What a fun week! We kicked the fall semester off with our annual Vandal Walk. Classes have started. Fall sports have arrived. I’m inspired by the hustle and bustle of our Vandals finding their way on a once-in-a-lifetime academic and personal experience. They have an exciting journey ahead! Over the past two months it’s been a joy and a privilege to get to know our institution, to learn about our Vandal excellence and to tell the story of our success. Here’s where that listening and learning tour has taken me: - I’ve been meeting with our teaching faculty and our researchers. Whether in the forests of northern Idaho, at our Hagerman aquaculture facilities, or at our Rinker Rock Creek Ranch grazing and conservation research center, I’ve been deeply impressed by the quality of our research and the way it makes a difference for our world. We’re stewarding our natural resources, we’re leading in the development of fish nutrition, we’re on the forefront of rangeland research. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
- I’ve been connecting with industry leaders. As the land-grant institution, we have a special charge to facilitate economic development and prepare the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. I’ve met with leadership from organizations such as Idaho National Laboratory, Agropur, Chobani, Blue Cross of Idaho and more. We have so much potential in Idaho and in our region – I’m excited for the important role U of I plays in that success.
- We have so much passion to tap into among our alumni. I’ve met with our Vandal Family in McCall, Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Falls and elsewhere. Many of us even shared a raft on the beautiful Salmon River. Our alumni can help build on our strengths and tackle some of our challenges. If you’re a Vandal grad, and you haven’t been involved, we need your passion and your expertise. Be a part of this success story.
As one of our nation’s great land-grant institutions, U of I is proud to serve our entire state. Idaho is our classroom, it is our research site, it is our workplace. It’s our home. You’ll see my Vandal truck in Moscow and statewide – all across Vandal Country – as I connect to hear our story firsthand and then share it with everyone who will listen. | | Go Vandals! C. Scott Green President | | | | from U of I | | As recently highlighted by the Idaho Falls Post Register, three University of Idaho Vandals recently received a prestigious Idaho National Laboratory Graduate Fellowship: Kevin Joe Terrill, a mechanical engineering major from Idaho Falls; James Derrill Richards, studying nuclear engineering; and Amey Shigrekar, studying nuclear engineering, are among the 12 recipients chosen from universities nationwide. Benefits of a fellowship include coverage of the first one to three years of graduate school tuition and fees and an annual salary paid by INL in the final phases of their doctoral research. In addition, fellows receive laboratory research experience, the opportunity to publish research and mentorship from INL professionals. | | | | student success | | CNR doctoral student Andrew Maguire was one of 120 students nationwide awarded the $90,000, two-year Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology fellowship. The fellowship supports Maguire’s dissertation research in the Arctic, studying how efficiently trees use light for fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide at the forest-tundra ecotone. Nicolas Schofield, a history and international studies student from Boise, was among 15 students nationwide named to the 2019 Class of the Cultural Vistas Fellowship, offering fully funded, eight-week internships, as well as seminars and a service project to share his learning. Schofield will complete his internship in Berlin, Germany. University Honors Program student Abigail Childress, from Dalton Gardens, received a 2019-20 $5,000 undergraduate scholarship from the national Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. Phi Eta Sigma’s mission is to encourage and reward freshmen academic excellence and assist students with future goals. Childress is pursuing biochemistry, microbiology and Spanish majors while in the pre-health professional program. | | | U of I Partners with Air Force on New Biofuel Research The University of Idaho Advanced Biofuels Lab is partnering with the U.S. Air Force on a student-led research project to commercialize a biofuel that doesn't freeze at high altitudes and has the potential to be carbon negative. U of I recently received a U.S. Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer (AFWERX) grant of $25,000 to engage entrepreneurs in Air Force operations. The lab was one of 33 nonprofit awardees among thousands of applicants. The award allows U of I to explore solutions researched in the lab to find potential market opportunities in the defense and commercial sectors. "The Air Force is the largest single consumer of jet fuel in the world," said U of I College of Engineering Master of Biological Engineering graduate Brian Hanson '19, the principal investigator on the project. "We've identified a potential solution to a problem for the 600,000 that work for the Air Force, and we want to bring this technology to other potential markets." | | | | |