The U.S. Department of Energy awarded The University of Toledo a nearly $2.4 million grant to find a faster, cleaner process to produce fuel using algae without needing to add concentrated carbon dioxide.

Dr. Sridhar Viamajala, UT associate professor of chemical engineering, said this three-year project to help algal fuels replace fossil fuels is a continuation of his previous work in partnership with Montana State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Arizona State University.

Dr. Sridhar Viamajala

“We are trying to speed up the growth of algae by providing a very high pH environment that allows algae to take up carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere more efficiently and prevent unwanted contamination,” Viamajala said. “Since it grows in water, algae doesn’t have as much carbon dioxide available. We are trying to improve the cleaner fuel potential.”

The project to create a comprehensive strategy for stable, high-productivity cultivation of microalgae with controllable biomass composition also includes genetic testing.

“This funding puts northwest Ohio at the forefront of a national effort to create new technologies and methods for biofuels,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. “These types of programs can lead to breakthroughs that will create American jobs and enhance our energy security, which is why I remain committed to renewable energy and advanced research from my role overseeing Department of Energy funding on the Appropriations Committee. Congratulations to the researchers at The University of Toledo for receiving this award.”

The research is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Office of Bioenergy Technology.

UT’s grant is part of about $8.8 million recently announced by the U.S. Department of Energy for projects that will deliver high-impact tools and techniques for increasing the productivity of algae organisms in order to reduce the costs of producing algal biofuels and bioproducts.

A nationally known expert on immigration law is presenting a lecture at The University of Toledo next week titled “Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases in the Wake of the Trump Administration.”

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, the Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and Clinical Professor of Law at the Pennsylvania State University School of Law, will present the annual Cannon Lecture at noon on Monday, Sept. 11 in the UT Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

“This is a timely topic from a recognized national expert,” Geoffrey Rapp, associate dean for academic affairs in the UT College of Law, said.  “With a focus on the role of individual decision makers in immigration enforcement, it’s a perfect fit for this year’s Cannon Lecture.”

This free, public lecture is part of the Cannon Lecture Series, which was established in 1980 to honor former Toledo attorney Joseph A. Cannon.  The series hosts nationally known individuals who explore both the humanistic dimensions and limitations of the U.S. legal system.  Food and beverages will be provided.

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia

Wadhia published her New York University Press book, “Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases,” in 2015. Her book traces the role of prosecutorial discretion from the case of the Beatles front man John Lennon to the challenges of enforcing immigration policy in the post 9/11 era and during the Obama administration.

Her work also has been published in leading journals, including Emory Law Journal, Texas Law Review, and Columbia Journal of Race and Law. Additionally, her work has been cited by federal courts, and she has appeared in popular media, including MSNBC, C-SPAN, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Prior to entering teaching, Wadhia served as deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy organization that provided advice to government officials and the public on topics including immigration reform and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

At the Pennsylvania State University School of Law, Wadhia teaches asylum and refugee law as well as immigration law. She also serves as the founder and director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, working with law students in the clinical immigration law setting.

She received a bachelor of arts degree from Indiana University and her law degree from Georgetown University.

The University of Toledo is the best four-year college in Ohio in a new ranking that focuses on affordability, flexibility and student services.

Schools.com, an online source for education information, compiled the list using data from the National Center for Education Statistics to evaluate colleges and universities across the state.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as the best school in the state for our success serving students with a high-quality education at an exceptional value. No matter what you want to study, you can find it here,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “We are committed to helping students succeed.”

According to Schools.com, UT is No. 1 because the University “emerged from our analysis as the best one overall and also one of the best online colleges in Ohio. The University of Toledo ranked No. 2 in the state for its number of degrees offered via distance education — 46 of them, to be precise — and reported a healthy 36 percent of students enrolled in at least some online coursework. One of the larger schools on our list, UT also provided its students with a No. 4-ranked selection of degrees available on campus.”

Schools.com listed financial aid as a “bright spot” for UT. According to the organization, “Only three other schools in the state provided their students with a greater proportion of institutional grant aid relative to average tuition and fees costs than UT.”

The average debt of graduates also was a factor. A recent analysis of student loan debt by LendEDU revealed UT graduates have the lowest student loan debt among the state’s public colleges. The average student loan debt per borrower for UT’s class of 2016 was $24,437, which ranks the University the best among Ohio’s public colleges and universities.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017
Radisson Hotel, 3100 Restaurant
8 a.m. Board of Trustees Social Breakfast

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Board Room
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Social Dinner

Monday, Sept. 18, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Schmakel Room
12:30 p.m. Clinical Affairs Committee Meeting
1 p.m. Academic and Student Affairs Committee Meeting
1:15 p.m. Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
1:30 p.m. Trusteeship and Governance Committee Meeting
1:45 Board of Trustees Meeting
A luncheon for the trustees will be held at noon in the Driscoll Alumni Center Board Room.

Any questions may be directed to the Office of University Communications by calling 419.530.2410 or via email at meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.

A new Drinking Water Research Laboratory at The University of Toledo will allow local municipalities to quickly and easily test the safety of the public water supply.

A $500,000 grant from the State of Ohio Community Capital Program provided the state-of-the-art technology and renovations for the laboratory in the UT College of Engineering.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 in North Engineering Room 1600 with UT researchers joined by elected officials and community partners.

The lab’s new liquid chromatography mass spectrometer system and new flow cytometer will be used to detect various cyanotoxins, such as microcystin from the toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie, and assimilable organic carbon, which is used by harmful microorganisms, to ensure the contaminants are not present in drinking water.

The dedicated lab focused exclusively on drinking water research eliminates concerns of cross contamination from other samples to allow very low detection limits for improved testing accuracy.

“Water treatment plants in Ohio face new challenges from a host of emerging algal toxins, as well as contaminants from other emerging micropollutants, such as pharmaceutical products or microplastics, in their source waters,” said Dr. Youngwoo Seo, associate professor in UT’s civil and environmental engineering and chemical engineering departments. “By engaging with the lab, the municipalities can get early warning signs of new and emerging algal toxins, as well as quantification of existing toxins during cases of concern.”

“Many water utilities have difficulties in continuously analyzing samples due to high costs and limited time. They will now have access to the lab on a regular basis for monitoring contaminants in treated water, as well as samples from different points in the treatment process,” said Dr. Joseph G. Lawrence, UT research professor and director of the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization. “A water utility could, for example, send water samples every week during the algal bloom to track the concentration of toxins in source water and treated water so that they can make informed decisions on the type of treatment.”

Water quality is a major research focus at UT. With $12.5 million in active grants underway, UT experts are studying algal blooms, invasive species such as Asian carp, and pollutants. Researchers are looking for pathways to restore our greatest natural resource for future generations to ensure our communities continue to have access to safe drinking water.

The American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, assisted by The University of Toledo Student Government and Blue Key, will be collecting donations at the UT football game on Thursday, Aug. 31 in support of the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Texas.

“Our thoughts and concerns are with the people affected by Hurricane Harvey,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Mike O’Brien. “With the support of the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, along with the UT Student Government and Blue Key, we will help the relief efforts in any way possible. We know our fans will make a difference in this endeavor.”

As the gates open at 5:30 p.m. inside the Glass Bowl, volunteers will be collecting cash or checks to assist those who have been affected by the storm. All checks are made payable to: American Red Cross.

There also are additional ways to support the relief efforts. Rocket fans can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. In addition, fans also are encouraged to visit redcross.org to donate online.

“On behalf of the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, I would like to thank the Toledo Athletic Department, the UT Student Government and Blue Key,” said Rachel Hepner-Zowdony, executive director of the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio. “We appreciate their support along with all of the communities throughout Northwest Ohio during this relief effort.”

A team from The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center will participate in a multi-agency project next week to assess the ability to target and capture grass carp, a type of invasive Asian carp reproducing in the Sandusky River, a Great Lakes tributary that flows into Lake Erie.

Crews will use electrofishing boats and a variety of nets during the two-day sampling expedition, which is led by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

Media are invited Tuesday, Aug. 29 and Wednesday, Aug. 30 to view the sampling exercise along the Sandusky River near Fremont.

The UT crew includes Nicole King, aquatic ecology research technician working with faculty at the Lake Erie Center and UT Department of Environmental Sciences.

In addition to ODNR and UT, participating agencies include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Geological Survey and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

This action will occur in conjunction with aquatic invasive species sampling in Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The goal of the project is to work with cooperating agencies to develop best practices to capture grass carp. It is in preparation for a large-scale, planned response in 2018.

A UT graduate student was the first researcher to find direct proof of grass carp spawning in a Great Lakes tributary. Holly Embke collected grass carp eggs in the summer of 2015 in the Sandusky River between Fremont, Ohio, and Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay after a period of heavy rains.

Contact John Windau with ODNR at 614.265.6325 to coordinate a time and location since the locations will vary throughout the course of the project. Christine Billau with UT communications also can be reached at 312.805.3001.

The University of Toledo President Sharon L. Gaber will roll up her sleeves to help students unpack their belongings and move into their on-campus residence hall 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25 at Carter Hall.

She will be joined by Dr. Andrew Hsu, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Phillip “Flapp” Cockrell, interim vice president for student affairs.

It is the third year of the tradition started by Gaber when she joined the University.

Fall classes at UT begin Monday, Aug. 28.

The National Science Foundation awarded The University of Toledo a nearly $1 million federal grant to continue, expand and further evaluate its successful, innovative program that engages teachers and parents in supporting a young child’s natural curiosity through interactive, inquiry-based science lessons.

The University’s NURTURES Early Childhood Science program, which aims to improve the science readiness scores of preschool through third grade students in the Toledo area, was originally supported with a $10 million, five-year NSF grant. The new $991,081 grant is part of a total of $2.25 million in federal funding for the second phase of the program that extends it through 2021.

NURTURES, which stands for Networking Urban Resources with Teachers and University to enRich Early Childhood Science, is a professional development program and collaboration between UT, local daycare centers and nursery schools, Toledo Public Schools, informal science centers and other community resources to create a complementary, integrated system of science education.

Project participants in the second phase of the project will include 120 teachers, 2,400 preschool through third grade children, and more than 7,200 family members in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

“We are pleased to receive additional funding from the National Science Foundation for the NURTURES program,” said Dr. Charlene Czerniak, professor emeritus of science education and research professor in the UT College of Engineering. “Building on our previous success, we will simultaneously target early childhood teachers, families and children to create a broad support system for powerful and effective science teaching and learning. This program will help close the gaps in science, mathematics, reading and literacy for young children.”

During the first phase of the NURTURES program, 330 teachers of preschool through third grade and administrators participated in a total of 544 hours of professional development in the teaching of science inquiry and engineering design for early childhood classrooms.

According to research published recently in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, every year that a student has a NURTURES program teacher adds on average 8.6 points to a student’s early literacy standardized test score compared to control students, 17 points to a student’s mathematics score and 41.4 points to a student’s reading score.

The program includes five primary components:

• A two-week summer institute for preschool through third grade teachers in which they have access to both scientists and instructional coaches;
• Academic year professional development, including monthly professional learning community meetings and one-on-one coaching;
• Family science activity packets sent home from school four times a year that each include a newsletter with directions for the investigation, necessary materials for the activity and a journal sheet for children to record data or visually represent understanding;
• Family community science events, such as engineering challenge simulations, and observations and demonstrations at a park, zoo, science center, library or farm; and
• Public service broadcasts on television that promote family science activities.

According to the National Science Foundation, an important facet of this follow-up project is the research effort to understand how each component impacts student learning. Project leaders plan to use control groups and standardized tests to measure the effect of teacher professional development compared to family engagement activities.

“What a tremendous opportunity for the young children, their families and teachers in our region to participate in a project that will enhance their understanding of science and the natural world around them,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. “It is so important for the project team at The University of Toledo to continue to study the impact that family engagement has on a young child’s education. We know that spending time reading to child exposes them to 1.8 million words a year. What other things could families be exposing to their children to set them on a pathway for success in life? The NURTURES project at The University of Toledo aims to find that out.”

The additional grant award comes one week after the American Association of State Colleges and Universities honored UT with its Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education in recognition of the NURTURES program.

Czerniak oversaw the development of the NURTURES program along with Dr. Joan Kaderavek, professor of early childhood, physical and special education in the UT Judith Herb College of Education; Dr. Susanna Hapgood, associate professor in the UT Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Judith Herb College of Education; and Dr. Scott Molitor, associate professor in the UT Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering.

The University of Toledo graduates have the lowest student loan debt among the state’s public colleges, according to a recent analysis of student debt by LendEDU.

The average student debt per borrower for UT’s class of 2016 was $24,437, which ranks the University the best among Ohio’s public colleges and universities. In the nation, UT was named 121 in the list of best public colleges for lowest student loan debt.

UT also has the lowest per credit hour undergraduate tuition and fees of any Ohio research university and the third lowest of any major public university in the state.

“Keeping a University of Toledo education affordable is a commitment we have made to our students and their families, and this study confirms we are keeping that promise,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “When you consider the positive impact a UT degree has on a graduate’s social and income mobility, we are delivering an exceptional value to our students.”

LendEDU, which helps students with loans, loan refinancing and personal finance, used data collected from the annual Peterson’s financial aid survey in which there were responses from 1,161 institutions to evaluate student loan debt.

Ohio ranked 16th overall for its college students’ debt load, which averages $29,579.