Friday, May 26, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A Memorial Day to remember

There is no better way to turn Memorial Day into a true tribute to America's fighting men and women than to contribute to the MTSU Veterans Memorial Fund. An account has been opened for tax-deductible donations for construction of a living on-campus memorial to members of the university community who lost their lives serving their country. The project has university support and a five-thousand-dollar start-up grant. More than 50 names have been collected. The idea for the memorial was inspired by a young first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Ken Ballard, an MTSU student who served in Bosnia and Macedonia before being assigned to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The M-1 Abrams tank commander was killed near Najaf in 2004.

For more information or to contribute online, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~veterans.

Fight cancer with a computer

Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “If you have a PC and are interested in doing something to fight cancer besides donating money, you don’t have to work in a research lab. If you Google the phrase ‘screensaver lifesaver,’ your first hit will be the homepage” for an ambitious project at Oxford University. It’s the world’s largest computational research project. MacDougall says you will “learn something about how drugs interact with proteins in our bodies and a lot about how computers can augment bench research.” You also can download the screensaver for free, learn which cancers have been targeted, and find out how the drugs that will be discovered could have an impact.

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

Private people, public exposure

Which public events or participants in those events are newsworthy enough to be covered by the “public’s right to know?” Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, says, “If the wrong call is made (by journalists) and a person who is not a celebrity or public official is dragged into the news, that person may sue and seek Ninth Amendment relief, claiming ‘privacy rights’ protection. But those who trade in the currency of publicity—politicians, actors, authors, or other celebrities—are pretty much fair game!” But he says two questions must be answered: 1) Is the unauthorized use of an individual’s identity really news?, and, 2) Is there a clear relationship between the individual’s identity and the “news” and question?

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

SAVE THOSE TICKETS!—Due to illness, “Fresh Air” radio show host Terry Gross was notable to fulfill her previously scheduled commitments at MTSU. Her appearance has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19. Marc J. Barr, electronic media communication, says new tickets will not be printed. Therefore, people with the original April 17 tickets are encouraged to keep them for the September event. For more information, contact Barr at 615-898-5118 or at mjbarr@mtsu.edu.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE GOVERNMENT--The American Legion Auxiliary’s 60th session of Volunteer Girls State will be held May 28-June 3 at MTSU. Gov. Phil Bredesen will address the gathering at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 31, at Tucker Theatre. More than 500 rising seniors from across the state will engage in a week of activities, including debating the issues that challenge Tennessee’s state legislature. The girls will form their own city, county and state governments, as well. Two Girls State delegates will be picked to represent VGS at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. in July. Program leaders will select one delegate to compete for a $10,000 college scholarship provided by the Samsung Corporation. For more information, including pictures and updates on this year’s VGS event, please visit the Web site at http://www.volunteergirlsstate.org or call Heather Hargis at 615-300-3238.

THE ART OF GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL--High school students can spend a fun and productive summer at the annual Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts June 11-July 15 at MTSU. Youngsters will enjoy intensive study in art, dance, theater and music during the five-week residence program. Students now will receive six hours of college credit instead of three, as was the case in prior years. “We had a fantastic school in 2005, with more than 200 talented students who had a wonderful, life-changing experience at MTSU,” Dale McGilliard, professor of speech and theatre, observes. “Everything from registration into classes, to buses to dorms, to the smallest detail was excellent, thanks to all the school’s teachers who worked so hard to make things happen for these young artists of Tennessee.” Contact McGilliard at 615-898-2274 or dmcgilli@mtsu.edu.

HEAD FOR THE MOUNTAINS!--Some 16 MTSU alumni and several faculty members have contributed to the newly published “Encyclopedia of Appalachia.” The title has more than 2,000 entries which provides ready reference to information about the people, culture and history of Appalachia. MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation was contacted by scholars at East Tennessee State University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Services about collaborating on the project. CHP Director Dr. Carroll Van West says he agreed to participate because of his interest in southern architecture and because the Applachian region suffers from stereotyping. Contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.