Between vacations, study-abroad trips and other summer activities, UNL continued to make headlines this summer. To help you catch up with recent news, here’s a list of the top summer news.
Brace Lab updates support undergraduate learning
An $8 million renovation has converted UNL’s 107-year-old Brace Laboratory into a facility dedicated to using innovative teaching methods to further undergraduate education. http://go.unl.edu/eiae
Nearly 800 receive degrees
UNL’s Susan Sheridan gave the address as nearly 800 graduates received degrees during an Aug. 16 commencement exercise at Pinnacle Bank Arena. http://go.unl.edu/dt5v
Mason selected as new Sheldon Museum of Art director
Wally Mason, the director and chief curator of the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University, has been named director of Sheldon Museum of Art. He begins on Oct. 15. http://go.unl.edu/m8pj
UNL’s Google Street View tour goes live
A walking tour of UNL’s City Campus is available via Google Street View. The software giant added walking tours of 36 North American college campuses, including UNL, to Google Maps on Aug. 7. http://go.unl.edu/3gqc
Bike lane part of 12th Street mall project
Seasonal sidewalk repairs on City Campus include the creation of UNL’s first bike-specific lane. The initial stretch of the lane is included in the replacement of concrete in the 12th Street mall, between Bessey and Burnett halls. The lane will be extended to R Street in summer 2015. http://go.unl.edu/w2xo
Collaboration establishes 5 poetry libraries in Africa
A partnership between UNL’s Prairie Schooner magazine, University Libraries and the African Poetry Book Fund has established poetry reading libraries in five African countries. The initiative grew from a proposal made by Kwame Dawes, editor of Prairie Schooner. http://go.unl.edu/z70v
Landscape Services begins Cather Garden renovation
UNL’s Cather Garden is being redesigned to align with the campus master plan and an upcoming renovation in Love Library North. When finished, the garden — named in honor of Nebraska author Willa Cather — will continue to feature a prairie landscape made popular in Cather’s books. http://go.unl.edu/02ah
UNL police update uniform, patch design
After having the same uniform for more than 20 years, the UNL Police Department is changing its look to more closely match school colors. The new black uniforms with a black, red and white patch that features the university seal, will roll out on campus by the end of August. http://go.unl.edu/3c7r
‘Box’ storage accounts available for students
All UNL students may now opt-in for 50 gigabytes of secure, online storage at no charge through an agreement between UNL and Box.com. Box account holders can share and collaborate on digital files with others using virtually any device. Accounts are accessed securely via MyUNL login credentials. http://go.unl.edu/duqm
50/50 building helps curb campus parking pressures
A mixed-use development that opened this summer expands UNL’s on-campus parking and off-campus living options. Located at 18th and R streets, the 50/50 building was funded through a public-private partnership between UNL and America First Real Estate Group. http://go.unl.edu/r8bc
Union Bank to move into Nebraska Union
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has unanimously approved an agreement between UNL and Union Bank & Trust Co. The new agreement provides UNL $9.53 million over 11 years. http://go.unl.edu/qypr
Gardner leads discovery of four new tuco-tuco species
A research team led by UNL’s Scott Gardner has identified four new species of Ctenomys, a genus of gopher-like mammal found throughout much of South America. All four of the new species were found in the lowlands and central valleys of Bolivia. http://go.unl.edu/bet0
New date for State of the University address
Update those calendars: Chancellor Harvey Perlman will deliver his 15th State of the University address on Oct. 2. The speech, originally scheduled for Sept. 16, will begin at 11 a.m. at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. http://go.unl.edu/voa9
Lied Center receives $4M gift from Korff estate
The Lied Center for Performing Arts has received a $4 million gift from the estate of Glenn Korff to help bring top Broadway shows to Nebraska. http://go.unl.edu/fsoe
Pound Hall reopens to meet housing demand
UNL has reopened Pound Hall this fall in response to high student demand for on-campus housing. The university had taken the residence hall offline earlier this year as it prepared the opening of the new 521-bed Eastside Suites residence hall at 19th and R streets. http://go.unl.edu/pkcc
Learning Commons project begins
The shifting of books and journals within Love Library heralds the start of UNL’s Learning Commons project. Beginning in July, art and photography books transitioned out of the first floor of Love Library North and into a new visual arts collection space in the Love Library Link. http://go.unl.edu/5omw
UNL leads $11.5M project to enhance atom smasher
A team of UNL physicists has been selected to lead a five-year, nearly $11.5 million research collaboration involving eight universities to improve effectiveness of a critical component of the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest atom smasher. http://go.unl.edu/ijyx
UNL a partner in consortium to expand humanities research
UNL’s Center for Digital Research in the Humanities is among 15 partners in a $3 million project that seeks to create new avenues of collaborative research, teaching and scholarship in the humanities. The program is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. http://go.unl.edu/h0vi
Campus network gets $1.5M upgrade
UNL has launched an upgrade to increase performance and reliability of the campus computer network. When complete, it will double bandwidth available to campus buildings and high-demand locations. The work will also allow the Holland Computing Center to move forward with a National Science Foundation grant that will establish a 100-gigabit Internet2 connection for research use. http://go.unl.edu/50r0
$7M expansion to double quilt center’s storage, exhibit space
A 13,200-square-foot expansion of UNL’s International Quilt Study Center and Museum will begin with a June 20 groundbreaking. The project, which will double exhibit and storage space, is funded by a $7 million gift from the Robert and Ardis James Foundation. http://go.unl.edu/n8m7
CYFS unveils website commemorating 10th anniversary
The Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools celebrated its 10th anniversary with the release of a website outlining the center’s milestones, research, impact and collaborations across the past decade. http://go.unl.edu/vpat
Campus buses to run on compressed natural gas
StarTran is launching a new fleet of cleaner and quieter buses that burn compressed natural gas. The first five of these buses will operate on UNL routes starting this fall. http://go.unl.edu/nmkq
UNMC to manage University Health Center
UNL transferred management of the University Health Center to the University of Nebraska Medical Center on July 1. UNMC is developing a long-term plan for the UHC. No immediate changes in UHC staffing or structure are planned. http://go.unl.edu/2qyd
Antarctic sea anemone found under ice shelf one of top 10 new species
The new species of sea anemone found by geologists with the UNL-based ANDRILL program was named by the International Institute for Species Exploration among the top 10 species discovered last year. http://go.unl.edu/sj0y
Memorial Stadium receives $12.3M upgrade
Athletics is completing a $12.3 million Memorial Stadium Fan Experience Improvement project. The work includes replacing the stadium sound system, upgrading the wireless network, creating a game-day smartphone application, and the installation of an Internet protocol television system. http://go.unl.edu/8nxp
UNL signs agreement with Indonesian university
UNL officials forged a new partnership with Indonesia’s Yogyakarta State University. A memorandum of understanding was signed June 2 in a ceremony at UNL. The agreement calls for creating a partnership and exchanges between the two universities. http://go.unl.edu/jt5o
Grant funds new approach to HIV vaccine
Using a genetically modified form of the HIV virus, a team of UNL scientists has developed a promising new approach that could someday lead to a more effective HIV vaccine. The team has received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to further the project toward animal trials. http://go.unl.edu/vdf0
