Belmont faculty members and students from the Department of Psychological Science attended the annual conference of the Middle Tennessee Psychological Association held at MTSU on Saturday, April 25. Faculty attendees included Drs. Linda Jones, Pete Giordano, Seraphine Shen-Miller, William Bailey and Lonnie Yandell. The conference provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research to colleagues from other colleges and universities.
The following research papers were presented by Belmont students:
- “Loving My Future-Self: The Effects of Perspective-Taking on Ageism”: Stephanie Cooper (Dr. Yandell, Faculty Advisor)
- “Eye Gaze and the Perception of Emotional Facial Expressions”: Brittany Redd (Dr. Yandell, Faculty Advisor)
The following research posters were presented by Belmont students:
- “An Exploratory Study of Helping Behavior of Rats”: Heather Dudley, Krista Beebe, Alexandria Gumucio, Brittany Redd, Stephanie Seeley and Elizabeth Wilson (Dr. Bailey, Faculty Advisor)
- “Scents and Scintillation: The Effects of Lemon and Peppermint Essential Oils on Working Memory and Alertness”: Stephanie Cooper, Matthew Maloney and Jacob Huffman (Dr. Yandell, Faculty Advisor)
- “The Influences of Emotional Advertising on Willingness to Donate to Abused Animals”: Leah Rose, Chase Mackey and Miller Spivey (Dr. Bailey, Faculty Advisor)
- “College Students’ Eating Behaviors, Influences, and Perceptions of Healthy Eating”: Justin Lang (Dr. Jones, Faculty Advisor)
- “The Development of the Women’s Attitudes Toward Masculinity Inventory“: Heather Dudley, Savannah Johnson, Tanisha Williams, Savannah Ladage, Abigail Marchese and Elizabeth Wilson (Dr. Pete Giordano, Faculty Advisor)
- “The Effects of Method of Information Presentation on Recall”: Julisa Nunez, Samantha Gould, Miranda West and Sarah Balding (Dr. William Bailey, Faculty Advisor)
A 2014 thesis project by three students in Belmont University’s Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program was recently published in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. Co-authored by Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Teresa Plummer, the project studied the impact of mobility assistive technology devices on participation for individuals with disabilities.
Belmont recognized Nashville Chief of Police and Belmont alumnus Steve Anderson during Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. spring commencement ceremony with an honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree. Honorary degrees have been presented by American colleges and universities since 1962 in recognition of meritorious humanitarian service, as well as scholarly and creative attainments. Belmont has bestowed this award selectively as the highest honor conferred by the University.
“The strong relationships Chief Anderson has built with neighborhood and communities, his commitment to protecting those who are threatened by domestic violence and his voice of reconciliation to people who feel disenfranchised are clear demonstrations of his remarkable concern for others,” Dr. Fisher said. “The high standard of professional excellence and emphasis on education in the Metro Police culture, along with the dramatic reduction of crime in Nashville, speak to the strong leadership Chief Anderson has provided within the department and the Nashville community.”
For the students in Belmont Biology Professor Dr. John Niedzwiecki’s Animal Behavior course, spending hours each week at the Nashville Zoo was not a way to avoid studying, but a large part of their coursework. As a semester-long lab project designed to give students the opportunity to observe and research animal behavior in a hands-on way, students were paired in groups of two, assigned an animal to work with and together, came up with a testable hypothesis to study.
Professor and Chair of the Biology Department Dr. Darlene Panvini taught a botany class in Fall 2014 that visited the Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation in Smyrna multiple times as part of the class’s service learning component. The students collected leaf samples from more than 40 trees on the property to apply for arboretum certification with the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. Panvini’s Fall 2012 botany class did similar work to advance the arboretum on Belmont’s campus towards reaching certification by the Nashville Tree Foundation.
With a focus on the central theme “Belief in Something Greater,” Belmont University will celebrate its 125th anniversary during the next academic year. Founded in 1890 by Ida Hood and Susan Heron, two bold and unconventional school teachers, the all-female Belmont College has transitioned and grown through the years into a co-ed, Division I, nationally acclaimed institution boasting more than 7,200 students. The anniversary affords Belmont the opportunity to commemorate its distinctive and dramatic history through a variety of special events, speakers and weeks designed to focus on particular elements of the Belmont legacy.
Associate Professor of Music Business Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr was recently interviewed on the television talk show, “Mind Your Music Business.”