Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/171231
CMU Today Planting the seeds of community giving New provost appointed This summer Michael A. Gealt took the reins as CMU's provost, the second highest-ranking administrator. Gealt replaced E. Gary Shapiro, who stepped down from the post after nearly 35 years of service to CMU. "The most impressive parts of CMU are the people who work at the university and the students who attend classes here," says Gealt. "Everyone I met has been so open and welcoming during my visits to campus that I have felt at home." Gealt had been employed as dean of the College of Science and professor of biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. • Since 2008, the organization has blossomed to 60 plots that are rented out to students, faculty, staff and community members. It's so popular, there is a waiting list to get involved. Professor embarks on $8.5 million defense project Physics professor Marco Fornari, along with a team of five scientists from other universities, was awarded an $8.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop methods to replace expensive, rare chemical elements from critical technologies. "We want to create access to fresh local vegetables across the entire community," says Jackie Maggioncalda, Campus Grow coordinator and community health education and political science major from Waterford Township. "Since we have this space to grow, we want to share it." • The team's goal is to design materials with improved properties that can help relieve the dependence on rare earth minerals essential to many high-tech applications. The project provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate CMU students to assist in the research. "We will focus on transformative approaches to combine electrical properties, like metal with optical transparent properties, like glass for night vision, antifogging coatings, laser binding protection and camouflage technologies," Fornari says. • CMU's student-run garden, Campus Grow, recently celebrated its fifth year of growing organic produce, donating more than 500 pounds back to community organizations such as the Isabella County Commission on Aging and the Community Food Pantry. Marco Fornari centralight fall '13 5