Jeanelle Sears, Emily Cousins and Jon Phoenix, UofL graduate students, are heading to Kolkata, India, this summer as , a prominent award funded by the U.S. State Department to expand the number of Americans proficient in languages deemed to be “critical” to U.S. interest.

How did that happen? Did they already know each other? Did a faculty member encourage the students to apply for the scholarship? Do any of the students already speak Bangla?

No, no and no.

When asked how it happened that three UofL students were selected for the Bangla language program in Kolkata, CLS Indic Language Programs Officer Rhea Vance-Cheng said, “I had the exact same question. It’s definitely rare to have three students from one university at the same site.”

Sears, Cousins and Phoenix say they are just as befuddled. Phoenix speculated that the anomaly was a “super-insane coincidence,” while Sears thought having multiple Cards in the Kolkata program was “wild.”

The trio does share some similarities: all are interested in learning Bengali to expand their opportunities for research in areas such as sociology, environmentalism and writing studies. Sears and Phoenix are both sociologists from Knox County, Kentucky, while Cousins is an English studies student from Tokyo, Japan.

Once the CLS winners got over the surprise of learning that others from UofL were headed to India as part of the same program, they were all delighted.

“It’s very cool that I’ll actually be able to stay in touch with at least two other people in the program,” Phoenix said.

Sears added that having other Cards in the program offers “immediate affinity,” as well as the chance to support each other’s work once they return home.

Scholars will stay with host families in Kolkata and speak only Bengali for the duration of their stay (absolute beginners get a two-week grace period to get their skills up to snuff). The program includes daily instructional classes, extracurricular culture classes, weekly personal tutoring and occasional group excursions.

Lane, a Louisville native and 2014 Butler High School graduate, is double majoring in political science and liberal studies. Sanford is a psychology and pan-African studies major, a native of Eminence, Kentucky, and a 2014 graduate of Eminence High School. Both are Martin Luther King Scholars. Lane will study at Carnegie Mellon University, while Sanford is headed to the University of California, Berkeley.

The fellowship, the Public Policy and International Affairs program’s Junior Summer Institute, teaches undergrads pursuing or considering Master’s degrees in those fields the fundamentals of legal analysis and the skills needed to enter top law schools. After they complete the program, Lane and Sanford will have access to a professional network of more than 4,000 other institute alumni and waived application fees at universities partnering with PPIA.

Lane credited several faculty members with helping to cultivate her interest in public service and keeping her on the path to high achievement.

“Dr. Tricia Gray and Dr. Charles Ziegler, from the political science department, have both helped me hone the skills that I need to succeed beyond my undergraduate education,” said Lane. “Dr. Gray in the realm of staying academically engaged through model United Nations, and Dr. Ziegler with my writing. My advisor, Luke Buckman, has been of tremendous help to me as well, especially when applying to various programs.”

Sanford said he is grateful for the faculty who helped him turn his desire into action, including History and Pan-African Studies professor Tyler Fleming for his help with the application process and his ongoing mentorship.

“Cornelius is a very gifted, hardworking and determined student. Until Cornelius, I’ve never had an undergraduate student ask to meet up with me during the summer to go over planning their undergraduate studies and consider careers for the future,” said Fleming. “Cornelius is a student who has skillfully used the opportunities afforded him. His success is a testament to his ability, work ethic, and shrewd planning.”

The PPIA program is a nonprofit organization that works to increase diversity in public service by helping students from underrepresented populations get the credentials to fill leadership positions in government, non-profit and international organizations.Ěý

A recipient of the Woodford R. Porter and Brown Fellows scholarships, Shontee graduated last year from UofL in the top 1 percent of her class with a bachelor of mechanical engineering degree. This year, she will receive her master’s degree. The 2012 duPont Manual grad has served on numerous student organizations, including the UofL chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, Speed School’s Women in Engineering Leadership Conference and the Miss Black UofL Scholarship Pageant. As a Brown Fellows scholar, she created a summer camp for minority girls to help get them involved in STEM fields.

“My education and academics in general are very important to me, and that’s one thing I’ve always been very driven about. As far as activities and organizations I’m involved with, academics is important there too because I like to see other people succeed academically. So I try to tailor my extracurriculars and things I’m involved with to helping other people succeed.”

In her free time, Shontee volunteers at the West End School as a tutor and mentor and grades calculus homework for professors in the Engineering Fundamentals department. She has received numerous recognitions for her outstanding work, including the ASME Pi Tau Sigma Award, the NBSC Louisville Chapter Award, the KSPE Service Award and Speed School’s Alfred T. Chen Award.

Conrad Smart, a 2013 graduate of Woodford County High School, is graduating with his bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics, anticipating a perfect 4.0 GPA. During his undergrad, he participated in various research projects with applications including nanomaterials, plasma physics and particle accelerators. His work has taken him to the laboratories of UCLA and Cornell University as an undergraduate research assistant.

“The University Physics and Astronomy department has been pivotal in my development as a scientist. In the mentorships, the opportunities, the community as a whole, I have watched students, including myself, become independent and creative thinkers. My peers and my faculty in the department have constantly provided me new and interesting stimulation necessary to bring a young student into the scientific fields.”

Smart is a recipient of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, James Graham Brown Scholarship and the Dean’s Scholarship, and has participated twice in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduate Programs. When he’s not trying to unravel the universe’s secrets, Smart enjoys playing saxophone, ballroom dancing and hiking.

Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 13 at the KFC Yum! Center beginning at 10 a.m.

The program places early career educators as foreign language teaching assistants at U.S. colleges and universities with an objective of improving U.S. students’ foreign language abilities and knowledge of other countries. In addition to performing teaching duties, FLTAs engage in coursework, conduct language and cultural activities in their host communities, and improve their English language skills and knowledge of the United States.

Moustafa is an assistant lecturer at Misr University in Cairo and holds a master’s in Media and Mass Communications, a rare degree among Egyptian Fulbright scholars. Back home, she is working on a dissertation investigating the effects of social media on the children of immigrants. She selected UofL from a list of five possible institutions, citing her love of country music as one reason she chose to make the journey to Kentucky.

Moustafa said she has been inspired by many professors, including her Fulbright advisor, Arabic program coordinator Khaldoun Almousily; Spanish professor Gregory Hutcheson, who serves as her academic advisor; Classical and Modern Languages department chair Alan Leidner; and English professor Hristomir Stanev.

“I hope to apply everything I learn here back home, from writing syllabi to making students love the course,” she said.

Living and working here has been a horizon-broadening experience for Moustafa, but she said she will also walk away from it with a new appreciation for her own country.

“When I got here, part of me was happy to be in the U.S. and learning something new, but also part of me acknowledged that Egypt is good, Egypt is great,” said Moustafa. “I will come back thinking I’m actually proud to be an Egyptian.”

The annual award funds junior faculty research projects that relate to reforming education through collaborative efforts. Scholars then present their findings at a national conference.

Herd, an assistant professor at UofL’s Department of łÉČËÖ±˛Ąal Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development, will use the award to conduct research on the experiences of veterans and their employers during the transition back into the civilian workforce.  

 “Veterans are often a neglected group, particularly when they go back to school,” Herd said. “This research project will help us better understand the needs of these potential students, as well as their potential employers.”

The Nystrand-Offutt Scholar is supported by adopted alumna Nancy Stablein and her husband George through the Offutt funds named for Nancy’s parents. It also bears the name of Ray Nystrand, who served as Dean of the College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą from 1978 until his death in 1999. To honor his work and memory, the Stableins donated the funds to the university to support scholarship that aligns with his vision of collaborative transformation.

“The award supports the scholarship of early-career faculty by funding their research and releasing them from teaching one course,” said CEHD Dean Ann Larson. “This gives them a big leg up in getting promotions and tenure.”

On Sept. 9, about 20 Fulbright and Critical Language Scholarship applicants gathered at Etskorn Honors Center for the Fulbright Speed Dating event. Now in its eighth year, the program lets applicants have one-on-one conversations with previous winners who look over their research proposals and offer suggestions on how to improve them.

In addition to getting a proposal tune-up, applicants receive practical advice on living and working abroad from their advisers’ firsthand experience — an opportunity many advisers themselves wish they had during their application process.

“It was different when I went through the process. For me, it was a small group of faculty who committed themselves to the process,” said 2005 Fulbright scholar Jeanelle Sears, whose work in Egypt led her to a social work career serving refugees. Knowing the importance of the Fulbright program in helping students become changemakers, she volunteered to pass along her expertise to the next generation of scholars.

“We’ve all been through this,” said Sears. “We want to help (the candidates) make their application as strong as it can be.”

Senior Kyle Vuong came to the event seeking input on his proposal to study highly infectious parasites in Geneva. His research proposal was sound, but his mentor helped him improve his purpose statement to make his proposal more attractive to the review board.

“When they read my personal statement, I want them to see a person, not just a number,” said Vuong. “Can they tell it’s someone passionate, someone who has a story to tell?”

The event is the brainchild of Patricia Condon, director of the Office of National and International Scholarship Opportunities. Condon was on hand to oversee the event and offer some advice to Fulbright hopefuls.

“For candidates, it really helps accelerate their thinking and preparation,” said Condon. “Some have said it’s the single most important thing that helped them prepare for the Fulbright interview.”

UofL was named a top producer of Fulbright scholars for the 2015-16 academic year by the Chronicle of Higher łÉČËÖ±˛Ą. The campus deadline for next year’s winners to submit their applications is Sept. 15.

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The group is participating in the Red Bull Flugtag, an event inviting local barnstormers to show off their homemade flying machines. Teams build single-pilot gliders and run their creations off the end of a ramp, hoping they’ll glide for a few moments before splashing down into the Ohio River.

UofL’s entry, dubbed “Angry Louie” by designer and pilot Brittany Jarrell, is a PVC-and-plastic effigy of the school’s mascot. Weighing 75 pounds and measuring 25 feet long, the craft is about the weight of a standard hang glider but boasts a greater wing area.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun, that’s what I think is going to happen,” said team member Joshua Scudder. “As far as [the craft’s] performance, it’s hard to say.”

Angry Louie may have an edge on the competing gliders, most of which were designed for aesthetics rather than aerodynamics. His designers pooled the years of mechanical know-how that they’d accumulated in their classes and took cues from nature, using PVC pipe to mimic the hollow bones of birds.

“It took a while to really finalize the design,” said team member Russell Whittaker. “Probably what took the longest was trying to decide what would be the most aerodynamic and make the most sense out of all the ideas.”

But the build represents more than just an opportunity to test their engineering prowess; it’s a chance to come together as friends and classmates to have a good time.

“We’ve been going to school together for three years now, so mostly we know each other,” said team member David Campbell. “It’s been fun working with them, and I think that’s been the best part.”

Angry Louie makes his maiden voyage at the Flugtag on Aug. 27 at Waterfront Park. Gates open at 11 a.m. and admission is free to the general public.

Watch Speed students describe the design process for “Angry Louie” in the video below: 

Freshman McKena Alford sheltered from the drizzle outside University Tower, waiting for her parents to arrive and help her move a cart full of her belongings inside. Coming from a family of UofL fans, she had always expected to attend the university one day. That day had finally arrived, bringing with it a lot of emotions.

“I cried this morning because my bedroom was empty,” said Alford. “But I’m excited to start the whole UofL experience.”

Alford’s story is a familiar one, shared by her classmates and countless Cards before her. But this year, many students will be experiencing campus living as no Card has before, thanks to a slew of upgrades the university has made.

“We’re excited to have our residents back on campus and especially excited to add University Pointe and The Nine to the University Housing inventory. The addition of these two facilities, along with our existing buildings, allows us to offer housing to over 7,000 UofL students,” said Director of Campus Housing Julie Weber. “We are also pleased to offer a new home to the Honors Living-Learning Community, which is now housed in Kurz Hall, and to have added a new Living-Learning Community in Threlkeld: the Arts & Sciences Exploring Majors and Careers.”

At the revamped Kurz Hall, Resident Assistant Megan O’Brien was on hand last week during Move-In Day to help students get settled in their new dorms. Having served as an RA there last year as well, O’Brien looked forward to the changes the new arrangement will bring.

“In an LLC, students who live together likely take the same classes, fulfill the same requirements, and have the same scholarships,” explained O’Brien. “It really gives them the urge to form a community.” 

Sophomore Kate Jackimowicz stood in her University Pointe apartment surrounded by boxes of her belongings. Unlike most students, she couldn’t rely on the help of her parents to move in — they were 14 hours away at the family’s home in Boston. But luckily for her, University Pointe provided Student Living Assistants to move her things and help her feel at home, which she expects to be significantly easier this year.

“I lived in Unitas last year, so this is a major step up,” said Jackimowicz. “Living here will definitely help my grades because I do better when I can lock myself in my room and have my own area.”

As the rain cleared and rooms were put in order, students headed off to enjoy the activities that mark the beginning of yet another new school year.

This year’s bumper crop of freshmen exceeds last year’s historic count by 100 students. Not only are there more of them, they represent a wider range of backgrounds than previous classes: 13.5 percent of its members are African American, and 4.1 percent are Latino. Executive Director of Admissions Jenny Sawyer believes that this is a new record for racial diversity.

“I checked our numbers going back to 1988 and I feel pretty confident that this year represents our highest numbers for African American and Hispanic/Latino students,” she said.

In addition, this year’s freshman class is the most well-prepared academically in the institution’s history. Nearly half of its students will arrive having already earned some level of college credit, and its average ACT score of 25.5 surpasses both the 2015 national average of 21 and the state average of 20. Of the freshman class, 465  students are part of the university’s honors program, while 236 are Kentucky Governor’s Scholars.

“It’s a good feeling to know that we are attracting top-notch students from across the U.S. who are well equipped to begin college,” said UofL Acting President Neville Pinto. “Our incoming students are extraordinary in many ways — nearly half already have some college credits, the class is highly diverse and their ACT scores are impressive.”

Most of the class hails from nearby: 78.7 percent (2,280) are Kentuckians, and nearly half  (1,055) are from Jefferson County. Just over 17 percent of the class comes from outside the commonwealth, representing 36 states. Most are ready to call UofL home for the year, with 73.8 percent living on campus.

The most popular declared majors among the new class are Engineering, Business and Nursing. They will embark on these and many other degree programs on Monday, Aug. 22 as undergraduates begin the fall semester.Ěý

Among the biggest changes are the new construction projects happening around campus.ĚýTwo new residence halls, University Pointe and The Nine, will begin housing students this semester. The luxury-style apartments will add about 800 beds within a block of campus.ĚýIn addition, Crawford Gym will be demolished in order to make way for a new academic building, slated to open before the Fall 2018 semester. But perhaps the most ambitious project underway this semester is the renovation of the Student Activity Center, which will add thousands of square feet of meeting space and give the building a face lift in order to convert it into the “living room of campus.”

“Housing and common spaces like the SAC have a big impact on student involvement,” said engineering student Chris Bird. “The new facilities are going to make it much easier for students to come together and get involved on campus.”

Students can also expect to see some changes in how they navigate around the university. Warnock Street, which serves as the southern entrance to campus, has been renamed University Boulevard. The new flyover ramp joining Brook and Iowa Streets on the south end of campus has been christened the Brook Street Connector. In addition, the intersection of Floyd Street and East Brandeis Avenue at the northeast corner of campus has been converted into a roundabout.

Campus dining options have undergone a lineup change as well. With its new dining partner Aramark, UofL now features restaurants such as Greens to Go, Aqua Sushi, Mark’s Feed Store, City CafĂ©, Twisted Taco, Panda Express, two Starbucks and four P.O.D. Markets (Provisions on Demand). Papa John’s, McAlister’s, Einstein Bros., Tulip Tree Cafe, Wendy’s, Subway and Chick-fil-A will remain open, with the latter three now offering expanded menus.

In the classroom, students will begin to see more technology being incorporated into lesson plans, thanks to the opening of the Technology Innovation and Learning Lab (TILL) in the Ekstrom library. Run by the Delphi center, the TILL will allow instructors to try out new gadgets and techniques to help bring their teaching styles up to the cutting edge. To complement this, large lecture halls like those in Davidson, Strickler and Sackett have been outfitted with larger student desks featuring power outlets for charging their various devices.

In addition to these new sights around campus, UofL is also welcoming new leadership. Dr. Neville Pinto will serve as acting President of the university, following the departure of James Ramsey last month. Pinto will lead the university until the Board of Trustees selects a permanent president. English professor Dale Billingsley has stepped into Pinto’s former role as interim vice president and provost.

Cardinal Ambassador Rachel Casey is excited to start the school year at the improved Belknap campus. “When it’s all said and done, there’s not going to be another university on Kentucky that looks as good as ours,” she said.

This new chapter in UofL’s story began in late July when medical and dental students returned to the classroom.ĚýOn Aug. 17, students will descend upon campus for the annual move-in. Undergraduate classes begin Aug. 22.