In Brief: Staff Council set to meet, College of Science Lecture Series begins, event spotlights health education tech, 'On Our Own Time' deadline approaches
(From left) Allan Hamilton, executive director of ASTEC, Kevin Moynahan, College of Medicine – Tucson vice dean for education, and Deana Ann Smith, healthcare simulation educator, work on a life-size virtual dissection table. A tour of the simulation lab will be part of the Feb. 14 SP Connect event.
The University of Arizona Staff Council meets via Zoom the last Tuesday of each month.
Compensation changes are on Staff Council's agenda this month
The University of Arizona Staff Council will hear about the updated University staff pay structure at its monthly meeting on Jan. 31 from 2-3:30 p.m.
Chante Martin, assistant vice president for human resources, and Leah Rodriguez, lead compensation analyst for the Division of Human Resources, will discuss the updated structure, which was announced in an email to campus from President Robert C. Robbins.
The agenda is available on the Staff Council website, and anyone can attend on Zoom.
The Staff Council was established in May 2021 when members of the Appointed Professionals Advisory Council and the Classified Staff Council voted to merge into one governing body. In June, the council elected a new leadership team, with Jeffrey Jones, information technology business analyst for University Information Technology Services, elected as chair. The Staff Council meets the last Tuesday of each month.
Anyone interested in serving a three-year term as a representative for their college or division can nominate themselves on the Staff Council website.
College of Science Lecture Series will focus on 'Myth Busting'
The 18th annual College of Science Lecture Series will explore how science can help shed light on some of the world's most held misconceptions. The free lecture series – which will have the theme of "Myth Busting" – will take on the topics of aging, smart technology, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The series offers four presentations between Feb. 1 and March 1 and will take place in person at Centennial Hall.
"This is a great way to bring together a large and really diverse audience to share in some of the university's current, cutting-edge research in a way that makes it accessible and understandable to the public," said Carmala Garzione, dean of the College of Science. "Science helps us solve fundamental problems and pursue really interesting opportunities, and our goal is to convey how science enables us to get closer to understanding.
The schedule is below.
- Feb. 1 – Precision Aging: Busting the one-size-fits-all myth | Lee Ryan, head of the Department of Psychology, associate director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute and director of the Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratory
- Feb. 8 – Are computers as smart as you think? | Eduardo Blanco, associate professor, Department of Computer Science
- Feb. 15 – Climate is always changing. So why is climate change a problem? | Jessica Tierney, professor, Department of Geosciences
- March 1 – Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Facts and Fallacies | Michael Worobey, professor and head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Learn how health care technology helps power the University's strategic plan
State-of-the-art technology that helps prepare the next generation of health professionals will be in the spotlight at the next event in a series designed to connect the campus community with collaborations and projects supported by the University's strategic plan.
At the Feb. 14 "SP Connect" event, students, faculty and staff can get an up-close look at the technology students use to practice for critical care scenarios, train for surgical procedures and review anatomy. The event will also highlight new sensor-based investigation and discovery, explore the specialized technology used in the health sciences education and research, and allow attendees to engage with investigators from multiple disciplines.
"UArizona Healthcare Technologies: Hands-On with ASTEC & SensorLab" will take place at the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center from 2-3:30 p.m. ASTEC is located on the seventh floor of the Health Sciences Innovation Building on the Health Sciences campus.
ASTEC, focusing on interprofessional education, is an initiative under the Wildcat Journey pillar of the strategic plan. The SensorLab, which held its grand opening in March 2022, is an initiative under the Grand Challenges pillar.
The event is co-hosted by ASTEC, SensorLab and the Office of Strategic Initiatives. Visit the event posting for more information and to register.
Register for 'On Our Own Time' by Jan. 27
You still have time to enter your painting, photo, sculpture or other artwork into the annual "On Our Own Time" employee art exhibit. University employees, retirees, volunteers and their immediate family members have until Jan. 27 to register.
The exhibit is coordinated by the University's Employee Recognition Committee and is sponsored by the National Arts Program, which provides materials and funding for awards.
If the exhibit has at least 100 entries, cash awards totaling $3,450 will be available. Judges will select a best in show award winner as well as winners in five categories: Professional, intermediate, amateur, teen (13-18 years old) and youth (12 and under).
The exhibition is returning to an all in-person format for 2023. It will be on display Feb. 6-18 in the lobby of the Bioscience Research Laboratories building, 1230 N. Cherry Ave.
If you need inspiration, check out this gallery of last year's winning entries.