Bunch Library is one of 10 college and university libraries participating in Project Information Literacy, a large-scale, national study about early adults and their research habits. Facilitated by Jenny Mills, coordinator of research services, and Claire Wiley, research and instruction librarian, and in partnership with Debbie Coppinger, senior director of alumni relations, and John Hostler, director of advancement services, Belmont graduates were surveyed last fall on their lifelong learning needs after college and what information sources and systems they use for continued learning. An infographicand detailed report have recently been released and reveal some interesting findings. Recent graduates strongly agreed that the information skills learned in college were applicable in their later lives, especially extracting information needed, evaluating the credibility of content and presenting information effectively. In addition, 87 percent reported that they still relied on books for staying informed. Sixty follow-up interviews will be conducted this spring, and recent graduates will be asked about best practices and obstacles to lifelong learning. Visit the library’s guide for more information about theInformation Literacy Program.
Skinner to Participate in First Cuban Fulbright Insight Tour
Belmont’s Director of International Student Services Kathy Skinner will travel to Cuba with the first Fulbright Insight Tour to Cuba, April 12-20. The trip will provide the opportunity to gain insight into Cuban culture and will include meeting with Cuban architects, economists, and musicians to discuss Cuba’s culture and economy.
The Fulbright Insight Trip is sponsored by the Fulbright Association, an organization that promotes educational opportunities through travel, networking and service. For more information on the Insight Tours, click here.
Belmont Nurses Christian Fellowship Joins Passion Partners to Collect Sanitary Towels
The Belmont Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) has joined forces with Passion Partners, a nonprofit missions organization, to launch their annual Pad Project campaign that collects feminine hygiene products for Ugandan and Kenyan girls who would otherwise be unable to attend school. The donations are wrapped as gifts and distributed at monthly Purity Project meetings at high schools in Wakiso and Kampala, Uganda, where girls are taught about health, self-worth and the Bible.
NCF is currently in the donation stage, after having launched the campaign at an event at Sweet CeCes in March. Further monetary donations are still being collected. Beyond fundraising, the organization is hoping to surpass the 7,800 pads collected last year with a goal of 10,000 pads.
Donations can be dropped off in collection boxes located in the Beaman Women’s locker room and lobby, Inman restrooms, McWhorter Pharmacy, Heron and Wright, the Bruin Hills Club House and the women’s restrooms in the Library and first floor of the Wedgewood Academic Center, near the food court. On April 28, all pads will be collected, packaged and prepared for shipment.
Click here to watch a video on the project.
Pathways Scholars Tour Space Flight Center
On March 28 Mathematics and Computer Science Professor Dr. Daniel Biles took five Pathways Scholars to Huntsville, Alabama for a Marshall Space Flight Center tour and a private visit with famed NASA scientist Alex McCool, Jr.
McCool was involved in the US space program from its very earliest days, beginning in 1954. In the photo, L to R, are Dr. Biles, Kailee Gerzema, Grant VanderKallen, Kara Garrett, Daniel Beagan and Tanner Marion.
Hatch and Students Selected to Participate in Research at National Laboratory
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. Duane Hatch was recently selected to participate in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Visiting Faculty Program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for summer 2015, a highly competitive program that allows faculty to collaborate with some of the most talented scientists in the world.
Selected faculty and participating students spend 10 weeks at a DOE national laboratory engaged in a research project under the guidance of a laboratory scientist. Faculty members build collaborative relationships with research scientists and become familiar with DOE sponsored research programs, scientific user facilities and potential funding opportunities. Students participate in enrichment activities, including career and professional development workshops, laboratory tours, scientific lectures and seminars. Dr. Hatch will be working under Dr. Pete Silks.
Ryan Agh, a chemistry major and mathematics minor and Ambrose Rice, a biology major and chemistry minor, will work under Dr. Hatch on his research and will receive a $5,000 stipend for the 10-week experience. The proposal’s estimate total value is $25,000.
This program is renewable for up to 3 years and opens the door for further student involvement with the Laboratory. For more information, click here.
Biology Students Win Award at National Alpha Chi Convention
Two Belmont students and biology majors, Dora Geving and Zara Latif, attended the annual National Convention of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society from March 19-12 in Chicago, Illinois and were awarded The Bonnie Revelle Prize in Molecular/Cellular Biology for their efforts titled “Nematodes Roaming the Field of Parkinson’s Disease.” Their presentation was based on research results generated with the Department of biology’s Dr. Nicholas Ragsdale.
Among the Convention’s 260 presenting students, 29 received prizes for scholarly, creative or artistic presentations in their fields. Geving and Latif earned top honors in the Molecular/Cellular section of student presentations.
A national college honor society, Alpha Chi admits students from all academic disciplines, but membership is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors and graduate students. Invitation to membership comes only through an institutional chapter.
Morris Releases Final Book, ‘Surface,’ in Trilogy
James Morris, a sophomore majoring in audio engineering technology, celebrated the release of the third book, “Surface,” in the “Three Kingdoms Trilogy” with a reading and book signing April 8 at Parnassus Books in Green Hills. Morris authored the series while attending Belmont and pursuing musical aspirations.
Click here to read an article about his success and here to visit Morris’s website.
Murphree Participates in ‘Cheekwood in Bloom’
On Saturday, March 21 and Saturday, March 28, Biology Professor and Entomologist Dr. Steve Murphree hosted “Friendly Bugs and Big, Bad Pests” at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art’s Cheekwood in Bloom.
Cheekwood is a privately funded 55-acre estate on the western edge of Nashville.
Bursch Receives Physical Therapy Award, Students Present Research Projects at Statewide Meeting
Belmont Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Gail Bursch recently received the 2015 Carol Likens Award (CLA) presented by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) at their annual meeting. The award is given annually to a TPTA member who has provided exceptional service to the profession of physical therapy.
Bursch served as Chair of the Nashville District of TPTA for 11 years, was vice president of the Tennessee Chapter for 5 years and most recently chaired the TPTA nominating committee for 4 years. The Likens award is named for its first recipient who served the chapter as president from 1985 to 1995 and whose vision, leadership and commitment to the profession brought the TPTA through one of its greatest periods of growth and service to members.
The TPTA meeting also provided Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy with the opportunity to present student research projects. One group, mentored by Professor of Physical Therapy Dr. Cathy Hinton, presented a poster entitled “A Comparison of the Effects of Superficial Heat and Thermal Ultrasound on Hamstring Extensibility.” The group consisted of students Danielle Wisse, Jennifer Braswell, Morgan McBride, Chelsea Taylor and Katie Wood.
Another group, mentored by Professor of Physical Therapy Dr. Renee Brown and Adjunct Professor Penny Powers, presented on “Effects of Educational Intervention on use of Tilt-in-Space, Functional Mobility, and Pain in Full-time Wheelchair Users.” Student researchers included Ashley Barrett, Leigha Cuellar, Meagan Heney and Martha Schumpert.
A third student research group, also mentored by Dr. Brown, received a TPTA grant for their study, “Exploring the Effects of Kinesiotaping on the Gait and Level of Pain in Individuals with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.” This team included Kelly Weaver, Casie House and Lisa Farrar.
McEntire Published in Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology
Professor of Biblical Studies Dr. Mark McEntire recently published an entry entitled “Theology of Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Chronicles” in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology.
The Encyclopedia includes nearly 170 entries by more than 150 individual contributors, including Dr. McEntire, and overviews key traditional and modern biblical and theological topics.
