Vol. 24 No. 16 - December 9, 2019

The course allows non-art majors to explore the arts through different historical periods and themed activities. Danielle Yakle, assistant professor of art, guided the students through the construction process. Each segment of the caterpillar was constructed with a steel frame, covered in concrete and painted with exterior latex. Despite the structures being hollow, they are heavy enough to keep passersby from moving them and sturdy enough to hold several students at once. The footprint of each body segment is a circle with a 30-inch diameter. They range in height from 13 inches to 28 inches tall. The head and tail are slightly larger and stable enough to require no further mounting equipment.

The project idea stemmed from students’ wanting to create a work of art that was simultaneously functional and creative, so each body segment also serves as a bench or seat. The class chose the form of a caterpillar for its metaphorical potential as students transition from childhood to adulthood. They hope to enhance the social aspect of the space the project is installed in while offering the opportunity to engage directly with a piece of art.

Truman’s head baseball coach Dan Davis has been named one of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s (PBTF) inaugural Baseball Vs. Cancer Ambassadors.

Comprised of current and former coaches, players and members of the press, Baseball Vs. Cancer Ambassadors represent the athletic community’s shared resolve to raise awareness and funds for a world without childhood brain tumors. Since 2013, Vs. Cancer has empowered thousands of athletes to help kids with cancer. As a signature fundraising campaign of the PBTF, the program’s proceeds help fund groundbreaking research to cure pediatric brain tumors, the deadliest childhood cancer, as well as family support and child life programs in teams’ communities.

Program ambassadors recognize firsthand the importance of supporting the childhood cancer community and the positive impact it has on their team. They serve as a resource for other coaches and teams by answering questions about the program, sharing their inspiring success stories and working with athletic departments to spread the program’s mission to get more teams involved.

“I’m extremely honored to be part of the Vs. Cancer Ambassadors Program,” said Davis. “Our guys and I are proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization that helps so many children in need. We are humbled to be a small part of the fight to cure pediatric cancer.”

Since 2015, Davis and the baseball team have supported the program by playing two Vs. Cancer sponsored games and raising nearly $12,000 total, which has helped fund child life programs at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Columbia, Mo., and lifesaving pediatric brain tumor research.

The planetarium will feature a series of themed laser shows for the holiday season through Dec. 14. Attendees should be advised the laser shows involve loud music and bright, flashing lights. Shows are not conducive to those with epilepsy or sensitivity to loud noises and flashing light. Shows will last 30-45 minutes.

Laser Show: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
5 p.m.
Dec. 9

Laser Show: Holiday Show
7 p.m.
Dec. 9

Laser Show: Holiday Show
5 p.m.
Dec. 10

Laser Show: Queen
7 p.m.
Dec. 10

Laser Show: The Beatles
5 p.m.
Dec. 11

Laser Show: Holiday Show
7 p.m.
Dec. 11

Laser Show: Holiday Show
5 p.m.
Dec. 12

Laser Show: Led Zeppelin
7 p.m.
Dec. 12

Laser Show: Metallica
5 p.m.
Dec. 13

Laser Show: Holiday Show
7 p.m.
Dec. 13

Laser Show: Holiday Show
5 p.m.
Dec. 14

Laser Show: Pink Floyd
7 p.m.
Dec. 14

The Truman chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has earned an Outstanding Chapter Award from the SPS National Office.

SPS is a professional association designed for students, and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics, an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.

SPS chapters are evaluated on their level of interaction with the campus community, the professional physics community, the public and with SPS national programs. The Outstanding Chapter Award recognizes high levels of outreach as well as unique approaches to fulfilling the mission of SPS to “help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community.”

This is the second year in a row the chapter has been recognized for its excellence as a top-tier student-led physical sciences organization. This recognition is given to fewer than 15 percent of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the U.S. and internationally.

Students Levi Cullifer and Kaitlin Lewis have been selected as Gilman Scholars and will be studying abroad in the spring.
 
Gilman Scholarships are available to any U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern programs worldwide. Students are able to apply and receive up to $5,000 in scholarship funds for traveling the world.
 
Cullifer is a history and classical studies double major, with a minor in museum studies. He is a junior and will be attending American College of Thessaloniki in Greece in the spring. He is most looking forward to learning Greek culture and being fully immersed in the country’s architecture and history.
 
Lewis is an anthropology and Latin American studies double major. She is a junior and will be attending Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola in Cuzco, Peru, in the spring. She is most looking forward to immersing herself in the unique blend of Incan and Hispanic cultures, histories and languages found in Cuzco.

Stop by the pizza party for a complimentary meal of pizza, veggies, drinks and cookies. Those with special dietary requirements should contact the Office of Advancement. This will be an opportunity for students to pick up other gifts such as their first official Bulldog Forever alumni T-shirt.

Those students who cannot attend may stop by the Office of Advancement, located in McClain Hall 205, after Dec. 9 to pick up their T-shirt and goodie bag. T-shirts will also be given out at commencement, immediately following the ceremony.

Questions regarding the pizza party, goodie bags or T-shirts can be directed to Luke Callaghan, alumni relations coordinator, or check out the Facebook event.

Details on commencement can be found online or through the Facebook event. Those wishing to share their experiences through social media are encouraged to use #TrumanGraduation, #TrumanGrad or #BulldogForever.

Truman’s December graduation ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Dec. 14 in Pershing Arena, with alumna Sharron Sue (Grogan-Bailey) Quisenberry providing the commencement address.

Quisenberry received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Truman in 1966 and a Master of Arts in environmental biology at Hood College in 1975. She then entered graduate school at the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning a Master of Science and Ph.D. of entomology in 1977 and 1980, respectively.

As an emerita professor of entomology at Iowa State University, Quisenberry is recognized nationally and internationally for her research in host plant resistance to insects and insect-plant interactions. She began her career in entomology as an assistant professor at Iowa State and attained the ranks of associate and full professor of entomology at Louisiana State University. Quisenberry moved into administration as division chair at the University of Idaho, department head at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, dean of agriculture at Montana State University and dean of agriculture and life sciences at Virginia Tech. She returned to Iowa State to serve as vice president for research and economic development before retiring in 2013. She came out of retirement in June 2019 and is currently serving as associate dean for research and faculty and graduate affairs in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.

With colleague Steve Clement, Quisenberry co-authored a seminal book on conservation of germplasm for insect resistance that is used globally. She has authored and co-authored more than 95 referred journal articles, books and book chapters, with more than 150 other technical publications including a patent and three registered germplasm/cultivars. Quisenberry has presented more than 140 lectures at international and national meetings and has received funding for research as principal and co-principal investigator from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, Murdock Trust, Ford Foundation and industry.

Quisenberry was named Entomological Society of America Fellow in 2002 and Honorary Member in 2010. She served on the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development.

Specific to Truman, Quisenberry was a member of the Foundation Board, serving as president-elect and president before stepping down to assume the role of national chair for the University’s five-year “Pursue the Future” development campaign. In addition, Quisenberry and her husband Larry were named Truman’s Alumni of the Year in 2010 and received the University’s prestigious President’s Leadership Award in 2019.

Family and friends unable to attend the event in person can view the commencement ceremony online.

Details on commencement can be found here or through the Facebook event. Those wishing to share their experiences through social media are encouraged to use #TrumanGraduation, #TrumanGrad or #BulldogForever.

Students can now apply for the summer museum and archives internships.

Locations include the Harry Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Mo.; National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo.; Judicial Archives Project in Kirksville, Mo.; St. Joseph Museums in St. Joseph, Mo.; Field House Museum in St. Louis, Mo.; Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, Mo.; Mercantile Library in St. Louis, Mo., and MSU Special Collections and Archive in Springfield, Mo.

The summer internships are open to all Truman students, but they are especially relevant to those considering careers in archives, museums, teaching and law. Contact Jason McDonald for more information.

Chapter members receive a variety of benefits including discounts or free admission to receptions, picnics, sports outings and other chapter events, free admission to home athletic events, two free guest passes to the campus rec center, 15 percent discount on all regularly priced Truman clothing and memorabilia at the Truman Bookstore, nationwide car rental discounts and a nationwide discount up to 20 percent at all Choice hotels and the Wyndham hotel group.

Those interested in joining can choose from various memberships, including:
•    Individual Membership: $20
•    Joint Membership: $30
•    Individual Membership for Recent Graduate*/Current Truman Student: $10
•    Joint Membership for Recent Graduate*/Current Truman Student: $15

*Graduated from Truman within the last 12 months

For more information on Truman’s alumni chapters and how to join, visit truman.edu/alumni-donors/alumni-groups/chapters/.

The following employees started during the month of November:

Nicole Long, residence life office manager and ID coordinator
Tracy Mathews, financial aid office assistant

The next issue of the Truman Today will be available Jan. 13.

Men’s basketball player Brodric Thomas was awarded his second-straight GLVC Player of the Week honor, after leading Truman to back-to-back wins in the Washburn Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 29-30. Thomas put up a season-high 32 points against Newman on 11-17 (.647) shooting from the floor, with seven boards, six assists and two blocked shots. Against Washburn, he put up 29 points, seven rebounds and picked up his sixth steal of the season. With that effort he crossed the 1,000-point threshold for his career. Thomas is the 30th Bulldog to reach the milestone.