The 15th annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair will take place 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11 in Savage Arena at The University of Toledo.

UToledo teams up with the American Red Cross and the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission to pay tribute to area veterans and active service members for the sacrifices they have made for their country.

Dr. Mike Toole, dean of the UToledo College of Engineering, will speak at the event on behalf of the University.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to thank the men and women who have served and are serving the United States in the armed forces,” Toole said. “This event is a way for our community members to come together to express gratitude and show respect to these dedicated individuals.”

First Sgt. Nathan Wishard of the U.S. Army will give the keynote address. A native of York, Penn., Wishard enlisted in the Army in 2003. He attended basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and completed advanced individual training in the military occupational specialty of Apache helicopter armament/electrical/avionic systems repair at Fort Eustis, Va.

First Sgt. Nathan Wishard

Wishard’s deployments include Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, where he served with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Attach Reconnaissance Battalion, Wolfpack. Currently, he is serving in the Toledo Recruiting Company within the Cleveland Battalion.

His awards and decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal 5th Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal 17th Oak Leaf Cluster, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal 3rd Knot.

In addition to the free breakfast, local veterans and members of the military and their families will have access to more than 30 military-friendly community resources.

The program also will feature entertainment by the UToledo Jazz Ensemble and fourth-graders from Waterville Primary School, as well as a historical military vehicle display.

Members of the Rossford High School S.O.S. (Serving Our Soldiers) Club will greet and assist veterans through the breakfast line.

Free parking will be available in lots 3, 5 and 6 near Savage Arena.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded The University of Toledo $5.7 million for two solar energy technology research projects.

Both projects involve the University collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and First Solar, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar cells and a company that originated in UToledo laboratories.

It’s part of $128 million in grant funding the federal agency announced today it is awarding to 75 research projects across the country to advance solar technologies that will lower solar electricity costs while working to boost solar manufacturing, reduce red tape, and make solar systems more resilient to cyberattacks.

Media are invited to a news conference 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6 in the UToledo Research and Technology Complex Room 1010. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Dr. Frank Calzonetti, UToledo vice president of research, will speak at the event.

The total federal funding awarded to northern Ohio today is $11 million with the addition of $3 million to Eaton Corporation near Cleveland. Representatives from Eaton are scheduled to attend the news conference at UToledo.

“Advancing global leadership in solar energy technology continues to be a critical focus of the University, and we are proud of the incredible progress and determination of our researchers,” Calzonetti said. “In the last few months alone, nearly $14 million in competitive federal funding has now been awarded to faculty and students working on cutting-edge solar technology in the UToledo Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization. Providing a strong research underpinning of our region’s solar energy industry is central to our mission.”

“Investments from the Department of Energy are yielding real results for ensuring a competitive 21^st century solar industry right here in Northern Ohio,” Kaptur said. “Today’s competitively awarded grants highlight and support Northern Ohio’s important role in the research and development of solar technology. Solar technology will be a monumental part of our economic and clean energy future, not only as a region, but as a nation and as a planet. Innovative institutions including The University of Toledo and Eaton Corporation, both of which are national leaders in photovoltaics research, are moving the ball forward. As the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, I will continue to prioritize Department of Energy programs that fund these important programs and grant opportunities.”

Building on its more than 30-year history advancing solar technology to power the world using clean energy, UToledo is pushing the performance of solar cells to levels never before reached.

The Department of Energy awarded UToledo $4.5 million to develop the next-generation solar panel by bringing a new, ultra-high efficiency material the consumer market.

As part of the project, UToledo will work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and First Solar to develop industrially relevant methods for both the fabrication and performance prediction of low-cost, efficient and stable perovskite thin-film PV modules.

Perovskites are compound materials with a special crystal structure formed through chemistry.

Dr. Yanfa Yan, UToledo professor of physics and leader of the project, has had great success in the lab drawing record levels of power from the same amount of sunlight by using two perovskites on top of each other that use two different parts of the sun’s spectrum on very thin, flexible supporting material.

Yan’s efforts have increased the efficiency of the new solar cell to about 23 percent.

“We are producing higher-efficiency, lower-cost solar cells that show great promise to help solve the world energy crisis,” Yan said. “The meaningful work will help protect our planet for our children and future generations.”

The Department of Energy also announced an award of $3.5 million to Colorado State University to work with UToledo, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, First Solar and the University of Illinois at Chicago on a project to improve the voltage produced by cadmium-telluride-based solar cells. The amount of the award in this project going to The University of Toledo is approximately $1.2 million. UToledo’s leader on this project is Dr. Michael Heben, UToledo professor of physics and McMaster endowed chair.

The grants come after the Department of Energy selected UToledo to host National Lab Day, which last month connected students and researchers with preeminent scientists from world-class facilities across the country to explore opportunities for additional partnerships.

This summer the U.S. Air Force awarded UToledo physicists $7.4 million to develop solar technology that is lightweight, flexible, highly efficient and durable in space so it can provide power for space vehicles using sunlight.

The U.S. Department of Energy also recently awarded UToledo physicists $750,000 to improve the production of hydrogen as fuel, using clean energy – solar power – to split the water molecule and create clean energy – hydrogen fuel.

Toledo’s Lake Erie Bill of Rights will take center stage during the 19th annual Great Lakes Water Conference at The University of Toledo College of Law.

Approved by voters in February and challenged by a lawsuit in federal court, the new “rights of nature” ordinance that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the lake to address pollution has attracted national and international attention.

The conference, which is sponsored by the College of Law and its Legal Institute of the Great Lakes, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 in the Law Center McQuade Auditorium.

“Three panels of experts will be tackling issues of local, regional, national and international import,” said Ken Kilbert, UToledo professor of law and director of the Legal Institute of the Great Lakes. “Law and policy are key to the solutions.”

The keynote speaker at 8:45 a.m. will be Carrie Sowden, archaeological director of the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

The first panel, which will debate the city of Toledo’s Lake Erie Bill of Rights, starts at 9:15 a.m. Kilbert will serve as moderator with speakers Jason Hill, court administrator for the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals, who teaches election law; Terry Lodge, a Toledo attorney who specializes in environmental and energy issues and supports the ordinance; and Louis Tosi, attorney with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick in Toledo who serves as chair of the firm’s Environmental Practice Group.

The other two panels will explore water quality problems posed by PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals, a proposed rule affecting the reach of the federal Clean Water Act, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s new H2Ohio initiative, and a proposed new diversion of Great Lakes water.

The one-day conference is free and open to the public. Registration is $75 for attorneys seeking 4.5 hours of Ohio Continuing Legal Education credit.

For more information about the conference, visit the College of Law website at utoledo.edu/law/academics/ligl/conferences.

From hackers to cyberbullies, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting technology-hungry teenagers.

To combat the growing problem, the National Science Foundation awarded The University of Toledo College of Engineering a three-year, $267,742 grant to teach local high school students about the risks and threats associated with smartphones, tablets and other technology, as well as provide cybersecurity training to encourage careers in computer science and cybersecurity.

Dr. Ahmad Javaid

“The cybersecurity landscape is changing fast, and due to the ubiquitous information on the internet, the enemies of the state are more dangerous and advanced than ever,” said Dr. Ahmad Javaid, assistant professor in the UToledo Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, director of the Paul A. Hotmer Cybersecurity and Teaming Research Lab, and project leader. “We need to train the future workforce to prepare them for what’s to come and protect the nation.”

The plan calls for a summer camp setting and using interactive, animated visualizations to help students understand cybersecurity threats, defense and prevention mechanisms.

If the project aimed at creating a safer cyber environment is successful locally, the new high school cybersecurity curriculum could be adopted nationwide.

UToledo is collaborating with Purdue University Northwest (PNW) on the research. The NSF awarded PNW about $230,000, bringing the total funding for the project to nearly half a million dollars.

Surging 43 spots in one year, The University of Toledo has been recognized again as a top school for supporting student veterans.

The Military Times awarded UToledo the Best for Vets 2020 designation, ranking UToledo No. 80 out of 134 four-year institutions. The University was ranked 123 out of 208 in 2019.

“The University of Toledo Military Service Center is honored to help our service men and women succeed, and the Military Times: Best for Vets designation recognizes our steadfast commitment,” said Eric Buetikofer, UToledo director of military and veteran affairs. “We have worked hard over the last year in adding new programming that, we feel, has improved our students’ sense of connection to the University and UToledo community.”

For 10 years, Military Times has conducted an extensive, editorially independent, objective study evaluating the many factors that help make colleges and universities a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families.

“The University has made great strides over the last year to improve our ability to track military-connected students, which has allowed us to communicate more effectively with our student population and work with them as they progress towards graduation and beyond,” Buetikofer said. “This increase in rankings is a reflection of the team effort led by University College, including the Military Service Center staff and student workers.”

The rankings are based on the results of Military Times’ annual survey — a school-by-school assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement — as well as a detailed review of public data collected by federal agencies.

Military Times’ annual survey asks colleges and universities to disclose academic outcome and input data; describe many aspects of veteran culture on campus; and document a wide array of services, policies, accommodations and financial incentives offered to students with military ties. Military Times also factors in data from the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, as well as three Education Department sources: the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Center, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database.

See the 2020 Best for Vets list on Military Times’ website at militarytimes.com/education-transition/2019/10/28/best-for-vets-top-colleges-2020.

“I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent,” according to St. Paul in the Bible (1 Timothy 2:12).

In the modern age, this thousand-year-old scripture is being challenged in many Christian denominations.

The University of Toledo Annual Murray/Bacik Lecture in Catholic Studies will tackle this question. The presentation titled “Should Catholics Have Women Priests?” will take place 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6 in the Law Center McQuade Auditorium.

Dr. Peter Feldmeier, the Murray/Bacik Professor of Catholic Studies at the University, will be the speaker.

“My hope is that people coming to the lecture become informed on the complexity of the issue, its arguments for and against, and perhaps even come to their own conclusions,” Feldmeier said. “While it is something of an in-house debate in Catholicism, it ought not to be imagined as merely a Catholic issue.”

It also is a cultural issue: Should feminism as it is being advanced in the larger culture be advanced in religion?

Feldmeier said he and Dr. Yonatan Miller, director of the UToledo Center for Religious Understanding and assistant professor of religious studies, pondered the Catholic Church’s investigation on the possibility of ordaining women as deacons. The conversation moved to the priesthood itself and how Catholicism has responded to the challenge — or failed to respond.

Presented by the UToledo Center for Religious Understanding, the free, public lecture will be followed by a dessert reception.

The number of graduates from The University of Toledo College of Law who passed the July bar exam in Ohio on the first try is well above the state average.

It’s also UToledo’s highest result for first-time takers on the summer exam in a decade.

The newly released data shows the first-time passage rate for UToledo law graduates taking the bar exam is 89%, up from 84% in July 2018. The state average in Ohio this year is 82%.

“I am very proud of our graduates for their success on the bar exam,” said College of Law Dean D. Benjamin Barros. “We have done a lot of work at the College of Law over the past several years to help our graduates succeed on the bar exam.  At the end of the day, though, it is the graduates who do the hard work needed to pass the exam, and this result is the payoff for their efforts.”

The UToledo College of Law is committed to preparing students for a successful career with programming and partnerships dedicated to bar passage.

In the last few years, the college aligned its curriculum to bar-tested subjects, developed a first-year support program, expanded its third-year bar prep course, and implemented a legal analysis course and academic success contracts.

The UToledo College of Law also created the position of director of academic success and bar preparation, designed to prepare both third-year students and graduates for the bar exam. Through post-graduation mentoring, every law graduate is paired with a faculty mentor to provide support during bar exam study.

Plus, the UToledo College of Law partnered with BARBRI, a company headquartered in Texas, to offer students access to its comprehensive bar review course with flexible classroom, online and mobile learning environments.

Five local startups will present their business ideas at the eighth annual Pitch & Pour competition sponsored by The University of Toledo’s Launchpad Incubation program.

A Wi-Fi-enabled sump pump controller, a speech-therapy device to help children pronounce the “r” sound, and a system to protect Lake Erie from pollution are among the innovations vying for the $10,000 grand prize at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 in the Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex.

Teams have five minutes to pitch their business concepts to the top investors, venture capitalists, professors and business leaders in the area. Second place wins $5,000, and third place wins $2,500.

Attendees must pre-register for the free, public event at the Pitch & Pour website.

“Pitch & Pour has been a staple event for the entrepreneurial community for the past seven years, and we feel that this year’s competitors have a lot of potential for growth and success,” Brian Genide, director of incubation and venture development at UToledo, said. “We continue to work with the competitors and applicants once the event has ended. We act as advisors to ensure our entrepreneurs meet the growth milestones necessary for success.”

The 2019 Pitch & Pour teams are:

• Bite-R, a speech therapy device designed to help children produce the “r” sound. This device has been shown to reduce the time spent in speech therapy – saving schools money and improving children’s lives.
• Jaberu Sump Pump Controller, a Wi-Fi-enabled sump pump controller with a mobile app interface. The device can monitor and regulate multiple pumps, provide notifications of long cycles, and alert for high water levels and power failure.
• PedoEndo Dental Innovation, a multi-sensor, hand-held dental probe that determines the health of a tooth without the need for verbal feedback from a patient.
• Pelham Precious Metals, a disruptive antimicrobial, anti-odor, anti-infective and anti-HAI (healthcare-associated infection) coating for textiles. The coating adds protection to fabrics without interfering with the functionality of underlying coatings, such as fire retardants, wicking layers, water repellants and fabric softeners.
• cHorizon, a three-tier system that measures, controls and extracts nutrients from a farm’s water run-off before it makes its way to Lake Erie. It helps farmers monitor and manage soil and water resources to ensure the supply of clean water, improve soil health, build regenerative practices, and maximize profit within agricultural and hothouse industries.

This year’s judges are all UToledo alumni and active entrepreneurs in Ohio and Indiana. They are:

• Tony Pietrocola, president of Agile1, investor and board member with Metisentry;
• Jason Daniels, president and CEO of JAYRAMON LLC;
• Tracy Momany, vice president of plastic technologies at Guardian Medical USA and director of medical operations at Plastic Technologies Inc.;
• Doug Rammel, president and founder of Abstract Reality Ventures and Social Net Watcher, and founding partner/investor of Didgebridge; and
• Akib Amin, 2018 Pitch & Pour Winner and founder of GAFFL.

Pitch & Pour competitors are invited to join UToledo’s Launchpad Incubation Program, which works to bolster innovation in northwest Ohio by providing access to capital, resources and expertise focused on enhancing community collaboration and communication for entrepreneurial development.

Launchpad Incubation at UToledo is one of northwest Ohio’s leading business start-up and entrepreneurial assistance programs for innovative and high-tech concepts.  Launchpad specializes in concept advancement for new ventures and works with entrepreneurs to create profitable businesses for the region and beyond. Launchpad provides access to capital, business development resources and expertise focused on enhancing community collaboration and communication for entrepreneurial development.

The University of Toledo alumni, faculty and staff members, students, and friends will come together Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 15 and 16, to support the University’s third annual Day of Giving.

The 36-hour campaign, “Rocket Forward: You Launch Lives,” will begin at midnight Oct. 15 and end at noon Oct. 16.

“Our Day of Giving offers Rockets everywhere a chance to make a real impact on our students, research and critical programs,” UToledo President Sharon L. Gaber said. “Each year, the generosity of our alumni and supporters worldwide helps fuel the success of so many determined people in our community. We’re thrilled to see that positive energy and momentum continue this year.”

The Day of Giving Fall Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 on Centennial Mall. The event features a dog-petting station, corn hole games, a basketball contest, pie in the face, wax hands, pumpkin bowling and pumpkin golf. Participants can donate dollars for game tokens, and donations may be made with cash and credit cards.

Giving stations will be set up across Main Campus and Health Science Campus. Donations also can be made at utfoundation.org/rocketforward.

You can designate a gift to any of the more than 2,000 University of Toledo Foundation funds, supporting specific causes and programs that you are passionate about. Every donor and every dollar will make a difference in support of scholarships, athletic and educational programs, research, healthcare, and community services.

Last year, the campaign raised $717,375 from 3,156 donors — including many students and first-time supporters.

Lightweight materials are critical for advancing the energy efficiency and range of electric vehicles.

The University of Toledo and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee signed a memorandum of understanding to team up for collaborative research into the advanced design and manufacturing of lightweight, strong, intelligent materials for the automotive industry.

The partnership will play a key role in developing new processes to produce alloys and metals, as well as enhance northwest Ohio’s leadership in research, innovation, development and production in the automotive industry.

Frank Calzonetti, UToledo vice president of research (left), and Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for energy and environmental sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, sign the memorandum of understanding.

“We are proud to collaborate with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on this critical research to drive the next generation of automotive manufacturing,” said Dr. Mike Toole, dean of the UToledo College of Engineering. “Our partnership teaming innovative mechanical engineers at UToledo with some of the country’s preeminent scientists will focus on finding solutions to ensure the U.S. remains a global leader. The research will have spillover from the national level to the regional level.”

The researchers plan to engage with the automotive industry in Ohio and Michigan as they combine ORNL’s expertise and capabilities in manufacturing, carbon fiber and composites, machining, energy storage and metrology with UToledo’s expertise in manufacturing system modeling, metals engineering and assembly systems.

“This partnership will develop technological solutions to enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. automotive manufacturing sector,” said Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for Energy and Environmental Sciences at ORNL. “ORNL is looking forward to providing access to its research facilities, along with expertise and guidance in advanced materials and manufacturing to the University in this valuable partnership.”

The collaboration will focus on monitoring and control systems for metal forming processes; optimizing joining techniques for high-strength materials such as steel, aluminum and composites; and exploring the combination of new materials such as shape-memory alloys with additive manufacturing to create strong, resilient, active structures for vehicle applications.

ORNL provides researchers with sophisticated equipment and unique facilities to solve some of the nation’s most compelling challenges. As the largest DOE open science laboratory, ORNL’s mission is to deliver scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs that will accelerate the development and deployment of solutions in clean energy and global security while creating economic opportunities for the nation.

Representatives from The University of Toledo and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee team up for collaborative automotive materials research.

The University of Toledo also is a member of another organization that closely interacts with the U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), which includes more than 100 Ph.D.-granting institutions as its members. ORAU works with the U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies in providing scientific and technical solutions to a wide range of topics as well as supporting science education and workforce development.

Later this week, UToledo will host for the first time National Lab Day to connect students and researchers with scientists from DOE national laboratories across the country and explore opportunities for additional partnerships.

The event to enhance northwest Ohio’s collaborations to make discoveries, find innovative solutions and create groundbreaking technology is Thursday and Friday, Oct. 10 and 11 on the University’s Main Campus.

Media are invited to the kick-off ceremony at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 in Nitschke Auditorium featuring UToledo President Sharon L. Gaber, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Chris Fall, director of DOE’s Office of Science.