IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

Home Blog Page 237

Belmont Hosts Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair

Hope Buckner
-
0
Belmont Hosts Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair

The 66th annual Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair (MTSEF) took place in Belmont University’s Janet Ayers Academic Center’s 4th floor conference center on Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17. MTSEF is the premiere STEM competition for middle and high school students in Nashville-Davidson County and its surrounding counties. Dr. Steve Murphree, Belmont biology professor, is the Director of MTSEF.

There were 91 students that participated with 81 projects (some were team projects) from public, private and home schools in middle and west Tennessee. About half of the projects were presented by students in grades 6-8. Students were judged in various scientific categories on Friday evening, and the public was invited to view the projects from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Two high school grand prize winners were selected by a panel of 9 judges on Saturday morning.  These students will represent MTSEF at the International Science and Engineering Fair, May 13-18 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and will receive an all-expense-paid trip. The grand prize winners were:

  • Maya Misra, Harpeth Hall School: “Fusing the LRP6 and Frizzled Extracellular Domains as an Inhibitor of the Wnt Pathway”
  • Aylor Huneycutt, AP-4 Home School: “MARS-Q: A Vertical Thrust Vehicle Capable of Planetary Reconnaissance in a Martian Atmosphere”

Also, eight middle school projects were selected to compete in the international Broadcom MASTERS competition. The Middle School Broadcom MASTERS nominees were:

  • Braden Huneycutt, AP-4 Home School: “Just a Small Fry: A Study of the Effects of Temperature on Growth Rates of Koi Fry (Cyprinus carpio)”
  • Leo Huneycutt, AP-4 Home School: “The Effect of Climate Change on Tornadoes”
  • Bella Putt, Faith Home School Tutorial: “How Does Caffeine Affect Plant Growth?”
  • Nevaeh Hyde, Lead Cameron School: “What Type of Toilet Paper Brand Supports the Most Weight?”
  • Michael Morgan, Morgan Academy Home School: “Your Pencil, Your Light Switch”
  • Caleb West, Mitchell Loh and Sharanda Ghantasala, Sunset Middle School: “What’s Up With the Air?”
  • Maya Reilly, AP-4 Home School: “Effect of a Solar Eclipse on Hen Behavior”
  • Benjamin Bradley, Classical Conversation-Nolensville: “ The Impact of Nutritional Supplementation on Motile Organisms”

May 29 Update:

After competing in the International Science and Engineering Fair May 13-18 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, both Misra and Huneycutt won special awards. Huneycutt won a second place NASA award for his project, MARS-Q: a Vertical Thrust Vehicle Capable of Planetary Reconnaissance in a Martian Atmosphere” which came with a $1,000 cash prize.

Social Work Students Win Annual Day on the Hill Event

Staff Writer
-
0
Social Work Students Win Annual Day on the Hill Event

social work studentsEach spring, Belmont sends its junior social work majors to compete in the annual Day on the Hill event, which allows a chosen representative from the group to present a summary of a bill that is on the Tennessee Legislative Assembly Agenda. This year, under the guidance of Dr. Jenny Crowell, instructor in the department of social work, the team won the event.

The competition consists of social work students from across the state. The Belmont group, with Lauren Barnhart as their speaker, discussed the importance of the bill the allow the creation of recovery high schools. The bill was recently signed by the governor.

 

 

Gonzalez Featured on Panorama, Discusses Latino Entrepreneurship

Staff Writer
-
0
Gonzalez Featured on Panorama, Discusses Latino Entrepreneurship

jose gonzalez headshotIn the United States, immigrant entrepreneurs start almost one third of all new businesses. However, many immigrant entrepreneurs lack the knowledge or expertise to evolve their businesses beyond the ethnic enclave where their businesses are located. Jose Gonzalez, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship, was recently interviewed on Panorama, a show from the Latin American Chamber of Commerce, to share findings of recent research regarding these realities.

This researched analyzed how Latino immigrant business owners (all located in Nashville, TN) successfully expanded their business beyond their ethnic enclave. Data were collected from interviews, company documents and observations of the operation of businesses and owners. Miles, Huberman and Saldana’s data analysis method was used to identify six themes that yielded three possible strategies to help Latino immigrant business owners expand outside of their enclave:

  1. Adopt a multicultural hybridism model changing the internal make-up of the employee base to include more inter-ethnic labor and managerial resources
  2. Achieve language and cultural proficiency of the host community
  3. Seek and nurture professional development and mentoring relationships to obtain access to advice, opportunities and financial resources.

Also noted was the importance of individual readiness to seize opportunities and tenacity in business efforts. The study findings may contribute to positive social change, because strategies that help immigrant entrepreneurs succeed have benefits that extend beyond their immediate family to the broader communities in which they operate by increasing job creation, wealth accumulation and the development of society.

Belmont Students, Faculty Participate in First Study Abroad Program to Iceland

Staff Writer
-
0
Belmont Students, Faculty Participate in First Study Abroad Program to Iceland

Over Spring Break this semester, a group of 15 Belmont students and faculty spent seven days exploring Iceland. The program was the culminating experience of an 8-week interdisciplinary course examining the impact of isolation on the genetics, political systems and culture of the island nation.

Throughout the trip, the group participated in a tour of the Icelandic parliament, a presentation at DeCode, one of the foremost genetic research organizations in the world, a visit to a farm which both raises the iconic Icelandic horse and uses geothermal energy to grow hot-house tomatoes even in the dark of winter and a walk through the volcanic rift valley where the North American and European continental plates are pulling apart. They were also treated to the natural wonders of Iceland, including its waterfalls, geysers, hot springs, glaciers and the northern lights.

Belmont Celebrates Brain Awareness Week

Hope Buckner
-
0
Belmont Celebrates Brain Awareness Week

Students play with play doh at a brain awareness week event on Belmont's campus! Brain Awareness Week (BAW), March 12-18, is the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. Belmont’s College of Sciences and Mathematics celebrated BAW with many events on campus. Professor of Biology Dr. Lori McGrew said, “Brain Awareness Week is a great opportunity to showcase the talented neuro-scientists we have at Belmont along with fascinating speakers from our community.”

Neuroscience is a growing field, including a wide range of sub-disciplines such as cognition, behavior, cellular neuroscience and computational neuroscience. Belmont’s neuroscience major combines foundational courses in biology, chemistry, psychology and physics with upper level coursework in biology and psychology and culminates in a student-driven research project in neuroscience. The program prepares students for careers as research assistants and animal behaviorists among others or for entry into medical school or graduate school. A chapter of Nu Rho Psi, the National Honor Society in Neuroscience, was started at Belmont in 2017.The Psychological Science and Neuroscience programs at Belmont hosted numerous events to celebrate Brain Awareness Week this week including:

  • “Cognitive Study Strategies” talk with Dr. Yandell: Dr. Yandell discussed with students how to study in accordance with cognitive research in order to improve testing ability and scores.
  • Brain Dissection Demonstration with Dr. Lori McGrew
  • Good Will Hunting Movie Night with Dr. Giordano: Dr. Giordano discussed how psychology and brain biochemistry affect each other, and how these concepts are related to the movie Good Will Hunting
  • “Alzheimer’s Research” talk with Dr. Kate Gifford, Vanderbilt University
  • “Sex/Gender and Sexual Identity in Relation to Biopsychosocial Stress” with Dr. Robert-Paul Juster, Columbia University
  • Relax Your Brain Social Event: Students were invited to socialize while playing with board games, play-doh and much more!
  • Brain Blast Science Fair at Martin Professional Development Center: Belmont students traveled off-campus to meet with kids and to teach them about science of the brain!

Students Present Research at Eastern Psychological Association National Conference

Hope Buckner
-
0
Students Present Research at Eastern Psychological Association National Conference

Twenty-five Belmont students recently presented their psychological research at the Eastern Psychological Association’s National Conference held in in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drs. Jones, Yandell and Schoenfeld from the Psychological Science department also attended the conference. In addition to attending the conference activities, several students journeyed to the Mütter Museum to see slices of Albert Einstein’s brain and with a short walk past China Town, students toured both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There were plenty of cheesesteak adventures to the famous Jim’s. The conference was directly across the street from the historic Reading Terminal Market, boasting a large assortment of foods ranging from Amish danishes to German chocolate.

The student poster presentations covered many disciplines within psychology and was the culmination of these students’ researcy. The students who attended this conference and presented their research posters were Anna Wingo, Aubry Lovell, Bailee Ficzere, Benya Paueksakon, Callie Burns, Daisha Cane, Dallas Mattern, Deja Shaikhutdinov, Eason Taylor, Hannah Johnson, Hope Fenton, John Longnecker, Jordan Hoffman, Kara Garrett, Keli Alden, Libby Day, Lily Tashie, Maddy Clarke Williams, Puti Wen, Rachel Holloway, Ragan Wilson, Reed Priest, Ryan Jensen, Seema Patel and Sielo Coleman.  Presented posters included:

“A validation study of the Belmont altruism measure,” Ryan Jensen, Daisha Cane & John Longnecker

“Dyadic meta-accuracy and perceived motivational accuracy in academic work groups,” Reed Priest

“The impact of trait and state anxiety on emotional interpretation,” Ragan Wilson

“Olfactory cues and spatial navigation in rats,” Aubry Lovell, Kelli Alden & Krista Tice

“Stress response in rats when presented with conflicting versus novel sensory stimuli,” Kara Garrett, Sielo Coleman, Scott Dietz, Benya Paueksakon & Lily Tashie

“Effects of social isolation on behavioral confidence in rats,” Savannah Meech, Hope Fenton, Kaitlin Bayus, Gabby Gonzalez, Marilyn Lauterbach & Cille Taylor

“Effects of environmental enrichment on frustrative-nonreward and subsequent anxiety-like behavior,” Eason Taylor, Bailee Ficzere, Puti Wen, Alejandra Coto, Seema Patel & Jasmine Niazi

“Validation of a new measure of social media fear of missing out,” Madison Williams, Kelli Alden, Libby Day & Callie Burns

“Effect of relaxation techniques on public speaking anxiety,” Jordan Hoffman

“Measuring college student stress response in relation to group dynamics and personality,” Kelli Alden & Madison Williams

“Assessment of physical fitness and physical self-esteem,” Seema Patel, Jasmine Niazi, Hunter Foltz & Austin Townsend

“Walking with tunes: Synchronization of pace to music tempo,” Deja Shaikhutdinov, Cassandra Canaday, Denisha Morris & Janai Todd

“Impression management in assortative mating,” Ryan Jensen

“Personality judgement accuracy on Instagram and Twitter,” Rachel Holloway, Daisha Cane, Ragan Wilson, & Rose Prophete

“Obedience to authority scale: A new self-report measure of obedience,” Hannah Johnson, Daniel Mata, Puti Wen, Dallas Mattern & David Tronsrue

“Criticism instructions and social desirability on grammatical edits,” Anna Wingo, Reed Priest, & Aubry Lovell

Belmont Alumnus, Stoneman Douglas Teacher Speaks to Students on Campus

Hope Buckner
-
0
Belmont Alumnus, Stoneman Douglas Teacher Speaks to Students on Campus

Ray Posada, a 2013 Belmont alumnus and teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD), visited Belmont’s campus this week to share his experiences and insights with students. Initially planning to encourage education majors with a message about remaining in their chosen career path, Posada found himself sharing his story with students from across campus, reminding them to support teachers across the company in their classroom endeavors.

Having been at MSD for 3 years, Posada teaches both world history and sociology to sophomores, juniors and seniors. On Valentine’s Day of this year, when MSD became the sight of a mass shooting, Posada was sitting alone in a copy room located in a separate part of campus. In the dark, waiting for information, Posada said he began texting the 4 members of his family who also spend their days on the high school’s campus. His wife, aunt and cousin are teachers – his younger sister is a junior at MSD. “To say Stoneman Douglas is my home is so true,” Posada said. “Half of my family was there.”

When the door to the copy room was opened by an armed SWAT team and Posada was able to leave the building, he walked nearly a mile to the staging area where he found his wife. Immediately, Posada said he began wondering whether he should go back to the classroom given the threat he was feeling. “I didn’t get into teaching to be shot at,” he said. “I didn’t get into teaching so that I could come back to the class and see an empty desk.” But after attending MSD’s vigil the next day and seeing one of his students, he realized he didn’t have a choice.

“I looked in his eyes, and I could see that behind the tears and the pain, there was so much he didn’t understand,” Posada said. ‘I had no choice, I had to go back to school. I had to be there. He needed me. My life was incomplete without my students.”

Though he doesn’t see himself as an activist, Posada said he is so proud of the students who have moved into that role. He’s happy to support them as they use their voices for change. “They’re passionate,” he said. “We know that when they have a goal in mind, when they have a mission, they go head-long. It makes me proud to see such a dedicated, responsive group.”

Speaking to a room full of more than 100 students, Posada emphasized the importance of good teachers. “Teach. We need you,” he said. “The solution to these problems is teachers. We need you to not be afraid to step into a classroom, because it’s totally worth it.”

Team Hosts Inter-Professional Event Focused on Faith & Healthcare

Hope Buckner
-
0
Team Hosts Inter-Professional Event Focused on Faith & Healthcare

In Fall 2017, an inter-professional team consisting of faculty from Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Social work, Physical Therapy, Public Health and a staff member from University Ministries designed and delivered an event addressing how personal spirituality can influence interactions with patients. Student feedback from the event was positive overall, with suggestions to provide additional events addressing spirituality, add perspectives from other health professions and lengthen the event to allow for more questions and discussion. Faculty added that including an alumni panel might be of additional interest to students and placing students at tables rather than rows of seats might further facilitate group discussions.

In response to student feedback, a second inter-professional faith event was designed and delivered in February 2018. The event, “Faith and Healthcare: A Panel Discussion and Conversation on Moral Dilemmas,” was offered in the evening and allowed time for group discussion. The panel consisted of a registered nurse, physical therapist and pharmacist–all Belmont University alumni. Panel discussions included conversations surrounding religious ethics, diversity and inclusion and faith expression in professional environments.

More than 40 students attended the event representing a variety of majors including pharmacy, OT, PT, nursing, social work, music business, film and psychology. Participant feedback indicated that the event enhanced professional knowledge/skill and allowed them to feel more comfortable expressing their faith while at work.

Belmont Students Participate in Project Information Literacy Research

Staff Writer
-
0
Belmont Students Participate in Project Information Literacy Research

Bunch Library’s Jenny Mills and the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research are facilitating Belmont’s participation in a national study of how students interact with and consume news and gather information. Project Information Literacy (PIL), a nonprofit research institute, will survey students at 15 universities and high schools across the country, focusing on two of the most pressing issues of what has been called our “post-truth” era: currency and authority. Recently, an email was sent to all full time Belmont undergraduates, and the survey was completed by 900 students.

The report will look to break new ground as an empirical and quantitative study of many issues, such as “fake news” and misinformation, to help better ground public discourse and potential policy solutions. It will also formulate a set of recommendations for professionals directly implicated in addressing relevant problems, offering insights to three groups in particular working with young adults on the front lines: librarians, journalists and educators.

“This study investigates how students find news, and, more importantly, how the news finds them through social media and other channels they might use,” said Dr. Alison J. Head, the director of the new study and an information scientist and a senior researcher at the metaLAB (at) Harvard. “Our research is unique in that it tackles some of the deeper questions about the cognitive habits of young people in this digital-first environment.”

Belmont will receive a research packet of students responses to the survey this summer and results will be shared with campus.

Cusic Publishes ‘Winston Churchill’s Love of Music,’ Presents at Regional Conference

Staff Writer
-
0
Cusic Publishes ‘Winston Churchill’s Love of Music,’ Presents at Regional Conference

book cover, picture of Winston Churchill wearing headphonesDon Cusic, professor of music industry history, recently published a new book titled, Winston Churchill’s Love of Music. Cusic will also be speaking about the book and Churchill at the upcoming Churchill Conference.

This two-day conference, hosted by the Churchill Society of Tennessee, will feature Randolph Churchill as keynote speaker. Randolph is the great-great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

 

1...236237238...860Page 237 of 860
Belmont University Logo | News & Media

CONTACT US

University Marketing and Communications
615-460-6650
communication@belmont.edu

FOLLOW US