Graduating student Katy Chapman (BFA 2020) is among the recipients of the National Theatre School’s Art Apart grants, awarded to theatre artists-in-training and those who have recently completed theatre training programs. Her performance was selected from over 575 applicants.

Chapman will receive $750 and her work will be featured on the school’s website as a part of the online project.

One of the culminating projects for graduating BFA students is the Character Study, an opportunity to present a 20-minute solo piece written, directed, and performed by the student. These works are usually presented as a part of a two-day festival in April, but due to COVID-19, the performances moved online this year.

Chapman says her piece, Ex Utero, was inspired by her perception that society values pregnant women but not mothers.

“I struggled with what I wanted my character study to be for a long time, but I came across this condition called post-partum psychosis, and as I was exploring it I was quite shocked at what the first few months with a child can be like,” she says. “These women might have awful visions where they want to hurt themselves or their children, and they’re usually too scared to bring this up.”

The Art Apart performances are taking place on the National Theatre School’s website, with new artists added weekly. Chapman’s video will be available during the week of June 25.

—Kristen Siapas

Money spent on restoring pollution hotspots in the Great Lakes — $22.78 billion U.S. since 1985 — has paid dividends, according to a researcher at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

“Our study focused on what has been achieved and learned from 35 years of cleaning up Great Lakes pollution hotspots called Areas of Concern,” says John Hartig. “Our lessons learned will be helpful to all organizations working to clean up polluted waterways and to care for the place they call home.”

Along with co-authors Gail Krantzberg of McMaster University and Peter Alsip of the University of Michigan, he found that every dollar toward cleanup resulted in more than $3 worth of community revitalization.

They published their findings in a new article in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, tracing the history of the Great Lakes Remedial Action Plan program. Among the key lessons drawn are the importance of: engaging local leaders and the public; establishing a compelling visions with measurable targets; building a record of success; and quantifying benefits that focus on the future of communities.

Dr. Hartig says a combination of strong environmental laws and locally-led cleanup processes can result in restoring polluted ecosystems, reconnecting people to waterways through greenway and kayak trails, that leads to waterfront revitalization.

Learn more on the website of the International Association for Great Lakes Research.

Making biscuits doesn’t have to be challenging, says Paolo Vasapolli, executive chef in Food and Catering Services.

As proof, he offers a recipe that requires just three ingredients to produce a half-dozen biscuits.

Vegan Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup of self-rising flour
• 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• ½ to ¾ cup soy milk

Instructions

1. Blend flour and shortening together to resemble pea-sized lumps.
2. Add soy milk and blend until ingredients are combined, taking care not to over mix.
3. Roll out the dough to about ¾" thickness and cut into biscuits.
4. Bake at 400F degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Vasapolli adds he likes to serve these biscuits with jam. Find more recipes — as well as a place to submit your own — on the Healthy Eating website.