Vol. 22 No. 35 - June 25, 2018

Campus visitors wanting to explore the solar system now have two options: they can take in a show at the planetarium, or they can gaze into the library pit.

In late spring, an “Introduction to the Visual Arts” class completed and installed a sculpture project in the courtyard area south of Pickler Memorial Library. Danielle Yakle, assistant professor of art, has had her classes complete similar projects in recent years, including the Quad Kraken, the acorns and a collection of organs. This year, Student Government contacted the class about helping with their initiative to improve the pit.  

“One of the guiding parameters of the project was that it needed to look good from above. Since the space is not fully accessible we wanted to make something people could enjoy just by looking at it from the exterior railings,” Yakle said. “Thematically this solar system sculpture is intended to relate to the nearby planetarium.”  

Those who do venture into the pit for a closer look are free to take a rest on their favorite planet. Each hemisphere is constructed with a steel frame, covered in concrete and embellished with glass mosaic. Similar to the public benches last year, they are more than sturdy enough to double as seating.

One of the biggest challenges of the project was deciding on the scale of the planets and the distances between them. Yakle sought the help of two fellow professors to rectify the problem.

“If we had simply scaled everything down equally to fit in the space none of the planets would have been visible. Even the sun would have been just over a quarter of an inch in diameter – about the size of a pencil eraser,” Yakle said. “We consulted with Vayujeet Gokhale from physics and Don Bindner from mathematics to find solutions to this issue and to make sure our representation could appeal to informed astronomy students as well as the rest of the student body.”  

A hot topic for debate in class was whether Pluto should be included.

“Students still feel a nostalgic attachment to the dwarf planet, but when we realized how extremely far away objects in the Kuiper belt are, and how this would affect our scale, Pluto was nixed.”

While previous projects were installed on a temporary basis, there are no immediate plans to remove the sculpture from the pit.

Truman has published the names of students who graduated during spring commencement.

The University conducted graduation ceremonies May 12. The names of the graduates can be found online at truman.edu/honors/spring-2018-graduation-list.

Students who graduated with honors will have that distinction noted by their names. Cum laude recognizes those who earned a grade point average between 3.50-3.74. Magna cum laude is for graduates with a grade point average between 3.75-3.89. Summa cum laude honors graduates with a grade point average above 3.9.

Master’s degree recipients will have that distinction noted by their names.

Kim Winkler and Mackenzie Perron are the recipients of the Dr. Kay Clapp Children’s Literacy Award. Pictured, from left: Clapp, Winkler, Perron and Wendy Miner, professor of education.

This year’s recipients for the Dr. Kay Clapp Children’s Literacy Award from Truman State University are Mackenzie Perron and Kim Winkler.

The Dr. Kay Clapp Children’s Literacy Award was endowed in 2006 to honor the professor emeritus who taught in the Department of Education. Clapp is a powerful proponent of literacy and children’s literature. Hundreds of students and practicing teachers have been influenced by her dedication and careful mentoring.

The fund provides $500 each to a Master of Arts in Education student and a current teacher to purchase children’s literature for their professional practices. Perron is a graduate student at Truman, and Winkler is a literacy coach and title reading interventionist in the Macon R-1 School District.

The awards were presented June 8 during a ceremony in Violette Hall.

Kirksville will be the host of the Missouri Mission of Mercy (MOMOM), a large-scale dental clinic, Aug. 3-4.

The clinic provides free oral health care to patients of all ages who cannot otherwise afford or access care. MOMOM events across America have helped more than 238,000 patients and have provided nearly $155 million in free dental services since 2000. In Missouri, more than 6,100 dental and general volunteers have provided more than $5.6 million in free care to 9,735 patients.

Volunteers are critical to the success of these clinics because of the large numbers of patients seen. In particular, there is a need of volunteers to help with the clinic set up Aug. 2 and the clinic tear down Aug. 4. There is also a need for more volunteer interpreters that speak Spanish and French. Anyone interested in volunteering for the upcoming clinic can click here for more information.

The clinic will take place in Pershing Arena. More information about the clinic is available here. Specific patient-related questions can be found at modental.org/about-us/mda-foundation/missouri-mission-of-mercy/patient-faq.

External scholarships are available through Bulldog Financial Literacy. Applicants from every major, academic level and financial need can apply for external scholarships, mostly coming from companies who want to give back. The scholarships range from $250-$5,000. To apply visit tru.mn/externalscholarships.