Biology professor Darlene Panvini, education professors Lauren Lunsford and Sally Arwood and several Belmont students attended the annual Tennessee Environmental Education Association meeting at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, Tenn. on Sept. 26-28. The Belmont faculty members gave a presentation titled “Reading in the Garden: Integrating Science and ELA CCSS through Informational Texts,” which included information about the professional development institute. This institute was held for middle and high school teachers in summer 2014 at Belmont as part of a grant received from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Biology students Katelyn Keast, Chelsea Lee and Lindsay Millward, environmental science student Alex Jeffers, as well as environmental science alumni Erin Pitts and Sylvia Alsup attended the event.
Belmont University hosted the annual 
Ten Belmont College of Business students participated in the first-ever Case Competition hosted by Cat Financial Young Professional’s group on Sept. 16. The competition was created to use diversity of thought and inclusion to solve a real business problem at Cat Financial. Five teams, each comprised of two Belmont students and three Cat Financial employees including a six Sigma Black Belt, competed against each other to come up with the best and most innovative solution to the problem posed in the case study. The teams were given 24 hours to work as a team to come up with a solution and develop a presentation to present their recommendations. They each had 15 minutes to present in front of a judging panel and audience. Maggie Fincher, a junior entrepreneurship major, and Ananta Sharma, a senior economics and applied mathematics major, were members of the first place team.
Curb College professors David Herrera and Clyde Rolston received Best in Track for the Arts, Music and Entertainment track for their paper “Using Group Projects for Problem-Based Learning in Music Business Courses” at the Atlantic Marketing Association 2014 Conference held Sept. 24-27 in Asheville, NC. The paper detailed how problem-based learning helps students achieve course outcomes and improves learning in two music business courses.
Professor of Art History Judy Bullington recently published a chapter titled “Cultivating Meaning: The Chinese Manner in Early American Gardens” in the book “Global Trade and Visual Arts in Federal New England.” The volume, published by the University of New Hampshire Press, was edited by Patricia A. Johnston, the Mears Chair in Fine Arts at The College of Holy Cross, and Caroline Frank of Brown University.
Professor of Journalism Dr. Sybril Bennett published an article titled “Civility, Social Media & Higher Education: A Virtual Triangle” in Civic Learning and Teaching: A Bridge to Civic Life and a Life of Learning, edited by Ashley Finley. The monograph is the most recent publication in The Civic Series, a partnership project between the Bringing Theory to Practice Initiative and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Sixty-seven second year pharmacy students enrolled in Pharmaceutical Care II course, taught by Dr. Elisa Greene and Dr. Alisa Spinelli, recently became certified immunizers. Utilizing the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery program, students completed 20 hours of self-study, didactic and skills-based training. Topics included vaccine preventable diseases, the role of pharmacists as vaccine advocates and administrators, legal and regulatory issues and injection technique. This is the third year that students enrolled in the course have participated in the certification program.
The Belmont Equestrian Club won three first place ribbons at the Intercollegiate Horse Show, the first competition of the year, which was hosted by Sewanee: The University of the South on Sept. 27-28.
The Belmont Summer Scholars program recently hosted a poster session showcasing the research conducted by the student and faculty participants in the 2014 Summer Scholar Communities. Summer Scholars is a program of undergraduate research in which faculty mentors in the College of Sciences and Mathematics guide students in the collection, analysis and sharing of data. It blends the structure of a summer session class with the format of a research team focused on a faculty-designed research project. The Summer Scholar Communities program students spend 16-18 hours per week for eight to ten weeks on a research project working with several other students and faculty mentors. The scholar communities gather throughout the summer to discuss their research challenges and successes. The poster session provided a venue for sharing that experience with other students and faculty.