The University of Toledo will honor the courage, commitment and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans and their families next week by hosting the annual Toledo community Veterans Day celebration on Monday and continuing with events every day as part of the national Joining Forces initiative.

The eighth annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair will be held at 8-11:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12 at The University of Toledo’s Savage Arena and Veterans’ Plaza to offer an opportunity for camaraderie, education and remembrance.

Doors open for the event at 8 a.m. with breakfast at 8:45 a.m. in Savage Arena. Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak, Toledo Mayor Mike Bell and State Rep. Teresa Fedor are scheduled to deliver brief remarks. Air Force Col. Steven S. Nordhaus, commander of the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, located at Toledo Express Airport, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

The celebration will continue with a ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Veterans’ Plaza located near Memorial Field House on Main Campus. Transportation will be provided from Savage Arena to the Veterans’ Plaza starting at 10:30 a.m. UT student and Army combat veteran Robert Roether will offer opening remarks and UT Army ROTC Battalion Commander Joshua Fletcher will speak. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Steven Kosinski is scheduled to lead the remembrance ceremony to include bagpipers, a joint services honor guard, Marine League rifle volley and taps.

“The University of Toledo has created a site where remembering can take place and where the deeds of our service men and women can be celebrated and remembered,” said Army veteran Vern Snyder, UT vice president for institutional advancement. “Most importantly, this location can serve as a reminder to generations of students of the price some have paid for the freedoms they enjoy.”

The University is continuing its recognition of the men and women who proudly wore the cloth of our nation and answered the call to service with a weeklong series of events tied to the national Joining Forces imitative championed by first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. UT’s events aim to bring awareness to the sacrifices and challenges faced by veterans and how UT is working to help in their transition.

“The University of Toledo is committed to honoring the sacrifices of our veterans and their families,” said Haraz N. Ghanbari, a Navy veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the University’s military and media liaison. “I encourage our students, staff and faculty as well as members of the community to engage with our veteran population and attend the events we’ve planned.”

Listed by date, the free, public events are:

• Tuesday,Nov. 13 — Dr. Marijo Tamburrino, professor of psychiatry and chair of the Department of Psychiatry, will discuss some of the preliminary findings she and her colleagues have discovered in a long-term survey of risk and resiliency and post-traumatic stress disorder among Ohio Army National Guard service members who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the forum at 10:30 a.m. in Collier Building Room 1210 on Health Science Campus.
• Wednesday, Nov. 14 — Leaders from The University of Toledo and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will give a tour of the UT Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center at 11 a.m. on the lower level of the Collier Building. The UT and Wright-Patterson partnership will highlight the use of science and research to study the biomarkers for health concerns such as fatigue and stress, improving human performance, strengthening casualty care and more.
• Thursday, Nov. 15 — “Joining Forces in Teaching for Better Care of Veterans,” a panel discussion along with a question-and-answer session featuring Tamburrino, Dr. Thomas Sodeman, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, and second-year medical student and U.S. Army veteran Robert Roether, is scheduled from noon to 12:30 p.m. in Collier Building Room 1230. The panel discussion will focus on how UT’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences is exploring a change in curriculum to enhance the education of students in relation to veterans. Learn how training future physicians to ask a few simple questions could help better meet the physical and emotional needs of veterans and their families.
• Friday, Nov. 16 — The University of Toledo’s Military Service Center, the main point of contact for students, staff and faculty veterans or those who are still serving, will hold an open house from 1-2:30 p.m. in Rocket Hall Room1529. Stop by to meet the staff, including VA certifying official Cheryl Karnikowski; representatives from the Toledo VET Center, one of eight centers in Ohio that provides a broad range of counseling, outreach and referral services to eligible veterans in order to help them make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life; and Brittany Powers, a social worker from the Department of Veterans Affairs, who regularly meets with student veterans to talk about resources, including VA health care and the new Toledo CommunityBased Outpatient Clinic located on the Health Science Campus.

For more information on the national Joining Forces initiative visit www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 9, 2012)
The Blade (Nov. 12, 2012)
The Independent Collegian (Nov. 12, 2012)
The Blade (Nov. 13, 2012)
13 ABC, WTOL 11 and WNWO (Nov. 19, 2012)

Pennings and Elvis

Do dogs know calculus? It’s a question mathematician Dr. Tim Pennings would ponder whenever he would play catch with his dog since a typical calculus problem involves finding the optimal path from one place to another while traversing two different mediums involving variable speeds.

“A standard calculus problem is to find the quickest path from a point on shore to a point in the lake, given that running speed is greater than swimming speed,” Pennings said. “Elvis has never had a calculus course. But when we play fetch at Lake Michigan, he appears to choose pathsclose to the calculus answer.”

Pennings will bring his Welsh corgi, Elvis, to The University of Toledo to discuss “Do Dogs Know Calculus?” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Memorial Field House Room 2100.

Pennings will reveal what was found when Elvis’ ability was put to the test and Elvis will be on hand to field follow-up questions — and a few tennis balls.

You can catch a sneak peek of Elvis on “Nova Science Now” on PBS Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 10 p.m. when the calculating canine is scheduled to be featured. Elvis also has appeared on the BBC, NPR and FOX.

The free, public talk is sponsored by the UT College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the UT Mathematics and Statistics Department, Monroe County Community College, and the Pi Mu Epsilon National MathematicsHonor Society, the Ohio Gamma Chapter, which will hold its annual inductionceremony at the start of the event.

“Anyone who is interested in math is welcome to attend,” said Dr. Ivie Stein Jr., UT associate professor of mathematics. “It will be a fun and interesting evening.”

Click here to download a photo of Pennings and Elvis.

For more information on the talk, contact Stein at ivie.stein@utoledo.edu or 419.530.2994.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 13, 2012)

After her father witnessed a drowning when he was young, Wanda Butts was raised with no exposure to swimming and in turn raised her son the same way.

When her 16-year-old son drowned in 2006, Butts knew she didn’t want another mother to experience the pain she felt, so she started the Josh Project. This organization, named after her son, has taught more than 1,200 children and adults how to swim.

“I believe that swimming is a basic life skill,” Butts said. “The younger one can begin learning this skill, the better.”

In five years, the project has grown, and more children join every day. Since May, the Josh Project has been housed on the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation in The University of Toledo Minority Business Development Center, which helps small minority businesses reach their potential.

Now Butts has a chance to be recognized nationally for her work — as CNN Hero of the Year. With the help of supporters, Butts can win not only recognition, but also a cash prize that could help the Josh Project immensely.

Though the organization’s main focus is teaching people how to swim, Butts realizes that this is only half the battle of water safety. That’s why the organization also teaches children how to be safe while swimming and educates parents on how to use life vests correctly and what to do in a water emergency.

Butts made it to the top 10 CNN Heroes of the Year and is vying for the top honor with nine people who are changing lives all over the world. For her to win first place — a cash prize and training from the Annenberg Foundation — she needs supporters to vote for her at cnn.com/heroes from now through Wednesday, Nov. 28. Each person can vote 10 times a day.

The Josh Project is assisted in its efforts by UT’s Minority Business Development Center, the Toledo Sail & Power Squadron, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 9th District, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club.

Butts said she hopes to see water safety training included in the Toledo Police Department’s Safety City. The program teaches children about traffic safety with the use of bicycles.

Every year on Dec. 9, which is Josh’s birthday, the organization hosts a fundraiser. This year’s event will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Ramada Inn, 3536 Secor Road in Toledo. Tickets are $50 per person. Bruce Wigo, executive director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., will be the keynote speaker.

To learn more about the Josh Project, visit joshproject.org and be sure to tune in to CNN Sunday, Dec. 2, at 9 p.m. to watch “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.”

Kelly Melchior – Junior Achievement
419 865-5511 ext. 208
kmelchior@janwo.org

Approximately 70 students from 22 area high schools will participate in the 5th Annual Junior Achievement of Northwestern Ohio’s Business Challenge competition on Friday, Nov. 9 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The University of Toledo.

The Junior Achievement Business Challenge is an opportunity for northwest Ohio students to come together to test their leadership skills and business savvy and demonstrate the competitive nature of the free enterprise system. The one-day hands-on business strategy tournament is geared toward high school students where scholarship opportunities exist.

Teams or “companies” of students compete against each other to market and manufacture a fictional product. Junior Achievement of northwestern Ohio will be awarding over $32,000 in college scholarships to the top performing teams.

UT faculty and staff will serve as “business consultants” to the students, offering guidance, business principals, and motivation.

The University of Toledo is the sponsor and host of the event, which will be held in the College of Business and Innovation’s newest facility, the Savage & Associates Complex for Business Learning and Engagement.

Junior Achievement of Northwestern Ohio President Jeff Bosch said, “Thanks to the support of The University of Toledo, participating students have the opportunity to experience the realities of a competitive business environment while earning the chance for post-secondary scholarships. We look forward to the continuing success of the event.”

Junior Achievement is the largest, fastest-growing, non-profit economic education organization in the world. Junior Achievement reaches 22,000 northwestern Ohio k-12 students annually.

The quality of presence, engaging in Zen, and experiencing the nonstatic universe may be unfamiliar concepts to many Westerners, but they will be the focus of an upcoming lecture by Dr. Peter Feldmeier, UT professor of religious studies, in order to better understand Christianity.

“West Meets East: A Spiritual Transformation” is the title of the free, public event, which will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 in the Richard and Jane McQuade Law Center Auditorium and will be the final lecture in The University of Toledo Center for Religious Understanding’s fall lecture series.

Feldmeier, who teaches with a specialization in Christian spirituality, comparative theology and Buddhism, hopes that the lecture will help show guests that entering into the religious imaginations of other traditions can help them to rethink their own traditions.

With the focus of investigating Theravada Buddhism, Zen and Daoism, the lecture will show how these three areas can help revitalize andre-evaluate a number of Christian understandings and practices.

Feldmeier believes that it is very beneficial to perform this type of comparative theology where one’s own theological interests are addressed in the context of dialogue or some other engagement with other traditions.

“It is not an exercise in religious syncretism, whereby one intends to make a metaphysical mud of mutually incompatible religious claims into some new morphed hybrid,” Feldmeier said. “These traditions, precisely because they look different, help us challenge our own assumptions, see our own blind spots, or offer opportunities to reconceive our own tradition with both continuity and newness.”

Feldmeier holds the Margaret and Thomas Murray and James J. Bacik Endowed Chair in Catholic Studies.

Visitors may park in area 12 near the Law Center for the event.

For more information on this lecture of the Center for Religious Understanding, visit utoledo.edu/llss/philosophy/cfru.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 10, 2012)

Stepping off a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter during a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, Toledo native Kevin Zimmerman relied on his faith as he carefully navigated the heavily mined fields to help stabilize and extract nine Swedish soldiers injured by anti-personnel mines.

Hosted by the UT Military Service Center in conjunction with the University’s Military Appreciation Day, Zimmerman is scheduled to share his story before a book signing 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore located in the Gateway at The University of Toledo.

The flight medic’s bravery on multiple occasions during his 1996 deployment, including the rescue of an injured Russian soldier from another mine field, would earn him two Soldier’s Medals and become the basis for his book, A Time For Everything; The Kevin Zimmerman Story. Originally published in 1998, Zimmerman released a second edition in January.

The highest award a soldier can receive for heroism, the Soldier’s Medal is presented for actions not directly related to combat. Zimmerman and other forces were part of a peacekeeping mission put in motion by the 1995 signed Dayton Peace Accords.

Retiring from the Army in 2000, Zimmerman now works with service members at Fort Sam Houston, while traveling around the country advocating on behalf of veterans and their families.

“Not every city and institution is as proactive as The University of Toledo when it comes to enhancing the veterans programs of the University,” Zimmerman said. “Everywhere you turn now, you hear the phrase ‘support our military,’ but the reality is in some cases, when you go to these cities or institutions, there is not really a big push to advocate for the educational advancement of the service members or their families.”

Zimmerman feels his service helps him identify with other veterans, while providing the opportunity to champion the advancement of education for his fellow service members, veterans and their families. Portions of the proceeds from Zimmerman’s book sales are donated to organizations supporting disabled American veterans, deployed soldiers and their families.

“If your community is not one that has a strong military presence, then that piece of it will fall by the way side,” Zimmerman said. “But still there are service members and families within that community who did make a sacrifice.”

For more information contact Haraz N. Ghanbari, UT Military and Media Liaison, at 419.530.4137 or haraz.ghanbari@utoledo.edu.

Adult students often juggle college courses with job and life responsibilities, and The University of Toledo is working to make it easier for nontraditional students to be successful balancing everything.

The College of Adult and Lifelong Learning has created a new Office of Adult Student Extended Services in Rocket Hall Room 1800 that can serve as a one-stop shop for prospective students looking to enroll at UT and current students who need additional assistance.

“The new Office of Adult Student Extended Services is a gateway for adults interested in a college degree but unsure of how to navigate the world of higher education,” said Beth Gerasimiak, senior director of educational services and college relations for the UT College of Adult and Lifelong Learning. “The office is open every business day with extended hours until 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday to make it easier for adult students to get the services they need.”

The community is invited to learn more about the office at an open house Monday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 6 p.m. with “Returning to Learning” presentations about the College of Adult and Lifelong Learning’s services at 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The Office of Adult Student Extended Services provides pre-admissions advising, career and life planning assistance, help with campus resources and services, and advising for prior learning assessment, which is a system that allows adult learners to earn college credit from life experiences through portfolios, standardized testing and industry certification.

Events will continue throughout the week as the UT College of Adult and Lifelong Learning recognizes Nontraditional Student Recognition Week Nov. 5-9. The week will include a book signing with veteran and author Kevin Zimmerman sponsored by the Military Service Center on Tuesday, lunch with the dean on Wednesday, a meet-and-greet with the Nontraditional Student Organization on Thursday, and more. Click here for a full schedule of events for Nontraditional Student Recognition Week.

Contact the UT College of Adult and Lifelong Learning for more information at 419.530.3311 or adults@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 23, 2012)

Honor, courage and commitment are a few traits that come to mind when thinking of our veterans — the men and women who proudly wore the cloth of our nation and answered the call to service.

The eighth annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair scheduled from 8-11:30 a.m., Monday, Nov. 12, at The University of Toledo’s Savage Arena and Veterans’ Plaza is an opportunity for camaraderie, education and remembrance.

“This is my first semester here, and having UT host this event is great,” said Tim Hagood, a Navy veteran of Afghanistan’s Operation Enduring Freedom and a student in the master’s program for industrial hygiene. “I hope it brings a greater awareness that there is a huge veteran presence oncampus. Having been to Afghanistan for a year, it’s a time to fellowship and remember; and that is why I enjoy sharing the stories.”

In partnership with the American Red Cross of Greater Toledo, Block Communications, Inc., Lucas County Commissioners and the Lucas CountyVeterans Service Commission, The University of Toledo is hosting the event, which is free and open to all veterans and their families.

“The University of Toledo has created a site where remembering can take place and where the deeds of our service men and women can be celebrated and remembered,” said Army veteran Vern Snyder, the University’s vice president for institutional advancement. “Most importantly, this location can serve as a reminder to generations of students of the price some have paid for the freedoms they enjoy.”

Following breakfast, Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak, Toledo Mayor Michael P. Bell and state Rep. Teresa Fedor are scheduled to deliver brief remarks. Air Force Col. Steven S. Nordhaus, commander of the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, located at Toledo Express Airport, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

Transportation will be provided from Savage Arena to the Veterans’ Plaza located on the Main Campus starting at 10:30 a.m., with welcoming and keynote remarks from UT student and Army veteran Robert Roether and UT Army ROTC Battalion Commander Joshua Fletcher.

Marine Corps Master Sgt. Steven Kosinksi is scheduled to lead the remembrance ceremony to include bagpipers, a joint services honor guard, Marine League rifle volley and taps.

Free parking is suggested in Areas 3, 5, & 6 near Savage Arena.

For more information contact Haraz N. Ghanbari, UT Military and Media Liaison, at 419.530.4137 or haraz.ghanbari@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 9, 2012)
The Blade (Nov. 12, 2012)
The Independent Collegian (Nov. 12, 2012)
The Blade (Nov. 13, 2012)
13 ABC, WTOL 11 and WNWO (Nov. 19, 2012)

** MEDIA ALERT **

Who/What: The University of Toledo welcomes Sky News UK to its Main Campus this morning as the British 24-hour news network broadcasts live the views of UT students and professors to those interested in the U.S. election across the globe.

Where/When: UT students and professors will share views on politics, economics and student job prospects today from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. in Centennial Mall

Sky News, a 24-hour news station out of the United Kingdom, reaches 103 million homes in 115 countries.

Media Coverage
Sky News (Nov. 5, 2012)
WNWO (Nov. 5, 2012)

Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz Butt, a physician from White Rock, British Columbia, was recently recognized by The University of Toledo for his pioneering efforts in starting a kidney dialysis program in northwest Ohio in the 1960s and for a generous contribution to an endowed professorship at the University.

UT’s Dr. Jeffrey Gold, left, recognizes Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz Butt for his career and generous gift to the University.

Dr. Butt’s generous gift of $100,000 to the University completed the campaign to raise $1 million for the S. Amjad Hussain Endowed Professorship in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, which is named for his long-time friend Dr. S. Amjad Hussain for his myriad accomplishments as a surgeon, writer, explorer, philanthropist and community leader.

While completing his senior residency in internal medicine in 1966 at Maumee Valley Hospital, the predecessor for the Medical College of Ohio that is today known as The University of Toledo Medical Center, Butt began working with a patient who was having to regularly drive 60 miles to Detroit for dialysis treatment. Butt felt strongly that the service should be made available in northwest Ohio and he designed the first dialysis service in Toledo in 1966. That pioneering effort later morphed into a nephrology fellowship at The University of Toledo.

“The gift will help to continue this legacy in northwest Ohio through the Hussain Endowed Professorship,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, UT chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, who honored Butt at the 4th annual S. Amjad Hussain Visiting Lecture in the History of Medicine and Surgery on Oct. 31. “We cannot thank Dr. Butt enough for his generosity.”

“The contribution Dr. Butt made to this community and the world of medicine cannot be understated,” Hussain said. “His gift to this professorship is one that will positively impact thoracic and cardiovascular research and education for decades to come. I am humbled my dear friend’s generosity.”

Butt is a 1960 graduate of King Edward Medical College of Lahore in Pakistan. He came to America for his medical internship at St. Charles Hospital in Oregon, Ohio.

Click here to download a photograph of Dr. Gold recognizing Dr. Butt at the University Oct. 31.

For more information contact Meghan Cunningham at 419.530.2410 or meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.