Monday Memo, May 13, 2024

A Message from Dean Dayna Touron

Dear A&S Faculty and Staff,

As we arrive at the end of another academic year, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each of you for your dedication to our students, research endeavors, and engagement in our community. Despite the challenges we have faced—many of which are captured in the recent A&S Trust Report—you have remained steadfast in your commitment to excellence, and for that I am immensely grateful.

As I witnessed at my first UofL Commencement this past weekend, your collective efforts in teaching, mentoring, advising, and supporting our students have greatly contributed to their academic and personal growth. You have instilled in them a passion for learning, a drive for achievement, and an empathy for others that will build a strong foundation for the rest of their lives.

Winners of the A&S Distinguished Faculty Awards—recognized below—demonstrate how our faculty continue to push the boundaries of knowledge through groundbreaking research that not only enriches our academic community but also has a profound impact on the Louisville community and beyond. (Winners of the A&S teaching awards were celebrated in last week's edition, and more categories will be recognized in future editions.)

Together, we have demonstrated the incredible power of collaboration, innovation, and compassion. Let us continue to strive to make an even greater impact in the years to come.

Once again, thank you for your outstanding contributions to the College of Arts & Sciences. You have made this year a truly remarkable one, and I am honored to work alongside such an exceptional group of individuals.

Wishing you all a restful and rejuvenating summer!

Sincerely,

Dayna Touron, Dean

 

A&S Distinguished Faculty Awards

Above, left to right: Dean Touron, Swagato Banerjee, Andreas Elpidorou, Brandon McCormack, Ché Rhodes, Chuck Ziegler, Robert Buchanan, and Michael Menze.

 

 

Young Alumni

 

Afi Tagnedhi Named Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford

Afi Tagnedji (above), whose many dazzling accomplishments have made her a regular feature of the Monday Memo, was recently named a 2024 Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University. She graduated from UofL in 2023 as a Martin Luther King, Porter, and Louis Stokes Scholar with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a certificate in peace, justice, and conflict transformation.

Knight-Hennessy is a multidisciplinary graduate fellowship program providing up to three years of financial support and selected based on students' independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and civic mindset. Tagnedji, a native of Todome, Togo, is pursuing a PhD in cancer biology with a focus in computational and systems cancer biology at Stanford School of Medicine. Her research leverages computational modeling and multi-omic molecular profiling to develop novel cancer therapies. Her goal is to significantly improve quality of life and treatment for cancer patients.

Since immigrating to the United States in 2015, Tagnedji has been committed to expanding education access for marginalized students. To that end, she serves on many national and state boards, designing affordability policies, establishing tuition-free scholarships, designing STEM museum exhibits, and building centralized offices to support independent research and experiential learning. Afi is a Goldwater, ACCR, and QUAD fellow.

 

Commencement Profile

 

First for Herself, Now for Others

By Audrie Lamb

As Gabrielle Runyon, a graduating psychology major with a minor in music, traveled across the stage this spring, she carried not just a diploma but a powerful message: resilience. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 at just one year old, she defied the odds against her. “The doctor told my parents that I would be lucky if I made it past the age of two,” Runyon said.

In October 2023 Runyon was a part of founding Disabled Cards United (DCU.) DCU is a coalition of disabled students and their allies that works to foster a safe and inclusive environment for disabled students, to promote student-led advocacy, and to provide a space for disabled students to build solidarity. “It’s centered on intersectionality around disability, and it’s one of the places I’ve felt is most inclusive and at home just because of the acceptance I’ve had,” Runyon said.

Recognized as the Disability Resource Center student of the year, Runyon plans to continue her advocacy after graduation. She aspires to be a counselor, driven by a passion to address the lack of understanding in the mental health field, particularly for people of color and those with disabilities.

Transitioning her sophomore year from a music therapy major to psychology, Runyon’s natural inclination towards listening and understanding people guided her path. She now sees her shyness as a strength. “It comes naturally to me,” Runyon said. “It’s because I am shy I do so well. I listen more. And I think about what questions to ask. I’m interested in learning more about people and picking their brain.” Read more.

 

 

Kudos

 

ULASSA Derby Party Awards

Congratulations to the following winners of the ULASSA Derby Party awards: above, left to right: Mary (Elliott) Stump, best hat; Sammie Holmes, best dressed runner-up; and Yolanda Demaree, best dressed winner. With fun and informative games, delicious food, and wonderful fellowship, the ULASSA Derby Party was the perfect warm-up for Derby Week. Many thanks to the ULASSA Activities Committee for their hard work in organizing this fantastic event!

 

Humanities PhD Student Awarded the 2024 Kentucky Public History Intern Award

Congratulations to Hayley Salo, a Humanities Ph.D. student studying the history of 19th-century material culture and serving as the Filson Library’s Archival Processing and Research Intern, for winning the 2024 Kentucky Public History Intern Award. Nominated by Dr. Abby Glogower, the Filson’s former Curator of Jewish Collections, Hayley processed, arranged, described, and cataloged the records of Baer Fabrics, a multi-generational Jewish family-owned and operated fabric and notions supply store with locations in Louisville and Evansville for over 100 years. Hayley cataloged the Baer Fabrics photograph collection and authored an article published in the Winter 2023 Filson newsmagazine (pp. 5-6). Putting into practice skills she learned in an oral history class at UofL, Hayley conducted an extensive interview with Baer Fabrics owners Stuart and Linda Goldberg. This summer, Hayley will continue the work on this oral history and will also assist Filson in creating a storytelling spotlight feature about Baer Fabrics in its ongoing permanent exhibition, “People, Passage, Place: Stories of the Ohio Valley.”

 

Remington Smith's film Landlord Invited to the Cannes Film Market

Remington Smith, associate professor of film production in the Department of Communication, raised $250,000 to successfully shoot LandLord, his first feature, last summer with former students and an array of community organizations. The film has been invited to the Cannes Film Market as part of the Frontières Buyers Showcase. Running parallel to the Cannes Film Festival this month, the showcase invites sales agents, festival programmers, and distributors to consider the film for acquisition. LandLord is one of six films profiled and the only one from the U.S.

 

Graduate School Awards Dominated by A&S

Congratulations to the following A&S graduate students and faculty mentors recognized at the UofL Doctoral Hooding and Graduation Ceremony on May 10. Their achievements are especially impressive given that these are university-wide awards for which all UofL graduate programs are eligible:

  • The Guy Stevenson Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies: Lauren Girouard-Hallam PhD, Experimental Psychology. Mentor: Professor Judith Danovitch
  • The Alice Eaves Barns Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Master’s Program: Sam Nicole Weiner, MA, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.  Mentor: Assistant Professor Cara Snyder
  • Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Master’s Students: Ying Kit Chan, MFA, Hite Institute of Art and Design
  • Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Doctoral Students: Bronwyn Williams, PhD, Department of English
  • Provost’s Award for an Exemplary Director of Graduate Studies: Frank Kelderman, PhD, Department of English
 

2024 ABI Social Justice Research Paper Award Winners

Each spring the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research recognizes outstanding research papers related to social justice topics. All paper submissions are selected by ABI faculty affiliates based on how well students engage their chosen social justice topics and research. Winners are:

Undergraduate Award: Shraddha Patel (above), Double Major in Sociology & Social Biology.  Paper: "Not that Type of Asian”: Deconstructing the Model Minority Myth from a South Asian Perspective.

Graduate Award: Caitlin Burns Allen (below), Ph.D in English - Rhetoric and Composition. Paper: "Well, Your Labs are Normal: Rhetorically Constructing the Normal Patient"

Graduate Award Honorable Mentions:

  • Andrew Chapman, MA in English - Creative Writing. Paper: "Wonderful Monsters, Your Children: A Transformational Analysis of Early Modern Disability in On Monsters and Marvels"
  • Jillian Pearsall, Ph.D in Education - Curriculum & Instruction. Paper: "English Language Learners in STEM:  A Critical Race Case Study of Barriers to Access to Allied Health Programs" 

 

Community Engagement

 

Hite Institute Coordinator's Gallopalooza Artwork

Since 2004, over 500 horse statues have been placed all over Louisville for Gallopalooza. This year, one was created by artist Sara Noori (above), Coordinator in the Hite Institute of Art and Design. The title of the horse artwork is “Because of You” or “Es Por Ustedes” in Spanish, and it pays homage to workers of Churchill Downs's backside.

Noori says her vision is to have the backstretch community make their mark. “Rather than me painting an image onto the horse, we really wanted it to be very literal and be a real connection between all the people that touch the horse every day,” said Noori. “They all have stories. They’re all coming from different parts of the world, but they share this experience of the horse and taking care of it and the Derby.”

Cristobal Trejo is one of many workers that make horse racing and the Derby possible. He has been grooming horses for 57 years. “My name is there and my hand is there. So, I guess, everybody go see it!” he said. Read more at Spectrum News and view a video of Noori's process of creating this artwork. 

 

Call for Applications

 

Mid-South REACH Product Development Grants

Mid-South REACH (Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub) is an NIH-funded program that extends across four states: Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. The primary goal of this grant program is to accelerate the real-world impact of biomedical and health related innovations through education, mentorship, and financial support for aspiring entrepreneurs. Led by Vanderbilt University in collaboration with UofL, Jackson State University, and George Mason University, Mid-South REACH will administer over 20 awards in the first grant cycle to fund product development project grants across all four states. Beyond funding for technology development and translational research, Mid-South REACH will provide commercialization-related education and training for awardees, as well as coaching and strategic feedback from field experts, including the NIH and their partners (see https://ncai.nhlbi.nih.gov/ncai/resources/other).

The Mid-South REACH program is focused on product development and requires milestone-based project management in six-month increments, renewable up to four times. Project Managers in each of the Mid-South REACH states are available to assist with preparation of pre-applications. Applicants invited to submit a full application will work with Project Managers and/or mentors on product development plans and project timelines.

Pre-applications are due May 24, 2024 by 5:00 PM (CT). For more information visit https://www.midsouthreach.org/.

 

Campus Technology

 

Two-Factor Authentication for Blackboard

UofL is adding two-factor authentication via Duo to Blackboard starting June 11, 2024. After this date, all students, faculty and staff will need to use this second factor of authentication to login to Blackboard. Please spread the word to UofL students in your unit: they can still enroll in UL2FCTR (Duo)—and the majority have done so—or update their account via our webpage: louisville.edu/its/ul2fctr.

Two-factor authentication keeps your account secure even if your password is compromised. With UL2FCTR / Duo, you'll be alerted right away (on your phone) if someone is trying to log in as you. All students, faculty, and staff must enroll in UL2FCR/Duo. Visit the UL2FCTR webpage for more information.

 

A&S Events

 

 
 

Origin Stories: Peruvian Pre-Columbian Ceramics Exhibition

The Hite Institute of Art + Design is pleased to present Origin Stories, an exhibition of Peruvian pre-Columbian work from the archives of the Speed Art Museum curated by Dani Deeley. On view for the first time in nearly forty years, the objects in this exhibition provoke questions about the acquisition of objects, the circumstances of their arrival, and their current condition.

The collection of Peruvian art was donated by Elizabeth Crow Bullitt, of the well-known Bullitt family in Louisville, on behalf of her late husband, Charles William Buck in 1934. Buck acquired these objects during his time as U.S. ambassador to Peru from 1885 to 1889. Origin Stories presents a window into the lives of five Peruvian pre-Columbian ceramic objects that, up until 2024, had never been fully investigated. This exhibition will be on view from July 13 through August 9 at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts. The opening reception will be on July 13, from 4pm-7pm. 

 

UofL Events

 

Instructors’ Fall Courses in Blackboard Ultra

UofL’s Blackboard team is excited to announce all fall 2024 course shells have been created in Blackboard Ultra. Don't wait; prepare yourself now to ensure a smooth transition. Delphi recommends attending a virtual training first to learn the basics, and then a pop-in session this week for personalized support. It’s essential for even users familiar with Blackboard Original to attend Ultra training due to significant user experience and feature differences. https://louisville.edu/delphi/blackboard/bb-ultra-course

 

Grant writing workshops

Register now for the last remaining grant writing workshop taking place on May 14, 2024, 12 noon - 1:30 pm, from the Office of Community Engagement, Office of the Provost, and Office of Institutional Equity for faculty, staff, and graduate students. Workshops will introduce the basics of grant writing from the lenses of community engagement, present the foundation for developing a letter of inquiry and a full proposal, provide approaches to engage funders, and provide insights into the review process. Register at this link.

 

Deadline extended: Apply for the 2024 Green Threads Workshop by June 1

Interested in integrating themes of ecological, social & economic stewardship into your courses? The Sustainability Council invites all full- or part-time faculty, instructors & GTA Academy members from ANY discipline to apply for the 2024 Green Threads teaching enrichment program. We’ll explore ways to weave sustainability into your curriculum through a one-day workshop in August. You’ll receive a $500 honorarium, course development resources, local sustainability insights, & a network of colleagues from across UofL. Apply by June 1st, with Chair’s approval. Website & Application. Contact: Brent Fryrear bfryrear@louisville.edu, (502) 852-8854. See below for the 2023 Green Threads faculty cohort.