Kurdish Professors Visit College of Pharmacy

left to right: Dean Johnston, Andy Webster, Reveng Doski and Ammar Brifkani

February is an exciting month at the Belmont University College of Pharmacy. As part of its global outreach efforts, the College of Pharmacy with the assistance of Dr. Kathryn Skinner in the International Education Office is hosting two pharmacy faculty from the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq.

In 2008, Dr. Andy Webster visited Iraq to consult on curricular redesign for colleges of pharmacy in that country. The current visitors, Dr. Ammar Brifkani and Dr. Reveng Doski from the University of Duhok are the third Kurdish faculty cohort to visit Belmont. The guests will learn about the American pharmacy education process and to share their educational experiences with Belmont faculty and students.

Stodghill Publishes Paper on JCA112

Dr. Steven Stodghill in the Department of Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences has had a paper accepted in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy titled Physico-chemical characterization of a novel anti-cancer agent and its comparison to Taxol®.

Stodghill and his collaborators evaluated a model compound, JCA112, which has a very good tubulin binding ability, similar to Taxol. In earlier studies the compound did not perform well in traditional in vitro studies used to screen a New Chemical Entity.  This investigation characterized the physicochemical properties of the compound including, solubility, stability, polymorphism, lipophilicity, complexation ability and permeability, leading to identification of several incompatibilities with standard in vitro screening procedures.  This suggests that a thorough understanding of the pre-formulation characteristics of the drug substance is vital in understanding the potential outcome of the in vitro screening studies.

Slay Publishes Book on Copyright Law

Assistant Professor of Music Business in the Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Cheryl L. Slay, has authored Music Copyright Law, with co-writer David J. Moser.  The recently published book provides an overview of the parameters of U.S. copyright law.  Slay also recently served as moderator of a panel discussion titled “The Author Figure” for The Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law’s Symposium on Copyright & Creativity: Perspectives on Originality, Authorship, and Expression at the Vanderbilt School of Law on Jan. 27.  The panel explored copyright ownership of video game avatars, and collective ownership in online contexts like Wikipedia.

Guthrie Recognized for Theology Book

Hearts and Minds books has named Associate Professor of Theology Steven Guthrie’s book, Creator Spirit, one of the best theological books of 2011. This is the second publication in recent months to recognize Guthrie’s book as one of the best of the past year. Click here to read more.

Belmont Hosts Future Entrepreneur Leadership Program

In a partnership with Junior Achievement and the Tennessee China Development Center, this week Belmont will host 22 Chinese students and teachers from high schools in Beijing as well as a producer from China’s CCTV to shoot a potential reality show for a Chinese children’s channel.

The group will tour campus, present business plans and have dinner at the Belmont Mansion. The visit concludes with a  a graduation ceremony.

The visit is a pilot for a potential annual program that will bring 100 students from China to the United States to visit college campuses. With plans to attend college in the United States, the students also will travel across the country to visit schools after other America colleges.

Belmont DECA Judges Regional Competitions

Belmont DECA sent six student volunteers to judge at a regional high school DECA competition on Jan. 30. The competition hosted several hundred students from the surrounding area to participate in business based scenario presentations to for advancement to the state level.

DECA Vice President Clark Buckner said, “The Belmont DECA chapter is overflowing with talent, and we wanted to give back in a way that could make an impact with younger students who share similar passions.”

The students judged restaurant and food service management, sports and entertainment marketing, accounting and management.

“Being a judge for the high school DECA members was truly a rewarding experience. I remember what it felt like being in their seats, and I am grateful for the confidence that DECA has brought me,” said volunteer judge Mandy Strader.

The chapter is planning to help with the February competitions as well as the state competition.

Recent Publications from School of Science Alumni

Will Proffitt (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ’11), published the article titled “Exploring Symmetry as an Avenue to the Computational Design of Large Protein Domains” in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. His publication is from work he completed at Vanderbilt University while an undergraduate student at Belmont. (Other authors include Carie Fortenberry, Elizabeth Anne Bowman, Will Proffitt, Brent Dorr, Steven Combs, Joel Harp, Laura Mizoue, and Jens Meiler Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Biomedical Informatics, Center for Structural Biology, and Institute for Chemical Biology,  Vanderbilt University). Proffitt is now in the Molecular Biophysics program in Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

Joe Morott (Chemistry, ’10) published the article “Melt extrusion: process to product” in the Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery Journal.  (Other authors include Michael A. Repka, Sejal Shah, Jiannan Lu, Sindhuri Maddineni, Joe Morott, Ketaki Patwardhan, and Noorullah Naqvi Mohammed, The University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutics). Morott is now in the Pharmaceutics graduate program at the University of Mississippi.

Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon

Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, chair of the Department of Philosophy, and Dr. Qingjun (Joan) Li, assistant professor in Asian Studies and Chinese, recently celebrated the Chinese New Year with Belmont Chinese language students. Delicious food and spectacular performances were part of the celebration hosted by the Nashville Chinese Association and held at Father Ryan High School.

Jan. 23 marked the beginning of the Year of the Golden Dragon. The Year of the Golden Dragon is special as it happens only every sixty years and is considered one of the luckiest years.

Magruder Has Paper ‘In Press’

Dr. Robert Magruder, chair of the Chemistry and Physics Department, recently had a paper accepted for publication in the journal Applied Physics A. The article is titled, “Fabricating a Dichroic Plasmonic Mirror in Fused Silica by Dual-Ion Implantation.” Magruder co-authored the article with professors from Vanderbilt and the University of Alberta.

Philosophy Professors Host Saturday Lecture Series

Philosophy professors Mark Anderson, Andrew Davis and Melanie Walton will lecture on “Ancient Greek Philosophy: The Foundations of Western Intellectual History” each Saturday during the month of February as part of the Nashville Parthenon’s Saturday Series.

“The series is always on an ancient Greek topic, such as tragedy and history. Greek philosophy is a major component of Greek history,” Anderson said. He previously taught two other series for the Nashville Parthenon.

The talks will be held 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Parks and Recreation Board Room at Oman Drive and Park Plaza. The cost is $60 for the general public and $50 for conservancy members. To register, call (615) 862-8431. Click here for more information.

Saturday, Feb. 4: The Presocratic Philosophers by Mark Anderson, assistant professor of philosophy
The Presocratics were the earliest Greek philosophers; their work laid the foundations for western science, philosophy, and theology. Chronologically they appear after Homer and before Socrates. Significant figures include Heraclitus, who influenced the ancient Stoics and, much later, Friedrich Nietzsche; Pythagoras, of the Pythagorean Theorem and the idea of the “music of the spheres”; Parmenides, often called “the father of logic”; and Democritus, one of the first to say that nature is composed of atoms.

Saturday, Feb. 11: Plato by Mark Anderson, assistant professor of philosophy
Plato was perhaps the most famous and influential follower of Socrates. He founded a school/research institution known as the Academy; he composed over thirty important and influential dialogues; his influence on western philosophy and theology is immeasurable. A famous twentieth century philosopher called the history of western philosophy “a series of footnotes to Plato.”

Saturday, Feb. 18: Aristotle by Andrew Davis, assistant professor of philosophy
Aristotle was a student of Plato who later founded his own school (the Lyceum). He exercised an immense influence on medieval Islamic and Christian philosophy; he was the first to systematize the laws of logic; he studied and wrote about everything from Physics and Metaphysics, to Politics, Poetry, and Zoology.

Saturday, Feb. 25: Hellenistic Philosophy by Melanie Walton, assistant professor of philosophy
This period is probably the one best known to non-specialists. The major Hellenistic schools were Epicureanism, associated with the doctrine that pleasure is the highest good (hedonism); Stoicism, associated with the doctrine that good and bad are dependent upon human judgment (widely influential among the Romans); and Neoplatonism, deriving from Plotinus and influential to the development of rational mysticism and some aspects of Christian theology (St. Augustine was a Neoplatonist prior to his conversion).

Professor Publishes Black Death Encyclopedia

Dr. Joe Byrne, historian and professor in Belmont’s Honors Program, has authored Encyclopedia of the Black Death, published by ABC-CLIO press. Its 300 entries are the culmination of over a decade of his research and writing while on staff at Belmont.

ABC-CLIO press wrote, “Encyclopedia of the Black Death is the first A–Z encyclopedia to cover the second plague pandemic, balancing medical history and technical matters with historical, cultural, social, and political factors and effects in Europe and the Islamic world from 1347–1770. It also bookends the period with entries on Biblical plagues and the Plague of Justinian, as well as modern-era material regarding related topics, such as the work of Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur, the Third Plague Pandemic and plague in the United States. Unlike previous encyclopedic works about this subject that deal broadly with infectious disease and its social or historical contexts, this interdisciplinary work synthesizes much of the research on the plague and related medical history published in the last decade in accessible, compellingly written entries. Controversial subject areas such as whether ‘plague’ was bubonic plague and the geographic source of plague are treated in a balanced and unbiased manner.”

It follows his two monographs on the Black Death (2004, 2006) and the Encyclopedia of Pestilence, Pandemics and Plagues he edited for Greenwood Press (2008). Byrne also is editing a series of historical monographs on “Health and Medicine in Daily Life” for Greenwood Press.

Belmont Alumni Featured in HGTV Show

School of Music alumni Brad Ramsey (’03), Katie Rogers Langley (’02) and Courtney Grimes Cuden (’00) debut in a docu-drama of design company Pierce & Co. at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 28 on HGTV. The 30-minute interior design show will air weekly and follow the company as its employees design throughout Nashville.

Alumnus Brad Ramsey has worked with Pierce & Co. for three years and said he loves the clients he designs for and the chance to be creative.

“Pierce & Co. is a unique and talented crew of individuals with very diverse backgrounds. I think that is what makes us stand out in Nashville. We hope the show displays that talent and creativity, but our main goal is to make every client’s home unique and special. In the end, this show could broaden our business and allow us to work even more throughout the U.S.,” Ramsey said.

Schenkel Honored with Entrepreneurship Award

Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Mark Schenkel recently received the United States Association
for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) President’s Award for Outstanding Service. The plaque is in recognition for his outstanding leadership and service serving as senior vice president of operations and planning on the USASBE Board of Directors.  The award was presented on Jan. 15 during the 26^th annual USASBE conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. USASBE is the largest independent academic organization in the world dedicated to advancing the discipline of entrepreneurship.

Walton Presents Paper at Philosophy Meeting

Dr. Melanie Walton, assistant professor in the philosophy department presented a paper entitled “Possibilities: A Response to C. Smith’s ‘Sliding Doors’” to the Philosophy of Time Society from Nottingham at the 108th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, D.C. in December.

May Duo Creating Delightful Treats Through Bakery

The Sweet Stash, a bakery owned by Dr. Vaughn May (Political Science) and his wife, Whitney May (Belmont Music Business alumna, ’06) was recently featured in The Tennessean. The May’s recently remodeled their home kitchen into a commercial kitchen and have been baking savory confections such as breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and whoopie pies in a variety of creative flavors including maple butternut squash, chocolate chip orange, and caramel toffee crunch.

Whitney does most of the baking while Vaughn handles much of the day-to-day business. The Sweet Stash sells its bakery treats at the Nashville Farmer’s Market and also accepts custom orders for special occasions such as weddings and parties.

Parry Donates Oral History Interview to Eisenhower Library

Pam Parry, chair of the Communication Studies Department, signed Jan. 18 a deed of gift to the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, donating an oral history interview. The interview with Richard C. Snyder, the son of President Eisenhower’s personal physician, will be added to the holdings of the library for use by future researchers. The president’s doctor — Dr. Howard Snyder — was a key figure in the administration because Eisenhower had three illnesses while in office, including a heart attack, stroke and ileitis (Crohn’s disease). Parry interviewed Richard Snyder for her dissertation, titled “The PR President: How Ike Transformed Political Communication.” The Eisenhower Library is one of 13 presidential libraries in the nation.

Mathematics Faculty Present at Joint Mathematics Meeting

Mathematics faculty Dr. Sharon Crumpton, Dr. Sarah Ann Fleming, Dr. Robin Lovgren and Dr. Maria Neophytou recently attended the Joint Mathematics Meetings. These meetings are sponsored by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and encompass the meetings of these organizations as well as several others. The conference was held in Boston, Mass., Jan. 4-7, and approximately 7,200 people were in attendance.

Crumpton presented a talk at the conference titled Using Models to Help Students Understand Calculus Topics. Neophytou gave a talk titled On the Point Spectrum of the Adjoints of Some Composition Operators and Weighted Composition Operators.

Julseth Has Paper Published by Hispanet

Dr. David Julseth (Foreign Language) presented at the International Hispanic Conference of the Day of the Dead that was held in Miami at Florida International University Oct. 31 – Nov. 1.  His research paper was on literary and artistic representations of the traditional Mexican food prepared and used during the celebration.  After the conference, a selective process led to his paper being chosen by the peer-reviewed Hispanet for publication.  The article, “¡Buen provecho! Cultural Representations of Food for the Day of the Dead” will appear in Hispanet Journal, Volume 4, ISSN: 1937-8920, 2012.

Belmont Students Participate in American Model United Nations Conference

Belmont University Model UN students Jerel Henderson, Tara Clance, Brooke Yaiser, Holly Morgan, Stefanie Faull, Megan Duthie, Emily Cox, Patrick Futrell, Melinda Price and Kap Sum  were enthusiastic delegates to the American Model United Nations conference held in Chicago from Nov. 19-22, 2011. Dr. Susan Jellissen (Political Science)) accompanied them.  As delegates representing South Korea, the students tackled pressing issues, such as renewable energy, microcredit, protecting human rights in the context of countering terrorism, and human trafficking. After researching their respective topics for several months, the students spent an intensive three days caucusing and deliberating with 1,500 students from over 150 other schools — thus gaining an almost unmatched “experiential” insight into the workings of the actual United Nations. Belmont’s Model UN club is excited to represent China at the 2012 AMUN conference in Chicago.

Panvini, Belmont Students Highlighted in RCWA Newsletter

The December 2011 newsletter for the Richland Creek Watershed Alliance (RCWA) featured a photo of Dr. Darlene Panvini (Biology) from her volunteer efforts in a water quality study at Richland Creek.  Also in the newsletter is a reference to Belmont students in Dr. Panvini’s ENV 1110 course regarding their service learning project with RCWA.

Giordano Named Associate Editor of Asian Studies Alumni Newsletter

Dr. Pete Giordano, chair of the Psychological Science Department, is serving as an associate editor for the Asian Studies Development Program Alumni Newsletter.  He will serve in this capacity with Dr. Rachana Sachdev of the Department of English and Creative Writing at Susquehanna University.  Sachdev is the chief editor for the newsletter.

Paine Presents Novel at Japan Studies Association Meeting

Dr. John Paine (English) presented the novel The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa to an interdisciplinary audience of professors interested in infusing Japanese material into their courses and led discussion. This was part of the Japan Studies Association annual meeting in Honolulu on Jan. 5–7. Paine is editor of the Association’s Journal and sits on its Board.

Students Receive Bill Barnes Scholarship

O.N.E. and Bill Barnes awarded six Belmont University students with scholarships during a Dec. 17 ceremony.  The receipts were: Michael Coffee, Tiffany Jenkins, Marteka D. Lee, Anna D. Matlock, LaShawn Morrow and Robin Queen.

Bill Barnes was founding pastor of Edgehill United Methodist Church, an interracial, interclass and inner-city institution in Edgehill. Proceeds from the sale of his book To Love a City fund the O.N.E/Barnes Scholarship program for low-income youth.

Gustke Receives Woodress Visiting Scholar Award

Dr. Charmion Gustke, of the English Department, has been awarded the Woodress Visiting Scholar Award by the Cather Project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Gustke will travel to Lincoln, Neb. to conduct research on Willa Cather.

International Business Team to Compete in Netherlands

Belmont University has a team that has qualified for the final round of the 2012 Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Worldwide Case competition in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

College of Business Administration students Ayesha Ghaffar, Rami Nofal, Jordan Holt and Shirah Foy will compete at the Kralingse Zoom in Rotterdam from Feb. 26 to March 2. They are among the “10 best teams in the world”  who will face off at NIBS to come up with solutions for a strategic business problem. Each team will have four hours to prepare a case without outside help. Their presentations will be assessed by a jury of professional and academic experts.

This will be the second international business case competition for Belmont’s team, which previously participated in the Eighth Annual Center for International Business Education and Research Case Challenge in October.

Click here to read more on the 2012 NIBS Worldwide Case competition.