The spring semester kicks off with Welcome Back Week; the Eastern Institute for Data Analytics continues real-time COVID-19 monitoring; spring semester to offer eight virtual University Hour events; Professor Thapa creates mandala art; and more than 1,300 students make fall 2020 Dean's List.

CAB hosts ‘Welcome Back Week’

The Campus Activity Board (CAB) jumpstarted the spring semester with Welcome Back Week, a series of virtual and on-ground activities from Jan. 26–31 for returning students. Food Favorites Trivia Night tested participants’ knowledge of on-campus and local eateries. Students lucky enough to reserve an Eastern paint kit — including canvas photo, brushes and paints — tapped their inner artist by painting a campus scene. A series of social media contests elicited school spirit, with students submitting photos for prizes. And a virtual lounge with budding country music star Angie Keilhauer (contestant on NBC’s “The Voice”) allowed students to hear a live performance and collaborate on a song. See Slideshow

Data analytics institute continues COVID-19 monitoring

The newly launched Eastern Institute for Data Analytics (EIDA) continues to monitor Connecticut’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in real-time. Led by a team of faculty data scientists, the interactive website breaks out the data by county, demographics and more. The public is also able to sign up for a weekly email notification that tracks changes in the data at the county and state levels. View Website

University Hour returns for spring 2021

Eastern will host eight virtual University Hour events this spring 2021 semester. Occurring Wednesdays at 3 p.m., the lecture series features prominent speakers who will present on art and racism, feminism and technology, the responsibility of children’s literature, Eastern art and theatre productions, and more. See Events

Health sciences professor presents mandala art

Health Sciences Assistant Professor Geeta Thapa presented “Maya Mandala,” an exhibit of dot mandala art in December in the Kathmandu Kitchen and Bar in Storrs. The artwork was on sale, with proceeds supporting a rural health clinic in Nepal. Thapa is from Nepal and was raised in Hong Kong. She was trained as a medical doctor in Nepal and has lived in the United States for the past 13 years. Thapa has always been passionate about the mandalas that Buddhist monks make with sand, as well as the mandala paintings that are sold in the streets of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Read Story

More than 1,300 make Dean’s List in fall 2020

Eastern recently released its Dean's List for the fall 2020 semester, recognizing more than 1,300 students for maintaining high GPAs. To qualify for the Dean’s List, full-time students must complete a minimum of 12 credits in letter-graded courses with an average GPA of 3.5 or higher in the semester. Part-time students are eligible if they’ve accumulated 15 or more credits of letter-graded coursework with an average GPA of 3.5 or higher. See Recipients