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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Gallegos Chosen as Nashville Sister Cities Ambassador

Hope Buckner
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Gallegos Chosen as Nashville Sister Cities Ambassador

Belmont student Rachel Gallegos has been chosen as the ambassador for Sister Cities of Nashville and will spend part of the summer in Caen, France working in the Office of the Mayor of Caen. Gallegos is a second year nursing major and French minor.

She said she is honored to have been chosen for this internship and is looking forward to representing Nashville while working with French professionals and other international students and learning more about the French language and culture through this immersive experience.

Student Bar Association Hosts Annual Barrister’s Ball

April Hefner
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Student Bar Association Hosts Annual Barrister’s Ball

The Belmont Law Student Bar Association hosted the 2018 Barrister’s Ball at Cabana on Thurs., April 12. Law students, faculty and staff were in attendance. SBA presented both students and faculty with superlatives. Ball attendees topped off the evening with dancing.

Faculty Present at Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Hope Buckner
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Faculty Present at Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Professor of French Dr. Cheryl Brown, Associate Professor of Italitan Dr. Francesca Muccini and Associate Professor of German Dr. Regine Schwarzmeier traveled to the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 10 to give a presentation. The presentation was entitled “The Limits of My Language Mean the Limits of My World: Expanding the World through Language Learning and Study Abroad.”

Co-Chairs of Women’s History Month Celebration Present at Nashville Housing and Urban Development Office

Staff Writer
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Co-Chairs of Women’s History Month Celebration Present at Nashville Housing and Urban Development Office

Professors of English Amy Hodges Hamilton and Sarah Blomeley recently spoke at a special event coordinated by the Nashville Housing a Urban Development (HUD) Office to celebrate Women’s History Month. Using HUD’s overall goals as their touchstone, the presentation considered their mission to “increase home ownership and community empowerment,” through the analysis of 20th century African-American women writers on the power of home and our mother’s voices.

They talked collectively about the concept of home through the lens of women’s history, using authors like Alice Walker, Bell Hooks and Maya Angelou as inspiration. This speaking engagement was one of a series of community experts on various social and historical celebrations, and Hamilton and Blomeley were there as co-chairs for Belmont’s 2018 celebration of Women’s History Month.

Murphree Serves as Judge at RCS STEM Expo Night

Hope Buckner
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Dr. Steve Murphree Head ShotDr. Steve Murphree, biology professor, again served as a judge for the 2nd Annual Rutherford County Schools (RCS) STEM Expo Night held at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna. The countywide event included nearly 100 student projects representing grades 6-12. Students presented original research developed from a complex question, problem or challenge.

In addition to judging three projects, Murphree also chose the recipient of the “Belmont University Award of Excellence,” a special award. This year’s recipient was “No Oil in the Ocean” by McKenna Smith and Andrew Johnson of Stewarts Creek Middle School.

Students, Faculty Present Research at the Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting

Hope Buckner
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Students, Faculty Present Research at the Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting

Three biology faculty and 17 students in biology, biochemistry & molecular biology, environmental science and neuroscience presented their research at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina March 28-31.  The presentations were:

Faculty Presenters

Dr. Chris Barton, “Integrating an inquiry-driven cell culture experience in an upper-level cell biology course”

Dr. Matthew Heard, “Using life history data to examine trade-offs in body size and reproductive ability”

Dr. Darlene Panvini, “Why Science Matters: Personalizing Biology through Citizen Science”

Student Presenters (Faculty Advisors)

Sherif Helmey (Robert Grammer), “Towards an enhanced chemotaxis assay of Caenorhabditis elegans with microfluidics”

Hope Kramer (Robert Grammer), “Stable inheritance of olfactory imprinting in Caenorhabditis elegans”

Midya Yarwais (Nick Ragsdale), “The Effects of Bromocriptine on the Mobility of Caenorhabditis elegans with Parkinson’s-like Disease”

Yasmin Telwar (Nick Ragsdale), “Investigating the Effect of the NMDA-type Neurotransmitter Glutamate on Habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans”

Taylor Hodge (Nick Ragsdale), “Investigating the Potential Role of nsy-1 in Response to an Oxidative Stressor”

Ryan Fox (Robert Grammer), “Isolation of Lysosomes in Caenorhabditis elegans”

Kylie Lawrence (Darlene Panvini), “The Effects of Exotic Invasive Plant Species on Pollinator Biodiversity in a Deciduous Temperate Forest”

Caroline Glover (Darlene Panvini), “A Quantitative Analysis of a Kale Hybrid, Tronchuda beira Grown on an Extensive Green Roof, Garden and EarthBox”

Christien Jackson (Darlene Panvini), “The effect of exotic plant species on arthropod diversity within an urban temperate deciduous forest”

McKenzie Roberts (Chris Barton), “Lycorine hydrochlorine induces a proliferative arrest in colorectal cancer cell”

Bailey Bergmann (Chris Barton), “Amodiaquine, an anti-malarial compound, inhibits the growth of epithelial cancer cells in culture”

Kara Garrett (Lori McGrew), “The effects of various pathogens on cortisol levels of Danio rerio measured from holding water compared to full body collection”

Dylan Adler (John Niedzwiecki), “The Effect of PH on a Freshwater snail’s (Elimia laqueta) ability to detect predator and alarm cues”

Priyanka Kumar (Amber Bradley, Joe Deweese, Chris Barton), “Novel etoposide analogs inhibit the growth of cancer cells in culture”

Brooke Pugsley (Robert Grammer), “Investigating the use of quorum sensing molecules in the pathogenic pathway of Bacillus thuringiensis in Caenorhabditis elegans”

Cady Sliger (Virginia Fleer, James Wetzel, Darlene Panvini), “Fertilization of green sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus, negatively impacted by increasing temperature and acidity”

Hannah Forgani (Chris Barton, Matthew Heard), “Examining the presence of Escherichia coli and fecal coliforms at Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, Tennessee”

Physical Therapy Students Host Health Fair, Educate Elementary Students

Staff Writer
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Physical Therapy Students Host Health Fair, Educate Elementary Students

three fourth graders, wrapped in toilet paper, standing with a professorBelmont’s physical therapy (PT) class of 2019 recently provided a health fair for 100 fourth grade students from East Cheatham Elementary School. The PT students in Dr. Pat Sells Health and Wellness Class prepared lesson plans and activities for a variety of health and wellness related topics.

The kids were exposed to topics such as bone health, lung health, stress management and physical activity. The PT students have been providing this health fair for numerous years, teaching lessons to over 1,000 elementary students.

Dean Emilie Townes Speaks at Belmont University

April Hefner
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Dean Emilie Townes Speaks at Belmont University

The Rev. Dr. Emilie M. Townes visited Belmont last week for a faculty lunch event highlighting the value of diversity in Christian higher education. Townes currently serves as dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School and is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society. The first African American dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School and first African American female president of the American Academy of Religion (2008), she is the author of numerous books—including, “Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil” (Palgrave Macmillan Press, 2006). She is an ordained clergywoman in the American Baptist Churches USA.

Dean Emilie Townes speaks at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, April 3, 2018.

The lunch was the final event of the Diversity Lunch Series organized by the Faculty Inclusion, Diversity and Equity committee and co-sponsored by the College of Theology and Christian Ministry. After a word of welcome by Dr. Beth Ritter-Conn and introduction by Dr. David Dark, Townes spoke eloquently about diversity as a challenging, ongoing and multi-faceted conversation that can only flourish in an environment of trust among peers. Dr. Darrell Gwaltney, dean of the College of Theology and Christian Ministry, affirmed the importance of building mutual trust: “There’s nothing more sacred than sitting around a table together over a meal and learning from each other. It is a good thing how the Diversity Lunch Series brings us closer together.”

The Diversity Lunch Series is supported by a grant Dr. Gideon Park received from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and located at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The grant seeks to more fully express Belmont’s Christian identity by creating an inclusive culture for minority faculty, staff and students of color. The series is also made possible by funding from the Provost’s Office. After attending the lunch, Provost Dr. Thomas Burns commented: “I’m grateful to Dr. Park’s leadership in helping our faculty and staff engage with visiting scholars, allowing us to investigate various concepts of diversity within the academy and generating productive conversations and critical dialogue about diversity on our campus.”

The Diversity Lunch Series will continue next year under the guidance of the committee with generous support from the Provost’s Office.

O’More Students Compete in Eastman Design Challenge

April Hefner
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O’More Students Compete in Eastman Design Challenge

O’More College of Design and Kingsport, Tennessee-based Eastman are partnering this spring to promote the application of an environmentally friendly fiber in original, ready-to-wear knit clothing.

O'More sophomore Breonna Walker (top) shares her preliminary sketches with Eastman's Market Development Manager Terry Lawler.
O’More sophomore Breonna Walker (top) shares her preliminary sketches with Eastman’s Market Development Manager Terry Lawler.

In the Eastman Naia™ Challenge, students in O’More’s Fashion program (the only program from Tennessee to be recognized among the Top 10 in the South by fashion-schools.org) will create fashion-forward garments using fabric composed of Naia™, a cellulosic yarn made from wood pulp and derived exclusively from sustainably managed and certified forests.

The Challenge began on Feb. 16 with students presenting their preliminary sketches to Eastman Market Development Manager Terry Lawler and Marketing Communications Representative Meghana Diwanji.

The collaborative effort led O’More sophomore Chloe Baur to propose designs inspired by royal court portraits of the widowed Queen Victoria. A portrait by Henrich Von Angeli caught her eye that emphasized the arms and neck.

“I want to focus on the upper body through a more progressive lens,” says Baur. “The sleeves in my design have rounded slits at the elbow to create a silhouette where the sleeve stays in the same shape no matter the arm’s position. I chose to focus on Queen Victoria’s post-widowed portraits for the color palette of my design’s sake, where all of her dresses worn are black with embellishments.”

Baur’s design proposal takes into consideration the breathability, wrinkle recovery and drapeability of fabric produced with the Naia™ fiber.

Another sophomore, Sarah Stevenson, conducts extensive research of historical fashions in an effort to understand why people would wear garments that, by today’s standards, would be ridiculous. Among the questions she asks are, “Would this be comfortable to wear? If not, is it worth the discomfort? How am I surprising my audience with this piece?”

Stevenson seeks to push-the-needle in the Challenge by exploiting the limitless opportunities afforded by fabric produced with Naia™ fiber.

Designs will be juried by Eastman representatives, O’More faculty and industry professionals, and showcased at the 2018 O’More College Fashion Show on May 10 at the Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin. Students will be judged on versatility, comfort, innovative cuts, use of surprise elements with hardware, trims and functional embellishments.

Introduced at the Interfilière Paris fair in January 2017, Naia™ is a poised, new reflection of a long-standing fiber that enables luxurious, comfortable and easy-to-care-for fabrics and garments.

This marks the second year that O’More has collaborated with Eastman, a Fortune 500 company, to promote the versatile and environmentally friendly fiber. Last year’s Naia™ Design Challenge featured evening and formal wear.

More information as well as updates on the Eastman Naia™ Design Challenge are available online at OMoreCollege.edu.

 

Former Dollar General CEO Discusses Business Ethics, Faith in Corporations with Students

Staff Writer
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Former Dollar General CEO Discusses Business Ethics, Faith in Corporations with Students

Cal Turner talking to room full of students“Figuring out how an enterprise can serve the greater good is one of the greatest joys in life,” Cal Turner Jr., former CEO of Dollar General, said to students. Turner was delivering an address to a packed room of students, faculty and staff to introduce his new book, “My Father’s Business: The Small-Town Values That Built Dollar General into a Billion-Dollar Company.”

The book details the origins of Dollar General and the history of the family that built it. The company first began in 1939 as a family-owned business called J.L. Turner and Son, run by James Luther Turner and Cal Turner Sr., Turner Jr.’s father and grandfather. Turner worked in the company for most of his life, serving in a variety of roles ranging from sweeping floors to cashiering. He later served the company as CEO for 25 years before retiring.

Turner discussed his journey as CEO with the students, emphasizing the influence of his faith in his business decisions. He said that writing this book allowed him to reflect on his life-long relationship with God. “I found that when I go back to things that happened, I discern the hand of God.” This, in fact, influenced the title of the book, “My Father’s Business,” which refers both to his “earthly father” as well as to his “father in Heaven.”

Cal Turner speaking, pointing to himselfTurner noted that, from the perspective of a CEO of a major corporation, the most important contribution that higher education can give a student is the desire to be a life-long learner. Turner’s experience transitioning into the CEO position influenced that advice. He said that when he took over the business, it was in “entrepreneurial chaos.” His father had pushed for the company to go public before a public infrastructure was in place. Turner was then left to promote Dollar General, the first company of its kind, to Wall Street, which did not understand the concept of the company. He said through that experience, he was in charge of exploring the uniqueness of Dollar General. He told students, “I hope you and God spend the rest of your time exploring your own uniqueness.”

When he became CEO, Dollar General consisted of 150 stores worth $40 million . Now, the company has more than 14,600 stores worth $23.5 billion. Over 75 percent of the population in the continental United States lives within five miles of a Dollar General, and the company prides itself on its distribution of affordable, consumable basic goods, particularly to those in need. Turner remarked that he is proud that his company helps hardworking people who may be struggling financially, and that his faith is what made the company what it is today. To students, he said, “I hope you have a sense of awe about what your relationship with God can come to. That’s your father’s business.”

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