Thursday, June 3, 2010

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The clue crew

The MTSU Forensic Institute for Research and Education will sponsor “CSI-MTSU,” a four-day program designed for students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades in Rutherford and surrounding counties June 22-25. The student investigators will be presented with a re-creation of an actual crime scene. They will be divided into several teams. A professional will direct and coach each team as the students use math and science to solve the crime. Each student will be trained in the fundamental processes of collecting evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, hair and fibers, simulated blood spatter and shoe prints. Additionally, students will learn how to process the evidence, conduct interviews and formulate theories while working in a team environment. Registration for this day camp runs through Friday, June 11, but space is limited. Snacks, lunches, T-shirts and baseball-style caps are included in the fee of $250.

For more information, contact Eve Shockley at 615-898-5530, or go to http://www.mtsu.edu/fire/workshops.shtml.

Don’t worry, be logical.

Matt Ridley’s philosophy can be summed up in two words: don’t panic! In his new book, The Rational Optimist, takes on the pessimism of the latest “the end is near” crowd. Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, says, “The catch, for some of us, will be the book’s advocacy of unrestricted global trade and its implicit faith in perpetual growth and economic expansion. But the allure is the upbeat recognition that, for solid evolutionary reasons, we’re becoming better co-operators (or mutual enablers) and are living better (at least materially and medically), longer lives. … We can quibble about particulars, … but, on balance, he’s right. By most tangible measures of species’ well-being, we’re better off than our ancestors, and the past is no paradise. All who want to transport back to the 13th century and stay there, raise your hand.”

Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050.
poliver@mtsu.edu

There I go, turn the page

When J. Donald Craig arrived on the MTSU campus in 1972, the university’s library had just over 200,000 books. As the dean of the James E. Walker library prepares to retire June 30 after 38 years of service, the library has more than 800,000 printed books and 300,000 electronic books. Of course, numbers don’t tell the whole story of the changes both Don Craig and the library have experienced throughout his MTSU career. “The availability of reference materials, especially online, has been a real benefit to our students that are off-campus, distance education students,” says Craig. With students spending so much time in cyberspace, do they have less reason to spend time at the library? Craig says that’s not the case. “We continue to have in excess of 800,000 visits to the library each year,” he says.

Contact Kristen Keene, library specialist, at 615-898-5376.
kkeene@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

FULL SPEED AHEAD!--MTSU strength and conditioning coaches are again offering Speed School, a camp for male and female athletes between the ages of 10 and 18 who could benefit from being faster or quicker in their sports. Students will receive instruction from the Middle Tennessee Speed and Strength staff and learn the same drills the blue Raiders use to optimize their speed and quickness. The first set is slated for June 9, 16, and 23. The second set is slated for July 14, 21, and 28. All sessions are on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $30 per date, $75 per set, or $130 for all six sessions. For more information, go to www.goblueraiders.com and click on “Camps,” or call Matt Riley at 615-904-8196 or Russell Patterson at 615-898-2428.

ROLL OUT THOSE LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER.--Saturday, June 12, will be MTSU Alumni & Friends Day at Nashville Shores, 4001 Bell Rd. in Nashville. Registration will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch will be served from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Nashville Shores opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. The price is $20 per person, which covers admission into the park and lunch. Children under age two are admitted free of charge. The park has a brand new lazy river and wave pool for more fun in the water. This even is pre-pay only. The deadline to register is Wednesday, June 9. Call the Alumni Relations office at 1-800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com, or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.