The month of October features events that celebrate so much of what makes the University of Louisville a special place. Here’s a tour of events from Oct. 14 to Oct. 26 that applaud our , our diverse and our work in the area of with a little something for everyone.

Let’s begin with the J.B. Speed School of Engineering and its annual Oct. 14-16, featuring free events for students, faculty and staff. It all begins with “Donuts for Diversity” on the front lawn of the Speed Building (or in the lobby in the case of inclement weather) Oct. 14, followed later by “We Are Speed” photos (“Diversity in a Snap”) and a dine-and-dance event focusing on black and Latinx culture.

Indian food and henna tattoos are on tap for Oct. 15 in the Belknap Academic Building (noon to 2 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m.). That evening, a friendly competition from 4-6 p.m. in Sackett Hall will highlight “Women in STEM Trivia Night.”

Learn more about the LGBTQ community while making tie dye shirts and enjoying rainbow popsicles at “Tie-Dyeversity” Oct. 16 in the Duthie Center, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To wrap up the events Oct. 16, , alumnus and founder of the award-winning Interapt IT services firm, will be the keynote speaker at the Diversity Jubilee, a 5:30 p.m. buffet dinner in the Student Activities Center multipurpose room. Interapt is recognized nationwide and internationally for its unique paid IT workforce training program that focuses on serving underemployed and unemployed individuals in rural and urban areas, as well as veterans.

“This fun week of activities at the Speed School is designed to cheer on and empower our diverse population,” said Emmanuel Collins, dean of the Speed School. A full schedule of events can be found .��

Next up will be a chance to learn more about UofL’s efforts toward responsible environmental, social and economic stewardship during Sustainability Week, which is Oct. 17-25.

Events begin Oct. 17 with the annual and the Josh Smith Sustainability Award Ceremony, 5-8 p.m., at the Red Barn.

Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives, will bring his perspective from a decade of working at UofL when he gives a talk, “Business-as-Usual Is Killing Us! The need for institutional weirding in the age of global climate weirding.” There are two opportunities to attend: Oct. 18, noon to 1 p.m. in Kornhauser Auditorium 103 on the Health Sciences Center campus, and Oct. 21, noon to 1 p.m., in Ekstrom Library W104 on Belknap Campus.

On Oct. 23, UofL’s 12^th Annual Campus Sustainability Day Fair will be held in the Humanities Quad, featuring booths and information about what UofL and community organizations are doing to advance sustainability.

For a full schedule of activities, visit the UofL Sustainability Council website .

Homecoming Week wraps up the month Oct. 21-26 with a full slate of activities.

At the on Oct. 24, the university is honoring Executive Director of Admissions Jenny Sawyer as the 2019 Alumna of the Year. Sawyer is the start of many of the relationships between students and the university. She maintains many of those relationships through students’ collegiate careers and often serves as a mentor after graduation.��

Along with Sawyer, the Alumni Awards will recognize 13 Alumni Fellows from the university’s colleges and schools while celebrating UofL’s past, present and future.

Alumni, students, faculty, staff and community members are joining forces during the week for , a week of service in the city. The week features volunteer opportunities at sites around Louisville as well as donation drives.

Cardinal supporters can “Raise Some L” during the annual UofL Day of Giving on Oct. 22 and 23. Beginning at 6:02 p.m. on Oct. 22, for 1,798 minutes, Cardinals everywhere will come together to celebrate who we are and raise money to fund essential areas of need across campus. If you don’t know the significance of 1,798 minutes, check .

Other events for the week include the for the Classes of 1968 and 1969 and the Homecoming football game against Virginia.

For a full schedule of events, including student activities, visit the page.

Have fun, love the Earth, be safe and Go Cards!

The awards ceremony recognizes high achieving graduates based on their merit and contributions to the community. Each year, one alumna or alumnus of the year is selected along with 13 Alumni Fellows from each of the schools, colleges, libraries, and student affairs.��

Alumna of the Year

• Jenny L. Sawyer ’78, executive director of admissions at the University of Louisville.

Alumni Fellows

• Brandeis School of Law
  Edwin S. Hopson, Sr. ’67, ’69, partner at Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs.
• College of Arts and Sciences
  George Nichols, III ’85, president and chief executive officer of the American College of Financial Services.
• College of Business
  Raymond E. Loyd ’68, founder of Derby Industries and Derby Fabricating.
• College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
  Linda F. Hargan ’71, ’73, ’93, founder, president, and chief executive officer emeritus of CTL.
• J. B. Speed School of Engineering
  Gerald G. Hubbs ’64, ’76, retired vice president and director of engineering at the Brown-Forman Corporation.��
• Kent School of Social Work
  Ruby Gordon ’66, ’72, former social worker with JCPS and Hillebrand House.
• School of Dentistry
  Karen L. Pierce-West ’77, ’82, dean and professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine.
• School of Medicine
  Shawn C. Jones ’82, ’86, ’93, founder of Purchase ENT, an ENT-otolaryngologist specialty group in Paducah, Kentucky.��
• School of Music
  John M. Hoover ’63, ’69, former director of bands at the University of Louisville.
• School of Nursing
  Flora Ponder ’87, former head nurse at the Louisville and Jefferson County Health Department and director of nurses at the Park-Duvalle Community Health Center.��
• School of Public Health and Information Sciences
  Lewatis D. McNeal ’16, assistant dean of administration of inclusive excellence and special projects at Northern Kentucky University.
• Student Affairs
  Todd A. Schmiedeler ’97, Trilogy Health Service’s senior vice president of Foundation & Workforce Development and founder and president of Thumbprint Consulting.
• University Libraries
  Morris M. Weiss Jr. ’58, cardiologist with Medical Center Cardiologists and clinical professor of medicine in cardiology at the University of Louisville.

This year’s awardees will be honored at the 2019 Alumni Awards ceremony October 24.

• Shower doors made with “smart glass”
• Zero-waste systems for distilleries
• Systems to turn wastewater into purified water for brewing craft beer
• Methods to minimize plastic waste in the ocean
• Methods to prevent corrosion in concrete roads and bridges
• Products to keep children from being forgotten in hot cars

From solar batteries to building designs to a specialized Alexa product for Papa John’s franchisees, the projects and prototypes demonstrated at the first Engineering and Design Innovation Showcase showed the depth and breadth of UofL engineering students’ ingenuity and enthusiasm.

The event, held in the Student Activities Center April 18, featured teams of seniors — as well as a select group of first-years — demonstrating their capstone projects. Almost 90 teams totaling more than 350 students showed their posters and prototypes to representatives from the president’s office, members of the boards of trustees and overseers, faculty, industry professionals, administrators, fellow Speed students, K-12 students and even a few proud parents.

Fifty teams had company sponsors for a total of $168,000. Additionally, four companies sponsored coveted industry awards — DuPont, Papa John’s, Qk4 and TOPY America Inc.

One team, Saf-T Child, took home two of the four industry awards: DuPont’s Innovation to Thrive Award and the Papa John’s Most Innovative Award, each worth $1,000. The team designed a weight-sensing pad that alerts drivers if a child remains in the car after it is turned off. Team members were Clay Groeschen, Hadassah Lamppin, Michael York and Kendall Ogden.

The QK4 Engineering Award, worth $500, was given to the team Technology for People Living with Dementia, which came up with an affordable computer system that those with dementia can use when caregivers cannot help with tasks. Team members were Kody Arvin, Robert McKinney and Daniel Padgett.

The winner of the TOPY America Inc. Environmental Award, also worth $500, was Operation: Save the Turtles. The team’s goal was to protect ocean life by coming up with an alternative to recycling plastic that would convert plastic into useful products such as diesel fuel. Team members were Delaney Coovert, Allison Melvin, Miao Ting Li and Jianchao Zhao.

“I could feel the excitement and the interest of those who were attending,” said Speed School Dean Emmanuel Collins, who promised to make the showcase an annual event.��

Check out video from the event: 

A week later, on their last day of a summer camp where they learned the basics of renewable energy, these same students left with a spark of something new for the future.

About 30 high school students from eastern Kentucky’s “” on July 21 concluded the research camp at the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research. Their presentations on subjects like solar energy and lithium ion batteries seemed to surprise even themselves.

“I came here knowing I wanted to be an engineer,” said Hayley Fulton, 14, who will be sophomore at Letcher County Central High school this fall. “I was clueless and now I know all this stuff and I’m just like, ‘Wow.’”

The camp at the center, which is part of UofL’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, was in partnership with the federal Promise Zone, an area comprised of Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Leslie, Clay, Knox and part of Whitley counties. Its goal is to improve the overall quality of life in the 3,071-square-mile region. The white lab coats some students wore bore the saying “It’s a Promise” on the back.

“Solar energy is very important because nowadays we rely on a lot of non-renewable energy sources,” said Kaden Gray, 16, a junior at Lynn Camp High School in Knox County. “By utilizing solar energy, we can not only fix the problem, but bring back a lot of lost jobs to our areas. All these labs, the amount of stuff we learned that had to do with what I thought to be a simple concept, really blew my mind.”

The camp was designed to broaden interest in STEM careers, and many students said they are looking at careers in engineering, medicine, nursing and marine biology.

Asher Terry, 14, a Letcher County Central sophomore, said he wanted to learn more about STEM careers even though he’s an aspiring lawyer.

“I learned about solar cells and how they work,” he said. “I learned that coal isn’t all that because it’ll run out one day and we need some kind of renewable energy.”

The students said the importance of teamwork and respect were added lessons. They also made some good friends along the way.

“Today is going to be very hard for me because half these kids I probably will never have the chance to meet or see again,” said Gracie Moles, 14, a sophomore at Middlesboro High School.

The students spent the week on Belknap Campus in a dormitory, and in between labs they saw the sights of Louisville, such as the Slugger Museum and the Speed Art Museum. Interim UofL President Greg Postel and Interim Speed School Dean Gail DePuy met with them Friday and answered questions about scholarships, honors classes, tuition and housing.

Kentucky’s Promise Zone was designated in 2014 as the first rural Promise Zone in the nation. There are 21 other Promise Zone communities nationwide.

Check out more from the camp in the video below: