[The following was provided by the Office of Public Relations.]

The School of Medicine Dean’s Office has announced the appointment of Julie Banderas, Pharm.D., as assistant dean for Graduate Studies and Allied Health.

A tenured professor in the department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Banderas has served as assistant dean for Graduate Studies since 2010. She has been actively involved in developing the School’s initial graduate programs and the corresponding operating procedures and administrative structures.

A member of the UMKC Graduate Council and Graduate Officers Committee, Banderas assumes the administrative duties as assistant dean of Allied Health Programs, which include the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program and the Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant Program that was recently approved the University of Missouri Board of Curators in April.

Banderas has taught clinical pharmacology at the School of Medicine for 18 years and also teaches courses in Responsible Conduct of Research for the School of Graduate Studies.

[The following was provided by the UM System Office of Strategic Communications.]

Tim Wolfe tweeting @UMPrez

University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe has joined Twitter as way to increase conversations about the importance of public higher education and the breadth and reach of the University of Missouri System.

Wolfe sent his first tweet on Friday, May 11 in honor of the May graduation ceremonies being held throughout the four campus system: “Congratulations to all of our spring graduates! Welcome to the @umsystem family: @MissouriSandT @Mizzou @umsl @UMKansasCity.”

Twitter members can follow Wolfe on Twitter at @UMPrez. Other campus and system Twitter handles include:

• @umsystem
• @umcurators
• @UMKansasCity
• @MissouriSandT
• @Mizzou
• @umsl

Lisen Tammeus, assistant vice chancellor in Advancement, accepted the award for ACR

[The following was provided by the Office of Public Relations.]

The UMKC Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations was recently presented the Outstanding Staff Award by the LGBTQIA office. They were collectively recognized at the LGBTQIA Lavender Graduates Recognition & Awards.

ACR received the recognition for its efforts in challenging oppressive policies and in helping to create a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA students, faculty, staff and the community.

[The following was provided by the Students in Free Enterprise.]

The UMKC Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team was named Regional Champion at the Chicago Regional Competitions in April and will compete in the National Competitions on May 22, 23 and 24 in Kansas City.

This interdisciplinary team also received the Club 44 Award, which recognized that UMKC SIFE is one of the largest teams in the U.S. for the second year in a row.

In addition, the team received the 4.0 Club Award. This award is a result of an intensive evaluation on numerous topics, including team accomplishment, the number of successful projects completed, impact in the community, the recognition received from the community and the support that the team receives from its faculty and administration. Previously, the team’s scores averaged 3.5. The 4.0 award places the team in the top 4 percent of teams in the U.S.

The award highlight came at the Sam Walton Fellow Luncheon when - for the first time - UMKC received the 2012 All Star Team Award. Only one team in each of the eleven Regional Competitions received this award, and this means that our team was recognized as the Top Team at the 2012 Regional Competition, competing with schools such as Notre Dame, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Loyola Chicago and the University of Illinois-Champagne Urbana.

[The following was provided by the Office of Public Relations.]

On any clear Friday evening - beginning at 8:15 p.m. - you are invited to join members of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City to gaze at the heavens. The Warkoczewski Public Observatory - just call it the Warko - is on the roof of UMKC’s Royall Hall, on the northwest corner of Rockhill Road and 52 Street and is free and open to the public. 

Come take a closer look at the moon, neighboring planets, bright star clusters and nebulae. The main telescope is a custom-designed, 16″ Newtonian reflector operated by the Astronomical Society for the university. The rooftop is accessible by way of a stairway inside the double doors on the east side of Royall Hall. Free parking is in the Rockhill Parking garage across the street to the south.

[The following was provided by the College of Arts and Sciences.]

Shona Kelly Wray, Ph.D., UMKC associate professor of history, passed away suddenly on May 6 in Florence, Italy.

Kelly Wray was a brilliant scholar-teacher, beloved by her colleagues and students. A student of medieval and Renaissance Italy, medieval feminist scholarship, medical history and more, she was one of the brightest lights of her generation. Kelly Wray had received two of the most prestigious honors in her field - the Rome Prize and a Harvard I Tatti Fellowship and spent the 2011-2012 academic year researching what promised to be a ground-breaking social history of the lives of medieval University of Bologna faculty families.

The campus Counseling Center services are available to anyone. Walk-in services are available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each day or call 816-235-1219 for an appointment.

[The following was provided by the Office of Public Relations.]

The Women of Color Leadership Conference - “Recognizing Our Strengths: Constructing Our Reality” - provides empowerment opportunities for women and high school girls of color, promoting equity education and professional development.

On Thursday, May 10, the High School Connection begins 8:15 a.m. Poet Mayda del Valle - 2011 National Poetry Slam Individual Champion - will give the keynote address at 12:45 p.m. Approximately 400 girls are expected to attend the event. del Valle also will address the conference attendees at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, May 11. For additional details about the H.S. Connection, visit here.

On Friday, May 11, the Women of Color Leadership Conference, is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Registration and vendor showcase begins at 8, and workshops begin at 9:25 a.m.

Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, professor of law at UCLA and Columbia Law Schools and leading authority on civil rights, will speak at 6 p.m. Williams Crenshaw also is an expert on black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law. Her articles have appeared in the Harvard Law Review, National Black Law Journal and Southern California Law Review. A specialist on race and gender equality, she has facilitated workshops for human rights activities in Brazil and India and for constitutional court judges in South Africa.

Erika Rameriz will give the lunchtime lecture at 1:15 p.m. Rameriz is the diversity and inclusion coordinator and human resources manager for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City where she works to coordinate efforts that support the Bank’s diversity strategy.

The events are free and open to the public; however, registration is required. Both events will be held in the Student Union, 5100 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo. For a schedule of conference events, view WOC.

Milton Fowler, M.D., Bloch Exec. MBA student and Chief of Staff, Children's Mercy, explains EasyStrep to judges

[The following was provided by the Henry W. Bloch School of Management.]

The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation held its eighth annual Regnier Family Foundations/Bank of Blue Valley Venture Creation Challenge on April 28 and selected 15 winners out of 65 participating teams. More than 100 judges from the business community participated in the selection.

EasyStrep is a liquid compound - in spray or child-friendly ice pop - that provides a pain-free, one-step way of testing for strep that will replace the current two-step method. Team members: Greg Farmer, Milton Fowler, Damon Bryant and Clara Maingi

Alpha 1 Biologics LLC - The CD4 QTest, using patented technology, is a low-cost, saliva-based, rapid diagnostic test for screening CD4 counts in HIV/AIDS patients, promptly identifying those eligible for anti-retroviral therapy. Team members: Matt Heimann, Rita Cortes, Lara Ogle and Tim Schallert.

The Housing Hawk - an online database of apartments and homes that connects college students to the off-campus housing options in their area. Team members: Sally Burns

FolioBoy - a free public platform for students and professionals to post their school projects and achievements in order to be seen and heard by the employers worldwide. Team member: Evan J. Kirsch

BHB Insurance Services LLC - the Innocent Spouse and Family Protection Plan, P2, is a unique and patented product designed to bridge the coverage gap that exposes a police officer’s family assets from a punitive damage judgment. Team members: Larry Hunter-Blank and Cary Barr.

Awards with High Distinction

Robotic Archival Retrieval System is for laboratory personnel, allowing them to control a robotic mechanism via interface software.

NStox is a web-based data management and decision support software mainly serving small to mid-sized retailers. 

RippnFish.com is the brand name for Outdoors-E LLC, a web application that connects fishing enthusiasts with their perfect sport fishing adventure.

MobiBox - Mobi LLC is dedicated to providing the fast-paced mobile society with an ability to play home gaming consoles anywhere.

Fine Foods of America is a food manufacturer focusing on high quality, epicurean tomato-based condiments.

Awards with Distinction

PharXm Natural Supplements is an online start-up venture that uses natural supplements and provide a top quality nutritional supplement to patients with complex disease states such as diabetes. 

Allergen Eater™ is a line of portable, filtration purifying and containment systems designed for cars that trap, purify and cleanse the air in an efficient self-sustaining manner. 

Amenergia Solar Power Systems is cost-effective solar power systems that increase the value of a customer’s property and immediately reduce monthly expenses.

Smart Device Safety Solutions reduces distracted driving by selectively blocking incoming calls and text messages to a designated phone while the vehicle is on.

The Community creates a loyalty system that stores and handles customer transactions and analysis to assist in better business decisions for local food and drink establishments while creating stronger relationships with their community.

Best Prototype

Magnetic RAV won best prototype for an innovative magnetic potholder.

For details regarding winners, visit VCC.

Left to right: Lola Oduyeru, A&S Dean Wayne Vaught, Emalea Black

[The following was provided by the College of Arts and Sciences.]

The UMKC Truman Center is sending two UMKC undergraduate interns to work for a month in Congressional offices - all expenses paid under its Bootstrap Internship Program. The program honors Harry Truman’s life-long commitment to encourage the civic education and engagement of young men and women.

The two Bootstrap Award recipients are Emalea Black and Lola Oduyeru. Black, a political science major with a minor in Classics, will work in the office of Representative Jo Ann Emerson, Republican, Missouri 8^th District. Oduyeru, a political science major with a minor in economics, will work in the office of Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II, Democrat, Missouri 5^th District. In the last four years, the Truman Center has sent six interns to spend part or all of their summers in D. C.

The interns are competitively chosen by an UMKC alumni advisory committee, made up of alumni who have been Congressional interns, internship coordinators or otherwise active in civic engagement efforts in the KC area.

The internship carries academic credit based on the successful completion of a reading and writing project mentored and monitored by Professor Beth Miller, political science department. For more on the duties of interns and how they have reacted to their experiences, visit Interns.   

[The following was provided by the Human Resources department.]

An all employee UMKC Roo Walk will take place on Tuesday, May 22 at noon - on both the Volker and Hospital Hill campuses. On the Volker campus, the walk will begin in the greenspace south of the University Center. At the Hospital Hill campus, it will begin in the area between the School of Medicine and the Health Sciences Building.

The walk is approximately one mile. The pre-walk rally begins promptly at noon and a small gathering will be held at the conclusion of the walk. The goal of the Roo Walk is to allow participants to get away from their daily routine for a brief time, connect with other UMKC employees, get “freebies” and snacks and - most importantly - do something good for our health.

Registration is not required, but it is encouraged. The first 75 to register and participate will receive a Roo Walk t-shirt. Additional information can be found on the UMKC HR homepage.

The walk is sponsored by UMKC Human Resources with the support of the UM Healthy for Life Wellness program.