June 2002

New Indiana State Museum Displays Ransom Place Archaeology Artifacts

In previous letters, we have described the IUPUI urban archaeology project in the Ransom Place neighborhood near campus. Now you can see some of the African American historical artifacts reclaimed by IUPUI students on display at the new Indiana State Museum.

A 1930s brooch, milk bottle caps once saved by African Americans for admission to Riverside Amusement Park, and a souvenir from the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago are the focal points of the exhibit entitled “Do You See Race in the Case?” A primary objective in constructing the exhibit was to engage people in questions about the history of race relations in Indianapolis. The items chosen for display tell profound stories about the life of African Americans who lived in the neighborhood, which is named for Madam C. J. Walker’s attorney, Freeman Ransom.

The exhibit, located in the main lobby of the museum, explains the historical and social context of the artifacts. Other items on display include a textbook from Madam C. J. Walker’s beauty school and examples of beauty tools her students were trained to use.

The exhibit also includes impressions of African American life in Indianapolis as recorded in the writings of late Indianapolis Star columnist Lynn Ford and Grammy nominated-poet Mari Evans, who received an honorary degree from Indiana University at IUPUI commencement ceremonies in May 2000. Evans recalls her childhood decision not to go to Riverside Park after learning that African Americans were given admission only one day a year.

The Indiana State Museum is located in White River State Park. For information about admission and hours, call (317) 232-1637 or visit http://www.in.gov/ism/. Information about the Ransom Place Archaeology project is at www.iupui.edu/~anthpm/ransom.html.

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New Facility at IUPUI Offers High-Tech Learning to Dentists

A new $1 million facility at IUPUI is enabling dentists to learn how to perform root canals faster than ever before. But that’s just one of the many cutting-edge techniques that dentists from across the country are learning at the IU School of Dentistry (IUSD) Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS).

In this unique high-tech environment, dentists can try new techniques on mannequins fitted with plastic or real teeth and silicone gums and tongues while watching the instructor's real-time demonstration on individual flat-panel monitors. Course participants also have access to high-powered microscopes and more.

The IUSD center, which is already filling classes in 2004, offers space for lectures and has a five-chair dental clinic for work with real patients. The laboratory, where most of the classes are held, features 24 work stations each with its own mannequin and monitor.

The dental industry has been generous with its support of the new center. Many dental professionals, manufacturers, and researchers have made financial contributions and have plans to sponsor upcoming workshops.

Many of the classes are set up to expose dentists to a variety of experts, each offering a unique approach to the technique or procedure being studied, so that participants can experiment before deciding which method best fits the needs of their practices.

Dentists, who must earn continuing education credits regularly to meet their licensure requirements, previously did not have available a single facility where such hands-on learning could readily take place. Now dental professionals not only listen to world-renowned lecturers discuss the latest dental techniques, but actually try out the techniques in a practice lab and perhaps later return for a session with an actual patient.

CAPS strives for a minimum student-to-faculty ratio of six to one, and dental school faculty members often stand by to offer personalized assistance. CAPS also offers classes for dental hygienists and dental assistants.

For information about the CAPS facility, call (317) 615-0002 or 1-888-373-IUSD.

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Thirty Indiana University Medical Faculty Listed in America’s Top Doctors

Thirty faculty physicians at the Indiana University School of Medicine have been listed in the 2002 issue of America’s Top Doctors. They are among 35 Indiana physicians recognized by their peers as top physicians in their fields and are affiliated with Indiana University Hospital, Methodist Hospital, and Riley Hospital for Children of Clarian Health Partners as well as Wishard Health Services and the Richard Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center.

The physicians are selected through nominations by and surveys of physicians throughout the country. America’s Top Doctors, published by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., lists only the top one percent of specialists and sub-specialists in the United States. It is a guide to finding the nation’s top specialists and a highly trusted source for people in making their health care choices.

Our congratulations go to all these IU School of Medicine physician/faculty who were listed among America’s Top Doctors:

Neonatology (Newborns)

James Lemons

Pediatric Cardiology

Randall Caldwell

Pediatric Dermatology

Patricia Treadwell

Pediatric Infectious Disease

Martin Kleiman

Pediatric Nephrology

Sharon Andreoli

Jerry Bergstein

Pediatric Neurosurgery

Thomas Luerssen

Pediatric Surgery

Jay Grosfeld

Pediatric Urology

Richard C. Rink

Cardiology

Douglas Zipes

Cardiac Surgery

John W. Brown

Mark Turrentine

Gastroenterology-Hepatology

Paul Kwo

Kevin Douglas Rex

Gynecology

Katherine Look

David Moore

Medical and Molecular Genetics

David Dawson Weaver

Neurology

Martin Farlow

John C. Kincaid

Robert Pascuzzi

Karen Roos

Oncology (Cancer)

Lawrence Einhorn

George W. Sledge

Oncology (Cancer) Surgery

Robert Goulet

Orthopaedic Surgery

Alexander Mih

Richard Idler

Otolaryngology (Ears, Nose and Throat)

Richard Miyamoto

Plastic Surgery

John Coleman

Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation

Randall Braddom

Urology

John J. Mulcahy

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It’s a Hot Time in the Old Town and IUPUI Is the Place to Be

During Father’s Day weekend, the IUPUI University Library lawn and nearby Military Park were filled with nearly 39,400 Indy Jazz Fest fans. It is just the first of several summer events that will draw people to IUPUI during the summer months and early fall.

On the horizon are Indy Summer Stages, July 5, 6, 7, and the RCA Men’s Hardcourt Tennis Championships, August 10-18, recently voted “Tournament of the Year” by the world’s best tennis players for a record 11th time. In breaks from musical performances or tennis action, it is a short, pleasant walk along the canals to visit the new Indiana State Museum or the Indianapolis Zoo’s new elephant habitat.

But the activity in and around campus is not all fun and games. From June 24 to July 31, portions of University Boulevard will be periodically closed because of the construction of Clarian Health Partners’ People Mover. Across campus, on the Westside, campus housing construction will begin. Meanwhile, construction of the Communications Technology Complex / Informatics Complex continues along West Street.

All this activity makes us even more eager to welcome visitors to the first annual “Explore IUPUI” open house. On Saturday, October 12^{th, our} campus will be open to alumni and their families, parents, prospective students, the business community, and residents of the surrounding Indianapolis area. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., IUPUI will be alive with an interactive, campuswide open house to showcase our faculty, programs, and facilities. Live entertainment, workshops, lectures, family fun, demonstrations, campus tours, hands-on activities, and more are planned for this day of learning, exploration, and discovery.

To stay in tune with what’s being planned, visit www.explore.iupui.edu often.

Sincerely,

Gerald L. Bepko

Chancellor

P.S. Enclosed is our latest Report to the Community, a publication based on a speech given this past April. As always, we welcome your comments on it.