Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Not so elementary, after all

When he’s not fulfilling his role as vice president of student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services, Dr. Bob Glenn admires and adds to his sizable collection of Sherlock Holmes paraphernalia. In a recent University Honors Lecture titled “Sherlock Holmes: The First CSI,” Glenn stated, “Sherlock Holmes is arguably the greatest fictional detective ever created. Whether you are talking about the stories themselves, the writings about the stories, the theatrical versions of the stories, or any other criteria, Sherlock Holmes surpasses all others.” He also pointed out that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character never really said, “Elementary, my dear Watson” to his loyal assistant.

Contact Glenn at 615-898-2440.
rglenn@mtsu.edu

It doesn’t have to rhyme every time.

“Promoting Student Thinking: Using Poetry to Scaffold Student Creativity,” a prerecorded professional development program for teachers in grades 6-8, will be presented via satellite, Webcast, and cable TV at 3:30 p.m. TOMORROW from MTSU. Dr. Bobbie Solley, elementary and special education, and Beverly Barnes of Community High School in Bedford County will demonstrate ways in which poetry from both published poets and student poets can foster creativity. They will examine poems and poets that are especially appropriate for middle grade learners. In addition, students will write their own original poems.

For more information, send an e-mail to itsc@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-2737.

Put a little love in your laboratory, baby.

Lest you think that Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, is all about test tubes and petri dishes, be advised that the professor has a sentimental streak, especially on Valentine’s Day. “The digital side of John Mayer’s CD ‘Room for Squares’ has one of my favorite ultraromantic songs—‘Your Body’s a Wonderland,’” MacDougall says. “But the best part of the CD is the periodic table gracing the other side.” He points out that chemistry and romance have a long history together. “A comparison of books on Western civilization and the history of science will reveal that physics became king of the sciences during the Enlightenment, while chemistry became their queen with the help of Romanticism,” he says.

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

TR EXTRA

COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE--MTSU will be one of more than 30 sites statewide for College Goal Sunday, which will start at 2 p.m.SUNDAY, weather permitting, in the Business Aerospace Building's State Farm Lecture Hall and SunTrust Room. Whether they plan to attend MTSU or any other college, prospective students and their parents or guardians can get answers to questions, particularly in the area of completing the federal FAFSA form, university officials said. In case of bad weather, check your local news to see if the event will be canceled. For more information, contact, Bonnie McCarty, assistant director of scholarships, by calling 615-904-8414.

WE’RE IN TOUCH, SO YOU BE IN TOUCH—The June Anderson Women’s Center will present “N-Touch with My Brother,” a networking workshop, TODAY at 1 p.m. in Dining Room C of the James Union Building. This event will demonstrate how to form a strong support network for both men and women on campus. Participants will be able to discuss a wide range of topics, issues, and concerns, as well as provide suggestions for future programs and events for the Women’s Center. JAWC Director Terri Johnson and Charlie Gregory, director of Campus Recreation, will be the facilitators. For more information, call the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193.

IT’S GOT A GOOD BEAT, AND YOU CAN DANCE TO IT--The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp will host an all-girl dance party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. SATURDAY at SportsCom, 2310 Memorial Blvd. in Murfreesboro, to kick off registration for this year’s camp. The festivities will be open to girls ages 10-17. DJs Bawston Sean and Nicole Tekulve will provide the music. Admission is $10 at the door. Prior to and during the dance party, camp organizers will register girls and volunteers for the fifth annual day camp, which is slated for July 16-21 on the MTSU campus. This year’s camp will feature instruction in voice, keyboards, drums, guitar, electronic music, and vocals. A special discount tuition rate of $225 will be available through Feb. 28. From March 1 to May 1, tuition will cost $250. For more information, visit http://www.sgrrc.org/ or send an e-mail to sgrrc05@gmail.com.

“ALTERNATIVE FUEL DAY”--Dave Pelton with Clean Air for Tennessee will speak to the Field Crops class of Alanna Neely, agribusiness and agriscience, from 2:40 p.m. to 5:40 p.m. TOMORROW in the main classroom of the Horticulture Center. The subject will be alternative fuels. Drs. Warren Anderson and Cliff Ricketts of the MTSU faculty also will address the class. Ricketts is known for his electric hybrid five-speed solar-powered Nissan pickup truck. Its power is produced by a 10-kilowatt solar array. “Every day we are hearing about the future impacts of alternative fuels,” Neely says. “I am constantly asked questions like ‘What does this mean for Ag?’ and ‘Will there be many ethanol distributing plants in Tennessee?’” Contact Neely at 615-898-2432 or alneely@mtsu.edu.

GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME--Officials at MTSU have extended the deadline to March 1 for prospective students wanting to apply for the EdScholar scholarships and approximately 70 MTSU Foundation scholarships offered by the Office of Financial Aid, Bonnie McCarty, assistant director of scholarships, said today. The deadline was to be Feb. 15. A transition to a new computer software system from an old one is the reason for the extension. In addition to applying for the scholarships (EdScholar can be done online), students must apply for admission to the university. For information, call Admissions at 615-898-2111 or Financial Aid at 615-898-2830, or visit their Web sites at http://www.mtsu.edu/.

VAUDEVILLE ISN’T DEAD!--Five current or former MTSU faculty members will help create an evening of frivolity in An Evening of Chekhov’s Vaudevilles, a presentation of the Murfreesboro Ensemble Theatre (MET) THROUGH FEB. 18 at the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts. The entertainment will consist of three one-act farces—The Bear, The Proposal, and Swan Song—with short performances by jugglers, magicians, acrobats and singers as interludes. Times are 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 and 17 and at 2:00 p.m. on Feb. 18. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children and seniors. The Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization, is located at 110 West College Street. For ticket information, call 615-904-ARTS. To interview director Ayne Cantrell, call 615-893-1786 or write to acantrell@comcast.net. To interview MET founder and artistic director Tom Harris, call 615-895-0755 or write to millermn@comcast.net.

THE FREEDOM OF DANCE--“In the Spirit of Pearl: Using Identity and Womanist Thought to Liberate Performance” will be presented TODAY through FRIDAY in Room 140 of the Fairview Building. Facilitated by Ursula Payne, award-winning choreographer and the artistic director of Soul Deep Creations, this performance workshop will explore issues of race, gender, class and identity. Payne has danced in the film “Beloved” and with the National Black Arts Festival. Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger at nofsinge@mtsu.edu for more information.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER--“Landscapes of Mexico,” a photography exhibit featuring the works of Hector Montes de Oca, is on display through February 28 at Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Learning Resources Center. The exhibit is made up of 40 silver gelatine black-and-white prints. He is considered to be one of the most prominent Mexican photographers of his generation. He is especially distinguished for his black-and-white landscapes, which reveal his native country in a most striking and intimate manner. The exhibit will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Mr. de Oca will present a slide show/lecture on his work at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

ROCK, ROLL, AND RUN THE MIXING BOARD--If you missed the first Youth Culture and Arts Center recording workshop series of the year, you still have plenty of chances to learn cassette four-track, digital eight-track, computer recording and electronic music. It’s the hippest, smartest extracurricular activity your kids will ever enjoy. Children ages 12-17 are invited to participate under the tutelage of Ryan York, teacher of guitar, bass and drums at Chambers Guitars and Musical Instruments in Murfreesboro for a fee of $125. Classes are taught in Room 149 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building each Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and each Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is open now for the next session, which will last from Feb. 15 through Mar. 11. For more information, contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.