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Week of May 5-11, 2009

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What’s Happening @ UofL

A weekly look at what's going on at UofL

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Top Headlines

High-tech machine allows UofL to do swine flu tests

The University of Louisville has acquired a state-of-the-art machine that can detect swine flu. The machine, a FDA-approved polymerase chain reactor (PCR), is one of only two in Kentucky. Local hospitals who suspect a patient has swine flu can receive confirmation of the disease in about nine hours. The machine is part of a flu surveillance network recently created by UofL’s School of Public Health and Information Services to better prepare for pandemics. For more information or to get visuals of the machine, call James Summersgill at 502-852-1152 or Denise Fitzpatrick, 502-852-6171.

UofL commencement is this weekend

More than 1,000 students are expected to participate in the University of Louisville's main commencement ceremony May 9 at 1 p.m. in Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center. University President James Ramsey will deliver the commencement address, and Trustees Award winner John Kielkopf, a professor of physics and astronomy, will also speak. This year's student speaker is Boris Chernomordik, a graduate of UofL's J.B. Speed School of Engineering. UofL expects to award about 3,200 degrees this semester. The main commencement address will be streamed live. More information, including a complete schedule of convocations

Mother-daughter bond explored

Does the relationship between mothers and their grown daughters affect how the mothers manage high blood pressure? That’s a question UofL School of Nursing professor Celeste Shawler hopes to answer. Shawler plans to build a program of theory-based nursing intervention to improve cardiovascular self-management behaviors and health-related quality of life. To learn more about the study, contact Julie Heflin at 502-852-7987 by e-mail.

Student racecar places sixth in national contest

Trips around the Virginia International Raceway last week gained a UofL student engineering team sixth place in a national competition. The UofL student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers raced its mini-formula racecar to sixth overall, just as its mini-Baja vehicle finished earlier in the month in national competition in Alabama. For more information, contact SAE chapter adviser Keith Sharp at 502-852-7280.

All news

ASK THE EXPERTS

Faculty experts at UofL can offer insight on the issues of the day and are usually willing to do news interviews. They include:

Swine flu

There's no evidence that the swine flu will grow more harmful, says an evolutionary biologist who also has studied the spread of SARS, West Nile virus and mad cow disease

 

A complete listing of UofL experts is available in The Expert Source.

Upcoming Events

  • May 8: "The U.S., Israel, and Iran Relations," 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Floyd theater, Swain Student Activities Center. Lecture by Trita Parsi, author of "Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States" and founder and president of the National Iranian American Council, will trace the roots of today's conflicts to their origins. Sponsored by the Dean of Students Office and Interfaith Paths to Peace.
  • May 11: Watch the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis as it embarks on the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. The live event is scheduled for 2:01 p.m. on May 11 at the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium. Free and open to the public. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Since the mission may be canceled due to weather or other issues, be sure to check the status of the mission beforehand.
  • May 16: : Kentucky Women's Book Festival, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ekstrom Library. Best-selling author Sena Jeter Naslund will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers include Bethany Griffin, Carridder Jones and George Ella Lyon. Sessions are free. Lunch tickets are $16 and should be purchased in advance. More information
  • May 16 and 23: The Saturday Academy has two May enrichment programs set to wrap up its schedule before its summer break. Center president Clest Lanier and other panelists will talk May 16 about "Why We Can't Wait: The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage." The May 23 program on "Black-Jewish Relations in the Age of Obama" features Jewish Community Federation representative Peter Anik, longtime community activist Suzy Post and UofL anthropology professor emeritus Edwin Segal. Those special sessions follow the 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. African world seminars by UofL College of Arts and Sciences Dean Blaine Hudson. The free, public events will be at DuValle Education Center cafeteria, 3610 Bohne Ave. For more information, contact Marian Vasser or Bani Hines-Hudson.
  • May 29-30: "Land, River and Peoples: Louisville Before the Civil War." Conference examining Louisville's location and settlement of immigrant groups and enslaved and free African Americans features speakers, panel discussions and artists. Sponsored by UofL's new Arts and Culture Partnerships Initiative. For registration information, contact Janna Tajibaeva at 502-852-2247 or janna@louisville.edu; for more information, contact initiative director Peter Morrin at 502-852-2361 or by e-mail or visit the website for the event.
  • June 8-July 2: Students from Louisville-area high schools will get a sneak preview of what the engineering field could offer them when they attend the INSPIRE workshops this summer at J.B. Speed School of Engineering. INSPIRE (Increasing Student Preparedness and Interest in the Requisites for Engineering) is intended for female and minority students who traditionally are under-represented in engineering jobs. The weekend sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 8-July 2 will explore many facets of engineering from biomedical to mechanical to environmental and will include field trips to area companies. For more information, contact program coordinator Brenda Hart at 502-852-0440 or by e-mail.

Full calendar of events