News

• The RMU virtual Commencement Ceremony will be broadcast at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 9, via Facebook at facebook.com/rmupgh and also at rmu.edu/commencement. The event will honor bachelor's, master's, and doctoral graduates, and feature a message from 1972 RMU graduate Brenda Lauderback, chair of the Board of Directors for Denny's Inc. An in-person ceremony will take place in the fall, at a date that is still to be determined. 

• A video presentation by Monica VanDieren, university professor of mathematics, titled “Innovation in Multivariable Calculus Learning with CalcPlot3D,” will be included in the 2020 STEM for All Video Showcase from May 5-11. The video describes how the applet improves student understanding of mathematical concepts in three-dimensional space. Media arts professor Leslie Koren produced the video for the online event, which has over 170 entries and is funded by the National Science Foundation.

• Three students have been selected for the Undergraduate Summer Research Academy 2020 cohort. Marketing major Josh Troini will work with Prasad Vemala, associate professor of management. Applied mathematics major Allison Ball will work alongside Elizabeth Stork, professor of organizational leadership. Software engineering major Ryley Danielson will work with Sushil Acharya, professor of software engineering and associate provost for research, global initiatives, and development.

• President Howard published a chapter, written before the pandemic, in the President to President thought leadership series, which is published each year by college and university presidents for their peers. The article focuses on RMU's strategy to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with corporations and other employers in the Pittsburgh region. You can read it at https://president2president.com/library/2019-2020_ch10. The site requires an account so you can also read the article at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AWShT3BIQNLv0DXLXVl0enPkLJTLr_8_/view?usp=sharing.

• Catch up with retired RMU professor Jim Vincent and alumna Taylor Borelli by rewatching the second episode of Keeping Up With The Colonials. On the weekly web show Alan Buehler and Mitch Kramer will sit down with two RMU guests - from students, professors, alumni, and other RMU members - to have a fun, lighthearted conversation while updating viewers with what's going on at Robert Morris University. Tune in every Wednesday at 8:20-8:50 p.m. at rmu.edu/colonials. (Please note that link will not be live until the event begins.)

• Athletic Director Chris King has an article published in AthleticDirectorU, a website whose goal is to empower the college athletics community. His article titled "Trial By Fire: Lessons in Crisis Management" walks through five leadership tenets he has learned and relied on during the Covid-19 crisis.
   
• Maria Kalevitch, dean of the School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science, finished her semester long work with Carnegie Mellon University's Engineering and Public Policy capstone experience. As an expert in additive manufacturing, she served on the advisory panel for CMU courses on engineering and policy related to 3D printing and the Allegheny County Airport Authority's Neighborhood 91 initiative.