Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Healthy exports

Tennessee’s total medical exports have doubled in three years, “making this undoubtedly one of the state’s most dynamic export sectors,” writes Dr. Steven Livingston, political science, in Global Commerce, a publication of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center. “At $5.472 billion, Tennessee now ranks 16th among the states in exports, down two notches from last year. … The state’s overall numbers disguised the very good export growth many of Tennessee’s smaller industries are seeing.” In medical exports last year, Tennessee ranked sixth in the nation in electrodiagnostic equipment, second in sterile surgical catgut and artificial joints and parts, and first in orthopedic parts and accessories.

Contact Livingston at 615-898-2720.
slivings@mtsu.edu

Banned blades

Oscar Pistorius says he still intends to compete in the Olympic Games, but he’s looking to London in 2012 after the International IAAF ruled that the “Cheetah” blades the amputee runner uses as prosthetic legs would give him an unfair advantage against able-bodied runners. Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says the blades “provide additional momentum that results from the mechanical response of the runner’s rapid forward motion. While runners using the ‘Cheetah’ blades are using the same optimal effort, the result of their effort is superior speed—a greater ‘spring’ to their step. It’s similar to adjusting any equipment in any sport that results in a superior outcome—a pole that increases the height of a vault, for example.”

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Romper Room rowdiness

If your kindergarten-aged child is disruptive or antisocial, take heart. It doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is destined to struggle with their studies in elementary school. A Georgetown University study of more than 16,000 children finds that there is not necessarily a correlation. Dr. Ann Campbell, elementary and special education, says, “This is one of those vague things that could be interpreted in a number of different ways. My take on it would be that we need to look at academics and behavior as two different components. … Schools sometimes focus more on the academic problems and needs and less on the social and behavioral needs of young children. If we do not address needs in behavior, then it can impact academic performance down the road.”

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

TR EXTRA

CHOOSE TO THRIVE—“Choosing to Thrive, No Matter What” is the theme of the 2008 Association of Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education (ANTSHE) Conference, which MTSU will host on the weekend of Feb. 29 and Mar. 1-2. A gathering of adult students who are striving to balance the responsibilities of work and family life while enriching their education and the career academics who serve them, the conference will give the students and the professionals a chance to come together and share strategies. Dr. Cara DiMarco, a licensed psychologist and counselor at the Lane Community College’s Transition for Success Program in Eugene, Ore., will deliver the keynote address. For more information, contact Dr. Carol Ann Baily at 615-898-5989. Specific conference information and a detailed itinerary are available at http://www.antshe/org/2008/Conference/index.htm.

THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF INVENTION—The Invention Convention, sponsored by elementary and special education and State Farm Insurance, is a special event held every year to provide young entrepreneurs with the opportunity to showcase their creativity and ingenuity. This year’s event will be Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. The event will involve approximately 175 games and inventions. For more information, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.