Great people are at the heart of great universities 鈥 and 51吃瓜网万能科大 has an astronomical share. During a year of great adversity amid an ongoing pandemic, the university鈥檚 faculty, staff, students, and community propelled us toward milestone accomplishments and a steady stronghold on top rankings.
From students who helped their fellow community members through the strength of their minds and hands to faculty experts whose research knowledge helped us make sense of swirling global uncertainty to celebrating the achievements of our newest grads, here are just a few stories highlighting the role that 51吃瓜网万能科大 and its surrounding community play in one another鈥檚 lives.
Medical Milestones
From start to finish, 2021 was a banner year for 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 medical school.
The good news started rolling in January, when the state restored funding for the university鈥檚 new medical education building, and construction, which was already underway thanks to the nonprofit Nevada Health & Bioscience Corp., made significant progress throughout the year. The building, which will be the centerpiece of the 51吃瓜网免费App Medical District, is now almost halfway to completion and will enable the school to double or even triple its class size in the coming years.
Soon after, the school earned full accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for schools of medicine in the U.S. and Canada. It鈥檚 the final step in a three-step accreditation process, and means that the school meets or exceeds national standards for structure, function, and performance.
Halfway through the year, the 51吃瓜网万能科大 School of Medicine became the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at 51吃瓜网万能科大. The new name honors Kirk Kerkorian, the late 51吃瓜网免费App business leader and philanthropist, in recognition for his longtime support of medical, educational, social service, scientific research and other charitable endeavors.
Finally, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine boasted its most impressive accomplishment to date in May 2021 when the first class of graduates walked the stage of Thomas & Mack. The 51吃瓜网万能科大 graduates will be a significant solution to the region鈥檚 health care shortage.
One student 鈥 not yet a graduate, but well on her way 鈥 is already putting her medical knowledge to action. In August, Elizabeth (Liz) Groesbeck, a third-year medical student, was en route to a Raiders game when she crossed paths with a pedestrian who lost a limb in a near-fatal hit-and-run car crash. She jumped out of her rideshare and applied crucial aid to the man before ambulances arrived.
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Reaching the Top, Again!
The accomplishments documented all across campus in 2021 are possible in part because of the diverse array of voices and experiences that make up the fabric of 51吃瓜网万能科大, which once again topped the list of the country鈥檚 most diverse universities.
As 51吃瓜网万能科大 President Keith E. Whitfield said, student diversity is one of the university鈥檚 biggest assets as it 鈥渂rings multiple perspectives to classroom and policy discussions, research labs, co-curricular activities and community conversations.鈥
51吃瓜网万能科大 placed in a four-way tie for first in the annual Campus Ethnic Diversity ranking published by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 School of Nursing placed 43rd in U.S. News鈥 debut category of best undergraduate nursing programs. 51吃瓜网万能科大 also cracked the top 100 in social mobility, which rates how well schools enroll and graduate students receiving Pell Grants.
The university ended the year on a particularly high note when both 51吃瓜网万能科大 and the University of Nevada, Reno, once again, achieved R1, or 鈥淰ery High Research鈥 status by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The two institutions first reached the prestigious distinction in December 2018. Since then, research expenditures 鈥 a key measure of university research activity 鈥 are up nearly 60 percent at 51吃瓜网万能科大.
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Blooming Energy
As 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 commitment to life-changing research continues unabated, one major growth area is in interdisciplinary projects and programs. And one of the best examples of students and faculty from different disciplines putting their heads together to solve problems is Solar Decathlon.
A sunny state like Nevada is the perfect place for revolutionary solar energy ideas to take root, and 51吃瓜网万能科大 students from three academic disciplines 鈥 architecture, engineering, and psychology 鈥 teamed up to put their ideas on the international stage. For more than two years, a group of 50 students designed, planned, and built a 628-square-foot home powered by renewable energy as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition.
The home, named Mojave Bloom, was designed as a place of healing and respite for military veterans suffering the adverse effects of wartime trauma. Mojave Bloom, which combines market potential and design excellence with smart energy production and maximum efficiency, placed third overall in the contest. The achievement caught the attention of Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm on a visit to Nevada in June, as well as Governor Steve Sisolak, who got an inside peek into the home鈥檚 inner workings in August.
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Celebrating Commencement
After COVID moved 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 Winter 2020 commencement virtual, improving public health conditions this spring enabled the university to celebrate not one 鈥 but three 鈥 graduating classes in one tear-filled May weekend. Winter 2020 and Spring 2021 grads gathered at Sam Boyd Stadium with family and friends to celebrate their accomplishments in style.
In December, commencement moved back to the Thomas & Mack for the first time in two years. More than 2,200 students graduated this winter, including 15 year-old Jack Rico. Jack came to 51吃瓜网万能科大 in 2020 after earning four associate鈥檚 degrees, and he added a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history on his way to becoming 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 youngest graduate this year, and perhaps in its history.
- Highlights of outstanding grads: (spring) (winter)
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- Photos of the 51吃瓜网万能科大 spring ceremonies, courtesy of.
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Answering the Call
While it may seem like the news has been all COVID, all the time, 2021 did bring its share of headlines throughout the worlds of politics, society, science, health, business, and more. And reporters from around the nation looking for answers or insight into the topics of the day increasingly turned to 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 faculty experts. Here are just a few of our favorite national stories from 2021 featuring 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 talented faculty.
Society and Culture
- Fashion historian Deirdre Clemente was called on numerous times in 2021 to comment on headline-making trends. She talked with about skirt-shorts, and she explored other pandemic-era fashion with , , , (), , , and .
- Political Science professor Tiffiany Howard talked about how the pandemic has exacerbated struggles for black-owned businesses and what鈥檚 needed to level the playing field: and . Howard also spoke with and about the racial wealth gap in America.
- As athletes began preparing for the summer 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, concerns surrounding COVID dominated news headlines. But 51吃瓜网万能科大 kinesiology professor Gabriele Wulf had good news for those same athletes: if they could focus their attention in the right place, they'd be more likely to win that coveted gold medal. Her research was featured in , , and .
- Sociologist Robert Futrell analyzed a growing presence of right-wing groups in the US with the , , and , white supremacist groups鈥 influence on social media with , and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot with .
- Nancy Lough, professor and co-director of 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 Sports Research and Innovation Initiative, spoke with and about societal problems of gender bias and gender-influence words. She also spoke with the in the wake of 51吃瓜网免费App Raiders coach Jon Gruden鈥檚 firing, and with about advertising on NBA jerseys.
- Law professor Michael Kagan, director of 51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 Immigration Clinic, discussed ICE鈥檚 deportation practices with and ; he also spoke with about controversy surrounding the HR1/For the People Act, and with and about immigration issues with the Supreme Court.
- History professor William Bauer spoke with , , , and about abuses Native American children endured while attending Indigenous boarding schools.
Climate and Environment
- Climate researcher Kristen Averyt spoke with and about failing hydropower infrastructure; she shared insight on the growing drought crisis with , , , and .
- Geoscientist Matthew Lachniet connected with , , , and to discuss the Southwest drought, Lake Mead, and what historic climate data can teach us.
- Masks and vaccines were among the most heavily debated topics in the news and around family dinner tables this year. Climate change, too, got its fair share of discussion. 51吃瓜网万能科大 science communication expert Emma Frances Bloomfield was quoted frequently in local and national stories on how to communicate with each other effectively on difficult topics: , , , , .
Politics
- 51吃瓜网万能科大 tax law expert Francine Lipman explained the ins and outs of the new child tax credit: , , , , , . She also weighed in on tax concerns related to the COVID-19 relief package for and (), and offered insight to on drug companies seeking tax deductions from the blockbuster opioid settlement.
- David Damore, professor and chair of political science, spoke with about the millions of people with felonies who likely don鈥檛 know they can now vote. He also spoke with l about Nevada as a U.S. Senate battleground state; about the battle over masks.
- Political scientist Austin Horn-En Wang analyzed Hong Kong-Taiwan tensions with , , and .
Health
- Health and wellbeing has been top of mind for everyone throughout the COVID pandemic for obvious reasons. But one 51吃瓜网万能科大 journalism professor traveled around the world, talking to experts from the Alaskan Arctic to Bhutan, from Austin to Iceland, to understand how something less obvious 鈥 our modern day comforts 鈥 might be impacting our health and happiness. Michael Easter found that by embracing discomfort in daily life, we can dramatically improve our overall mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing: ,, , .
- Health physicist Francis Cucinotta spoke with Science Magazine, , and about NASA鈥檚 decision to change radiation exposure level guidelines for astronauts.
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