SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL EVENTS RAISES FUNDS FOR POLAR BEARS

In 2007, the Movement Sciences Department created a partnership with the city of Moscow to initiate the Safe Routes to School program, which is a national program meant to encourage, educate, enforce, engineer and evaluate the walking and biking situations nationwide — particularly around schools. The program is directed by Assistant Clinical Professor Helen Brown and Professor Grace Goc Karp and directed by and coordinated by Brooke Lowry. The program reaches all the schools in the Moscow School District. Each year the SR2S holds several signature events: assistant professor in Curriculum and Instruction, and two of Darragh’s students.

Brown was the lead author on “Four Futures for Tobacco Use on the University of Idaho Campuses,” which outlined four proposals regarding tobacco use on UI property.

• Polar Walk in February to encourage activity yearround and to reduce emissions to protect species from loss of habitat endangerment;

• Fill the Racks in May to promote active travel and getting to school by biking, walking or rolling to school;

• Officer Newbill Kid’s Safety Fair in June;

• International Walk to School Day in October where children across the world walk to school.

This year, SR2S donated 50 cents to Polar Bears International for each elementary student who participated in the Polar Walk on Feb. 4, and prizes were awarded at the middle school level. Nearly 1,200 students participated and $486.03 was raised for Polar Bears International, which included about $50 in donations by children.

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Leadership and Counseling Movement Sciences

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Gwen Mitchell, clinical assistant professor for the Center on Disabilities and Human Development, is coordinating the University of Idaho’s cohort of special education doctoral students as well as teaching the leadership component of the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities training program. The goal of this two-year federally funded grant is to train leaders who will be working with children with special health care needs and their families. This training includes students who are enrolled in a variety of health care, business and education programs. Each year, didactic, clinical and research components of the program include: interdisciplinary experiences, overviews of the life course, parent directed clinics, functions of the family system, evidence based practices, legislative processes, transition to adulthood and/or independent living and cultural competency. Year two of the training covers each of these areas with an additional component specifically focusing on autism spectrum and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Northwest Nations Upward Bound participants from Wapato High School conducted a campaign to help homeless youths through donations of gently used jeans. The students partnered with Teens For Jeans, an organization operated by DoSomething.org, where donations of jeans are distributed to homeless teens.

STEM-focused videos created by STEM Access program participants have gained the attention of a larger educational group. Idaho EPSCor (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) will use the videos on its website as well as its social media sites. The videos feature interviews with professionals in Nez Perce County who use STEM practices in their work. The videos can be viewed on YouTube at http://bit.ly/STEMAccessVideo. Idaho EPSCoR represents a federal-state partnership to provide lasting improvements to academic research infrastructure and increase Idaho’s research competitiveness. STEM Access is directed by Kirsten LaPaglia.

Michelle Woods was hired as the new director of Bridge Idaho. She is a UI grad with a master’s in Family and Consumer Sciences (’05), Curriculum and Instruction (’08) and Counseling and Human Services (’10). She has worked in state service as a certified vocational rehabilitation counselors serving individuals with disabilities. Bridge Idaho serves communities of Lapwai, Orofino, Kamiah and Kooskia.

Diane Walker

Diane Walker, University of Idaho professor emerita of dance, has pledged $30,000 for The Diane B. Walker Dance Faculty Endowment to support full-time dance faculty professional development.

“I hope to reward faculty members and assist in providing a means for them to conduct their creative and scholarly work,” she said. Walker also hopes this gift will inspire others to support the University of Idaho.

Walker has taken advantage of a flexible endowment — a form of giving that allows donors to give at endowment-level funding before being able to gift the entire amount required to establish an endowment. Walker will give $5,000 annually for five years with an additional annual $1,000 gift so that she can see the benefits of her gift right away.

The longtime Vandal supporter and teacher of performing arts and co-creator of the UI performance DancersDrummersDreamers, Walker hopes to be an inspiration to others who are motivated to create an endowment but would like to give on a timeline that is most fitting to their individual situation.

For information on supporting the College of Education, please contact Director of Development Marta McClintock at 208-885-7476 or martam@uidaho.edu.