiana.The final program offered on the page is the Finish in Four initiative, which is a tuition freeze for students who are on track to graduate in four years at the end of their sophomore year. “Finish in Four offsets the increases of tuition if students stay on track,” Peña said. “They need to have 60 credits at the end of their second year and 90 at the end of their third year.”The hope for the website is that students will benefit from the tools and learn how to better manage their money, Land said.“The website puts together all the tools that students and their parents can use to combat student debt,” Peña said. “We had to go through and see the things we can do to keep tuition low.” The goal is to help incoming students as well as current students.“Incoming students will benefit from learning money management, but so will anyone who decides to be an IU student all the way through,” Land said. The website was designed as an easy way for all students to have access to the tools they need to save money and put them all in one place. “It’s getting students aware, and showing there are a lot of ways to avoid tuition increases,” Peña said.
(03/05/13 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Vampires aren’t just a figment of imagination — they’re the expression of real-world problems. At least, that’s the opinion of Margot Adler, NPR New York correspondent. Adler spoke at the Whittenburger Auditorium on Monday evening for an event for the Unitarian Universalists at IU. Adler, who has worked at NPR for 30 years, is also a pagan, which is one reason she spoke at IU. “I also spoke at the Unitarian Universalist church on Sunday,” Adler said. “I gave a sermon at 9:15 and 11.”After Adler told the story about how she found paganism, vampires were the topic of the night. She is currently working on a book about how vampires actually portray today’s culture and have for as long as vampire novels have existed. “Going back to Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula,’ the vampire showed that England was afraid,” Adler said. “The monster was from Eastern Europe, and he was bringing disease into the country. At the time the country was worried about immigration.”Fast-forwarding to the ’80s, Adler said vampires were then viewed as disease-carriers, an expression of the fear of AIDS in the United States. And after the ’80s, Adler began to look at the vampires of recent years. Edward Cullen of “Twilight,” Damon and Stefan of “The Vampire Diaries” and the vampires of “True Blood” are just a few of the names of the most popular vampire-related series.“I started looking at names and trying to find the links between them,” she said. “Then I saw that all of them were desperately trying to be moral, just like us. They represent exactly who we are at the time.”Adler said vampires are commonly thought of as extremely sexual, but that’s not the case. “They change when we change, and they show that our blood is oil, and we’re sucking it out of the earth,” she said. The work that Adler has completed relating vampires to contemporary social problems will hopefully be available this summer to the public, she said. “Although it’s unclear what form it will take, the essay will hopefully be published this June on Amazon as a single, right before the new season of ‘True Blood,’” she said.
(02/24/13 7:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A little-known part of the IU campus is researching the earth and the effects that geological issues have on Indiana. Instead of being a part of IU, the Indiana Geological Survey is actually a part of a nation-wide system of surveys, not all of which are located on college campuses, said John Steinmetz, director of the survey. The geological survey serves many needs related to the study and research of the earth and renewable resources in the state. “We collect, process and analyze geological objects and groundwater in Indiana,” Steinmetz said. The geological survey of Indiana was established in 1837 and was moved to IU soon after.“One of the early directors was a faculty member,” Steinmetz said. “It was natural for the geological survey to be located where he worked.”The survey was first located in Owen Hall. Around 1964, it was moved to the geology building where it has remained since. One of its goals is to engage IU students in many different ways.“We have information and research available to students for class work,” Steinmetz said. “And we also employ students on a part-time basis. They can build resumes here and get practical experience.”The survey is also currently working on many projects that affect the state. “We’ve got three or four dozen going on right now, all involving the geology of Indiana,” Steinmetz said. The first project, Steinmetz said, is the research of geothermal energy. “It’s a renewable energy, and we know little about it,” he said. “We’re looking into the geothermic potential resources of Indiana.”Another project that Steinmetz shared is carbon dioxide sequestration, which is the capturing of harmful CO2. “The high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are bad and lead to global climate change,” Steinmetz said. “We would capture the CO2 and put it somewhere. We could sequester it in geological formations deep within the earth permanently so it wouldn’t be able to come back.”The survey is working hard at its goal of evaluating geological resources and data in order to keep up with the state’s needs, Steinmetz said.