The newsletter for the WKU community
April 3, 2020
20 Gatton Academy seniors recognized as National Merit Scholarship finalists
Twenty seniors from The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky have been recognized as finalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

“It is such an honor to serve so many outstanding students. They have built upon the solid foundation their school districts have offered and taken advantage of every opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge,” said Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy. “While National Merit recognized them for their academic prowess, I am most proud of these students for being remarkable young people who support and serve others, and contribute to the communities of Gatton, Bowling Green, and their home areas.”
WKU to celebrate Day of Caring April 9
WKU will celebrate Day of Caring on Thursday, April 9, as a way to bring together Hilltoppers around the globe and celebrate the connections made because of WKU. Thanks to those connections, WKU students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends can face any challenge together, including these extraordinary times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Topper teacher candidates stepping up
With the help of faculty and partnering school districts, WKU student teachers Ian Harper, Theresa Price and Hallee Black, among other candidates, immediately went to work developing an alternative learning plan for their classrooms in light of COVID 19 mitigations. Overnight, non-traditional instruction, or NTI, became a mantra and a motive with each candidate pulling tools and resources from their arsenal of lessons learned during their time at WKU. “Our Topper teacher candidates have stepped up in a big way,” WKU Office of Professional Educator Services Director Stephanie Martin said, as she reflected on the days leading into alternative learning.
CLIMBING HIGHER
A video about a WKU elephant conservation research project titled Elephant deterrents, behavioral responses, and ecological correlates of crop-raiding, Kenya is one of five finalists in a 2020 contest sponsored by the International Elephant Foundation. Vote online . Learn More
HILLTOPPERS WHO HELP
A month ago, Kelsey (Coleman) Chapman of Auburn had no idea how much her workplace would be changing. Chapman, who serves as the Family Resource Center Coordinator at Warren Elementary School in Bowling Green, spent her days meeting the sometimes challenging needs of her students and their families, many of whom are members of Bowling Green’s large population of refugees. Learn More
Spotlight: Mark of Excellence
High school journalists from Kentucky and Tennessee were recognized in the 40 th annual Mark of Excellence contest sponsored by WKU’s School of Media. The awards honor work produced by high school broadcast outlets and news publications. Students from 24 high school news outlets entered the 2020 contest. While an awards ceremony was not able to be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest winners were announced online.
WKU increases scholarship awards for 2020 summer term
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of when social distancing will no longer be necessary, WKU will only offer summer courses online or those that include some synchronous activities delivered with no personal contact. To offset the cost of online courses, 2020 Summer Scholarship recipients will receive up to $540, the difference between the resident and online rate for eligible undergraduate students enrolled in six credit hours. More: Summer term update
WKU COVID-19 updates and campus messages
A decade of virus hunting
WKU student researchers have contributed 59 annotated viral genomes, representing over 4 million base pairs of DNA, to the national DNA sequence database. With over a decade of virus hunting and over 360 WKU student co-authors on published genome annotations, the WKU Genome Discovery and Exploration program has been a resounding success. More: Biology professors invited to participate in research program
View from the Hill
When WKU students were told to return to their homes two weeks ago to finish out the semester online, not everyone had a place to go. About 50 students were relocated to Hilltopper Hall as WKU’s Amy Bingham explains in this week’s View from the Hill .
Athletics
Western Kentucky University 
1906 College Heights Blvd. 
Bowling Green, KY 42101