Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Mahmoud across the water (with apologies to Elton John and Bernie Taupin)

Following an interview on “60 Minutes” Sunday and a controversial address at Columbia University yesterday, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is slated to speak to the United Nations General Assembly today in New York. What does he hope to get out of this series of appearances? Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, says, “A lot of the international impact hinges on what Ahmadinejad does or does not say. Venomous anti-Israel, anti-U.S. rhetoric would not serve him well internationally (and will likely be reserved for his speech to the U.N.). However, the largest potential gain is domestic legitimacy. He can use this ‘invitation’ to inflate his power position at home and legitimate his role as an important player in international politics.”

Contact Petersen at 615-494-8662.
kpeterse@mtsu.edu

Deadline extended

Openings remain for girls in grades 5-8 to register online to attend the 11th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science. EYH will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at sites across the MTSU campus. About 100 openings remain for the girls in grades 5-8. There is a $12 registration fee, but scholarships are available. For the first time, high-school girls will participate with a separate EYH event. As of Sept. 24, about 20 openings remained. Their registration fee is $15. EYH is a hands-on science and math conference. Participants will learn more about science and math careers from MTSU faculty and off-campus professionals.

To register, visit mtsu.edu/~eyh. For more information about the girls in grades 5-8, call Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-825 or Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra at 615-898-5776. For more information about the high-school girls, call Karen Claud at 615-504-8587.

Food for thought

To mark the convergence of two religious holidays, Hillel, the Jewish student organization at MTSU, will provide a meal for the Muslim Students Association at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, on the Keathley University Center (KUC) knoll. The meal will be an opportunity for Muslim students who have been engaged in Ramadan, a month-long observance during which Muslims fast in the daylight hours, to break their fasts. The Jewish students will celebrate Sukkot, which commemorates the 40-year period during which the Jews wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters. The students will build a tabernacle called a sukkah on the lawn in front of the KUC. Media welcomed.

Contact Dr. Lon Nuell at 615-898-2505
lrnuell@mtsu.edu
or Dr. Saleh Sbenaty at 615-898-2966.
ssbenaty@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

BONJOUR!--Any student whose summer was no more exciting than spending endless hours lying by the pool frying to a crisp can prepare now for an unforgettable summer 2008. There’s no time like the present to register for the annual general education study abroad program in Cherbourg, France, which will run from June 2 to June 27. At this beautiful port town in the Normandy region of northwest France, students will experience the history, art and culture of the area. “With the general education program, a student can spend four weeks in Cherbourg and in Normandy, and they can begin studying French while they’re there if they choose to, but they don’t have to already know any French,” Dr. Anne Sloan, Assistant to the Provost for International Education, says. Contact Sloan at 615-898-5091 or asloan@mtsu.edu or Jennifer Campbell, Director of International Education and Exchange, at 615-898-5179 or jjcampbe@mtsu.edu.

THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY--“Colleagues: A Community College Art Faculty Exhibition” is the title of the upcoming diversity-rich art exhibit that is being presented through Oct. 4 in the Todd Gallery on the MTSU campus. “This exhibition recognizes the talented faculty who serve students enrolled in community colleges across the state that are often far removed from major population centers,” says Lon Nuell, professor of art and gallery curator. Nuell says each of the participating artists work and teach in traditional studio areas such as painting, photography, printmaking, drawing, ceramics and sculpture, and graphic design and visual communication. The Todd Gallery, located on the first floor of the Todd Building, is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is always free, and the exhibit is open to the public. For more information, please contact Eric Snyder, gallery assistant, at 615-898-5653.

DON’T GET MAD, GET RAD!--The Rape Aggression Defense system is a program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques. RAD is a comprehensive course for women that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, while progressing to the basics of hands-on defense training. Classes will begin today, Sept. 25, and will run through Tuesday, Oct. 30. Classes will be held from 6-8 p.m. for six consecutive sessions. The class is offered free of charge to all MTSU students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public. A workbook/training manual is provided to each student. Classes will be held at the MTSU Public Safety Training Room located at 1412 East Main Street. For information or to enroll, call RAD instructor David Smith at 615-494-8855.

A SOUND DECISION--Check out MTSU Audio Clips on the Web at http://www.mtsunews.com. Click on “MTSU Audio Clips” on the right side of the page to read radio-ready stories, and click on the mp3 files to listen to the accompanying sound. Topic One is the upcoming Presidential Prism Gala Concert slated for Oct. 4 to benefit hurricane-ravaged Southern University at New Orleans. Topic Two is the rediscovery of a bit of hidden history by MTSU graduate student Sarah Elizabeth Hickman, who is writing her master’s thesis about Harness Racing Hall-of-Famer and Tennessee native Edward Franklin “Pop” Geers. Audio Clips are fashioned for radio professionals to use in their newscasts by simply cutting and pasting. For more information, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

THE STEM SELLING JOB--Who will be the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career professionals? Find out what it takes to enjoy a great career in the STEM field. Meet an engineer, a computer scientist, a geologist and a mathematician and ask them questions. Prepare to be surprised as these dynamic professionals discuss their education, jobs and career successes in “STEM Power,” an enrichment program for students in grades 9-12, presented via MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center today, Sept. 25, from 9-10 a.m. CST, 10-11 a.m. EST. Karen Claud, director of Girls Raised in Tennessee Science (GRITS), and Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, professor of chemistry at MTSU, will make the presentation. For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to vmoxley@mtsu.edu.

LET’S GIVE ‘EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT.--Vanderbilt University professor and author Dr. Bruce Barry will deliver a lecture titled “Will Work Leave You Speechless? The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace” on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Keathley University Center at MTSU. The 9:45 a.m. event is free and open to the public. In his new book, Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace, Barry examines the history of free expression in the workplace, how and why Americans have come to take free speech for granted and how employers can legally punish employees for speaking their minds. Barry’s presentation is co-sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies and MTSU’s American Democracy Project. Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.