Thursday, March 26, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

No Redoubt about it

Experts with the U.S. Geological Survey say that Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcano could continue spewing ash for days or even months. Fred Belton of MTSU’s Academic Enrichment Department traveled to Tanzania in July 2005 on a four-week expedition to Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active volcano in the African Rift valley. “It (Mount Redoubt) is not really a big danger in terms of towns or cities actually being destroyed by an eruption because the volcano is relatively remote,” Belton says. “The main issue is that it tends to produce fine ash which is widely dispersed. It is damaging to any machine that operates outside and has an air intake such as cars and air conditioning/heating units, and, in particular, planes are at risk.”

Contact Belton at 615-898-2208.
fbelton@mtsu.edu

Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.

MTSU Theatre will present “Urinetown the Musical” at 7:30 p.m. April 1-4 and at 2 p.m. April 5 in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building’s Tucker Theatre. The three-time Tony Award-winning musical provides a satirical and comedic look at a future in which water supplies have dried up and the public must use pay-to-pee toilets regulated by the Urine Good Company. When Bobby, a custodian at the filthiest toilet in town, decides enough is enough, he leads a rebellion to free the citizens. Deborah Anderson, a member of MTSU’s speech and theatre faculty and the play’s director, says, “We’re all going to experience this (environmental) ruin that is rocketing toward us at such a speed that we will probably not be able to turn it away no matter how much recycling we do. But at least we should try, and this show provides a humorous look at what could happen.”

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for MTSU staff and K-12 students. MTSU students are admitted free of charge with a valid ID. For more information, call 615-494-8810.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer transitions into a totally digital product and the Rocky Mountain News fades into the sunset altogether, Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, pauses to assert that journalism is becoming more important than ever. Burriss says, “Here’s what sets journalism apart from run-of-the-mill blogs, twitters and other electronic sites that pass themselves off as serious reporting: journalists have access to newsmakers and are trained in the gathering and evaluation of information. Even many high-profile Web sites are nothing more than collections of gossip, innuendo, half-truths and distortions. That’s why I say the craft and role of journalism will become even more important.”

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

TR EXTRA

“HELL, THERE ARE NO RULES HERE. WE’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING.”—THOMAS EDISON--The sounds of history come alive as Martin Fisher, manager of recorded media collections for the Center for Popular Music, discusses recording formats from the Edison cylinder to the digital download on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, March 29, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Fisher talks about his contemporary recordings of folk music on a 1906-era Edison cylinder phonograph at the 2007 Reelfoot Lake Arts and Crafts Festival and the 2009 Memphis Folk Alliance. Logue will play sound from the demonstrations, which illustrates the quality of the new mechanical acoustic recordings when reproduced with modern electric pickups. For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

PROJECT RUNWAY--The MTSU Fashion Promotion class will conduct a fashion show at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. Admission is $5 per person at the door. All proceeds will be donated to Pennies for Peace. For more information, contact Dr. Jasmin Hyunju Kwon, assistant professor of textiles, merchandising and design, at 615-904-8340.

IT’S A PRIVILEGE--Dr. Peggy McIntosh, associate director of the Wellesley Centers for Women, will present “Recognizing and Lessening Systems of Privilege with Regard to Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation,” a workshop for administrators, faculty and staff, as part of the Women’s Studies Conference at 1 p.m. today, March 26, in the Tom H. Jackson Building. McIntosh also will guide a workshop for MTSU students titled “Coming to See Privilege Systems: The Surprising Journey” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. For more information, contact the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

ORDER IN THE COURT--Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will lecture on “Judicial Independence in Jeopardy: The First Amendment and the Culture Wars” at 1 p.m. today, March 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public and cosponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Fund and by the Women’s Studies Program. For more information, contact Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College, at 615-898-2152.

“ARE YOU REALLY JUST A SHADOW OF THE MAN THAT I ONCE KNEW?”—FROM “DOCTOR WU” BY STEELY DAN--How do you teach students the art of filmmaking? By letting them make a film. But how do you pay for it? With a national economic recession and the threat of budget cuts hitting close to home, Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, is going viral and asking for donations to pay for it online. Pondillo is the writer and director of “The New, True Charlie Wu,” a movie made with an all-MTSU student crew. The film is now in post-production. It’s “the story of a young man caught in a job he hates,” says Pondillo. He compensates for his malaise through conspicuous consumption, thinking that things can “fill the hole in his heart,” as Pondillo puts it. To contribute, go to www.youandcharliewu.com. For each dollar contributed, the donor gets a point. The more points the donor gets, the more prestigious the mention in the credits. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 and pondillo@mtsu.edu.

THE NITTY GRITTY--The Girls Raised in Tennessee Science (GRITS) Collaborative, a statewide initiative to encourage girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is inviting you to register your program in the National Girls Collaborative Project Program Directory. Teachers, community groups and other organizations committed to collaborating with, informing and motivating girls are encouraged to register. The online program directory lists programs and resources that encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM. The purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals network, share resources, and work together on STEM-related projects for girls. With the online program directory, you can enter a program for inclusion in the directory, sign up for the e-newsletter listserv and search for programs using various criteria. For more information, contact Cacy DeSheles, assistant director of GRITS, at 615-494-7763 or cdd3b@mtsu.edu.

BRIGHT AND BRASSY--“Pistons and Pipes,” a free concert featuring the MTSU Faculty Brass Quintet, the MTSU Symphonic Brass Ensemble and First United Methodist Church organist and MTSU faculty member Sandra Arndt, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 30, at the church at 265 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. Festival music selections include J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, multiple brass choir works of Giovanni Gabrieli, David Sampson’s Fanfare for Canterbury Cathedral, Ingolf Dahl’s Music for Brass, and Craig Phillips’ energetic and lyric Suite for Organ, Brass, and Percussion. The concert will conclude with Ottorino Respighi’s brilliant Ancient Aires and Dances. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-2493 or go to www.mtsumusic.com.