The Record, Nov. 15, 2010, V19.10
- Chasing the sun across Tennessee: Ricketts and his road crew make history with trip
- Biology film wins big
- Staying alert = safety
- In Brief
- For the Record: Nontraditional student making a new tradition
- Be One of the majority: Quit smoking Nov. 18
- Annual Accounting CPE Day set for Dec. 9 on campus
- Nationally recognized Dance Theatre growing by leaps and bounds
- Newly tenured and promoted faculty recognized
- Corralling the kids
- FAME-ous scholars
- MTSU celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week
- University breaking ground on new dairy facility
- People Around Campus: Human-sciences students give peace felt a chance
- Faculty/Staff Update
- Campus Calendar
Read the PDF version here!
Chasing the sun
across Tennessee: Ricketts and his road crew make history with
trip
by Randy Weiler
When it comes to alternative fuels, Dr. Cliff Ricketts considers
himself a modern-day Davy Crockett—"a frontiersman with
energy"; who says he's "blazed a trail with
ethanol, blazed a trail with hydrogen and blazed a trail with sun
and water.";
On Nov. 1, Ricketts, a 34-year agriscience professor at MTSU,
blazed a unique 500-plus-mile trail across Tennessee.
Ricketts drove a specially adapted 1994 Toyota Tercel from Bristol,
Va., to West Memphis, Ark. The fuel for the journey: the sun, plus
hydrogen gleaned from water. No gasoline was used.
His successful journey ended about 2 a.m. Nov. 2, when he returned
to the ag education shop that houses the alternative fuel vehicles
he and his students use for research.
"My whole passion is sun and water,"; says Ricketts, who
has had a career of alternative-fuel high-water marks. "I
believe accomplishing this feat will have the following
implications—a cleaner environment because of clean tailpipe
emissions from the vehicle, energy self-sufficiency and
renewability, less dependency on foreign oil and less of a trade
imbalance because of the purchase of foreign oil.";
Ricketts says he firmly believes he could make the one-day drive
from near Blacksburg, Va., to Little Rock, Ark., about one-fourth
the distance across the United States, with only one refueling
stopover at MTSU.
Traveling mostly by interstate (I-81, I-40 and I-24), the Tercel
had a cruising speed around 58 mph. Ricketts calls it "a
third backup"; because a 2008 Toyota Prius in Reno, Nev., is
being adapted to run on hydrogen and a 1995 Chevrolet Vlazer (a
cross between a Volt and a Blazer) is sidelined by low batteries.
The Tercel, nicknamed "Forces of Nature,"; made the trip
across the state "on two forces of nature, the sun and
water,"; Ricketts says. "With this system, every
commuter could drive on sun and hydrogen from water as the energy
sources.";
Also traveling with Ricketts, who holds bachelor's and
master's degrees from the University of Tennessee and a
doctorate from Ohio State University, was Jo Borck, a Canada native
and a hydrogen expert. Borck attended MIT and graduated from
Washington State University with a mechanical-engineering degree.
"He is one of the top five hydrogen people in the
world,"; Ricketts says of Borck, whose knowledge of the
hydrogen-compression system and the computer-timing mechanism has
proven invaluable in their five-year partnership and with
Ricketts' students.
How does the engine run off sun and water? Ricketts says the MTSU
solar unit provides DC electricity, which is converted into AC
electric, and it goes into the grid line.
"In essence, the MTSU system is doing the same thing as a
hydro dam or coal-powered unit,"; he says.
"In order to produce hydrogen, tap water is de-ionized and
then sent to a solid polymer electrolysis unit,"; he adds.
"When the electrolysis unit is running, it uses the stored
solar produced by electricity. … This system is a result of
using TVA's Green Power Switch Generation Partners Program.
"Next, the hydrogen comes out at 200 psi and goes into two
500-gallon storage tanks and then is compressed to 6,000 psi. The
vehicle is then filled with hydrogen. It has two 4.2-kilogram tanks
rated at 5,000 psi per tank. The vehicle is adapted and equipped to
get a 370-mile range.";
Ricketts' ultimate applied-science research goal is to drive
from coast to coast, hopefully in 2011, using only 10 gallons of
gasoline.
Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply Co. is Ricketts'
primary off-campus sponsor. Other key sponsors include the MTSU
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the College of Basic
and Applied Sciences.
ROAD CREW—Hydrogen and computer timing expert Jo Borck, left,
joins MTSU students Robert Keeble, Derek Pack and Nick Booher and
alumnus Terry Young of Woodbury with the 1994 Toyota Tercel that
made an historic Bristol-to-West Memphis, Ark., trip on Nov. 1.
Agriscience Professor Cliff Ricketts drove the car on the
500-plus-mile journey, fueled by the sun and hydrogen from
water.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN—Dr. Cliff Ricketts drives the specially
adapted alternative-fuel 1994 Toyota Tercel down Interstate 40
West, near the Alexandria exit, during a test run in October.
photos submitted
>>Top of Page
Biology film wins
big
by Lindsey Austin
Dr. Bruce Cahoon and graduate student Noah Flanigan produced a
short film that was named the grand-prize winner of the recent
Chlorofilms Plant Biology Video Contest.
Titled "Kenaf Callus Hoedown,"; the film used time-lapse
photography to show the process of plant-tissue culture. The idea
for the video came from Cahoon's Advanced Plant Biotechnology
class, where students were asked to grow a callus, which is a mass
of plant-tissue cells.
Melissa Wadulisi-Shelby and Brian Huber, graduate students in
Cahoon's class, decided to use a fiber plant called kenaf for
their project.
"I decided to bring it (kenaf) into the callus project. I
modeled the experiment after related species, and it worked
beautifully the first time,"; Wadulisi-Shelby said.
After seeing how well the kenaf callus worked and discovering
Flanigan's interest in photography, Cahoon wanted to combine
it all.
"Here was this great idea, a project and a film festival. It
made it entertaining and not like a lecture,"; Cahoon said.
Flanigan set up a camera to take photos of the kenaf callus every
30 minutes for three weeks. He then sorted through the nearly 3,000
photographs during his winter break to find the perfect images and
added a "dancing"; callus at the end.
"We made it up as we went along,"; Flanigan said.
The film's background music posed a slight problem, however.
"Noah had trouble finding appropriate noncopyrighted music,
so the biology department's bluegrass band jumped right into
the project,"; Cahoon explained.
The band, Independent Assortment, included Drs. Matthew
Elrod-Erickson, Frank Bailey and Cahoon. In addition to the faculty
members, Cahoon's son, Joe, and daughter, Claire, played in
the bluegrass group.
"The entire film was done without professional equipment.
Noah recorded in the classroom and used what we had around,";
Cahoon explained. "It all just fell into place. The timing
was great.";
The film was entered in the artistic category of the Chlorofilms
Contest, an international nonprofit organization whose objective is
to "promote the creation of fresh, attention-getting and
informative video content about plant life."; Wadulisi-Shelby
and Huber served as actors in the film.
The team received the $1,000 grand-prize award at the second
installment of the contest. They plan to use the money to purchase
better film equipment.
"We want to keep doing it. We want better angles and a better
look at growth. We want to get more biological information by
looking at different plants and improving the system"; Cahoon
said.
"Look forward to more from the biology department!";
Flanigan added.
For more information on the Chlorofilms contest or to view
"Kenaf Callus Hoedown,"; visit
http://chlorofilms.org
.
SCIENTIFIC PROOF—Dr. Bruce Cahoon, above left, and grad
student Noah Flanigan set up a camera to create still photographs
of a kenaf fiber callus for a time-lapse film, "Kenaf Callus
Hoedown."; Below are stills from the short film, including,
from left, grad students Melissa Wadulisi-Shelby and Brian Huber
inspecting their experiment, the kenaf calluses in their test tubes
and a close-up of the growing plants.
photos submitted
Staying alert =
safety
by Tom Tozer
"So a guy was robbed on campus in the middle of the night.
Big deal. I live in Nashville! Why did I get a text and a voice
message that woke me up? What a hassle!";
In campus emergency notification, law-enforcement authorities just
can't win. If something happens and an alert isn't sent
out, some people complain. If something happens and an alert is
sent out, others cry foul.
"The fact is, we don't know what a person's
schedule is or when they go from point A to point B,"; says
MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster. "Just because a situation
happens at 3 a.m. doesn't mean that people who are at home in
bed don't need to know, too. We need to get the information
out so that individuals can make good, safe decisions for
themselves.";
MTSU Police, the Office of News and Public Affairs and the
Information Technology Division work together to send out emergency
alerts and post safety information on the MTSU website, all while
handling phone calls, e-mails and texts from media, parents and
others on- and off-campus.
"I understand that it can be inconvenient at times,
especially when people are awakened or disturbed,"; the chief
says. "That's not our intent. It happens as a
consequence of us having to perform that duty. But in the larger
scope of things, those intrusions, those inconveniences, compared
with being able to make people safer and more
knowledgeable—we have to weigh all the factors and look at
the bigger picture.";
Sending emergency alerts after hours exclusively to those people
who are awake, on campus and engaged in some activity isn't
realistic or even possible. When an alert is
activated—whether e-mail, text, voice or all three—a
student or staff member may be at home or off-campus and not want
to be bothered. But what if that same student decided to study with
friends overnight in Scarlett Commons or that professor is working
late grading papers? Emergency-alert personnel don't know
who's where, or when, so they must send an alert to everyone
who's signed up to receive one.
"We're going to put everyone's e-mail address
into a system where we can send a message out to everyone that
way,"; Peaster says. "But on all the other options,
text-message and voice-alert, people … can choose how to be
notified. They will get an e-mail, but that won't be
intrusive.";
Peaster adds that emergency-alert participants have the option of
turning off their phones, especially after hours, if they choose
not to be notified when away from campus.
Sending or not sending an alert is also a dilemma, the chief says,
citing the example earlier this semester of a criminal
suspect's escape from Middle Tennessee Medical Center, then
located nearby at Bell and Highland Streets.
"He … had been involved in activity that sometimes
leads to weapons and violence. When he left the hospital, they said
he was heading toward campus. That's one of those situations
where you have to stop and think: Do we need to notify people on
campus about this person?"; the chief recalls. "We felt
that it would be better to send out an alert because of the
possibility that he could show up.";
Peaster encourages the university community to think about others
and not just their own minor inconvenience, especially since
regulations are looming that mandate more campus-emergency
notifications. The chief says he hopes one day to see an Office of
Emergency Management created at MTSU that will focus on emergency
notification, newer delivery systems and training students, faculty
and staff.
'It's certainly something that the federal government
is taking seriously, and they're pretty much going to force
colleges and universities to take it seriously, too,"; he
says.
"More and more federal mandates are coming down. … I
think we'll see more entities being fined for not following
guidelines and statutes—and I'm not talking just a few
dollars, but amounts that could really hamper business in a lot of
colleges and universities.";
In Brief: Fulbright workshops Nov. 17
On Wednesday, Nov. 17, MTSU's Undergraduate Fellowships Office will conduct three informational workshops on the Fulbright Student U.S. Program. The free 45-minute sessions are set at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Keathley University Center Theater. Each session is open to all MTSU students. For more information, e-mail Laura Clippard at lclippar@mtsu.edu.
For the Record:
Nontraditional student making a new tradition
by S. Greggory Hackney
Tradition, at my age, dictates that in an academic setting, I
should be some sort of professor or counselor, offering my
expertise and help to the average college-aged student.
I am currently 46 years old, a ninth-grade high-school dropout and
unemployed after 32 years working mostly in the service industry,
but it has been my lifelong goal to receive a formal education. I
have spent a great part of that life doing the next best thing:
educating myself. I have had years of self-study in various areas
of interest, including Eastern and western philosophy,
anthropology, psychology, quantum physics and much more. I approach
my subjects with perspicuity and zeal; I am a voracious reader and
bibliophile.
When the opportunity came to continue my education at MTSU, I leapt
at the chance to be in academic society amid hundreds of choices of
studies. I think this fact brought out the best in me and
reaffirmed my sense of self and my ability to grow, learn and even
change. I have always been one to embrace a change in venue, and I
found that collegiate life suited me immensely.
Yes, there are challenges in being a nontraditional student;
traditional students often look askance at my presence in the
classroom or at my tendency to bring my life experiences to the
discussion. As an older adult, I have some physical limitations,
and returning to the classroom is a definite change in environment
after being away so long. Others of us have children and jobs and
day-to-day events and tasks that must be taken care of with some
alacrity.
But the advantages of being "nontraditional"; often
outweigh these things. The older adult student is here on campus
for the chance to advance. Often we can offer opinions, advice or
perspective to our younger classmates and feel the reward of truly
helping someone out. We tend, as a group, to be more willing to
accept challenging classes and situations, and we have the goad of
desiring to succeed.
I love waking in the morning, knowing that learning and interacting
with people is going to be a big part of my day. I remember having
jobs that made me really want to pull the blankets over my head and
make the day go away.
I feel fortunate and happy to be a nontraditional student, to learn
better ways of tackling some of life's thornier problems and
to help those that I can, either through direction or by example. I
speak often, with pride, that I am working toward my goals in this
way.
S. Greggory Hackney, a winner of the university's 2010
Nontraditional Student Week Essay Contest, is a resident of
Murfreesboro and a freshman with an undeclared major at MTSU.
Nontraditional Student Week at MTSU was Nov. 1-5.
Be One of the
majority: Quit smoking Nov. 18
by Lisa Thomason Schrader
MTSU Health Services' "Be One of the Majority";
campaign is now focusing on tobacco usage for the month of
November, targeting the 35th annual Great American Smokeout on
Thursday, Nov. 18.
The American Cancer Society began the Great American Smokeout to
encourage people who smoke to make a plan to quit or to plan in
advance and quit smoking that day.
MTSU will observe the event by encouraging students, faculty and
staff who currently smoke to "Be One of the Majority";
by making a quit plan and sticking to it. Based on Health
Services' 2009-10 student health assessment data, two-thirds
of MTSU students did not smoke cigarettes in the 30 days before
they took the survey.
Even more specifically, 82 percent of MTSU students are not daily
smokers, a finding echoed by a survey project conducted last year
by students in MTSU's American Democracy Project.
Consequently, people choosing to quit smoking will find themselves
surrounded by a supportive community on campus.
Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. Members of the
Raider Health Corps, a volunteer group working with Health
Services, will distribute free tobacco "quit kits"; on
campus with information and strategies to help current smokers know
what to expect and where to go for help quitting. The Student
Affairs event calendar at
www.mtsu.edu/whatsup
and the MTSU Health Promotion Facebook page (
www.facebook.com/mthealthpromotion
) can provide information on convenient distribution points.
The "Be One"; campaign and the Great American Smokeout
also provide great starting points for discussions on MTSU's
smoking policy. Since tobacco use is the single most preventable
cause of disease, disability and death in the United States,
harming the user and others in his environment, more than 400
colleges and universities across the nation are completely
smoke-free on their campuses. Other campuses have designated
smoking areas to leave the main campus walkways and green spaces
smoke-free.
More and more MTSU students are asking how this campus can become
smoke-free, too. Certainly there are important questions to ask,
including how campus boundaries are determined and how new policies
are enforced. Those questions can be addressed only when dialogue
begins across the layers of a university's organizational
structure, from students to the upper administration. Across the
state, universities like Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech and, most
recently, Belmont, have found ways to effectively implement
smoke-free or tobacco-free policies.
Whether you currently smoke or not, the Be One campaign and the
Great American Smokeout are great opportunities to take steps
toward a healthier lifestyle and to support others in their efforts
to improve their health and quality of life.
For more information on the "Be One"; campaign, visit
its official website,
http://BeOneMTSU.wordpress.com
, and join in the discussion.
Lisa Thomason Schrader is MTSU's director of health promotion. She can be reached at thomason@mtsu.edu or at 615-494-8704.
Annual Accounting CPE Day set for Dec. 9 on campus
The second Department of Accounting Continuing Professional
Education Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 9, from 7:30 a.m.
to 4:50 p.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building's State
Farm Lecture Hall.
Seminars during the conference include presentations by Department
of Accounting faculty on accounting and financial reporting,
auditing, taxation and ethics. Participants can earn up to eight
hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars,
materials and lunch.
The sessions include:
- "Legality of Accounting Topics,"; Dr. Sandy Benson, assistant professor of business law;
- "Ethics,"; Dr. E. James Burton, dean of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business;
- "Tennessee Ethics,"; Mark Crocker, executive director of the Tennessee Board of Accountancy;
- "Constitutionality of SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002)," Dr. Lara Daniel, business-law professor;
- "International Financial Reporting Standards,"; Dr. Jeannie Harrington, associate professor of accounting;
- "Accounting for Gift Cards,"; Dr. Charlie C. Kile, associate professor of accounting;
- "Additional Issues in Taxation,"; Dr. Tim Koski, accounting professor;
- "Audit Update,"; Bill Mooningham, a retired partner from Ernst & Young and an accounting instructor;
- "Government Accounting Standards Board Update," Dr. G. Robert "Smitty"; Smith Jr., interim chair of the Department of Accounting; and
- "Financial Accounting Standards Board Update,"; Dr. Paula Thomas, professor of accounting.
by Gina E. Fann
The award-winning MTSU Dance Theatre is using its new training
in the work of a modern-dance pioneer to expand its artistic
efforts, including touring in Chicago Nov. 10-14 and performing in
the upcoming Fall Dance Concert Dec. 2-4.
The Department of Speech and Theatre hosted a weeklong residency
earlier this semester with Alberto Del Saz, artistic director of
the Murray Louis and Nikolais Dance Company and co-director of the
Nikolais/Louis Foundation for dance. MTSU dance students learned
repertory, participated in master classes and attended a series of
lectures on Alwin Nikolais, one of American modern dance's
acclaimed pioneers, all led by Del Saz.
Del Saz then restaged Nikolais' 1982 masterpiece
"Pond"; for selected members of the MTSU Dance Theatre,
a pre-professional, auditioned dance company directed by Professor
Kim Neal Nofsinger.
That opportunity is allowing students to reconstruct and perform
"Pond"; at:
- the Ruth Page Center for Dance in Chicago Nov. 10-14;
- the Fall Dance Concert Dec. 2-4 in MTSU's Tucker Theatre; and
- next April in New York City at Hunter College's "Sharing the Legacy: The Nikolais Centennial.";
On Saturday, Dec. 4, MTSU Dance Theatre will host a fundraising dinner in conjunction with its Fall Dance Concert for the group's scholarship program and national tour. Reservations are required and should be made by Monday, Nov. 15, by calling 615-494-7628 or e-mailing chudd@mtsu.edu. Cost is $35 per person.
The 5:30 p.m. event in Cantrell Hall in the Tom Jackson Building on campus will include a pre-concert talk by visiting dance scholar Dr. Maura Keefe. After dinner and the lecture, attendees will join other audience members in Tucker Theatre at 7:30 p.m. to see the university's dance company in a concert featuring "Pond.";
"Proceeds from the dinner will assist in funding MTSU Dance Theatre's participation in the Hunter College event,"; Nofsinger explained. "The performance in this venue will allow MTSU to perform alongside some of the foremost dance companies and universities in the nation and to be reviewed by some of the foremost dance critics, scholars and historians.";
Nofsinger received funding to host the Del Saz residency through the support of MTSU's Distinguished Lecturers Series and Dissemination and Service Support Funding.
The MTSU Dance Theatre Fall Dance Concert will be performed nightly at 7:30 Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 2-4, in Tucker Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for MTSU faculty and staff and K-12 students; MTSU students will be admitted free with valid ID.
Dance Concert tickets are available in advance by calling 615-494-8810 or by visiting the Tucker Theatre lobby box office from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets also will be available at the door before the performance.
For more information and a complete event schedule for MTSU's Dance Program, visit www.mtsu.edu/dance .
IMPROVISING OUTDOORS—MTSU dance students Elijah Dillehay,
left, Megan Hall and Matthew Cutright work on site-specific dance
improvisations at the university's Uranidrome in preparation
for centennial performances next year. The MTSU Dance Theatre will
perform its Fall Dance Concert Dec. 2-4.
photo submitted
Newly tenured and promoted faculty recognized
MTSU honored 53 newly tenured and/or promoted faculty members at
a Nov. 16 reception in the Tennessee Room of the James Union
Building.
Newly tenured faculty and their respective colleges are:
- Basic and Applied Sciences—Elliot C. Altman, biology; Wendy S. Beckman, aerospace; Carol Boraiko, engineering technology; Andrew V.Z. Brower, biology; and John F. Wallin, computational science;
- Behavioral and Health Sciences—Helen M. Binkley, health and human performance;
- Education—Lana C. Seivers, education dean;
- Liberal Arts—Brad Bartel, university provost; Tommy E. Macon, speech and theatre; James P. Oliver, philosophy; Michael H. Rice, foreign languages and literatures; and Jeremy M. Rich, history.
- Behavioral and Health Sciences—Paul S. Foster, psychology; and Leigh Ann McInnis, nursing;
- Business—Melinda L. Korzaan, computer information systems; Millicent F. Nelson, management and marketing; Mary E. Phillips, accounting; and Sean P. Salter, finance;
- Education—Beverly J. Boulware, elementary and special education;
- Liberal Arts—Kimberly D. Dummons, art; Leah T. Lyons, foreign languages and literatures; Jamila L. McWhirter and Felicia M. Miyakawa, music; Tanya M. Peres, anthropology; Karen K. Petersen, political science; and Alicia M. Renfroe, English;
- Mass Communication—Jacqueline K. Heigle, electronic media communication; and
- Walker Library—Jo A. Williams.
- Basic and Applied Sciences—Jeffrey D. Leblond and Rebecca L. Seipelt, biology;
- Behavioral and Health Sciences—Colby B. Jubenville, health and human performance; and Patrick M. McCarthy, psychology;
- Business—Charles L. Baum and Ellis A. Eff, economics; David A. Foote, management and marketing; Cen Li, computer science; Steven A. Morris, computer information systems; and Donald P. Roy, management and marketing;
- Education—Kathryn E. Boudreau, library science;
- Liberal Arts—Don J. Aliquo, music; Foster K. Amey, sociology; Scott J. Boyd, theatre; Yuan-Ling Chao, history; Ronald E. Kates, English; Andrei V. Korobkov, political science; Justyna Kostkowska, English; Richard E. Morris, foreign languages and literatures; Lynn A. Nelson, history; and Linda G. Seward, speech and theatre;
- Mass Communication—Joseph L. Akins, recording industry; William E. Crabtree, recording industry; and Loren E. Mulraine, recording industry; and
- Walker Library—Suann C. Alexander.
LIVING (AND PLAYING) UNITED—Students at Project Help join
their teachers and staff in checking out a special giveaway car for
United Way campaign donors as they return from trick-or-treating on
campus Oct. 28. Teachers and staff, from left, are Jennifer
Plaskett, Bobbie Young, Mary Bowens (slightly hidden), Becky
Davidson, Abby Price, Deborah Newman, Tricia Yeargan, Susan
Waldrop, Helen Kasawne, Jacob Smith and Amanda Kelley. MTSU's
Project Help is one of many programs that receive funding from
United Way via the Tennessee Board of Regents' Employee
Charitable Giving Campaign. MTSU employees should return their
pledge forms by Tuesday, Nov. 30; donors who pledge at least $300
are eligible to win a new Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Aveo or Ford
Fiesta from Alexander Automotive Murfreesboro. More information is
available at
www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu
.
photo submitted
WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION—MTSU senior Casey Miller, left, of
Gallatin and junior David Omol, far right, of Khartoum, Sudan, join
university officials in thanking the Foundation for Agency
Management Excellence, or FAME, for new scholarships. FAME, the
charitable foundation of The Council of Insurance Agents and
Brokers in Washington, D.C., recently gave Miller and Omol $5,000
FAME Scholarships for the 2010-11 academic year. Jennings A. Jones
College of Business Dean Jim Burton, second from left, thanks Woody
Ratterman III of Franklin, an MTSU alumnus ('95) and the
Midstate CIAB representative, for the organization's support.
Joining them is Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of
Insurance. CIAB is committing $50,000 in scholarship funds through
the 2014-15 academic year for qualified students who remain in good
standing overall and committed to majoring in the insurance
program, officials said.
photo submitted
MTSU celebrates Global
Entrepreneurship Week
from Staff Reports
Continuing its focus on lifelong learning, MTSU will celebrate
Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 15-19 to connect young people
through local, national and global activities designed to help them
explore their potential as self-starters and innovators.
MTSU's Department of Business Communication and
Entrepreneurship is coordinating the university's events with
the Wright Travel Chair in Entrepreneurship in the Jennings A.
Jones College of Business, the College of Mass Communication,
Department of Recording Industry and the MTSU School of Music. The
event, involving 100 countries and an estimated 10 million people,
is an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation,
imagination and creativity and to turn ideas into reality.
A speech from nationally syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock,
"Obama vs. Free Enterprise,"; on Friday, Nov. 19, will
cap five days of entrepreneurship education. Murdock's
columns appear in
The New York Post, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times,
National Review, The Orange County Register and many other
newspapers and magazines in the United States and abroad. His
political commentary airs on ABC's "Nightline,";
"NBC Nightly News,"; CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, PBS
and other television news channels and radio outlets.
Also speaking at Friday's event will be Sheilah Griggs, vice
president of Point 3 Media and executive director of Ladies Who
Launch, who has a diverse real-world background in public
relations, media relations and marketing.
Other events include local and national speakers as well as a
viewing of the film "Ten9Eight,"; which will be shown in
the Keathley University Center. "Ten9Eight"; tells the
inspirational stories of several inner-city teens of differing
races, religions and ethnicities, from Harlem to Compton and all
points in between, as they compete in an annual business-plan
competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
MTSU's Global Entrepreneurship Week events are all free and
open to the public and will be held in the Business and Aerospace
Building and Keathley University Center.
Off-campus visitors should obtain a campus map and temporary
parking pass at the second-floor reference department of the
Linebaugh Public Library at 105 W. Vine St., just south of
Murfreesboro's Public Square.
For more information, visit the Global Entrepreneurship Week
website at
www.mtsu.edu/~entre
or call the BCEN department at 615-898-2902. A link to the
full schedule as a PDF is available
here.
University breaking ground
on new dairy facility
by Randy Weiler
Officials will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony for a new dairy
facility at the MTSU Farm, located at 3001 Guy James Road, at 10:30
a.m. Monday, Nov. 15.
The public and MTSU community are invited. The property is located
5.5 miles east of campus off Halls Hill Pike.
"The start of the new dairy is an exciting and wonderful
event for the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience,"; said
Dr. Warren Gill, director of the school.
"We are the only school in the state where students milk the
cows and process the milk for students to drink,"; Gill added.
"By doing this, the students learn practical lessons in food
safety, cattle management and quality assurance, which makes them
highly desired (as employees) by Tennessee's large
food-processing industry.";
Farm Lab Director Tim Redd noted that the expansion "will be
an outstanding opportunity as a lab for our students.";
"We'll now have a greater opportunity for
teaching,"; Redd continued. "The facility will be
state-of-the-art. It will be much more functional for cattle
comfort. It's something we look forward to.";
MTSU's Campus Planning office said the university received
$4.375 million for the new dairy facility. The funding will pay for
design and construction, including a milking facility and
equipment, free-stall barn, hay barn, grain bins, shop and storage
area, feed shed, fuel and chemical storage and all associated
infrastructure, roads and fencing needed to support the facilities.
The new dairy will cost $2.7 million, Gill said, adding that the
additional funding will pay for fencing, moving costs to transfer
the cattle herd from the current dairy on Manson Pike, bedding for
the animals, improving the grass areas at the Guy James Road
location, buying equipment such as tractors and trucks and
purchasing office furniture.
"Fencing is expensive but needed,"; Gill said. "It
costs something to move cattle. We need to get the pastures ready,
and the office furniture and chairs all cost something.";
Designed by Nashville-based Lose & Associates Inc., the project
began in earnest in mid-October by Hardcastle Construction Co. Inc.
of Madison, Tenn. Gill said the agreed-upon 180-day completion date
would have the project finished "in early spring, April or
thereabouts.";
MTSU's herd of 60 cows is a combination of Holsteins and
Jerseys, Gill said, adding that they provide all the white and
chocolate milk consumed on campus by MT Dining customers. Milk
consumption on campus is about 3,800 pounds per week or one-third
of the MTSU Dairy's production, Redd said.
"Holsteins provide more milk per day. Jerseys provide richer,
more flavorful milk,"; Redd said. "Chocolate milk is one
of the most popular things that students consume. We're
famous for our chocolate milk.";
The remaining milk is sold to the Maryland & Virginia Milk
Producers Cooperative Association, which proclaims at its website
that it is "marketing milk for dairy-farm families from
Pennsylvania to Alabama.";
Gill said the dairy will be a "double-eight parallel parlor
with state-of-the-art computerized equipment. Initially, we will
milk 60 to 70 cows, but the facility will be capable of expanding
to as many as 350 cows.
"We are going to make it as environmentally friendly as
possible. We currently are evaluating the use of geothermal
technology to assist in cooling the milk and utilizing solar panels
for electricity.";
Gill said he does not anticipate expanding the herd soon.
In addition to Redd, dairy personnel include Liz Troup, the
dairy-processing lab manager; Jason Tanner, Stark Dairy herdsman;
and Ralph Smith, assistant dairy herdsman.
About 30 students a year are hired part-time to assist with MTSU
Farm Lab operations, Gill added.
For more information about the Nov. 15 groundbreaking ceremony,
call 615-898-2523. For more information about the dairy, contact
Gill at 615-898-2404.
People
Around Campus: Human-sciences students give peace felt a
chance
by Gina K. Logue
Brilliantly colored, soft, fuzzy mobiles recently arrived from
the United Kingdom at MTSU's Ellington Human Sciences
Building, connecting artisans who share a desire for less violence
and warfare in the world and giving a new meaning to the phrase
"soft power.";
Thirteen students in the Textiles, Merchandising and Design Program
in the Department of Human Sciences received the felt crafts from
their giving partner, The Herd Arts Drive, as part of Peace Felt
2010. The organization was created to promote love and peace
through textile art.
It was MTSU's first year of participation in the project, and
Assistant Professor Nancy Oxford intends to make sure it will be an
ongoing endeavor.
"You could just see how it made them (the students) feel good
to give without any expectations,"; Oxford says.
To celebrate Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace as designated
by the United Nations, the MTSU students made their own felt peace
crafts for their receiving partner, Atelier Filt, in the
Netherlands. The concept is designed to indicate a continuous
circle of peace and brotherhood that has no beginning and no end.
"We could have done a huge piece altogether, but we thought
it would be nice that each student did a representative
square,"; Oxford says. "Then, when we sent them to the
Netherlands, we gave them some ideas. They could frame them
individually. They could sew them together and make a big wall
hanging. So we sort of left that open to our receiving
partners.";
Each student in Oxford's class was instructed to select a
country and research symbols that represent peace in that
country's native language. Some of the nations represented in
the students' works include Japan, Russia, China and Ireland,
and Oxford says they had fun manipulating the felt to express their
sentiments.
"Felt is the only fiber that can completely go from fiber to
a fabric, bypassing the yarn stage,"; Oxford says. "With
a little heat, a little moisture and a little agitation, you can
actually … entangle the fibers.";
Oxford says the students create their own natural dyes and also
work with fibers from sheep, alpacas, llamas and angora rabbits as
well as human hair and dog hair. Among their creations are cocktail
hats, scarves and wall hangings.
"Not only are they participating in these fun projects, at
the same time they're learning about science, how dyes react
with different protein fibers and different cellulosic fibers and
how different types of dyes react with different types of
fibers,"; Oxford says.
They also learned how to market their creativity and other business
aspects of the craft when Breanna Rockstad-Kincaid visited the
class Nov. 2.
Rockstad-Kincaid runs her business, Felt Good Fibers, out of her
home in Silver Point, Tenn. An award-winning maker of wearable art
and former schoolteacher in Putnam County, she earned her
bachelor's degree from the Appalachian Center for Craft, an
art satellite campus of Tennessee Tech University.
Oxford says the felt craft works from Great Britain will hang in
various locations in the Ellington Building at least through the
end of the semester.
For more information, contact Oxford at 615-898-5689 or
noxford@mtsu.edu.
'PEACE' OF WORK—MTSU human-sciences students pose with their "peace felt"; projects. In the group photo at top, shown in the front row are Amber Richardson, Katie Russell, Rachel Miller, Maurie Baker and Emily Leeth. Standing are, from left, Brittany Blackwood, Nick Hawkins, Christina Klins, Kelley Thompson, Sandi Caves, Margaret May and Lisa Kirkwood. Not pictured is Brittany Bowers. In the photo at left, Miller puts finishing touches on her peace-felt project, while at right, Russell gives her finished work a thumbs-up.
photos submitted
Appointments
Dr. Don Hong (mathematical sciences) and Dr. Ji-Ping Wang (Northwestern University) are editing a special issue on computational biology and data mining for the International Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science to be published later this year.
Dr. Rosemary Owens (Provost's Office) has been named to the board of the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.
Events
Thirteen MTSU student members of the Society for Electronic Music and their faculty adviser, Dr. Joseph Akins (recording industry) participated in The Moogfest Oct. 28-31 in Asheville, N.C. In collaboration with Moog Music, the multivenue event honored the vision of Robert Moog and his musical inventions with concerts, panel discussions, interactive installations and workshops.
Grants
Dr. Robert B. Blair and Maria L. Edlin (Center for Economic Education) received a $10,000 award from the Council on Economic Education to conduct a two-day, Best Practices for AP Macro/Microeconomics advanced-training workshop for high-school economics teachers in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta-Nashville Branch. Blair and Edlin also received a $36,000 grant from the Foundation for Teaching Economics to coordinate The Right Start Institute in Knoxville in December 2010. The four-day residential program is designed to help high-school teachers to become highly qualified to teach economics in Tennessee.
Presentations
Dr. Mark Anshel (health and human performance) presented a paper, "The Disconnected Values Model: An Intervention for Promoting Healthy Habits and Coping with Stress in Law Enforcement,"; Oct. 24 at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Maria L. Edlin (Center for Economic Education) presented a monetary policy workshop for high-school teachers at the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank-Nashville Branch on Sept. 30. The workshop included a videoconference with Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve chairman, and Dave Altig, director or research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Dr. Don Hong (mathematical sciences) was invited to give a seminar talk at the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta on Oct. 28.
Professor Sheila Marquart (nursing) delivered a platform presentation on "Patient Advocacy"; on Oct. 23 before the Tennessee Association of Student Nurses at its joint convention with the Tennessee Nurses Association.
Professor Cathy Cooper (nursing) delivered a platform presentation on "Forged in the Fire: A Case Study Comparison of the Career Path of Baccalaureate Registered Nurses and Their Professional Education"; at the Xi Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International's general membership meeting Oct. 26.
Publications
A paper by Dr. Don Hong (mathematical sciences) and graduate student Fengqing Zhang, "Elastic Net Based Framework for Imaging Mass Spectrometry Data Biomarker Selection and Classification,"; has been accepted for publication in the journal Statistics in Medicine.
Dr. Karen Petersen (political science) published an article, "Conflict Escalation in Dyads with a History of Territorial Disputes,"; in International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 21, No. 4 (2010).
Two retired history faculty members have new publications. Dr. Fred Rolater has completed "The Local Origins of Landmarkism: First Baptist, Nashville; Concord Baptist Association; and Union University and the Definitive Controversy Among Southern Baptists"; in Tennessee Baptist History 12 (Fall 2010): 75-92, and Concord 200, a bicentennial history of the Concord Baptist Association of Murfreesboro. Dr. Ron Messier has published two new books, The Almoravids and the Meanings of Jihad and Jesus: One Man, Two Faiths.
Amy Willbanks (MTSU alumna) and human sciences
Professors Nancy Oxford, Dana Miller and
Sharon Coleman have co-authored a textbook,
Textiles for Residential and Commercial Interiors (2010, Fairchild
Books).
Get noticed in The Record!
Send Faculty/Staff Update items and other news to gfann@mtsu.edu by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, for the Nov. 29 Record or 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, for the Dec. 13 Record.
Campus Calendar Nov. 15-28, 2010
Please note: Event dates, times and locations may change after
press time. Please verify specifics when making plans.
TV Schedule: "Out of the Blue";
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
.
Sports @ Home
Nov. 17:
Men's Basketball vs. UAB, 7 p.m.
Nov. 18-20:
Volleyball Sun Belt Conference Tournament
Nov. 24:
Men's Basketball vs. Evansville, 7 p.m.
Nov. 26:
Women's Basketball vs. ETSU, 7 p.m.
Nov. 27:
Volleyball vs. St. Louis, TBA
Nov. 27:
Football vs. Florida Atlantic, 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 28:
Women's Basketball vs. South Dakota State, 2
p.m.
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
.
Nov. 15-18
"Bleed Blue to Beat WKU"; Blood Drive
noon-6 p.m. Nov. 15 and 17; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 16; 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Nov. 18
MTSU Recreation Center
For information, visit
www.redcrossblood.org
or
http://bit.ly/MTBleedBlue
.
Nov. 15-19
"Operation Christmas Child"; Shoebox-Gift
Collection
MTSU Police Department
For information, e-mail
vforbes@mtsu.edu.
Nov. 15-19
Bachelor of Fine Arts Candidates' Exhibition: Studio
2
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Todd Gallery (reception 6-8 p.m. Nov. 15)
For information, visit
www.mtsu.edu/art
or contact: 615-898-2455.
Monday, Nov. 15
Stones River Chamber Players: "Happy Anniversary,
2010";
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
or contact: 615-898-2493.
Tuesday, Nov. 16
Faculty Promotion and Tenure Reception
3-4:30 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
For information, contact: 615-898-5941.
Nov. 17-20
MTSU Theatre: "A Flea in Her Ear";
7:30 nightly, Tucker Theatre
Tickets: $10 adults, $5 MTSU employees and K-12 students; MTSU
students free with ID
For information, contact: 615-494-8810.
Wednesday, Nov. 17
Study Abroad Fair
10 a.m.-2 p.m., second floor, Keathley University Center
For information, visit
www.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad
.
"Category 5,"; University of Southern
Mississippi Woodwind Quintet
8 p.m., Room 117, Saunders Fine Arts Building
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
or contact: 615-898-2493.
MTSU Percussion Ensemble
8 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
or contact: 615-898-2493.
Thursday, Nov. 18
MTSU Wind Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
.
Friday, Nov. 19
Distinguished Lecture Fund Application Deadline
For information, e-mail
ghpoff@mtsu.edu.
MTSU String Studio Extravaganza
6 and 8 p.m., Hinton Hall
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
.
Sunday, Nov. 21
Sunday Night Chinese Film Festival: "Go Lala
Go!";
6 p.m., Room 103, Bragg Mass Communication Building
For information, visit
http://bit.ly/MTChineseFilms
or contact: 615-494-8696.
Monday, Nov. 22
MTSU Jazz Ensemble II
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
.
Tuesday, Nov. 23
Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra
7 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit
www.mtsumusic.com
.
Nov. 25-27
Thanksgiving Holidays
No classes; university closed.
Get noticed in The Record!
Submit Campus Calendar items and other news tips to gfann@mtsu.edu by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, for the Nov. 29 Record. The final edition for fall 2010 is Dec. 13, so submit your late December and early January 2011 items before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. Thanks!
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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