summer grad marks history by degrees
TRANSCRIPT
a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • Aug. 9, 2010 • Vol. 19/No. 3
Inside this edition:RIM majors’ creativity = cash, page 3Putting research in classrooms, page 6Helping an historic home, page 8
FALL FACULTY MEETING AUG. 27
It’s that time again! MTSU’s
annual Fall Faculty Meeting is set
for Friday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. in
the newly renovated Tucker
Theatre in the Boutwell Dramatic
Arts Auditorium. All faculty and
staff are encouraged to attend to
learn more about the new academ-
ic year, which begins Aug. 28.
Lunch follows the meeting in the
James Union Building. For more
information, call 615-898-5941. www.mtsunews.com
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAIDMURFREESBORO TN
PERMIT NO. 169
IN BRIEF
Take the Next StepNew program aims to ease transition from foster care
see page 2
STEPMT undergrad research ending on strong note
Junior engineering-technology majors BrooksRussell and Chuncey Vinson want to see all peo-ple, particularly those with low incomes, livingin a safe, lead-free environment.Under the guidance of ET Chair Dr. Walter
Boles, Russell’s and Vinson’s STEPMT Summer 2010research team studied “Data Mining and Analysisof Lead Elimination Grant Work Funded by HUD(Housing and Urban Development).”
“It’s opening homeowners’ eyes,” said Vinson,whose ET concentration is mechanical engineering.
“It’s about healthy homes and remediation,”added Russell, a computer-engineering major. “It’sthe knowledge of how healthy homes could help …through lead elimination that leads to discoveringmany more hazards like mold, dust and respiratory-related problems.”
The Russell-Vinson team was one of 11 partici-pating in the STEPMT poster presentations July 23 inthe James Union Building’s Hazlewood DiningRoom.
STEPping Up Undergraduate Research atMTSU—or STEPMT—is winding down at MTSU.The $1.7 million National Science Foundationgrant, administered by the College of Basic and
Applied Sciences, provided both academic-yearand summer research opportunities.
In six years’ time, more than 211 students men-tored by 67 faculty members completed 246 academic-year projects, receiving a total of$307,500. On average, 20 projects per semester werecompleted. Minorities or females represented 47percent of the academic-year participants.
STEPMT summer teams funded 27 differentteams, including 54 students, 12 minority under-graduates from partner universities, 25 high-schoolteachers and 26 Rutherford County high-school
by Randy Weiler
See ‘STEPMT’ page 2
Computer science camps, page 5
CCOOMMMMEENNCCEEMMEENNTT ’’1100
Summer grad markshistory by degreesby Tom Tozer
He’ll walk across the stage at summer commencement to receive hisdiploma with a degree in history—not because he actually majoredin that field but because he’s lived nearly 82 years of it.
William Boyd, a native of Marietta, Ga., and a longtime resident ofTullahoma, Tenn., will graduate from MTSU on Saturday, Aug. 14, with aBachelor of Science in Liberal Studies. He will hang that on his wall along-side the associate’s degree that he earned in 1978 from Motlow StateCommunity College.
“I am very, very happy,” Boyd said. “My granddaughters asked me,‘Granddaddy, why don’t you go back to school? You don’t lack that much.’That’s what got me started.”
With some prodding from his family, including his wife, Effie WatkinsBoyd, who earned her bachelor’s in business administration from MTSU in1987, Boyd enrolled in MTSU in January 2009, about 30 hours shy of earninghis bachelor’s degree. He took most of his courses online from their winterhome in Florida.
“I had to work on it harder than when I was younger,” Boyd noted. “Idon’t have the memory capacity. I’m still thankful that I have the memorythat I do have. It took a lot of reading and research. But I don’t wear glasses;I can see.
“Online is a good way to learn if you have time to go to the library andother places. You have to do a lot of research because you can’t raise yourhand. But you can e-mail your instructor—and my instructors have beenvery good.”
The Boyds met in Georgia, when William literally bumped into Effie at arecreation center and nearly knocked her down. “I think she was coming outand I was going in,” he recalled. “It started from there. She’s the luckiestwoman in the world.”
Boyd was discharged from military service in 1953 after serving inCalifornia aboard a U.S. destroyer for two years and as an electronics techni-cal worker in the Naval Reserve. He also served for a time in the ArmyNational Guard.
After retiring early in 1984 from Arnold Engineering DevelopmentCenter in Tullahoma, Boyd worked for the U.S. Postal Service in Monteagle,Tenn. Today, he’s a substitute teacher in the Tullahoma City School District.(Asked if he enjoys the work, he replied, “Sometimes,” without missing abeat.) He also professes to be a “very good” billiards player.
“Never give up” is his advice to today’s college students. “Stick with it.Even if you get an F, stick with it, because you’ll get something out of it. …But you need support from your family. That’s very important.”
See ‘Summer’ page 5
READY FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE—MTSU student William "Bill" Boyd and hiswife, Effie, pause during an interview. Bill Boyd will graduate Aug. 14 with his bach-elor's degree in liberal arts at age 81—45 years after he first enrolled at MTSU.
MTSU Photographic Services photo by J. Intintoli
page 2 The Record Aug. 9, 2010
As a part of the MTSU community, many ofyou may regularly hear about programsaimed at helping disadvantaged and
underserved students. However, there is a group ofpotential students often overlooked.
That’s why the Academic Support Center hascreated the Next Step Program. It was designedalmost two years ago to help ease the transitionto college for students coming out of the foster-care system to MTSU.
As academic advisers, we knew there weremany unique challenges that these studentsoften face, from obtaining financial aid to need-ing year-round housing and everything inbetween. We trained staff members across cam-pus in numerous offices to help with their tran-sition. Collectively, liaisons in Admissions,Financial Aid, Housing, Academic Advisingand Student Support Services work together tohelp this population of students not only get toMTSU but to succeed here, too.
Since its inception, Next Step has evolved intosomething bigger. The program now includes par-ticipants from many different backgrounds and sce-narios, including former foster-care youth, home-less and at-risk-of-homelessness youth, along withstudents entering college as independent minors.
In my view, the most beneficial part of the NextStep program is that we have a group of mentorsinvolved every step of the way. These mentors arecurrent MTSU students from similar backgrounds
who have now become successful students andgraduates. These volunteers return to help our pro-gram semester after semester, offering peer supportand encouragement to our newest students. Thesementors know the challenges associated with theirindependent status and have “been there and donethat,” so they’re eager to work with Next Step’snewest students to help make achieving collegesuccess a little easier on them.
Our program, nonetheless, faces a big chal-lenge: We need the help of the MTSU community.Many of the youths we interact with from fostercare, homelessness and independent status aren’t—and weren’t—aware that attending college was aviable option for them, not to mention that most orall of it could be paid for via outside means.Through our partnerships with the Department ofChildren’s Services and the Tennessee YouthAdvisory Council, however, we have been able toidentify numerous youths in need of our programand its services, with many more still coming inweekly.
We fear there are still those being missed. Myplea to you, the MTSU community, is this: If youknow students coming to MTSU—or even currentlyenrolled students—who may benefit from this pro-gram, please let me know or pass along my contactinformation.
The Next Step mentors and I are excited aboutthe possibilities this program holds and the far-reaching effects we could have on these students,
but we can’t help if we don’t know who needsour help. It is our mission to reach every studentwho can benefit from our program and services.
Needless to say, the transition to college canbe challenging for all students. With many otherlife hurdles and obstacles to overcome, this par-ticular student population could use some extrasupport. That’s what we’re here for and why wework so hard to make this Next Step a success.
If you have any questions about the programor know of students or potential students whocould use our assistance, please feel free to send
them my way. To learn more about the program,please visit www.mtsu.edu/nextstep.
Becca Seul, M.S., is a Certified Family LifeEducator, program coordinator for MTSU’s Next StepProgram and an adviser with the Academic SupportCenter. She may be reached via e-mail [email protected] or by calling 615-898-2339.
If you’d like to contribute a column “For theRecord” please e-mail [email protected]. Your contribu-tion should be 500 to 600 words long, and we’ll need acurrent photograph to accompany it. Thanks!
Take the Next Step to ease students’ college transitionby Becca Seul
FFOORR TTHHEE RREECCOORRDD
Seul
teachers, 25 internships with 14 com-panies, and students and faculty havereceived $590,000. Minorities andfemales represented 52 percent of theparticipants.
“This NSF grant project has beena great success for both the College ofBasic and Applied Sciences andMTSU and, most of all, for the STEMstudents who were involved inresearch,” Dean Tom Cheatham said,adding that 95 percent of participantsgraduated, 41 students made presen-tations at national, regional and stateconferences and at least five pub-lished with their mentors.
In addition to Russell and Vinson,STEPMT 2010 summer research teamsand their topics include:
• Jordan Fey and Lauren Rigsby(faculty member Dr. WilliamRobertson, physics and astronomy),“Acoustic Metamaterials for AudioFrequency Sound Engineering”;
• Anna M. Smith (Dr. WilliamRobertson), “Exploring theInformation Content of Speech UsingSine Wave Synthesis”;
• LaTeasha Hughes, SamuelMitchell and Andrew Yousef (Dr.Andrienne Friedli, chemistry),“Porous SiO2 and TiO2 Films asChemical and Biosensors”;
• Erica Cathey and MichaelFerrell (Dr. Nathanael Smith, physicsand astronomy), “ElectrophoreticDeposition for Advanced Solar Cells”;
• Matthew Cooley, JasonPomeroy and Kyle Wiseman (Dr.Mark Abolins, geosciences),“Discovering Folds in the GentlyDipping Carbonates of CentralTennessee”;
• George Carter, Ian Hajizadehand Keaten Holley (Dr. Daniel Erenso,physics and astronomy), “An
Experimental Biophysical Study inthe Efficacy of Stem Cell-TargetedGene Therapy for Sickle Cell Diseasein Mice Red Blood Cells”;
• Raymond Dennis and DeAndreReese (Dr. Ahad Nasab, engineeringtechnology), “Effect of C, CO andCO2 on Enrichment of Martian SoilSimulant”; and
• Brandon Cathey and EvanWise (Drs. Robertson, Friedli andStephen Wright, biology), “RefractiveIndex Sensitivity of the MTSUBiosensor.”
Independent research not per-formed as part of STEPMT included:
• Cari Jennings (Wright, Friedliand Robertson), “Preparation andDetection of Bacillus Endospores”(part of the Department of HomelandSecurity/Southeast Region ResearchInitiative; and
• David Hiller (Erenso), “Self-Organizing Colloidal Photonic BandGap Structures.”
STEPMT from page 1
REAL SCIENCE—Cari Jennings, shownin the photo at top, displays her researchon bacillus endospores during STEPMT
poster presentations July 23 in the JamesUnion Building’s Hazlewood DiningRoom. At left, DeAndre Reese explainshis research on the effect of carbon andcarbon compounds on simulated Martiansoil to a group of high-school studentsfrom the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliancefor Minority Participation SummerBridge Program. Nine other teams partic-ipated in the STEPMT summer researchprogram.
photos submitted
The Record Aug. 9, 2010 page 3
Three MTSU recording-industry students are getting some financial sup-port for their creative visions as the latest recipients of the prestigiousAPI Visionary Scholarship.
Taylor Bray, a junior from Columbia, S.C., and senior JayYaskin of Las Vegas received $2,000 each, while Nashvillian BenPoff, who’s working toward his Master of Fine Arts degree inrecording arts and technology, received $1,000 from Jessup,Md.-based Automated Processes Inc.
API is a leading analog audio-products manufacturerwhose 48-channel API Vision stereo/surround sound consolewas installed in Studio A in the Bragg Communication Buildingin 2009. The studio is designed to accommodate the needs ofaudio recording for traditional music production, as well asvideo and film, and includes a studio, control room, isolationbooth, mastering/observation lab and machine room. Some APIequipment is in RIM’s Studio B, and students also are able tocheck out an API module for mobile use.
The Visionary Scholarship, open only to students at universities using APIequipment, is “designed to foster creativity and excellence for the pro audioindustry’s next generation of sound engineers,” the company said.
“My whole goal is to be making money at this before I get out of school, sothis is one more opportunity to get my name out there,” Yaskin, who lives inFranklin, Tenn., and is preparing to graduate in 2011, said with a laugh.
“I had just finished an analog project with my roommates the previous
semester that included horns, electric violins, two vocalists and an analog syn-thesizer to make bizarre sounds. The scholarship application said to show howto bridge the gap between analog and digital, so we grabbed it and overnight-ed it.”
The other three scholarships went to students at the University ofMichigan, State University of New York at Purchase and New YorkUniversity’s Clive Davis School of Recording at the Tisch School of the Arts.Each of the six winners submitted an essay and optional recorded material forreview by API.
“The people at API said they could tell that our faculty were proactive inencouraging our students to apply,” said Professor Dan Pfeifer, who teachescourses in audio engineering and technology, studio production and studioadministration and coordinates the undergraduate and graduate audio intern-ships for the RIM department.
“This was the first time we were eligible to apply. It’s really very unusualfor a manufacturer to do something like this. The altruism on their part is awe-some.”
Gordon Smart, managing director of API, told the student winners in acongratulatory e-mail that “while all of the entries reflected ahigh degree of talent, creativity and professionalism, your work(both essay and production materials) was recognized as superi-or and noteworthy.”
Pfeifer, who recently returned from a seminar in Mainewhere he trained users on an API console, said he and fellowRIM Professor Bill Crabtree have freelanced for API and writtenuser manuals for the company, too.
“The university wants us to have partnerships, and this isthe kind of thing that provides both a literal payoff for students,with scholarships, and a payoff with access to world-classequipment,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing for our students to getrecognition from the industry like this.”
Yaskin and his peers won’t be waiting long for more indus-try acclaim. He’s been working with a songwriting team this
summer, mixing and mastering tracks on demos, and recently learned thatDisney bought one of the songs. The song that won him an API VisionaryScholarship, “City at Night,” will be available on iTunes soon, performed by“A Silent Circus.”
“I didn’t even know about MTSU before,” he said. “I was visiting somefriends in Nashville and saw how hard-core the RIM program was, and thatwas it.”
by Gina E. Fann
RIM majors’ creativityequals cash fromaudio manufacturer
Creating a community from agroup of strangers is the focusof author Warren St. John’s
Outcasts United, and it’s also the goalof MTSU’s annual UniversityConvocation, where St. John is sched-uled to speak on Sunday, Aug. 29.
The author’s 2 p.m. address atMurphy Center will help mark thebeginning of the 2010-11 academicyear at MTSU, when Convocationwelcomes new students into theMTSU learning community. Facultymarch in their regalia to dramaticcompositions performed by theMTSU Band of Blue, and the tradi-tions and rituals of the university areexplained to the newest members ofthe MTSU family.
St. John’s national bestseller, the2010 Summer Reading Selection forthe university, chronicles theimpromptu social experiment createdwhen a small town in Georgiabecame a center for refugee resettle-ment and one woman attempted tochange lives through soccer.
St. John, a native of Birmingham,Ala., has written for the New YorkObserver, The New Yorker, Wired andSlate in addition to his work as areporter for The New York Times. Hisfirst book, Rammer Jammer YellowHammer: A Journey into the Heart ofFan Mania, was named one of SportsIllustrated’s best books of the year andranked No. 1 on The Chronicle ofHigher Education’s list of the bestbooks ever written about collegiateathletics.
MTSU’s Summer Reading
Program, created in 2002, aims to pro-vide a unifying experience for enter-ing freshmen, give them a chance toread and interact with acclaimedauthors and affirm the importance ofreading for a successful and fulfillinglife.
Incoming freshmen are expectedto read the book before fall classesstart Aug. 28, and all University 1010classes will discuss the selection.Faculty members also are beingencouraged to incorporate the bookinto their fall lesson plans.
Outcasts United may be purchasedon campus and at local bookstores.It’s available in hardback and paper-back, and online sellers also mayhave used copies.
For more information about thebook and its author, please visithttp://outcastsunited.com.
The University Convocation isfree and open to the public. First-year students are expected toattend; their families and membersof the MTSU and Murfreesborocommunities are welcome toattend.
Call 615-898-2454 for moreinformation, or visitwww.mtsunews.com.
Convocation speaker to help create communityAuthor’s ‘Outcasts United’ is MTSU’sSummer Reading Program Selection
MTSU students, faculty and staff are invitedto attend the GRITS Collaborative Project2010 Forum on Wednesday, Aug. 12, from
noon until 3 p.m. in the James Union Building’sTennessee Room.
Lee Rennick, executive director of business edu-cation partnership with the Rutherford CountyChamber of Commerce, will pro-vide the keynote address,“Standing on the Shoulders ofGiants.”
Guest speaker Donna M.Inch, appointed chairwoman andCEO of Ford Land in January, willdiscuss the importance of attract-ing and retaining women in theengineering and science pipeline.That morning, Inch will speak atthe Southern AutomotiveWomen’s Forum inNashville.
Inch, whojoined Ford in 1978as an industrial-relations analyst,has global respon-sibility for realestate, constructionand facility servic-es for Ford MotorCompany.
Other presentations by GRITS Collaborativemembers will include:
• “Networking for All” by Dr. Kaylene Gebert, aprofessor in the Department of Speech and Theatre
and the former MTSU executive vice president andprovost;
• “Hands-on STEM for Your Classroom or EYH(Expanding Your Horizons)” by Mary Thomas, sen-ior general contractor for Schneider Electric andmember of the GRITS Collaborative ProjectChampions Board;
• “GRITS Program Directory and Mini-Grants”by Mary Moore, principal technologist for EastmanChemical Co. in Kingsport and a member of the
GRITS Collaborative ProjectLeadership Team; and
• “Getting WISE about WISTEM” by Dr. Kathy Mathis, aprofessor of engineering technologyat MTSU.
The cost to attend is $10.Students may attend free.
The GRITS Collaborative Project,which stands for Girls Raised inTennessee Science, brings togetherorganizations and individuals who
are committed toinforming and moti-vating girls to pursuecareers in science,technology, engineer-ing and mathematicsto encourage collabo-ration and improveinterprogram com-munication.
For more infor-mation, contact Dr.
Judith Iriarte-Gross, MTSU chemistry professor anddirector of the WISTEM Center, at 615-904-8253 or [email protected].
Event dates, times and
locations may change after
press time. Please verify
specifics when making plans.
“Middle Tennessee Record”
Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 5 p.m.NewsChannel 5+: Sundays, 1:30 p.m.Visit www.mtsunews.comfor other cable-outlet airtimesor www.youtube.com/mtsunewsfor a complete show archive.
“MTSU On the Record”
8 a.m. Sundays,WMOT 89.5-FMPodcasts availableanytime atwww.mtsunews.com.
Student Farmers Market
sponsored by the MTSUPlant and Soil Science Club1-3 p.m. Fridays (except holidays), Horticulture CenterFor information, contact: 615-494-8985.
Aug. 12-13
Final Exams for June/July,
July and Full-Term Classes
For details, visitwww.mtsu.edu/calendar_academic.shtml.
Aug. 12-15
American Quarter Horse
Association Regional
Championships
Miller ColiseumFor information, visitwww.mqha.org.
Thursday, Aug. 12
Retired Faculty/Staff Coffee
9:30 a.m., Foundation HouseFor information, contact: 615-898-2922.
Aug. 12
GRITS (Girls Raised In
Tennessee Science)
Collaborative Project Forum
noon-3 p.m., Tennessee Room,James Union BuildingAdmission: $10; students freeRegister at http://bit.ly/c7AvLH;for information, contact: 615-904-8253.
Friday, Aug. 13
Military Science Summer 2010
Commissioning Ceremony
10 a.m., Keathley UniversityCenter TheaterFor information, contact: 615-898-2470.
Saturday, Aug. 14
Summer 2010 Commencement
10 a.m., Murphy CenterFor information, visithttp://bit.ly/bAJpD5 or contact:615-898-2919.
Wednesday, Aug. 18
“Do the Drill” Building
Runners’ Meeting and
Luncheon
11 a.m., James Union BuildingFor information, contact: 615-898-2919.
Aug. 19-22
Old South Dressage Show
8 a.m. daily, Miller ColiseumNo admission chargeFor information, visitwww.tndressage.com.
Friday, Aug. 20
Midstate/All State
Choral Clinic
Wright Music and SaundersFine Arts BuildingsFor information, contact: 615-898-2493.
Campus CalendarAug. 9-22, 2010
Please note:
page 4 The Record Aug. 9, 2010
TV Schedule
Radio Schedule
Aug. 12
Fridays all summer
Aug. 13
Aug. 14
Aug. 18
Aug. 19
GRITS forum set for Aug. 12 in JUBfrom Staff Reports
The MTSU Rutherford CountyAlumni annual Pigskin Pre-Gamewill be held Saturday, Aug. 28, to
kick off the football season. The event, which will run from 6:30
until 10:30 p.m., will be held at MarymontMansion in Marymont Springs at 1124Rucker Lane in Murfreesboro, the samelocation as last year’s event.
“We are very fortunate to have suchgreat support for this event,” said PaulWydra, Alumni Relations assistant director.“Thanks to our donors and people whosupport Pigskin Pre-Game, we are able toreward Rutherford County students whochoose MTSU with some financial relief.
“Great food, live entertainment and agreat location—we hope even more peoplecan join us this year.”
Tickets for the event are $35 each andinclude food from Carrabba’s Italian Grill,live entertainment, a variety of drinks,door prizes and more. Participants mustpre-pay and RSVP by Wednesday, Aug. 25.
Parking will be available on-site. Thelocation is rain or shine.
All proceeds benefit the RutherfordCounty Alumni Scholarship Fund. Formore information or to reserve tickets, call800-533-6878 or visit www.mtalumni.com.
from Staff Reports
Pigskin Pre-Gamekicks off 2010season Aug. 28
Rennick Inch
Aug. 20
The Record Aug. 9, 2010 page 5
Summer from page 1
Aprojected 892 degree candidates will graduate during the 99th annu-al summer commencement ceremony, MTSU officials announced.
The single-ceremony graduation will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14,in Murphy Center with Deborah Belcher, professor in the Department ofHuman Sciences and the current MTSU representative of the TennesseeBoard of Regents’ Faculty Subcouncil, delivering the commencementaddress.
Ann S. Reaves, assistant director for graduation in MTSU’s RecordsOffice, said 657 of this summer’s degree candidates will be undergraduates,
and 235 students are slated to earn their degrees from theCollege of Graduate Studies. That total includes 213 mas-ter’s degrees, 17 education-specialist degrees and five doc-toral degrees.
A member of MTSU’s faculty since 1991, Belcher teach-es in the university’s interior design program and is the2010-11 interim chairwoman for MTSU’s human sciencesdepartment, as well as serving as the 2009-10 president ofthe MTSU Faculty Senate.
A registered interior designer in the State of Tennessee,Belcher taught in the environmental design program atSyracuse University before joining MTSU. She also is a
design consultant who specializes in the re-use of existing structures, daycare facility design, elderly care facility design and health care facilitydesign.
A native of Murfreesboro, Belcher holds professional membership in theInterior Design Educators Council and is a member of both the American
Society of Interior Designers and the Institute of Classical Architecture. Shereceived the ASID 1995 Education Award from the Tennessee Chapter and aTennessee Chapter Presidential Citation in 2003, 2008 and 2009, and earlierthis year, she received a national IDEC Service Award and served as the2008-10 IDEC South Region’s chairwoman.
Graduation information—including how to watch the ceremony viastreaming video the day of commencement, maps and driving directions toMurphy Center, cap-and-gown information and how to order a DVD of thesummer ceremony—is available online at http://bit.ly/bAJpD5.
Almost 900 students set to graduate Saturday, Aug. 14
Belcher
Who: 892 graduates* (657 undergraduates, 235 graduate students)
What: Summer commencement ceremonyWhen: 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14Where: Murphy Center, MTSU
Speaker: Professor Deborah Belcher,Department of Human Sciences and 2009-10 MTSU Faculty Senate President
For more info: Go to http://bit.ly/bAJpD5.
*Approximate number as of July 15, 2010.
After graduation, Boyd said heplans to earn his master’s and doc-toral degrees. He said his first task,however, will be to teach SumerPatterson, his MTSU academic advis-
er, how to swim. He promised herthat if he graduated, he would payher back with swimming lessons.
“When Mr. Boyd came to see mefor advising the second time, he said
he didn’t think he was going tomake it to his goal,” Patterson said.“I struck a deal with him. If he grad-uates, I will let him teach me how toswim. We shook hands on it.”
“Everybody here has been sogood to me,” the veteran studentsaid, fighting back tears. “They wentout of their way. I think a lot of thesepeople here.”
Computer Science Camps draw teens to campus
With temperatures in theupper 90s the week ofJuly 12-16, nearly 50
Rutherford and Bedford countyhigh-school students had a way-too-cool method to beat theheat—attending the firstComputer Science Camps atMTSU.
From robotics to animationto multimedia, the teenagersblossomed under the guidance offaculty members Brenda Parkerand Drs. Cen Li and ZhijijangDong and their student assis-tants.
“I’m so proud of the waythey’ve worked, and I think it’sbecause they just enjoy it,”Parker said of her Alice 3-D pro-gramming group. Li and Dongsaid they felt the same way abouttheir robotics and multimediagroups.
Katherine Warren, 14, a ris-ing-ninth grader at CentralMagnet School and a multimediacamp participant, is the daughter ofprofessional photographer DavidWarren.
“I’ve seen him do this kind ofstuff all my life,” she said. “I didn’tknow what I was going to be doing.… We had to write codes. We had tolearn them, and we got to see howpeople make them work.”
Reid Brown, 15, a sophomore atThe Webb School in Bell Buckle and a
Murfreesboro resident, also partici-pated in multimedia camp.
“All we did was pictures. Weonly had a week,” he said. “I hadbeen wanting to do something likethis for a long time. It was a fun expe-rience, a real challenge. I learned alot.”
“The purpose of (multimedia)camp is not to teach them coding butto show them how wonderful pic-tures can be created by simple but
powerful programs, which we hopecan trigger their interests in computerscience,” Dong said. “The studentsalso learned some basic image-pro-cessing skills such as mirroring pic-tures, flipping pictures, changing thecolor of a picture, copy pictures andchroma keying.”
Li’s robotics camp was an all-boygroup.
“Robotics is what I’m here for. …I’ve been able to dive right into it,
and I’ve been able to learn fromthe other people,” said PedroReyes, 17, a senior at RiverdaleHigh School.
Parker said Carnegie MellonUniversity’s free Alice animationsoftware programs made it a funbut challenging week.
“It’s a great camp. I neverknew how to do any of this,”Shaun Cassidy, 14, a ninth-graderat Siegel High School, said of theanimation camp.
“I had never written a pro-gram; now I know at least seven,”said Kyran Jones, 15, a BlackmanHigh School sophomore. “Thishas been wonderful. I’ve alwaysbeen interested in computer pro-gramming, but I didn’t knowhow. This has shown me how.”
Alicia Meadors, a Siegel Highjunior, created an intricate mazein her Alice program. “This hasbeen an amazing experience,” shesaid. “I have a friend who knowshow to do programming. I’vealways wanted to learn.”
The camps were part of a$600,000 three-year Partnership
for Innovation grant from theNational Science Foundation that Li,Dong and College of Basic andApplied Sciences Dean TomCheatham secured to attract more stu-dents into computing fields. Thecamps use real-world programmingproject teams of students and facultyin the summer to aid retention.
by Randy Weiler
A CLOSER LOOK—Jeremich Llewellyn, left, a La Vergne High School sophomore, and PedroReyes, a senior at Riverdale High in Murfreesboro, watch their autonomous robot during MTSU’sPartners for Innovation in Information Technology's computer-science camp for high-schoolers.
MTSU Photographic Services photo by J. Intintoli
With the $2.7 million National Science Foundation TRIAD GK-12 pro-gram, the focus is on research, specifically on bringing research tothe classroom to encourage more young students in science, technol-
ogy, engineering and math. “Our goal as graduate students is to implement research into the class-
room,” said Alison Carey, 24, an Aug. 14 degree candidate who will spend thenext academic year as a Graduate STEM Fellow with Nichol Vaden’s honorsecology class at Oakland High School.
“Primarily, my role will be mentoring student research projects and tobring more resources to the classroom,” Carey said, adding that it wouldinclude “all kinds of research—physical research to my knowledge working inresearch.”
Carey’s main area of biological study is as a herpetologist, particularlyfence lizards; she also has studied behavioral physiology. She said her under-graduate research mentor has been Dr. Matt Klukowski, an associate professorof biology.
Carey and four other MTSU grad students and five from Tennessee StateUniversity will spend a minimum of 10 hours a week in high-school class-rooms with Rutherford County and Metro Nashville Public Schools students.
“Some of the time we’ll be in observation,” Carey said. “Some will be lead-ing lectures and labs.”
“It’s important for students to know what’s out there in the science field,”Vaden said, adding that their industry partner will be Bio Quant of Nashville.
Russian-born Sergiy “Surge” Ustynov, 25, the lone TRIAD returnee from2009-10, will team with Dr. Jamie Hearnes’ advanced-placement biology andhonors biology classes at Blackman High.
“I really want to focus on research mentoring through lessons to students,”Ustynov said. “In the lab, research mentoring being effective is the goal.”
Murfreesboro-based BioVentures will be their industry partner.Jerrod Shipman, 24, who will work with Blackman faculty member
Tory Woodyard in a standard biology class and another for special-education students, said he “specifically will work on improving my abil-ity to communicate science to a nonscientific audience so it’s not conde-scending or way over their heads.”
“He communicates very well,” Woodyard said of Shipman, who spe-cializes in herpetology, like Carey, as well as hibernation ecology of watersnakes. “He has passion for what he does.”
Their industry partner will be Path Group of Nashville.The 10 grad students spent two weeks in a workshop setting primari-
ly at MTSU. Dr. Kim Sadler, an associate professor of biology and part ofthe Center for Environmental Education staff, and master science teacherJennifer Dye, the science-department chair at John Paul II High School inHendersonville, led the workshops.
“From the previous year of the TRIAD program, our STEM graduatestudents have inspired a transformation in their high-school learningenvironment, stimulating an interest and enthusiasm for science amongstudents and their teachers,” said Dr. Tony Farone, MTSU biology profes-sor and the project’s lead investigator.
In addition to Carey, Ustynov and Shipman, the 2010-11 GK-12 grad-uate fellows, their partner teachers and assigned high schools are:
• Abraham Abraha of TSU with Dr. Kawonia Mull at Antioch;• Carl Darris of TSU with Dina Starks at Hillwood; • Vanessa Hobbs of MTSU with Jessica Potts at Siegel; • Diana Kiser of TSU with Nae’Shara Neal at McGavock; • Syrita Murray of TSU with Amy Pawlak of Hillwood; • Tiffany Saul of MTSU with Christina Nichols at Siegel;
and • James Tyus of TSU with Adam Taylor of Overton.
page 6 The Record Aug. 9, 2010
NSF TRIAD program bringing research to classrooms
by Randy Weiler
READY TO HELP—MTSU graduate students once again will gointo Rutherford County high schools in the 2010-11 academic year,providing research and teaching assistance for veteran classroomteachers. In the top photo, Blackman High School biology teacherDr. Jamie Hearnes, left, and Surge Ustynov, a second-year NationalScience Foundation TRIAD GK-12 grad student, review a sciencelab equipment booklet. In the center photo, Oakland High teacherNichol Vaden, left, shows first-year grad student Alison Carey use-ful chart information as Vaden holds a classroom pet, a CreamsicleCorn Snake named Specca. And in the photo at right, JerrodShipman prepares a microscope while Blackman faculty memberTory Woodyard, right, checks other lab equipment. The programalso pairs five Tennessee State University grad students with MetroNashville Public Schools high-school mentors.
photos submitted
Students ready to work in high schools,with industry partners to mentor youth
The Record Aug. 9, 2010 page 7
MTeach begins with ‘risk-free’ opportunity
Administrative leaders withMTeach are working to getthe first-year program off the
ground with the first courses offeredfree.
“It’s a proven, successful pro-gram that’s being replicated,” SallyMillsap, a master teacher whojoined the MTSU staff this sum-mer, said of MTeach, the five-year,$1.925 million grant program thatwill be used to help train mathand science teachers.
A minimum of three and pos-sibly additional sections of theSTEP 1 MSE 1010 Introduction toTeaching course will be offered,Program Coordinator LeighGostowski said.
The one-credit-hour course willbe offered from 12:40 until 2 p.m. onWednesdays, from 9:40 until 11 a.m.Thursdays and from 11:30 a.m. until12:50 p.m. Fridays, they said. Morestudents are being sought for these
and possible additional sections.“We’re making every effort to
accommodate any and all students,”Gostowski said. “If it means openinganother section, we will.” By July 20,nearly 40 students had been enrolled,she said, and Millsap added thatenrollment won’t be closed.
At least for the first year, math orscience majors who enroll in and ful-fill the obligations of the Step 1 andStep 2 one-hour courses will receivetuition reimbursement, Gostowskisaid.
“The students get to go out toelementary-school classrooms (inMurfreesboro City and RutherfordCounty Schools) and do hands-on
math and science activities,” shesaid, adding that in Step 2, the stu-dents will go to city and county mid-dle schools.
“The best thing about it is theycan try out teaching risk-free,”Millsap added, “and at the comple-tion of the course, they’ll receive a
tuition rebate for one credit hour.”Millsap, a former Blackman
High School chemistry teacher,said the “goals are to recruit, trainand retain quality math and sci-ence teachers.”
“We continue to need mathand science teachers in the UnitedStates,” Gostowski said, “andwe’re not meeting that need. We
desperately need quality math andscience teachers. This is an importanteffort.”
Dr. Amy Phelps, chemistry pro-fessor, is serving as co-director of theprogram.
For more information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/mteach or callGostowski at 615-898-5786 or Millsapat 615-494-8844.
from Staff Reports
has released volumes 1 and 2 (A-Mand N-W) of the third edition of theEncyclopedia of ConstitutionalAmendments, Proposed Amendmentsand Amending Issues, 1789-2010,which Vile also wrote.
Dr. Tammy Melton (chemistry)has completed new editions of twolaboratory manuals used in first-yearchemistry: Chemistry 1011 LaboratoryManual, fifth edition, with LarryScheich (St. Norbert College, WI);and Chemistry 1031 LaboratoryManual, third edition, T. Melton andL. Scheich, both published byCengage Learning. Experiments inthese manuals are custom-publishedin laboratory manuals used acrossthe United States.
Dr. Debra R. Wilson (nursing)has been a visiting internationalscholar, working with the Universityof Botswana on a mixed-methodolo-gy research investigation on stress innurses and their perception of nurs-
ing. She also is working on researchwith the University of Stellenboschin South Africa on both the stress ofcaregivers for those caring for HIVpatients and the efficacy of hypnosisvs. acupuncture for labor and deliv-ery patients. Wilson was a visitingprofessor at the University ofBotswana and did lectures on self-care for nurses in May. Wilson also isworking with the Council of Nursingand Midwifery in Botswana to gath-er data on the image of nursing inBotswana and on an interventionproject to improve the image of nurs-ing. She also is working with thenurse’s association of Botswana,which is equivalent to the TennesseeNurses Association, to establish amentor program between the twoassociations.
Dr. Jason Johnson (mathematicalsciences) was invited to participate inthe Strengthening Instruction inTennessee Elementary Schools—Focus on Mathematics (SITES-M)
seminar June 23-24 in Nashville. Thepartnership with Educational TestingServices and Tennessee StateUniversity aims to increase elemen-tary in-service teachers’ math abilityand improve student learning ofmath.
Dr. Diana Cheng (mathematicalsciences) submitted conference pro-ceedings for the InternationalConference on Education, Economyand Society in Paris, France. Her sub-mission is related to research on middle-school students’ understand-ing of steepness.
Drs. Dwight Patterson, PatPatterson and Amy Phelps (chem-istry) conducted workshop sessionsfor CSI: MTSU, a four-day programfor high-school students sponsoredby the Forensic Institute for Researchand Education.
Faculty from page 8
ResearchSeminars
Submissions
Workshops
Summer enrollment shows 8.31% increase
MTSU’s summer enrollmentsurpassed 9,300 students,said Dr. Deb Sells, vice
president for Student Affairs andvice provost for enrollment and aca-demic services
The total of 9,318 is an 8.31 per-cent increase from summer 2009,when the university’s official headcount was 8,603.
MTSU officials have made finaledits to the data, which have beensubmitted to the Tennessee Board ofRegents.
The 2010 summer total for Maythrough August enrollment marks anincrease of 715 students from lastsummer.
Sells said she attributes theincrease of students to the availabili-
ty of the federal Pell Grant duringthe summer terms and more studentstaking courses online.
MTSU Enrollment Services andother administration officials antici-pate another record enrollment thisfall. In 2009, 25,188 students wereregistered for classes. This total wassubmitted to the TBR.
University officials con-ducted a national searchfor a new financial-aid
director, but the eventual choicelived and worked less than anhour’s drive from Murfreesboro.
Veteran financial-aid admin-istrator Stephen White joinedMTSU July 12 as the new director.White, who lives in Lebanon andspent the past 17 years directingfinancial aid at Nashville StateCommunity College, replacesDavid Hutton, who retired June30.
“Stephen White brings morethan 20 years of experience infinancial aid, many of those with-in the Tennessee Board of Regentssystem,” said Dr. Deb Sells, vicepresident for student affairs andvice provost for enrollment andacademic services.
“That means he’ll bring thebest of both worlds to MTSU:We’ll have the advantage of hisexperience and familiarity withboard and state policies and pro-cedures, but we’ll also have afresh set of eyes looking at ourMTSU operation, helping us tosee ways to improve and grow,”Sells added.
White is both a contemporaryand admirer of Hutton, an MTSUalumnus who spent 17 years inMTSU’s Office of Financial Aid,including nearly 13 as director.
“David left the office insuperb shape,” said White. “I cer-tainly knew the community col-lege system and the TBR system,and I knew David well.
“To serve as financial-aiddirector will be a challenge to myown personal growth. On the(exit-interview) form where thequestion was, ‘Why are you leav-ing?’, I didn’t say ‘better jobopportunity.’ I wrote ‘differentjob opportunity.’ I was quitehappy at Nashville State. I had nomotivation to leave. It was forcedgrowth. I was in a comfort zone; Ineeded to force myself out of thecomfort zone.
“Knowing the reputation ofMTSU and the closeness to home,there were a lot of logical reasonsto come. There was the prior rep-utation of David Hutton and hishigh standards. Folks in thisoffice are top-notch. We strive toprovide excellent service to stu-dents, and students aren’t lost inthe volume. Every student has aface. Every office provides goodcustomer service.”
White previously served asdirector of financial aid atJefferson Community College inLouisville, Ky. He is a graduate ofCampbellsville University andearned a master’s degree indivinity from The SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary.
He and his wife, Margie,have three children—JoshuaWhite, Stephanie Smith andDylan White—and two grand-children, Hayden, 6, andSamantha Smith, 1.
Financial Aidwelcomesnew director
Get noticed in MTSU’s official university publication!
Check out (and bookmark!) The Record's 2010 deadline schedule atwww.mtsu.edu/news/Record/deadlines.shtml.
page 8 The Record Aug. 9, 2010
UR007-0810
Tom TozerDirector, News and Public Affairs
Editor: Gina E. Fann, [email protected]
Contributors: Gina K. Logue, Paula Morton,Lisa L. Rollins, Randy Weiler, AshtonKimbrough and Paul Zimmerman-Clayton.
Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,except where noted.
Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.
Phone: 615-898-2919 Website: www.mtsunews.com
MTSU’s Office of News and Public Affairspublishes The Record every two weeksand distributes 3,500 copies free to faculty, staff, friends and media outlets.
Address all correspondence to:
The RecordOffice of News and Public AffairsTom H. Jackson BuildingMTSU P.O. Box 721301 E. Main St.Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132
MTSU, a Tennessee Board of RegentsInstitution, is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institu-tion that does not discriminate againstindividuals with disabilities.
Dr. Warren Anderson (agribusi-ness and agriscience) attended theTennessee State University field dayat the Nursery Services ExperimentStation July 15 in McMinnville.
Dr. Preston MacDougall (chem-istry) gave an invited lecture,“Probing Electron Correlation inMomentum-space,” June 21 at aninternational conference in Paris,France, celebrating Twenty Years ofElectron Localization Function.
Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters (Centerfor Environmental Education) recent-ly served as a reviewer for CengageLearning, working with a textbookconsisting of a manuscript, “webquest unit” and other ancillaries. Thetext is intended for courses in sciencemethods and science content forundergraduate and graduate studentswho will be teaching science inkindergarten through eighth grades.
Mr. F. Richard “Dick” Hawk(Counseling Services), 78, passedaway July 16. The son of the late Russand Rosella Tate Hawk of South
Pittsburgh, Tenn., Mr. Hawk wasemployed by MTSU from August1972 until his retirement in December1997 as a counselor in CounselingServices. Mr. Hawk is survived by hiswife, Caroline Hoover Hawk; sons,David Russell Hawk and JohnRichard Hawk; and grandchildren,Margaret Elizabeth Hawk, AustinDavid Hawk and Morgan Lee Hawk,all of Murfreesboro. Mr. Hawk was aveteran of the Korean Conflict, serv-ing near the 38th parallel in theMedical Service Corp. of the 8thArmy, attached to the 101st AirborneDivision at Fort Campbell, Ky. Mr.Hawk was a graduate of MTSU andthe Nashville School of Law andserved as claims superintendent atState Farm Insurance before joiningMTSU as a student counselor andbusiness-law teacher. He also wasassociated with the late Bill Wrightand others in the practice of law.Memorials may be made to the chari-ty of your choice or to the BuildingFund at First CumberlandPresbyterian Church.
Dr. Warren Anderson (agribusi-ness and agriscience) made an oralpresentation July 20 on MTSU raingardens in the Conservation Outreachand Educational Section while attend-ing the July 19-21 Soil and WaterConservation Society’s 65th
International Conference-EcosystemServices event in St. Louis, Mo.
Dr. Jason Johnson (mathematicalsciences) presented research at theTennessee Mathematics forElementary Education Conference atAustin Peay State University in Mayand on July 28 at the fourthInternational Conference onEthnomathematics in Towson, Md.
Jenny Tenpenny Crouch(Campus Recreation), adviser to theMTSU chapter of Golden KeyInternational Honour Society, andstudent vice president AshleyManson co-presented a session on“Filling the Void: What to Do WhenYour Leadership Disappears” at theorganization’s International Summitin Scottsdale, Ariz., July 15-17.Crouch also serves on the Council ofRepresentatives for Golden Key’sRegion 2, which comprises Tennessee,South Carolina, North Carolina andVirginia.
The 15th edition of EssentialSupreme Court Decisions by Dr. JohnVile (Honors College), which is beingpublished by Rowman & Littlefield inpaperback and hardback, has beenreleased. Also, publisher ABC-CLIO
Faculty/Staff Update
Appearances
Passages
Presentations
Lectures
Miscellaneous
Publications
Aframe house built in 1896 by a formerslave in southern middle Tennesseewas the focus of a recent “hands-on
history” workday by staff and students fromthe Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
The 10-person crew spent June 4 at theMatt Gardner Homestead Museum, located inElkton in Giles County, and moved the housea step closer to its original appearance, CHPAssistant Director Caneta Hankins said.
“Removing wallpaper and modern panel-ing to expose the original paneling, removingaluminum windows and general cleaningwere among the jobs completed,” saidHankins, who arranged the workday onbehalf of the center with help from MikeGavin, preservation specialist with theTennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
The Matt Gardner Homestead comprisesthe frame house, a well house, two later barnsand a recently reconstructed outhouse. Theproperty’s rehabilitation is an ongoing effortby the family, their friends and the ElktonHistorical Society, which provided lunch forthe workers.
“The Gardner house and farm are signifi-cant for African-American architecture, agri-culture and commerce,” Hankins said. “Whenrestored, the house will be interpreted as amuseum of African-American history for thecounty.”
The center’s staff has worked with CarlaJones, president of the historical society, andthe Gardner family since 1995, when the CHPprepared the successful nomination that listedthe house on the National Register of HistoricPlaces.
Since that time, Hankins added, staff
members have provided professional servicesand matching partnership funds for a web-site and brochure, as well as building assess-ments and guidelines for restoration, throughthe Tennessee Civil War National HeritageArea, which is administered by the CHP.
“The long-standing working relationshipbetween the Matt Gardner Homestead, theCenter for Historic Preservation and theHeritage Area allows both staff and studentsto learn about the lifestyle of rural blackAmericans during that transition period inthe first decades after emancipation,” shesaid.
“The Gardner family has been verydetermined in their efforts to restore this farmand to tell the story of their family and ofother African-Americans who have con-tributed to every aspect of Giles County histo-ry.”
The home’s original owner, the Rev.Gardner and his wife, Henrietta, were leadersin the black community of Giles County fol-lowing their emancipation. Gardner operateda store and made loans to other blacks sothey could purchase their own land. He alsofinanced the first two-room school for blacksin 1920, then led the effort to secureRosenwald funds to build a four-room schoolin 1930.
CHP staff attended the Gardner-Colemanfamily reunion June 19 in Franklin, Tenn., toupdate the gathering of more than 150 familymembers from across the country on therestoration and ongoing needs of the proper-ty.
The event also featured the book signingof the recent Arcadia publication, African-Americans of Giles County, authored by Jones.
by Lisa L. Rollins
See ‘Faculty’ page 7
Projects Off-Campus
CHP helps historic home
BACK IN SHAPE—Ready to lend a hand to aid the historic MattGardner home in the photo above are, front row from left, Antoinettevan Zelm, Kira Duke and Sara Rieger; second row, Katie Randall,Katie Merzbacher and Kristen Deathridge; and standing, from left,Ann Hendrix and Jennifer Butt. Crew chief Mike Gavin is in the second-story window. In the photo below, MTSU crew members workto remove layers of wallpaper and newsprint in the upstairs bed-rooms of the Giles County home to reveal original paneling.
photos submitted