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The University of Nebraska State Museum celebrates its 140th anniversary this year

with a host of activities (see pages 10-12). Elephant Hall, as the museum’s front

gallery is popularly known, has seen its share of woolly mammoths over the years.

(Above) Early museum director Erwin Barbour examines the forelegs and tusks of

“Archie,” the world’s largest articulated mammoth, in the old museum building

while (below) a bronze replica of Archie greets visitors to Morrill Hall today. See

the museum and other campus landmarks during Big Red Weekend 2011.

(More weekend information on page 3.)

NU State Museum

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Connect to your potential.

B A I L E Y L A U E R M A NUniversity of NE Central Administration Become your BossUniver101051Pub: Good Nuz Color: 4-color Size: 10" x 11"

You know what a degree from the University of Nebraska can do. Now imagine the possibilities with an advanced degree. Earn yours online at nebraska.edu/online ®

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Nebraska Alumni Association

Big Red WeekendApril 15 – 16, 2011

Join us for the University of Nebraska’s third annual “spring homecoming.”

UNL has much to offer its alumni and friends, and on April 15 – 16, you are invited to come back to campus and enjoy it all. The alumni association is again teaming with dozens of UNL departments, organizations and alumni groups to host Big Red Weekend 2011.

When you register for Big Red Weekend, you will have the chance to choose from an impressive menu of choices ranging from guided tours to lectures and from performances to athletic con-tests, including Football Friday and the Red-White Spring Football Game.

Several groups are planning reunions to coincide with the festivities. The Department of Chemistry is gathering to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the awarding of the first chemistry degree. Sigma Phi Epsilon will celebrate their centennial anniversary, and the Honors Program will ring in 25 years. Student Alumni Associa-tion/Scarlet Guard alumni are invited to reunite with classmates and learn about the evolution of the organization, and the Alumni of Color will gather for their third annual pre-spring game tailgate.

Several UNL colleges are also hosting events this weekend. The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts will honor stu-dents, faculty and alumni at their annual Honors Day Dinner. The College of Business Administration will also recognize outstanding alumni at their Advisory Board luncheon. The College of Engineer-ing Student Advisory Board is planning a reception for alumni in conjunction with E-Week.

If you’re coming to town for the spring game, branch out and check on a few of the other scheduled events. If you are considering a trip to Lincoln, there has never been a better time. Visit husker-alum.org/events/alumniweekend for the latest schedule. (The list is growing almost daily, so alumni and friends are urged to visit the website often for updates and additional details.)

A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at the Embassy Suites for $149 per night (double occupancy) for those needing lodging. Call the hotel directly at 402-474-1111 by March 17 to make your reservations, and be sure to mention “Big Red Week-end” to receive the special group rate.

Association to Offer Big Ten, World Travel

The Nebraska Alumni Association is relaunching a full-service tour program with Big Ten football weekend trips to Ann Arbor, Mich., and Madison, Wis.; a Discovery Channel tour of the Red Rock region in Colorado; and an Alumni Campus Abroad adven-ture in Normandy and Paris, France, this fall.

Alumni from our new conference peers at Michigan State and Wisconsin will join us on “Curiosity: The Questions of Life @ Red Rocks,” while the Badgers will also be our traveling companions in France. The Normandy and Paris trip has special pricing at $1,945 per person (double occupancy), including air from a gateway city.

The association is also planning 2011 football bus migrations to Wyoming and Minnesota.

On tap for 2012-13 are more international group tours in partnership with our new Big Ten peers plus some all-new “bucket-list” trips:

• Cruise the Waterways and Canals of Holland and Belgium (2012)• Cruise the Islands of Antiquity (2012) • The Divine Coast – Amalfi (2012)• The Kentucky Derby (May 2012)• The Masters in Augusta (April 2013)Check huskeralum.org early and often for the most up-to-date

information. Big Ten trips will fill up fast!

Awards Banquet s Thursday, May 5

The ballots are in, the awardees have been selected, and the Ne-braska Alumni Associa-tion is planning the 2011 Alumni Awards Banquet, An All-University Cel-ebration at the Nebraska Champions Club.

Traditionally held the Friday night before spring commencement, this year the banquet will be held a day earlier – Thursday, May 5, 2011. With all the other ceremonies and dinners surrounding graduation, the association hopes this arrangement will be a better fit with people’s schedules.

The award winners will be announced in the spring issue of Nebraska Magazine, due out April 1, but it’s not too early to put the banquet date on your calendar.

Vol. 8, No. 1Nebraska Alumni Association

University of Nebraska Foundation

Nebraska Alumni Association StaffDiane Mendenhall, Executive Director, (402) 472-4218Claire Abelbeck, Online Engagement, (402) 472-4209Glen Cacek, Wick Alumni Center, (402) 472-4237Andrea Cranford, Communications, (402) 472-4229Jenny Green, Student Programs, (402) 472-4220Sarah Haskell, Programs, (402) 472-6541Brooke Heck, Chapters, (402) 472-4228Carrie Myers, Nebraska Champions Club, (402) 472-6435Shannon Sherman, Programs and Outreach, (402) 472-4219Bob Stelter, Programs, (402) 472-4246Andy Washburn, Operations and Marketing, (402) 472-4239Kevin Wright, Graphics, (402) 472-4227Shelley Zaborowski, Associate Executive Director, (402) 472- 4222

University of Nebraska Foundation Development OfficersDirector of Development: Matt McNair, (402) 458-1230Major and Principal Gifts: Greg Jensen, (402) 458-1181 or Bethany Throener, (402) 458-1187College of Architecture: Connie Pejsar, (402) 458-1190College of Arts and Sciences: Amber Antholz, (402) 458-1182, Sunny Backlund, (402) 458-1185, or Josh Egley, (402) 458-1202College of Business Administration: Matt Boyd, (402) 458- 1189, Sandi Hansen, (402) 458-1238, or Laine Norton, (402) 458-1201IANR: Ann Bruntz, (402) 458-1176College of Education and Human Sciences: Jane Heany, (402) 458-1177College of Engineering: Karen Moellering, (402) 458-1179 or Nick Shada, (402) 458-1203Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts: Lucy Buntain Comine, (402) 458-1184College of Journalism and Mass Communication: Joanna Nordhues, (402) 458-1178College of Law: Angela Hohensee, (402) 458-1192 or Ben Zitek, (402) 458-1241Libraries: Josh Egley, (402) 458-1202Panhandle Research and Extension: Barb Schlothauer, (308) 632-1207Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations: Eric Buchanan, (402) 458-1161Corporations: Kaye Jesske, (402) 458-1170Foundations: Liz Lange, (402) 458-1229

Published twice a year, in August and February, for University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni and friends of the university.

Nebraska Alumni AssociationWick Alumni Center1520 R Street • Lincoln, NE 68508-1651Phone: (402) 472-2841 • Toll-free: (888) 353-1874FAX: (402) 472-4635E-mail: alumni@huskeralum.org Web site: www.huskeralum.org

University of Nebraska Foundation1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300 • Lincoln, NE 68508Phone: (402) 458-1100 • Toll-free: (800) 432-3216FAX: (402) 458-1298 • E-mail: info@nufoundation.orgWeb site: www.nufoundation.org

Editor: Andrea Wood CranfordFoundation Editor: Colleen FleischerDesign: Kevin Wright

Big Red Weekend features campus tours among other activities.

UNL Opera Visits Holdrege; NAA

Hosts Receptions On Dec. 12, the UNL Hixson-Lied College of Fine and

Performing Arts and the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources collaborated to take a UNL production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” on the road to the Tassel Theater in Holdrege.

The Nebraska Alumni Association sponsored pre- and post-performance receptions

“It’s wonderful if you can take your music to audiences who couldn’t really come to see you,” said Jack Oliva, dean of the arts college, during the pre-event talk. “UNL is committed to out-reach.”

The Christmas classic “Amahl and the Night Visitors” revolves around the story of a poor shepherd boy named Amahl. One night, three kings in search of a child visit Amahl and his mother. The tale ends with a miracle and a message about the true spirit of giving. For the past eight years, the university has performed this opera with the help of Lincoln high school students. It’s become a UNL tradition for the students to perform for Title I fifth-grade classes.

The deans of the two colleges hoped to fulfill UNL’s mission as a land grant university by making the performance accessible to people across the state.

“We wanted to bring the university to the people, which is what we’ve done with our collaboration,” said Steve Waller, the dean of the agriculture college.

During the Dec. 12 performance UNL music students played the primary roles, while the Shepherd’s Chorus was made up of Holdrege High and other area high school students.

The hour-long opera was enjoyed by a large and eager audi-ence, many of whom arrived early and stayed late for pre- and post-events. The UNL Alumni Association hosted the events.

“There are many UNL alumni and friends living throughout

the state of Nebraska,” said Shelley Za-borowski, associate executive director of the alumni association. “With the School of Music students performing at the Tas-sel Theatre, we wanted to be sure alumni in the local area knew about it and were encouraged to come to the performance.”

The pre-event focused on the col-laborative effort between the two colleges and an explanation given by John Rich-mond, director of the UNL School of Music, of what the audience could expect when watching the opera. An admissions officer was also present to answer ques-tions about all the university has to offer. During the pre-event, a special thanks

was given to UNL alumni Bruce C. and Carol S. Hendrickson of Holdrege who helped fund the first-time opera performance.

“The Holdrege community has appreciated the arts for decades,” Bruce Hendrickson said. “We worked to raise money to build the Tassel. We wanted to sponsor good arts programs to come to Holdrege and have been very interested in all the university has done and is doing. Carol and I are just happy to see people enjoy the programs we bring.”

– Courtney Pitts and Seanica Reinke

International Chapters on the Rise

Calling all UNL alumni, fans and friends living in Tokyo, Japan! An alumni chapter is forming in your area. If you are in-terested in joining the effort or leading the contingency of the Big Red in Japan, please contact Brooke Heck at bheck@huskeralum.org to receive more information.

Currently, there are two other international Nebraska alumni chapters: One in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and one in Singapore.

A total of 29 turned up for a Jan. 7 gathering of the UNL FANs in Singapore at Temasek Club. Of these, 11 were from the Anglo-Chinese Junior College, and had recently returned from a

4 | GoodNUz | ASSoCIATIoN UPdATE

Big Red Business Clubs

Launched last fall, the Big Red

Business Club program can already

count 20 organizations among its

members. Big Red Business Clubs are

supportive of both the Nebraska Alumni

Association and UNL alumni, with many

offering discounts on valuable, everyday

goods and services. In return, de-

pending on the membership level they

choose, they receive media exposure,

enhanced marketing opportunities,

Husker tailgate hospitality, Nebraska

Champions Club passes and more.

Current members are:

Platinum Level

Geico

Nebraska Athletics

The Husker Rewards Card

Gold Level

Collegiate Insurance Resources

Liberty Mutual

Avis

Budget

Silver Level

Huskers Authentic

University Bookstore – Follett

Nebraska Bookstore

University of Nebraska Press

Valentino’s

Runza

Bronze Level

HuskersNSide

OLLI

Stay In The Game

Huskers Illustrated

University Frames

Official Nebraska Ring by Jostens

Jennifer Cunningham, Scentsy

Consultant

To learn more, visit huskeralum.

org, or contact Bo Stelter (bstelter@

huskeralum.org or 402-472-4246).

Actors and alumni mingled at the post-performance reception in Holdrege.

FANs in Singapore.

short visit to UNL. The ACJC students shared their experi-ences and the alumni answered the students’ questions about studying at Nebraska. The group also bid farewell to Keng Siau and Fiona Nah who returned to the university for the spring semester.

ROTC Alumni Group Seeking Volunteers

When more than 100 ROTC alumni gathered for a reunion in Lincoln in November, they chose to form an of-ficial alumni affiliate and selected UNL grad Mark Dreiling to lead the group.

Now, with input from the commanding officers of the UNL ROTC program, the group has set the following goals:

• Provide a network of contacts for cadets to seek mentors, jobs and advice

• Raise money to provide scholarships for students wishing to attend UNL and participate in the ROTC program.

• Host annual reunion events in the spring and/ or fall for all UNL ROTC alumni to re-connect with each other and the cadets.

The group is seeking ROTC alumni volunteers for the following positions:

• Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer• Service Component Representatives: USAF, Navy,

Marines• Honor Society Alumni Representatives: Pershing

Rifles, Arnold Air Society, and more• ROTC Detachment Liaisons• Family Liaison• Past ROTC Cadre Liaison For more information, contact Brooke Heck at

bheck@huskeralum.org.

Alumni Directory to be Published

This YearFor the first time since 2004, the Nebraska Alumni

Association is producing a printed alumni directory. In addition to helping you locate classmates, the directory will include a section with information about UNL and photos and brief narratives provided by participating classmates. The directory project helps the association verify and up-date alumni records.

Beginning in March, you will receive communication from the association requesting that you call the number provided and verify your alumni record. The request is legitimate and is fully endorsed by the Nebraska Alumni Association in cooperation with the University of Nebraska Foundation.

We look forward to connecting with you on this ini-tiative and encourage you to participate regardless of your interest in a directory purchase.

Alumni Staff to Visit Big Ten Cities

Brooke Heck, Nebraska Alumni Association program director, and Sarah Haskell, graduate assistant, will be mak-ing their way through Big Ten territory visiting conference schools and local alumni chapters this spring. While in each Big Ten city, they will tour the university campus and alumni center. They will also give a UNL update at a casual meet-and-greet event with the local chapter in each area.

If you live in Big Ten territory, watch for them in your locale on these dates:

• April 4 – Iowa City and Des Moines• April 5 – Minneapolis • April 6 – Madison • April 7 – Chicago • April 25 – Michigan – East Lansing • April 26 – Michigan – Ann Arbor • April 27 – Columbus • April 28 – Indianapolis Contact Brooke Heck at bheck@huskeralum.org for

more information.

The 12th Annual Nebraska Magazine Writing ContestWe’re looking for a few good writers. Whether you’re an ardent alumnus, nostalgic Nebraskan, prolific professor or student scribe, here’s your chance. Show us your work. There are two categories, with prizes awarded in each category, along with a byline in Nebraska Magazine.

CATeGory oNe: ALuMNi ProfiLeS Write about a Nebraska grad with an interesting hobby or career, or do a “where are they now?” piece on an alumnus who was well known during his/her student days.

CATeGory TWo: NoSTALGiA PieCeS Tell us about a memorable student activity when you were at NU, or write about a favorite professor.

PrizeS: Three prizes will be awarded in each category. In addition, the winning articles will be published in future issues of Nebraska Magazine. 1st Prize - $500 2nd Prize - $250 3rd Prize - $100

eNTry DeTAiLS Articles must be 750 to 1,000 words in length and typewritten. Enter as many articles as you wish. Entry deadline is April 15, 2011. Submit entries, along with the author’s name, address and phone number to: Magazine Writing Contest, Wick Alumni Center, 1520 R St., Lincoln, NE 68508-1651, FAX: (402) 472-9289, E-mail: nebmag@huskeralum.org

ASSoCIATIoN UPdATE | Spring 2011 | 5

6 | GoodNUz | FoUNdATIoN UPdATE

campaignfornebraska.org

individuals have made donations to UNL during the campaign.

47,450of new funds to the UNL campaign support student scholarships.

47%UNL students receive some form of financial aid.

16,000

Campaign priorities• Students• Faculty• Global Engagement• Agriculture and Life Sciences• Information Technology• Cancer Research• Architectural Engineering

and Construction• Water for Food• Early Childhood Education

donors to UNL are first-time donors during the campaign.

1 out of 3

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA–LINCOLN

$550 M$0

of UNL campaign gifts are from Nebraska households/ organizations.

All statistics as of Nov. 30, 2010. The Campaign for Nebraska began in July, 2005 and will conclude December, 2014.

new funds have been established during the campaign to support academic programs at UNL.

627

$441,331,233

Improving child development conditions for at-risk children and their families. Leveraging the university’s land-grant mission by working with partners across the state to put the science of early childhood education into practice. And helping to ensure all children have equal op-portunities for success.

These goals are now within reach because of a gener-ous gift to the University of Nebraska from philanthropist Susie Buffett of Omaha, and the university is becoming a national leader and model among public universities.

The gift announced Jan. 31 establishes the Buffett Early Childhood Institute to help transform early child-hood development and education in Nebraska and the na-

tion. Dedicated to promoting the development and success of children from birth to age 8, it will focus especially on those who are most vulnerable.

“The need for this institute has never been more clear, and the potential to transform the lives of children has never been greater,” said NU President James B. Milliken. “We must do more to ensure our youngest children – espe-cially those who are at risk – have equal opportunities for health, happiness and success.”

Annual support provided by Buffett’s founding gift will be more than matched by university, private and fed-eral sources to leverage an investment greater than a $100 million permanent endowment, Milliken said.

Led by an executive director, the Buffett Institute will oversee research programs, educational and professional development programs and outreach divisions.

Early childhood development and education is one of the Campaign for Nebraska’s six priorities, joining other ar-eas where the university has the greatest potential to excel.

Recent gifts of all sizes and to all areas of the university bring the campaign total to more than $925 million given toward the $1.2 billion goal. When looking at UNL, more than $441 million has been given toward the campus goal of $550 million. To learn more, see campaignfornebraska.org.

University of Nebraska Foundation

Campaign Gift Advances Nebraska as National Leader in Early Childhood Education

BARKLEY CENTER | Spring 2011 | 7

www.unl.edu/barkley

J

By Blair Euteneuer, ’11Matt and Brenda McNiff will never forget their son Benjamin’s

first word.Their 3-year-old son has autism, so they were overjoyed on

Christmas Eve last year, when Benjamin said his first word: “Up.” He was telling his father he wanted to do one of his favorite things – get tossed in the air.

“It was about the greatest day ever for me,” Matt said. “I threw him up in the air until my arms were numb.”

The McNiffs have taken bi-weekly trips from Beatrice to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Barkley Memorial Center throughout the past year to get services for their son. The center is home to the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, which also serves and educates children and adults with speech and hearing disabilities.

Benjamin has made significant strides in the past year, as he has been able to say “hi” and “bye,” identify his ABCs and acknowledge who “mommy” and “daddy” are.

“That’s the best thing in the world to us,” Matt said. “I have no doubt the reason he is as far as he is today is because of the Barkley Center students and staff who have helped teach us the skills we need to encourage Ben to speak and teach Ben what he needed.”

The Barkley Memorial Center’s students and faculty serve 125 patients weekly through speech, language and audiology clinics. More than 445 undergraduate and graduate students are currently studying speech-language pathol-ogy, audiology and special education. The speech-language pathol-ogy and special education programs are rated in the top 5 percent of programs in the country.

Recently, the center celebrated a remarkable 35 years of ser-vice, along with the conclusion of an important $4 million project, which added 10,000 square feet to the facility and renovated areas that had not been updated since its opening in 1976.

The Barkley Trust fund made the 18-month renovation and expansion possible. Improvements included upgraded clinical rooms, new technology, a room to treat adults with traumatic brain injuries, an updated and expanded Hearing Aid Clinic, new space for Dizziness and Balance Disorders Lab, an upgraded Motor

Speech Lab, new space for an autism project, updated entrance that offers more patient security and manages HIPAA requirements, and additional offices for faculty and graduate students.

William E. and Edna M. Barkley’s longtime trust enabled the improvements as well as creation of one of the best programs of its kind in the nation. In the 1940s, the Barkleys created a private trust to carry out their philanthropic vision to prepare teachers and other professionals to educate children and adults with speech and hearing disabilities. Over the years, dedicated trustees helped man-age the Barkley Trust, which had grown to $30 million in 1996 when the trustees donated it to the University of Nebraska Founda-

tion for the sole benefit of UNL.Today, as a result of prudent man-

agement of the trust, it is valued at $65.7 million, from which annual interest provides invaluable support for the top-rated programs in special education and communication disorders. It also provides student scholarships, graduate assistant-ships, faculty chair positions, service to patients and staff/faculty support.

The new improvements will allow faculty to expand their research capa-bilities and clinical training. They also allowed the hire of a new professor in vestibular function and created more offices and a more attractive environment for patients, faculty and staff.

The McNiffs, who are also both graduates from the center’s special educa-

tion graduate program, said they are particularly grateful for the continuous improvements to the center.

“The improvements are wonderful,” Matt said. “As alums, it’s nice to see the building we learned in become even better, but com-ing here as a family that needed help, it was so nice and welcoming. I only wish it was twice as big, so that more people could get the help we were blessed to be able to receive.”

If you’re interested in supporting the wonderful work being done at the Barkley Memo-rial Center or if you have a specific desire to support educational and research projects and programs dealing with autism spectrum disorders please contact Jane Heany, director of development for the College of Education & Human Sciences at 402-458-1177.

Barkley Memorial Center

One Simple Word Lifts ‘Up’ Autistic Child and His Family

William E. and Edna

M. Barkley’s longtime trust

enabled the improvements

as well as creation of one of

the best programs of its kind

in the nation. In the 1940s,

the Barkleys created a private

trust to carry out their phil-

anthropic vision to prepare

teachers and other profes-

sionals to educate children

and adults with speech and

hearing disabilities. Over the

years, dedicated trustees

helped manage the Barkley

Trust, which had grown to

$30 million in 1996 when

the trustees donated it to the

University of Nebraska

Foundation for the sole

benefit of UNL.

Benjamin McNiff (left) and his brother Jackson.

By Colleen Kenney Fleischer, ’88

They’d call it a success, organizers

figured, if just 50 people showed.

After all, this was the first

reunion for UNL’s ROTC alumni.

How many would actually return?

But more than 100 alumni and friends of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps ROTC programs came back to campus this past Nov. 12, the day after Veterans Day.

“We had a tremendous response,” the Nebraska Alumni Association’s Brooke Heck said. “We were so thrilled. The ROTC community was so thrilled. It was a great event.”

The reunion included a ribbon-cutting for the newly renovated lobby of the Pershing Military and Naval Sci-ence Building. The lobby now honors the ROTC pro-gram’s most decorated figure in its history, Gen. John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.

Pershing came to Lincoln in 1891 to be a professor of military science and tactics. He graduated from its law school in 1893.

He wears a uniform in the large photo now hanging opposite the front doors. His commanding eyes greet all who enter.

One former cadet who came back was Air Force Capt. Mark Dreiling (’05), currently stationed at Buckley Air Force Base near Denver.

“The first reunion meant a great deal to me, especially considering the amount of effort the university spent in making it a success,” Dreiling said. “The dedication of the Pershing displays will stick with me for many years to come. General Pershing is such a significant figure not just in the story of our university, but world history as well.”

Another former cadet who came back was Lowell Vestal (’56), a retired journalist and landlord who provided the lead gift of about $50,000 for the lobby renovations.

When he was a cadet, the Lincoln man said, he knew little about Pershing. He knew he was a great general and the Pershing Rifles, a collegiate organization of drill units, had been named for him. After graduating, Vestal kept

hearing the Pershing name and their paths seemed to keep crossing. Pershing had been a member of Vestal’s Masonic lodge in Lincoln and an honorary member of his Kiwanis club.

“I’m pleased to be a part of this project to bring public attention to a notable Nebraska, Gen. John J. Pershing,” said Vestal, who helped cut the ribbon. “I’m pleased I can do things for the school and leave something that will outlast my lifetime.”

After the ribbon-cutting, alumni attended the first meeting of the ROTC Affiliate of the Nebraska Alumni Association.

Dreiling was asked to be the group’s first leader. He expects the reunion weekend to become an annual event. Though nothing is set in stone, he said, having it around Veterans Day and a home football game seemed to work well.

He envisions the group becoming a multifaceted organization that brings back many things to the university, such as mentorship and speakers – a military meteorologist could, for example, speak to both ROTC cadets as well as students in meteorology classes.

“I see the strongest opportunity for this through the various career paths that each officer embarks upon,” Dreil-ing said. “For example, I am one of several UNL graduates who work in space operations. This organization has the ability to provide newly commissioned officers a con-nection with past UNL graduates who have already been down the path.”

Also at the reunion, members of the UNL Army ROTC program unveiled a bronze statue for the three UNL Army ROTC soldiers who’ve died since 9/11: 1st Lt. Kevin Gaspers, Capt. Edward Iwan, and Capt. Robert Yllescas.

In March 2010, their friends started the “Fallen Heroes of the War on Terrorism Fund.” They raised more than $4,000. They hope to grow the fund to the point where it can provide three annual scholarships.

Among those attending the unveiling were Iwan’s parents, Donna and Kenneth, and Yllescas’ wife, Dena. Former cadets from Lt. Gaspers’ era were there, too. One of them was 1st Lt. Spencer Murdock, now an assistant professor of military science for the Army ROTC program. In 2004, Murdock had just returned from deployment when he joined ROTC and met Gaspers, who was in class ahead of him. They bonded.

Everybody, Murdock says, seemed to gravitate to Gaspers.

“He was just a good person. When I found out he’d been killed, well, you know, every time you lose a friend who’s close to you in something like this, it’s hard. It’s just hard.”

For more information on future reunions or to join the new ROTC alumni group, contact Pam Penner at ppenner@huskeralum.org. To give to the Fallen Heroes of the War on Terrorism Fund at UNL go to nufoundation.org/fundsearch and type in “fallen heroes” or contact the University of Nebraska Foundation’s Josh Egley, 402-458-1202 or jegley@nufoundation.org.

Former ROTC cadet Lowell Vestal (’56) donated much of the money needed to renovate the Pershing Military and Naval Science Building’s lobby, which now honors Gen. John J. Pershing.

8 | GoodNUz | RoTC

Alumni Affiliates

ROTC Alumni Reunite

Winter 2010 | 9

TOMMIEFRAZIER15Most people remember Tommie Frazier, the All-American football quarter-back who helped lead the Nebraska football team to back-to-back National Championships in the mid 1990s. Tommie continues to be asked how he has handled the pressures of being a world-class athlete; dealing with a career-ending illness; working in the business world; and being a husband, father and friend. Let Tommie share his compelling stories that touch on teaching, teamwork, goals, leadership, adversity, peer pressure and choices with your organization.

For more information, contact: TAT Enterprises / P.O. Box 22031 / Lincoln, NE 68542 E-mail: tfrazier@tommiefrazier15.com Phone: (877) 722-2515

10 | GoodNUz | MUSEUM

By Dana Ludvik, ’04“Wow. All these bones were really dug up in Nebraska?” a

little girl asks her mother as they walk through Morrill Hall’s new highway paleontology exhibit, “Life in the Past Lane.”

Moments of discovery like these are sparked every day at the University of Nebraska State Museum, which celebrates its 140th year in 2011 as the state’s premier museum of natural history. This milestone is celebrated not so much in calendar years but in the count-less number of lives that have been touched by the museum’s wonders.

Established in 1871 by the Uni-versity of Nebraska Board of Regents, the State Museum has grown into one of the nation’s leading university research museums. The museum was established just two years after the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and was one of the first natural science museums west of the Mississippi River.

Today, the museum touches the lives of more than 100,000 visitors each year at Morrill Hall, Mueller Planetarium, the research

collections, and branch locations at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park and the Trailside Museum of Natural History at Fort Robinson State Park. In 2009, the museum again earned a 10-year reaccreditation by the American Association of Mu-seums, the highest national recogni-

tion afforded U.S. museums.From its humble beginnings as the university’s “cabinet,” the

museum has flourished over the years through public support and staff efforts to carry on the legacy of those who laid its foundation, particularly Board of Regents member (1890-1903) Charles H. Morrill and Museum Director (1891-1941) Dr. Erwin H. Barbour.

University of Nebraska State Museum

Celebrating 140 Years of discovery

Museum History Highlights June 14, 1871The museum is established by the Uni-versity of Nebraska Board of Regents. Its first home is University Hall.

1881The first vertebrate fossil is catalogued into the museum’s scientific collections. It is a Cretaceous fish vertebra collected in Dixon County, Nebraska.

1891Erwin H. Barbour becomes museum director.

1892The Morrill Geological Expeditions begin.

1922The museum’s renowned fossil mam-moth, “Archie,” is discovered on a fam-ily farm in Lincoln County, Nebraska.

1927Morrill Hall opens at UNL.

1939The institutional name is officially changed to University of Nebraska State Museum.

1941C. Bertrand Schultz becomes museum director. The Board of Regents and chancellor reorganize the museum and expand it to include four research divi-sions: anthropology, geology, paleon-tology and zoology. These collections remain in their “home” departments.

1945 Plans are announced for construction of ‘Hall of Nebraska Wildlife’ to include 16 dioramas. The last three are completed in September 1961.

1947-1948 First entomology and then botany are added under the museum’s umbrella, while remaining in their departments.

1958Mueller Planetarium opens.

Charles H. Morrill Erwin H. Barbour

Carrie Barbour, shown here in 1895, was one of the first female paleontologists.

morrill Hall’s “Beetle mania” event attracted museum visitors of all ages in august 2010.

In the late 19th century, the museum experienced a period of major expansion through the leadership and collaboration of Barbour and Morrill, who shared a passion for uncovering and preserving the state’s prehistoric past.

In the summer of 1892, Morrill began financing paleontologi-cal expeditions led by Barbour, who was accompanied by his sister, Carrie Barbour (one of the earliest female paleontologists), and other scientists to western Nebraska, the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, and eastern Wyoming. On these Mor-rill Geological Expedi-tions, large amounts of significant mineral, rock and fossil specimens were discovered that would become the nucleus for the museum’s future collections, helping to establish its reputation as an important repository for information about life on Earth. Morrill was the museum’s primary benefactor of these and subsequent expeditions undertaken by Barbour and the university for the next 30 years.

In 1927, after previously outgrowing spaces in University Hall, old Nebraska Hall and the old Museum Building, the museum moved into newly constructed Morrill Hall. The research collections underwent rapid growth between 1927 and 1941, and many of the permanent Morrill Hall fossil displays were mounted and installed during this era. It was here that Barbour’s dream to devote a space entirely to the evolution of the modern elephant came to fruition.

World-famous Elephant Hall has been the star attraction of the museum ever since. Mighty mastodons and mammoths lead

the parade of 13 million years of Nebraska elephants. Thousands of people have entered the grand corridor and looked in amazement at the magnificent array of ancient beasts that once roamed the plains. Above them all towers “Archie,” the world’s largest articulated mam-moth.

In the years following Morrill Hall’s construction, the museum continued to grow and carry out Barbour and Morrill’s mission

to preserve Nebraska’s natural and cultural heritage. In 1961, the museum acquired the Trailside Museum of Natural History. This historic jewel nestled in the heart of Fort Robinson features the stunning “Clash of the Mammoths” exhibit, which continues to at-tract visitors from near and far. It is the world’s only fossil of two mam-moths that fought to the death with locked tusks.

In 1971, Ashfall Fossil Beds was discov-ered by museum curator

Mike Voorhies. Each year since Ashfall opened to the public in 1991, visitors have flocked to witness this remarkable display of creatures preserved in volcanic ash where they perished more than 12 million years ago. In 2006, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated Ashfall as a National Natural Landmark. Three years later, the expanded Hubbard Rhino Barn opened, enclosing and protecting the fossil beds from the elements and allowing visitors to share in the thrill of scientific discovery as paleontologists continue to unearth new specimens.

Museum Director Pricilla Grew points out that many visitors

MUSEUM | Spring 2011 | 11

1960The Nebraska Highway Paleontology Program, the first of its kind in the United States, is established to salvage and preserve fossils during road con-struction projects.

1961The Trailside Museum of Natural His-tory opens.

1968The museum receives a NSF grant to remodel and refurbish west 4th and 5th floors of Nebraska Hall and all museum research divisions move in by 1971.

1971Museum paleontologist Mike Voorhies first discovers a rhino fossil at Ashfall, the site of an extensive fossil bed that later reveals the remains of at least 20 species of prehistoric animals.

1980Morrill Hall’s hands-on children’s En-counter Center opens (now the recently renovated Marx Science Discovery Center).

1983 The Friends of the State Museum organization is established to support the museum.

1989The first three floors of Morrill Hall are renovated with funds appropriated by the legislature and contributions from donors, allowing installation of climate control for specimen conservation and enhancing exhibits.

1991Ashfall Fossil Beds Historical State Park opens.

1999The U.S. National Collection of scarab beetles from the Smithsonian Institu-tion (a third of a million specimens) is transferred to the museum for off-site enhancement.

2006U.S. Department of the Interior declares Ashfall a National Natural Landmark.The “Clash of the Mammoths” exhibit opens at the Trailside Museum.

2007Mueller Planetarium introduces 360-degree full-dome programming.

2009The expanded Hubbard Rhino Barn opens at Ashfall.

Continued on page 12

Dr. Mike Voorhies, Curator Emeritus for Vertebrate Paleontology, uncovers an Ashfall rhino skull in 1990.

State Museum paleontologist Thomas Marshland works at the Nebraska Daemonelix or “Devil’s Corkscrew” excavation in the 1890s.

Dr. Erwin H. Barbour (Museum Director 1891-1941) and staff place the mount of Archie in Elephant Hall in 1933.

A student performs delicate excavation work in the Hubbard Rhino Barn at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park in 2010.

museum.unl.edu

J

12 | GoodNUz | MUSEUM

may not be aware that only a fraction of the museum’s total collec-tions are on display.

“Our visitors admire Morrill Hall’s amazing dinosaurs and mammoths, but probably many don’t realize that behind the scenes, the museum holds an irreplaceable research collection of millions of specimens and objects, collected from before Nebraska became a state, right up through last week,” said Grew. “The museum collections are constantly growing as UNL researchers uncover new species and unique life forms.”

Since the museum’s founding, its collections in anthropology, entomology, parasitology, botany, zoology and paleontology have grown to more than 14-million specimens and artifacts. These are housed in today’s Nebraska Hall, where the collections were centralized in 1971. The museum’s internationally recognized collections not only help to explain the past, but also provide insight relevant to the most pressing scientific and social issues of today, such as global climate change and the threats to endangered species. Museum researchers are as dedicated to maintaining the collections as they are to building them, sometimes traveling across the globe to collect specimens. From expeditions in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert to study vertebrate parasites, to late nights in the Bra-zilian jungle to collect rare beetles, to archaeological field work in Nebraska’s Sandhills – museum research is being conducted every day to enhance the collections for future generations and help the public gain a better understanding of biodiversity, Earth history and human cultures.

In accordance with Barbour’s wish for the museum to be a “source of great civic pride as well as an unlimited source of pleasurable information, study and instruction,” the museum continues to play a vital role in serving the community. Annually, Mueller Planetarium and Morrill Hall provide gallery programs, shows and outreach resources to more than 15,000 elementary and

high school students, 1,000 college students and 3,500 adults. The museum’s array of public events featuring hands-on science activi-ties has steadily increased throughout the last decade, inspiring a love of science in children and encouraging families to make repeat visits throughout the year.

Associate Director Mark Harris says the museum’s 140th year stands to be one of the most exciting yet.

“This milestone comes at a time when the museum is busier than ever. Its contribution to the university and the community has never been higher. With six major public events planned and more than 70,000 visitors expected to come through our doors again in 2011, we are poised to have one of our best years yet,” he said.

You can support the next 140 years of discovery at the University of Nebraska State Museum by visiting www.nufoundation.org or contacting Connie Pejsar at the Univer-sity of Nebraska Foundation, cpejsar@nufoundation.org or 800-432-3216. Visit www.museum.unl.edu/140 to learn more (and view videos) about the museum, as well as upcoming events and exhibits.

Members of “Team Scarab” in the State Museum’s Entomology Division collecting in Belize in 2008 (left to right) are Brett Ratcliffe, Ron Cave and Jesus Orozco.

Share Your Museum MemoriesDo you have fond memories or treasured old photos associated with the museum that you’d like to share in honor of our 140th anniversary in 2011? E-mail your museum memories and photos to Dana Ludvik at dludvik2@unl.edu by March 30. You may also mail them to: Dana Ludvik, NU State Museum, 307 Morrill Hall - UNL, PO Box 880338, Lincoln, NE 68588-0338. For assistance with photo scanning, phone (402) 472-3779.

2011 Exhibits Through Sept. 30, 2011

“Life in the Past Lane,” an exhibit

highlighting fossils discovered over the

last 50 years through the Nebraska

Highway Paleontology program.

Through oct. 30, 2011

“Amphibians: Vibrant and Vanish-

ing,” an exhibit featuring photos by

National Geographic Photographer

and UNL grad Joel Sartore.

April 2011

“Colorful Creature Art Exhibit,”

featuring artwork from a statewide

children’s art contest.

Spring-Summer 2011

Ashfall’s “Heritage Pavilion” Opens.

September 2011

“Wildlife and Nature Amateur

Photography Exhibit,” featuring strik-

ing images from a statewide amateur

photography contest.

“First Peoples of the Plains: Tradi-

tions Shaped by the Land,” a new

permanent exhibit celebrating Native

American culture of the past and

present in Morrill Hall’s renovated

Native American gallery.

November 2011 – November 2012

“Meteorites and Minerals,” exhibit

featuring a spectacular display of rare

rocks, minerals and meteorites.

2011 Events (at Morrill Hall)Colorful Creature Day

April 2, 1 - 4:30 p.m.

Astronomy Day

May 7, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

fright at the Museum – Late October

“Sunday with a Scientist” monthly pro-

gram series for families. Different topics

will be explored the 3rd Sunday of each

month from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. through

December 2011:

Feb. 20 – Parasitology

March 20 – Lasers & Photonics

April 17 – Fruit

May 15 – Extreme Weather

June 19 – Tissue Mechanics

July 17 – Fish

Aug. 21 – Climate Change

Sept. 18 – Plants

Oct. 16 – Fossils

Nov. 20 – Viruses

Dec. 18 – Minerals

By Gillian Klucas

The same technology used to bring King Kong to life in the

movies is helping researchers better understand amyotrophic

lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that attacks

neurons and weakens muscles over time. About 30,000 Ameri-

cans suffer from ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

UNL speech-language pathologist Jordan Green and colleague Yana Yunosova at the University of Toronto are using computer technology to study the decline in speech in ALS patients with a nearly $2.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Their work may lead to earlier diagnosis and aid in treatment development.

Currently, no tests can definitively diagnose ALS. Physicians must rely on observing weakening muscles and ruling out other causes, which often takes 18 months after initial symptoms appear, said Green, an associate professor and the Corwin Moore Chair in Communications Disorders who directs UNL’s Speech Production Lab.

For more than one-fourth of patients, symptoms begin with speech impairment, called bulbar symptoms. While bulbar deterioration impairs speech and swallowing, rela-tively few studies have focused on these symptoms. Measuring muscles involved in speech is particularly difficult, which can delay diagnosis and treatment.

14 | GoodNUz | RESEARCH

By Ashley Washburn, ’02Gas guzzlers aren’t the only roadblock to greener transportation. Streetlights, signs,

traffic signals and other basic infrastructure also consume considerable energy. University of Nebraska–Lincoln energy and transportation experts are teaming to

develop a wind and solar hybrid power system that generates, stores and distributes elec-tricity for transportation infrastructure. The goal is to create “energy-plus” roadways that produce more electricity than they consume.

The transportation industry has experimented with solar power for roadway infra-structure, but combining it with wind power is almost unheard of, said Jerry Hudgins, the UNL electrical engineer who leads the three-year project, funded by a nearly $1 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant.

A hybrid system promises a clean, continuous source of power that reduces energy consumption and costs, protects against electrical blackouts and feeds excess energy to the power grid to help offset transportation system expenses.

Civil engineer Anuj Sharma is determining how to plug the system into the power source of existing transportation infrastructure. UNL’s system contains a solar panel and a

Office of Research and Economic Development

Powering ‘Green’ Roadways with Solar, Wind

UNL engineers are developing a wind and solar hybrid power system to generate electricity for traffic signals and other roadway infrastructure. From left: Wei Qiao, Elizabeth Jones, Anuj Sharma and Jerry Hudgins. Office of Research and Economic Development photo.

3-d Helps Researchers detect ALS Speech declines

UNL speech-language pathologist Jordan Green (center) is using 3-D technology to study speech declines in people with ALS. Lab manager Cynthia Didion (right) demonstrates the instrument that tracks minute facial movements while doctoral student Jun Wang monitors readings on a computer.

“To produce speech you need to co-ordinate the activities of between 30 to 70 muscles,” Green said. “We’re using com-puter technology to quantify small changes in speech production that are otherwise undetectable.”

Green is following 100 bulbar-onset ALS patients at UNL and the University of Toronto to study progression of speech de-generation. He’s using 3-D motion analysis to track facial movements in fine detail, electromagnetic equipment to track tongue motion and special equipment to evaluate speech breathing and voice.

Sensitive measurements of facial muscles will help determine abnormal muscle strength for early diagnosis, moni-tor disease progression and predict when patients will lose speech so they can better prepare.

Finely detailed measurements also will help in the search for effective treatments.

“Outcomes measures in the bulbar system are fairly blunt,” said Green. “They need sensitive measures to determine small changes, and that will expedite drug trials.”

RESEARCH | Spring 2011 | 15

wind turbine, each collecting energy that is converted into electricity to power the traffic signal, roadway sign or light on which it’s installed.

But what happens on a cloudy day? Electrical engineer Wei Qiao is creating a smart control system that senses how much

power each source produces depending on the weather, traffic volume and other factors. If it’s cloudy, the system would compensate by using more wind power or switching to the main power source.

Hudgins envisions local networks of hybrid power systems connected by smart controls, creating a “microgrid” in an intersection or even across several blocks. Individual systems would communicate with each other and shift power where it’s most needed, such as a busy street during rush hour.

Civil engineer Elizabeth Jones with UNL’s Mid-America Transportation Center is coordinating the team’s partnership with the city of Lincoln, which Hudgins said has been critical to the project. City engineers have provided information about Lincoln’s structural components, such as existing power system connections and traffic signals. The partner-ship also has allowed UNL researchers to estimate the wind and solar energy produced at four locations near the city limits, which the team is using to design the hybrid electrical system.

Hudgins said the team’s goal is to begin prototype testing by early 2013 and partner with the city for possible future implementation.

“This could have a significant impact on the next generation of smart electric grids,” Hudgins said.

Nebraskans have always been known for their loyal support of our university – on the field, in the classrooms, in the labs and with alumni as-sociation memberships. To our 25,000 members, we say thank you for your continued support which has helped the university through a tremendous

decade of growth, prosperity and academic achievement.

To our 150,000 remaining non-members, we need your help more than ever. With our move to the Big Ten, Nebraska

will become the smallest public university, alumni base and membership base in the conference. While we were accustomed to being one of the larger Big 12 schools and alumni associations, we enter this new era with the cards stacked against us. Yet, that is always when Nebraskans are at their best.

How Does Membership Help?

Our new peers include universities with three times our enrollment and alumni bases that quadruple the number of graduates Nebraska has produced. While other schools may have strength in numbers, our alumni have an unmatched passion.

Joining the alumni association is an afford-able way for you to have a positive impact on the university every day. Alumni association programs directly affect our nationwide student recruitment strategy, grant decisions, scholarships, mentoring

programs and national rank-ings – including U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s best universities.

What’s in it for me?

For an annual membership of less than a dol-lar a week, you’ll enjoy numerous discounts and benefits that keep you connected to Dear Ol’ Ne-braska U, and your membership may be considered tax-deductible. In addition, the Alumni Associa-tion creates connections among alumni, friends and fans of Nebraska that can help you plug in to a

new community, advance in your career or just get together and cheer whenever we take the field or court. You’ll also get exclusive access to our “mem-bers only” football ticket lottery to watch Nebraska undertake many of these historic first matchups in our new conference (see sidebar on page 17).

In addition, Nebraska’s alumni will soon be able to join with established Big Ten programs in alumni networking, international group travel and interacting with our new peer alumni.

Most importantly, as Nebraska continues to advance in the academic, athletic and research rankings, and our national reputation climbs even

higher, the value of a Nebraska degree increases, making you a more desir-able employee and giving you the pride to let that Big Ten Hawkeye, Wol-verine, Buckeye or Badger in the office down the hall know that no matter where you call home, There Is No Place Like Nebraska.

Keep the Momentum Going

Please, take a moment to look through the pages of Good NUz. The university has had a fantastic decade and is on the move. Enrollment, grad-uation rates and research funding have all increased significantly. The development of the new Innova-tion Campus will encourage private/public research partnerships, creating unique internship opportuni-ties for students and boosting economic develop-ment. And with the move to the Big Ten Confer-ence, our researchers, students and faculty will take the spotlight as part of a major national research and teaching university. Yet, many more opportunities lie ahead … and in today’s economic environment, increased alumni engagement at home and around the world will be essential to taking advantage!

JoiN or VoLuNTeer ToDAy!

Be a part of the progress! Join today by calling us at

888-353-1874, completing the form here

or visiting us securely online at

HuskerAlum.org/membership.

Nebraska Alumni Association – Membership

In the Big Ten – Alumni Membership

Matters More Than Ever

I Stand Up for mentoring the next generation of Nebraskans, helping them to reach their full potential.

Tom OsborneNAA Life Member

I Stand Up for Nebraska’s future – because it’s not where we’ve been, it’s where we’re going.

Tommie FrazierNAA Life Member

I Stand Up for kids from small towns who want to come to the University of Nebraska, get a first-class education and make our state an even better place to live.

Matt DavisonNAA Life Member

The opportunities before us have never been more important or more visible. The challenges have never been more real… We cannot fully achieve our goals as a university without the active engagement of our alumni.

Harvey PerlmanNAA Life Member

WE

NE

ED

YOU

J

MEMBERSHIP | Spring 2011 | 17

MeMBerSHiP APPLiCATioN forM for NeBrASKA ALuMNi ASSoCiATioN

First Name_____________________________________ Last Name_________________________________________________________ M.I._____

Address__________________________________________________ Maiden Name____________________________________________________

City/State/Zip_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Home Phone______________________________ Work Phone_______________________________Wireless________________________________

E-mail Address_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Major____________________________________________________ Degree________________________________________Class Year__________

Please select one of the oPtions below: individual Joint

life Membership paid-in-fullNo reminder notices, no annual dues. Add your name to the Life Endowment Wall. $1000 $1250

life Membership 5-year planMakes life membership easier to afford by billing you annually. $230/year $290/year

senior life MembershipFor our alumni and friends more than 65 years old. $450 $550

annual MembershipLess than a dollar per week. $50 $60

Recent Graduate MembershipFor our newest alumni less than three years out of college. $15 $20

My payment for $______________ is enclosed. Spouse Name if joint__________________________________________________________________

Check made payable to the Nebraska Alumni Association

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Card Number________________________________________________________ Exp. Date_________________ Today’s Date__________________

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To access all your benefits, be sure to create your alumni profile at: http://community.huskeralum.org

The NAA will only use your alumni information to pass along relevant news, benefits and offers.

To opt out of any of these communications, please contact us or update your online profile.

Return form to: nebraska alumni association, 1520 R street, P.o. box 80129, lincoln, nebraska 68501-0129

Got Tickets? Members Do!This season marks Nebraska’s

inaugural year in the Big Ten Confer-

ence, and will feature historic matchups

with many of the most storied and

tradition-rich programs in the country.

Demand for football tickets will be ex-

tremely high, but association members

will be able to take part in the annual

“for members only” football ticket

lottery.

Members can rank their prefer-

ences for games and will be entered into

a lottery for two tickets to a 2011 home

game. Priority drawing will start with

lifetime association members who have

made other donations to the association

and conclude with annual members un-

til all the tickets are distributed. Lottery

forms will be available in the April issue

of the Nebraska Magazine, a free benefit

to members of the association.

ViP Home football Weekends – The Best Way to Come Home!

Want to be absolutely sure you

won’t miss the Buckeyes when they hit

Lincoln, or when Nebraska avenges the

Holiday bowl loss to Washington? VIP

home football weekends include game

tickets (no lottery necessary), a VIP

stadium tour, downtown hotel accom-

modations and Nebraska Champions

Club passes for the perfect home game

weekend. Just get yourself to Lincoln

and we’ll take care of the rest. All you

have to worry about is cheering for

the Huskers. To register or for more

information, please call us at 888-353-

1874 or visit HuskerAlum.org/travel/

homegames/

4NAA11-GOODNUZ

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18 | GoodNUz | IANR

By Sandi Alswager Karstens, ’01, ’07University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists are using MRI to

monitor biomaterials and engineered tissues. Among other advanc-es, some day this could lead to noninvasive biopsies of potentially cancerous tissues or regenerated organs.

Angie Pannier and Shadi Othman, UNL biological systems engineers, are studying engineered bone and fat tissues that in the future could be implanted into the human body to replace tissue lost due to injury or disease.

While tissue engineering isn’t new – engineered skin and cartilage already are available in the United States – using an MRI to monitor growth and development is. Specifically, Othman is combining MRI with mechanical actuators and custom software to develop a technique called magnetic resonance elastography to measure changes in the mechanical properties of engineered tissues in living mice.

The biological systems engineering department received the 9.4 Tesla, high-field MRI scanner in December 2009. Its use is dedicated to basic biomedical engineering research and regenerative medicine.

“We are the first group in the world utilizing high field MRI to measure mechanical properties of living systems with very high spatial resolution,” Othman said.

Othman is combining this technique with Pannier’s tissue en-gineering research to image engineered tissues and biomaterial scaf-folds used for tissue engineering. Biomaterials serve as a scaffold, or physical structure, on which to grow tissue. The cells grow on the scaffold to form a new tissue. Using magnetic resonance elastog-raphy, or MRE, Pannier and Othman can determine the stiffness of the engineered tissue without any damage to the tissue or a lab mouse, a feat not possible with current technologies. In addition, they can study various other properties of the cells and biomaterial scaffolds, including water and molecular content.

MRE uses a mechanical actuator that creates a sonic excita-tion that travels in soft tissues, which then is monitored by MRI techniques. For example, if tissue is stiff, the sonic wave will be longer, indicating a stiffer engineered tissue like bone, or in the case of cancer, a sign of a tumor. Right now if a patient suspects cancer, the first thing a doctor does is determine how hard the tissue is. Based on feeling, the doctor would order a biopsy.

“With our technique, we can image the tissue and assess how stiff the tissue is in vivo. It would be a noninvasive biopsy,” Oth-man said.

A cancerous tissue might give a different image than a normal tissue, said Jeyam Subbiah, biological systems engineer, while an engineered bone tissue would give a different image than an engi-neered fat tissue.

“Tissue engineering hasn’t realized its potential because there are so many things we don’t know or understand yet,” Pannier said.

Researchers hope the MRI and more specifically MRE will answer some of these questions.

Othman takes the engineered tissue and implants it into mice, which then are placed in the MRI to monitor over time as the tissues grow. Othman is able to determine if growing tissues are getting stiffer like bone or softer like fat.

While researchers right now are only monitoring the tissue, in the future they will create a defect in a mouse and then replace it with engineered tissues, which can be monitored over time for changes in tissue growth and stiffness using MRE.

“We hope what we are doing here today will be able to be done in a hospital some day,” Othman said.

This new MRI machine monitors biomaterials and engineered tissues for UNL scientists. University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources photo.

Institute of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesAgricultural Research Division

BSE’s MRI Machine Furthers Tissue Studies

While tissue engineering

isn’t new – engineered

skin and cartilage already

are available in the United

States – using an MRI

to monitor growth and

development is.

“We are the first group in

the world utilizing high field

MRI to measure mechanical

properties of living systems

with very high spatial

resolution.”

– Shadi Othmanbiological systems engineer

IANR | Spring 2011 | 19

By Sandi Alswager Karstens, ’01, ’07Nebraska ranks first nationally in producing Great Northern

beans and second in pinto and light red kidney beans. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension is at work to help keep it that way.

Carlos Urrea, UNL extension dry bean breeding specialist at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center, and Jim Schild, extension educator, both based in Scottsbluff, work with and teach area producers about adapting beans to be more drought tolerant and disease resistant for western Nebraska conditions.

Beans are big business in Nebraska’s Panhandle, Urrea said, with 130,000 acres in 2009 producing 779,000 cwt. Great North-erns, 1.305 million cwt. in pinto beans and 226,412 cwt. in light red kidneys. That translates into an estimated $73.8 million in products destined for markets in the United States, Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Cuba and Japan.

Extension education helps with dry bean profitability, Urrea said, starting with field trials in farmers’ fields, then sharing results with the public.

“Dry bean growers, industry representatives and others from around the globe get to see how the different varieties perform in the local conditions and get a good idea on how new varieties will perform,” Urrea said.

Producers in Morrill, Scotts Bluff and Box Butte counties collaborate with extension in providing test plots and equipment because ultimately what works well in the plots will be planted in their fields, Urea said.

“Every farmer has different practices, from irrigation to dif-ferent row spacing,” Urrea said. “This way the lines are exposed to several different kinds of practices.”

Extension’s annual dry bean field days, in collaboration with the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association, attract industry representatives and producers to learn more about new dry bean technologies developed at the Panhandle center. The Nebraska Dry Bean Commission sponsors dry bean trade teams from Belgium, France, Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic to learn more about how dry beans are grown in Nebraska.

The field days allow producers and others to get a hands-on look at the different bean varieties and work together to make traits that producers and consumers want, Schild said. Field days also

provide extension education related to planting, weed control, ir-rigation and harvesting.

For example, extension is helping explore development of a more upright dry bean plant with pods higher off the ground, similar to soybean plants. That advantage would allow growers to direct-harvest beans instead of cutting beans down first to dry before combining.

“This work keeps us competitive,” Schild said. “We are No. 1 because of lack of moisture in fall months,” conducive for good harvest conditions. “We can produce Great Northern beans with white, bright shiny color. When we go to export markets, Nebraska dry beans are wanted because of the seed quality.”

Jerry Mackie has been growing dry beans near Gering for 27 years and participates in extension’s dry bean trials because he gets first-in-line experience working with educators and specialists.

“This is the first real-world test under real-world growing practices that farmers use here in the valley,” he said. “We get to yield test everything, harvest it and test it just like we do with all the other beans.”

Mackie said extension is important to the trials because, just like anything else, work needs to be done continually to make it the best.

“The extension field trials take a little extra time, but someone has to do it,” he said. “This work will help preserve the industry.”

Mackie added the extension’s unbiased, research-based educa-tion is “important and legitimate” work that is key to the industry.

Craig Henkel (left) and Carlos Urrea, UNL Extension dry bean breeding specialist, look at a late summer demonstration plot of Great Northern beans on Henkel’s farm

near Bayard. Nebraska ranks first nationally in producing Great Northern beans.Photo by Jorge Venegas.

Institute of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesExtension

Panhandle a National Leader in Dry Beans

ianr.unl.edu

J

Dry Bean Contingent Opening Doors in China

Nebraska dry beans could be

destined for China, if a fall trade mission

opens doors as intended.

The October trade mission, funded

through the Nebraska Dry Bean Checkoff

program, is intended to broaden the

global market for dry beans and help

stabilize dry bean prices.

The Nebraska Dry Bean Commis-

sion targeted China, the third largest dry

bean producer in the world, because

it also is a potential growth market.

Nebraska ranks third in U.S. dry bean

production, accounting for 11 percent of

the U.S. crop from 2006-2008.

Linda Boeckner, director of the Uni-

versity of Nebraska–Lincoln Panhandle

Research and Extension Center, was

among five Nebraskans to start building

relationships and sharing information

about dry bean food processing and

nutrition with key Chinese leaders.

Boeckner, a registered dietitian,

noted the group tasted some products

using beans, such as pastries made with

a bean paste.

“They are less sweet than pastries

you would find in the U.S., and their

texture is more dense,” Boeckner said.

In China dry beans also are ground

into flour used in various food products.

Boeckner said there are opportunities

to explore how beans might be used

in Chinese foods and what effects they

would have on flavor, nutritional quality

and other attributes.

The group visited several Chinese

food processors and nutritional entities.

Other Nebraskans on the trip were

Lynn Reuter, administrative assistant for

the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission;

Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska

Department of Agriculture; Stan Garbacz,

the ag department’s foreign market

representative; and Leo Hoehn of the

Stateline Bean Cooperative.

Standing in front of the Bejing National Stadium, site of the 2008 summer Olympics, is the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission

delegation (from left): Leo Hoehn, Greg Ibach, Lynn Reuter, Linda Boeckner and Stan Garbacz.

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Lincoln Students Learning About

UNL Soybean Research

20 | GoodNUz | CoLLEGES

By Cheryl Alberts, ’86, ’00Soybean plants grow on 5.35 million Nebraska acres and are

in line for a record-breaking harvest, but what intrigues Maxey Elementary schoolchildren are the legumes growing in their class-rooms in Lincoln.

After all, the soybean, while relevant to Nebraska, is a model organism that can promote understanding of real science, say collaborators of a soybean education project that brought Maxey teachers into University of Nebraska–Lincoln laboratories to work alongside university faculty.

“I love the fact that we had the opportunity to be involved in a real research project and follow basically the same scientific process the scientists follow,” said Dwight Thiemann, Maxey fourth-grade teacher. He said he appreciates getting ideas for his science curricu-lum and that “the kids are loving this.”

His fourth-graders enthusiastically make statements such as “I didn’t even know what a soybean looked like” and “This is so cool. It’s kind of like we’re farmers ... kind of.” Said another, “I’ve never planted a farm plant before.”

Coordinating the soybean in the classroom project are Tiffany Heng-Moss, associate professor of entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and Jon Pedersen, UNL professor of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education in the College of Education and Human Sciences. They sought and received project funding from the Nebraska Soybean Board and the United Soybean Board.

Three Maxey teachers worked in laboratories with Heng-Moss; geneticist Tom Clemente, director of the Plant Transformation Core Research Facility; and other UNL scientists. They and two more Maxey teachers currently integrate soybeans into their cur-riculum.

“We engage teachers in research and they in turn are engag-ing their elementary students in research,” Heng-Moss said. “We are helping them to integrate what they learned into their science curriculum, provide first-hand opportunities for their students, and educate students on the importance of soybeans and agriculture.”

That’s important when agriculture is the state’s No. 1 industry and one in three Nebraska jobs are related in some way to agricul-ture. In 2009 Nebraska ranked fifth nationally in soybean produc-tion, valued at more than $2.4 billion. This year’s soybean harvest is forecast at 284 million bushels.

Not only does the project teach children about plant parts and how they grow, Pedersen said, it teaches them about Nebraska agriculture – important as people today are less informed about their food’s origins.

Soybeans are part of daily life, being processed into food for animals and humans, and products from fuel to crayons.

The project provides seeds, soil, plant stands, trays, lights and a time-lapse camera to be shared by the school’s kindergarten, first- and fourth-grade classrooms.

“When we make science more relevant in a child’s life, it’s retained and more meaningful,” Pedersen said. The concept of us-ing the commodity crop, rather than green beans or lima beans, to teach science in the classroom could go regional, statewide or even national, he added.

Heng-Moss and Pedersen say the soybean science links up with state education standards so it is credible with schools.

“Any part of a solid curriculum has to be critical thinking and decision making,” Pedersen said. A teacher’s job isn’t to tell students what to know, he said, but to help them think and use knowledge to make informed decisions.

By working with UNL scientists, teachers are able to pass on knowledge to their students about research to help soybeans resist aphids and disease, and to emphasize traits such as protein or oil levels.

Greg Tebo, Maxey technology specialist, said children also learn about soybeans from coloring contests, singing songs and writing puppet plays. From teachers, children learn about soybean farming, processing, transportation, exportation and end uses.

“From our work with the UNL scientists this summer we are able to provide our students with a wealth of knowledge about every facet of soybeans, from what the breeder does with the plant to the entomologist’s role with the soybean aphid to the biotech-nology involved with the future of soybeans,” Tebo said.

Ag Students Take National Honors

Students in the Agricultural Com-

municators of Tomorrow (ACT) Club

at the College of Agricultural Sciences

and Natural Resources share power-

ful messages about the importance of

agriculture.

Their good work earned them first

place as National Chapter of the Year in

both educational programs and service

activities at the National Agricultural

Media Summit in St. Paul, Minn., last

summer.

The club’s educational programs

award focused on visits with agricultural

businesses in Kansas City and profes-

sional speakers at their meetings. The

first place for service activities rec-

ognized their volunteer work with the

Lincoln City Mission.

Amanda Bergstrom, an ag journal-

ism senior from Wilcox, said the latter

“was an eye opener to volunteer there

and know we were really making a dif-

ference.”

Bergstrom said ACT is important

because it allows students to work with

others who share a focus on agriculture.

Noting “agriculture is ever-chang-

ing,” Paige Bek, an ag economics and

ag journalism senior from Curtis who

attended the summit, said the experi-

ences ACT members gain as members

of the club “prepare us to teach agricul-

ture to people who have no idea what

agriculture really is.”

Jason Ellis, ACT adviser and

Department of Agricultural Leadership,

Education and Communication assistant

professor, said ACT students “have a

passion for the industry. They are eager

to tell agriculture’s story.

“A large percentage of people are

removed from understanding agricul-

ture,” Ellis continued. “These students

have the knowledge and skills to spread

ag literacy.

– Jan Jackson Cejka

casnr.unl.edu

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Shown working in the George W. Beadle Center Greenhouse Complex are, from left, Blake Vajgrt (undergraduate researcher in Prof. Clemente’s lab), Greg Tebo, Nancy Dondlinger and Dwight Thiemann, all from Maxey Elementary School.

CoLLEGES | Spring 2011 | 21

College of Architecture

Students Gain Global Experience

By Colleen Kenney Fleischer, ’88Taylor Hammack has yet to absorb all the experiences

he had this past fall in China. The fifth-year College of Architecture student said

it may take him years to understand how it expanded his horizons as an architect, and as a human.

“It was a terrific experience. China is really just grow-ing. Their economy is growing so fast that they can’t really build fast enough for everyone.

“It’s way different from Lincoln.”He and a dozen other aspiring UNL architects par-

ticipated in the College of Architecture’s China Program. They walked and rode down streets crowded with bikes, motorbikes, cars and humans. They heard people speak Mandarin, a tonal language so different from English, and tried to speak, too.

They heard a lot of honking. But over there it’s usually not in anger, Hammack said. It’s just another way to com-municate.

“The traffic is crazy,” Hammack said. “There are lanes and lights but none of it matters. People are all over the place.”

The goal of the semester-long program, now in its third year, is to help future architects like Hammack absorb China’s history and culture firsthand while learning their craft.

The UNL students worked with their counterparts at Tianjin University in Tianjin, the third largest city in China. For one project, they designed ways to blend and unify three neighboring rural villages a two-hour bus ride from Tianjin.

Mark Hoistad, associate dean of the College of Archi-tecture, and Janghwan Cheon, an assistant professor, served as advisers, working with their counterparts from Tianjin University.

The UNL students lived in a high-rise apartment building a short walk from the university. From his second-floor window, Hammack could see many other high-rise towers – anywhere you turned, it seemed, you’d see cranes building more of them.

During breaks, the students cruised down the Yangtze River. Some hiked in the Yellow Mountains. Some visited the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

They traveled to Tokyo, South Korea and Hong Kong.They tried the many regional styles of Chinese food

– spicy hot in Chongqing, sweet in Shanghai, dim sum Cantonese cooking in Hong Kong, Peking duck in Beijing.

A hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Tianjin became a favorite. They befriended the owner and workers, using dictionaries and gestures to communicate.

“They actually started making dishes for us at the end – ‘Here, you try this out for free,’” Hammack said. “They were really, really nice.”

He and his two roommates also bonded with a cab driver.

The cab driver was taking them to a club when a car rammed into them. The driver sped off, and the cab driver pursued him, weaving in and out of traffic in a wild chase through Tianjin.

“We went chasing him for 15 minutes at least. We’re like, ‘Wow, what’s going on?’ And then we start egging our cab driver on.”

At one point, their cab driver cut the other driver off and jumped out of the cab to open the guy’s door. But he sped away. The cab driver wanted to give the students the ride for free, but Hammock and his roommates refused.

“It was crazy. It was fun.”China is an exciting place architecturally, too. “Going to China really opened my eyes up to a new

sense of what architecture is and how it’s different from place to place.”

The China Program was created through funding by College of Architecture alumnus Scott Killinger (’61), whose Beijing-based firm has a studio in Tianjin. He gave Hammack and the other students about $800 each. He

met with them in Tianjin and talked with them about what to expect in China.

They took him to that hole-in-the wall restaurant. The College of Architecture promotes global engage-

ment, Dean Wayne Drummond said. The college has the highest percentage of students going abroad to study of any unit on campus. Its students also study in Ireland, Germany, France and Ecuador. Its London-based program, offered each spring semester, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.

It’s a powerful experience for architecture students to walk through a place and get a sense of scale and space and movement as well as to experience the daily life of another culture.

“China is the force to be reckoned with in the next century,” Drummond said. “I feel very strongly that students need to understand the power of a country that is moving the world scene like none other.”

Global engagement also is a priority of the university’s Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities – a $1.2 billion fundraising effort to support students, faculty and research. The university hopes to give every undergraduate the chance to study abroad and to attract more interna-tional students to its campuses.

If you’d like to support the university’s effort to promote global engagement, contact the University of Nebraska Foundation at info@nufoundation.org or 800-432-3216. If you’d like to support the College of Architecture, contact the foundation’s Connie Pejsar at cpejsar@nufoundation.org or 402-458-1190.

archweb.unl.edu

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Beijing was among the many places Taylor Hammack and a dozen other College of Architecture students visited last fall, when they studied in China through a program sponsored by alumnus Scott Killinger (’61).

By Jean Ortiz Jones

As an undergraduate student interested in history, Margaret Jacobs was

accustomed to understanding change through political figures like

Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt or through other agents like the

economy or technology. But she gained a new perspective after

taking an introductory course in women’s history, much to her surprise.

22 | GoodNUz | CoLLEGES

“...history doesn’t just

have to be about huge politi-

cal events – most of which

primarily involved men as

decision makers – but it

can also be about ordinary

people and how their lives

change over time and how

they themselves can shape

that change that occurs.”

– Margaret JacobsDirector, UNL Women’s and

Gender Studies Program

“I had never really thought about if there’s a special women’s history or men’s history. What does that mean? To me, it was all just history,” she said. “What it really was about was that history doesn’t just have to be about huge political events – most of which primarily involved men as decision makers – but it can also be about ordinary people and how their lives change over time and how they themselves can shape that change that occurs.”

The idea more than resonated with her. It became the focus of her work in graduate school and today continues to influence her work in the classroom as a UNL history professor, in her research that has taken her around the world, and as director of UNL’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Now, she is the one sharing new perspectives and challenging students to understand what causes change throughout history.

Since 2006, she has directed the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, which brings together faculty from diverse disciplines to offer students a multidisciplinary experience and to prepare them for a wide variety of careers in fields ranging from education to psychology, business and law, just to name a few.

“It’s a very cohesive group of people who work together really well,” she said. “As director, I feel like I’ve been able to plug into that community and help to maintain and build both the commu-nity of faculty and students and the program itself.”

That has meant directing the program toward an even stronger global/international focus through expanding emphasis areas like transnational feminism, which involves the study on a global scale of the advancement of women’s rights. Jacobs also has helped establish new areas of study like the topic of women, gender and science, which explores women’s roles in science throughout history and aims to promote greater collaboration between faculty and graduate students in the sciences and humanities.

Jacobs’ research focus, meanwhile, has centered on under-standing cross-cultural relationships between women over time. She has written two books along that theme, including her most recent work, published in 2009: “White Mother to a Dark Race: Settler Colonialism, Maternalism, and the Removal of Indigenous

Children in the American West and Australia, 1880-1940.” The book explores the forced removal of indigenous children from their families and their assimilation into American and Australian culture.

It also set her up to receive a prestigious honor in the field of history. Columbia University officials selected Jacobs as a 2010 Bancroft Prize winner. The award was established in 1948 via his-torian, author and librarian Frederic Bancroft to recognize excep-tional books in the field, as well as to support research and library resources.

Jacobs later received two more awards for the book: the Robert G. Athearn Prize sponsored by the Western History Association for the best book on the 20th-century American West, and the Armitage-Jameson Prize sponsored by the Coalition for Western Women’s History for the best book in western women’s history.

Her research has better informed her teaching, given her mate-rial for new lectures, and helped her in her goal of taking a more global approach to the topics she covers, she said.

“I want to continue to bring that kind of dynamism to the classroom because I think the students like it when you’re excited and enthusiastic about it,” she said.

Students can find lessons in Jacobs’ work, but also stand to gain through her individual accomplishments, which boost the reputation of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, said Haley Heindryckx, a senior majoring in women’s and gender stud-ies and sociology.

“In the world of academia, something like an award can make people recognize that what you’re doing is very important – you’re filling in gaps in history,” Heindryckx said. “I think as a WGS ma-jor … that’s kind of what we see our role as – filling in gaps.”

Jacobs has her sights set on her next research projects. She wants to take on another comparative project, this one on non-indigenous people adopting indigenous children. She also wants to explore colonial authorities’ attempts throughout history to control indigenous populations’ dance, food and language.

College of Arts and Sciences

Award-winning Historian Brings New Perspectives to Classroom

ascweb.unl.edu

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Margaret Jacobs

CoLLEGES | Spring 2011 | 23

“I am honored to be selected as the first recipient of this pro-fessorship,” said Shoemaker, who joined UNL in 1989. “It signals that my work over an extended period of time is respected by my colleagues, and a professorship is one of the highest forms for rec-ognition of achievement.

“Professorships show that the accounting and business com-munities believe in our academic programs and that they are pleased with the UNL accounting graduates they hire. Students also benefit by having high caliber faculty in the classroom, because professorships help attract nationally recognized faculty.”

The professorship was established by BKD, a certified public accounting and advisory firm, with a $500,000 gift commitment to the University of Nebraska Foundation. The permanent-ly endowed fund enables the college to award an annual stipend for salary, research and program support. Recipi-ents of the professorship are selected by the college based on teaching and re-search ability and accomplishments, as well as academic promise. They receive five-year appointments, renewable for an additional five-year term.

BKD is among the 10 largest CPA firms in the country with Nebraska offices in Lincoln and Omaha. Its donation was made through the BKD Foundation, the firm’s charitable arm that has raised and distributed $5.3 million to qualifying nonprofit organi-zations over the past decade.

Norman Hedgecock, managing partner of BKD’s Nebraska practice unit, said the company recognizes the need to have quality professors, as they foster the knowledge and skills necessary for the next generation of accountants.

“The Nebraska practice unit of BKD has always strived to hire the best and brightest accounting graduates,” he said. “A reason we have supported the University of Nebraska is to help ensure that our industry and profession continues to have highly skilled and

educated accounting graduates.”Donde Plowman, the James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed

Dean of the College of Business Administration, said the gift from BKD provides support for the university’s current fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities, and one of its top priorities of securing support for faculty.

“The gift of this professorship provides the kind of financial support that is essential in being able to retain and attract the

highest quality faculty leaders,” Plow-man said. “It comes at an important time, as we move into the Big Ten Conference and develop a new set of relationships with some of the finest public business schools in the country. The gift also provides support for our Campaign for Nebraska goals, and we hope BKD’s generosity is a model for others who love this university and this college and who want to help us move to the next level of academic excellence.”

Shoemaker said: “Looking be-yond me, this endowed professorship will live on for the next generation of faculty and benefit the School of Ac-countancy indefinitely.”

Shoemaker teaches courses on topics including taxation, theory and finance, and his research has focused on tax, accounting history and accounting education. His works have been published by Contemporary Accounting Research, National Tax Journal, Journal of Applied Business Research, Southern Business Review and several others. He is a recipient of the Nebraska Society of CPAs Outstanding Accounting Educator Award, the College of Business Administration Distinguished Teaching Award, and the University of Nebraska Distinguished Teaching Award, among other recognition. His formal education includes earning a doctor-ate at Pennsylvania State University, an MBA at Marywood College and a bachelor’s degree at Bloomsburg University.

cba.unl.edu

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Paul A. Shoemaker, professor and director of the School of Accountancy

at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Administration,

has been awarded the first BKD, LLP Professorship in Accountancy.

College of Business Administration

BKD Endows Accountancy Professorship for UNL

By Robb Crouch

“Professorships show that

the accounting and busi-

ness communities believe in

our academic programs and

that they are pleased with

the UNL accounting gradu-

ates they hire. Students also

benefit by having high cali-

ber faculty in the classroom,

because professorships help

attract nationally recognized

faculty.”

– Paul A. Shoemaker,Director, School of Accountancy

Paul A. Shoemaker

24 | GoodNUz | CoLLEGES

Until 10 to 15 years ago, many educators believed that in-depth math education could wait until high school. Research has dramatically changed those attitudes.

NEBRASKA MATH, a statewide partnership led by UNL researchers, aims to narrow the achievement gap for at-risk students in kindergarten through third grade and improve mathematics achievement for all students.

A $9.3 million grant from the National Science Founda-tion provides resources for teachers to take graduate mathematics courses that strengthen their skills.

“Our goal is to invest in teachers,” said Jim Lewis, project leader and mathematics professor. “In turn, we hope they are better prepared to challenge their students and become leaders within their districts.”

The first teachers began classes in June 2009. Three hundred teachers are expected to take graduate education coursework and more than 800 will participate in activities to strengthen their mathematics teaching and learning during the five-year project. By supporting programs for teachers, NEBRASKA MATH has the potential to benefit 40,000 K-3 students and 10,000 high school students across Nebraska.

An important element of the project is studying how different approaches in K-3 math education, such as math coaches and class-room teachers who work as math specialists, affect young children’s learning. Ruth Heaton, associate professor of teaching, learning and teacher education, leads this multidisciplinary research.

“A key goal is to better understand what mathematical at-titudes, knowledge and habits of mind K-3 teachers need to possess to best help young children acquire strong mathematical founda-tions,” Heaton said.

In addition to Lewis and Heaton, other “NEBRASKA MATH” co-leaders are Carolyn Pope Edwards, Willa Cather professor and professor of psychology and child, youth and fam-ily studies; Ira Papick, professor of mathematics; Walter Stroup, professor and head of statistics; Thomas McGowan, professor and chair of teaching, learning and teacher education; and Barbara Jacobson, director of curriculum and professional development for Lincoln Public Schools.

NEBRASKA MATH includes two other programs: one helps algebra teachers reach at-risk students; another offers professional development opportunities for new secondary mathematics teachers.

The initiative builds on UNL’s successful Math in the Middle program, another NSF-funded project that enabled 125 middle-level mathematics teachers to earn master’s degrees.

The NEBRASKA MATH partnership includes Grand Island Public Schools, Lincoln Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools, Papillion-La Vista Public Schools and Nebraska’s Educational Service Units. Lewis said it is a truly statewide effort that can serve as a national model for collaboration between state universities and K-12 schools.

College of Education and Human Sciences

Partnering in Math Achievement

Ruth Heaton and Jim Lewis

“Our goal is to invest in

teachers,” said Jim Lewis. In

turn, we hope they are better

prepared to challenge their

students and become leaders

within their districts.”

– Jim Lewis,NEBRASKA MATH

Project Leader

cehs.unl.edu

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CoLLEGES | Spring 2011 | 25

By Carole WilbeckMiddle school math is a crucial time in students’ learning. If a

student can survive, and maybe even thrive, then success can build. He or she might even glimpse a future career – possibly in engineering.

A group of Nebraska engineering students can relate, because each day they use skills they learned in middle school math and then built upon. They also remember how easy it was to get distracted or discouraged when concepts didn’t always connect. All this shapes the experience when these UNL engineering students take time to work with students at Lincoln’s Lefler Middle School.

Lefler teacher Jeanette Reitz sought an additional way to reinforce learning for her young students, and possibly frame career paths that could keep students motivated in math. Reitz’ friend at UNL – Rena Becker with the College of Engineering – gathered students willing to help. Twice a month, College of Engineering students involved in the Engineering Diplomats organization tutor Lefler students after school in math and, once each semester, these mentors visit the classroom to provide hands-on activities regarding a subject the class is learning.

One in-class session applied math to building bridges, and the engineering students introduced the task by sharing a meaningful hint: the triangle is a very useful shape. That tip led to a discussion with the mentors helping to ground relevant equations in the minds of the middle schoolers, who formed teams to channel their energy and perspectives into productivity. The teams were advised to first design their bridges by drawing diagrams, and to make efficient use of their resources during the 20 minutes allotted for planning and construction.

After the structures were built from sets of drinking straws and lengths of tape, measuring and graphing came into play. The bridges

were load tested with buckets of batteries pulling on the spans placed between desks. An important question took shape: was there a pat-tern to the materials’ performance, relating weight and strength?

At last, when the middle school students’ brain cells were stretched (but not past the breaking point), the session ended. The Nebraska engineering students left and began planning their next visit to bring more excitement to middle school math.

The college conducts a variety of outreach opportunities, including Discover Engineering Days, with hundreds of middle schoolers hosted annually at the Lincoln campus. AESOP (Archi-tectural Engineering Student Outreach Program) activities bring AE students from The Peter Kiewit Institute into classrooms in the Omaha area. The College of Engineering also is popular with guests of UNL’s Big Red Shows, and the list of touchpoints goes on – with E-Week and other occasions.

“It’s a great learning experience for Lefler students to have the UNL College of Engineering students in our classroom reinforcing the importance of algebra, teamwork and critical thinking,” Reitz said. “I am excited to see how this relationship with the College of Engineering will develop and grow.”

Mechanical engineering junior Jordan Burchatz said he enjoys visiting the Lefler classes. “It seems natural to tutor, and I try to use what worked for me to find what connects them to the idea or problem.

“The middle school students are really fun to work with,” Burchatz added. “They have a little bit of an attitude, but I still remember those days myself, so we get through it easily.”

College of Engineering

Nebraska Engineering Students Add Excitement to Middle School Math

UNL mechanical engineering student Zach Connell and

industrial engineering student Allison Dubs work with Lefler

students on mathematical aspects of a bridge design activity.

“It’s a great learning

experience for Lefler students

to have the UNL College of

Engineering students in our

classroom reinforcing the

importance of algebra, team-

work and critical thinking.

I am excited to see how this

relationship with the College

of Engineering will develop

and grow.”

– Jeanette ReitzLefler Middle School teacher

engineering.unl.edu

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26 | GoodNUz | CoLLEGES

By Brittany SturekIn today’s entertainment industry, it’s all about digital

arts and media. Films like “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” and “Kung Fu Panda,” two of UNL faculty member Steve Kolbe’s past projects, have transformed the entertainment landscape. Human actors are replaced with digital charac-ters, complete with natural movements and voices. Imagi-nary worlds are brought to life with the help of computer programs. And we, the audience, are rewarded with clear animation and modern storylines.

Although Kolbe made his career working with 3-D technology, he started out in advertising with a degreein journalism. His transition from journalism student to

movie cinematographer is a recurring theme today. Now more than ever, college graduates are expected to acquire multiple skills and use them in more versatile job settings. And that’s just what the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts is training them to do.

As assistant professor of film and new media at UNL, Kolbe came back to his home state to share his expertise with college students. His return is part of the larger Digi-tal Arts Initiative in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. Kolbe; Jeff Thompson, assistant profes-sor of art; and Damon Thomas Lee, assistant professor of digital arts and music composition, have begun integrating digital arts and technology into the theater, art and music curriculums at UNL.

The idea of incorporating digital arts came about nearly six years ago when the college was at a crossroads in

preparing for the future.“We realized the future of the arts has to embrace

the digital arena in some way,” Giacomo Oliva, Endowed Dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, said. “It was essential that as a college we adopt a uni-fied approach to at least thinking about how we situate our curricula in the digital arts.”

Oliva worked with directors and department chairs in the college to brainstorm ways to keep the college’s cur-riculum current without becoming insignificant.

“We thought: when students leave here, what’s out there for them?” Oliva said. “We found that potential ca-reers are less about the fact that they might have a major in

graphic design or digital music composition and more about where there were possibilities to think across the disciplines.”

“The idea is that as digital artists, we all do basically the same thing with the same equipment – a laptop,” said Lee, who came to UNL this fall from the University of Hudder-sfield in England, where he was a lecturer in music technology. “The way that film editing

software or Photoshop looks is not that dif-ferent from a music sequencer. And so the language and the interface that we use to access this informa-tion, whether it be a film or a piece of music, is looking more and more similar.”

Kolbe, Thompson and Lee will continue to tweak the curriculum and update classes as needed. The goal is for the college to have an inventory of eight to 10 classes that will be taught in rotation, including two online classes. Classes are small, about 16 students each.

Students in these digital arts classes will be able to use new equipment and resources purchased specifically for

the initiative. With $350,000 worth of endowment money from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the college was able to purchase seven new laptops, updated software, new printers, 16 video cameras and two lighting kits, as well as music keyboards, audio recording equipment, animation software and magnetic whiteboards. The rest of the money was used to renovate Room 17 in Richards Hall and update facilities in Woods Hall. Only students taking digital arts classes will have access to the equipment and facilities.

Several students have already had the chance to take the digital classes and work with the new equipment. Tony Nguyen is a graphic design major in the Department of Art and Art History. He took Thompson’s digital literacy course about static images the first time it was offered in the fall of 2009.

“Technology brings a whole different dimension to art,” Nguyen said. “The biggest thing is that technol-ogy enables you to continually manipulate, change and eventually perfect your work. Digital arts allows you to use your head and solve problems. It takes critical thinking to another level.”

But arts students aren’t the only people taking these classes. Each class reserves at least four spots specifically for students outside of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.

“All of these classes are designed to bring students of diverse backgrounds together and use their complementary knowledge and approaches to make projects that might not happen otherwise,” said Thompson.

Nearly two years old, the Digital Arts Initiative will continue to grow as the college sees increased interest and enrollment in classes. Kolbe already envisions building a student-manned production studio, where students would end up working on productions for companies throughout the country.

“The goal of this Initiative is to grow,” Kolbe said. “This is a test bed where we can test different ways of teaching and different ways to collaborate within the entire university. That’s why I like it, because we can reach the kids outside the wall of our ‘castle’ and build something grander.”

Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

Digital Arts ProgramBlends Arts, Technology

College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Innovator in Residence Program

Steve Kolbe Damon Thomas Lee Jeff Thompson

Assistant Professor Jeff Thompson (left) watches students film objects for their class project. Photo by Michael Reinmiller.

Jessie Ren works on a video project. Photo by Michael Reinmiller.

www.unl.edu/finearts

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By Jessica Simpson 2010 marked a year of transition for the College of

Journalism and Mass Communications. As Gary Keb-bel officially filled the position of dean July 1, he quickly implemented new ideas and future-focused programming. With his sights set on expanding the J school’s international presence and giving students the opportunity to solve global media issues, Kebbel launched the Innovators in Residence Program.

As the journalism industry changes, finding innova-tive solutions in media is the key to success. This is a main goal of the new program, which brings media innovators and entrepreneurs to UNL to work with CoJMC students. The entrepreneurs present real-life problems to students in order to brainstorm solutions. In essence, the relationship becomes mutually beneficial – students gain knowledge and experience in solving media issues and the entrepreneur gets help solving problems in media endeavors. The program also aims to help students develop critical thinking skills and be exposed to problems in 21st century media.

In June, Alexander Zolotarev, founder and CEO of SochiReporter.ru out of Sochi, Russia, became the J school’s first Innovator in Residence. Oh Yeon-ho of Seoul, South Korea, founder of the citizen journalism website Ohm-yNews, became the second innovator when he visited in October.

“It was great to emerge in communication with the students and the faculty of the journalism school,” Zolo-tarev said. “I hope that I got the students interested in the Russian culture and the entrepreneurial fate.”

Zolotarev’s website, SochiReporter.ru, was designed to give a voice to citizens of Sochi, Russia, as construc-tion for the 2014 Winter Olympics takes over the town. Launched in 2009, SochiReporter enables Sochi residents to use online tools to discuss and influence the impact of the Olympic Games. The site helps prepare residents for the Olympics and inform the media about the city’s issues, using discussions to ultimately improve life in Sochi. As the first site of its kind, it will be used as a model for future Olympics hosts.

In 2008, Zolotarev won a Knight News Challenge digital news innovation award and used the $600,000 in

grant money to create and launch SochiReporter. Currently, he is a faculty member at Moscow State University and a Fulbright scholar. He teaches multimedia journalism, and spent his Fulbright year at City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.

“When I got my Fulbright grant, I went to New York City to work on my dissertation about the virtual online communities. With the media convergence and the Web projects getting more and more trendy, it seemed obvious to me that my diversified journalism experience is best of all reflected in the Web – where all different traditional media intersect and are combined,” he said.

During his six-day stay in Lincoln, Zolotarev shared his experiences with students and discussed the future of new media and his website. He presented students with the issue of making his website sustainable when the Knight grant money runs out.

“As Dean Gary Kebbel explained to me, one of the ideas of the Innovator in Residence program is not only to show how cool it is to be an independent entrepreneur, but to also reveal the daily challenges the innovator faces,” Zolotarev said. The students got really involved into advising me on how to monetize SochiReporter. It was an exciting brainstorming, which I hope the students of the J school liked as much as I did.”

Oh Yeon-ho is the founder of OhmyNews, a citizen journalism website operating under the motto “Every citi-zen is a reporter.” When it started in 2000, the site had only 727 citizen reporters; it now uses 65 full-time and 62,000 citizen reporters. The site is an innovative example in the media world, as it was one of the first of its kind. Based in Seoul, South Korea, the site receives between 200 and 250 stories each day from 100 countries around the world.

In 2000, OhmyNews was named the 10th most influential media in Korea by the Sisa Journal survey. In 2004 and 2005, the news outlet was named the sixth most influential by the survey. It earned the Missouri Honor Media award in 2007.

In addition to founding OhmyNews, Oh conducted interviews in 1994 with survivors of the 1950 No Gun Ri massacre during the Korean War that appeared in the monthly magazine Mal. In 1999, Associated Press corre-spondents won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of reports about it, which spurred the Korean news media to finally cover the story.

During Oh’s stay in Lincoln, he not only had the op-portunity to speak with J school students, but also students in the College of Business Administration. Taewan Kim, a Ph.D. candidate in the area of strategy and entrepreneur-ship at UNL, invited Oh to CBA so students could hear about the creation of OhmyNews and about how Oh managed the start-up of the company including accessing, editing and publishing articles.

“I think [Oh] is a really innovative thinker who can recognize the paradigm shift in journalism,” Kim said. “I believe that driving forces such as a constant stream of new technologies produce a competitive environment that is characterized by constant and often dramatic change. Dr Oh is a person who read this changing trend in the journal-ism industry and founded a venture company.”

After hosting two entrepreneurs this fall, the J school has plans to continue the Innovators in Residence program in the spring semester.

College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Innovator in Residence Program

journalism.unl.edu

J

Alexander Zolotarev

Dean Gary Kebbel with Oh Yeon-ho, the secondInnovator in Residence at the College of Journalism

and Mass Communications.

College of Law

Learning By Doing: Nebraska Law Students Benefit From Clinical Programs

28 | GoodNUz | CoLLEGES

By Molly Brummond, ’00, ’03Matthew Myerle began his fall 2010 semester with the typical

“to-do” list of a third-year law student: read, attend class, read some more, outline and repeat. Myerle, a Lincoln native, had been a student in Nebraska Law’s Civil Clinic the prior semester, how-ever, and as a result of his work there, found out in early October 2010 something far from typical had been added to that list: argue a case for which he had written a response brief while a student in the clinic before the Nebraska Supreme Court. And, so, the preparation began.

“Professors Ruser, Knap and Olson each provided invaluable assistance throughout my work on the case” Myerle said. “They helped to shape my thinking about the case and the issues, and provided tremendous assistance in preparing and practicing for the oral argument.

“We went through many practice rounds, which helped refine my presentation of the case. Preparing for the argument was a long, challenging process but I had great support from the clinic, members of the faculty and fel-low students,” he said.

On Nov. 2, the prepara-tion was put into practice as Myerle appeared before the Nebraska Supreme Court on behalf of the Petitioner in Mey-ers v. Nebraska State Penitentiary, S-10-0267.

“Arguing before the Nebraska Supreme Court was an unbe-lievable experience, and I was honored to have the opportunity to present this case,” Myerle said. “It certainly was not an experience I thought that I would have as a student.”

Countless students such as Myerle benefit from the experi-ences provided by Nebraska Law’s Civil and Criminal Clinical programs. The focus of these clinics is to involve students in tasks that help them develop the substantive knowledge, legal skills and professional values they need to be effective lawyers.

“Our primary pedagogical goals are to help students develop models that allow them to apply theory to practice, to explore applied ethical issues with them, and to help them develop pro-fessional judgment that will serve them well in the future,” said Professor Kevin Ruser, director of clinical programs.

“Our most important task in the clinics is to help students develop skills that will serve them well in their careers, and we do this by working closely with students as they represent clients or prosecute cases. We have found that live-client clinics, such as ours,

are the best way to involve students in experiential learning – learn-ing by being reflective about experiences gained while acting in the role of a practicing attorney.”

Nebraska Law has been offering the Civil and Criminal Clin-ics as part of its curriculum since 1975 and 1979, respectively. Students in the Civil Clinic represent low-income clients in a wide variety of civil and administrative cases selected by the faculty for potential litigation and trial experience. In the Criminal Clinic, students gain insight into the legal and ethical responsibilities of both prosecutors and defense attorneys as they prosecute misde-meanor and felony cases out of the Lancaster County Attorney’s of-fice. Professor Steve Schmidt is the director of the Criminal Clinic, one of the only prosecutorial clinics in the nation.

“We have a unique program that serves students very well,” said Schmidt. “Students that complete the Criminal Clinic pro-gram have a semester’s worth of real world experience that serves them well outside of the academic environment. They leave the

program a step ahead of their peers.”

Bradley Sipp, a Nebraska Law alum (’08) and former Criminal Clinic participant, agrees with Schmidt’s assess-ment.

“When I was graduating from law school, the job pros-

pects were not the best. Because I spent a semester in the Criminal Clinic program, I essentially spent a semester in the courtroom. Those hands-on experiences provided me with the knowledge I needed to start my own law firm directly after passing the bar exam. The clinic gave me a good working knowledge of the “ins” and “outs” of a law practice rather than the theories I would need in that practice.”

Sipp continues as a solo practitioner with the Law Offices of Bradley A. Sipp in Lincoln.

Joshua Schauer (’02), an alumnus of the Civil Clinic and a partner at the Lincoln law firm of Perry Guthery Haase & Gess-ford, echoed Sipp’s sentiments.

“Among other experiences, I worked with clients, filed plead-ings, and appeared in court. The experience definitely helped prepare me for practice after law school. It was great to work with actual clients and experience how matters proceed through court or settlement. The ability to help direct a case, with the great help from clinic staff and faculty, sets the experience apart from clerking. I would recommend it to any law student.”

Matthew Myerle

Kevin Ruser

Steve Schmidt

www.unl.edu

J

“Arguing before the Nebraska Supreme

Court was an unbelievable experience, and I

was honored to have the opportunity to present

this case. It certainly was not an experience I

thought that I would have as a student.”

– Matthew Myerle

Spring 2011 Husker Athletics Schedules

ATHLETICS | Spring 2011 | 29

* Indicates conference game/meet; home games in reD. Photos courtesy of Nebraska Media Relations.

BASeBALLFeb. 18, Texas State at San Marcos, Texas, 3 p.m. Feb. 19, Air Force at San Marcos, Texas, 11 a.m. Feb. 19, Washington at San Marcos, Texas, 7 p.m. Feb. 20, Missouri State at San Marcos, Texas, 11 a.m. Feb. 25, Northern Colorado at Huntsville, Texas, 1:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Northern Colorado at Huntsville, Texas, 1:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Sam Houston State at Huntsville, Texas, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27, Sam Houston State at Huntsville, Texas, 10 a.m. March 02, Nebraska-Kearney, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 04, UCLA, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 05, UCLA, Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. March 06, UCLA, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. March 08, Doane College, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 11, Fresno State, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 12, Fresno State, Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. March 13, Fresno State, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. March 15, South Dakota State, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 16, Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan., 6:30 p.m. March 18, North Dakota, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 19, North Dakota (DH), Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. March 20, North Dakota, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. March 22, Northern Colorado, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. March 23, Northern Colorado, Hawks Field, 1:35 p.m. March 25, Texas Tech* at Lubbock, Texas, 6:30 p.m. March 26, Texas Tech* at Lubbock, Texas, 5 p.m. March 27, Texas Tech* at Lubbock, Texas, 1 p.m. April 01, Oklahoma State*, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. April 02, Oklahoma State*, Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. April 03, Oklahoma State*, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. April 05, Creighton, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. April 08, Kansas* at Lawrence, Kan., 6 p.m. April 09, Kansas* at Lawrence, Kan., 2 p.m. April 10, Kansas* at Lawrence, Kan., 1 p.m. April 12, Wichita State at Wichita, Kan., 6:30 p.m. April 15, Kansas State*, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. April 16, Kansas State*, Hawks Field, 3:05 p.m. April 17, Kansas State*, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. April 19, Creighton at TD Ameritrade Park, 6:30 p.m. April 22, Oklahoma* at Norman, Okla., 6:30 p.m. April 23, Oklahoma* at Norman, Okla., 2 p.m. April 24, Oklahoma* at Norman, Okla., 1 p.m. April 26, Iowa, Hawks Field, 6:05 p.m. April 29, Baylor*, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. April 30, Baylor*, Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. May 01, Baylor*, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. May 06, Texas*, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. May 07, Texas*, Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. May 08, Texas*, Hawks Field, 1:05 p.m. May 10, Creighton at TD Ameritrade Park, 7 p.m. May 13, Texas A&M* at College Station, Texas, 6:35 p.m. May 14, Texas A&M* at College Station, Texas, 2:05 p.m. May 15, Texas A&M* at College Station, Texas, 1:05 p.m. May 19, Missouri*, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. May 20, Missouri*, Hawks Field, 6:35 p.m. May 21, Missouri*, Hawks Field, 2:05 p.m. May 25-29, Big 12 Tournament* at Oklahoma City, Okla., TBA June 03-05, NCAA Regionals at Campus Sites, TBA June 10-13, NCAA Super Regionals at Campus Sites, TBA June 18-29, College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park, TBA

fooTBALL – SPriNG GAMeApril 16, Red vs. White, Memorial Stadium, 1 p.m.

MeN’S GoLfFeb. 21-22, Rice Intercollegiate at Houston, Texas (Westwood), TBA Feb. 26-27, Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate at Palm Desert, Calif., TBA March 14-15, Jackrabbit Invitational at Primm, Nev., TBA March 25-27, Florida Atlantic Spring Break Championship at Delray Beach, Fla., TBA April 04-05, Mizzou Intercollegiate at Columbia, Mo., TBA April 16-17, Hawkeye Invitational at Iowa City, Iowa, TBA April 25-27, Big 12 Championship at Hutchinson, Kan., TBA

WoMeN’S GoLfFeb. 20-22, Kiawah Island Intercollegiate at Kiawah Island, S.C., 7:30 a.m. March 07-09, UNLV Spring Invitational at Boulder City, Nev., 9:30 a.m. March 21-22, BYU at Entrada Classic at St. George, Utah, 9:30 a.m. March 25-26, Mountain View Collegiate at Tucson, Ariz., 9:30 a.m. April 11-12, Baylor Spring Invitational at Waco, Texas, 8:30 a.m. April 22-24, Big 12 Championships at Columbia, Mo., 8:30 a.m.

SofTBALLFeb. 18, Tennessee Tech at Denton, Texas, 12:30 p.m. Feb. 18, North Texas at Denton, Texas, 3 p.m. Feb. 19, Centenary at Denton, Texas, 10 a.m. Feb. 19, Northwestern State at Denton, Texas, 12:30 p.m. Feb. 20, Tennessee Tech at Denton, Texas, 10 a.m. Feb. 25, BYU at Cathedral City, Calif., 12:30 p.m. Feb. 25, Hawaii at Cathedral City, Calif., 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Nevada at Cathedral City, Calif., 3 p.m. Feb. 27, Ohio State at Cathedral City, Calif., 11 a.m. Feb. 27, Long Island at Cathedral City, Calif., 1 p.m. March 11, Radford at Clearwater, Fla., 11:30 a.m. March 11, Marchyland at Clearwater, Fla., 2 p.m. March 12, La Salle at Clearwater, Fla., 2 p.m. March 12, Florida at Clearwater, Fla., 7 p.m. March 13, Central Connecticut at Clearwater, Fla., 8:30 a.m. March 16, South Dakota (DH), Bowlin Stadium, 3 & 5 p.m. March 18, New Mexico State at Las Cruces, N.M., 5 p.m. March 19, New Mexico State (DH) at Las Cruces, N.M., 2 & 4 p.m. March 20, New Mexico State at Las Cruces, N.M., 1 p.m. March 22, UTEP (DH) at El Paso, Texas, 2 & 4 p.m. March 26, Oklahoma* at Norman, Okla., 2 p.m. March 27, Oklahoma* at Norman, Okla., Noon March 30, Creighton, Bowlin Stadium, 6 p.m. April 02, Kansas* at Lawrence, Kan., 2 p.m. April 03, Kansas* at Lawrence, Kan., 1 p.m. April 06, North Dakota State (DH), Bowlin Stadium, 4 & 6 p.m. April 09, Texas*, Bowlin Stadium, 2 p.m. April 10, Texas*, Bowlin Stadium, Noon April 13, Creighton at Omaha, Neb., 6 p.m. April 16, Texas A&M* at College Station, Texas, 2 p.m. April 17, Texas A&M* at College Station, Texas, Noon April 22, Missouri*, Bowlin Stadium, 6 p.m. April 23, Missouri*, Bowlin Stadium, 4 p.m. April 26, Northern Iowa, Bowlin Stadium, 5 p.m. April 27, South Dakota State (DH), Bowlin Stadium, 3 & 5 p.m. April 30, Texas Tech*, Bowlin Stadium, 1 p.m. May 01, Texas Tech*, Bowlin Stadium, Noon May 07, Baylor* at Waco, Texas, 2 p.m. May 08, Baylor* at Waco, Texas, Noon May 10, Iowa State*, Bowlin Stadium, 5 p.m. May 12, Iowa State* at Ames, Iowa, 3 p.m. May 14, Oklahoma State*, Bowlin Stadium, 2 p.m. May 15, Oklahoma State* May 20-22, NCAA Regionals at Campus Sites, TBAMay 27-28, NCAA Super Regionals at Campus Sites, TBAJune 02-08, Women’s College World Series at Oklahoma City, Okla., TBA

ouTDoor TrACK AND fieLDMarch 19, Baldy Castillo Invitational at Tempe, Ariz., TBA March 25-26, Stanford Invitational at Palo Alto, Calif., TBA April 02, Wichita State Triangular at Wichita, Kan., TBA April 09, Pepsi Invitational at Eugene, Ore., TBA April 16, Concordia Invitational at Seward, Neb., TBA April 16, Tom Jones Memorial at Gainesville, Fla., TBA April 20-23, Kansas Relays at Lawrence, Kan., TBA April 27-30, Penn Relays at Philadelphia, Pa., TBA April 27-30, Drake Relays at Des Moines, Iowa, TBA May 01, Nebraska Open, Ed Weir Stadium, 2 p.m. May 07, Ward Haylett Invitational at Manhattan, Kan., TBA May 13-15, Big 12 Outdoor Championships* at Norman, Okla., TBAMay 26-May 28, NCAA West Region Preliminary Round at Eugene, Ore., TBA June 08-11, NCAA Outdoor Championships at Des Moines, Iowa, TBA June 23-26, USA Championships at Eugene, Ore., TBA

MeN’S TeNNiSFeb. 19, Minnesota, Lincoln, Neb., 11 a.m. Feb. 19, Creighton, Lincoln, Neb., 5 p.m. Feb. 26, Wisconsin at Madison, Wis., Noon March 05, Denver at Denver, Colo., TBA March 06, UNLV at Denver, Colo., TBA March 12, Wichita State, Lincoln, Neb., 10 a.m. March 12, UMKC, Lincoln, Neb., 6 p.m. March 22, LSU at Baton Rouge, La., TBA March 23, Mississippi State at Starkville, Miss., 2 p.m. March 25, New Mexico at Albuquerque, N.M., 2 p.m. March 26, Fresno State at Albuquerque, N.M., TBA April 02, Baylor*, Lincoln, Neb., 3 p.m. April 10, Texas A&M* at College Station, Texas, 1 p.m. April 15, Oklahoma State* at Stillwater, Okla., TBA April 17, Texas* at Austin, Texas, 1 p.m. April 22, Oklahoma*, Lincoln, Neb., 3 p.m. April 23, Texas Tech*, Lincoln, Neb., 3 p.m. April 28-30, Big 12 Championships at Waco, Texas, TBA

WoMeN’S TeNNiSFeb. 18-20, Team National Indoors at Charlottesville, Va., TBA Feb. 26, Colorado State at Nebraska Tennis Center, Noon Feb. 27, Colorado State vs. Creighton, Nebraska Tennis Center, 11 a.m. Feb. 27, Creighton, Nebraska Tennis Center, 3:30 p.m. March 05, Wisconsin at Minneapolis, Minn., 1 p.m. March 06, Minnesota at Minneapolis, Minn., 11 a.m. March 11, Ohio State, Nebraska Tennis Center, 6:30 p.m. March 13, Iowa at Iowa City, Iowa, 2 p.m. March 18, Oklahoma*, Nebraska Tennis Center, 2 p.m. March 20, Oklahoma State*, Nebraska Tennis Center, Noon March 23, Tulsa at Tulsa, Okla., 11 a.m. March 27, Missouri* at Columbia, Mo., 1 p.m. April 01, Kansas State* at Manhattan, Kan., 1 p.m. April 03, Kansas*, Nebraska Tennis Center, Noon April 08, Baylor* at Waco, Texas, 5 p.m. April 10, Texas Tech* at Lubbock, Texas, 11 a.m. April 15, Texas*, Nebraska Tennis Center, 4 p.m. April 17, Texas A&M*, Nebraska Tennis Center, Noon April 20, Colorado* at Boulder, Colo., 2 p.m. April 23, Iowa State*, Nebraska Tennis Center, 1 p.m. April 28-May 01, Big 12 Championships* at Waco, Texas, TBA

All dates and times subject to change.For updated information visit Huskers.com.

WINTER SPORT CHAMPIONSHIPSBoWLiNGApril 14-16, NCAA Championship at Detroit, Mich., TBA

MeN’S GyMNASTiCSApril 02, MPSF Championship at Colorado Springs, Colo., 2 p.m. April 14-16, NCAA Championships at Columbus, Ohio, 7 p.m.

WoMeN’S GyMNASTiCSMarch 19, Big 12 Championship at Columbia, Mo., 2 p.m., TBAApril 02, NCAA Regionals at TBAApril 15-17, NCAA Championships at Cleveland, Ohio, TBA

iNDoor TrACK AND fieLDFeb. 25-26, Big 12 Indoor Championships*, Devaney Center Indoor TrackMarch 11-12, NCAA Indoor Championships at College Station, Texas, TBA

rifLeMarch 11-12, NCAA Championships at Columbus, Ga., TBA

SWiMMiNG AND DiViNGFeb. 23-26, Big 12 Conference Championships at Austin, Texas March 11-13, Zone Diving Meet at Austin, Texas March 17-19, NCAA Championships at Austin, Texas

WreSTLiNGMarch 05, Big 12 Championships* at Ames, Iowa, 10 a.m. March 17-19, NCAA Championships at Philadelphia, Pa.

www.huskers.com

J

Hendricks Training Complex Will Be‘Top-Drawer Facility, Huge Recruiting Tool’

30 | GoodNUz | ATHLETICS

Stories by Randy York, ’71John Ingram’s job is to create championship-level facilities and

develop forward-thinking plans for an athletic department that is always balancing the needs and wants of Nebraska’s student-ath-letes with the desires and experiences of Husker fans.

The $18.7 million Hendricks Training Complex, launched last summer and on schedule to open next fall, showcases what can happen when creativity meets vision and execution follows strategic planning.

“Through the generosity of all of our great donors, this is going to be a top-drawer facility. It’s going to be among the very best in the country,” said Ingram, Nebraska’s associate ath-letic director for Capital Planning and Construction. “It’s also going to be a huge recruiting tool for us.”

In his 18th year working for Nebraska Athletics, Ingram smiles when he thinks of how much Bus Whitehead would enjoy tracking the daily progress of a new 75,000-square-foot practice facility.

“I really enjoyed my relationship with Bus,” Ingram said, recalling how the late founder of Whitehead Oil would call him whenever he had an idea that he thought would help Nebraska basketball.

“Bus cared about this program, and he cared about our facili-ties,” Ingram said. “He would call several times a year with sug-gestions, and they were always productive conversations. He’d say: ‘John, I’d really like to see this done’ and the next time, it might be something like: ‘John, I’m having this issue, and I think a lot of fans are having the same issue’.”

Whitehead Viewed the Game Through a fan’s eyes

Yes, Whitehead was a legendary figure in Nebraska basketball history, but for more than half a century after he played, he was a fan, and he looked at Nebraska basketball through a fan’s eyes.

“Every time I talked to Bus, I could feel his passion – not just for basketball, but for the entire program,” Ingram said. “Once this new training complex is finished, I know that he would be just as proud for the women’s basketball program and the wrestling program as he’d be for men’s basketball.”

Whitehead always wondered why two major college programs had to share the same practice floor and how difficult that made it for both to keep up with their main rivals.

Now, Nebraska not only will catch up with its rivals, but sprint ahead of many of the best basketball programs in the coun-try in terms of practice facilities, not to mention the new Down-town Haymarket Arena set to open in 2013.

“A lot of newly built practice facilities across the country only have eight extra feet of room around their full-sized courts,” Ingram pointed out. “Each of our new practice facilities will have an extra half court beyond the full court, so while a full-court

scrimmage is going on, players can still be shooting three-point shots or free throws or working on something else they need to work on.”

Nebraska will have two major components that will separate it from many recently built practice facili-ties – cushioned courts and high-end acoustics, both of which are crucial for players and coaches.

High-end Courts Will Be Similar

to New Arena’s

“We’re putting a lot of resources into these new courts to make sure the flooring is as good as possible,” Ingram said. “We’re installing high-end courts with dynamics that will be very similar

to the main court they will play on downtown. Our players will have incredible cushioning effects that will help the physical wear-and-tear of daily practices. They will absolutely love the flooring that will bear the Bus Whitehead name.”

Acoustics is equally important. “It’s a major focus for us,” Ingram said, “because we’re building this facility to make sure we have more of a classroom environment where the coaches can teach and the players can learn.”

In benchmarking other facilities across the country, through both personal visits and virtual online tours, Ingram and Maggi Thorne, assistant director of Capital Planning and Construction, saw expensive facilities being built with poor acoustics.

“It made it very difficult to communicate what you’re trying to accomplish during practice,” Ingram said.

The more Ingram and Thorne analyzed the issue, the more determined they were not to repeat the problem.

With sound acoustics, it made sense to install 103-inch plasma TVs on each practice court to aid teaching.

“We’ve looked all over the country to learn what works and what doesn’t,” Ingram said. “With the layouts we’re putting to-gether, we believe we’re going to be among the elite in the country.”

Hendricks Training Complex at a Glance • 71,420 square feet of new construc-

tion; 4,000 square feet of renovation.

• Begun in July, 2010; complete in

October, 2011.

• Offices and locker rooms for men’s

basketball, women’s basketball and

wrestling.

• Basketball meeting rooms with state-

of-the-art A/V equipment.

• Custom iPads and stainless steel

recovery tanks in the basketball

locker rooms.

• Player hallway with interactive display

featuring lighted, red, 3D basketballs.

• 5,000-square-foot strength and con-

ditioning complex.

• “The Oasis” nutrition station plus

full-sized kitchen with lounge,

A/V and custom lighting sculptures.

• Practice courts painted identically to

the game court at the Downtown

Haymarket Arena.

• 103-inch plasma TVs to aid teaching

on practice courts.

• Grand lobby with 25-foot video wall,

custom granite basketball fountain

and two-story custom artwork.

• Balconies overlooking practice gyms

and connecting to basketball offices.

• Court-and-a-half basketball gyms,

allowing free throw and three-point

shooting at the same time as full-

court scrimmage.

• Three-mat wrestling practice

facility with satellite training room.

• Expanded athletic medicine facility.

• Remodeled swimming/diving locker

room and lounge.

• New addition entrance to be

Devaney Center day-to-day entrance.

For a closer look at the Hendricks Training Complex, as well as a new training facility for Nebraska baseball and softball at Haymarket Park and the expansion of approximately 5,000 seats to Memorial Stadium’s east side, visit

www.expandtheirexperience.com.

John Ingram. Photo by Tom Slocum.

On a Friday afternoon in late January, a brother who oversees the family oil business and his two sisters were making their first visit to the Hendricks Training Complex, where the Nebraska men’s basketball court will be named in honor of their father – Milton Edgar “Bus” Whitehead.

It was easy for the three siblings to put on hardhats and go inside the newly constructed building that connects to Lincoln’s Bob Devaney Sports Center. It was not easy to pause and collect their thoughts as they stood on the concrete that will become a daily practice facility with three permanently inscribed words on beautiful hardwood overlaying the concrete.

“Bus Whitehead Court” has a nice ring to it, but Mark White-head and his sisters, Sydney Uthoff and Lesley Jaggers, had to clear their throats and wipe a tear before explaining why each gave equally to honor their dad and how humbled he would be to have his name on Nebraska’s everyday practice court.

Bus was a 6-foot-9 all-conference player on back-to-back Big Six and Big Seven Conference championship teams in 1949 and ’50 – the last two regular-season conference titles in Nebraska basketball history.

Blessed with character, charisma and personality, Bus lived his life with abundant faith, never-ending hope and unconditional love for his family, his friends and his alma mater. He died last June at 82.

Bus Whitehead not only had character; he was a character. He knew every head coach in the Big Eight Conference and counted some officials among his personal friends, triggering at least one unforgettable moment.

Going through boxes last summer, for instance, the family found a “Technical Genius” trophy that Bus received for a certain game at Kansas State. Sitting directly behind Nebraska’s bench, Bus suggested that officials call the game both ways. The result was an immediate technical foul.

All Three Siblings Contributed equally

For the Whitehead family, memories are more than having the family name on a basketball court, and those golden moments spurred all three to contribute to the Athletic Department in honor of their father – a Nebraska basketball Hall-of-Famer and the cap-tain of the Huskers’ all-time basketball team. Bus also played in the East-West All-Star Game in Madison Square Garden and earned the program’s first Distinguished Hall-of-Fame Alumni Award.

Always thinking that Nebraska would win every game, Bus personally watched more than 500 games at the Devaney Center in addition to hundreds more at the Coliseum where he played, starred, coached, announced and earned his reputation as the

Huskers’ biggest and best known fan.Listen to his children describe what they remember most

about their dad:

lesley Jaggers, lincoln: I will always remember going to Nebraska basketball games with my dad and run-ning around the Coliseum after the game. Dad would stay late, talk on the radio, and the three of us would crawl around under the bleachers. It was surprising how quickly the Coliseum emptied, and all the lights would be off except for the lamps along press row (where Bus served 18 years

as a radio analyst for Husker games with Bob Zenner, among others). I loved looking up to that press area and seeing my dad. Looking back, that’s how I remember him … literally in the limelight.

sydney Uthoff, houston:

I have many great memories that come back to me about Nebraska basketball with my mom and my dad. Basketball was a big part of our lives growing up, and I doubt we missed many games, if any. I especially remember dad taking us early to the fresh-man games, so we could enjoy hot dogs for dinner. We never missed a game and loved running up and down the Coliseum ramps and hitting the concession stands. Mom would always come later and join us for the varsity game, so it was just a fun evening all the way around.

Mark whitehead, lincoln:

My dad always got home about an hour or so later than everyone else’s dad. But on Husker basketball nights, he was always home by 4:30 to pick us up and head to the Coliseum. It was a tremendous bonding ex-perience for the family, even when it was just a Red-White scrimmage. When the freshman team didn’t play anybody, they would scrim-mage each other. Sometimes, we were the

only fans in the stands, but it didn’t matter to my dad. We made every scrimmage. We were never late, and my dad focused on every single play while we ran all over the bleachers. He would just soak it all up.

Children Say Bus Whitehead Would Be Honored, Humbled With Name on Huskers’ Practice Court

ATHLETICS | Spring 2011 | 31

$10 Million Gift Jump-Starts Devaney Center Expansion

For anyone who thinks Nebraska

Athletics revolves solely around Big Red

football, think again.

This summer, Nebraska will join the

Big Ten Conference, the nation’s oldest

league that has led the NCAA in men’s

basketball attendance for 36 consecutive

years.

Fortunately, thanks to visionary

donors who won the 2010 Dr. Barbara

Hibner Trailblazer Award from the Ne-

braska Athletic Department, the Huskers

will be ready for prime-time in big-time

college basketball.

Tom and Mary Hendricks, along with

their children, Jennifer and Brandon,

donated $10 million to jump-start the

fundraising effort for the Huskers’ new

basketball practice facility that accommo-

dates both the men’s and women’s teams

(see sidebar on page 30).

Honored last fall at the Nebraska-

Texas football game in Lincoln, the

Hendricks family, natives of Pipe Creek,

Texas, made the contribution to UNL

Athletic Director Tom Osborne, so

Nebraska could compete for champion-

ships beyond the football field.

“Our new practice facility is vital

for student-athletes’ game-day prepara-

tions as well as recruiting,” Osborne

said. “With the introduction of Title IX

and women’s athletics after the Devaney

Center was built, we have two Division I

basketball programs trying to effectively

practice and compete on one floor, not

to mention all of the other sports and

activities that take place in the Devaney

Center.

“We are very grateful for this most

generous gift from the Hendricks family

and appreciate what they are doing for

the future of our student-athletes and

programs,” Osborne said. “In a tough

economic climate, this gift gave us a

tremendous lift.”

Continued on back cover

Lesley Jaggers.Photo by Tom Slocum.

Sydney Uthoff.Photo by Tom Slocum.

Mark Whitehead.Photo by Tom Slocum.

NonprofitU.S. Postage Paid

Alumni Association of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln

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NU

zWick Alumni Center1520 R StreetLincoln, NE 68508-1651

N E B R A S K AA l u m n i A s s o c i a t i o n

Doc Sadler: Bus Deserving of Honor

Nebraska Head Basketball Coach Doc Sadler can’t imagine a more fitting name for the Husker men’s daily basketball court.

“Bus loved Lincoln, he loved Nebraska, and he loved Nebraska basketball,” Sadler said. “I’m sure he lived his life like he did when he played here. He was just a giving person – the kind who would put his own stats in the back end so he could do what was best for the team. He was the same way as a fan and a donor – always will-ing to give without ever asking for anything in return. I saw him at every game, every luncheon and every banquet. He was always there, doing whatever he could to help us win.”

Mark Whitehead said his dad relished envisioning ways Ne-braska could keep pace with the conference. “He talked constantly about building a foundation and keeping us competitive,” Mark said. “He might have been a little torn about having his name involved, but he was in favor of supporting anything that benefit-ted the program.”

Both sisters agree.“Nebraska basketball was near and dear to his heart – it was

No. 1 when he played at Nebraska and stayed there when he came back to Lincoln to run a business,” Uthoff said. “Dad was very excited about the practice facility, about the new downtown arena and about having Doc Sadler lead us into the Big Ten Conference.”

Jaggers said her dad would have enjoyed having a practice facility that will be second to none. “He was all about the players,” she said. “He loved coming to practice to meet them, watch them and support them. He would be proud and honored to be associat-ed with all of this, but more than anything, he would be humbled. That’s just the way he was.”

Continued from page 31

Picture PerfectFramed by construction materials on the site of “Bus Whitehead Court” at UNL, Bus’s children (left to right) Lesley Jaggers, Mark Whitehead and Sydney Uthoff, reflect on the mark the Nebraska basketball legend left on them and on his beloved Cornhuskers. In honor of their father, the Whitehead offspring donated funds for the practice court, part of the $18.7 million Hendricks Training Complex addition to the Devaney Center. For the whole picture – and how it will benefit NU Athletics – turn to pages 30-31. Photo by Tom Slocum.

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