ACCelerate: creative exploration and research
Two actors in a scene from The Mountaintop
Last April, two standout A&S teams traveled to Washington, D.C. for the 2019 ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival, a gathering highlighting the creative exploration and research happening at ACC universities.
First, Prof. Michael Menze and graduate student Jonathan Kopechek from Biology, along with Prof. Brett Janis from the Speed School of Engineering, exhibited “The Sweet Way to Preserve Blood,” showcasing their cutting-edge cross-disciplinary work on red blood cell de- and rehydration. If you ever had sea monkeys as a kid, it’s a similar concept - only this one could save countless lives by stabilizing the clinical blood supply and increasing accessibility to blood transfusions around the world.
Second, the Department of Theatre Arts broke new ground at the Smithsonian when it gave the first ever dramatic performance in the National Museum of American History. After a successful Fall ‘18 run at Thrust Theatre on UofL’s Belknap campus, the African American Theatre Program reprised The Mountaintop, a fictional depiction of Martin Luther King, Jr. set entirely in his hotel room on the eve of his assassination. The performance was so well received that Smithsonian officials expect this will be the first of many live theatre performances.
