A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Director of Undergraduate Research and Professor of Spanish Elizabeth Lewis
Director of Undergraduate Research and Professor of Spanish Elizabeth Lewis was featured on the With Good Reason public radio show in an episode titled “Audacious Women.” In the segment, Lewis shares the story of a group of women in 18th-century Spain who used charitable work to drive economic change. Learn more on With Good Reason.
From left to right, Town Talk radio host Ted Schubel, UMW seniors Adrian Coello and Elisa Luckabaugh, and UMW College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean Betsy Lewis.
Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Betsy Lewis brought UMW seniors Elisa Luckabaugh and Adrian Coello along for a recent episode of the Town Talk radio show to preview UMW’s 18th annual Research and Creativity Day, with its plethora of posters, oral presentations, creative writing, art exhibits and more. Listen to the episode.
From left to right, UMW students Steven Deverteuil, Arsalan Ahmad, Meghan Cooke,
Dylan Meyers and Suad Parvez gathered in Farmer Hall Tuesday for an event recognizing students either accepted to or interested in a master of engineering in computer science pathway agreement between UMW and Virginia Tech.
Dannette Beane, assistant vice provost of enrollment management for strategic initiatives at Virginia Tech, visited UMW’s Computer Science department on Tuesday, March 29, to recognize students accepted to or interested in a partnership program in computer science and applications.
Part of Virginia’s Tech Talent Pipeline, the “4+1 pathway” pairs foundational and dual-credit coursework, preparing UMW students for early admission to grad school and the possibility of earning a master’s degree from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering in less than two years. As many as six Mary Washington credits count also toward the master’s degree.
Senior Stephen Deverteuil, the first UMW student admitted to the computer science pathway program, joined fellow students Arsalan Ahmad, Meghan Cooke, Dylan Meyer and Suad Parvez for the event. UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger and Assistant Dean Betsy Lewis, as well as Computer Science Chair Karen Anewalt, also attended.
From left to right, Virginia Tech’s Dannette Beane, UMW senior Steven DeVerteuil, UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger, UMW senior Meghan Cooke and UMW Department of Computer Science Chair Karen Anewalt.
The group gathered in Farmer Hall to pose for photos wearing Virginia Tech T-shirts!
Building on the enthusiastic response to last year’s COVID-19 in Context course, the University of Mary Washington is offering another free, open-to-all series in June. Life After COVID, delivered to homes, backyards and porches via Zoom and YouTube, will run Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 1 to July 1.
“We view opportunities such as the Life After COVID course as part of our mission as a public liberal arts and sciences institution,” said UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger, who is co-facilitating the course with Assistant Dean Betsy Lewis and Communication and Digital Studies Chair Anand Rao.
UMW’s largest course ever, last year’s COVID-19 in Context event reached nearly 2,000 participants in 39 states, plus Washington, D.C., and countries across the globe, including Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Japan and Ghana. Like its predecessor, the course this summer will bring together current and incoming students, alumni, parents, community members, faculty and staff to explore timely COVID-related topics, Rao said. “It’s a big tent for academic discussion, which is the best model of what higher education can provide in today’s world.” Read more.
Assistant Music Professor Christopher Ryder (top, center) teaches conducting over Zoom. “I’ve been impressed by the students’ ability to adapt to very difficult circumstances,” said Ryder, who is among the UMW faculty who are now finding new and creative ways to teach remotely.
Teaching at Mary Washington looks a bit different lately. Andi Smith films YouTube videos with her children to demonstrate architectural principles. Zach Whalen uses cartoons to teach a digital studies lesson. Smita Jain Oxford holds Zoom office hours for business majors on her daily jog.
When the University moved to virtual classes last month due to the coronavirus pandemic, UMW faculty had to adapt quickly. Some already had experience with online instruction, while others became students themselves, seeking advice from tech-savvy colleagues – as well as the Digital Learning Center, Center for Teaching and UMW Libraries. Armed with a variety of technology tools, they’ve been finding creative and engaging ways to educate, support and stay connected to students through the end of the semester and beyond.
Students are facing multiple challenges as they complete their coursework, said Janine Davis, an associate professor in UMW’s College of Education. Dealing with limited internet access, caring for sick family members and serving in essential jobs are among their chief concerns, she said, and they’re also managing a wide range of emotions.
“We have to give students some space,” Davis said, “but also let them know we’re here and we want them to succeed and be healthy.” Read more.
Held annually on campus, UMW’s Research and Creativity Day went virtual this year, due to COVID-19. The event allows students to share projects they’ve worked on all year.
They put in the hours – late-night study sessions, one-on-one meetings with faculty members, conferences, presentations and projects. All year long, students have been working hard on one of the University of Mary Washington’s top priorities: undergraduate research.
A pandemic wasn’t about to stop the 14th annual showcase that highlights all of their efforts. Filled with posters in the form of PDF images and oral synopses on video, the UMW Research and Creativity Day Virtual Symposium covers everything from math and science to the performing and visual arts. The online event will be open tomorrow through Friday for questions and comments, and for all-around marveling over UMW students’ ingenuity and drive.
“It’s a time for all of us to pause to celebrate our students’ hard work, their creativity, and the knowledge they’ve produced,” said Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Betsy Lewis. “When it was clear we wouldn’t be able to do this face-to-face on campus this year, I really wanted to find a way to replicate that sense of community and celebration.” Read more.
The University of Mary Washington is among countless educational institutions worldwide that have switched to virtual classes due to the coronavirus threat, or COVID-19. Suddenly, students are at home, and so are their teachers. The transition has been daunting for many professors, especially those who have never taught online.
But one UMW faculty member saw it as an opportunity.
College of Education Professor John Broome launched the Higher Ed Learning Collective (HELC), a grassroots, we’re-all-in-it-together kind of Facebook group for sharing high- and low-tech remote-teaching tools, sprinkled with a dose of self-care. He never imagined the Collective would gain traction across the globe in just a few weeks, morphing into a worldwide movement with over 24,000 members in more than 100 countries … and counting.
HELC already has introduced a website and YouTube channel, and dozens of universities, libraries and online learning sites are recommending the group, as is UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Collective is creating a sense of community in a world that desperately needs one, and Broome hopes HELC will outlive the coronavirus pandemic, driving faculty to better address the diverse needs of students.
“Not everyone has access to good online or hybrid pedagogy,” said Broome, who – like so many fellow academics – was anxiously posting on social media. “We’re struggling as educators and as humans … so why not teach each other for free?” Read more.
Over the past academic year our students have been hard at work on their individual or team research and creative projects. Some of them have completed these projects as part of a course, as a capstone project, or even to achieve departmental honors recognition. Given the limitations placed on us by the current COVID-19 crisis, the University has created a virtual site for students at the University of Mary Washington to showcase their work, and for the UMW community to give them feedback and encouragement. Please visit http://umwrcd.net/ for the online application and for a list of presentations and presenters.
Applications are through the Google form on this website under the tab Applications. Student submissions will be due by midnight April 17, 2020. The Virtual Symposium will begin, here on this site, on April 23, 2020 and continue through midnight April 24, 2020.