Swedish shot putter hopes to carry momentum to NCAA, World Championships
Axelina Johansson was supposed to end up in an entirely different Midwest town. But now, over 4,500 miles and an ocean away from home, the Swedish shot putter is prospering, and she plans to stick around for a few years. First, she has an NCAA medal to chase in a matter of days.
March 8 Dish It Up to explore Solidarity with Ukraine
The Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services, in collaboration with the International Student and Scholar Office, will host a special edition of Dish It Up to discuss "In Solidarity with Ukraine," from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 8. The event will be offered via Zoom.
Nebraska tennis player prepares for successful campaign after championship
Nebraska sophomore tennis player Kristina Novak had a very successful 2021 season, making First-Team All-Big Ten and competing as Nebraska's No. 1 for both singles and doubles. In the offseason, she added to her list of accomplishments, winning the 2021 Slovenian National Championship in her home country in December. Novak, seeded fifth in the tournament, took down the top three seeds in her final three rounds to take home the country's crown.
Tea Time Friday offers Huskers chance to relax, enjoy Japanese culture
Whatever your choice of tea, the Kawasaki Reading Room welcomes everyone to try new flavors and connect to Japanese culture as part of its weekly Tea Time Friday program. Every Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Huskers can pick up a flavored tea and a snack outside the doors of the reading room, which is located on the third floor of the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. Members of the campus community have the option to stop by quickly to grab their tea, or stay longer and explore the reading room's quiet study space, craft workshops or more than 7,000 books on Japanese culture, history and language.
Peace Corps Prep helping students ready for global careers
Nine undergraduate students have joined the inaugural cohort of the Peace Corps Prep program this semester at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In addition to offering targeted coursework and hands-on experiences, the program helps students build the competencies needed to serve as Peace Corps volunteers and in other international development fields.
Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a special certificate from the Peace Corps. Though completion of PC Prep does not guarantee acceptance as a Peace Corps volunteer, it gives applicants a competitive edge in addition to professional leadership and intercultural skills. For junior Katie Schmitz, the program is a critical step on her way to achieving her goal of serving in the Peace Corps after graduation.
Husker researcher plays key role in Amazon basin project
Since 2018, Husker researcher Steven Thomas has been part of an international research team with an ambitious goal: Harness artificial intelligence and other tools to understand how strategic planning can reduce the impact of hydropower development on the entire Amazon River basin. This was no small task as the Amazon basin encompasses approximately 2.4 million square miles — more than a third of South America and slightly greater than 31 Cornhusker States. Currently, more than 350 sites have been identified as potential hydroelectric dam locations throughout the basin.
Nebraska Sandhills rated as world’s most intact prairie
To speak with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Dirac Twidwell is to hear the sentiment emerge as a sort of mantra. The reasons preceding the statement, and behind the sentiment, are legion. Protecting signature species from extinction. Maintaining the quality of air and aquifers. Mitigating wildfires and floods. Preserving cultures and livelihoods that echo across generations. It's for those reasons that the associate professor of agronomy and horticulture has spent years researching and combating the decline of grasslands, especially the one just a few hundred miles to his northwest: the Nebraska Sandhills.
Institute for Ethnic Studies celebrating 50 years
In 1972, the Institute for Ethnic Studies was founded to educate students about issues that were so urgent and pressing then — and remain so today. Over the next five decades, the Institute for Ethnic Studies became an interdisciplinary academic unit that offers a major, five minors, and graduate specializations at the master's and doctoral levels. Instructors in ethnic studies have won university awards for excellence in teaching, and many are nationally and internationally known for their scholarship and creative work on racial justice.
Kenyan-born student touches hearts and minds with her artwork
Painting is an art form that has historically been capable of profound emotional depth despite its limited physical dimensions. As such, it can be daunting for an aspiring artist to take the next step of showcasing their artwork. For Rose Onyango, her desire to express herself has been a driving factor in sharing her art with the world. Onyango is a fourth-year political science and global studies double major from Kenya. Growing up in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, she started drawing with limited supplies, creating sketches from graphite and charcoal. Now she paints with brushes and buckets, conceiving full-colored illustrations, some of which are on display in the College of Business.
Peace Corps Week begins Feb. 28
From Feb. 28 to March 4, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will celebrate Peace Corps Week with a series of information sessions for students to learn more about the Peace Corps. In addition to events planned by the agency, Nebraska students can participate in the celebrations on campus with multiple opportunities to learn about becoming a Peace Corps volunteer and applying to the university’s Peace Corps Prep program.