Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
Sept. 16, 2021
Inside news
The free clinic will be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the south court of State Gymnasium. All benefits-eligible employees may receive the vaccine without an appointment.
 
C.G. "Turk" and Joyce Therkildsen have provided a $42 million gift commitment to the department of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering for a new facility near Howe Hall.
 
Wilkinson Professor in Interdisciplinary Engineering Gül Kremer has been appointed to a new post that will oversee the project to build the Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building. She'll report to President Wendy Wintersteen during her three-year appointment.

Small animal caseloads at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center are surging, a strain on veterinarians, students and staff that may prompt changes for its 24-hour emergency service that has shouldered the brunt of the additional demand. 

In the Faculty Senate's first in-person meeting in 18 months, senators and university leaders discussed fall planning efforts and the impact of Iowa House File 802.
 
SHOP will celebrate an anniversary, renovated space and other milestones during an open house Wednesday, Sept. 22 (10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 1306 Beyer). You're invited.
 
The faculty fellow will help develop additional high-impact educational practices for undergraduate students. Applications for the half-time position are due Oct. 8.

The 2020-21 Miller Open Education Mini-Grants benefited from the experience teaching in a digital space that instructors picked up during the pandemic. 
 
Improved supervisor training, reliable pay increases, a welcoming workplace, and expanded representation and recognition will be some of the top issues the Professional and Scientific Council aims to address this year.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Weekly update: COVID-19 data
  • Reserved tickets for Spirits in the Gardens on sale
  • Encourage students to apply to be Cyclone aides
  • Martina McBride will perform at Stephens Nov. 28
  • P&S Council calling for CYtation Award nominations
  • Register for annual financial aid partners conference
  • Call for proposals: P&S professional development conference in February
Around campus
ISU has shared the significant findings from two reviews the university commissioned following a boating accident March 28 that resulted in the deaths of two crew club students. The full reports will be released after student privacy measures are applied.

In the 2022 U.S. News and World Report rankings released this week, Iowa State tied for 58th among top public schools and for 122nd in the overall national rankings. ISU also is on lists developed by Princeton Review and Washington Monthly.

The $90 million Stark Performance Center, which opened this fall adjacent to Jack Trice Stadium, is a game-changer for student athletes, with expanded academic success facilities, mental health and wellness room, dining hall and nutrition center, and new spaces for the football, soccer, softball, golf and tennis programs.

Civil, construction and environmental engineering assistant professor Cristina Poleacovschi helped lead a study to determine if the effort to seek knowledge from coworkers is influenced by gender. The results showed female engineers were likelier than men to agree knowledge was easy to access. Both men and women were more likely to ask questions of colleagues of the same gender.

A five-person team of ISU faculty will investigate ways to speed up post-disaster safety assessments of structures by harnessing the capacity of people well-equipped to observe the damage: community members who live there. The two-year, $25,000 grant is from ISU's Bridging the Divide program, which provides seed grants to interdisciplinary research teams.
Seminars and conferences
  • 24th annual Financial Aid Campus Partners Conference for faculty and staff, hosted by the office of student financial aid, Sept. 24 (9 a.m.-noon, preceded by optional "Financial Aid 101" at 8 a.m., via Webex), register
  • Flagship Friday, Accelerated, Elizabeth Reynolds, Starburst Aerospace, Sept. 24 (noon-1 p.m., stepatorium, Student Innovation Center, or via Zoom), register 
  • Virtual presentation, Women Also Know Stuff, Nadia Brown, Georgetown University, Oct. 7 (6 p.m. CDT), hosted by the ADVANCE Midwest Partnership, of which ISU is a member, register
Arts and events
The Story County Mental Health Expo, an annual event to share community resources and practical tools to better understand and manage mental health issues, begins with a resource fair at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, online. Mental health activist and suicide survivor Kevin Hines will give the keynote address, "Be Here Tomorrow: The Ripple Effect of Suicide," at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A. 

"Climate Change Theatre Action 2021" is a touring production that aims to inspire the Ames community. Eight free, outdoor performances are scheduled in public locations with a cast of students and alumni. It opens Sept. 23 outside Parks Library. 
Learning opportunities
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) programming
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About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions may be directed to 515-294-7065.