Walters
Student awarded college scholarship
Seymour resident and Columbus East High School graduate Erin Walters has been awarded a full-tuition President’s Scholarship from Indiana State University. Walters is the daughter of Kimberly and Brian Walters and plans to pursue a degree in criminology and criminal justice at Indiana State University.
Indiana State University awarded the President’s Scholarship to 22 incoming students – 18 first-year students and four transfer students, for the 2024-25 academic year. The scholarship provides full, in-state tuition and on-campus housing for a total four-year value of more than $80,000 for first-year students and the value of full, in-state tuition for transfer students.
To be considered for the President’s Scholarship, candidates must meet two of the following three criteria, a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale, a score of 1270 SAT or 27 on the ACT, and be ranked in the top 10% of their senior class. For the Transfer President’s scholarship, candidates must have a cumulative transfer GPA of at least 3.7 on a 4.0 scale as well as a minimum of 24 completed, transferrable credits (non-remedial coursework).
Students graduate in spring ceremony
Cedarville University
Columbus: Lauren Hunnicutt, Joshua Jones, Charles Reed
Operation Christmas Child seeks donations
Local families are preparing for the school year with back-to-school sales and adding more items to their lists for children in need around the world. Shoebox packers are using this time to purchase gifts and essential items to fill Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Children in over 100 countries will be blessed by these gift-filled shoeboxes.
Many children around the world are not able to afford school supplies, and coloring pencils, crayons, and markers are a luxury many cannot access.
For more information, call 937-374-0761, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. National Collection Week is Nov. 18 – 25. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
IU participates in new study
BLOOMINGTON — The largest study of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in the United States is expanding internationally, becoming one of the largest programs of its kind in the world. The Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Study (LEADS), headquartered at the Indiana University School of Medicine, is growing to include five new sites in Europe and South America, in addition to its 18 existing sites in the U.S.
Global expansion of the study is supported by a two-year, over $700,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association, which was funded entirely by the association’s Greater Indiana Chapter. The grant will support new sites in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; London, England; and Malmö, Sweden.
Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is a rare form of Alzheimer’s, affecting only 5% of the more than 6.5 million Americans living with the neurodegenerative disease. It typically appears in people ages 40 to 64, many of whom don’t have a family history of the disease.
LEADS, which officially launched in the U.S. in 2018, is a 700-person study of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in people between the ages of 40 and 64. There are 100 cognitively normal participants, as well as 600 participants who have cognitive impairment — largely due to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment from Alzheimer’s disease.
The study has amassed $78 million in grant funding since 2017 and was the largest National Institutes of Health grant to the IU School of Medicine from 2017 to 2023.
Purdue offers activities at state fair
Purdue University will host demonstrations at this year’s Indiana State Fair. In collaboration with Newfields, activities will highlight the theme “The Art & Nature of Fun,” and provide fairgoers with the opportunity to engage with Purdue University representatives from various fields, including entomology, food science, human health and sciences, forestry and natural resources, animal sciences and more.
The Purdue Extension Building on the north side of the fairgrounds will feature activities for all ages, including:
- Block Party: Children ages 8 months to 8 years can engage in block play to enhance a variety of school-readiness skills.
- Book Party: Focus on math skills, a crucial predictor of academic achievement from kindergarten through adulthood.
- Captain Cash: Learn four smart ways to handle money and acquire basic financial management skills.
- Master Gardener: Discover annuals and vegetable plants suited to Indiana’s climate and learn how to properly care for them.
- Pollinators: Learn about pollinators and their essential role in producing fantastic food and fabulous flowers.
- Seed Art: Fairgoers can place seeds on various artboards at livestock barns to learn about animals and their diets.
The Indiana State Fair continues through Sunday, Aug. 18 and is closed on Mondays. It is located at 1202 E. 38th St. in Indianapolis.
Purdue Extension exhibits will be throughout the fairgrounds, spanning the Purdue Extension Building, 4-H Exhibit Hall, 4-H Centennial Hall, Ball State University Champions Pavilion, Blue Ribbon Pavilion, DNR Complex, Expo Hall, Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Northwest Pavilion, Pathway to Water Quality, Pioneer Village, Pop Weaver Youth Pavilion, Purdue Extension Building, Purdue Vet Med Exhibit and West Pavilion.
Student awarded college scholarship
