School Achievements
November 17, 2008
Alumnus names new scholarship after former professor who encouraged him
While studying at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, John "Jack" M. Campbell Jr. took classes from many professors, but one teacher stood out as being different than the rest.
Now, decades later, the Lincoln native is honoring the man he describes as a mentor by establishing the Carroll R. McKibbin Scholarship Fund. His gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation, matched by the GE Foundation, created a $30,000 permanent endowment that will provide scholarships for years to come to students majoring in history or political science at the UNL College of Arts and Sciences.
Campbell, left, said the gift provides the opportunity to publicly recognize his former professor, advisor and friend, Dr. Carroll McKibbin (pictured above), and that he can still remember why McKibbin's classes stood apart.
"He spiced his lectures and teaching with practical events that occurred in his own life and made it possible for us to see beyond the text and the lecture format," said Campbell, who graduated in 1972 and then received a master's at the University of Pittsburgh.
The two remain in contact despite living on opposite coasts. McKibbin, who lives in Southern California, recently retired from teaching at California Polytechnic State University. Campbell lives in Connecticut and is the director of environmental programs for GE Capital, but the two exchange phone calls or visits throughout the year.
"One of the great satisfactions of teaching is getting to know your students," said McKibbin, who taught at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1965 to 1974. "It's those special relationships that make 40 years of teaching so rewarding."
Campbell, a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation, welcomes others who know Professor McKibbin to contribute to this scholarship fund or to establish their own fund in honor of a teacher or mentor. He feels this scholarship recognizes the meaningful relationship often formed between students and faculty.
"I created this scholarship to encourage students to come to the University of Nebraska and to find a professor who’ll encourage them, like Dr. McKibbin encouraged me," Campbell said.
The first scholarship was awarded by UNL to Kevin Healy of Yankton, S.D., who holds a 4.0 GPA and is studying political science, history and Russian.
October 10, 2008
Latino Research Initiative receives award for oustanding contribution to Nebraska's Hispanic community
The Organization Award comes from the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission and will be presented to the Latino Research Initiative at the Hispanic Heritage Month State Commemoration on October 10th, 2008.
"The purpose of this activity," according to the Commission, "is to provide (at the state level) an opportunity for the residents of Nebraska to learn about and embrace the diverse cultures and contributions of Hispanics/Latinos." Governor Dave Heineman and Mayor Chris Beutler will attend, and "The Parade of the Flags" will showcase ambassadors from 21 Latin American countries.
October 1, 2008
UNL receives $9.3 million grant for Nebraska Math program
NEBRASKA MATH is a statewide partnership that builds on the Math in the Middle Institute, which works to improve student achievement in middle school mathematics and reduce the achievement gap for students across Nebraska. NEBRASKA MATH expands that program to students in kindergarten through grade three and middle school students transitioning to high school and focuses on enhancing teachers' knowledge of mathematics and teaching methods.
Jim Lewis, professor of mathematics and director of the Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education at UNL, leads the project. Co-leaders include Carolyn Pope Edwards, professor of psychology; Ira Papick, professor of mathematics; and Walter Stroup, professor and head of statistics.
October 1, 2008
Mila Saskova-Pierce and Eyde Olson receive 2008 Great Plains Innovations and Contributions Award for online Czech 101 course
Mila Saskova-Pierce (pictured) is associate professor of slavic languages Russian and Czech, and Edye Olson is the College's Instructional Design Technology Specialist.
The award is from the Continuing Education Association Great Plains Award Committee. The award ceremony will take place during the UCEA Mid-America and Great Plains conference opening luncheon, 12 noon, Empire Room on October 15, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
October 1, 2008
Materials Research Science & Engineering Center recieves $8.1 million grant for nanotechnology research
The National Science Foundation grant will continue the center's research, education, and industry partnership programs for "Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structure" through 2014.
MRSEC - as it is known on campus - is headed by physics professor Evgeny Tsymbal and includes faculty from a variety of departments, including physics and astronomy and chemistry.
Two National Endowment for the Humanities grants will enable Walt Whitman and Omaha & Ponca Language projects to go online
Mark Awakuni-Swetland, assistant professor of anthropology and ethnic studies, and his colleagues are creating the first comprehensive Omaha and Ponca digital dictionary to go online.
Award: $348,800 for three years
Of note: Designated as a "We the People" grant, a special recognition by the NEH for model projects that advance the study, teaching and understanding of American history and culture. The project is funded through a joint NEH-National Science Foundation-Smithsonian Institution Documenting Endangered Languages initiative.
Related: About the Omaha Language Curriculum Development Project from Mark Awakuni-Swetland
Kenneth Price, University Professor and Hillegass Chair of 19th Century American Literature, is creating a comprehensive electronic edition of the Civil War writings of Walt Whitman.
Award: $300,000 for three years.
Of note: Many of the documents involved are being edited and published for the first time. The team includes leading Whitman scholars as well as digital experts from UNL and other universities. This work will provide a model for other scholars to approach similar projects.
Both projects are being developed through the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities.
28 Shakespeare teacher-geeks brought the bard's tales to life in Andrews Hall
A group of 28 middle-school, high-school, and college-level instructors from five states assembled in Dudley Baily Library during the week of June 22-28, 2008, for a close encounter with Shakespeare, his words, and his approach to theater.
The program came from the Folger Shakespeare Library. The teachers were participants in a Teaching Shakespeare Mini-Institute.
Read the article from the English department
Five-year, $3.8 million National Science Foundation grant will help UNL recruit, promote and retain female faculty in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields
At UNL, women comprise less than 20 percent of faculty in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Nationally, the National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that women comprise 29 percent of science and engineering faculty at four-year colleges and universities.
UNL will be able to create new programs to recruit and support women faculty through each stage of their career.
The grant is from NSF's ADVANCE program, which aims to increase participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.
Summer Writer's Workshop
Since 2003, UNL's creative writing program has hosted the conference, a seven-day event consisting of intensive writing workshops and master classes, panel discussions, readings and receptions. A number of published authors are featured, several of them Nebraska natives. Read more at the site nebraskawriters.unl.edu
The University was recognized in 2005 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities for its visionary campus-wide innovations in undergraduate education.
Members are admitted only after a rigorous national search process, which identifies colleges, universities, and community colleges that have put in place stimulating educational experiences for students. As part of a select group of leadership institutions (one of 16 colleges and universities), UNL has been honored for its role as a model of best practices.
In addition to this honor, many facilities within the University have received recognition.
World-class laser helps position Nebraska as a leader in high-field physics and laser research
Physicist Donald Umstadter and in his team of researchers have built a world class laser lab at UNL. The Diocles laser was unveiled in August 2006 and has the potential for reaching the highest light intensity ever produced by any laser in the world. The compact, ultra-fast, high-intensity laser can produce more power than 100,000 Hoover Dams in bursts lasting only 30 billionths of one millionth of a second.Diocles produces gamma rays that can "see through" four-inch-thick steel to detect bomb material hidden in a cargo container, or hairline cracks in a jet turbine. The laser is small and inexpensive enough for hospitals to potentially use it as a proton source for cutting-edge cancer therapy.
The Research Computer Facility manages the PrairieFire Supercomputer, which is used to solve problems requiring computing resources available only at a select group of universities. University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists and facilities are playing a key role in one of the world’s largest physics experiments, and have received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support those efforts.
The Nebraska Center for Virology, a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, was formed in the fall of 2000 under the Institutional Development Award program. The Center combines the expertise and facilities of Nebraska's leading biomedical research institutions: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Creighton University. Junior and established researchers at these institutions conduct innovative and collaborative research on a number of life-threatening diseases.
The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management produces top quality graduates who combine business knowledge and computing fundamentals for enterprise information and software systems. Its residential center houses a design studio that has created software solutions for both global and local organizations.
The Cedar Point Biological Station gives students unique access to a wide variety of water and land environments, such as forests, meadows, and prairies, and four major grassland types. Students can pursue such fields as ornithology, prairie ecology, natural resources policy, limnology, and natural history of invertebrates.
The Center on Children, Families and the Law regularly draws large government grants to conduct its important work. The center promotes the well being of children and families through research, analyzing policy, and providing education and community service
Prairie Schooner, a literary magazine housed in UNL’s English department, has been publishing the works of emerging authors for 80 years.
In Short
Arts & Sciences departments reach out to rural areas of the state by helping teachers improve mathematics and physics teaching in those areas.
Students in the sciences and humanities form connections to the Lincoln community through mentoring of primary and secondary school students. One example is Project Fulcrum, which puts science graduate students in elementary school classrooms where they use their scientific knowledge to teach children while also learning teaching methods.
The Nebraska Center for Virology conducts innovative research into Alzheimer’s disease, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other illnesses.
The Department of Sociology is ranked among the nation's leading programs in the study of marriage and the family.
Students and faculty in the Department of Mathematics frequently gain national recognition. The department has been in the forefront of attracting and educating women in mathematics.
