University of Louisville
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UofL interior design students gain experience through homeless veterans project
In the fall of 2019, Valerie Fuchs, a part-time professor at the Hite Art Institute in UofL’s Department of Fine Arts, tasked her interior design students with designing a few rooms and raising funds for the Louisville Hotel for the homeless.
Unable to reach anyone in time, that project was put on hold. But the fire had been ignited in Fuchs, who was determined to find something that mixed a comprehensive interior design project with benevolence.
Around that same time, she read an article about Camp Restoration, a planned community of homes made of shipping containers for homeless veterans in southwest Louisville. The objective of Camp Restoration is simple: to help those veterans get back on their feet.
As reported by WDRB, the idea for the community came from Jeremy Harrell, founder and CEO of the Veteran’s Club, who recruited Paul Sirek, an architect at Luckett & Farley, to conceptualize what those homes would look like.
Coincidentally, Sirek works with Fuchs’ husband. So, she asked if her critique class could participate in the project. Initially, the class was approved to design two of the planned 25 container homes.
“After we had a critique with Jeremy Harrell, he was so happy about how different each design was, that he said we could do more,” Fuchs said. “He wanted the veterans to be proud of their homes and show them off to encourage socialization.”
The 20 students went through the entire design process, coming up with three different schemes each and choosing one to pursue. At one point, there were 36 different single-family home designs and 24 different family home designs.
The junior class (eight students) had the family home, which consisted of four containers, while the sophomore students (12) had the single container home to design. However, the project entailed much more than just interior design. Each home has to be tailored for challenges like PTSD, for example.
With adaptive reuse of a shipping container, the students were initially required to design homes within the containers, similar to interior design programming in most projects, Fuchs said. But the project grew as the students began their work.
“After working with the students, I thought they needed to learn how to work on the process of how to create great design as they all were so talented. So I adapted that style of studio, similar to how an architecture traditional studio is run,” she said. “Design is design and it needs rigor to accomplish anything worthwhile.”
The students’ process for the “adaptive reuse project for homeless veterans” included:
- A summation of nine readings covering design theory, PTSD, homelessness and sustainability.
- The creation of three collages and models.
- Site visits of other container-built structures (the Russell Neighborhood Community Center, Copper & Kings and Jeremy Semones Core Containers).
- A lecture and critiques by Jeremy Harrell of the Veteran’s Club and architect Paul Sirek.
All of that was even before the design development for a 9-foot-by-40-foot shipping container. The students created a thesis, designed at least four schemes and generated four plans, four elevations, one section and renderings in perspective/axonometric. They also created color and furniture finishes for the project and endured several in-class critiques before creating the construction documents. The documents included dimensions, plans, elevations, sections, schedules and cut sheets/specs.
Additionally, two students, Kayleigh Garner and Micheal Blanton, taught themselves how to use AutoCad drafting software during the project and then taught other students how to use the programming as well.
According to Fuchs, working on this “real” project allowed the students to gain the experience of solving problems within conditional parameters.
“They learned the structural limits, had to learn codes for egress, fair housing requirements of room sizes, natural light, zoning and where to put the electrical box. These are real problems interior designers face every day and the sooner you know what your parameters will be, the better designer you will become,” she said.
Despite the abrupt shift to remote operations in March due to COVID-19, the project, and the students’ enthusiasm for the project, continued.
“Even during quarantine, the students were able to create construction documents,” Fuchs said. “The students really rose to the challenge and went way beyond my expectations. Their enthusiasm for a real project that will help so many veterans was amazing. I loved their designs and how deeply they thought this through. They worked so hard and I am so proud of them and their efforts.”
Although COVID-19 has put most things on hold, the groundbreaking for Camp Restoration was still held over spring break and the community is expected to be completed in 2021.
Meanwhile, fundraising continues for the community, and Fuchs plans to do what she can for that effort through a new, online free design service called Design for Everyone. The idea is that anyone can submit their home design problems and Fuchs and a few UofL students, acting as interns, will come up with a solution.
“In exchange we are going to ask for donations to be sent to Camp Restoration,” Fuchs said. “It is going to be fun. I had been wanting to have a real project that could give back to the community for my two interior design classes, as I believe good design is for everyone.”
UofL, Louisville Metro study finds local social distancing measures are saving lives
A new modeling study by the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences and the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness (LMPHW) indicates that stringent social distancing measures the city put in place in March have significantly slowed the spread of COVID-19 in the city.
The study, Projecting the COVID-19 Weekly Deaths, Infections, and Hospitalizations for Jefferson County, Kentucky, also projects the city may be able to gradually reopen by early June if even stronger containment measures – especially more extensive testing and consistent contact tracing and quarantine of all newly infected individuals – are implemented.
But the study also warns that if strong and effective social distancing measures are pulled back too quickly, as many as 900 more people in Louisville would die and about 2,000 more would be hospitalized by August.
Seyed Karimi, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and System Sciences at the UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences, co-authored the report.
“We know from our modeling that decreasing the current social distancing measures without increased efforts to test, isolate, and do contact tracing can move us to an unstable path with increased hospitalization and infection trends that could be catastrophic,” said Karimi, who also is a health economist with LMPHW.
Study co-author Sarah Moyer, MD, director of LMPHW and the city’s chief health strategist, said the study projects that measures the city put in place in March averted a surge of COVID-19 patients that otherwise would have overwhelmed Louisville’s health care system. Going forward, only about 400 of Louisville’s 3,600 hospital beds will be needed for COVID-19 patients if current social distancing measures remain in place.
“This model validates the measures we have put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 in Louisville thus far,” Moyer said. “The study also serves as affirmation of our state and local efforts to slowly release restrictions.”
“The study is a good example of how academic research can inform real-life public health policy decisions to protect community health,” said Craig Blakely, PhD, MPH, dean of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences.
Mayor Greg Fischer expressed his appreciation for the collaborative effort between UofL and the local health department, adding that the data underscores what city and health officials have been saying: “While we’re making progress in the fight against COVID-19, we still have a long way to go.
“Even as some restrictions are eased, we must stay focused and vigilant,” he said. “That’s why I have extended the executive order continuing the state of emergency here until June 1. It’s important that we not get our guard down against this dastardly disease.”
Researchers used the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) model, which measures the effect of public health policy interventions to contain an infection. They projected trends in the numbers of actively circulating COVID-19 infections, active hospitalizations, and deaths in the city from April 20 to August 20.
The authors considered two potential scenarios that estimated the current number of COVID-19 deaths in Louisville. The scenarios consider two different dates for the effectiveness of public and private social distancing policies in Jefferson County – March 31 and April 7, which they labeled as status quo scenarios.
Under each of the two scenarios, researchers considered four potential alternatives reflecting outcomes if social distancing and other containment strategies had been either weaker or stronger by 10% increments. They projected number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths that Louisville would see under each of those social distancing scenarios.
Their projections show that if stronger containment methods had been used from the presumed intervention days of March 31 and April 7, transmission of the virus would have decreased significantly, such that the number of infections in June would have been in two digits. On the other hand, if weaker containment methods were used from the presumed intervention days, virus transmission would have increased remarkably, such that the number of infections and hospitalization would not soon have stabilized.
Other report authors include Natalie DuPre, ScD, MS, Bert Little, PhD, MA, W. Paul McKinney, MD, all of the SPHIS.
UofL drum major plans virtual performance of ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ on what would have been Derby Day
Although the flowers are still in bloom and the grass has turned that signature blue-ish green, things are no doubt different this year.
The traditional pageantry that kicks off springtime in the commonwealth – the Kentucky Derby – isn’t happening on the first Saturday in May for the first time since 1945.
A pandemic has put us all on pause.
However, while we’re relegated to our homes, left to wait for an unpredictable amount of time for things to get back to “normal,” our spirit still resonates. You see it when the green lights turn on. You hear it when the bells toll.
On Saturday, you’ll feel it when that old familiar song plays. Our song.
Since 1936, UofL’s Marching Cards have served as “The Official Band of the Kentucky Derby,” opening up the “Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports” with our rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home.” Each year, our students play this song to about 150,000 people at Churchill Downs and an additional 15 million television viewers across the world.
By the time the band is finished playing, there typically aren’t many dry eyes left. A Courier Journal columnist described this experience best last year: “I’ve interviewed Kentuckians who haven’t set foot in the state for 30 years who still stand in front of their televisions and weep when they hear the woodwinds and brass instruments strike the first few notes of ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’
The lyrics tell us that there’ll be hard times, by and by. But at the crescendo, it’s as if 150,000 voices nudge us to weep no more.”
Has there been a better time for such a nudge than now?
UofL’s drum major Natalie Humble didn’t want that feeling – that experience – to get lost this year.
So, she reached out to a few of her friends, both at UofL and at other colleges and universities across Kentucky, and asked if they would want to perform a virtual version of the state song and debut the finished piece on May 2, what would have been Derby Day.
“I came up with the idea one day while doing online schoolwork and reflecting on what the semester would have been like in a normal situation. ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ popped into my head and I immediately wanted to create something that brought some normality back into the spring. But I wanted it to be something that all of us – as Kentuckians – resonated with,” Humble said.
Everyone she reached out to was interested. In fact, Humble recruited about 100 total participants – about half of whom are UofL students. Another 20 or so are UofL School of Music alums, a handful are UofL faculty and the rest are from other institutions throughout the state. Thirteen total institutions, to be exact.
“We had a massive amount of interest from students at UofL, and it was really incredible to see the alums show so much interest. I am truly proud of how many other schools we got to participate,” she said.
Humble, a rising senior Music Education major from Monticello, Kentucky, has performed at the Derby twice. Her favorite memory was during her freshman year, when it down poured.
“It doesn’t sound like much fun, but it was so memorable that I can still feel the adrenaline now just the same as I did on that day,” she said.
Although performing “My Old Kentucky Home” to kick off the Derby is a signature UofL experience, Humble said it was important to get other schools involved this year because of the unusual circumstances created by COVID-19.
“As a college student and as a Kentuckian, I know how hard it is to adjust, and this experience is something that we all share. In times like this, it is especially important for all of us to realize that we aren’t alone and that we’re a team, so inviting everyone to be part of such a meaningful project was the most valuable part of the whole idea,” she said.
“The Derby performance always represents togetherness for me. It is such a short part of the timeline, but it is a time where all the people watching – no matter where they are in the world – are taking a moment to pause and come together. I think this year’s performance represents the same thing, just in a different way.”
Stay tuned for this performance of the “My Old Kentucky Home,” which will be available on both the UofL and UofL Cardinal Marching Band Facebook pages Saturday, May 2.
The following schools will be represented in the performance: Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky University, Georgetown College, Ivy Tech Community College, Lindsey Wilson College, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Thomas More University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, University of the Cumberlands, Western Kentucky University.
Piano professor bringing world-class music to COVID-19 patients
The coronavirus pandemic has affected our world in many ways, and the uncertainty surrounding the virus has increased stress and anxiety in many people. Anna Petrova, assistant professor of piano, is doing her small part to help.
Petrova and her performance partners Molly Carr, viola, and Oded Hadar, cello, have been performing for COVID-19 patients in New York Presbyterian Hospital via FaceTime.
Bringing music to hospital patients is part of Project: Music Heals Us, a non-profit organization founded by Carr. The nonprofit presents classical music concerts in facilities which have a difficult time accessing the arts, such as hospices, hospitals, homeless shelters, prisons, food pantries and, through the Novel Voices Refugee Aid Project with Petrova, refugee camps.
The trio’s collaborative spirit has helped share music with those who need it most during these trying times.
“We’ve begun playing for the COVID-19 patients; the patients who are suffering the most because of not being able to be around other humans,” Petrova said. “It has been exciting and fulfilling to watch this program take flight over the past few weeks. We’re bringing together isolated patients with the Project: Music Heals Us roster of world-acclaimed classical musicians who have generously agreed to connect with patients and play for them either over the phone or on FaceTime.”
Now, Petrova is putting on a virtual concert for UofL audiences to bring music into their homes to help alleviate stress. The concert will be performed through a Facebook live video on the University of Louisville School of Music’s page at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 26.
Petrova and Carr, who have performed together as the Carr-Petrova Duo on the Carnegie Hall stage, have traded their grand concert halls for living rooms and live-stream concerts.
Petrova hopes the virtual concert will make people feel connected in a time when we are unable to be physically near each other.
“Our goal in bringing this concert to UofL audiences is to simply establish that connection again – the connection between the performer/musician and our friends,” Petrova said. “Since we cannot all gather in the concert hall, this virtual format is what we need … for now.”
The concert will include music by some of the trio’s favorite composers, including Schumann, Gershwin, Chopin and Brahms, among others. Petrova says the concert’s repertoire reflects their current moods of introspection and intimacy.
The trio of friends are quarantined together and have been spending their time playing chamber music, preparing livestream concerts online, teaching their students and hanging out around the house.
Petrova said she has been able to appreciate playing music just for herself during this time of isolation, but misses the connections she creates through her music.
“I’ve enjoyed moments of playing music just for the pleasure of it, without the high-pressure that comes with preparing concerts with a deadline,” she said. “At some point, however, the reason for playing and learning music is to be able to connect with others.”
Although Petrova has performed across the globe, she is thankful to be a part of UofL and wants to do what she can to give back to the UofL community.
“As a faculty member at UofL, I am very grateful for the support and care the university’s leadership has given its faculty and students,” said Petrova. “I know these are really hard times for every institution and I would like to do whatever I can as an individual to support our university and the School of Music.”
UofL partners with city for data skills training initiative
The University of Louisville’s Center for Digital Transformation website is a strategic partner in Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s 30-day Data Upskilling Challenge Initiative announced April 13.
Fischer has encouraged residents to access free online, self-paced, data skills training through a new COVID-19-related effort by the City’s Future of Work Initiative powered by Microsoft. UofL’s site also provides listings of numerous free technology badges and certificates that can be obtained as well as a link to the City’s Upskill Challenge.
“We are committed to technology upskilling and reskilling and encourage everyone to seek a badge. Many are free, certificate or degree,” said Sharon Kerrick, executive director of the Center for Digital Transformation.
The launch of the catalog of free resources is part of a broader plan to secure Louisville as a hub for the emerging data economy.
The effort kicks off with a 30-day Data Upskilling Challenge to boost the number of people in Louisville with data-economy skills. When people complete technology badges during the 30 days, they will be entered to win prizes from the City’s Future of Work initiative.
“This new initiative is a continuation of the work started last year with the announcement of LouTechWorks and the Future of Work Initiative,” Fischer said. “We are taking these steps to prepare our city and residents, particularly those who have not traditionally been a part of the tech economy, for the rapidly approaching data revolution.”
The Future of Work Initiative is a partnership between Microsoft and Metro Government around artificial intelligence, internet of things and data science that involves upskilling the workforce, helping companies implement emerging technologies, accelerating equity into digital fields, and using technology to solve social issues. In addition to UofL, other Future of Work partners are General Assembly, Humana and the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council.
Six UofL student-athletes receive ACC service awards
The Atlantic Coast Conference honored six University of Louisville student-athletes with Top 6 for Service Awards, which recognizes those who have shown a commitment to community service during the 2019-20 school year.
This year’s recipients include Kimberly Dil, Rachel Florek, Jazmine Jones, MaKenzie Kelley, Ainsley Mattingly and Emmy Wuensch.
Dil, a junior on the rowing team, volunteers with Dreams with Wings, which empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism by recognizing their strengths, and helping them contribute to their community and pursue their dreams. She also volunteered with Louisville Ironman, Norton Children’s Hospital, JCPS, and Louisville Metro Animal Services. Dil has dedicated a total of 109 hours to the Louisville community.
Florek, a junior on the lacrosse team, has spent numerous hours teaching children about the game of lacrosse and has also volunteered her time to local schools, participating in Read Across America literacy initiatives. She also worked with Dreams with Wings, Angel Tree, Norton Children’s Hospital, Girls on the Run, Americana, and Dare to Care. Florek has dedicated a total of 84 hours to the Louisville community.
Jones, a senior on the women’s basketball team, completed a weeklong mission trip to Jamaica through FCA this past summer. Throughout the school year, she also participated in the Card Pal program where student-athletes pair up with students at the West End School and write letters to each other. She has participated with several other organizations including JCPS, Team Inspire, Ronald McDonald House, Berrytown Community Center, Camp Quality and Portland Promise Center. Jones has dedicated a total of 68 hours to a mission trip and the Louisville community.
Kelley, a freshman on the Ladybirds dance team, was an avid volunteer at the Parkland Boys and Girls club. She began her volunteer work in September as a consistent volunteer with their after-school activities program. She has also volunteered at several cancer/health focused walks and initiatives, including Louisville FC Climb, Kidney Walk and Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer. Kelley has dedicated a total of 141 hours to the Louisville community.
Mattingly, a sophomore on the rowing team, has given back through several mission trips. She went to Heart Butte, Montana to assist on the Blackfeet Tribe Reservation and also visited Tijuana, Mexico. Throughout the school year, she participated in the Card Pal program where student-athletes are paired with students at the West End School and write letters to each other. She has also worked with other organizations such as FCA, Louisville Ironman and Ronald McDonald House. Mattingly has dedicated a total of 77 hours to mission trips and the Louisville community.
Wuensch, a sophomore on the rowing team, has worked with animals through the Charlottesville Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CASPCA). She was also a frequent volunteer at the Berrytown Community Center through their Metro Parks Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation area. During her time there, she was actively engaged in their wheelchair basketball program. She has also volunteered with the FCA, JCPS, UofL Disability Resource Center, and the Louisville Ironman. Wuensch has dedicated a total of 84 hours to the Louisville community.
Collaboration to test healthcare workers for immunity and establish top plasma donor pool
The purpose of this new initiative is to help healthcare workers understand whether they were unknowingly exposed to COVID-19, to determine how much immunity was generated by such exposure, and to identify those with the best immune responses as donors of high quality plasma for treatment of patients with advanced COVID-19.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky, in collaboration with the University of Louisville Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute and the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, is launching a groundbreaking initiative with three large Kentucky hospital systems – Baptist Health, Norton Healthcare and UofL Health. The purpose is to help health care workers understand whether they were unknowingly exposed to COVID-19, to determine how much immunity was generated by such exposure, and to identify those with the best immune responses as donors of high-quality plasma for rescue treatment of patients with advanced COVID-19.
In addition, these data will be informative as scientists worldwide are working to determine whether quantitative antibody measurements can be used to predict immunity in the overall workforce. This program represents a unique alliance between government and otherwise competing private groups in order to address an unprecedented crisis.
Testing will begin with high-risk personnel in Kentucky, starting with the health care workforce. As the process is scaled up it will be made available to other essential workers. There will be three steps of testing:
- First, a point-of-care test will provide a yes or no answer on the presence of antibodies.
- In a second step, positive blood will then be assayed for the amount of antibodies present in the blood.
- Finally, in patients with high amounts, the neutralizing power of the antibodies will be evaluated.
The University of Louisville Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CPM), has established a high-throughput, real-time assay for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that will be utilized and CPM will use their renowned Bio Safety Level 3 facility to test for the neutralizing activity of the antibodies.
“The University of Louisville is committed to addressing all forms of health,” said Neeli Bendapudi, President of the University of Louisville. “We are uniquely positioned to play a key role in this effort because of our talented researchers at CPM and our UofL Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, which allows us to establish the very best donors of plasma for patients.”
This unprecedented collaboration of the public and private sector has already secured private donations of $1.75 million in the form of a challenge grant to build community-wide coalition of philanthropic support, which will allow the program to scale more quickly and save more lives. (Click here for more details on how you can help).
“America and Louisville need more and advanced COVID-19 testing now. I am excited about this ambitious project and its potential to provide useful data for the recovery of our community. Louisville’s team of cutting-edge scientists represents the best of who we are as Louisvillians – compassionate, smart and entrepreneurial,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.
“This is exactly the kind of collaboration that Kentucky is poised to enable,” said Dr. Cedric Francois, CEO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals and LHCC board member. “We have the infrastructure in our commonwealth to quickly bring this revolutionary technology together by leveraging the great work already being done with the health care stakeholders, such as Norton Healthcare’s convalescent plasma program, and the extensive work that had already been done to start their antibody serology testing to improve Kentucky’s response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic and be a model for the rest of the nation.”
“This model for testing is exciting and it is our hope that antibody measurements can be used to predict immunity,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “If so, it will be a critical tool in the reopening of Kentucky’s economy.”
UofL increases capacity for processing coronavirus test results
As coronavirus cases continue to spread throughout the commonwealth, the University of Louisville has ramped up its efforts to combat the deadly pandemic.
UofL researchers now are processing test results from 12 hospitals, UofL Campus Health and four outpatient clinics in the Greater Louisville area. As of today, the university had processed 1,797 tests, including 1,032 for Norton Healthcare, 288 for UofL Health and 186 for Jewish Hospital. There have been 204 positive tests.
“We now have the capacity to do up to 1,000 cases per day,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “We have researchers who have temporarily dropped all of their other duties to devote their time to the fight against COVID-19.”
As part of the expanded testing effort, the university also has committed to processing up to 200 cases per day through the drive-up testing being conducted by UofL Health at its site at Brook and Liberty streets in downtown Louisville.
UofL’s efforts are producing all test results within 24 hours, according to Gardner, who is reporting the results directly to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which relays the reports to Gov. Andy Beshear’s office on a daily basis. Rapid turnaround allows hospitals to isolate patients and health care providers with COVID-19 and move others out of isolation, saving supplies of personal protective equipment that are critically low in the state and protecting the health care workforce.
By processing the tests and studying the SARS-CoV-2 virus, UofL researchers and the university’s Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases are hoping to answer urgent questions about how it is spread, who becomes sick and how the illness progresses. That information is needed to help prevent transmission of COVID-19.
UofL is supporting this research with $500,000 in funding, but additional funds are needed to continue the work over time. Donations specifically for the research can be made at give.louisville.edu/covid19.
UofL also continues to work on long-term approaches to the virus.
Kenneth Palmer, director of UofL’s Center for Predictive Medicine, is testing potential treatments, including one developed at UofL in partnership with the National Cancer Institute and the University of Pittsburgh.
UofL students mobilize food delivery to senior citizens during COVID-19 outbreak
Praneeth Goli, a senior chemistry major with minors in philosophy and biology, has kept himself plenty busy during his time at UofL.
Goli is both a Henry Vogt Scholar and a KEES Scholar. He serves as the founder of both the Louisville Social Innovation Lab and the Droplet Water Project, and is also a member of the Indian Student Association. He has been involved in research in diabetes care and treatment at the University of Louisville and Harvard Medical Schools.
For the Droplet Water Project, Goli teamed up with UofL alum Jarui Desai (’18) to provide clean drinking water to those who need it most. As of now, they have completed water projects in both India and Colombia.
Last year, he was named a Barry Goldwater Scholar, a prominent award that goes to sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in math, science and engineering. There have been just five Goldwater Scholars at UofL in the past decade.
In 2017, Goli earned the CCU Outstanding Freshmen Student Award. The next year, he earned the CCU Outstanding Sophomore Student Award. The year after that, the CCU Outstanding Junior Student Award.
Goli has certainly shown a pattern of achievement and a global pandemic hasn’t slowed that down.
Goli and Nico Ferreyra, another UofL student, recently assembled a committee of volunteers that have so far distributed nearly 800 meals to those who need them during the COVID-19 outbreak. The students are working with Blessings in a Backpack to facilitate the meal deliveries and are focused on making sure the food needs of the city’s elderly population are being met during this crisis.
According to Goli, the committee he and Ferreyra assembled is built in partnership “with inspiring local nonprofit leaders and include the key public organizations working on this issue.”
“We are excited to continue mobilizing our volunteers in a safe and coordinated manner,” Goli said.
For John Nevitt, director of economic mobility at Metro United Way, Goli’s efforts are not surprising considering his extensive resume.
“Praneeth Goli has been an extremely thoughtful and engaged Metro United Way volunteer, serving on our Community Impact Cabinet,” Nevitt said. “As you may know, he is extremely industrious, having launched two non-profit organizations since becoming a student at UofL, and soon to help with the creation of a social innovation lab at the university.”
Earlier this month, Goli was presented with a Cardinal Award. Formerly known as Mr. and Ms. Cardinal, the Cardinal Awards are presented by UofL’s Student Activities Board and is based on academic excellence, co-curricular activities and service to the university. It’s clear, however, that Goli’s service extends far beyond the university.
Check out the video Metro United Way put together about their efforts here.
UofL engineering students producing 3-D printed face shields for healthcare professionals
COVID-19 has caused a sea change in day-to-day life. Work, school, recreation, retail, medical care, everything has been altered.
Many have expressed a sense of frustration or helplessness because they feel there is nothing they can actively do to help – this virus is unprecedented. But for Speed School engineers at the University of Louisville, creating innovative solutions for the most complex problems – and taking action – is what they do best.
The Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science and Technology (AMIST) facility at Speed School of Engineering has risen to this challenge by contributing something vital to the pandemic: protective face shields for healthcare workers, an item currently in a critical shortage due to tightening of hospital supply chain lines. The original impetus for the project was a request for 100 of the shields from the Internal Medicine Department at UofL Health.
Created with state of the art 3-D printing technology, the team has been printing face shields at their core facility, increasing their production output to 55 shields per day by running continuous shifts from 8 a.m. to midnight daily.
Ed Tackett, director of Workforce Development at AMIST, is coordinating the COVID-19 Speed School Response Team.
“We asked ourselves, ‘what can we do right now?’ How do we protect our most vulnerable citizens and how can the University play a positive role in making that happen?” said Tackett. “We have medical professionals literally on the front lines, and if we can help them be safer or keep them from getting sick, we’re going to do whatever we need to do to make that happen,” said Tackett.
What he needed was a dedicated and talented production team. He got that team with graduate assistant Kate Schneidau and four other Speed School students who wanted to help however they could with this health crisis. Schneidau is the production manager who helps manage the scheduling of shifts totaling 16 hours a day, and ensures that builds are continuously running so they can output as many face shields as possible in a day.
Schneidau said she feels a sense of pride knowing that she is contributing skills she learned at Speed School in such a direct way to benefit the community.
“It’s more than just helping produce a product that can be sold commercially. It’s a sense of camaraderie with the community knowing in tough times I can still help. I was taught all my life if somebody needs help, you step up and help as much as you can without expecting anything, because it’s the right thing to do.”
The first batch of 100 face shields have been picked up, and while the face shield production is filling the gap until the medical supply chain catches up, the Additive Manufacturing center is nimble and can adapt quickly to new 3-D printing needs that may arise due to COVID-19.
“We’re producing face shields now but that could change at any moment,” said Schneidau. “We are here as a tool to help in whatever way the medical community may need. We could shift production to ventilators if that is what is needed next.”
The community is doing their part to help, too. After a post on social media about the project, citizens with 3-D printers have stepped up, wanting to be part of the solution. Schneidau has helped to coordinate drop-off locations for the components being printed by people with their home printers, and these parts are picked up and put in the production stream at Speed School.
Schneidau said this experience is one she won’t forget and, in fact, it has solidified her interest in a career in building medical devices.
“I want to make an impact to help people better their lives – to make sure they live their best life possible,” she said.
Tackett said with all the bad news every day about COVID-19, it is great having the team of students and other people involved in this.
“They feel like they’re making a difference, and they actually are making a difference. Students involved in this will be better equipped to provide significant engineering changes in the world. It’s what we should be doing as an engineering school. We’re all going to come out of this, and we’re all going to be stronger when we come out of this,” he said.
As for Schneidau, she is a millennial leader ready to keep making a difference in her world.
“The fact that these students have these skills and are willing to step up to the plate to help – this has just reaffirmed my belief that the next generation – we got it covered,” she said. “The future is in good hands.”
Check out the team’s work:
UofL professor leading Louisville’s charge against coronavirus
If the person often standing next to Mayor Greg Fischer and providing regular updates on the city’s COVID-19 response looks familiar, that’s because she’s part of Card Nation.
Dr. Sarah Moyer is the director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness and the chief health strategist for the city of Louisville. She’s also an assistant professor of Health Management and Systems Sciences in UofL’s School of Public Health & Information Sciences.
Though the novel coronavirus pandemic is certainly on a different level than what she — or anyone in her field — is used to, Moyer is no stranger to leading the charge to affect better health outcomes for the city of Louisville. She’s a board-certified family physician who works with all sectors of the community to affect policy, systems and environmental changes. She spearheaded the creation of Louisville’s successful syringe exchange program in 2015, for example, to slow the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C cases in the state.
During the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak earlier this month, the Courier Journal published a feature about Moyer and her work as it pertains to this specific crisis. In that story, SPHIS Dean Craig Blakely praised her ability to “adapt to public health situations.”
“In these settings, like what’s happening now, quick movement is essential to being successful,” he said. “It’s the same as Ebola – some lost the war, others did really well. It has to do with quick responses.”
Moyer told the publication that she is learning what is working in other places and applying it to the COVID-19 response in Louisville.
“I have faults, but adaptability and solving complex problems are on my strength list,” she told the CJ. “When you’re a mom of four kids, you’ve got to be able to adapt, no matter what comes your way.”
Prior to joining UofL in 2015, Moyer earned degrees from Temple, Wake Forest, Dartmouth and Colorado College.
UofL researchers addressing urgent need for knowledge about COVID-19
If the SARS-CoV-2 virus is to be contained and cases of COVID-19 controlled, more knowledge is needed about how the virus is spread, who becomes ill and how the illness progresses. The University of Louisville is already at work to answer these urgent questions to reduce the impact of the global pandemic.
Infectious disease researchers at UofL are working with all 10 Louisville hospitals and two in southern Indiana, including UofL Health, Norton and Baptist, to process tests and study the illness in order to gather information needed to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Julio Ramirez, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Ruth Carrico, PhD, RN, professor in the division, along with Donghoon Chung, PhD, and Kenneth Palmer, PhD, director of the Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CPM), have developed a surveillance program to track the prevalence of the illness and which patients are most affected.
“I think the big issue is understanding the emergence of this illness and the pandemic response in terms of where the cases are, how many cases we’re seeing and among what types of patients,” Carrico said. “This study will help us better understand risk factors and how we need to approach it from a preventive perspective,” Carrico said.
Because this virus is so new, health professionals do not have as much information about how the disease presents initially and how it progresses as they do about other diseases that have been studied for decades. They also still need a better understanding of how the virus, SARS-CoV-2, is spread. The work being done at UofL will help provide that knowledge.
“With the information we are gathering, we will better understand how transmission occurs. When we understand how transmission occurs, that provides us the tools we need to develop some effective interventions,” Carrico said.
The development of testing for this research has been led by researchers at the CPM, where Chung worked to establish and refine procedures for high-throughput testing of more than 350 clinical samples per day for the research.
This information is needed not only to protect the community, but to protect health care workers from becoming ill. In China and elsewhere, doctors and nurses contracted COVID-19 at high rates, which affected their availability to care for ill patients. The information gained through the surveillance program will be used to generate guidelines for real-time hospital and community education and response activities, reducing spread in hospitals and protecting health care workers on the front lines.
Over time, the surveillance project will reveal not only the current scope of the pandemic in Louisville and beyond, but will monitor the epidemic over weeks and months, allowing the researchers to predict the impact of the virus in the future.
Notably, this research comes on the heels of UofL’s Division of Infectious Diseases having been selected by Pfizer as its first Global Center of Excellence.
The university is supporting this research with $500,000 in funding, but additional funds are needed to continue the research over time. Donations specifically for this research can be made online here.
UofL will finish the semester online; spring commencement ceremony postponed
An update from President Neeli Bendapudi regarding the coronavirus outbreak:
Dear Cardinal Family,
What a time of unpredictable and rapid change we are facing today, as individuals, as families, as businesses, as organizations, and as communities. Each day seems to bring with it new issues and new complications. And yet each day also brings some hope and confidence and resilience because it is clear we are working together, and working with one singular purpose: to keep everyone healthy and informed as we move forward.
To that end, and in response to updated recommendations from leading health experts and from local and state government leaders, we are moving forward with the next phase of our emergency response to the COVID-19 situation.
FOR STUDENTS
Instruction
- We are extending remote and online instruction through April 28, the end of the semester. Professional colleges are making decisions at the unit level to ensure the timely graduation of their students. Those students will receive additional guidance from their dean.
- Finals will be conducted remotely. You will receive more information from your professor on this in the coming weeks.
Housing and Dining
- By March 29, all students are asked to move out of our campus traditional and suite-style residence halls (Threlkeld, Miller, Unitas, Community Park, Kurz, Louisville and Billy Minardi). This is extremely important to increase social distance for health and safety. Students must complete the cancellation form (also located on the housing portal). Campus Housing will send you an email with further instructions.
- We understand that some students will have to stay on campus, because we are your home. If you are in this category and need an exception, please log into the UofL housing portal at louisville.edu/housing and complete the “Housing exception form for Spring 2020” located on the home page immediately, and we will work to accommodate your need before the March 29 deadline, pending space availability. For those students who do stay on campus, we will make sure there will be grab-and-go dining options and other services through the semester.
- Students who do move out of our campus residence halls and have no outstanding balances may have a pro-rated portion of their housing costs and meal plan dining dollars credited to the fall semester in the 2020-2021 school year. The credit may go toward housing, dining, or tuition and fees. Final credit amounts will be dependent upon the individual student’s financial aid situation and compliance.
- Students who are graduating this semester and have no outstanding balances will be refunded a pro-rated portion of their housing and unused dining dollars. We do sincerely request any student who is able to do so to waive their refund and donate it to UofL to help manage the significant financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the University.
Commencement
A particularly difficult decision is to postpone the Spring Commencement ceremony. We will invite all Spring graduates to our December 2020 Commencement ceremony to be honored for your achievements. We know this is a tremendous disappointment to our graduates and their families. And we share that disappointment as well. Nonetheless we hope you understand the complexities we face now. We will also be thinking of alternative ways to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of students who will be graduating this semester. Professional schools with separate graduation celebrations will be also be exploring creative alternatives such as virtual events. Please note: the date for spring degree conferral remains May 9, 2020, and students approved to graduate this spring will be awarded the degrees and certificates they have earned then.
Recreation Facilities
The Health Sciences Fitness Center and the Student Recreational Center facilities have closed.
FOR FACULTY AND STAFF
- The remote work program will continue through the end of the semester, April 28th. Please go to our Working Remotely site for any help getting adjusted to working using our various virtual tools. If you have questions about your particular remote work situation, please speak to your vice president, dean, vice provost or their designee.
- International and domestic university-sponsored travel is suspended through the end of the fiscal year, June 30.
- Events hosted by any University of Louisville entity or at any University of Louisville facility are to be postponed or cancelled through at least April 28.
I know that you have been receiving numerous updates and messages from me and from our campus leadership on this topic. I understand that the pace of messaging might feel overwhelming to some, and not enough to others. Please know that we are constantly working to keep all of your needs top of mind and to pivot as quickly, and as thoughtfully, as we can when new information becomes available.
Remember to also frequently check UofL’s COVID-19 webpage for the latest updates and answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions that we hear from you.
Meanwhile I hope each of you takes care of your own physical and mental health. Despite all the busy-ness, I hope you will take a moment to pause. Slow down. Anchor yourself in what matters most to you. Reach out to someone for help. Whether it is your dean, supervisor or another leader on campus, let us know how we can support you best at this time. Reach out to see if someone else needs help. Let us be patient with one another. Together we will persevere through this tumultuous time and come out the other side a stronger, more unified university community.
Neeli
UofL Trager Institute leadership addresses pressing issues relating to COVID-19 for high-risk population
The University of Louisville Trager Institute has launched a comprehensive virtual information session that addresses pressing questions about COVID-19, with particular focus on older adults and individuals with chronic diseases.
The interactive info session can be viewed on the Zoom platform at: https://zoom.us/j/884298617. To learn how to access a Zoom meeting, click here.
“As most of us have heard by this point, older adults and individuals with serious chronic diseases such as respiratory conditions, heart disease and diabetes are at elevated risk for serious cases of COVID-19. Given the expertise of our leadership team in the areas of older adult health and chronic disease management, we want to provide practical advice and guidance for people who are scared and concerned for their safety and health,” said Anna Faul, PhD, executive director of the UofL Trager Institute.
This session addresses the following pressing questions:
- How best to protect yourself from getting the virus
- What to do if you think you have the virus
- How to prepare for quarantine
- How to address the anxiety that may arise because of the pandemic
- How to care for older adults who may be quarantined in nursing homes
- How to combat loneliness during quarantine and social distancing
- How to care for chronic illness during this pandemic
- How to maintain your weight and physical activity
- How to handle lost earnings
- How to prevent coronavirus-related scams
This session is recorded from the live March 17 event and available for distribution.
“Even though older adults and persons with chronic diseases face greater risk relating to COVID-19, there are simple precautions all of us can take to keep ourselves, our families and our communities as healthy and resilient as possible. If you are high-risk it is important to take proactive steps now to try to prevent the disease – such as washing your hands, avoid touching your face, avoiding crowds and non-essential travel – as well as developing safety plans in the event of quarantine or illness,” said Christian Davis Furman, MD, medical director of the UofL Trager Institute.
Important COVID-19 resources:
Teaching Community-based Learning Courses Online During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Teaching community-based learning (CBL) courses online may be challenging for many of us as it forces us to adapt and make changes to our courses. While we continue to grasp with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Community Engagement would like to offer a few suggestions, Ideas, and resources to assist you as you shift your CBL courses online.
Here is what you need to do:
- Inform your students that all service to community service is suspended immediately. The suspension of service hours will not affect their grades. Explain the changes that will need to take place with the course, including revised assignments and activities.
- Reach out to community partners and explain the current situation to them.
- Explore ways you and your students may still be supportive during this social distancing period, when students cannot physically be on site.
- Are their ways for students to still be involved virtually, e.g. phone, or Internet?
- Think about what processes may community partners want to put in place for future service opportunities?
- When the University reverts to in-person classes, community partners may not be ready to accommodate students for various reasons so you may want to have a plan in place.
Here is the link to see a webinar on teaching CBL (service learning) courses online, presented by Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D., MPA, SFHEA, AFCIPD, Associate Professor at Utah Valley University.
Critical Reflection
Use critical reflection as a means to involve students to think critically about current situations and our own values. It is a great way to involve students to think critically about issues impacting our community if they cannot physically engage with these issues. The Center for Civic Reflection has a wealth of information, activities, and videos that can be incorporated into your online teaching. These already developed plans can be used with your students in your online instructions. Here are a few examples on selected topics:
- Leadership and Responsibility
- Is crisis a destructive force or an opportunity for renewal?
- How should we respond to crisis?
- What are our responsibilities as citizens? Who or what are we responsible for?
- Use Online Civic-Minded Games
Here are links to additional resources from other organizations and engaged institutions
- International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement
- Portland State University
- Iowa Campus Compact
- Indiana University, Bloomington
- Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis IUPIU
Please note the Office of Community Engagement is open and available to consult with faculty virtually. We can schedule a phone call, a meeting through Microsoft 365 Team or some other medium. Please feel free to contact us via phone, 852-6026 or e-mail Henry Cunningham. We are here to assist you.
UofL will extend Spring Break and move classes online
An update from UofL President Neeli Bendapudi regarding COVID-19 is available below. Please note that COVID-19 updates will also be posted regularly online here.
“UofL Family,
As I shared with you yesterday, my leadership team and I are committed to keeping each of you informed and protected as we deal with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Our people are, and always will be, our greatest asset and highest priority.
After extensive and in-depth conversations with infectious disease experts at our university, and higher education peers in the state and the nation, I have made the following decisions.
- Spring Break is extended through March 17. Classes will be delivered remotely starting March 18 through April 5.
- International travel is suspended effective immediately.
- Non-essential domestic business travel is suspended effective immediately.
- On-campus events will continue, but are under review.
- UofL’s campuses remain open and operational.
Please read below for further detail on each of these important actions.
We understand that these restrictions will cause significant inconvenience for many of you. Please know that we do not make these restrictions and recommendations lightly. I am convinced that these measures are essential to preserve the health and well-being of all members of our University community and all citizens of the Commonwealth.
We also encourage you to visit our dedicated Coronavirus webpage for more information about the virus and our response. If you have a specific question about the virus, please direct it to hlthoff@louisville.edu.
The best thing you can do is follow the steps listed here to help prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
We will continue to provide frequent updates on university activities and decisions in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, we ask that every member of our community stay true to our Cardinal Principles as we all do our part to stay ahead of this evolving situation. We are a family and we will get through this period of global uncertainty together.
Go Cards!
Neeli”
DETAILS OF UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS
Spring Break is extended through March 17. Classes will be delivered remotely starting March 18 through April 5.
- There will be no classes on March 16 and 17.
- All classes will be offered remotely via online or other alternative learning options beginning Wednesday, March 18, through at least April 5. Classes already offered online will continue as originally scheduled. Students should anticipate direct correspondence from individual course instructors prior to March 18.
- Health Sciences students who are involved in clinical programs will receive further guidance from their academic deans. Information about labs, testing and other items will also be provided.
- Campus Housing will remain open. Students who are able to stay away from campus until April 5 are encouraged to do so.
- Training is available for all faculty on transitioning their classes to alternative or online instruction beginning March 12. Training will be offered in-person and online through March 17. Information on that training will be emailed to all faculty today.
International travel is suspended effective immediately
- Effective immediately, all incoming and outgoing international university-related travel is suspended through April 30, 2020. Similarly, no future international trips are permitted to be booked through June 30, 2020.
- This means that all previously scheduled study abroad trips, conferences, trainings, speaking engagements or other university-sponsored activities and programs that require travel to or from another country during the months of March and April are now cancelled. Contact your vice president, dean or unit administrator for more details.
- Students, faculty and staff already studying abroad may remain unless the country is declared a Level 3 country by the CDC. Students also have the choice to return earlier, but this should be coordinated through the International Center.
- In addition, we strongly discourage personal travel to international destinations.
- All students, staff and faculty who are already traveling internationally this week or are planning to take a personal trip outside of the country, are required to complete the Returning Traveler’s Report on our website prior to returning to campus. Upon review of the travel information submitted, you will receive confirmation of permission and a timeline for your return to campus.
- Please know that if you are returning from a Level 3 country, a Level 2 country with a COVID indication, or from France, Germany, Japan or Spain, you are required to self-isolate away from campus for 14 days upon your return to the country.
Non-essential domestic business travel is suspended effective immediately
- Also prohibited is any non-essential, incoming and outgoing travel within the United States during the months of March and April.
- An employee with an essential domestic travel request in March or April may request approval through their vice president, dean or unit administrator. These exceptions will be rare.
- Contact your vice president, dean or unit administrator if you have questions about the types of essential vs. non-essential activities that apply to your program, department or unit.
On-campus events will continue, but are under review
- At this time, we are not restricting large on-campus events. However, we continue to monitor the situation to determine if such a prohibition will be necessary in the near future.
- We are strongly discouraging scheduling any non-essential events through at least April 30. If you have questions about how essential an event is for your program, department or unit, you should reach out to your respective supervisors.
UofL’s campuses remain open and operational
- Faculty and staff are expected to follow their normal work schedules during this time, but continue to follow social distancing and preventative hygiene practices.
- Campus Housing will remain open, but students who are able to stay away from campus until April 5 are encouraged to do so. Student housing, food services, libraries, the food pantry and other campus and student services will be open. Check campus websites for further information on hours of operation.
- Research activities will continue at this time. Anyone involved in research will receive a separate communication from EVPRI Kevin Gardner in the coming days with specific guidance.
- Supervisors should begin making plans in preparation for a potential determination that remote work is necessary. We have no reason to believe that this step will be necessary in the short-term, but in an abundance of caution we ask our team leaders to begin preparations.
Nursing dedicates simulation lab, announces collaboration to strengthen health care workforce
Undergraduate nursing students learn together in the simulation lab.
Renovation and upgrades of a simulation lab at the University of Louisville School of Nursing give students more opportunities for hands-on clinical learning. The school dedicated the lab today with Trilogy Health Services, LLC, and The Bufford Family Foundation. Trilogy Management Services, manager of Trilogy Health Services, and The Bufford Family Foundation jointly committed $250,000 for the project.
Leaders of the UofL School of Nursing and Trilogy Health Services also announced an agreement to offer priority admission for Trilogy employees to attend the traditional bachelor of science in nursing program. Beginning in fall 2020, the school will work toward accepting 25 qualified applicants per semester, up to 50 annually. Trilogy Health Services will provide scholarship support and part-time, flexible hours to its employees who meet requirements for admission to the UofL School of Nursing.
The agreement between UofL and Trilogy Health Services is an extension of Trilogy’s recent $10-million work-based learning commitment to hire 200 Kentucky high school students into health care jobs as part of the Trilogy Scholar Program. The collaboration with UofL will create a pathway for these students to earn a four-year college degree.
“Community organization and foundation support are so important in our ability to prepare future health care providers, and we are pleased to be part of the visionary education pipeline of Trilogy Health Services,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, PhD.
“We understand the importance of fostering high quality nurses to care for and about our residents to support the delivery of excellent care in our community,” said Barbara Dimercurio, Trilogy Health Services’ Chief Nursing Officer. “High caliber training and education, such as what will be offered in the updated simulation lab, is key to developing these nurses. We are proud to partner with the University of Louisville to create a clear pathway for Trilogy Scholars to become nurses.”
Simulation Lab Transformation
Funding from The Bufford Family Foundation and Trilogy Health Services allowed for a lab on the third floor of the nursing school to be transformed into a four-room simulation suite and home health care space. In addition to doubling the number of simulation rooms, the renovations created a separate observation room for instructors.
“Like UofL, we believe that when we invest in our community’s youth, we invest in our future,” said Susan Bufford. “That is why The Bufford Family Foundation is so passionate about supporting new technologies and resources for UofL students. We are honored to partner with UofL to grow the future leaders of the health care industry.”
The school also plans to purchase a fourth high-fidelity adult patient simulator. Prior to the lab upgrades, the school was restricted to using only two of its three adult mannequin simulators because of space constraints. The renovated lab allows for continuous use of all four adult simulators.
“On-campus patient simulation labs are essential to educating health care students,” said UofL School of Nursing Dean Sonya R. Hardin, PhD, MBA/MHA, APRN, NP-C, FAAN. “Simulators present numerous conditions that students respond to, including difficulty in breathing, seizures and heart attacks. Our students develop clinical judgment and learn how to respond in complex clinical situations.”
Cody Swift will graduate in May 2020 and says the simulation lab has helped him become more comfortable taking care of patients.
“This lab has given me the opportunity to not only build technical skills but also has helped me learn to better communicate with patients. We are blessed to have this simulation lab,” he said.
UofL, JCPS launch residency program to increase pool of diverse teachers
The University of Louisville and the Jefferson County Public Schools system have teamed up to launch the Louisville Teacher Residency program. The objective of the program, the first of its kind in Kentucky, is to increase the pool of diverse, highly-skilled teachers, particularly in low-performing, urban schools.
Nearly 37% of JCPS students are African-American, yet just over 12% of its full-time teachers are black.
“When students identify with a teacher in their classroom it fosters a sense of belonging, promotes engaging interactions, and improves student outcomes,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio. “The Louisville Teacher Residency program strives to not just increase the number of minority and other high-needs teachers, but to make sure those teachers have the skills and experience they need to make a positive impact on our students.”
The LTR program offers college graduates who did not major in education the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree and teaching certification in one year, in exchange for their commitment to teach in a high-needs JCPS school. According to the Courier Journal, the program is modeled after similar programs in Chicago and St. Louis.
The program kicks off in June, with an inaugural class of 30 residents. Following a Thursday press conference, Pollio told WDRB that the goal is to expand the program to offer 100 slots. This would provide one solution to the district’s teacher shortage problem. The CJ reports that JCPS’ 155 schools had more than 100 vacant teaching positions midway through this school year.
Though there are benefits for the school district in bridging the teacher shortage gap, and for UofL students in gaining hands-on experience, Kaarmel Eaves, a third-grade teacher at Semple Elementary, told WDRB that the program should especially be beneficial for her students.
“Kids when they see somebody that looks like them and has the same life experiences as them, it just matters to them,” she said. “I think they relate better, and when you instruct them, they receive the information better.”
During the residency year, participants will spend four days a week in the classroom alongside JCPS master teachers, who will mentor them while the residents engage in hands-on teaching experiences. During the summer and on Fridays, residents will attend classes at UofL, and complete coursework co-designed by JCPS and the university.
Participants will earn $30,000 plus benefits from JCPS during their residency then commit to work for five years in an Accelerated Improvement School (AIS) within JCPS.
“The University of Louisville is honored to partner with Jefferson County Public Schools to implement the first teacher residency program in the commonwealth,” said UofL Provost Beth Boehm. “UofL is committed to preparing high quality educators to meet the district’s needs and to improving P-12 student achievement. The Louisville Teacher Residency program is a unique opportunity for UofL and JCPS to diversify the teacher workforce and is an extension of the university’s call to celebrate diversity, foster equity and strive for inclusion.”
In addition to experience, a salary and benefits, candidates in the program can also receive a boost from Class Act Credit Union, which is committing up to $300,000 over three years for $3,000 scholarships to participants, as well as funding assistance for faculty evaluations and programming.
Individuals interested in applying for the LTR program should visit the JCPS website. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and at least a 2.75 GPA. Participants need not be a minority to apply, though the district is prioritizing candidates in high-needs areas, including minority representation and math and science teachers.