UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

William Bennett, Associate Professor of Sculpture

“So, in a lot of ways, sculpture making is a communal activity, because there are a lot of things you can’t do with two hands and you need somebody else.

“I had a student, a good student, who missed class on Monday. She was sick. I said, Oh, I have an idea. When she comes back to class on Wednesday, I will take advantage of the sculpture community to catch her up. I have another good student, brand new, this is her first semester, but she is a good student. I said, Oh, I’m going to line up these two girls together.

“So I come to class and these two had already gotten together. I didn’t even have to say anything. They read my mind. They read the communal mind. And they had gotten together and they were helping each other out. That warms my heart.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

William Bennett, Associate Professor of Sculpture

“When I was an undergraduate, I was in desperate need of a gap year. I was not ready to go to college. You know, I just wasn’t ready. I was an unformed human being.

“How did I choose my major? I asked my mom. And she said, Well, I majored in business administration. So, I was so unformed, that’s what I did. Then, luckily, I had an interest in the arts. In the third year of this small university, it was Bucknell University, [they] hired a sculptor.

“And so I practiced and beefed up why I was going to be a good sculptor. I went and talked to him, even though I didn’t have all the prerequisites. And I got in his sculpture class. And that changed my life.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

William Bennett, Associate Professor of Sculpture

“When I was an undergraduate, I was in desperate need of a gap year. I was not ready to go to college. You know, I just wasn’t ready. I was an unformed human being.

“How did I choose my major? I asked my mom. And she said, Well, I majored in business administration. So, I was so unformed, that’s what I did. Then, luckily, I had an interest in the arts. In the third year of this small university, it was Bucknell University, [they] hired a sculptor.

“And so I practiced and beefed up why I was going to be a good sculptor. I went and talked to him, even though I didn’t have all the prerequisites. And I got in his sculpture class. And that changed my life.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

William Bennett, Associate Professor of Sculpture

“I think a lot of the students that I see could benefit from a gap year, by allowing them to give greater importance to this time of their life.

“People do it now, but they’re outliers. I think it would be very good for everybody. Especially now, you know, the kids who are coming to UVA have been in structured programs not just since first grade but since pre-first grade, and pre-kindergarten. [They] have after-school programs and summer programs.

“They need some time to have a kind of independence before they can really commit themselves to four years of undergraduate education.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

William Bennett, Associate Professor of Sculpture

“I think a lot of the students that I see could benefit from a gap year, by allowing them to give greater importance to this time of their life.

“People do it now, but they’re outliers. I think it would be very good for everybody. Especially now, you know, the kids who are coming to UVA have been in structured programs not just since first grade but since pre-first grade, and pre-kindergarten. [They] have after-school programs and summer programs.

“They need some time to have a kind of independence before they can really commit themselves to four years of undergraduate education.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

Iggy Provencio, Professor of Biology

“The course that I guess I’m best known for is a sensory neurobiology course, where we explore how these organs convert environmental stimuli into something that the brain can understand.

“Well, initially I liked it because I really knew very little about most of these senses. Now that I have a better handle of those systems, I think what I enjoy is the looks that I see in students when they have that A-ha! moment. When they learn how, for example, sound is converted into an electrical impulse, or how the taste buds will convert some chemical signature into something that their brain will recognize as sweet or salty.

“You know, that A-ha! moment is really the big payoff when it comes to teaching.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

Iggy Provencio, Professor of Biology

“Immediately after graduating college, I went on to be a technician at a research lab in Boston. We worked on circadian rhythms.

“So I became really interested in circadian rhythms, and the two places in the country that were really well known for this area of study were Northwestern University and then UVA.

“UVA had just hired Mike Menaker to be the chair of the biology department. Mike is one of the founding fathers of our field. So those were my two choices. I went and saw Northwestern and loved it. Then I came and saw UVA and loved it even more.

“It was extraordinary. It was March 17th, 1989. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and UVA won out over Northwestern.”

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

Iggy Provencio, Professor of Biology

“I was not here for this, but there was an event where some of the younger faculty decided to get together. They called it the “Emergency Beer”; they went to Michael’s Bistro and had an emergency beer.

“What precipitated this meeting was a faculty meeting, where several of the more senior faculty members had provided their vision for the biology department for the following ten years. The younger faculty were horrified.

“And the younger faculty came up with their own ideas of where the department should go, and they generated a white paper. They presented the white paper at a faculty meeting then, and to the credit of the senior faculty, they accepted that white paper wholeheartedly. They essentially said, you know, this is going to be your department, and this sounds like a good idea. Let’s proceed.”

UVA Stories: Iggy Provencio - 2008 Election by wtju

UVA's Bicentennial Stories initiative from WTJU 91.1 FM tells our collective story. It helps us understand our shared history and make meaning in the University today. And as we look ahead, these stories help us shape the future of the University and our role in a democratic society.

Iggy Provencio, Professor of Biology

“The course that I guess I’m best known for is a sensory neurobiology course, where we explore how these organs convert environmental stimuli into something that the brain can understand.

“Well, initially I liked it because I really knew very little about most of these senses. Now that I have a better handle of those systems, I think what I enjoy is the looks that I see in students when they have that A-ha! moment. When they learn how, for example, sound is converted into an electrical impulse, or how the taste buds will convert some chemical signature into something that their brain will recognize as sweet or salty.

“You know, that A-ha! moment is really the big payoff when it comes to teaching.”