Severe Weather Awareness Week Testing Today

This week has been designated as Severe Weather Awareness Week for the state of Nebraska. Today, March 21, the National Weather Service will issue a test broadcast sometime after 10 a.m. Sirens will sound city-wide and UNO will also make a test announcement at that time on the overhead paging system. Notifications to e2Campus cell phone subscribers will not be made.

Faculty and staff are not expected to move to their designated shelter areas, but everyone is encouraged to review shelter locations on campus. This information can be found in the UNO telephone directory on page 99.

Also, if you are not signed up for E2Campus you can still do so at: http://www.e2campus.com/my/unomaha. The process is simple and provides you with timely information regarding emergencies impacting campus activities. For more information on the drills, contact Stan Schleifer at 402.554.3596.

NU Technology Day 2012 Conference Today

NU Technology Day 2012 is today, March 21, at the Nebraska East Union, for all University of Nebraska faculty and staff.

This year's NU Technology Day will feature speakers on a wide range of topics. The opening keynote address, "The Move to Services: Transforming IT at R1's to Meet Growing Demand," will be presented by Associate Vice Chancellor and CIO at the University of California—Berkley, Shelton Waggener.

During the lunch session, UNL's Dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, Gary Kebbel, will present, "Using Mobile and Social Media to Reach New Audiences." The Executive Director of Nebraska Innovation Campus, Daniel Duncan, will present "Building Strategic Partnerships: A New Approach."

For today's full schedule of sessions, visit http://unit.nebraska.edu/nutechday.

Criss Library Spring Break Schedule

Criss Library hours for the week of Spring Break are:

* Today through Thursday, March 21-22:  7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
* Friday, March 23:  7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Saturday, March 24:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Sunday, March 25:  Noon to Midnight

Regular library hours resume at 7 a.m. on Monday, March 26.  For a complete schedule of library hours, visit http://library.unomaha.edu/information/hours.php.

Notre Dame Professor to Present at March 29 Kirwin Lecture

Catherine Zuckert, Nancy Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, will present UNO's Kent A. Kirwan Lecture in the History of Political Philosophy on Thursday, March 29. Her lecture, "Why Study Plato," will take place at the Thompson Alumni Center Hospitality Room at 7:30 p.m.

Zuckert currently serves as the editor-in-chief of The Review of Politics.  In 2009 her book on Plato's Philosophers: The Coherence of The Dialogues (University of Chicago Press) received the R.R. Hawkins Award for the Best Scholarly and Professional Book, along with the PROSE Awards for Philosophy and Excellence in the Humanities from the Association of American Publishers, and was named an Outstanding Academic Title by CHOICE.  She has received several grants from  the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the Bradley and Earhart Foundations. Most recently she has been awarded an Earhart Fellowship to write a book-length study of Machiavelli. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, has been listed in several editions of Who's Who in America, and was selected as a member of the Templeton Honor Role in 1998.

The Kirwan lecture is named after Kent Kirwan, a UNO emeritus professor of political science, who remains active on campus and in the community.

For more information, contact Carson Holloway at cholloway@unomaha.edu.

11th Annual UNO Poker Run/Walk Next Friday

Campus Recreation and Mav-Rec Wellness will host the 11th annual Poker Run/Walk Friday, March 30. The start time is noon in front of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building.

All interested faculty, staff and students can participate in this free event. Registration is free and available prior to the event starting at 11:45 a.m. outside HPER.

The two-mile course will cover the UNO campus. At specific sites throughout the course, each contestant will receive a playing card. At the end of the course, all poker hands will be shown, and the person with the best hand will be the winner. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.

Watch eNotes for possible rain date announcements.

Questions? Contact Whitney Prenzlow at wprenzlow@unomaha.edu/402.554.3185 or Dave Daniels at daviddaniels@unomaha.edu/402.554.2008.

Guest Speaker to Lecture on Using the Internet and Social Media to Teach

The UNO Mathematics Department and the Haddix Initiative invite faculty, staff and students to a workshop presented by Maria Andersen on Friday, March 30. Andersen is the Learning Futurist for the LIFT Institute and a math professor at Muskegon Community College (MCC). 

The workshop is divided into three sessions.  Participants may attend any or all of the sessions. 

Session 1: 402 Roskens Hall
* Future of higher education - 9 to 10:30 a.m.
* Social media and higher education - 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.
* Lunch - 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
* Change the classroom, change the learning - 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.

Session 2: 402 Roskens Hall
* Using the Internet to spice up your math class - 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.
* Wolfram Alpha workshop - 2:15 to 3:15 p.m.

Session 3: Thompson Alumni Center
* Playing games to learn math - 4 to 6 p.m.

Andersen writes the "Teaching with Tech" column for MAA Focus, is the director of the MCC Math & Technology Workshop, the author of Activities for Algebra, the past-president of MichMATYC, and the professional development coordinator for AMATYC. Lately she has been spending a lot of time building video games for learning algebra and musing about the future of higher education. You can also find Maria blogging at http://TeachingCollegeMath.com or sharing on Twitter at @busynessgirl.

For more information, contact Margaret Mainelli at 402.554.3430 or go to http://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwmath.

Annual UNO Service Awards Recipients Announced

The 2012 UNO Service Awards luncheon will be Tuesday, May 1, in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom at 11:30 a.m. The list of honorees follows at http://www.unomaha.edu/enotes/2012/img/serviceawards0320.pdf. For corrections, please notify Human Resources, 402.554.2321.

UNO Benefits & Wellness Fair Next Week

On Tuesday, March 27, faculty, staff, retirees and students are invited to attend UNO's 2012 Benefits & Wellness Fair. It will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Nebraska Room. 

New this year, Medicare expert Howard Johnson and EyeMed preferred provider Eye Consultants will be on hand. Eye Consultants will offer free glaucoma and pressure testing, nose pad replacement, cleaning and deep cleaning of glasses and information on cataracts, dry eye and Lasik procedures.

As always, this year's Fair will feature vendors like Blue Cross, Blue Shield, EyeMed, TIAA-CREF, Fidelity and others. A Fair favorite, free Chair Massages will take place from 10 a.m. to noon (with a sign-up sheet available starting at 9 a.m.)

Refreshments will be served and other campus services like FEAP, Mav-Rec Wellness and Student Health Services (with information on their new on-campus clinic) will be present.  Also returning again this year is Karisa Jansen, a HyVee dietitian. She will be available to answer questions and provide information on nutrition and wellness resources. 

For more information, contact Tim Rochford at 402.554.2465.

World Civilizations Film Series Continues with 'Sweet Mud'

The History Department is again sponsoring its international film series during the spring semester.  Each film is hosted by a History Department faculty member, and each will begin with an explanation of the film's setting, and will be followed by an audience discussion.  Please bring your own snacks and join faculty at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon, March 30, for "Sweet Mud," hosted by Moshe Gershovich. 

Although filmed in 2006, "Sweet Mud" is set on a 1970s Israeli Kibbutz. Dvir Avni, 13, struggles with balancing the values established by his home Kibbutz and protecting his emotionally unstable mother, whom the Kibbutz members attempt to disgrace when she develops a relationship with a man from outside the Kibbutz.

For more information, visit the History Department website or contact Jo Behrens at 402.554.2584.

Green Tip of the Week

Air Filters
Remember to change your air filters once a month at home (or every three months -- if using a three month filter). Using clean air filters help heating and air conditioning units use less energy.

The GreenUNO Task Force provides these tips and event reminders. For more information, visit http://www.unomaha.edu/green/.