April is “Innovation Month” at the University of Idaho. A number of events and activities highlight the accomplishments of our student community: our Student Data Science Competition, the 2019 Cybersecurity Symposium, the Innovation Showcase, Engineering Design Expo and our Undergraduate Research Symposium. It’s an exciting month that showcases the talented students and the high-impact activities that are hallmarks of the Vandal educational experience. As you can see by that list of events, I’d be hard-pressed to do justice to all the hard work of our students and faculty members in one letter. So while encouraging you to learn more about the events, and attend and support them if possible, I wanted to take a little time to discuss the Idaho Pitch and Startup Vandal Business Plan competitions. The signature programs in our College of Business and Economics (CBE) take place toward the end of April, and I look forward to participating this year, as in years past. Early in my career I worked at a startup company in California, Chiron Corporation. Our scientists worked on several projects, including a vaccine for hepatitis B (later licensed to Merck and Co.) and a blood test for hepatitis C. At that time, with no way to test for the virus, transmission of hepatitis C occurred frequently through blood transfusions, with fatal consequences. Finding the route to a blood test was a labor-intensive and uncertain slog, but I was equally fascinated by the process of bringing our results to the market. Developing the test itself couldn’t help anyone if we couldn’t get it out of the laboratory and into the world – that is, if we couldn’t commercialize it. For that, skills beyond science were needed: vision, salesmanship, creative thinking. That lens with which to view innovation has stayed with me, and has informed my appreciation for the work our CBE students do in the Idaho Pitch and Startup Vandal Business Plan competitions. In Idaho Pitch, interdisciplinary student teams practice networking and selling their products and ideas with real-world professionals. In the Startup Vandal Business Plan Competition, teams pitch business proposals to investors. The product or idea is one thing – students certainly have to understand their product’s functions, but they also have to be able to communicate its importance. They have to have a sound business plan, but they also must have inspiration. The stakes are real – $100,000 in prize money is on the line in Idaho Pitch and other events. Students can and do succeed in bringing products to market. Look no further than past champion Mototrax, a U of I-student project turned successful business venture that produces and sells kits to convert dirt bikes to snow bikes with tracks. I know the Mototrax team benefitted from the feedback of our expert judges, many drawn from alumni ranks, and from the leadership of CBE faculty members like George Tanner. What innovative idea will come out of this year’s competitions to make an impact on our world? I’m looking forward to finding out. I’m also eager to see, throughout the month, the many other ways in which our students are contributing to how we understand the world and how we thrive in it. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | Baileys Support Need-Based Scholarship Initiative Debra ’76, ‘86 and Peter ’85 Bailey continue their generous support of U of I students through their commitment to Vandal Promise, a new multiyear scholarship initiative. Each year, over 1,200 Idaho students admitted to U of I do not enroll because of unmet financial need. The Baileys seek to tackle this challenge and open the door to higher education a little wider for students who identify cost as a barrier. “We believe a lack of financial resources should not prevent talented students from benefitting from a degree from the University of Idaho,” Debra said. Debra and Peter, both University of Idaho College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS) alumni, dedicated their careers to education. Debra was an elementary teacher and principal, retiring from the Boise School District in 2012. Peter Bailey served as a teacher, elementary principal, area director and retired as the deputy superintendent for the Boise School District in 2014. CEHHS is grateful to the Baileys for continuing to make a difference for U of I students. For more information on supporting access to a CEHHS education, contact Stacy Rauch at 208-885-7053 or srauch@uidaho.edu. | | ‘There There’ Selected as 2019-20 U of I Common Read The University of Idaho has chosen “There There” by Tommy Orange as its Common Read for the 2019-20 academic year. Orange, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, was born and raised in Oakland, California. The book, which tells the story of 12 characters living in Oakland, closely examines what it means to be a Native American. “There There” was named among the 2018 National Book Critics’ Circle Awards and to the New York Times Favorite Books of 2018. The Common Read is partially supported by the Judith Runstad Lecture Series, which annually helps sponsor a keynote address by the book’s author or someone closely associated with the book. Orange will give his address Tuesday, Nov. 5. Now in its 12th year, the Common Read is designed to engage the university and Moscow community in a unified intellectual activity. First-year students will be assigned to read the book as part of their Integrated Seminar 101 course, and in English 101 and 102, all part of the General Education program. | | Idaho’s Only: Land-Grant and Related Acts Are Fundamental to U of I Research Efforts From the April 4 Argonaut: During the University of Idaho presidential candidate open forums March 4-8, multiple candidates mentioned the importance of land-grant universities — a classification of universities such as U of I that dates back to the 1800s. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Morrill Act, awarding a grant of land to each state, meant for the construction of a university. The act was later extended to include historically African-American colleges in 1890 and tribal colleges in 1994. Under the Morrill Act, universities were required to teach agriculture and mechanical arts, such as engineering. U of I President Chuck Staben said before the Morrill Act, there were about 300 people with engineering degrees in the United States. […] Michael Parrella, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, said prior to the Morrill Act, universities were located in the eastern half of the United States and were restricted to the upper class, typically offering only three degrees — medicine, theology and law. Read more. | | Vandals in Focus 2019 Highlights Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Work Choosing a career isn’t easy. Many Vandals — in fact two-thirds of U of I undergraduates — test out potential careers while still in school by participating in out-of-class research, scholarly work and creative activities. Guided by faculty members, students learn how to ask and answer questions about practical problems and scientific mysteries. In Vandals in Focus 2019, published in March and supported by the Office of Undergraduate Research, undergraduate writers and photographers showcase the varieties of projects University of Idaho students have undertaken. The publication is student-driven, allowing student writers, photographers and artists a chance to publish in a professional magazine. Undergraduates produce all the stories, photos and cover art for Vandals in Focus. Read the issue. | | | | |