Blackburn, a 2001 CCJ alumna, has served as the manager of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s crime analysis unit since 2012.
Stories by Steve Walentik
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Community Innovation and Action Center looks to deepen its impact under new co-directors Kiley Bednar, Paul Sorenson
The center serves as a facilitator of collaboration between community partners looking to address large-scale challenges in the St. Louis region.
Up and running: Cross country teams laying the foundation for future success
Coach Steve Picucci guided the men’s and women’s cross country teams through their first full season of competition since his hiring in 2019.
Gateway Human Trafficking honors Anthony Harper with Blue Heart Award
Harper, a 1994 UMSL alumnus, has spent the past eight years working as a forensic interviewer for Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis.
UMSL faculty members help news media make sense of supply chain shortages heading into holiday season
Mitch Millstein and George Zsidisin from the Department of Supply Chain and Analytics shared their expertise in television newscasts earlier this week.
USDA awards UMSL-led team of researchers $633,000 grant to study pollination in urban orchards
Aimee Dunlap and Nathan Muchhala are collaborating with researchers from the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden, SLU, Webster and Maryville.
UMSL takes steps to address problem of plastic bags on America Recycles Day
UMSL is hosting a bench made from recycled plastic bags throughout the month of November as part of OneSTL’s Bags2Bench Tour.
STL CyberCon panel highlights different paths to careers in cybersecurity
The seventh annual conference attracted more than 160 registrants and featured a discussion on the benefits of four-year degrees and certifications.
Academic Influence ranks Richard Rosenfeld among world’s five most influential criminologists
Rosenfeld is a leading researcher on crime control, criminal justice policy, the social sources of crime and statistical trends in criminal justice.
Flag raising ceremony kicks off UMSL celebration of Veterans Day
Student veteran and music major Krishaun Dotson-Orange performed “Reveille” and “To the Color” on his trumpet as Army ROTC members raised the flag.
St. Louis County Council honors UMSL men’s basketball team for accomplishments in season cut short by COVID-19
The council adopted a resolution commending the Tritons for winning the GLVC title and securing an NCAA berth before the tournament’s cancellation in 2019-20.
Veterans Center getting some upgrades with grant from Veterans United Foundation
The $17,200 donation will pay for physical improvements to the student lounge, including new furniture and a coffee bar, to enhance students’ experiences.
UMSL celebrating first-generation students
The Opportunity Scholars Program and the Proud to Be First Scholars Program are two UMSL initiatives aimed at supporting first-generation students.
Staff members highlighting UMSL programs and initiatives in CUMU Learning & Sharing Virtual Series
D’Andre Braddix, Robin Kimberlin, Will Werner, Karl Guenther, Prima Wagan and Natissia Small are all among the scheduled presenters.
Ask an Expert: Samantha Simon explores the challenges to changing police culture in the United States
The assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice authored a recent journal article in “Social Problems” about police training.
Computer scientist Jianli Pan working to make IoT security smarter and automated with new NSA grant
Pan is one of the primary investigators on a $510,000 grant awarded through the NSA’s Cybersecurity Research Innovation 2021 Program.
Students pitch in to clean up campus streams as part of Extension & Engagement Week activities
UMSL and MU Extension also held a pop-up health and well-being event for community members at the Regional Center for Education and Work.
UMSL playing leading role in St. Louis Anchor Action Network with goal of building inclusive prosperity
The network will leverage intentional hiring, career development and spending in parts of the St. Louis region that have faced disinvestment.
Amber Reinhart talks to St. Louis Public Radio about ways to persuade loved ones about COVID-19 vaccines
The associate professor of communication and media specializes in health communication and has worked on messaging to encourage healthy behavior.
DBA students Emily Lane, Matthew Aplin-Houtz win recognition for paper highlighting communication challenges of remote work
The two first-year students won the Best Paper Award at the 2021 Engaged Management Scholarship Conference held last month in Miami.
UMSL’s new Close the Gap Grant will assist low-income students in earning their degrees
The program will help eligible students graduate with significantly less debt.
Harris Conservation Forum highlights Indigenous knowledge and its lessons for sustainability
This year’s annual forum was part of a five-day collaborative virtual conference “Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability – Food.”
Students express gratitude for scholarship support during Founders Celebration
Opportunity Scholar Afina Fayez was one of the UMSL students discussing the impact scholarships have had on their education in a new video.
Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference brings more than 1,900 educators together online in 20th year
The conference provides professional development on emerging trends in technology applications in higher education as well as online teaching strategies.
NGA, UMSL partnering to develop STEM professionals and educators
NGA Director Vice Admiral Robert D. Sharp and UMSL Chancellor Kristin Sobolik signed an Educational Partnership Agreement on Wednesday.
Hispanic Heritage Month panel discusses inclusivity in the workforce
Career Services Coordinator Scottie Floyd moderated the discussion, intended to help students discover strategies to target inclusive workplaces.
Charlotte Richards makes an impression on the volleyball court, off it
Richards is the reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year and will earn her degree in supply chain management in December.
UMSL Tritons weekly rewind
Sophomore Jacob Warner took first place in Friday’s H.W. Wright Classic and helped the men’s cross country team finish second in Decatur, Illinois.
UMSL expanding opportunity for area high school students through St. Louis Scholars Program
The program will provide 20 students $8,000 per year in stackable scholarship funds along with specialized advising and mentoring.
UMSL renews agreement to offer Bachelor of Social Work program for students at Mineral Area College
Under the agreement, UMSL also has an opportunity to develop other degree programs on the MAC campus, should it identify a need.
Karl Guenther, Patricia Parker honored at North County Inc.’s 44th annual Leadership Breakfast
Guenther received an Excellence in Partnership Leadership Award, and Parker received a Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award.
UMSL wins fifth Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine
The magazine recognized 101 U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrated an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Chancellor Kristin Sobolik highlights UMSL’s continued commitment to student success in annual address
Sobolik announced the creation of the St. Louis Scholars Program and plans for a full-need tuition assistance program beginning in Spring 2022.
UMSL ranked among the nation’s best and most affordable public administration programs
University HQ ranked UMSL No. 16 nationally after weighing factors such as retention and graduation rates, cost of tuition and graduate salaries.
UMSL remains on the rise in latest US News ‘Best Colleges’ rankings
The university has moved up 42 places in the overall rankings in the past two years and now ranks No. 118 among public schools.
St. Louis Business Journal honors Natissia Small as champion for diversity and inclusion
UMSL’s vice provost for access, academic support and workforce integration has been working to expand access to education for more than 25 years.
Anita Manion, Steve Moehrle, Kimberly Welch tapped as Presidential Engagement Fellows
The three will serve as ambassadors throughout the region, speaking to local organizations and communities about their areas of research and expertise.
Assistant Professor Vivek Singh’s research aimed at addressing practical problems of industry
Singh has studied different aspects of cloud computing including cost, security and operations and has expanded his research to incorporate machine learning.
UMSL honors faculty completing ACUE’s Effective Online Teaching Practices program
Forty-two faculty members completed the rigorous, 25-module program and learned evidence-based strategies to help students stay engaged and learn in online courses.
Tina Pamintuan chosen to serve as CEO of St. Louis Public Radio
Pamintuan has more than 20 years of experience in public media and has spent the past three years as the general manager at KALW (91.7 FM) in San Francisco.
Philosopher Gualtiero Piccinini’s new book dives into the computational theory of cognition
“Neurocognitive Mechanisms: Explaining Biological Cognition,” was published in December by Oxford University Press.
Love of music brings Mark Briguglio back to college, almost 50 years after he started, to earn degree
Briguglio has studied music and psychology while working toward his bachelor’s in liberal studies, and he aims to provide music therapy to military veterans after graduation.
UMSL launches new bachelor’s degree program in data science and analysis
Students can begin enrolling in the interdisciplinary program with emphasis areas in biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, social science and supply chain analytics.
MPPA alumnus David Gipson leading Clayton as city manager
Gipson was named the 2021 recipient of the Jay T. Bell Professional Management Award from the Missouri City/County Management Association.
Anthropology Professor Susan Brownell shares insight on China’s Olympic success with Radio New Zealand, Financial Times
Brownell is an expert on Chinese sport and authored “Beijing’s Games: What the Olympics Mean to China.” She has attended five Olympic Games.
College of Education earns full accreditation from Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation
UMSL students can get the training and certification they need by earning a BSEd or through alternative certification routes such as the Teach in 12 or Teach Residency programs.
Educators from across St. Louis take part in IT Career Summit hosted by UMSL
The three-day summit highlighted the role that K-12 educators can play inspiring students to pursue IT careers and offering them training to be successful.
CLIMB program internships take students into community gardens to study bees and their behavior
A total of 10 students from Jennings, Ritenour, Riverview Gardens and University City High Schools took part in the paid summer internship program.
STARS program exposes 36 area high school students to summer of scientific research
Jim Maher, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Mayo Clinic, delivered the keynote address last Friday during the program’s virtual confirmation ceremony.
Lav Gupta’s experience with broadband brings value to UM System’s Digitally Connected Communities Guide
Before coming to the United States, the assistant professor of computer science led a team planning and building networks to bring broadband access to cities across India.