Hidden gems

Missouri S&T News and Events

Halite from Searles Lake in Trona, California.Head down the hall in McNutt’s first floor and you will stumble upon a hallway dedicated to minerals. First opened in 1904, geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering’s Mineral Museum is an exhibit of gems, gold, fossils and meteor fragments totaling over 3,500 samples from 92 countries.
Pyrite Octahedron from Huanuco, Peru. Donated by Jose E. Arce.
One of the largest collections of minerals in the state, Missouri S&T’s Mineral Museum dates back to the 1904 World’s Fair. After the fair, exhibitors did not want to face the costs of shipping a large collection of minerals back to their original homes. The collection was donated to the care of Dr. George E. Ladd, director of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy between 1897 and 1907.
Cryloite from Ivigtut S.W. Greenland. Donated by Dr. Hans Pauly.
The collection is laid out in the same way students would learn about the minerals in class. It begins with native elements, moves on to sulfides and then calcites.
Calcite from Cumberland, England. Donated by Edward Lyons.
Visitors can see minerals provided by Charles Laurence Dake, geology instructor at Missouri S&T from 1912-21; Col. John Kingston, a Civil War colonel and later surveyor and geologist; and John Wesley Powell, one of the first USGS surveyors and possibly the first person to travel down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
Malachite from an unknown location. Donated by donor number 3470.
“The display is a great teaching tool and living lab; each week I send Mineralogy and Crystallography course students here to review,” says Dr. David Wronkiewicz, associate professor of geology and geophysics at S&T. “And it is not just for geologists; nuclear engineering students come down here with Geiger counters to find which minerals are radioactive, ceramic engineers visit to study raw materials and even history ...

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A UMSL garden for Earth Day

UMSL Daily

Student Sarah Bell (at right) helps plant the new Native Plant/Conservation garden outside the north entrance to the UMSL science complex leading up to Earth Day. Students Monique Selby (center with long hair) and Tyler Hoffmann assist in the row behind. (Photographs by August Jennewein)
The rain last Friday didn’t stop University of Missouri–St. Louis students, faculty, staff and community members from coming together to a plant a Native Plant/Conservation Garden on campus.
Leading up to Earth Day, April 22, a group of about 30 volunteers pulled up grass, shoveled, raked and prepared the earth to plant native Missouri species in the area outside the north entrance to the science complex.
“The goals of this project lined up perfectly with what we celebrate on Earth Day,” said Katy Mike Smaistrla, coordinator and educator of UMSL Sustainability and one of the leaders of the project. “The first Earth Day was aligned with a ‘teach in’ to educate about the environment. With this garden, we’re hoping to create a space that UMSL faculty and students can use to learn about the natural environment, including plants, pollinators and other species native to our region.”
But planting native species went beyond providing a learning opportunity for UMSL students.
“Properly designed landscaping can re-establish the complex food-web interactions among native plants, insects, birds, mammals and other species,” said Smaistrla.
Besides encouraging native species re-establishment, another goal of the garden is to encourage people to take part in conservation efforts and saving the environment.
“We realized that a new native plant garden is one small way that we can do this on our own campus,” said Patricia Zahn, director of community outreach and engagement for the Des Lee Collaborative Vision and another leader spearheading the garden project. “Part of the location and design of the garden is so that it is visible to ...

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CSUF associate history professor Jonathan Markley recounts his grandfather’s experiences in World War I

Daily Titan

CSUF associate history professor Jonathan Markley recounted his grandfather Bruce Fowler’s experience serving in World War I at the Fullerton Public Library Monday.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve really gotten obsessed with the family history, and it’s been a rather interesting one,” Markley said.
Markley was born in New Zealand and taught history in Hong Kong before moving to Australia and then to California. He has been teaching history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences since 2006 and researches Chinese historiography and foreign relations, according to the college’s faculty website.
Fowler died when Markley was 16. Markley said his grandfather never talked about his war experiences so he started a research project to reconstruct Fowler’s life.
“Some of it comes from family history, but most of it has been researched, (which consisted of) going to the archives, going to official histories and going to all sorts of other things,” Markley said.
Markley said Fowler was born in New Zealand but moved to London at the age of 2. After his 18th birthday, he decided to go back to New Zealand where he volunteered to join WWI in 1914.
Throughout his time serving in the war, Fowler worked as a cattle driver for a mobile field hospital, a field baker and was trained to shoot heavy machine guns. He later joined the New Zealand Machine Gun Corps in 1917, Markley said.
Fowler suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder during the New Zealand Disaster, Markley said.
“None of the family had the faintest clue that he’d ever been wounded in the shoulder. That just came out of his military records,” Markley said.
Markley also shared photos of Fowler after he was shot in the face when an object ricocheted off a machine gun during a German attack on New Zealand soldiers.
Fowler survived the wound and ...

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Lyme disease researchers seek consensus as number of cases grows

Physical and Biological Sciences News

Scientists have built a large body of knowledge about Lyme disease over the past 40 years, yet controversies remain and the number of cases continues to rise. In the United States, reported cases of Lyme disease, which is transmitted from wild animals to humans by tick bites, have tripled in the past 20 years.A multitude of interacting factors are driving the increase in Lyme disease cases, but their relative importance remains unclear, according to Marm Kilpatrick, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz. Nevertheless, he noted that there are a number of promising strategies for controlling the disease that have not been widely implemented.
Kilpatrick is lead author of a paper published April 24 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B that examines the complex array of factors influencing the prevalence of Lyme disease and identifies the major gaps in understanding that must be filled to control this important disease.
Areas of agreement
Some of the unresolved issues are highly contentious, so Kilpatrick sought input for the paper from a wide range of Lyme disease researchers and developed a consensus on areas of agreement. "I wanted to address these big disputes. We've done so much work, let's identify what the gaps are and fill them so we can move on," he said.
A key missing piece in the Lyme disease puzzle is that scientists lack a detailed understanding of what limits populations of the Ixodes ticks that transmit the disease. Deer are the most important hosts for adult ticks, so the ticks are mostly absent from areas with no deer. But efforts to control ticks by reducing deer populations have had mixed results.
"If you eliminate deer completely, you can usually eliminate ticks. But is there a number to which you can reduce the deer population and have an impact on Lyme disease? We don't have a ...

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UCSF Hires Vice Chancellor to Nurture Inventions, Bring Products to Market at More Advanced Stage

UCSF - Latest News Feed

In a bold move to bring its life science inventions to market with higher value, so they are more likely to reach patients and better support the university’s mission, UC San Francisco has hired Harold E. “Barry” Selick, PhD, as its first vice chancellor for business development, innovation and partnerships.

Selick will oversee proof-of-concept studies of promising UCSF life science inventions – which encompass drug molecules, device prototypes, digital health applications, and more – to gather evidence on which inventions are most likely to help patients as new therapies, diagnostics or software.

One aim is to keep inventions from languishing on companies’ shelves, which often occurs when firms license early-stage inventions but do not invest the necessary resources to develop them. Another is to increase the licensing revenues earned by UCSF inventions: companies are likely to pay more for innovations with more proven value, Selick said.

“It’s high-risk, high-reward,” Selick said. “But we’re going to bias the odds of success in our favor by working with the smartest people in the world: scientists from UCSF and, on our advisory board, some of the most accomplished investors from Silicon Valley, who will be helping us cherry-pick the most promising programs. With this strategy, UCSF can begin to invest more fully in itself and develop even more technologies to benefit patients.”

For drug candidates or devices, proof-of-concept studies could take the form of small-scale clinical trials to demonstrate that they have adequate safety and efficacy in patients for a licensing company to launch larger, more definitive clinical trials. Similarly, digital health applications and diagnostic technologies could be advanced to the point where they could be evaluated in real-world scenarios prior to undergoing the more rigorous development required for commercialization.

Deep Industry Knowledge, Longstanding UCSF Ties

A former pharmaceutical company CEO with broad biotech experience, Selick has deep industry knowledge and longstanding ...

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FIU & UM meet again in another 2-game series starting Tuesday at FIU

FIU Athletics

Miami (19-20) vs. FIU (25-16) Tuesday, April 25: 7 p.m. at FIU Baseball StadiumUM RHP Evan McKendry (3-1, 3.82 ERA) at FIU RHP Robert Garcia (4-4, 3.83 ERA)
(PantherVision & C-USA TV Live broadcast, CLICK HERE) Wednesday, April 26: 6 p.m. at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Fla.FIU TBA at UM RHP Jesse Lepore (1-5, 5.08 ERA)(ACC Network Extra broadcast; Follow on Twitter: @FIUBaseball) Series History: Miami leads 94-25First meeting: FIU won 3-1 in Coral Gables, Fla. (March 13, 1973)Last meeting: FIU won 3-2 in Miami, Fla. (March 8, 2017) Series Preview-- FIU swept a two-game series from Miami earlier this season. The Panthers won 12-1 in Coral Gables March 7. The Panthers won 3-2 at FIU the next night when Kolby Follis scored from second base on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth.-- Garcia pitched seven shutout innings and struck out nine in the 12-1 FIU win in Coral Gables on Mar. 7.-- Last week FIU swept Florida Gulf Coast in its two-game mid-week series and won two of three games against Marshall in Beckley, West Va.-- FIU has won eight of its last 10 games on the season entering Tuesday's game.-- Kenny Meimerstorf has a hit in a team-leading 33 of 41 games played this season. Irving Lopez has hit in 32 of 41 games.-- McKendry pitched five scoreless innings against FIU on Mar. 8 but did not get a decision in the 3-2 FIU walk-off win.-- The Hurricanes split two games with Florida State in their weekend series.2017 Leaders
 MiamiTeam stats:
Average: .212
ERA: 3.88
Fielding pct.: .968
 Individual leaders:
Average: Carl Chester .262
Home runs: Romy Gonzalez 7
RBI: Romy Gonzalez 25
Stolen bases: Romy Gonzalez 10
Wins: Jeb Bargfeldt, Michael Mediavilla 4
ERA: Jeb Bargfeldt 2.32
Strikeouts: Andrew Cabezas, Michael Mediavilla 47
Saves: Frankie Bartow 8
 FIUTeam stats:
Average: .280
ERA: 4.76
Fielding pct.: .972
 Individual leaders:
Average: Kenny Meimerstorf .355             
Home runs: JC Escarra 8               
RBI: Kenny Meimerstorf 33
Stolen bases: Jack Schaaf 8
Wins: Nick ...

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Jaquish, Landry Selected in First Round of NPF Draft

LSUsports.net
Headline News





Clyde VerdinAssociate SID



BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU seniors Sahvanna Jaquish and Bailey Landry were both selected in the first round of the 2017 NPF College Draft presented by 2XU on Monday night, with Jaquish being selected third overall by the Chicago Bandits, as Landry was selected fifth overall by Texas Charge.
Gathered with the team in the clubhouse at Tiger Park, friends and family were on hand to see LSU’s All-American duo continue LSU’s legacy of placing players in the league, which includes former Tigers A.J. Andrews with the Akron Racers and Brittany Mack Oaks who recently signed on to play with the Texas Charge.
Jaquish and Landry were the first two positional players selected in the draft, both in the top five amid pitchers who were selected around them.

Congratulations to Sahvanna Jaquish, taken third overall by the Chicago Bandits in the 2017 NPF Draft. pic.twitter.com/M5p5ihyM4d
— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) April 25, 2017
“It’s exciting, especially with these two because they are both deserving and have worked really hard for this,” head coach Beth Torina said. “I’m a big supporter of this league and really believe in it, so it’s always fun to have our players be a part of it.”
Jaquish, the Highland, California, native has started over 240 games for LSU in her career, earning All-America honors in each of the last three seasons and will be going for a fourth this season. With a lifetime batting average over .330, Jaquish this season shattered the career RBI mark and has 251 and counting with the rest of the regular season and postseason remaining.
As a senior, Jaquish is on pace to also break the single-season walks record with 46, owning the career record in that mark as well. She is the only player in LSU history to have two seasons with 70-plus RBIs, while ...

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Rice’s Kinder Institute to release findings from 36th Kinder Houston Area Survey

Rice University News & Media

Rice UniversityOffice of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations
MEDIA ADVISORY
David Ruth713-348-6327david@rice.edu
Amy McCaig713-348-6777amym@rice.edu
Rice’s Kinder Institute to release findings from 36th Kinder Houston Area Survey
HOUSTON – (April 25, 2017) – Stephen Klineberg, founding director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and a sociology professor in Rice’s School of Social Sciences, will release findings from the 2017 Kinder Houston Area Survey at a downtown luncheon May 1. The 36th annual study covers such topics as Houstonians’ current economic outlooks and perspectives on the region’s demographic transformations.
Researchers from the Kinder Institute and Hobby Center used census data from 1990, 2000 and 2010 to analyze the Houston region’s growth and changes over the past 20 years.
Prior to the luncheon at the Marriott Marquis hotel, 1777 Walker St., Klineberg will discuss highlights from the survey during a press conference on the third floor of the hotel in the Hunter’s Creek Room (A-side).
Who: Stephen Klineberg, founding director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and professor of sociology.
What: Press conference highlighting findings from the 2017 Kinder Houston Area Survey.
When: 11 a.m. Monday, May 1.
Where: Marriott Marquis hotel, Hunter’s Creek Room (A-side) on the third floor of the hotel, 1777 Walker St., in downtown Houston. Press check-in will be located directly outside of the room. Media should proceed to the room for the press conference after checking in.
Members of the news media who would like to speak with Klineberg about the survey should attend the press conference and RSVP to Amy McCaig, senior media relations specialist at Rice, at amym@rice.edu, 713-348-6777 (office) or 217-417-2901 (cell).
-30-
This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu.
Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.
Related materials:
Kinder Institute for Urban Research: http:// ...

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L'ETSAB posa el nom d'Oriol Bohigas a la seva biblioteca

Actualitat UPC


Quatre ponents que reconstrueixen un relat en el temps. Rafael Moneo a través de la revolució d’Oriol Bohigas com a director de l’ETSAB en els convulsos anys 70; Pere Joan Ravetllat situant el llegat de l’arquitecte a la Càtedra de Projectes d’aquesta Escola; Eduardo Mangada recordant la figura de l’arquitecte com a ideòleg i visionari de la ciutat olímpica al front de la Regidoria d’Urbanisme de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona, i, finalment, Jordi Coca, com a impulsor de la xarxa de biblioteques de Barcelona al llarg del seu mandat com a regidor de Cultura.Resulta impossible resseguir les traces de la història de l’arquitectura catalana moderna sense la figura de l’arquitecte. Oriol Bohigas (Barcelona, 1925) en finalitzar els seus estudis l’any 1951, lidera la recuperació de la modernitat silenciada per la immediata postguerra franquista a través de la seva implicació en el naixement del Grup R. Una primera etapa de la que destaca el seu intens i fructífer intercanvi epistolar amb l’avantguarda exterior, amb iniciatives pioneres com la reconstrucció del pavelló alemany de Ludwig Mies van der Rohe a Barcelona (1955). Els anys 60 són els de la seva consolidació com a agitador cultural de la realitat arquitectònica del moment. La seva activa col·laboració a la revista Serra d’Or ens ha llegat l’origen d’una ‘arquitectura realista’ que esdevindrà el futur ideològic de l’Escola de Barcelona, terme que va batejar l’any 1969. Com a membre fundador de l’editorial Edicions 62, de la revista Arquitectures Bis (1974-1985), president de la Fundació Miró (1981-1988) i de l’Ateneu barcelonès (2003-2011) i Acadèmic de la Reial Acadèmia de San Fernando, constitueix una biografia intel·lectual que es traça des del món del llibre i la premsa escrita.Motor de recerca i coneixementEl fet que la ...

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Don’t Miss “When Musicals Meet Opera” at LSC-CyFair

Lone Star College CyFair News

Published on: April 04, 2017
Bring the family for an evening of When Musicals meet Opera: The Best of Sondheim, Mozart and More on stage at Lone Star College-CyFair.

This musical evening with our LSC-CyFair Concert Choir will feature show-stopping numbers from New York to Vienna, said Professor of Music and Director of Vocal Study Alex Qian.

Tickets are $10 for Friday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. and the Saturday, April 29, 3 p.m. performances in the Main Stage Theatre located in the Center for the Arts building at 9191 Barker Cypress.

Go to LoneStar.edu/box-office-ticket-info, call 281.290.5201 or email CFC.BoxOffice@LoneStar.edu for tickets and information.






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The Academy for Lifelong Learning at Lone Star College-North Harris offers affordable activities for older adults

Lone Star College North Harris News

Published on: September 09, 2015
One of the fastest-growing trends in America is for seniors to move near colleges and universities to take advantage of low-cost artistic and cultural activities. If you are age 50 and older, join the Lone Star College-North Harris Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL). The Academy of Lifelong Learning offers more than 100 classes and seminars, social activities and skills development each year.
The Academy for Lifelong Learning is a membership community that offers free and low-cost classes, events and activities for adults age 50 and better. Members can choose from a variety of offerings in technology, health and wellness, financial planning, community service projects, literary discussion groups, genealogy, arts and crafts, Texas history and more.
Membership costs $20 per academic calendar year and allows members to register for any ALL class offered at LSC-North Harris from September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016. Some courses may require additional materials or an entry fee. Or, older adults can purchase a global membership for $55 which allows them to enjoy the ALL programs at each of the six Lone Star College campuses.
In addition to classes, ALL member benefits include monthly lunch and learns, movie matinees and day trips throughout the Houston area.
Upcoming classes and events include:
Spring Museum and Cemeteries, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At the Spring Historical Museum in Old Town Spring, learn about the areas earliest families and what they are doing today. Afterwards, visit two notable cemeteries in Spring - Wunsche Cemetery and Budde Cemetery.
Fraud Prevention, Sept. 15, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Fraud is an act of deceit or misrepresentation. It can devastate families, destroy a company or cost investors billions of dollars. The Hilbun Law Firm, P.C. and Lone Star College Academy for Lifelong Learning are offering a free seminar on fraud awareness and prevention to educate individuals on how to avoid becoming victims of fraud and scams.
...

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Morehead Planetarium and Science Center announces $5.2 million renovation

Campus Updates – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Get ready to reimagine the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
Morehead officials on Thursday announced plans for a $5.2 million renovation to turn the nearly 70-year-old building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill into a modern-day, technology-advanced science hub.
“Our planetarium has a wonderful, long and storied history,” Chancellor Carol L. Folt told about 200 people who gathered to celebrate the announcement. “This is so important, so valuable and this is cherished by thousands and thousands of children and families every single year.”
Gov. Roy Cooper joined Folt, Morehead officials and others at the planetarium and science center for a reception to launch the renovation project. The event celebrated science, technology, engineering and math. At the event, Cooper signed a proclamation declaring April as STEM Education Month.
Cooper said education, particularly STEM education, opens the doors for people’s futures.
“That provides careers for people to support their families and it also helps to provide the services to make lives better for everyone,” Cooper said.
The renovation celebration also featured live science demonstrations and space-themed snacks, such as moon cheese and Tang cupcakes. At the end of the event, thousands of colorful ping pong balls were blasted off onto the West lawn outside of Morehead’s soon-to-be main entrance.
The original construction of Morehead Planetarium was completed in 1949. The building, which hosts about 160,000 visitors a year, has not had significant upgrades to its teaching and exhibit spaces since then.
Renovation plans call for moving the main entrance to the building’s west end facing McCorkle Place; a reconfigured lobby space; an exhibit hall that will pay tribute to UNC-Chapel Hill’s history as a pioneer of science exploration; an interactive “maker space” that’s part exhibit, part program; an updated science demonstration stage and expanded exhibit galleries showcasing the advances researchers are making in science, health and technology.
“Morehead ...

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Arctic river ice deposits rapidly disappearing

College of Arts & Sciences

UNC-Chapel Hill hydrologist Tamlin Pavelsky is the lead author of a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, which shows arctic river icings are declining rapidly. 
[embedded content]
Climate change is causing thick ice deposits that form along Arctic rivers to melt nearly a month earlier than they did 15 years ago, a new study finds.
River icings form when Arctic groundwater reaches the surface and solidifies on top of frozen rivers. They grow throughout the winter until river valleys are choked with ice. Some river icings have grown to more than 10 square kilometers (4 square miles) in area – roughly three times the size of New York’s Central Park – and can be more than 10 meters (33 feet) thick.
In the past, river icings have melted out around mid-July, on average. But a new study measuring the extent of river icings in the U.S. and Canadian Arctic shows most river icings disappeared 26 days earlier, on average, in 2015 than they did in 2000, melting around mid-June. In addition, the study found most icings that don’t completely melt every summer were significantly smaller in 2015 than they were in 2000. Watch a video of river icings here.
A river icing on a small unnamed river that drains into Galbraith Lake, Alaska. (Photo by Jay Zarnetske)“This is the first clear evidence that this important component of Arctic river systems – which we didn’t know was changing – is changing and it’s changing rapidly,” said Tamlin Pavelsky, a hydrologist and associate professor of geological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an affiliate faculty member of the UNC Institute for the Environment, and lead author of the new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.
Scientists have studied the effects of climate change on ...

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One local hospital keeps getting top grade for patient safety from national group

Newsroom: InTheNews

Publication Date: 4/19/2017
ByLine: San Diego Union Tribune
URL Link: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-me-leapfrog-hospitals-20170419-story.html
Page Content: ​Features Patty Maysent, CEO
News Type: Regional
News_Release_Date: April 21, 2017
NewsTags: Corporate - Quality, Awards, Diversity, Leadership

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Iowa driving the way for autonomous vehicles

Iowa Now - Research

Transportation department, researchers want to be ready for the future


















Apr 14, 2017 at 6:36 pm | Print View



CORALVILLE — Daniel McGehee sat behind the wheel of a black Volvo XC90 as it traveled east down Interstate 80. But his hands barely touched the steering wheel.As it exited the interstate to Highway 965, the SUV used onboard cameras to “read” a speed limit sign, adjusted its speed and eventually came to a gentle stop behind a fellow motorist.McGehee’s feet never touched the pedals.The SUV, which belongs to the University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator, is far from driverless, but researchers such as McGehee say they’re getting closer every day with driver-assistance technology.“This generation of technology is essentially looking over my shoulder,” said McGehee, professor and director if the National Advanced Driving Simulator in the UI college of engineering. “These are to assist the driver. If you connect the dots and sort of take this to the next level ... we can start to let the car control itself a little longer.”While McGehee has been working on this technology since the mid-1990s, some Iowa officials — including those in economic development and state transportation — have taken steps recently to position the state to be a leader in autonomous cars.RESEARCHWith cameras and sensors, lane-awareness functions and vehicle-detection systems, the UI’s 2016 Volvo may sound like something out of a science fiction novel to some. But anyone can buy the same vehicle off today’s car lot.And they’re getting cheaper, McGehee said.“This technology is here now, it’s not in the future, it’s operating on our roads and it’s inexpensive,” McGehee said. “It used to be only the really high-end cars had this technology — now it’s in entry-level vehicles.”As researchers such as McGehee and automotive companies bring vehicles closer to complete autonomy, the ...

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Controlling a Robot is Now as Simple as Point and Click

Science and Technology

Science and Technology

Controlling a Robot is Now as Simple as Point and Click


New interface allows more efficient, faster technique to remotely operate robots




By
Jason Maderer | April 24, 2017
• Atlanta, GA








[embedded content]

A comparison of the current ring-and-arrow technique and Georgia Tech's new point-and-click interface.

The traditional interface for remotely operating robots works just fine for roboticists. They use a computer screen and mouse to independently control six degrees of freedom, turning three virtual rings and adjusting arrows to get the robot into position to grab items or perform a specific task.

But for someone who isn’t an expert, the ring-and-arrow system is cumbersome and error-prone. It’s not ideal, for example, for older people trying to control assistive robots at home.

A new interface designed by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers is much simpler, more efficient and doesn’t require significant training time. The user simply points and clicks on an item, then chooses a grasp. The robot does the rest of the work.

“Instead of a series of rotations, lowering and raising arrows, adjusting the grip and guessing the correct depth of field, we’ve shortened the process to just two clicks,” said Sonia Chernova, the Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early-Career Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing who advised the research effort.

Her team tested college students on both systems, and found that the point-and-click method resulted in significantly fewer errors, allowing participants to perform tasks more quickly and reliably than using the traditional method.

“Roboticists design machines for specific tasks, then often turn them over to people who know less about how to control them,” said David Kent, the Georgia Tech Ph.D. robotics student who led the project. “Most people would have a hard time turning virtual dials if they needed a robot to grab their medicine. But pointing and ...

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Baseball Travels To San Diego State For Tuesday Tilt vs. Aztecs

gohighlanders.com

San Diego, CA—The UC Riverside Baseball Team heads to San Diego State, Tuesday, before returning home for a three-game Big West series against UC Santa Barbara. First pitch Tuesday is at 6 pm PT.This is the second meeting of the year between the Highlanders and Aztecs. San Diego State won the first meeting, 10-1, last Tuesday, April 18 (box score/recap).Since starting the season with a 10-5 record, UC Riverside has won three of its last 20 games, including two of 12 in Big West play.Prior to the start of conference, the Highlanders had a team ERA of 3.63. It has risen to 5.54 since then, and against league opponents, UC Riverside has an ERA of 6.26.Left-hander Hazahel Quijada (2-4, 6.00) gets the start for the Highlanders on Tuesday. He has 31 Ks in 30.0 innings, but has walked 21 batters, and allowed 15 extra base hits. Quijada's best start of the year came on March 10 in a 1-0 loss to Kansas State, where he allowed just three hits and one run, while striking out 10 in seven innings.UC Riverside's offense has also struggled since the start of conference play. The Highlanders are hitting .234/.290/.326 against Big West competition.Shortstop Colby Schultz has been on a hot streak of late, though, raising his batting average from .257 to .303 over the last 19 games. In 12 conference contests, he has a slash line of .372/.460/.535, and is leading the Highlanders in all three categories. Cade Peters (.310/.396/.405) and Mark Contreras (.306/.346/.388) are also hitting above .300 against the Big West. Freshman Connor Cannon has three of the team's four home runs in conference competition,San Diego State is 29-12 on the year, and 10-2 against members of the Big West, after taking two of three from UC Santa Barbara over the weekend.As a team, SDSU is nationally ranked in all three slash line categories: 12th in batting average (.318), 28th in on base percentage (.392), and 19th ...

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DIY: Two Mentors Create Opportunity

Caltech News tagged with "staff + student_life + faculty_profile + grants_and_giving"

If you want to know what's special about a Caltech education, talk to Professor Tom Soifer (BS '68)."We prize giving students opportunities to do something new—giving them freedom and responsibility," he says. "Caltech encourages people to do spectacular things."Read more.

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Introducing Caltech Magazine

Caltech News tagged with "astronomy + exoplanets + JPL + planetary_science"

This month, we launch Caltech magazine, a new publication for the community featuring a range of stories about the Institute, its people, and its impact on the world.Caltech magazine replaces E&S magazine, which shared the Institute's transformative research for eight decades. E&S magazine began life in June 1937 as a means for disseminating news to and about Caltech alumni, then morphed a few years later into Engineering and Science Monthly. By the time the magazine carried the E&S logo for the first time in 1967, its focus had broadened to include both alumni and general Institute research.Over the years, generations of Caltech graduates came to rely on E&S as one of the primary ways to stay connected with their alma mater. Caltech magazine is the next step in its evolution. After months of audience research, discussions with a broad variety of the magazine's readers, and conceptual design work, we have reimagined our publication to become a truly Caltech magazine, one that both embodies the entire Institute and serves all its stakeholders.In each issue, readers will find a wide variety of stories, targeted toward the many different audiences such a magazine serves. Complementary material, including videos, will be available throughout the year on the magazine's website, magazine.caltech.edu.We look forward to your thoughts and comments on how we can make Caltech magazine as useful and compelling as possible for you; you can reach us at magazine@caltech.edu.

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Exhibit: 'Luminous: The Art of Edward Kwiatkowski'

UMass Amherst: Events Calendar

Event Details




March 22—April 28, 2017, Wed/Thu/Fri 1:00 pm-5:30 pmMarch 27—April 25, 2017, Mon/Tue 1:00 pm-7:00 pmThis event does NOT occur on:April 17

Augusta Savage Gallery
UMass Amherst Campus
Handicap access available






Free admission


Contact:



Alexia Cota





413-545-5177











The late artist and Holyoke resident Edward Kwiatkowski was born with cerebral palsy and had only a 6th grade level education. And, although his condition left him unable to use his hands, determined to express himself through painting and drawing, he created a  remarkable and prolific body of work using his right foot only.  Kwiatkowski’s images are highly energetic and full of his detailed observations. With mostly local exposure and limited exhibition opportunities he made art because, as he once remarked, it allowed him an escape from the difficulties and anger he felt towards his condition.  Beginning his art studies in 1954 at the United Cerebral Palsy Association in Springfield, with the generous support from an anonymous donor, he later attended two years at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Physical challenges eventually left him wheel chair bound in 2005. In recognition of Kwiatkowski’s huge talent, Valley Frameworks in Amherst has been documenting and preserving the vast collection of his works.







Directions: The Augusta Savage Gallery is located in New Africa House. Click here for directions.









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Leach Breaks 200 Foot Barrier in Hammer to Lead Gauchos at UC Riverside

Santa Barbara Athletics News


Apr 24, 2017





Riverside, Calif. - UCSB SR Stephen Leach led a small contingent of Gauchos at the UC Riverside Highlander Challenge competition Saturday. In a small tune-up situation, three weeks out of the Big West Championships, Leach finally cracked the 200 foot barrier in the hammer, recording a mark of 201'4 (61.38m). His previous best throw was 193'6 in 33 career competitions. 
Coming into the competition with three career showings over 190', Leach delivered his new lifetime best on his second attempt. He now ranks 31st in the hammer in the NCAA West Region as well as sixth in a loaded Big West Conference. 
Leach, a talented combo-thrower, has season best throws of 53'11.25 in the shot put and 172'6 in the discus. 
In other action at UCR, JR Austin Sahs threw 174 in the hammer, placing fourth. 
SO James Douglass won the 800m in a time of 1:54.27. SR Edixon Puglisi finished in 1:56.27, placing seventh. 
The Gauchos are back in action for the annual Cal Poly Dual this weekend, hosted by Cal Poly. 






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The Elevator Pitch Perfected

All News @ UCSB

When the standing-room-only crowd at UC Santa Barbara’s 5th annual Grad Slam quieted, Leah Foltz began her three-minute presentation about personalized medicine.But hers wasn’t the usual academic, sometimes dry, explanation.
Foltz, a UCSB graduate student in biomolecular science and engineering, delivered an engaging summary of recent strides in stem cell research and how her lab uses this biological material to study blinding diseases. Her research explores whether scientists will one day be able to use someone’s own cells to cure their blindness.
Foltz’s lively delivery earned her a first-place finish in the campuswide competition. Now she’s headed to San Francisco to test her mettle Thursday, May 4, against participants from the nine other University of California campuses.
UC President Janet Napolitano will emcee the contest, which will be judged by a panel of leaders in industry, media, government and higher education. The event will be live-streamed at https://gradslam.universityofcalifornia.edu.
Foltz was one of 71 UCSB graduate students who participated in this year’s competition. Each of the nine preliminary rounds produced three winners, two determined by a panel of judges and the third, the “people’s choice,” as selected by the audience. Those presenters went on to the semifinals where nine finalists were chosen.  
Topics for this year’s finalists ranged from chemical engineering to theater studies, the disciplines from which the two runners-up hailed. Max Nowak explained how he uses models of the blood-brain barrier to study how physical properties, such as size shape and flexibility, affect the ability of a nanoparticle drug to cross from one side to the other. Eric Jorgensen delivered a passionate speech about art as activism and the ways in which live theater chronicles history, citing the corpus of plays that have explored the AIDS crisis.
The tournament began in 2012 as an effort to better profile graduate students ...

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Heart valve disease research earns grad student a young investigator award

Vanderbilt News



Apr. 24, 2017, 1:44 PM





Doctoral student Meghan Bowler won the Allan D. Callow Young Investigator Award for best poster presentation at the 15th biennial meeting of the International Society for Applied Cardiovascular Biology.
KEEP READING »






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Renowned Paleontologist to Speak at SDSU

SDSU College of Sciences


The director of the Georgian National Museum will speak at SDSU on Wednesday, April 26.


Professor David Lordkipanidze, the director of the Georgian National Museum will speak at San Diego State University on Wednesday, April 26 in SDSU’s Love Library, Room 108. An internationally prominent scientist and paleontologist, Lordkipanidze will speak about his work in the Republic of Georgia’s city of Dmanisi where he led the discovery, archaeological excavation and analysis of the earliest human found outside of Africa. The lecture will be preceded by an exhibit titled, “Georgia: Building the Future on a Vibrant Past,” featuring images and history from the Republic of Georgia, including that of the Dmanisi Hominins dated 1.8 million years ago. The exhibit will open at 1:30 p.m. with the lecture from 2-3:30 p.m., followed by a reception. The event is free and open to the public.SDSU has a campus in Georgia as part of a joint partnership between SDSU, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Georgian government.






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Our Willingness to Waste

Tufts Now All Stories

Back in college, when Norbert Wilson would buy a jar of pasta sauce at the supermarket, he had every intention of using it up. But there’s only so much spaghetti a person can eat, which meant those jars occasionally ended up as half-eaten, fuzzy science experiments lurking in the back of his refrigerator.It was a small example of food waste, but one that stuck with him. Wilson, who joined the Friedman School as a professor of food policy in January, has been investigating food waste, building on his past research on food choice, domestic hunger, food banking and the international trade of food products.
When Wilson turned his attention to issues related to food waste, he theorized that consumers buy food even when they’re aware they may not finish it. It’s a concept that anyone who has purchased a container of sour cream can understand—we buy it knowing we may toss the container with a hefty portion still clinging to the sides. But what motivates people to spend good money on food they don’t intend to eat?
Wilson found a clue in 2013, when the Natural Resources Defense Council released a report showing that a substantial portion of America’s $160 billion food-waste problem could be traced to those “use by” and “sell by” dates on food containers. It turns out that many consumers, worried that food that has passed the date on its packaging is no longer worth eating, throw out plenty of perfectly good stuff. Could consumers be thinking about those labels as they buy the food?
To find out, Wilson devised an experiment that involved putting differently worded date labels on yogurt, cereal and salad greens. The labels used a variety of terms—“use by,” “best by,” “sell by” and “fresh by”—and included an expiration date. Wilson wanted to know whether certain ...

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SGA Invites You To Relax With a Cup of Tea

Events at UCF

It's back! SGA, the Arboretum, & Wellness and Health Promotion Services are hosting a "Relax With A Cup of Tea" event series this semester! These events are designed to help with stress management by using campus-grown herbs to help process stress. Join us on April 25th at 11 AM in the Student Union Atrium to design your own teabag that fits your taste and relaxation needs.

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RIT's Nabil Z. Nasr honored for lifetime of engineering distinction and leadership

RIT News Releases - Top Stories







Rochester Engineering Society recognizes associate provost and GIS director at annual gala





April 20, 2017 by Rich Kiley Follow Rich Kiley on TwitterFollow RITNEWS on TwitterNabil Z. Nasr, associate provost for academic affairs and founding director of RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability

Nabil Z. Nasr, associate provost for academic affairs and founding director of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS), has been honored for a lifetime of engineering distinction and leadership by the Rochester Engineering Society (RES).

Nasr was named an Engineer of Distinction among leaders recognized for their excellence in the field by RES on April 8 during the society’s 115th annual gala at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

“This award and recognition by RES is a very special one for me since I’m being recognized by my engineering peers and colleagues in my hometown,” Nasr said. “I have been fortunate to work in the emerging field of sustainable manufacturing and to be at RIT, where I was given the opportunity and support.”

“I truly feel that my team at RIT is the one deserving recognition for giving me the opportunity to lead and for working to make our dreams reality,” he added. “I am fortunate to work with such a wonderful team and to follow my passion in the work I do.”

Nasr has worked in the fields of sustainable production, remanufacturing and sustainable product development for nearly three decades. He recently led the proposal development effort that resulted in the selection of GIS to lead the national consortium for the REMADE Institute, for which he currently serves as CEO. REMADE is short for Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing Emissions.

The national coalition of 26 universities, 44 companies, seven national labs, 26 industry associations and foundations and three states will collaborate on new clean energy initiatives, focusing on driving down the cost of technologies essential ...

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April 20 DUI checkpoint and law enforcement efforts

Student News

Members of the UC Santa Cruz community and campus neighbors, please be advised there is the potential for traffic disruptions and hazards during the afternoon of Thursday, April 20 because of the unsanctioned gathering known as “4–20”. The greatest impact is expected from 3–6 p.m.As the chief of police, my primary responsibility is the health and safety of our community. Similar to 2016, we will have an increased law enforcement presence with additional UC police officers, as well as allied law enforcement agencies throughout the campus conducting enforcement activities. These officers will conduct enhanced patrols throughout the day, looking for individuals in violation of the law, including the possession of and/or using marijuana and alcohol or other drugs; drivers under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol; and will enforce unpermitted vending of any merchandise, food, services, or medical marijuana on the campus. Campus parking regulations will also be strictly enforced.
In addition to these enforcement efforts, the Santa Cruz Area CHP will be conducting a DUI checkpoint near the west side of campus, aggressively seeking those who choose to drive under the influence. It is our goal to use this enforcement tool to assist with the reduction of injury and fatal collisions caused by impaired drivers. Last year there were three arrests for driving under the influence as a result of the checkpoint. Recently, we have made several DUI arrests, including an injury accident near Family Student Housing in the early morning hours of Friday, April 14.
Please plan accordingly and anticipate possible disruptions to traffic due to the large groups of people that may be present, especially on the west side of campus. Campus and Metro bus service may be delayed. Traffic diversion measures may be instituted if needed to alleviate impacted areas. If driving a vehicle, be alert for increased pedestrian traffic on all roadways, as well as the ...

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UW Daily – April 24, 2017

UW Daily

UW System
On Campus
COL: Watch: ‘Cool Chemistry’ wows at UW-Manitowoc, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, April 20
COL: C.E. Building Service gets UW Founders Hall project, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, April 21
COL: Fall registration open at UW-Manitowoc, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, April 23
COL: UWFV students present research, Appleton Post-Crescent, April 22
COL: UW-WC student presents research, West Bend Daily News, April 22
COL: Taste of Culture Set at UW-Rock, Beloit Daily News, April 21
COL: Baraboo students observe Earth Day, eliminate invasive plants, Baraboo News Republic, April 21
EXT: EXTending a hand: Wisconsin celebrates Money Smart Week April 22-29, Dunn County News, April 21
EXT: Events target new or would-be entrepreneurs, Portage Daily Register, April 21
EXT: Planning for a creative future, Kenosha News, April 21
EXT: Public radio’s Veronica Rueckert helps women own their voices, Capital Times, April 24
EXT: Wisconsin Watchdog Awards Honor Veteran Radio Reporter, Whistleblowers, Journalists, MyInforms.com, April 22
EXT: WPR quiz show coming to La Crosse May 7, La Crosse Tribune, April 21
EXT: Bonduel hoping to grow 1st community garden, Shawano Leader, April 22
EAU: Survey shows high UW-Eau Claire student placement rates, WQOW TV 18, April 21
GRB: UWGB Student and Young Female Mentor Leads by Example, National Wild Turkey Federation, April 22
GRB: Sunday Sit Down: Sandy Cohen (Green Bay Men’s Basketball student athlete), April 23
GRB: Warren Gerds/Critic at Large: Extra! ‘Metropolis’-plus – new score for landmark film (Composer is of UW-Green Bay faculty), Wearegreenbay.com, April 23
LAX: WPR quiz show coming to La Crosse May 7, La Crosse Tribune, April 21
LAX: Karyn Quinn retiring from UW-La Crosse after 27 years, WXOW.com, April 22
LAX: The Middle Ground returns to their roots for concert at UWL, La Crosse Tribune, April 23
LAX: UW-L celebrates School of Education, News8000.com – WKBT, April 23
MAD: UW board approves contract extensions for coaches, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 21
MAD: As Mifflin Street party approaches, UW-Madison binge drinking may be declining, Wisconsin ...

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UConn Makes Top 5 Greenest Colleges for 2017

UConn Today



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Commencement 2017

Campus Life – UConn Today

Why did you decide to attend UConn?I came for Admitted Students Day, but I didn’t take a formal tour or anything. I ended up walking around on my own so I could really see what the campus was like. I felt a strong sense of community on campus, which was important to me. No matter where I went to school, I wanted to feel like I had a home.

What is the greatest learning experience you’ve had at UConn?Definitely research! I have been a part of my current research lab since my first semester. Thinking about how much I’ve grown in that lab is really incredible. Coming in, I didn’t know what research really was; I didn’t understand it. And here I am working on my honors senior thesis, which is my own independent project. My experiences in the lab have taught me the ins and outs of research, how to work well with other people, and how to deal with disappointment. Disappointment is a huge part of the learning process!

What kind of lab experience have you had at UConn?I’m working in the behavioral neuroscience division under associate professor of psychological sciences Robert Astur. He runs a lot of different projects, so I’ve worked on studies with fear conditioning, which have implications for PTSD research; estrogen studies about how different levels of estrogen affect learning and memory; and I’ve done motivation studies with primary and secondary reinforcers. The primary reinforcer in our study was food, so the whole project had implications for eating disorder risk.

I’m working on my senior thesis now, which is a behavioral analysis of hippocampal function. We’re placing all of our participants on a schizotypical personality disorder spectrum, to look at whether a person on one end of the spectrum has better ...

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UAA Guitar Ensemble to perform free afternoon recital this Sunday, April 30

Green & Gold News

The UAA Guitar Ensemble will present an afternoon recital of chamber music written for guitar on Sunday, April 30, at 4 p.m. in the UA Recital Hall. Selections will include classical, Spanish, jazz and contemporary pieces. This concert is free and open to the public.View a schedule of all upcoming UAA Music events at ArtsUAA.com.



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Fox alumnus now heading Nike’s Jordan Brand returns to campus

On occasion, Larry Miller’s office phone rings — and on the other line is Michael Jordan.“Actually, calls from him are pretty standard in my line of work,” Miller, president of Nike’s Jordan Brand, said.
Miller, a 1982 graduate of the Fox School of Business, returned to Temple recently to speak with students in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management as part of school’s Executive in Residence program.
The Executive in Residence speaker series brings accomplished business leaders to campus to share their industry expertise with students in the fields of sport, recreation, tourism and hospitality management.
Miller has served in his current role since 2012 and was named one of the nation’s most powerful people in the sneaker industry by Complex magazine. Miller’s visit to Temple as an Executive in Residence was moderated by Lara Price, senior vice president of business operations for the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Temple allowed me to start in accounting and transition into general management, marketing and beyond,” Miller said. “You don’t have to be a professional athlete to have a career in sports. There are incredible opportunities out there.”
Read more about Miller’s talk.
—Christopher A. Vito


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Annual Stem Cell Awareness Event (King Library) (5/11/2017)

SJSU Events Calendar at SJSU Main Campus - King Library








Event Details


Annual Stem Cell Awareness Event (King Library)

Start Date: 5/11/2017Start Time: 11:30 AM
End Date: 5/11/2017End Time: 1:30 PM

Event Description:Dear friends and community,With great pleasure we invite you to join us at our Annual Stem Cell Awareness Event on Thursday, May 11 at Martin Luther King Library, San Jose from 11:30-1:30 pm.Whether you are a patient or patient advocate who is interested in knowing about current stem cell therapies, someone who is curious to learn more about stem cell research, or considering a career in stem cell biology, this will be a great opportunity. We proudly host keynote speaker Kevin McCormack, who will be presenting "Progress in Stem Cell Research: Turning Promise into Reality." Kevin McCormack is a senior director in public communication at California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and a distinguished speaker advocating for stem cell therapies. During our Poster sessions you will have an opportunity to learn about some current stem cell therapies and research, as well as network with SJSU scientists, faculties, and graduate students.Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by following this link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JJ3BQB6) We look forward to seeing you at our event!Thank you,San Jose State University SCILL Stem Cell Internship And Laboratory Based Learning (SCILL) Team






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Baseball. Baseball Plays Backend Of Home-And-Home Series Against Saint Mary’s

San Jose State Spartans News -- www.sjsuspartans.com

Last season the Spartans beat NCAA Tournament team Gaels in Moraga.



April 24, 2017
Game Notes SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Spartans look to end their six-game losing streak when they play a non-conference game against Saint Mary’s at Municipal Stadium on Tuesday.  It is the backend of a home-and-home game against the Gaels, having played them last week on Tuesday, April 18 in Moraga, Calif.SJSU is 11-7-1 at home this season, including a 8-5-1 mark at Municipal Stadium.  The Spartans played five home games in Stockton, Calif. earlier in the year.  In non-conference play, San José State is 2-1 at Municipal Stadium this season and 5-3 overall at home.San José State leads the all-time series 100-50.   The two teams last played just a week ago on April 18.  SJSU held a lead as big as five runs and as late as in the eighth inning but could not hold on, losing 11-6 at Louis Guisto Field in Moraga, Calif.In the last six games going back to 2014, the teams have split them winning three games each.  The last home win in the series for SJSU came in 2014 when they won 10-0.    SJSU Game 39 vs Saint Mary’s (26-13, 9-6 West Coast Conference)Tuesday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. PT Pitching Matchups:Tues. – Saint Mary’s LHP Ty Madrigal (3-3, 5.03 ERA) vs. SJSU RHP Eric Anderson (0-0, 3.18 ERA) All-Time Series vs Saint Mary’s:  SJSU leads 100-50 Live Video:   http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/m-basebl/sched/sjsu-m-basebl-sched.htmlLive Stats:    http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/m-basebl/sched/sjsu-m-basebl-sched.htmlRadio:               NoneSocial Media:    Instagram/Twitter: @SJSUBaseball                         Facebook.com/SJSUSpartansBaseball #OmahaKnows      “Omaha Knows” is the SJSU baseball program motto.  What matters is what you do when nobody is watching.  But Omaha, Nebraska, home of the College World Series, is always watching.  Omaha knows how you went about your business.  Spartan fans will see the hashtag # ...

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Vega String Quartet presents Mozart @ the Med School

_www.emory.edu

Upcoming Ongoing EventsYour browser must support JavaScript to view this content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings then try again.All Ongoing EventsYour browser must support JavaScript to view this content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings then try again.

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Study shows brands dedicated to postive social change use social media to primarily promote products

KU News Headlines

LAWRENCE — Social media has greatly changed how all sorts of companies can interact with their audiences and customers. A new study suggests that even brands dedicated to positive social change tend to use social media as a way to promote the brand more so than activism or social causes.A University of Kansas professor co-authored a study analyzing the Facebook usage of a for-profit company most known for its support of social causes and a traditional for-profit company. They found that both used their pages primarily for product and brand promotion, but that the company dedicated to social entrepreneurship did use its page more to develop new connections than the traditional company, which focused more on capitalizing on existing ones.

Hyunjin Seo, associate professor of journalism at KU, co-authored the study with Ren-Whei Harn, a doctoral student at KU, and Salman Husain of Syria Relief and Development. They analyzed Facebook usage of TOMS, a company known for donating a pair of shoes or eyewear to people in need for every pair sold, and Sperry-Topsider, a traditional for-profit company that sells similar products to the same target demographic, Millennials, for one year. The study was published in the Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, and Seo presented it at the International Conference on Communication and Mass Media.

The study looked at use of social capital, or networks of people who work together often for the cause of social betterment. The goal was to see if two types of social capital — bridging and bonding — were different among a social entrepreneurship and traditional for-profit company.

“What we found on both TOMS and Sperry-Topsider Facebook communities was that a lot of their posts were dedicated to product and brand promotion,” Seo said. “However, there were greater amounts of social capital, in particular bridging, on the TOMS Facebook page.”

Seo, whose research specializes in ...

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Stony Brook New Home to NSF STEM Civic-Centered Learning Program

University News





Stony Brook New Home to NSF STEM Civic-Centered Learning Program





Assembled after the SENCER presentation at Stony Brook University are SENCER national leaders and Stony Brook faculty involved in the new initiative. From left: Christine DeCarlo, SENCER Engaging Mathematics Coordinator; Danielle Kraus-Tarka, SENCER Deputy Director for Operations, Community Outreach, and Engagement; Eliza J. Reilly, SENCER Deputy Executive Director for Programs; David Ferguson, Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Technology and Society at Stony Brook, and the University’s Liaison for SENCER; Lauren Donavan of Stony Brook’s Department of Technology and Society; Wm. David Burns is Executive Director of NCSCE, and the Principal Investigator of SENCER; Hailey Chenevert, SENCER Manager of Informal Science Education Partnership Program; and Kyle Simmons, SENCER Faculty Development Events Manager.



STONY BROOK, NY – March 31, 2016 – 
Stony Brook University is the new home to SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities). Formerly located at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, SENCER is a national initiative connecting “the science of learning to the learning of science,” with the goal to expand civic capacity and connect science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) content to real world problems.
Established in 2001 by the National Science Foundation’s Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement national dissemination track, SENCER is the signature program of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE). It is geared toward strengthening undergraduate student learning and interest in the STEM disciplines by connecting course topics to critical issues of local, national and global importance. The move to Stony Brook comes after NCSCE, with support from the NSF's ICORPS-L program, explored new strategies for achieving larger scale and sustainability for those activities in which NSF has made substantial investments.
“I am thrilled to welcome SENCER to Stony Brook University,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the college in which SENCER is ...

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Life Sciences Summit Maps Out Next-Generation Medicines

Medical Center & Health Care

Life Sciences Summit Maps Out Next-Generation Medicines
National Symposium Showcases Innovation, Promotes Science/Industry Collaboration

STONY BROOK, N.Y., October 17, 2011 – The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University, in collaboration with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors, and key opinion leaders from the biotech and biopharmaceutical industries, academia, medical research foundations, and investment community, has organized a two-day event to forge partnerships to accelerate the development of new treatments for some of the world’s most devastating diseases affecting millions. The Life Sciences Summit  is the only national translational science partnering event that brings these groups together to map out commercialization strategies for next-generation medicines. The event takes place at Sentry Centers Midtown East in New York City on November 16-17, 2011.
Event co-hosts include Stony Brook University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The program features more than 150 internationally recognized speakers, including presentations by pharmaceutical company executives, venture capitalists, and nationally recognized physician and academic leaders. Attendees will engage in interactive symposia, workshops, and partnering sessions focused on biomedical solutions in the fields of infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, and regenerative medicine. Dozens of new companies will showcase their business platforms featuring breakthrough technologies emerging from leading academic institutions worldwide that have the potential to transform the industry and human healthcare.
“All of the companies and technologies that will be presented have the potential to make significant contributions to the next generation of medical products that could help to transform therapies for many illnesses,” says Diane Fabel, Executive Director, Life Sciences Summit, and Director of Operations, Center for Biotechnology. “The concentration of intellect, creativity, and innovation at the event creates a dynamic atmosphere that fosters opportunities for collaborations, new business, and new dialogue focused on the future of the biotechnology industry.”

Fabel adds that leading executives from the world’s most prestigious and prolific biomedical research institutions, along with leaders from ...

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Lone Star College ready to help students start close, go far

Lone Star College System News

Published on: April 13, 2017 Ready to take a huge stride at the largest college in Houston? Then plan to attend a Lone Star College Open House taking place April 18-22.

Attending an open house is a wonderful way for students and their families to get a sense of the college experience in a very informal and stress-free way, said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC chancellor. Students often tell stories about feeling nervous the first time they step onto a college campus. Attending an open house can help lessen that anxiety.

Lone Star College Open House gives future students and their families the chance to meet LSC faculty and staff and learn about the many educational opportunities available at LSC. In addition, visitors will have a chance to win prizes, and free food and giveaways will be offered at all of the events.

Lone Star College-North Harris has directed my life in a positive way, said Jessica Tovias, current LSC-North Harris student. I am more than glad that my first college experience was from attending Lone Star College.

There are many great reasons for students to start close at LSC. They take advantage of high-quality higher education that is close to home and costs a fraction of four-year universities.

Its just not the cost savings, said Head. Students who complete their first two years of higher education at a community college like Lone Star College and then transfer to a four-year institution are more likely to graduate with a bachelors degree.

LSC has many academic transfer degrees along with state of the art workforce and career training to help students launch successful careers.

Representatives will be on hand to answer questions about degree options, and financial aid information will also be available to help students learn about options to help pay for college.

The Lone Star College Open House schedule is:

...

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