The 20th annual Insects of the Night program was held July 26, at Warner Park Nature Center. It is always a big draw for families who want to learn more about nocturnal creatures. Thanks in part to an article in The Tennessean by Ms. Cheap, over 300 children attended the event. Steve Murphree, professor of biology, began the evening with a short presentation followed by family-friendly activities celebrating insects such as a puppet show, the insect parade and demonstrations.
Erin Pitts, a recent environmental science Belmont graduate who had been a seasonal naturalist at the nature center, led a night hike and was responsible for the “Moth Parts” tent. Melissa Murphree, a senior Belmont sociology major, helped at the “Insect Navigation” tent.
Pictured (l-r) are Michael Martin, LeAnn Phelan, Sarah Cates and Dan Keen.
On July 18, Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and industry partner ASCAP honored alumnus LeAnn Phelan (’89) as the 2013 recipient of the Music City Milestone Award(MCMA), which celebrates Belmont’s connection to Music Row. The award recognizes a Belmont graduate who has achieved success in the entertainment & music industry. The inaugural award was presented last year to Rusty Gaston, partner and general manager of This Music.
Phelan, who now co-heads the ASCAP creative team with Michael Martin, has a B.B.A. from Belmont University with an emphasis in music business. She serves on the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) board as well as the board of Possibilities! Inc., a not-for-profit whose mission is to provide funding for a variety of services to aid in the strengthening and rebuilding of individuals struggling with addiction, co-dependency, childhood abuse and more.
Phelan’s career in the music business has run the gamut. She has toured as a vocalist with Steve Winwood and held significant executive positions at Sony Records, 19 Entertainment, Windswept Pacific and Combustion Music. Over the years, her responsibilities have included songwriter management, production coordination, A&R, music supervision, song plugging and writer development. She has worked with a long list of artists and writers including Kings of Leon, Drew Ramsey, Ashley Gorley, Blair Daly, Gordie Sampson, Catt Gravitt, Steve McEwan and Miranda Lambert. She also worked as a preliminary judge on the “American Idol” audition tour for four seasons.
Belmont Instructor of Music Business and creative force behind the MCMA award, Dan Keen said, “With her insight, talent and passion, LeAnn has established a reputation as one of the most effective advocates for writers and artists in the business today and does so with the great integrity. Integrity, talent, passion, insight and effectiveness are all qualities that Belmont emphasizes as we shape the music business leaders of tomorrow. We are proud to hold her up as a role model for our current and future students.”
“LeAnn has been a driving force in the Nashville music community for many years, and I know I speak for all of us at ASCAP when I say we are truly honored to have her as a colleague and a mentor,” said ASCAP Nashville Membership co-head Michael Martin. “She is greatly loved by her ASCAP family, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”
“All too often, success is recognized at the end of a career. We really want to take time to celebrate together the successes along the journey,” added Senior Director of Curb College Initiatives Sarah Cates. “LeAnn’s career path is an inspiring journey. Not only has she accomplished great things within her field of work, as a person, LeAnn is the real deal.”
Dr. Steven Stodghill of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences and his team have had three abstracts accepted for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences annual meeting in November.
Development of a Sustained-Release Donepezil Hydrochloride Formulation by Hot Melt Extrusion This study demonstrates the sustained release of highly water-soluble drugs such as donepezil hydrochloride can be formulated by continuous processing using twin-screw extrusion employing Compritol® 888 ATO as a hydrophobic matrix.
Effect of polymer molecular weight on Hot Melt Extrusion processing and dissolution of Clotrimazole The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) molecular weights on the extrudability and dissolution of clotrimazole by hot melt extrusion techniques. PVPs polymers are water-soluble and used routinely as a carrier to enhance the solubility for an API. Two different drug loads were used to investigate their effects.
Application of Solid Crystal Suspensions using Hot Melt Extrusion for Enhancement of Solubility and Stability of Efavirenz The formulation of crystal suspensions by Hot Melt Extrusion significantly increased the solubility and stability of Efavirenz. This technique/process provided an alternative approach for enhancing solubility of poorly water-soluble compounds using xylitol as a primary matrix carrier.
Adjunct professor Amy Smith recently had her article entitled “Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.: Radical Revision or Original Intent of the Alien Tort Statute” accepted for publication in the Southern Law Journal. The Southern Law Journal is listed in Cabell’s Directory, with an 18% acceptance rating. Smith teaches business law in the College of Business Administration and has taught at Belmont in various colleges since 2001.
Several Belmont pharmacy faculty participated in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting from July 13 through 17 in Chicago, Ill. The meeting is the primary source of innovations in teaching in colleges and schools of pharmacy, offers a large selection of faculty development opportunities and provides a merging of academia and accreditation issues.
Belmont faculty learned new techniques in the areas of student recruitment, student remediation, the scholarship of teaching and practice innovations as well as learned new standards of accreditation, new CAPE competencies and software products.
Marilyn E. Thompson Odom presented at a round table session on Assessment of Student Learning and Level of Empathy Through Use of Creative Expression. Elisa Greene, Ashton Beggs, Mark Chirico, Alisa Spinelli, Condit Steil, Kristina Wood and Phil Johnston–presented Integration, Innovation and Collaboration at Belmont University College of Pharmacy at the poster session. Leigh Ann Bynum, Hope Campbell and Lindsay Hahn presented Making Cross-Linkages Work Between Clinical and Management Classes in the College of Pharmacy at the refereed poster session. Andrew Webster and Angela Hagan served as administrative representative and faculty representative, respectively, in the House of Delegates. Phil Johnston served on the Council of Deans.
Media Studies Associate Professor Sybril Bennett has published Innovate: Lessons from the Underground Railroad, a book written to demonstrate how the Underground Railroad is among the most effective, disruptive and innovative networks in the history of America. She compares the Underground Railroad and the Internet to illustrate how the past and the present virtually collide creating the future in real time. Click here to listen to the book on ETPcast, “What Entrepreneurship, the Internet and the Underground Railroad All Have in Common.”
Dr. Syb Bennett, professor of journalism, presented social media tools and opportunities for approximately 100 K-12 teachers in Miami, Fla., as the keynote speaker at the iTeach Academy Leadership Summit, July 11-13. The Academy was created by Belmont graduate alumnus, Federico Padovan (M.Ed., ’12). Padovan is a 2013 Apple Distinguished Educator.
Bennett was also a presenter for the 2013 Institute on Integrative Learning and the Departments at their annual meeting titled, “Faculty Leadership for the 21st Century,” held by the Association for American Colleges and Universities, July 10-14 at Portland State University, Portland, Ore. Bennett taught integrative ways to utilize social media in the curriculum during the general Institute, as well as, for the “Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future Initiative.” Attendees included a group of STEM educators representing Historically Black Colleges and Institutions funded by the National Science Foundation. In addition to presenting, Bennett helped man technology stations teaching smaller groups about Google Glass and Plus, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.
The Belmont College of Pharmacy team is joined by staff from the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center.
An 11-member team from Belmont’s College of Pharmacy is traveling to Guatemala twice this summer to provide aid and expertise to the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center (MPSC). Open since March 2011, more than 800 needy children have received free life-altering surgical care from MPSC.
The Belmont team just returned from its first trip July 8-13 in which it teamed with MPSC to implement the hospital’s first computerized inventory system. During the week-long mission, the seven-person team worked with MPSC leadership to finalize the inventory categorization model and to set coding conventions. In addition, the team purchased and implemented inventory management software, documented and coded more than 750 individual items, created and affixed barcodes to all inventory and determined IT needs to link the new system across multiple computer stations.
This inventory system will help to ensure patient safety, assist in MPSC planning and enable donors to better target needed supplies. Follow the Belmont’s team’s ongoing updates on its Tumblr site or on Facebook.
A second team will return to Guatemala Aug. 4-8 to continue this medical mission work. Participants on the two trips include faculty members Drs. Eric Hobson and Angela Hagan as well as students Chris Kepinski, Rebecca Yost, Leah Dickerson, Quyen Nguyen, Henry Lim, Erin Todd, Kandice Squires and Allison Sweat.
Dr. Michael Voight, professor of physical therapy in the College of Health Sciences at Belmont, recently presented at the annual meeting of the National Athletic Trainers Association in Las Vegas, Nev. His presentation, attended by over 400 conference delegates, was on assessing and developing rotational speed in athletes. Voight shared his work in assessing fundamental movement and in turn correcting the impairments discovered. Examples were given utilizing several of the PGA tour players with whom he works.
Can three simple words really crumble an empire? “Yes, of course.”
Belmont University’s Dr. Kevin S. Trowbridge, assistant professor of public relations, was the featured speaker during the July 10 professional development luncheon for the Memphis chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Around 100 public relations and communication professionals gathered at the University Club to hear Trowbridge analyze and discuss the communication strategies used by celebrity chef Paula Deen. Trowbridge analyzed the Southern chef’s public relations crisis that resulted from Deen’s three-word admission to having used a racial slur that ignited a public firestorm.
Trowbridge’s presentation was titled, “When the Kitchen Gets Too Hot: Public Relations Lessons from Paula Deen’s Crisis Cookbook.” He reminded attendees of the power of local new media and that social media have empowered individual consumers as important participants in the court of public opinion. Further, he concluded that the principles of public relations remain steadfast and more important than ever during times of crisis.
Trowbridge advises Tower Creative Consultants, the student-run public relations firm of Belmont’s award-winning chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America. He is the chair-elect for the PRSA Southeast District.
The 20th annual Insects of the Night program was held July 26, at Warner Park Nature Center. It is always a big draw for families who want to learn more about nocturnal creatures. Thanks in part to an article in The Tennessean by Ms. Cheap, over 300 children attended the event. Steve Murphree, professor of biology, began the evening with a short presentation followed by family-friendly activities celebrating insects such as a puppet show, the insect parade and demonstrations.
