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Eric Richards, Director of bands and Jazz Studies

Thickman Faculty Lecture Series

Musical Journeys: Sounds Across Borders

Thursday, Mar. 11, 6:00 pm – Kinnison Hall. Free.

With Dr. Eric Richards, Music Faculty

Self-described “contemporary American eclectic” composer-arranger will explore the background, creative processes and performances of two recent works with international reach:
Samba For Sensei—a Brazilian-influenced composition
The Crucible—a concert work for jazz orchestra commissioned by the Royal Air Force.
An engaging artist talk on creativity, collaboration, and contemporary composition.

Biography:

Dr. Eric Richards is the Director of Bands and Jazz Studies at Sheridan College where he serves as Music Director of the SC Symphony Band, Jazz Ensemble, Jazztet, Concert Brass Ensemble, Trombone Choir, and teaches applied brass, composition, History of Jazz, Keyboard Theory, Music Fundamentals. He also serves as the Music Director and Lead Trombone of the Whitney Center Jazz Orchestra, Sheridan College’s professional big band-in-residence.

From 2008 – 2015, he served as tenured Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies in the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he led the Composition Program. At UNL, he mentored first-year through doctoral students in applied composition (classical and jazz/vernacular styles), and organized and led the award-winning UNL Jazz Orchestra “2.0”, an innovative 21st Century jazz ensemble combining traditional big band instrumentation with strings, horn, and percussion. He is the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNL. Eric has led the Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming All State High School Jazz Ensembles as well as the Southern California Honor Jazz All-Stars in concert performance at the 2018 NAMM Convention in Anaheim.

His work as an educator is energized by his professional practice as a widely performed composer/arranger, conductor, and instrumentalist. Eric’s music has been heard on six continents in performances and recordings in major concert venues across North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and India.

Science
Lecture
Series

From Bench to Industry: The Role of Medical Science Liaison

Wednesday, Apr. 29, 7:00 pm – W153. Free.
Also available via Zoom.

With Jenny McDonald, Ph.D., Director, Medical Science Liaison, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Abstract: The Medical Science Liaison (‘MSL’) role is a unique hybrid of deep scientific expertise and strategic communication. Unlike sales representatives, MSLs are peer-level scientific experts who engage with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to ensure that life-saving medical breakthroughs are understood and utilized effectively in clinical practice.

Whether you are a PhD student looking for an alternative to the tenure track, a college student looking for a dynamic corporate role, or a researcher curious about the “dark side” of industry, this session will demystify the MSL career path. We will discuss the day-to-day realities of the job and how to position yourself as a competitive candidate in a rapidly evolving field.

Biosketch: Jenny McDonald, PhD is a Medical Science Liaison with US Medical Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation. With nearly a decade of industry experience across cardiovascular and oncology, she is a medical affairs leader with experience in product launches, disease state education, clinical development and cross-functional collaboration across U.S. and global organizations. In her current role, Jenny supports clinical data and research for prostate cancers and neuroendocrine tumors for radioligand therapy.

Prior to her industry career, Jenny graduated from University of Wisconsin, Madison with a bachelor with honors in Genetics and obtained her PhD from Loyola University Chicago where she specialized in translational research in cardiovascular disease. Halfway through her graduate training, Jenny followed her advisor and completed her dissertation research at University of California, Davis. During this time, Jenny participated in a one-year Business Development program with UC-Davis, School of Business where she discovered the importance of industry research.

After her Ph.D., Jenny completed a 3-year post-doctoral fellowship in cardiac tissue engineering before getting married in 2015. Jenny currently resides in beautiful Colorado with her husband, Brian and two boys, Liam and Louis. They enjoy the outdoor lifestyle of Colorado and the company of two Aussiedoodles (CoCo and JackJack).