University of Nebraska
Digital Pulse
iEXCEL's Newsletter 
Volume 3 Issue 2
May 2017
Global leadership in transforming human performance & effectiveness in health care
Welcome to Digital Pulse
iEXCEL Celebrates Groundbreaking and Naming of Global Center
On April 3rd, 2017, the Groundbreaking Ceremony and name unveiling for the Dr. Edwin Davis & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning (Davis Global Center ) was celebrated with over 300 dignitaries, donors and well-wishers in attendance.

This exciting occasion was honored by speakers such as Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Robert Amyot, M.D., president of CAE Healthcare, Don Boyce, deputy assistant secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, as well as University of Nebraska and Nebraska Medicine leaders. Each spoke on behalf of the transformative nature of iEXCEL as a new model for healthcare education. As a representative for the family of the Dorothy B. Davis Foundation, Pam Swisher, executive director for the foundation, spoke in honor of this generous naming gift.

The iEXCEL Team prepared and presented a video that conveyed the gratitude of faculty, students and Nebraska Medicine staff to the donors and the community for their support of the Davis Global Center, which is to be the home of the iEXCEL Program and the National Center for Health Security and Biopreparedness. During the ceremony, the name of the building was revealed using artistic 3D renderings to visualize its construction. Check out the video on our homepage.
 
UNMC Chancellor Gold leads the official groundbreaking for the Davis Global Center.

UNMC Chancellor Gold and University of Nebraska Chief Strategist, James Linder, M.D., celebrate the iEXCEL public/private partnership with Omaha Mayor Stothert and Governor Ricketts.
A Public/Private Partnership
iEXCEL Program Updates
In alignment with its academic mission, iEXCEL offers rewarding internships to outstanding students who support the creation of 3D, VR and holographic content. Meet iEXCEL’s 2017 interns:
2017 i EXCEL Interns
Kyle Fisher:
Kyle is a student at Metropolitan Community College pursuing an associate degree in IT - Database and Web Programming. After graduating in June, he plans to attend a four-year college to study for a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. 


Brendan (Matt) Murray:
Matt graduates this month from University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) with a degree in Management Information Systems and a Certification in Systems Administration. He is working toward being a Server and Network Administrator and would also like to freelance as a personal and small business SysAdmin. 

Upcoming IEEE Conference 2017
IEEE Conference 2017: Advances in M&S in the Health Sciences
UNMC and UNO faculty, staff and students interested in modeling and simulation in the health sciences are encouraged to attend the 16th Annual Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Electro Information Technology, which is being held at the Nebraska Student Union – City Campus. 

A brand-new track entitled: Advances in Modeling and Simulation in the Health Sciences: Opportunities for Collaboration has been added. This track will include engaging and innovative technical papers as well as panel sessions and keynote presentations.

Below is an overview of the panel discussions and keynote speakers for this track:
Monday, May 15
Morning Keynote Session: UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green, Ph.D.

Morning Panel Discussion: Can M&S Improve Human Performance?
Presenter: Sylvain Bruni, Aptima
Moderator: Bev Seay, UNO/NARI
Panelists: Joseph Siu, UNMC; Paul Paulman, UNMC; Molly Carpenter, Home Instead; Angie Pannier, UNL

Luncheon Keynote: Mats Johansson, EON Reality
Wednesday, May 17
Morning Keynote Session: Robert Amyot, CAE Healthcare; Matthew Rizzo, UNMC

Tuesday, May 16
Morning Panel Discussion: Opportunities for Collaboration between Engineering and Medicine in M&S
Presenter: Dmitry Oleynikov, UNMC
Moderator: Nathan Meier, UNL
Panelists: Brian Knarr, UNO; Jeff Berkley, Mimic Simulation; Paul Pribaz, Jump Simulation; Khalid Sayood, UNL
 
Afternoon Discussion: Global Trends in Simulation & Visualization and Advanced Applications
Presenters:  Walter Greenleaf, Stanford University, Jim Angelillo and David Thorson, AVI-SPL
Moderator:  Pamela Boyers, UNMC
Full Program:  Schedule
Registration is required for attendance. Click here to register.

Technology Advancements 
MultiTaction iWall / MT Canvus Distance Demos
On May 10th, a demonstration of the collaboration software (MT Canvus) for the MultiTaction iWall was conducted between Scottsbluff and Omaha. Based upon evaluation of the successful demo, an interactive digital wall will be deployed at Scottsbluff allowing images and communication to be shared across distance. This extraordinary breakthrough will tie the UNMC teaching facilities closer together and enable faculty and students to relate across the miles.

Wonderful representation and turnout over the span of the demonstration time with approximately 100 attendees in both locations.
MT Demo May 2017
iEXCEL Activities at a Glance

Winston “Wink” Bennett, Ph.D., Acting Tech Advisor for the Warfighter Readiness Research Division for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and his team visited UNMC this spring to continue momentum for an educational partnership with iEXCEL.

In March, iEXCEL and UNMC held an appreciation event to recognize the support of Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and the Omaha City Council.
The iEXCEL Visualization Team plus representatives from UNMC E-Learning and ITS, and a representative from MCC were provided the EON Reality Software Basic Training Course, March 27-31. An Advanced EON Reality Software Training course will take place this summer. 

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to prepare an interlocal agreement for approval to contribute inheritance tax revenue to iEXCEL.

A Breakthrough: Chancellor Appears as Holograph in Kearney!
iEXCEL produced a virtual experience for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. The Board of Regents used head-mounted displays to view and listen to Chancellor Gold who was beamed from Omaha to Kearney.
In Closing...

As always, thank you for your continued interest, support and engagement with iEXCEL. 

Sincere Regards – Pam Boyers, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor, iEXCEL

 
Please keep in mind that we would appreciate your input! For example, if there is an area of focus that you believe should be included in our newsletter, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts or recommendations by  emailing  iEXCEL@unmc.edu
Let's get Social!  

Please follow us on Twitter!  Our handle is @UNMC_iEXCEL.