Vol. 13, No. 14 - Dec. 2, 2008

Truman State University will host a Bioenergy Conference on Dec. 5, in collaboration with University of Missouri Extension, the Northeast Missouri Resource Conservation and Development, and Missouri Rural Enterprise and Innovation Center.

The conference, funded by a professional development program grant from USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, will highlight the role of farms and farmland in a sustainable energy future. Nationally-known researchers and entrepreneurs will address production and utilization of grassy and woody biomass, wind energy and financing bioenergy projects.

Regular conference registration was targeted to agricultural educators, extension personnel and agency personnel in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.  However, conference sessions taking place from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. in the Activities Room of the Student Union Building are open to faculty, staff and students free of charge.

Wayne Keith, a partner in Renewable Energy Systems, L.L.C., has developed gasification technology that enables regular vehicles, which are normally fueled with gasoline, to be powered with a wide range of solid biomass materials, like wood, switchgrass, crop residues and broiler litter.

One of Keith’s ‘bio-trucks’ that uses gasification technology will be on display at the conference from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Physical Plant parking lot.  

For additional information, contact Michael Seipel at 785.4316. For a full conference program and map, go to http://bioenergyconference.truman.edu.

Senior chemistry majors John Cobb and Sara Goehl, junior chemistry majors Kyle Denk and Rick Knopick and sophomore biology major Emery Brown, presented results of their research at the recent Midwest Regional meeting of the American Chemical Society in Kearney, Neb.

Cobb’s poster was entitled “Monte Carlo Simulations of the Critical Properties of An Ising-XY Hybrid Model”; Goehl’s poster was “Determination of Toxic Pesticide Residues in Local Fish”; Denk’s poster was “Nanoselective Membranes Based on 3-Dimensionally Ordered Macroporous (3DOM) Carbon”; Knopick’s oral presentation was entitled “Mercury Determination in Freshwater Fish Using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry”; and Brown’s poster was “Crystal and 3-Dimensional Molecular Structures of Pesticides.”

The students were mentored, respectively, by Eduardo Velasco, professor of physics; Barbara Kramer, associate professor of chemistry; Andreas Stein from the University of Minnesota; and professors of chemistry David McCurdy and Russell Baughman.

Faculty in attendance at the meeting included Baughman, McCurdy and associate professors Eric Patterson and Maria Nagan, who presented “The Role of Water in Stabilizing Peptide-RNA Complexes: A Molecular Dynamics Study of HIV Rev Responsive Element Recognition.”

Brown and Cobb were sponsored by the NSF-STEP program. Goehl and Knopick were sponsored by Merck Pharmaceuticals and The American Association for the Advancement of Science. Denk was sponsored by the Landau program at the University of Minnesota.

Students of the senior agriculture practicum class (AGSC 490/491) have created Bulldog Bistro, a business that will produce a cookbook of recipes compiled from various entities on Truman’s campus.

The goal of Bulldog Bistro is to unite the professors, administration, students and various organizations of Truman with a collection of submitted recipes. The completed recipe book will be published and sold during the spring semester of 2009.

This recipe book will contain a variety of categories, including: Presidential Picks, which will be submitted by department heads and University officials; Doctoral Desserts, submitted by professors; Fraternity Favorites, submitted by campus fraternities; Sorority Snacks, submitted by campus sororities; Dorm Room Delicacies, submitted by students living in the dorms; and Quad Cuisines, which is open to all, including any miscellaneous organizations.

Those who submit recipes will be entered into a drawing for a free Bulldog Bistro Recipe Book. The more unique and original the recipe is, the better chance it has of being published.

Recipes may be submitted via hardcopy to Glenn Wehner in the science division office in Magruder Hall or electronically to TrumanRecipes@gmail.com no later than Dec. 10. For more information, the recipe submission form and a pre-order form, please go to http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dwtttht_0cc3n92gc.

Two Truman competitive Mock Trial teams recently competed in a number of area tournaments including the Quincy University Riverside Classic on Oct. 25, the Kansas University Invitational on Nov. 7-9 and the Creighton Blue Jay Invitational on Nov. 14-15.

Both teams performed very well. Team 803 took fifth at Quincy, second at Kansas and fourth at Creighton. Team members, including sophomore Dan Hammond, senior Theresa Perkins, senior Leah Peters, sophomore Nick Jacobson, sophomore Carolyn Saville, freshman Amanda Nehrkorn, senior Alan Eckert and freshman Elizabeth Hetting were very happy with their successes and are currently working on case preparation for the upcoming regional tournament in Columbia Feb. 27-28.

Individual members of both teams have also received outstanding attorney and witness awards including senior Nick Zotos (Quincy, Kansas, and Creighton), senior Chris Sumski (Quincy), Hammond (Quincy) and Nehrkorn (Creighton). For more information on Mock Trial, please contact Theresa Perkins at tap657@truman.edu.

Students will have an opportunity to spend two weeks in Hong Kong and Shuizhai in a professional exchange setting or spend a semester in Shuizhai assisting English teachers.

During the May Interim of 2009, students will be able to travel to Hong Kong and Shuizhai in the province of Guangdong with Janice Grow, professor of education, and Charles Frost, lecturer in justice systems.

Students will spend two weeks touring local museums and businesses, studying the history of Hakka in Southwest China and interacting one-on-one with English and mathematics teachers and secondary students as part of a service-learning opportunity in Shuizhai.

An informational meeting regarding this opportunity will take place at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in Violette Hall 2351.

Students will be enrolled in CHN 330/530G and will receive three hours of undergraduate or graduate credit. Students also have an opportunity to spend an entire semester abroad in Shuizhai, where they will be assisting in the teaching of English. Students can receive up to 12 hours of undergraduate credit.

The Truman Bulldog volleyball team won the South Central Regional Championship Nov. 23 with a 3-0 victory at top-seeded Emporia State.

The team earned its fifth career trip to the Elite Eight and will now face South Region champion Nova-Southeastern (Fla.) Dec. 4 at Concordia University-St. Paul in St. Paul, Minn.

With a record of 32-7, Truman returns to the Elite Eight for the second time under fourth-year head coach Jason Skoch. The Bulldogs have advanced to the Elite Eight five times, all since 2001, and have reached the national championship match twice but have never captured the title.

Full coverage of the next match will be available on Truman’s Athletics website, http://gobulldogs.truman.edu.

The Truman women’s soccer team had its winning season come to an end Nov. 22 when they lost in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs lost 1-0 to Seattle Pacific at the Truman Soccer Park. The game marked the first loss at home for the team, which ends the season with a record of 18-4-2.

Next season the team returns all but four starters and look to advance even farther in tournament play.

Adam Davis, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, attended the Missouri Folklore Society Conference in Hannibal Nov. 6-8 and presented a paper titled “Slickerin’ Deer Guts on a Doorknob:  Challenges of Folksay Research.”  Paul Niehaus, a senior music major and folklore minor from St. Louis, presented work on Kirksville artist Judy Scheurer entitled “Rocking Horses:  A Woman’s Revival.” Also representing Truman were: folklore minors Mike Bono, a senior from St. Louis, Katie Buckles, a junior from Austin, Texas, and Michelle Coolidge, a senior from Graylake, Ill.; as well as Talia Linneman, a graduate student from St. Louis; Betsy Delmonico, professor of English, and Barbara Price, associate professor of English education.

Martin Erickson, professor of mathematics, had his mathematical problem-solving book, “Aha! Solutions,” published by the Mathematical Association of America. This is the fourth mathematics text that Erickson has authored or co-authored.

Kendal Geno, a senior biology major from Brookfield, Mo., was chosen as November’s PRIMO ACES Star Student of the Month. The Primary Care Resource Initiative for Missouri (PRIMO) provides help to people and communities to assure access to health care services for all Missourians. PRIMO can help students in medical, mental, dental or nursing programs looking for a way to pay college expenses. PRIMO program participants can receive funding for school in exchange for working in an area of designated need in Missouri. Geno is a Bryant Scholar who has been pre-admitted to the University of Missouri School of Medicine. He plans to pursue a career in family practice.

Shirley McKamie, lecturer in music, has been invited to present her research at the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education in Norton, Mass., on Jan. 16. NITLE, which promotes research concerning the pedagogical potential of emerging digital technology, is an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation initiative comprised of 148 of the country’s leading private and public liberal arts institutions.  McKamie’s project, “Researching Ancient Rituals in the Digital Age: Music in Religious Thought and Practice (JINS 301),” not only describes her students’ innovative use of digital materials, but also details the history and success of Truman’s annual Student Research Conference.  

Joe Nedelec, instructor in justice systems, presented a paper on “Evolutionary Criminology” at the American Society of Criminology in St. Louis, Nov. 13-14.

Antonio Scuderi, associate professor of Italian, translated into English the booklet that accompanies the classical CD, “Il Mandolino Italiano del Settecento,” which features Carlo Aonzo (mandolin) and Elena Buttiero (spinet) (Devega Records 2008). The bilingual booklet gives a brief history of the development of the mandolin in the 18th century, as well as notes on the various composers, including Arcangelo Corelli and Domenico Scarlatti, and their compositions.

The following health science students received awards/scholarships during the American School Health Association (ASHA) National Conference and Eta Sigma Gamma National Professional Health Education Honorary Meeting in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 12-15: Rebecca Verhaeghe, a senior from Baldwin City, Kan., received the American School Health Association Student Scholarship Award; Chaeli Dougherty, an August 2008 graduate from Olivette, Mo., received the American School Health Association Student Research Award; Wes Chew, a senior from Pullman, Wash., received the Eta Sigma Gamma Founder’s Award Scholarship; and Nancy Johnson, a senior from Kirksville, received the Eta Sigma Gamma’s Gamman of the Year Award/Scholarship. Truman’s Gamma Rho Chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma also won the Eta Sigma Gamma National Chapter of the Year Award/Chapter Excellence Award.

Also during the ASHA conference and Eta Sigma Gamma National Professional meeting in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 12-15, the following health science students presented their research: Desi Raygor, a sophomore from Lebanon, Mo.; Julie Hasken, a junior from Bettendorf, Iowa; Ann Bruno, a junior health science and chemistry double major from Columbia, Mo.; Ashley Hartman, a sophomore from Oak Grove, Mo.; Joe Stauber, a May 2008 graduate from Glencoe, Mo.; Liz Schulte, a junior from Wildwood, Mo.; Teresa Nydegger, a junior from St. Louis, Mo.; Jenna Osseck, a junior from St. Charles, Mo.; Megan Temme, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo.; Leslie Moss, a senior from Ballwin, Mo.; Michelle Pickens, a sophomore from Greentop, Mo.; Brittany Schultehenrich, a junior from St. Peters, Mo.; Rebecca Verhaeghe, a senior from Baldwin City, Kan.; Wes Chew, a senior from Pullman, Wash.; and Nancy Johnson, a senior from Kirksville.

“Europe in Transition,” a summer 2009 study abroad program, will have three separate informational meetings at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 1-3 in Violette Hall 1400. Please contact Jason Lin at jlin@truman.edu or Debra Cartwright at dcart@truman.edu for more information.

The next physics colloquium will take place at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in Magruder Hall 1000. Jacob Burress, from the University of Missouri-Columbia, will present “Gas Adsorption on Nanoporous Bicarbon, Results and Pore Structure Analysis.”

The Department of Classical and Modern Languages and the Classics Club will host “Oratoria Ciceroniana” at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the University
Club and “Homerathon” at 7 p.m. Dec. 3. Location of “Homerathon” is to be announced, please call 785.4481 for more information.

Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity will have a chili fundraiser from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 3 in upstairs Violette Hall. The cost is $4.

Residence Life is hosting an apartment manager information session at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 and a student adviser information session at 7 p.m. Dec. 4. Both sessions will be located in the Missouri Hall Chariton Room.

Truman State University nursing students will be hosting the World AIDS Day Memorial Service, in remembrance of the lives lost or affected by the disease, at the eternal flame in front of Kirk Memorial at 7 p.m. Dec. 2.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is hosting “Sigma Week” Dec. 2-7. This year’s theme is “Back to Basics.” Events include: “Back to Chivalry: How to Treat a Lady,” at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in Violette Hall 1010; “Back to School: Graduate School Success,” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in Baldwin Hall 251; “Back to Scholarship: Scholarship Kickball Tournament,” from 7-10 p.m. Dec. 5 in Pershing Arena (The cost is $10 per team of 5 people and students will collectively receive more than $300 in scholarships); “Back to Class: Evening of Blue and White Royalty,” from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Student Union Building Down Under; and “Back to Church,” at 1 p.m. Dec. 7 in Georgian Room A of the Student Union Building.

Claypeople will host the Fall Art Sale from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 3-4 in the lobby of Ophelia Parrish. Student artists will be selling their work. Ceramics, printmaking, fibers and graphic arts will be on sale.

The Center for International Education Abroad will host an information session with Jason Keeling, a representative from Edge Hill University, about studying abroad in England. The session will take place at 4 p.m. Dec. 4 in Kirk Building 114. Interested individuals should RSVP to Megan at ciea@truman.edu.

The Next STEP Office will host a workshop for students to learn about Summer Research with STEP. The workshop will take place at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Student Union Building 3202. Learn the benefits of research experience; opportunities at Truman for first and second year students interested in science, math and computer science; and how to prepare an application. Dinner will be provided. For more information contact The Next STEP Office at 785.7252 or step@truman.edu.

The John R. Kirk chapter of Blue Key National Honors Fraternity is hosting a fall meet and greet reception at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 in Georgian Room C of the Student Union Building for students interested in rushing next semester. Eligible students must have completed at least 45 hours with a GPA of 3.0 or better. For more information, visit http://bluekey.truman.edu or contact Whitey Holt at wwh051@truman.edu.

The University Observatory will have an open house from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Participants will get to look at a variety of celestial objects through the University telescopes.

The True Men Winter Concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in Baldwin Auditorium.

The American Association of University Professors will meet at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the University Club, 516 E. Patterson. Contact Marc Becker at marc@truman.edu or call 785.6036 for more information.


The Franklin Street Singers Final Concert will be at 8 p.m. Dec. 5 in Baldwin Auditorium.

Truman State University’s Cantoria will have their 43rd annual Pancake Day from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 6 at the First Christian Church. For more information contact Amy Dixon at amd462@truman.edu.

The University Board of Governors Meeting will take place at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 6 in the Conference Room of the Student Union Building.

Alpha Sigma Gamma is hosting the Ryle Holiday Market from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Ryle Hall Main Lounge. There will be crafts, a silent auction and a kids activity corner. All proceeds will go to Victim Support Services. For more information please e-mail ryleholidaymarket@gmail.com.

The SERVE Center will sponsor the Bowl for Gold on Dec. 6. For more information call 785.4222 or e-mail Tim Schuster at schuster@somo.org.

The Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association will present “Christmas Memories” at 3 p.m. Dec. 6 in Quincy, Ill. Faculty, staff and students are admitted free with an ID, as well as all children under 18.

The University Orchestra Concert will take place at 8 p.m. Dec. 6 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.

The Concert Band and Wind Symphony I Concert will take place at 2 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall.

USMED will sponsor a Holiday Bellydance Show at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Down Under of the Student Union Building. Tickets are $1.

The French Government is seeking applicants ages 20-30 to work as teaching assistants in English at secondary public schools in France. Applications will be accepted in Washington, D.C., until late January. Details are online at http://www.frenchculture.org, under the education menu. Contact Gregg Siewert, professor of French, at gsiewert@truman.edu for more information.