To adapt his calculus class to remote teaching, the first thing Assistant Professor of Mathematics Enes Akbuga did was listen to his students. “I prepared an online survey to ask students their preferences on instruction type—whether instruction should be in a live session or prerecorded so students could watch it on their own time,” Akbuga...
Three students recognized by Fulbright program continuing a strong Drake tradition
Three Drake University students were recognized by the 2020–2021 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Two students were named finalists while a third will be an alternate in what is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. A finalist is an applicant who was approved by the host country and offered a Fulbright...
Incorporating COVID-19 into curriculum
This is the fifth in a series of stories on excellence and innovation in online teaching—despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. The coronavirus had a significant impact on Associate Professor Jerry Honts’ molecular biology class, and not just because the course moved online. COVID-19 is now a major part of the curriculum and the...
Design students collaborate remotely to design new tabletop games
This is the fourth in a series of stories on excellence and innovation in online teaching—despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Catan, Wingspan, Ticket to Ride, Concordia. These tabletop games and others have hit their stride recently as social distancing has compelled people to spend more time at home and away from friends. For...
Finding creative ways to maintain connections remotely
This is the second in a series of stories on excellence and innovation in online teaching—despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. When classes were forced to move online this spring, Mark Vitha, Windsor Professor of Chemistry, knew he had to find new, creative ways to engage and connect with students. Hence the creation of...
Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series to present playwright Kirsten Greenidge
Kirsten Greenidge, a playwright from Boston, will speak at Drake University on Monday, Feb.10, at 5:30 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room. She is the second featured speaker in the Drake English department’s annual Glaspell Writers & Critics Series. All events in the series are free and open to the public. An award-winning playwright,...
Drake’s Slay Fund for Social Justice to present political analyst and lecturer David Ayón
David Ayón, a senior strategist and advisor at Latino Decisions, will speak at Drake on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Meredith Hall, Room 101. The event, Worlds in Collision: Trump, Latinos and Immigration, is sponsored by the Slay Fund for Social Justice at Drake University. The event is free and open to the...
Keys to Excellence Presents Mattia Ometto
Italian pianist Mattia Ometto will present the upcoming concert of the 2019–2020 season for the Drake University Keys to Excellence Piano Series on Monday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. Admission is free. The performance will feature the following works by Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, Mario Pagotto, and Nikolai Medtner. Ometto will also...
Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series to present poet and educator Denice Frohman
Denice Frohman, a poet, performer, and educator from New York, will speak at Drake on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 5:30 p.m. in Cowles Library Reading Room. The event will kick off the Drake English department’s annual Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series. All events in the series are free and open to the public. Frohman...
Professors Gentry and Busch Receive $390,000 Grant from Merck
Dr. Brian Gentry and Dr. Marc Busch were awarded a multi-year $390,000 Merck Investigator Studies Program (MISP) grant to study letermovir, an antiviral drug used to treat infections that occur in patients with compromised immune systems. The Drake researchers will be studying the disruption that letermovir causes on the virus that causes life-threatening infections....