Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Vote for Shak!

What candidate is on the mind of Dr. Preston MacDougall, associate professor of chemistry, as Election Day draws near? It’s not U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. or Bob Corker. It’s not Gov. Phil Bredesen or Jim Bryson. It’s Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, candidate for President-elect of the American Chemical Society from that organization’s Wisconsin Section. “His multi-volume ‘Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Chemistry Teachers’ has earned its five stars on Amazon.com,” MacDougall gushes. “Perhaps better than anyone he knows what it will take to improve the public image of chemistry and to entice the brightest students back to the molecular science. All you have to do is show them what chemistry is.”

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

Senator Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Esq.

In the recent dust-up between Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over an ill-advised remark made by one of her staffers, the media took note that, in McCain’s acceptance of Clinton’s apology, he referred to her as “Mrs. Clinton.” Pundits went on to remark that other Republican partisans call her “Mrs. Clinton” instead of “Sen. Clinton” as a way of diminishing her status as a member of that body. Dr. Clare Bratten, electronic media communications, says, “I do think that the term could certainly be used to connote all things Clinton—i.e., Bill. And I notice that right-wing demogogues will frequently call her ‘Hillary’ as well, whereas they don’t go around talking about ‘Howard’ for (Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard) Dean or ‘Al’ for (former Vice President Al) Gore. That’s another form of diminishment.”

Contact Bratten at 615-898-2795.
cbratten@mtsu.edu

On the road again

While President Dwight Eisenhower gets much of the credit for the creation of the interstate highway system because it happened during his administration, frequently overlooked is U.S. Sen. Albert Gore Sr.’s co-authorship of the Federal Highway Act of 1956, the legislation that made the interstates possible. Dr. Tony Badger, Paul Mellon Professor of American History at Cambridge University and Master of Clare College, Cambridge, will deliver a formal presentation on “Albert Gore Sr., the Interstate Highway Act, and the Modern South” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Badger also is writing a biography of the elder Gore. Dr. Lisa Pruitt, director of the Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU, says, “The late Senator Gore’s papers are a rich source of historical documentation on the highways.”

Contact Pruitt at the Gore Center at 615-898-2632.
lpruitt@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

FORE!—The Homecoming Golf Tournament presented by Wilson Bank & Trust will begin with registration and lunch at 11 a.m. FRIDAY at Indian Hills Golf Course, followed by a noon shotgun start. Entry fees are $100 per player or $400 per team. The tourney is hosted by the MTSU Alumni Association. For registration information, contact the Alumni Relations office at 615-898-2922 or visit http://www.mtalumni.com/.

SPANNING THE GLOBE TO BRING YOU THE CONSTANT VARIETY OF CULTURES--The International Education and Exchange Office will present its annual Study Abroad Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. TODAY on the second floor of the Keathley University Center. Faculty members and representatives of the programs in various countries and disciplines on hand to respond to questions about semester-long, year-long and summer programs. Representatives of the Financial Aid office will be available to provide information on funding Study Abroad experiences, and Campus Recreation staff members will promote their trips to Bonaire and Costa Rica. For more information, contact the International Education and Exchange Office at 615-898-5179 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad.

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through FRIDAY in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@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.