Friday, May 1, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The poop on piggies

U.S. hog futures plummeted yesterday despite scientific evidence that eating pork will not give the consumer the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu. Reuters reports that 13 countries have banned pork or meat from U.S. states that have reported cases of the disease. Dr. Jessica Gentry Carter, agribusiness and agriscience, says, “The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have emphasized that pork and hogs are safe. Direct contact with pigs is not the source of the hybrid influenza … The American Veterinary Medical Association is advising consumers concerned about the outbreak … that neither exposure to pigs nor consumption of pork are risk factors for infection.”

Contact Carter at 615-898-2419.
jgcarter@mtsu.edu

For the health of it

Dr. Andrew Owusu, assistant professor of health and human performance, will discuss the second stage of his study of youth health and wellness in his native Ghana at 7 a.m. this Sunday, May 3, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Owusu is the primary investigator/country coordinator for the Ghana School-Based Student Health Survey Project. The first phase of the investigation involved the initiation of capacity-building activities and data collection on health-risk behaviors among approximately 6,000 students. With this achievement, MTSU became the first U.S. institution to successfully lead the implementation of a comprehensive nationwide surveillance system dedicated to the health of school children in an African country.

Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

Breaking with tradition

Colleges and universities at the Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education’s (ANTSHE) annual conference have bestowed their second-highest ranking on MTSU and designated the university’s director of Off-Campus Student Services a “National Treasure.” In ANTSHE’s campus survey of members, associates and friends, MTSU received a Two Star rating for the services it provides to nontraditional students, the second-highest rating of the 47 uniquely identified institutions surveyed. Dr. Carol Ann Baily, director of Off-Campus Student Services at MTSU, was presented with the ANTSHE National Treasure Award for her “untiring efforts on behalf of the students on her campus and her continued advocacy through participation and mentoring of national programs for all nontraditional students.”

Contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081.
gklogue@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

WOMEN, BE AWARE!--The MTSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women will present “Safety Awareness, Risk Reduction, and Self-Defense for Women,” a workshop conducted by Don Dennis, police officer and women’s self-defense instructor, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, May 2, in Auxiliary Gym 1 in Murphy Center. This session is free and open to the public. It will cover situational awareness and simple actions that can be done in everyday life to reduce the risks of being assaulted and self-defense options that can be utilized in the event of an assault. Participants are advised to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. For more information, contact Nancy James at 615-898-2970.

IT FELL OUT OF THE SKY--The MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy will present its final First Friday Star Party of the semester from 6:30-8:30 p.m. today, May 1, in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Building. Dr. JanaRuth Ford will present “Meteorites: Special Deliveries from Space,” a 30-45 minute public lecture followed by outdoor telescope observation, weather permitting. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Charles Higgins at 615-898-5946 or Dr. Eric Klumpe at 615-898-2483.

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 through today, 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.