Author: Luther College News

Luther College is thrilled to present the 2022-23 Center Stage Series. Season tickets are available now for the six world-class performances and corresponding Center Stage Dinner Series, with individual ticket sales starting Aug. 31.

“This is a series of performances designed to uplift, inspire, and expand your world,” said Kristen Underwood, director of campus programming. “We’re so lucky to enjoy artists of this caliber without leaving Decorah.”

The 2022-23 lineup includes performances by:

●      The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass – Thursday, Sept. 22

●      Jaerv + The OK Factor – Thursday, Oct. 13

●      Ailey II – Saturday, Nov. 5

●      LADAMA – Thursday, Feb. 9

●      Empire Wild – Friday, March 31

●      Gravity and Other Myths: A Simple Space – Saturday, April 15

All Center Stage Series performances are held in the Center for Faith and Life at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and more information about each of the performances can be found at tickets.luther.edu. Purchase tickets for all six shows to waive any ticketing fees and receive 15% off before the opening performance on Sept. 22.

Once again, Luther College will be offering the Center Stage Dinner Series where guests can enjoy a multicourse dinner before the show. Full menu listings and ticketing information can be found at tickets.luther.edu with the corresponding event. Additionally, the Luther Book Shop offers “Sip and Shop” before each performance. Present your ticket for a complimentary glass of wine and browse the selection before the show.

            The Center Stage Series school performances include:

●      The Lightning Thief, presented by Theatreworks USA, recommended for grades 2-6 but open to all, on Monday, Oct. 24. Sponsored by Dragonfly Books.

●      The Ugly Duckling, presented by Tutti Frutti Productions from York, England, for grades K-4 on Tuesday, April 4. Sponsored by JoAn Stevenson and Steven Nelson.

To reserve tickets for your school, please contact Bradley Phillips at [email protected] or (563) 387-1293. Grants are available to assist with tickets and transportation. Contact Kristen Underwood for more information at [email protected] or (563) 387-1536. Community members are welcome as space allows.

The Center Stage Series is made possible by support from generous sponsors, including Gundersen Health System, Winneshiek Medical Center/Mayo Health System, Pulpit Rock Brewing Company/The Landing Market, Arts Midwest/National Endowment for the Arts, and Decorah Bank and Trust.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Of the 55 species of bees found living on the Luther College campus this summer, seven have never been recorded in Iowa.

Emmelyn Cullen ’24 and Gwen Coleman ’24 spent the summer surveying bee diversity at Luther. “The objective of the research is to make recommendations so that we can encourage more of these native pollinators on campus,” said Cullen.

Kirk Larsen, biology professor and faculty advisor for this research project, highlights the importance of preserving and protecting the bee population. “They are really important to us as pollinators for our crops and our food. One-third of all the food that we eat involves a pollinator of some sort and most of those are bees,” he said.

The study is ongoing, but a recent analysis of the recorded bees found 55 species of bees living on campus, including species new to Iowa.

“We have seven species that we are confident are state records, meaning they have not been previously found in Iowa and there are no specimens of these species collected from Iowa in any natural history collections that we know of,” said Larsen.

The seven new species to Iowa includes:

●      Megachile relativa which is normally found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Canada.

●      Paranthidium jugatorium was spotted just north of Dahl Centennial Union. This species is widespread in the U.S. but not in Iowa.

●      Heriades carinata which is commonly referred to as the giant resin bee. It is typically found in Minnesota and Canada.

●      Stelis labiata is a parasitic leafcutter bee that lays its eggs in the nests of other species of bees. It is usually found in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

●      Andrena pruni, also known as the cherry miner bee, is previously known to live in Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota.

●      Ptilothrix bombiformis, the hibiscus turret bee, looks very much like a bumble bee. It is widespread across the southeast U.S. north and west to Missouri and Illinois, but this is the furthest northwest ever recorded.

●      Heriades leavitti, a type of mason bee. It has been recorded in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois but never in Iowa.

            The identification of these new species indicates that Luther’s shift to planting more native flowers is working to attract pollinators. As part of their research, Cullen and Coleman record which plants attract which bee species in order to make recommendations to the grounds crew to ensure that bees continue to find necessary resources to thrive on campus.

Coleman summed up her experience by saying, “I never thought that I’d be doing an entomology project but I’m very happy that I got to take part and I’ve learned so much over the course of the summer.”

These findings came about through Luther’s Summer Student/Faculty Collaborative Research program which provides opportunities for students to engage in collaborative research projects with Luther faculty members. It is a chance for students to develop their research skills; actively learn in Luther’s natural areas, precision labs or independently; and it provides an opportunity to dig deep and gain expertise in a specific facet of a larger field of study. 

Reflecting on the project, Cullen emphasized the learning process and opportunities for growth that this research project allowed.

“You get more time to grow when you’re doing research in the summer,” she said. “Initially, I saw this as something that maybe I could do as a career and through this experience I have found that I would enjoy future research like this or working with insects.”

Luther College is a recognized Bee Campus USA affiliate

Luther College is one of 146 educational institutions in the nation to be officially certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate. The Bee Campus USA program is committed to ensuring a better future for pollinators, their communities and the planet.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Luther College student Sara Gehling ’23 recently completed an internship with the Rochester Center for Children where she gained valuable experience helping children with behavioral and cognitive disabilities.

“As a behavior therapist for the Rochester Center for Children, my role included daily individual behavior intervention and skill acquisition therapy sessions for children with autism,” said Gehling. “I was responsible for writing session summaries and patient notes on therapies, documenting patient responses to treatment, participating in individual and team training/education and completing other necessary additional interventions that would improve the quality of life of each patient based on their individual needs.”

Not only was the work fulfilling for Gehling, “every day of my internship, I was privileged to experience the impacts of this work by watching the growth and success of the children we served,” it provided her valuable insights into what her future could look like.

 “I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and internship experience, overall. My internship was a perfect way to bridge my interests in pediatric medicine, neuroscience and psychology. Additionally, the classes we took alongside our internships helped us in discovering (or re-discovering) our ‘why’ and purpose for our internships, career and life goals. It’s been beneficial to re-evaluate my life and career so that I can embrace my interests,” said Gehling.

Sara is taking part in Luther’s Rochester Semester program which provides students of all majors an opportunity to study and work in Rochester. With the college’s extensive alumni pool in the city, students have access to extraordinary learning opportunities catered to their interests and passions. The experience will help students discern career paths, acquire job-related experience, and facilitate career networking. Rochester Semester participants also enroll in two Rochester-based courses taught by Luther College faculty.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

July 28, 2022

Aaron Lurth, assistant professor of art at Luther College, will have two photographs added to the permanent collection at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. The photos are part of his series titled “My Paper Tiger: Carl” in which Lurth depicts what it can feel like to live with anxiety.

“In therapy, we often talk about the internal voice in our heads, a voice that tends to be negative. It’s common in therapy to suggest that you name that voice and long ago, I named mine Carl. Carl is the guy constantly whispering all of the what ifs’ into my ears,” said Lurth. “And when talking about anxiety, it is often likened to a ‘paper tiger.’ A paper tiger is a term used for something that appears dangerous and frightening from the outside, but when challenged or inspected further, it proves to be ineffectual.”

Lurth drew inspiration for this series from a number of artists, specifically Gregory Crewdson and Charlie White. The photos feature a person in a ghillie suit, a type of camouflage clothing used by soldiers and hunters to blend in with their environment, participating in everyday life. When not used for its intended purposes, the ghillie suit appears very unusual.

“With this series, my hope is that the humor and slight absurdity draw people in and hopefully the more you look at it, the more you start to see that this ‘thing’ in the photographs is painfully out of place, yet no one seems to notice. I hope that you will start to feel a connection with moments in your life when you have felt out of place, anxious or uneasy, and start to recognize that none of us can truly tell how people are feeling internally at any given moment. I hope these images create a space for the viewers to potentially open up and talk about their struggles with mental health, and perhaps create space for empathy towards one another through shared experiences. But if all you do is laugh, I’ll be okay with that too,” said Lurth.

The series of photos was recently featured in an exhibit at the Figge Art Museum. When the time came to pick up his pieces, Lurth received a call from the Director of Collections and Exhibitions informing him that they were enjoying the photos so much that they would like to add two to their permanent collection. The final decision was up to the Figge Art Museum acquisition board which recently voted unanimously to approve the acquisition.

“It’s an incredible honor. The Figge is a beautiful museum with a really impressive collection. Most artists never get the opportunity to be a part of a museum’s collection of work and the fact that I have the opportunity to hang on the same walls as the artists I teach about in my classroom, including Rembrandt, Picasso and Warhol, it’s just incredibly exciting and humbling,” said Lurth.

The project was a student-faculty collaboration between Lurth and Madilyn Heinke ’20. Heinke served as the project manager and organized the shoots in order to bring Lurth’s vision to life. She is also likely the person you see behind the ghillie suit playing the role of Carl.

The photos will be on display and available to view at the Figge Art Museum later this year.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Aaron Lurth, assistant professor of art at Luther College, will have two photographs added to the permanent collection at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. The photos are part of his series titled “My Paper Tiger: Carl” in which Lurth depicts what it can feel like to live with anxiety.

            “In therapy, we often talk about the internal ‘voice in our heads,’ a voice that tends to be negative. It’s common in therapy to suggest that you name that voice and long ago, I named mine Carl. Carl is the guy constantly whispering all of the ‘what ifs’ into my ears,” said Lurth. “And when talking about anxiety, it is often likened to a ‘paper tiger.’ A paper tiger is a term used for something that appears dangerous and frightening from the outside, but when challenged or inspected further, it proves to be ineffectual.”

Lurth drew inspiration for this series from a number of artists, specifically Gregory Crewdson and Charlie White. The photos feature a person in a ghillie suit, a type of camouflage clothing used by soldiers and hunters to blend in with their environment, participating in everyday life. When not used for its intended purposes, the ghillie suit appears very unusual.

“With this series, my hope is that the humor and slight absurdity draw people in and hopefully the more you look at it, the more you start to see that this ‘thing’ in the photographs is painfully out of place, yet no one seems to notice. I hope that you will start to feel a connection with moments in your life when you have felt out of place, anxious or uneasy, and start to recognize that none of us can truly tell how people are feeling internally at any given moment. I hope these images create a space for the viewers to potentially open up and talk about their struggles with mental health, and perhaps create space for empathy towards one another through shared experiences. But if all you do is laugh, I’ll be okay with that too,” said Lurth.

The series of photos was recently featured in an exhibit at the Figge Art Museum. When the time came to pick up his pieces, Lurth received a call from the Director of Collections and Exhibitions informing him that they were enjoying the photos so much that they would like to add two to their permanent collection. The final decision was up to the Figge Art Museum acquisition board which recently voted unanimously to approve the acquisition.

“It’s an incredible honor. The Figge is a beautiful museum with a really impressive collection. Most artists never get the opportunity to be a part of a museum’s collection of work and the fact that I have the opportunity to hang on the same walls as the artists I teach about in my classroom, including Rembrandt, Picasso and Warhol, it’s just incredibly exciting and humbling,” said Lurth.

The project was a student-faculty collaboration between Lurth and Madilyn Heinke ’20. Heinke served as the project manager and organized the shoots in order to bring Lurth’s vision to life. She is also likely the person you see behind the ghillie suit playing the role of Carl.

The photos will be on display and available to view at the Figge Art Museum later this year.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Luther College student Ratanak Uddam ’23 is working to bring business to Rochester, Minnesota.

Uddam is a data analyst intern for Destination Medical Center, a Rochester economic development initiative that aims to make the city a global destination for health and wellness. Uddam is working to find companies interested in moving or expanding into Rochester to assist in the city’s growth and decrease anticipated job shortages in the coming years.

“My work with Destination Medical Center stimulates me because it allows me to visualize data essential to Rochester’s growth,” said Uddam. “Knowing what companies might be interested in expanding their operations into Rochester is valuable information that could be used to secure long-term investments in the city.”

As part of this project, Uddam analyzed past company outreach campaign data and desirable company profiles to build a process that screens for new companies that would make great additions to Rochester.

“Through past campaigns and collaboration with Mayo Clinic, the team has established profiles of companies that would be a good fit for Rochester. When scouting for companies using our tools, I use those profiles as a filtering layer. Then, I build a process using Natural Language Processing to further analyze its descriptions, industries, and so on. This step takes keywords that are indicative of a successful campaign to recommend other companies that are in the same field and scope of interest,” said Uddam.

While Uddam gained invaluable experience in analyzing data to help further the growth of the city, this internship also clarified his interest in the data science field for his future career.

“This opportunity has certainly opened me up to all the different applications of data science that I never would have thought possible. It further strengthened my interest in this field. I am interested in extending this work to different industries as I plan for my career after college,” said Uddam.

Uddam completed this internship as part of Luther’s Rochester Semester program which provides students of all majors an opportunity to study and work in Rochester. With the college’s extensive alumni pool in the city, students have access to extraordinary learning opportunities catered to their interests and passions. The experience will help students discern career paths, acquire job-related experience, and facilitate career networking. Rochester Semester participants also have the opportunity to enroll in two Rochester-based courses taught by Luther College faculty.

About Destination Medical Center

Destination Medical Center and healthcare giant Mayo Clinic have aligned goals of making Rochester a hub for health care innovations and an epicenter for developers to design inclusive spaces. By attracting companies and businesses to Rochester, Destination Medical Center plans to increase and diversify its investments in Rochester. While Mayo Clinic will remain a major asset and attraction, Destination Medical Center hopes to double its efforts to ensure Rochester is a global destination for health, wellness and so much more.

 

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities, and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning, and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully, and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

July 13, 2022

Luther College music education students are gearing up to relaunch the Luther College Community Music School. Area musicians are now invited to enroll for the fall 2022 offerings. LCCMS will offer private study, service learning opportunities, and community events in the year ahead.

“I am excited about the opportunity to teach students about music in a real-world environment,” said Emily Fisher ’23, student teacher. “I know this experience will help me grow as a music educator and will be a positive experience for young students to learn a new skill.”

Students of all ages enrolling in private lessons (all band and orchestral instruments, piano, guitar, drums, and ukulele) will have twelve 30-minute weekly lessons with LCCMS teachers, scheduled for Monday evenings or Saturday mornings with other times available upon request. A LCCMS student recital will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov.14 in the Noble Recital Hall on Luther’s campus. Tuition is $150, which includes the lessons, recital participation, and an accompanist for the student recital. Registration for lessons is available online.

The service learning component of the LCCMS allows Luther music education students to volunteer under the supervision of a faculty member. Community connections will include music classes at Sunflower Child Development Center, Modern Band (rock band) classes with students from Crossroads Academy, ukulele ensemble with homeschooled students in the area, and directing the Voices in Harmony choir at Gundersen Harmony Care Center. These experiences are designed to be mutually beneficial for participants and our future educators.

The first community event, Ukepalooza, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in the Orchestra Room of the Jenson Noble Hall of Music. Send your student (ages 10 and up) or bring your whole family for a fun evening of group playing. Bring a uke if you have one or use one of ours!

The Young Person’s Concert is an event is created for preschool and young elementary students. We choose a picture book and bring it to life with music, complete with activities for audience participation, and followed by an instrument petting zoo experience. Mark your calendars for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5!

“I am excited to teach through the LCCMS because this is an opportunity to apply what I spend so much time studying – teaching music to the greater community and kids,” said Patrick Carew ’24, student teacher. “As someone who entered college in fall 2020, the opportunity to first work with students in a classroom as a first-year was not a reality for me, so to finally be able to have exposure and a feel of what facilitating a learning environment consists of is super exciting. The earlier I can understand how I can be the best teacher I can be, the better.”

The Luther College Community Music School exists to nurture students of all ages and levels of experience in order to expand their musical skills, provide affordable music education opportunities, offer teaching experience for future music educators, and encourage lifelong music making. Contact Jill Wilson lccms@luther.edu with questions.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.