Notables

Michael Bump, associate professor of music, served as host to the opening day of the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Oct. 31-Nov. 3, at the Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio. The theme Bump created was titled, “Paukenzeit: Celebrating the Solo Timpanist.” During the daylong event, artists/performers and music scholars from all across the world presented works which are either historically significant to the solo/chamber repertoire for timpani, or were world premiere performances. In addition to organizing and hosting the event, Bump also performed two works at the conference. The first, a world premiere of Missouri-composer Raymond Helble’s “Night Music,” a work commissioned by Bump earlier this year, as well as a showcase performance of Bump’s own composition, “Studie II: Epthyic,” for solo timpanist and percussion quartet. More than 7,000 percussionists were in attendance at this year’s Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

John Ishiyama, professor of political science and director of the McNair Program
, was elected on Nov. 1, for a two-year term (2007-09) to serve on the National Executive Council of the American Political Science Association (APSA). The 15-member Executive Council is the primary policy making body for the APSA, and Ishiyama is one of eight members who were elected in a national election this year, with 56.5 percent of the vote.

At the annual meeting of the International Studies Association (ISA), Midwest region, held Nov. 2-4 in St. Louis, Alyssa Mayer, a senior political science major from Kirksville, Mo., and John Ishiyama, professor of political science, presented their paper “Does Judicial Activism Impact Democratic Consolidation?”; Anna Pechenina, a junior political science major from Kirksville, Mo., and Ishiyama presented their paper, “Explaining Escalation from Ethnic Conflict to Genocide;” John J. Quinn, associate professor of political science, presented his paper, “When You Can’t Find the Perfect Match: Using the Accumulated Most-Simular Design in African Case Studies;” Marijke Breuning, associate professor of political science, and Ishiyama presented their paper “The Politics of Intercountry Adoption: Explaining Variation in the Legal Requirements of Sub-Saharan African Countries,” and Ishiyama presented his paper, “Political Party Development in Semi-Authoritarian States: The Case of Central Asia.” In addition, Quinn, Jeffrey W. Justice, assistant professor of political science, Ishiyama, and Breuning each served as chair and discussant for a panel session. Lastly, Ishiyama concluded his term as president of the ISA, Midwest region for 2006-2007.

Six members of the Truman community participated in the Missouri Folklore Society Conference in Jefferson City on Nov. 8-10. Adam Davis, associate dean of the college of arts and sciences, presented his research on a new folkloric motif in a paper titled, “Limited Access: A Unified Structural Motif and its Context Dependent Meanings.” Betsy Delmonico, professor of English, presented research on “Three Islamic Heroines.” Meredith Heist and Andrew Warner, both GTRAs in English, collaborated on a presentation about the folkloric dimensions of celebrity death humor, specifically the YouTube coverage of the deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and Steve Erwin. Mike Bono, a junior English major and folklore minor from St. Louis, presented his analysis of slam poetry in “Slammer’s Delight.” Bono’s work won him the Missouri Folklore Society’s very first annual Dolf and Becky Schroeder Scholarship for Undergraduate Research. The award was presented at the conference’s banquet on Nov. 9. Two other Truman students, Tara Schneider, a senior English major from St. Louis, and Aaron Roberts, a sophomore English major from St. Louis, also attended.
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