Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Intelligence on display

The MTSU McNair Program will present its 10th annual symposium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, and from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Thursday, July 30 in the Tom H. Jackson Building. The McNair Program is designed to give low-income/first-generation and underrepresented undergraduate students the support they need to prepare for and successfully complete a doctorate degree in their chosen fields. McNair scholars will make oral presentations of their 2009 summer research. Their research posters also will be on display. Topics include “Blowing Up the Ballot Box: The Political Violence of the Election Cycle;” “How World War I Affected Poor Tennessean Citizens and Their Experiences;” “Playing Doctor: Assessing Future Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Child Sexual Behavior;” and “Prevention and Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain: Physical Therapy and Other Non-Surgical Methods.”

Contact the McNair Program at 615-904-8462.

Working at finding work

In the week ending July 4, seasonally adjusted weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance in Tennessee was 12,122, down from a revised 12,444 in the previous week and the lowest amount this year. Actual claims, before seasonal adjustment, fell to 8.990 during the week. Seasonally adjusted initial weekly claims have averaged 13,312 since January 1, 2009. Continued claims for unemployment insurance (insured unemployment) declined to 112,661 from a revised 113,687 in the previous week. Continued claims have averaged 109,184 since January 1.

Contact the Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610.

Fission and fusion—fact or fiction?

Dr. Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, has come to believe that nuclear energy is one of the most environmentally responsible ways among currently available technologies to meet Earth’s energy needs. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “The reactions of many activists, but thankfully not all, to topics such as nuclear energy tend to be more superstitious than rational. Once an opinion is formed about ‘nukes,’ that’s it. It can never change. It’s a bogeyman. Rational responses require updated and correct knowledge. That applies to everybody--those who are for a particular technology and those who are opposed to it. … Research is the only way to separate fact from fiction, and the Internet is an excellent technology for the efficient diffusion of knowledge.”

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

TR EXTRA

R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--Scores of girls ages 10 to 17 will convene July 27 through July 31 at MTSU for the seventh annual Murfreesboro edition of the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC), a week-long gathering that nurtures musical talent and self-esteem in a positive, supportive atmosphere. The day camp, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. each day, will feature instruction in drums, vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass, as well as workshops in recording, screenprinting, songwriting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m., the girls will display the skills they honed in bands throughout the week by performing in a showcase concert in Tucker Theater. Admission is $8 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m. Contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or Nicole Tekulve, SGRRC Director, at 615-849-8140.

THE I-24 CONNECTION--The newly formed Dual Admission Program between MTSU and Nashville State Community College (NSCC) is designed to make it easier to earn a four-year degree. To apply for dual admission, a student must plan on pursuing a bachelor’s degree, meet the admission criteria for NSCC, have 29 or fewer college-level semester hours and, if a transfer or current student at NSCC, have a GPA of 2.0. A student must also complete all required high school courses to qualify for transfer to MTSU. Once enrolled in the dual-admission program, a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and must have earned an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Science in Teaching degree. A formal signing of the agreement between the two schools is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, at MTSU. Contact Tom Tozer at MTSU 615-898-2919 or Brent Young at Nashville State Community College at brent.young@nscc.edu.

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.

“OH, SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG; SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH!—PSALMS 96:1--Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music, based in Nashville, will provide instruction in the performance of Southern Gospel music through July 24 on the MTSU campus. Subjects for daily classes include theory, harmony, songwriting, sight singing and ear training. Private lessons are offered in voice, piano, guitar and bass guitar. Electives include classes on how to lead congregational singing and how to build a successful career in gospel music. “The Stamps-Baxter Publishing Co. was, in its day, the premier publisher of Southern Gospel music,” says Dr. Stephen Shearon, MTSU professor of music. The Gaither Vocal Band, Allison Durham Speer, Greater Vision, Ivan Parker, Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs and The Florida Boys are among the artists who have performed free concerts at the school in the past. For more information, go to http://stampsbaxterschool.com or contact Shearon at 615-898-5984 or sshearon@mtsu.edu.

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.

THE TOUR DU JOUR--MTSU’s Office of Admissions will offer student-led campus tours at 10 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding holidays) through July 31. The tours are by reservation only. Plenty of openings remain for all of July. To make a reservation, call 615-898-5670 or visit mtsu.edu/admissn/tour_admissn.shtml and click on “Schedule Campus Tours.” For more information, contact Michelle Arnold at 615-898-5280 or maarnold@mtsu.edu.