A 2014 thesis project by three students in Belmont University’s Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program was recently published in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. Co-authored by Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Teresa Plummer, the project studied the impact of mobility assistive technology devices on participation for individuals with disabilities.
The research team included Jordan Carver, recent OTD graduate, Ashley Ganus and Jon Mark Ivey, 2004 OTD graduates. Ann Eubank, a Nashville area occupational therapist and social worker associated with Belmont’s School of Occupational Therapy, was an additional co-author.
Belmont recognized Nashville Chief of Police and Belmont alumnus Steve Anderson during Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. spring commencement ceremony with an honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree. Honorary degrees have been presented by American colleges and universities since 1962 in recognition of meritorious humanitarian service, as well as scholarly and creative attainments. Belmont has bestowed this award selectively as the highest honor conferred by the University.
“The strong relationships Chief Anderson has built with neighborhood and communities, his commitment to protecting those who are threatened by domestic violence and his voice of reconciliation to people who feel disenfranchised are clear demonstrations of his remarkable concern for others,” Dr. Fisher said. “The high standard of professional excellence and emphasis on education in the Metro Police culture, along with the dramatic reduction of crime in Nashville, speak to the strong leadership Chief Anderson has provided within the department and the Nashville community.”
For the students in Belmont Biology Professor Dr. John Niedzwiecki’s Animal Behavior course, spending hours each week at the Nashville Zoo was not a way to avoid studying, but a large part of their coursework. As a semester-long lab project designed to give students the opportunity to observe and research animal behavior in a hands-on way, students were paired in groups of two, assigned an animal to work with and together, came up with a testable hypothesis to study.
Professor and Chair of the Biology Department Dr. Darlene Panvini taught a botany class in Fall 2014 that visited the Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation in Smyrna multiple times as part of the class’s service learning component. The students collected leaf samples from more than 40 trees on the property to apply for arboretum certification with the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. Panvini’s Fall 2012 botany class did similar work to advance the arboretum on Belmont’s campus towards reaching certification by the Nashville Tree Foundation.
With a focus on the central theme “Belief in Something Greater,” Belmont University will celebrate its 125th anniversary during the next academic year. Founded in 1890 by Ida Hood and Susan Heron, two bold and unconventional school teachers, the all-female Belmont College has transitioned and grown through the years into a co-ed, Division I, nationally acclaimed institution boasting more than 7,200 students. The anniversary affords Belmont the opportunity to commemorate its distinctive and dramatic history through a variety of special events, speakers and weeks designed to focus on particular elements of the Belmont legacy.
Associate Professor of Music Business Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr was recently interviewed on the television talk show, “Mind Your Music Business.”
In April, pharmacy students in the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy course led educational classes at Room In The Inn, a community of participants, guests, volunteers and staff who work together to offer hope to Nashville’s homeless population. The organization serves more than 4,000 homeless individuals each year.
Student Catie Martin stated, “I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent teaching the clients at Room at the Inn. It was a very rewarding experience to be able to teach these individuals about diseases and to see how much they already knew!”