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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Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Oscar Arias Speaks at Belmont

Paul Chenoweth
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Public talk kicks off for PeaceJam Mid-South conference for 280 regional youth to discuss social justice issues, serve community

PeaceJam 2014Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Laureate, spoke last night at a free, public event as part of Nashville’s second annual PeaceJam and will join student volunteers this afternoon at the Cole Elementary School Family Resource Center (5060 Colemont Drive) as part of the event. PeaceJam is built around leading Nobel Peace Laureates who work personally with youth to pass on the spirit, skills and wisdom they embody. The goal of PeaceJam is to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities and the world. Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous efforts in the Central America peace process.

Belmont University began a partnership in 2012 with locally-based nonprofit Students Taking a Right Stand (STARS) to be the PeaceJam Mid-South affiliate, which includes Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas and Kentucky. Last night’s public talk in the Curb Event Center opened a weekend-long conference expected to draw more than 280 college, high school and middle school students to explore issues of social justice while also engaging them in service to the community. In addition to workshops and team building exercises, students will participate in a variety of service projects during the weekend, including volunteer efforts with the Feed the Children, Thriftsmart, Cole Elementary, Second Harvest Food Bank, Sole Hope, Rocketown and Nashville Rescue Mission, among others.

Dr. Mimi Barnard, Belmont’s assistant provost for interdisciplinary studies & global education, said, “The PeaceJam concept brings together today’s greatest minds for peace with tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring ideas that will help govern our future world. This collaboration between Belmont and STARS to host the Mid-South PeaceJam will certainly make an impact on individual lives, but I also expect it to bring change in our communities and beyond. We are honored to have distinguished world leader Dr. Oscar Arias at our 2014 PeaceJam Mid-South Conference.”

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Buzzy’s Returns to Belmont’s BLVD Storefront

Paul Chenoweth
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Candy-2Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship and sweets lovers are celebrating the return of rock candy, chocolates, wax bottles and jelly beans to Belmont Boulevard as student-operated Buzzy’s returned to its original home this month where it opened four years earlier.

The candy shop relocated two doors down to a bigger suite in the storefront that is now McAlister’s Deli before a foiled contract with a national yogurt company forced the student-run business to close its doors.

Along with Feedback Clothing Co., BLVD Music Shop and Buzzy’s operate in the Curb Event Center space that has been set aside by Belmont University to give students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in operating a small business.

“The purpose of the stores is that they are a learning environment, a hands-on opportunity for student entrepreneurs to learn real life business lessons. While profits are important, they are not the sole purpose of the stores,” said Center for Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator Lisa Davis, adding she receives inquiries from other universities monthly on how to get similar student-run ventures on their campuses. “Reopening Buzzy’s, that was tradition at Belmont and in the local neighborhood community, is something we have wanted to do for the past couple of years. The management of BLVD Music Shop agreed it was a great idea to bring traffic into the music store and bring Buzzy’s back into its original space.”

Buzzy's promo posterAlumna Mandy Strader (’12), one of the original founders of Buzzy’s, assisted current students and the Center for Entrepreneurship with the unwrapping of the new store. The new Buzzy’s has more modern sweets, like Sour Patch, Dove and Heath bars, than the former candy shop, which focused on old school candies.

Now Runts, Skittles and Whirly Pops sit alongside second-hand keyboards, sheet music and guitar picks in BLVD Music Shop, a consignment store at the corner of Belmont Boulevard and Bernard Avenue that opened in August 2011. The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

“It’s a learning process because it’s been a year in the making,” said junior entrepreneurship major Kathleen Alegre, the candy manager for BLVD Music Shop and Buzzy’s. “It’s a little awkward having instruments and candy together but not difficult because candy is appreciated everywhere.”

Jurado Becomes U.S. Citizen

Paul Chenoweth
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IMG-20140221-WA0003Belmont custodian Lilia Jurado became a U.S. citizen on Feb. 21 when she took the Oath of Allegiance during the citizenship ceremony, a celebration for new citizens during which they are introduced to the U.S. justice system, recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag and hear from speakers on the responsibilities of citizenship. Jurado is a native of Mexico and works in the University’s Facilities Management Services.

Chemistry Department Hosts ‘CSI: Belmont’ Event

Paul Chenoweth
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CSI Chemistry-103-MAssociate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Alison Moore and the Student Members of the American Chemical Society (SMACS) led an interactive crime-solving event for students last Thursday during a convocation event. With a theme reminiscent of the popular CBS TV series “CSI,” students were challenged to play the role of Crime Scene Investigators and draw conclusions about a hypothetical crime based on their research.

Students looked at evidence including fingerprints, DNA analysis and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, which identifies different substances within a test sample. The students also investigated footprints and the ink chromatography of a note to evaluate suspects in a supposed murder. Evidence was used to include or exclude suspects during the investigation.

“It was cool to have a convocation event that allowed me to learn the material interactively instead of simply listening and taking notes,” senior Josh Hoelker said. “I was fascinated to see how the evidence came together to pin the guilty suspect.”

Earlier in the week, the “CSI: Belmont” experience also offered a visit from a training specialist from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), who talked about the educational background required to work in crime investigation as well as the training investigators go through after they get the job.

Belmont Senior, Aloompa Develop Popular iOS Photography App

Paul Chenoweth
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DSCF6363-editWhile working at local app development company Aloompa, Belmont senior Bryn Bodayle partnered with photographer Jeremy Cowart as the primary IOS developer for OKDOTHIS, an iOS app that provides an idea community for photography. The app has been steadily climbing the Apple App Store charts since its launch in late November. Aloompa, which was co-founded by two Belmont alumni, specializes in mobile apps for music, food, conference and community events.

OKDOTHIS allows users to share both their favorite photos and the creative ideas (“DOs”) that led to it. Users can connect with other photographers, become inspired by their DOs, and watch as their DOs spark the creativity of others. Recent examples of inspiring “DOs”include “Use car headlights to light a subject” and “Show off a piece of art that a friend made.”

“It has been great to work on an app of such scale and potential. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how users have used the app as a creative tool,” Bodayle said. “It’s really a new kind of social network, and I’m excited to see it continue to grow.”

Bodayle, an honors student focusing on design communications and computer science, began studying the development of iOS apps when he was a freshman at Belmont.

“I had never programmed before coming to Belmont, but even before the first smartphones, I was captivated by the potential for mobile phones,” Bodayle said. “After my first introductory programming course, I was hooked.”

The first smartphone app Bodayle created was for a project with fellow Belmont student Andrew Trask. The two were recruited to build an iPhone app for a charity fashion show at Belmont. Although Apple never approved the app, the experience earned Bodayle an internship at Aloompa.

Bodayle has been at Aloompa for almost three years. In addition to his work on OKDOTHIS, he has worked on dozens of apps for the iPhone, iPad and Mac along with working on apps for clients such as John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Coachella and Bonnaroo. He will graduate from Belmont this summer.

Sport Administration Students Host Special Olympics Basketball Tournament

Paul Chenoweth
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MSA_Special_OlympicsOn Feb. 18, second-year students in the Master of Sport Administration program hosted a basketball tournament for nearly 200 Special Olympians from Middle Tennessee. The tournament was held at the Curb Event Center for the fourth straight year. The competition was incorporated into the Sport Event Management and Planning course and offered students the opportunity to work in all phases of organizing an event for participants with intellectual disabilities.

Pre-Med Student Featured in Figure Skating Story

Paul Chenoweth
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Alicia_HsuAlicia Hsu, a senior biology major and pre-med student, was featured in a story on Fox news about figure skating. Hsu who says she finds “relaxation in the competitive sport” will soon be competing for collegiate nationals in figure skating at the 2014 U.S. Collegiate Championships held in Rochester, Mich., at the Onyx Ice Arena on Aug. 14-16.

Belmont Places Second in Journalism Competition

Paul Chenoweth
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Top left to right are Autumn Allison, Nick Yacovazzi, Will Hadden, Heather Thompson and Courtney Martinez.
Top left to right are Autumn Allison, Nick Yacovazzi, Will Hadden, Heather Thompson and Courtney Martinez.

Belmont University placed second in the onsite competition at the Southeastern Journalism Conference, held this year in Lafayette, La. Media studies department head Thom Storey and student publications adviser Dorren Robinson traveled with nine students to the conference to attend workshops and compete.

The following students placed in the onsite competitions:

  • Nick Yacovazzi, second place for entertainment writing
  • Heather Thompson, second place for copy editing
  • Courtney Martinez, third place for current events
  • autumn Allison, third place for sports photography
  • Will Hadden, third place for news writing

In addition to the onsite competition, the Best of the South awards were handed out for work published over the past year. Belmont received three awards:

  • Autumn Alison, second place multimedia journalist
  • Katie Greene, seventh place, best sports writer
  • Laura Hostelley, eighth place, best arts and entertainment writer​

Nearly 300 college journalists and faculty attended the three-day event Feb. 20-22 at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. The Southeast Journalism Conference includes more than 40 public and private colleges and universities from a seven-state region. Belmont’s journalism program has been a member since 1986.

Business Students Win Chartered Financial Analyst Research Challenge

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont University students won the Greater Tennessee Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Research Challenge competition for the second year in a row. The teams consisted of economics student Jake DeVries, accelerated Master of Business Administration student Yan Yan Dong, professional MBA student  Justin Essary, finance  student Wes Heginbotham and professional MBA student Reece Mabry. The competition included University of Tennessee Knoxville, Vanderbilt and Lipscomb Universities and four other colleges. Belmont’s team prepared an equity research report on Nashville-based health management company Healthways, which was presented to a group of Chartered Financial Analyst judges. The team will compete again in the Americas regional competition in Denver on March 18 and 19. Belmont alumnus Jay McCanless served as the team’s industry mentor.

Komen Recognizes Voight as Pink Tie Guy

Paul Chenoweth
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Mike VoightThe Greater Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen has recognized Physical Therapy Professor Mike Voight as a Pink Tie Guy during a celebration dinner that honored a 10 individuals from Middle Tennessee.

The Pink Tie Program features influential leaders who help mobilize, energize and engage audiences in the breast cancer movement through their role within the community, within their organizations and through their personal involvement.  Pink Tie Guys bring a male voice to the urgency of finding a cure for breast cancer.

“Mike is the perfect Pink Tie Guy,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, dean of the College of Health Sciences.  “His positive energy is contagious, and he has worked tirelessly to mobilize others to race for the cure. We are so proud of his accomplishments and appreciate our Komen partners for rewarding his work in this way.”

Voight is the force behind Belmont’s annual participation in the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  Each year, over 100 students and alumni from the School of Physical Therapy volunteer to provide the main logistical support for the race.  Komen International recognized Belmont University and the School of Physical Therapy last summer as the Volunteer Group of the Year for their service.

 

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