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| Photographer George Waldman captured this portrait of softball player and scholar athlete Megan Piar during a winter training session. |
Writers and photographers often enter into worlds not their own.
For this issue, one photographer laid flat on his belly as 60 mph softballs rocketed over his head and into the fearless glove of our cover athlete Megan Piar. Read Balancing GPAs & RBIs to see how the determination that makes her a great catcher also makes her a great student.
A registered nurse took on a new role as writer for this issue to explain the dramatic scientific advancements of renowned stroke researcher Michael Chopp. The OU professor’s innovative treatment, described in Stroke of Genius, could change the fate of stroke victims.
Some stories, though, come closer to home than we’d like. When OU Women’s Basketball Coach Beckie Francis announced she would step down from her dream job because of her struggles with a debilitating disease, writer Ann Ruppenthal covered the story. Ann suffers from the same illness and brought true understanding to her interview. You’ll gain insight into Beckie’s bravery and internal strength as you read this candid story, A Dream Cut Short.
All these articles add up to the new way we’ll cover your university for you. Our writers and photographers will be at the games, visit the labs, bring their hearts to their stories – defining this world, defining the Oakland experience.
We’re listening to you. Last spring, focus groups of alumni, faculty, staff and friends gave us their thoughts. With this redesigned issue, we added more stories, expanded our alumni section and developed Web links for added details. We plan a letters section in coming issues. So, please let us know if a story inspired you. We’ll listen, and we’ll publish your thoughts.
Mary E. Iorio
Editor