Bike Month challenge planned for campus
A bike challenge has been organized at Indiana University Bloomington to celebrate National Bike Month in May.
The challenge is to see who can encourage the most people to give bicycling a try, with the goal of staying active and connected while social distancing, said Anna Dragovich, transportation demand management coordinator and bicycle manager.
The organizing team has set a goal to ride 500 rides in May to show solidarity with Little 500 riders who couldn’t participate this year, she added.
The challenge is open to IU Bloomington faculty, staff and students, wherever they currently reside. Their families can participate in the national challenge, but only those affiliated with IU can select it as their organization.
Prizes will be offered to individuals from IU. Participants can sign up on the Love to Ride registration site. Select “Indiana University Bloomington” as your organization, and log your rides throughout May.
To find on- and off-road routes around Bloomington, visit the Bloomington/Monroe County Bike Map.
Professor wins big on ‘The Price Is Right’
Brandon Howell, a professor and administrator at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, realized a longtime dream of appearing on “The Price Is Right.”
It had a storybook ending, too, as he won the showcase, which included a new grill, a trip to Washington, D.C., and a new car. He finished the day winning more than $36,000.
The episode with Howell’s appearance aired April 30 on CBS. He attended the game show in February while in California for a conference and was selected as a contestant.
Documentary highlights IU men’s soccer program’s road to first national title
A documentary about former IU men’s soccer coach Jerry Yeagley, the Hoosiers’ journey to their first national championship and the legacy of success established for the program will air at 5 p.m. today on the Big Ten Network.
Get a sneak peek of “Worth the Wait” by watching a trailer for the documentary.
Indiana defeated Duke University 2-1 in eight overtimes on Dec. 11, 1982, to claim the program’s first national title. Previously, the Hoosiers had lost in the championship match three times.
Reminder: Complete your census forms
IU staff and faculty who have not filled out their 2020 Census Form should do so soon, and remind students they are in contact with as well.
Completing the 2020 census is required by law, and the data collected is important in providing an accurate snapshot of communities. The data is used to create school and legislative boundaries, and to determine how federal funds are distributed.
Webinar series offers research resources
The Office of the Vice President for Research has organized a series of webinars for faculty, postdocs and graduate students on all IU campuses to aid their research and creative activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The series will provide information and instruction on tools to find collaborators and identify new funding sources from federal and private foundations, and guidance on how to integrate IU’s Proposal Development Services expertise throughout the grant application process.
The webinar series will be offered through Zoom; registration is free. Register online for the following:
- May 21: 11 a.m. to noon, IU Bloomington faculty.
- May 26: 11 a.m. to noon, IUPUI faculty.
- May 27: 11 a.m. to noon, regional campuses faculty.
- May 29: 11 a.m. to noon, postdocs/grad students.
For questions, contact vpr@iu.edu.
Research hiring freeze exemption granted
IU President Michael A. McRobbie has approved an exemption to the universitywide hiring freeze by allowing new research hires and reappointments that are funded entirely by external grants, according to the Office of the Vice President for Research.
The appointments will still go through normal school and campus hiring processes, including an exemption request form through the appropriate budget office, but they will not be subject to the hiring freeze.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb previously issued an executive order that recognized university research as essential to the state and the fight against COVID-19. IU’s Essential Research Activities Guidelines have permitted in-person research that can be conducted consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health guidelines to continue on IU campuses.
ICYMI: IU to celebrate graduates with virtual pomp and circumstance
Indiana University has had to postpone graduation ceremonies because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it plans to honor graduates with a dedicated website that will host acknowledgements and virtual celebrations, links to video messages, social media interactions and commencement music playlists.
The site will include messages from IU President Michael A. McRobbie, IU Bloomington Provost Lauren Robel, IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar, regional leaders and deans.
Video series covers impact of COVID-19 in Russia
The Russian Studies Workshop, within the Russian and East European Institute at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, is presenting a series of videos and discussions called “COVID-19/po-russki.”
They explore diverse research and creative projects examining the effects of COVID-19 in Russia and Russian-speaking communities. The first videos are from professor Ilya Utekhin and his Video Diaries project.
The series can be accessed by going to a Russian Studies Workshop webpage dedicated to it, or on the workshop’s YouTube channel.
Master of Fine Arts exhibits go online
Twenty-three Master of Fine Arts candidates in the IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design are exhibiting their work virtually with the Grunwald Gallery of Art.
Their works are in the media of ceramics, digital art, fibers, graphic design, metalsmithing and jewelry design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
Learn more about three of the students, their artistic backgrounds and their inspirations.
Enjoy Shakespeare via livestream
Just because you are social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a live performance of a work by a literary giant.
Faculty and students in IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance performed an online reading of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” via a livestream on the IU Arts and Humanities Council’s Facebook page on Sunday.
