[380] SCHOLARS WEEK ’09: ‘SHARE IN THE EXCITEMENT AT MTSU’

Release date: March 23, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Scholars Week contacts: Dr. Andrienne Friedli, 615-898-2071
Dr. Kristine M. McCusker, 615-898-2544

SCHOLARS WEEK ’09: ‘SHARE IN THE EXCITEMENT AT MTSU’
March 30–April 3 Event Showcases Research Findings, Enthusiasm

(MURFREESBORO) — Scholars Week 2009, scheduled March 30 through April 3, has become an anticipated campus event each spring as MTSU scholars eagerly share their research findings as well as their enthusiasm for doing research.
Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost, said Scholars Week “continues to be our annual forum to recognize the excellent research that our faculty and students do.
“The number and variety of research projects presented is always quite impressive. Many of the students who participate locally also report on their scholarship at regional and national meetings within their area of study. We invite everyone to visit the events occurring throughout Scholars Week to share in the excitement,” Gebert said.
Scholars Week organizers are making a special effort to solicit participation not only from the MTSU community but also area high-school students and teachers, legislators and others to learn firsthand about research at MTSU.
Dr. Kristine M. McCusker, associate professor of history and organizing committee member in charge of publicity, said that selected MTSU students are inviting others to visit the universitywide poster and multimedia event on Friday, April 3, and will act as hosts during the event.
“Student researchers make great representatives for MTSU because they can testify to the beneficial role that research plays in their college careers,” McCusker said.
A preliminary Scholars Week schedule is posted at www.mtsu.edu/~research.
One casualty of the university budget cuts is the traditional Scholars Week kick-off event, which has served as an appreciation luncheon for faculty mentors and presenters. This year, the College of Business poster session, set from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday, March 30, in the Business and Aerospace Building’s south lobby, will mark the beginning of Scholars Week. Other college showcases will follow through the week.
The climax of Scholars Week is the Universitywide Poster and Multimedia Exposition at 12:40 p.m. Friday, April 3, at the Murphy Center track area. A link to poster abstracts is at www.mtsu.edu/~research; the online abstracts list will serve as a searchable written record of participation this year. Additional information, including poster preparation guidelines and ideas on how faculty can incorporate Scholars Week events into course activities, are also posted online.
Examples of the wide range of presentation titles follow. Come to Scholars Week to find out the authors.
• “The Effect of a 12-Week Fitness Program on Measures of Health-Related Physical Fitness in Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Students”;
• “Raman Analysis of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid in Contaminated Pet Food and Milk Products”;
• “Alternative mRNA Splicing is Prevalent in Genes and Regions of the Brain Implicated in Bipolar Disorder”;
• “Knock It Off!: Consumers’ Perceptions Toward Purchasing Counterfeit Products”;
• “The Production, Quantification and Fluorescent Detection of Anthrax-Simulating Endospores”;
• “Art Music Canon: Finding African-American Composers in the Western Music Tradition”;
• “Transfer of Skills from Microsoft Flight Simulator X to an Aircraft”;
• “Hurricane Ike vs. an Atomic Bomb”; and
• “How To Build A Better Mouse Trap: Sanitation Issues In The Food Industry.”

The Scholars Week schedule of events is:
• Monday, March 30 — College of Business Poster Session, 12:30–2:30 p.m., Business and Aerospace Building south lobby. Contact Dr. Charlie Baum at 615-898-2527.
• Tuesday, March 31 — College of Basic and Applied Sciences Hands-on Learning Showcase, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., Keathley University Center Quad (rain locations are KUC first- and second-floor lobbies). For more information, contact Megan Hall at 615-898-8643. College of Education and Behavioral Science speaker Dr. Sandra Titus, director of Intramural Research in the Office of Research Integrity in the Department of Health and Human Services, from 2–3 p.m. in Tom H. Jackson Building’s Cantrell Hall. Contact Tara Prairie at 615-494-8918.
• Wednesday, April 1 — College of Liberal Arts talks, panels and performances, 1–5 p.m., Room 117 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. Contact Dr. Mark Byrnes at 615-898-2351.
• Thursday, April 2 — College of Mass Communication Open Mic, 2–3 p.m. in the main atrium of John Bragg Mass Communication Building. Contact Dr. Daniel Pfeifer at 615-898-5944.
• Friday, April 3 — Universitywide Poster and Multimedia Exposition, 12:40–3:30 p.m., Murphy Center track. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m. Contact Dr. Wasimuddin Qureshi at 615-898-5090.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

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Media welcomed.