1. education
2. alumni and reunions

May 20
2015
For the community of the University of Illinois at Chicago
VOLUME 34 / NUMBER 32
uicnews.uic.edu
2
HAPPY DAYS!
NURSING RESEARCHER
HELPS PREEMIES,
NEW MOMS THRIVE
Celebrating Class of 2015
more on page 7
3
NEW PRESIDENT
VISITS UIC, TALKS
ABOUT THE FUTURE
5
HONORING FACULTY
INVENTORS AND
INNOVATORS
6
TWO PEREGRINE
FALCON CHICKS!
NEXT PRINT ISSUE
JUNE 17!
INSIDE:
CAMPUS NEWS 4
CALENDAR 8
STUDENT VOICE 9
POLICE / DEATHS 10
PEOPLE 11
SPORTS 12
Facebook / uicnews
Twitter / uicnews
YouTube / uicmedia
Flickr / uicnews
Instagram / thisisuic
— Photo: Joe Compean
uicnews.uic.edu
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UIC NEWS
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MAY 20, 2015
send profile ideas to Gary Wisby, gwisby@uic.edu
PROFILE
ROSEMARY
WHITE-TRAUT
Guiding new moms of preemies
By Gary Wisby — gwisby@uic.edu
Unlike premature babies, full-term
infants let you know when they’re hungry.
“Baby wakes up, baby wants to eat,”
said Rosemary White-Traut, professor
emerita of nursing.
“They may show sucking behavior, put
their hands towards their mouths, or they
may start to cry. They’re saying, ‘I’m here
and ready to eat.’
“Preemies, however, will show very subtle pre-feeding behaviors such as opening
their eyes or attempting to place their
hands toward their mouths, and if the
nurse does not see them, they’ll just go
quietly back to sleep.”
During more than 30 years of research
as a faculty member at UIC, White-Traut
noticed that visiting mothers of premature infants would often just watch their
sleeping babies, with no social interaction
between mother and baby.
She suspected that these babies were
missing out on quality mother-child interactions. So she devised a preemie protocol, revising it each time she conducted
a study.
“The mother begins by talking to her
baby for 30 seconds, using infant-directed
speech, or ‘motherese,’ raising the pitch of
her voice and saying a few words each
time she speaks to the baby,” White-Traut
said.
“Then she begins a moderate-touch
massage. She also offers baby her face, engaging the baby in eye contact.”
The “intervention” lasts 15 minutes,
with the mother talking and touching
and looking at her baby for the first 10
minutes. The rest of the time she swaddles and rocks the child in her arms, continuing to talk and maintain eye contact.
Without the training, “mothers are
challenged in being successful with oral
feeding their babies,” White-Traut said.
Rosemary White-Traut, left, professor emerita of nursing, developed a method to help mothers of premature infants have
social interaction with their baby. — Photo: Mark Mershon
“The baby may only be able to be alert for a
short period of time, and has very subtle
pre-feeding cues.”
But preemies whose mothers learned the
intervention were more alert before feeding
and displayed more “pre-feeding behaviors”
— bringing a hand to their mouths, sucking
on a finger or sticking out their tongue.
The babies were better at oral feeding, exerting more pressure on the nipple and sucking more times during a sucking “burst.”
“They gained significantly more weight
and grew faster in length,” White-Traut said.
“And we learned mothers were more confident in their ability to care for baby.”
In her most recent study, she worked with
mothers who had two or more environmental risk factors, including low education,
poverty, minority status, or prior mental
health problems. The research, funded by the
National Institutes of Health and the Harris
Foundation, was published in March.
She’s taught her method to preemie
nurses around the city and across the country.
“We’re better positioned now than we’ve ever
been to know what we have to do in order
to be able to get that kind of stuff into the
hands and into the heads of more than
just a small percentage of kids, coming
primarily from the most privileged families
in America.”
Paul Zavitkovsky, leadership coach in educational policy studies, Center for Urban Education Leadership, helps answer the question
“Were Chicago’s public schools ever good?”
posed by May 13 “Curious City,” WBEZ
“It’s always rewarding to work with
mothers and their babies, especially this
vulnerable population,” she said. “I receive feedback from mothers about how
wonderful this intervention is. When
they come to visit their baby, they better
understand that ‘This is my baby, and my
baby knows me.’”
White-Traut grew up in Long Island.
She earned her bachelor’s degree at
Georgetown University and her Ph.D. at
Rush University.
She’s been at UIC since 1983. Before
becoming professor emerita in January
2014, she spent 15 years as head of the
department of women, children and family health science in the College of Nursing.
White-Traut works part-time at UIC
and as director of nursing research for
the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in
Milwaukee.
Her husband, David Traut, is a retired
vice president of Follett Higher Educa-
“We’ve seen a lot of development that has
gone on in Chicago over the years that has
not been so neighborhood oriented. It’s a big
deal to have something like this on the map.”
Walter Podrazik, adjunct lecturer in communication and member of the UIC Obama
Presidential Library proposal committee, on
the decision to locate the library on Chicago’s
South Side, May 12 Christian Science Monitor
tion Group, a provider of education technology, services and textbooks and other
print and digital content, pre-K through
college.
Their daughter, Jennifer Traut-Todaro,
33, of Western Springs, is a structural engineer for the American Institute of Steel
Construction. They have two sons: Michael, 31, of Chicago, global supply chain
program manager in the Cardiac Rhythm
and Heart Failure Group for Medtronic
Inc., and Brian, 27, of Lemont, human
resource manager with Interstate Warehousing.
She and her husband have a home in
Hinsdale and two in Wisconsin, in Lake
Geneva and Fontana. She raises flowers at
all three.
“Gardening is a science,” she said. “The
gardener needs to know about the soil,
amount of moisture, sunlight and shade.
Every spring is a new beginning for the
garden.
“And it’s great exercise.”
“Employers, public and private, can’t get out
of labor agreements through some artifice
they create.”
Robert Bruno, professor and director of labor
education, on a proposal to solve the state’s
pension crisis by the mass layoff of state
workers, then rehiring them under a new
retirement plan, May 12 Chicago Tribune
MAY 20, 2015
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UIC NEWS
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PRESIDENTIAL VISIT
Killeen optimistic about university’s future
By Gary Wisby — gwisby@uic.edu
Timothy Killeen, new president of the
University of Illinois, sounded a note of
optimism about the university’s finances
in remarks Tuesday at UIC.
Yes, the state is talking about a 31.5
percent cut, amounting to $209 million,
which Killeen said “would create significant damage to the university.”
But that figure is not set in stone, “and
I don’t think we’re going to see anything
like the worst scenario,” he said. “We’re
working hard to make the case for public
investment.”
Killeen spoke at a town hall meeting
in Student Center East where he shared
the stage with the university’s three
chancellors: Michael Amiridis from
UIC, Phyllis Wise from the UrbanaChampaign campus and Susan Koch
from Springfield.
The three have been traveling the state
in a van this week with Killeen, who became president Monday.
“I feel like a teenager who’s just been
given his driver’s license,” he said of his
first two days on the job.
He had praise for the man he’s replacing, former president Bob Easter, saying,
“I can’t begin to replace his body of expe-
rience and expertise.”
But Killeen said he’s been doing his
homework since his appointment was announced Nov. 19, thinking about his vision
for the university.
It has to do with building the nation’s
economy, advancing its culture and lifting
its society by educating our young people,
he said.
“We must continue to grow and develop, not just to be the very best, but to be
the model for higher education in the 21st
century,” Killeen said.
Each of the chancellors also had something to say at the town hall.
Amiridis promised that “everything we
do in terms of research, scholarship and
creative achievement will continue to improve.”
Koch noted that two UIS graduates
won Pulitzer Prizes this year. UIS is the
home of the Illinois Innocence Project;
each prisoner freed represents the involvement of 20 students, she said.
Wise told Killeen that under his leadership, the U of I “has the opportunity to
redefine what a state university really is.”
“The university deserves a seat at every
table,” Wise said.
UI President Timothy Killeen speaks at a press conference Tuesday at UIC.
Killeen, Chancellor Michael Amiridis (left), UIUC Chancellor Phyllis Wise and
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch are presenting town halls at all three campuses
this week. — Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin
At the following Q & A session, several
audience members brought up issues related to undocumented students.
One student said he had applied to become a student trustee but was rejected
because he lacked a voter registration card.
Killeen responded, “There are some
statutes that need to be changed,” and
Amiridis said he’s working on the issue
with Latino leadership at UIC.
The new president was asked if his
first days in office had produced any
surprises. He cited the “loyalty of the
stakeholder base … and the open door
[at the General Assembly] in Springfield.”
Killeen praised UIC as “the only
land-grant university in a world city on
the planet” and lauded its students as “so
grounded, so articulate, so passionate.”
National medical leader on ‘listening tour’
By Sharon Parmet — sparmet@uic.edu
Victor Dzau, president of the Institute
of Medicine, was invited to UIC to speak
— then he asked for the opportunity to
listen.
Dzau gave the commencement address
at ceremonies for the College of Medicine
May 8, where he also received the college
Medal of Honor.
Then Dzau visited Mile Square Health
Center for one of the last stops on his ongoing “Listening Tour.”
Since he became president of the Institute of Medicine in July 2014, Dzau has
visited eight cities to hear from health care
leaders, providers and researchers, gathering information for the institute’s strategic
agenda.
The Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that answers questions about health and health
care, providing unbiased and authoritative
advice to decision makers and the public.
Its reports on topics ranging from end-oflife care to medical errors have led to policy
changes to help save lives and improve
health.
“It’s important to meet with people and
find out their concerns about health and
the delivery of health care,” said Dzau,
whose visit to Mile Square focused on community health care. “You can’t serve people
without knowing what’s going on in their
communities.”
“Dr. Dzau could not have selected a better venue to discuss the opportunities and
challenges unique to providing community-based health care,” said Paula Allen-Meares, chancellor emerita and John
Corbally presidential professor and a member of the Institute of Medicine.
The visit was hosted by Allen-Meares,
College Medicine dean Dimitri Azar, UI
Health associate vice president Robert
Winn and department of medicine head
Patricia Finn. Rep. Danny Davis and health
care providers from other hospitals also attended.
Several themes came up during the discussion, including the need to address the
social and behavioral aspects of health; how
to communicate the Institute of Medicine’s
findings to the community; and using community-level health data in developing targeted prevention and intervention programs.
“It’s the best of times and the worst of
times,” Dzau said.
Institute of Medicine president Victor Dzau, right, on a “Listening Tour,” with
College of Medicine dean Dimitri Azar, left, Medicine’s Patricia Finn and UI
Health’s Robert Winn (center). — Photo: Diane M. Smutny
“Advances in science and technology to
detect and treat disease has never been
better. We can sequence the human genome for a low cost, develop new drugs
to treat cancer, and use stem cells for regenerative therapy, but in the midst of all
this excitement we have serious health inequity.”
The goal, he said, is a future “where science and technology is used to address
health inequity and get us where we need
to be in terms of better health for all.”
uicnews.uic.edu
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UIC NEWS
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MAY 20, 2015
send information about campus news to Sonya Booth, sobooth@uic.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
Make insurance changes
during Benefit Choice
Cops on rooftop raising
money for Special Olympics
By Christy Levy — christyb@uic.edu
By Francisca Corona — fcoron3@uic.edu
UIC employees can change health and
dental plans and enroll in flexible spending
accounts through June 1 during the Benefit Choice period.
All employee and dependent health,
dental and life insurance remain unchanged for full-time employees from the
current plan year, which ends June 30. The
employer portions of the premiums are
expected to increase, which would likely
mean costs will rise for part-time employees. Rates are not available and will be
posted on NESSIE, the university’s
human resources website, once they are
released.
Employees can view plan information
and make changes through NESSIE. All
changes will be effective July 1.
“Employees should look into changing
their plan if they made a hasty decision on
enrolling in a health plan or if they were
defaulted into a plan,” said Verna Chatman, benefits customer service supervisor.
“Don’t want until the last minute to make
changes.”
Employees who have questions about
their options can visit information booths
from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in the
hospital lobby and Friday outside the UIC
Bookstore in Student Center East.
“We can help employees determine
which plan is their preference,” Chatman
said.
The annual combined out-of-pocket
maximums for Tier I and Tier II options
in the Open Access Plan have increased by
$350 to $6,600 for individuals. Family
maximum increases by $450 to $13,200.
Employees who want to participate in a
flexible spending account must re-enroll
EMPLOYEE FORUM
Have questions about civil service hiring,
HR changes, potential retirement benefit
changes, university budget cuts or other
issues? Bring them to the UIC Employee
Forum for faculty and staff June 4.
The forum is sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council. Panelists include Chancellor Michael Amiridis, human resources
administrators and representatives from
the State Universities Retirement System.
Sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to
noon in 302 Student Center East and 2 to
4 p.m. in Thompson Room C, Student
Center West.
Register and submit questions at
go.uic.edu/employeeforum
RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE
Nominations are due June 26 for the
UIC Award of Merit.
The award recognizes excellence in work
BENEFIT CHOICE
THROUGH JUNE 1
INFORMATION
SESSIONS
Today / 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
UI Hospital lobby
Friday / 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Student Center East
concourse
each year, Chatman said. Maximums for
flexible spending accounts increase by $50
this year for a total of $2,550.
Employees with dependents covered by
their plan are expected to undergo a dependent eligibility verification audit in the fall
by Central Management Services. Employees may be asked to provide documents for
their dependents, such as birth certificates
and marriage licenses.
All changes during the Benefit Choice
period — the only time employees can
make adjustments without qualifying events
such as childbirth or marriage — must be
made through NESSIE, nessie.uihr.uillinois.
edu
For more information, check the Benefit
Choice booklet online at go.uic.edu/benefits,
call 312-996-6471 or visit the Benefit Service Center, 809 S. Marshfield Ave. Walk-in
appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. Monday through Friday.
performance and leadership for up to 30
academic professional and civil service employees.
To be eligible for the $2,500 award, employees must be at least 50 percent time
and have worked at UIC for at least three
years.
For information, visit hr.uic.edu/
employee_recognition
GLOBAL HEALTH GRANTS
Letters of intent are due June 1 to apply
for the Global Health and Well Being
Seed Grant.
The grants are given for pilot research in
trans-disciplinary and mixed and multiple
methods research projects in global health.
The awards are granted by the UIC
Global Excellence Task Force, Center for
Global Health and Great Cities Institute.
Full-time tenure and nontenure-track
faculty are eligible. Applications must in-
UIC Police officers won’t be eating
donuts May 29 — they’ll be handing
them out at a neighborhood restaurant to raise money for the Special
Olympics.
Police officers will collect money at
the Dunkin’ Donuts near Roosevelt
Road and Ashland Avenue from 5
a.m. to 2 p.m. Everyone who donates
gets a coupon for free donuts; donations over $10 get a mug, coupon for
coffee and other incentives like
T-shirts, hats and raffle tickets to win
a 2015 Harley Davidson.
At the same time, the police
will hold an auction for coffee and
donuts to be delivered personally by
UIC Police Chief Kevin Booker later
that day.
UIC Police hope to raise $1,000 for
the Law Enforcement Torch run,
which benefits Special Olympics athletes in Illinois. It’s the first time the
UIC department has participated in
the statewide Cops on Rooftops fundraiser.
“It’s really about getting people out
to create awareness and make donations to the Special Olympics,” said
UIC Police Officer Nicole Martin, who
helped organized the event.
“The interaction, the smiles, that goes
a long way,” Booker said of the Special
Olympics.
UIC POLICE FUNDRAISER
FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS
MAY 29
5 A.M.–2 P.M.
DUNKIN’ DONUTS
1651 W. ROOSEVELT ROAD
clude at least two colleges representing
both the east and west sides of campus, no
more than one in the health sciences.
Awards will be given for up to $15,000
for one year; another $5,000 will be awarded if matched by the colleges, departments
or centers involved in the project.
Applications are due July 1 and winners
will be announced in September.
For information, visit go.uic.edu/
seedgrant
BETTER HEARING
Free hearing screenings will be held
May 26 for Better Hearing Month.
The screenings take place from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. in the Eye and Ear Infirmary’s
audiology department, Room B46.
PROVOST SEARCH
A website has been launched to assist
with the search for the UIC vice chancellor
for academic affairs and provost.
The site, provostsearch.publish.uic.edu,
has nomination forms, a position announcement and profile, plus information
on the search committee membership.
Astrida Tantillo, dean of the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is chair of
the search committee. Witt/Kieffer, a
firm specializing in higher education recruitment services, is assisting with
the search.
For full consideration, applicants should
apply by June 22.
APAC NEWS ONLINE
The May issue of APAC News, published by the Academic Professional Advisory Committee, is online at uicapac.
blogspot.com
Articles include information on helping
hungry students, benefits and APAC
events and meetings.
MAY 20, 2015
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Each year, the Office of Technology Management
celebrates UIC faculty inventors. The Innovator of the Year
Award recognizes researchers who have advanced their
inventions toward commercialization. The Inventor of the
Year Award honors researchers whose discoveries have
the potential for significant impact.
The awards, which include a $3,500 prize, were
presented May 19.
CONSTANTINE MEGARIDIS
Inventor of Year creates ‘portable laboratories’
By Sharon Parmet — sparmet@uic.edu
By patterning surfaces with chemical
coatings to produce tracks that attract
water, surrounded by areas that repel water,
Constantine Megaridis can turn a small
piece of paper, plastic, metal or glass into a
portable laboratory.
Drops of liquid placed on water-repellent surfaces form beads held together by
their own surface tension. The drops roll
across the surface unless they come into
contact with the “wettable” tracks. Like a
balloon pressed against a needle, contact
with the track pops or disrupts the shape
of the droplet, which merges with the hydrophilic, or water-loving, track.
By embedding these tracks with chemicals that react to various substances in the
droplet, such as pollutants or viruses, anyone with a dropper can test water, blood
or other liquids for harmful substances or
disease-causing microbes.
“This approach can let us test very tiny
amounts of fluid with an inexpensive,
easy-to-use test that can replace the need
for sophisticated, diagnostic equipment
requiring significant training in order to
use it,” said Megaridis, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and
Inventor of the Year. “These devices can
be used anywhere and by anyone with a
dropper.
“If we create a surface with multiple
separate wettable tracks, each with its
own detection chemical, using just a few
drops of the liquid, one could test whether there are any of a number of pollutants
or contaminants in, say, a body of water
that serves as a source of drinking water,”
Megaridis said.
Megaridis mentioned Nepal, where
recent earthquakes have killed thousands
of people and getting supplies to the region is a major challenge.
“If you have these devices in places
stored on the ground and ready to go,
they can be used when a crisis hits to test
a whole population for infectious disease
or microbes when the importation of
other tests or lab equipment can take a
very long time to arrive.”
Megaridis’ patterned surfaces can also
help speed the removal of water that
Constantine Megaridis developed patterned surfaces that can be used to test for
harmful substances or disease-causing microbes. — Photo: Joshua Clark
forms during dehumidification. Metal
surfaces made to condense vapor can be
patterned with channels formed by water
repellent coatings to guide the liquid
away.
He compared the potential of his discovery to that of another common, useful
invention.
“Not long ago, testing for pregnancy
was much more complicated and involved than it is today,” Megaridis said.
Now, tests can be purchased in any drug
store and used to get instant results at
home.
“Our technology can help simplify
other testing in the same way.”
MARK RASENICK
Innovator of the Year develops blood test for clinical depression
By Jeanne Galatzer Levy — jgala@uic.edu
Mark Rasenick, UIC Innovator of the
Year, developed a blood test that can identify whether someone is clinically depressed.
The test can determine, in one week, if
an anti-depressant medication is working.
Currently, physicians wait two months to
determine if treatment is effective before
changing dosage or medication.
The implications are enormous. The
World Health Organization estimates that
by 2020, depression will be the leading
cause of disability worldwide. At the same
time, Rasenick said, 80 percent of the
treatment of depression falls to primary
care physicians, who may lack the training
to recognize and treat the disorder.
Rasenick, distinguished professor of
physiology and biophysics in the College
of Medicine, has spent almost three decades studying the biology of mood disorders, G-protein signaling and its
interaction with structural proteins in the
brain.
Working with Robert Donati, then a
doctoral student and now associate professor at the Illinois College of Optometry, he discovered that in depressed
individuals, the signaling protein becomes
stuck in the cell membrane and its effectiveness is reduced.
“What we’ve developed is a very tenacious assay based on the g-protein,” said
Rasenick. “If you keep the blood out for a
week, if you freeze it and look at it six
months later, the test still gives you the
same answer.”
Rasenick’s company, Pax Neuroscience
Inc., established in 2008, just received a
Small Business Innovation Research award
from the federal Small Business Administration. The firm has attracted interest
from pharmaceutical companies and investors, thanks in part to assistance from
Christopher Shoemaker, assistant dean in
the College of Pharmacy, Rasenick said.
Having an objective test for depression
will make diagnosis more reliable, he said.
“But even better, it tells us immediately
who’s not responding (to treatment),”
Rasenick said.
Being able to point to a biological cause
of depression could help fight the stigma
associated with mental illness, he said.
“The test could save time and money for
pharmaceutical companies looking for new
drug therapies,” he added.
Mark Rasenick studies depression.
— Photo: UIC Photo Services
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MAY 20, 2015
Newest falcon family
makes home on UH ledge
By Christy Levy — christyb@uic.edu
Two falcon chicks hatched last week on a ledge on the 28th floor of University
Hall. — Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin
LIVE UIC FALCONCAM
FALCONCAM.UIC.EDU
FALCONS 2014
GO.UIC.EDU/FALCONVIDEOS
Robert Easter officially retired from his
position as university president Sunday, but
he will be back on campus June 5 for a special honor: the banding of a baby falcon
named Bob in his honor.
The other baby falcon that hatched on
the ledge of University Hall last week will
be named Cheryl, in honor of Easter’s wife.
A ledge on the 28th floor has been
home to a new family of peregrine falcons
each spring for nearly 30 years. Watch the
newest falcon family live on the UIC FalconCam, falconcam.uic.edu
For the last two years, falcons Nitz and
Mouse have raised chicks on the ledge. It’s
likely they are the parents of the new brood,
but that must be confirmed at the banding,
said Field Museum expert Mary Hennen.
“For the most part, pairs stay together
but there could be change-over if one gets
old and dies or one loses out,” said Hennen,
director of the Chicago Peregrine Program.
“In general, if something happens to one,
the other will get a new mate.”
Two chicks hatched last week and the
birds are still sitting on one egg. Another
unhatched egg was pushed to the side.
“That egg is probably rotten,” Hennen
said. “For whatever reason, it wasn’t fertile.
The birds generally lay one egg every 24 to
28 hours. The first one has the least
amount of incubation. It could have been
out in the cold.”
The peregrine pair made its nest at
University Hall in April. The female bird
sits on eggs about 30 days before they
hatch, Hennen said.
There are 19 known breeding pairs of
peregrine falcons in Illinois; 24 chicks
have hatched so far this spring. Birds tend
to return to the same nesting spots each
year, Hennen said.
“They look for ledges that are protected
from winds and have enough of a prey
base to support the family,” she said.
The birds are banded when they are
between 21 and 24 days old — full sized
but not ready to fly, Hennen said. They
usually take their first flight when they are
about 40 days old.
“We don’t want them to be so big and
active that they see you and try to fly
away,” she said. “The banding allows us to
track them for longevity and dispersal. It’s
harder to identify them by looking at
them.”
Hennen has been banding birds at
UIC since 1996. The Chicago Peregrine
Release program placed the first chicks
atop University Hall in 1986.
Bridge, ComEd demolition make way for green space
By Christy Levy— christyb@uic.edu
Last week, crews began demolishing
the last existing bridge from the second-story walkway system that ran from
the north side of Harrison Street to Lecture Center A, used from 1965 to 1999.
The demolition of the bridge on the
Architecture and Design Studios building
is part of a larger project to remove a
ComEd substation and develop more
green space.
While all other walkway bridges were
gone by 1999 as part of a campus renovation project, that bridge remained because
removing it could damage the ComEd
substation below.
The university is in final negotiations
with ComEd to remove the substation,
Remnants of the bridge, used from
1965 to 1999. — Photo: Joshua Clark
which has been unused for about five years,
said Mark Donovan, vice chancellor for
administrative services.
“Hopefully ComEd will remediate the
site and give us a clean space to develop a
green space consistent with the campus
master plan,” Donovan said. “We are planning a pleasant space with welcoming features.”
“WE ARE PLANNING
A PLEASANT SPACE
WITH WELCOMING
FEATURES.”
Once negotiations are complete,
ComEd will remove the substation, which
has several buildings inside, and turn the
property over to the university, said Vytenis Milunas, director of project management.
The bridge removal will be complete by
the end of May, but it isn’t clear what
ComEd’s timeline will be for removing the
substation, Milunas said.
If the space is ready for landscaping this
summer it could be ready for the next academic year; otherwise, new green features
would be implemented next spring, he said.
Demolition of the walkway bridge from the Art and Design Studios building
over the old ComEd substation. — Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin
MAY 20, 2015
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UIC NEWS
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New graduates from the College of Dentistry (above), College of Medicine (below, left) and Jane Addams College of Social Work (below, right) celebrate during
commencement ceremonies May 6 to 10. More than 7,500 degrees were handed out at the UIC Pavilion and UIC Forum. — Photo: Joshua Clark
WATCH THE VIDEO
‘UIC COMMENCEMENT 2015’
YOUTUBE.COM/UICMEDIA
— Photo: Joe Compean
­— Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin
uicnews.uic.edu
8
Send information about campus events to Christy Levy, christyb@uic.edu
CALENDAR
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UIC NEWS
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MAY 20, 2015
THROUGH
AUGUST 8
AFTER TODAY
Exhibit includes seven artists’ projects that
respond to Chicago’s social,
political and economic conditions. Curated
by Lorelei Stewart
Hours: Tues.–Fri. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sat. noon–6 p.m.
Gallery 400, ADH / gallery400.uic.edu
EXHIBITS
THROUGH JUNE 30
THROUGH JUNE 30
American Negro Exhibition
“GSC 20/20”
African American Cultural Center’s showcase of objects, images and texts that explore the legacy of the Chicago 1940
American Negro Exposition. Curated by
Jacqueline Smith
Highlighting 20 years of LGBTQ and allies
education, activism and community on campus.
Sponsored by the Gender and Sexuality Center
Hours: Mon.–Thurs. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Fri. 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Hours: Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Gender and Sexuality Center Gallery, 183 BSB
African American Cultural Center, AH
genderandsexuality.uic.edu
LECTURES
MAY 21
MAY 29
JUNE 4
Strategies to Enhance Corneal
Epithelial Repair and Regeneration
OB/Gyn Resident Research Day
UIC Employee Forum
Talk by Ali Djalilian (left), associate
professor in ophthalmology and visual
science. Part of the Regenerative
Sciences Seminar Series sponsored
by the Center for Wound Healing
and Tissue Regeneration
Carolyn Westhoff, professor of
obstetrics and gynecology and epidemiology and population and family
health, Columbia University, discusses
“Venous thromboembolism among
reproductive age women.” Research
presentations follow
12:30–1:30 p.m. / 230D Dentistry
1–5 p.m. / Moss Auditorium, CMRB
Employee Q&A forum
sponsored by the UIC Staff
Advisory Council. Submit
questions at go.uic.edu/
employeeforum
10 a.m.–noon, 302 SCE
2–4 p.m., Thompson Rooms,
SCW
SPECIAL EVENTS
MAY 20
JUNE 10
JUNE 18
College of Pharmacy
Information Session
APAC Monthly
Meeting
Recent Graduate Job Fair
General information session intended for those
interested in attending
pharmacy school. Topics
include admission requirements, application
procedures, interview
process, PCAT exam,
financial aid and more
5:30–7:30 p.m.
111 Pharmacy
Learn how to get involved with the Academic Professional
Advisory Committee,
which represents
more than 4,000 academic professionals
on campus
12:30–2 p.m.
4175 CMRB
For recent UIC graduates
seeking full-time, part-time
and internship positions in all
career fields. Bring i-card,
alumni association card or
other proof of UIC affiliation.
Hosted jointly by the UIC
Office of Career Services,
UIC Business Career Center
and UIC Engineering Career
Center
Noon–3 p.m. / UIC Forum
go.uic.edu/junefair
FOR MORE UIC EVENTS, VISIT EVENTS.UIC.EDU
MAY 20, 2015
I
UIC NEWS
I uicnews.uic.edu
9
Want to contribute a story? Email Christy Levy, christyb@uic.edu
STUDENT VOICE
From homelessness to success: my story
By Kris Fuentes Cortes — kfuent2@uic.edu
Everyone has their own story.
This is a story I came across most recently:
“Through watery vision I looked at the wet cement and
wondered, ‘How could this happen to me?’ It was summer, but I was still cold as I tried to wrap myself in my
comforter, perhaps I was trying to wrap myself in comfort.
I felt my head pounding as I tried to calm myself down and
I rested my head on the cement. My eyes slowly closed. I
felt emotionally exhausted from what I was facing: I was
homeless on the streets of Chicago.
As the sun rose, I woke up to see others still asleep
around me. I grabbed my comforter and my backpack and
went to the nearest laundromat to wash the only items I
had on me. I would shower at a different friend’s house
each day telling them that my apartment’s plumbing was
broken. My pride wouldn’t allow the truth of my situation
to surface; I couldn’t even tell my best friends. I would
change into my work clothes and go serve at the restaurant I worked at, and then spend whatever time I could at
a library or Starbucks. When it was late at night, I would go
find somewhere to sleep, most of the time it was under a
bridge. I never shared my story of homelessness until
school started and a friend took me in.”
“Don’t hesitate to turn to someone at UIC,” says
Kris Fuentes Cortes. — Photo: Jenny Fontaine
This story is mine.
It’s excerpt from an essay I wrote to the LARES committee in hopes of obtaining a home. It’s the experience I
dealt with this past summer. It’s something I have hidden
from so many because I was ashamed of where I landed in
my life. I was a leader on campus who came from miles
away to reach my dream of graduating. Now, here I was
sleeping on the streets.
I will tell you my story of how I rose from this situation.
It began with LARES and meeting an advisor who
became a good friend of mine, Omare Villagrana. After I
told him my situation, he connected me with William
Rodriguez, associate dean of students, who guided me to
so much help. I never knew there were so many people on
campus who cared about my situation.
As fall semester began, I stayed at a friend’s house,
sleeping on a mattress in the living room. Each day I
would get up early and spend as much time on campus as
possible, staying involved and working hard in my classes.
Only then would I have a chance at the scholarship at the
end of the semester; if I didn’t get it, then I would be back
on the streets – but this time in the middle of winter.
But then I got an email saying I was the recipient of a
LARES scholarship.
In spring semester, I moved into my new home and I
had never been so grateful in my entire life. No matter
what, I knew I had my final goal to complete – graduation. I’m not sure what the future looks like, but I know
this for sure: I will make the best of any situation and I
will be grateful for everyone and everything.
Why did I tell you my story? I wanted to make a point
that sometimes it’s hard to share a certain chapter of your
story. But when the time comes around where problems
are really affecting you, don’t hesitate to turn to someone
at UIC.
Besides, one dark chapter shouldn’t ruin your novel.
Thank you for reading a chapter of mine.
Students develop devices to solve global problems
By Justin Mendoza— jmendo28@uic.edu
UIC students are developing devices to solve environmental, social and medical problems on a global
scale.
Each year, students in UIC’s Global Social Innovation Initiative chapter are given a theme and charged
with creating a product that is innovative, transposable,
sustainable and humanitarian.
“We all work together and try to connect with a nonprofit,” said Navika Shukla, a sophomore in chemistry
and president of the Global Social Innovation Initiative. “We have different teams all over and they work
on their own innovation project. We have fun with
them.”
More than 1,000 students from 80 countries displayed their projects at the Clinton Global Initiative
University in March at the University of Miami.
“Our chapter is making a medical tech, an electricity-free fridge to store vaccines and medication in India,”
said Jane Zhang, a sophomore in biology and vice president of the organization. “They simply don’t have or
have limited access to electricity. It affects the quality of
their storage.”
UIC’s group is finalizing the prototype of the electricity-free fridge. The next step is to reach out to non-
Navika Shukla (left) and Jane Zhang display their idea at the Clinton Global Initiative University.
profit health centers to see if they would use it in their
clinics.
“A lot of people told us our project was something
neat,” Zhang said.
Any UIC student can join the Global Social Innovation Initiative.
“What makes us unique is all majors can play a part
in the projects we are doing,” said Rinky Desai, a sophomore in biology and treasurer of the organization.
“We can educate each other.”
For more information about the group, email
nshukl3@uic.edu or visit theprojectinspire.org
uicnews.uic.edu
10
I
UIC NEWS
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MAY 20, 2015
DEATHS
Curtisteen Steward
Public Health
Brian Higgins
English
Brian Higgins, 71, professor emeritus of
English, died April 28 in Wilmette.
Higgins, a native of Leicester, England,
was a scholar of 19th-century and early
20th-century American literature and a
leading authority on the writing of American author Herman Melville.
His career at UIC began in 1972 as an
assistant professor. He became associate
professor in 1978 and full professor in
1992.
As a longtime editorial associate to the
Northwestern/Newberry Library Melville
edition, Higgins is known for his work revising the definitive editions of several important texts and volumes of critical essays
on Melville.
He teamed with famed scholar and
1997 Pulitzer finalist Hershel Parker to
co-author noted essays on Stephen Crane’s
Maggie and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is
the Night.
Colleague Christian Messenger, professor emeritus of English, described Higgins
as a “meticulous textual scholar.”
“Brian was the department’s authority
on Edith Wharton and Henry James,
whose works he taught to generations of
students,” Messenger said.
According to his widow, Christine Harmon, Higgins’ lifelong love of water inspired much of his scholarly and personal
interests.
“Sailing and reading about sailing were
his passions,” she said.
During his time at UIC, Higgins served
on 20 master’s committees and 15 doctoral
committees and numerous departmental
and campus committees. He served as associate department head and acting associate head.
He retired as professor emeritus in 2003
but continued to teach through 2013, including Honors College courses.
Harmon said UIC’s mission as an urban
Brian Higgins
university was important to her husband.
“He enjoyed equally teaching students
who were already interested in 19th-century literature and students to whom he
could introduce those works for the first
time,” she said.
“Nothing pleased him more than
conducting a class where the students
did most of the talking, because he was
genuinely intrigued by what they had
to say.”
Higgins was a beloved teacher who was
especially popular with undergraduates,
said Nancy Cirillo, professor emerita of
English.
“He was a fine man and will be hugely
missed,” she said.
Higgins received his bachelor’s degree
from the King’s College London in 1965, a
master’s degree from the University of
Southern California in 1969 and his Ph.D.
from USC in 1972.
A memorial service is planned.
POLICE
UIC Police emergency: 312-355-5555
Nonemergency: TDD: 312-996-2830
312-413-9323
Visit the UIC Police crime map
uiccrimemaps.org/map
and the Chicago Police CLEAR Map
gis.chicagopolice.org
MAY 11–27
CRIMES REPORTED TO UIC POLICE
Theft: 2
Obscenity: 1
Motor vehicle theft: 1
Criminal trespass: 1
ARRESTS BY UIC POLICE
May 15: A woman was arrested for
criminal trespass at 1:20 a.m. at 700 S.
Halsted St.
Deceptive practice: 1
Harassment by telephone: 1
Public peace violation: 2
May 17: A woman was arrested on an
outstanding warrant at 1550 W. Roosevelt
Road.
A memorial service will be held May 28
for Curtisteen Steward, 66, former associate dean of finance and resource planning
in the School of Public Health who died
April 30 of lung cancer.
The service begins at 3 p.m. in 160
School of Public Health and Psychiatric
Institute building, 1603 W. Taylor St. For
more information, visit go.uic.edu/steward
Steward, who retired in November 2011,
worked at UIC for nearly 35 years, including 20 years in the School of Public Health.
She helped nurture the school’s Community Outreach Intervention Project and the
Cure Violence program.
After retirement, she continued to work
part-time as deputy director in the office of
the dean.
“Curt was, for a long time, the heart
and soul of the School of Public Health
and the motor that made all things run,”
said dean Paul Brandt-Rauf.
“She opened her heart to all kinds of
people, and many of us were fortunate to
be part of her extended family,” said Jaclyn
Finch, the school’s associate dean for resource and allocation planning, who
worked closely with Steward for many
years. “She never said ‘You can’t do it,’ but
that she’d figure out a way to do whatever
it is you asked her to do.”
Steward was instrumental in establishing the internationally known Cure Violence program in the late 1990s.
“She converted the impossible to the
possible, the hard to done,” said Gary Slutkin, executive director and founder of Cure
Violence.
“Curt helped pave the way to get CeaseFire (the program’s original name) off the
ground by helping guide things through all
the administrative processes that needed to
happen so that I could focus on doing my
work,” Slutkin said.
“Without her, we wouldn’t be operating
in 60 communities and 25 major cities
today. She put her mind, heart and energy
into making things work.”
Cure Violence honored Steward and
Archbishop Francis George, the program’s
honorary chair, in 2003 for continued
commitment and service to the initiative
Curtisteen Steward was honored in
2003 with Archbishop Francis George,
left, for her support of Cure Violence,
headed by Gary Slutkin, right.
to reduce violence in Chicago neighborhoods.
Steward joined UIC in 1980 as an administrative assistant in the Office of Access and Equity, then worked in the
College of Medicine and Office of the
Chancellor.
She was a volunteer dispute resolution
mediator in the Office of Access and Equity and continued to attend quarterly mediators’ meetings after she retired.
“She was one of the most candid and
fearless mediators I’ve ever had,” said
Caryn Bills-Wendt, associate chancellor
and director of access and equity. “She
would take on any kind of problem, and
could always reach a solution quickly because of her knowledge of campus HR
processes and her people skills.”
Steward was instrumental in launching
and raising the profile of two campus
groups, the Chancellor’s Committee on the
Status of Blacks and the Chancellor’s
Committee on the Status of Women.
She is survived by five children and
many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A scholarship for UIC public health
students has been established. Donations
should be made payable to the UIC School
of Public Health, marked “in memory of
Curtisteen Steward,” and sent to the Office
of Advancement, UIC School of Public
Health, 1603 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL
60612. For more information, contact 312355-4501 or SPHadvancement@uic.edu
UIC News Staff
Published on Wednesdays during the academic year (monthly during summer) by the Office
of Public and Government Affairs of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
601 S. Morgan St. - 1320 University Hall (MC 288) - Chicago, IL 60607-7113
Editorial Associate
Francisca Corona. . . . fcoron3@uic.edu
Editorial:. . . . . . . . . . (312) 996-7758
Advertising: . . . . . . . (312) 996-3456
Fax: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (312) 413-7607
Editor
Sonya Booth . . . . . . . sobooth@uic.edu
Associate Editor
Christy Levy. . . . . . . . christyb@uic.edu
Assistant Editor
Gary Wisby. . . . . . . . . gwisby@uic.edu
Visual Communications & Design
Anna Dworzecka . . . . adworz1@uic.edu
Associate Graphic Designer
Megan Strand . . . . . . mstran2@uic.edu
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Bill Burton. . . . . . . . . burton@uic.edu
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Roberta Dupuis-Devlin & Joshua Clark
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Student Photography Contributors
Timothy Nguyen, Joseph Horejs
uicnews.uic.edu
MAY 20, 2015
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UIC NEWS
I uicnews.uic.edu
FUTURE FEMALE
BUSINESS LEADERS
11
PEOPLE
Cure Violence leader earns state’s top
honor for public service, achievement
By Sharon Parmet — sparmet@uic.edu
PROGRAM CREATES CAREER CONNECTIONS
By Christy Levy — christyb@uic.edu
Gary Slutkin (right), professor of epidemiology and executive director of Cure
Violence, accepts the Order of Lincoln award from Gov. Bruce Rauner.
UIC students Muna Saber (from left), Jenny Hau, Christine Massie and Thu
Nguyen visit the ABC7 Chicago studios. They are among 12 UIC students
selected for the Future Leaders Program. — Photo: Sarah Wallace
Elizabeth Molina knows she wants a
career in business, so she was inspired to
hear from a panel of United Way employees in their first year on the job.
“I really connected to them, especially
because they were young and jumping into
a new career,” said Molina, a sophomore in
marketing.
Molina is among 12 UIC students selected for the Future Leaders Program run
by the Chicago Network, a professional
organization for women leaders.
The Chicago Network approached UIC
and St. Xavier University last year to start
the mentorship program. Participants
spend a day at a nonprofit and for-profit
business to explore career paths; they are
invited to Chicago Network-sponsored
dinners, talks and other events.
“This program enables young, talented
women to explore the full spectrum of
what it takes to run successful businesses
and nonprofits,” said Kate Benson, Chicago
Network president and CEO. “We hope
that this program opens the doors to new
career possibilities and that they come away
with an appreciation of how multifaceted
and rich a career can be.”
UIC students visited the United Way
offices May 11, where they met employees,
heard a career panel discussion and received hands-on résumé advice.
“The vice president of finance gave firsthand knowledge of the cycle of nonprofit
work and that was really interesting to me,
as a future accountant,” said Thu Nguyen,
a junior in accounting.
The UIC group visited the ABC7 Chicago studios May 15. The students sat in the
audience for a taping of “Windy City Live,”
then chatted with the show hosts and met
staff in news, business, sales and marketing.
They were featured on a segment about
the Future Leaders program on that day’s
4 p.m. broadcast.
“It was really interesting to see and learn
about the inside of television and news
in general,” said Ashley Pimentel, junior in
industrial engineering.
Before the visits, students were coached
by UIC Career Services staff on professional dress and formulating good questions,
said Thy Nguyen, director of Career Services.
“The program really gives students
exposure to various sectors of a company
or an organization,” he said. “What really
stood out at both organizations was when
the contacts shared their career stories. In
a company information session or a job fair,
they don’t do that often.”
Benson said she was impressed by the
students’ maturity, intelligence and commitment to education.
“Many of these women, besides having
incredibly full plates of school and part-time
jobs, also volunteer and give back,” she said.
“They are an extraordinarily special group
and we are privileged to have them as our
UIC Future Leaders.”
For more information on the Future
Leaders Program, visit thechicagonetwork.org
Gary Slutkin, professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health and
founder and executive director of Cure
Violence, was chosen by Gov. Bruce Rauner for the Order of Lincoln, the state’s
highest honor for professional achievement and public service.
The award was presented May 9 at the
51st Annual Convocation of the Lincoln
Academy of Illinois in the chamber of the
Illinois House of Representatives.
“I’m thrilled to receive this recognition,”
said Slutkin. “The state has been a central
partner of CeaseFire, the Illinois partner
program for Cure Violence.” CeaseFire
Illinois has been funded in large part by an
annual operating grant from the Illinois
HONORS
jesus ramirez-valles, professor
and director of community health sciences
in the School of Public Health, will spend
a month in residence at the Rockefeller
Foundation Bellagio Center working on
his book Queer Aging: Stories of the Gayest
Male Generation. This is his second residency at the Bellagio Center, where he worked
on his book Compañeros: Latino Activists in
the Face of AIDS (University of Illinois
Press, 2011).
roberta feldman, professor emerita
of architecture, curated the exhibition
“House of Cards: Rebuilding” with the National Public Housing Museum. The exhibition features photos and videos of
Chicagoans struggling with eviction, foreclosure and homelessness, and the organizations that assist them.
carrie sandahl, associate professor
of disability and human development, and
Criminal Justice Information Authority.
Cure Violence works to reduce violence using disease control and behavior
change methods. Launched in 2000 in
Chicago, the program now has 52 sites in
25 U.S. cities and eight countries on four
continents and developing new partnerships in Latin America, Israel, Palestine
and Syria.
It was recently ranked 17th on Global
Geneva’s 2015 list of the Top 500 Global
NGOs. It was ranked first among NGOs
devoted to reducing violence.
“It’s a tribute to our extraordinarily
committed staff, board and many partners working on the ground in dangerous
places on four continents,” Slutkin said.
her 7-year-old daughter Audrey participated in the Fashion Forward Mixed-Ability
Fashion Show Gala to benefit Tellin’ Tales
Theatre. Ten mother-daughter pairs modeled creations by local fashion designers for
the May 2 event.
barbara ransby, director of the
Social Justice Initiative and professor of
African American studies, gender and
women’s studies, and history, was named
to the board of directors of the Woods
Fund Chicago. The independent grantmaking foundation benefits Chicago area
nonprofits that promote social, economic
and racial justice through the support
of community organizing and public policy
advocacy.
siim sööt, professor emeritus of geography and former researcher in the Urban
Transportation Center, was appointed by
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to serve on a
panel to oversee a proposed $18 billion
expansion of the Seattle transit system.
12
uicnews.uic.edu
I
UIC NEWS
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MAY 20, 2015
SPORTS
FLAMES CLINCH NO. 1 SEED IN TOURNAMENT
By Mike Laninga — mlaninga@uic.edu
The Flames compete as the top seed in the Horizon League Tournament Thursday after beating Youngstown
State Saturday. The Flames won the 2015 Horizon League regular season title. — Photo: UIC Athletics
With a 9-6 victory against Youngstown State (16-33,
9-21 HL) at home Saturday, the UIC baseball team (2820-1, 22-8 HL) won the 2015 Horizon League regular
season title and clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference
tournament.
The Flames begin tournament action at 11 a.m.
Thursday at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Indiana For
information on the tournament, visit uicflames.com
“It’s been an interesting season and I can’t even come
up with the words to describe how proud I am of these
kids,” head coach Mike Dee said. “I’m proud of the fact
that we won six straight to end the season.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge for us next week because everyone starts back to square one.”
The honor is the 11th league crown for Dee and the
Flames. UIC tied a program record for most conference
wins with 22 after sweeping the Penguins during the
final week of the regular season.
The baseball team earned Horizon League Coach,
Player and Pitcher of the Year honors, along with nine
All-Conference selections. Dee picked up his ninth
Coach of the Year award, while Jeff Boehm and Jake
Dahlberg took home Player and Pitcher of the Year honors. Boehm is the third UIC Flame to win Horizon
League Player of Year and Dahlberg is UIC’s fifth alltime conference Pitcher of the Year.
Boehm and Dahlberg are joined on the All-League
First-Team by Tyler Detmer and Mickey McDonald.
UIC has three players on the second team, including
Trevor Lane, Ryan Hinchley and Alex Lee. David Cro-
nin and Rob Calabrese earned recognition with selections
to the All-Freshman squad.
UIC closed the season on a seven-game winning streak,
including six Horizon League contests. The Flames won
nine of 10 conference series this season and recorded
three sweeps.
After the game, UIC baseball honored its eight seniors:
Boehm, Lee, Detmer, Hinchley, Zenon Kolakowski, Carl
Sugihara, , Alex Posey and Brian Evak.
“I think these players, especially the seniors, embody
the three principles we talk about all the time and that’s
selflessness, relentlessness and excellence,” Dee said.
Boehm scored his 14th home run of the season in the
third inning. The three-run blast gave UIC the lead for
good. He moves into sole possession of the No. 3 spot on
UIC’s single-season home run list.
Boehm increased his league-leading RBI total to 62,
which is tied for third on the Flames’ single-season leaderboard and in the Top 10 in the nation. He needs just
four more RBI to set the program record.
Boehm wins the Horizon League Triple Crown award
after leading the conference in homers (14, t-1), RBI (62)
and batting average (.371).
Sophomore McDonald paced UIC at the dish, going
3-for-5 with an RBI. Lee and Boehm tallied two hits
each as redshirt junior Conor Philbin connected on his
first double of the season.
Junior Ian Lewandowski (5-4) picked up his fifth win
of the season as he tossed eight innings, giving up three
runs and scattering 10 hits.
Basketball coach throws
first pitch at Wrigley Field
By Mike Laninga — mlaninga@uic.edu
UIC’s Steve McClain greets Cubs manager
Joe Maddon. — Photo: UIC Athletics
UIC head men’s basketball coach Steve McClain
visited the friendly confines of Wrigley Field Friday
to throw out the first pitch and sing “Take Me Out
to the Ball Game” as the Chicago Cubs battled the
Pittsburgh Pirates.
McClain met several Cubs players, manager Joe
Maddon and other team executives. He joined Pat
Hughes and Ron Coomer on WBBM 780 AM
during the sixth inning.
The Cubs claimed an 11-10 victory against the
Pirates in the 12th inning that day.