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Faculty and Staff Newsletter Dec. 6, 2010

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• Dr. Brian W. Donavant, assistant professor of criminal justice, recently presented his paper titled “Narrated Digital Presentations: Tools for Integrating and Enhancing Online Education” at the American Association for Adult and Con-tinuing Education (AAACE) 2010 Annual Con-ference in Clearwater, Fla. Donavant also chaired the panel discussion, “Rediscovering the Learn-ing in Adult Learning: A Discussion of Paradigm Shifts in Adult Education Research and Program-ming,” for the Research and Theory Special In-terest Group of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education, which held its annual meeting in conjunction with the AAACE Conference.

• Dr. Nathan Howard’s paper “Familial Askê-sis in the Vita Macrinae’’ has been published in the 2010 volume of Studia Patristica 47, a publi-cation that includes essays on early church stud-ies from an international circle of scholars. How-ard’s paper addresses female asceticism and how the fourth-century Christian bishop Gregory of Nyssa created a rhetorical connection with his sis-ter in order to enhance his ecclesiastical author-ity. Howard is an assistant professor of history.

• Drs. Tom Blanchard, associate professor of biology; Nancy Buschhaus, professor of biology; Dawn Wilkins, associate professor of biology; and seven biology students recently attended the 120th Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Acad-emy of Sciences, in Cookeville. Davene King, se-nior biology major, presented a poster with Bus-chhaus titled “The effect of older conspecifics on growth rate and survival in larval Tobacco Horn-worms, (Manduca sexta).” Leah Good, recent bi-ology graduate, presented a poster with Wilkins titled “Species diversity in a water tupelo swamp and a bottomland hardwood forest in northwest Tennessee.” Caitlin Gussenhoven, a recent biol-

Faculty members in the UT Martin Department of Agriculture, Geosciences, and Natural Resources, along with Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity alumni and actives, joined Terry Oliver (center, top row) Tennessee commissioner of agriculture, Nov. 18, to discuss and plan support for the UT Martin Fellows Research Program. The program fosters and enhances undergraduate research through a mentored relationship with a department faculty member. The group met before the UT Martin Fellows Research Program and 4-H Centennial Celebration Recognition Dinner in the Boling University Center. Pictured are (standing left to right) Dr. Tim Burcham, faculty member; George Evans, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative; Joe Brasher (UTM ’71, UTK ’73), First State Bank and AGR alumnus; Ben Moore (’99), farmer and AGR alumnus; Terry Oliver (’68); John Chester (’00), farmer and AGR alumnus; Mitch Hobby (UTM ’92, UTK ’95), Tennessee Tractor, LLC, and AGR alumnus; Marvin Flatt (’76, ’83) AGR alumnus; and Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, faculty member; (seated) Justin Hargrove, UT Martin agriculture major and AGR active; Harold J. Smith, UT Martin professor emeritus of animal science; Dr. Jimmy Butler and Richard Shadden, faculty members; and Dr. Jerry Gresham, interim dean, UT Martin College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, and chair, Department of Agriculture, Geosciences, and Natural Resources.

The annual Holiday Open House will be from 3:30-5 p.m., Dec. 10, in Room 206, Boling Univer-sity Center. Those planning to attend may RSVP to Dorothy Gillon, at dgillon.utm.edu or call ext. 7501 by Dec. 7.

Holiday Open House is Dec. 10DURDEN

Dr. Kay Durden, of Greenfield, professor emeritus of in-formation systems, died Dec. 2. Funeral services were Dec. 4. at the First Presbyterian Church in Greenfield.

Durden, a professor of computer science and information systems, joined UT Martin in 1960 and retired May 2005. She returned from August 2005 to July 2008 on a post-re-tirement contract.

A Greenfield native, she received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UT Martin, and a master’s degree in business education and doctorate from the Uni-versity of Mississippi. In 2002, she was named the recipient of a University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Alumni Distinguished Service Professorship. The prestigious

Durden, professor emeritus of information systems, dies

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and the portal for current university weather-related closing information.

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Published weekly during the academic year and biweeklyduring the summer by UT Martin; Martin, TN 38238

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CalendarDec. 6-12

Monday, Dec. 6- 5 p.m. – VTA Faculty Art Exhibition, Paul Meek Library (Dec. 6-10)

Tuesday, Dec. 7- 7 p.m. – Skyhawk women’s basketball @ Missouri- 7:30 p.m. – Wind Ensemble, Union City Civic Auditorium - 9 p.m. – SGA Freshman Council meetings, Room 111, Boling University Center

Wednesday, Dec. 8- 7 p.m. – Skyhawk men’s basketball @ Central Arkansas

Thursday, Dec. 9- 4 p.m. – Commencement practice, Elam Center- 5:30 p.m. – WOW Thursdays, Inter-faith Student Center- 7 p.m. – Skyhawk women’s basketball @ Vanderbilt- 7:30 p.m. – Voice Studio Recital, Trinity Presbyterian Church- 9 p.m. – SGA Senate meetings, Room 111, university center

Friday, Dec. 10- Classes End- All day – I’s calculate as F’s from Sum-mer 2010- 7 p.m. – Gospel Choir Concert, Oak Grove Baptist Church

Saturday, Dec. 11- Final exams (Dec. 11-17)- 2 p.m. – Skyhawk women’s basketball @ Evansville- Noon – Skyhawk men’s basketball @ IPFW

Sunday, Dec. 12- 6 p.m. – SAC movies

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ogy graduate, gave an oral presentation co-au-thored by Wilkins titled “Niche partitioning and overlap between wintering woodpeckers in a bottomland hardwood forest in northwest Tennessee.” Other students attending were James Stewart, Scotty Smith, Faith Crawford and Lauren Childress.

• Dr. Arthur W. Hunt, associate profes-sor of communications, presented his essay recently published in the journal Modern Age, “Back to the Shire: From English Vil-lage, To Global Village, and Back Again.” The presentation focused on the local food movement, sustainable agriculture and simple living. Taking his cue from J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the essay offers a critique of modern technological society. The presentation was Nov. 29, in the McCombs Center.

Students and the public can explore two great civilizations in one travel study to Greece and Turkey, May 15-25. The trip will be led by Dr. Nathan Howard, assistant professor of ancient history, and Richard Garlitz, assistant professor of Middle East history.

Greece is the cradle of western civilization, whose culture has influenced European and Asian history. Turkey is history’s great cross-road bridging European and Asian civiliza-tions.

Cost of the trip is estimated at $3,950 and deadline for payment is Feb. 15.

For more information, contact Garlitz, rgar-litz@utm.edu, or ext. 3471.

Travel to Greece, TurkeyThe Student Members of the American

Chemical Society are sponsoring a semi-nar, at 6 p.m., Dec. 8, in Room 317 of the Johnson EPS Building. The speaker is Dr. J. Douglas Sterrett, professor of engi-neering. His topic is “Global Perspective of Sustainable Energy.” Sterrett is the for-mer dean of the UT Martin College of Engineering and Natural Sciences and has extensive experience and knowledge of energy-related issues. SMACS has won Green Chapter awards for the last nine years sponsoring programs like this and other activities. All interested in the topic are invited to attend.

Sterrett to speak atSMACS seminar

Student Government Association representatives recently shared information about student programs and events with Ripley Center students. They encouraged the students to partici-pate and get more involved. Youlanda Jones-Wilcox, center director, recently established a student ambassador program at the center, and SGA will work with center students to keep them informed and involved. With the director, center, are from left, SGA students, Mary Jean Hall, Jonathan Whitaker, Amber Futrell and Marcus Jackson.

faculty award continues until retirement. She also has a national scholarship named in her honor by a professional fraternity for women in business and economics.

She was a member of the Association of Information Systems Professionals, Adminis-trative Management Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Delta Pi Epsilon Graduate Honor Society, Phi Chi Theta professional fraternity and the National, Southern and Tennessee business education associations.

She conducted numerous workshops and seminars, served as a consultant to area in-dustries and governmental agencies in word processing and office management and was published in professional journals.

She is survived by her husband, Don Dur-den of Greenfield; one son, David Durden of Milan; three brothers, Bill Akin of New Orleans, La.; Bobby Akin of Collierville; and Tommy Akin of Greenfield; and one grand-son.