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(01/30/12 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a batch of steaming blueberry pancakes prepared, sunshine, swim and sleep awaited the members of Outdoor Adventures. It was day four of the Canoe Canada Expedition.Day three had been a bit of a mishap. After venturing three miles from the intended route into “The Narrows” and enduring 12 straight hours of paddling, seeing land was a blessing. The rock-side campsite wasn’t pretty, but it did its job.Surrounding a richly sustained island in Ontario, clear waters abounded.For Tyler Kivland, an instructor and full trip leader for Outdoor Adventures, the Canoe Canada Expedition has encompassed the purpose of the group as an outdoor recreation program that offers classes and adventure trips. The organization, which is based out of Eigenmann Hall, offers adventure trips year-round, including five trips during spring break to destinations across the country. The final day to sign up for spring break trips is Feb. 3. Every July, a group embarks on a trip to Boundary Waters at Quetico Provincial Park. The park teems with wildlife, and spotting a bald eagle is a daily occurrence.“This trip isn’t just a cut-and-paste camping trip,” Kivland said. “There’s a lot of solid educational information they get about the area and camping and the human impact on the world in general.”Participants have to decide where to camp, how to find and prepare food and how to adapt to the changing environment into which they have been thrown. While it is advertised as a canoeing trip, participants engage in a system of “lake hopping” — after reaching their destination, they have to pick up their belongings and hike to a camping site, which sometimes involves trekking up two miles of hills and rocky areas.“It’s a trip I love because it pushes people mentally and physically,” Kivland said. “You become strained and don’t see yourself moving on. It really tests people mentally, and I like that. It really grabs you and shows you what life’s about and what you’re made of.”The voyagers said they have learned from their previous mistakes. After a slight misdirection one year, the teams began to bring white flags to indicate they had been to a site before the other group.“By day two, your mind is still trying to find out what the hell is going on, but by the end of the week, people are doing rock-paper-scissors to carry more gear,” Kivland said.Kivland said he easily puts 100 hours into preparing this trip.“Running this trip is, like, one of the loves of my life,” he said.Assistant Program Coordinator Kim Collins not only has attended the trip to Canada but has also taught the Introduction to Wilderness Leadership course through the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, a required class for those interested in becoming a leader for OA excursions.“More often than not, people sign up by themselves,” she said. “We do get people that come with a buddy for the longer trips, but most people are willing to meet new people, which is awesome because that’s a big part of how we run our trips.”Collins said motivation might be one of the most overlooked aspects of the trip.“People just want to get outside,” she said. “They want to get off campus or away from town, and they just want to spend some time and meet new people.”With OA’s recent expansions and the move to Eigenmann from the Indiana Memorial Union in spring 2010, Kivland said she has a hard time imagining what comes next for the group, but she is also looking forward to the future.“Right now, our expansion is the student involvement,” he said. “Trip leading is our best asset because what those trip leaders get through their progression is immeasurable value in terms of leading peers and learning about themselves.”
(11/09/11 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Originally from Sparta, Mich., Molly Grettenberger applied to Michigan State, University of Michigan and Arizona State before choosing IU. She wasn’t looking for a business degree from the Kelley School or a biology degree to buffer her pre-med path, but for a school to foster her musical talents.“I love the harp because it’s so beautiful,” Grettenberger said.Through the guidance of her mother and private lesson instructor Sylvia Norris, she found herself studying harp performance at the Jacobs School of Music, home of the largest harp program in the country.As artistic director for The World Harp Congress, Susann McDonald knows a thing or two about performance. A distinguished professor of music and chair of the harp department at IU, she said she recognized Grettenberger’s potential from the beginning.“I felt Molly showed serious musicianship in her audition, enthusiasm and love of the harp and an overall confident and friendly manner which would fit well in our harp department,” McDonald said. Grettenberger stumbled upon the talent by accident. She picked it up to please her mother without any real interest in the instrument.Playing in orchestra and pit orchestras for musicals in high school helped Grettenberger gain experience. In summer 2011, she did some freelance harping, playing at about 10 weddings that one of her teachers could not make.Although she plays a lot of classical music, Grettenberger said she enjoys playing modern pieces because “they are not what people expect to hear.”However, Grettenberger’s harp capabilities didn’t always come naturally. Although she worked hard to perfect her talents, like any performer, some moments throughout her career caused her nerves to get the best of her.In ninth grade, Grettenberger attended the Traverse City Workshop in which all participants were required to play a concerto recital at the end of the workshop. She picked the piece “Sad Marguerite at the Spinning Wheel” by Alfred Zabel, which she had played in the past.Four days before the event, she practiced the piece a couple times. On the day of her performance, she made it halfway through before she realized she was playing the right strings, but the wrong notes sounded because her pedals were off. She could not set herself straight and, even after starting over, could not finish correctly, so she improvised and walked off the stage sobbing.Although it was a horrible experience, Grettenberger turned it into a positive one. “I worked more on my memory after that, and it helped,” she said. It was a challenge bouncing back for future performances, she said, although her next performance produced one of her favorite memories: playing “Au Matin” by Marcel Tournier at a school variety show.“It was the first time most people at my school had seen a harp, and there were mostly rock bands at the show,” Grettenberger said. “I played right before a screamo band, and people were excited about the instrument I played. It was fun to explain it.”While the harp is not one of the most well-known or common instruments, other music connoisseurs at IU have recognized it as an essential piece of the orchestra. Unlike other fields of study, competition is not a prominent issue within the harp studio. Grettenberger often found herself leaning on other harpists to nurture her abilities. Another perk was the opportunity to study under McDonald.“It’s an honor studying with Ms. McDonald because you hear about her, and the first pieces I played were by her, and now I study with her,” Grettenberger said.The 18 harpists in the program have all received weekly private lessons with McDonald.“While each harpist is an individual with different gifts and needs, I would tend to feel Molly is similar to most of my class in her goals, experience, etc. And, of course, she is just a freshman,” McDonald said. “I think she brings an unusual amount of experience in ensemble, being a violist, as well.”Aside from Grettenberger, two other harpists in the program are freshmen, whereas IU recruited none the year before. This gap made a difference in mentorship, but Grettenberger said she still looks up to the older students as friends.In their weekly studio performances, what Grettenberger said she particularly enjoyed was that it was unlike master class. Students didn’t critique each other but were more supportive in their work.“Even with the supportive atmosphere, people still work hard because Ms. McDonald expects a lot,” Grettenberger said.College provided an outlet catering to Grettenberger’s talents in more ways than just her music pursuance. Because her father is a pastor, she was always involved in church choirs and youth groups, which prompted her to become involved at IU. She also worked at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre Box Office downtown.Her ability to manage time proves useful.“Because in high school I was involved in other things, I practiced about one hour a day,” Grettenberger said. “Coming here it was a little bit of a culture shock because we’re expected to practice four hours a day. I worried I wouldn’t keep up and stay motivated, but the transition has been easier than I thought it would be.”
(04/22/11 2:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As part of the third annual day of community service, IU Health is providing the funds to refurbish Third Street Park with new equipment.IU Health employees will work with a team of volunteers from KaBOOM!, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, The Project School and various members of the community to combine their efforts to upgrade the park built in 1994.The project will take place May 20. This day will also feature rebuilds of two other parks in Indianapolis as well as many other park improvements across Indiana, all funded by IU Health.IU Health Media Relations Coordinator Amanda Roach is working to manage hospital and Bloomington participation in the project. “Our goal is to do things to help childhood obesity and diabetes, which includes means of physical activity,” Roach said. “Building a playground gets kids to go out and play safe, have fun and gives them something they like to do.” KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 by Darell Hammond, is also a collaborator. Communication Manager of KaBOOM! Mike Vietti said volunteers are committed to altering the statistic that only one in five children live within walking distance of a playground.“A playground is where children learn to be children,” Vietti said. “They play, learn life lessons and negotiate with others. A neighborhood without a playground is not complete.” Typically KaBOOM! assists 200 playground builds per year.Students of The Project School were asked to draw their dream playground. KaBOOM! volunteers used these to design the new layout of the park during a design day held in March.“Play among children is often viewed as a luxury, but in reality, it’s a necessity,” Vietti said. “A lot of issues can be solved if children have a great place to play.” Dave Williams, operations director of the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, said Bloomington’s reputation preceded the proposal and helped them get the funding.“In order to even be considered by KaBOOM! for the grant and the funding that comes with it, you have to show you are willing to spend time organizing countless committees, committing people to showing up on build day and showing energy and enthusiasm to make it happen,” Williams said.Materials will be delivered to the site May 18 and 19. The build will then, essentially, be completed in one day, Williams said.Vietti said an estimated 2,000 children will use the playground on a regular basis. Roach also said the emphasis on collaboration has played a major part in the process.“We couldn’t have had a better group to work with on this project,” Roach said. “We are really excited about build day and getting to see everything come together.” MORE INFOFor more information and volunteer opportunities, visit thirdstreetplaygroundbuild.wordpress.com.
(03/08/11 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence Mentoring Program sponsored a clothing drive in several residence halls throughout February. Drop boxes were located in Wright Quad, Read Center, Briscoe Quad, Ashton Center and Eigenmann Hall.On Friday, volunteers will deliver about 30 to 35 bags that were collected for MiddleWay House, The Rise and Backstreet Mission.“The idea was to provide people with gently used clothing, and it would be able to help them get out there and get a job and start rebuilding their lives,” said senior La-Tisha Plummer, president of FASE.With the launch of the organization during the summer, Plummer said her idea for the clothing drive came not only to help those in need but also to get their names out as active members of the Bloomington community.As college students, Plummer said it is important to donate excess materials to the less fortunate. Her contribution included clothing she had not worn in years.“Traditionally our generation is seen as selfish and inconsiderate, so it says to the general community we aren’t so selfish and are willing to help when help is needed,” she said.Patrick Smith, executive director of the Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development, also contributed to the project.With his help, the FASE advisory board was able to secure the City of Bloomington Martin Luther King Day of Service Grant in order to make the drive possible. Once the grant was obtained, Smith played a supporting role for the organization.“The fact that these students are taking the initiative for such projects demonstrates what this office is all about,” Smith said.To advertise for the event, Plummer said the program used flyers throughout campus, mainly in the Indiana Memorial Union and residence halls, as well as updates on Facebook and Twitter. However, a lack of knowledge still obstructed potential participation.“I had no clue about it. They could have sent out e-mails or made the RAs more aware so they could tell us with posters and stuff,” said freshman Wes Bankert, a Wright Quad resident.He said there would have been a good chance he would have donated clothing if he had known about the event.One way Plummer said she thought to improve the drive was by making the amount collected a competition between the residence halls. “We would like to implement that incentive for people to actually participate in the competition,” she said.Along with that alteration, Plummer said they hope to expand the efforts to the rest of the Bloomington community
(02/17/11 3:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Although the deal was sealed in late December, the details about leading pharmaceutical company Roche’s purchase of Marcadia Biotech, a small company specializing in treatments for diabetes and obesity, were officially released at Roche’s annual report during the first week of February.Like IU did several years ago with its financial support, Roche acknowledged the high hopes for success in further research developments for the Carmel-based Marcadia Biotech, which was started by former employees of Eli Lilly and Company in 2005, according to the press release.Not only does IU receive proceeds when new products from the company hit the market, but it quickly became a key to the deal as well as Marcadia’s success, said Marie Kerbeshian, vice president of the Office of Technology Commercialization at the IU Research & Technology Corporation.“In the past six years, Marcadia has worked with IU to develop technologies further, bringing the potential far enough for Roche to take over the rest,” Kerbeshian said. Marcadia was bought for potentially $537 million: $287 million with an additional $250 million if research reaches specific developmental milestones, former Marcadia CEO Fritz French said.The growth of such a small company would not have been possible without the efforts of Richard DiMarchi, an IU chemistry professor and co-founder of Marcadia Biotech.DiMarchi’s work contributed to the development of several Lilly drugs, and the ability to work with him is one of the reasons this transaction is so attractive, said Tony Armstrong, president and CEO of IURTC and assistant vice president in the IU Office of the Vice President for Engagement.“Roche is the world-leading organization in the area, and it will be a tremendous benefit to the University,” he said. Marcadia’s research deals with crucial issues, such as its efforts in treating diabetes. French said what captivated Roche was the potential to treat type 2 diabetes with a compound that boosts the body to increase insulin production.“Anyone that stays up in health care knows it’s a growing issue in the world,” Kerbeshian said. “Many products out on the market now cause you to gain weight, but with DiMarchi’s compound you see weight loss, and that’s a wonderful combination in patient perspective.”With the success the company has already seen, Armstrong said the purchase was the next logical step.“There is still a long way to go, and Roche will be a big part of that,” he said.