Belmont announces the first graduating participant in the Engaged Scholars Program, Ananta Bhatt. A biology major in the Belmont Honors Program, Ananta completed five categories of experiential learning to earn the distinction of an Engaged Scholar. Activities Ananta completed include: designing a sensory garden for Harris Hillman Special Education School, volunteering at Vanderbilt Children’s Medical Center Patient Acute Care Unit, peer tutoring, taking a leadership role in two campus organizations, and completing an undergraduate research project which she will present at a national conference.
Belmont Faculty Present at Lilly Conference
Several Belmont faculty members, sponsored by the Teaching Center and General Education, attended the annual Lilly Conference November 16-18 at Miami University in Oxford, OH. They did a presentation on Belmont’s new Junior Cornerstone Seminar, a problem-based learning course required at Belmont as part of a broader general education curriculum. The panel explained the overarching goals for the new course, described how the third-year experience fits into the broader structure of the general education program, illustrated the course through examples of individual sections of the seminar, described ongoing strategies of assessment and offered preliminary observations as to the effectiveness of the course.
Temkin Recognized for Research
Sergei Temkin, a Belmont senior double majoring in computer science and mathematics, has been selected for Honorable Mention in the Computing Research Association’s (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Award for 2007.
CRA’s Outstanding Undergraduate Awards program recognizes undergraduate students in North American universities who show outstanding research potential in an area of computing research. The award committee looks for demonstrated excellence of computing research ability and the quality of the research work done by the student. The award committee also considers the student’s academic record and service to the community.
Belmont Students Participate in MATH Challenge
The MATH Challenge (Michigan Autumn Take Home Challenge) is an annual team mathematics competition. Teams work together for three hours on challenging mathematics problems that span the undergraduate curriculum. This year the exam took place on October 28. Belmont had one team of three students participating: Nathan Davis, Amy Valentine and Kayla LaFrance. The Belmont team tied with four other teams for 34th place out of 54 teams competing.
Sturgis Publishes New Book
Dr. Amy H. Sturgis, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies, has a new book out this week, from Greenwood Press, The Trail of Tears and Indian Removal. She completed writing this history while teaching her Liberal Studies seminar “The Trail of Tears” in spring 2006; her students are thanked in the acknowledgements of the text.
Ginny Owens Recognized for Outreach Efforts
Belmont alumna and Christian recording artist Ginny Owens was honored by the Nashville mayor Bill Purcell’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities at its 25th annual awards ceremony last night. The mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities annual recognition awards acknowledge outstanding individuals with disabilities as well as those who make a difference in the disability community. Owens is being honored in the category of Artist/Performer/Athlete. Click here for more information.
Belmont Volleyball NCAA Tournament Match Broadcast Live on Internet
The Belmont volleyball team will play No. 11 seed Ohio State in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Volleyball Championship tomorrow at 4 p.m. CST at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.
Tomorrow’s match will be webcast live through Bruins Online with Rich Tiner calling the play-by-play action. The broadcast will begin at 4 p.m. To access the webcast, just go the Bruins Live section of the athletics website and click on the “Listen to Volleyball” link.
Susan Williams Appointed to 2006 Panel of Judges
Dr. Susan Williams, professor of business in the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, has been appointed to the 2006 Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) Panel of Judges by the TNCPE Board of Directors. Every year, the Panel of Judges plays an integral role in the TNCPE Award Program, recognizing organizations that demonstrate excellence in business operations and results.
As a member of the Panel of Judges, Williams is responsible for validating the integrity of the TNCPE award process and determining recognition levels for each award applicant. The Panel is composed of experts selected from all sectors including business, industry, education and health care organizations, professional and trade associations and government. All judges have been Baldrige National Quality Awards examiners and/or have served on the TNCPE Board of Examiners.
Established in 1993, the TNCPE Awards Program strives to promote economic development by helping companies grow more competitive in today’s global marketplace. The program is patterned after the Baldrige National Quality Program, recognized as the national standard for recognizing organizational excellence. More than 1,000 organizations have participated in and benefited from the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence Awards program.
Belmont Sweeps Jacksonville In Atlantic Sun Final
For the third consecutive year, Belmont and Jacksonville matched up in the Atlantic Sun Championships. It was the Bruins’ third straight trip to the finals, and the second time they would face the Dolphins for the title. Despite the recent history between the teams, Belmont stormed to the program’s first conference championship, sweeping Jacksonville 30-22, 30-24, and 30-11. Four Bruins were named to the all-tournament team, and setter Colleen Nilson was named Most Valuable Player.
Game one belonged to the Bruins, as the team jumped to an early 9-3 lead and then pushed the advantage to 17-10. Jacksonville pushed to close the gap, but a four-point run behind all-conference first team member Katie Tobiasz’ strong serving, opening the game to 23-14. The Dolphins made one final push, rallying to 23-19, but Deane Webb’s squad finished strong, pushing the score to 27-20 and finally winning 30-22 on three consecutive kills by A-Sun second team member Emily
Cahill, Cat Mundy, and Katie Tobiasz.
The Bruins recorded two blocks in the opening game to JU’s four, but the Belmont block party began to kick in during the second game. Down 7-9, the Bruins rattled off 12 consecutive points behind aggressive serving from Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Colleen Nilson and five blocks, blowing open a 19-10 advantage.
Jacksonville rallied to within two points as late as 24-22, but Belmont did not falter as they took the second game 30-24. At the intermission, Belmont already had two players with double-figure kills in sophomores Cat Mundy and Emily Cahill. Through the first two games, five different players tallied four or more digs for Belmont, while no Dolphins had more than eight kills.
“It was a team effort all around,” commented Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year Deane Webb after the match. “We took what JU gave us, and we generally have enough offensive options to get through, and that was
the case today.”
Belmont continued to overwhelm the visiting Dolphins in game three, as Jacksonville did not score a pair of consecutive points until scoring two in a row to make the score 29-11. Belmont put the game and match away on the next point, however, winning the championship in straight sets.
Six different Bruins recorded an ace in the match, led by Colleen Nilson, with three. Jacksonville managed just one ace in the match. Belmont out-hit the Dolphins .291 to .038, with JU hitting -.194 in the final match, with five kills and 11 errors.
“Our serving and passing today made for a large point swing before the second touch. Our passers played very well and helped keep us in our system. Players stepped up in spots and helped us remain consistent during our runs as well as theirs,” noted Webb.
Colleen Nilson highlighted the all-tournament team, and was joined by teammates Jaye Schuler, Cat Mundy, and senior Katie Tobiasz. Stevenique Richardson recorded six kills and two blocks in the match,
and was named to the all-tournament team. Lindsey Rutherford and Ann Mullins from Lipscomb University were also named to the Atlantic Sun all-tournament team.
Jacksonville won a tightly contested match for the conference title in 2004, finishing off the deciding game five 15-13. The Bruins returned the favor in 2005, sweeping the Dolphins in the semi-final match en route to the final against Florida Atlantic. The Bruins won the first game before falling in four games to the Owls a year ago.
The Bruins will wait to learn their destination regarding the NCAA Tournament during the selection show one week from Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CST and will be televised on ESPN U.
SURS to Take Place November 30
The third annual Science Undergraduate Research Symposium (SURS) will be held Thursday, November 30, from 3 – 6:40 p.m. in the Beaman Student Life Center.
SURS will begin with a talk from the keynote speaker, Dr. David Miller, associate professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University. The title of his talk is “Wiring the C. Elegans Motor Circuit; Turning Off the Wrong Genes to Make the Right Connections.”
At 4 p.m., there will be a reception and student poster session. Thirty-five posters will be presented with nearly 50 student participants. Beginning at 5 p.m., 13 student papers will be presented with 16 students participating (each presentation will last about 15 minutes).
The keynote address and presentation of student papers will take place in rooms A & B. The reception and poster session will take place in the Beaman Meeting Room Lobby and the Atrium West Lobby.
