Vol. 29 No. 4 - September 9, 2024

Interns will receive a monthly stipend to help pay expenses and 15 hours of Truman credit. Interested students can click here for more information. Additional information will be presented at the Sept. 18 meeting.

 
Grammy Award winners Third Coast Percussion will kick off the Kohlenberg Lyceum season with a performance at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.  
 
For nearly 20 years, this Chicago-based quartet has created exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience. Whether the artists are speaking from the stage about a new piece of music, inviting concertgoers to play along with a piece or providing an educational performance, the ensemble is known for making a direct connection with the audience. In addition to working with musicians from a wide range of backgrounds, the ensemble has joined with dancers, sound engineers and even architects on creative projects.
 
Third Coast Percussion’s recordings include 19 feature albums, as well as appearances on 14 additional releases. In 2017 the ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. They made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. Third Coast Percussion has since received five additional Grammy nominations as performers, and in 2021 they received their first nomination as composers. Their latest nomination, the 2023 album “Between Breaths,” was in contention for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. In just the last 10 years, the ensemble has amassed more than five million listeners and more than 10 million streams on Spotify.
 
Tickets for Third Coast Percussion are free and will be available starting Sept. 10, and can be picked up on campus at any of three convenient locations: the Union and Involvement Office in the Student Union Building; the Advancement Office in McClain Hall 205; or the Admissions Office in the Ruth W. Towne Museum and Visitors Center. Tickets are also available off campus at the Kirksville Arts Association in downtown Kirksville. Any remaining tickets will be available the day of the event beginning 30 minutes before each performance.  
 
The four members of Third Coast Percussion – Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin and David Skidmore – are also accomplished teachers, and make active participation by students the cornerstone of their educational offerings. The quartet originally met while studying percussion music at Northwestern. Members have degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory and the Yale School of Music.
 
As part of their visit to Truman, members of Third Coast Percussion will conduct a free masterclass at 8 p.m. Sept. 23 in Baldwin Auditorium. Open to all members of the community, the masterclass presentation should be of particular interest to area music students.  
 
For more information about the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series, visit lyceum.truman.edu or contact the Advancement Office at 660.785.4133.

 
Truman will host the Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC) Regional College Fair from 9-11:30 a.m. Sept. 16 in the Student Union Building.
 
All northeast Missouri area students in grades 9-12 are invited to campus to attend this regional college fair. Prospective students can explore post-high school opportunities and meet representatives from various colleges, universities, technical schools and military branches. Representatives from MOACAC reached out earlier this year to partner with Truman on the regional college fair.
 
“This is an exciting opportunity for high school students in the region, and we are thrilled to have them on the Truman campus,” said Allison Schweizer, director of admissions. “We hope to meet a lot of future bulldogs at the event, but the primary goal is to be a resource for all of the students in the area and help them figure out what is the best option for them after high school.”
 
There is no cost for students to attend. Those who would like to register for the event can do so through their high school counselor or by visiting connect.truman.edu/register/TrumanStateRCF.

 
The Physical Sciences Department recently received two precision analytical tools with a combined value of approximately $15,000.
 
Students and faculty members conducting research can now make use of either an Ohaus analytical balance – with a draft shield – or an Ohaus explorer balance, valued at $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. These balances are highly calibrated and can measure the weight of a human hair. To show how precise the balances are, a person could dip a cotton ball in alcohol, place it on the balance and watch the mass decrease in real time as the alcohol evaporates.
 
The gift comes from John Cross, a retired machinist originally from upstate New York who has been living in Kirksville since 2017. Cross has always had an interest in precision engineering. In recent years, he primarily used the balances as a hobby, and he chose to donate them to Truman because he knows they will be used to educate students.
 
“I wanted to donate them to someone who could use them,” Cross said. “There are a lot of people over at Truman who could use them. There are a lot of brains over there. I feel fortunate if I can give them something that they can use.”
 
While Truman already owns similar pieces of equipment, this donation will increase accessibility for students. These balances will be housed in a chemistry lab space. The high-precision balance will be used most commonly in analytical, physical and biochemistry courses, while the other balance could be used across the entire lab curriculum.

First place will receive $10,000, second place will receive $7,500 and third place will receive $5,000. To apply for the Gould Scholastic Award, students must be a University junior, senior or honors program student. Graduate students are not eligible to participate. Group projects are eligible, but if the group wins, the winning dollars are split equally among the members of the group.

Interested students should contact Yung-hwal Park, associate professor of business administration, at yhpark@truman.edu by Sept. 20.

A start-up founder and investor based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sumter (’10) graduated from Truman with a degree in computer science. He received his master’s degree in technology policy from MIT where he researched using cellphones as a sensor platform to study social dynamics and human behavior. Sumter co-founded Behavio, a mobile sensing company acquired by Google in 2013. He has since led product teams at Google, Facebook and Uber.

While at Truman, Sumter was involved in the astronomy research program, working on and leading several projects at the Truman Observatory and Lowell Observatory, studying both near-Earth asteroids and Delta Scuti stars in eclipsing binary systems. In addition, he served for three years as the student representative on Truman’s Board of Governors and was a member of the University Foundation Board.

The History Society is hosting an informational event on museum and archive internships at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11 in Baldwin Hall 219. Jason McDonald, assistant professor of history, will outline the museum and archive internship opportunities available to Truman students. He will also explain how to submit applications and earn academic credit for internship placements.

 
Truman will conduct a Constitution Day celebration at 2 p.m. Sept. 17 behind the Starbucks in Pickler Memorial Library. Faculty members will give brief presentations on the Constitution, voting rights and elections. Light refreshments will be served. Free pocket-sized copies of the Constitution will be available, along with vouchers for the food trucks that will be on campus that evening.
 
Constitution Day is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is normally observed Sept. 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia.

Stephanie Altic
Adam Antor    
Business administration, 2014    
Dan Bellavia    
Chemistry, 2012    
Maggie Bennett-Brown    
Communication, 2013    
Angela Crawford    
Communication and interdisciplinary studies, 2008    
Christy Crouse    
Political science and Spanish, 2017    
Mitch Etter    
Communication, 2014    
Kate Gallen    
English, 2008    
Jon Gill    
Music, 2009; M.A. in music, 2011; M.A.E. in music, 2012    
Sarah Grace    
Economics, business administration, 2013    
Remi Hampton    
Linguistics, 2017    
Gordon Harrison    
Art History, 2008    
Brian Jacob    
German, music, 2015; M.A.E. in music, 2017    
Jerry Jones     
English, 2008; M.A.E. in elementary education, 2008    
Marissa LaRose
Communication, theatre, 2008    
Tuong-Minh Ly-Le 
Communication, 2011    
Danielle Madsen    
Accounting, 2010; M.A.E. in elementary education, 2012    
Maurice Mathis    
Communication, 2009    
Cody Lee Pey    
Creative writing, 2020    
Allison Schlobohm    
Communication, 2007    
Jonathan Terry    
Biology, 2005    
Evie Townley    
Business administration, 2017    
Sarah Vincent    
Spanish, 2014    
Haley Wrisinger    
Exercise science, 2016    
Doctor of chiropractic, Evergreen Chiropractic

 
The course, “CML 200: Taiwan Connect” (CRN: 6112), is a service-learning experience that begins in the second block of the semester. Classes will take place every Monday evening in Baldwin Hall 309, starting Oct. 14. Before Nov. 3, the class will meet from 6:30-8 p.m., and after Nov. 3, the time will change to 5:30-7 p.m. The only requirement for participation is that students must be native English speakers.
 
Students enrolled in 12-16 credit hours can take CML 200 at no additional cost. For more information or an override to enroll in this course, contact Zhijun “David” Wen, assistant professor of Chinese, at zwen@truman.edu or in McClain Hall 313.

• a US Citizen
• a resident of the state, or attending a college or university in Missouri (students may not register to vote in both your home state and Missouri)
• 17 ½ years of age to register and 18 years of age by election day registered to vote on or before Oct. 9 to vote in the Nov. 5 election

• Students may register to vote in Adair County (the county where Truman located) and vote in person at their local polling precinct on election day.
• Students may request an absentee ballot in their registered county. Registration for an absentee ballot is usually open six weeks before election day. Ballots are due back to the county clerk’s office before the election. Absentee ballots in Missouri require notary service. There are notaries on campus to assist students in the Business Office in McClain Hall and in the Department of Public Safety in the General Services Building. A picture ID is required for notary service.     
• Students may vote absentee in person in their registered county at the county clerk’s office up to 5 p.m. the night before the election.  This is for voters who will not be able to vote in person at their regular precinct the day of the election.

Voters should contact the county clerk’s office in the county in which they are registered if they would like additional information regarding this year’s election. Be sure to allow plenty of time before the election to meet the voting deadlines.