Thursday, February 13, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Bright and bratty?

A study by Georgetown University analyzed more than 16,000 children and found that disruptive or antisocial behaviors in kindergarten did not correlate with their academic results at the end of elementary school. How should this be taken into consideration when dealing with children and administering discipline? Dr. Ann Campbell, elementary and special education, says, “A child may be very bright and do well academically but have real needs for intervention in the area of his behavior. Some children may struggle academically but have mature social skills. When working with students, we need to consider their needs in each area and plan to work with them on every area of need.”

Contact Campbell at 615-898-2321.
acampbel@mtsu.edu

State of the Union

MTSU student groups are working to help students at Union University in Jackson recover from the tornadoes of Feb. 5. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed, and 51 students were injured. The MTSU Student Government Association (SGA) will work with Phillips Bookstore, Blue Raider Bookstore and Office Depot to gather school supplies, including pens, pencils, calculators, notebooks, notebook paper, scissors, highlighters, tape, staplers, staples, book bags and white-out. Drop-off areas are designated in the two bookstores. Over the next two weekends, students will travel to Union to deliver these goods. To keep track of Union University’s continuing comeback efforts, go to http://www.uurecovery.com.

For more information on MTSU students’ efforts on behalf of Union University, contact SGA President Chassen M. Haynes at 615-898-2464.
sgapres@mtsu.edu

Rosebud!

Students in Dr. Bruce Cahoon’s plant biotechnology class last fall grew roses that were only two inches high. A dozen of them would fit in the palm of your hand. Cahoon says the point was to show his students how plants have been manipulated since the dawn of agriculture. “We’re taking very small pieces of tissue, and we are then feeding the tissue everything it might need, and that includes an energy source like sucrose, well-defined fertilizer and specific vitamins—B-vitamins, strangely enough, are what they need—and hormones,” Cahoon says. In order to keep the plant tissue from becoming contaminated, students used alcohol and chlorine bleach to kill any stray bacteria. The smaller plant’s appearance is different, but it the genetic makeup of the plant was not transformed, Cahoon says.

To learn more about the miniature roses, watch “Middle Tennessee Record” on local (Murfreesboro area) Cable Channel 9 daily at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Sundays at 1:30 p.m. on NewsChannel5+ or anytime via http://www.mtsunews.com or on YouTube.

TR EXTRA

WHAT ITEMS ARE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?--Dr. Janet Belsky, professor of psychology, will be a guest on “In Your Prime,” a discussion program on NewsChannel5+ (Comcast Channel 50), with host Meryll Rose. Belsky, an expert on issues regarding aging, will discuss setting goals toward the end of one’s life as did the main characters in the recent movie “The Bucket List.” This program will air again at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 15; at noon, Saturday, Feb. 16; at 6:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17; and at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20. For more information, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

“YOU AND ME AND ALL THAT STUFF WE’RE SO SCARED OF”—BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “TUNNEL OF LOVE”--Most of the time, a tunnel of love is a leisurely romantic ride, not a house of horrors. But the sixth annual Tunnel of Love at MTSU will take participants on a self-guided tour of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their terrifying impacts. Two-thirds of all STIs occur in 16-24 year-olds, which makes this event a great opportunity to educate students about how to guard against becoming infected. The Tunnel of Love will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on St. Valentine’s Day, today, Feb. 14, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Performance and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Casie Higginbotham at 615-904-8274 or
chigginb@mtsu.edu.

AN ARTIST’S DOZEN--The Department of Art’s second 12”x12” biannual national juried exhibition is on display through Friday, Feb. 22, in The Gallery at MTSU’s Todd Hall. Dave Hickey, nationally acclaimed culture and art critic, served as the juror for the exhibition. More than 200 artists from across the United States submitted more than 600 pieces of work for consideration. There were no media restrictions, and all works were to measure no more than 12” in any direction. Three-dimensional pieces were not to exceed 12” in any direction including the base. Included in the show are the works of Tennessee artists Rocky Horton, Nashville; Arlyn Ende, Sewanee; Dwayne Butcher and Trever Nicholas, Memphis; Melissa Krosnick, Cowan; and Sarah Shebaro, Knoxville. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Lon Nuell at 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu.

STAR POWER--The MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy will present “Street Lights and Smoke Detectors: Stellar Early Warning Systems,” a speech by Dr. Debra J. Wallace, at 4 p.m. today, Feb. 14, in Room 220 of Wiser-Patten Science Building. Wallace, a visiting assistant professor, from the College of Charleston, will talk about how hot massive stars guide our journey to explore the universe, like streetlights illuminate a path to direct our way on Earth. Observable at great distances due to their intrinsic brightness, massive stars’ usefulness as calibrators enables us to learn more about our own and nearby galaxies. Contact Donna Wolke at 615-898-2130 or
dwolke@mtsu.edu.

WHITHER WYNNEWOOD?--Dr. Kevin Smith, professor and director of anthropology at MTSU, has helped organize a benefit yard sale today, Feb. 14 to help raise money for the Wynnewood State Historic Area, which sustained more than $10,000 damage when a Feb. 5 tornado hit Castalian Springs. The Middle Tennessee Anthropology Society will serve as the official sponsor for the Valentine’s Day fundraiser, which will be held—weather permitting—throughout the day on the Keathley University Center Knoll at MTSU. The historic Wynnewood home is where MTSU’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology has sponsored its summer field schools for anthropology students for 15 years. Smith says the entire second floor of the Wynnewood home is gone, and its original contents were scattered across the property. Direct interview requests for Smith or other MTSU students and faculty to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu. For jpeg photos of Wynnewood before and after the tornado, contact John Lynch at jlynch@mtsu.edu.

DOWN FOR THE COUNT--The MTSU Film Guild will show Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections, a documentary which purports to reveal fraud, cheating and manipulation in the 2004 and 2006 balloting, at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19, in Room 221 of MTSU’s Learning Resources Center. The viewing is free and open to the public. “The effect it has on everyone just seems to be huge, and I, to be honest, couldn’t think of a better documentary given the time frame,” says Justin Stokes, president of the Film Guild, referring to the primaries and caucuses leading up to the 2008 presidential election in November. Producer/director/writer David Earnhardt will be available for a question and answer session immediately following the 80-minute-long movie. Doors will open at 7:45 p.m. For more information, contact Stokes at 615-663-2811 or jds6h@mtsu.edu.

BABY, BABY, BABY--MTSU’s Department of Speech and Theatre will tackle the exciting, frightening and utterly transformational role of parenthood when it presents “Baby,” a musical, at 7:30 nightly Feb. 15-16 and 20-23 at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre. Set in Chicago, the production focuses on three couples who are embarking on one of life’s most amazing journeys—childbirth. Liz and Danny are university juniors who have just moved in together. Pam and Nick, a sports instructor, are having some trouble conceiving. Arlene, already the mother of three grown daughters, is unsure of what to do and contemplating abortion, even though her husband, Alan, is thrilled with the thought of a new baby. Tickets may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. Prices range from $5 to $10. MTSU students will be admitted free of charge with a valid ID. Call 615-494-8810 or go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.