Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Requiem for a heavyweight

Dr. Preston MacDougall, remembers his friend, art professor Dr. Lon Nuell, with a fondness that encompassed both men’s respective disciplines. “The passion and intensity of Lon’s vibrations were strong enough to mix art and chemistry whenever our paths crossed, which did not happen often enough in hindsight. Recently, we would ‘mix it up’ during artist receptions for new exhibits at the Art Gallery. On the latest such occasion, one month before his death, Lon seemed very interested in a new demonstration that I had recently read about, the ‘throbbing oil drop.’ It was typical of Lon’s intellectual curiosity that our discussion of a small, blue, plastic work of art that happened to remind me of a quaternary nitrogen atom in a molecular model kit would end up with him trying to learn how to get a drop of mineral oil to beat like a heart.” (Nuell passed away unexpectedly March 12 at the age of 68.)

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

Let the sunshine in

It’s “Sunshine Week,” a time set aside to promote open records and open meetings at all levels of government. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, reminds us that sunshine laws are not only for reporters, but for all citizens. “Look at it this way—we are in the middle of an election season where every candidate is making claims and counterclaims. How do you, the voter, know which of these claims are true and which are not? I’m not talking about things about the federal budget or who knew what about Iraq and when they knew it. I’m talking about local politics—how are various officials connected with major construction projects? Who owns that piece of land being proposed for a new school? Are some people who are arrested getting preferential treatment? Those are all local questions that have a direct impact on local voters.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

Whatever happened to “double your flavor, double your fun?”

Sometimes companies that attempt to hold down costs during a recession do so by reducing it in weight or quantity per package. However, Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says this isn’t always a good idea. “The Wm. Wrigley Company is opting for holding price and reducing product in its upcoming ‘Slim Pack’ launch of its well-known chewing gum brands. This approach carries with it risk in that consumers may see through the reduced offering and view it the same as a price increase. Even worse, such a move may be seen as a deceptive ploy to maintain profits at consumers’ expense. A comment by (a Wrigley’s vice president) reflects either important insight gleaned from market research or wishful thinking. He said, ‘To them the value goes up because they’re getting a better tasting produce in a better package. Price is not the way the consumer is looking at this.’ For the sake of Wrigley, I hope it is the former, not the latter.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

FOR THE HEALTH OF IT—Three faculty members from the MTSU School of Nursing will provide an update on women’s health from 1-2 p.m. today, March 19, in Room 121 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. Dr. Leigh Ann McInnis will present “Feeling Good? Looking Better?” She will focus on the implications of cosmetic treatments such as Botox, Restylane, laser hair removal, implants and liposuction/liposelection. Dr. Lisa Warise will present “Cancer: Are You at Risk?” about common cancers in women and the risk factors for each. Dr. Suzanne Prevost will present “Women and Pain: Where It Hurts and What You Can Do.” She will address common pain syndromes experienced by women, including headaches, abdominal pain, chest pain and arthritis. Refreshments will be served. For more information about this National Women’s History Month event, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193.

ARABIC ANSWERS--Dr. Said Ennahid from Al Akhawayn University (“University of the Two Brothers”) in Morocco will lecture on “The Archaeology of Space in Arabic Poetry” at 3:30 p.m. today, March 19, in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. Ennahid received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 2001. He has expertise in Middle Eastern and North African History and Archeology; medieval historiography and historical geography; contemporary Islamic societies of North Africa; Islamic art history, architecture and urbanism; and e-heritage (use of information and communication technologies in cultural heritage. This event is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by The Middle East Center and the Center for Historical Preservation.

COME FLY WITH ME—MTSU’s Department of Aerospace and the MTSU Future Airport Executives student chapter will hold their second Career Fair from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m. today, March 19, in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. At least 32 companies have registered. The aerospace department includes 850 students and 13 faculty members. Fields include flight dispatch and scheduling, administration, professional pilot, technology and maintenance. For more information, contact Dr. Daniel Prather at 615-898-2289 or dprather@mtsu.edu.

ZING WENT THE STRINGS—The 2008 Tennessee Guitar Festival continues today through March 20 with free and open concerts at 8 p.m. nightly in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building at MTSU. Duo Firenze will perform tonight, and Christopher Berg will play tomorrow night. Matt Palmer and John Johns will perform Wednesday night. For more information, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~yelverto/guitfest.html or call 615-898-2493.

THE BIG NOT-SO-EASY—Dr. Craig E. Colton, the 2008 Strickland Visiting Scholar in History at MTSU and Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography at LSU, will speak on “Extreme New Orleans: Growing Beyond the City’s Limits” at 7 p.m. tonight, March 19, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU. Colton’s most recent book is titled An Unnatural Metropolis: Wrestling New Orleans from Nature. His lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Kenneth Scherzer, history professor, at 615-898-2003.

“I’LL SEE YOU ON THE BEACH!”(TOM HANKS IN “SAVING PRIVATE RYAN”)----The next presentation in MTSU’s Women’s Studies Research Series will highlight the work of the reporter who made it to the beach at Normandy on D-Day by stowing away on a hospital ship. “Postcards from the War: A Rhetorical Analysis of Authorship and Audience in Martha Gellhorn’s War-torn Travel Writing” will be the title of a lecture by Dr. Marcie Hinton, assistant professor of journalism, at 3 p.m. tomorrow, March 20, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu.

YOU MAY BE WRITE—Poet Jeff Hardin, short story writer Tamara Baxter, Wyatt Prunty and William Gay will participate in the first “Gathering of Tennessee Writers” at MTSU tomorrow, March 20, at 4:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. This event, which is free and open to the public, will feature readings followed by a panel discussion and a question-and-answer period on such topics as sense of place, the imagination and the role of the writer in the global arena. For more information, contact Dr. Randy Mackin, assistant professor of English, at rtmackin@mtsu.edu.

THAT WASCALLY WABBIT!--Dr. Janet L. Bryant, research scientist and engineer, will speak on “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Science & Engineering at a National Laboratory (a/k/a The Life and Times of the ‘Bunny Slipper Bandit’)” at 7 p.m. tomorrow, March 20, in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Building. Bryant, a veteran of more than 26 years at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will speak to the career flexibility afforded by technical degrees, the need for both a sense of focus and humor and how networking and mentoring truly make a difference in a technical career. This National Women’s History Month event is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu.

TRIALS, BUT NO TRIBULATIONS--An MTSU mock trial team placed second among 26 teams at the American Mock Trial Association National Tournament at Memphis over the weekend (March 14-16) and was one of three teams at the tournament to qualify for the National Championship tournament to be held in Minneapolis/St. Paul. This marks the 18th time in 19 years that MTSU has qualified for the nation’s most elite tournament. A team consisting of Daniel Vaughn, Natalie Schneider, Nick Lee, Julian Kissner, Lani Lester, Rachel Harmon and Austin Purvis compiled a record of six wins, one loss and one tie in rounds against Ohio State, Kennesaw State, Furman and Georgia State. In addition, Vaughn captured a Top Ten attorney award, and Lester won a Top Ten witness award. The University of Texas won the tourney with an 8-0 record while Washington and Lee University came in third with a 6-2 record. The MTSU team is coached by Dr. John R. Vile and Patrick Chinnery of the Department of Political Science and by former alums Brandi Snow and Jamie Kidd. Contact Vile at 615-898-2596 or jvile@mtsu.edu.