Since early March, Black lives have been at the forefront of many Rochester minds, grappling with the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and most recently, one of their own community members, Daniel Prude. These events, and subsequent demonstrations and protests held across the country, have been catalysts for new conversation on and examination of the Black experience.
No one was 100 percent ready for the pandemic. Everyone went into this at different levels of preparedness for different aspects of their lives. Professionally, educators are among those who have had to adjust the most. Unless an instructor was already solely teaching online, COVID-19 has required a lot of rethinking, extra work, and in many cases, creativity.
As the nation mourns the loss of iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it is also celebrating her life and what she did with it. The second-ever woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg was a feminist warrior.
Andrew White, assistant professor in the chemical engineering department, and April Luehmann, associate professor and director of secondary science education, at the Warner School of Education, are collaborating on research that explores how AR can enhance the way students learn about engineering. Studio X, the University's hub for extended reality, will provide a much-needed space where educators can develop new approaches to increase student learning and engagement.
A recent survey conducted by College Board found that last year, the average full-time undergraduate student, studying on-campus at a four-year school spent around $1,200 on textbooks and supplies. And there are indications they will need to spend more in the future.
One of the most devastating aspects of COVID-19 is its ubiquity. Everyone who is not battling the virus itself is living in its shadow. That omnipresent threat has wreaked havoc on almost every aspect of everyday life.
When the pandemic took root in cities across the country, many businesses, having no alternatives, were forced to put up “CLOSED” signs. Around the same time, some River Campus Libraries (RCL) librarians would have liked to mount a jumbo-sized neon sign at the top of Rush Rhees Library’s tower that said “OPEN.” And it wouldn’t have been to indicate that the libraries were virtually open; it would have been a call to action.
The University of Rochester is committed to nurturing and maintaining an equitable and inclusive learning environment at all times, under all circumstances. Textbooks represent a key area where the University can make strides toward this core objective.
Masked, armed with sanitizer, and prepared to tell students, faculty, and staff to maintain a six-foot distance, the University of Rochester is coming out of isolation. As of this writing, Rochester’s undergraduate students will begin the fall 2020 semester on Aug 24. However, not all students will be returning to campus.
Since 2004, Oxford Languages has chosen a “Word of the Year,” which reflects the “ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year.” The “winning” word is also likely to have lasting cultural significance. If the River Campus Libraries (RCL) had to choose a word for 2020 based on that criteria, some would nominate “de-densification.”
