Students’ Grant Earns $6K for Genesis

A local nonprofit organization has earned a $6,000 grant, thanks to the work of two Belmont students. As part of the fall 2013 Social Entrepreneurship 4150 Grant Writing course,  environmental science majors Ashley Allen and Erin Pitts wrote a grant for Genesis Learning Centers. The Memorial Foundation and the Christy-Houston Foundation funded the grant, Genesis Learning Center Autistic Sensory Room Project. Genesis Executive Director Terry Adams also has used some of the information from the grant in a contract application to Metro-Nashville Schools and a grant application to the HCA Foundation.

Belmont Best Buddies Step it Up at Friendship Walk

The Belmont Chapter of Best Buddies Tennessee participated in the annual Friendship Walk at Centennial Park on April 14. Best Buddies is a student organization where Belmont students form personal, one-on-one friendships with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Best Buddies high school and college chapters from middle Tennessee attended the event. The Belmont Chapter raised over $1,000 for Best Buddies Tennessee. Faculty advisor, Dr. Sally Barton-Arwood, associate professor of education, joined Belmont sophomore and chapter president, Kristin Hinkley, along with approximately 30 student and community members from the Belmont chapter. In addition to fund raising, these walks are an opportunity to be with old friends, make new friends and promote community inclusion. Bruiser also attended the Friendship Walk.

Physics Students Compete in ‘Egg Drop’ Contest

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) sponsored an Egg Drop contest on April 12.  Students from across the University were invited to compete by building an apparatus which could contain an egg, allowing it to be dropped from the maximum possible height without breaking. The first place winner was Anthony Irwin, a double major in physics and audio engineering technology, and the second place winner was Alisha Dowling, a medical physics major.  Both Irwin’s and Dowling’s apparatuses sustained drops from over 6 meters with no egg breakage, but after a brutal tiebreaker, Irwin claimed the prize of a $25 gift certificate provided by Bongo Java, makers of the ‘Egg Bomb’ breakfast sandwich. Dr. Scott Hawley, associate professor of physics, is the faculty advisor for this student organization

Japanese Language Students’ Translation Published

Five students of Belmont’s first Japanese language translation class have made their debut as translators. Troy Grooms, Christopher Richey, Erin Turberville, Luke Robertson and Kyle Jeffrey worked closely with Dr. Naoko Ozaki, whom they call Sensee, to translate Japanese poems into English. Each of them translated two poems by Ray Kamijo. The collection of their works titled Journey of Life is now available on amazon.com.

“I am extremely proud of my students for exerting efforts into the challenging translation works,” Sensee said. “Japanese is a highly contextual language, and this made translation work challenging for them, but all of them dissected each line and also looked at it holistically at the same time. They had to make each poem sound natural and relatable to the American audience.”

The students went through several steps before sending their translation works to the author. They first worked on direct translation in which they translated each line word for word. They shared their direct translation with Sensee to confirm that their understanding of the Japanese language was accurate. Afterwards, they worked on meaning translation to be able to convey the meaning of the poem which may not be apparent for English-speaking audience in direct translation alone.

The students then had peer review to share their translation works with each other to give and receive feedback to each other. After repeating these steps, the students and Sensee spoke with the author via Skype to discuss their translation works. Through discussions with the author, they were able to modify and improve their works. This translation process went far beyond the use of dictionaries and thesauruses, and they have proudly reached a point to publish the collection of their 11 translated works.

“It has always been amazing to me and almost euphoric that the spoken word in any language can easily be understood once it is shared,” said Dr. Myron Oglesby-Pitts of Education Department who has been sending moral support to all the students as they came to Ozaki-sensee’s office for appointments. “The value of the work done by the students in the Japanese Translation class imbues and pierces a level of conscientiousness for others to learn, share and enjoy.  Each poem goes far beyond word count to an extraordinary level of understanding coded feelings and interpretation all enveloped in one word.  Arigato, to all of the students for sharing your work with all of us.” (image – Journey_of_Life.jpg)

Prom Brings Out Science Students’ Inner Geek

The Belmont Tri-Beta Club hosted the first ever School of Sciences Nerd Prom on April 7. Guests wore their most nerdy attire including pocket protectors, glasses, plaid pants and suspenders. Creative uses of lab equipment such test tubes filled with glow sticks and beakers containing colorful liquids were used as decorations. And fittingly, the Period Table of Elements served as the perfect backdrop for taking prom portraits. The event was a fundraiser for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University.

The Beta Beta Beta Biological Honorary Society provides opportunities for students to learn about careers, to have social events, to develop leadership skills and to provide service to the community in areas of biological importance. Dr. Steve Murphree, professor of biology, serves as the faculty advisor for this organization.

Social Entrepreneurship Student Recognized for Nonprofit Work

Senior social entrepreneurship major Andrew Bishop was recently recognized as the inaugural Entrepreneurship Student of the Year by Sigma Nu Tau, the national entrepreneurship academic honor society. Bishop won first in both the overall and social categories. Since the creation of the Sigma Nu Tau in 2012, over 10 universities nationwide have started chapters, and many more are in the process of chartering. Bishop won for his nonprofit, Philanthroteach, which he founded in his sophomore year at Belmont. The organization seeks to provide 21st century employability and lifestyle skills to unemployed and economically disadvantaged people and make them self-sustaining through the giving and support of the community.

Bishop (second from right) was recognized at the Mary Catherine Strobel Award Luncheon on April 2.

Bishop was also recognized this month as a finalist in the Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards, which are presented annually by Hands on Nashville. The Mary Catherine Strobel award recognizes outstanding volunteer service in the middle Tennessee area. Bishop was nominated in the volunteer innovator category, again for his work with Philanthroteach. The Office of Service Learning and the Social Entrepreneurship Program nominated him for the award. He was the youngest finalist in the group by nearly 30 years.

Doss Selected for Competitive Johns Hopkins Internship

Emily Doss, a second year student in Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, has been selected for a position in the Johns Hopkins Pharmacy internship program in Baltimore, Md.  Of the 22 students selected for this internship, Doss is the only student selected from a pharmacy program within Tennessee.  Doss will  work as a pharmacy intern at the home care site at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 12 weeks this summer.  This internship provides opportunities to shadow both pharmacists and pharmacy residents working in various specialties.  Dr. Condit Steil, chairman of Pharmacy Practice at Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, as well as Dr. Naftilan, a physician working with students in the Vanderbilt Program in Interprofessional Learning (VPIL), of which Doss is a part, encouraged her participation in the program.

Social Work Students Win Poster Competition

This year Belmont’s BSW program won first place in the poster competition. Belmont University’s Bachelor in Social Work program won first place in the poster competition at Social Work Day on the Hill on March 27. The students presented their policy analysis on Senate Bill 0804 and House Bill 0937 (to amend Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4 and Title 71) in order to ensure Tennessee’s present and future governors preserve the state’s right to deny expansion of Medicaid.

Social Work Day on the Hill is an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers. Practitioners, educators and students from all over the state come together at Legislative Plaza to discuss the policy responses to the issues that impact our profession and the clients we serve. In addition to presenting knowledgeable speakers and legislators, the event serves as a call to action and is a unifying experience that links the practice community to social welfare policy.

Pharmacy Students Serve at Faith Family Medical Clinic

Six pharmacy students volunteered at Faith Family Medical Clinic on 21st Avenue North on March 21. They reconciled medications with people with diabetes at the clinic, which offers the service without charge. The students worked under the supervision of Belmont College of Pharmacy Director of Experiential Education Mark J. Chirico and served 28 patients. It was the first event of its kind at this clinic, and the students plan to volunteer at the clinic each quarter.

“I had one provider remark how much easier her job was when she saw the patients after they had already met with pharmacy. This was a big day for Faith Family, Journey to Health and many of our patients. We received so much positive feed back that we will definitely be offering this again,” said Faith Family Medical Clinic Director of Operations Joshua Southards.

Mayor Recognizes Belmont with Gold Seals, Awards

Belmont University received many accolades during the  Nashville Mayor’s Workplace Challenge for its role in engaging the community through volunteer service, fostering a healthy workplace and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle as well as sustaining the environment through green practices.

During an awards breakfast on April 5 in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena, Belmont was awarded the Top Score Award as well as the Innovation Award. The University also received a gold seal, the highest designation, in the Involved, Green and Healthy categories.

The University also is featured in the Nashville Business Journal for its Mayor’s Workplace Challenge Awards.