Student & Alumni Spotlights

Mia Luong, a graduate student in entomology, creates intricate 3D insect art in her free time. She plans to use the art to raise funds for the Bruner Club | Craig Chandler, University Communication
Mia Luong, a graduate student in entomology, creates intricate 3D insect art in her free time. She plans to use the art to raise funds for the Bruner Club | Craig Chandler, University Communication

Our students and alumni at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have incredible and impactful global experiences during their time on campus. This section features those who have been highlighted across campus in the last month for their accomplishments, experiences, and Nebraska career.

Discover some of our students’ and alumni accomplishments, their journey to Nebraska, and how they’re giving back to the community.

Luong uses problem-solving skills in research, art
Mia Luong has a penchant for puzzles. The graduate student in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Department of Entomology is working to solve the puzzle of how wheat interacts with wheat curl mites. In her spare time, she creates intricate 3D insect art. Originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Luong learned the art of origami as a child. That skill, along with some inspiration courtesy of Pinterest, led her to craft 3D insect designs that include bees, dragonflies, mosquitoes, ants and flies.
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Ngaruiya family supports undergraduate student research at Nebraska
The new Ngaruiya Family Fund for Undergraduate Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is founded on five virtues: blended international experiences, cultural adaptation, courage, leaps of faith in pursuit of dreams and the importance of connections — specifically mentorship. The Ngaruiya family, including Nebraska alumnae and sisters Christine Ngaruiya and Katherine Ngaruiya, established the fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation to provide one or more annual research awards to undergraduate students at the university. They initiated the fund with a gift of $2,500 with plans for future contributions.
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Grad launches website to promote coral reef education
Brighid Welchans used her love for the sea to help make a real change by designing an interactive website to promote education about coral reefs. Welchans’ Coral Reef Day website debuted on June 1. It features coral reef experts from Australia and from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium answering previously submitted questions, interactive simulations to visualize reef responses to environmental fluctuations, tips on writing an exceptional Gilman Scholarship essay and much more.
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Collaboration aids sharing of COVID-19 information
A collaboration between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Bureau of Sociological Research, and the Lincoln Mayor’s Office is assuring information about COVID-19 is being disseminated to the city’s Arabic community. In January, the department paired up with the Bureau of Sociological Research to fill the void that was left when the State of Nebraska’s translation department closed. Amanda Ganshert, senior project manager, knew the bureau needed quality translation services to complete large-scale projects.
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Love of ag and country motivate Ugandan graduate students in their research
Their journey began with a love for their country and a love for learning about agriculture. It continues with an opportunity that brought Hope Nakabuye and Abia Katimbo to study at the University of Nebraska’s West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte. Both are from Uganda and working toward their master’s and doctoral degrees in irrigation studies. They are eager to learn from Nebraska experts on how to better use irrigation techniques in order to better help farmers back home.
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Duty and a dream: Rosa pursues ag aspirations though Nebraska doctoral program
Alexandre Tonon Rosa’s family grows flooded rice in southern Brazil. From a young age, he was surrounded by agronomists and farmers, which ultimately led to him pursuing a degree in agronomy. After earning completing his master’s degree at Kansas State University, Rosa decided to return to for his Ph.D. at Nebraska in order to build his network and further move towards his agricultural aspirations.
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To submit a student feature for the next edition of the Global Nebraska newsletter, please contact Courtney Van Hoosen in the Office of Global Strategies at cvanhoosen2@unl.edu.