Six O’Clock Series to Feature Proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean, Discussion on Aerospace Nursing with Local Man, Film about Local History, Panel on Voting,[...]

Indiana University of Pennsylvania will continue its Six O'Clock Series this fall with a film about northwestern Pennsylvania, a presentation by the founding dean of IUP's proposed college of osteopathic medicine, a program by a former local man about aerospace nursing, a "Voices of Pride" event during National Coming Out Week, a panel on voting, and a program on the IUP Archives and its rare books.

The Six O'Clock Series is free and open to the community; programs, unless noted, are offered in the Elkin Hall Great Room and run from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

The program begins September 9 with the screening of the documentary NEPADOC, a film by David Heineman, that highlights the intersections of environment, industry, and identity in northeastern Pennsylvania over the past 300 years.

NEPADOC includes local historical footage and is described by the filmmaker as a "contemplative meditation on culture, place, and public memory."

Heineman, an associate professor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, is also author of the 2015 book Thinking About Video Games: Interviews With the Experts, which combines interviews and critical essays to offer insights into the past, present, and future of video games, the field of game studies, and the video game industry.

Miko Rose, founding dean of IUP's proposed college of osteopathic medicine, will be the featured speaker for the September 30 program. Rose began work as the founding dean in November 2023; she is a board-certified physician in psychiatry and neurology who is nationally known for wellness programming. In May, she was elected as a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists/ American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrists; less than 150 physicians nationwide hold the Fellows designation. Rose will speak about the critical lack of physicians in rural communities and how IUP's proposed college of osteopathic medicine can help to meet the lack of medical care in rural communities.

On October 7, Indiana County native Scott Rhoades, a 2006 master's degree graduate of IUP and a 2012 recipient of IUP's Young Alumni Achievement Award, will present "Aerospace Nursing: Preserving Our Past, Advancing Our Future."

Rhoades, an assistant professor in Indiana Wesleyan University's post-licensure nursing program in the School of Nursing, has a 30-year career in healthcare with a diverse background in emergency medical services, emergency nursing, flight nursing, wilderness medicine, and aerospace nursing with experiences in direct patient care, education, research, and administration.

He completed an aerospace nursing graduate internship at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center and established a regional FAA-accredited Aviation Medical Center. Rhoades has provided medical support for air show operations for a variety of military and civilian flight performers and served as a nurse reservist for four space shuttle launches, including the final flights of the space shuttles Atlantis and Endeavor.

He is the founder and executive director of the Center for Aerospace Nursing Excellence and serves as a representative to NASA's Health and Human Performance Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he has participated in training astronauts and cosmonauts on medical procedures for spaceflight. He also is a volunteer for Mission Aviation Fellowship and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

His program will focus on the history of how nurses have contributed to the expanding and evolving aviation and aerospace industry from the very beginning of flight. From active roles as aviators, flight attendants, and flight nurses, to supportive duties in clinical, occupational, and research settings, nurses have served in critical roles in civilian and military aviation and space exploration.

Rhoades also will discuss how nurses continue to provide clinical, administrative, educational, and research expertise in a collaborative approach with other aerospace industry- and healthcare-related disciplines to ensure the health and well-being of aerospace clients, and will share new opportunities for nurses in this field.

On October 14, members of the Queer community will share their journey and insights during National Coming Out Week in "Voices of Pride." IUP graduate Nina Santiago will tell her story of intersecting identities and their impact in shaping her life, activism, and advocacy with special guest Asher O'Briant, a transgender comedian and advocate for inclusive comedy. This program will be offered in 225 Leonard Hall.

On October 28, a bipartisan panel of political science experts and League of Women Voters representatives will present "Elections and Voter Behavior." The group will discuss topical issues in the presidential election and state and local voter engagement.

The series ends for the fall semester on November 18 with "Into the Archives: Life, Death, and Literature." This twelfth event in the Into the Archives series will feature rare books from the IUP Special Collections and University Archives. Presented in collaboration with the IUP Department of Language, Literature, and Writing and the IUP Libraries, the discussion will include research into the works of Edgar Allen Poe and William Shakespeare and limited-edition folios created by artist Ed Colker.

Additional events in the series focused on students include a program on Green Dot, IUP's bystander intervention program, on September 16; an update on IUP's Middle States Commission on Higher Education for students on September 23; a November 4 presentation by IUP's Black Experience Alumni Committee Cochair Sloan K. Dantzler, assisting undergraduate students to prepare for graduation; and "Design Your Dream Life: Mindsets, Techniques, and Strategies to Create Your Best Life" on November 11, part of the Career Ready Seminar Series.

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