The Record, May 17, 2010, V18.22
- Aerospace students map out bright futures: 2 land Southwest internships
- Pilot can go pro with $10K gift
- Power tool for reading: Ph.D. in literacy studies
- Will it float?
- NSF names MTSU as top site for physics teachers
- In Brief: Change route near Cope
- Under the same roof: University Writing Center moving into new library home
- LT&ITC also making switch to 3rd-floor Walker site
- Marketing students get hands-on, and hang-up, experience
- EXL Scholars Program names 1st award recipients
- Flying high with Basic and Applied
- The race is on
- 'Posters on the Hill' draws 2 top students to Washington
- Russell Chair seminar lets industries 'take an interest'
- Scholar chosen by State Department to study Arabic abroad
- Adult learners celebrate year's end
- CUSTOMS sessions begin May 26
- New pact streamlines STCC transfers
- Faculty/Staff Update
- Campus Calendar
Click here to view the PDF version
Aerospace
students map out bright futures: 2 land Southwest internships
by Bridgett Buckles
After two phone interviews and one flight, Lauren Lipe, an aerospace major who graduated May 8 with a concentration in air traffic control, knew she would be traveling to Dallas this summer to work in the Operations Control Center. She'll be working side-by-side with Southwest dispatchers in conjunction with the meteorologist station.
Lipe has only been on the aerospace track for two years. She obtained a private pilot's license while working with FedEx in Memphis.
"My father, grandfather, uncle and brother have all been pilots and love everything involving aerospace,"; Lipe said.
Lipe is also involved with Women in Aviation, an MTSU organization that plans to tour FedEx this summer. Women comprise about 10 percent of the aerospace program at MTSU.
"If I didn't pack my things and go to Dallas, I would be crazy, because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,"; Lipe said.
She currently is working with FedEx's Critical Incident Response Program and is certified to work with the FedEx CIRP Team to implement safety procedures in emergencies, such as flying organs to transplant patients and transferring blood.
Antonious "Tony"; Basalyous, a junior flight-dispatch major, also is excited about his internship with Southwest Airlines, which is scheduled for this fall. As a flight dispatch intern, his job involves monitoring the progress of each flight, ensuring flight safety and canceling any unsafe flights.
Basalyous, a native of Cairo, Egypt, left home with his family at age 9 because of religious persecution. His family involvement in aerospace helped to lead him to MTSU for a career.
"My uncle was a chief executive dispatch in Cairo, and he had fun in the air,"; Basalyous said.
He said he's looking forward to his internship and also hopes to land an aviation position with a small airline this summer to gain even more experience.
Basalyous is currently working to get his private pilot's license for recreational purposes. He plans to graduate in May 2011.
>>Top of Page
Pilot can go pro with
$10K gift
by Claire Rogers
The scholarship, established by an alumnus who wishes to remain anonymous, will be presented annually to one student from the aerospace program. The first award of $10,000 will be presented to Horst at the aerospace awards banquet in September.
Horst, 23, who works part-time at the MTSU Flight School, said he will use the scholarship to pay for his flight training. He has already completed the four required flight ratings for pro-pilot majors and plans on working toward complete certification as a flight instructor this summer.
"To get a job in the airline world or commercial aviation, you have to have flight hours and experience,"; Horst said. "I hope to flight-instruct part-time and keep going to school full-time. I'll build up enough hours as I'm going through school that I'll be able to go ahead and find an airline job shortly after I graduate.";
The recipient of the new Tiara Foundation Chair Award of Excellence is selected from applicants with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Each must submit an essay describing the attributes of an aerospace professional and how to exemplify those attributes. The aerospace department currently offers more than 20 scholarships totaling more than $20,000 in aid for its students.
Horst said he encourages aerospace students to take advantage of the financial aid available to them.
"If you meet the criteria, take the time to apply. I had no idea I would get this award,"; he said. "Filling out the application and writing the essay doesn't take very long, so why not? You're not going to get it if you don't apply.";
Aerospace students interested in applying for financial aid may do so through the department's website at www.mtsu.edu/aerospace/scholarship.shtml .
Horst attributed his success to Alpha Eta Rho, an international professional aviation fraternity of which he is the current MTSU chapter president.
"I think that really helped; I got a lot of leadership experience from Alpha Eta Rho,"; Horst said."I encourage aerospace majors to check us out. We're always looking for committed, hard-working people.";
Horst is scheduled to graduate in December 2011.
"My goal is to get a job here in the MTSU Flight School as an instructor. I'm working toward that for now, and then I'll possibly get into the airlines after I'm done here.";
>>Top of Page
Power tool for
reading: Ph.D. in literacy studies
by Tom Tozer
The National Assessment of Education Progress consistently shows
that an average of four out of 10 children fail to read at grade
level by the fourth grade. Reading-test scores tell us that Johnny
can't read, but those test scores don't measure where
learning has broken down.
Students pursuing a doctorate in literacy studies at MTSU, which
may be the only degree of its kind in the nation, are looking
beyond the proverbial reading-test scores to reach a better
understanding of where the learning of reading is breaking down.
The curriculum melds research and practice and merges such fields
as neurobiology and neuropsychology to help instructors understand
how learning to read involves the brain. Research also indicates
that the ability to read is affected by the reader's culture
and environment.
Dr. Diane J. Sawyer, holder of the MTSU Chair of Excellence in
Dyslexic Studies and a recognized expert on the subject, said the
literacy-studies degree was the only one of its kind when it was
finalized in 2007 and submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents
for approval.
"I can't say that something similar hasn't been
developed since then, but I am not aware of one that integrates,
into the core courses and related experiences, the fields of
language, neurobiology, cognitive psychology, pedagogy, sociology
and research tools as these specifically relate to literacy,";
Sawyer said. "Neither do I know of one that offers specific
areas of specialization in policy, measurement and administration
as well as reading disabilities/dyslexia for students to choose
among.";
Stacey Miller, who is an assistant principal at Stewartsboro
Elementary and Smyrna Primary Schools and a student in the doctoral
program, began her studies in a neurobiology class a little more
than a year ago.
"It was interesting to learn about different parts of the
brain and what functions of literacy come from what parts of the
brain and how all the areas are interconnected,"; Miller said.
"If there is a breakdown in any one (area), it can cause
problems all throughout the brain.
"It's one thing to know that a child is a slow
processor of language or can't connect the letter sound to
the letter name, but it's another thing to learn where in the
brain that happens and how to help it,"; she continued.
"Just repeating the letter sound may not fix the problem,
because that part of the brain may not be able to receive
it.";
Finding and fixing a disconnect in the brain is an immediate
intervention that's a departure from the traditional
"wait to fail"; practice, which required intervening
only when a child has fallen hopelessly behind. The
literacy-studies approach provides help to a child when he or she
is not learning something—a proactive tactic that is driving
changes in curriculum design and instruction.
"When you're looking at a child for intervention, [we]
have to be able to find those things early enough to be able to
correct them, or for kids who are way past where the error
occurred, get the right intervention in place to get them caught
up,"; Miller said. "Maybe I have a fourth-grader who
missed a skill that was taught back in the first grade. But my
fourth-grade teacher doesn't know how to address that skill,
so they're still trying to teach the child at a fourth-grade
level when they don't understand that you have to go back to
that first-grade skill and get that in place.";
Miller said educators also are being asked to do more without more
time or money. And despite being open to new ideas, she said, many
teachers just don't have the time for a new approach.
The home environment plays a role as well, she said.
"Parents are overwhelmed because they don't know what
to do. Parents are working two jobs, and they may not be educated
themselves to help. I think parents want to help, but they may not
know there's a problem.";
After completing her practicum in fall 2010, Miller will continue
to take literacy-studies classes. She plans to submit a research
proposal for her doctorate once her comprehensive exams are done.
"I would like to be a principal at some point,"; she
said. " I've learned a lot, but not enough.";
Stephanie Lockman started the literacy-studies doctoral program
less than a year ago. After graduating from the University of Maine
with a degree in special education, she hopes one day to teach on
the university level.
"I'm learning how to assess the students,"; she
said of her doctoral work as well as her work in MTSU's
Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia. "I'm
learning how to look at patterns of errors and find out how best to
help the children. We know that sometimes dyslexia is hereditary,
and it's a lifelong problem, but some skills we can give to
students that will help them be successful later in school.
"I'm also learning that it's a bigger problem
than I knew was out there,"; she continued. "There are
probably teachers in the classroom right now who have kids with
dyslexia and they don't know. The parents don't know
it, and the child doesn't know it. So the child is a
behavioral problem in class.
"Some school districts are not prepared. We can have a
meeting with a parent and say, 'Your child has
dyslexia.' We can give them a list of programs. But when that
child goes back into the classroom, there's a great
disconnect between that and the material the teacher is
using.";
Lockman, who has worked with the local Read to Succeed program,
said the Dyslexia Center and literacy-studies program brought her
to MTSU.
"This is a rare program and one of the best in the
nation—it's highly respected. I also have a friend in
the program who's from Alaska. She knew about the MTSU
program. … And Dr. Sawyer is so well-known.";
Lockman said one of the program's greatest attributes is that
it's interdisciplinary. "You're not only learning
literacy, but you're learning the psychological aspects and
the neurobiological aspects. The program is so diverse. No program
that I found could provide the diverse outcomes and the
research-based teaching methods that this program has,"; she
said. "That was the real seller for me.";
For more information on the doctoral program in literacy studies at
MTSU or the work of the MTSU Center for the Study and Treatment of
Dyslexia, call 615-494-8838.
Will it float?
A CLOSER LOOK—Jeff Steffen, left, of Union, Ky., University
of Kentucky sophomore Michelle Steffen and senior concrete-industry
management major Andy Steffen view the inner workings of the MTSU
Solar Boat during the Engineering Technology Open House April 29
outside the Tom H. Jackson Building.
photo by News and Public Affairs
NSF names MTSU as top site for
physics teachers
by Randy Weiler
MTSU's Department of Physics and Astronomy has become a
National Science Foundation-funded Physics Teacher Education
Coalition site.
"This is a great achievement for the department and places us
among the top programs in the country,"; said Dr. Ron
Henderson, department chair. "There are currently only 12
PhysTEC sites in the nation, and this round of (NSF) funding
increases the total by just three (among 50 university
applications).
"This further demonstrates the high quality of the faculty
and programs at MTSU in physics and astronomy.";
Henderson said MTSU's physics and astronomy department will
be joining similar departments at the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill, Cornell, Arizona, Colorado and Arkansas with
the distinction.
In an e-mail he sent to Henderson, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee
offered "congratulations to you and your colleagues. I
appreciate your good work.";
"Congratulations to everyone involved in writing the proposal
and supporting this initiative,"; Dr. Diane Miller, interim
executive vice president and provost, wrote in an e-mail to
Henderson.
The department has a successful program of study that has,
historically, appealed to physics majors intending to attend
graduate school in physics or engineering.
In the past year, physics and astronomy has worked to expand the
program to be more attractive to students interested in a career in
high-school physics teaching.
In addition to active involvement in PhysTEC conferences, faculty
members said the department has sought outside funding and recently
earned a $900,000 Robert Noyce NSF scholarship grant for students
interested in teaching both physics and math in seventh through
12th grades.
Introducing a new physics-teaching concentration has helped
increase the number of students interested in secondary-education
careers from zero to more than a dozen, faculty members said. They
added that they're excited about the department's
potential has to make a significant impact on the number of physics
teachers graduating from Tennessee each year.
They said that the average yearly output of 3.7 new physics
teachers for Tennessee will not be hard to exceed, because the
department now has much higher goals and the momentum continues to
build.
They added that they owe a special thanks to colleagues at the
University of Arkansas' PhysTEC site for their consultation
and advice in helping MTSU's department receive its site
status.
The department includes 11 full-time faculty, four temporary and
adjunct faculty and two staff members. It is one of 10 departments
in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
In Brief: Change route near Cope
The sidewalk on the south side of the Cope Administration Building,
which handles foot traffic to and from the Wood-Stegall Center,
will be closed for a few weeks for updates and repairs. Pedestrians
should use the sidewalk alongside Alumni Drive into campus instead.
For more information about the project, contact the Construction
and Renovation Office at 615-898-5699.
Under the same
roof: University Writing Center moving into new library home
by Gina K. Logue
Beginning in fall 2010, students who want assistance with their
term papers, essays or short stories will be able to get help only
steps away from the research materials they may need.
The Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center at MTSU is
moving this summer from its two locations in Peck Hall 325 and
Ezell Hall 119 to a single site in Room 362 of the James E. Walker
Library.
The new center will be across the mezzanine from the newly
relocated Learning, Teaching and Innovative Technologies Center,
where faculty members learn how to integrate creative educational
methods and instruments into their teaching. The Writing Center
also offers assistance to professors with their writing needs,
including grants and proposals.
The mission statement of the Writing Center notes, "We want
to cultivate the importance of writing as a process. We want to
help UWC users become independent writers, capable of recognizing
and capitalizing on their strengths as well as identifying and
correcting their weaknesses.";
Dr. Wesley Houp, Writing Center director and an assistant professor
of English, says that the relocation means the center's
"primary goal is to advance our core service—one-to-one
tutoring in writing. As director, I believe the UWC and the library
are entering into a new, mutually reinforcing relationship—a
logical and extremely practical collaboration that will enhance
both our services.";
This semester, 17 graduate students and five undergraduates served
as tutors at the Writing Center. Dr. Stacia Watkins, assistant
coordinator, says she should know by August how many tutors will be
available for the fall.
Watkins says the new facility will provide five computers for
student use and one large space with eight to 10 tutoring tables,
enabling more hands-on, on-site guidance.
In addition, the interactive SMART board that had been at Ezell
will be housed in a larger space and will be available by
appointment to help students who are slated to "stand and
deliver"; in class.
"Students will be able to practice giving a presentation, and
we'll have cameras that can record them,"; Watkins says.
"They'll actually be able to watch it on the SMART
board, and we'll be able to tutor their presentation
style.";
The proximity of the Peck Hall center to the third-floor offices of
English professors left some students with the mistaken impression
that the center is only for people who need help with English
courses.
"I think the Writing Center will finally be seen as a
'University Writing Center' rather than an
'English department writing center,'"; says
Watkins of the relocation.
She emphasizes that tutors can help students concerned with any
discipline with any stage of the writing process, including
formatting for styles such as MLA, or Modern Language Association;
APA, or American Psychological Association; Associated Press;
Turabian; American Sociological Association; and others.
Another issue students bring to the Writing Center is that of
proper citation. Watkins says Internet issues are on the wane, but
plagiarism, however unintentional, is still a problem.
"Most students are at least aware of the fact that if they
take something off the Internet, they need to clarify that
it's not theirs,"; Watkins says. "They just
don't necessarily know how to do that.";
The Writing Center is currently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. on Saturday in Peck 325. It's also open from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. Tuesday-Thursday in Ezell 119.
Watkins says she hopes the new center will remain open until 10
p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Friday with Saturday hours
and, possibly, occasional Sunday workshops. However, the new hours
won't be finalized until the number of graduate tutors is
determined.
For more information, call 615-904-8237 or 615-494-9516 or e-mail
uwcenter@mtsu.edu.
LT&ITC also making switch to
3rd-floor Walker site
by Gina K. Logue
To better serve the faculty, the Learning, Teaching and Innovative
Technologies Center at MTSU will move into the James E. Walker
Library over the summer in anticipation of a busy fall 2010
semester.
The LT&ITC connects professors with the latest instructional
methods, including technologies that can make the classroom
experience more enlightening, as well as the expertise to use that
technology most effectively.
"We're excited about the transition because it puts the
LT&ITC in the academic center of the university,"; says
Faye Johnson, assistant to the executive vice president and provost
for special initiatives. "It will become the centralized
location for learning about teaching.";
Johnson says the newly relocated center will provide plenty of room
for the center's many resources, including workshops,
learning sessions and other professional development activities
designed to improve the quality of instruction. In addition to its
convenient access to the other learning centers in the library, the
center will lend itself to both small and large groups and will
offer a lounge area for informal discussions.
The center had been located in Room 106 of Peck Hall. It recently
was moved to Room 214 of the Telecommunications Building to make
way for the Confucius Institute.
There is no precise timetable for completion of the project, but a
minor doorway modification and furniture moving are the only work
expected.
In its new location in Room 348 of the library, the LT&ITC will
maintain its regular hours, which are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
For more information, contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or
kkeene@mtsu.edu.
Marketing students get
hands-on, and hang-up, experience
by Sydney Hester
MTSU's marketing students are getting down to the basics by
participating in a survey of local consumer confidence.
Dr. Tim Graeff's Marketing Research classes are learning to
collect data the old-fashioned way. Each term, students are
required to complete telephone surveys with citizens in local areas
to find out opinions on the current economy. The results of the
consumer-research project are compiled and used by the Federal
Reserve Bank in Atlanta as part of their regular economic profiles
of the Southeast.
The interactive project allows students to see the entire research
process and to become involved in ways that traditional classes
don't permit, Graeff noted.
"I like being able to see the research questions and find out
local opinions,"; said senior business administration major
Torri Cozart, who participated in the most recent consumer survey
in late April.
"The survey has let me connect research to the 'real
world' as opposed to just hearing theories.";
By being able to localize the research, rather than simply seeing
numbers on a paper, students can better understand marketing
research, Graeff said.
Along with the hands-on experience, the data has been beneficial to
both MTSU and the Federal Reserve Bank. The survey is done five
times each year, and Graeff also sends the results to the media.
Senior marketing major Leah McIntyre said she was better able to
understand the research process by participating in the survey. As
a result, she's considering a career involving marketing
research instead of the more typical promotions areas of marketing.
The Consumer Confidence Survey is just one of many interactive
projects done by MTSU. The Department of Management and Marketing
has been able to mix learning and collecting beneficial information
by working with the James E. Walker Library and the Department of
Student Affairs on campus as well as a current project with Stones
River Mall.
"These projects gives [students] practical experience,";
Graeff said. "They see how research is collected. ...They see
what it feels like to get hung up on.";
Such interactive projects prepare students with a glimpse of true
marketing, the professor noted, adding that getting out of the
classroom and away from textbook theories helps their futures as
well.
EXL Scholars Program names
1st award recipients
by Randy Weiler
MTSU alumnus Kim Greenwood, May 8 graduate Trish Perry and faculty
member Dr. Janet McCormick are the first recipients of EXL Scholars
Program Awards.
Dr. Jill Austin, chair of the Department of Management and
Marketing in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and one of
the original organizers who brought experiential learning to the
forefront on campus, recently announced the awards.
Perry, a nursing major in the College of Basic and Applied
Sciences, and Greenwood, who graduated in May 2009 with a degree in
organizational communication from the College of Liberal Arts,
received Outstanding EXL Student Awards. Both earned $500 and were
recognized during their respective colleges' awards days in
April.
McCormick was named Outstanding EXL Faculty and received $1,000 for
the honor. A faculty member at MTSU since 2002, she is an associate
professor in the Department of Speech and Theatre and specializes
in organizational communication.
"The award means a lot,"; said Greenwood, who now works
for the U.S. Social Security Administration. "The EXL program
required a lot of extra out-of-class work and volunteering. The
extra assignments ... helped me put the elements that I was
learning into practice. I led and helped complete multiple group
projects, some of which required the entire semester's worth
of work.";
Greenwood said she met SSA representatives through an MTSU career
fair.
"I am very thankful to have the experience and education
needed for such a lasting career, mostly due to the EXL
program,"; she said. "The EXL program gave me experience
as well as my education, which was a tremendous help when looking
for jobs. I was hired with SSA only three months after graduation,
which is proof of how beneficial the program is.";
Perry said she is honored to be one of the first EXL Scholars Award
recipients.
"I was actually nominated by the nursing faculty because of
my community service while at the university,"; she said.
"However, I had to submit a 20-page packet of information
with papers, projects, etc., throughout my five semesters of
nursing school in order to be considered. I am very honored to
represent the EXL Scholars with this award and appreciate my
college achievements being recognized.";
Academically and in a volunteer role, Perry has involvement in
numerous community organizations and professional activities.
"What an honor to be nominated for this award!";
McCormick wrote. "… To me, the value of the EXL program
speaks for itself through the actions and responses of the people
involved (students, faculty, administration, recruiters/employers
and the community as a whole). … Experiential learning could
serve to enhance all traditional classroom work through the
integration of theory and practice. The sky is the limit with a
program such as this.";
Other faculty finalists included Laura Clippard of the University
Honors College, Dr. Beth Emery of human sciences and Hal Newman in
recording industry.
This year's deadline to submit nominations is Monday, Nov.
15. For more information, contact Austin at 615-898-2736 or e-mail
jaustin@mtsu.edu.
Flying high
with Basic and Applied
ZOOM!—MTSU's new MTeach program, the focus of the
College of Basic and Applied Sciences' recent biannual
Advisory Council meeting at the Smyrna Airport Authority, gives
participants a chance to practice what they teach. Program
coordinator Leigh Gostowski instructed them to make paper
airplanes, and the designers later flew their planes indoors. At
left, May 8 graduate Kaitlen Howell, left, daughter of event host
and Corporate Flight Management CEO Allen Howell, shows off the
plane she made with advisory council member and alumnus David
Augustin (B.S. '82), president of Corporate Flight
Management. In the photo below left, Dr. Walter Boles, chair of the
Department of Engineering Technology, checks the front-end design
of his plane. And in the photo below right, Jennifer Allen, left,
CBAS development director, observes the added element of a pen to
the plane of Dr. Warren Gill, chair of the Department of
Agribusiness and Agriscience.
photos submitted
The race is
on
SPEAKING UP—Four challengers for the job of Tennessee's
governor speak during the 2010 Gubernatorial Forum April 29 in
Murphy Center, which was broadcast live via satellite and on the
Web with the expertise of staff and students in MTSU's
Department of Electronic Media Communications. In the photo above,
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Chattanooga, left, answers a question during
the forum as his fellow candidates for the governor's office
listen. Seated on the Murphy Center stage are, from left, candidate
Mike McWherter of Jackson, Tenn., a Democrat; Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey
of Blountville, a Republican challenger for the office; and
Republican candidate Bill Haslam of Knoxville. In the photo at
right, Randy O'Brien, left, news director of WMOT-Jazz 89,
waits for Ramsey to answer a question during a media briefing with
the candidates after the forum in Auxiliary Gym A.
Tennessee's gubernatorial primary will be held on Thursday,
Aug. 5; the general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 2. For more
information on registering to vote in Rutherford County, please
visit
www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/election
.
MTSU Photographic Services photos by Andy Heidt and Jack Ross
>>Top of Page
'Posters on
the Hill' draws 2 top students to Washington
by Tom Tozer
MTSU seniors Merranda Holmes and Shannon Murphy were among 75
undergraduates from across the United States—and the only two
from Tennessee—selected to display their biology research
during the "Posters on the Hill"; event in April in
Washington, D.C.
The women, accompanied by their mentor, biology professor Dr.
Stephen Wright, presented their work to members of Congress and
other officials.
"There were about 300 entries, and I was a little nervous
because they accepted only two from each state,"; said Murphy,
a biology major.
"We were both doing our honors thesis on the same general
topic but were working separately,"; added Holmes, also a
biology major. "We brought our work together and had so much
information that we had trouble getting everything on the
poster.";
The women submitted their work last November and were notified of
their acceptance in February. Murphy's research was on
"A Label-Free Method for Detection and Differentiation of
Bacillus spp Endospores,"; and Holmes researched "The
Production, Quantification and Fluorescent Detection of
Anthrax-Simulating Endospores.";
"MTSU has been an amazing experience,"; said Murphy, who
along with Holmes graduated May 8. "Being part of the biology
department and Honors College has given me the opportunity to do so
many things that I otherwise would not have been able to do.";
Holmes agreed. "Being in the Honors College with smaller
classes, every-one knows the teacher. That's how I got to
know Dr. Wright and do the research.";
JUST THE RIGHT MIXTURE—MTSU biology majors Shannon Murphy,
left, and Merranda Holmes, right, are joined by their mentor, MTSU
biology professor Dr. Stephen Wright, outside the American Chemical
Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. The students, who
graduated May 8, presented posters at the exclusive "Posters
on the Hill"; event in April, serving as the only
representatives for Tennessee.
photo submitted
Russell Chair seminar
lets industries 'take an interest'
by Randy Weiler
Alex Kirchhoff stands one year from graduating from MTSU with a
Bachelor of Science degree in engineering systems technology along
with a pre-med program.
A transfer from Tennessee Technological University and a veteran of
the Iraq war—he's a member of the Dickson-based 267th
Military Police Company—Kirchhoff has a zest and thirst for
knowledge.
Kirchhoff was the first to approach Mike Clemmer, director and
plant manager in the division of paints and plastics at Nissan
North America in Smyrna, after Clemmer spoke to nearly 60 students
and faculty at the second Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence
seminar April 14 in the Tom H. Jackson Building's Cantrell
Hall.
Clemmer spoke primarily about the new Nissan Leaf and how the
vehicle is set to be built at the Smyrna plant in 2012.
"He was a Tennessee Tech guy, and that's where I used
to go (from 2005 to 2008),"; said Kirchhoff, who has been part
of the wheel-hub motor research team led by Dr. Charles Perry, who
holds the Russell Chair. "I appreciate him coming to MTSU to
present the recent advances in technology and possible jobs opening
locally.
"Appearances like that show us that Nissan is taking an
interest in students and recruiting out of schools,"; the
student continued. "Businesses like Nissan, who operate both
internationally and locally, should begin to take more of an
interest in forming bonds with local universities to spawn
innovation and technological advances in America.";
Kirchhoff, who sustained a knee injury in Iraq, said he plans to
pursue medical school. One consideration might be the medical
school at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., he said.
Junior Stan Whitehouse provided a thorough presentation of the
Solar Boat student project. Attendance doubled at this second
seminar, said Perry, who said he was more than pleased with the
turnout by engineering technology students and those from other
disciplines.
WATCH THIS—Alex Kirchhoff, left, a senior engineering-systems
technology major, helps Dr. Charles Perry set up Perry's
retrofit hybrid wheel-hub kit during the recent Russell Chair of
Manufacturing Excellence seminar as State Sen. Bill Ketron
observes.
photo by News and Public Affairs
Scholar chosen by
State Department to study Arabic abroad
by Tom Tozer
Adrian Mackey, an MTSU senior from Nashville majoring in
international relations and anthropology, has been selected for a
U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship for the
summer of 2010.
Mackey's scholarship will take him to Amman, Jordan, where he
will continue studying the Arabic language.
"I'll be leaving June 13 and coming back August 13 and
will be studying about 20 hours a week,"; Mackey said.
"Last spring, I studied in the United Arab Emirates and took
Arabic there. The Middle East is prominent in many issues today,
and it's also got a lot of diversity and ethnic groups.
It's an area that doesn't get a lot of positive
attention.";
While Mackey admits that the Middle East does have its negative
aspects and perceptions, the area offers a wealth of job
opportunities, particularly for individuals who have a background
in the languages spoken there.
"I wouldn't mind working over there,"; Mackey
said, "but I'm sticking around for one more year of
school. I'll graduate in the spring of 2011, and I want to
keep my options open. Maybe I'll teach English in the Middle
East.";
Mackey is one of 575 undergraduate and graduate students selected
by the State Department for the scholarship. The program received
more than 5,300 applications.
Students around the nation will spend seven to 10 weeks in
intensive language institutes in 15 countries where various
languages are spoken, including Arabic, Chinese, Persian, Punjabi,
Urdu and Turkic. This summer's program will mark
Mackey's fourth year of studying the Arabic language.
The program began in 2006 to increase opportunities for American
students to study critical-need languages overseas and is part of a
wider U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans
studying and mastering critical-need languages.
"Arabic is hard,"; Mackey said. "The grammar is
difficult, but in many ways it's easier than learning
English. We have a large Arabic population in Tennessee.";
Adult learners celebrate
year's end
by Gina K. Logue
Older Wiser Learners, an organization for nontraditional students
at MTSU, conducted its annual picnic, awards ceremony and Pinnacle
initiation April 29 in Barfield Park in Murfreesboro.
Students were inducted into Pinnacle, MTSU's chapter of the
national nontraditional honor society for students over age 25.
OWLs also presented awards to family members, friends and
professors who have helped the nontraditional students throughout
the year.
As well as the 3.0 GPA required for undergraduates (3.4 for
graduate students), Pinnacle's criteria for admission include
previous community service, volunteer work and honors that students
have earned in life.
Several nontraditional students received scholarships for the
2010-11 academic year, including Enrichment Scholarships for
Christina Dawson of Murfreesboro and Shilo Rich-Johnson of
Tullahoma. Joni Maxwell, a nursing major from Murfreesboro,
received the Jane Nickell Taylor Scholarship, and Dana LeGeune
received the Joan Nickell Bailey Scholarship.
OWLs Academic Service Scholarships were awarded to Lisa Almy and
Jesse Coe of Murfreesboro, Leslie Dixon-Mackey of Woodbury, Terri
Ellison and Bethany Harris of Murfreesboro, Herbert Wayne Newcomb
Jr. of Rockvale, Elizabeth Silva of Antioch, Virginia Soulia of La
Vergne, Laurence Tumpag of Murfreesboro and Kelly Williams of
Christiana.
Any student, regardless of age, who has adult responsibilities in
addition to college may join OWLs. For more information, contact
Dr. Carol Ann Baily, director of Off-Campus Student Services, at
615-898-5989 or
cabaily@mtsu.edu.
CUSTOMS sessions begin May
26
from Staff Reports
CUSTOMS will get under way soon with the first of 10 sessions
spread across May, June and July for new MTSU students and their
families.
Starting Wednesday, May 26, and running through late July,
CUSTOMS' two-day sessions will acquaint students to what will
be their academic and social home for the next four years.
Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing, advising and other departments
will be involved with the orientation process that will integrate
new students into the intellectual, cultural and social climate of
the university.
Gina Poff, director of New Student and Family Programs, which
oversees the running of CUSTOMS, said organizers "are adding
orientation leaders to work specifically with parents"; this
year. The general-assembly portion of CUSTOMS will move to Murphy
Center since Tucker Theatre is under renovation.
Poff added that they may take CUSTOMS participants onto the field
at Floyd Stadium at the beginning of the morning for a video
message from football Head Coach Rick Stockstill.
Session 1, set for May 26-27, will include scholarship and other
students from all colleges within the university. Subsequent
sessions will be a combination of majors from the various colleges
and undeclared majors.
Registration is required and fees apply. Students should register
as early as possible, Poff said.
For more information and CUSTOMS dates for summer, visit
www.mtsu.edu/customs
or call 615-898-2454.
New pact streamlines STCC
transfers
from Staff Reports
Tennessee's largest undergraduate university and its largest
two-year college are teaming up to streamline student transfers and
improve access to higher education.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and President Nathan L. Essex of
Southwest Tennessee Community College signed a formal agreement, or
memorandum of understanding, May 5 at the Memphis institution to
assist students in a seamless transfer from Southwest to MTSU.
During the signing, McPhee emphasized that in light of legislation
passed in January, there is a greater emphasis and focus on
transferring, articulation and access to provide opportunities for
citizens to earn associate and undergraduate degrees.
Courses currently considered in the agreement are those
transferable to the recording industry, business administration,
education and aerospace programs at MTSU.
"The obvious advantage is that our students are going to have
increased access,"; Essex noted. "Our emphasis
throughout the state right now is retention and graduation. So to
have this kind of partnership with a wonderful institution such as
MTSU simply means that our students will have increased
opportunities to get scholarship support and be able to pursue
advanced degrees beyond the community-college level based on this
partnership."
McPhee also stressed scholarship opportunities as well as the ease
of the transfer process for Southwest students.
"We are going to be looking at providing special scholarships for
these students, connecting them to our Honors College (and)
providing a better transition and taking the hassle out of the
transfer process,"; the MTSU president said, "and so we
are really excited. We get great students out of Memphis and from
Southwest. We only see this as strengthening our relationship and
partnership.";
Southwest Tennessee Community College, which opened in 2000, is a
Tennessee Board of Regents institution with seven campus locations
in the greater Memphis area. With a fall 2009 enrollment of 13,016,
it offers associate's degrees in multiple disciplines,
including allied health, biotechnology and nursing; automotive,
electronic and landscape technologies; business; graphic arts,
information technology and engineering technologies; hospitality
management and food services; human services, education and public
safety; and legal, criminal justice and paralegal emphases.
MTSU, founded in 1911 as one of three state normal schools for
teacher training, now confers master's degrees in 10 areas as
well as the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts and
the Doctor of Philosophy degree.
MAKING PLANS—MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, seated at left,
and Southwest Tennessee Community College President Nathan L.
Essex, seated right, pose May 5 after signing a memorandum of
understanding to aid student transfers between the institutions.
Joining the leaders for the event in Memphis are, from left, MTSU
President Emeritus Sam Ingram; Dr. Carol Tosh, Southwest vice
president for student services and enrollment; Dr. Tonjanita
Johnson, MTSU associate vice president for marketing and
communications; Dr. Joanne Bassett, Southwest provost and executive
vice president; Sherman Greer, executive director of government
relations at Southwest; to Dr. Essex; and Karen Nippert, Southwest
vice president for institutional advancement.
photo courtesy Southwest Tennessee Community College
Faculty/Staff
Update
Awards
Dr. Saeed Foroudastan (Basic and Applied Sciences)
received the Excellence in Engineering Education "Triple
E"; Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers
International at the 2010 SAE World Congress Awards Ceremony in
Detroit on April 13. The solid marble obelisk is presented to one
educator annually to recognize outstanding contributions to advance
engineering education and excellent support of student activities
for SAE Collegiate Design Competitions on both national and
international levels.
Ray Wiley (Recreation Center) received the 2010
Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award April 29 from the
Tennessee Higher Education Commission for serving as "the
architect of the disaster shelter plan for the Heart of Tennessee
Chapter and MTSU"; that allowed the university to host 447
evacuees from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav in
September 2008. Wiley was nominated for "his dedication in
training students and staff in first aid and the automated external
defibrillator, and his vision for preparing the recreation center
to become a Red Cross shelter.";
Conferences
Dr. Robert B. Blair (business communication and
entrepreneurship) was a key participant in the National Association
for Business Teacher Education conference March 30-April 2 in San
Diego, Calif. He was part of a panel presentation on hybrid
teaching-methods instruction, presented sessions on "The
Leader's Role as an Advocate"; and "The
Professional Impact of Social Networking,"; coordinated 13
refereed business-teacher education-research sessions and will
serve on the executive boards of the NABTE and the International
Society for Business Education as a research coordinator and
southern region representative, respectively, for 2010-11. Blair
also will serve as chairperson of the National Business Education
Association Awards Administrative Committee for 2010-11.
Dr. Jacob Klerlein (mathematical sciences)
attended the research pre-session of the Annual Meeting of the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics April 20-21 in San
Diego, Calif. While in town, he also consulted with colleagues
about an upcoming grant proposal.
Consulting
Dr. Robert B. Blair (BCEN) served as the convention
parliamentarian for the Atlanta-based, 22,000 member Professional
Photographers of America Inc. Jan. 11 in Nashville. Blair has been
hired to serve in the same capacity for the group's January
2011 convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Panels
Dr. Jeff Clark (computer information systems) served as a
panelist during The New Economy: Peril and Promise Conference April
13-16 at Missouri State University in Springfield. His topics
included "Can Markets Be Moral? Ethics, Religion and the
Economy,"; "Global Impacts of Differing Stimulus
Packages"; and "Surviving the Economic Tsunami:
Strategies for Businesses in the New Economy.";
Passages
Dr. John Noble McDaniel (English) passed away May 3,
leaving behind his wife and best friend Jean; sons Scott (Donnetta)
and Craig; granddaughters Alex, Mandy and Heidi; twin brother Tom;
and sisters Sue and Sal, all of whom he loved beyond measure but
didn't say so often enough, by his own admission. Dr.
McDaniel was an honors graduate of Hampton-Sydney College, where
his academic and athletic accomplishments grew ever greater in his
later years (as he recalled); he also earned master's and
doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins and Florida State,
respectively. He came to MTSU in September 1970 as an assistant
professor of English, went on to become chair of the English
Department and then served for a quarter-century as dean of the
College of Liberal Arts, a position that he navigated with some
grace and survived with considerable luck. Having lived "the
examined life"; with animated good humor, Dr. McDaniel leaves
behind few regrets and many memorable moments for loved ones to
contemplate at their leisure. Teaching Shakespeare's
tragedies for four decades left him with the distinct impression
that almost everyone dies in the end, though he had hoped that
perhaps in his case an exception would be made. Failing that, he
expressed on leaving for that undiscovered country from whose bourn
no traveler returns that it had been a "good ride,
mainly."; In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
MTSU English Department's John N. McDaniel Teaching Award
Fund, which supports the good work of graduate teaching assistants.
Though a published scholar in several research areas, teaching well
is the professorial legacy that he cherished most.
Presentations
Dr. Don Hong (mathematics) and graduate student
Fengqing Zhang (mathematical sciences) gave a
seminar presentation on "New Statistical Methods and Software
Development for Imaging Mass Spectrometry Data Processing"; at
the Mass Spectrometry Research Center in Vanderbilt University on
April 1.
Dr. Debra Rose Wilson (nursing) presented juried
talks at recent national conferences, including "Stress
Management and Self-Care for Nurses: The PNI Connections"; for
the Society for the Advancement of Modeling and Role-Modeling
Nursing Theory in San Antonio, Texas; and "Psych Pharm: An
interactive learning program for psych drugs"; at the Western
Social Science 52nd Annual National Conference in Reno, Nevada. She
also led a panel on "Self-Care and Stress"; in Reno.
Dr. Linda Wilson (nursing) presented
"Fostering Leadership Through Mentoring"; at the Sigma
Theta Tau conference April 23 in Atlanta.
Graduate student
Fengqing Zhang (mathematical sciences) presented a
paper, co-authored with
Dr. Don Hong (mathematics), on "Elastic-Net
Based Model for Imaging MS proteomic Data Processing"; at the
Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric
Society annual meeting March 21-24 in New Orleans.
Publications
Dr. Don Hong (mathematics) has published a paper,
"Weighted Elastic Net Model for Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Processing,"; with grad student
Fengqing Zhang in a special issue on mathematical
modeling in the medical sciences in
Mathematical Modeling of Natural Phenomena, Vol. 5, No. 3
(2010), p. 115-133.
Dr. Debra Rose Wilson (nursing) has reviewed two
books, including
Urban Outcasts: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced
Marginality by Loïc Wacquant, published in the
Social Science Journal, 47(1), and
The Last Adventure of Life: Sacred Resources for Living and
Dying from a Hospice Counselor by Maria Dancing Heart for
Activities, Adaptation & Aging Journal, 34(1). Wilson
also published "Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual
Abuse"; in
Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 46(1), and "Stress
Management for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A
Holistic Inquiry"; in the
Western Journal of Nursing Research, 32(1).
Get noticed in
The Record!
Submit your Faculty/Staff Update items and other news tips to
gfann@mtsu.edu by 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, for the May 31
edition of
The Record or 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, for the June 14
Record. Check out (and bookmark!)
The Record's 2010 deadline schedule at
www.mtsu.edu/news/Record/deadlines.shtml
.
Campus Calendar May 17-30, 2010
Please note: Event dates, times and locations may change. Please verify specifics when making plans.
TV Schedule: "Middle Tennessee Record"
Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 5 p.m.
NewsChannel 5+: Sundays, 1:30 p.m.
Visit www.mtsunews.com for other cable-outlet airtimes or www.youtube.com/mtsunews for a complete show archive.
Radio Schedule: "MTSU On the Record"
8 a.m. Sundays, WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcasts available anytime at www.mtsunews.com .
Through June 24
Photo Exhibit: "MTSU Photography 2010 Student Show"
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-4:30 p.m. Saturday
Baldwin Photo Gallery, Learning Resources Center
For information, contact: 615-898-2085.
Monday, May 17
May Term, Summer Full Term classes begin
May 24-29
TSSAA Spring Fling
For information, visit www.tssaa.org or contact: 615-889-6740.
May 26-27
CUSTOMS Orientation
Special scholarship session
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/customs or contact: 615-898-5533.
May 26-29
MT Baseball: Sun Belt Championships
Reese Smith Jr. Field
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com .
Get noticed in The Record!
Submit your Campus Calendar items and other news tips to gfann@mtsu.edu by 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, for the May 31 edition of The Record or 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, for the June 14 Record. Check out (and bookmark!) The Record's 2010 deadline schedule at www.mtsu.edu/news/Record/deadlines.shtml .
2013 Middle Tennessee State University, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution 1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132-0001 USA +1.615.898.2300
Middle Tennessee State University, in its educational programs and activities involving students and employees, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or age. Furthermore, the university does not discriminate against veterans or individuals with disabilities.
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