Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Two-digit trouble

Two Tennessee MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) now suffer from double-digit unemployment, as does the state as a whole. Preliminary figures show that Clarksville registered a 10.9 percent jobless rate in July 2009, followed by Memphis with 10.3. Nashville posted a 9.5 percent mark followed by Chattanooga at 9.5 percent and Knoxville at 9 percent. The unemployment rate in Tennessee was 10.8 percent, down from the previous month’s mark of 11.1 percent, but a far cry from the 6.8 percent statewide figure of a year ago. City dwellers fared better than those living less populated areas. The unemployment rate was 9.8 in the metropolitan areas, compared to 13.4 percent in the rest of the state. The national rate was 9.7 percent.

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

Diffraction action

MTSU is the leader of a successful collaboration to bring a state-of-the-art instrument for the neutron analysis of advanced materials to one of the world’s top centers for neutron scattering. MTSU joined with North Carolina State University, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to obtain a single-crystal neutron diffractometer, also known as IMAGINE, through the National Science Foundation and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “This diffractometer will fill a gap in U.S. neutron diffraction capabilities since no similar instrumentation is currently available at a neutron reactor source in the United States,” says Dr. Tibor S. Koritsanszky, professor of chemistry at MTSU. IMAGINE will be placed on a beam line with a cold neutron source, in which neutrons are chilled to reduce their energy and make them more useful for analyzing materials’ properties at longer microscopic lengths.

Contact Koritsanszky at 615-904-8592.
tkoritsa@mtsu.edu

The shot seen ‘round the world

Against the wishes of the family, a photo of Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard taken just after his body was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan was circulated by the Associated Press. Bernard later died. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates sent the AP a letter calling the news organization’s decision “appalling.” Chris Harris, a professor of electronic media communication who has done photographic work for the AP, United Press International, Time, Newsweek and other news-gathering entities, has seen the picture of Bernard. He says, “The photo was taken in poor light and, while disturbing, it is not as graphic as many other images taken in the war with Iraq. It is personal, however.” Harris says the clash between AP and the Defense Department “showed the constant conflict between news organizations and the subjects they cover.”

Contact Harris at 615-898-2841.
crharris@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

NINE IS FINE.--MTSU’s Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA) will mark the ninth day of the ninth month of 2009 with a campus-wide celebration today, Sept. 9. Faculty members from the Department of History will mark the occasion by sharing historical events that occurred on Sept. 9 with students in their classes. In honor of all students who were born on Sept. 9, IDA will present a huge birthday cake at noon in the Keathley University Center (KUC) courtyard. The comedy movie “Waterboy,” starring Sept. 9 birthday boy Adam Sandler, will be presented at midnight in the KUC Theater. Another celebrity born on Sept. 9, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Harland “Colonel” Sanders, will be seen strolling around the campus. Since the Colonel passed away in 1980, a gifted impersonator, “Colonel” Bob Thompson, former mayor of Lawrenceburg, Ky., will assume Sanders’ identity. For more information, contact Vincent Windrow, director of IDA, at 615-898-2831 or vwindrow@mtsu.edu.

INJECTION FOR PROTECTION--MTSU Health Services will administer seasonal flu vaccine injections to faculty, staff and students and multiple locations. These vaccinations are not for the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as “swine flu.” Seasonal flu vaccinations will be available from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. today, Sept. 9, and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 10, in the atrium of the Health, Wellness and Recreation Center. At this location, payment may be made by cash, check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or students may charge the expense to their MTSU accounts. On Monday, Sept. 14, shots will be available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the second floor lounge of the Keathley University Center. Payment may be made by cash or check at this location. The cost is $15 for students and $20 for faculty and staff. No appointment is necessary. Contact Health Services at 615-898-2988.

GETTING TO KNOW US--The Student Organization Fair is slated for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. today, Sept. 9. From 8 p.m.-midnight on Friday, Sept. 11, it’s “Dance the Night Away” in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu.

WHEN YOU YEARN TO LEARN--MTSU professors, past and present, will serve as some of the tour guides for the 19th annual “Adventures in Learning,” an interesting educational experience for persons age 50 and older, on four successive Mondays, Sept. 14, 21, and 28, and Oct. 5, at First United Methodist Church, 265 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. Topics to be explored include recreation, literature, country music, genealogy, technology, ethnicity and history. Classes will last from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 10:45-11:45 a.m. “Adventures in Learning” is made possible by a local interfaith coalition. The cost for all four weeks is $8 in advance or $10 after Sept. 2. Lunch reservations and payments must be made in advance of the classes. Lunch will be catered by Carolyn’s Creations, followed by forums on various items of civic interest. Contact Mary Belle Ginanni at 615-895-6072.

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.

ART FROM THE HEART--The Todd Art Gallery at MTSU will present the art department’s 2009 biennial Faculty Art Exhibition through Sept. 17. “This exhibit will feature works of art by faculty members as a way to introduce their work to art majors, the broader campus population and the community,” says Eric Snyder, gallery curator, who adds that the artworks represented will vary in media and styles—from representational, abstract and non-objective to traditional media in a straightforward manner and mixed media with a “twist.” The gallery, which is located in the Todd Building on the MTSU campus, is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each Monday-Friday and is closed on state and university holidays. Admission is always free. Contact Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.