Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Change we can believe in

Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says politics isn’t the only field that tells us change is inevitable. Science sends the same message. Consider the ice cube, for example. “In the freezer, it is in the lowest energy state for water—a solid,” MacDougall says. “If you move the ice cube to an ambient environment, such as a coffee table, it will do something remarkable—it will melt! If this doesn’t seem remarkable to you, consider how much you paid to fill up your gas tank. Then consider that the ice cube is taking the same kind of energy—enthalpy—and half-filling its molecular tank for free! (In steam engines, these ‘tanks’ are more completely filled, and not for free.)”

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

The Marc of the artist

Every weekend before Thanksgiving, the Stones River Crafts Association sponsors its Annual Art Studio Tour. It allows one to take a leisurely tour of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County to view the works of talented local artists and artisans. One of them is MTSU’s own Marc Barr, electronic media communication, who creates award-winning pottery. “I’ve been working with combining technology and traditional art processes for 20 years,” says Barr. “The pieces that I will have incorporate traditional methods of making functional and decorative ceramics. The construction, decoration, firing, and their form and surfaces were designed with the aid of various computer hardware, software and peripherals.” Barr’s work will be on display at Ramsey Hall Studio, 2430 Kingwood Lane in Rockvale, during the studio tour, which is slated for Nov. 22-23.

Contact Barr at 615-898-5628.
mjbarr@mtsu.edu

Sexism on the slab

Dr. Katie Foss, assistant professor of journalism, will speak on “Choice or Chance?: Gender, Victimization, and Responsibility in ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’” at 3 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, in the SunTrust Room of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. The latest presentation in the MTSU Women’s Studies Research Series, the discussion will focus on Foss’ research on representations of male and female victimization in the CBS television drama. “From studying five seasons of ‘CSI’ episodes, I found a vast discrepancy between male and female victimizations in that men become victims by chance, whereas carelessness and sexuality cause women to be victimized,” says Foss. “Furthermore, male victims die quickly, while female victims often suffer torture and sexual assault prior to a long, painful death.” This event is free and open to the public.

Contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282.
jmarcell@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66.--Noted photographer Tom Mallonee’s exhibit, “Evidence of Passing: Vanishing Points along an American Road,” will be displayed until Dec. 4 in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in MTSU’s McWherter Learning Resources Center. Tom Jimison, electronic media communication professor and gallery director, says Mallonee “has pursued large-format black-and-white work since 1979 and often has chosen subjects which stray from conventional notions of western landscape, yet still embrace decisive composition and meticulous printing techniques such as this 14-year project of bypassed sections of Route 66.” Exhibitions are free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Sundays. The gallery will be closed Nov. 27-29. For information, call 615-898-2085.

SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN--Don’t put those political yard signs in the trash! Donate them to the Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU. The center collects political signs for exhibits and educational purposes. If you have regular-sized signs (two-feet square) for a candidate or election issue from this or previous elections and would like to make contributions, please drop them off at the Gore Center in Room 128 of the Todd Building on the MTSU campus. Signs should be in good condition. The center does not need the support posts. Unfortunately, the center does not have the staff to retrieve signs from your home or office. The center also collects bumper stickers, buttons, fans and other political memorabilia. Samples are on display in the hall outside the center. For more information, contact Dr. Jim Williams, director of the Gore Center, at 615-898-2633 or jhwillia@mtsu.edu.

PASS THE PEPPER, PLEASE--The MTSU Police Department will offer a free pepper spray class for women. The class is part of the Rape Aggression Defense system and will teach basic self-defense techniques to supplement women’s ability to survive dangerous confrontations. The class will be available to MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as the general public and will take place Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 from 6-8 p.m. in the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street in Murfreesboro. Topics to be covered include product selection, psychological and physical effects of the “fight or flight” syndrome, legal issues and retention and deployment techniques. For more information or to enroll, contact Officer David Smith at 615-692-2424 or 615-494-8855.

DON’T LET YOUR SCHOLARSHIP SAIL AWAY--Prospective and returning students seeking merit scholarships and awards for the 2009-10 academic year must submit all their information by the priority deadline of Monday, Dec. 1. Each student should submit an admission application, official ACT or SAT test scores and an official transcript to the admissions office. Information mailed with a Dec. 1 postmark will meet the deadline. Students who apply between Dec. 2, 2008, and Feb. 15, 2009, may be considered if funding is available. Merit scholarships and awards include National Merit and National Achievement Finalist, Valedictorians and Salutatorians, and Chancellor, Presidential, Buchanan Fellowship, Academic Service, Provost and Raider scholarships. Transfer applicants must submit official college transcripts. The scholarship deadline for transfer applicants is Feb. 1. For more information, contact David Hutton at 615-898-2422 or dhutton@mtsu.edu.

GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE--MTSU alumnus Allan Barlow will bring Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” to life in a one-man tour de force at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Nov. 18, at Tucker Theatre in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building. Barlow says, “Although memorizing an hour and a half of dialogue was a big challenge, the hardest thing for me was visualizing the settings and blocking for over 20 different characters. I had to pay extra attention to each character's point of focus so the audience would always know which character was speaking.” In addition, Barlow will hold workshops with MTSU theatre students this week. To hear an interview with this Seattle-based working actor, whose credits include repertory, commercials, television, and movies, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2008.html and click on “November 16, 2008” at the top of the page.

“YOU FEELIN’ ALRIGHT?/I’M NOT FEELING TOO GOOD MYSELF.”—FROM “FEELIN’ ALRIGHT” BY DAVE MASON--The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at MTSU will serve as host for the 17th Annual Undergraduate Social Science Symposium today, Nov. 18, and tomorrow, Nov. 19, in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room, Hazlewood Dining Hall and Dining Room C. This year’s theme is “Sick in America: Sociocultural Perspectives of Health and Well-Being.” A panel discussion is on tap for tomorrow with Patrick Willard, AARP; Lisa Baird, Cannon County Domestic Violence; Russell Caughron, Tennessee State Veterans Home; Lori Smith, Tennessee Health Care Campaign; and Arlene Benefield of Alacare Home Health and Hospice. A free showing of Michael Moore’s documentary “Sicko” is slated for 2:20 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 19, in the Tennessee Room. All events are free and open to the public. Contact the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at 615-898-2508.

IT’S YOUR BUSINESS--It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week at MTSU and numerous business leaders and academic experts will address a variety of topics pertinent to today’s global economy. Topics include “Raising the Level of Competition of American Industry in Asian Markets,” “The Importance of Education in a Competitive Global Marketplace,” and “Expanding Internationally: Labor, Culture and Recruitment Issues.” For more information, contact Kay Blasingame-Boike at 615-898-5687 or kblasing@mtsu.edu.