Mission: Possible to introduce students to pharmacy careers

Thirteen high school students from Rogers High School and Notre Dame Academy will participate in laboratory demonstrations, tours, and a student and faculty panel during Mission: Possible on Friday at The University of Toledo.

Laboratory demonstrations will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 11 on the UT Health Science Campus.

Students will create emulsions at 10:30 a.m. in the compounding lab in Health Education Building Room 149, after which they will visit the Plastination Museum at 11:15 a.m. in the Paul J. Block Jr. Health Science Building Room 002. They also will make lip balm at noon in a cosmetic science lab in the Frederic and Mary Wolfe Center Room 019A.

The lab demonstrations will be followed by lunch and a student panel discussion.

Mission: Possible, sponsored by Target, introduces under-represented minorities to careers in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences.

RockeTHON, formerly known as Dance Marathon, is The University of Toledo’s largest student-run philanthropy event. The yearlong fundraiser culminates in a 13-hour event where participants stay on their feet by dancing, playing games, participating in themed contests, and getting to know the families they are supporting.

Participants at last year’s RockeTHON

RockeTHON will be held Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the Student Union, with the stage and main action taking place in the auditorium.

This year’s goal is to have more than 1,000 students participate and to raise $113,000.

About 10 families are planning on sharing their personal stories with RockeTHON participants.

Dance Marathon is a national event, taking place at more than 100 college campuses across the country. Since 2001, RockeTHON has raised more than $500,000 for Mercy Children’s Hospital, bringing a brighter future to area children.

For more information, contact Tyler Clark, RockeTHON 2014 public relations chair, at tyler.clark@rockets.utoledo.edu or 419.205.6410.

Media Coverage
FOX Toledo (April 10, 2014)
FOX Toledo (April 14, 2014)

The final installment of the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women’s Lecture and Film Series will feature Dr. Michael Kimmel, author, researcher, editor and supporter of gender equality.

His lecture, “Mars, Venus or Planet Earth? Women and Men on Campus in a New Millennium,” will take place 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10 in Savage Arena. Free parking will be available in Lots 3 and 5.

Kimmel

“We chose Dr. Kimmel because he brings a unique spin,” said Jeff Witt, program manager for the Office of Equity, Diversity and Community Engagement. “He talks about why gender inequality is bad for everyone, and how gender equality is good not just for women, but also for men.”

Some books or theories may claim that men are from Mars and women from Venus, but Kimmel’s lecture disproves the disparity and suggests that women and men are more alike than not. Through humor, he reveals the increasing gender equality present on campus, and how it inherently does benefit men.

“I do believe that gender inequality still exists,” said Drake Fletcher, a senior in communications with a focus in public relations and outside linebacker for the UT football team. “America has grown over the last couple decades, but I do think it exists in corporate America and in athletics.”

Audience members can engage with Kimmel during the presentation and following the lecture with a question-and-answer session. He will spend the day on campus and visit a Women’s and Gender Studies Department class to discuss gender inequality.

“In the wake of Title IX, we want to be sensitive to issues like gender inequality and bring up a healthy discussion as it relates to sports with our student-athletes,” Witt said.

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program, which goes a long way to protect and ensure gender equality, yet disparities still can exist today.

All student-athletes are required to attend and will discuss the lecture Friday morning.

Kimmel serves as Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Stony Brook University in New York, as well as executive director at the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities.

He has been involved in writing or editing more than 20 volumes, and has received critical acclaim for “Manhood in America: A Cultural History” (1996). Known as a leading researcher on masculinity, his works feature a rewriting of the cultural understanding of masculinity to encompass a wide range of characteristics.

The event is part of Diversity Week at The University of Toledo.

The Institute for the Study and Economic Engagement of Southern Africa (I SEE SA) at The University of Toledo was founded in 2013 to help strengthen UT’s leadership in international engagement.

ISEE South Africa LogoI SEE SA’s official launch will take place Thursday, April 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in University Hall Room 2370.

“Our goal is to strategically position UT to accomplish three objectives: generate multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary cutting-edge and relevant applied knowledge in a coordinated manner for American and Southern African institutions, facilitate knowledge brokering for institutions between the two regions, and prepare American and Southern African students enrolled in UT courses for leadership positions in institutions concerning the region,” said Dr. Rubin Patterson, professor and chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, director of the Africana Studies Program and I SEE SA director.

Featured speakers will include Patterson; Dr. Jamie Barlowe, dean of the College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences; State Sen. Edna Brown, Ohio Senate District 11; Dr. Richard Weisfelder, professor emeritus of political science and public administration; Aarohi Vijh, vice president of product development at Xunlight; and professionals from the UT community, local entrepreneurs and politicians.

The University of Toledo invites the community to attend a colorful celebration of different cultures and religions.

Holi Toledo, an all-campus celebration of the Indian holiday Holi, will take place 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 9 in the outdoor field next to Memorial Field House on Main Campus.

Holi Toledo will have a “color zone” surrounded by booths and at each booth, students and community members will learn from a different cultural or religious student organization. They also will receive powdered color, which will be used throughout the day to cover attendees.

“It’s a way of welcoming spring; the colors are symbolic of all the colors nature throws at us in spring,” said Dr. Jeanine Diller, director of the UT Center for Religious Understanding. “The colors also are symbolic of the different cultural and religious orientations on campus and the joy there is in living them out. Holi reminds us of our shared humanity behind social differences because everybody ends up looking the same at the end of the day, covered with all the colors.”

At the UT event, those at the booths will wear T-shirts that say “Ask me about a meaningful… belief, quote, experience.” Students who come to the booth pick one of these choices and hear a one-sentence response so that they can learn about that culture or religion even in the frenzy of the color throwing.

“We thought it would be great to have both religious and cultural student organizations to celebrate the diversity that the holiday of Holi represents,” Diller said.

Holi began as a Hindu celebration of the victory of a good man, Prahlad, over the demon Holika, a battle symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.

Students will be entered in a drawing for $100 if they visit enough booths and learn about the different organizations. There also will be prizes for the individual with the most colors at the end of the event, and free white Holi Toledo T-shirts will be given to the first 200 people to arrive.

Color throwing will begin at 3:15 p.m. with every 15 minutes attendees simultaneously tossing their colors on one another. It is recommended that attendees wear clothes that can be stained; while the color is water soluble, it is not guaranteed to wash out.

Along with powdered color, the event will feature Indian music, some of which is specific to the holiday.

The event is part of Diversity Week at The University of Toledo.

The Supreme Court of Ohio will hold court in the McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law on Wednesday, April 9, as part of the court’s Off-Site Court Program. It will hear and consider oral arguments in three cases. 

Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio

More than 350 juniors and seniors from 11 area high schools will attend. Volunteers from the Toledo Bar Association, with the assistance of several law students, will explain Ohio’s judicial system and review case materials with the high school students before the session. Students will then meet after the court’s session with the case attorneys to debrief and discuss the legal issues. Law students will also attend the oral arguments.

“We are honored to host the Supreme Court of Ohio in its session here, its first since 1987 and the first ever at The University of Toledo College of Law,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students and hundreds of students from area high schools to observe our state’s highest court in action.”

The court will review the termination and reinstatement of a former Cedar Point executive, along with two other cases, when it convenes at Toledo Law.

The event gives alumna Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger ’77 the opportunity to hear cases at her alma mater. A member of the Court since 2005, Justice Lanzinger is a Toledo resident and a former trial and appellate judge in Lucas County.

The Off-Site Court Program was founded in 1987 by the late Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer and is designed to teach Ohioans about the state’s judicial system. Twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall, the Supreme Court relocates from Columbus to hold session in another city, selecting a different county each time. The Supreme Court last sat in Lucas County in 1987, the first year of the Off-Site Court Program.

The College of Law is hosting the court in conjunction with the Toledo Bar Association and the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals.

Wednesday’s oral arguments will begin at 9 a.m., will be carried live online at sc.ohio.gov, and broadcast live on The Ohio Channel.

Media Coverage
The Blade (April 7, 2014)
The Blade (April 9, 2014)
The Blade (April 10, 2014)

The Dean’s Club Symposium of The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences to recognize the endowed chairs and endowed professorships made possible by philanthropy will be held Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. in Collier Room 1050 on the Health Science Campus.

“These honorees are among UT’s most distinguished educators, researchers and healthcare providers,” said Dr. Ron McGinnis, interim dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

“This is also an opportunity to once again express our thanks to the individuals and organizations who, through their generous gifts, are contributing to the advancement of science and the health of the community,” McGinnis said.

The endowed chairs and professors to be honored are:

•  Dr. Christopher Cooper: Mercy Health System Chair of Excellence in Education
•  Dr. Deepak K. Malhotra: University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences Endowed Professorship in Nephrology
•  Dr. William Maltese: Helen and Harold McMaster Endowed Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
•  Dr. Kelly J. Manahan: Rita T. Sheely Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
•  Dr. Sonia Najjar: Frederick W. Hiss Endowed Professor in Diabetes
•  Dr. Thomas Schwann: S. Amjad Hussain Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
•  Dr. Steven Selman: Frank D. Stranahan Endowed Chari for Oncological Research
•  Dr. Akira Takashima: Robert A. Stranahan Chair in Microbiology and Immunology
•  Dr. Gretchen Tietjen: Clair Martig Endowed Chair in Neurology
•  Dr. James Willey: George Isaac Endowed Chair in Cancer Research

The Dean’s Club was established to help the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences and the UT Medical Center meet a three-part mission of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care. Members’ gifts provide essential funds for scholarships, faculty research support and other innovative programs.

The University of Toledo Police Department is looking to add new officers to its police force.

Candidates must be at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license, meet minimum standards of physical fitness and have a valid Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy certificate or be currently enrolled in a certified police academy.

In addition, candidates must submit to a drug test, have completed 96 quarter hours or 64 semester hours of college credits or have at least five years of continuous active full-time law enforcement experience.

“We are looking to hire individuals with strong character, judgment and commitment to safety to fill vacancies resulting from upcoming retirements,” UT Police Chief Jeff Newton said. “University policing is a dynamic career and we’re looking forward to finding the right individuals for this opportunity.”

Written police exams and physical fitness tests will be held Saturday, April 26 and interested candidates are asked to submit an electronic application by Wednesday, April 16 at jobs.utoledo.edu. Click here for a direct link to the officer job posting.

Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be contacted with testing information.

Finalists must successfully pass a physical fitness, psychological and polygraph exams as well as written and oral testing and a thorough background investigation to be considered for the position.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (April 3, 2014)

Dr. Gilbert Strang, a renowned mathematician who has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than 50 years, will give an online presentation Wednesday, April 9.

His free, public talk, “Teaching Online (Even Massive Open Online Courses) and the Math of Tridiagonal Matrices,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. and can be viewed in Memorial Field House Room 2100.

Strang

“This talk has two connected parts — both parts strongly connected with the audience,” Strang said. “It begins with unusual graphs — simple to create, hard to believe. This will be a small example of online teaching.”

Strang will share a bigger example of online teaching with a few minutes of MIT OpenCourseWare. He teaches Introduction to Linear Algebra and Computational Science and Engineering, both available as web lectures at ocw.mit.edu. More than four million have watched the classes online.

“A massive open online course is a big undertaking; it needs feedback on the past and present if it is to succeed in the future,” he said.

Since joining the MIT faculty in 1962, Strang has thrived. He has contributed to finite element theory, the calculus of variations, wavelet analysis and linear algebra, and has written 11 books and monographs.

His scholarly work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and the Haimo Prize and Chauvenet Prize from the Mathematical Association of America.

In addition, he has served as president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Strang was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1957, and a National Science Foundation Fellow at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he received a doctorate in 1959.

His virtual return to the UT campus is sponsored by Delta X and Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society at the University.

In 1986, Strang gave a talk when Pi Mu Epsilon celebrated its 50th anniversary at UT.

For more information on Strang’s online talk, contact Dr. Ivie Stein, UT associate professor of mathematics, at ivie.stein@utoledo.edu or 419.530.2994.

The city of Toledo ranks fourth in the nation for sex trafficking arrests and prosecutions among those U.S. cities with Innocence Lost Task Forces.

Williamson

Dr. Celia Williamson, a professor in the Social Work Department at The University of Toledo, will deliver an informative seminar about this issue 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 2 in the Driscoll Alumni Center Schmakel Room at The University of Toledo.

“I think it is the human rights issue of our generation,” Williamson said. “It is a community problem, and the community needs to be involved and active in the effort to end human trafficking.”

Williamson is a nationally known expert and has presented at several international conferences on the topic.

Her presentation titled “Improving the Human Condition: Responding to Human Trafficking” will focus on human trafficking with particular attention to domestic minor sex trafficking.

She founded the Second Chance program in Lucas County in 1993, the oldest program in the state that works with prostituted women and trafficked youth.

Williamson will give information about human trafficking around the world, in the United States, in Ohio and in Toledo.

“The mission of The University of Toledo is to improve the human condition, and I think everyone should be informed and know what suspicious activity to look for and how to report it,” Williamson said.

Tickets will be available for $5 with pre-registration or $6 at the door.

Reservations can be made by contacting the Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2586 or by registering at toledoalumni.org.