Indiana University Northwest has recently received three grants for a forensic scientists and criminal investigators summer camp, The Steel City Black Knowledge Bowl, and improvements to the school’s library.
Three grants have recently been awarded to Indiana University Northwest for a total of $39,000 that will be used to contribute to technological enhancements to the John W. Anderson Library, as well as to assist the advancement of learning opportunities for high school students.
IU Northwest will use these grants to help the next generation of college students have access to more learning opportunities that will allow them to explore their passions and grow as people.
The first grant is for the Forensic Scientists and Criminal Investigators Summer Camp and is the largest of the three at $21,250. The funding comes from the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council and the IU Foundation.
This grant will allow IU Northwest’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs to host a week long Forensic Sciences and Criminal Investigators Summer Camp next year. The camp will be open to both local and regional high school students.
Any student who aspires to become a forensic scientist or forensic investigator is welcome to take part in the program. The camp will have activities such as taking trips to local crime lab facilities, field investigations, lab and case study analysis, and solving crime scenarios.
In an article posted on Indiana University Northwest’s website, associate professor in SPEA and adjunct associate professor of Women & Gender Studies Monica Solinas-Saunders was quoted on the importance of the forensic science field, saying, “Forensic science is a growing field as it has been recognized as essential in the modern criminal justice system. However, the forensic science field often lacks diversity, which can contribute to bias in the solution of crimes and the search for missing persons. This camp — and the recent addition of the bachelor’s degree in forensic science — will help in our campus’s pursuit to transform the profession to be more inclusive and reflective of our surrounding communities.”
The second grant comes from The Black Philanthropy Circle and the IU Foundation and is $7,750 earmarked for the Steel City Black Knowledge Bowl.
The Steel City Black Knowledge Bowl is a vision that has been under development for years, and will now materialize thanks to the funding from The Black Philanthropy Circle
The Bowl will operate similarly to an Academic Bowl, and is designed for high school students who will be tasked with displaying their academic knowledge of the African Diaspora and its accomplishments across human history. The program also hopes to increase participants’ sense of pride not only in the accomplishments of other people but also in themselves.
Interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management Dorothy Frink was quoted on the Bowl, saying, “Learning these facts through the Bowl is a way in which young scholars can retain and apply the acquired knowledge; thus, that information becomes a part of their daily conversations and interaction, normalizing Black knowledge and Black contributions to society.”
The Bowl will be held during the Winter 2024 semester and will take place on the IU Northwest campus. It also presents an opportunity for high school students and their parents to visit the University’s campus, and consider the school as an option as they look to further their educational goals.
In addition to Frink, the program and event coordinators include Candace Rayburn, IU Northwest dual enrollment coordinator & ICC management specialist, Antoine Hawkins, IU Northwest admissions counselor and Groups Scholars coordinator, Roy Hamilton, teacher assistant at 21st Century High School College and Career Center, and McKenya Dilworth Smith, executive director of Morning Bishop Theatre Playhouse, Inc.
The third grant is an ALA Building Library Capacity Grant from the American Library Association and is for $10,000.
Indiana University Northwest is one of only 17 academic libraries in the country that has received funding from the American Library Association’s Building Library Capacity Grant, which comes from funding through a three year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The funding will allow IU Northwest’s library to better be able to serve its students and community members by making several enhancements, such as the addition of a second Google Jamboard. The Google Jamboard, which is often used by students, is a 55 inch touchscreen that serves as a digital whiteboard and allows its users to calculate equations, write, sketch, draw, search content, access Google Workspace, and interact with others.
The school will make other library upgrades as well, such as adding an Infinity Game Table, which is a digital tabletop gaming system that comes with well-known board and arcade games loaded onto it. The school will also invest in a timer service for its computers that are set aside for the use of members of the community.
Nicholas A. Casas, assistant librarian for teaching and learning, was quoted on the grant, saying, “This grant will help us to better serve our students and community patrons, as we work to enhance and utilize emerging technologies to support a 21st-century library learning environment. As a Hispanic and Minority-Service Institution, it is critical that our library plays an important role in helping Northwest Indiana residents to have equitable access to computers, essential programs and stable and secure internet connections.”
The ALA Building Library Capacity Grant helps libraries across the country at academic Minority Serving Institutions, as well as U.S. Territories, that have seen economic challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and have found their ability to serve their students - especially those from traditionally underserved populations - impacted negatively.
More information about Indiana University Northwest can be found at the school’s website.