Technology that cleans water like our natural soil can. Molecular genetics that unlock the key to thriving wildlife. Scholarship that puzzles out how we understand data and communicate in an information-rich world. It has been a busy year for some of the University of Idaho’s outstanding faculty scholars. They’re at the center of how our state’s comprehensive research enterprise engages students, drives the production of knowledge and applies insight to creating a better world. Over another rewarding academic year, we have a lot of accomplishments to celebrate. Greg Moller, Dan Strawn and Martin Baker are part of a research team competing as a semifinalist in the $10 million George Barley Water Prize competition, sponsored by the Everglades Foundation. The challenge asks teams to develop technology that reduces pollution linked to toxic algae blooms. The U of I technology mimics the soil’s natural ability to remove contaminants from polluted water, using natural elements like air, rust, sand, charcoal and electricity. It’s an example of the exciting technology that helped Moller, an environmental chemist and toxicologist in the School of Food Sciences who holds six patents, earn induction into the National Academy of Inventors last week. An upcoming segment on NBC Nightly News features Moller’s interview with correspondent Anne Thompson and the U of I Clean Water Machine. Lisette Waits, distinguished professor and head of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences in our College of Natural Resources, also earned accolades recently. She was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Waits’ research on conservation genetics and molecular ecology has taken her around the world. She has developed noninvasive monitoring systems that track populations of unique species such as the pygmy rabbit in the Columbia Basin. Waits also won the Jean’ne M. Schreeve NSF EPSCoR Research Excellence Award last fall. She is a strong example of internationally respected expertise in our research and teaching ranks. The university boasts distinction in the humanities and social sciences, too, of course. Three years ago I was proud to welcome to Moscow nearly 1,000 members of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment. Professor Scott Slovic, in our English department, co-founded the society and served as its first president. He has edited its journal for more than 20 years in a career dedicated to environmental writing and interdisciplinary scholarship, with dozens of books and hundreds of scholarly articles. He’s a dedicated teacher who has taught writing in the Semester in the Wild program since its inception. For that success and more, he’s earned an Excellence Award in Research and Creative Activity from U of I this year. These are just a few examples of the research and scholarship you’ll find at U of I, and it’s a shame I don’t have the space to list many more. Across the spectrum of discovery and innovation at out our state’s higher education research leader, you’ll find faculty members who every day are driven by curiosity and determination, not to earn acclaim, but to make a difference for Idaho and for students. That’s the University of Idaho research success, and it keeps growing. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | Joining Forces to Support Student-athletes The Vandal Scholarship Fund (VSF) National Board, past presidents of the VSF National Board, and former U of I student-athletes have joined forces to individually donate more than $20,000 for matching funds during the (mark your calendars!) quickly approaching Vandal Giving Day 2018. Because of this generosity, the first $20,000 in gifts to the VSF will be matched, doubling the impact on student support. Longtime Vandal fans, Mike ’90, the VSF National Board Vice President, and his wife Denise ’91 Mai proudly “support University of Idaho student-athletes both in the classroom and on the field” with their contribution to the VSF match. As a former varsity track and field letter winner, Denise understands the difference that scholarships can make to all students, especially student athletes. To get involved or learn more about Vandal Giving Day 2018, contact Eric Billings at 208-885-5369 or ebillings@uidaho.edu. | | New Special Collection Features Extensive Sci-Fi Materials In September 1979, science fiction and fantasy fans descended on Moscow for the first MosCon, a local science fiction and fantasy convention. They discussed the future of their fandom, learned about the anticipated “home computer revolution,” and gazed upon new pictures of Jupiter. And they brought costumes. A pile of programs from the first MosCon resides in one of the 326 boxes of science fiction and fantasy materials that was bequeathed to the University of Idaho Library’s Special Collections and Archives by U of I alumna Victoria E. Mitchell in the spring of 2017. An exploration of the boxes unearthed not only thousands of books, costumes, manuscripts and collectables, but also the history of science fiction and fantasy fandom across the Northwest. After a whirlwind six months of cleaning and sorting the collection in U of I’s Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC), archivists moved the Mitchell collection, as it is currently being called, to a locked cage under the U of I Library. The collection shares the basement with U of I’s other special collections, which chronicle the culture, politics, industry and daily life of the university and the Northwest United States. Read more. | | Micron Global Etiquette Dinner a Success Sponsored by Micron Technologies and organized by U of I Career Services, the Micron Global Etiquette Dinner on April 4 offered more than 200 students the opportunity to learn, practice and apply important networking skills while making an impression on future employers. | | | | |