Thursday, March 5, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Domo arigato, Dr. Kawahito!

Music from Japan, now in its 34th season, will bring its internationally acclaimed presentation of Japanese music to Hinton Hall in MTSU’s Wright Music Building from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. This year’s “Tradition/E-novation” concert will include works for shamisen, a three-stringed traditional instrument similar to a guitar but with a much longer, slimmer neck and without frets, as well as violin and electronics. “They bring the best in the field every year,” says Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, Advisor to the President and the Provost on Asian Affairs and professor emeritus of economics and finance. Murfreesboro is one of only six stops on this year’s North American tour, which includes Washington, D.C., and New York, N.Y. This event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

Contact Kawahito at mfj@mtsu.edu or kawahito@mtsu.edu.

Going through a phase

Did you know that pure solids can change size and/or shape right on cue? Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “When heated above its transition temperature, a crooked wire of nickel-titanium alloy will become as straight as a pin. And when pure plutonium is headed, it will adopt four different crystalline forms, expanding by a whopping 25 percent, before it gets downsized to yet another two crystal structures and finally shrinks when it melts at 640 degrees Celsius. Respectively, these phase transitions create exciting opportunities for new medical devices and intimidating technical challenges for maintaining the safety of our nuclear weapons stockpile.”

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

The handicapable president

Several disabled individuals have distinguished themselves in politics. Amputees Max Cleland and Bob Kerrey have been U.S. Senators. U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson of Colorado is still serving after suffering an aneurysm that slowed his speech. And, as we all know, FDR governed the nation from a wheelchair, although his aides went to great pains to hide his disability from the public. John Harris, director of Disabled Student Services, says, “People with visible disabilities have had to problem-solve. They’ve had to analyze situations. They’ve had to develop ideas. And, of course, they’ve had to figure out how to manage their lives. All of these things are necessary to lead a country or the world, since the United States is seen as the leader.”

Contact Harris at 615-898-2783.
jlharris@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“MY SEXUALITY HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM TO ME, BUT I THINK IT HAS BEEN FOR OTHER PEOPLE.”—DUSTY SPRINGFIELD--“Sexuality” is the theme of the 2009 Interdisciplinary Conference in Women’s Studies at MTSU, which is slated for Thursday and Friday, March 26-27, in Cantrell Hall in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building. Learned scholars from across the country, as well as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, will present research on topics representing the vast panoply of perspectives on sexuality, including biology, culture, and sexuality; sex trafficking; feminism and sexuality; and gender construction and sexuality. “At MTSU, we have an inclusive definition of diversity,” says Dr. Kaylene Gebert, Executive Vice President and Provost. “The Women’s Studies Program and this conference give the campus and the community and opportunity to hear national speakers and scholars who focus on contemporary issues.” For more information, go to www.mtsu.edu/womenstu, or contact the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

RAD STREET CRED--A series of six Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes will be offered at no charge every Thursday through Mar. 26 from 6-8 p.m. in the MTSU police training room located at 1412 East Main Street. The class will be open to all female MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as to the general public. For more information or to enroll, call RAD instructor David Smith at 615-692-2424.

MONEY FOR SCHOOL--Applications materials are being accepted through March 15 for the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship. The Murfreesboro Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will award a $1,000 scholarship each semester—Fall 2009 and Spring 2010—to the MTSU undergraduate student who best demonstrates academic promise and financial need. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must have successfully completed their freshman year at MTSU. Returning adult students, in particular, are encouraged to apply. The scholarship is renewable each semester as long as full-time status and a 2.5 GPA are maintained. AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. For complete scholarship criteria, contact Dr. Tanya M. Peres, chair of the Ruth Houston Scholarship Committee, at 615-904-8590 or tperes@mtsu.edu.

YOUNG MCDONALD TOOK A CLASS--MTSU is the first four-year university in the state to be included in the Perkins IV Reserve Fund Grant that allows high school students to take a Career Technical Education class for high school and college credit simultaneously. High school agriculture students taking Greenhouse Management will receive dual credit for the Introduction to Ornamental Horticultural Science course (ABAS 1101). Dr. Cliff Ricketts, professor, and Alanna L. Neely, instructor, will explore how this new dual credit program works in a professional development program for teachers from 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST (4:30-5:30 p.m. EST) today, March 5. This presentation will be delivered by the Satellite and Webcasting Center. For more information, call 615-898-2737.