Friday, July 25, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Climbing your family tree

Dr. Lorne McWatters, history professor, 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 studnets, 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.” To hear more about this innovative way to spark interest in history at a very personal level, tune in to “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 27, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

For more information on “MTSU on the Record,” contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
Contact McWatters at 615-898-5805 or dmcwatte@mtsu.edu.

Update your bio

Biofuel is the buzzword of the current energy crisis. The MTSU Department of Chemistry has received funding from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to find ways to improve the quality of biodiesel. One drawback to biodiesel is that current production methods require large amounts of water to wash away the residual salts and glycerol byproduct created through the use of corrosive chemicals such as sodium hydroxide or sulfuric acid. Dr. Ngee Chong, associate professor of chemistry, says, “MTSU biodiesel research will focus on identifying and characterizing catalysts that may overcome these drawbacks, including development of a chemical process to permit the recovery of glycerol—a valuable byproduct that sells for about 50 cents per pound ($3.50 per gallon) if it is kosher or pharmaceutical grade—and methods for converting glycerol into valuable and high-volume chemicals.”

Contact Chong at 615-898-5487.
nchong@mtsu.edu

The gift that keeps on giving

Gift cards have become a convenient way for shoppers to give birthday, anniversary and other presents without worrying about buying something the recipient won’t like. However, a lot of those gift cards go at least partially unused. Dr. Charles Kile, assistant professor of accounting, says, “Perhaps the greatest benefit to retailers—and one that has distinct accounting implications—is that historical consumer behavior trends show that a portion of many gift card purchases will never be redeemed. The retail and banking industries recognize the tendency of consumers to leave gift card balances unused and refer to the unspent balance of a gift card as breakage. Reported estimates of breakage by consumer research groups vary from 10% to 19%.”

Contact Kile at 615-898-2354.
ckile@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

WAR AND REMEMBRANCE--An MTSU history professor will accompany students and members of the community on an exploration of the Central Pacific World War II battlefields of Guam, Iwo Jima and Pelelieu in the Spring 2009 semester. Dr. Derek Frisby, who is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, says the trip is part of MTSU’s Study Abroad program (MT Abroad) and will offer students college credit for studying in international settings. Participants will study the World War II Pacific campaigns in the presence of surviving American and Japanese veterans. They will tour the War in the Pacific National Historical Park, hike through the jungles of Pelelieu and meet on Guam with American and Japanese historians and Iwo Jima veterans. Participants who choose not to enroll in the course may still join the expedition. Additional information can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/~dfrisby. Contact Frisby at 615-494-8620 or
dfrisby@mtsu.edu.

TOWER OF EMPOWERMENT--An educational video produced for a program administered through MTSU’s Center for Environmental Education has won a coveted Silver Telly Award. “The Empower Hour” was made for WaterWorks!, a program designed to educate the public about how to protect water quality. The 13-minute video featured students from Brentwood High School and the Nashville School for the Arts. It was distributed to high schools, public access channels, and other outlets to enlighten viewers about the environmental impact of automotive fluids and the proper ways to recycle or dispose of them. The video was chosen from among approximately 13,500 entries and judged by more than 40 video, advertising and TV industry professionals. Broadcast Media Group of Starkville, Miss., produced it in conjunction with Nashville-based Bill Hudson & Associates. For more information about WaterWorks!, call 615-898-2660 or visit http://www.tennesseewaterworks.com/.

HOMETOWN HEROES--“Revisiting and Re-visioning the Hometown” is a unique opportunity for MTSU Honors students to learn more about the history, people, traditions, and future of their respective hometowns. The class, which is scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays in the Fall 2008 semester, will require students to write journal entries and finished essays. They will make contacts in their communities, forming partnerships with schools, senior centers and other socially important groups or entities. Under the guidance of Dr. Ron Kates, English, each student will synthesize what he or she has learned in other classes to create a suitable and effective approach to the topic. Participants will create and refine the history-making and re-visioning processes as they learn while teaching others. Contact Kates at 615-898-2595 or rkates@mtsu.edu.

“A POLITICIAN IS A STATESMAN WHO APPROACHES EVERY QUESTION WITH AN OPEN MOUTH.”—ADLAI STEVENSON--Has a particular turn of phrase in a politician’s speech caught your ear and made you wonder why he or she chose those particular words? What is the speaker really saying? How do the candidates get their messages across to the voters? To figure all this out in this presidential election year, students can sign up for “Political Communication,” a class to be taught this fall at MTSU by Dr. Russell Church, speech and theatre professor. Participants will take on questions of whether race and gender are still issues, who votes and why, whether candidates are now more important than parties, whether the media now call all the shots, the power of interest groups, and how parties can increase turnout. The class will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:20 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Contact Church at 615-494-7958 or rchurch@mtsu.edu.

TO THE “NTH” DEGREE—A projected 832 degree candidates will graduate during the 96th annual summer commencement ceremony at MTSU. The single-ceremony graduation will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, in Murphy Center with Dr. Kevin E. Smith, professor for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the current MTSU representative of the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Faculty Subcouncil, delivering the commencement address. At 8:30 a.m., Aug. 9, Murphy Center doors will open for the commencement ceremony. Candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 9 a.m. Officials report that students who are not in their assigned places at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions. Contact the Records Office at 615-898-2600 or go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~records/grad.htm.

THE SOUNDS OF SYRIA AND SAUDI ARABIA (AND MORE) --You can be transported to fascinating locales this fall without ever leaving home. Explore the fascinating, diverse “Music of the Middle East” in a new course at MTSU. Dr. David B. Pruett will take you on a “trip” through various Middle Eastern cultural soundscapes, including the relationship between folk, classical and popular musical traditions. Students also will examine music’s role in religious expression in the region. The class will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Mondays in Room 205 of the Saunders Fine Arts Building. Contact Pruett at 615-904-8354 or dpruett@mtsu.edu.

STAND AND DELIVER--The ninth annual MTSU McNair Symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, July 30 and 31, in the Tom H. Jackson Building. The McNair Program is designed to give low-income/first-generation and under-represented undergraduate students the support they need to prepare for and successfully complete a doctorate degree in their chosen fields. McNair scholars will make oral presentations of their 2008 summer research. Their research posters also will be on display. Topics to be addressed by the scholars include “A Mystery on Our Plate: Beliefs about Agriculture from a College Peer Group;” “Benefits of Physical Therapy from the Patients’ Perspective;” “Perceptions of Campus Crime Prevention Activities;” and “From Fright to Fight: The Evolution of the Female Action Hero.” Contact Cindy Howell at 615-904-8462 or chowell@mtsu.edu.