Findings Staff Report | March 19, 2019
You’ve heard about the upcoming Research & Innovation Week, right? No?
Maybe you went five years ago, when it was a College of Medicine thing, but it’s evolved quite a bit. Held the first week of April, R&I Week is a showcase of work going on across the university, not just of innovations and advancements in medicine, but also in the arts and sciences, business and tech. This year, it dovetails with UC’s Bicentennial, making it even better.
Honestly, there are plenty of reasons to check it out sometime between April 1-6. Keep reading for some good ones.
Oh, and if you came here for a day-by-day breakdown of events, follow this link and scroll down to “Schedule.”
Reason No. 1: You need some inspiration (and like free lunch).
The Ohio Innocence Project formed at the University of Cincinnati in 2003 and has worked to release 28 wrongfully convicted Ohioans. Collectively, those 28 individuals served over 525 years behind bars. Talk about life-changing work. On Tuesday, April 2, register for a free luncheon to hear OIP Director Mark Godsey speak about this work. Two of the people he helped exonerate will tell their stories and The Cincinnati Opera will perform excerpts from their upcoming opera Blind Injustice, which is about the work of OIP. The event is part of the Research Symposium going on all day at Nippert West Pavilion. Register here for the luncheon and other parts of the symposium.
Reason No. 2: You’re craving an out-of-the-ordinary experience.
Check it out! Some of the R&I events are off campus this year. If you’ve never been to The Mercantile Library of Cincinnati—a unique place, opened in 1835 on the 11thand 12thfloors of a high rise near Fountain Park—here’s a great opportunity. UC’s Dr. Philip Diller will be signing his book about Dr. Daniel Drake. “Daniel Drake is considered one of the most influential early citizens of Cincinnati, and one of the founding fathers of modern medicine—not to mention an early member of the Mercantile Library,” the invitation online reads. Learn more about a fascinating man in a fascinating place. A reception begins at 6 p.m. with the program starting at 6:30 p.m. Register for the event, here.
Reason No. 3: You’re dying to do something different with the kiddos.
Let UC entertain you and your family Saturday, April 6. Bicentennial Community Day starts with free continental breakfast at 8 a.m. and the grand finale – an exciting projection-mapping light show called Momentum by Brave Berlin, the creators of Lumenocity and BLINK—runs from 7:30-9:30. In between are tons of events for the kids and free parking in the Campus Green Garage. All the details on a long list of exhibits, tours and hands-on activities, can be found here.
Reason No. 4: You need to be reminded why UC is so cool.
What will UC students think up next? Stop in the Innovation Quest Elevator Pitch Competition(IQ E-Pitch) on Wednesday, April 3 from 5–9 p.m. and find out. Each student gets 60-90 seconds to pitch their idea around a product, service or social enterprise. The Center of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization is giving out $10,000 in prizes. The Office of Research will also be announcing the winner of the Urban Impact award.
Reason No. 5: You want to know the difference UC is making in the community.
It’s no secret that Cincinnati has an opioid problem. On Thursday, UC promises a panel discussion like no other on the epidemic, featuring New York Times columnist and “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance, two UC faculty working tirelessly to address the impacts of this public health crisis, Lizbet Portman from the Addiction Policy Forum and Lori Criss, Ohio’s newly appointed director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s heroin beat reporter Terry DeMio will moderate. Her work led the Enquirer to win the Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for 2018, with its project “Seven Days of Heroin.”