a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • Nov. 15, 2010 • Vol. 19/No. 10

Inside this edition:Student making new tradition, page 2Dance Theatre leaps, bounds, page 3Giving peace felt a chance, page 8

FULBRIGHT WORKSHOPS NOV. 17

On Wednesday, Nov. 17,

MTSU’s Undergraduate Fellow-

ships Office will conduct three

informational workshops on the

Fulbright Student U.S. Program.

The free 45-minute sessions are set

at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

in the Keathley University Center

Theater. Each session is open to all

MTSU students. For more infor-

mation, e-mail Laura Clippard at

lclippar@mtsu.edu. www.mtsunews.com

NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

MURFREESBORO TN

PERMIT NO. 169

IN BRIEF

Breaking new ground, page 7

Chasing the sun across Tennessee

Got blood?Roll up sleeves, beat WKU

and help neighbors Nov. 15-18See bit.ly/MTBleedBlue for details

Biology film wins big

Dr. Bruce Cahoon and gradu-ate student Noah Flaniganproduced a short film that

was named the grand-prize winnerof the recent Chlorofilms PlantBiology Video Contest.

Titled “Kenaf CallusHoedown,” the film used time-lapse photography to show theprocess of plant-tissue culture. Theidea for the video came fromCahoon’s Advanced PlantBiotechnology class, where studentswere asked to grow a callus, whichis a mass of plant-tissue cells.

Melissa Wadulisi-Shelby andBrian Huber, graduate students inCahoon’s class, decided to use afiber plant called kenaf for theirproject.

“I decided to bring it (kenaf)into the callus project. I modeledthe experiment after related species,and it worked beautifully the firsttime,” Wadulisi-Shelby said.

After seeing how well the kenafcallus worked and discoveringFlanigan’s interest in photography,Cahoon wanted to combine it all.

“Here was this great idea, aproject and a film festival. It made it

When it comes to alternativefuels, Dr. Cliff Ricketts con-siders himself a modern-

day Davy Crockett—“a frontiersmanwith energy” who says he’s “blazed atrail with ethanol, blazed a trail with

hydrogen andblazed a trail withsun and water.”

On Nov. 1,Ricketts, a 34-yearagriscience profes-sor at MTSU, blazeda unique 500-plus-mile trail acrossTennessee.

Ricketts drove aspecially adapted1994 Toyota Tercel

from Bristol, Va., to West Memphis,Ark. The fuel for the journey: the sun,plus hydrogen gleaned from water.No gasoline was used.

His successful journey endedabout 2 a.m. Nov. 2, when hereturned to the ag education shopthat houses the alternative fuel vehi-cles he and his students use forresearch.

“My whole passion is sun andwater,” says Ricketts, who has had acareer of alternative-fuel high-watermarks. “I believe accomplishing thisfeat will have the following implica-tions—a cleaner environmentbecause of clean tailpipe emissionsfrom the vehicle, energy self-sufficiency and renewability, lessdependency on foreign oil and lessof a trade imbalance because of thepurchase of foreign oil.”

Ricketts says he firmly believeshe could make the one-day drivefrom near Blacksburg, Va., to LittleRock, Ark., about one-fourth the dis-tance across the United States, withonly one refueling stopover atMTSU.

Traveling mostly by interstate (I-81, I-40 and I-24), the Tercel had acruising speed around 58 mph.Ricketts calls it “a third backup”because a 2008 Toyota Prius in Reno,Nev., is being adapted to run onhydrogen and a 1995 ChevroletVlazer (a cross between a Volt and aBlazer) is sidelined by low batteries.

The Tercel, nicknamed “Forces of

Nature,” made the trip across thestate “on two forces of nature, the sunand water,” Ricketts says. “With thissystem, every commuter could driveon sun and hydrogen from water asthe energy sources.”

Also traveling with Ricketts, whoholds bachelor’s and master’s degreesfrom the University of Tennessee anda doctorate from Ohio State

by Randy Weiler

jweiler@mtsu.edu

ROAD CREW—Hydrogen and computer timing expert Jo Borck, left, joins MTSU stu-dents Robert Keeble, Derek Pack and Nick Booher and alumnus Terry Young ofWoodbury with the 1994 Toyota Tercel that made an historic Bristol-to-West Memphis,Ark., trip on Nov. 1. Agriscience Professor Cliff Ricketts drove the car on the 500-plus-mile journey, fueled by the sun and hydrogen from water.

photo submitted

Ricketts

Ricketts and hisroad crew makehistory with trip

See ‘Chasing’ page 5

See ‘Biology’ page 5

by Lindsey Austin

news@mtsu.edu

Staying alert = safety

“So a guy was robbed oncampus in the middle ofthe night. Big deal. I live

in Nashville! Why did I get a textand a voice message that woke meup? What a hassle!”

In campus emergency notifica-tion, law-enforcement authorities justcan’t win. If something happens andan alert isn’t sent out, some peoplecomplain. If something happens andan alert is sent out, others cry foul.

“The fact is, we don’t know whata person’s schedule is or when theygo from point A to point B,” says

MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster.“Just because a situation happens at3 a.m. doesn’t mean that people whoare at home in bed don’t need toknow, too. We need to get the infor-mation out so that individuals canmake good, safe decisions for them-selves.”

MTSU Police, the Office of Newsand Public Affairs and theInformation Technology Divisionwork together to send out emer-gency alerts and post safety informa-tion on the MTSU website, all whilehandling phone calls, e-mails andtexts from media, parents and others

by Tom Tozer

ttozer@mtsu.edu

See ‘Alert’ page 5

page 2 The Record Nov. 15, 2010

Tradition, at my age, dictates that in an aca-demic setting, I should be some sort of pro-fessor or counselor, offering my expertise

and help to the average college-aged student.I am currently 46 years old, a ninth-grade high-

school dropout and unemployed after 32 yearsworking mostly in the service industry, but it hasbeen my lifelong goal to receive a formal education.I have spent a great part of that life doing the nextbest thing: educating myself. I have had years ofself-study in various areas of interest, includingEastern and western philosophy, anthropology,psychology, quantum physics and much more. Iapproach my subjects with perspicuity and zeal; Iam a voracious reader and bibliophile.

When the opportunity came to continue myeducation at MTSU, I leapt at the chance to be inacademic society amid hundreds of choices of stud-ies. I think this fact brought out the best in me and

reaffirmed my sense of self and my ability to grow,learn and even change. I have always been one toembrace a change in venue, and I found that colle-giate life suited me immensely.

Yes, there are challenges in being a nontradi-tional student; traditional stu-dents often look askance at mypresence in the classroom or atmy tendency to bring my lifeexperiences to the discussion. Asan older adult, I have some physi-cal limitations, and returning tothe classroom is a definite changein environment after being awayso long. Others of us have chil-dren and jobs and day-to-dayevents and tasks that must be

taken care of with some alacrity.But the advantages of being “nontraditional”

often outweigh these things. The older adult stu-dent is here on campus for the chance to advance.Often we can offer opinions, advice or perspective

to our younger classmates and feel the reward oftruly helping someone out. We tend, as a group, tobe more willing to accept challenging classes andsituations, and we have the goad of desiring to suc-ceed.

I love waking in the morning, knowing thatlearning and interacting with people is going to bea big part of my day. I remember having jobs thatmade me really want to pull the blankets over myhead and make the day go away.

I feel fortunate and happy to be a nontradition-al student, to learn better ways of tackling some oflife’s thornier problems and to help those that I can,either through direction or by example. I speakoften, with pride, that I am working toward mygoals in this way.

S. Greggory Hackney, a winner of the university’s2010 Nontraditional Student Week Essay Contest, is aresident of Murfreesboro and a freshman with an unde-clared major at MTSU. Nontraditional Student Week atMTSU was Nov. 1-5.

Nontraditional student making a new traditionby S. Greggory Hackney

news@mtsu.edu

FFOORR TTHHEE RREECCOORRDD

Hackney

Be One of the majority: Quit smoking Nov. 18

MTSU Health Services’ “Be One of the Majority” campaign is nowfocusing on tobacco usage for the month of November, targetingthe 35th annual Great American

Smokeout on Thursday, Nov. 18.The American Cancer Society began the

Great American Smokeout to encourage peoplewho smoke to make a plan to quit or to plan inadvance and quit smoking that day.

MTSU will observe the event by encouragingstudents, faculty and staff who currently smoke to“Be One of the Majority” by making a quit planand sticking to it. Based on Health Services’ 2009-10 student health assessment data, two-thirds ofMTSU students did not smoke cigarettes in the 30days before they took the survey.

Even more specifically, 82 percent of MTSUstudents are not daily smokers, a finding echoedby a survey project conducted last year by stu-dents in MTSU’s American Democracy Project.Consequently, people choosing to quit smokingwill find themselves surrounded by a supportivecommunity on campus.

Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can bedone. Members of the Raider Health Corps, a vol-unteer group working with Health Services, willdistribute free tobacco “quit kits” on campus withinformation and strategies to help current smok-ers know what to expect and where to go for helpquitting. The Student Affairs event calendar atwww.mtsu.edu/whatsup and the MTSU HealthPromotion Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mthealthpromotion) can provide information onconvenient distribution points.

The “Be One” campaign and the Great American Smokeout also providegreat starting points for discussions on MTSU’s smoking policy. Since tobac-co use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability and death inthe United States, harming the user and others in his environment, morethan 400 colleges and universities across the nation are completely smoke-

free on their campuses. Other campuses havedesignated smoking areas to leave the main cam-pus walkways and green spaces smoke-free.

More and more MTSU students are askinghow this campus can become smoke-free, too.Certainly there are important questions to ask,including how campus boundaries are deter-mined and how new policies are enforced. Thosequestions can be addressed only when dialoguebegins across the layers of a university’s organi-zational structure, from students to the upperadministration. Across the state, universities likeAustin Peay, Tennessee Tech and, most recently,Belmont, have found ways to effectively imple-ment smoke-free or tobacco-free policies.

Whether you currently smoke or not, the BeOne campaign and the Great AmericanSmokeout are great opportunities to take stepstoward a healthier lifestyle and to support othersin their efforts to improve their health and quali-ty of life.

For more information on the “Be One” cam-paign, visit its official website,http://BeOneMTSU. wordpress.com, and join in thediscussion.

Lisa Thomason Schrader is MTSU’s director ofhealth promotion. She can be reached at thomason@mtsu.edu or at 615-494-8704.

by Lisa Thomason Schrader

thomason@mtsu.edu

Annual Accounting CPE Day set for Dec. 9 on campus

The second Department ofAccounting ContinuingProfessional Education Day at

MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 9,from 7:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. in theBusiness and Aerospace Building’sState Farm Lecture Hall.

Seminars during the conferenceinclude presentations by Departmentof Accounting faculty on accountingand financial reporting, auditing, tax-ation and ethics. Participants can earnup to eight hours of CPE credit. Thecost is $150, which includes all semi-

nars, materials and lunch.The sessions include:• “Legality of Accounting

Topics,” Dr. Sandy Benson, assistantprofessor of business law;

• “Ethics,” Dr. E. James Burton,dean of the Jennings A. Jones Collegeof Business;

• “Tennessee Ethics,” MarkCrocker, executive director of theTennessee Board of Accountancy;

• “Constitutionality of SOX(Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002),“ Dr.Lara Daniel, business-law professor;

• “International FinancialReporting Standards,” Dr. JeannieHarrington, associate professor ofaccounting;

• “Accounting for Gift Cards,”Dr. Charlie C. Kile, associate professorof accounting;

• “Additional Issues in Taxation,”Dr. Tim Koski, accounting professor;

• “Audit Update,” BillMooningham, a retired partner fromErnst & Young and an accountinginstructor;

• “Government Accounting

Standards Board Update,“ Dr. G.Robert “Smitty” Smith Jr., interimchair of the Department ofAccounting; and

• “Financial AccountingStandards Board Update,” Dr. PaulaThomas, professor of accounting.

To register or get more informa-tion, visit the Department ofAccounting website at www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call 615-898-5306.

The Record Nov. 15, 2010 page 3

Newly tenured and promoted faculty recognized

Nationally recognizedDance Theatre growing by

The award-winning MTSU Dance Theatre is using its new training inthe work of a modern-dance pioneer to expand its artistic efforts,including touring in Chicago Nov. 10-14 and performing in the

upcoming Fall Dance Concert Dec. 2-4.The Department of Speech and Theatre hosted a weeklong residency ear-

lier this semester with Alberto Del Saz, artistic director of the Murray Louis

and Nikolais Dance Company and co-director of the Nikolais/LouisFoundation for dance. MTSU dance students learned repertory, participatedin master classes and attended a series of lectures on Alwin Nikolais, one ofAmerican modern dance’s acclaimed pioneers, all led by Del Saz.

Del Saz then restaged Nikolais’ 1982 masterpiece “Pond” for selectedmembers of the MTSU Dance Theatre, a pre-professional, auditioned dancecompany directed by Professor Kim Neal Nofsinger.

That opportunity is allowing students to reconstruct and perform“Pond” at:

• the Ruth Page Center for Dance in Chicago Nov.10-14;

• the Fall Dance Concert Dec. 2-4 in MTSU’s TuckerTheatre; and

• next April in New York City at Hunter College’s“Sharing the Legacy: The Nikolais Centennial.”

“The growth of our program has been phenomenal,”Nofsinger said as students worked on site-specific danceimprovisations outdoors at MTSU’s Uranidrome recently.“In the last six years, we have grown from fewer than 20students to more than 100 dance minors today. We’rerecruiting freshmen with scholarships now. It’s wonder-ful.”

On Saturday, Dec. 4, MTSU Dance Theatre will host afundraising dinner in conjunction with its Fall DanceConcert for the group’s scholarship program and nation-al tour. Reservations are required and should be made byMonday, Nov. 15, by calling 615-494-7628 or e-mailingchudd@mtsu.edu. Cost is $35 per person.

The 5:30 p.m. event in Cantrell Hall in the TomJackson Building on campus will include a pre-concerttalk by visiting dance scholar Dr. Maura Keefe. After din-ner and the lecture, attendees will join other audiencemembers in Tucker Theatre at 7:30 p.m. to see the univer-sity’s dance company in a concert featuring “Pond.”

“Proceeds from the dinner will assist in fundingMTSU Dance Theatre’s participation in the HunterCollege event,” Nofsinger explained. “The performancein this venue will allow MTSU to perform alongsidesome of the foremost dance companies and universitiesin the nation and to be reviewed by some of the foremostdance critics, scholars and historians.”

Nofsinger received funding to host the Del Saz resi-dency through the support of MTSU’s DistinguishedLecturers Series and Dissemination and Service SupportFunding.

The MTSU Dance Theatre Fall Dance Concert will beperformed nightly at 7:30 Thursday through Saturday,Dec. 2-4, in Tucker Theatre. There is no admission chargefor the concert.

For more information and a complete event schedulefor MTSU’s Dance Program, visit www.mtsu.edu/dance.

by Gina E. Fann

gfann@mtsu.edu

leaps and

IMPROVISING OUTDOORS—MTSU dance students Elijah Dillehay, left, Megan Hall and MatthewCutright work on site-specific dance improvisations at the university’s Uranidrome in preparation for cen-tennial performances next year. The MTSU Dance Theatre will perform its Fall Dance Concert Dec. 2-4.

photo submitted

MTSU honored 53 newlytenured and/or promotedfaculty members at a Nov.

16 reception in the Tennessee Room ofthe James Union Building.

Newly tenured faculty and theirrespective colleges are:

• Basic and Applied Sciences—Elliot C. Altman, biology; Wendy S.Beckman, aerospace; Carol Boraiko,engineering technology; Andrew V.Z.Brower, biology; and John F. Wallin,computational science;

• Behavioral and HealthSciences—Helen M. Binkley, healthand human performance;

• Education—Lana C. Seivers,education dean;

• Liberal Arts—Brad Bartel, uni-versity provost; Tommy E. Macon,speech and theatre; James P. Oliver,philosophy; Michael H. Rice, foreignlanguages and literatures; and JeremyM. Rich, history.

Newly tenured and promoted fac-ulty include:

• Behavioral and HealthSciences—Paul S. Foster, psychology;and Leigh Ann McInnis, nursing;

• Business—Melinda L. Korzaan,computer information systems;Millicent F. Nelson, management andmarketing; Mary E.Phillips, account-ing; and Sean P.Salter, finance;

• Education—Beverly J.Boulware, elemen-tary and specialeducation;

• Liberal Arts—Kimberly D. Dummons, art; Leah T.Lyons, foreign languages and litera-tures; Jamila L. McWhirter andFelicia M. Miyakawa, music; TanyaM. Peres, anthropology; Karen K.Petersen, political science; and Alicia

M. Renfroe, English;• Mass Communication—

Jacqueline K. Heigle, electronicmedia communication; and

• Walker Library—Jo A.Williams.

New promotions include:• Basic and Applied Sciences—

Jeffrey D. Leblondand Rebecca L.Seipelt, biology;

• Behavioraland HealthSciences—Colby B.Jubenville, healthand human per-formance; andPatrick M.

McCarthy, psychology;• Business—Charles L. Baum

and Ellis A. Eff, economics; David A.Foote, management and marketing;Cen Li, computer science; Steven A.Morris, computer information sys-

tems; and Donald P. Roy, manage-ment and marketing;

• Education—Kathryn E.Boudreau, library science;

• Liberal Arts—Don J. Aliquo,music; Foster K. Amey, sociology;Scott J. Boyd, theatre; Yuan-LingChao, history; Ronald E. Kates,English; Andrei V. Korobkov, politi-cal science; Justyna Kostkowska,English; Richard E. Morris, foreignlanguages and literatures; Lynn A.Nelson, history; and Linda G.Seward, speech and theatre;

• Mass Communication—JosephL. Akins, recording industry; WilliamE. Crabtree, recording industry; andLoren E. Mulraine, recording indus-try; and

• Walker Library—Suann C.Alexander.

bounds

Event dates, times and

locations may change after

press time. Please verify

specifics when making plans.

“Out of the Blue”

Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 5 p.m.NewsChannel 5+: Sundays, 1:30 p.m.Visit www.mtsunews.comfor other cable-outlet airtimesor www.youtube.com/mtsunewsfor a complete show archive.

“MTSU On the Record”

8 a.m. Sundays,WMOT 89.5-FMPodcasts availableanytime atwww.mtsunews.com.

Nov. 17: Men’s Basketball

vs. UAB, 7 p.m.

Nov. 18-20: Volleyball Sun Belt

Conference Tournament

Nov. 24: Men’s Basketball

vs. Evansville, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26: Women’s Basketball

vs. ETSU, 7 p.m.

Nov. 27: Volleyball vs. St.

Louis, TBA

Nov. 27: Football vs. Florida

Atlantic, 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 28: Women’s Basketball

vs. South Dakota State, 2 p.m.

For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Nov. 15-18

“Bleed Blue to Beat WKU”

Blood Drive

noon-6 p.m. Nov. 15 and 17; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 16; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 18MTSU Recreation CenterFor information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Nov. 15-19

“Operation Christmas Child”

Shoebox-Gift Collection

MTSU Police Department

For information, e-mailvforbes@mtsu.edu.

Nov. 15-19

Bachelor of Fine Arts Candi-

dates’ Exhibition: Studio 2

8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Todd Gallery(reception 6-8 p.m. Nov. 15)For information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/artor contact: 615-898-2455.

Monday, Nov. 15

Stones River Chamber Players:

“Happy Anniversary, 2010”

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.comor contact: 615-898-2493.

Tuesday, Nov. 16

Faculty Promotion and Tenure

Reception

3-4:30 p.m., Tennessee Room,James Union BuildingFor information, contact: 615-898-5941.

Nov. 17-20

MTSU Theatre: “A Flea in Her Ear”

7:30 nightly, Tucker TheatreTickets: $10 adults, $5 MTSUemployees and K-12 students; MTSUstudents free with IDFor information, contact: 615-494-8810.

Wednesday, Nov. 17

Study Abroad Fair10 a.m.-2 p.m., second floor,

Keathley University Center

For information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad.

Wednesday, Nov. 17

“Category 5,” University of

Southern Mississippi

Woodwind Quintet

8 p.m., Room 117, SaundersFine Arts BuildingFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.comor contact: 615-898-2493.

MTSU Percussion Ensemble

8 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.comor contact: 615-898-2493.

Thursday, Nov. 18

MTSU Wind Ensemble

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

Friday, Nov. 19

Distinguished Lecture Fund

Application Deadline

For information, e-mailghpoff@mtsu.edu.

MTSU String Studio

Extravaganza

6 and 8 p.m., Hinton HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

Sunday, Nov. 21

Sunday Night Chinese Film

Festival: “Go Lala Go!”

6 p.m., Room 103, Bragg MassCommunication BuildingFor information, visithttp://bit.ly/MTChineseFilmsor contact: 615-494-8696.

Monday, Nov. 22

MTSU Jazz Ensemble II

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

Tuesday, Nov. 23

Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra

7 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

Nov. 25-27

Thanksgiving Holidays

No classes; university closed.

Campus CalendarNov. 15-28, 2010

Please note:

page 4 The Record Nov. 15, 2010

TV Schedule

Radio Schedule

Sports @ Home

Nov. 16

Nov. 15

Nov. 18

Nov. 19

Submit Campus Calendar items and other news to gfann@mtsu.edu by3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, for the Nov. 29 edition of The Record or 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, for the final fall 2010 edition, Dec. 13.

Get noticed in The Record !

Nov. 17

Nov. 21

Nov. 25-27

LIVING (AND PLAYING) UNITED—Students at Project Help join their teachers and staff in checking out a special giveawaycar for United Way campaign donors as they return from trick-or-treating on campus Oct. 28. Teachers and staff, from left, areJennifer Plaskett, Bobbie Young, Mary Bowens (slightly hidden), Becky Davidson, Abby Price, Deborah Newman, Tricia Yeargan,Susan Waldrop, Helen Kasawne, Jacob Smith and Amanda Kelley. MTSU’s Project Help is one of many programs that receivefunding from United Way via the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Employee Charitable Giving Campaign. MTSU employees shouldreturn their pledge forms by Tuesday, Nov. 30; donors who pledge at least $300 are eligible to win a new Toyota Yaris, ChevroletAveo or Ford Fiesta from Alexander Automotive Murfreesboro. More information is available at www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu.

photo submitted

Corralling the kids

Nov. 22

Nov. 22

The Record Nov. 15, 2010 page 5

University, was Jo Borck, a Canada native anda hydrogen expert. Borck attended MIT andgraduated from Washington State Universitywith a mechanical-engineering degree.

“He is one of the top five hydrogen peoplein the world,” Ricketts says of Borck, whoseknowledge of the hydrogen-compression sys-tem and the computer-timing mechanism hasproven invaluable in their five-year partner-ship and with Ricketts’ students.

How does the engine run off sun andwater? Ricketts says the MTSU solar unit pro-vides DC electricity, which is converted intoAC electric, and it goes into the grid line.

“In essence, the MTSU system is doing thesame thing as a hydro dam or coal-poweredunit,” he says.

“In order to produce hydrogen, tap wateris de-ionized and then sent to a solid polymerelectrolysis unit,” he adds. “When the

electrolysis unit is running, it uses the storedsolar produced by electricity. … This systemis a result of using TVA’s Green Power SwitchGeneration Partners Program.

“Next, the hydrogen comes out at 200 psiand goes into two 500-gallon storage tanksand then is compressed to 6,000 psi. The vehi-cle is then filled with hydrogen. It has two4.2-kilogram tanks rated at 5,000 psi per tank.The vehicle is adapted and equipped to get a370-mile range.”

Ricketts’ ultimate applied-scienceresearch goal is to drive from coast to coast,hopefully in 2011, using only 10 gallons ofgasoline.

Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor SupplyCo. is Ricketts’ primary off-campus sponsor.Other key sponsors include the MTSU Officeof Research and Sponsored Programs and theCollege of Basic and Applied Sciences.

Chasing from page 1

ON THE ROAD AGAIN—Dr. Cliff Ricketts drives the speciallyadapted alternative-fuel 1994 Toyota Tercel down Interstate 40 West,near the Alexandria exit, during a test run in October.

photo submitted

entertaining and not like a lecture,”Cahoon said.

Flanigan set up a camera to takephotos of the kenaf callus every 30 min-utes for three weeks. He then sortedthrough the nearly 3,000 photographsduring his winter break to find the per-fect images and added a “dancing” cal-lus at the end.

“We made it up as we went along,”Flanigan said.

The film’s background music poseda slight problem, however.

“Noah had trouble finding appro-priate noncopyrighted music, so the biol-ogy department’s bluegrass bandjumped right into the project,” Cahoonexplained.

The band, Independent Assortment,included Drs. Matthew Elrod-Erickson,Frank Bailey and Cahoon. In addition tothe faculty members, Cahoon’s son, Joe,and daughter, Claire, played in the blue-grass group.

“The entire film was done withoutprofessional equipment. Noah recordedin the classroom and used what we hadaround,” Cahoon explained. “It all justfell into place. The timing was great.”

The film was entered in the artisticcategory of the Chlorofilms Contest, aninternational nonprofit organization whose objective is to “promote thecreation of fresh, attention-getting and informative video content about plantlife.” Wadulisi-Shelby and Huber served as actors in the film.

The team received the $1,000 grand-prize award at the second install-ment of the contest. They plan to use the money to purchase better filmequipment.

“We want to keep doing it. We want better angles and a better look at

growth. We want to get more biological information by looking at differentplants and improving the system” Cahoon said.

“Look forward to more from the biology department!” Flanigan added. For more information on the Chlorofilms contest or to view “Kenaf

Callus Hoedown,” visit http://chlorofilms.org.

Biology from page 1

SCIENTIFIC PROOF—Dr. Bruce Cahoon, above left, and grad student Noah Flaniganset up a camera to create still photographs of a kenaf fiber callus for a time-lapse film,“Kenaf Callus Hoedown.” At left are stills from the short film, including, from the top,grad students Melissa Wadulisi-Shelby and Brian Huber inspecting their experiment,the kenaf calluses in their test tubes and a close-up of the growing plants.

photos submitted

on- and off-campus.“I understand that it can be

inconvenient at times, especiallywhen people are awakened or dis-turbed,” the chief says. “That’s notour intent. It happens as a conse-quence of us having to perform thatduty. But in the larger scope of things,those intrusions, those inconvenienc-es, compared with being able to makepeople safer and more knowledge-able—we have to weigh all the factorsand look at the bigger picture.”

Sending emergency alerts afterhours exclusively to those peoplewho are awake, on campus andengaged in some activity isn’t realisticor even possible. When an alert isactivated—whether e-mail, text, voiceor all three—a student or staff mem-ber may be at home or off-campusand not want to be bothered. Butwhat if that same student decided tostudy with friends overnight in

Scarlett Commons or that professor isworking late grading papers?Emergency-alert personnel don’tknow who’s where, or when, so theymust send an alert to everyone who’ssigned up to receive one.

“We’re going toput everyone’s e-mailaddress into a systemwhere we can send amessage out to every-one that way,” Peastersays. “But on all theother options, text-message and voice-alert, people … canchoose how to benotified. They will get an e-mail, butthat won’t be intrusive.”

Peaster adds that emergency-alertparticipants have the option of turn-ing off their phones, especially afterhours, if they choose not to be noti-fied when away from campus.

Sending or not sending an alert isalso a dilemma, the chief says, citingthe example earlier this semester of acriminal suspect’s escape fromMiddle Tennessee Medical Center,then located nearby at Bell and

Highland Streets.“He … had been

involved in activitythat sometimes leadsto weapons and vio-lence. When he leftthe hospital, theysaid he was headingtoward campus.That’s one of thosesituations where you

have to stop and think: Do we need tonotify people on campus about thisperson?” the chief recalls. “We feltthat it would be better to send out analert because of the possibility that hecould show up.”

Peaster encourages the university

community to think about others andnot just their own minor inconven-ience, especially since regulations arelooming that mandate more campus-emergency notifications. The chiefsays he hopes one day to see anOffice of Emergency Managementcreated at MTSU that will focus onemergency notification, newer deliv-ery systems and training students,faculty and staff.

‘It’s certainly something that thefederal government is taking serious-ly, and they’re pretty much going toforce colleges and universities to takeit seriously, too,” he says.

“More and more federal man-dates are coming down. … I thinkwe’ll see more entities being fined fornot following guidelines andstatutes—and I’m not talking just afew dollars, but amounts that couldreally hamper business in a lot of col-leges and universities.”

Alert from page 1

page 6 The Record Nov. 15, 2010

MTSU celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week

Continuing its focus on lifelong learning, MTSU will celebrateGlobal Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 15-19 to connect youngpeople through local, national and global activities designed

to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators.MTSU’s Department of Business

Communication and Entrepreneurship is coordi-nating the university’s events with the WrightTravel Chair in Entrepreneurship in the JenningsA. Jones College of Business, the College of MassCommunication, Department of RecordingIndustry and the MTSU School of Music. Theevent, involving 100 countries and an estimated10 million people, is an initiative to inspireyoung people to embrace innovation, imagina-tion and creativity and to turn ideas into reality.

A speech from nationally syndicated colum-nist Deroy Murdock, “Obama vs. FreeEnterprise,” on Friday, Nov. 19, will cap five days of entrepreneur-ship education. Murdock’s columns appear in The New York Post, TheBoston Herald, The Washington Times, National Review, The OrangeCounty Register and many other newspapers and magazines in theUnited States and abroad. His political commentary airs on ABC’s“Nightline,” “NBC Nightly News,” CNN, Fox News Channel,MSNBC, PBS and other television news channels and radio outlets.

Also speaking at Friday’s event will be SheilahGriggs, vice president of Point 3 Media and execu-tive director of Ladies Who Launch, who has adiverse real-world background in public relations,media relations and marketing.

Other events include local and national speak-ers as well as a viewing of the film “Ten9Eight,”which will be shown in the Keathley UniversityCenter. “Ten9Eight” tells the inspirational storiesof several inner-city teens of differing races, reli-gions and ethnicities, from Harlem to Comptonand all points in between, as they compete in an

annual business-plan competition run by the Network for TeachingEntrepreneurship.

MTSU’s Global Entrepreneurship Week events are all free andopen to the public and will be held in the Business and AerospaceBuilding and Keathley University Center.

Off-campus visitors should obtain a campus map and tempo-rary parking pass at the second-floor reference department of theLinebaugh Public Library at 105 W. Vine St., just south ofMurfreesboro’s Public Square.

For more information, visit the Global Entrepreneurship Weekwebsite at www.mtsu.edu/~entre or call the BCEN department at 615-898-2902.

The week’s complete event schedule is shown at right.

Murdock

WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION—MTSU senior Casey Miller, left, of Gallatinand junior David Omol, far right, ofKhartoum, Sudan, join university officialsin thanking the Foundation for AgencyManagement Excellence, or FAME, fornew scholarships. FAME, the charitablefoundation of The Council of InsuranceAgents and Brokers in Washington, D.C.,recently gave Miller and Omol $5,000FAME Scholarships for the 2010-11 aca-demic year. Jennings A. Jones College ofBusiness Dean Jim Burton, second fromleft, thanks Woody Ratterman III ofFranklin, an MTSU alumnus (‘95) and theMidstate CIAB representative, for theorganization’s support. Joining them is Dr.Ken Hollman, chairholder of the MartinChair of Insurance. CIAB is committing$50,000 in scholarship funds through the2014-15 academic year for qualified stu-dents who remain in good standing overalland committed to majoring in the insur-ance program, officials said.

photo submitted

FAME-ous scholars

Monday, Nov. 15

• 10:20-11:15 a.m., Room S324,Business and Aerospace Building—“Planning for Success,” Roy Baudoin,owner/proprietor, Smyrna BowlingCenter;

• 2:20-3:45 p.m., BAS S324—“ARIM Graduate’s Story,” Garrett Parris,songwriter and freelance producer,Magic Mustang Music and TraxProductions.

Tuesday, Nov. 16

• 9:40–11:05 a.m., BAS S338—“BeWho You Are in Business: Founding aBusiness that Fits Who You Are, Ratherthan Changing Yourself to Fit YourBusiness,” Victor Wooten, bass virtuoso;

• 11:20 a.m.-12:45 p.m., BAS S324—“Getting Seen and Getting Signed inthe Music Business,” Lorenzo Spikes,CEO/scout for Get Seen, Get Signed;

• 1-2:25 p.m., BAS S130A—“GettingSeen and Getting Signed in Sports,”Lorenzo Spikes;

• 1-2:30 p.m. and 2:40-4:10 p.m.,Keathley University Center Theater—“Ten9Eight” documentary screening.

Wednesday, Nov. 17

• 9-11 a.m., TBA—Tour of BarrettFirearms Manufacturing Inc., hosted byRonnie Barrett, president, and RalphVaughn, business and global brand mar-keting, Murfreesboro (limited to 12 stu-dents; e-mail rcwilson@mtsu.edu to beplaced on the tour list or waiting list);

• 10:20-11:15 a.m., BAS S324—“Zoning and Planning Issues: WhatEntrepreneurs Need to Know,”Matthew Blomeley, principal planner forthe City of Murfreesboro;

• 12:40-2:05 p.m., BAS S324—“Howto Start Up and Run a Small Business,”Ray Montgomery, co-owner of Floorsand Doors Santa Cruz Garden Furnitureand Sidco Worldwide.

Thursday, Nov. 18

• 8-9:25 a.m., BAS S130A—“Blending Quality and Atmosphereinto the Perfect Shot,” Teresa Harmon,co-owner, JoZoara Coffee Shop;

• 9:40-11:05 a.m., BAS S324—“Today’s Business Insurance Needs,”Andy Womack of State Farm Insurance;

• 11:20 a.m.-12:45 p.m., BAS S324—“From the Classroom to theBoardroom,” Connie Landers, owner ofjaci’s jewels;

• 1-2:25 p.m., BAS S130A—“WhatDoes It Take to Start a Business?”,Connie Landers;

• 1-2:25 p.m., BAS S324—“Today’sBusiness Insurance Needs,” AndyWomack;

• 2:40-4:05 p.m., BAS S324—“Sustaining Momentum in the Non-Profit World,” G. Allen Jackson, seniorpastor of World Outreach Church/Intend Ministries of Murfreesboro.

Friday, Nov. 19

• 10:20-11:15 a.m., BAS S324—“TheArt of the Elevator Pitch: How to SellYour Idea in 60 Seconds or Less,”Douglass Tatum, Wright Travel Chair inEntrepreneurship and associate profes-sor of business communication andentrepreneurship;

• 1-2:15 p.m., BAS S102 (State FarmLecture Hall)—EntrepreneurshipSpeaker Series: Sheilah Griggs, vicepresident of Point 3 Media and execu-tive director of Ladies Who Launch;

• 2:15-3:30 p.m., BAS S102—Entrepreneur Panel Discussion featur-ing Sheilah Griggs, Tim Liu of Urjanetand Angelyn Pass, founder of Atlanta-based Glak Love;

• 3:45-5 p.m., BAS S102—Entrepreneurship Speaker Series:“Obama vs. Free Enterprise,” DeroyMurdock, columnist, New York City.

2010 GEW event schedule at a glance

Griggs

from Staff Reports

news@mtsu.edu

Nov. 15-19

The Record Nov. 15, 2010 page 7

Officials will conduct agroundbreaking ceremonyfor a new dairy facility at the

MTSU Farm, located at 3001 GuyJames Road, at 10:30 a.m. Monday,Nov. 15.

The public and MTSU communi-ty are invited. The property is located5.5 miles east of campus off Halls HillPike.

“The start of the new dairy is anexciting and wonderful event for theSchool of Agribusiness andAgriscience,” said Dr. Warren Gill,director of the school.

“We are the only school in thestate where students milk the cowsand process the milk for students todrink,” Gill added. “By doing this,the students learn practical lessons infood safety, cattle management andquality assurance, which makes themhighly desired (as employees) byTennessee’s large food-processingindustry.”

Farm Lab Director Tim Reddnoted that the expansion “will be anoutstanding opportunity as a lab forour students.”

“We’ll now have a greater oppor-tunity for teaching,” Redd continued.“The facility will be state-of-the-art. Itwill be much more functional for cat-tle comfort. It’s something we lookforward to.”

MTSU’s Campus Planning officesaid the university received $4.375million for the new dairy facility. Thefunding will pay for design and con-struction, including a milking facilityand equipment, free-stall barn, haybarn, grain bins, shop and storagearea, feed shed, fuel and chemicalstorage and all associated infrastruc-ture, roads and fencing needed tosupport the facilities.

The new dairy will cost $2.7 mil-lion, Gill said, adding that the addi-tional funding will pay for fencing,moving costs to transfer the cattleherd from the current dairy on

Manson Pike, bedding for the ani-mals, improving the grass areas at theGuy James Road location, buyingequipment such as tractors and trucksand purchasing office furniture.

“Fencing is expensive but need-ed,” Gill said. “It costs something tomove cattle. We need to get the pas-tures ready, and the office furnitureand chairs all cost something.”

Designed by Nashville-basedLose & Associates Inc., the projectbegan in earnest in mid-October byHardcastle Construction Co. Inc. ofMadison, Tenn. Gill said the agreed-upon 180-day completion date wouldhave the project finished “in earlyspring, April or thereabouts.”

MTSU’s herd of 60 cows is a com-bination of Holsteins and Jerseys, Gillsaid, adding that they provide all thewhite and chocolate milk consumedon campus by MT Dining customers.

Milk consumption on campus isabout 3,800 pounds per week or one-third of the MTSU Dairy’s produc-tion, Redd said.

“Holsteins provide more milk perday. Jerseys provide richer, more fla-vorful milk,” Redd said. “Chocolatemilk is one of the most popular thingsthat students consume. We’re famousfor our chocolate milk.”

The remaining milk is sold to theMaryland & Virginia Milk ProducersCooperative Association, which pro-claims at its website that it is “mar-keting milk for dairy-farm familiesfrom Pennsylvania to Alabama.”

Gill said the dairy will be a “dou-ble-eight parallel parlor with state-of-the-art computerized equipment.Initially, we will milk 60 to 70 cows,but the facility will be capable ofexpanding to as many as 350 cows.

“We are going to make it as envi-

ronmentally friendly as possible. Wecurrently are evaluating the use ofgeothermal technology to assist incooling the milk and utilizing solarpanels for electricity.”

Gill said he does not anticipateexpanding the herd soon.

In addition to Redd, dairy per-sonnel include Liz Troup, the dairy-processing lab manager; Jason Tanner,Stark Dairy herdsman; and RalphSmith, assistant dairy herdsman.

About 30 students a year arehired part-time to assist with MTSUFarm Lab operations, Gill added.

For more information about theNov. 15 groundbreaking ceremony,call 615-898-2523.

For more information about thedairy, contact Gill at 615-898-2404.

University breaking ground on new dairy facilityby Randy Weiler

jweiler@mtsu.edu

Escalation in Dyads with a History ofTerritorial Disputes,” in International Journal ofConflict Management, Vol. 21, No. 4 (2010).

Two retired history faculty members havenew publications. Dr. Fred Rolater has com-pleted “The Local Origins of Landmarkism:First Baptist, Nashville; Concord BaptistAssociation; and Union University and theDefinitive Controversy Among SouthernBaptists” in Tennessee Baptist History 12 (Fall2010): 75-92, and Concord 200, a bicentennialhistory of the Concord Baptist Association ofMurfreesboro. Dr. Ron Messier has publishedtwo new books, The Almoravids and the

Meanings of Jihad and Jesus: One Man, TwoFaiths.

Amy Willbanks (MTSU alumna) andhuman sciences Professors Nancy Oxford,Dana Miller and Sharon Coleman have co-authored a textbook, Textiles for Residential andCommercial Interiors (2010, Fairchild Books).

Send Faculty/Staff Update items and othernews to gfann@mtsu.edu by 3 p.m. Tuesday,

Nov. 16, for the Nov. 29 Record or 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 1, for the Dec. 13 Record.

Faculty from page 8their creativity and other business aspects of the craftwhen Breanna Rockstad-Kincaid visited the class Nov. 2.

Rockstad-Kincaid runs her business, Felt GoodFibers, out of her home in Silver Point, Tenn. An award-winning maker of wearable art and former schoolteacherin Putnam County, she earned her bachelor’s degree fromthe Appalachian Center for Craft, an art satellite campusof Tennessee Tech University.

Oxford says the felt craft works from Great Britainwill hang in various locations in the Ellington Building atleast through the end of the semester.

For more information, contact Oxford at 615-898-5689or noxford@mtsu.edu.

Human from page 8

Get noticed in The Record !

Dr. Don Hong (mathematical sci-ences) and Dr. Ji-Ping Wang (North-western University) are editing a spe-cial issue on computational biologyand data mining for the InternationalJournal of Mathematics and ComputerScience to be published later this year.

Dr. Rosemary Owens (Provost’sOffice) has been named to the boardof the Transit Alliance of MiddleTennessee.

Thirteen MTSU student membersof the Society for Electronic Musicand their faculty adviser, Dr. JosephAkins (recording industry) participat-ed in The Moogfest Oct. 28-31 inAsheville, N.C. In collaboration withMoog Music, the multivenue eventhonored the vision of Robert Moogand his musical inventions with con-certs, panel discussions, interactiveinstallations and workshops.

Dr. Robert B. Blair and Maria L.Edlin (Center for EconomicEducation) received a $10,000 awardfrom the Council on EconomicEducation to conduct a two-day, BestPractices for AP Macro/Microeco-nomics advanced-training workshop

for high-school economics teachers inpartnership with the Federal ReserveBank of Atlanta-Nashville Branch.Blair and Edlin also received a$36,000 grant from the Foundation forTeaching Economics to coordinateThe Right Start Institute in Knoxvillein December 2010. The four-day resi-dential program is designed to helphigh-school teachers to become high-ly qualified to teach economics inTennessee.

Dr. Mark Anshel (health andhuman performance) presented apaper, “The Disconnected ValuesModel: An Intervention forPromoting Healthy Habits andCoping with Stress in LawEnforcement,” Oct. 24 at theInternational Association of Chiefs ofPolice Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Maria L. Edlin (Center forEconomic Education) presented amonetary policy workshop for high-school teachers at the Atlanta FederalReserve Bank-Nashville Branch onSept. 30. The workshop included avideoconference with Ben Bernanke,Federal Reserve chairman, and DaveAltig, director or research for theFederal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Dr. Don Hong (mathematical sci-ences) was invited to give a seminar

talk at the Department of Biostatisticsand Bioinformatics in the RollinsSchool of Public Health at EmoryUniversity in Atlanta on Oct. 28.

Professor Sheila Marquart (nurs-ing) delivered a platform presentationon “Patient Advocacy” on Oct. 23before the Tennessee Association ofStudent Nurses at its joint conventionwith the Tennessee NursesAssociation.

Professor Cathy Cooper (nurs-ing) delivered a platform presentationon “Forged in the Fire: A Case StudyComparison of the Career Path ofBaccalaureate Registered Nurses andTheir Professional Education” at theXi Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta TauInternational’s general membershipmeeting Oct. 26.

A paper by Dr. Don Hong (math-ematical sciences) and graduate stu-dent Fengqing Zhang, “Elastic NetBased Framework for Imaging MassSpectrometry Data BiomarkerSelection and Classification,” hasbeen accepted for publication in thejournal Statistics in Medicine.

Dr. Karen Petersen (political sci-ence) published an article, “Conflict

page 8 The Record Nov. 15, 2010

UR028-1110

Tom TozerDirector, News and Public Affairs

Editor: Gina E. Fann, gfann@mtsu.edu

Contributors: Gina K. Logue, Paula Morton,Randy Weiler, Sydney Hester, LindseyAustin, Binetou Soumare’, Leslie Lynn,Kelly Ford and Susan Nogues.

Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,except where noted.

Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.

Phone: 615-898-2919 Website: www.mtsunews.com

MTSU’s Office of News and Public Affairspublishes The Record every two weeksand distributes 3,500 copies free to faculty, staff, friends and media outlets.

Address all correspondence to:

The RecordOffice of News and Public AffairsTom H. Jackson BuildingMTSU P.O. Box 721301 E. Main St.Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132

MTSU, a Tennessee Board of RegentsInstitution, is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institu-tion that does not discriminate againstindividuals with disabilities.

Brilliantly colored, soft, fuzzymobiles recently arrivedfrom the United Kingdom at

MTSU’s Ellington Human SciencesBuilding, connecting artisans whoshare a desire for less violence andwarfare in the world and giving anew meaning to the phrase “softpower.”

Thirteen students in theTextiles, Merchandising andDesign Program in the Departmentof Human Sciences received thefelt crafts from their giving partner,The Herd Arts Drive, as part ofPeace Felt 2010. The organizationwas created to promote love andpeace through textile art.

It was MTSU’s first year ofparticipation in the project, andAssistant Professor Nancy Oxfordintends to make sure it will be anongoing endeavor.

“You could just see how it madethem (the students) feel good to givewithout any expectations,” Oxfordsays.

To celebrate Sept. 21, theInternational Day of Peace as desig-nated by the United Nations, theMTSU students made their own feltpeace crafts for their receiving part-ner, Atelier Filt, in the Netherlands.The concept is designed to indicate acontinuous circle of peace and broth-erhood that has no beginning and noend.

“We could have done a hugepiece altogether, but we thought itwould be nice that each student did arepresentative square,” Oxford says.“Then, when we sent them to theNetherlands, we gave them someideas. They could frame them indi-vidually. They could sew themtogether and make a big wall hang-ing. So we sort of left that open to ourreceiving partners.”

Each student in Oxford’s classwas instructed to select a country andresearch symbols that represent peacein that country’s native language.

Some of the nations represented inthe students’ works include Japan,Russia, China and Ireland, andOxford says they had fun manipulat-ing the felt to express their senti-ments.

“Felt is the only fiber that cancompletely go from fiber to a fabric,bypassing the yarn stage,” Oxfordsays. “With a little heat, a little mois-ture and a little agitation, you canactually … entangle the fibers.”

Oxford says the students createtheir own natural dyes and also workwith fibers from sheep, alpacas, lla-

mas and angora rabbits as well ashuman hair and dog hair. Amongtheir creations are cocktail hats,scarves and wall hangings.

“Not only are they participatingin these fun projects, at the same timethey’re learning about science, howdyes react with different proteinfibers and different cellulosic fibersand how different types of dyes reactwith different types of fibers,” Oxfordsays.

They also learned how to market

People Around Campus

Human-sciences students give peace felt a chanceby Gina K. Logue

gklogue@mtsu.edu

Faculty/Staff Update

Appointments

Events

Presentations

Publications

‘PEACE’ OF WORK—MTSU human-sciences students pose with their “peace felt” projects. In the group photo at left, shown in the frontrow are Amber Richardson, Katie Russell, Rachel Miller, Maurie Baker and Emily Leeth. Standing are, from left, Brittany Blackwood,Nick Hawkins, Christina Klins, Kelley Thompson, Sandi Caves, Margaret May and Lisa Kirkwood. Not pictured is Brittany Bowers. Inthe center photo, Miller puts finishing touches on her peace-felt project, while at right, Russell gives her finished work a thumbs-up.

photos submitted

See ‘Faculty’ page 7

Grants

See ‘Human’ page 7