Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Waddle while you work

Obesity experts at the Mayo Clinic have designed a vertical workstation made up of a computer, keyboard and treadmill. It’s designed to be used for two to three hours a day either standing, walking, or sitting (if the treadmill is replaced by a chair). Fifteen obese volunteers burned an average of 191 calories an hour using it, walking at the equivalent of one mile an hour. Is this a practical way to get sedentary people to exercise? Dr. Don Morgan, health and human performance, says, “Performing small amounts of physical activity (or ‘fidgeting’) while at work is a convenient way to expend calories. Even though the intensity of activity may not be high when walking at a very slow speed or standing, the accumulation of enough bouts of low-intensity activity can eventually lead to noticeable levels of caloric expenditure when performed over the long term.”

Contact Morgan at 615-898-5549.
dmorgan@mtsu.edu

An ounce of prevention

Dr. Valentin Fuster, former president of the American Heart Association, says there's "no incentive at all" for doctors to emphasize preventive medicine. Prevention is emphasized through the media in any number of ways, but prevention doesn't help the doctor pay his bills. Why does the current health care system promote expensive tests and procedures when cheaper preventive measures might produce better results for the patients? Dr. Janet Colson, human sciences, says, “If we were all sane, healthy, careful and naturally beautiful, many doctors and hospitals would be out of business. Eating right, exercising and avoiding ‘risky lifestyles’ would put many doctors out of business … or at least lower their income.”

Contact Colson at 615-898-2091.
jcolson@mtsu.edu

Go global

MTSU President Dr. Sidney A. McPhee praises the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007, which is pending in the U.S. House. “With our world becoming a global community, it is vital that our graduates today be able to contribute to an international economy, enhance diplomacy among nations and compete for jobs here and abroad,” McPhee says. Jennifer Campbell, director of International Education and Exchange at MTSU, says MTSU leads the Tennessee Board of Regents system with more than 250 students in more than 40 countries. The bill would create a national fellowship program, increasing the numbers of students studying abroad to 1 million per year. On May 9, the measure was reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The House bill, introduced by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Cal.), is H.R. 1469; the companion bill in the Senate, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), is S.991.

For more information, contact Tom Tozer in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5131.

TR EXTRA

ROCK ON!--Registration will run through May 31 for the fifth annual Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC), a week-long music day camp for girls ages 10-17 slated for July 16-21 on the campus of MTSU. Volunteers will tutor the campers in vocals, keyboards, drums, guitar, and electronic music. The girls will learn about other aspects of the music industry through workshops in subjects such as photography, music journalism, recording, DIY arts and crafts, and songwriting, as well as panel discussions with industry insiders. Throughout the week, campers will form their own bands, write songs, and practice two hours each day with volunteer band managers. At the end of the week, the girls will show off their talents in a Saturday night showcase in Tucker Theatre. For more information, visit http://www.sgrrc.org, call 615-849-8140, or send an e-mail to sgrrc05@gmail.com.

THAT’S A TAKE!--Don’t wait to give your child an exciting, fulfilling way to spend part of his or her summer! Registration runs through June 15 for another recording workshop for children ages 12-17 at MTSU. The workshop will be conducted from June 21-July 15 in the John Bragg Mass Communication Building under the tutelage of Ryan York, who also teaches guitar, bass and drums at Chambers Guitars and Musical Instruments in Murfreesboro. For a fee of $125 per student, York will introduce the youngsters to cassette four-track recording, digital eight-track, computer recording and electronic music. The workshop is sponsored by the Youth Culture and Arts Center, a project of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, a nonprofit organization. For more information, or to enroll, contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

ACCORDING TO CUSTOMS--CUSTOMS, the summer orientation for new MTSU students and family members, will begin a two-month run May 30-31 and will continue until July 31. CUSTOMS is a two-day session to aid the transition of new undergraduate students to the university, prepare them for educational opportunities, and to initiate the integration of new students into the intellectual, cultural and social climate of MTSU. College of Basic and Applied Sciences and College of Mass Communication majors may attend CUSTOMS May 30-31, June 8-9, June 19-20, July 10-11, July 24-25, and July 30-31. College of Business, College of Education and Behavioral Science and College of Liberal Arts majors may attend June 5-6, June 12-13, June 22-23, July 19-20, and July 30-31. For more information, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~customs, e-mail customs@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-5533. For questions about admission status, call 615-898-2111.

THE GRIDIRON GIRLS, WHOSE THEME SONG IS “THANK YOU FOR BEING AN END”--MTSU Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill and the MTSU football staff invite you to join them for the 2007 Ladies Football Clinic on Saturday, July 14 in Murphy Center. The clinic, which will feature seminars on strategy, equipment, training and rules, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with registration slated to start at 8 a.m. Ladies will be encouraged to take part in coaches’ drills and demonstrations. The goal is to provide a fun learning experience. Participants will receive commemorative T-shirts and lunch will be provided. The cost of the clinic is $25 dollars. For the children, the Rick Stockstill Youth Camp for rising 1st through 8th graders will be held June 4-7. For more information, contact Danny Lewis at 615-898-2311.

SPRING FLING--Spring Fling, the postseason competitions of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s member schools, will take place through May 26 at various Rutherford County venues. Track and field events, some tennis matches, and Class AAA and all championship baseball games are slated to be held at MTSU, according to the organization’s Web site (http://www.tssaa.org). A study on the local impact of Spring Fling 2006, completed by Dr. David Penn of the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center, found that Spring Fling created a total effect of approximately $3.4 million on the local economy. For more information, contact the Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610 or Mona Herring, vice president, Rutherford County Convention & Visitors Bureau, at 615-278-2014.