Monday, March 29, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Political chemistry

Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, believes the first woman President of the United States will be a chemist like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and current German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “Dr. Merkel’s ability to solve complex problems, such as those that she specialized in as a quantum chemist at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin, no doubt helped her piece together a ‘grand coalition’ government after Germany’s ‘hung election’ in 2005,” says MacDougall. As for Lady Thatcher, he says, “Prior to her political career and marriage to Mr. Thatcher, Margaret Roberts was a chemistry major at a second-tier college. Her intellectual gifts earned her a transfer to Oxford University, where she was tutored in advanced chemistry and crystallography by Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1964 Nobel Prize winner).”

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

Cheers, cheers for old Notre Dame!

Former Notre Dame football player Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, the inspiration for the 1993 motion picture “Rudy,” will present a “Leadership Speaks” address at 7 p.m. tomorrow, March 30, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. The third of 14 children in a Joliet, Ill., family, Ruettiger struggled with dyslexia throughout childhood, but the condition was not diagnosed until he entered Holy Cross Junior College in South Bend, Ind. The school was across the street from the University of Notre Dame, which fueled Ruettiger’s desire to transfer and to make the Fighting Irish football team. Since Notre Dame Head Coach Ara Parseghian welcomed walk-ons, Ruettiger tried out and made the practice squad, despite being only 5’6” and 165 pounds. His unflagging hustle and determination earned him the respect of his teammates.

Call the Office of Leadership and Service at 615-898-5812.

“Just a little bit of history repeating”—The Propellerheads

The Texas Board of Education recently revised its social studies curriculum to exclude Thomas Jefferson as one of the intellectuals who inspired revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries and to include an assertion that the Founding Fathers envisioned America as a Christian nation, although not all of them were Christians. Dr. Willis Means, elementary and special education, says, “The influence of Texas’ textbook adoption and its ability to impose its ideologies on what is taught in K-12 schools through its statewide textbook adoptions is real. However, it is a reality that has been recognized since the publication of America Revised by Frances FitzGerald in 1980.” (Kirkus Book Review calls America Revised “an intelligent, reflective examination of American history textbooks.”

Contact Means at 615-494-8871.
hmeans@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

NOAH’S ARK--Rebecca Carter, dissertation fellow and instructor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will present “The Blessed Placemakers: Urban Violence, Religious Transformation, and Human Security in Post-Katrina New Orleans” at 12:45 p.m. Friday, April 2, in the Glassroom of Andrew L. Todd Hall. This event, sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Anthropology Society, is free and open to the public. Carter will deliver an informal talk on the grassroots formation of diverse religious movements in Orleans Parish and their influence in post-disaster urban redevelopment and reform. Case studies of religious communities include a Catholic “peace prayer” group; an Episcopal social justice ministry for victims of violence; an inner city Baptist church leading anti-violence and grief recovery ministries; and practitioners of Haitian Vodou conducting “crime ceremonies” for community healing. Contact the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at 615-898-2508.

MINUTE TO WIN IT?--The annual Employment Opportunities Exchange will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, March 29, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. The purpose of the ‘exchange’ is to help 2010 and 2011 graduates meet recruiters seeking employees in sales, marketing and management. “Using the ‘exchange’ format, employers will have the opportunity to share their information with many more students than time would allow at a typical career fair,” says Dr. Katie Kemp, assistant professor in the Department of Management and Marketing. Recruiters will rotate from table to table in timed sessions of approximately 10 to 15 minutes each, briefly sharing career opportunities with small groups of students seated at tables. When the bell rings, the recruiters move to another table. Contact Kemp at 615-898-2346 or kkemp@mtsu.edu.

GOING TO SEE THE CANDIDATES ORATE--MTSU, in cooperation with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, will play host to a gubernatorial forum at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in Murphy Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Free tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, starting with MTSU students, followed by faculty, staff and the general public. MTSU students with valid IDs may pick up tickets now. All other university personnel and the general public may pick up tickets beginning Monday, April 5. Tickets should be picked up in advance at the MTSU Ticket Office, located at Gate 1A at Floyd Stadium on Faulkinberry Drive. For all ticket and general information, call the MTSU Ticket Office at 1-888-YES-MTSU (1-888-937-6878).

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BOOK--Books, tapes, compact discs and more will be available at terrific prices at the annual American Association of University Women Book Sale from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, March 29-30, on the first floor of MTSU’s Keathley University Center. All proceeds benefit the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship Fund for MTSU students. For more information, contact Dr. Carol Ann Baily at 615-898-5989 or cabaily@mtsu.edu.

A STITCH IN TIME IS QUITE SUBLIME.--Stand back from the framed work on the wall and you’re looking at a tiger, an elephant or a goddess. Move closer and you’re looking at thousands and thousands of intricately woven stitches, grouped distinctively, yet blending into each other through meticulous selection of colors. This is the magic of cross stitching. Jaye Kiblinger’s exhibition, “Cross Stitch as an Art Form,” is on display through Monday, April 5, in the rotunda of Murfreesboro City Hall, 111 W. Vine St. The exhibition of nearly 50 items and the reception are free and open to the public. Kiblinger, an executive aide in the MTSU Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship at MTSU, says, “Most of my creations now take well over a year to complete, which is just fine with me. … Cross stitch is now part of my DNA—who I am.” For more information, go to http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/ and click on “Art in the Rotunda” under “Events.”

BOUND BY BOOKS--What better place to display new and innovative books than the James E. Walker Library? The MTSU facility is providing a showcase for student-created books sure to spark conversation and ignite the imagination now through Thursday, April 1, in the Special Collections area on the fourth floor. This is the second annual juried show featuring the work of MTSU’s Book Arts students. The Department of Art’s Book Arts Program offers classes in which students learn bookbinding techniques using both traditional and nontraditional forms and materials. Student works on display in Special Collections reflect individual creativity in expressing tributes to family or personal or humorous stories. Materials used include graphite, ribbon, rice paper, string, linen, cardstock, acetate, canvas, India ink, lithographs and leaves. The Special Collections area is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call 615-904-8501. For photos of the student art, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.