Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Middle East matriculation

Dr. Aswan Hamza will lecture on “Higher Education in the Gulf” at 4:30 p.m. TODAY at Cantrell Hall in the Tom H. Jackson Building (formerly Alumni Center). Hamza, a native of Yemen, recently completed her Ph.D. in higher education from Texas Tech and holds several degrees in higher education and civil engineering. Much of her research has focused on women in higher education, particularly in Arab countries, and cross-cultural issues in education. This lecture is presented by the Department of Human Sciences and the Middle East Center.

Contact Dr. Allen Hibbard at 615-898-2665.
ahibbard@mtsu.edu

Lessons from Katrina

“Resiliency and Change in the Wake of Disaster” is the theme for the 15th annual Tennessee Undergraduate Social Science Symposium, a free and open event to take place WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. Students will present research papers on social problems, crime and deviance, environmental issues and other topics. The event will include a panel discussion with first responders to disaster relief and crisis situtations. Dr. Pamela Jenkins, a professor of sociology and director from the women’s studies program at the University of New Orleans, will deliver the keynote address, “Loss and Resiliency: Lessons from Katrina,” at 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY.

For more information, contact the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at 615-898-2508 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~soc/socscisymp/symposium.html.

Scientific diversity

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning will be one of the keynote speakers at the 4th annual Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Undergraduate Research Conference FRIDAY at the Holiday Inn on Old Fort Parkway in Murfreesboro. The conference theme is “Increasing Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.” Students and faculty from Tennessee State, Vanderbilt, LeMoyne-Owen, the University of Tennessee, the University of Memphis and MTSU are scheduled to attend. Dr. Calvin Mackie of Tulane University also will make a keynote speech. Mackie recently participated in director Spike Lee’s HBO documentary on Hurricane Katrina titled “When the Levees Broke.” Media welcomed.

Contact Dr. Barbara Knox at 615-898-5311 or Dr. Tom Cheatham at 615-898-2613.

TR EXTRA

SECURING THE FUTURE--Environmental awareness is the theme of “Securing the Future: Global Warming, Oil Dependence, and You” through WEDNESDAY. Students are being asked to walk, bike or carpool to school on the days of the event. TODAY, students may make pledges to do something environmentally friendly at booths located in front of the Keathley University Center (KUC) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In exchange, those who pledge will receive green ribbons to tie around their fingers as a sign of support. Three faculty experts will conduct a panel discussion on “Securing the Future” at 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. This event is sponsored by Americans for Informed Democracy.Contact Angie Feeney, AID president, at amf3g@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

CHICKS AND DUCKS AND GEESE BETTER SCURRY!--Curley, the handsome cowboy, and Jud, the hired farmhand, compete for the affection of the beautiful but hard-to-get Laurey. The plot is familiar to all fans of the American musical theatre. It’s “Oklahoma!,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic creation, as performed by MTSU students as part of the CenterStage Series. “It’s energetic entertainment perfect for the family, but most of all it is important that our students are introduced to a show that has greatly impacted the theater industry,” Dale E. McGilliard, professor of speech and theatre, says. “Oklahoma!” will run at Tucker Theatre at 7:30 each night Nov. 15-18. Tickets range from $4 to $8 and may be purchased at the door on the evening of the desired performance. For more information, call 615-494-8810, or visit the Department of Speech and Theatre’s Web site at http://www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.