Joe Betcher scored two hits against Valparaiso Thursday. Photo: Steve Woltmann

UIC rallied against No. 3 Valparaiso Thursday afternoon, but was defeated, 8-7, in the team’s first match of the Horizon League Tournament at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.

The Flames, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, take on No. 6 Youngstown State at 3 p.m. today. The game was scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday but was postponed because of rain.

Facing an 8-2 deficit Thursday, the Flames rattled off five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to regain momentum.

Junior Alex Jurich paced UIC at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a run and RBI.  Seniors Alex De LaRosa and Joe Betcher tallied two hits each and senior Ryan Shober collected a team-high two RBI.

The Flames struck first in the second inning as Ryan Boss led off with a ground-rule double.  He advanced to third on a single from De LaRosa and scored on a groundout from Jurich.

Valpo got rolling in the fourth frame with three runs and scored five more over the next two innings. UIC plated a run in the bottom of the fifth off a sac fly from Betcher. After six frames, the Crusaders had an 8-2 advantage.

That’s when UIC put up five runs as Jurich singled to open the bottom of the seventh inning.

Senior Alex Grunenwald drove in the first run on a double down the left-field line to score Jurich and was sent to third off a single from Betcher.  Both runners scored as Shober doubled to left center, prompting Valpo to call upon reliever Ben Mahar.

Mahar walked Coen, then Zenon Kolakowski pushed Shober and Coen up one base with a sac bunt.  Tyler Detmer was walked to load the bases. Shober scored on a hit-by-pitch from De LaRosa.  Jurich drove in the final run with a single through the left side as Coen scored.

Some of Chicago’s most prominent jazz artists will teach more than 150 students in grades 5-12 in the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic/UIC Jazz Academy.  Now in its fifth year, the day camp will be July 15-26, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UIC’s Department of Theatre and Music, 1040 W. Harrison St.

Jazz Academy students learn from UIC faculty and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic musicians who perform and record around the world. Musicians like drummer Ernie Adams, bassist Stewart Miller, and saxophonists Ari Brown and Diane Ellis teach under the leadership of Emmy-winning composer and jazz trumpeter Orbert Davis, UIC clinical associate professor and founding director of the CJP.

The students play in various ensembles, including big band, combos, strings, drum line, and hand chimes, according to their skill levels and to diversify their performance skills. Elective courses familiarize them with jazz aesthetics, jazz history, music theory, instrument technique, and improvisation.

Visits by performing groups allow students to see professional musicians in action. Performers will include the CJP, the Chicago Catz, and others performing blues, jazz vocals and big-band music.

The camp allows students to imagine what college is like. Camp counselors lead campus tours, introduce recreational activities like slam poetry, capoeira, and scat singing, and hold discussions about college preparation.

Students range from beginners to advanced. Some return to the camp year after year.

“The Jazz Academy helps resolve three critical issues: the lack of music education in schools, the need to preserve jazz for the next generation, and the need for underserved children to take an interest in higher education,” Davis says. “Our students learn life skills like goal setting, time management, teamwork, communication, and positive interaction with their peers.”

To serve as many talented students as possible, tuition is among the lowest for jazz camps in the Chicago area. It ranges from $175 to $275, including coursework, materials, activities and daily lunch.

Full and partial scholarships are available for a limited time. Registration closes June 14.

For employees retiring in five years or less. Topics include retirement calculations, service credit, service for sick leave, salary averages, qualifying for insurance and return to employment.

Registration required at NESSIE human resources website. Call 217-333-2590 for registration assistance.

Jenna Heffron (click on image for larger file size)

Seven University of Illinois at Chicago students have been awarded Schweitzer fellowships, a service learning program for health professional students committed to helping Chicago’s underserved.

Named in honor of humanitarian and Nobel Laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the fellowship encourages exceptional students in health and human service fields to serve the most vulnerable members of society, including the uninsured, immigrants, the homeless, returning veterans, minorities and the working poor.

Each fellow will design and implement a year-long project to improve health and access to care. The seven UIC award winners will each receive a $2,000 honorarium and perform 200 hours of direct service in a community setting during their year-long project.

Somayeh Jahedi (click on image for larger file size)

Throughout her fellowship year, Jenna Nechamen Heffron will be educating students, faculty and staff at Chicago high schools and City Colleges about the social barriers encountered by people with disabilities. Working with The Empowered Fe Fes, a young women’s disability advocacy group, Heffron will develop and implement workshops that help increase a positive disability identity with the public. She is a Ph.D. candidate in UIC’s disability studies program.

Nisha Mehta (click on image for larger file size)

Dental student Somayeh Jahedi is expanding access to oral health care for special needs individuals at the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education – Roosevelt by coordinating a two-part service event with dental students and professionals. Dental students will provide oral health instruction and nutritional counseling for ICRE-R students and their caretakers, while licensed dentists will provide necessary dental work for the students through an organized one-day service event.

Nina Metsovaara (click on image for larger file size)

At La Rabida Children’s Hospital, dental student Nisha Mehta is improving the oral health status of children with lifelong medical conditions, including chronic medical illnesses, developmental disabilities, and special needs, by educating and training primary care providers, hospital staff, and children on the importance of good oral hygiene and maintaining optimal oral health.

A student in the College of Nursing, Nina Metsovaara is empowering Chicago adolescents and teens at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center by providing classes in holistic health promotion from an anti-oppression, violence prevention, and community-building perspective.

Triniece Pearson (click on image for larger file size)

Doctoral nursing student Triniece Pearson is reducing risky sexual health behaviors by engaging young women who have received a negative pregnancy test result in sexual health education sessions at Lawndale Christian Health Center.

Annabella Vidal-Ruiz (click on image for larger file size)

Annabella Vidal-Ruiz is reducing wait time for uninsured adult patients at Community Health by implementing a teleneurology program. Vidal-Ruiz is a student in the College of Nursing.

At Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter, nursing student Patricia Walsh is providing therapeutic, non-pharmacological pain and stress management, and symptom relief to patients and their families with a complementary and alternative therapies program.

Patricia Walsh (click on image for larger file size)

The Schweitzer Fellowship addresses the serious health challenges of local communities while encouraging aspiring professionals to honor their idealism. The program is administered by Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, a Chicago nonprofit that focuses on health care access of the working poor and uninsured. Since 1996, 375 Schweitzer Fellows have provided more than 75,000 hours of service to Chicago’s vulnerable communities.

UIC ranks among the nation’s leading research universities and is Chicago’s largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state’s major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

Dr. Barry Wenig, Francis L. Lederer professor and director, head and neck surgery and robotic surgery.

Two experts in the use of robot-assisted surgery to treat head and neck cancers have joined the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System department of otolaryngology – head & neck surgery.

Dr. Barry L. Wenig, a nationally recognized leader in minimally-invasive head and neck cancer robotic surgery, has been named the Francis L. Lederer professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and director of head and neck surgery and robotic surgery at UI Health. Dr. Gina Jefferson will join him in growing UI Health’s robotic surgery program.

Wenig and Jefferson are experts in the use of a surgical approach called transoral robotic surgery, or TORS, to reach throat, tongue, tonsil and larynx tumors by going in through the mouth instead of through an incision in the neck.

Transoral robotic surgery speeds the recovery of quality-of-life functions like speech and swallowing after surgery.

“Drs. Wenig and Jefferson are the most experienced surgeons in the Midwest when it comes to using the robot for head and neck cancer surgery,” said Dr. J. Regan Thomas, Mario D. Mansuteo professor and head of otolaryngology – head & neck surgery. Only a handful of surgeons have this experience, Thomas said, because the FDA only approved this surgery within the last three years.

Dr. Gina Jefferson, associate professor of otolaryngology — head and neck surgery.

“When the neck is cut to get at the cancer, the incisions need to heal before the patient can start swallowing or talking without too much pain or difficulty,” said Jefferson. “With TORS, the patient can usually eat and talk just a few hours after surgery.”

Robotic surgery, with its smaller incisions, enhances and expedites recovery and minimizes infection and pain while also providing experienced surgeons a better view of the cancer, said Wenig.

“The surgeon can peel back cancerous tissue and see what is behind it with the robotic 3-D view much better than with a regular 2-D monitor view,” said Wenig. “Patients who have robotic surgery also tend to need less postoperative therapy like radiation treatment because we have such a better view of the cancer and can get much more of it during surgery.”

Wenig was previously director of otolaryngology – head & neck surgery at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Jefferson comes to UI Health from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System provides comprehensive care, education and research to the people of Illinois and beyond. The UI Health System includes a 495-bed tertiary hospital; the University of Illinois at Chicago colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Applied Health Sciences, the UIC School of Public Health and UIC’s Jane Addams College of Social Work; 22 outpatient clinics located in Chicago; 12 federally qualified health centers throughout the city; and College of Medicine and affiliated health care facilities in Urbana, Peoria and Rockford.

“We’re excited to announce these three games that will be some of the highlighted matchups during our nonconference season,” says head coach Howard Moore. Photo: Steve Woltmann

The 2013-14 men’s basketball nonconference season will feature a return match against Northwestern at the UIC Pavilion, a renewed rivalry with Illinois at the United Center and the first of four annual contests against Loyola.

“We’re excited to announce these three games that will be some of the highlighted matchups during our nonconference season,” head coach Howard Moore said.

“It’s great for college basketball in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois to have these teams competing against each other as regularly as possible.”

Northwestern visits the Pavilion at 7 p.m. Nov. 20. The Flames defeated the Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena in December, UIC’s fourth consecutive win over Northwestern.

After a longstanding Horizon League rivalry, UIC and Loyola will compete in nonconference play. UIC faces the Ramblers, which will join the Missouri Valley Conference, Dec. 7 at Gentile Arena. UIC owns a 31-19 all-time series advantage versus Loyola.

“I thought it was very important for our program to maintain the annual series with Loyola,” Moore said.  “I’ve been on both sides of the rivalry, and there have been some great games over the years.

“It makes sense from a scheduling standpoint, and I know our fans will also be excited to keep the rivalry going.”

UIC faces Illinois at the United Center Dec. 28. The Flames upset the 12th-ranked Illini (57-54) in 2010. The win was the Flames’ biggest victory over a ranked opponent in the program’s history and the first time UIC defeated Illinois since the 1990-91 campaign.

African-American Cultural Center exhibit June 6 – Oct. 11. Image credit: Pam Rice (click on image for larger file size)

An interactive exhibition examining black Americans’ contributions to the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 will open at the African-American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Free and open to the public, “The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not in the World’s Columbian Exposition” will be located in Room 207, Addams Hall, 830 S. Halsted St. from June 6 through Oct. 11.

The exhibition, inspired by the same-titled pamphlet co-authored by famed civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, highlights the historical accounts of  black Americans’ thoughts, feelings and experiences related to the Chicago’s World’s Fair. In addition, it draws on the 120th anniversary of the exposition to explore how blacks felt about their exclusion from the planning processes, some of the lesser-known contributions of black Chicagoans during that period, and issues concerning ethnic representation within the fair’s exhibits.

“The occasion presents an important opportunity to not only raise questions concerning the fair’s legacy, but also enter contemporary debates over who benefits from large-scale public festivities in Chicago,” says Lori Baptista, director of the African-American Cultural Center at UIC.

An opening reception at the center will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Thursday, June 6.  The event will feature living history activities, musical and oratorical performances, and a guided tour of the exhibition. The reception, like the exhibit, is free and open to the public.

In addition to the four-month installation, the project will feature a series of monthly public programs presented in conjunction with Chicago-area institutions, most notably the DuSable Museum of African American History. Details will be announced at a later date.

The African-American Cultural Center is also developing “traveling suitcases” for K-12 classrooms, senior centers and community-based organizations. These humanities toolkits will contain re-creations of exhibition materials that will allow for exploration of World’s Fair-related sites in the city and support some social science curricular goals set by Chicago Public Schools.

“It’s our hope that the installations and related public programs will elicit valuable conversations on topics that remain relevant today,” Baptista said.

“The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not in the World’s Columbian Exposition” will be on view Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Evening, weekend and group tours can also be scheduled by appointment. For more information, call (312) 996-9549.

UIC ranks among the nation’s leading research universities and is Chicago’s largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state’s major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

More information about UIC.

Rim Zivalich in the 2011 “You’re the Chef” student cooking contest. She and teammates Brenda Moreno and Paul Rosenkranz won the contest for two years. Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services

Rim Zivalich, a two-time winner of UIC’s “You’re the Chef” student cooking competition, wants to conquer another culinary feat, this time on Fox-TV’s “MasterChef.”

Auditioning against more than 40,000 people from across the country, Zivalich is one of 100 to advance to Los Angeles, where she will present her signature dish to MasterChef judges Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich on the season premiere, which airs at 7 p.m. May 22.

As an Army National Guard sergeant with 10 years of experience, including two deployments to the Middle East, Zivalich is no stranger to performing under pressure.

“What was different for me was cooking with cameras right there; that was new,” she said. “But nothing like some self assurance to get me all ready.”

Zivalich’s relationship with cooking began when she was on her own at 15 years old. With a younger brother to feed, cooking was a necessity.

“I started cooking — well, more like experimenting — and those experiments started tasting good,” said Zivalich, a senior in biological sciences.

Ever since, cooking has become second nature.

“I love how it just comes to me so easy,” she said. “I don’t — and never have — followed recipes. I create my own versions of food that I try all the time.”

She shares the results of her culinary talents with her husband, Christopher Zivalich, also an Army sergeant, and their son, 9-month-old son Zavier.

“I believe cooking in the kitchen is my happy place,” she said. “While others may not look forward to making dinner after a tired day, I count down hours until I can pick up some fresh ingredients and turn it into deliciousness for my husband and baby.”

Her experience as a competitor in UIC’s “You’re the Chef” student cooking competition in 2010 and 2011 was invaluable for Zivalich as she faced her MasterChef competition.

“They were very similar when it came to cooking in front of an audience and with cameras and the judging,” she said.

Unlike UIC’s contest, MasterChef allowed competitors to bring their own ingredients. Contestants had one hour to cook and five minutes to present and impress the judges.

“The competition was great,” said Zivalich. “I met some amazing people from all walks of life who have a true passion for cooking.”

Orbert Davis leads a rehearsal of faculty, students and other members of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic for their debut at Symphony Center. Photo: Chicago Jazz Philharmonic

When he’s not teaching UIC jazz students or leading the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, trumpeter Orbert Davis has been composing a jazz symphony to tell history through music — specifically, the mercurial history of the Chicago River.

Davis and his orchestra will perform “The Chicago River,” commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, in their debut at Symphony Center this Friday.

The symphony is the first of a new series, “Rivers: Nature. Power. Culture.”

The five-movement symphony will accompany dozens of projected historic photos that Davis chose from a 2011 book, The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed Its River and the Land Beyond, by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams.

The book contains historic photos of the Chicago River from 1894 to 1928 that were lost for decades in the basement of a water reclamation plant.

The images document some of the reasons for the reversal of the Chicago River, such as refuse from tanneries and stockyards.

“From my first reading of the book, I was immediately hearing sounds. I was able to connect literally thousands of ideas and water/music parallels,” said Davis, clinical associate professor of jazz.

“I think the most compelling music is the second movement. I call it, ‘Brewing of the Toxic Stew.’”

The 60-member orchestra includes two other faculty members — drummer Ernie Adams and bassist Stewart Miller — and five UIC students: Erendira Izguerra on violin and saxophone, Justin Boyd, Jonathan Wenzel and Jonathan Reed on percussion and Sonam Dodhia on cello. Alumna Suzanne Osman will also play percussion.

“We have always included students in our performances,” Davis said.

“Playing in a professional setting is the ultimate educational experience.”

Women’s basketball coach Regina Miller hosts a summer camp.

Family basketball

Parents and their daughters can brush up on their basketball skills at a day camp hosted by women’s basketball coach Regina Miller June 16.

The Parent-Daughter Camp takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Flames Athletic Center. Cost is $30.

Funding for inventions

UIC faculty inventors can apply for funding for their projects from the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund Proof of Concept Awards Program.

The initiative aims to help advance UIC inventions toward commercialization. The awards program is expected to include $1 million per year for the next five years for competitive grants.

Awards are administered by IllinoisVENTURES in partnership with the UIC Office of Technology Management and the UIC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

Pre-proposal applications are due to the Office of Technology Management by May 28.

Library construction

Access to the third and fourth floors of the Daley Library will be restricted this summer during construction.

Elevators, stairwells and the light wells between the third and fourth floors will be closed intermittently as the library expands its quiet study areas.

Book club

The WoRD Book Club, sponsored by the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women, has chosen its summer selection: Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation — and Positive Strategies for Change, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever.

The group will meet to discuss the book from noon to 1 p.m. July 15 in the Daley Library.

The campus community is welcome.

Breast cancer screenings

UIC employees can receive same-day mammography screenings from the radiology department for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Screenings are scheduled from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Suite 2C, 1801 W. Taylor Street throughout May. Call 312-996-0267 to confirm eligibility.

Research funding

Applications are due June 7 for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science pilot grant funding in health information technology. Grants are available for $25,000 per year for up to two years. Clinical, research and tenure-track faculty members are eligible to apply.

Highlighting Blackboard 

Faculty members can learn all about Blackboard at a daylong conference May 23.

The event, held in Student Center West, includes information on the latest Blackboard products, best-practice sessions, networking opportunities and more.

Civic engagement

Applications are due Friday for the Civic Engagement Research Fund Awards.

Awards up to $20,000 are available. UIC faculty, research faculty and research staff can apply for the awards, given by the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement.

For more information, call 312-355-0095.

Women’s Leadership Symposium

Registration deadline for the UIC Women’s Leadership Symposium is May 29.

The event, “The Power of Leadership: Changing the World, One Woman at a Time,” will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6 in the Illinois Room, Student Center East.

Keynote speaker is Melody Spann-Cooper, president of WVON Radio and chair of Midway Broadcasting Corp. Luncheon speaker is Marlene Gonzalez, founder and president of Life Coaching Group.

Cost is $20 for students, $55 for UIC employees and $60 for others. Late registrants pay $65.