How do you measure the pulse of a university? Through one day and many details. A Day in the Life of UVM, Oct. 19, 2016. Join us, and add your story to the conversation on social media: #uvmditl.

 

Baker

6:37 a.m. Marché, Living/Learning Center. Marché baker Cathy Bender frosts a batch of cinnamon rolls.

Mansfield at sunrise

6:55 a.m. Mount Mansfield Summit. The university owns almost the entire summit ridge (one of nine UVM Natural Areas), about 400 acres, most of which is above 4,000 feet. More than seven UVM students and alumni were at the top this morning to see the first rays through the swirling fog. Tami Razinger, UVM class of 2015, (and canine pal) came up from Stowe in the dark.

Track practice at sunrise

7:22 a.m. Archie Post Athletic Complex. The men's and women's track and field teams have a practice while the sun rises over campus.

Hiking in Spain

7:31 a.m. in Burlington. 1:31 p.m. in Cantabria, Spain. Studying abroad in Léon, Spain, Sophie Mulrow explores the Picos de Europa.

CREAM barn

7:50 a.m. Miller Research Complex. “My favorite thing about coming to the barn in the morning is it’s peaceful," says junior Katherine Mosley, an animal science major and nutrition and food sciences minor. "I like waking up with the cows. You get accustomed to waking up early, and the sunrise is beautiful.”

student working at Mirabelle's

7:51 a.m. Mirabelles Cafe. Senior Erin Mahoney works the early shift, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., at one of downtown Burlington's most popular spots. Though it can make for a packed schedule, Mahoney says she enjoys the variety and discipline of balancing school with a job. After a morning of serving up coffee and croissants, the nutrition major will head back up to campus for a food microbiology lab.

Morning yoga 

7:55 a.m. Wright Hall. Nalini Flanders, a family wellness coach, leads a yoga class for students in the Wellness Environment program.

Christa Zehle

8:08 a.m. Hoehl Gallery. Dr. Christa Zehle, Larner College of Medicine associate dean for students, addresses applicants during a breakfast held in the Hoehl Gallery in the Health Science Research Facility on Interview Day.

Dollar Enterprise students at work

8:47 a.m. Davis Center Atrium. At their "Trash to Treasure" table, students in the Community Development and Applied Economics "Dollar Enterprise" class sell hand-woven bracelets, knit cup holders, Vermont Flannel hair scrunchies and gently used clothing. In four weeks, they aim to turn a $10 seed investment into a healthy profit they'll turn over to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, Resource and other local service groups.

student teacher

9 a.m. Edmunds Elementary School. Senior Taylor Farnsworth teaches math to first graders in the classroom of teacher Jamie O'Brien (UVM Class of 2012) as part of her senior practicum. "I was also in the classroom my sophomore and junior year," she says. The verdict after trying out her future profession? "I love it."

Student David Waller at work

9:05 a.m. Davis Center. One of David Waller's three jobs at the Davis Center is managing the first floor information desk, from 7 to 9 a.m. Along with passing out maps and fielding general questions, Waller also hands out billiard balls and cue sticks and, if asked, game tips. The anthropology major, music minor competes in pool tournaments Friday nights at the DC.

friends studying

9:07 a.m. Davis Center. Leandra and Makayla study for an Anatomy midterm. The two have been friends since high school. "We've made a lot of new friends, too." says Leandra, "but it is nice being in a tough class like Anatomy with Makayla. We can be serious -- and not."

Unicycling student

9:15 a.m. Outside Cook Commons. "People call me the unicycle kid," says sophomore Scott Ganz as he heads toward Cook Commons for breakfast.

Fleming Museum opening

9:16 a.m. Fleming Museum. Custodian Ann Broe cleans the floor of the Marble Court to prepare for the museum’s opening.

Pediatrics rounds

10:11 a.m. UVM Children’s Hospital. UVM Professor of pediatrics Dr. William Raszka, leads Larner College of Medicine Pediatrics Clerkship students Molly Markowitz '18, left, Brett Powers '18, right, and Elaine Wang '18, center, on rounds at the UVM Children’s Hospital on Baird 5 in the UVM Medical Center.

ROTC

10:12 a.m. UVM Green. With ROTC class later in the day, Madison Slater and her fellow cadets are in uniform on Wednesdays. The sophomore in linguistics, who lives in Living/Learning's ROTC suite, rattles off the things she appreciates about ROTC — sense of community, strong support system, leadership training. "I've learned a lot about myself in the program," she says.

Chalking outside the Davis Center

10:15 a.m. Outside of the Davis Center. Stevie Hunter chalks the sidewalk with messages for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. She and her friend Tia Hunt, were also setting up a table passing out purple ribbons to raise awareness. Hunter has been an advocate for women's issues since high school and says she was drawn to UVM by the Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies Program.

Petra Cliffs climbing

10:20 a.m. Petra Cliffs, Burlington. Jason Nachamie works on techniques such as basic body positioning and static and dynamic movement that he just learned in his rock climbing physical education class.

Farmer training program

10:20 a.m. Bread and Butter Farm, Shelburne. UVM Farmer Training students tour a Bread and Butter Farm greenhouse with farmer Corey Pierce to learn about winter greens production.

students at Harris Millis

10:26 a.m. Harris Millis Dining Hall. Morning beats: first-year students Jeremiah Cory and Gerson Echevarria work on a new song for their electronic dance music group No Wifi.

Ira Allen Chapel

10:37 a.m. UVM Green. Our founder, Ira Allen, on watch, as always.

New res hall

10:40 a.m. Central Campus. Greg Leech from UVM Facilities Design and Construction shows off what he calls the “million-dollar view” from the top floor of the first-year residence hall construction project.

Gov. Shumlin with students

10:43 a.m. State House, Montpelier. Community Development and Applied Economics students Emily von Weise and Sumner LeBaron-Brien, media and policy interns with UVM faculty member Richard Watts, meet with Gov. Peter Shumlin on communications strategies related to the opioid crisis and Vermont's public policy plans. Shumlin will hold a press conference on the topic later in the day.

Kidney ultrasound

10:43 a.m. Larner Medical Education Center. Dr. Timothy Higgins, assistant professor of radiology, teaches medical students in the Class of 2019 how to perform ultrasounds on the kidneys with a standardized patient as part of the Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Renal Systems course.

Admissions tour

10:44 a.m. Outside Admissions Center. An Admissions tour heads out.

Pancake breakfast at the Outing Club

11 a.m. Outing Club House. Flip-master Tim Smith, an animal science major from Hamden, Connecticut, is at the griddle. It's the Outing Club's Pancake Wednesday. Today's highlight: homemade jam from alumna Holly Hoffman, up for a visit. While weekly pancakes are a popular attraction, the club does way more than flip flap-jacks. Six to eight OC trips head to mountains, waterways and other wilderness every weekend involving hundreds of UVM students. "A lot of people come to UVM looking for this type of experience," says house manager Chad McGann, a parks, recreation and tourism major. "That's what we're here for."

Students at VCET

11:37 a.m. Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies. Senior Hunter Hedenberg talks with Sam Roach-Gerber, manager of community engagement and operations at VCET, about a communications plan and marketing strategy that Hedenberg is developing as part of her internship as a communications associate at the business incubator and co-working space in downtown Burlington.

students in Votey Hall

12:01 p.m. Votey Hall. Engineering student Hannah Davis adjusts equipment inside a pipe. “We're studying how pressure drops over a bend,” explains her lab mate Jesse Ware '18, manning the manometer near the middle of the pipe. They’re part of a four-student team in Mechanical Engineering 123, Thermo-Fluid Lab.

Spanish class

12:11 p.m. Waterman Building. Senior Lecturer Rachael Montesano's "Spanish Composition & Conversation" class is comparing racism and social injustice endured by Mexican migrant farm workers during the 1940s with conditions today for these migrant workers in Vermont. The class has a service-learning component focused on helping the workers gain greater access to food and services through a grassroots organization, Heurtas. Along with their culture and language studies, Montesano's students are raising funds for seeds and will be starting plants in the UVM greenhouse to be given to workers to help them establish their own food gardens in the spring.

student at food truck

12:15 p.m. University Row. Fried rice and pork is Teddy Lo's pick for today's lunch from the Lucky Chinese food truck. Teddy, a native of Indonesia, says he pretty much likes all the food at UVM, and he mixes up locations. But there was no question that dining on this blue-sky October day would be al fresco for a complete feast. "Where I'm from, there are no seasons. Autumn in Vermont is a magical experience."

Skating

12:18 p.m. Gutterson Fieldhouse. Emily Thibodeau, center, learns new moves from figure skating instructor Jen Lupia.

Student in the Fab Lab

12:35 p.m. Fab Lab, Votey. Claudia Benito Alston, international student from Spain, engineering major, art minor -- and maker of plastic skeletons, “ready for Halloween,” she says with a wry smile. She’s student staff at the Vermont Fab Lab, where’s she’s “pioneering new ideas and pushing us forward,” says UVM staffer Jenn Karson, who oversees the lab and its array of laser cutters, 3-D printers, and creative students. “We call ourselves Fabbers,” Benito Alston says -- and the skeleton is a test of her new ideas in how to better make products that are, she says, “extremely cheap and easily assembled.”

Snowboard club students

12:45 p.m. Davis Center. Ski & Snowboard Club members, feeling the spirit of the day, create a "Day in the Life" of UVM tableau. A+ for effort and execution.

John Becker in camera

12:56 p.m. Patrick Gymnasium. Men's basketball coach John Becker fields questions from local reporters at Vermont Basketball Media Day.

Students outside Hills

12:56 p.m. Outside Hills Building. Sophomore Chris Erkson and junior Madison Tourville catch some sunshine in between classes.

Career Fair

1:01 p.m. Davis Center. Business major Andrew Percoco '17 talks with a representative from Norway-based DNB bank at the Career Fair. "I'm hoping to find a summer internship with an investment bank or in sales and trading that will ultimately lead to a job on Wall Street or other financial center," says Percoco. The fair is one of four organized by UVM's Career Center this year. Today's event has brought 119 employers to campus from across the country, as well as abroad.

Woodshop

1:32 p.m. Williams Hall. Paul Decausemacker, technical studio supervisor in the Department of Art and Art History, assists first-year Izzie Ashley with her first cut with a band saw in the woodshop.

Aiken green roof

1:38 p.m. Aiken Building. Professor Gary Hawley and students inspect Aiken Hall's green roof. "The uniqueness of this roof is its eight separately monitored watersheds that allow us to explore storm water treatment efficiency differences," says Hawley. The view of the Green Mountains is another distinct feature.

Dog scoring

1:45 p.m. Miller Research Complex. Animal science students learn how to score a dog’s body weight. Scout scored a 3.

Hydraulics lab

2:01 p.m. Votey Hall. "It’s not completely accurate," says first-year engineering student George Selsing (right). “But it works well,” says sophomore Ayomikun Oluwasegun-Adekunle-Fatokun (center). In their introduction to engineering course, they were given a thirty-dollar budget and asked to build a device to measure the velocity of water shooting downstream along a flume in the Votey hydraulics lab. Along with Kestrel Owens ’20 (left) and Mike Gilarde ’20 (not shown) they built this waterwheel. Their instructor, John Lens, lists some of the qualities this exercise builds: teamwork, design fundamentals, assembling prototypes, testing, “and intuition” he says.

Skateboarding student

2:15 p.m. Outside Davis Center. Why skateboard? "Getting to class is easy because it's all downhill," says first-year Dylan Stetson. And there's the benefit of a little exercise on the way back. "At least for one leg," he says.

Kids exploring water table

2:28 p.m. Aiken Center Solarium. “Oh, look! This farmer needs help,” says Amelia Tarren — a watershed educator with the Lake Champlain Sea Grant program at UVM. She points at an eroding “riverbank” near an imaginary farm on a new model stream table in the Aiken Center solarium. A team of preschool erosion control engineers goes to work. “Should we turn the water back on and see what happens?” Phew, the fields are safe for now.

Pathology Lab
 

2:32 p.m. UVM Medical Center. Students in chemistry professor Chris Landry's "A Biography of Cancer" class take a field trip next door to the UVM Medical Center for a tour of the Pathology Lab. "I've seen parts of a brain in a lab, but never a whole one," says first-year Hannah Kauffman, an English major considering a switch to study the sciences.

Students at Fleming

2:41 p.m. Fleming Museum. Young students from Burlington's Integrated Arts Academy visit the museum's New England gallery in preparation for an art project that is taught by UVM students in the "Curriculum and Practice in Elementary Art" course.

wedding shoot at Alumni House

2:43 p.m. Alumni House. While no vows were said today, a photo shoot at the newly opened alumni house shows off the possibilities for the event space.

Writing Happiness class

2:54 p.m. UVM Green. First-year course "Writing Happiness" uses both "speculative reflection and empirical investigation" to explore the nature of happiness. Today's class finds inspiration in a simple happiness: moving outdoors on a warm fall day.

Print studio

3:09 p.m. Print Studio, Williams Hall. Gemma Cirignano '18 wiping her etching plate in preparation for the press. Professor Jane Kent on the assignment, a print in a week: "An image isn't what you think it is. It's what you make now."

Think College

3:10 p.m. Outside Davis Center. Molly Keenan reads a newly published Vermont Cynic article that quotes her and McKayla Kingsbury, seated at Keenan's left. Both are participants in the Think College program, which pairs local students with disabilities with UVM students in mentoring relationships. The group lets out a collective whoop when Keenan reads the quote from Kingsbury, who enjoys acting classes. "Move over, Meryl Streep, now you're famous, too, McKayla!" Also pictured: Quincy Cayton, Parker Verhoeff, and Joshua Beaupre. 

SEMBA class

3:15 p.m. Kalkin Hall. What's the the role of government in fostering market exchange and addressing market failures? Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA students learn in Professor Rick Vanden Bergh's "Business Sustainability & Public Policy" course.

Pottery student

3:36 p.m. Pottery Co-op, Living/Learning Center. Sophomore Cait Fitzgerald works on a gaiwan -- a Chinese lidded bowl used to make and drink tea. "I've been doing pottery for a few years, and I'm currently taking a class, but I'm here just working on this for myself to drink tea out of."

President Sullivan and Sharon Paulsen

3:51 p.m. President's Office, Waterman Building. Sharon Reich Paulsen, chief of staff and senior counsel to the president, has a quick discussion with President Tom Sullivan, touching base on upcoming meetings, communications, and other issues. Also on the agenda: updates on Vice President Joe Biden's visit to UVM Friday as the VP promotes the White House's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

Design Thinking class

4 p.m. Hills Building. After a field trip to the Flynn Center, students in Design Thinking work on mapping information for a new website for the performing arts center. Most important to the students: keeping the end user in mind.

Sailing team

4:56 p.m. Burlington Bay. For practice, the UVM intercollegiate sailing team is "having a racing day," says coach Caroline Patten. They’re in the Burlington harbor, tacking, taking tight turns, and practicing against each other in preparation for the real races that happen on the weekends both fall and spring. “Our ladies are ranked number nine in the nation right now,” Patten says.

Honors College class

5:01 p.m. University Heights North. Students in Professor Susanna Schrafstetter's Honors College seminar, "Germany since 1945: Memory and the Cold War," settle in before class begins. Today's discussion centers on The Wall Jumper, a novel examining psychological differences between two halves of Berlin created by the Wall. "It's an interesting perspective on a part of history we don't often hear about," says one student about the seminar, the newest in a line-up of 15 HCOL options available to sophomores this fall.

Healing Touch class

5:10 p.m. Dewey Lounge, Old Mill. Kathleen Scacciaferro, lecturer in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and a registered nurse, leads a class in Healing Touch therapeutic methods. Part of the college's Integrative Health Initiative, the course draws undergrads from throughout the university and also Continuing Education students for the rigorous year-long program leading to certification as a Healing Touch practitioner.

Students aboard the Melosira

5:21 p.m. Burlington Waterfront. Captain Steve Cluett lowers the stairs at the end of a class aboard the UVM research vessel Melosira. The students here, in Natural Resources 95, were looking at plankton samples collected “from 20 meters of water,” he says. “It’s an introduction to the lake. We cover health, assessment, management, ecology.”

International student conversation group

5:47 p.m. Living/Learning Center. International and domestic students are discussing urban legends, playing "Two Truths and a Lie," and sharing ghost stories during English Conversation Corner (ECC). "It's a chance for international students to learn how to speak English from domestic peers, slang and all, outside the classroom environment," says Akol Aguek, a counselor in the Office of International Education. "That's the main goal, but a lot connections, friendships and fun also grow out of ECC." The student-led groups convene every Wednesday.

skate park

5:54 p.m. Burlington Waterfront. Senior Dustin Keim came down to the new Andy “A_Dog” Williams skateboard park to “de-stress and decompress,” he says. And to catch air.

Davis Center

6:45 p.m. Davis Center. The student center glows into the evening hours.

WRUV DJ

7:03 p.m. Davis Center. Katey Beaton, aka DJ kbeatz, works the mic during a live broadcast performance of the upstate New York band, Comrade Nixon, at the WRUV studio.

live band performs at WRUV

7:17 p.m. Davis Center. An audience looks on as Comrade Nixon performs live on WRUV.

Debate at Brennan's

7:20 p.m. Brennan's Pub, Davis Center. With countdown to the evening's final presidential debate dropping under two hours, UVM students and faculty provide a warm-up act with a debate on immigration policy. Making the case for a less restrictive immigration policy, Robert Bartlett, professor of political science, says, "Less restrictive immigration is not only the morally right thing to do, it is also in our own material best interest."

Cynic staff

7:46 p.m. Davis Center. Cynic B-Side editor Maggie Richardson talks with fellow Cynic colleagues during an evening meeting where the student newspaper staff will vote on the members of their editorial board.

Top Cats rehearsal

8:06 p.m. Music Building Recital Hall. Ragnar Clarke '17 takes the solo on "Back Pocket," a funk tune by Vulfpeck. He's part of the Top Cats; they’re getting ready for their concert here at the UVM Recital Hall on Oct 29. No mics tonight, Clarke says. “We haven’t had a concert in here before so we’re trying to solidify our balance,” he says. “It's fine tuning.”

Dewey House event

8:50 p.m. Harris/Millis. Rep. Diana Gonzalez speaks to students in Dewey House for Civic Engagement about her work in the Vermont Legislature at a "B.Y.O.B" (Bring Your Own Ballot) event. The series aims to raise awareness about the difference students can make through informed voting and involvement in their community. “We all need to learn about our local government and local issues,“ says Elizabeth Steckler, a first-year student attending the event/ “If we don’t know these things, how can we make good decisions when voting?”

Pub Quiz at Brennan's

9:11 p.m. Brennan's Pub, Davis Center. Jagger Linsky, left, and Bayla Fisher, both juniors, lead Wicked Wednesday, a pub quiz at Brennan's.

Dracula rehearsal

9:18 p.m. Royall Tyler Theater. Harker (first-year Thomas Rattigan) is about to drive home the stake into the heart of Dracula (junior Christian Dekett). Directed by Sarah Carleton, the play, adapted from the indelible novel by Bram Stoker, opens Nov. 3 at the Royall Tyler Theater.

Students watch the 3rd debate

9:39 p.m. Davis Center. Students gather to watch the third presidential debate.

Chi Alpha students

10:23 p.m. Living/Learning Center. Akilah Ho-Young '19, Justin Dunn '16,  Danielle Sedler '20, and Daneil Whyte ’20 are laughing, considering skateboards and job prospects, and “just talking” says Whyte who calls herself a “fresh-more.” “It’s my first year at UVM, second at college,” she explains. They are part of Chi Alpha, a “small group Bible study,” says Dunn. They’ve just finished their weekly small group meeting. “We also have retreats, bonding with Jesus and with each other,” says Ho-Young.

Harris/Millis dining hall

10:47 p.m. Harris/Millis Dining Hall. Late-night food at Harris/Millis draws students from across the campuses.

roommates unwind together

11:32 p.m. Wing/Davis/Wilks Residence Hall. Unwind time: first-year Patrick Schoolcraft, right, plays FIFA 14 while roommate Zac Favreau-Smith, left, and Taylor Tibbetts hang out all together on an extra-large bean bag, Oreos at the ready.

Orchesis dancers

11:32 p.m. Patrick Gym Dance Studio. Members of the UVM Orchesis Dance Company practice a tap-dance piece called “Breathe.” They’ll perform it at their show at the end of the year. From left: students Krista Jenney '20, Garrett Chisholm '18, Kari Chapman '17, and Nicole Paonessa '17. Who choreographed the dance? “Me,” say Chisholm.

Students at the library

11:45 p.m. Bailey/Howe Library. Nearing midnight, Andrea Zhu ’18, an economics major, and Janne Yang ’17, a mathematics major, have been enjoying a good (but, yes, quiet) laugh on the first floor of the library. “We should study overnight, but we’re chatting,” Zhu says. “We’re chatting about the meaning of loneliness.” For such a conversation, it’s good to have a friend.

Students with boxes of snacks

12:15 a.m. Corner of Main Street and University Heights. First-years don’t live on bread alone. Cheez-Its and Cup of Noodles are in there too. “There’s no food in our dorm, and our buddy was going to Costco,” explains Ethan Schwartz '20. So he and Jake Derby '20 tagged along to get supplies before heading home to Harris Hall. For the late nights ahead, “we’ve got to keep our room stocked,” says Derby.

1791 chalked on sidewalk

12:20 a.m. Campus Sidewalk. Chalk art appears on campus announcing that UVM's 1791 Society, an anonymous group that celebrates the service mission of the university, is back -- and throws in a nod to famed philosopher, educational reformer and UVM alumnus John Dewey. As the clock turns past midnight, we mark the 157th anniversary of the Burlington native's birth. And, as we close this Day in the Life of UVM, it feels only right to give the final word to our distinguished birthday boy: "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."

PUBLISHED

10-18-2016
University Communications