I don’t often start my letters talking about dog excrement. In fact, I don’t think the topic has come up at all. But there is a first time for everything, thanks to one of our outstanding undergraduates. A junior and electrical engineering major with an interest in renewable energy, on a hot summer day last year, Kenny Sheffler filled a plastic bottle with his brother’s dog’s waste. This wasn’t some wild idea – he’d learned about anaerobic digestion in a lab seminar as part of a renewable energy course. He’d also seen organic matter put to use for energy during a study abroad semester in Fiji. In his backyard, with the help of his canine companion, Kenny produced naturally occurring biogas and fertilizer – “the beginning of a clean energy system.” The application of dog waste is probably unique, but the ingenuity and invention is something all Vandals cultivate during their U of I careers. We’re celebrating student-focused research and scholarship this April during our annual “Innovation Month.” The array of activities all put high-impact learning front and center. High-impact learning practices include undergraduate participation in research, capstone courses and projects, internships, service learning, and global experiences. Students who engage in high-impact learning stay in school and graduate at higher rates. They gain skills, confidence and experience they can take to life and work after college. Innovation Month at U of I is a university-wide endeavor. Hosted by the Idaho Entrepreneurs Program in the College of Business and Economics, students in the Idaho Pitch and Business Plan Competition contests sell their ideas in the hunt for startup capital – real-world experience in commercializing an innovative idea. In the College of Science and IBEST Student Data Science Competition, students explore data science research with contests centered on machine learning, data visualization and storytelling. In the “Three-Minute Thesis” event, the College of Graduate Studies asks students to present their complex research projects briefly and compellingly – no easy task. A signature university event occurs on April 27, with our annual Engineering EXPO. This is the longest-running initiative of its kind in the Northwest and a real source of pride. This year more than 250 U of I engineering students display more than 50 engineering capstone projects – research projects that culminate our undergraduate engineering experience. Nearly two dozen Grand Challenge and DeVlieg Scholars will present their work. In addition, more than 500 K-12 students will join us from around the region – the future of Vandal Engineering. We’ll close out Innovation Month with our annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. This multi-disciplinary showcase of research and scholarly work has taken off since its inception in 2016. Our Office of Undergraduate Research coordinates the event and has grown it from 48 student posters in that first year to more than 130 last year. Now partnering with the U of I Honors Program, we’ll have even more student research to celebrate on April 30. I always look forward to seeing what these students are accomplishing. Ultimately, Innovation Month is more than a collection of different events and activities. The student experiences showcased this April highlight how a Vandal education is special. Undergraduate and graduate research and scholarship of this caliber is something you’ll only find at a leading, national university. That’s something to take pride in, and to consider as you stay connected to the University of Idaho, or as you meet with fellow Vandals … or even as you walk your dog. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | Corporate Sponsors Give Students the Gift of Jazz The University of Idaho College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) celebrated the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival this February, marking 51 years of groundbreaking jazz on the Palouse and welcoming more than 4,100 visiting students from 145 schools in Canada, Idaho, Washington, California, Alaska, Montana and Oregon for educational workshops and competitions. From adjudicated student performances and artist workshops to performance clinics and evening performances, generous contributions from sponsors directly supported an incredible, authentic jazz experience for students at the festival; premier sponsors of the 51st annual jazz festival included the Best Western Plus University Inn, PotlatchDeltic Corporation, Gritman Medical Center and Avista. “The jazz festival is a unique venue that is full of energy for students to learn, perform and be inspired by peers and world-class artists alike,” said Kristine Meyer, executive director of the Avista Foundation. For more information on how you can support the 2019 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, please contact Chloe Rambo at crambo@uidaho.edu or 208-885-7060. | | U of I Hosts Palouse's Largest Gaming Event More than 800 people are expected to fill the Idaho Commons on Saturday, April 7, for the fifth year of the University of Idaho’s Vandal Overnight Games, the largest community gaming event on the Palouse. Hosted by U of I Information Technology Services (ITS), Vandal Overnight Games is free and open to all students and the general public. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. Prizes, including a $1,000 scholarship, are available. Games run from 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday, April 7, in the Idaho Commons, covering over 100,000 square feet divided into 25 gaming areas. New this spring is an eSport virtual gaming competition between U of I’s student team and Boise State University, starting at 7:15 p.m. Event details and the list of Vandal Overnight Games tournaments and activities are available at www.uidaho.edu/vog. Participants may register on Eventbrite. | | | Aquaculture Aims to Make Inland Marine Fish Farming a Reality According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world consumed 125 million metric tons of fish in 2011. Roughly 62 million metric tons of these fish originated from aquaculture. By 2030, aquaculture must double to meet expected demand due to population growth and rising incomes. At the University of Idaho’s Aquaculture Research Institute, a unique new facility is nearing completion in Moscow — one that can help support the growing demand for fish-based protein, build Idaho’s aquaculture industry and help make saltwater fish production a reality hundreds of miles inland. “The level at which we’re harvesting wild-caught fish is not sustainable,” said Scott Williams, research facility manager for U of I’s Aquaculture Research Institute. “It’s peaked, and it isn’t going to grow further. As the human population increases, demand for seafood can only be met by producing more fish through farming. The future of aquaculture growth is growing marine organisms, like salmon, inland in terrestrial environments.” Read more. | | | | |