Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Darwin threw a heck of a curveball!

The history of American baseball is evolutionary, not developmental, proclaims Dr. Ron Bombardi, chair of the Department of Philosophy. “Consider the Ruth era,” Bombardi says. “But first, recall that before Babe Ruth began turning game-tides with spectacular long balls, the home run was more a marvel than a maneuver; moreover, because the early ballparks lacked outfield fences (These were provided by flexible crowd lines.), home runs were more functions of time than distance. After Ruth, however, the entire baseball ecosystem was transformed. The parks changed, pitching strategies changed, defensive positioning changed, and a new set of cultural expectations formed. Ruth initiated not just the home run, but the Home Run Hero. None of the original elements of the finite game really changed all that much (exactly what generalized Darwinism predicts); yet, the infinite game was transfigured.”

Contact Bombardi at 615-898-2049.
rbombard@mtsu.edu

Three to get ready

The women of the Epsilon Tau Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi sorority at MTSU will sponsor the second annual “Alpha Delta Pi-athlon: A Unique Triathlon Challenge” on Sunday, April 18. This triathlon challenge will include a 300-meter swim, a 10-mile bike ride and a 5K run (3.14 miles). The swimming portion of the event will take place at the Campus Recreation Center. The bike ride will start and end on campus, but the majority of the ride will take place off-campus. The 5K run will be on campus. Awards will be given to the top male and female participants, as well as the top three in each age group. Door prizes also will be awarded. Proceeds from the triathlon will benefit the Ronald McDonald House and scholarship funding for MTSU students through Alpha Delta Pi’s scholarship program.

Contact Shelby Smith at adpiathlon@gmail.com.

Spill it out!

Dr. Barbara A. Carr, Region 5 Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Enforcement Officer and Coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will speak at MTSU April 13-15. Carr will lecture on “Oil, Pollution and Prevention” to Dr. Kathy Mathis’ class today, April 13, at 9:40 a.m. in Room 302 of the E.W. Midgett Building and Thursday, April 15, to Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross’ class in Room 115 of the Alumni Memorial Gym. Carr will explain why oil is toxic to aquatic life/environments, provide a general history of oil pollution prevention regulation, and explain how the regulatory process is influenced by industries and green groups. Tomorrow, April 14, from 6-7 p.m., Carr will talk about “Moon: Cheese or Not?” in the Monohan Residence Hall classroom. This is a short chronicle of her not-so-direct path to a satisfying career in environmental protection and careers for other women in science.

Contact Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253.
jiriarte@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE ONE THAT I WANT--The Wesley Players will present “Grease” from April 14-18 at the Wesley Foundation at MTSU, 218 College Heights Ave. in Murfreesboro. Performances on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will start at 8 p.m., and a dinner theatre performance is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 17. A special matinee performance will be presented at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. Dinner theatre tickets are $20 each. The Wesley Foundation is the United Methodist student center for MTSU. Contact the Wesley Foundation office at 615-893-0469 or wesleyfoundation@comcast.net.

ON THE GROW--MTSU students who take the ABAS 3600 course (“Horticulture in Our Lives”) will conduct their annual plant sale at the Horticulture Center located on Blue Raider Drive across from the Tennessee Livestock Center. The schedule is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 15-16, April 22-23, and April 29-30. The students raised the plants themselves. Funds are used for scholarships. The plants available for purchase include bedding plants, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, cucumbers, petunias, salvia, snapdragons, wax leaf begonias, dragon wing begonias, zinnias, geraniums, impatiens, double impatiens, million bells, million golds, periwinkle, Dusty Miller, celosia, coleus, and much, much more. Geraniums are $3 for each six-inch pot. All hanging baskets and flats are $12. Contact the College of Agribusiness and Agriscience at 615-898-2523.

“IS THIS HEAVEN?” “IT’S IOWA.”—DWIER BROWN AND KEVIN COSTNER IN “FIELD OF DREAMS”--Dr. Greg Heath, chairman of the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, will present “Physical Activity and the Built Environment: If You Build It, Will They Come … And Use It?” at 7 p.m. tomorrow, April 14, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. “Dr. Heath’s talk will address how the physical design of our communities can play an important role in reducing childhood obesity and providing children and families with greater opportunities to lead an active lifestyle,” says Dr. Don Morgan, professor of health and human performance and director of MTSU’s Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth. This event is free and open to the public. Contact Morgan at 615-898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.

DIGGIN’ UP BONES--Dr. Kathy Reichs, producer of the Fox television series “Bones” based on her work and related novels, will visit MTSU as the featured speaker of the Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship at 7 p.m., tomorrow, April 14, in Murphy Center. The lecture, titled “From Crime Lab to Crime Fiction,” is free and open to the public. Reichs, known as “Dr. Bones,” has career experience ranging from teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains to separating and identifying commingled body parts. Her novels include Deja Dead, Monday Mourning and 260 Bones. Reichs will sign books following her lecture, and copies of her titles will be available for sale in Phillips Bookstore, located in Keathley University Center, prior to her talk. For more information, contact the Forensic Institute for Research and Education at 615-494-7713.

MTSU MOVIEMAKERS--The initial public viewing of “The New, True Charlie Wu,” the fourth independent film from Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, and a crew of MTSU students and alumni will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, at Premier 6 Theater, 810 N.W. Broad St. in Murfreesboro. In addition, there will be multiple special nighttime showings from 7-10 p.m. that evening on the first floor of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. The short movie follows the title character, a young accountant who is disenchanted with his job, on a trip into his subconscious mind, where his overbearing boss and a gospel choir compete for his soul and his future. “Charlie Wu” already has received the Remi Award out of more than 2,400 entries at the 43rd annual Worldfest, the oldest independent film festival in the country, in Houston, as well as “Best Comedy Short” awards from the Smogdance International Film Festival in Pomona, Calif., and the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Film Festival in Palm Bay, Fla. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.

LULLABY AND GOOD NIGHT--In March 2006, Jaz’s Jammies was created to collect new pajamas for sick children in hospitals to help them feel appreciated and loved while staying extended periods of time. Jaz’s Jammies has collected nearly 3,000 pairs of pajamas. Originally, it was the Girl Scout project of MTSU student Jasmine Gray, a young woman who had experienced dozens of surgeries for a facial disorder and had spent up to three months in the hospital at a time. You can help Jaz’s Jammies spread love by donating during the 2010 Pajama Drive through April 29. Drop off your children’s PJs at the University Honors College, the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, the Business and Aerospace Building or the second floor of the Keathley University Center. If you’re off-campus, you can set up a drive for your community organization, business or school. For more information, send an e-mail to jazsjammies@yahoo.com.

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 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).