Bob Nichols addressed the crowd in 2008 when the court in Savage Arena was named in his honor.

Nichols will be inducted along with Ben Curtis (Kent State, men’s golf), Herb Deromedi (Central Michigan, football), Wayne Embry (Miami, men’s basketball), Karen Fitzpatrick (Ball State, field hockey) and Mike Schmidt (Ohio, baseball).

“It is only appropriate for our conference to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of our former student-athletes and coaches, specifically these six individuals, and their achievements during their time competing in the Mid-American Conference,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, MAC commissioner. “We are honored to welcome them to the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame.”

Nichols’ name is synonymous with Toledo Rockets basketball excellence. He earned three varsity letters in basketball at Toledo as a player from 1950 to 1953, and served as assistant basketball coach for two seasons (1964-65) before serving as head basketball coach for 22 seasons (1965 to 1987).

His lifetime record at Toledo was 376-212 and still ranks today as the most wins by any basketball coach in Mid-American Conference history. Nichols led the Rockets to 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1965-66 through 1984-85. His 1966-67 squad posted a 23-2 record, the best record in school history, and was ranked No. 11 in the nation in the final UPI poll that season.

During his coaching career, Nichols led the Rockets to the NCAA Tournament in 1967, 1979 and 1980. The 1979 squad advanced to the Sweet 16 with a win over Big Ten Champion Iowa before falling to Notre Dame. Nichols also coached six Academic-All Americans and 18 Academic All-MAC honorees.

His teams earned five MAC titles, and he coached five MAC Players of the Year. Nichols also had a 5-0 record against Big Ten teams from 1976 to 1979, including wins over Michigan (twice), Ohio State, Indiana and Iowa. The victory over Indiana came in the inaugural game in Savage Arena, as Toledo upset the defending national champion Hoosiers, 59-57, snapping their 33-game win streak.

Nichols is the only four-time winner of the Ohio College Coach of the Year Award (1967, 1972, 1979, 1980). The Sylvania, Ohio, resident is a member of the Toledo Varsity T Hall of Fame and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, the basketball floor at Savage Arena is named in his honor.

The MAC Hall of Fame was approved by the MAC Council of Presidents in 1987. The charter class was inducted in 1988 and subsequent classes were added in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. After six induction classes, the MAC Hall of Fame maintained 52 members until it was reinstated this May. This year’s class brings the number of MAC Hall of Fame inductees to 58 individuals from seven classes.

Patients in northwest Ohio now can contribute to the advancement of medical research.

ProMedica and The University of Toledo last week opened the Academic Health Center BioRepository to help researchers find new and improved treatments for cancer and other medical conditions, including autism, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

UT and ProMedica leaders of the new BioRepository are, from left, Dr. Yasmin Isler, research specialist; Dr. James Willey, professor and director of UT's Cancer Research Center; Dr. Debra Gmerek, UT associate dean for research and director of the center for clinical research; Dr. Michael McPhee, ProMedica surgical oncologist; Randy Oostra, ProMedica president and CEO; and Dr. Jeffrey Gold, UT chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

“This is one of the most exciting achievements so far for the Academic Health Center, and we are very fortunate to have such an advanced program in our area,” said Randy Oostra, president and chief executive officer of ProMedica. “We are committed to the expansion of medical research and look forward to witnessing some amazing scientific advancements and discoveries.”

A BioRepository is a bank where blood and tissue samples, called biospecimens, are stored. With patient approval, biospecimens will be collected from leftover tissue obtained during medical procedures. The stored biospecimens will help researchers learn more about specific diseases, identify how they progress, and develop new treatment therapies. Initially, patients undergoing certain procedures at ProMedica Toledo Hospital will have the opportunity to participate in the initiative with the expected expansion to the UT Medical Center and other facilities.

“So many of the medicines and treatments that comprise modern medicine have been developed by researchers with access to a broad spectrum of tissue samples representative of the public generally,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, UT chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

“This BioRepository is an outstanding example of the benefit to the community of the collaboration between UT and ProMedica,” Gold said. “By combining the research abilities and patient volumes of our two organizations, we may very well develop medical treatments that will be the standard of care around the world in years to come.”

“I applaud the Academic Health Center for recognizing the tremendous benefits of establishing a local BioRepository. It will lead to additional treatment options for area patients and enable clinicians to offer personalized cancer care,” said Dr. Michael McPhee, ProMedica surgical oncologist. “Biomolecular technology is a growing field, and this program allows area investigators the necessary tumor samples in order to carry out their research.”

Dr. James Willey, professor and director of UT’s Cancer Research Center, said that while cancer research will benefit, so will research into the treatment of countless conditions and diseases.

“A key advancement in the way we treat patients is to personalize medicine where, by basing a patient’s treatment on an analysis of his or her individual genetic characteristics, we can devise and implement the most suitable individual health-care plan, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment,” Willey said.

“Cancer is a great example, but you can take any of a broad array of diseases and conditions where the material collected at the BioRepository will be critical in identifying biomarkers. Biomarkers are substances and molecules we can use as clues to differentiate an individual’s needed cancer treatments from cancer treatments more generally,” he said.

The future promises to challenge the knowledge and abilities of our leaders, scientists and creators who are students today. The University of Toledo Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service is preparing these future leaders with a summer program that challenges thinking and celebrates learning.


The Gifted, Talented, Creative Summer Camp 2012, known as GT@UT, is designed to provide primary, middle and junior high students the opportunity to grow with a number of unique programs. The camp will run from Monday through Friday, June 25-29, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

“GT@UT is a program specifically for gifted and talented children who are academically above their age peers,” said Dr. Robert Schultz, UT professor of gifted education and curriculum studies, and program director. “The weeklong program gives them the opportunity to take their interests as far as they possibly can go and explore other areas that they normally cannot in a school setting.”

The camp is open to students who are currently enrolled in third through eighth grade and who have been identified as gifted/talented/creative by their school district or can provide a letter of recommendation by a teacher or gifted program coordinator.

The programs student may choose from are the Writer’s Life, CSI Toledo, Entrepreneurship Shark Tank, Occupy Earth, and the Great Outdoors, Campus Edition. Each program is taught by experienced educators with support from highly trained experts on giftedness and content area specialists from the University.

GT@UT is in its third year and is the only gifted and talented program offered in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

UT Police Detective Douglas Hoffman has sent his two daughters, ages 13 and 10, to the camp for two years.

“Our daughters have thoroughly enjoyed attending GT@UT for the past two summers,” Hoffman said. “My wife and I chose to send our daughters to the summer camp as a way to keep their minds stimulated during the summer and as a way for them to socialize with other students.”

Parents and guests are invited for the last day of the camp on Friday, June 29, to watch student presentations and celebrate the completion of camp.

Registrations are being accepted for the Gifted, Talented, Creative Summer Camp. Early registration is available for $110 per attendee through Friday, May 25, and registration continues for $125 through Wednesday, June 13. Late registrations are accepted until the first day of camp at a cost of $150 per student.

Multiple child discounts are available.

Click here to download the application and for more information about the program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm_WBJmvfdE

Former Rocket running back Adonis Thomas has signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns.

Wide receiver Kenny Stafford (Atlanta) and running back Adonis Thomas (Cleveland) signed contracts over the weekend. Tight end Danny Noble signed with Tampa Bay last week, joining offensive lineman Mike VanDerMeulen, who signed with the Buccaneers right after the NFL Draft April 29.

Three other former Rockets who signed following the draft were wide receiver Eric Page (Denver), defensive back Desmond Marrow (Houston) and offensive lineman Phillipkeith Manley (Atlanta).

These seven players will report to their respective training camps in August in attempt to make the regular-season roster.

Nine former Rockets are currently on NFL rosters, the most of any school in the Mid-American Conference.

This will be Anna Chlebowski’s fourth year to participate in the Toledo Heart Walk and 10K Run.

The administrative secretary 2 in the Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology walks in memory of her brother, Andre Suykerbuyk.

“I became involved after having my heart attack on December 27, 2008,” she said. “My brother, Andre, passed away two weeks prior to my heart attack on December 11, 2008, from a heart attack. I try to inform others about the importance of family history, exercise and diet.”

It’ll also be the fourth year Felicia Guerrero laces up her sneakers for the American Heart Association event.

“Five years ago, my mother-in-law died of one massive heart attack, and no one in the family even suspected she had heart disease,” said Guerrero, outreach marketing manager with the UT Physicians Group. “More women lose lives to heart disease than breast cancer. Promotion of screenings and a healthy lifestyle are vital to saving lives, and the Heart Walk is a great way to reach thousands of people.”

She will walk to remember a friend.

“I am walking this year in honor of a friend, Mark, who lost his life to heart disease at the age of only 48,” Guerrero said. “He otherwise seemed healthy and exercised, but I believe genetics played a role.”

“Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer; someone dies every 38 seconds,” said Andrea Jacobs, administrative secretary 2 and marketing coordinator in the Heart and Vascular Center. “For women, the numbers are even more alarming. In the U.S., breast cancer kills one in every 31 women, while heart disease kills one in every three.

“Those facts alone, especially the statistics about women, are what stirred me to want to bring awareness about heart disease. We all know someone who has been affected by this disease,” she said. “Participating in the Heart Walk and raising money for research and education can reduce those numbers.”

Jacobs will walk in honor of her husband, Donald, who has heart disease.

The Toledo Heart Walk and 10K Run will take place Saturday, May 19, at the Glass Bowl.

Some 300 UT employees and their family and friends are expected to participate in either the 10-kilometer run or the one- or three-mile walks, according to Jacobs, who is a UT company co-leader for the event with Chlebowski and Guerrero.

As of Friday, the University was in fifth place in the company rankings with more than $5,500 raised so far. The goal is $40,000.

The UT team is open to faculty, staff and students, and their family and friends. To join or make a donation, email anna.chlebowski@utoledo.edu, felicia.guerrero@utoledo.edu or andrea.jacobs@utoledo.edu or go to the team website, http://utole.do/heartwalk.

There is a $35 registration fee for the 10K run, which will start at 9:45 a.m. And the free walks will begin at 10 a.m. Registration will start at 8 a.m.

Participants who raise $100 or more in pledges are eligible for a free T-shirt, while supplies last, from the American Heart Association. A limited number of T-shirts also will be available for those on the UT team who raise funds.

“It is the American Heart Association’s goal to improve cardiovascular health in all Americans by 20 percent by 2020; I want to be a part of that movement,” Jacobs said. “Bringing a family member or a buddy to the event is a great way to educate yourself about this disease and to kick off something that you can’t get enough of — exercise.”

Following the conclusion of the 2012 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, the Toledo track and field team had a school-record eight women named to the All-MAC team.

Emma Kertesz was named the 2012 MAC Women's Outdoor Most Valuable Performer. She won the same award after the MAC Indoor Championships.

Headlining the awards was Emma Kertesz, who received the 2012 MAC Women’s Outdoor Most Valuable Performer Award on top of being named first-team All-MAC. With winning times of 10:33.45 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 16:35.87 in the 5,000 meters, Kertesz led the Rockets to the only two distance-event sweeps in the history of the MAC Championships. She also placed third in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:28.16.

The Women’s Outdoor MVP Award comes just over two months after Kertesz was named the conference MVP for her performance at the MAC Indoor Championships.

Also being named to the All-MAC first-team were Ari Fisher in the 10,000 meters and Huijun Jing in the high jump. Fisher topped the field with a winning time of 35:23.10, while Jing stood atop the podium after successfully clearing a mark of 1.72 meters (5-07.75).

Five Rocket student-athletes earned second-team All-MAC accolades for their second-place performances at the championship meet. In the distance events, Mackenzie Chojnacky cruised to a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:42.93, while Megan Vogelsong finished second in the 10,000 meters in 35:42.03, and Megan Wright placed second in the 1,500 meters in 4:26.65. In jumps, Kiah Douglas reached a second-place distance of 5.98 meters (19-7.50) in the long jump, while Julie Snyder got second in the high jump after clearing a height of 1.72 meters (5-07.75).

As indicated by the high number of student-athletes on the All-MAC team, Toledo was able to capitalize on its depth to produce 132 points at the meet, the highest point total ever recorded by UT at the outdoor championships.

The Rockets have made a steady climb to the top of the MAC standings since finishing last in the conference in 2005 (out of 13 schools) in Head Coach Kevin Hadsell’s first full year as director of track and field.

Ohio’s medical colleges and teaching hospitals had a $42.6 billion economic impact on the state in 2011, according to a recent report commissioned by the Ohio Council of Medical School Deans.

The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences and its teaching hospitals alone had an economic impact of $5.6 billion on Ohio last year.

“It is important to understand the significant economic impact Ohio’s medical schools and teaching hospitals have on the state. One in every $20 in the Ohio economy is attributed directly or indirectly to academic health care,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, UT chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs and dean of College of Medicine and Life Sciences, who serves as chair of the Ohio Council of Medical School Deans.

The council commissions economic impact studies every five years, with similar studies completed in 2007 and 2002. The firm TrippUmbach recently finished the 2012 study with 2011 data to show medical schools’ impact on the economy, jobs, tax revenue and other key economic metrics.

“These factors have been systematically studied for more than 10 years, all demonstrating important trends,” said Gold, who recently presented the data to Toledo leaders and will speak to legislators in Columbus and Washington in the future.

The economic impact in Ohio grew $5.4 billion since the 2007 study; that is attributed to the growing academic health-care industry and the increase in core hospitals and teaching affiliates associated with the state’s medical schools.

The academic health-care industry in Ohio also has an important impact on jobs in the state with more than 463,000 full-time equivalent positions in 2011 directly or indirectly tied to the industry; that was an increase by 38,000 positions from 2007. Currently, one in every 12 workers in Ohio works directly or indirectly for a medical school or teaching hospital.

For UT specifically, more than 57,000 full-time equivalent jobs are tied to the College of Medicine and Life Sciences and its teaching hospitals.

The academic health-care industry also generates more than $1.8 billion in state taxes, brings in more than $710 million in National Institutes of Health research grant funding, and provides $3 billion in uncompensated care.

The Ohio Council of Medical School Deans compiles this economic impact information regularly to demonstrate the impacts of the state’s medical colleges and teaching hospitals and to better direct its collaborative efforts to meet health-care delivery challenges.

Ohio’s seven medical colleges are the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and the Northeast Ohio Medical University Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

A new learning space and a Center for Innovative Design and Technology will be added to Carlson Library as part of an overall renovation to enhance the learning and social atmosphere.

“It will provide students a sense that Carlson Library is following the lead of many great libraries by becoming a place of community and learning,” said Dr. Ben Pryor, UT vice provost for academic program development. “Along with the physical renovation, it will become a vibrant learning space, a profound change from what we’ve had on the second floor.”

The first phase of the transformation began with changes to student code of conduct that reduces restrictions on food and drink and adjusts the noise levels to allow the lower levels to have a more social atmosphere while reserving the upper floors for quiet study, with the fifth floor as a silent space.

The physical renovations, which are under way, also will include a new Center for Innovative Design and Technology on the second floor that will be a unique area for collaboration and using technology. The groundwork for this center is expected to be complete by spring 2013.

The renovation of the library is a collaborative project with a number of UT colleges — Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Visual and Performing Arts, and Languages, Literature and Social Sciences.

The project will be funded with money allocated to Carlson Library through the University building and maintenance budget and forthcoming fundraising campaigns.

Where are the appropriate locations for wind turbines in the greater Toledo area? Toledo Public School students will work to answer that question at the Wind Energy Summit.

An estimated 100 students from three Toledo Public Schools classrooms — Chase STEM Academy, Harvard Elementary School and Ottawa River Elementary School — are expected to attend the summit that will take place Monday, May 14, from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Toledo Technology Academy, 3301 Upton Ave.

The Wind Energy Summit will engage students with hands-on models to explore realistic issues related to wind turbine locations, such as shadow flicker, ice shedding, impact on avian species, and turbulence.

The students also will learn about specific types of turbines by building and comparing the types of blades that enable a wind turbine to lift a heavy object or generate electrical current. Tenth grade students at the Toledo Technology Academy with assistance from students at Woodward High School will engage the younger students in the activities to help them answer the question.

The classes were invited to participate because their teachers are participants in The University of Toledo LEADERS Program, which aims to improve K-12 science education to better prepare students for future careers in northwest Ohio’s renewable energy industry.

LEADERS, which stands for Leadership for Educators: Academy for Driving Economic Revitalization in Science, is funded by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Earlier in May, the program announced its second cohort of teacher participants from Toledo Public Schools and schools in Monroe County, Michigan.

Angeline E. Murry, membership chair, left, and Wanda Brown, president of the Toledo chapter of Girl Friends Inc., respectively, presented a check for the UT Black Community Scholarship Fund to Vern Snyder, vice president for institutional advancement.

The Toledo chapter, which was founded in 1960 and currently includes more than 30 members, recently donated $500 to The University of Toledo Black Community Scholarship Fund in its efforts to promote social, civic and philanthropic endeavors. This was the second donation within the past six months.

“Our donations to The University of Toledo are our way of showing support of youth in the Toledo area,” said Wanda Brown, Toledo chapter president. “As an organization, we encourage the youth not only to enroll in college, but we also support them to succeed and graduate with a degree.”

Proceeds from the Toledo chapter’s Women on the Move benefit luncheon and fashion show went to establish The University of Toledo Black Community Scholarship Fund, which has presented 94 students $500 scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to entering freshmen African-American students who graduated from Toledo Public Schools who will attend UT.

Rheanne Dunlap received the 2011-12 UT Black Community Scholarship.

An application for the 2012-13 award is available at www.utoledo.edu/financialaid/scholarshipcontents.html.

For more information about Girl Friends Inc., visit thegfinc.org.