The newsletter for the WKU community
July 15, 2020
Big Red Restart Information & Updates
WKU Commons project marks milestone
A construction crane lifted a major piece of the new WKU Commons at Helm Library into place this afternoon. Installing a 24-foot-long support beam marks a significant milestone in the construction progress of the $35 million project. WKU President Timothy C. Caboni celebrated at a beam raising event with Luckett & Farley, Gensler and A&K Construction leadership. “Generations of Hilltoppers have passed through the doors at Helm Library, and it is exciting to watch this historic building transform yet again to serve future generations of WKU students,” President Caboni said. “Once complete, the WKU Commons at Helm Library will be a lively hub for studying, socializing and collaborating. Placing this beam today is a tangible step forward in our promise to invest in modern, innovative facilities for students and faculty.” More: WKU construction webcams
WKU biologist revisits piranha research
For the past two decades, WKU biologist Steve Huskey has studied the feeding habits of various species of fish from sharks and goliath groupers to bass and bluegill. Now he’s revisiting another research subject – piranha. And he plans to conduct bite force tests on redbelly, redeye and piraya piranhas in his lab in the Complex for Engineering and Biological Sciences. “When it comes to mastery of fish jaws in terms of biting, it just doesn’t get any better than piranhas,” said Dr. Huskey, associate professor in WKU’s Department of Biology. However, he noted, piranhas aren’t the blood-thirsty creatures depicted in movies.
CLIMBING HIGHER
Congratulations to WKU’s newest University Distinguished Professors: Dr. Rodney King, Professor of Biology, and Yvonne Petkus, Professor of Art. Learn More
In his role as Associate Dean of the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus, Todd R. Cheever oversees every aspect of the first four-year regional medical campus in Kentucky. Learn More
Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, Interim Associate Director of Program and Partnership Development at the National Environmental Health Association and Professional Lecturer for George Washington University, is encouraging healthy workplace environments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn More
English professor receives Rattle Chapbook Prize
Dr. Tom Hunley, a professor of English at WKU, has been awarded the prestigious Rattle Chapbook Prize for his collection of poetry Adjusting to the Lights . Dr. Hunley will receive an honorarium of $5,000 and his collection will have a minimum of 7,000 copies distributed nationwide.
Henry Luce Foundation awards grant to Kentucky Museum
The Kentucky Museum will continue to catalog and digitize its Folk Art collection with support from a $155,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. The grant will provide funding for a Curator of Folk Art, a Folk Studies graduate assistantship, and consultation with quilt scholar and folklorist Laurel McKay Horton, who will collaboratively catalog and digitize the Folk Art collection into the Museum’s PastPerfect and KenCat databases. 
Group uses 3D printers to create PPE for WKU nursing program
Amongst PPE shortages across the nation due to the global pandemic, a local group recognized a need and offered a creative solution to WKU and the Bowling Green community. Team Kentucky Makers is a networking group on Facebook that is dedicated to supporting local businesses and organizations. Four members of the Bowling Green team – consisting of WKU employees, alumni and friends – used their personal 3D printers and donated materials to create 500 face shields for use by students and faculty at the WKU School of Nursing and Allied Health.
Spotlight: Eric Logan
“Refuse to settle. Just really try to find your passion and pursue it.” -- WKU graduate Eric Logan, Executive Director of Light of Chance, Inc.
WKU graduate student volunteers at HOTEL INC
Elisabeth Hix, a graduate student from Bowling Green, continually challenges herself to find solutions to help her hometown. In 2012, Hix discovered her interest in understanding the root causes of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness and began volunteering at a local nonprofit, HOTEL INC.
Folk Studies students engage in summer opportunities
Students in the Folk Studies MA Program continue to engage in internship and research opportunities this summer, preparing them for careers in public folklore and/or continued academic study.
WKU Alumni Association adds 12 new board members
The WKU Alumni Association recently elected nine new board members for 2020-2021 and recognized three members who will serve in one-year appointments.
Andrea Anderson transitions to role of General Counsel
Andrea Anderson transitioned to the role of General Counsel, effective July 1, 2020. Anderson has been intricately involved in many of the University’s legal activities for nearly five years as WKU’s Assistant General Counsel. Prior to coming to WKU in 2015, she was a partner at Kerrick Bachert, PSC law firm.
Register now for latest CITL workshops and training events
The Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning has added and updated workshops and trainings. Some of the offerings have limited "seating," so register early. Upcoming events include Using Blackboard's Groups to Help Manage Your Hybrid Class ; How to Create an Engaging Zoom Class Meeting ; Best Practices for Organizing and Implementing Your Online Course ; Creating Community and Engagement in the Online and Hybrid Classroom ; Effective Group Work in an Online Class ; and Facilitating Active Learning in a Physically Distant Classroom .
WKU offering 3 new healthcare career training programs
Adult learners in the Glasgow, Elizabethtown and Russellville areas will have access to three new career training programs in the healthcare field this fall. Clinical Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, and Phlebotomy Technician courses will be offered in hybrid formats, combining the convenience – and safe distancing – of an online course with traditional hands-on training.
View from the Hill
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, WKU is making sure to archive the experience as much as possible for future generations. Not much has been found about the university’s response to the 1918 flu pandemic, but with today’s technology that shouldn’t be the case with the Coronavirus Diaries as WKU’s Amy Bingham explains in this week’s View from the Hill .
Athletics
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