IU Indianapolis breaks ground on James T. Morris Arena
Leaders from Indiana University, the Indianapolis community and the sports industry joined together on Wednesday to break ground on the James T. Morris Arena on the IU Indianapolis campus, marking the next step in IU’s commitment to making its Indianapolis campus a hub of activity that draws people to the city and region.
“Today’s groundbreaking represents another major milestone in Indiana University’s ambition to be a national leader in athletics,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “The James T. Morris Arena will be a multipurpose venue for Indianapolis residents and visitors, as well as a magnet for national sport governing bodies and the ecosystem of sports. This facility is a fitting tribute to Jim Morris, who embodied that vision across his many years of service to IU, Indianapolis and Indiana.”
Also known as “The Jim,” the arena was made possible through collaboration between the Indiana University Board of Trustees, Indiana Commission for Higher Education and Indiana State Budget Committee. The $110 million facility will serve both IU Indianapolis and the Indianapolis sports community more broadly. It will host indoor sporting and athletic events in a seating capacity not currently provided in the downtown area.
Morris was an IU alumnus and a member of the IU Board of Trustees spanning multiple decades. Beyond his service to IU, Morris held many distinguished roles over the course of his career, including vice chairman of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, chief of staff to Mayor Richard G. Lugar, president of Lilly Endowment Inc., chairman and CEO for IWC Resources Corp. and Indianapolis Water Co., and executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme.
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State Update
This Statehouse Update provides a summary of bills the IU State Relations team is tracking and that moved during the seventh week of session. Lawmakers reached the third reading deadline on Thursday in both chambers. Bills must pass on third reading out of their originating chamber to still be eligible to become law in the second half of session. Of the 708 bills introduced in the House, only 178 or 25%, survived. The Senate passed even fewer bills—156 or 30%, of the 521 introduced. The 334 remaining bills will be assigned to the opposite chamber’s committees and will be eligible to be heard in committee the week of March 3, as the General Assembly takes a planned one week break from the Statehouse.
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Federal Update
This week’s Federal Update covers Congressional, Executive Branch and Judicial Branch activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
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Economic Engagement Update
Trustees approve new biosciences degrees to strengthen IU’s and state’s impact in life sciences
Indiana University continues to build on recent investments in biosciences by creating three new related degrees at IU Indianapolis, which were approved by the Board of Trustees at its Feb. 20 meeting.
The new biosciences degrees are a part of IU’s $250 million investment to advance Indiana as a global leader in this area. The new degrees will prepare students for careers in the industry, which has experienced a 12% increase since 2019.
“In creating these new biosciences degree programs, we are creating the future of IU Indianapolis — a future where academic programs work in tandem with our state-of-the-art research facilities and the state’s key biosciences organizations to produce top-tier talent,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “By providing these new pathways, we’re empowering students to engage in the unique opportunities Indianapolis has to offer.”
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IU in the News
IU builds on leadership in cybersecurity to protect critical space infrastructure
As our world becomes increasingly digital, our reliance on satellites is at an all-time high. We depend on satellites to complete everyday tasks like getting directions and checking the weather. And recent events, like the war in Ukraine, have illustrated a serious need for increased space cybersecurity to ensure both national security and economic prosperity. Indiana University faculty are building on decades of leadership in cybersecurity to inform policy that protects critical space infrastructure and to train the first generation of space cybersecurity experts.
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All generic drugs are not equal, study finds; Generics made in India have more ‘severe adverse events’
Generic drugs manufactured in India are linked to significantly more “severe adverse events” for patients who use them than equivalent drugs produced in the United States, a new study finds. “The FDA assures the public that all generics patterned after the same original drug should be equivalently safe and effective, however, this is not necessarily the case when it comes to generic drugs made in India,” added co-author George Ball, associate professor of operations and decision technologies and Weimer Faculty Fellow at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
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Blockchain technology could empower patient-centric health care data management
It’s no secret that many regard blockchain technology as a disruptive force in finance due to its ability to provide a secure, transparent and auditable record of financial transactions without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or credit organization. But what’s less known is that these same qualities could make the technology the perfect solution to challenges related to personal privacy, data security and integrity in health care, according to Yan Zhuang, an assistant professor of health informatics at the Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering in Indianapolis. Zhuang is studying non-financial applications of blockchain technology, including the management of personal health data and clinical trials recruitment and management.
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Doctoral students at IU Indianapolis lead pursuits for groundbreaking hydrocephalus drug treatments
Researchers at Indiana University Indianapolis’ Hydrocephalus Research Center are on a mission to find an effective drug treatment for hydrocephalus, a life-threatening condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain. The condition affects people of all ages, and it can occur in adults after a traumatic brain injury. The symptoms are life-altering and include disorientation and headaches, cognitive and developmental changes, vision and sleep disturbances, and gait abnormalities. The only treatment currently available is brain surgery, and researchers at the center aim to change that.
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