Announcements of interest

WHERE DID YOUR GRADUATE STUDENTS END UP? LINKEDIN KNOWS
From the June 12, 2012 Chronicle of Higher Education

Karen L. Klomparens, dean of the graduate school at Michigan State University, wanted to find out where 3,000 doctoral students who had graduated in the last 20 years were living and working. Knowing what kinds of jobs students are getting, she says, would help her learn more about how well the university’s graduate programs are teaching students the professional skills they actually need. In another case, Sheila Tobias wanted to prove that most of the first wave of her school’s program graduates who went on the job market starting in 2002 secured good jobs. But she didn’t have any numbers. As graduate programs nationwide face growing pressures to be more open about completion and job placement, few programs have the money or the staff to track and report data about their graduates’ careers. But Klomparens and Tobias say they have found a solution that costs relatively little time or money. To find their graduates, they are mining social-networking sites like Google +, LinkedIn, and Facebook, a search they say allows them to find each graduate in about one minute. Read the article here.  

PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2012-2013 SEASON
Includes 2012 Tony winner for best play, Clybourne Park

The epic musical Les Misérables returns to Pioneer Theatre Company as the final event of PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg’s inaugural season. The 2012-2013 season will open with the Utah premiere of In the Heights (Sept. 14-29), followed by John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (Oct. 19-Nov. 3). A Christmas Carol: The Musical (Nov. 30-Dec. 15), with music by eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, fills the holiday slot. The stylish romantic comedy, The Philadelphia Story (Jan. 11-26) is followed by the Utah premiere of the winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Clybourne Park (Feb. 15-Mar. 2), by Bruce Norris. Next is the iconic Neil Simon comedy, The Odd Couple (Mar. 22-Apr. 6). Culminating the season is Les Misérables (May 3-June 1), which includes two extra weeks of performances. Last performed at PTC in 2007, the play was a record-breaking, sold-out success. Additional information is at Pioneer Theatre Company online.

SUMMER ISSUE OF CONTINUUM MAGAZINE NOW OUT

Environmental sustainability has become part of the way the University thinks. Awareness of sustainability issues influences the way buildings are built and remodeled; the transportation that students, staff, and faculty members are encouraged to use; how the landscaping is irrigated; and how the buildings are heated and cooled—even the food that’s grown on campus and served by the University’s dining service. The summer issue of Continuum magazine explores how theses transformations came to be and are continuing to take shape. Read the online version here.  
 

EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY TALENT SHOW 

Due to high demand, “U Got Talent” is coming back with a new twist at this year’s Employee Appreciation Day on Thursday, Sept. 27. Watch for more information in the next FYI.  Auditions will be in August, so start practicing NOW!

STAGE THREE OF TOUR OF UTAH TO END AT RESEARCH PARK

Organizers of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, the international, professional cycling race, say this year’s event, Aug. 7-12, will increase the overall mileage from 409 miles to 550 miles of racing over six days. Stage Three of the race, on Thursday, Aug. 9, will be presented by University Health Care. The peloton covers 86.1 miles (138 kilometers) from Ogden to Salt Lake City, with 7,134 feet in elevation gain. After climbing North Ogden Pass for a second time in three days, riders will pass Snowbasin Resort and East Canyon State Park. Additional climbs include the front side of Trapper’s Loop and a four-mile ascent of Big Mountain. This is a similar finish used two other times by the Tour of Utah to reach the finish line at University of Utah’s Research Park. Additional information will be included in the July issue of FYI News due out July 17.

TRANSIT OF VENUS IMAGES FROM SOLAR SPACECRAFT

Thanks to U science writer Lee Siegel who shared this link to the recent transit of Venus across the sun on June 5, 2012. The images are from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun. This event happens in pairs eight years apart that are separated from each other by 105 or 121 years. The last transit was in 2004 and the next will not happen until 2117. The videos and images displayed in the video are constructed from several wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light and a portion of the visible spectrum. See it here. Additional information from NASA is here.  

STUDY PARTICIPANTS WANTED

Researchers in the Department of Physical Therapy and Exercise Science are conducting an NIH-funded, IRB-approved research project investigating blood sugar control with exercise. Researchers are looking for:

• Men: 18 – 30 years old who are healthy
• Men and Women:  65 yrs+ who do not have heart disease

Participants will complete a few simple health questionnaires and exercise for a short time (less than 20 minutes) with a blood draw before and after exercise. As a benefit to this study, participants may qualify for a free supervised exercise training program.

Please send email to Laura Young or call her at 503-881-3454 for more information or to schedule an appointment.