Illuminating “Raíces Brillantes” at the Latino Research Center

The Latino Research Center unveiled the “Raíces Brillantes” (Brilliant Roots) mural in Cain Hall Sept. 15, the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month. The mural was created by local artist Edwin Martinez-Escobar and funded entirely by foundations and community donors. Spanning three walls, it celebrates heritage, resilience and belonging with vivid imagery — from family and education to Nevada landscapes and cultural icons. “Raíces Brillantes” is both a work of art and a testament to the contributions of Latinos and Hispanics in Nevada.

Dean’s Future Scholars program celebrates 25 years

The College of Education & Human Development is celebrating the silver anniversary of the Dean’s Future Scholars (DFS) program. Alumni and supporters are invited to join the celebration and invest in the next generation Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. DFS helps first-generation students succeed from sixth grade through college by providing mentorship, tutoring and guidance.

Each year, the program serves nearly 400 students at more than 30 Title I schools. Over the past 10 years, DFS students have achieved a 93% high school graduation rate and an 80% college graduation rate. Most mentors (83%) are alumni of the program.

Caring for caregivers

Student well-being is a cornerstone of education at the Orvis School of Nursing (OSN). In August, “Insight Into Academia” magazine honored OSN’s commitment with the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award, a national honor spotlighting institutions that integrate accessible services, emotional resilience, peer support and inclusive wellness initiatives into campus life.

The school’s new Student Wellness Program partners with Uwill to provide free therapy sessions, a 24/7 crisis hotline and on-demand wellness resources. OSN also introduced Fresh Check Day, a peer-driven suicide awareness and prevention event, which was held Sept. 22 in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.

Returning to the place that first sparked wonder

As a kindergartner, Fayth “Sole” Burnett (right) visited the Fleischmann Planetarium on a class trip led by her teacher, Terra Blackorby (left). Gazing up in wonder at the stars, she left with encouragement from the Planetarium’s director to “come back one day and work here.” That spark, reinforced by her grandfather and a neighbor who shared her love of engineering, grew into a passion for space.

Today, Burnett (Class of 2028) is turning that childhood dream into reality — pursuing dual majors in aerospace and mechanical engineering, with a minor in electrical engineering. And in a twist of the Universe, she’s now a student worker at the very Planetarium that first inspired her.

International graduate students enrich academic and cultural landscape

When Tania Akter ’25 Ph.D. (chemistry) arrived from Bangladesh, she was drawn by the University’s strong research programs. What she also found was a community so welcoming, she calls the years pursuing her Ph.D. “the best time of my life.” Today, she is beginning a new chapter as a senior quality lab scientist for Panasonic.

Akter, who served as president of the Graduate Student Association for the 2024-2025 academic year, represents one of the many stories that reflect the impact of the University’s international graduate students. Their numbers have grown by 80 percent in the past decade to 700 graduate students, representing 82 countries.

Through academic excellence, leadership and cultural exchange, international students enrich campus and community life. Nearly 90% serve as graduate assistants, contributing to teaching and research.

Many lead and participate in student organizations and cultural events, such as Unity in Diversity and Night of All Nations.

Like Akter, international students often remain in Nevada after graduation, bringing global perspectives that strengthen the state’s economy and connect the region to other parts of the world.

Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, directed by Kristen Stewart

Lidia Yuknavitch, visiting faculty for the College of Liberal Arts at Lake Tahoe campus, has inspired readers for more than a decade with her 2011 memoir “The Chronology of Water.” The book explores themes of trauma, sexuality, addiction and survival through the lens of her life experiences, particularly her journey as a competitive swimmer and writer.

Now, Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” brings Yuknavitch’s story to the silver screen. At Cannes, critics praised the film for capturing the raw intensity of Yuknavitch’s voice rather than softening it into a conventional drama. Imogen Poots portrays Yuknavitch with “fierce vulnerability,” embodying a woman who transformed trauma into art. Variety called it “a stirring drama of abuse and salvation, told with poetic passion.”

But at its core, this is still Yuknavitch’s story — one that has inspired readers for more than a decade, and now, through Stewart’s vision, reaches new audiences.

Archivist honored for work restoring women’s identities

Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) is making history both visible and more inclusive. Elspeth Olson, assistant professor and outreach and public services archivist, received honorable mention for the Best General Interest Article Award from the Journal of Western Archives for her article, “Mrs. His Name: Reparative Description as a Tool for Cultural Sensitivity and Discoverability.”

The article describes Olson’s project to identify married women in the University archives who had previously been listed only by their husbands’ names. “Users are searching for ‘Eleanor Roosevelt,’ not ‘Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,’ for example,” Olson said. “If women are only referred to in the record using the Mrs. His Name style, it is very difficult for users to find what they are looking for.”

Key sources included scrapbooks by Reno Evening Journal columnist Gladys Belknap Rowley, which introduced roughly 25 percent of the women documented. “Rowley’s 12 scrapbooks were instrumental to this project,” Olson said. “It was so important to use multiple sources to try and identify all of these unknown women.”

Through her research, Olson identified and documented nearly 300 women from Reno’s 1930s and 1940s community, restoring their names, stories and contributions to history.

“On Beauty” brings Sapira Cheuk’s delicate ink work to campus

The Lilley Museum of Art presents “On Beauty,” an exhibition of abstract ink paintings by artist Sapira Cheuk, on view at the Front Door Gallery through Tuesday, Dec. 30.

Cheuk’s work explores the question, “What does it mean to make beautiful art?” She uses both sumi and India ink — one water-soluble, the other not — to create depth and material tension in her delicate, monochromatic compositions.

A widely exhibited artist, Cheuk has shown her work at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Royal Society of Arts in London, and the Yellowstone Art Museum. She also collaborates with the Nevada Arts Council, teaches at the College of Southern Nevada and chairs the City of Las Vegas Art Commission.