Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Looking at less of Larry

It has become impossible to turn on the television and click the remote without stumbling upon a NutriSystem commercial. The weight loss program has made use of numerous endorsements from celebrities who have used its products, including Marie Osmond, Jillian Barberie, Dan Marino and Don Shula. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, was most surprised to see Larry the Cable Guy, who claims to have lost 50 pounds, plugging NutriSystem. “The credibility of personal messages is high, and the ‘before and after’ comparison of NutriSystem’s effect on Larry the Cable Guy is a powerful message,” Roy says. “Even though the disclaimer ‘results are not typical’ is the most accurate message delivered in the spot, the image of a svelte Larry the Cable Guy drives home the benefits delivered by the NutriSystem brand.”

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

Working for a living

The manufacturing sector in Tennessee took another big hit in April, according to the latest data from MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center. However, that sector was the only one that saw a decrease in employment over April 2007. Manufacturing jobs declined 5.88 percent. The construction and mining sector was up 4.37 percent. Information was up 4.19 percent. Education and health services rose 3.65 percent. Even employment in the leisure and hospitality sector rose 2.75 percent. Preliminary figures show 793,990 people in the work force in Tennessee in April 2008 compared to 777,440 the previous April.

Contact the Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610.

It’s not easy being green.

The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have signed an agreement to cap greenhouse gas emissions. However, the deal allows environmentally-friendly industries to trade their unused quotas of emissions with industries that still haven’t gone green. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “I hope this encourages creative research into alternative energy sources and chemical processes that reduce waste products, but if it is anything like the Kyoto Protocol it should set off smoke alarms.” He points out, “Of the industrialized countries that have not come close to meeting their Kyoto targets, Canada tops the list. In fact, the Canadian government admitted that since Kyoto went into effect, emissions of the monitored gases have gone up in Canada and by more than they did in the U.S.!”

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

TR EXTRA

THE CHINESE CONNECTION--Today’s (Tuesday, June 24) sessions for the U.S.-Sino Workshop on Mathematics and Science Education at MTSU will cover topics including international assessment as a means for improving students’ learning, the new reform and problems of primary science in mainland China, preparing biology teachers for the new curriculum using the Internet, and comparing Hispanic students’ mathematics achievement with Asian students in Tennessee. Sessions are slated for 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 10 p.m. Scholars from the United States and the People’s Republic of China are exchanging techniques and information in a collaborative effort to improve math and science education. For more information, contact Dr. Diane Miller at 615-898-5472 or dmiller@mtsu.edu.

“ENGLAND SWINGS LIKE A PENDULUM DO.”—ROGER MILLER--The Fab Four, miniskirts and go-go boots, the “mods” versus the “rockers”—If you’re looking for a fun and informative course to take this summer, MTSU is offering British Popular Culture from 10:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday July 7-August 7. This English course, taught by Dr. Jill Hague, will look at the development of popular culture in the United Kingdom after World War II, focusing on innovations in music, film and drama. Students will examine the cultural, historical and political contexts of the 1950s, the phenomenon of “Swinging London” and the Beatles in the 1960s and the rise of punk culture in the 1970s. Contact Hague at 615-904-8123 or ahague@mtsu.edu.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT--You can spend part of your summer examining the fascinating Native American history and prehistory of the Southwest and get geography or history credit for it at MTSU! The class is titled “Geography of Native Americans” and will be conducted for the 15th consecutive year by Dr. Doug Heffington, professor of historical geography and director of the Global Studies Program. “The class focuses on the examination of the human/land relationships between the native peoples of New Mexico and their natural environment,” Heffington says. “Most of our base camp is in the small colonial village of Truchas, which dates to the mid-1700s with its blend of Genizaro, Mestizo and Hispano cultures. The trip/course starts July 21st and takes about nine days to complete.” The cost is approximately $400 per student and includes transportation, two meals a day, lodging and entry fees. Contact Heffington at 615-898-5978 or jheffing@mtsu.edu.

ALMA MATER MATTERS-- MTSU’s Alumni Summer College, a two-and-a-half-day event full of fun, fellowship and presentations on local topics, is slated for June 25-27. Faculty, staff and other experts who are slated to speak include Dr. Lisa Pruitt, director of the Gore Center, on “A Century of Service: The History of MTSU”; Dr. Rhonda Hoffman, associate professor of equine science, will introduce attendees to the latest research and technology in the horse world; and alumni Gloria Christy (’71) and Bill Shacklett (’73) will discuss the technical world of photo restoration. Also on tap are a trip to the Grand Ole Opry, dinner at Caney Fork Fish Camp and a scavenger hunt. Contact Rhonda Wright at 1-800-533-6878 or rwright@mtsu.edu.

ROLL OVER, JUNIOR!--Everything a human being is concerned with is based on learning and theory. That’s what makes the Learning Theories class being taught by Dr. Donald Kendrick through Thursday, July 3, at MTSU so fascinating. Kendrick, a psychology professor, says, “For example, students will gain insights and learn specific techniques to train their pets to do fun and funny things. These training techniques also generalize to raising children, the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of punishment, accepted practices on permitting young children to sleep with Mom (and Dad), the nature of the mother-infant bond, breaking bad habits and acquiring new ones, and how to get your roommate to have more respect for your things!” Contact Kendrick at 615-898-2706 or psyskip@mtsu.edu.

DAD, TAKE THE LAMPSHADE OFF YOUR HEAD WHILE THE CAMERA’S ROLLING!--Working with perhaps the most technology-savvy generation of young adults ever, Dr. Lorne McWatters, history, will teach a class titled “Genealogy and Documentary Film: Doing Your Own Family History in Film” to undergraduates for the first time at MTSU this fall. “The fall class will have 15 students, and each student will make a film about 10 minutes long on either some aspect of his/her family (genealogy) or some aspect of the history of MTSU,” McWatters says. “In speaking to students about the class, I found the undergraduates to be very enthusiastic, much more so than the graduate students, in general.” Contact McWatters at 615-898-5805 or dmcwatte@mtsu.edu.

PRESERVING THE PAST--Dr. Michael Tomlan, historic preservationist and a pioneering scholar on planbook architects of the 19th century, will present “Why Historians and Preservationists Avoid Religion,” a free and open lecture, at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 26, in Parish Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 315 E. Main St. An associate professor of history and director of the graduate program in historic preservation planning program at Cornell University, Tomlan began a monthlong visit to the MTSU campus June 1, where he’s teaching a summer seminar. He is an historic preservation expert in building conservation technology, documentation methods for preservation and the history of the preservation movement. Just prior to his June 26 talk, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU will sponsor a public reception for Tomlan at 4:30 p.m. at The Heritage Center, 225. W. College St. Contact the MTSU Department of History at 615-898-2536.

SCOTT AND ZELDA SAY IT’S THE CAT’S MEOW!--The Jazz Age, that era when flappers danced the Charleston and speakeasys were all the rage, will find new life via art in downtown Murfreesboro through the creativity of Erin Anfinson, assistant professor of art at MTSU. Beginning July 1 and continuing through mid-August, Anfinson—along with MTSU students Emily May-Ragland and Sarah Sullivan—will work each afternoon to create a Jazz Age-inspired mural more than six feet tall and nearly 20 feet long at The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. “Art deco design, patterns and color palettes have always struck me as exceptionally lively and fun subject matter, which made conducting research for this project a pleasure,” says Anfinson. Contact Melissa Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist for the Center for Historic Preservation, at 615-217-8013. For an interview with Anfinson, contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.

LON LIVES ON THROUGH LITERACY--The public is welcome to a dedication ceremony and community open house for The Lon Nuell Family Literacy Center from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today, June 24. The center is located in Room 210 of the First Baptist Church Education Building on the corner of Vine and Spring Streets in Murfreesboro. It is named for the MTSU art professor who died of a stroke in March. Nuell also was a member of the Murfreesboro City School Board and a supporter of the Read to Succeed literacy organization since 2003. Partners, program providers and members of the center’s advisory council will be on hand for the ceremony. For more information, contact Read to Succeed at 615-738-7323 or visit http://www.readtosucceed.org.