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Around IU

Mar 6, 2019

Practice sheltering from tornadoes during Operation Stormy Weather

tornado

Deadly tornadoes in Alabama on Sunday provide a brutal reminder of the importance of knowing what to do when tornado warnings are issued. Indiana University’s annual Operation Stormy Weather tornado drill on March 19 will let students and employees test their knowledge while IU tests its IU-Notify alarm system.

Indeed, some Hoosiers already have sheltered during a tornado warning issued last month.

The safest places to be during tornadoes are in basements, interior rooms or hallways, or severe weather shelters, which are indicated by a tornado funnel cloud symbol. The Protect IU website also provides information about preparing for tornadoes and severe weather.

During IU’s drill, students, staff and faculty members are expected to respond as they would to the real deal: heading to their severe weather shelter or the safest location available.

RED Fund awards almost $25,000 to IU engagement projects during record year

The Indiana University Council for Regional Engagement and Economic Development, or CREED, had an impact on businesspeople, university students and other community members around the state in 2018 thanks to a record amount of funding awarded to engagement projects.

CREED has overseen the Regional Economic Development Fund since it was established in 2011. In the 2018 calendar year, CREED approved almost $25,000 in RED Fund awards to 11 projects developed by campus leadership.

CREED representatives from IU’s campuses and regional academic centers submit proposals for RED Fund grants, which are typically capped at an upper limit of $2,500. Proposals that qualify for RED Fund grants are reviewed by all CREED representatives for final approval. Since 2011, the fund has awarded more than $95,000 total in 48 awards.

Kelley Direct Online MBA again ranked second in U.S. and fourth worldwide

Online student

Financial Times has again ranked the Kelley Direct program fourth worldwide and second among U.S. institutions.

One of several top-rated offerings of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Kelley Direct moved up to those positions a year ago and has maintained them within a competitive field. While the top four programs in Financial Times’ rankings of online MBA programs remain unchanged, there were many shifts among schools in the top 10 and beyond.

In addition, Kelley Direct was No. 1 overall in terms of research rank and online delivery, and its career services were ranked second.

Staff, faculty honored, promoted, hired

Read about recent IU staff and faculty honors, promotions, hires and grants, including:

  • Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch has been named dean of the Indiana University School of Dentistry at IUPUI, subject to formal approval by the IU Board of Trustees.
  • Hope Davis has been named the new dean of the School of Education at Indiana University South Bend.
  • Shahir S. Rizk, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Indiana University South Bend, has been named the recipient of a Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.

Say farewell to Mars rover Opportunity at IU Kokomo Observatory

IU Kokomo

Learn more about the discoveries made by NASA’s rover Opportunity at the Indiana University Kokomo Observatory’s free monthly open house on Sunday, March 10.

Patrick Motl, associate professor of physics, will open the session at 8 p.m. by providing a retrospective of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed on Mars in January 2004, and lived well beyond their planned 90-day missions.

Spirit concluded its mission in 2010, while Opportunity, nicknamed “Oppy,” last communicated with earth on June 10, 2018. NASA officially declared its mission complete in February.

Among other discoveries, the rovers found evidence that long ago, Mars was wetter, and conditions on the planet could have sustained microbial life, if any existed.

Immediately following the presentation, those attending will be able to view Mars, a crescent moon and winter highlights including the Crab nebula and the Orion nebula, until 10 p.m., through the observatory’s two telescopes.

Indiana University risk manager to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Larry V. Stephens, former director of insurance, loss control and claims at Indiana University, will receive the University Risk Management and Insurance Association Lifetime Achievement Award at the association’s annual conference in Boston in September.

This new award was created specifically to honor Stephens for his leadership and commitment to the association and the profession of higher education risk management for the past 34 years. He retired from IU at the end of February.

Stephens is one of the just two people to have served twice as the association’s president, in 1999-2000 and again in 2001-02. As the association grew, he was the driving force behind transforming it from a volunteer-run organization into one administered by professional staff. In 2005, he made possible the creation of the University Risk Management and Insurance Association National Office by providing a temporary home for it on the Indiana University campus; the staff has expanded over time with the association’s growth and is now located in downtown Bloomington.

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