IU Soul Revue spring concert to be livestreamed
IU Soul Revue’s annual spring concert will be livestreamed at 5 p.m. April 29 via broadcast.iu.edu.
Since 1971, the IU Soul Revue has been known for dynamic performances of R&B, soul, funk and contemporary Black popular music delivered by its commanding vocalists, powerful horn line and tight rhythm section.
Still need a COVID-19 vaccine or want to get in faster?
Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments are available next week at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to anyone aged 16 or older. To schedule, visit ourshot.in.gov. Those who already have an existing appointment elsewhere can call 211 to cancel and reschedule at Assembly Hall.
Esports journalism course teaches students to cover competitive gaming
The Media School offers a course in in esports journalism. The course is in its third year and is taught by Sean Morrison, a former associate editor of esports at ESPN and editor-in-chief of Upcomer, an esports publication set to launch this spring.
Morrison was interested in designing an esports class after seeing successful journalists in the field driven by passion for the games, but with limited formal education in reporting and writing.
“When you look at the traditional journalism field, (this type of class is) something you’ve never seen,” he said. “That was something that really stuck out to me. There’s a real opportunity within esports journalism to help people grow and help them develop.”
Former professor, whose work made COVID-19 testing possible, has died
Former Indiana University biology professor Thomas Brock, who made a discovery of that made COVID-19 testing possible, died April 4 at age 94.
Brock was known for his discovery of hyperthermophiles living in hot springs at Yellowstone National Park, Chair Gregory Demas wrote on the Department of Biology’s Facebook page.
The discovery of high-temperature bacteria living in the Great Fountain region of Yellowstone led to the isolation of a sample that Brock and undergraduate student Hudson Freeze named Thermus aquaticus, which would serve as the source of the temperature-resistant enzyme Taq polymerase, a critical component of polymerase chain reaction, Demas wrote.
PCR, a critical tool in biomedical research, is used to amplify minuscule amounts of DNA and is considered the best test for detecting the COVID-19 virus.
Inaugural Inclusive Excellence Awards given to 5 faculty members
The Bloomington Faculty Council have selected five inaugural recipients of the Indiana University Inclusive Excellence Award.
The Bloomington Faculty Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee created the award, which recognizes faculty who contribute to the continued enhancement of a diverse campus community in accord with IU Bloomington’s Statement on Diversity.
IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel and IU Vice President for Research Fred Cate provided initial funding for the annual award, which this year includes a $3,000 stipend for each honoree. The next call for nominations will be announced at a later date.
Special pricing for IU faculty, staff during Dell spring sale
Indiana University has negotiated special pricing for faculty and staff from Dell’s spring sale. The sale includes a variety of laptops, with savings from 10 to 15 percent.
Learn more about IU’s deals with different vendors and hardware minimum recommendations through Knowledge Base.
Find out which costumes are staff favorites from Glenn Close exhibition
The costumes from Glenn Close’s collection that will be on display at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art give a small glimpse of the award-winning actress’s successful and wide-ranging career. Visitors to “The Art of the Character: Highlights from the Glenn Close Costume Collection” will see the elaborate ensembles she wore in her villainous role as Cruella De Vil, the heiress who dognaps Dalmatians for their fur, and the chic leather jacket she donned as Alex Forrest, the obsessed mistress in “Fatal Attraction,” among the 56 costumes from Close’s career representing 14 productions.
IU faculty, staff and students have worked behind the scenes for months to prepare the costumes for the exhibition’s opening. Read more about their favorite pieces from the collection.
African American Choral Ensemble to give 45th anniversary spring concert
The African American Choral Ensemble will perform its 45th anniversary spring concert at 3 p.m. May 2 via Zoom.
The ensemble will host an inspiring afternoon of music celebrating 45 years of excellence, with special guest alumni performers. The critically acclaimed African American Choral Ensemble preserves the legacy of African American choral music through transformative interpretations of this unique American art form.
Founded in 1975, the Choral Ensemble features a broad repertoire including spirituals, folk forms, traditional and contemporary gospel music, and formally composed works by African American composers.
Want to attend? Register here.
$1.3M gift benefits School of Education’s global, diversity programs
A gift commitment to the IU School of Education from two alumni will support the Global Gateway for Teachers as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the Bloomington campus school.
Gene and Kathy Jongsma have designated $1.3 million from their estate to establish the Jongsma Family School of Education Future Fund to give students cross-cultural experience through the Global Gateway for Teachers and support the school’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Dance students’ capstone projects featured in virtual production
IU Contemporary Dance is presenting a virtual production of “New Moves,” a concert of choreographic capstone projects created by the Bachelor of Fine Arts class of 2021. The free performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. May 4 to 8.
The production includes 14 new pieces choreographed by the seniors. It also features Talley Beatty’s tour de force, “Mourner’s Bench,” restaged and directed by Clarence Brooks. The choreography is renowned as a protest work in response to anti-Black violence and is an emblem of the historic struggle for racial justice in the U.S.
All Bachelor of Fine Arts dance majors had the opportunity to engage in the experiential and scholarly study of “Mourner’s Bench.” On April 19, the students participated in a webinar featuring John Perpener, the preeminent scholar on Talley Beatty and Black dance in the U.S.
