Thursday, July 30, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

It’s in the bag.

Are you ready for a paper bag you can throw onto the ground without being accused of littering? Frito-Lay will debut a new totally biodegradable bag for its SunChips brand by Earth Day 2010. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says, “Frito-Lay’s choice of SunChips as the brand to debut an environmentally friendly package is appropriate. SunChips is positioned as a healthier alternative to potato chips. Using ‘healther’ packaging for SunChips is a great fit. … Kudos to Frito-Lay for taking the initiative to develop packaging that has less of a negative impact on our environment. It is the right thing to do, and environmentally responsible packaging can be leveraged as a point of difference to set you apart from competitors.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

Autism speaks—and learns

When it comes to training professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, the MTSU College of Education and Behavioral Science is looking to the future. Dr. Lesley Craig-Unkefer, associate professor, has developed new coursework that focuses on working with children with ASD. The autism-related classes were first offered in the spring 2009 semester, and the introductory class will be offered again this fall. “The state of Tennessee does not currently have a licensure or certificate for ASD at this point,” says Craig-Unkefer, “and I don’t know when that will occur, but in preparation for that, I would like to get more of our ASD courses up and running.” She also says, “Because there is an interest, we’ve discussed developing one-hour online courses that have specific (ASD) content that would reach out to individuals in more rural areas or who would just prefer to get that information online.”

Contact the Department of Elementary and Special Education at 615-898-2680.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Three-time Emmy Award-winner and MTSU alumnus Wayne White will talk about a new book compiling the creative efforts of his three-decade career at 7 a.m. on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, August 2, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).The book, titled Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve (Ammo Books), displays his work as an illustrator, cartoonist, animator, puppeteer and production designer. White won his Emmys for art direction for “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” He also is the recipient of an MTV Award for Smashing Pumpkins’ video “Tonight, Tonight” and a Billboard Award for Peter Gabriel’s video “Big Time.”

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

TR EXTRA

NO ENRGY CRISIS HERE!--The MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will sponsor Camp ENRGY, a five-day camp designed for youth with physical disabilities, Aug. 3-7. Camp ENRGY (Excellence ‘N’ Recreation and Games for Youth), which is free for its youth participants, will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily on and off the MTSU campus with many activities taking place in the university’s recreation center, says Dr. Don Morgan, professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. “We hope that this summer camp will become a template for other camps for physically challenged youth here in Tennessee and throughout the nation,” says Morgan. Media are welcomed to cover this inaugural event.
For more information about Camp ENRGY, contact Sandy Stevens at sstevens@mtsu.edu
or Jenny Hutchens at jgs2a@mtsu.edu. Call Morgan at 615-898-5549.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU--Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls will don their finest Western duds to “Saddle Up for Project Help” at the 2009 fundraiser set for today, July 30, at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium on the MTSU campus. The fun will get underway at 6:30 p.m. with event registration. A barbecue dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by live music and dancing. Silent and live-auction bidding will close at 8:15 p.m., and auction checkout will be at 8:30 p.m. Founded in 1983, the nonprofit Project Help provides early intervention and family support services with disabilities and developmental delays up to age 3. Project Help currently serves 48 children with special needs. The staff includes more than 150 student volunteers each semester. For more information, call 615-898-2458 or go to www.mtsu.edu/projecthelp.

SOLID AS A ROCK BLOK—Registration is open now for this fall’s Rock Blok workshop at MTSU. Young musicians ages 10-17 can learn music, make friends and form a band at the workshop, which is slated to begin September 5th. “When a student signs up, he or she is assigned to a band with other students,” says Ryan York, executive leader of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!) and workshop leader. “Each band has two professional musicians as volunteer teachers. The students then spend two hours each Saturday learning music, working up a set list, making merchandise for their band, recording an album and writing music.” At the conclusion of the workshop, the bands will perform in concert. The fee is $40 a month ($120 total). For more information, go to www.YEAHintheBoro.org, send an e-mail to info@YEAHintheBoro.org, or call 615-849-8140.

PRESSING ON--The legacy of MTSU’s working replica of an 18th century printing press will be explained through photos and prints as part of an exhibit at the main branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., through Sept. 27. The exhibit is titled “Telling the Story: Letterpress Printing and Community.” The university’s segment will include the story of letterpress printing at MTSU. The works of current MTSU art students; alumni; visiting artists; faculty; elementary, middle- and high-school teachers and students who printed on the James E. Walker Library’s unique device will be highlighted. A reproduction of the English common press used by Benjamin Franklin in the early 1700s, the printing press was handcrafted in 2004 and 2005 out of chestnut and white oak wood from a 100-year-old house in Virginia. Contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.