Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Creature feature

Have you ever heard of a creature whose genital complex comprises about 86-90 percent of its total body length? Well, that’s one of the unique characteristics of Janinecaira darkthread, a new genus of parasite discovered by Dr. George Benz, biology, and colleagues (including Dr. Janine Caira of the University of Connecticut, for whom the parasite is named). Benz collected the species during a 1997 expedition to northern Australia, where he found it infecting the gills of ornate eagle rays. So he started the establishment of a new higher animal group for them along with some students interning in his lab. “At the time, I was work at and the director of the Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute,” Benz says. “I was never able to finish that work while I was at the aquarium. But, after doing some additional research, I was able to complete the work this past year while at MTSU.”

Contact Benz at 615-898-5021.
gbenz@mtsu.edu

Say what?

Most courses assume you’re dealing with rational, kind, cooperative people—but the reality is that there are a lot of jerks out there! What happens when people lie, bully, or are physically or verbally abusive? How do you respond to hurtful messages or work with people who use deceit? A new course being offered at MTSU in the upcoming Fall 2007 semester might help you answer these questions. It’s “The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication,” which will be taught by Dr. Eletra Gilchrist, assistant professor of speech and theatre. If you take this course, you’ll learn to recognize, assess, and effectively communicate through the not-so-happy aspects of human communication.

Contact the Department of Speech and Theatre at 615-898-2640.

Zine anything new lately?

The Linebaugh Library System’s Web site describes a “zine” as “a self-published, small circulation, non-commercial booklet or magazine, usually produced by one person or a few individuals. Zines range from small photocopied booklets, to handwritten or handmade booklets, to magazine-like publications, although they come in all shapes, sizes, topics, and formats. They can include personal essays, political discussions, fiction, craft or do-it-yourself advice, articles about music or movies, comics, reviews – anything under the sun, really. Zines are a rich and democratic form of self-expression and often represent points of view missed by mainstream media.” Jerianne Thompson, coordinator of the library’s new zine collection and editor/publisher of Zine World: A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press, will introduce the participants in the fifth annual Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp to the wonderful world of zines tomorrow in MTSU’s Wright Music Hall. The camp, which runs today through July 21, gives girls ages 10-17 a chance to explore their creativity.

Contact the camp office at 615-849-8140.
sgrrc05@gmail.com

TR EXTRA

CREATIVE KIDS--Generation for Creation (GFC), a nonprofit visual and performing arts program founded in 2001, is based in Murfreesboro and housed in the local Boys and Girls Club facility. GFC’s founder, Monica Johnson, is a 1996 MTSU graduate with a B.S. in psychology and minors in speech and theatre and biology. Johnson says she created GFC to help talented children reach their artistic dreams with encouragement and positive motivation. GFC’s annual Children’s Benefit Talent Show, featuring children in the categories of art, dance, drama, music and modeling, will get underway at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre. Miss USA 2000, Columbia native Lynette Cole, will host the event. Tickets are $10 each with discounts available for groups. For more information, call GFC at 615-890-7116. To request interviews with Johnson or with child participants, contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

GRISSOM AND WILLOWS, CALL YOUR OFFICE--For the first time, MTSU is introducing the CSI experience on campus. “CSI: MTSU” is a three-day program designed for eighth-grade students in Rutherford County and its surrounding area July 25-27. The goals of “CSI: MTSU” are to allow students to explore the many unique career possibilities in forensic science, to provide a “real life reason to tackle higher level math and science courses, and to develop skills in team work, seeing and understanding details, critical thinking, and presentations. The camp is co-sponsored by the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE) and MTSU’s College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning. Due to space considerations, we are limited to 30 student investigators. The cost is $195 per student. Meals are included. Camp hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Students are to report to Room 313 in the Keathley University Center. To register or for more information, contact Eve Shockley at 615-898-2462 or eshockle@mtsu.edu.

UNCLE DAVE’S DAYS--With a focus on paying tribute to the beloved old-time music festival known as Uncle Dave Macon Days, the staff of The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County recently unveiled an exhibit titled “Uncle Dave Macon Days: Celebrating Old Time Music in Rutherford County.” Melissa A. Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist with MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, said the two-panel display offers viewers a bit of history, photographs and quotes from the earliest years of the festival to the present day. Located at 225 W. College St., the history-laden center also features photographs of Uncle Dave and his home as part of its newly opened display, “Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age.” Open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. each Monday through Friday, admission to the center is always free. For more information, call the center at 615-217-8013. Please direct any inquiries for jpegs for editorial use to the center’s staff or by e-mailing mzimmerm@mtsu.edu.