The Offices of Religious Life and Title IX and the Centers for Student Engagement and Career Services will be hosting a special conversation on sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the second-floor gallery in Ridgway University Center. Both the plethora of news stories on harassment and the significant impact of the #MeToo movement have prompted the need to have a conversation over this important social, ethical, and moral issue. All are invited and welcome to join in this conversation. Refreshments will be provided.

Submitted by Keith Turner kt160@evansville.edu 

Spanish students of all levels are welcome to practice with Fulbright Spanish TA Ignacio Benítez. The next session will be this afternoon at 1:00 p.m., in Room 400 in Olmsted Administration Hall. It’s a wonderful opportunity to interact informally in Spanish with a native speaker and to meet other students of Spanish. Please contact Ignacio at cl192@evansville.edu if you have any questions. ¡Nos vemos!

Submitted by Ignacio Benitez cl192@evansville.edu 

Come join the Newman Club this evening for a short Mass in Neu chapel! Adoration begins at 7:00 p.m., and Mass will last from 8:00-8:20 p.m. All are welcome!

Submitted by Gabrielle VanBuskirk gv19@evansville.edu

The members of UE College Democrats are having a call-out meeting tonight. The meeting will start at 8:30 p.m. in Room 73 in the Schroeder School of Business Building.

Submitted by George Velez Cue gv21@evansville.edu

The University of Evansville will welcome Jim A. Turpin, PhD, from the National Institutes of Health for a free public lecture today - Thursday, February 22 - at 4:00 p.m. in Vectren Lecture Hall, room 100 of the Koch Center for Engineering and Science on UE’s campus.

Find this event on Facebook for the latest information and updates.

Turpin’s lecture, titled "A Journey: Monocytes, HIV Prevention, and UE," will be part of a three-day campus visit hosted by the departments of biology and public health at UE. Turpin is a 1980 alumnus of UE’s biology department.

As a program officer and branch chief at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Turpin conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand and ultimately prevent a HIV/AIDS infection. Turpin conducts and supports basic and applied research focused on developing new and better methods for prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission in healthy uninfected adolescents, men and women.

Turpin’s responsibilities at the NIAID include oversight and management of the preclinical non-vaccine biomedical prevention preclinical program.  He is the program officer and contact for the following grant programs: Integrated Preclinical/Clinical Program for HIV Topical Microbicides (IPCP-HTM), Prevention Innovation Program (PIP), Mucosal Environment and HIV Prevention Program (MEHP), Sustained Release Antiretrovirals for HIV Treatment and Prevention (SRATP), and Risk of Adolescence and Injury in HIV Susceptibility (RAIS). He is the lead for the DAIDS Non-vaccine Biomedical Prevention Sustained Release and Multipurpose Prevention Technologies programs.  His branch also oversees the Comprehensive Resources for HIV Topical Microbicide and Biomedical Prevention (CRMP) contract, which supports provision of gap-filling resources for topical microbicide and prevention development for product sponsors and best practice working groups.

For more information, contact Dale Edwards, Department of Biology, de3@evansville.edu. 

Scholars for Syria invites the community to the Indiana premiere of “Syria’s Disappeared: The Case Against Assad.” The one-hour documentary will be screened tonight - February 22 - at 7:00 p.m. in Room 170 in the Schroeder School of Business Building. This event is free and open to the public.

By weaving together the personal stories of three Syrians with evidence gathered from regime documentation smuggled out of Syria, this documentary tells the hidden story of tens of thousands of men, women and children disappeared by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad into a network of clandestine detention centers. With unprecedented access, the film follow survivors of detention, families of detainees, regime defectors, and international war crimes investigators as they fight to bring the perpetrators to justice and desperately campaign for the release of the disappeared.

This film screening is the opening event of Scholars for Syria’s 2018 Spring Speaker Series.

For more information, contact Gail Vignola at 812-488-2218.

Submitted by Gail Vignola gv15@evansville.edu

Phi Mu is having a giveback night for Phi Mu Foundation from 4:00-9:00 p.m. this evening.

Submitted by Kelly Nixon kn94@evansville.edu 

The University of Evansville Department of Theatre presents its third production of the season, Kate Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility, based on the novel by Jane Austen. This production opened February 16, in Shanklin Theatre. Additional performances are at 7:30 p.m. tonight - February 23 - and February 24, and at 2:00 p.m. on February 25.

Reputation, redemption, and romance - this feisty new play is a fresh and witty take on the Jane Austen story audiences know and love. When the Dashwood sisters suddenly find themselves at the bottom of the social food chain, the quest to claw their way back to the top consumes them. High society and wicked gossip collide in a whirlwind of scandal and passion and betrayal. Oh, my!

Professor of theatre Diane Brewer directs Sense and Sensibility. Elizabeth Tredinnick, a senior from Madison, Wisconsin, serves as scenic designer; assistant professor of theatre Sarah J. Smith is the costume designer; Baxter Pitt, a senior from Dallas, Texas, is the lighting designer; Austin Kuhn, a sophomore from Evansville, serves as sound designer; Jesse Robkin, a senior from Duvall, Washington, is the dramaturg; Jalyn Kowalski, a junior from Lanesville, Indiana, is the stage manager; and assistant technical director Adam Rager serves as technical director.

The cast features junior Alexi Lewis, from Seattle, Washington, as Elinor Dashwood; junior Alexandra Curren, from McKinney, Texas, as Marianne Dashwood; freshman Emma Tolleson, from Temple, Texas, as Margaret Dashwood; freshman Jordan Williams, from Edmonds, Washington, as Mrs. Dashwood; freshman Luke Moran, from Mount Vernon, Iowa, as John Dashwood; junior Matthew McDonald, from Carmel, Indiana, as Edward Ferrars; junior Kathleen Finch, from College Station, Texas, as Fanny Dashwood; junior Marshall Hopkins, from Baldwin City, Kansas, as Colonel Brandon; freshman Jackson Burnham, from Houston, Texas, as John Willoughby; sophomore Luke Lowrance, from Arlington, Texas, as Sir John Middleton; junior Meredith Ham, from Castle Rock, Colorado, as Mrs. Jennings; sophomore Alexis Seay, from Louisville, Kentucky, as Lady Middleton; senior Paige Ward, from Round Rock, Texas, as Lucy Steele; freshman Grace Maddux, from Dubuque, Iowa, as Anne Steele; freshman Evan Lawson, from Arvada, Colorado, as Robert Ferrars; and junior Amanda Suggs, from Cedar Park, Texas, as Lead Gossip/Mrs. Ferrars.

Ticket prices are $18 for adults and $16 for senior adults, students, and UE faculty and staff.

UE students may obtain one free student rush ticket beginning at noon on the day of the performance they wish to attend.

Following Sense and Sensibility, the 2017-18 Shanklin Theatre Season closes with Frank Galati’s Grapes of Wrath, based on the novel by John Steinbeck, April 13-22, which concludes the 50th anniversary of Shanklin Theatre.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 812-488–2031, Monday through Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m.

Join us today - Tuesday, February 27 - from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in Eykamp 252, Ridgway University Center, for a viewing of “Athletes and Mental Health: The Hidden Opponent,” a TED talk by Victoria Garrick, a USC senior volleyball player. Victoria’s talk will open up the conversation of ways depression and anxiety often affect body image.

In a discussion following the video presentation, we will explore ways to take control of the symptoms of depression and anxiety rather than letting them control us.

Submitted by Liz McCormick em232@evansville.edu

The Season of Lent is well under way, and it is a wonderful season to worship in community as we prepare for the upcoming Easter celebration. University Worship this week will focus on the discipline of self-denial for the sake of God and others. All are welcome to join in worship, conversation, and fellowship! As always, Donut Bank donut balls, and coffee are provided before and after the service!

Submitted by Keith Turner kt160@evansville.edu 

Throughout the season of Lent, there will be a brief, 20-minute Night Church service in Neu Chapel on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. These services will be filled with prayers, music, scripture readings, and candle lighting. Everyone is invited to attend these brief but beautiful services!

Submitted by Keith Turner kt160@evansville.edu 

The Black Student Union is planning a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, this Saturday, February 24 from 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

The trip will leave at 7:00 a.m. by bus and arrive in Cincinnati, around 11:30 a.m. to visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum. From the museum the participants will go to a theatre to see the highly acclaimed Black Panther Movie.

The expense of transportation, the museum ticket, and the movie ticket is covered for all UE students thanks to the generous funding of the Student Government Association. The only expense is lunch and keepsakes.

There are currently six seats still available for the trip. If you are interested, you will need to stop by the Office of Diversity Initiatives in Room 234 in Olmsted Administration Hall and fill-out a registration form and leave a $20 deposit that will be given back on the bus at departure to Cincinnati.

For more information please contact DaLisa McCallum, BSU president, at dm254@evansville.edu. 

Submitted by LaNeeca Williams lw161@evansville.edu 

Would you like to start or join a team for the upcoming Relay for Life? If so, go to the Relay for Life Join a Team webpage, click “join a relay,” input your zip code, select Relay for Life Vanderburgh colleges, click “join this relay,” create an account or log into an already existing account, and then choose an existing team or create your own. The Relay for Life event is planned for April 6-7 from 7:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. at the USI Physical Activities Center.

Submitted by Katherine Murphy km412@evansville.edu

Join SAB today at 6:00 p.m. in front of Carson Center to support our Women's Basketball team as they take on Loyola at 7:00 p.m. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and soft drinks will be free to UE students! Rain location will be inside of Carson Center.

Submitted by Megan King mk225@evansville.edu

Tobias Guennel and Yubing Wan, the first SIAM speakers, will be here this Friday, February 23 from noon-1:00 p.m. in Room 100 in Koch Center for Engineering and Science. It'll be a great way to learn more about math and its applications in the world. Be sure to come and bring a friend! Science majors will definitely like this presentation as well. Oh, and there's free pizza, too :)

Guennel is a director, translational informatics and biometrics team, lead QuartzBio developer at Precision for Medicine. Wan is a senior data scientist, translational informatics and biometrics team, at Precision for Medicine.

Here is the abstract of their talk:

Drug Development in the Era of Precision Medicine: Case Studies with NGS and Flow Cytometry Data

Omics + big data + biomarker-guided drug developments is a new reality, bringing unprecedented abilities to interrogate and translate biological information, and unprecedented opportunities for life sciences companies to achieve their goals faster and more cost-effectively. This fundamental shift requires a new approach to drug development. Precision for Medicine is leading the way.

Back to 5th century BC, Hippocrates stated “It’s far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has.” Advancements in modern medical and biological data generation techniques bring tremendously complex and information rich data every day that may help us to make significant improvements in patient care, if we find effective and powerful strategies to utilize this data. In this talk, we will briefly introduce how our Translational Informatics & Biometrics (TIB) team at Precision for Medicine meets the challenges of managing, analyzing, and synthesizing high-throughput genomic data and high-content immunomic data to accelerate new discoveries, identify drug targets, characterize mechanism of actions (MoAs), and develop biomarkers for patient selection. Two real case studies will be introduced to illustrate how we deploy novel algorithms and strategies including GWAS, Machine Learning, Signaling Pathway Impact Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling to uncover hidden insights, to maximize the ability of visualizing high content data and to accelerate decision making for new drug development. We’ll also introduce our self-developed translational informatics platform, QuartzBioSM, leveraged to provide instant access to data and insights that can help inform decision making.

Submitted by Samarth Sheth ss651@evansville.edu

The University of Evansville will present a keynote conversation between former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar and UE President Thomas A. Kazee for the Spring 2018 Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series on March 20 at 7:00 p.m.

The conversation, titled “State of our Union: Making Sense of Current Affairs,” will be held in Eykamp Hall within Ridgway University Center on the UE campus and doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public and guests will be seated on a first-come first-served basis. Reserve your seat online here. 

This event is presented in partnership with the University of Evansville Department of Law, Politics, and Society as part of an all-day series of current events and political science events and discussions, in honor of the retirement of Dr. Thomas Kazee and his academic career as a political scientist.

The Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series was made possible in 1997 through an endowment from the late Patricia H. Snyder, trustee and longtime friend of University, to bring speakers or performers of renown to Evansville at no cost to the public.

Find this event on Facebook for updates and reminders. 

For event questions, please contact snyder@evansville.edu.

UELA Tier III is hosting a Magnifying Mental Health event on March 22 at 6:00 p.m., in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center. This event provides students with the opportunity to discuss their mental health through stories, poetry, and music. UELA wants to create a safe, welcoming environment where students can share their experiences. We are looking for volunteers who want to share their story. You can read your own story in front of peers. Also, you can send in your story anonymously and someone will read it for you. You can submit your story here.

Submitted by Katlyn Keele kk273@evansville.edu

Due to unforeseen circumstances that would hinder the experience of Dining with the Past, BSU has decided to cancel the dinner, which was planned for February 22, and reschedule it at a later date (TBA).

Submitted by DaLisa McCallum dm254@evansville.edu

A recent article in the Evansville Courier & Press gave an update on the new Multi-Institutional Academic Health Science & Research Center located in downtown Evansville. The building is the future home of UE's physician assistant and physical therapy programs. You can read the article on the Courier & Press website.

Submitted by Billie Chandler bc185@evansville.edu

If you or anyone you know is in need of prayer, students in Student Christian Fellowship would love to pray for you! There will be tables set up on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in Ridgway University Center where you can write down prayer requests. You can also anonymously submit prayer requests at goo.gl/forms/0JBe6AiGRIX6n1wE2. 

These prayer requests will then be prayed for at the following week's prayer groups!

Submitted by Stephanie Scholz ss619@evansville.edu

Applications for the 2018-19 Margery Florence Kahn Scholarship are now available.

It was the desire of the donor, Margery Florence Kahn, that her scholarship be awarded to "dedicated and conscientious students who exhibit a true passion for their chosen fields of study, and who, in the opinion of the members of the University of Evansville faculty, are likely to bring the same enthusiasm into the performance of their jobs or the practice of the professions which they will pursue following graduation."

All University of Evansville full-time undergraduate students who will be juniors or seniors in 2018-19 may apply. An essay of about 300 words must accompany the application, along with two to five faculty recommendation letters.

Applications are available from the Office of Financial Aid (Olmsted Hall 116). Completed applications and recommendation letters should be returned to the Office of Financial Aid by April 15.

You may also request application materials by e-mailing financialaid@evansville.edu.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Financial Aid via e-mail or by phone at 812-488-2364.

Submitted by Trisha Hawkes th187@evansville.edu 

Cover your cough! Stop the spread of germs that can make you and others sick!

Here are some ways you can stop the spread of germs:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
• You may be asked to put on a face mask to protect others.
• Wash hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Submitted by Ashley Craig ac408@evansville.edu

School of Education graduate Hannah Sitzman teaches at Cedar Crest Intermediate School in Huntingburg, Indiana. Earlier this week, she was featured on Channel 14’s Special Report: School for Skills. Having participated in a Teacher’s Manufacturing Boot Camp, Hannah was able to use the skills she learned at UE to actively involve students in learning everything from the importance of proper grammar and punctuation to developing strong project management skills. As a liberal arts college, we applaud Hannah for teaching her students the soft skills they will utilize in their future careers regardless of their future career path. 

Submitted by Karen Martin km306@evansville.edu

The Indianapolis Star recently interviewed Robert Dion, chair for law, politics, and society, about Mike Pence, conversion therapy, and Adam Rippon. You can read the entire article on the Indianapolis Star website.

David J. Unger, professor of mechanical and civil engineering, recently published a journal article titled, "A theoretical resistance-curve based on nonproportional plastic strain," in the International Journal of Fracture, Volume 210, pp. 207-211, (2018).

A defensive battle took place in Terre Haute as Indiana State was able to hang on for a 58-53 win over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on Wednesday evening at the Hulman Center.

“I am really proud of our guys for the effort that they gave, especially on the defensive end,” UE head coach Marty Simmons. “They really tried to help each other out. We are just having trouble scoring the basketball, I know our heart is in the right place, but we did not execute enough down the stretch.”

Taylor notched his 30 points while going 11-of-30 from the floor for UE (16-14, 6-11 MVC). His 30 attempts was a career-high. He also matched his top effort with eight rebounds. K.J. Riley was next with eight points while Dainius Chatkevicius led everyone with 10 boards.

Leading the Sycamores (12-17, 7-10 MVC) was Jordan Barnes with 19 points and nine rebounds. Qiydar Davis finished with 12.

After Indiana State scored the first bucket of the game, Evansville posted seven in a row. Ryan Taylor notched five, including an and-one to get the Aces on the board. Indiana State went 1-4 with three turnovers to begin the game.

Indiana State retook the lead at 8-7 on a free throw by Emondre Rickman before a 7-0 Evansville run gave them a 14-7 advantage. An Evan Kuhlman triple spearheaded the run. Kuhlman entered the game hitting five of his last seven long range tries. The long ball is exactly what ISU used to get back in the game as Tyreke Key and Jordan Barnes hit treys to knot it up at 14-14.

With under five minutes left, Barnes connected on another 3-pointer to give the Sycamores a 21-18 advantage. Duane Gibson got on the board with a layup before Dalen Traore tied it up with a free throw to send the game to the break tied up at 21-21. Defense was the name of the game in the first half as UE shot 26.7% with Indiana State finishing the half at 25.0%.

Taylor, who led everyone with 11 points in the first half, hit an and-one on the first UE possession to give the lead back to the Aces at 24-21. Barnes made sure the Sycamores stayed close as back-to-back treys put ISU back up 27-24 before a pair of free throws extended that to 29-24. 

Blake Simmons knocked down his first long ball to end the run as UE grabbed a 32-31 edge at the 15- minute mark thanks to another Taylor triple. Neither team could muster up a lead over more than a possession, but that changed when Demonte Ojinnaka hit a triple to help ISU score on three consecutive possessions to go up 44-41. The lead grew to five at 46-41 on a pair of Barnes free throws.

K.J. Riley ended the stretch with his second basket of the game, but Ojinnaka struck again with another triple to push the lead to 49-43. With just under five minutes on the clock, the biggest shot of the game came off the hands of Ryan Taylor, who drained his second trey to get the Aces back within three.

ISU was able to hold off the UE rally as the lead was pushed back to five on a Qiydar Davis bucket. Taylor made sure the Sycamores did not get too far ahead as a pair of free throws with two minutes left cut the deficit back to three. Free throws were the different down the stretch as Davis and Tyreke Key hit four in a row to push the lead to seven (55-48) – the largest edge of the day.

With ISU up six, Taylor hit a trey to cut the lead to three, but the Sycamores hung on for the win as two more free throws found the bottom of the net.

ISU finished the night shooting 28.8% while the Aces shot 28.6%. Rebounding also went the way of the Sycamores, 47-46.

Saturday will mark the final home game of the season for the Aces as they welcome Southern Illinois to the Ford Center for a 1:00 p.m. game. It will also mark Senior Day with Dalen Traore, Duane Gibson, and Blake Simmons being honored at the game.