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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Belmont Recognized as Top Fundraising School in the Nation for Up ‘Til Dawn, Raises More Than $135,000

Katie McAdams
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Belmont Recognized as Top Fundraising School in the Nation for Up ‘Til Dawn, Raises More Than $135,000

Each year, Belmont students rally together behind St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the annual Up ‘til Dawn event. Students raised more than $135,000 through continuous fundraising efforts throughout the school year and were eager to celebrate this achievement over the weekend, being named the top fundraising school in the United States.

In 2018, Belmont was recognized by St. Jude with Program of the Year Award. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility in Memphis, Tennessee, focused on children’s catastrophic diseases, particularly cancer.

Sonia Mathews, executive director of Belmont Up ’til Dawn, shared, “Up ‘til Dawn means compassion toward, hope for, and solidarity with the children and families of St. Jude. It is incredibly special that year after year, despite their busy lives, students choose to sacrifice their time to raise money and awareness for St. Jude. The continuous support and participation of our student body just goes to show how service oriented Belmont’s heart is. About 10 percent of our entire student population was involved this year, exemplifying that Belmont students are willing to sacrifice their time to help people in need. That is something truly beautiful and Christlike. I couldn’t be more thankful for it.”

Up ’til Dawn 2020 took place in the Curb Event Center on Friday, February 28, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. With a camping theme, students were encouraged to come decked out in flannels and camping attire.

Belmont staff adviser Meghan Westbury stated, “I am blessed to have a front row seat to this year after year. Belmont is committed to providing a community that challenges men and women to engage and transform the world. In six years on Belmont’s campus, St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn has become that community through service and leadership from a diverse and unified body of students on campus.”

To graduating senior Olivia Steiner, Belmont’s Up ‘til Dawn organization and event means the world. She shared, “Up ‘til Dawn’s meaning in my life has changed drastically since I served as a Morale Captain my freshman year. While my cousin Lizzy was fighting cancer as a St. Jude patient, Up ‘til Dawn allowed me to join the fight with her in a tangible way. Knowing that the money I raised was going to the hospital that was helping Lizzy fight for her life was empowering. After she passed in 2018, Up ‘til Dawn became an outlet for keeping her legacy alive and fight for the 1 in 5 children like Lizzy who don’t make it. This event has given me a place to use my heartbreak for good and use my time in college to make a positive impact on something that matters to me.”

Members of Kappa Alpha Theta at Up ’til Dawn on February 28, 2020.

Belmont Up ‘til Dawn recognized Belmont’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta as the top fundraising organization on campus with more than $24,000 raised for St. Jude. As a member of the sorority, Steiner said, “Being able to watch my sorority develop a passion for St. Jude has been incredible. I’m so thankful to have a group of more than 200 women who were so dedicated to this fundraising. Encouraging does not even begin to describe how this made me feel.”

Belmont University Celebrates Women’s History Month with Focus on Women’s Suffrage

Katie McAdams
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Belmont University Celebrates Women’s History Month with Focus on Women’s Suffrage

Note: All events listed here have been cancelled after spring scheduling changes due to the coronavirus outbreak.

This year, Belmont University is celebrating Women’s History Month with programming that will examine the intersection of public policy with private life. These events will explore how women have impacted – and been impacted by – the past century of public policy since women were granted the right to vote.

“The national theme for the 2020 Women’s History Month is ‘Valiant Women of the Vote,’ and we’ve decided to highlight valiant women who are acting as agents of change on both local and global levels,” shared Dr. Amy Hodges Hamilton, professor of English and co-chair of Belmont’s Women’s History Month. “Join us this month as Belmont honors those women who have worked tirelessly to restore humanity and rights in their own lives and the lives of countless others.”

The remaining events of this month’s celebration include:

  • “By One Vote”: Women’s Suffrage in the Margins of History: March 5, 10 a.m. in Janet Ayers Academic Center 1037. Join the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences for a screening of “By One Vote: Woman Suffrage in the South,” highlighting the crucial role of Nashville legislators in the decision to ratify the 19th amendment. The event will include remarks by guest speakers Beth Curley, executive producer and former CEO of Nashville Public Television, and producer Mary Makley.
  • The Transformative Power of Education and Research: Week of March 15. Explore global issues like trauma informed care, health, human rights and public histories with Dr. Heather Finch, Dr. Amy Hodges Hamilton, Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Dr. Cathy Taylor and other scholars, as we consider valiant women around the world.
  • “On the Basis of Sex” Film Screening and Discussion: March 19, 6:30 p.m. in the Johnson Theater. Don’t miss the screening of “On the Basis of Sex,” the story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s early career and famous case that launched the Sex Equality Under the Fourteenth and Equal Rights Amendments. After the showing, Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr, associate dean of music business, will lead a discussion on this impactful case and iconic woman.
  • Purity and Patriarchy: March 23, 10 a.m. in the Janet Ayers Chapel. Guest speaker Dr. Kristin De Mez, professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University, will discuss “purity culture” in relation to the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements.
  • The Challenge of Feminism in Christianity: March 23, 2 p.m. in Janet Ayers Academic Center 5001. Guest speaker Dr. Kristin De Mez will lead a discussion on overcoming the negative connotation surrounding feminism in Christianity and share insight from her book, “A New Gospel for Women: Katharine Bushnell and the Challenge of Christian Feminism.”
  • Sacred Stories: Quilting as Art and Life: March 30, 10 a.m. in Janet Ayers Academic Center 1034. Quilting, like many forms of art, is a significant type of storytelling. Dr. Robbie Pinter, professor of English and co-leader for the Belmont in Native American Lands program, will discussion the inception and development of quilt-making among the Lakota Sioux Tribes.
  • Take Back the Night: April 7, 6:30 p.m. in Janet Ayers Chapel. Belmont’s annual Take Back the Night event seeks to raise awareness about violence against students, give students a voice in their safety on campus and provide easily accessible resources for violence prevention and study safety. The night will include a march and keynote address by Dr. Charlotte Pierce-Baker, a retired professor emerita at Vanderbilt University, renowned scholar and author of “Surviving the Silence: Black Women’s Stories of Rape.” Break the silence, lift up each other’s’ voices and take safety into our own hands by taking back the night.  

Dr. Gary Austin Presents at National Physical Therapy Conference

Katie McAdams
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Dr. Gary Austin Presents at National Physical Therapy Conference

With collaborators for the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia, Dr. Gary Austin, professor and chair for the School of Physical Therapy, presented the following posters related to Pain Neuroscience Education at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting (CSM), which was held in Denver, Colorado Feb. 12 – 15. This is a national level conference and the APTA’s largest annual conference. 

  • Pain Neuroscience Education Changes PA Student Intervention Patterns, Including Physical Therapy Referrals: Sue E. Curfman, PT, DHSc; Joyce S. Nicholas, PhD; Gary P. Austin, PT, PhD and Benjamin M. Radack, PT.
  • Differences in Pain Neuroscience Perspectives between Physical Therapy Students and Clinical Instructors: Sue E. Curfman, PT, DHSc; Joyce S. Nicholas, PhD; Gary P. Austin, PT, PhD and Benjamin M. Radack, PT
  • PT and PA Students Differ in Perceptions, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Persistent Pain? Sue E. Curfman, PT, DHSc; Joyce S. Nicholas, PhD; Gary P. Austin, PT, PhD and Benjamin M. Radack, PT

Additionally, Dr. Austin presented the following platform:

  • Pain Neuroscience Knowledge and Pain Perspectives: A Longitudinal Study of DPT Students and Faculty. Sue E. Curfman, PT, DHSc; Joyce S. Nicholas, PhD; Gary P. Austin, PT, PhD and Benjamin M. Radack, PT

Alumnus Russell Dickerson Nominated for 2020 Academy of Country Music’s Best New Male Artist Award

Katie McAdams
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Alumnus Russell Dickerson Nominated for 2020 Academy of Country Music’s Best New Male Artist Award

Belmont alumnus Russell Dickerson, a 2011 commercial voice graduate, is a nominee for the 2020 Country Music’s Best New Male Artist Award.

Russell released his first album “Yours” in October 2017. The album had three No. 1 hit:, “Yours,” “Blue Tacoma” and “Every Little Thing.” All three songs were written with fellow alumni Casey Brown, a 2009 percussion and commercial music graduate, and Parker Welling, a 2009 graduate from the College of Music and Entertainment Business.

On February 11, Russell released “Love You Like I Used To,” written by the same team.

College of Business Student Presents at the 2020 Eastern Economic Association Annual Meeting

Haley Charlton
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College of Business Student Presents at the 2020 Eastern Economic Association Annual Meeting

Kaden Paulson, an economics major in the Jack C. Massey College of Business, recently attended and presented a paper titled “The Dynamics of Billboard’s Chart Success: Evidence from Country Music” at the Issues in Political Economy (IPE) 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference in Economics. 

The 2020 conference was held at the Eastern Economic Association Annual Meetings in Boston from February 28-29. The conference brings together economists and undergraduates from across the country to present and share their research with peers. Students presenting at the IPE also serve as discussants. Paulson was accompanied at this conference by his research advisor, collaborator and faculty member Dr. Colin Cannonier.

According to Paulson, chart success is strongly correlated with music sales and earnings of artists in the entertainment industry. While there have been studies on “hit” prediction, few have explored the factors that make a song a hit and how they impact its climb and sustained ranking at the top of the charts over time. Remarkably, even less is known about these indicators of success within the genre of country music.

Using data from Billboard’s Charts and Spotify API, Paulson investigated the dynamics of Billboard chart success in the country music industry over a period of more than 50 years. He also examined the shift in preferences that have evolved country music from 1964 to the present. His results indicate that danceability, acousticness and energy play a significant role in sustained chart success of a song. The length of stay of a song at the top is notably improved with a top rating in the previous week and a higher acousticness. Although the effect of these variables evolves over time, they remain significant factors in the chart success and remaining hit songs in their respective eras. 

Belmont Student Composers Perform Concert in Nashville’s Parthenon

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Student Composers Perform Concert in Nashville’s Parthenon

On Sunday, February 23, the ECHO concert series hosted a showcase of music by Belmont student composers and the Belmont New Music Ensemble at the Parthenon in Nashville, organized by Dr. Mark Volker, associate professor of music.

An enthusiastic full house audience heard new compositions by eight Belmont student composers: Alec Shirer, Daniel Fiamengo, Justin Schwartz, Madison Anglin, Nathan Healy, Nolan Roth, Adam Lutz and Sara Hunsicker. The performances took place in the beautiful resonance space in the shadow of the massive statue of Athena.

Acoustics Today features Hawley, Tensorflow Contributor

Haley Charlton
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Acoustics Today features Hawley, Tensorflow Contributor

The Spring 2020 issue of Acoustics Today includes a feature article by Belmont Physics Professor Dr. Scott Hawley, written at the request of the editor, on the topic of synthesizing musical instrument sounds using physics and machine learning. 

Hawley and co-authors Vasileios Chatziioannou (University of Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria) and Andrew Morrison (Joliet Junior College, Illinois) summarize their article by saying, “Physics-based modeling provides insight into sound production processes, whereas machine learning generates increasingly realistic imitations from recordings alone.” 

In the course of preparing the manuscript, Hawley noticed an opportunity for improvement in computer code by Google’s musical instrument synthesis model, resulting in Hawley’s edited version being included in their “Tensorflow” code repository, used by tens of thousands of developers worldwide. 

The open-access link for the article is https://tinyurl.com/hawley-at2020 and features multimedia links for audio files and interactive demonstrations.

Tarr Awarded MegaGrant from Epic Games

Haley Charlton
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Tarr Awarded MegaGrant from Epic Games

Dr. Eric Tarr, associate professor of audio engineering technology, has been awarded a research MegaGrant from Epic Games, the company that created the popular video game “Fortnite.” The grant will fund the development of audio software for the Unreal Engine platform.

Additionally, Belmont received a Magic Leap Virtual Reality headset for experimentation and testing.

More information on the award can be found here.

Belmont Students, Faculty Judge Local Science Fair

Katie McAdams
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Belmont Students, Faculty Judge Local Science Fair

For the third consecutive year, Dr. Danielle Garrett, assistant professor of chemistry education, was invited to judge the Donelson Christian Academy (DCA) 6th – 8th grade annual spring science fair. Belmont undergraduate students Carlos McDay, biology major, Ryan Gagnon, chemistry and mathematics double major, Nancy Henin, pharmaceutical studies major, Britton Townsley, exercise science major, and Zach Hilt, marine biology major, assisted Dr. Garrett as judges. Projects on display featured a wide variety of interesting topics, including physical, biological and behavioral sciences.

“The scope of ideas present at the science fair this year was truly amazing – everything ranging from exploring the impact of anticoagulants on simulated blood clots, to the effect of temperature on magnetism, to the relationship between personality and memory,” Dr. Garrett shared. “This is always such a fun event, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to share such a rewarding experience with some of our undergraduate students.  They volunteered hours of their time without any hesitation. Community is truly the core of Belmont, and our students definitely have a heart for service, using their passions and interests as a way to make a positive impact on the community.”

For Townsley and Henin, helping judge the science fair brought back many memories of middle school. “I felt as though I took a step back in time to the days of middle school science and was truly impressed to see the creative ideas of these young scientists come alive in such advanced ways! Judging this science fair reminded me how much time and effort goes into evaluating and scoring students’ work and makes me grateful for all that our science professors do when grading things like lab reports,” Townsley said.

Henin also noted the originality in many of the science fair projects. “Many of the students were able to apply their creativity to design thorough experiments that address interesting scientific questions,” she said. Gagnon similarly shared, “Science fairs have always served as a way for young students to explore the world of science in a fun and competitive way. At Donelson Christian Academy, the middle school science fair was nothing short of impressive, as the vast majority of the students went above and beyond to express their creativity, while making excellent use of the scientific method.”

When asked about the science fair, McDay said, “It was truly an amazing experience and it was great being a part of the team. To start, I would just say how honored I was to even be considered to help out. Being able to speak to one of the high school students and share the knowledge that I have gained during my course of study here at Belmont was the most rewarding experience of the event. I felt as though the conversation had just as much of a benefit for me as it did for the young man I spoke with, allowing me to clearly see the path that I have taken and what worked for me that may be useful for him. I also really enjoyed the judging process of analyzing the experiments. Even though the students were young, many of the experiments were very creative and intuitive. I felt very humbled and reminisced about how much simpler research was. The entire afternoon made me respect how much effort goes into doing an experiment and judging them. But ultimately made me appreciate what I learned in middle and high school that helped prepare me for college.”

Belmont Enactus Hosts First Annual Reverse Pitch Competition

Katie McAdams
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Belmont Enactus Hosts First Annual Reverse Pitch Competition

On Monday, Feb. 24, Belmont Enactus hosted its first annual Reverse Pitch Competition in the Massey Boardroom with six competing teams from universities in the south eastern region of the United States. Each team included five individuals that pitched their creative ideas for a plot of land at 1201 Buchanan St., aiming to solve a need in the North Nashville area.

Winning a $1000 award, a team from Lipscomb University came in first placing for its idea “Juice and Grow,” an integration between an urban farm and a juice shop. The juice shop serves as the point of interaction, and the main revenue stream is centered on the production and supply of a variety of greens. Through the urban farm, Juice and Grow would partner with local restaurants to supply locally grown greens from sites and households in the community, providing people with a health source of food and an opportunity to sell their yields back to the company to meet market demands.

“Cubed Carpentry,” an idea proposed by a Western Kentucky University team, won second place with a $500 financial reward. The business would serve as a training hub and storefront of handmade wooden products made by men in North Nashville. The training component is the center for empowerment through providing the community with employable skills that they can use to support their families. Once these men have been trained by skilled carpenters, they can then create works of art that displayed and sold in the storefront.

Union University came in third place, presenting “Front Porch Pharmacy,” an idea that combines a pharmacy with an arcade and pop up food stands. Community members would be able to pick up prescriptions, enjoy food and drink while waiting and watch their kids play arcade games. The team was rewarded with a $300 financial reward.

Belmont Enactus’s mission is “to empower local, national and international community partners to develop entrepreneurial, ethical and environmentally sustainable business models that create economic and social positive change.”

Members of Belmont Enactus study within a large array of majors at the University including business, computer science, social entrepreneurship, finance, design, education and political science, among others. The group aims to use their skills, talents and education to serve marginalized populations globally using free enterprise. In Nashville and abroad, the group partners with non-profits and social entrepreneurs to work on projects that give real world experience to compliment education.

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