University of Nebraska System Board of Regents Tour UNO Campus

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents visited the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) on Thursday, April 6, touring several locations across Scott and Dodge campuses and experiencing the cutting-edge research and innovation taking place at UNO.

That experience with UNO’s innovation began with a greeting in Mammel Hall’s Rod Rhoden Business Innovation Center by a pair of “Pepper” robots, which were programmed by students and faculty from UNO’s College of Information Science & Technology to offer cordial greetings and engage the regents in short conversations.

The group was then welcomed by College of Business Administration Dean Michelle Trawick, Ph.D. in the Jack & Stephanie Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavior Laboratory where they were guided through a VR experience in the lab and enjoyed a presentation from Director of Applied Research Operations and Administration, Debbie O’Malley.

Next on the tour, regents crossed the street to Maverick Landing, home to UNO’s National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center where they were greeted by Durango along with faculty, staff, and students from NCITE. There, NCITE Director Gina Ligon, Ph.D., and a group of student researchers shared how NCITE is predicting and mitigating future terrorist threats, while also helping the world understand how terror groups use social media to spread their messages.

The tour group then made its way to the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences’ (CEHHS) Biomechanics Research Building, where they were greeted by Dean Nancy Edick, Ed.D., and researchers Adam Rosen, Ph.D., Brian Knarr, Ph.D., Danielle Gochenour, Tyler Hamer, Tomohiro Ide, and others. In a demo of the Pitching Lab, the technology tracked and measured the performance of former UNO baseball player Mark Timmins, who threw pitches that were analyzed in real-time.

Next, the regents crossed Dodge Campus to the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS), where Dean John Bartle, Ph.D., welcomed them and gave an overview of the outstanding work being done by Scott Vlasek, director of UNO’s Aviation Institute, to implement pipeline programs bridging middle school with hands-on learning and experience, and pivotal collaborations that help workforce development efforts to close the leaky aviation pipeline, such as the key partnership programs recently signed with Southwest and United Airlines.

President Ted Carter and the regents were then given the chance to see the Aviation Institute’s Advanced Simulation Facility where they were able to experience UNO’s new flight simulator firsthand. A celebrated naval pilot, President Carter experienced the tactile, full replica cockpit, which he said, “Felt great, just like the real thing.”

Waiting for the tour was Derrick Fox, DMA, and the UNO Choir, who performed two songs for the assembly, “Ukholo Lwami” by Thabo Matshego and “Alleluia” by Elaine Hagenberg. Fox and his students recently performed at Carnegie Hall, a pivotal and defining experience in the world of performance music.

In the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (CEC), the group was greeted by Chief Engagement Officer Sara Woods. They enjoyed lunch and heard presentations from faculty, staff, and student experiences in UNO’s experiential learning and engaged partnerships that ensure the university meets the needs of its partners across the state.

The day ultimately concluded with dinner at Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center, where they enjoyed music from UNO students and violinists, Steven Pruss and Emiliano Carrera-Ybanez.