
At the URC, a Bicycle Made of Hemp
PUBLISHED ON Apr 07 2017
If Christopher Jones has his way, you’ll soon be able to ride a bicycle made of hemp.
Jones, a fifth-year senior in Butler's Engineering Dual Degree Program (EDDP), and his classmate Gunabhushan Sathyamurthy presented their idea Friday, April 7, at the 29th annual Undergraduate Research Conference, which brings some of the best and brightest undergraduate minds to campus to show off their research projects.
Jones said the idea for the hemp frame came in a class where the professor challenged the students to devise something ecologically friendly.
“Hemp is something everyone knows about already,” Sathyamurthy said. “It’s already being used as textiles and it’s very cheap and easy to obtain. We wanted to find something within our budget but at the same time, it’s sustainable and natural.”
“We could use jute or kenaf or something like that,” Jones said. “But you don’t know what that is.”
They took layers of hemp, combined them with resin, and molded them to form tubes. At the conference, they passed around pieces of tubing made with three sheets of hemp. They said the final version is more likely to be five to seven pieces of hemp, which will make it sturdier.
Jones and Sathyamurthy’s team, which also includes EDDP students Madeline Schmitz, Matthew Beebe, Matthew Tosino, and Greg Cerabona, hopes to have a prototype frame finished by the end of the month.
They presented at one of the conference’s biology sessions because they want to find a biology student—ideally a rising sophomore—to do the secondary research on what others have done to strengthen natural fibers.
Jones said his dream is to eventually have a business built around what he calls “the Rebicycle.”
“We only making the frame,” he said. “You bring us your old bike and we’ll build you a new frame and we’ll use the parts from your old bike. Then we’ll recycle the old frame.”
*
All over campus on Friday, more than 700 students from 58 colleges and universities in 12 states showed their research in subjects ranging alphabetically from anthropology to sustainability. In addition, Butler sponsored students from two local high schools, Shortridge and Lawrence, as a way to support research from an earlier age.
Maria Rechtin, who’s finishing her junior year at Thomas More College in Kentucky, represented a group of 10 students who have been working on research into the effects of nicotine on urinary bladder cancer cell lines at the Wood Hudson Cancer Research Laboratory. The students involved in the research represented seven schools, including the universities of Louisville, Dayton, and Ohio.
Rechtin said the research is ongoing, but she wanted the opportunity to present what they had accomplished so far.
“Students from Thomas More College present here every year,” she said. “I had research to present and I wanted to present it. It’s a tradition at our school.”
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
At the URC, a Bicycle Made of Hemp
If Christopher Jones has his way, you’ll soon be able to ride a bicycle made of hemp.
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Spring Break in Krakow? Gerstein Winner Can't Wait.
BY Hayley Ross '17
PUBLISHED ON Feb 27 2017
For Pharmacy major Isaac Warshawsky ’20, exploring the historical accuracy of popular Holocaust movies like Schindler’s List is at the top of his to-do list. Fortunately for him, he is the second annual Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund recipient, and will get to do just that during spring break.
“I saw this grant as a way to expand my knowledge of the Holocaust,” Warshawsky said. “Going to a concentration camp and Auschwitz after learning about it my whole life would be an emotional experience and give what I have learned a deeper meaning.”
The fund supports travel and research related to Jewish learning. The guidelines this year were simple: We will grant you $1,600 if you tell us what you can accomplish with it.
“I wanted to go to Poland,” he said.
Warshawsky plans to use the education fund to travel with a friend to Krakow, Poland, where he will be able to explore Auschwitz and Oskar Schindler’s factory, which has been turned into a museum.
Warshawsky is currently taking an independent study honors class in which he is researching the Holocaust, specifically in Krakow. He will be analyzing books, movies, and other literature to see if there are any notable inaccuracies. Going to Poland and seeing first-hand what he will be watching and reading will directly help with his research.
“I am tied to the Holocaust through my ancestors and through its effect on the world, and as a result, I want to correct any misconceptions people have due to popular belief from movies and inform those who do not know much about the Holocaust,” he said.
Warshawsky will be presenting his research to the Butler and Indianapolis communities next fall. He plans to take videos and photographs while in Poland.
“I hope to make my presentation something people can relate to,” he said.
Warshawsky is counting down the days until spring break.
“I think it is going to be an amazing experience as a whole,” he said. “It’s something I will only be able to do once in my life, and I am going to be sure to make the most of it.”

Spring Break in Krakow? Gerstein Winner Can't Wait.
Isaac Warshawsky is the second recipient of the Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund.
Isaac Warshawsky is the second recipient of the Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund.

Butler Ready to Launch First Esports and Gaming Space, but Much More to Come
BY Rachel Stern
PUBLISHED ON Oct 24 2019
A new space on Butler University’s campus dedicated to esports and gaming is in the works. But it will be about much more than one of the world’s hottest industries.
The Esports and Gaming Lounge is set to open in late November. It will be located in Atherton Union, adjacent to the newly designed Plum Market at C-Club, which will open around the same time. Open to the campus community, the space will have stations dedicated to esports, or competitive, organized video gaming. There will be 16 gaming PCs, an area of gaming consoles, and an area for tabletop gaming.
But this is just the beginning. Plans for a much larger, 7,500-square-foot multi-use space in the Butler Parking Garage are in the works, says Eric Kammeyer, Butler’s new Director of Esports and Gaming Technology. The space is slated to open fall 2020, and it will build upon the Atherton Union space, featuring 50 gaming PCs, an area of gaming consoles, and room for technology-infused corporate trainings and events or youth STEM and esports camps. It will also have broadcasting production capabilities for live events such as podcasts or esports competitions, a coworking space, a cafe, and a small office space available for lease to support new ventures.
In addition to the Butler esports team that competes in the BIG EAST and will start practicing in the new space, gaming and innovative technologies are being incorporated into the wider Butler curriculum, as the new spaces will enable campus to serve as a sports hub for the greater Indianapolis community. These new spaces will foster student access, community partnerships, and innovations in teaching and learning—all key aspects of Butler’s new strategic direction.
“While competitive and recreational esports is a key driver of this new space, our vision is larger,” says Butler’s Vice President for Strategy and Innovation, Melissa Beckwith. “Our goal is to create a space that will ultimately support curricular innovation, serve the K-12 community, and align with two of the city’s economic engines—sports and technology. Integrating these efforts is the key to creating maximum impact for our students, faculty, and broader community.”
Future Esports & Technology space in the Sunset Avenue Parking Garage, expected to open in fall 2020
Why invest?
In 2014, more than 70 million people across the globe watched esports on the internet or television, according to Newzoo, the leading provider of market intelligence covering global games, esports, and mobile markets. That same year, a single esports event retained viewership that surpassed the NBA’s Game Seven.
Newzoo expects that esports viewership will increase to 427 million people and top $1 billion in revenue in 2019.
“Gaming is extremely popular among students, and its popularity will only continue to grow,” says Butler’s Vice President for Student Affairs Frank E. Ross. “Universities must be responsive to students’ changing needs and interests, identifying innovative and meaningful ways to engage them on campus. This investment in Butler students is important as we continue to enhance the student experience.”
It is also an area exploding with job opportunities.
Butler Assistant Professor of Creative Media and Entertainment Ryan Rogers just published a book on esports—Understanding Esports: An Introduction to the Global Phenomenon. The book explores the rise of the esports industry and its significance, and is the first comprehensive look at an industry that has risen so quickly.
Because of that accelerated growth, the industry needs employees.
“It is incumbent on us, as an institute of higher learning, to prepare students for jobs and get them thinking about new jobs they may not have previously thought about, or may not even know exist,” says Rogers, whose research has explored the ways video games influence their audiences and users. “It is imperative to serve students, and this is a growth field. There are opportunities for students in this field, from competing, to working, to conducting research. As a higher ed institution, we should work to understand why, like anything else, this is happening and how it is happening.”
Curriculum
Rogers teaches an esports class. He also teaches a class that works with FOX Sports. This semester, that class is working closely with Caffeine, a new broadcasting service that is mostly geared toward streaming video games.
But it is about much more than just integrating esports into the Butler curriculum. There is a much broader, cross-disciplinary effort being made toward integrating gaming into pedagogy across campus.
James McGrath, Professor of Religion and Classics, says: “There is real educational value in the mixing of gaming and learning because, I remember at one point in my life, learning was fun.”
McGrath says as educators, it is easy to fall into old habits such as talking at people, or doing “other boring things like that.” But, he says, there is a reason that students spend hours playing video games. These games give people the freedom to fail and try again.
“We often forget the need to incorporate failure in any educational experience that is ultimately going to lead to success and learning,” he says. “The only way to become good at something is to do it repeatedly, and fail, and if you get penalized for failing, you will never get the chance to ultimately get very good at it.”
Incorporating game-like elements, such as a point-based system, into higher education sparks learning, McGrath says. This is the gamification of higher education.
For McGrath, this started when he was teaching a course on the Bible. The second day of class, he knew he had to teach his students, essentially, a history lesson about why Bibles are different and where the table of contents comes from, for example. He decided to create a card game, Canon: The Card Game.
“People like to game,” McGrath says. “Faculty are starting to recognize the value of these types of things as part of culture and things we can harness for good in terms of learning outcomes. The fact that institutions such as our own are being more aware that people need to be well-rounded and that involves different things, even gaming, is a huge step toward true innovation.”
Jason Goldsmith, Associate Professor of English, quite literally studies video games.
He offers a course called Video Game Narrative, which looks at how video games tell stories and what they can do differently from a standard novel or film. One iteration of the course studied Lord of the Rings. The students read the novel, watched the film, and then played online with people all over the world. The class looked at how the narrative shifted based on environment.
“These kids grow up playing video games much more than watching movies, so it is vital that we teach them to think about this medium critically with the same attention we ask of them when reading Shakespeare,” he says. “If they are playing these games, and if they will one day produce these games, we must encourage them to think more deeply about the relationship between story, game, and what players want out of a game.”
Goldsmith has also gamified aspects of classes he teaches, such as a course he recently taught on Jane Austen. Austen played many games when she was younger, and games play a crucial role in her novels. Students had to create a Jane Austen game, complete with a character sheet that reflected the characteristics Austen valued in her main characters.
Goldsmith says he looks forward to studying the broader cultural significance of gaming, while also making sure Butler continues to evolve and prepare students for emerging career opportunities.
Butler is working University-wide to do just that.
Future Esports & Technology space in the Sunset Avenue Parking Garage, expected to open in fall 2020
Competition
When John George ‘18 started at Butler, he had two passions: sports and video games. But he had never heard of esports.
He was watching ESPN one morning and heard something about competitive video games and esports. His mind was blown. He started Googling like crazy, and he found there was this whole world out there with teams and leagues. He started playing League of Legends and was hooked.
By the time he was a senior, he heard about Rogers and his esports class. After the first class, he ran up to Rogers, and the two decided to start the Butler esports student organization. There wasn't much interest that first year, and George was the only senior at the meeting. There were a handful of others.
“I can’t believe we went from having some interest, to now being on the brink of an actual space on campus,” says George, who worked for Echo Fox, an esports organization in Los Angeles, running a podcast and producing video after graduation. “We used to all practice in our dorm rooms apart, so the chance to all be together will be amazing.”
Interest has grown quite a bit, too. In 2018, the esports team started competing in the BIG EAST. The team competes in two titles in the BIG EAST now—Rocket League and League of Legends.
“The BIG EAST Conference and our members have been formally exploring the esports space since 2017,” says Chris Schneider, Senior Associate Commissioner for Sport Administration and Championships at the BIG EAST. “It’s exciting to see growth on each campus, and Butler University is certainly one of the leading programs in the conference.”
Growth on Butler’s campus over the last few years has really skyrocketed. There is discussion around Butler-sanctioned scholarships, Kammeyer says.
“Interest on campus has mirrored the explosion of this industry at the global level,” he says. “We continue to work with our partners at the high school level to develop advancement opportunities much like traditional sports. We want to provide an end-to-end solution for those that want to pursue anything that falls under the umbrella of esports and innovative technology, from music and production, to competition, to developing the games they are playing.”
Community
Butler is not the only member of the Indianapolis community active in the esports and gaming space.
Ryan Vaughn, Indiana Sports Corp President, says esports is no longer an emerging phenomenon, but rather something that the wider community is very much engaged in. However, Indianapolis lacks the physical space to bring this sport to life.
“With basketball or swimming, for example, it is easy for us as a city to demonstrate we have the infrastructure here to compete with other cities to host major events. But for esports events, it is different,” Vaughn says. “It will be a game changer for us to now have a community space and a University to partner with.”
Esports also differ from other sports in their clear connection to STEM fields and tech, Vaughn says. To continue to grow in these areas as a state, it is important to recognize and develop that connection.
Scott Dorsey agrees. Dorsey, Managing Partner at High Alpha and Past-Chair of the Indiana Sports Corp, sees Butler’s new esports and tech space as key to developing Indiana’s workforce.
“Esports is an excellent example of the collision between sports and technology in Indianapolis,” Dorsey says. “We are a city that embraces our sports legacy and is well positioned to leverage our explosive growth in technology and innovation. Butler’s planned esports and technology park will be an important asset in our city as we build on our unique strengths and further develop, recruit, and retain top tech talent to the state.”
Potential partnerships with professional sports teams, other universities, K-12 schools, and start-up companies are all part of Butler’s larger plan, says Kammeyer.
This past summer, for example, Butler partnered with NexTech, an Indianapolis-based organization committed to elevating the technical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills of K-12 students, to host their Explorers Camp and provide programming for the Catapult Program—an intensive summer experience for high school students interested in exploring careers in technology.
“The investment Butler is making in innovative and transformative technology will be a tremendous asset for our city as we work to open doors for youth to explore opportunities in related fields,” says NexTech President Karen Jung.
Partnerships could lead to potential internship opportunities for Butler students, summer camps for community members, and mentorship programs for the esports team, for example.
Take the Indiana Pacers, for example. In 2017, Cody Parrent was hired to be their Director of Esports Operations. That year, they were one of 17 inaugural teams in the NBA 2K League. The league drafts players 18 years old or older from all over the world.
Since that inaugural year, the league has added six new teams, including one from China.
“We have seen interest grow exponentially,” says Parrent, who coaches the team, serves as the general manager, and works on partnerships.
As part of his partnership work, Parrent has spent time guest lecturing in Butler’s esports classes. And that has led to the Pacers having multiple Butler interns—a multimedia intern and a business operations intern.
“A lot of people know about the gaming side of esports, but there is a whole other side, which is the business side of things, and that is what I see as the most exciting part of what Butler is doing,” Parrent says. “The sport itself is open to everyone, as is the business side of things. We are ecstatic about finally having a hub that will bring everything together. The possibilities are endless.”
Media Contact:
Rachel Stern
Director of Strategic Communications
rstern@butler.edu
914-815-5656
Student Access and Success
At the heart of Butler Beyond is a desire to increase student access and success, putting a Butler education within reach of all who desire to pursue it. With a focus on enhancing the overall student experience that is foundational to a Butler education, gifts to this pillar will grow student scholarships, elevate student support services, expand experiential learning opportunities, and more. Learn more, make a gift, and read other stories like this one at beyond.butler.edu.

Butler Ready to Launch First Esports and Gaming Space, but Much More to Come
The new space in Atherton Union will open in late November, with a second Parking Garage space planned for 2020.
The new space in Atherton Union will open in late November, with a second Parking Garage space planned for 2020.

Butler Names Top 100 Students
BY
PUBLISHED ON Apr 17 2017
Butler University honored its Top 100 students on April 7 at the Outstanding Student Banquet.
To be selected for the honor, a student must be nominated by a faculty, staff, or fellow student for the award. Students cannot nominate themselves.
The Top 100 students are determined by the Top 100 Selection Committee composed of representatives of each of the six colleges, athletics, student affairs, academic affairs, and alumni. Each candidate is judged against the core values of the program on a numeric scale. At the end of the judging period, all scores are tabulated, and the Top 100 students are selected.
Here are this year’s Top 100 students (*indicates Top 15):
*Timothy Ahlersmeyer, Finance, Warsaw, Indiana
Jacob Applegarth, Chemistry, La Porte, Indiana
Tabitha Barbour, English, Clarksville, Tennessee
*Alex Bartlow, Accounting and Spanish, Bloomfield, Indiana
Amy Brown, Accounting, St. Charles, Missouri
Lauryn Campagnoli, Biology, Elkhart, Indiana
*Sarah Clary, Elementary Education, Angola, Indiana
Dana Connor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Tallahassee, Florida
*Allison Cook, Health Sciences, Evansville, Indiana
*Allison Cotter, Chemistry, Grand Haven, Michigan
*Olivia Crowe, Biology, Bloomington, Indiana
Sarah Desautels, Elementary and Special Education, Indianapolis
Daniel Dudman, PharmD and MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Geneva, Illinois
Kailey Eaton, Strategic Communication, Fishers, Indiana
*Emma Edick, Digital Media Production, Worthington, Ohio
Katie Edwards, Marketing and Finance, Libertyville, Illinois
*Chiara Evelti, International Studies and Spanish, Decatur, Illinois
Emily Farrer, Music and Psychology, Lexington, Kentucky
*Tristan Feilla, Biomedical Engineering and Economics, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
*Caitlyn Foye, Biology, Newburgh, Indiana
Connie Frank, Economics, Lombard, Illinois
Alex Gabor, Psychology, Wilmette, Illinois
Jordan Galligan, Sports Media, Valparaiso, Indiana
Connor Ganly, Pharmacy and Business Administration, Brazil, Indiana
Taylor Gillenwater, Marketing & Finance, Allerton, Illinois
*David Goldsmith, Human Movement Health Science Education, Bristol, England
Katie Goodrich, Journalism, Hammond, Indiana
Paige Haefer, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Madison, Wisconsin
Whitney Hart, Chemistry, La Porte, Indiana
Amanda Hashimoto, Physics and Mathematics, Columbus, Indiana
Jordan Hochstetler, Physics and Chemistry, Goshen, Indiana
Sean Horan, Mechanical Engineering & Economics, Kings Mills, Ohio
Chandler Howell, Pharmacy, Centerville, Indiana
Nick Huang, Finance and Marketing, Geneva, Illinois
Patrick Ilcin, Finance, Risk Management and Insurance, Dublin, Ohio
Karla Jeggle, Actuarial Science, Upper Arlington, Ohio
Leesa Jing, Arts Administration and Mathematics, Evansville, Indiana
Drew Johnson, Pharmacy, Noblesville, Indiana
Ashley Jones, Secondary English Education, Crown Point, Indiana
Katey Kelleher, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Cary, Illinois
*Gwen Kozak, Elementary Education, North Easton, Massachusetts
Caroline Kuremsky, Elementary Education, Cincinnati, Ohio
Carly Large, Accounting, Bloomington, Illinois
Rachael Lewis, Marketing, Spanish, and International Business, Danville, Illinois
Kendra Lucas, Pharmacy, Franklin, Indiana
Vince Marshall, Human Movement and Health Science Education, LaOtto, Indiana
Megan McCambridge, Physician Assistant, Boulder, Colorado
Kelsey McDougall, Biology, Canton, Michigan
Cristina, McNeiley, Criminology, Munster, Indiana
Shelby Miller, Biology, Muncie, Indiana
Miren Mohrenweiser, History, English Literature, and French, Brighton, Michigan
Libby Moyer, Political Science, Argos, Indiana
Lexa Muehlbauer, Strategic Communication and Spanish, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Josh Murdock, Pharmacy, Grand Junction, Colorado
Kelly Murphy, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Dublin, Ohio
Salman Qureshi, Biology, Fishers, Indiana
Courtney Raab, Health Sciences, Highland, Indiana
Anna Rauh, Strategic Communication, Louisville, Kentucky
Katy Robinson, Strategic Communication, Richmond, Indiana
Hayley Ross, Journalism, Merrick, New York
Danielle Ruppal, Physician Assistant, Grand Rapids, Michigan
*Hadeel Said, Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies, Carmel, Indiana
Dania Saltagi, Physician Assistant, Fishers, Indiana
Amelia Samuelson, BSHS, Urbana, Ohio
Kaitlyn Sawin, Marketing, Appleton, Wisconsin
Tyler Schenck, Biology and Chemistry, Spencer, Indiana
Logan Schwering, Finance and Marketing, Batesville, Indiana
Emily Sickert, Strategic Communications, Libertyville, Illinois
Shandeep Singh, Biology and Political Science, Plainfield, Indiana
Maree Smith, Marketing and Spanish, Monticello, Minnesota
Taylor Smith, Energy Engineering & Chemistry, Crown Point, Indiana
Kaléi Sorenson Marketing, International Business, Kildeer, Illinois
Clayton Taylor, Biology, Greenwood, Indiana
Kendall Theile, Elementary Education, Bloomington, Indiana
Sam Thomas, Political Science and Economics, Wabash, Indiana
Andrew Thompson, Health Science, Crawfordsville, Indiana
Laura Tonner, Science, Technology, and Society, Rensselaer, Indiana
Emilie Turner, Political Science, International Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Fishers, Indiana
Abby Udelhofen, Elementary Education, Elmhurst, Illinois
Natalie Van Ochten, Biology, Shorewood, Minnesota
Kateri Vaughn, Communications Sciences and Disorders, Alton, Illinois
Madeline Verbica, Biology and Spanish, Santa Cruz, California
Nicole Vetter, Elementary Education & Mild Intervention, Schaumburg, Illinois
Nathan Villiger, Physics and Astronomy/Astrophysics, New Palestine, Indiana
Dani Wallace, English, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
Kristen Webb, Psychology, Libertyville, Illinois
Riley Wildemann, Pharmacy, Plainfield, Indiana
Alex Woldmoe, Finance, Fishers, Indiana
Heather Wright, Music, Greentown, Indiana
Jill Yager, Biology, Rushville, Indiana
Brittany Zoet, Strategic Communication, Beverly Hills, California
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

Butler Names Top 100 Students
Butler University honored its Top 100 students on April 7 at the Outstanding Student Banquet.
Butler University honored its Top 100 students on April 7 at the Outstanding Student Banquet.