Featured Articles

New chemistry department grants top $600,000

Chancellor search input sought before Nov. 1

Forum presents paleoanthropologist Peter Brown

Retired area banker endows business scholarship

OctSOBERfest activities set
for Oct. 2-8

McIntyre Library news

Chicago art trip meeting set for Tuesday

World-reknowned euphonium artist to perform

Alzheimer's, mad cow disease research to be focus of Wednesday's 'Let's Do Lunch' session

New chemistry department grants top $600,000

In this file photo, Dr. Stephen Drucker, a recent National Science Foundation grant recipient, worked on a research project in 2003 with then chemistry students Nathan Pillsbury (a 2003 chemistry graduate) and Emily Gilles (a 2004 chemistry graduate). Pillsbury is now pursuing a doctorate in physical chemistry at Purdue University, and Gilles, a laboratory technician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., will enter a master's degree program in biomedical science next semester. Recent NSF grants to the UW-Eau Claire chemistry department will enhance opportunities for students to experience hands-on science, chemistry faculty say. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, LTS)

Faculty in the UW-Eau Claire chemistry department have secured more than $600,000 in grant money from the National Science Foundation in recent weeks — funds that will help them purchase state-of-the-art instrumentation and support faculty-student research. "This is a huge influx of resources for a department like ours, and it'll have a significant impact on what we can do for our students," Dr. Scott Hartsel, chair of the chemistry department, said of the three most recent grant awards. Harstel, noting that NSF grants are highly competitive, said the chemistry department has received more than $2 million in NSF funding in the last five years and UW-Eau Claire overall has received more than $4.2 million in NSF funding. The university's commitment to using grant dollars to introduce students to hands-on science is among the things that make it so attractive to NSF reviewers, said Dr. Stephen Drucker, associate professor of chemistry and the recipient of a recent $190,000 NSF grant. "We have an exceptional record of getting people to be professional scientists," Drucker said. "One of the things NSF looks at is the broader impact on the science pipeline. And we have a big impact. We're one of the highest producers in the country of future chemistry Ph.D.s." Full story.

Chancellor search input sought before Nov. 1
UW-Eau Claire's Chancellor Search and Screen Committee reminds and encourages faculty, staff and students to provide their input in the coming weeks on desired traits for the university's next chancellor. "The early stage of the chancellor search and screen process is the best time to provide feedback that the committee can use to screen the applicants," said committee chair and professor of geology Bob Hooper. "Because the search and screen is conducted as a confidential search up until the time that the five finalists are named by UW System, it is imperative that faculty, staff and students provide their input up front." Screening for the position begins Nov. 1, after which there is little opportunity for input from the campus community, Hooper said. Input from all members of the university community regarding attributes of chancellor candidates or screening criteria can be shared via e-mail or through personal contacts with any committee member. Find more information online about the chancellor search and screen process.

Forum presents paleoanthropologist Peter Brown
Paleoanthropologist Peter Brown, leader of a team that recently discovered a hobbit-like human ancestor on a remote Indonesian island, will open the 64th season of The Forum at UW-Eau Claire on Tuesday, Sept. 27. The presentation, titled "A Revolution in Evolution: Rewriting Evolutionary History," will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Zorn Arena. In October 2004 Brown announced the discovery of an extinct dwarf human species that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores. Scientific American has called the discovery "one of the most startling paleoanthropological revelations in living memory." Full story.

Retired area banker endows business scholarship
Retired banker and first-generation college graduate Richard T. Gannon values his college degree so much that he's established an endowed scholarship for first-year finance or business majors with an economics emphasis at UW-Eau Claire. A long-time Eau Claire resident and 1959 UW-Eau Claire graduate, Gannon worked for Firstar Corp. — now U.S. Bank — for 40 years. He attributes his success to the degree in economics he earned at UW-Eau Claire. The scholarship will be awarded to UW-Eau Claire students with financial need who have at least a 3.0 grade point average and demonstrate potential for leadership. Each award will be for a minimum of $1,000, with the number of awards granted to be determined by the annual income generated from the fund. The scholarship, available to freshmen, is renewable for up to four years. Full story.

OctSOBERfest activities set for Oct. 2-8
UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff and students will once again participate in OctSOBERfest in observance of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week Oct. 2-8. A wide variety of activities will focus on the dangers associated with alcohol and remind students of the many ways to have fun without alcohol. "This week is not about telling students that alcohol is bad," said sophomore Megan Vidmar, a student with the Student Advocacy Wellness Team (SWATeam), one of the OctSOBERfest sponsors. "It's about remembering those who have been negatively affected by poor decisions and encouraging students to make healthy choices." Full story.

McIntyre Library news
IMC opens for business in new location: After almost two years of planning, a busy summer of construction and an overhaul of its collection, the Instructional Media Center has found a new home on the lower level of McIntyre Library. The new space was designed especially for the IMC's unique collections and users. It includes a general study space, comfortable lounge area, computer workstations, and multimedia study rooms and carrels. The IMC's collections include children's books, textbooks, videos, multimedia, audiotapes, pictures, teacher journals and professional materials. The IMC is still being finished but is open for business. For more information or to schedule a quick orientation tour, contact assistant professor of library services and education reference librarian Becky Wojahn at 836-4522 or wojahnrh@uwec.edu.

Sprinkler system to be replaced: Work begins today to replace the sprinkler system throughout McIntyre Library. The current sprinkler system is susceptible to leaks that could damage collections and systems, said Christopher Cox, assistant professor and assistant director of libraries. Work will begin on the library's lower level and move upward. During construction some areas of the building and some collections may be unavailable, but library staff will make every effort to retrieve materials from work areas upon request, Cox said. Frequent updates will be made to the McIntyre Library Construction Update blog to keep faculty and staff informed about the project's progress. The project, funded by the state of Wisconsin, is slated for completion on Dec. 19.

Chicago art trip meeting set for Tuesday
UW-Eau Claire's department of art & design invites the community to join its annual fall art trip to Chicago. This year's cultural adventure to the Windy City will leave Eau Claire Thursday, Oct. 27, and return on Sunday, Oct. 30, with a stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum on the return trip. An informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, in Room 105 of the Haas Fine Arts Center. Full story.

World-reknowned euphonium artist to perform
Guest Artist Brian Bowman, widely recognized as one of the foremost euphonium soloists in the world, will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, in Gantner Concert Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center at UW-Eau Claire. Bowman also will present a master class on musical interpretation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, in Gantner Concert Hall. He will spend Thursday, Sept. 29, working with individual students and visiting classrooms at the university. The concert and other events will be free and open to the public. Full story.

Alzheimer's, mad cow disease research to be focus of Wednesday's 'Let's Do Lunch' session
New, unexpected treatments and ideas that point to the possibility of a cure or at least effective treatments of Alzheimer's and mad cow disease will be the topic of a Sept. 28 luncheon presentation hosted by the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association. Scott Hartsel, professor and chair of the UW-Eau Claire chemistry department, will give a presentation from noon to 1 p.m. at Sweetwater's restaurant. Hartsel's talk, "Proteins Gone Wild: Current Research on Alzheimer's and Mad Cow Disease," is part of the Alumni Association's "Let's Do Lunch" series. Full story.

University Bulletin
Published weekly during the fall and spring semesters by the UW-Eau Claire News Bureau. News items and notices should be sent to the News Bureau, Schofield 201, by 10 a.m. Monday for publication in the following week’s issue. E-mail submissions to Julie Poquette at poquetjm@uwec.edu are encouraged. Faculty/staff news items are published on a space-available basis.