To improve efficiencies while still providing faculty, staff and students sufficient access to copying, duplication and other related services, earlier this year the University partnered with ComDoc, a division of Xerox Corp., to assess replacing and managing its fleet of printers, fax machines and copiers.

Information Technology has been assisting ComDoc during the last five months to complete a needs assessment to identify the location, print volumes and other information about UToledo’s current equipment so ComDoc may create redesigns and submit its recommendations to the University by December.

“We certainly appreciate every college, department, library and office area quickly responding to questions throughout this assessment so that we can continue making progress with this initiative,” said Bill McCreary, vice president and chief information and technology officer. “To date, the work has gone smoothly, thanks to everyone’s assistance.”

There understandably are lots of questions about this project, such as whether all current equipment will be replaced, and where and when that equipment will be delivered, McCreary added.

“We anticipate there may be fewer copiers and fax machines in order to achieve cost savings, but the new equipment also will provide features and qualities that should better meet user needs,” McCreary said. “ComDoc has proven it can produce significant savings. Many other universities that already have taken advantage of its statewide contract with public institutions in Ohio have been very pleased with their savings and service.”

The ultimate choice about equipment usage and how to achieve efficiencies will fall to the leaders of each area of the University. That makes UToledo unique in its approach to this initiative, McCreary said.

Once ComDoc submits its recommendations to the University, another update, including an implementation timeline, will be shared with key stakeholders.

A list of frequently asked questions can be found on the Information Technology website.

If you have questions related to ComDoc’s needs assessment process, scheduling or other general questions about this initiative, contact Dom D’Emilio, senior director for network services and technical support, at dominic.demilio@utoledo.edu.

The heat will be on soon. The chilled water plants on campus will shut down, and buildings will transition from cooling to heating starting Monday, Oct. 21.

“As in previous years, we rely on the long-term weather forecast to influence our decision and timing for making this change,” Jason Toth, senior associate vice president for administration, said.

“Once this change is made, we will no longer have cooling capability in the majority of buildings on campus,” he said. “This does not apply to patient-care areas as we maintain the ability to cool those year round.”

While a warm day or two may be on the horizon, the 30-day weather forecast does not call for days warmer than the 60s.

“Even though you may experience a warmer office or classroom day, please note that shutting down the plants saves the University thousands of dollars monthly,” Toth said.

Any areas experiencing temperatures well outside the normal range should contact Facilities and Construction at 419.530.1420.

UToledo employees: There’s still time to send your suggestions for the Good Idea Initiative.

This new program will reward and recognize employees’ ideas that make an impact in either promoting student success through increasing graduation, retention or enrollment; or increased efficiency, process improvements or cost savings/avoidance.

Ideas can be submitted on the Good Idea Initiative website through Friday, Oct. 18.

A selection committee will review the suggestions and pick the best and most implementable ideas from both categories. Winners will be announced before Thanksgiving.

Awards will include an employee’s choice of a small stipend or a catered lunch for the winner and up to nine additional co-workers.

The Glass City Smokehouse will serve lunch out of the Rolling Rocket Friday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Centennial Mall.

Get there early: Be one of the first five customers to purchase an entrée and receive a free
UToledo flag.

Accepted payment methods are cash, credit, debit, Dining Dollars and Rocket Dollars.

The Glass City Smokehouse menu will feature:

• Brisket sandwich served with house-made kettle chips — $6.50;

• Chicken sandwich served with house-made kettle chips — $6.50;

• Bratwurst served with house-made kettle chips — $6.50;

• Pulled chicken sandwich served with house-made kettle chips — $6.50;

• Pulled pork sandwich served with house-made kettle chips — $6.50; and

• Bottled beverages — $2.

Interested in renting the UToledo-themed trailer, the Rolling Rocket, for your next event? Learn more at the Rolling Rocket website.

UToledo faculty and staff: Make plans to check out the Student Recreation Center or the Morse Fitness Center this weekend.

Employees and their family members can visit one of the centers for a free day Friday through Sunday, Oct. 18-20.

The Student Recreation Center is open Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; hours for Saturday and Sunday are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Morse Fitness Center is open Friday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are excited for UToledo employees and their families to see all we have to offer — the track, courts, pools, new equipment, Rocket Ex and MX4 classes,” Laurie Tomkinson, assistant director of guest services and marketing for recreational services, said.

Employees will need their ID.

“We offer a variety of membership options: You can sign up for the semester or for the year, and we also offer passes for one week, 30 days or just one day,” Tomkinson said. “We are here to help you be the best you can be.”

Membership allows entry to both the Student Recreation Center and the Morse Fitness Center.

For more information on membership rates and programs, go the Recreational Services’ website or call 419.530.3700.

Five local startups will present their business ideas at the eighth annual Pitch & Pour competition sponsored by The University of Toledo’s Launchpad Incubation Program.

A Wi-Fi-enabled sump pump controller, a speech-therapy device to help children pronounce the “r” sound, and a system to protect Lake Erie from pollution are among the innovations vying for the $10,000 grand prize Thursday, Oct. 24, at 5:30 p.m. in the Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex.

Teams have five minutes to pitch their business concepts to the top investors, venture capitalists, professors and business leaders in the area. Second place wins $5,000, and third place wins $2,500.

Attendees must pre-register for the free, public event at the Pitch & Pour website.

“Pitch & Pour has been a staple event for the entrepreneurial community for the past seven years, and we feel that this year’s competitors have a lot of potential for growth and success,” Brian Genide, director of incubation and venture development at UToledo, said. “We continue to work with the competitors and applicants once the event has ended. We act as advisors to ensure our entrepreneurs meet the growth milestones necessary for success.”

The 2019 Pitch & Pour teams are:

• Bite-R, a speech therapy device designed to help children produce the “r” sound. This device has been shown to reduce the time spent in speech therapy — saving schools money and improving children’s lives.

• Jaberu Sump Pump Controller, a Wi-Fi-enabled sump pump controller with a mobile app interface. The device can monitor and regulate multiple pumps, provide notifications of long cycles, and alert for high water levels and power failure.

• PedoEndo Dental Innovation, a multi-sensor, hand-held dental probe that determines the health of a tooth without the need for verbal feedback from a patient.

• Pelham Precious Metals, a disruptive antimicrobial, anti-odor, anti-infective and anti-healthcare-associated infection coating for textiles. The coating adds protection to fabrics without interfering with the functionality of underlying coatings, such as fire retardants, wicking layers, water repellants and fabric softeners.

• cHorizon, a three-tier system that measures, controls and extracts nutrients from a farm’s water runoff before it makes its way to Lake Erie. It helps farmers monitor and manage soil and water resources to ensure the supply of clean water, improve soil health, build regenerative practices, and maximize profit within agricultural and hothouse industries.

This year’s judges are all UToledo alumni and active entrepreneurs in Ohio and Indiana. They are:

• Tony Pietrocola, president of Agile1, investor and board member with Metisentry;

• Jason Daniels, president and CEO of JAYRAMON LLC;

• Tracy Momany, vice president of plastic technologies at Guardian Medical USA and director of medical operations at Plastic Technologies Inc.;

• Doug Rammel, president and founder of Abstract Reality Ventures and Social Net Watcher, and founding partner/investor of Didgebridge; and

• Akib Amin, 2018 Pitch & Pour Winner and founder of GAFFL.

Pitch & Pour competitors are invited to join UToledo’s Launchpad Incubation Program, which works to bolster innovation in northwest Ohio by providing access to capital, resources and expertise focused on enhancing community collaboration and communication for entrepreneurial development.

Launchpad Incubation at UToledo is one of northwest Ohio’s leading business startup and entrepreneurial assistance programs for innovative and high-tech concepts. Launchpad specializes in concept advancement for new ventures and works with entrepreneurs to create profitable businesses for the region and beyond. Launchpad provides access to capital, business development resources, and expertise focused on enhancing community collaboration and communication for entrepreneurial development.

As announced last spring, the University is implementing a new parking management system, NuPark.

The system will launch Tuesday, Oct. 22, in efforts to continue enhancing the UToledo parking experience.

The UT Parking app and myparking.utoledo.edu will be taken down Thursday, Oct. 17.

As a result, parking will be offline starting at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct.17, through Monday, Oct. 21, to transition to the new system.

Your NuPark parking portal can be accessed Tuesday, Oct. 22, using your UTAD credentials.

To assist you during this transition period, please note:

• Daily guest permits are not required to park on campus during this transition;

• Handicap, reserved, patient and metered spaces will be enforced as usual; and

• Metered parking is available through the pay stations and ParkMobile.

If you have any questions about guest parking, contact parking@utoledo.edu.

“Southern Exposure: Travels in South America” is the topic of a talk to be given by photographer Lowell Simon at the Satellites Auxiliary’s luncheon Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The event will start at noon in Health Education Building Room 105 on Health Science Campus.

Registration will start at 11:30 a.m.

Those who attend may bring their own lunches to the free event, or they may pay $7 — or $5 with a guest — for a box lunch that will include a fruit salad and dessert. Cash or check payable to the Satellites Auxiliary will be accepted.

Complimentary valet service will be available at the Medical Pavilion orthopaedic entrance.

Satellites volunteers also will be collecting new stuffed animals for children in The University of Toledo Medical Center Emergency Department.

The Satellites Auxiliary is a volunteer group designed to promote education, research and service programs; provide support of patient programs in accordance with the needs and approval of administration; conduct fundraising events; and provide services.

To RSVP or for more information, call Ray or Donna Darr at 419.382.0054; Carol Okenka at 419.654.5326; or Pat Windham at 419.385.4808.

UToledo’s third annual Day of Giving will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 15 and 16.

The 36-hour campaign, “Rocket Forward: You Launch Lives,” will begin at midnight Oct. 15 and end at noon Oct. 16.

Several events are planned Tuesday, Oct. 15:

Day of Giving Fall Festival — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Centennial Mall

• Student organizations will host booths with games.

• The Rocket Marching Band and UToledo cheerleaders will perform.

• President Sharon L. Gaber will greet students from noon to 12:30 p.m.

• The festival also will offer a dog-petting station, corn hole games, a basketball contest, pie in the face, pumpkin bowling and pumpkin golf.

College of Business and Innovation — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Savage & Associates Business Complex Second-Floor Atrium

• Giving station with ice cream.

Judith Herb College of Education — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Gillham Hall

• Giving station with popcorn.

College of Health and Human Services — 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 16, 8 to 10:30 a.m. in the Health and Human Services Building Atrium

• Giving station with popcorn, other snacks and prizes.

Jesup Scott Honors College — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside MacKinnon Hall

• Giving station with snacks.

College of Law — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Law Center Patio

• Fall Fest hosted by the Student Bar Association: Donate to decorate mini-pumpkins; play corn hole, ring toss and horseshoes; and eat kettle corn, caramel apples and cider.

Student Recreation Center — 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Giving station; popcorn from 2 to 6 p.m.

University College — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 16, 9 to 10:30 a.m. in Rocket Hall

• Giving station with popcorn, snacks, and a chance to spin the wheel to win prizes with a donation.

The University of Toledo Medical Center — starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 15 and 16, in the Four Seasons Bistro

• Giving station in the cafeteria.

Colleges of Nursing; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Medicine and Life Sciences — 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Collier Building Lobby

• College of Nursing will host a Day of Giving party with a giving station, snacks, a pumpkin decorating contest, music and entertainment. President Sharon L. Gaber and Health Science Campus deans will be on hand for Day of Giving selfie photos with students, faculty and staff.

Give online at rocketforward.utoledo.edu Oct. 15-16 and share your UToledo story on social media at #RocketForward.

The great Greek physician Galen of Pergamon was one of the most influential forces in medical history, with his theories informing the profession for centuries.

Unfortunately, many of Galen’s ideas were wrong.

“For nearly 2,000 years, we were practicing medicine like it was the Stone Age. There was nothing scientific about it,” said Dr. Syed Tasnim Raza, a cardiothoracic surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.

Thankfully, real scientific discovery eventually won out, helping to lead medicine into the cutting-edge field it is today.

Tasnim Raza, who has spent the last decade studying the history of medicine after more than three decades as a heart surgeon in Buffalo, N.Y., will outline those radical changes at the 11th annual S. Amjad Hussain Visiting Lecture in the History of Medicine and Surgery Thursday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m.

The free, public lecture will be held in Health Education Building Room 110 on Health Science Campus. RSVPs are requested; email hscevents@utoledo.edu or call 419.383.6300.

One of Galen’s primary mistakes was assuming the anatomy of animals he dissected was wholly applicable to humans. For 1,300 years, no one dared question him.

“The thinking was, ‘If Galen said it, it has to be true,’” said Tasnim Raza. “We need to have the strength to challenge conventional wisdom, dogma and current thinking to improve and continue to change.”

The S. Amjad Hussain Visiting Lecture in the History of Medicine and Surgery was created in honor of Hussain, professor emeritus of cardiovascular surgery and humanities, a former member of the UToledo Board of Trustees, and columnist for The Blade.

“Dr. Tasnim Raza has had a deep interest in the history of medicine and has just finished a book manuscript on the history of heart surgery. He is a man who is well-versed in not only the subject of surgery, but also in the arts and humanities,” Hussain said. “The study of the history of medicine is important because it shows us the distance we have covered and the path we have traversed to reach the present. History being a continuum, we cannot chart a future unless we know the past.”

In part, the lecture series helped further inspire Tasnim Raza’s interest in the history of medicine after he came to Toledo in 2013 to hear author Wendy Moore speak about her biography of the 18th-century Scottish physician Dr. John Hunter.

Tasnim Raza’s sister also has presented the Hussain lecture. Dr. Azra Raza, a well-known oncologist and cancer researcher, and Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, visited Toledo in 2017.

Azra Raza will join Tasnim Raza in Toledo to kick off a book tour for her forthcoming title, “The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last.”