The COVID-19 vaccine is helping Nebraska’s Ariel Levi open doors to new creative opportunities.
The computer science major is among the first Huskers to earn prizes in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s voluntary vaccine registry giveaway. For entering her vaccine status, Levi was randomly selected to win a year-long membership to Innovation Studio, a 16,000-square-foot makerspace facility at Nebraska Innovation Campus that offers a full metal shop, wood shop, rapid prototyping room, art studio, ceramics and textiles equipment, and a variety of design software.
“I’m really excited to get the opportunity to experiment and create at Innovation Studio,” Levi said. “I’ve already started to brainstorm some projects I want to complete.”
Initial areas of interest include advancing her knowledge of electronics — particularly robots and Arduinos (miniature circuit boards that control digital devices). She would also like to learn more about the 3-D printing process.
“I want to gain experience I otherwise might not have gotten in normal computer science coursework,” Levi said. “Beyond that, I’m looking forward to learning more about all the different equipment and tools available and how I can use them to create things.”
That same desire for discovery is what helped propel Levi to get vaccinated and participate in the university’s vaccine registry.
“I wanted to get vaccinated so that I’d have a better opportunity to learn and collaborate without the fear of COVID-19 hovering in the back of my mind,” Levi said. “Also, protecting my family, friends and community was an important benefit as well.”
Now, she’s looking forward to the university’s return to primarily in-person instruction this fall.
“Even though COVID-19 restrictions are easing, the pandemic is not over yet,” Levi said. “I’m grateful that UNL is using the vaccine registry to plan and prepare for a safe fall semester.
“I’m looking forward to easier communication with classmates and professors without being obstructed by masks or large distances.”
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s voluntary vaccine registry and related giveaways are open to all undergraduate, graduate and professional-degree seeking students, as well as faculty and staff.
Weekly prizes are being awarded through Aug. 13. Grand prize drawings — which feature (for five students) a cash award worth one year of resident undergraduate tuition and fees, and (for employees) a trip for two to Ireland to see the Huskers place Northwestern in 2022 — are scheduled for Aug. 15.
Weekly prize winners are contacted via email on Fridays.
Learn more about the vaccination registry and giveaways here. Details on how to get vaccinated are available here.
Additional details about the university’s plans to return to primarily in-person, full-capacity instruction are available on the COVID-19 website.