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Around IU Bloomington

Jul 13, 2021

All-inclusive Black Lives Matter mural debuts

A colorful mural reading 'Black Lives Matter' is displayed on the black pavement of Jordan Avenue
A Black Lives Matter mural is painted on Jordan Avenue at IU Bloomington.Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

Tiera Howleit, an IU student who founded Black Collegians, worked with fellow student Joa’Quinn Griffin and artists Katie Scott, Olivia Roath and Ronny Booker to bring an all-inclusive Black Lives Matter mural to IU Bloomington’s campus.

The mural is painted on Jordan Avenue near Seventh Street, outside the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. Each letter of the mural is meant to represent a different marginalized group on campus.

IU rededicates Lilly Library

Colorful murals line the upper walls of the Lilly Library Reading Room
Murals painted by Ralph Gilbert line the walls of the Lilly Library Reading Room.Photo by Chaz Mottinger, Indiana University

Indiana University’s Lilly Library will reopen in August after a full-scale renovation that will help the renowned library meet the needs of modern scholars. The renovation was made possible by grants from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Changes to the library’s interior, including a new cycle of murals in its famous Reading Room, were recently unveiled during a rededication ceremony. The library will remain closed through Aug. 2.

New center for AI, machine-learning research dedicated

The $35 million Luddy Center for Artificial Intelligence was dedicated during a recent ceremony at Luddy Hall. The 58,000-square-foot facility will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research in robotics, complex networks, health and social media.

The Luddy Center for AI is part of a $60 million gift from IU alumnus Fred Luddy and will open in August.

IU dedicates rediscovered Mies van der Rohe design

The corner of the glass-lined Mies van der Rohe inspired building at IU Bloomington
A building based on a rediscovered design by legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe will open this fall.Photo by Hadley Fruits

A rediscovered 1952 design created by legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe has been adapted for contemporary use and will open this fall as a new, shared facility for the IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.

University leaders, IU alumni and principal donors Sidney and Lois Eskenazi, and the grandson of Mies van der Rohe recently gathered to dedicate and celebrate the Mies Building. The rectangular structure includes floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the entire second story.

Azad earns Department of Energy Early Career Research grant

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program has awarded Ariful Azad, an assistant professor of intelligent systems engineering in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, a five-year, $750,000 grant.

Azad’s proposal aims to fill the need for high-performance and general-purpose graph analysis and machine-learning algorithms to better understand scientific datasets.

Luddy grad’s CareBand to be part of pilot program with Amazon Sidewalk

CareBand, which was founded by Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering graduate Adam Sobol, will be part of a pilot program with Amazon Sidewalk to help empower seniors living with dementia.

CareBand is a wearable device that provides location tracking, activity monitoring and other services for older adults. Amazon Sidewalk’s low-bandwidth network allows devices to operate even when they are out of range of home Wi-Fi networks, and the pilot program will help CareBand explore how its devices can use that technology to better help seniors.

Scientist awarded $2.2 million to study why cancer cells are addicted to sugar

Jason Tennessen, an associate professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology, has received a five-year, $2.2 million award from the National Institutes of Health to continue research that uses fruit flies to understand why cancer cells consume large amounts of sugar. The award is a five-year extension on the NIH’s Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award that he received in 2016.

 

Ostrom Workshop appoints new program leaders, creates new board

Insa Theesfeld, a professor of agricultural, environmental and food policy at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, has been named the interim director of the Ostrom Workshop’s Commons Governance research program.

William Blomquist, professor of political science and director of the Liberal Arts and Management and the Individualized Major programs in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, has led the program for the past year and will retire this summer.

Jessica Steinberg has been appointed to spearhead the expansion of the Ostrom Workshop’s Environment and Natural Resource Governance Program. She is currently co-director of the program and an associate professor in the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Affairs on the Bloomington campus.

The Ostrom Workshop has also created a new external advisory board made up of senior scholars from other universities and advisors from private philanthropies in an attempt to deepen relationships with partners and stakeholders outside IU.

New program provides mentoring and support for NIH R01 grant applicants

Starting in September, the NIH R01 Writing Cohort Program will provide up to eight faculty members with intensive mentoring and support as they prepare National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant applications in the social or behavioral sciences.

The program will include training modules, advice from NIH-funded faculty and a mock panel review. The deadline to apply for the program is Aug. 4.

IU Center for Rural Engagement partners with state on Heritage Trail plan

Three people pictured from the torso down walk side-by-side on a pedestrian trail
The final Heritage Trail plan is expected to be completed in June 2022.Photo by Eric Rudd, Indiana University

The IU Center for Rural Engagement is partnering with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation to develop a Heritage Trail plan that tells comprehensive stories inclusive of all backgrounds.

The educational walking, biking and driving routes provide opportunities to explore regional histories and will focus on sharing typically underrepresented heritage. The final plan for the trail is expected to be completed by June 30, 2022.

Byrde elected officer of Network for Change and Continuous Innovation

Mary Byrde, director of process improvement and business analytics in the Office of the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has been elected secretary of the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation. The network addresses critical challenges facing higher education through action and collaboration.

IU alum named president of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Josh Rawitch, who received his bachelor’s degree in sports marketing and management at IU, has been named president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

Rawitch has spent 27 seasons working in baseball, including most recently with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will begin serving as president of the museum Sept. 9.

IU Bloomington ranked among ‘Best for Vets’

Military Times has once again ranked IU Bloomington on its list of best colleges for military service members and veterans. The campus is ranked 60th overall and 12th in the Midwest.

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