Shred Event Saves Approximately 53 Trees

Brown Appointed Head of Physical Therapy Department

Dr. Renee Brown, professor of physical therapy, has been appointed as the new Physical Therapy Department Chairman as of June 1, according to Dr. Cathy Taylor, dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing.

“We are indeed fortunate to have someone with Dr. Brown’s extensive academic preparation, and her notable teaching, clinical and administrative experience, assume this important position,” said Taylor. “I know you will join me in working to assure her a smooth transition and wish her the greatest success in this new leadership role.”

Brown takes the place of Dr. John Halle, who is returning to the classroom full-time.

Brown holds a B.S. in Physical Therapy from Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y.; the M.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas, Dallas. Prior to arriving at Belmont, she served in administrative roles at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, as acting chairman for the Ithaca College Physical Therapy Department and as interim chairman at the UT Southwestern Allied Health Sciences School, Department of Physical Therapy.

Since joining the Physical Therapy faculty at Belmont in 2005, Brown has served the University, the college and the department in an exemplary fashion. She is active in the American Physical Therapy Association at the national level, is experienced with academic accreditation requirements and is the out-going University institutional review board chairman. Additionally, she has led several medical mission trips, working to establish numerous partnerships in order to support these efforts and to make the experience more meaningful for both students and patients.

Hooper to Present at Computer Science Conference

Dr. Bill Hooper, professor of computer science, has been accepted to present his workshop titled “Easy as Pi: An Inexpensive Platform for Machine Language Instruction” at the 20th Annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC) Midwest Conference.

The conference will be held Sept. 20-21, at The University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. This two-day conference has refereed papers, invited speakers, tutorials, panels, workshops and discussions on computing science education issues in smaller colleges and departments.

The Consortium for Computing Sciences and Colleges (CCSC) is a non-profit organization focused on promoting quality computer-oriented curricula as well as effective use of computing in smaller institutions of higher learning which are typically non-research in orientation. It supports activities which assist faculty in making appropriate judgments concerning computing resources and educational applications of computer technology.

Students Host Environmental Science Fair

As part of the Environmental Science Capstone course taught by Dr. Darlene Panvini, students hosted an Environment Fair on the last day of classes. The students presented posters on a variety of topics including fracking, community gardens, tree ordinances, exotic pest plant management in state parks, land protection in Tennessee and global climate change. The Our Natural Environment (O.N.E.) club, Belmont’s Environmental Club, also hosted a bake sale and raised over $100 to donate to a local environmental organization.

Voight Honored as Educator of the Year

Danny Smith (left), awards chairman of TPTA and Alan Meade (right), vice president of TPTA, recognize Dr. Michael Voight as TPTA Educator of the Year.

Dr. Michael Voight, professor of physical therapy, recently was named Educator of the Year by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA).

Voight was nominated for this honor by a former student, Dr. Ashley Campbell.

“In his life, Dr. Voight has educated thousands of students and clinicians, and I am lucky to be among that group,” said Campbell,  “as a student, Dr. Voight guided, encouraged and challenged me to be the best.  He taught me by example what it means to be great, and to never be satisfied with good.  He never ceases to amaze me in his passion and dedication to the profession of physical therapy, especially the education of both future and current clinicians.”

Voight has taught orthopedics at Belmont since 1998, the year after the graduate program in physical therapy was initiated by the University. In addition to his full-time role as professor, Voight serves as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, consults with a number of noted golf professionals for the Titleist Performance Institute on the prevention, evaluation and treatment of golf injuries, and lectures extensively at various conferences, symposiums, and congresses both nationally and internationally, having given over 600 professional presentations on a variety of orthopedic and sports medicine topics.

In years past Voight has worked or consulted with a number of professional sports organizations, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL), the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and various teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS).  Early in his career he became active within the United States Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Division. He has worked at the Olympic Training Center, Olympic Festivals, Pan Am Games, Olympic Games and has had the opportunity to travel to almost all of the different continents with various Olympic and national teams.

Most recently, Voight has worked with the Medical Commission for FIFA (the International governing body for soccer) and the Professional Golf Association (PGA).  He was selected in 2011 as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the most prestigious honor granted by the organization which recognizes those who have made lasting and significant advances in the science, education and practice of the profession of physical therapy.

Butera Designs New iPhone-Based Instrument

Dr. Mike Butera, a Belmont alumnus and adjunct instructor of sociology, has received widespread attention for his new instrument, the Artiphon INSTRUMENT 1. The instrument has been covered by TechCrunch, The Tennessean, PC Magazine and Engadget, among many others.

The wood-body instrument, which is hand-built in Tennessee, is powered by an iPhone and can simulate a number of different instruments. The ergonomically designed body allows for it to be held like a guitar, violin, mandolin or upright bass. It also includes a virtual fret board and strumming pad.

Speakers are built into the portable device, which is powered by a lithium ion battery. The device is compatible with most music software, including Garageband, Pro Tools and Traktor.

The instrument, Butera’s brainchild, has been in development for the past two years, and will finally be released this summer. Reservations for the first wave of shipments can be made exclusively at artiphon.com.

Slay Published in Journal of Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association

Assistant Professor of Music Business Dr. Cheryl Slay was published in the Journal of Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA). Her article, “Slaying the Starving Artist Paradigm and Teaching Professionalism in the Entertainment Business: The Entertainment Law & Professionalism Clinical Project,” is composed of two distinct parts. The first attempts a definition of professionalism and addresses its importance in entertainment business education. The second portion outlines her clinic at Belmont University

Through the clinic, Slay endeavors to teach students elements of professionalism and also provide legal counsel to those who seek it. Participation in the clinic is voluntary for students, and it takes place each spring. Last year, a total of 10 students were served over the course of the clinic. Since the first clinic took place in 2009, over 40 students have been served. Last year, Slay incorporated Belmont’s College of Law into the program by allowing law students to observe and participate in the legal consultations.

Slay’s passion for the clinic, including the idea to develop it, came from her own participation in a similar legal clinic as a law student. “One of the defining moments of my tenure as a law student was participating as a student attorney in one of the law clinics offered by my alma mater,” she says in the end notes of her article for the MEIEA Journal.

Cornwall Quoted in Card Hub Article

Jeff Cornwall, director of Belmont’s entrepreneurship program, has been quoted in Card Hub’s recent article, “Ask the Experts: Should Small Business Owners Seek Venture Capital Financing?” The article asks a number of entrepreneurial experts two questions: why an entrepreneur should take venture capitalist money and why an entrepreneur shouldn’t take venture capitalist money. A number of CEOs opinions are also solicited for the article. Cornwall’s answers to the two questions are below.

Why an Entrepreneur Should Take VC Money: “Because the venture has a business model that takes a long time (at least a couple of years) to reach positive cash flow and that requires a large infusion of cash due to high capital and personnel budgets during early growth.”

Why an Entrepreneur Shouldn’t Take VC Money: “Entrepreneurs shouldn’t accept VC money just because they can! I have seen too many business models that are very promising that did not NEED VC money fail when they took the money even though they did not need it. They ended up flaming out while trying to grow too fast too quickly, while trying to satisfy the VC’s expectations.”

Lyons Presents Essays

English Instructor Lacey Lyons’ essay “The Beginning of Empathy: Teaching Asperger’s to College Writers” was presented at the Greater Chattanooga Aspies’ annual conference in April. Lyons will also present at the Vanderbilt University Kennedy Center’s MegaConference on Disabilities, along with blogger Leisa Hammett and Courtney Taylor, associate director of communications and dissemination at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.

Education Department Honors PENCIL Partner, Overton High School

Dr. Rachael Flynn-Hopper, associate professor and PENCIL Foundation coordinator for the Department of Education, and Cynthia Warner, from the office of the College of Arts and Sciences, served breakfast to faculty and staff at John Overton Comprehensive High School. The week is Teacher Appreciation Week across the nation and Belmont University’s Department of Education honors the faculty and staff annually with a breakfast of bagels, coffee and orange juice during this important week. The department recognizes the contributions of the faculty and staff at Overton High School and values the partnerships that have developed through practicum, student teaching and intern placements over the years.

Belmont’s chapter of the Student Tennessee Education Association (STEA) also made a donation to the school library to buy cameras for teachers, staff and students to use to support learning and development