Vol. 16, No. 3 - Sept. 13, 2011

The Missouri Government Internship Program offers a unique opportunity for students to intern at the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., with a public official, legislator or state agency during the Spring 2012 semester. The program provides students an inside look at state government and the political process.
 
Interns receive a stipend of $2,500 and up to 15 hours of credit. Duties may vary based on each individual public official, however, typical duties include attending meetings and making reports, communicating with constituents, doing office and computer work, conducting research, assisting with committee hearings, writing speeches, editing printed materials, tracking and summarizing legislation and being on call to help with projects.

Students wishing to participate in the program are required to have a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit, a minimum of two semesters of residence at Truman, a cumulative GPA of 2.75 and divisional approval.

No special coursework is required prior to the internship. Successful applicants will be of sound character and possess qualities that reflect positively upon themselves and the University.

Students interested in learning more about the internship should attend the informational meeting scheduled 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 26 in Student Union Building Georgian Room C.  

Applications are available online at career.truman.edu/Internships/mogovBrochure.asp.

For more information, contact Heidi Templeton at 785.4016 or heidi@truman.edu, or Candy Young at 785.4650 or cyoung@truman.edu.

The Truman State University Press is presenting guest speaker Clifton Truman Daniel at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.  

Daniel is the oldest grandson of former U.S. President Harry S. Truman. He will speak about his famous, but very ordinary, grandparents. His new book, “Dear Harry, Love Bess,” published by Truman State University Press, will be available to purchase and for Daniel to sign.

Currently, Daniel serves as the director of public relations for Harry S. Truman College, located in Chicago, Ill. Prior to that, he worked as a feature writer and editor for the Morning Star and Sunday-Star news in Wilmington, N.C.  

Daniel is the honorary chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Library Institute in Independence, Mo. In addition to his current book, he also wrote “Growing Up With My Grandfather: Memories of Harry S. Truman.”

Truman presented Daniel as commencement speaker during the May 2008 graduation ceremony.

This free event is sponsored by the Truman State University Press in celebration of 25 years of publishing and by the School of Arts and Letters. Contact the Public Relations Office at 785.4016 for more information. 

Chad Mohler, professor of philosophy and religion and developer of the iPhone application TruTouch, was recently named winner of the “Mobile for Global Good” programming competition sponsored by Big Nerd Ranch.
 
Big Nerd Ranch (www.bignerdranch.com) is one of the premiere companies in the world for offering training programs in Mac and iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) software development.

The competition solicited ideas for an iOS application that would facilitate the work of some charitable organization. Mohler’s award-winning submission proposed an application that serves as a portal to JustGive, an organization that, through its database of nearly 1.8 million charities, seeks to connect donors with the charities the donors would like to support.

“Insofar as a JustGive iOS app would help users to find charities they’d like to donate to and then donate to those charities in just a matter of a few taps, such an app would go a long way toward increasing the convenience of charitable giving,” Mohler said of his proposal.

As a result of winning the competition, Mohler received an all-expense-paid weeklong trip to the Big Nerd Ranch in Atlanta, Ga., for training in iOS programming. That training will be followed by a week of one-on-one mentoring at Big Nerd Ranch to facilitate the creation of the JustGive app.

The skills Mohler acquired at Big Nerd Ranch will also help him to continue to make improvements to TruTouch, the Truman iOS app he developed to give iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users convenient, one-click access to various sorts of information about Truman.

More information about TruTouch can be found at Mohler’s software development website, www.appsolutelyfun.com.

Eight students and two faculty members spent 11 days traveling to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons national parks as part of a special topics exercise science course.  

Taught by associate professor of exercise science, Jennifer Hurst, the five-week summer course titled “Exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton” combined learning about the national parks within the classroom and the excursion that occurred July 16-26. Hurst and staff member Cathy Monroe served as the trip leaders.


The course represented students from different majors and was available to take as an elective.  

Prior to the trip, students learned about the national park system and the specific histories, ecology and geology of the two national parks visited.  

“The focus was on exploring how the national park idea reflected American values and society and the diversity of people that were involved in the National Parks movements,” said Hurst.

Students also learned high altitude physiology, personal safety issues and basic map and compass skills that were applied in their travels. During the trip students experienced the ecosystems and environments of both parks through various physical activities.

Their first stop was to Yellowstone National Park where they visited a series of local monuments through hiking.

Junior psychology major, Brendan O’Brien described his experience as incredible.  

“We learned while there that we had to rely on each other a great deal - running low on water, helping set up camp, getting encouragement on long hikes or rock climbing, and just sharing the awesome experiences along the way,” O’Brien said.
 
In Grand Tetons National Park, the group toured the National Museum of Wildlife Art, whitewater rafted, and continued exploring through hiking.  

Students were asked to write and reflect upon their relationship with nature. They did this before and after their trip to the national parks.

Students were also required to put together a creative project representing their relationship with nature through the use of imagery, videos and or journal entries collected on their trip. These projects were given on the last day of class.

Hurst hopes to teach this course again next year as a writing enhanced course that can fulfill the physical activity portion of the well-being requirement.

“It was the most amazing teaching experience I have ever had. I have never been more engaged with my students and the content of my course as I was teaching this course,” Hurst said.  

The Beta Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi Honors Fraternity accepted three national awards this summer, including the Joseph Torchia Award for best chapter in the nation for the 2010-2011 school year.

 
Six fraternity members represented Truman at the National Convention held Aug. 4-7 in Arlington, W. Va.  

In addition to the best chapter award, the organization brought home the award for best in region and for outstanding scholarship event.
 
The fraternity secured the award through a combination of innovative event planning, leadership and national participation in the Spring 2011 showing of  the documentary, “Call and Response,” in a joint effort with Namaste Nepal.  

Truman’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) received top honors at the national leadership conference in Orlando, Fla., June 23-26.

The conference sponsors a series of comprehensive competitive events ranging in business and career-related areas. To compete in the events students had to place first or second at state level.  


Student Wanding “Diane” Shi ranked third place in Financial Analysis and Decision Making.  Also representing Truman were students Parker Leatherman, Daniel Riekena, Kadie Webster and Megan Recklein.  


Leatherman, Riekena and Webster competed in the Business Decision Making event and Recklein competed in the individual Management Concepts events.  

A grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation is helping maintain part of the Truman landscape and could lead to a future attraction for campus visitors.

Earlier this year, the University conducted a tree inventory that served as the first step in securing a Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant. The purpose of the TRIM program, which is administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation in cooperation with the Missouri Community Forestry Council and the U.S. Forest Service, is to provide financial assistance for the management, improvement or conservation of community forests.

The $9,725 grant, received by the University in June, will go primarily to cover the cost of the initial tree inventory and development of a management plan.

Luke Mudd, director of grounds, who secured the grant for Truman, said he would like to re-apply for another TRIM grant in two years with the hopes of creating a tree walk for campus visitors.

On the tree walk visitors could follow a map and see what history is available at each tree.

The inventory, conduced in March, counted 1,744 trees total, with the top three varieties consisting of Pin Oak (268), Crabapple (117) and White Pine (92).  

The Career Center is hosting mock interviews with employers from all majors on Sept. 29. Sign up by Sept. 28 on truman.experience.com. Students should dress business casual and are welcome to stop by the Career Center for a resume critique.

The list of employers and majors they will be interviewing include:  

Butler and Associates
Pre-Law, Political Science, History, Justice Systems, Foreign Languages, Classics, Linguistics

Majors Brands
Business, English, Philosophy & Religion, Sociology, Anthropology

A.T. Still University
Pre-Med, Health Science, Exercise Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Swank Motion Pictures
Business, Accounting

YMCA
Non-Profit, Education, Music, Health Science, Exercise Science, Athletic Training

Kemin Industries
Communication, Business, Economics, Psychology

Missouri Healthcare for All  
Government, Political Science, Nursing

Sigma Aldrich  
Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Math, Agricultural Science

J.C. Penney
Business

Truman State University
Visual Communication, Art, Music, Theatre

Order your Homecoming apparel early. Go to homecoming.truman.edu and click on apparel. Fill out a pre-order form and return to the CSI or order your apparel online through the online Homecoming store. For more information, please contact the Center for Student Involvement.

The Career Center is hosting nationally known author and lecturer Donald Asher to conduct a personal statement workshop. Students will have the opportunity to complete writing exercises and leave with a rough draft of their statement. Sessions will take place on:

3–6 p.m.
Sept. 27

2:30–5:30 p.m.
Sept. 28

To attend, a student must be nominated by a faculty or staff member. To nominate a student, submit the following information to ucc4@truman.edu: student name, student email and which workshop they can attend.

Asher will also conduct the following workshops:

How to Attend Graduate School for Free or Minimum Cost
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Sept. 27
Student Union Building
Activities Room

The Hidden Job Market
6–7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28
Student Union Building
Activities Room

For Donald Asher’s biography and credentials visit
www.donaldasher.com.

Additional questions can be directed to ucc4@truman.edu.

The Gates Cambridge Trust and the Gates Scholars Alumni Association (GSAA) will be hosting an online webinar for prospective U.S. Gates Scholars at 10 a.m. Sept. 14. This webinar information session will discuss:

 • How to make an application
 • Information about undertaking graduate study at the University of Cambridge
 • The experience of living and working as a Gates scholar
 
To register visit www2.gotomeeting.com/register/218496978.

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The Bulldog football team is once again selling discount cards that may be utilized year round at more than 30 local businesses. These discount cards, fondly referred to as Dog Tags, can easily save a consumer upwards of $100 if used consistently throughout the school year. Dog Tags may be purchased for $10 in the Athletic Office in Pershing Building, from any member of the football team or in the Public Relations Office, McClain Hall 202. 

Women’s Soccer vs Northwest Missouri
4 p.m.
Sept. 15

Women’s Tennis Hosts Truman Invitational
Sept. 16-17

Women’s Volleyball vs Emporia State
1 p.m.
Sept. 17

Football vs Pittsburg State
7 p.m.
Sept. 17

Men’s Tennis Host Truman Invitational
Sept. 23-24

Men’s Tennis vs William Jewell
4 p.m.
Sept. 28

Women’s Tennis vs William Jewell
4 p.m.
Sept. 28

Women’s Soccer vs Missouri Western
3 p.m.
Oct. 4

Men’s Tennis vs Quincy
4 p.m.
Oct. 4

Women’s Tennis vs Quincy
4 p.m.
Oct. 4

Men’s Soccer vs Upper Iowa
3 p.m.
Oct. 5

Women’s Volleyball vs Central Missouri
7 p.m.
Oct. 5

Men’s Soccer vs Fort Hays
3 p.m.
Oct. 7

Football vs Washburn
2 p.m.
Oct. 8

Women’s Volleyball vs Missouri Western
7 p.m.
Oct. 8

Men’s Soccer vs William Jewell
3 p.m.
Oct. 11

Women’s Soccer vs Washburn
3 p.m.
Oct. 13

Men’s Soccer vs Lindenwood
2 p.m.
Oct. 16

Women’s Soccer vs Missouri Southern
2 p.m.
Oct. 20

Women’s Volleyball vs Missouri Southern
7 p.m.
Oct. 21

Women’s Soccer vs Southwest Baptist
12 p.m.
Oct. 22

Women’s Volleyball vs Pittsburg State
5 p.m.
Oct. 22

Women’s Golf Hosts Bulldog Classic
Oct. 23-24

Women’s Soccer vs Emporia State
2 p.m.
Oct. 27

Women’s Volleyball vs Washburn
7 p.m.
Oct. 28

Women’s Soccer vs Central Missouri
1 p.m.
Oct. 29

Women’s Volleyball vs Fort Hays
6 p.m.
Oct. 29

Activity: Tennis-Doubles
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Sept. 12
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Sept. 19

Activity: Softball
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Sept. 16
Captains’ Meeting: Sept. 1
Play Begins: Sept. 24-25

Activity: Co-Rec Softball
Division: Open
Deadline: Sept. 16
Captains’ Meeting: Sept. 1
Play Begins: Sept. 24-25

Activity: Baggo
Division: Open
Deadline: Sept. 28
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 3

Activity: MLB Playoff Pickems
Division: Open
Deadline: Oct. 5
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 6

Activity: Bulldog 5K Run*
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Sept. 30
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 8

Activity: Kickball
Division: Open
Deadline: Oct. 3
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Oct. 10

Activity: Indoor Soccer
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Oct. 10
Captains’ Meeting: Oct. 6
Play Begins: Oct. 17

Activity: Co-Rec Indoor Soccer
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Oct. 10
Captains’ Meeting: Oct. 6
Play Begins: Oct. 17

Activity: Pickleball-Singles
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Oct. 10
Captains’ Meeting: Oct. 6
Play Begins: Oct. 17

Activity: Pickleball-Doubles
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Oct. 10
Captains’ Meeting: Oct. 6
Play Begins: Oct. 17

Activity: 3v3 Basketball
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Oct. 17
Captains’ Meeting: Oct. 6
Play Begins: Oct. 24

Activity: Basketball Pentathlon
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Nov. 7
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 14

Activity: Co-Rec Floor Hockey
Division: Open
Deadline: Nov. 14
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 14

Activity: Bench Press
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Nov. 9
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 16

Activity: Table Tennis (singles/doubles)
Division: Greek/Org/Open
Deadline: Nov. 21
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Nov. 28

Activity: College Bowl Mania
Division: Open
Deadline: Finals Week
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: Finals Week

Activity: Texas Hold’em Poker
Division: Open
Deadline: TBD
Captains’ Meeting: NA
Play Begins: TBD

All information, rules and registration requirements are online at recreation.truman.edu/intramuralrec.asp, or contact the Intramural Office at 785.4467. Captains’ Meetings will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the SRC Conference Room.
*Must register through the Advancement Office, McClain Hall 205.

AES Engineers is providing $500 scholarships to high school seniors or college students, regardless of courses being studied, who meet certain criteria. Scholarships are intended for future leaders across a wide spectrum of fields of study. Students must submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words in answer to one of the questions posted at aesengineers.com/scholarships.htm. Deadline for entry is Oct. 7.

Miguel Fernandez, a mathematics and physics major, received the Mathematical Association of America’s Outstanding Presentation Award at the national MathFest meeting in Lexington, Ky., in August for his talk “Geometry of Surfaces with Density.” The talk resulted from work he did this summer at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.

Jason Miller, professor of mathematics, and former Truman professor Matthew Beaky were awarded a five-year NSF S-STEM grant. The $600,000 grant will provide need-based scholarships for first- and second-year students in biology, chemistry, physics, agricultural science or interdisciplinary STEM majors. The scholarship project aims to provide early career experiences for the students that emphasize the interconnectedness and interdependence of all STEM majors.

Antonio Scuderi, professor of Italian, recently published a book and an article. The book, “Dario Fo: Framing, Festival, and the Folkloric Imagination” is published by Lexington Books. The article, “Okay Napulitan!: Social Change and Cultural Identity in the Songs of Renato Carosone,” is available in Italica 87.4:619-36, the journal of the American Association of Teachers of Italian.

Finance majors Wanding Shi and Linyu Zheng passed CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level I with highest marks. The CFA Level I exam that requires general knowledge in finance is highly challenging and the first step to set the highest educational, ethical and professional standards in the investment industry.

Rachel Witts, a senior chemistry major, presented her research “Natural Bond Orbital Analysis to Rationalize Stability of the Transfer RNA Anticodon,” at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver, Colo. Co-authors included alumni Emily Hopson, Drew Koballa, Drew VanBoening, Nick Hopkins and faculty members Eric Patterson and Maria Nagan.

Professors of chemistry David Wohlers and Dana Delaware traveled to Denver, Colo., for the 242 meeting of the American Chemical Society in August. Wohlers serves as councilor of the Mark Twain local section and represents the local section at each national meeting. As councilor, he also participates on several committees including the Committee on Community Activities and the Committee on Chemists with Disabilities. Wohlers coauthored a talk with April Hill, Cary Supalo and Tom Maallouk of the Pennsylvania State University and presented by Dr. April Hill, currently at the Metropolitan State College of Denver, entitled “Long-term effects of a one-week, laboratory-based, multisensory science experience for high-school students who are blind or low-vision.” It is available online at abstracts.acs.org/chem/242nm/program/view.php?obj_id=83499&terms.

President Paino will host a “Coffee with the President” from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Student Union Building Conference Room. The regularly scheduled “Coffee with the President” events are part of Truman’s effort to keep the lines of communication open between the president and the campus. Sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for individuals to ask questions about issues facing the University. Visit president.truman.edu/Coffee%20with%20the%20President.asp for more information.

TruMarketing, Truman’s chapter of the American Marketing Association, will continue 2011 recruitment Sept. 13. Students will have chance to meet the chapter at 7 p.m. in Violette Hall 1408. Contact Jen Cleary at jnc8152@truman.edu for more information.

Cardinal Key and Blue Key will sponsor an American Red Cross blood drive from 10:30 a.m-5:30 p.m Sept. 13-14 in the Student Union Building Georgian Rooms. Visit redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment.

The Math Colloquium will feature guest speaker Jianguo Sun, professor of biostatistics from the University of Missouri, at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in Violette Hall 1236.

Anthony Blades, blindness skills specialist, will present a workshop from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in Violette Hall 1312 on Sept. 15. The workshop will focus on the education of students with visual impairments and the role of the regular teacher. This presentation is free of cost. For more information contact Blades at ablades@truman.edu.  

Kirksville Young Professionals is accepting nominations for the “5 Under 40” award. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. Sept. 15. Nomination forms are available at www.kirksvillechamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/5-Under-40-Nomination-Fillable-Form.pdf. Forms can also be requested by emailing kirksvilleyp@gmail.com. Nominees must be younger than 40 on Sept. 15, must demonstrate dedication, excellence, and professional development in his or her career and must display a commitment to serving his or her community. Nominations may be returned electronically or hard copies can be mailed or delivered to the Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce, 304 South Franklin, P.O. Box 251, Kirksville, MO 63501-3581.

Johnnie LeMaster, former shortstop for the San Francisco Giants, will be speaking at 5 p.m. Sept. 18 on the mall.  

An informational meeting for the Truman-China EFL Internship Program will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in Violette Hall 2351. The program provides opportunities for students to teach conversational English in Guangdong Province, Peoples’ Republic of China in the Spring semester for 12 credit hours. For more information, contact Timothy Farley at tfarley@truman.edu.

An international graduate school consortium is coming to campus at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room A. The session will feature several universities and provide information to students about their graduate degrees and careers in international affairs.

The Lutheran Student Fellowship and Tau Lambda Sigma will host a 5K CROP Hunger Walk/Run at 9 a.m. Sept. 24. Registration is $5 with 25 percent of the proceeds going to local charities and 75 percent going abroad. There will be registration on the Quad from Sept. 19-23. The 5K will begin on Franklin Street by the Student Union Building. Participants should arrive by 8:30 a.m.

Yoga on the Quad will take place from10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m Sept. 24. Visit recreation.truman.edu for more details. This event is sponsored by Student Recreation Center’s Fitness/Wellness Program.  

President Paino will host a “Coffee with the President” from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Student Union Building Conference Room. The regularly scheduled “Coffee with the President” events are part of Truman’s effort to keep the lines of communication open between the president and the campus. Sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for individuals to ask questions about issues facing the University. Visit president.truman.edu/Coffee%20with%20the%20President.asp for more information.

“Truman Renewable Energy Summit” will take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Student Union Building.  

The third Annual Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Symposium will take place at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 22 at the Connell Information Technologies Center at A.T. Still University. The event is focused on faculty-mentored student research in biomedical science. Students are encouraged to register and submit an abstract. Visit www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CV64NP3DT/ for registration and submissions. The deadline for registration is Sept. 30 and for submission, Oct. 7.

The September issue of Student Health 101, a national health and wellness magazine written for and by college students, is available online at readsh101.com/truman.html. Anyone wanting to receive monthly issues via email can respond to hamilton@truman.edu.