On Monday, Jan. 25, Deborah O’Dell, associate professor of biology, and Virginia Lyle King will attend the Undergraduate Research Showcase in Richmond. Ms. King will be presenting her research, done in Deborah O’Dell’s laboratory, on the “Effects of Cell Phone Radiation in Glioblastoma Cells” to the Virginia General Assembly. The event is coordinated by the Education Committee of the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS) and is designed to increase awareness of research in the STEM disciplines being done by undergraduate students at Virginia colleges and universities. Ms. King, along with select other students and representatives from VAS, will briefly address the General Assembly on the impact of research in their education, after which she will present her current findings in a poster session. Ms. King is one of 30 students from around the commonwealth who were selected to participate in this showcase.

A Webinar titled “Civility on Campus: Balancing Civility and Free Speech” will be presented on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2-3:30 p.m., in Combs 139. The Webinar will provide:

• An expansion of the concept of civility to know how to critically think about coded language and relate it to your unique campus needs.
• An understanding of the nuance of behavior versus engagement with controversial or tenuous topics — walk away knowing how to be effective facilitating conversation on your campus.
• Strategies for evaluating your organization’s values and how you communicate your position on engaging differences of opinion — reframe your students’ understanding of what free speech really means.
• Specific skill sets for promoting a community that allows dissonance in the spirit of development and growth — give your students the skills they need for productive on-campus behavior and for their lives after college.

For more information, visit www.paper-clip.com/Main/product-catalog/2788.aspx

Business Services eUpdate — January 2016

The following message is from the Office of Administration and Finance:

As we begin a new semester, please be aware of the potential for inclement weather and hazardous driving conditions. If weather conditions dictate a change in the University’s schedule, you can find the latest information in the following ways:

• UMW website
• UMW Alerts (via text, email, and/or voice message)
• Information Hotline at 540-654-2424
• Social Media on Facebook  and Twitter
• Area media outlets. A list of media outlets posting UMW school closing information can be found at http://www.umw.edu/news/information-hotline.

If you would like to receive notifications via the UMW Alert system and have not registered, we urge you to visit https://www.getrave.com/login/umw. Click on the “Register” tab in the far right-hand corner. After you submit your information, you will receive a message from Christopher Cash in Emergency Management and Safety inviting you to create an account. Once the account is created, please log in to the site and follow the instructions to customize how and in what order you prefer to receive the emergency notices. Please make sure to save your changes.

If you already have registered and want to make updates to your account, please log in to the site at https://www.getrave.com/login/umw and follow the instructions.

Every effort will be made to post an inclement weather announcement by 6 a.m. on the day of closing or delayed opening. A decision about evening class changes will be made by 3 p.m. on the day in question. Students, faculty and staff are urged to check these communication outlets periodically for up-to-date information. When the weather conditions permit return to normal operations following a closure or delay, that information will be disseminated as stated above.

For questions about the inclement weather procedures, please contact Richard Pearce, vice president of Administration and Finance at rpearce@umw.edu.

The works of beloved Professor JeanAnn Dabb will be featured in one of two exhibitions to debut in the University of Mary Washington Galleries beginning Thursday, Jan. 14. The exhibition, “Awe and Wonder,” will be on display in the duPont Gallery.  In addition, the works of 30 artists from eight states will be showcased in the “Mid Atlantic New Painting 2016” show in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery.

Donzaleigh Abernathy, daughter of civil rights activists who helped launch the American civil rights movement, will give the keynote address as the University of Mary Washington celebrates the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday, Jan. 20.