Alec Shirer, a freshman music composition major from Cleveland, Tennessee, was recently named as a finalist in the 2017 National Young Composers Contest sponsored by MakeMusic, Inc., the maker of Finale music notation software. Shirer’s composition for band, “On the Beach,” was selected as one of ten finalists out of 160 entries from composers ages 13-21. The contest was evaluated by renowned composers Brian Balmages, James Stephenson and Pulitzer Prize winner, Jennifer Higdon.
Shirer Named as National Young Composers Contest Finalist
Pharmacy Faculty, Alumna Published in Textbook
The 2nd edition of the “Concepts in Pharmacogenomics” textbook from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists was recently released, and Belmont College of Pharmacy Faculty Members Drs. Amy Ham and Dr. Scott Weston, along with Belmont Pharmacy alumnus Dr. Ali Roberts, contributed chapters.
Students Elect New Student Government President
The fall semester will bring with it many new things — including a new slate of officers for Belmont’s Student Government Association (SGA). The campaign process began weeks before elections opened this spring as students began to learn about the candidates who could represent their voices and desires for the upcoming year. Towards the end of the semester, Shania Jones was elected as SGA President, bringing with her Macy Thompson, the incumbent VP.
A double major in music business and management (with a human resources emphasis), Jones will graduate in December 2018. Interested in working in human resources and attending graduate school after graduation, Jones said the opportunity to run for SGA President is a perfect fit for her strengths, talents and goals. “I want to be a voice for the students,” Jones said. “That voice that cares not only about just being a voice, but about putting action with it…These folks here are like family. This campus is home. It’s important to love your family and home–that’s what I’m about.”
Jones said she’s most excited for the campus collaborations she’ll have the chance to be part of in her new position. Eager to hear student concerns and find creative ways to work towards solutions, Jones will be focusing on three main areas in her time as president — communication, community and safety.
She’s sees patience as a president’s most important quality–with passion listed as a close second. “If you don’t have passion for the student body, why run?” Jones said. “You gotta love what you’re doing and who you’re doing it for.”
Philosophy Student Documents East African Mountain Guides with Summer Project
James Mixon, a Belmont senior and philosophy major, is spending his summer documenting the lives of African porters and guides on the mountains of East Africa. Hoping to tell the stories of these tour guides, Mixon is creating a documentary that highlights what he calls the “unique subculture” of African tourism. Examining the danger behind being a porter, Mixon’s work will feature what draws porters to the mountains, the pace of work and why they decide to take on such a physically taxing profession.
Throughout the semester, Mixon spent a considerable amount of time organizing the trip–focusing on the logistics of filming abroad, studying East Africa’s national parks and furthering his familiarity with his project. He worked with Belmont’s Honors Program and received a Lumos Travel Award to organize and fund the project.
Mixon will travel throughout Kenya throughout the next few months, but his main expeditions will be to Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Looking forward to his project, Mixon said he knows this summer holds an immense amount of discovery, adventure and passion. “I’m excited to be in the African wilderness all summer,” Mixon said. “In a strange sort of way, there’s no place I feel more at home.”
He also points to the project as an opportunity to combine all of his loves into one experience — and a way to explore what he could do after graduation. “I love the mountains and the culture that surrounds them, and I want to make a career out of something climbing-related, but I also enjoy storytelling, photography and writing. This project is a chance to see how (and if) I can make all of it happen at once.”
Belmont Receives Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award
Belmont was recently recognized by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Matrineau as a 2017 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award recipient. The award recognizes exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives not required by law or regulation. This is the second year in a row that Belmont has been honored with the designation.
“These organizations represent the spirit and drive that make the Volunteer State great,” Haslam said. “I thank all of the winners for their individual contributions to the environment and for keeping Tennessee a beautiful state in which to live and work and to visit.”
In its 31st year, the awards cover nine categories including Building Green, of which Belmont was recognized last year, Clean Air, Land Use and Materials Management, among others. This year Belmont was honored for the award’s Sustainable Performance category.
“I applaud all who were nominated and those who won for working to protect our state’s natural resources in an efficient, sustainable way,” Martineau said. “Voluntary actions are crucial to safeguard and improve our natural environment.”
The only higher education institution to be recognized among the state’s 11 recipients, the list of honorees includes:
- Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority – Hamilton County
- City of Lebanon – Wilson County
- Keep Knoxville Beautiful – Knox County
- Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization – Knox County
- Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority – Davidson County
- Nashville Fire Department Station 19 – Davidson County
- New Hope Christian Academy – Shelby County
- Sherwood Forest Project – Davidson County
- Suttree Landing Park – Knox County
- The Nashville Food Project – Davidson County
A panel of 22 professionals representing agricultural, conservation, forestry, environmental and academic professionals judged more than 89 nominations and selected this year’s award recipients based on criteria including on-the-ground achievement, innovation and public education. More information about the process can be found here.
Belmont will receive its award at a ceremony held in June.
Art Department Hosts Photography Master Class, Publishes ‘Real 615’
Belmont’s Department of Art recently hosted a Photography Master Class, taught by Paul Seawright, Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Ulster University in Belfast, Ireland. Seawright has been called the preeminent war photographer of our time and his work has been collected by major museums and galleries throughout the world including the Tate in London, The Museum of Contemporary Art Strasbourg and The Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig, among many others.
Throughout the course, Seawright and his students created “Nashville: the Real 615,” an initiative that celebrates the twin cities of Belfast and Nashville and is the first in a number of planned student and staff exchanges among the cities. Copies of the publication will be shared around the Nashville community. A twin publication will be created during a second project hosted at Ulster.
When conceiving a Nashville project, the students kept returning to the concept of the “real Nashville,” an attempt to avoided the more ‘cliched’ pieces of the city that are often covered. The team wanted to examine the issues seen throughout the city, across campuses, in industries and more.
As a result of the class, Ulster will welcome the Art Department’s study abroad courses this summer by providing a workshop and reception at Belfast City Hall that will include a contingent from another Belfast Twin City in China. Additionally, the Department is exploring future opportunities to partner with Ulster in the future.
Department of Chemistry and Physics Hosts Workshop for Local High School Students
“This is a great product for any family who wants a cheap substitute for mainstream brands with picky kids…Bringing comfort back to your life!” These are just a few of the catchy slogans students from Stewarts Creek High School developed during “Back Titrations: Neutralizing Agents – How Basic is It?,” a guided inquiry workshop for Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry high school students recently held at Belmont University.
Event organizer Dr. Danielle Garrett, assistant professor of chemistry education, held a half-day workshop in Belmont’s organic and advanced chemistry labs for 30 AP chemistry students from Stewarts Creek. After an interactive discussion on neutralization reactions, acid-base indicators and titrations, students determined the effectiveness of commercial products used to reduce stomach acid. After collecting and analyzing their data, groups created persuasive brochures, marketing the most effective neutralizing agent. Students then toured the labs, ate lunch and visited The Belmont Store.
Dr. Thom Spence, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, and Tyra Avery, rising senior chemistry major, helped with the workshop. This fall, Avery will do her senior research with Garrett, working to develop green laboratory options for the high school chemistry classroom. “I’m glad Tyra was able to volunteer for this outreach event,” Garrett said. “Seeing students work in the lab, engaging with the students and answering their questions help provide a unique perspective on the intentional planning that must go into developing articulate, coherent and comprehensive laboratory instructions for students.”
Garrett also said she looks forward to continuing these workshops for local schools. “Putting a guided-inquiry spin on the labs gives students the opportunity not only to get excited about science but to explore their creativity through scientific analysis. The students at Stewarts Creek took this creativity to heart and developed some very compelling marketing lines to promote their experimental results,” Garrett said.
Pharmacy Student Named as Inaugural Thomas Hall Scholarship Recipient
Eva Kisakye, a student in Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, was recently named as an inaugural Thomas Hall Scholar through Child Family Health International (CFHI), an NGO focused on global health initiatives. Dr. Thomas Hall is a respected leader in global health, having worked for more than 60 years on improving the health of low-resource countries, providing medical care across the world and working to strengthen global health systems.
After a search that included nearly sixty applications, Kisakye was selected as one of the awards inaugural two recipients. A Ugandan native, Kisakye moved to the United States in 2008 to pursue her education. Passionate about community pharmacy, Kisakye will return to Uganda in October for a clinical rotation where she will work alongside mothers and children in an AIDS clinic, an opportunity she sought out and organized herself. The scholarship money will support Kisakye’s time in Uganda.
“I hope to become well-versed in ways to increase healthcare access in resource-limited settings while addressing healthcare disparities and social determinants,” Kisakye said. “Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and clinical experience in public health while serving the people of Uganda.”
CFHI’s Executive Director said, Dr. Hall is a fearless advocate for the prominent position of young people in global health education, research, and practice. We are honored to support Dr. Hall’s vision and expand his impacts.
The recipients’ selection represents the end of a nationwide search for two future leaders in global health and a new step forward in Child Family Health International’s passion for training individuals in a setting that establishes industry standards in ethics and patient safety.
Staff, Administrators Receive Emergency Training in Two-Day Course
More than 30 Belmont staff and administrators participated this week in an extensive two-day training course provided by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT), a training partner of the Department of Homeland Security.
The course, Campus Emergencies Prevention, Response and Recovery (MGT-324), provided participants with an understanding of and ability to navigate through the difficult aspects of dealing with campus emergencies involving natural or man-made events, including acts of violence. The course consisted of small, problem-based, integrated group activities that required a coordinated, integrated approach to solve. Through tabletop scenarios, course participants observed a developing incident and responded in a manner consistent with currently established campus and jurisdictional emergency operations procedures.
Belmont’s Director of Risk Management and Compliance April Khoury arranged the training. She said, “The instructors were impressed with not only the number of Belmont participants, but the engagement and participation of each individual.”
Schenkel Serves as Expert for WalletHub
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Dr. Mark Schenkel served as an expert for WalletHub’s recent piece on credit cards for new businesses. Schenkel completed an question and answer session with the publication and detailed best practices business owners should utilize when navigating credit.
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