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Violins in Space

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has studied insects, flowers, foam, gravel, popcorn, light bulbs and paint dye to determine how they respond in a zero-gravity environment. This summer may be the first time a violin will be studied under such conditions.

Four University of Northern Iowa students are going to Houston to participate in NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program at the Johnson Space Center.

NASA selected seniors Timothy Schramm of Dyersville, Benjamin Baird of Denver and Jaime Pearsall of Davenport, and junior Katherine McKenna of Vinton for the program, which gives undergraduate student teams the opportunity to research, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced-gravity experiment.

Earlier this year, the team, under the guidance of Curtiss Hanson, UNI professor of chemistry, submitted its research proposal, ‘Vibrational Studies of Violin Plates,’ to NASA. The students will test the acoustic properties of chemically modified tone wood during reduced-gravity flights.

“Violins are as unique as people’s voices; each violin has its own sound,” Hanson said. “For 300 years, through years of training and effort, violin makers would carve the wood and tap it to hear the tones, to see if it sounded right.”

Hanson, who has done significant research on frequency analysis for chemical measurements, developed a method to quantitatively observe how tone, frequencies and harmonies are created.

“This allows us to study the wood, determine how to treat and chemically alter the wood to make it more responsive, and gives us a tool to quantitatively study this,” Hanson said. “We can perform many of these tests in a lab, but by studying it under a zero gravity environment it provides us with a baseline to evaluate our laboratory measurements.”

The four students will test their experiment on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder” aircraft, formerly known as the “Vomit Comet.” The team will issue a final report to NASA, including scientific findings, an analysis of the experiment’s effectiveness and conclusions drawn from the findings.

“Our goal is to provide both the scientists in the lab and the luthiers who manufacture these instruments with new tools to improve their work,” Hanson said.

This is the third year students from UNI have participated in this program.

Lubker named interim provost

James Lubker, dean of UNI’s College of Humanities & Fine Arts (CHFA), has been named interim UNI provost and vice president for academic affairs. He replaces Aaron Podolefsky, who accepted the position of president of Central Missouri State University.

A search committee for a permanent replacement will be formed in the fall.

Lubker, a professor of communicative disorders, has been CHFA dean since 1995. The Estherville native did his undergraduate work at Mankato State University and completed his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in speech science and phonetics at the University of Iowa.

He was assistant professor of otolaryngology and maxillofacial surgery at University Hospitals in Iowa City before working at the Dental Research Center at the University of North Carolina, and the Institute of Linguistics, University of Stockholm.

Lubker was also chair of the University of Vermont’s Department of Communication Science and Disorders, a professor of neurology in the UV College of Medicine and associate dean of its College of Arts and Sciences.

Reinhold Bubser, professor of German and associate dean of CHFA, will serve as interim CHFA dean.

Friedman next Corning lecturer

Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times, will be guest speaker for the Joy Cole Corning Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series in September.

His lecture, “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century,” is based on his bestselling book of the same name. He will speak at 7:30 p.m., September 14 in the Great Hall of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

Friedman joined the Times in 1981. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 and 1988 for International Reporting, and in 2002 for Distinguished Commentary on foreign affairs. His book From Beirut to Jerusalem won the 1989 National Book Award for non-fiction. His recent book, Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism, is a collection of his post 9/11 columns from the New York Times. Friedman received his B.A. in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and a master of philosophy in Modern Middle East studies from Oxford.

The Joy Cole Corning Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series brings to campus renowned leaders in the arts, business, education, government and the judiciary. Friedman’s appearance is co-sponsored by the UNI Speakers Committee. For more information, call (800) 782-9522 or (319) 273-6078.

Hanish assistant VP for event management

Jan Hanish, director of Maucker Union, has become UNI’s assistant vice president for event management.

“Our goal is to make better use of facilities and services to make UNI more of a destination,” said Tom Schellhardt, vice president for administration and finance. “Jan will guide everything from how we use facilities and book events to how we support large-scale conferences.”

Hanish served as director of Maucker Union since 1997, and has been at UNI since 1977. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Iowa. She received master’s and bachelor’s degrees from UNI.
Guy Sims, associate director of Maucker Union, has been named interim director.

Lifelong University

UNI will offer a series of non-credit educational opportunities this fall through a new program called “Lifelong University.” The program will primarily focus on retired residents, but all adults will have the opportunity to take classes. Retired and current UNI faculty and staff will teach the courses.

“UNI has many experts on technology, Iowa history, foreign affairs, religion, travel and much more,” said Stacey Christensen, community relations manager. “We’re excited to further support our commitment to offer citizens a lifetime of opportunities.”

Courses and class formats will include four-week half-day workshops, and lunch ‘n’ learn programs. The 2005 fall course offerings include Iowa Tallgrass Prairie, Sept. 14; 1-4 p.m. (one session only); ‘We’re Going to the Opera?’ Sept. 15, 22, 29 and Oct. 6; 3-4:30 p.m.; The Middle East, Oct. 12, 19, 26, Nov. 2; 10-11:30 a.m.; The Iowa Experience, Nov. 1, 8, 15; 10-11:30 a.m.; From Novel to Film: The Art of Adaptation, Nov. 10; 9-10:30 a.m. (one session only)

To know more, contact Stacey Christensen at 319-273-6728 or stacey.christensen@uni.edu.

Student Health Center grand opening on Family Weekend

UNI’s renovated Student Health Center will host a grand opening Friday, October 28, from 3-5 p.m. Center staff will conduct tours of the facility, and all UNI staff and faculty are invited to get their annual flu shots immediately after the opening cermony. Tours for parents and students will continue Saturday, October 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A meningitis clinic for students and parents is scheduled for Saturday as well.

“It’s important for parents to know that we have health care professionals who are specially trained in college health concerns,” said Kathy Green, director of University Health Services,

Developed with input from the Student Health Advisory Committee, the facility brings the health clinic, an expanded pharmacy, the counseling center and disability services together under one roof for better service to the campus. Located on 23rd Street, north of Schindler Education Center, the SHC will open at the start of fall semester. For more information, call Green at (319) 273-6921.

Hermansen named UNI Foundation vice president

Noreen Hermansen, UNI director of alumni relations, has been named vice president of the University of Northern Iowa Foundation. She will focus on generating endowment support, particularly for intercollegiate athletics.

Hermansen has been the director of alumni relations since 1988. Prior to that she was the associate director of high school and campus relations in the UNI Office of Admissions. A native of Emmetsburg, she holds a master’s degree in college student personnel from UNI, and a bachelor of science degree from the Oklahoma College for Women.

A search for her replacement in alumni relations is underway.

Award renamed for Kothari

The Meritorious Service Award, awarded annually to a UNI Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, has been renamed the Dr. Jitu D. Kothari Meritorious Service Award in honor of Dr. Kothari, who died in 2003.

The award honors extraordinary service and dedication in support of UNI Athletics, which Dr. Kothari exemplified as the Panthers’ orthopedic surgeon from 1981 until his death.

Sandra Williamson, former assistant athletics director, will receive the 2005 Dr. Jitu D. Kothari Meritorious Service Award at Hall of Fame festivities during Homecoming Oct. 14-16. She will be inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame with athletes Brent Geringer, track; Pat Mitchell, football; Shantel Twiggs, track; Mike Woodley, football; and Kaye Don Young, wrestling.

Price Lab one of five new First Amendment Schools

The University of Northern Iowa’s Malcolm Price Laboratory School is one of five schools in the nation selected to become a First Amendment Project School. It will receive a $10,000 stipend from the First Amendment Schools initiative, a reform effort of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the First Amendment Center.

Price Lab School joins the project’s national network of nearly 90 project and affiliate schools that are working to integrate First Amendment rights and civic responsibilities into the daily lives of their schools.

Other schools joining the program are Bronx Preparatory School, Bronx, N.Y.; Red Mesa High School, Teec Nos Pos, Ariz.; Goodyear Middle School, Akron, Ohio; and Northport Pathway, Northport, N.Y.

“Malcolm Price Laboratory School provides comprehensive early childhood through post-secondary educational programs advancing learning, scholarship, partnerships and innovation,” said Jeffrey Cornett, dean of the UNI College of Education.

“The school serves as an integral component of UNI’s teacher education program. Its faculty and staff engage in scholarly work and service to advance teaching practices and provide resources for teachers in Iowa and beyond.”

Maintained by the UNI Alumni Association
Last Modified: January 25, 2006