The University of Toledo President Sharon L. Gaber and College of Graduate Studies Dean Amanda Bryant-Friedrich are being recognized by the YWCA of Northwest Ohio for their leadership and empowerment of women.

The YWCA announced on Dec. 4 that Gaber has been named the recipient of the 2020 Milestone Award for education and Bryant-Friedrich is the recipient for science.

The UToledo leaders will be recognized at the 25th Annual Milestone Awards scheduled to take place Thursday, March 12, at 11:30 a.m. at the Seagate Center in downtown Toledo.

The Milestones Awards Luncheon was established in 1996 to recognize women of northwest Ohio who have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and who, through their efforts and accomplishments, have opened doors for other women to achieve their potential. The awards recognize women for their contributions in the arts, business, education, government, sciences, social services and volunteerism.

Some four-legged special guests will be on campus for a K9 therapy event Friday, Dec. 6, at The University of Toledo.

Hosted by the Human Interaction and Health and Wellness class in partnership with officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the event will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Health and Human Services Building Room 1711.

Officers will be drive from Columbus, Ohio, with their therapy dogs for the event.

“Through having the officers and their K9 therapy dogs visit The University of Toledo and share about their work, we hope to raise awareness on how therapy dogs in police settings can benefit both individuals and communities,” said Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach, associate professor of social work.

Officers with Franklin’s Therapy K9 Unit will discuss the history of therapy dogs in law enforcement, and the daily work that primarily revolves around children with a focus on trauma, mental health and victim’s advocacy.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department started the first law enforcement K9 therapy program in Ohio in 2017; at that time, the department was one of six agencies in the United States with such a program.

Therapy K9 dog programs in law enforcement settings typically focus on victim support and advocacy, as well as community-police relations.

“Individuals who experience a traumatic crime can receive comfort and support from the therapy dogs as they go through the various legal system processes,” Hoy-Gerlach said.

She added, “Communities may experience more positive police relations through the therapy dogs helping to facilitate positive engagement and interactions during community police work.”

For more information on the free, public event, contact Hoy-Gerlach at janet.hoy@utoledo.edu.

Designing smarter traffic lights. Restoring farmlands to wetlands. Printing 3D violins so students in low-income and remote areas have access to instruments.

These are just a few examples of projects UToledo engineering students will present to the public at the Senior Design Expo. The event will take place Friday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Nitschke Hall and the Brady Center at The University of Toledo.

As part of required senior design/capstone projects, about 60 UToledo engineering teams worked with local businesses, industries and federal agencies to help solve technical and business challenges. Students will present their final prototypes, provide hands-on demonstrations, and answer questions about their experiences at the expo.

Caroline Shipman’s five-member team worked on the violin project with the Toledo Symphony and music director Alain Trudel. The group developed and printed a 3D violin, composed of five parts. They wanted the violin to “be as easy to assemble as a Lego kit,” said Shipman, a mechanical engineering senior who will graduate in December.

Shipman has played violin for more than 15 years and says she was excited to combine her passions for STEM and music on the project. The 3D violin costs about $150, as opposed to a starter violin that usually costs $400.

“It was awesome to see it go from concept to holding a physical prototype in your hands,” she said. “To give access to a child who didn’t think they could play an instrument — who knows? One day they could become a concert master.”

Engineers are problem-solvers at heart. The challenges the UToledo students tried to solve with their senior projects could make life easier for manufacturers, homeowners, those with disabilities, and anyone who drives a car. Many of their projects address timely issues such as school security or environmental problems, along with a host of other topics that include:

• Helping the Toledo Zoo recycle grey water created by its splash pad;

• Designing goggles to aid in the remote diagnosis of strokes;

• Creating an immersive training tool to help users learn how to defend against cyber threats;

• Building a fishing rod that will allow a man with limited arm mobility pursue his passion; and

• Designing a speaker/microphone system for a woman with ALS to use near or under an oxygen mask so people can hear her better.

The expo also will feature a high school design competition from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Nitschke Auditorium.

Some UToledo and high school projects address autonomous vehicles. The vehicles have been a focus of a number of events sponsored by the College of Engineering throughout 2019. The final Technology Takes the Wheel program will be held in conjunction with the Senior Design Expo.

The seventh event in the seminar series will take place Friday, Dec. 6, from 8 to 10 a.m. in Nitschke Auditorium. The “Preparing Your Workforce for the Future” panel discussion will be moderated by WTVG reporter Lissa Guyton and feature representatives from AAA, SSOE Group and Sinclair Community College. A Tesla will be the featured on-stage vehicle, and attendees will hear from Dr. Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, and Rich Granger, managing director of workforce development for DriveOhio.

Attendees are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys for the annual Hope for the Holidays campaign. UToledo is partnering with 13abc Action News and the Salvation Army. Rocky and Rocksy will be there to collect donations.

The University of Toledo Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of its director, Dr. Matthew Forte, assistant professor of music, will perform Gustav Holst’s celebratory celestial work, “The Planets,” Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. in the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle.

The orchestra will be accompanied by the ethereal voices of the Rocket Choristers, under the direction of Dr. Brad Pierson, director of choral activities and assistant professor of music.

They will perform all seven movements — Mars, the Bringer of War; Venus, the Bringer of Peace; Mercury, the Winged Messenger; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician; and Neptune, the Mystic.

Each movement of the work, written between 1914 and 1916, captures the unique essence and personality of each of the planets known to be in the solar system and visible from Earth in Holst’s time.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors 60 and older, and any students or children.

Tickets are available in advance from the Center for Performing Arts Box Office at 419.530.ARTS (2787) or online on the School of Visual and Performing Arts’ website. Tickets also will be available at the door.

Parking is free to museum members; otherwise, parking is $8. UToledo employees and students with University parking privileges can park free in the lot by the Center for the Visual Arts; just show your UToledo ID.

The Toledo Rockets will close out the regular season against Central Michigan Friday, Nov. 29, in Mount Pleasant.

The game will start at noon and be carried on ESPNU.

With a win, the Rockets (6-5, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) would be assured of a winning record in 2019, the 10th-consecutive winning campaign for the program.

The Rockets are coming off a 49-30 loss at Buffalo Nov. 20. The loss knocked Toledo out of contention for the MAC West Division title.

The Chippewas are still alive in the MAC West race. They need a win over the Rockets and a Western Michigan loss at Northern Illinois Tuesday, Nov. 26. With a win at NIU or a CMU loss, WMU will win the MAC West Division and face Miami in the MAC Championship game Saturday, Dec. 7.

Toledo was unable to stop Buffalo’s run game in the loss last week. The Rockets trailed by just eight points at halftime, 28-20, but UB outscored them 21-10 in the final 30 minutes. The Bulls racked up 503 yards of total offense, 331 on the ground. Jaret Patterson, the MAC’s second-leading rusher, ran for 192 yards and scored five total touchdowns, four on the ground and one in the air.

Central Michigan (7-4, 5-2 MAC) will be entering Friday’s game with plenty of rest, having played just twice in the month of November. CMU’s last game was a 45-44 win at Ball State Nov. 16, its fifth win in six games. After winning just one game in 2018, first-year Head Coach Jim McElwain has Central Michigan in MAC West title contention. Running back Jonathan Ward is third in the conference in rushing yards per game (107.6) and has run for at least 100 yards seven times. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton leads the MAC with 69 receptions and 738 receiving yards and has caught six TDs.

Toledo leads the series with CMU, 26-18-3. The Rockets won at home last year, 51-13, and have won nine consecutive games in the series.

The University of Toledo Ritter Planetarium is showing “The Alien Who Stole Christmas” and “Santa’s Secret Star” in full dome for children throughout the holiday season.

“The Alien Who Stole Christmas” is featured at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays through Dec. 20.

“Santa’s Secret Star” is featured at 1 p.m. on Saturdays through Dec. 21.

“These are amusing, entertaining and educational programs for children and Santa fans of all ages,” Alex Mak, associate director of UToledo Ritter Planetarium, said.

“Santa’s Secret Star” is a story about Santa and Rudolph learning how to find their way back to the North Pole using constellations. After Santa finishes his Christmas deliveries, he and his reindeer become lost. Without a compass, he and Rudolph turn to the constellations for help, and the stars lead them to the North Star, which guides them home.

“The Alien Who Stole Christmas” tells the story of Santa meeting Mr. Freep, an alien from another world. Together, they head off on a cosmic adventure taking them to the farthest regions of the solar system and try to make it back in time for Santa to deliver toys to the children of Earth.

Admission to the programs is $7 for adults and $5 for children, senior citizens and UToledo community members. All children younger than 4 are free. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the show.

Two teams of students from The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are receiving accolades for their performances at state and national clinical skills challenges.

Late last month, a team of third- and fourth-year students in the UToledo Doctor of Pharmacy Program made it to the quarterfinals of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Clinical Pharmacy Challenge competition.

The competition, held at the 2019 ACCP Annual Meeting in New York City, was a mix of quiz bowl-style question-and-answer rounds and a clinical case round in which students were asked questions related to the provided case text, supporting physical exam and laboratory results, and medical history.

The UToledo team, made up of fourth-year students Rachel DiNino, Kyle Bergen, Ethan Rausch and Katelyn Dulgar, and third-year student Maureen Hickey, finished among the top eight of 120 teams that competed nationally.

It was the first time a UToledo team has made it to the quarterfinal round since the University began competing in 2013. The team is advised by Dr. Julie A. Murphy, assistant professor of pharmacy practice.

A separate team of fourth-year doctor of pharmacy students, Amy Gentry and Charles Baddour, recently placed first at the Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists state Clinical Skills Competition.

Gentry and Baddour, who beat out teams from all seven of Ohio’s pharmacy schools, are scheduled to compete in the national Clinical Skills Competition held by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists at its Midyear Clinical Meeting next month in Las Vegas.

There, they’ll be tasked with completing a two-hour written assessment on a patient case. The top 10 teams in the nation will then give a two-minute oral presentation and an eight-minute question-and-answer session to a panel of judges.

Gentry and Baddour are advised by Dr. Sarah E. Petite, assistant professor of pharmacy practice.

The University of Toledo is giving Harry Potter fans and campus community members a chance to step into the Wizarding World.

The UToledo Ballroom Dance Society will host its ninth annual Yule Ball, modeled after the Hogwarts dance from the Harry Potter series, Saturday, Nov. 23, from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Ingman Room.

“By having fun games going on throughout the night, throwing in a couple ballroom steps doesn’t make ballroom seem as geeky or intimidating as people tend to make it seem,” said dance society member Anna Walker, a junior majoring in bioengineering.

The cost to attend the Yule Ball is $8 for individuals and $15 for couples.

In addition, there will be a silent auction held during the night. Items up for bid include Hogwarts House-themed baskets. Payment will be due by the end of the dance to receive items.

The money raised is going to be used for the society to travel and compete in ballroom dance competitions, Walker said.

Those who purchase tickets in advance can choose their house and receive a complimentary wand at the dance. Look for the table in the Thompson Student Union Thursday, Nov. 21, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

For more information, contact utoledoballroomdancesociety@gmail.com.

“Inferring the Past to Create a Better Future Using Paleolimnology” is the topic of a lecture that will take place Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Lake Erie Center, 6200 Bayshore Road in Oregon, Ohio.

Dr. Trisha Spanbauer, UToledo assistant professor of environmental sciences, will talk about how paleolimnologists use sedimentary records from inland waters to understand past environmental changes, some of which are human-induced.

Paleolimnology is the study of the history of lakes and streams. Sediments from the bottom of lakes contain archives of the remains of many types of terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Studying fossils and chemical signatures of these remains allows scientists to reconstruct past environmental change.

Having recently joined The University of Toledo, Spanbauer is excited to use these techniques on the sediments of Lake Erie. Specifically, she is interested in past changes in algal communities and lower food web dynamics in the Western Basin of Lake Erie.

“I would like the audience to leave my lecture with a better understanding of the diversity of questions and research topics that can be addressed with paleolimnology,” Spanbauer said. “In addition, I will be discussing some fascinating microorganisms, so I hope that the audience will gain an appreciation of the unseen world that exists in lakes.”

For more information on the free, public lecture, email the Lake Erie Center at lakeeriecenter@utoledo.edu or call 419.530.8360.

The Toledo Rockets face a must-win situation when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bulls Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

Toledo (6-4, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) is still in the hunt for a MAC West Division crown and a chance to appear in the MAC Championship Game. However, the Rockets have no margin for error; they must defeat Buffalo and Central Michigan in the regular-season finale — and also get some help from other teams.

The Rockets are in a tie for fourth place with Northern Illinois in the MAC West. Western Michigan (5-2) leads the division, followed by Central Michigan (4-2) and Ball State (3-2). Toledo needs all of those four schools to lose at least one game (two in the case of Ball State) to have a chance at a title.

Toledo is coming off a 31-28 loss to NIU Nov. 13. The Rockets trailed by 21 points before rallying with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. But NIU kicker John Richardson made a 25-yard field goal with 41 seconds remaining that capped a 13-play, 68-yard drive to put the Huskies up 31-28. On its final drive of the game, Toledo made it all the way to the Northern Illinois 31-yard line, but time expired before quarterback Eli Peters could spike the ball to attempt a game-tying field goal.

Buffalo (5-5, 3-3 MAC) is coming off a 30-27 loss at Kent State Nov. 14. The Bulls were up 27-6 in the fourth quarter before Kent State rallied to win. Buffalo has the No. 1 defense in the MAC, holding opponents to 23.1 points and 292.8 yards of total offense per game. Junior defensive end Taylor Riggins leads the MAC with 10 sacks. Sophomore running back Jaret Patterson is second in the league with 1,136 yards rushing.

Toledo leads the series, 7-4, but the Bulls won 31-17 last year in the Glass Bowl.