Category Archives: Archive

Klaus Bartschat receives Will Allis Prize from American Physical Society

Klaus Bartschat, the Ellis & Nelle Levitt Professor of Physics, was awarded the 2016 Will Allis Prize for the Study of Ionized Gases from the American Physical Society (APS). APS represents over 51,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world.

Klaus received the award “for fundamental theoretical and computational contributions to the understanding of charged-particle and photon collisions with atoms and molecules and for providing critical data and insight to the plasma modeling community.” His research is of fundamental importance for basic physics and has broad applications in many areas of research and industry.

The Will Allis Prize was established in 1989 in recognition of the outstanding contributions of Will Allis (1901-1999), an American theoretical physicist, to the study of ionized gases. It is awarded in even-numbered years.

Klaus is the 14th honoree in the award’s history; recent recipients hail from noted research institutions including the University of California at Berkley (2014), the Queen’s University of Belfast (2012), and the University of Michigan (2010). More information can be found at www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/allis.cfm.

Klaus will receive $10,000 and deliver an invited talk at the 47th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, in June 2016. He will also be honored at the 69th Annual Meeting of the Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC), to be held in Bochum (Germany) in October 2016.

Read more about Klaus here.

Cheer on the Bulldogs!

Below is a list of the home athletic events this week.

Volleyball
Drake vs. Indiana State
Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
Knapp Center

Volleyball
Drake vs. Illinois State
Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
Knapp Center
*Kids in costume receive free admission and a Halloween treat

—Submitted by Thomas Florian, Assistant Director of Ticket Sales

Comparison Project examines the Cult of Santa Muerte

El Día de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead—is a lively holiday celebrated in Latin America in honor of the deceased. This year, Professor Eduardo González of Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Gudalajara, will discuss, “La Migración y el Culto a la Santa Muerte: Asirse a lo que Sea” (Migration and the Cult of Santa Muerte: Hanging onto Whatever). Professor González’s talk will take place Thursday, Oct. 29 starting at 7 p.m. in Sussman Theater.

This event is part of The Comparison Project. The “cult of Santa Muerte” (Saint Death) is the fastest growing and most prominent religious movement in Mexico today. Professor González’s lecture explores the worship of Santa Muerte in the city of Guadalajara, focusing both on the general ways in which the church of Santa Muerte offers “a place for everyone” and on the specific ways in which Santa Muerte serves the needs of migrants attempting the crossing to the United States.

Eduardo González Velázquez is a research professor at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. He won the Jalisco Journalism Award in 2009 and 2007 for reporting and writing, respectively. He has published 30 articles and book chapters, including “Ciudadanos a la Mitad.” His current area of research is U.S.-Mexico migration.

Further details can be found at the Comparison Project website.

—Submitted by Drake International

DREAMERS and the Caucus Season

What: DREAMERS and the Caucus Season: Immigration reform activists talk about undocumented college students and engaging presidential candidates.
When: Oct. 27, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Cowles Library, Room 201

How does being an unauthorized immigrant shape the experience of going to college? Meet a Drake alumnus, Hector Salamanca; student Kenia Calderon; and immigration advocate Erica Johnson, as they discuss the experiences of undocumented young adults in Iowa colleges. Learn about how activists educate peers on campus and presidential candidates to advocate for change. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by La Fuerza Latina and the Department of Sociology.

—Submitted by Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department Chair

Empty Place at the Table campaign coming to Drake

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Violence Intervention Partner team will bring the Empty Place at the Table campaign to Drake in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As part of the campaign, chairs will be marked off with caution tape in the Hubbell/Quad dining areas and a variety of classrooms around campus as a representation of students on college campuses who must drop out of school due to the long-lasting effects of domestic and dating violence. There will be a short note written on the chalkboard/whiteboard of every classroom explaining the campaign as well.

Please send any questions to alysa.mozak@drake.edu.

—Submitted by Jessica Rick

Celebrating employment anniversaries

Congratulations to the following employees celebrating employment anniversaries at Drake in October!

Cindy Adams, Human Resources
Tammy Agey, Provost’s Office
Violeta Aleman, Legal Clinic
Sandra Alvarez-Herrera, Head Start
Michael Andreski, Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Administrative Sciences
Rihana Banu, Facility Services
Jill Batten, Pharmacy and Health Sciences
LaRon Bennett, Athletics
Debra Booth, Law School
Mario Castro, Facility Services
Marilea Chase, Dean’s Office, Pharmacy
Cassandra Clyde, Head Start
Kimberly DeJoode, Head Start
John Edwards, Law Library
Kelly Foster, Finance and Administration
Naomi Gachii, Facility Services
Ryan Grams, Public Safety
David Hanson, Law Library
John Harrell, Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Ryan Harris, Athletics
William Hennan, Law School
Shelley Hurst, Student Records and Academic Information
Jessica Lang, Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Carrie Lewis, International Admission
Debra Lukehart, University Communications
Anita Mozga, School of Education
Jennifer Newton, Undergraduate Admission
Brett Niederhauser, Public Safety
Sharyn O’Connor-Beener, Chemistry & Physics
Robert Overturf, DTS
Jennifer Reitano, Business and Public Administration
Sandra Ries-Wandrey, Head Start
John Rovers, Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Administrative Sciences
Charitie Schaer, Business and Public Administration
Jolene Schmidt, Finance & Administration
Laura Schwarz, Human Resources
Sara Sommerlot-McWeeney, University Communications
Deborah Ann Striegel, Facility Services
Mary Vaske, Head Start
Marina Verlengia, Student Life Center
Rashmee Virmani, DTS
Richard White, Public Safety
Oleg Zastarinny, Physics and Astronomy

—Submitted by Laura Schwarz, Administrative Support Specialist

Want to save $300? Don’t miss your chance!

If you’re on Drake’s health plan, you can save $300 off your health insurance premium in 2016 by participating in the Drake Wellness Incentive. In order to qualify, you must complete a biometrics screening and online wellness assessment.

On-campus biometrics screenings will take place between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. in the Bell Center on the following dates:

  • Oct. 28, 29, and 30
  • Nov. 3, 4, 10, and 13

To schedule your screening, click here, and use the username DRAKEU and password SCREEN2015 to log in. Once you sign up, please make a note of your screening date and time, as you will not receive a reminder email.

If you need to cancel your on-campus screening, email jennifer.umphfleet@unitypoint.org with your name and date and time of cancelled appointment. You will need to re-register online for a new appointment. Changes can be made up to 48 hours prior to the screen time.

Signed up but don’t remember your date/time? Look at your received or deleted emails for an email confirmation sent to you by unitypointhealth.desmoines@gmail.com with the subject: Health Screen Confirmation.

If you’ve already completed your biometrics screening, don’t forget to take the online wellness assessment via myWellmark by Dec. 4.

Visit the Wellness Incentive Program site to learn more about the wellness incentive, your options, and for a FAQ document. Questions may be directed to Dianna Lei-Butters at diana.lei-butters@drake.edu or 271-1871.

—Submitted by Cindy Adams, Associate Director, Human Resources

Campus-wide benefits meeting tomorrow

“A Report to Faculty and Staff: The Status of the Drake Medical and Dental Plans.”
Oct. 27
10 a.m.
Olmsted Center, Room 310

Drake benefit consultant, Mark J. Becker, will provide a history of Drake’s philosophy and approach to employee benefits, a comparison of current Drake benefits to benchmark data, and address the positioning of Drake’s plans for the future.

Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield will also provide a brief overview of the transition to CVS/Caremark. If you can’t make this meeting, two more presentations are scheduled:

Nov. 6
1 p.m.
Room 301, Olmsted Center

Nov. 11
3 p.m.
Drake Room, Olmsted Center

Also mark your calendar for the Annual Benefits Fair:
Nov. 6
8:30–11:30 a.m.
Parent’s Hall, Olmsted Center

—Submitted by Marlene Heuertz, Assistant Director, Benefits

Sidewalk closure

While a new roof is installed on the Bell Center gym, the sidewalk at the corner of 27th Street and Clark Street (next to the north side of the Bell Center) to the north entrance of The Knapp Center will be closed during business hours starting today, Oct. 26. The sidewalk will be closed each morning at approximately 7 a.m. and re-open at about 5 p.m. This project will take approximately three weeks depending on the weather. Please use the sidewalk on the north side of Clark Street.

—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations and Support Services