Faces of IUPUI
Wilhelmenia Warren, a valued member of the Campus Facilities team that provides service to more than 60 buildings and 300 acres of space at IUPUI, helps create an inviting and welcoming campus environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors. This beautiful campus we all call home, with plentiful landscaped green spaces, state-of-the art buildings, and clean facilities at each and every turn, is due in part to Warren’s hard work and dedication.
Warren, who joined the Custodial Services staff in 2015, takes pride in the work she does to keep the fourth and fifth floors of University Hall neat and tidy. But for her, it’s also about the people she interacts with during her second-shift hours.
“I am a people person who enjoys meeting and greeting people each day, and the people here are friendly and very open-hearted. I love encouraging others, and to see people smile brightens my day,” she said.
Two IUPUI leadership roles filled
Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar has announced two senior administrative appointments that will be effective July 1.
Shiaofen Fang, chair of the Department of Computer and Information Science, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the School of Science. Fang began his career at IUPUI in 1996 and has served as department chair since 2007. He has a long and distinguished track record of research in the areas of data visualization, biomedical image analysis and volume graphics. He will provide strategic leadership for the School of Science as a national search for a permanent dean gets underway during the upcoming academic year.
Janice Blum, associate vice chancellor for graduate education, has agreed to serve as vice chancellor for research and graduate education for a two-year term. Blum has been on the faculty since 1995 and is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the IU School of Medicine. As vice chancellor for research and graduate education, she will be a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and will report to the chancellor.
IUPUI places second in agBOT Challenge
The School of Engineering and Technology placed second in the Weed and Feed Competition during the fourth annual agBOT Challenge that took place May 16-18. The event was held at Purdue’s Agronomy Center for Research and Education near West Lafayette.
“The agBOT Challenge was designed as a symbolic event to provide a vision of what could be possible if we had high tech and high-speed internet on the farm,” said event founder Steve Gerrish. “Competitions are a great way to drive innovation and create a cross-collaborative effort in the agtech space.”
The agBOT Challenge is an international competition to create autonomous robots capable of performing agricultural tasks. Teams from around the world compete to develop new technologies, showcased over two days of contests. The competition starts with an all-ages agricultural innovation showcase – the NextGen Expo – featuring cutting-edge robotics from competing teams, universities, industry and entrepreneurs.
June Photo Caption Contest
It’s time for the IUPUI Special Collections and Archives Photo Caption Contest. Each month the office takes a vintage IUPUI photo and asks you for your captions. The funniest caption wins a Fabulous Prize!
Congratulations to John Hayes for winning last month’s Caption Contest with his entry: “AND, it can fix that annoying check engine light, too!” He wins the Fabulous Prize.
Don’t wait! Act now! Operators are standing by!
New university events calendar
Indiana University will launch a new university events calendar this summer, replacing the old calendar with a mobile-friendly, accessible version with updated functionality. The new calendar was created by California-based White Whale Web Services and uses its LiveWhale calendar software, which is also used by many other colleges and universities including New York University, Texas A&M and Brown University. The company created some customized details, however, to accommodate IU’s multiple campuses across the state.
You are invited to attend an information session on the new IU event calendar system from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 7, in the Campus Center, Room 031. The session will provide a high-level overview of the new calendar’s capabilities; representatives from the event calendar team will be on hand to explain the new features and answer your questions. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today. If you are unable to attend, a video of the information session will be available to watch after the event. You can also subscribe for future updates about the new calendar system.
Training sessions will be held throughout the summer in the IU Communications building, 340 W. Michigan St., in the Canal Conference Room:
- 10 a.m.-noon, June 17
- 10 a.m.-noon, July 2
- 10 a.m.-noon, July 18
- 9:30-11:30 a.m., Aug. 5
Contact events@iu.edu with any questions about the transition process or the new system.
Faculty Retiree Luncheon honors almost 50 top researchers
The annual Faculty Retiree Luncheon took place May 7 at the University Tower Ballroom. The event honored almost 50 faculty members for their decades of research, teaching and passion for their programs. Check out photos from the lunch and tributes to the honorees.
Fifth cohort selected for IUPUI Next Generation 2.0 leadership program
A 21-member cohort has been selected for the fifth round of the IUPUI Next Generation 2.0 leadership development program. Seven faculty and 14 staff members were selected in April by the program’s advisory board.
The cohort members began with an orientation in May and will start a nine-month curriculum in September, focusing on developing leadership skills and understanding contemporary issues in higher education. Participants will also identify, plan and implement a capstone project, either individually or in a group, that responds to an identified need of their department, the IUPUI campus or the Indianapolis community.
The Next Generation 2.0 program, supported by the Office of Academic Affairs, encourages faculty and professional staff at IUPUI who are women and/or members of underrepresented populations interested in seeking leadership opportunities at IUPUI or professional development to enhance their current roles. This program directly addresses the IUPUI Strategic Plan goals to “develop our faculty and staff” and “promote an inclusive campus climate.”
