Students build video game to promote Topeka Students enrolled in the art department’s interactive art and gaming class used virtual world zombies to promote a real-world project. The project, which will be ongoing for the next two years, is a video game developed by students enrolled in the class taught by Azyz Sharafy, associate professor, art. The game will challenge players to overcome a variety of obstacles, including zombies, to “win” a vision of a new, revitalized downtown Topeka. The idea of fitting his class curriculum with the Heartland Visioning project to revitalize Topeka seemed like a win-win situation to Sharafy. “Washburn has such a deep link to the Topeka community,” said Sharafy, pointing out that Washburn’s President Jerry Farley is a Heartland Visioning co-founder. “The students are excited about doing this. It’s good for Washburn, for Topeka and for the students. It gives social value to their class work and prepares them for their future careers.”
FACULTY & STAFF Dave Provorse, chairman of the psychology department, received a Living Well at Washburn Award. Since 1993, Provorse has run 27 marathons in 10 different states and has taught a marathon training class at Washburn for 15 years, which has helped more than 300 students, faculty and staff members complete a full or half-marathon distance. Lisa Carey, softball coach, was inducted into the 2010
Dave Provorse
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in October for records achieved in both high school and college. At Washburn Rural High School, she was named an All-State basketball and softball player, and at the University of Oklahoma she was a three-time All-Big 12 selection, was named 2000 Big 12 Player of the Year, helped the Sooners win the NCAA national championship and played in the 2001 College World Series. Since joining Washburn in 2003, Carey has led the softball program to a 237-191 record and two appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament. Lisa Carey 29 Campus News