Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

When pigs fly (swine flu)

Obama administration officials say they are prepared to deal with the worldwide swine flu outbreak, which has been linked to some 150 deaths in Mexico. The confirmed number of cases in the U.S. was 50 at last report. Dr. Stephen Wright, biology, says, “This swine flu virus is different from the usual human influenza viruses currently circulating and the vaccine won’t provide protection. The World Health Organization has raised the alert level for swine flu, reflecting that this virus exhibits sustained human to human transmission. The outbreak is still in the ‘pre-pandemic’ stage although health officials are monitoring the situation closely. While a number of individuals in Mexico have died, most of the reports in the US reflect the more typical influenza experience of fever, aches, and sore throat/coughing.”

Contact Wright at 615-898-2056.
smwright@mtsu.edu

Picture perfect

MTSU’s Public History Program will present Visions of the Past: Through the Lens of Shacklett’s Photography, a free exhibit featuring the historic collection of Shacklett’s photographs, beginning Thursday, April 30, from 4-7 p.m. at The Heritage Center, 225 West College Street in Murfreesboro. “The exhibit looks at four aspects of local culture: religion, education, sports and the changing landscape,” says exhibit director Layton Carr. Bill Shacklett adds, “The Heritage Reclamation Project is setting a standard through such exhibits for preserving historically significant photographs.” The exhibit will be on display through July 31. The Heritage Center is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Contact Tom Tozer in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.
ttozer@mtsu.edu

Looking up

Consumer confidence in Middle Tennessee is on an upswing. The overall Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index from the MTSU Office of Consumer Research rose from -66 in February to 105 this month. The poll was conducted among 470 randomly selected adult residents of Davidson, Williamson and Rutherford counties. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the office, says reasons for positive views of the future of the American economy include the cyclical nature of the economy, ability to recover from tough times in the past, recent gains in the stock market, and continuing opportunities for growth and new business success.

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

STILL WORKING ON IT--When the federal Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, a woman in the United States earned only 59 cents for each dollar a man earned. Today, according to 2007 statistics from the National Committee on Pay Equity, a U.S. woman earns only 78 cents for each dollar a man earns. To draw attention to this imbalance, several groups are co-sponsoring Pay Equity Day activities today, April 28, at MTSU. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will disseminate information on the Keathley University Center knoll. At 2 p.m., Dr. Jackie Gilbert, management and marketing professor, will present “Equal pay, the Individual and the Institution” in Room 100 of the James Union Building. Supporters are encouraged to wear red to dramatize women’s ongoing struggle of being “in the red.” For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2913 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS--“People are shouting too many philosophies of health and happiness at us,” notes a commentator on the recent explosion of interest in a topic of vital interest to us all—our own perceived well-being. But long before the shouting began, philosophers like Aristotle, Epicurus, Montaigne, Spinoza, Mill, Hume and James were carefully considering the question of how to get happy and stay that way. Dr. James Oliver will lead students through an examination of this subject in “The Philosophy of Happiness,” a class slated for Tuesdays and Thursdays this fall at MTSU. “In this course, we’ll survey older philosophical ideas about happiness, the new approach in psychology, and some of the best fictional literature,” says Oliver. ”Our approach will be calm, reasonable and interdisciplinary, with no gratuitous shouting.” Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050 or poliver@mtsu.edu.

GET A CLUE!--MTSU is expanding its popular CSI: MTSU four-day program for students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades in Rutherford and surrounding counties. This year’s event is slated for June 16-19. The goals of CSI: MTSU are: to allow students to explore many unique career possibilities in forensic science; to provide a “real life” reasons to tackle higher level math and science courses; and to develop skills in teamwork, seeing and understanding details, critical thinking and presentation skills. The student investigators will be presented with a re-creation of an actual crime scene. Each student is trained in the fundamental processes of collecting evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, hair and fibers, simulated blood spatter, and shoe prints. For more information or to register, call 615-898-2462 or send an e-mail to eshockle@mtsu.edu.

ART FOR OUR SAKE--The Department of Art at MTSU will serve as host for the third of three spring 2009 art exhibits by seniors who are candidates for the department’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree beginning through May 1. “Port Folio” is the title of the final spring ’09 show, and it will be on display in the Art Gallery at Todd Hall. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will showcase student projects that utilize their skills in print, Web, motion, book arts and more. For more information, contact Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653.