Thursday, September 21, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Things are looking up

The latest MT Poll shows that consumer confidence in Middle Tennessee is on the rise. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of consumer research, says, “The overall confidence index rose to 3005 from 283 in May. … The recent decreases in gasoline prices, coupled with the positive view that local consumers have regarding the job market, seem to have put Middle Tennessee consumers in a very good mood about the economy. These positive feelings about the economy should help spur on even more consumer spending as we approach the fall and winter months.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

Making it click

“Will the New Science Building Click? The Role and Effectiveness of Student Response Systems (“clickers”) in 21st Century Chemistry Teaching” will be the first presentation in the fall 2006 chemistry lecture series at 11:30 a.m. TODAY in Room 100 of the Davis Science Building. Dr. Gary Wulfsberg, chemistry, says, “Student Response Systems, or ‘clickers,’ are radio devices similar to remotes used by students in large classrooms to give their near-instantaneous multiple-choice (or soon numerical) responses to ConcepTests, quizzes, exams and so forth.”

Contact Wulfsberg at 615-898-2070.
gwulfsbe@mtsu.edu

A Christian by any other name

A new study by Baylor University shows that the percentage of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation has been overestimated over the past 15 years of polling. Dr. David Rowe, who teaches about the history of religion, says it’s possible that folks don’t want to be labeled or categorized. “For instance, some Baptists now-a-days don’t use that label for their churches because they are not fundamentalists, just as some Episcopalians do not use that label because they are not liberals,” Rowe says.

Contact Rowe at 615-898-2646.
dlrowe@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE SWEET SMELL OF SCIENCE--Registration is open for the 2006 Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science. The conference for girls in grades 5-8 will be held from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, across the MTSU campus. Open to the first 300 girls who register, EYH will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on campus. To register, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~EYH. Look for the registration button on the left side. Complete, print out, and mail the form to: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, c/o MTSU EYH, P.O. Box 161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

MAKING MUSIC--David Pruett, instructor for ethnomusicology, and Roger Hudson will perform as “Bella-Musiqa” from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. TOMORROW NIGHT at Mezza Cuisine, 2805 Old Fort Parkway in Murfreesboro. Global popular music and music of the Middle East and India are some of Pruett’s areas of interest. For more information, contact Pruett at 615-904-8354 or dpruett@mtsu.edu