Sybril Bennett (Media Studies) spoke on Feb. 24 at her alma mater, Marquette University, as part of the Centennial Seminars program which featured media scholars. The title of Bennett’s lecture was “Is Entertainment Eclipsing News?”
Thomas Lectures at Biology Seminar Series
Jennifer Thomas (Biology) recently spoke at Lipscomb University as part of their Department of Biology seminar series. Thomas presented a talk titled “From Warts to Cancer: Understanding the Biology of Human Papillomaviruses.”
Psychological Science Faculty Present at Conference
Psychological Science faculty Linda Jones, Seraphine Shen-Miller, Lonnie Yandell and Pete Giordano recently attended and presented at the 23rd Annual Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference in Atlanta, Ga. This conference is the longest continuous running regional teaching of psychology conference in the country. The conference offers concurrent sessions and invited addresses on teaching techniques and issues associated with undergraduate education. Time is also available for participants to get to know each other and establish contacts with fellow teachers throughout the Southeast.
Along with faculty from Mississippi State and Delta State University, Jones presented a session titled “Teaching Human Sexuality: Challenges and Solutions.” Along with a faculty member from the University of San Diego, Giordano and Shen-Miller presented a session titled “Incorporating Cross-Cultural Themes in the Psychology Curriculum.” Along with faculty from Emory University and Mount Olive College, Giordano presented a session on “Teaching Undergraduate Courses in Clinical and Counseling: Challenges and Solutions.”
Riechert Judges Competition, Appointed to Research Board
Bonnie Riechert (Public Relations) recently coordinated judging the annual competition for the Religion Communicators Council, an interfaith association of more than 500 religion communicators working in print and electronic communication, advertising and public relations. More than 260 entries in the council’s annual DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards were judged, with classes including periodicals, public relations materials, writing for publication, specialized writing, internet communication, social media, public relations/advertising campaign, graphic design/art/photography, and audio and video/broadcast/nonbroadcast/cable. The awards will be presented March 31 at the council’s annual conference in Little Rock, Ark.
In addition, Riechert has been appointed to a national ad hoc working group to conduct research and provide recommendations to the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB). The board administers the program for Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), a voluntary certification program for public relations professionals. Board members on the UAB include representatives of the Public Relations Society of America, the Agricultural Relations Council, the Florida Public Relations Association, the Maine Public Relations Council, the National School Public Relations Association, the Religion Communicators Council, the Southern Public Relations Federation, the Texas Public Relations Association and the Asociación de Relacionistas Professionales de Puerto Rico.
Vaughn Publishes Article
Mary Vaughn (Communication Studies) published an article in Communication Teacher (vol. 24, issue 1) titled “‘What Are You Doing Friday Night?’: Introducing Students to Face Management & Perception.”
Ecke Presents Research
Jeremy Ecke (English) recently presented his current research at the Marco Manuscript Workshop on digital humanities at the University of Tennessee on Feb. 4-5. This presentation, “Alliterative Lineage: Manuscripts & Modern E-ditions,” forms part of his research for a book of critical essays and an anthology of alliterative verse that will trace the formal and cultural tradition of alliterative composition from runic inscriptions to modern translations and adaptations in various dialects and time periods of English. Ecke will present two further working chapters of his book project in the coming months at the Sewanee Medieval Colloquium and the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University. The titles and dates for the presentations follow below:
“Voice and Performance in Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Sewanee Medieval
Colloquium, Voice, Gesture, Memory, and Performance in Medieval Texts, Culture, and Art. Sewanee University. April 9, 2011.
“The Development of Form & Genre in 15th & 16th Century Alliterative Verse.” The International Congress on Medieval Studies. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. May 14, 2011.
Magruder Publishes Scientific Study
Robert Magruder (Physics) has written an article titled “Oxygen Related Defect Bands in Oxygen Implanted Silica” which has been published by the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids. Click here to read the article.
Students, Faculty, Staff Depart for Spring Break Mission Trips
More than 65 Belmont students, faculty and staff depart this weekend to locations across the country and the globe as part of alternative Spring Break trips. Several groups plan to “immerse themselves in love” as part of Immersion 2011, Belmont’s Spring Break mission trip programs sponsored by University Ministries. Every immersion is just that – a chance to be immersed in local culture, in the cares and concerns of local folks, and an intense exposure to what God is doing in all over the world. Students will be traveling to Cumberland Island (Ga.), New York City, Appalachia, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Haiti.
University Ministries’ Director of Outreach Micah Weedman said, “It’s our hope that by immersing themselves in service in these various locations, our students will have the opportunity to see what God is up to in the world and reflect on how God might be calling them.” Click the Read More button below to get more details on each location, and to follow blog entries from these trips, click here.
Also, Residence Life is leading a small group of students to Cleveland, Tenn. to work with Habitat for Humanity. Res Life is committed to working with Habitat here in Nashville and has sent a team to Cleveland for several years.
In addition, for the fifth consecutive year, the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing will be sending a team of health professionals and students to Guatemala for a Christian service project. The mission trip was originated in 2007 by students in the School of Physical Therapy. Since then, students and staff from the other allied health disciplines in the College have joined the annual effort. Last year, a multidisciplinary medical team of 36 travelled to Guatemala City, where they taught at a Christian high school serving one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods and at a local university, served over 400 individuals at a soup kitchen each evening, and helped treat and immunize patients at several area clinics.
This year, a team of 13 faculty, students and clinicians will provide supplies, direct patient care and train staff at the Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation and Infectious Diseases in Guatemala City and at the Shalom Foundation’s newly opened Moore Pediatric Surgery Center which will serve children from across the country. Team members have been invited to guest lecture in the physical therapy program at Mariano Galvez University of Guatemala and in the occupational therapy program at Centro Universitario Metropolitano. In addition, the group will be traveling to two rural clinics outside of Guatemala City to determine needs and seek opportunities to develop professional relationships with their Guatemalan colleagues.
Team members will again blog about their experience throughout the week. Click here to keep up with their efforts and read about previous trips.
Mathison Suggests ‘Tweeting Is Reporting’ in ‘Be the Media’ Convo
Author David Mathison returned to Belmont University this week to speak as part of the New Century Journalism speakers series. Mathison was originally scheduled to speak at Belmont on May 3, 2010, but postponed when Nashville flooding caused the university to cancel classes and events that day. The devastation he witnessed from the Nashville floods partly inspired Mathison to found the new fundraising and awareness event, Home Aid, to benefit the homeless and Americans who are affected by natural disasters.
Unlike many convocation speakers, Mathison opened his event by encouraging attendees to feel free to use their laptops, phones and other media devices to tweet or post status updates throughout his talk, noting that “Tweeting is reporting.”
He then let the audience determine the direction of his lecture, offering students the opportunity to hear more about the ideas in his book Be the Media or the plans behind the upcoming Home Aid event, which will be held this fall in Nashville and New Orleans. Following the students’ lead, he spent his time discussing the development of the Home Aid concept and the planning and promotion of the event.
Mathison’s book, Be the Media, was featured in the New York Times after he sold over 5,000 copies in 11 days via his web site, Twitter and Facebook. He has given keynote presentations everywhere from the United Nations to Columbia University, from Berlin to Cairo. From 1994-1999, Mathison was Vice President with Reuters, the world’s largest news agency, where he pioneered online content syndication. As founder and CEO of the Kinecta Corporation (now part of Oracle), he raised $30 million in under two years. Mathison is the executive producer of Home Aid, a virtual event to benefit the homeless and those facing foreclosure.
Men’s Basketball Team Receives All-Conference Honors
Four Bruins, Coach Byrd Earn Recognition
Four members of the Belmont men’s basketball team and head coach Rick Byrd earned recognition as the Atlantic Sun Conference office released its postseason honors Tuesday.
Sophomore Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) was named First Team All-Atlantic Sun, juniors Mick Hedgepeth (Crossville, Ala.) and Scott Saunders (New Orleans, La.) were named Second Team All-Atlantic Sun, freshman J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team and Byrd was named Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year.
“Our staff and players are happy for the recognition received by Ian, Scott, Mick and JJ this week,” Byrd said. “We would not be where we are without their play all year long, but I think they would be the first to say that the individual honors they received are a result of the contributions made by their teammates. It is exciting for the future of the program that all of our award winners have more years left at Belmont.” Click here to read more on this story.
Belmont (27-4, 19-1 Atlantic Sun) returns to action Wed., Mar. 2 versus Kennesaw State in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. CT from the University Center in Macon, Ga.
