Students and professors spent the better part of 2020 adjusting to virtual education. Constant change and new demands (hello, reluctant Wi-Fi) haven't hindered the passion and hard work that define IUP faculty and staff members, students, and alumni. A look back at fall 2020 shows how members of the IUP community have continued their leading-edge research, teaching, and other pursuits with resilience and creativity.
Protecting Lungs from Nanoparticles
As the world continues to buy electronics and get rid of them, recycling their parts could potentially create 1.5 million jobs. Through her research, an IUP student is uncovering an unseen health hazard lurking inside electronics recycling facilities.
Leaning into Legacy
When the coronavirus pandemic threw the world out of step, members of the IUP Marching Band knew their 2020 season was in jeopardy. Able to move forward, with limitations, they were proud and excited to carry on the tradition of the Legend, which marks a century next year.
Researching Regeneration
Someday, Marion Center's Morgan Glasser may uncover the secret to regenerating body parts. During her time at IUP, she spent hours in the laboratory focused on finding answers by studying flatworms. As IUP's second Kopchick Fellow, she is now employed at a digit-tip regeneration laboratory at Harvard University.
Winning Recipe
Kristin Butterworth could never have imagined being the only chef of her kind on the planet. At 28, she became the first female chef and the youngest to run a Forbes five-star restaurant. While a student at IUP's Academy of Culinary Arts, she wrote down her 5- and 10-year goals. She has since whisked them right out of the boiling water.
Our Fight for Civil Rights in Indiana
Retired faculty member Edith Cord put pen to paper for a reflection of 1960s Indiana and her involvement in the push for change during the civil rights movement. As a Jewish woman, her experience growing up in Europe during World War II makes her uniquely qualified to talk about rising above difficult circumstances, transcending hatred, and protecting freedom.
Staying the Course
As the fall semester approached, biology faculty member Josiah Townsend found himself in an interesting position. Pandemic-related travel restrictions kept him from returning to Indiana after his Fulbright in Honduras. The courses he delivered remotely to IUP students never suffered.
On the Rise
Drones are flying into a space near you. The future of this technology and the training that goes along with it are covered in a certificate program offered by IUP's Geography and Regional Planning Department. John Benhart explains how these machines are far more than toys.
“Much Ado” Is Truly Something
Adapting creatively is at the heart of theater, so it's only natural that students in the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance would find a way to put on a show and stay safe doing it. While the production is called Much Ado about Nothing, the way these theater students pulled it together was truly something.
Measuring Freshness a Better Way
If you judge the freshness of milk by the sell-by date, a better measure may be coming soon. Gregory Kenning, IUP professor of physics, has developed a sensor that can mimic the decay of milk and other products. Simply scanning the sensor, if applied to the product's packaging, one day could provide ultimate insight into a product's remaining usable life.