Sandin shines as ‘living embodiment of every person and interaction matters’
Mikki Sandin's passion to help others is a beacon helping guide student success — particularly for international Huskers — in the College of Business and across the institution. Sandin, who has served for three years in the college (six total on campus), is the international business and inclusion coordinator for Nebraska Business. Her work includes working with the college's international team to offer meaningful interactions abroad, forging intercultural connections on campus and supporting experiential learning and internships.
Local Rwandan band draws from global influences, discovers friendship
In February 2020, six Kigali, Rwanda-born integrated science majors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln came together to compose a musical performance for the annual Rwandan Night campus event celebrating the nation's culture. Little did they know just how drastically one night could alter their trajectories. Drawing from various musical disciplines and a variety of individual talents, the band now known as Live Lyve is comprised of lead singer Esther Uwamahoro, keyboardist, producer and backup vocalist Japhet Ingeri and multi-instrumentalist and music director Benoit "The Music Machine" Kayigamba.
Spring break trip offers hands-on sports medicine, nutrition lessons
From the grounds of the ancient Olympics to modern-day metabolic testing, 12 Huskers spent spring break in Greece, immersed in the history and application of nutrition and sports medicine. Led by Georgia Jones and Dennis Perkey, faculty in Nutrition and Health Sciences, the students spent six days in Athens and Olympia touring ancient and modern Olympic stadiums, learning from top-of-the-line practitioners, and applying their studies through cooking classes and metabolic testing. Students learned the importance of understanding the historical and cultural backgrounds of their fields while embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Global Glam fashion show exhibits student designs, brings community together
Wide-eyed fashion design students and international student models, all from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, stare down from the banister at the temporary catwalk stationed in the center of the Wick Alumni Center. It was 7 p.m. on Saturday and Global Glam: An Evening of Fashion, Diversity and Community was just getting started. Natalie Baskin, international student success navigator at UNL and Global Glam coordinator, stood at the corner of the room. She explained that the main idea of the event was to give every type of student a space to comfortably express themselves and their various fashion tastes.
World Food Prize program fosters discussion among Nebraska youth on food security, disasters and world events
The youth – Nebraska high school students -- began by ranking natural disasters. Which worried them most? Hurricane, fire, flood, earthquake, tsunami or drought? Then they explored the billions of dollars and losses of life associated with different disasters over time and around the world. As it turns out, when epidemics are added to the picture, deaths from the Covid pandemic dwarfed the others. The disaster talk, led by Michael J. Hayes, a climatologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources and former director of the National Drought Mitigation Center, was one of several choices available to 40 young scholars. The students converged on UNL's East Campus March 7 to present papers and talk with experts, part of the World Food Prize Foundation's Nebraska Youth Institute.
Krutak-Bickert crucial to Global Integrative Studies’ success
Nebraska's Kat Krutak-Bickert has played a critical role in helping the School of Global Integrative Studies land on its feet and move forward as it works to prepare Huskers for future careers in anthropology, geography and global studies. Krutak-Bickert is the school's first coordinator — a post she's held since shifting from the School of Natural Resources in 2018. Her job is focused on supporting faculty, instructors and students in the school.
Abayo to study Africa’s role in global affairs through Carnegie fellowship
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Aline Abayo has been awarded a full-time research internship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Abayo is a senior integrated sciences major, with a concentration in agricultural economics, from Kigali, Rwanda. She is a member of the University Honors Program and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources' Undergraduate Scholars Program, a unique exchange program that has supported Rwandan students in studying priority topics identified by the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources.
Ukrainian student coping with ‘unimaginable’ reality
Mykhailo “Michael” Ivashchenko hasn’t slept much since Feb. 24, when Russia began an invasion of his home country, Ukraine. He’s spent hours communicating with friends and family back home while also trying to be of help, even though he is thousands of miles away pursuing a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. As a Fulbright student, he is part of a network of Ukrainians here in Lincoln and the United States, and a group of them have banded together to raise money for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Grassini is partner in project to optimize crop placement in sub-Saharan Africa
Patricio Grassini, associate professor of agronomy and horticulture, is a partner in a project led by Regrow Ag called Niche that aims to optimize crop variety placement in sub-Saharan Africa. Niche was awarded a four-year, $5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is supported by NASA Harvest, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Africa-based nonprofit One Acre Fund.
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.