IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

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Garrett Offers Virtual Science Lesson for 4th Grade Students

Haley Charlton
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Garrett Offers Virtual Science Lesson for 4th Grade Students

For the past six years, through the American Chemical Society (ACS) Science Coaches program, Dr. Danielle Garrett, associate professor of chemistry education, has partnered with Ellen Deathridge, 4th grade teacher at Donelson Christian Academy (DCA), to engage DCA 4th graders in hands-on science experiences. For the past two years, that has included a field trip in May to the Belmont campus, where 4th grade students participate in a half-day of hands-on chemistry activities, interactive demos and a visit to the chemistry teaching labs. While COVID-19 put a halt to their plans to hold their annual spring field trip, Garrett and Deathridge were not going to let that put a halt to their science partnership. 

As the semester came to a close, Garrett developed and filmed a 45-minute science lesson, where students got to see several science demonstrations and develop connections between their science knowledge and new topics. The three main focus points of this lesson were 1.) the states of matter, 2.) the relationship among temperature, pressure and phase changes, and 3.) conductors, insulators and heat transfer. Through the demonstrations Garrett performed, students got to see how applying a vacuum to a closed system could make water boil. They also got to learn about heat capacity and heat transfer, comparing how quickly ice cubes melted on cubes of various materials (copper, polypropylene, oak and steel). Garrett developed a handout for the students, where they could record their observations, make predictions and answer questions about the science lesson.

“Even though I was sad that we could not meet in person this semester, I had so much fun putting this together for Ellen and her 4th grade students,” Garrett said.

Garrett points to a jar in her science lesson

Deathridge added how much her students loved being able to see Garrett again through online learning. “’Awesome,’ ‘cool’ and ‘best science teacher ever’ have been some of their comments,” Deathridge said.

“I love this experience so much! Ellen and I have been so blessed to be a part of the ACS Science Coaches program for the past six years. She is an amazing science teacher and an awesome person to work with,” Garrett said. “I’ve already got plans for more science videos, in case we’re still engaged in remote learning next fall.  Like I told the 4th graders at the beginning of my video, ‘Just because we can’t be together in the classroom, doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with science!’”

Nursing Alumna Lara Stahl Battles COVID-19 on Two Fronts

Haley Charlton
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Nursing Alumna Lara Stahl Battles COVID-19 on Two Fronts

Alumna Lara Stahl, nursing class of 2004, is battling COVID-19 on two fronts: as a regional clinical operations director and family nurse practitioner for Premise Health in Fort Worth, Texas and as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, serving as a clinical nurse. 

Both Stahl’s civilian and military roles have been wrapped around fighting COVID-19 for the past couple of months. In late February, Stahl was asked to join the corporate COVID-19 clinical response team for Premise Health. Her team had the enormous task of virtually providing care through their many wellness centers across the United States. Stahl was hard at work on that project before she was deployed with the Air Force Reserves on April 5 to support the COVID-19 response in New York City, as the pandemic was overwhelming the community and city hospital system.

Stahl’s role has been to act as a clinical nurse at the Jacobi Medical Center, a city hospital in the Bronx. “Since coming here, I have been with the people of my reserve unit 24/7, and I have realized how noble a cause our reserve forces are taking on with this COVID-19 response. We all left our families and jobs to come here to serve our country in a way that has never been done by the Air Force Reserve,” Stahl explained.

A selfie of Lara Stahl after wearing PPE for 12 hours
Stahl said, “My hair looks pretty crazy, but that’s what it does after being in so much PPE for 12 hours.”

“It isn’t easy, but it’s not as difficult as I thought it was going to be, because of who I’m with. Our team supports each other, we talk about our difficult days with the patients—sometimes feeling helpless because it is such a devastating illness. But my takeaway is that I am more committed to my job as an Air Force Reservist than ever. I really believe in the cause.”

Stahl’s unit has joined thousands of Navy, Air Force and Army doctors and nurses and medics supporting New York City COVID-19 patients. Teams are supplementing staff there that have become ill or called out sick, as well as manning the convention center which has been turned into a large military hospital. Stahl said the charge nurse at her unit almost cried as she was so thankful for the help.

Stahl spent four years in the U.S. Army as a medic and started at Belmont just a few months after she got out, using her G.I. Bill to become a registered nurse. “I tend to get a little bit emotional when I talk about Belmont because I still keep in touch with almost all of my nursing professors there, and I am just so thankful for the experiences, friendships and partnership they gave me from day one,” she said.

Stahl said her Belmont education well-prepared her for her job today, as faculty like Dr. Martha Buckner emphasized a strong focus on quality. As Stahl explained, “that is quality of care, the quality of your presence in the room with your patients, how you’re looking at them, how you’re thinking about your own perspective and how you’re applying that to the way that you provide your care.”

Stahl in scrubs holding a sign that reads "DNR DNI"
Stahl said, “I approached the chief nurse at the hospital to start a new process to identify patients that are DNR/DNI. This helps the team know what to do when a patient stops breathing. She approved and we started this the same day.”

She said the focus on quality has really stuck with her throughout her careers as both a nurse and as a nurse practitioner, and she is passionate about staying quality-focused, especially now that she is walking into rooms where her patients have COVID-19.

“At Belmont, they really teach you how to look at a patient holistically.” She said, “You know that you are walking into the line of fire. But when you look at your patient in a holistic way, you look in their eyes, you hear their story and you recognize that you can be there to help them with your nursing skills or your faith or sometimes even just your presence. You know you’re in the exact place you’re meant to be, equipped with all the right experiences to provide that help.”

Article by Mills, Wiley Recognized as Top 20 by American Library Association

Haley Charlton
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Jenny Mills, coordinator of research services and associate professor, and Claire Wiley, research and instruction librarian and associate professor, were recognized by the American Library Association’s Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) Top 20 Committee.

Every year, the committee reviews library instruction literature from the previous year and identifies the twenty best instruction articles for that year. Their article, “This Is What Learning Looks Like!’ Backward Design and the Framework in First Year Writing,” was selected as one of the Top 20 instruction articles published in 2019 and will be listed in the upcoming June issue of LIRT News.

John Williams Heart of Belmont Award Honors Foster Child Advocate, Nursing Graduate Hailey Brooks

Haley Charlton
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John Williams Heart of Belmont Award Honors Foster Child Advocate, Nursing Graduate Hailey Brooks

A Nursing major and May 2020 graduate, Hailey Brooks is this year’s recipient of the John Williams Heart of Belmont Award.

“I am a foster care child. I say that with pride because I am proud of who I am despite the trauma and adversities I had to climb over to be here today,” Brooks said. “I am among the one percent of foster children who graduate college and help break the stereotypes around foster youth. Today, that’s my biggest accomplishment.” Brooks is committed to spreading light on both the good and the bad areas of foster care and making positive changes in the foster care system, particularly by increasing foster youth college attendance.

The Heart of Belmont Award recognizes a third or fourth year student who possesses an intrinsic commitment to voluntary service, initiative and innovation in problem solving, persistence in overcoming obstacles, advocacy for change that enhances the lives of those in the community, mature understanding of community needs and systemic problems, sensitivity in developing a partnering relationship with community and habits of reflection that derive from service and lead to service.

Nursing Instructor Martha Ezell wrote in her nomination for Brooks, “Hailey voluntarily placed herself into foster care as a young teenager to remove herself from an abusive home. She is strong and resilient, yet compassionate and kind. In addition to the rigorous and demanding program of study for nursing, she has completed clinical rotations at eight different hospitals. Hailey is a remarkable student!”

Brooks grew up in East Tennessee and entered foster care at the age of 15. As a Belmont student, she joined the tennis club and the student nurse’s association, as well as worked with an after-school program for low-income families to tutor children. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority for three years. Her junior year, Brooks joined Jim Casey Young Fellows, the youngest thus far to be given the role, and traveled the country to speak, research and shine a light on foster care issues.

Brooks was then asked to join the Children’s Advisory Board underneath the commissioner, holding a four-year term. That opportunity led to being sworn onto the Tennessee Commission for Children and Youth under Governor Bill Haslam for a three-year term. She has also been involved in other foster care advocacy positions for many years, serving as a Youth Village Peer Advocate and as part of the Department of Children’s Services Advisory Council. On top of it all, Brooks works as a patient care technician at Centennial Hospital, serving yet another sector of the community.

“All that I do is with the hope that I can make one small dent to help improve the world; whether that be through patient care or through advocacy for children who do not have a voice. All of the actions I have taken thus far are not for me but for the people whom I am helping,” Brooks said.

In 2018, Brooks received the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Light of Hope Award, which honors those who have been “lights of hope” to children and youth in the community through advocacy and making a difference. As part of the Heart of Belmont Award, a donation will be made in Brooks’s name to CASA.

Screenshot of Brooks Delivering Speech on Virtual Graduate Celebration
Brooks Delivered a special address during the virtual celebration for May 2020 graduates.

Brooks said she is not a 4.0 student or the student who raises her hand for every question in class. However, she is resilient. She said school has always been her safe place where she received positive attention and where she felt capable. Because of her problematic home life, Brooks knew that she needed to go to college to break the cycle. That is when she ultimately went into Tennessee State Custody.  

In high school, Brooks remained a straight-A student while bouncing from foster home to foster home. It was not until she took several honors classes simultaneously that she broke her record. “I never thought that dream of being a college kid was possible, and I cried when I opened acceptance letters to every college I applied to,” she said. Brooks balanced jobs and advocacy positions and still managed to graduate from nursing school. “I would never change a moment of my story, and I am thankful to have gone through college the way I have,” she said. “Honestly, I still cannot believe I have made it this far and accomplished so much.”

In the future, Brooks wants to grow as a bedside nurse and maintain her role as an advocate, as helping foster care children and lower income families is a huge passion for her. Eventually, she hopes to go back to school to be a nurse anesthetist and hopes to play a role with Doctors Without Borders. Brooks said she feels like her education experience is part of her toolbelt to help even more people. She hopes to touch as many lives as she can.

“I was shocked to be nominated because I did not know people were noticing the work I have put in,” Brooks explained. “You see, in the world of giving back and having a servant’s heart, sometimes it weighs us down with negative thoughts such as, ‘am I making a difference, am I helping?’ This award is a driving force to feel like what I am doing in this world is something I need to continue to do. It is a motivation to do even more. It is proof that I am making an impact. I am thankful for the nomination alone, as it is such a great feeling to feel seen by my mentors. I feel honored. I feel inspired.”

Brooks also offered remarks at Belmont’s virtual celebration for May 2020 graduates which can be viewed here or below.

Dark Appears on Online Platforms as Thought Leader

Haley Charlton
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Dark Appears on Online Platforms as Thought Leader

Assistant Professor of Religion and the Arts Dr. David Dark has recently appeared on a couple online platforms discussing impacts of the coronavirus on various issues.

In an article for America Magazine, Dark writes “We are Living in an Apocalypse” on COVID-19 flipping the script and causing us to open our eyes to our own apocalypses. He connects the current situation to the American economy, arguing, “The coronavirus pandemic has caused our world, as we know it, to end. But there might be a better world around the bend, a better arrangement than the one we have grown used to.”

He writes, “An apocalypse gives us a chance to think through once again our social and economic arrangements. Are we ready to rethink our agreements? We live in clarifying times.” Read the full article here.

Dark also recently sat down for a Deep Dive conversation on the Transform Network about former NSA operative Reality Winner and her case. Winner, who was imprisoned for sharing classified information with The Intercept, continues to serve out her prison sentence — the longest ever imposed in federal court for an unauthorized release of government information to the media.

Now, with the coronavirus pandemic ravaging prisons and detention centers, Dark, Winner’s family and other supporters are calling for her and all other nonviolent offenders to be released from custody for their health and safety. Learn more and listen to the deep dive conversation here.

Hawley Collaborates with Art+Logic to Launch Vibrary

Haley Charlton
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Hawley Collaborates with Art+Logic to Launch Vibrary

In collaboration with Belmont Physics Professor Dr. Scott Hawley, Art+Logic is unveiling Vibrary, an open-source A.I. tool for audio professionals– the first project to come out of its incubator lab.

Vibrary uses machine learning to analyze short samples and loops. Its design makes it easy for producers, composers and musicians to train their own models and classify sounds by sound, genre, feel or other characteristics, defined by users’ needs and preferences.

Read the full story here. The tool has also received international attention as the open-source AI tool features an interface that makes training algorithms accessible to anyone with a computer, internet connection and a sound library.

Finch Awarded Editor’s Prize in Prose for National Literary Journal

Haley Charlton
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Finch Awarded Editor’s Prize in Prose for National Literary Journal

Dr. Susan Finch, associate professor of English, was awarded the Editor’s Prize in Prose for the New Ohio Review, a national literary journal housed at Ohio University, https://www.ohio.edu/nor/. Her short story “We Are the Bachelorettes and We Insist” was selected by novelist, Mandy Berman. The story will be published in the fall of 2020.

Finch teaches creative writing and specializes in fiction. Her work has appeared in numerous literary magazines, and currently, she is at work on a novel and a collection of short stories. 

Belmont Announces Annual Scholarship and Awards Day Winners via Instagram

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Announces Annual Scholarship and Awards Day Winners via Instagram

Belmont’s top students and faculty were celebrated in a different way than normal this year as the annual Scholarship and Awards Day was held via the Belmont University Instagram account. Finalists were honored for their commitment to the University’s mission and dedication to scholarship, service and leadership.

Provost Dr. Thomas Burns introduced the awards ceremony on the Belmont Instagram stories by saying, “Although we cannot celebrate together, I wanted to make sure we keep the tradition alive of celebrating scholarship and awards of faculty and students, recognizing the incredible achievements they have made, even if we do it virtually. By continuing the tradition of Scholarship and Awards Day, we are reaffirming our commitment to learning and discovery by honoring those who have exhibited extraordinary dedication to scholarly achievement.”

Each year, the presentation of the John Williams Heat of Belmont Award is greatly anticipated. The award honors one third year or fourth year student who embodies Belmont’s values, including innovation, persistence, advocacy for change, community development and service.

This year’s recipient, Hailey Brooks, is a nursing major who will graduate this May. In 2018, she received the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Light of Hope Award, which honors those who have been lights of hope to children and youth in the community through their advocacy and through making a difference. She also serves as a member of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth and has been involved in other foster care advocacy positions for many years. She served as a Youth Village Peer Advocate as part of the Department of Children’s Services Advisory Council and is also a Jim Casey Fellow.

In reference to her accomplishments, Brooks stated, “I am very proud of these titles and these groups I’ve worked with. However, most importantly for my story, I’m a foster care child. I say that with pride; I’m among the one percent of foster children who graduate college and help break the stereotypes around foster youth. Today, that’s my biggest accomplishment.”

As part of this award, a donation will be made in Brooks’s name to CASA.

Other students honored in Thursday’s ceremony included:

The Williams-Murray First Year Writing Award

  • Chasity Donald for the essay “Who you think you talkin’ to? An In-depth Look at Code Switching and its Effects in African American Society”
  • Grace Usleman for the essay “Adventures in Birding: Lessons of Mindfulness, Coping and the Natural World”

The Alfred Leland Crabb Awards

  • First Prize:  Sarah Anne Pfitzer for her work “’Different From All’: Disability and Resistance in Lee Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies”
  • Second Prize: Amanda Tigar for her work “The Goodness of Girls”

The Stacy Awalt Writing Award: James Chadwell for his research essay, “The Unity of Wittgenstein’s Early and Late Works”

The Annette Sisson First Year Seminar Award: Elijah Sheets for his essay: “White Noise: Tangible Death”

Lumos Travel Award: Kelsey Beyeler, Ben Rogers, Anas Saba and Elise Sanford

The Dr. Fannie Hewlett Award

  • Undergraduate Recipient: Senior Christine Allen
  • Graduate Recipient: Third Year Pharmacy Student Ashontae Johnson

The Inaugural Belmont Graduate-Student Scholarship Award: Livia Linden

The Inaugural Belmont Graduate-Student Leadership Award: Lauren Addison

Hale First Year Leadership Award: Vance Mazure

Hale Second Year Leadership Award: Daniel DeForest

Hale Third Year Leadership Award: Kevin Botros

Hale Fourth Year Leadership Award: Sarah Anne Pfitzer

John A. Williams Heart of Belmont Award: Hailey Brooks and Community Partnership: Tennessee CASA

In addition to student award winners, a number of awards were given to faculty members. The Christian Scholarship Award honors faculty scholarship that engages the Christian intellectual tradition and advances the scholarly conversation between Christian faith and learning. This year’s recipients were Dr. Douglas Murray and Dr. Jonathan Thorndike from the English Department.

The Leadership in Christian Service Award honors a faculty member who provides leadership to a new initiative or an established Christian organization that serves those in need. This year’s recipient was Dr. Jeremy Fyke, Communication Studies Department.

The Faculty Award for Scholarship recognizes a faculty member for outstanding intellectual and creative contributions of discovery, integration, application or teaching. This year’s finalists included Physics Associate Professor Dr. Scott Hawley, School of Music Assistant Professor Dr. Virginia Lamothe and Occupational Therapy Associate Professor Dr. Teresa Plummer, and the recipient was Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Colin Cannonier.

Dr. D. Lee Warren, professor of accounting, was named the 2019-20 Chaney Distinguished Professor. The Chaney Distinguished Professor Award, determined on the basis of superior teaching, is presented each year to a faculty member who best represents the vision of the university to be a “premier teaching institution.” Award finalists also included Dr. Michelle Corvette, Art Department, Dr. Ken Spring, Sociology Department, and Dr. Chris Barton, Biology Department.

Dr. Jennifer Crowell, assistant professor in the Social Work Department, received the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award. This award is presented each year to a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to student life outside the classroom. Other finalists included Dr. Ryan Fox, Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Dr. Francesca Muccini, Foreign Language Department, and Dr. Eric Holt, College of Entertainment and Music Business.

Belmont Virtually Celebrates Spring 2020 Graduates

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Virtually Celebrates Spring 2020 Graduates

Belmont University honored its spring 2020 graduate and undergraduate students on Saturday, May 2 via a special online celebration at 11 a.m. Central at http://www.belmont.edu/graduation/. The event recognized the graduation of 1,412 students with 1,079 bachelor’s, 100 master’s and 233 doctoral degrees conferred.

Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher officially conferred the degrees of candidates from every college at Belmont. The final semester at Belmont for these graduates concluded in a way no one could have predicted. However, these unfortunate circumstances in no way diminish what the graduates have accomplished. The students earned the right to be recognized and honored.

Still, nothing replaces the feeling of walking across the stage and hearing one’s name called out. Belmont is excited to provide that opportunity to graduates and their families at an August 7 commencement ceremony. Graduates are asked to complete the August RSVP form by July 1 to indicate whether or not they will be able to attend one of the August ceremonies. May graduates will participate in the August graduation ceremony with their respective college as assigned at either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. as indicated by the RSVP form.

Belmont began mailing diplomas and honor cords directly to the graduates beginning on May 4. Caps, gowns and tassels will also be mailed in mid-May. The University encourages graduates to send in photos wearing their caps and gowns to socialmedia@belmont.edu or to use the hashtag #BelmontGrad20 on Instagram or Twitter in order for Belmont to celebrate their achievements on social media platforms.

Belmont’s New Music Business Class Takes Students Through Real-World International Label Release Project

Katie McAdams
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Belmont’s New Music Business Class Takes Students Through Real-World International Label Release Project

Belmont pop artist DASHA’s first major label single called “Don’t Mean a Thing” was released on Friday, April 24. The song is a product of a new class offered in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business called “Behind the Scenes: International Major Label Release.” The course gives students real-world access to every aspect of an international major label release from songwriting, production and contracting all the way through label deals, marketing plans, touring and pitching.

“With a promising artist, a major label, and absolute faith in the students, the class started this semester,” explained senior songwriting major Rachel Martin. “I am one of the students fortunate enough to be a guinea pig for this adventure. I am so glad and so proud that I did. None of us knew what we were in for.”

The plan for the course was to choose a talented Belmont artist and give them the chance of a lifetime, a release with FAMOUZ Records, which is a joint venture between SONY and Stefan Dabruck Management. After a songwriting contest put on by Stefan Babruck Management and more than 100 applications, DASHA was selected as the artist for the course. She received a single-song deal with SONY Germany and FAMOUZ Records, which would be worked on in this new course.

DASHA is a current sophomore songwriting major at Belmont University from the central coast of California. “I’ve seen an infinite growth in myself as an artist through this experience,” she shared. “It really does take a village to create something incredible, and I’m so thankful to be part of this opportunity. Through this release, I’ve learned that this is exactly what I want to do with my life, and I could not be more excited to go after it!”

On April 22, students conducted their final exam, a pitch to FAMOUZ Records and Stefan Dabruck Management. In the pitch, students showcased their release strategies and individual roles in the project including public relations, marketing, social media and product management. SONY Germany will be pitching DASHA’s “Don’t Mean a Thing” to radio and other outlets in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Students in the course and DASHA are pitching to influencers, magazines and playlists in the United States.

Stefan Dabruck, CEO of FAMOUZ Records and Stefan Dabruck Management, and alumna Chelsea Kent, who has worked for many companies over the years in publishing and producer and writer management, were integral parts of the foundation of the class. During the time of the songwriting contest in fall 2019, Belmont alumna Katie Braile was also contracted by Stefan Dabruck Management to run the office in Nashville.

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