Upper Iowa University launches drive to build sculpture and ceramics studio

FAYETTE, Iowa (June 21, 2013) - Upper Iowa University wants to add an extra dimension to its art program by establishing a free-standing studio in which students can create 3-D works of art. The sculpture and ceramics studio would be located immediately east of Edgar Fine Arts Hall on campus.

"Upper Iowa University wants to build on its already strong foundation in the arts and develop an adequate and safe space for constructing 3-dimensional art," said Elissa Wenthe, UIU assistant professor of art who came to the university in 2008 to teach ceramics and sculpture courses. "When UIU renovated Edgar Fine Arts in 2007, it wasn't designed for the scope of creating 3-dimensional artwork. When working in sculpture and ceramics, students saw, carve, weld, mix and formulate clay and glazes and do multiple different firing techniques with ceramic kilns. Such construction materials and methods require adequate space and ventilation. Our goal is to create a space that will give UIU students as much creative freedom as possible."

The University is launching a special alumni fund-raising initiative, "UIU in 3-D" to raise $500,000 to finance the removal of the existing structure, construction of the studio, and site landscaping. This initiative is similar to other recent single-purpose alumni funding initiatives, such as "Raising the Bar" and "The Clark-Bowen Endowed Scholarship Fund." The "Raising the Bar" initiative was established to raise $250,000 to pay for improvements in strength and conditioning facilities for Peacock athletes. More than $113,000 has been raised to date. The "Clark-Bowen Endowed Scholarship Fund," honors UIU Vice President Charles Clark and Registrar Roger Bowen who were instrumental in launching the UIU independent study program 40 years ago. To date, more than $32,000 has been raised.

"This drive is a great opportunity for alumni, who benefitted from a UIU fine arts education, and art lovers everywhere to show their support for the future of the University's art program," Wenthe said.

More information about the program is available online at www.uiu.edu/3d. Additionally, several member of this year's Team Peacock are raising funds for this initiative. Team Peacock's fund-raising web page can be found at http://www.uiu.edu/teampeacock/.

About Upper Iowa University Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to some 6,200 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study. For more information, visit www.uiu.edu.

Contact:
Monica Bayer Heaton
Associate Vice President for Communication and Marketing
Phone 563-425-5773
Cell: 515-291-2070
heatonm@uiu.edu

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LMU Engineers Build Assistive Devices for Disabled Students

Jack is a fifth-grader with dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that limits his motor functions and ability to speak. Like many disabled children who use a wheelchair, Jack is at risk of developing problems with his Achilles tendon, which may shorten from lack of use. Surgery is often required later in life to correct the problem.

Several mechanical engineering students from LMU may have a solution. They’re working on a bicycle attachment for Jack’s gait trainer that would help him move his legs when he gets around, lessening the chance of a shortened Achilles tendon.

The device is part of a yearlong, senior capstone project for students in the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering. Eight mechanical engineers in two teams are designing and building products to help disabled children function more independently. The project will culminate in submitting the designs to the annual Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology of North America’s student competition.

“Both teams have solid designs and a good understanding of the design process,” said Matt Siniawski, mechanical engineering professor and the students’ faculty adviser. “This project lets the students use their education to help benefit someone else’s life, and it opens their eyes to different parts of engineering.”

Each of the two teams is paired with one student from WISH Charter Elementary School, a member of LMU’s Family of Schools. The teams met with the student, the student’s mother, the principal and caretakers to brainstorm ideas for an apparatus that would best suit the student’s needs.

For the team working with Jack, part of the goal is to provide him with a way to move his legs that is fun as well as therapeutic.

“Jack has never ridden a bike before, this is one more step toward living a more normal life” said Tim Burdiak, senior mechanical engineering student and leader of Team Jack. “The bike would promote muscular development in his arms and legs and help prevent his Achilles heel from shrinking.”

The other team is paired with Abbie, a kindergarten student with cerebral palsy. Since the congenital disorder makes fine motor movement difficult, the team came up with a desk unit with a brace and rail that will help Abbie use her iPad more easily in class. Called the iPad Dexterity Enhancement Apparatus, it connects her wrist and forearm to a brace that restricts the range of motion in her hand.

“I.D.E.A. will improve the accuracy and precision of Abbie’s fine motor skills without inhibiting her comfort,” said Amy Clancy, senior mechanical engineering student and leader of Team Abbie. “We hope it improves her confidence and helps her to perform basic functions more easily.”  

Both teams are in the process of building and testing their prototypes. Later this semester, they will build the device and submit their designs to RESNA’s 2013 annual conference, which takes place in June. If the designs are selected, the team will receive an all-expense paid trip to the conference. The winning team will get a cash prize and an invitation to spend three weeks at a rehabilitation research resource center to further develop their design and possibly move it towards commercialization.

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Student Research Finds Better Way to Build Green Roofs

“Think globally, act locally” is more than just an environmental catchphrase – it’s also a sound way to approach green roof construction, according to James McDonald, who earned his B.S. in biology at Loyola Marymount University in May.

McDonald’s research into green roof technology during his undergraduate years strongly suggests that indigenous plants fare better in Southern California’s climate, enhancing the benefits of having a green roof atop a building.

McDonald presented his findings at LMU’s fifth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. His work focused on comparing the most common type of plant used on green roofs – sedums, shown in the top half of the picture – with an indigenous type of plant, dudleyas. “The basis of the project was to test the thermo-tolerance of the two genera of plants,” McDonald said.

His research indicated that the local dudleyas, a type of succulent plant, were better suited to higher temperatures and conditions that would be typical in Southern California.

Sedums are the most-used plants in green roofs because they grow relatively well in areas where green roof industries first took off, in climates that are less arid than Southern California, said Philippa Drennan, professor of biology at LMU and adviser on McDonald’s project. “Europe’s got a big green roof culture and sedums grow quite well in that area. Also north of [Southern California], getting up toward Canada, or even toward the northeast of the United States, sedums are very good because they tend to grow in cooler areas,” she said. 

McDonald was a junior when he joined Drennan’s ongoing research into green roofs, which provide a natural alternative to other insulation materials. They also help reduce stormwater runoff and provide habitat for birds and insects.

In high-heat areas such as Southern California, temperatures on top of most buildings will get so high that plants are prone to dry out and die. “We found that the dudleyas were able to withstand higher temperatures,” McDonald said, “and at the highest temperatures more cells were living in the dudleyas than in the sedums.”

But survivability wasn’t McDonald’s only research concern. “When you put things that are non-native into areas, it sometimes has detrimental effects. It doesn’t support the insects or birds or bees of that environment,” he said, adding that the local dudleyas would have a better chance to develop as an ecosystem on rooftops and be an effective green roof.

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